Unequal ties

Sir — After equalling Muttiah Muralidharan’s record of 527 test wickets, Shane Warne declared his feat better than the Sri Lankan’s (“My feat better: Warne”, July 14). He also alleged that Muralidharan had taken most of his wickets on turning tracks. Warne’s views, apart from being detrimental to the spirit of the game, also reflect the Australian bias against Muralidharan. But the offspinner’s overseas performance is as impressive as that on home soil — remember his 16-wicket haul against England at the Oval not many moons ago? Murali has also taken his wickets by playing only 90 tests, 26 less than Warne, which proves that he has a better strike rate than the Australian. Finally, Murali, unlike Warne, has had to face discrimination at the hands of the International Cricket Council which unjustly banned his most effective weapon, the doosra. Dennis Lillee took most of his wickets on green tops. Would Warne have been as dismissive of the record of a fellow white cricketer?

Yours faithfully,
Shantanu Mondol, Calcutta

Ruling our minds

Sir — It is not without reason that Plato wanted to exile all poets and philosophers from his republic. The power of literature to influence political and cultural ethos is known and feared, and Githa Hariharan aptly brings out this truth in her “Dreams of Balzac and Lolita” (July 11). The despots and ideologues who have controlled the state machinery in places as diverse as Iran, Russia or Germany, have time and again tried to regulate peoples’ ideas and imagination by censoring what they read. This practice dates back to 17th century England where despite all claims to political and social liberation, the beginning of circulating libraries was the cause of great anxiety for legislators. This was because of literature’s potential to empower women and the proletariat.

In our own backyard, during the National Democratic Alliance regime, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party combination tried to control and alter Indian literature and history to impose their own ideology. The exiled writer, Milan Kundera, once remarked, “Those who control the past control the future.” Hence the task of writers like Azar Nafisi is to stay put in their home countries and fight against ideological regimentation rather than undertake self-imposed exile.

Yours faithfully,
Preeti Chaturvedi, Calcutta

Sir — I agree with Githa Hariharan in her belief that tyrants have complete disregard for anything that threatens them, and literature is one such threat. But Hariharan is wrong to expect from modern literature the power to “transform”, to “enlarge the imagination” that the classics have. Literature today is subject to the whims of profit-oriented publishers. Which is probably why contemporary writing leaves us so confused and disturbed. Today’s writer is more like a businessman whose primary task is to spot a saleable theme, develop it and finally promote it with fanfare among potential buyers. On the one hand, autobiographies like those of Bill Clinton sell like hot cakes, on the other, the works of vernacular writers like Shailesh Matiyani perish. Literature is still relevant, but its quality has gone down. Would any of the recent novels give as much pleasure or evoke the same passions as a novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay?

Yours faithfully,
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad

By Olympus!

Sir — Will the Greeks be able to repeat their success in this year’s European Championships in the future? Unlikely. But as of now, the going has never been better. Pundits are heaping praise on the footballers, extolling the virtue of teamwork and the superior tactics implemented by their German coach, Otto Rehagal. Many insist that the Greeks thoroughly deserved the trophy. But did the game of soccer deserve the Greeks as champions? Yes, teams with “individual brilliance” crashed out early, the form of some of the game’s present greats was pitiable and the ball was often not at the back of the net when it mattered the most. But that is not all. The Greek strategy of playing defensive football is boring. Imagine a 32-nation contest where every team plays like Greece! Soccer needs larger-than-life stars, crazy back-heeled passes and outrageous goals. Spectators need to see dribbling skills and flying headers, breathtaking solo runs and free kicks that defy the laws of physics. They need to feel the elation and anguish of the stars — because that is what soccer is all about.

Yours faithfully,
Ahitagni Chakraborty,Calcutta

Sir — The Euro Cup commands the largest share of television audience after World Cup football. For one, this is because there is more money in it. Gianluggi Buffon, Zinedine Zidane and Paulo Nedved are some of the richest players in the world and all of them play in Europe. Second, we are familiar with the European clubs playing in the Serie A or the Bundesliga, but very few of us can name a South American club other than River Plate of Argentina or Palmeiras of Brazil. European football is miles ahead in terms of skill, star value and entertainment. Even Brazilians like Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos prefer to play for Real Madrid. Few are interested in Latin American club football. Copa America was never as popular as the European championships and has little chance of superceding the latter in viewership.

Yours faithfully,
Subhobrata Basu, Calcutta

Sir — In “Of the foul and the fair” (July 10), Barry O’Brien may be right in observing that the screening of the Euro Cup at Inox was watched by more boys than girls. But he should have kept in mind that there were still a couple of girls interested in actually seeing the game than simply watching the men fighting over a ball.

Yours faithfully,
Sankharupa Saha, Calcutta

To put it straight

Sir — I understand that reports have been published in some papers that one Tapan Raychaudhuri is active in the recent initiative of Save Education Society to induce an inquiry into the allegations against Professor Pabitra Sarkar. I write this to affirm that I have nothing to do with this initiative or the said organization.

Yours faithfully,
Tapan Raychaudhuri, Emeritus Fellow, St Antony’s College, Oxford, UK