Letters to the editor

Lost game 8226; Cricket, it is clear now, is not a game played out on 22 yards of turf. There are miles and miles of skulduggery underneath...

Lost game

8226; Cricket, it is clear now, is not a game played out on 22 yards of turf. There are miles and miles of skulduggery underneath those 22 yards. With suspicions surrounding the sudden death of Bob Woolmer 8216;Woolmer death: pathologist8230;8217; IE, March 23, it is now obvious to all that cricket is no longer a game of pure delight and thrill, but a puppet show, with the strings in the hands of the betting mafia and big-money sponsors, with other assorted elements thrown in. The game has been reduced to a marketing gimmick by toothpaste sellers and soap manufacturers. The picture of Ganguly pasting the label of a sponsor on his bat in a hotel room and the sight on the TV screen of a player diving to catch a soft drink bottle, are offensive and take all the dignity out of the game of cricket. In the olden days when Hazare, Mankad and Umrigar used to bat against England and we used to listen to the radio commentary, the game commanded so much respect. I had the occasion to watch a good county match between Warwickshire and Yorkshire three years back at Headingley in Leeds, and it was all done in such a dignified manner. Where has all that gone?

8212; A. Prasad, Ahmedabad

Partner Congress

8226; This refers to Kumar Ketkar8217;s piece 8216;Aye on Pawar8217;, IE, March 22. There is nothing unusual about Sharad Pawar making deft moves to reach his desired position. Individuals and political parties do compromise their ideological stands to come to power. The present UPA dispensation at the Centre, where the Congress is supported by the Left, is a good example. Why should it surprise Ketkar that Pawar is aligning with 8216;communal forces8217; like the Sena and the BJP and deserting the 8216;secular8217; Congress? The problem, in Ketkar8217;s perception, is the Sena-BJP combine equals 8216;communal and untouchable8217;, while the Congress stands for secular values. Fact is, there is no difference between the Congress and the BJP or even the Sena. While the Sena-BJP is more honest and outspoken about its Hindu vote bank, the Congress lacks the guts to openly admit that, lest it hurt Hindu voters. The Congress knows well that, if it hurts Hindus, it will never come to power, neither in the states nor at the Centre. Hence it appeases minorities on one hand and adopts soft Hindutva on the other. In the process it ends up pleasing none. In any case why shouldn8217;t Pawar end his truck with the Congress if he sees more advantage in taking the help from the Sena-BJP?

8212; Prasad Lele, Vadodara

BLUE

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