Spoilsport

Sir — Spoilers can ruin the viewing experience. An Australian police officer recently took his exasperation at receiving a spoiler to an extreme level — Dominic Gaynor pulled out a gun when his colleague threatened to reveal the plot of Top Gun: Maverick. While avoiding a spoiler is unlikely in the age of the internet, it is also normal for ardent fans to get agitated upon accidentally learning a crucial plot twist of their favourite TV show or a highly-anticipated film. But concerningly, if a police officer cannot handle a mere spoiler, what are the chances of him or her acting sensibly during a standoff?

Susmita Bhowmick, Howrah

Biased stance

Sir — It is unfortunate that India, despite being the so-called mother of democracy, is restraining itself from exerting diplomatic pressure on Israel to dissuade it from continuing with the invasion of Gaza (“Currying favour”, Nov 15). This belies New Delhi’s neutral standing on the Israel-Palestine conflict. Further, the decision to abstain from voting for a United Nations resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza betrays tacit support for the Zionist regime.

India’s foreign policy should be aligned with its long-standing tradition of democratic principles and not with the sentiments of the right-wing dispensation. The people belonging to the land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi should never be afraid of vouching for peace and sanctity of life. The Indian government should abide by this moral tenet and work on a political solution to help end the conflict.

G. David Milton, Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — In his column, “Currying favour”, Prabhat Patnaik presented a biased view against Israel. Both Israel and Palestine should be held equally responsible for not being able to solve their conflict. While protests against Israel for the illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip and the other Palestinian territories are justified, Hamas’ brutal attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,200 and taking around 250 hostages, was a terrorist act and must be condemned.

It must be noted that India is dependent on Israel for the purchase of defence equipment and spyware. This must have had a bearing on the Centre’s decision to abstain from voting in the UN resolution on Gaza.

Subhash Das, Calcutta

Momentous win

Sir — The Indian cricket team should be lauded for cruising into the World Cup final after defeating New Zealand by 70 runs (“Shami icing on twin tons”, Nov 16). The semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium was also witness to many records — Virat Kohli not only became the first cricketer in history to score 50 ODI tons, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record, but also went past his mentor’s tally of most runs in a single edition of the World Cup.

Mohammed Shami and Shreyas Iyer equally contributed to India’s resounding victory. The Men In Blue are currently in their best form and just one step away from winning the World Cup. India’s victory chariot seems unstoppable at the moment.

Dattaprasad Shirodkar, Mumbai

Sir — Virat Kohli added two more feathers to his cap during India’s match against New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final (“Kohli where no man’s been”, Nov 16).

The icing on the cake was that Kohli cemented his name in history in the presence of his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, who applauded him from the enclosure of the Wankhede Stadium. The moment will remain etched in public memory.

M.T. Farooqi, Chennai

Sir — A post-Diwali celebration became inevitable after Rohit Sharma’s men defeated the Kiwis to reach the final of the World Cup. The Wankhede Stadium is the home ground of the cricket legend, Sachin Tendulkar, and the victory proved to be a cathartic moment for cricket lovers.

Shreyas Iyer’s knock of 105 runs, Virat Kohli’s history-making 117 runs, Mohammed Shami’s haul of seven wickets — each performance contributed equally to the victory. India is now just inches away from clinching the World Cup title after a 12-year-long wait.

Dimple Wadhawan, Kanpur

Sir — The record-breaking performance by Virat Kohli could not overshadow the magical bowling spell of Mohammed Shami in the World Cup semi-final. At a stage when the match was almost slipping out of India’s grip, two consecutive dismissals by Shami put the Men In Blue back on track. Shami must be credited for providing the crucial breakthrough when the team needed it the most. He has been rightly honoured with the Player of the Match award.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly

Parting shot

Sir — It was heartening to learn that the West Bengal food processing department is drawing up plans to make value-added products like juice, jam, jelly and marmalade from those Darjeeling oranges which drop from trees before they ripen (“Darjeeling orange processing plan”, Nov 16). The food items will be an instant hit.

Sourish Misra, Calcutta