Powerful message
Sir — Durga Puja transports us from our mundane lives to a merry world of diversely-themed pandals. However, it is important for pandals to provide more than just creative joy to visitors; they can be an excellent way of making people aware of social evils. The pandal at Kashi Bose Lane is a perfect example; it focuses on the ill-effects of child trafficking — rapes, fatalities, under-age motherhood and the dehumanisation of children, among other problems. Vivid murals, statues and digital artworks depict these horrors better than charts and news articles ever can. Unlike pandals that draw crowds for ostentatious and frivolous themes such as Disney World, the ones which have practical messages can help raise social awareness.
Diya Sen, Calcutta
Clash of the titans
Sir — India’s recent win against Pakistan brought back memories of the 1992 World Cup. While Pakistan has more one-day international wins against India, it is yet to defeat the Men in Blue at the ODI World Cup (“Pak seen off, eye on long road ahead”, Oct 15). This win can be attributed to India’s team spirit in contrast to Pakistan’s reliance on individual players. However, there are other tough opponents like New Zealand, South Africa and England that will test India’s skills further.
Abhijit Chakraborty, Howrah
Sir — Cricket matches between India and Pakistan are always adrenaline-fuelled clashes. India was able to beat Pakistan by seven wickets at the World Cup encounter. There are high expectations from the Indian team, especially since the country is hosting this edition of the World Cup.
Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur
Sir — Hate crimes against minority communities have increased and, unfortunately, the chant, “Jai Shri Ram”, has come to be associated with communal atrocities. This chant has also been politicised for electoral benefit. It was, therefore, disturbing to witness Indian fans boorishly sledging the Pakistani team by chanting “Jai Shri Ram” and hurling abuses at the players (“Pak unhappy with jeers”, Oct 16). This has tainted not just the idea of Indian sportsmanship but also the image of Hinduism.
Tharcius S. Fernando, Chennai
Sir — The Indian team now has an 8-0 record of winning against Pakistan in World Cup encounters. Perhaps the psychological pressure of India’s previous wins weighs the Pakistani team down during such outings. Sadly, India’s victory was marred by communal sledging. Mocking cricketers for their religion is disgraceful. Spectators must understand that the same might happen to our players.
Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai
Sir — It is disheartening that Pakistan were subjected to humiliation by a section of viewers at the Narendra Modi Stadium. But the friendly gesture between Virat Kohli and Shadab Khan was a good example of sporting spirit.
Ananda Dulal Ghosh, Howrah
Sir — The heckling of Pakistani players at the Narendra Modi Stadium is a matter of great shame for India. Since India is hosting the ODI World Cup, it is only to be expected that the team will have the most support during the tournament. But the Pakistan team is especially unlucky as followers from that country have not been given visas. It is thus the duty of every Indian to make them feel at home. Instead, they are playing not just their opponents but also battling a disapproving crowd.
Arun Gupta, Calcutta
Sir — India, reportedly, is planning to bid to host the 2036 Olympics. The country has made rapid progress in the sports sector, manifest in the brilliant performances of Indian sportspersons at the Asian Games and at the cricket World Cup. However, conducting such an event is not only a huge financial challenge but would also require liberal visa policies to facilitate smooth travels for foreign players, coaches and spectators. Pakistani fans must be allowed visas — they are missing out on the ongoing World Cup — and the crudeness of spectators needs to be addressed.
Gregory Fernandes, Mumbai
Biased coverage
Sir — Many media houses have failed to understand the deeper issues underlying the Israel-Hamas conflict. The problem between Israel and Palestine has a colonial origin. The CNN reporter, Sara Sidner, recently had to issue an apology for wrongly stating that Israeli children were being beheaded by Hamas attackers. Other media houses should follow suit and conduct proper research before misreporting.
Afazuddin Kazi Qasmi, Mumbai
Sir — Media houses should not misinform their readers with anti-Islamic propaganda. A six-year-old boy and his mother were brutally attacked by their landlord, Joseph Czuba, who was “sickened” by the Israel-Palestine war and decided to uphold American democracy by murdering the child. The heavily biased media is responsible for this. Islamophobia has reached its peak across the world and media houses are complicit in this. True journalism should side with humanity, instead of any community, country, religion or party.
Sk. Rasidul, Howrah
Unfair duel
Sir —Two members of Parliament, Nishikant Dubey and Mahua Moitra, have engaged in a public spat (“Mahua punch for punch on Dubey”, Oct 16). Moitra is known for her strong stance against the Bharatiya Janata Party’s involvement with the Adani Group. Therefore, Dubey’s allegation that Moitra has accepted a bribe to speak against the Adani fiasco does not hold water. The Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, must take disciplinary action against the erring party.
S.S. Paul, Nadia
