Watery idea

Sir — Superstitions abound in India. From breaking coconuts after buying a car to hanging limes and chillies to ward off the evil eye, people go out of their way to appease spirits and curry favour with gods. However, even in India, a monumental corporate effort to sprinkle gangajal along a highway to prevent road accidents is unique. The toll company in charge of a highway in Madhya Pradesh took it upon itself to organise a religious ceremony to cleanse the area of negative spirits using tankers full of water from the Ganga to purify the highway while a priest chanted shlokas. Perhaps the company should recall what happened when a legislator in Uttar Pradesh had a similar idea about the evil eye and ended up cracking a bridge worth Rs 1.6 crore with a coconut.

Arjun Joshi, Bhopal

Crowning glory

Sir — The dream that the Argentinian footballer, Lionel Messi, has chased all his life finally came to fruition last Sunday when his team triumphed over the defending champions, France, 4-2 in a penalty shootout in the final of the Fifa World Cup 2022 (“The G.O.A.T.”, Dec 19). This is the third World Cup for La Albiceleste, as the side is popularly known, and its first in 36 years. The win was scripted by Messi’s genius and the debate regarding his stature is effectively over. Messi has entered the pantheon of football’s greatest-ever players, alongside Pelé and the late Diego Maradona. The World Cup win is also timely for a nation battered by inflation and facing political uncertainty.

Ranganathan Sivakumar, Chennai

Sir — Whether it was the goal-keeping exploits of Emiliano Martinez, Angel Di Maria’s goal, which gave Argentina an advantage in the first half, or the second-half brace scored by France’s Kylian Mbappé taking the game into extra time, the competitive nature of the World Cup final made it one of the most entertaining games in the tournament’s history.

Shovonlal Chakroborty, Calcutta

Sir — The World Cup is the crowning glory of Lionel Messi’s glittering career. In a final for the ages, Gonzalo Montiel rolled in the deciding penalty shot, giving Argentina their third World Cup and preventing France from becoming the first team in 60 years to retain the trophy. The remarkable game saw both Messi and Kylian Mbappé live up to their billing, with La Pulga scoring twice and the French forward becoming the first player since England’s Geoff Hurst in 1966 to net a World Cup final hat-trick in a game that ended 3-3 after extra time. This was Messi’s last World Cup and he owned the tournament.

Bhagwan Thadani, Mumbai

Sir — It was heartwarming to see Lionel Messi finally lift the coveted Fifa World Cup trophy at the age of 35. The people of Argentina, where Diego Maradona is worshipped like a god, will undoubtedly now place Messi on the list of legends to be loved and honoured. It was also nice to see Deepika Padukone involved in the ceremony to unveil the trophy before the final.

M.N. Gupta, Hooghly

Sir — This World Cup will be a special memory for the fans of Lionel Messi. The 35-year-old may not be in his prime anymore, but his stamina and technical wizardry have remained undimmed. Argentina’s first match against Saudi Arabia brought heartbreak for Messi and his compatriots, but they proved that failure is only a stepping stone to success.

Swati Pandey, Ujjain

Sir — An otherwise pristine World Cup victory for Argentina is being tainted by the antics of its goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez. He has taken several swipes at the young French footballer, Kylian Mbappé, since winning. While these taunts may have been instigated by Mbappé saying earlier this year that European teams play more professional football and have better exposure — which is patently untrue — such gestures leave a bad taste in the mouth. Winners should be as gracious in victory as losers in their defeat.

J.B. Singh, Jamshedpur

Hidden data

Sir — The Union minister of state for finance, Bhagwat Karad, recently informed the Lok Sabha that bad loans worth Rs 10 lakh crore have been written off by scheduled commercial banks in the last five fiscal years. India’s largest public lender, the State Bank of India, has written off bad loans worth over 19,000 crore rupees in the last year alone. However, as per norms enacted by the Reserve Bank of India, Karad did not reveal the names of entities or persons whose loans have been written off. Since the issue affects the financial health of the country, the government should consider making the data public.

Samir Das, Cooch Behar

Needless furore

Sir — It is unfortunate that political parties in Karnataka are engaging in trivial conflicts instead of focusing on issues faced by the public. Congress legislators vehemently protested against the installation of a portrait of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi at the start of the winter session of the Karnataka state assembly. The political parties must not spar over such inconsequential issues.

Kamal Laddha, Bengaluru

Act now

Sir — The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, has directed officials to rid the state of narcotics completely within four months. Although this is a tall order, it is a necessary one. Drugs and liquor are a menace to society, as is evident from Bihar’s hooch tragedy, which has already seen around 60 casualties. The addictions can only be curbed with efficient action by the departments concerned.

D.V.G. Sankararao, Nellimarla, Andhra Pradesh