Cold comfort

Sir — Attending a live concert of one’s favourite musician can be a transcendental experience. However, most fans of Coldplay in India were left exasperated while trying to book tickets for the band’s upcoming concert in Mumbai — ticket prices shot through the roof and the rush caused the official ticketing site to crash. The challenging situation invited comparisons with taking competitive exams. But even if outstation fans end up purchasing tickets, they have another predicament awaiting them: hotels adjacent to the performance venue are either already booked or charging five lakh rupees. Is it any wonder then that online streaming, which provides a more personal experience by allowing fans to watch shows from the comfort of their homes, is gaining ground?

Deep Banerjee, Mumbai

New front

Sir — The sophisticated intelligence and the advanced warfare technology used by Israel to counter Hezbollah’s attack last week have signalled Tel Aviv’s readiness for a long-term conflict (“Warplanes meet rocket hellfire”, Sept 23). A series of deadly pager and walkie-talkie explosions targeting the operatives of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed, banned terrorist organisation, in Lebanon left dozens dead and hundreds injured. The retaliation by Hezbollah as well as the counter-attacks by Israel has ensured that a ceasefire is no longer on the cards.

The coordinated explosions might have been a pre-emptive strike by Israel to forestall a ground invasion by Hezbollah. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, seems intent on carrying out attacks on Hamas and Hezbollah until the two outfits are obliterated. Unless the warring sides agree to a two-State solution, there can never be lasting peace in the region.

Khokan Das, Calcutta

Sir — Israel’s planting of explosives in the walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah operatives has opened a new front in the Gaza war. But this is not the first time Israel has used such a sophisticated warfare strategy against its adversaries. The latest explosions resulted in mass casualties and have been rightly criticised.

Kirti Wadhawan, Kanpur

Sir — The planting ofexplosives in the communication devices used by Hezbollah militants was a strategic masterstroke. However, it was a stark representation of Israel’s State-sponsored terrorism and it amounts to a war crime. Targeting thousands of individuals using walkie-talkies and pagers, without ensuring whether civilians or members of armed groups were in possession of the targeted devices, has resulted in collateral damage. This was a blatant violation of human rights by Israel.

S. Kamat, Mysuru

Change of guard

Sir — The Congress has appointed Subhankar Sarkar as the new president of its West Bengal unit replacing Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (“Adhir’s successor offers olive branch to TMC”, Sept 23). This was a shrewd move by the Congress given the precarious position of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress dispensation in the aftermath of the doctors’ strike. Sarkar maintains a good rapport with the chief minister and seems open to forming an alliance with the TMC in order to dent the BJP’s popularity in the state.

It must also be noted that the Congress was mostly absent from the mass agitations against the government’s inaction regarding the rape and murder incident at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. This may prompt the TMC chief to join hands with her former ally.

N. Mahadevan, Chennai

Sir — The appointment of Subhankar Sarkar as the chief of the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee was a smart decision. The Congress seems keen on capitalising on Sarkar’s closeness with the TMC to strengthen the INDIA bloc. However, the party must be mindful of the optics of an alliance of convenience with the TMC especially when the latter has been embroiled in various scams.

The Congress is focussed on winning power at the Centre. But its support base in Bengal has eroded significantly. It is unclear whether a tie-up with the TMC will improve the Grand Old Party’s prospects in the state.

Mihir Kanungo, Calcutta

Sir — Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who had won five consecutive times from the Berhampore Lok Sabha seat, was defeated in this general election. Now the reins of the party’s state unit have been taken away from Chowdhury and handed over to the greenhorn, Subhankar Sarkar. It remains to be seen whether Sarkar will be able to steer the Bengal Congress out of its crisis.

Mangal Kumar Das, South 24 Parganas

Double gold

Sir — India’s men’s and women’s chess teams achieved historic double gold medals at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest (“India, Grandmasters of the world”, Sept 23). In the past, only China and the erstwhile Soviet Union had double gold in the same edition.

Grandmasters Gukesh Dommaraju, Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa all won as the Indian men wrapped up victory over Slovenia. The women’s team clinched gold for the first time beating Azerbaijan. The double victory has won hearts across the world.

Jayanta Datta, Hooghly

Sir — India wrapped up the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in style. The men’s team won 27 out of the 44 games, losing just one game and drawing the rest. The women won the gold without the top-ranked Koneru Humpy. This was a testament to the depth of their talent and mental resolve. It will not be an exaggeration to say India produces the best chess players in the world.

Bal Govind, Noida