Unusual delights
Sir — Thousands of gamers and fans of the popular tradingcard game, Pokémon, recently gathered in London for the 2022 Pokémon World Championship. Traditional card game players, who derive joy out of poker or bridge, would be shocked to see gamers employ clever strategies and micro-tactics to land a gold Pikachu or a rare Lapras. This is, however, not the only unusual card game tournament.The Japanese manga-based card game, Yu-Gi-Oh, as well as Magic: The Gathering — players are referred to as wizards — draw in massive crowds. It is fascinating to see how card-playing has evolved.
Mridula Sen,Calcutta
Out of line
Sir — A Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana, has rightly pulled up Baba Ramdev for criticising systems of medicine other than the one he follows. The Indian Medical Association has accused Ramdev of carryingout a smear campaign against modern medicine and vaccination. Last year, Patanjali tried to peddle Coronil as the “first evidence-based ayurvedic medicine” against the coronavirus. But no matter how much Ramdev believes in the efficacy of ayurveda, it does not justify the disparagingremarks made against allopathy as a systemof medicine.
Sunil Chopra, Ludhiana
Sir — Baba Ramdev’s comments regarding allopathyare dangerous and misleading. Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power, there have been numerous attempts to mix religion and medicine. Ramdev must heed the warnings of the Supreme Court and desist from defamingallopathy doctors if he truly cares about the well-being of the common people. Ranjit Singh,Jamshedpur
Sir — In a country where people often die because of lack of access to quality treatment, it was irresponsibleof Baba Ramdev to demonise allopathy. Like all strands of treatment, allopathy is not completely effective but there aremore instances of success than failure. While ayurvedahas its benefits, one simply cannot replace allopathicmedicines with the former.
K.V. Seetharamaiah,Bengaluru
Familiar tactic
Sir — The Central Bureau of Investigation recently raided a mall in Gurugram that is, reportedly, owned by the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and deputy chief minister of Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav. The raid is in connection with the land-for-job scam in Bihar — it has been alleged that job aspirantseither sold or gifted their land in Patna to the immediate kin of the RJD chief, Lalu Prasad.The timing of the raid — it was conducted on the eve of the trust vote in Bihar — has raised several questions. But if the Yadav family is not involved in the scam, then it must have faith in the system. There have been recurrent accusations by Opposition parties that the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre uses Central investigative agencies for political vendetta. In the end, such mudslinging only erodes the trust of the people.
N. Mahadevan,Chennai
No end in sight
Sir — Six months after Ukraine was invaded by Russia, the former observed its Independence Day on August 24. World leadersmarked the day with messages of support for Ukraine. The United States of America and the United Kingdom announced additionalaid packages of $3 billion and $66 million, respectively. Now, all eyes are on the G20 summit, which is expected to be held in October in Indonesia — the Indonesian president travelled to both nations to mediate between the two. There are, however, concernsthat Russia’s high-levelpolitical participation at the G20 meeting may pose a threat to the forum’s credibility, efficiency and relevance. The summit will be the first close encounter of Russia with its biggest critics since the invasion. Indonesia must handle the matter with utmost patienceand sensitivity.
Tashi Baheti,Ujjain
Tough battle
Sir — Every year, August 26 is celebrated as Women’s Equality Day. The occasioncommemorates the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitutionof the United States of America, which prohibitsthe states and the federal government from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. Days such as these remind us of the long history of women’s fight for basic rights. Women continueto face discrimination in a myriad spheres even in the 21st century. There is still a long way to go.
Shruti Vishwakarma,Ujjain
Sir — The first Women’s Equality Day was celebratedin 1973 in the US. Almost half a decade later, women are still fighting for equal pay, equal opportunities and abortion rights. Women still face gender-based violenceand discrimination — the Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns led to a massive spike in cases of domestic abuse. How long must women wait before they can be considered equal?
Monika Patidar,Ujjain
