Sir — The captain of the Croatian football team, Luka Modric, must be lauded for winning the Fifa award for the best male footballer of 2018. For the last 10 years, the award has been given to either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. This is the first time that a player from Croatia has won the award. Modric’s hard work, dedication and determination have brought him to this place. He led Croatia to its first-ever World Cup final, and has won four Champions League titles. He is now an inspiration for millions of young people who are struggling to forge a career in sports.

M.F. Qasmi,
Hyderabad

Justice done

Sir — It is heartening that the self-styled godman, Kaushalendra Prapannacharya, also known as Falahari Maharaj, was convicted by a sessions court in Alwar for raping a 21-year-old woman. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, and a fine of one lakh rupees was imposed on him. Such judgments restore the faith of citizens in the judicial system. The verdict should also serve as a lesson for those who place implicit trust in religious leaders. Women devotees, especially, should remain vigilant and, if required, keep their distance from godmen, especially those with criminal charges against them.

M.F.U. Tandvi,
New Delhi

Sir — The news that Falahari Maharaj was sentenced to life in prison for having raped a young law intern at his ashram shows that even godmen who command huge followings have to pay for their crimes. Given the number of religious leaders who have been accused of sexual assault of various kinds over the past few years, it is becoming clear that the problem has existed for a while; it is only now that women are slowly feeling emboldened to speak up.

Sohini Sen,
Calcutta

Fear of the dark

Sir — In Calcutta, street lights are put off in the early hours of the morning when it is still completely dark. They should be kept on for a little longer. Otherwise the city will become dangerous for pedestrians. Plenty of morning walkers, most whom are aged people, go out around the time when the lights have been turned off. They end up feeling unsafe.

Repeated complaints to the municipal corporation have been futile. Will the administration only take action after a crime takes place?

Asit Kumar Mitra,
Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — In West Bengal, Durga Puja is just round the corner. There will be a profusion of art in the pandals, which will vie with one another for awards. However, this art will only be temporary; after the Pujas are over, the pandals will be dismantled and the artwork will be forgotten. There will be no visible effort to lend a degree of permanence to all the hard work and imagination that went into creating that art.

A lesson we never seem to learn from places in the West is that the beautification of a city — with the help of statues, manicured parks and cemented waterbodies — enhances people’s inclination to keep their surroundings clean. Every Durga Puja committee must be compelled to come up with ideas for permanent beautification projects around the area of their pandals. If even a part of the Puja subscription collections is used to this end, Calcutta and eventually all of Bengal will look very different after a decade or so.

Sujit Ghose,
Calcutta