Holier than thou

Sir ? On a trip to Chennai, I was taken to an ancient Shiva-Parvathi temple, said to be one of the oldest in the city, and was quite perturbed to see a sign which read, ?Non-Hindus not allowed?. At a distance, I saw a group of annoyed foreign tourists who were being pacified by their guide. And to think that we constantly talk of ways to promote tourism in our country! The temple authorities may have wanted to target a particular religion, but not having the audacity to pin-point it, they have gone for the safer option of excluding all ?non-Hindus?. But do they realize the wider implications of the injunction? What sort of a secular stand J. Jayalalithaa wants to depict by arresting the Kanchi sankaracharya is a matter of debate, but where would she have hidden her face were the president or the prime minister, both of them non-Hindus, to see the sign on a trip to her capital?

Yours faithfully,
Sourav Sengupta, Durgapur

Moral of the story

Sir ? Bhaskar Ghose?s argument about the political connotations of sex in the West in ?Basic instinct? (Nov 18) makes sense. In the West, sexual peccadilloes of politicians do not seem to matter much. Which is why porn stars can fight elections. The political culture in India is different, although Ghose may insist that this is fast changing. The social values of a politician are very much a part of his politics. However, Ghose does not deal with the phenomenon of the criminalization of politics exhaustively. Why has it become imperative in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh for a political leader to have a criminal background in order to succeed? It is not enough to say that these are ?deviant? states. Another thing. Extra-marital affairs have always been given less priority in Indian politics. Which means it would be wrong to say that the ?basic morals? in India are already not compromised. However, I agree with Ghose about the result of defiance of the party. In both the West and in India, it would lead to political death.

Yours faithfully,
Abdus Samad, Incheon, South Korea

Sir ? The problem afflicting the West about the interface between the public and private sides of politicians is not very different from ours. However, the West is far ahead in tackling these complex issues both rationally and transparently. Ultimately, both the voters and the politicians themselves are able to put these issues behind them by looking at these in the right perspective. In India, on the contrary, we like to keep the embarrassing episodes concerning politicians under wraps, though we never stop harping about the moral code of conduct at various forums. This hypocritical attitude, acquired over the years, has permanently maimed our ability to call a spade a spade. The long-term effect of this distorted behaviour can be perceived in the hatred among the youth for anything linked with moral dictums. There are no two ways about it. Our deviant behaviour has to be addressed, more so now that we have the onslaught of so many temptations flowing into our lives from all directions.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad

Game theory

Sir ? Dilip Vengsarkar?s statement, ?We need more players not stars? (Nov 15), may be just the thing Indian cricket needs. The recent performance of the Indian team is, to say the least, pedestrian and the BCCI and selectors have done little other than rewarding the players by hiking match fees to astronomical levels. This, together with their phenomenal takings from commercials, has created a star system that has lowered the standards of Indian cricket. The Pakistan team, on the other hand, has gone from strength to strength with the players? dedicated approach and professionalism winning matches, while our star-studded team more often than not disintegrates under the slightest pressure. If we are to do well in the next world cup, we must liberate the board from the clutch of non-cricketers, appoint selectors who have played at least 30 test matches, and eliminate the quota system in appointing selectors or players. We must also select young players with potential and promise and drop non-performing stars no matter how big the names. After all the Indian public deserves respect. If cricket is to be used only as a money-spinner by consumer goods companies without caring for standards, let the game not be played at all.

Yours faithfully,
Kali Shankar Adhikari, Calcutta

Sir ? In context of the Indian cricket team?s miserable loss to Pakistan in Calcutta, it is time we faced a few facts. First of all, our captain should confess that he is to be partially blamed for the serial defeats. As leader of a team whose fees are among the highest in the world, he is expected to deliver. He leads the team of a hundred and nine crore Indians, and the pressure is naturally tremendous. We have no objection to his and his team-mates? amassing millions from advertisements, or their opening restaurant after restaurant, but we certainly have reservations if they turn professionals in front of camera and fail to do so on field!

Young talent must be given a chance ? not for a single match, but for at least five to six matches. And advertising companies and the media should not break out in applause if a player performs well in a match or two. It is time senior cricketers stopped interfering in team affairs. We value their opinions, but they should also remember that they have not been perfect themselves. Besides, posts like ?strategy consultant? and ?performance supervisors? should be immediately abolished.

Yours faithfully,
Pinaki Roy, Balurghat