Milking a tragedy

Sir — Annesha Chowdhury’s article, “Food for lurid thoughts” (Aug 14), was timely and bold. Somebody had to do some plain speaking on the unfortunate deaths in Baghmundi. Sometimes, the tyranny of social opinion can be killing, and the moralists have no right to cook up spicy stories with the support of a hungry media. The media and people in general must realize how painful such incidents are for the families of the dead. Instead of looking for sordid details, they should do well not to sensationalize a tragedy.

Yours faithfully,
Deba Pratim Ghatak, Durgapur

About turn

Sir — South Africa’s decision not to play in the tri-series in Sri Lanka has hurt the sentiments of cricket lovers the world over(“SA sinks tri-series”, Aug 17). Even though the Sri Lankan authorities assured the visitors of fool-proof security, the South Africans decided not to go ahead with the scheduled tour. By deciding to pack up and leave in a hurry, the South Africans have only boosted the morale of the terrorists who want to derail the peace process in the country. South Africa’s decision also speaks poorly of the unity in the international cricketing fraternity. Moreover, if the South African officials think that they would be safe outside Sri Lanka, then they are mistaken. In troubled times such as these, even Britain is now as dangerous as Sri Lanka. And if Britain can come under the shadow of terror, so can South Africa. The Proteas should remember that terror knows no boundaries and apologize.

Yours faithfully,
Bidyut Datta, Calcutta

Sir — There is no need to criticize the South Africans for pulling out of the tournament in Sri Lanka. The Springboks had every right to cancel the tour after the recent bomb attack, which proved that the hosts had failed to provide adequate security measures for the visitors. In fact, what is more worrying is Indian cricket board’s response to the crisis. Instead of asking the players to return, the board gave its nod to a three-match oneday series between Sri Lanka and India. This only goes to show that for the BCCI, the safety of the players is less important than the money it makes out of these fixtures.

Yours faithfully,
Amit Yadav, Durgapur

Sir — That the cricket board of South Africa decided to call off their tour of Sri Lanka following an “independent” report by a Dubai-based security agency is rather amusing. All the more so because the agency had not even made an on-the-spot assessment of the ground reality in Colombo before preparing its report. Even the Sri Lankan board’s offer to grant South Africans security normally reserved for a head of state did not seem to assure the players. If the Indian team has no problem in staying on in Sri Lanka, there is no reason why the South Africans cannot do the same. Maybe, they need to take a lesson from the Indians who often play matches in the face of numerous threats.

Yours faithfully,
Nirupam Banerjee, Calcutta

Sir — The Indian board is hell-bent on exploiting the players without any considerations for their well-being. Worse, it seems that the board has very little idea about the weather conditions in Sri Lanka at this time of the year. How else can one explain the decision to allow the team to tour the country in the middle of the rainy season? The cancellation of the matches due to inclement weather is frustrating not only for the players but for the viewers as well. The board should consult the weather office before it decides to send a team to the island nation the next time around.

Yours faithfully,
K. Venkataraman, Mumbai


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