In India, where cricket is a religion, cricketers are often looked upon as demi-gods. Even if the gods fail to deliver (as was the case in the recent World Cup) they are still held in high esteem. The incident involving M.S.Dhoni at the Eden Gardens bears testimony to the fact that no matter how poorly our cricketers perform on the field, the crazy fan-following would never diminish. Thanks to media coverage,weird acts such as Sheuli’s hog the limelight. The public views these acts as a ticket to stardom. It must be remembered that all persons, including cricketers, have their private lives and it would be apt not to peek into that.

Swarnava Ray Barman,
Serampore

Sheuli’s frenzied love for Dhoni does bring a smile to our faces. But at the same time a frown appears for two reasons. First, one wonders how she managed to break the security cordon. Second, such trivial issues should not be highlighted by the media as it sends wrong messages to youth. Soon they will believe that it is through desperate acts like these that they can make it to the headlines and earn their 15 seconds of fame.

MD. SARFARAZ ALAM,
Kamarhati

Sheuli has been a bit of a daredevil, sneaking past security and giving Dhoni a bear hug. But we have got to accept her actions as she’s a die-hard fan.

Jayantabishnu Mukherjee,
New Alipore

Dhoni is the reigning star in the Indian cricket team and he once again proved his popularity with the Haseena Nasreen incident. A player like him is bound to have female fans and such incidents should hardly make news. Most people, including Calcutta’s police commissioner Prasun Mukherjee, have accepted the gesture, but it is still receiving unwanted media hype as in the Richard Gere-Shilpa Shetty incident. In fact, Dhoni must be appreciated for fulfilling the desire of a fan like Haseena.

SUBHANKAR MANDAL,
Palta

The action of the Dhoni fan definitely does not bring a frown to my face. Sheuli simply expressed her love for Dhoni as a true fan. This incident should bring a smile to people’s faces. After all, even Dhoni smiled.

TUHIN PURKAYASTHA,
Parnashree Pally

Every fan has tremendous respect for his idol. Similarly in this case, Sheuli could not control her emotions when she met her idol. There is nothing wrong with what she did and Dhoni himself understood her eagerness. Being a die-hard fan myself, I can relate to Sheuli.

T.R. ANAND,
Budge Budge

The Dhoni incident makes me frown with anger. It comes only days after Richard Gere kissed Shilpa Shetty in the open, Mandira Bedi wore a sari with the Indian flag appearing below her knee, Sachin Tendulkar cut a tricolour cake… the list of such indecent incidents is endless. Such actions need to be punished. The Indian Constitution should pass a law fining such problem-mongers heavily. Only then will this menace stop. We need to protect our culture before all else. Is our chief minister listening? Is he doing anything to stop incidents like?

SHAYAN GHOSH,
Address not given

Haseena’s act was nothing but a gimmick for publicity and to appear on television. It also proves that if an ordinary girl could breach security and meet Dhoni then the terrorists can never be far behind. It brings a frown to my face.

Tapan Pal,
Batanagar

A Muslim belle jettisoned her Shariat backpack vented her affection in an imaginative way. She hugged Dhoni, her icon and an unrelated male in public. The sight made me elated as it indicates that the Muslims are slowly coming out of their cocoon and joining the mainstream. Let a thousand flowers bloom. Let there be millions and millions of Sheulis.

Avinash Gupta,
Hooghly

It brings me shame to see how the youth today is going beyond its limits. India, a nation growing by double-digit GDPs, need not focus attention on such issues. It only shows the extent to which people can go for publicity. It is an incident best forgotten.

A.S.MEHTA,
New Alipore

The action of the Dhoni fan was a timely boost to the sagging image of Indian cricket. While after the miserable World Cup performance, cricket-crazy Calcuttans had lost interest in the game to a large extent, the fan over-reacted. Hers appeared to be a put-on act.

Nidhi Poddar,
Address not given

What’s a few frowns to a lot of cheers? Yeah, the Dhoni incident was worth a smile. The burly wicketkeeper-batsman appeals not only to the imagination of the businessman from Texas who lauded him in the hotel during the Bangladesh tour but also sets many a heart fluttering with his glamorous ways and glorious stroke play. He is Sprite cool.

Bhupen Bose,
Dum Dum Park

Publicity was the real cause for Sheuli to embrace Dhoni at Eden Gardens. But such indecent behaviour by a little girl degrades our society.

Narayan Das,
Naktala

Such public displays of affection should not raise an eyebrow in a liberal country like ours. If a fan does not have ulterior motives, these innocuous acts should either be overlooked or cause amusement. The hue and cry is unnecessary. Let Haseena be. She may not remain as passionate, when she reaches 50.