Sir — It was interesting to read that the International Cricket Council’s cricket committee, headed by Anil Kumble, banned the use of saliva to get the ball to shine, but said that sweat is allowed. The decision was reportedly taken keeping the Covid-19 situation in mind, because using saliva on the ball apparently elevates the risk of the virus transmission.
Players such as Josh Hazlewood have already expressed reservations about the decision, saying that it will be difficult for bowlers to get out of the habit of using saliva on the ball. While concerns over Covid-19 must be considered above all else, it must also be asked how the new rule will be monitored.
Tanya Mitra,
Calcutta
Stupendous feat
Sir — I doff my hat in the direction of the young girl, Jyoti Kumari, who cycled a distance of 1,200 kilometres in seven days — from Gurgaon to her native village Bihar — in order to get her wounded father, Mohan Paswan, home. Paswan, who had been an autorickshaw driver in Gurgaon for 20 years, was injured in a road accident in January. His wife, Phoolo Devi, and daughter arrived in Gurgaon to look after him, but Devi’s job as an anganwadi cook necessitated her return to her place of work.
Paswan was still recuperating, with only his daughter to tend to him, when the nationwide lockdown was announced — thereafter, it kept getting extended, with the fourth phase going on at the moment. With no income and no money left to pay rent, the father-daughter duo had no choice but to return to their home state. It boggles the mind to think about the distance that the young girl covered with an ailing parent. Her feat has earned her accolades, but it is also a grave testament to the lack of concern on the Central government’s part about the plight of migrant workers and their families who are stranded without basic necessities all over the country. Why should a young girl have to be responsible for carrying her injured father across the country in the middle of a pandemic? Was that not the government’s job?
Priyasha Ghosh,
Calcutta
Sir — The story of Jyoti Kumari’s tenacity and sheer determination should serve as an example for all of us who are leading privileged lives during the lockdown but feel like we are truly suffering. Alongside feeling inspired and humbled by her feat, it is also our duty to take the government to task for abdicating its responsibility towards families such as Kumari’s. The Cycling Federation of India has invited Kumari for a trial, upon passing which she will be able to train at the National Cycling Academy, under the aegis of Sports Authority of India. She truly deserves the opportunity, but more importantly, thousands of families such as hers deserve the concern of the Centre.
Manav Upadhyay,
Gurgaon
Sir — We should all be in awe of Jyoti Kumari’s dedication to her father and her sheer strength of will. Most of us find it difficult to transport people with injuries even in proper motor cars over short distances; the young girl transported her injured father for 1,200 kms on a bicycle. It is true that concern for one’s parents can help one discover reserves of inner strength one did not know one had. Even so, most of us would be exhausted travelling that distance even in comfort.
The most important thing to remember here is that Kumari should not have had to make such an arduous journey. Given that her father lost his source of income after his accident, it was the government’s job to not only ensure that Mohan Paswan had the medical treatment he needed, but to also ensure that the father-daughter duo did not need to leave their rented accommodation. It is an example of criminal negligence that a young girl and her ailing father had to travel cross country to get back home just because they were forced to. Voters should remember these lapses on the ruling party’s part during election time.
Aparna Sil,
North 24 Parganas