New star
• Sir - Karun Nair scored a triple century in the third Test match of his career ("Karun joins Sehwag; England on the ropes", Dec 20). He exhibited skill, grace and a lot of common sense and played a full range of strokes. He is only the second Indian batsman, after Virender Sehwag, to make a triple hundred. He has achieved a milestone, which eluded cricketing greats such as Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Nair has become the quickest player in the world to hit a triple ton. It took the legendary Australian batsman, Donald Bradman, 13 innings to score his first triple hundred.
Yours faithfully,
Devendra Khurana, Bhopal
• Sir - Karun Nair has the potential to become the next batting superstar. For any batsman, reaching his maiden Test hundred is a great achievement. However, the mark of a good batsman is that he is not satisfied with just scoring centuries. He would try to convert a hundred into an even bigger score. During the Chennai Test against England, Nair displayed this trait. Some may argue that he scored the runs on a flat wicket. While that may be true, this can in no way diminish his accomplishment. Scoring a triple century requires immense concentration and discipline. It is a feat that the two great Indian batsmen, Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar, could not achieve.
Yours faithfully,
Ambar Mallick, Calcutta
• Sir - The Indian cricket team is going through a golden phase. It has shown remarkable consistency in all formats of the game. Karun Nair's knock of 303 runs has created history, and in the process has broken many records. He impressed the audience with his elegant stroke-play. With this performance, Nair has created a lot of expectations.
Yours faithfully,
K. Ravi, Bhubaneswar
• Sir - I doff my hat to Karun Nair. He is now the youngest Indian to score a triple ton. After this, other batsmen like Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan will have to give solid performances to hold on to their positions in the team. There should be no place for non-performers in the playing XI, if we are to maintain the winning streak.
Yours faithfully,
Tusar Kanti Kar,
Howrah
Little difference
• Sir - I agree with the points made by the editorial, "Some gains" (Dec 16). By passing the rights of persons with disabilities bill, 2014, in the Rajya Sabha, the government has tried to make public and private institutions more responsive to the needs of the differently-abled citizens. The bill has widened the definition of disability. It considers those suffering from Parkinson's disease and the victims of acid attacks as differently abled. This would enable more people to claim the benefits of welfare schemes.
However, legislations will not help much unless there is a change of mindset.
Yours faithfully,
Ashim Kr. Chakraborty,Guwahati
Strong leaders
• Sir - The editorial, "Two leaders" (Dec 18), made a comparative analysis of Narendra Modi and Indira Gandhi as prime ministers. It made for an interesting, insightful and instructive read. Both Modi and Indira Gandhi are strong leaders, but there is also a discernible difference between the two. Modi seems to be more accommodating than his predecessor. Indira Gandhi was obsessed with centralizing power in her hands. She also encouraged dynastic succession, which runs counter to democratic norms.
Yours faithfully,
P.B. Saha, Calcutta
Parting shot
• Sir - The Union finance minister, Arun Jaitley, has hinted that income tax rates might be lowered. While this is welcome, it would be even better if the income tax is abolished altogether. The salaried middle class honestly pays income tax, but rich industrialists manage to evade taxes.
Yours faithfully,
K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Hassan, Karnataka
