Tragic fate

• Sir - The pangolin is the most trafficked mammal in the world - and yet, most people do not even know it exists. Sir David Attenborough is on a quest to save pangolins, which are cruelly killed for their scales and meat. While the meat is a delicacy in China, the scales are believed to be effective in treating cancer. In truth, pangolin scales are made of keratin - the same as human hair - and are thus of no medical use. The ignorance and cruelty of human beings know no bounds. People must come together to save the shy, harmless pangolin from extinction.

Dikshita Datta,
Calcutta

Hopeless show

• Sir - Germany's exit from the Fifa World Cup even before they qualified for the round of 16 was shocking - not least because they were the defending champions. They have also consistently been one of the best football teams in the world, having reached the final eight of the tournament 16 consecutive times and won the trophy four times. Their 2-0 defeat against South Korea in their last match was appalling to witness ("German tragedy in Russia", June 28).

It must be said, however, that this German team did not really deserve to advance to the next stage of the competition. They were a shadow of their former selves, and certainly not a patch on the team that won the World Cup four years ago. The squad and its management must reflect deeply on why the performance this year was so dismal. The absence of Germany from the rest of the tournament will prove to be a bit of a dampener, especially for fans of the side and its brand of aggressive football. At the same time, South Korea must be lauded for the way in which they defeated the Germans. It would have been a pleasure to watch them advance to the round of 16. One hopes that they go from strength to strength and have better luck four years from now.

Sharanya Chaudhri,
Oregon, US

• Sir - The football World Cup in Russia has been churning out a number of surprises. The biggest shock, however, was Germany's humiliating defeat at the hands of South Korea. No one expected this to happen, not even the coach of the Korean team, Shin Tae-yong, who himself said that his boys had a "one per cent chance" of winning against Germany. The German fans were stunned when Korea gradually gained the upper hand in the match and eventually knocked the defending champions out of the tournament.

This was the first time the Germans did not clear the group round since 1938. One wonders whether the tweaks in the team line-up had anything to do with this debacle. Thomas Müller was relegated to the bench for the greater part of the match, and neither Mesut Özil nor Mats Hummels performed the way they were expected to. It is time for the Germans to investigate the causes for their lacklustre display in Russia. One wonders how many more surprises the championship has in store for us.

Mounam Chattopadhyay,
Calcutta

• Sir - As a lifelong fan of German football, I was devastated when Germany got knocked out of the World Cup. The deterioration in the side was evident from its first match against Mexico. The game against South Korea dashed all hopes of a revival. The team's performance was disjointed and their lethargy was evident. They lacked pace, made inexplicable on-field manoeuvres and failed to convert countless opportunities into goals. The goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, moved outside his penalty box in the last, desperate moments of the game, leaving the field wide open for a Korean goal.

Incidentally, Neuer, who is also the goalie for his club, Bayern Munich, had been out of action for nearly nine months before the tournament, owing to an injury. Was he completely fit to represent the team in the World Cup this time? It must also be asked why the in-form winger, Leroy Sané, who has proven himself to be a game changer, was left out of the World Cup side. Faulty decisions played a big part in Germany's terrible show at the World Cup.

Priyanka Roy,
Calcutta

Pressure tactics

• Sir - Following the exit of the United States of America from the nuclear deal, the US president, Donald Trump, has threatened to impose sanctions on all countries that continue to import crude oil from Iran. This includes India, which is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil after China ("US piles Iran heat on India", June 28). India, unfortunately, has succumbed to the pressure - the oil ministry has asked refiners to gear up for a massive reduction in oil imports from Iran by November. This will hit the lives of Indians severely, especially since nearly 11 per cent of India's oil requirements were fulfilled by Iran in the financial year of 2018. Moreover, India and Iran have been on friendly terms for years. It would be deeply unfortunate if the relations between the two countries soured because of the US.

India likes to project itself as a strong nation, but the fact that it fell prey to the US's underhanded pressure tactics shows its weaknesses. It will lose the respect of the international community in this manner. However, if the administration encourages the production of solar energy on a massive scale, in addition to hydroelectricity, oil requirements could be drastically reduced. In this way, India will not have to depend so much on other countries to meet its energy requirements. Does the government have the will to do this?

Asit Kumar Mitra,
Calcutta

Game on

• Sir - The chief minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik, has written to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, requesting him to officially recognize hockey as the national game of the country. This letter has, quite expectedly, triggered a debate. Many have alleged that Patnaik is seeking to derive political mileage out of the issue. They are raising questions about the chief minister's sudden interest in hockey.

However, notwithstanding such criticism, the fact remains that hockey deserves the status more than any other sport. If hockey is granted the official tag, it will, hopefully, receive more patronage than it has in recent years.

Sambit Mishra,
Bhubaneswar

• Sir - Naveen Patnaik's plea for according hockey the status of national game has come as a surprise. There is nothing wrong in the request per se , it is just that many of us were under the impression that hockey was already the national game. The Union government's response though, that people can love hockey irrespective of whether it is the national game or not, is disheartening. Hockey, after all, has given India more Olympic gold medals than any other sport.

Ansuman Das,
Keonjhar

• Sir - The chief minister has played a masterstroke by asking the Union government to make hockey the national game. The Opposition parties will not be able to disagree with the demand made by Naveen Patnaik.

Subhransu Hota,
Sundargarh

• Sir - Hockey is not a popular sport in Odisha, even though a few from the state have played in the national side - most notable among them being the former captain of the men's hockey team, Dilip Tirkey. The popularity of hockey is mostly limited to Sundargarh, which has earned the sobriquet of Odisha's hockey nursery.

Further, the standard of hockey in the state would not improve only by organizing global events, such as the Hockey World Cup.

Manisha Tripathy,
Kendrapara

• Sir - The game of hockey has made India proud. It is time we gave it due recognition. The chief minister has, therefore, rightly urged the prime minister to get it notified as the national game. This latest move by Patnaik proves once again that he is a visionary leader.

Jagan Kumar,
Rourkela

• Sir - Naveen Patnaik's demand makes little sense. It should be left to the people to decide whether they would want hockey to be declared the national sport officially or continue to love it without such a proclamation.

Anandjit Patnaik,
Cuttack

Receiving end

• Sir - About 42,000 answer sheets of Class X examinations had gone missing from a school in Gopalganj. These were later recovered from a scrap-dealer's shop where they had allegedly been sold by the school peon for Rs 8,500. This shows that the Bihar Secondary Examination Board cannot conduct exams properly.

The reputation of the BSEB has taken a beating in the last few years. After every exam, there is a hue and cry among examinees - particularly those who have performed badly - alleging anomalies in evaluation. Given the toppers scam of 2016, their complaints cannot be taken lightly.

The board must find a way to make the evaluation of answer sheets more transparent. Examinees should be given access to evaluated scripts to ascertain that they have got the marks they deserve. This will also stop examiners from marking the scripts whimsically. The BSEB could also send digitized versions of evaluated scripts to the examinees on request.

Ravi Sinha,
Patna

Grubby hands

• Sir - A young boy was put behind bars allegedly for refusing to give a policeman a jackfruit. The Patna zonal inspector general of police has been asked to probe the matter. Extortion by police constables in Bihar is no secret. Even in the state capital, policemen take money from drivers of autorickshaws, bus owners, vegetable and goods vendors. In lieu of this, they allow auto drivers and vendors to block the roads with their vehicles. Senior officials should crack the whip on dishonest policemen.

Tanmay Kumar,
Patna