'Sri Lankan cricket team has come a long way'

Ugly Turn"The unholy nexus between moviedom and the mafia is nothing new. What needs urgent review is the ugly turn it has taken."Mani Natarajan,ChennaiMight is RightThe brutal killing of Gulshan Kumar is a sad reflection on the fabric of the society we live in ("Murder in Mumbai", August 25). The film world, no doubt, is paying a price for having links with the underworld. But in general, might is right today and there is no security, no value for life. Extortion is to the tune of lakhs and crores, but a day may come when murders and rapes will be committed even for petty money. Why are we allowing ourselves to fall into such traps?J.V. Venkatram Sastry, BangaloreMeteoric RiseFrom toddlers in cricket to world champions, the Sri Lankan cricket team has come a long way ("The Cricket Cult", August 25). There is never a dull moment on the field when the Sri Lankans play. The magic of the Lankans' meteoric rise is attributed to their sheer dedication and hard work. Our players would do well to pick up a few tips from them.S.N. Kabra, MumbaiThe Sri Lankans, after their historic World Cup triumph, have got themselves a new identity on the world stage. Good planning, diligence and team work have produced such dramatic results. The recent success of Sri Lankan athlete Susanthika Jayasinghe at the World Athletics Meet in Athens has added more sheen to the glory achieved by the Lankan sportsmen. This highlights the indomitable spirit of the people of this war-torn nation, undeterred by the violence and suffering they have to live with every day.C. Shyam Sundar, ChennaiSmart MoveThe decision of many corporates to cash in on the golden jubilee of Independence was a smart move ("Patriotism Inc", August 25). Even multinationals participated in the celebrations, though they may have done so to promote their own interests. The ad world too had a field day. The same enthusiasm should be evident at all times, or do we have to wait for the diamond jubilee year for the patriotic spirit to be revived?Gaurav Maleri, LudhianaSonia is no AnswerWhile most congressmen think only Sonia Gandhi can save the Congress, she knows her limitations ("Dynastic Appeal", August 25). She has no magic wand. Dynastic connections are not enough. The troubles within the Congress, the longest ruling party in the country, are serious. It is in no position to lead the nation and its problems need to be tackled on a war-footing. Till such time, it must reconcile itself to sit in the opposition benches, with or without Sonia.H. M. Shah, Adoni, Andhra Pradesh"Kesri's desperate plea to Sonia to join the Congress is like a toothless tiger falling at the feet of an Italian-born political 'paper tigress'."U.S. Iyer,BangaloreUnrealistic StepSpeaking from the ramparts of the Red Fort, Prime Minister I.K. Gujral cut a sorry figure when he vowed to wipe out corruption in the country ("The Night of the Golden Hour", August 25). Only a month ago, he had admitted to the nation that he was helpless to tackle the malaise. Establishing a corruption cell is a good idea but is it realistic? Where, for instance, would the cell begin? Corruption exists everywhere, in almost everything we do. What we need are stringent steps that address the problem at specific levels, not an all-encompassing cell.Raj Kapoor, AhmedabadLong OverdueThe image-building exercise by the Army has long been overdue, particularly in today's scenario, when the youth of the country are being lured by materialism, drugs and the corporate sector ("Selling the Army", August 25). Gone are the days when a life of honour, dignity and pride mattered. Today, it is a question of money and glamour. The Army needs to work out a multi-pronged, hard-sell strategy for image-building with the media's help.Lt-Col (Retd) M.M. Walia, MumbaiCollector's ItemYour independence issue was one of the best that I have ever seen of any magazine. May I compliment you and your team for bringing out this outstanding collector's item.P.M. Sinha,Chairman, PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd, DelhiThe editorial decision to be optimistic about India's future is heartening. In this 50th year of Independence, we seem to have done little else than criticise our country - about how much corruption there is, how much poverty we have and how grim our future is. We may have our flaws, but India is one of the only countries in the world where a neighbour is ready to help you, to treat you as his own. It is the only country where there is love, tolerance and forgiveness. Where the family, the very basis of society, is valued. I am proud to be an Indian.Neerja Singh, DelhiThe cover of the independence issue was visually very meaningful. The patchwork of India's tricolour reflected a fractured past, an agonising present and a fearful future. The thumb print in blue replacing the chakra of our flag was an intelligent symbol of the British rule or backwardness or illiteracy - predominant factors even today.Punya Pattrea, DelhiThe true-life stories of families separated during Partition made it appear that Partition occurred only in Punjab and solely touched the lives of people there ("Bridging the Great Divide", August 18). What about the innumerable Bengalis who were displaced during the Partition? Have they been conveniently ignored as they do not have a "refugee prime minister" in their ranks?Indrani Chaudhuri, BarrackporeField Marshal Sam Manekshaw's statement that it's "complete bloody nonsense that people join the Army to serve the country" is indeed surprising and unfortunate ("What It Means to be an Indian", August 18). Does he mean to say that throughout his service, he did not know what cause he was serving? Coming from a person of his standing, it is a sad reflection of an ex-soldier's state of mind.Major (Retd) R.P. Murgai, Delhi"In this golden jubilee year, one wonders what we are more hurt and angry about-200 years of colonial rule or 50 years of independent India's misrule?" R.K. Aneja, Sao Paulo, BrazilIndira Gandhi's tenure as prime minister totalled 16 years and not 13 years as mentioned in your article ("State of the Nation", August 18). This takes the total number of years of the Nehru dynasty's rule to 38 years.H. Nagrecha, Junagadh, GujaratThe error is regrettedEditorBiased AiyarMani Shankar Aiyar's "IFFY" statement that if I had been given a posting as secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, I would not have written the book on Bofors is the view of a partisan politician biased by his personal loyalty to Rajiv Gandhi ("Ozane Deficiency", July 21). That Bofors paid commissions to middlemen in contravention of the undertaking given to the government is a fact proved by the Swedish National Audit Bureau - and not by me - and acknowledged by Anders Carlberg, vice-chairman of the Nobel group.B.M. Oza,DelhiDoing its DutyThe allegation that the alternative route from Pahalgam to Srinagar (via Bijbehara) could have been used but was refused by the Army at a high-level meeting is not correct ( "A Chilling Trail of Death", September 15, 1996). The routes were made available and maintained by the civil administration. The Army's role was to protect the yatris from militants and nothing more.Brigadier V.K. Saxena, DDGMI(C), Army Liaison CellLt-General Surinder Singh, GOC-in-C, Northern Command, is on record saying that leaving the entire bandobast to the Army was sheer dereliction of duty on the part of the civil administration. Further, the Army, at a high-level meeting, refused to allow the use of the alternative route because road-opening parties (to clear the area) had not been able to 'sanitise' that route.EditorPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Sep 8, 1997 00:00 IST--- ENDS ---

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'Sri Lankan cricket team has come a long way'

"The brutal killing of Gulshan Kumar is a sad reflection on the fabric of the society we live in. The film world, no doubt, is paying a price for having links with the underworld."

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