A new ruler

Sir ? I have no idea what Swapan Dasgupta does for a living. But going by the views expressed in ?On another plane? (Dec 3), it is clear that he is in the habit of leaving his thinking cap behind while penning his thoughts. How else does one describe Dasgupta wishing for India to carve out ?its own definite space? within Pax Americana? Does this not reek of colonial rhetoric and a not-too-honourable intention of being subjugated by the new imperial power? If Dasgupta understood American mentality, he would not have talked in terms of ownership. An Indian space of ?its own? makes no sense since Dasgupta?s capitalist fantasy does not consider the uncompromising unilateralism with which all Americans are blessed since birth. However, if his wish comes true, it would frighten countless other Indians who, unlike Dasgupta, are less favourably disposed towards the world?s sole superpower.

Yours faithfully,
Shyamal Bagchee, Edmonton, Canada

The wrong spirit

Sir ? It is heartening to note that the International Cricket Council-appointed commissioner, Tim Castle, decided to overturn Sourav Ganguly?s suspension after a three-and-a-half hour long hearing (?Weight lifts off Sourav shoulders?, Nov 27). But the promptness with which a section of the media and some former players started calling for Ganguly?s head after the Lloyd ban was disappointing. Had these ?experts? studied the incidents that led to the ban more carefully, they would have definitely questioned the match referee?s decision. Instead of sympathizing with Ganguly, they seemed to relish his discomfiture ? a fact which only shows that Indian cricket is a divided house. No wonder television commentators like Ian Chappell feel free to take a dig at the Indian captain and also manage to get away with it. Would an Indian commentator emerge unscathed after taking a dig at the Australian skipper in Australia?

Yours faithfully,
Goutam Roy Biswas, Calcutta

Sir ? Clive Lloyd?s prejudice against Ganguly makes him incapable of treating the Indian captain fairly. Cricket lovers would recall how Lloyd had instructed his fast bowlers to hit Indian batsmen on their bodies during the test match in Sabina Park in 1976 after the Indians had got the better of his team at the Port of Spain test played earlier. The intimidatory bowling was accompanied by the chants of ?Kill them, kill them? from the crowd ? a scene graphically described by the legendary Sunil Gavaskar in Sunny Days. Similarly, after West Indies lost the World Cup final in 1983, Lloyd employed a similar tactic against Indians during the West Indies?s tour of India in 1983-84. Isn?t it ironical that the ICC found a person of such credentials fit to uphold the spirit of the game? Little wonder that Lloyd was unable to differentiate between the letter and the spirit of cricket rules.

Yours faithfully,
Srijit Basu, Calcutta

Sir ? Ganguly is the unwitting victim of Clive Lloyd?s personal grudge. Otherwise, how does one explain a cricketer of Lloyd?s stature saying something in the lines of Ganguly feeling that he is greater than the game? Lloyd should remember that the job of a match referee is not to make things difficult for players while upholding the spirit of the game. Sadly, during the one-dayer in Calcutta, Lloyd did exactly that. Isn?t it ?odd? that Lloyd decided to punish Ganguly harshly when the Indo-Pak tie was more of a friendly match than a do-or-die encounter? The only possible explanation for the match referee?s action is Lloyd?s prejudice against Indian cricketers. After all, wasn?t it the same man who abandoned the World Cup semi-final match between India and Sri Lanka? That Lloyd?s ruling lacked substance has been proved by Tim Castle?s overruling of the decision.

Yours faithfully,
Sumant Poddar, Calcutta

Sir ? First we had Cammie Smith suspending Ganguly for one match in Sri Lanka three years ago. And now we have Lloyd trying to better Smith?s record. The fact that Tim Castle quashed the Supercat?s sentence is beside the point. What is more worrying is that West Indian officials are out to punish Indian cricketers harshly as and when the opportunity arises. Perhaps this has got something to do with the acrimonious relationship between the blacks and the Indian immigrants in the Caribbeans, a fact that V.S. Naipaul writes about in The Middle Passage.

Yours faithfully,
Abhijit Mukherjee, Calcutta

Sir ? Sourav Ganguly does not seem to learn from his mistakes. A few days back, Clive Lloyd had slapped a two-test ban on the skipper for his side?s slow over rate during the Platinum Jubilee match against Pakistan. Although Ganguly was lucky to be exonerated from the charges on that occasion, his sins caught up with him in the second test against South Africa when the match referee, Jeff Crowe, fined him 30 per cent of his match fees for showing dissent. Ganguly needs to rein in his aggression to avoid incurring the wrath of match officials in the near future.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Angul, Orissa