Throwing up for a cause

Sir — That Miss Universe, Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza, fell sick while visiting a slum in Delhi does not come as a surprise (“Sick sight for lovely lady”, Oct 31). After all, a perfect body and winning smile are not enough when it comes to facing harsh realities. However, one must thank Mendoza for falling ill. Hopefully, her feat will bring to light the wretched living conditions that the poor have to put up with in India. The government, on its part, has shown little concern for slum- dwellers and exploited them shamelessly for political gains.

Yours faithfully,
Suparnaa Sinha, Calcutta

Perform or perish

Sir — In the professional world, it is imperative that individuals put up a good show. Else, they run the risk of being dismissed. The same holds true for sportstars in modern times. But such a rule does not quite work in the case of Indian cricketers (“Rich but loser label”, Nov 2). There seems to be no sense of responsibility among our players who are, by all estimates, a spoilt lot. Most of them get carried away by the prospects of stardom and big money, which hamper their performance on the field.

Given this situation, the fact that the Board of Control for Cricket in India is seriously contemplating linking payments with performance for cricket players in the country is good news. Every cricketer, irrespective of his stature, should be entitled to a basic amount. Extra payment should be decided on the basis of a particular player’s showing. The board should also think of constituting a panel of experts, which could be consulted before handing out a contract to a player. Perhaps, the BCCI should also think about taking into account the opinion of the fans who help the board make a lot of money.

Yours faithfully,
Geraldine H., Mumbai

Sir — Cricket lovers in India should be grateful to the chief executive of ICC, Malcolm Speed, for his scathing comments on the state of cricket in India. India is supposed to be one of the strongest teams in world cricket. But this is only on paper. India has never managed to win a major tournament, except the world cup in 1983 and the mini world cup two years later. Worse, the team’s showing in the Champions trophy proved that some of the players have taken their place for granted in the side. The rest, unfortunately, are in the habit of playing for themselves rather than the team. The board took a hard look at the players and asked them to win matches consistently. Paying them in accordance to their success on the pitch would also be a very good idea. Perhaps, this would goad our superstars to play well in the world cup, which is only a few months away.

Yours faithfully,
Susobhan Sarkar, Calcutta

Turf war

Sir — My attention has been drawn to a report published in the Racing columns of The Telegraph (Oct 30). I have since also read the letter from a former steward published on the following day. I had agreed to become a steward of the RCTC to help develop plans to convert the property at 11, Russell Street into a heritage lifestyle-club and raise resources for the RCTC through fresh membership. Since it now appears that most members do not want this and favour an outright sale of 11, Russell Street — a heritage property — there is no purpose in my continuing as a steward. I, too, am totally opposed to the outright sale of a heritage property and to the idea that the extra money raised through the sale of the property be distributed among the members. Therefore, I do not wish to be associated with the proceedings scheduled for November 9, when these matters will be discussed.

Yours faithfully,
J.N. Sapru, former steward, RCTC, Calcutta