Boys and birds

Sir — It was nice to hear Arun Lal sharing his concern for Calcutta’s environment, especially the threat to its bird life, from the commentary box during the second Test. What’s more, the camera crew managed to capture some rare winged creatures that had dropped by on the ground. While it was heartening to note that there are still a few rare birds left in the city, a lot more needs to be done. Perhaps Kumble and his boys could chip in to save our feather friends. That could certainly gladden the hearts of even those who loathe cricket.

Yours faithfully,
Shivani Kaur, Calcutta

Flagging virtues

Sir — The incident in which a constable took away the tricolour from a cricket fan and flung it to the ground outside the Eden Gardens showed the city police in very poor light (“Flutter over flung flag”, Dec 2007]. It is true that spectators are expected to adhere to certain rules and regulations while entering a cricket ground. For instance, they are not allowed to carry certain items inside the premises. In this case, the police were right to confiscate the flag as it was attached to a rod. But the constable had no business throwing the national flag to the ground after another policeman handed it to him. He should be penalized for showing disrespect to the tricolour.

Whatever prompted the constable to act in this manner may never be known. But there can be no denying the fact that there were other prudent ways of handling the situation. Indians should know that abusing the national flag under any circumstances cannot be condoned. In fact, in the recent past, the apex court has had to deal with a number of cases in which the tricolour was dishonoured. Indian citizens, whether they are celebrities, fans or law-enforcers, need to learn to maintain the sanctity of the country’s national flag. Perhaps this will prevent people from using the national flag as a table-cover or as a piece of attire as proof of their dubious patriotic credentials.

Yours faithfully,
Surajit Das, Calcutta

Sir — It is indeed sad to note that Indians still haven’t learnt to respect the national flag. There has been a lot of talk of punishing those who have been disrespectful towards the tricolour. But, unfortunately, such assurances have not been followed by any concrete action. What is shocking to note in this particular incident is that the constable hurled the national flag to the ground right in front of the television cameras. Calcutta Police has tried to play down the incident but the harm has already been done. It will take time for the force to fix its tainted image. This episode, coming close in the heels of allegations that the national flag was used as table-cover during a match in Jaipur, shows that the average Indian is indifferent when it comes to respecting his national treasures.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — Not enough has been done to eradicate polio from our country (“ Polio comes back in Asansol”, Nov 19). The rise in the number of polio cases, not only in Bengal but in a few other states as well, has become a matter of great concern. Health officials and medics must explore every available option to combat this dreaded condition, which affects a large number of children in India. In my opinion, the government should look at using Inactivated Polio Vaccine in the National Immunization Programme. The IPV could become a serious option in our battle against polio. After all, many health experts today seem to be of the opinion that IPV provides greater protection than Oral Polio Vaccines.

Yours faithfully,
Tarini Bajaj, New Delhi