THE WEEK deserves praise for periodically coming out with many good stories on football; no other news publication in India has given so much coverage to football. A dive into the rivalry of Brazil and Argentina was indeed informative (‘Clowns versus rascals’, November 20).
One gets to see the best football in the world when Argentina takes on Brazil—there is a lot that an aspiring player can learn from them. Pele and Maradona are among the greatest footballers to have ever played the world’s greatest sport. They continue to inspire many even today.
Arkashish Chawla,
On email.
I have been an ardent lover of your magazine for the splendid articles that you offer on different subjects. Your cover story on the football rivalry between Brazil and Argentina was laden with information that I could not find in any sports publication. I look forward to more top-notch articles as the World Cup progresses.
K. Bhaskaran,
On email.
Thank you for the excellent cover story on the football rivalry between Argentina and Brazil, analysing historical, cultural, political and other aspects of the two nations, where football was introduced by European settlers.
But my dream is for the beautiful game to find its due place in India, which is 20 times bigger in population than any of the top football-playing nations. Football infrastructure should be created in smaller towns in the country to identify talent at an early age. Such players should then get opportunities to play in European clubs.
Also, let us divert funds from the BCCI, which is the world’s richest cricket body. Football, any day, is a better sport than cricket.
K.V. Jayaram,
On email.
Brazil and Argentina are champions of football. But I am not going to watch the World Cup till India plays in it. In 2002, I said India will play in the World Cup in 2010. In 2010, I said India will definitely play in the World Cup in 2022. Now, I am confused. And so are lakhs of Indians. Now I am not sure whether India will ever make it to the football World Cup.
The success of the Indian Super League is not reflecting in India’s football. It feels awkward when many in my country cheer for Latin American and European countries. I feel we should watch the World Cup only if India is playing in it.
Kumar Gaurav,
On email.
Do people in Brazil and Argentina even know that there exists a state called Kerala in India, where a considerable number of people support them the way their countrymen do. Kerala’s obsession with Latin American football has reached such an extent that tomorrow if India plays Argentina or Brazil in a football match, fans in Kerala would still support the Latin Americans. Where else will you find such levels of madness?
Gopinath Sasidharan,
On email.
Need answers
I fully agree with Manu Rajan that the likes of Amitabh Kant should address grassroots problems instead of revelling in policy-level ivory towers (‘Letters’, November 20). Rajan mentioned about the problems faced by employees of Central universities who have been waiting for the implementation of judicial orders on the conversion of central provident fund to the more beneficial government provident fund pension scheme. Such instances, I feel, are innumerable. What about the innumerable promises made, only to eventually ignore voices of the general public?
Venkatesh Murthy K.S.,
On email.
Just like his boss, Narendra Modi, Kant wants us to believe that digital banking happened only after 2014. The average person out there is not dumb. A scheme on the lines of the Jan Dhan Yojana was launched in 2005; Modi only renamed it. Aadhaar, in fact, was launched by the UPA government in 2010.
Along with global evolutionary trends these schemes have evolved in recent years for larger good of poor people. Kant’s loyalties should have been to historical facts instead of merely echoing ‘His Master’s Voice’.
K. Ramdas Nayak,
On email.
Caste the curse
Caste-based reservation should end once and for all. Reservation cannot continue forever; it is only a means to secure economic justice (‘Powerdrive’, November 20). All sections of society should work hard and compete with each other in a level-playing field.
Caste has been the biggest curse of Hinduism, and it is time we abolished it and treated everyone as equals. Future generations should not cling on to their castes.
Kusuma Gowda,
On email.
I agree with R. Prasannan that class is no longer the central point of the quota discourse; the individual is.
I feel the NDA government, in its next tenure, from 2024 to 2029, will, in a sudden move, come up with an ordinance that will abolish caste reservation in the country. Narendra Modi may not take that risk before 2024, but after that he is sure to do that.
Vismay Mathur,
On email.
Agents of Central government
The governors of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are no different from their predecessors; it is a fact that governors are agents of the Central government (‘Mani-festo’, November 20). The BJP is trying hard to make its presence felt in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and I feel clear instructions have gone to both these governors (Arif Mohammad Khan and R.N. Ravi) to create political turmoil in these states and create a fertile ground for the BJP to grow.
Prahlad Unnikrishnan,
On email.