'Viswanathan Anand lost because of sheer physical and mental exhaustion'

Road to Chaos"Will Indian roads be able to withstand the flood of new cars? Or are we heading for more accidents, traffic jams and pollution?"-B.N. Bose, CalcuttaAnand's No LoserTo come down heavily on Viswanathan Anand for his defeat in the recent world chess championship is unfair ("Making the Wrong Moves", January 19). Anand lost because of sheer physical and mental exhaustion, thanks to the queer FIDE format. Far from being a "loser", he is one of the very few sportsmen we have of international calibre. The entire chess community of the world acknowledges this fact. You may not have deemed it fit to do a cover story on him, but there was no need to hurt his feelings either.-Geetha Padmanabhan, PondicherryThe critical editorial remarks on Anand's performance were uncalled for. You say losers don't make covers, but what about all those politicians who have been cover material for you in the past? No child aspires to become a politician in these times because we have no model leaders like Mahatma Gandhi or Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel anymore. On the other hand, there is a new breed of youngsters who have drawn inspiration from Anand and who are world-class players in their own right. Surely, they wouldn't have emulated him if he were a loser?-Vikram Karunakaram, DelhiAnand is undoubtedly the most talented player in chess history. However, he belongs to a country which lacks the killer instinct. Like most Indians, he too managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.-Narendra Sirakaje,Bangalore"Isn't it ironical that the likes of Anand don't make covers while so many unscrupulous politicians make it there so often?"-V. Damayanti, Jaipur .preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}Harmful TreatmentIt is unfortunate that a number of parlours have mushroomed with the promise of making people "beautiful" ("The Quest for Youth", January 19). One finds such centres in every nook and corner of not only the large cities, but even in small towns. Little do people flocking to these ill-equipped places realise that they are doing themselves more harm than good. In most cases, the so-called beauticians have no experience and use harmful products on unsuspecting customers. The functioning of these parlours should be stringently monitored.-Mukta Aggarwal, DelhiIrresponsible WritingWhile Tavleen Singh's column has summarily dismissed the achievements of the Congress, in particular those of the "Nehru-Gandhi dynasty", it decidedly lacks any constructive suggestion for a better India ("Family as Fetish", January 12). If the dynasty is to be written off as having made no significant contribution, where were all those wonderful leaders whose perfect plans had been thwarted by this erstwhile dynasty? And what intelligence does Tavleen credit the people of India with for having repeatedly given the mandate to the Congress? She has a point when she concedes that India made "marginal" economic progress under P.V. Narasimha Rao. But Rao, by his own admission, was carrying out many of the policies initiated by Rajiv Gandhi. As for the criticism on Sonia Gandhi's Italian background, citizenship of a country can be acquired either by birth or choice. By having adopted Indian nationality, Sonia is as eligible as the next person under the Indian Constitution to hold the high office of prime ministership. During her 30 years in India, she has demonstrated a knowledge and love for India, its culture and way of life that would put many an Indian to shame. Tavleen is no different from many of her journalistic colleagues to whom criticism comes easy but who find it difficult to make a positive contribution. The written word is not necessarily the last one, especially when it carries with it no responsibility and when its sole purpose is to demonstrate the cleverness of the writer.-Ramola Bachchan,LondonTavleen Singh's comments on the Nehru-Gandhi family are partial and unfair. True, there were inadequacies in the dynasty's governance. But why did not someone else come up, get the people's mandate and govern better? What about the role of the Nehru-Gandhi family in cementing the unity of the country and ensuring that the legacy of a free and fair judiciary was held intact?-K.J. Mathai, ThiruvananthapuramIt's My LifeAnti-establishment, nihilist, non-conformist ... there is absolutely nothing wrong in making a statement ("Get an Attitude", January 12). If one flaunts an attitude and oozes with confidence, it is definitely advisable. But mere attitude without any sub- stance will not hold. In the daily grind, the wheat is bound to get separated from the chaff. So long as the Y generation has its basics right, it is entitled to its own mode of expression. If the priorities are judiciously set, the issues of dress, hairstyle and lifestyle hardly matter. After all, "it's my life".-Ipsita Mohapatra, BhubaneswarThe opinions voiced by today's high-flying youngsters only go to show the insecurity and hollowness in their lives. Their disregard for the family and their general lack of values cannot be blamed on them but rather those responsible for them. It is the previous generation which must take the blame for not giving the youngsters a sense of direction and purpose.-Pooja Alimchandani, DelhiThe Honest go UnnoticedThe voluntary disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) was an affront to the honest taxpayer ("The Great Disclosure", January 12). By offering tempting concessions to tax evaders, the scheme implied that the honest taxpayer didn't merit them. But it must be remembered that it is this category which goes through the nightmarish grind of filing returns every year. Also, while the scheme may have netted big businessmen and industrialists, there was no talk of the wealth amassed by politicians and bureaucrats. It appears that they have gone largely untouched.-Amarnath Kamat, MumbaiThe success of VDIS has all-layed earlier misgivings-in the media and elsewhere-about the scheme, specially the high cost of its advertising campaign. Undoubtedly, it was the campaign which played a key role in ensuring a good response. However, the scheme's real success should be measured in terms of the utilisation of the money collected: it should be used for the upliftment of those living below the poverty line.-H.J. Singh, PatialaNot Mature EnoughWhile the BJP has suffered at the hands of various political parties, it has been wise in changing its strategy in accordance with the changing times ("Alliances and Compromises", December 29). On the other hand, the United Front (UF), born out of the postelection polygamy of parties with different ideologies and principles, has frittered away its time and effort in criticising the BJP. It is the duty of the party in power to provide good governance and improve the lot of citizens. By expending its time in merely flaying the BJP, the UF has exposed its lack of political maturity.-S.P. Sharma, Mumbai"If nothing else, the pre-poll tactics of politicians such as Chandrababu Naidu are welcome: development work picks up in the name of elections."-Bedashruti Mitra,RaigarhDysfunctional FamiliesThe closed rooms in the "end-of-the-century Indian family home" will inevitably lead to closed minds with in-built stress and strain ("Those Walls Within", December 29). Territorial wars and domestic battles- even for minor things like the use of bathrooms-are causing tensions. There is no social interaction between family members, and individualism and consumerism are becoming a curse. Architects are only wasting their time and talent in redesigning houses as these "walls within" are creating dysfunctional families.-Hardyal Singh Paul, Cleveland, OhioThe problems facing nuclear families are too acute to be ignored. As almost all family members lead separate lives despite living under one roof, the elders in the family face neglect and loneliness. Rifts among family members have become common and this does not bode well for society.-U.K. Chatterjee, KharagpurPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 2, 1998--- ENDS ---

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'Viswanathan Anand lost because of sheer physical and mental exhaustion'

"Will Indian roads be able to withstand the flood of new cars? Or are we heading for more accidents, traffic jams and pollution?"

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