Leave Him Alone"For heaven's sake, don't deify and mystify .. You will end up killing India's one and only hero."-S.R. Madhu,ChennaiBeyond Cricketing GeniusThe importance of Tendulkar goes beyond his game ("Lord of the Runs", December 7). In an of poverty, price rise and calamity, there are very few things to be happy about. Watching Tendulkar play makes one forget a lot of the pain in the world around - if only for a few hours. And this is often possible thanks to the wide reach of television and other media.-T. Chandrasheel,DelhiGet Consumer-FriendlyThe privatisation of the insurance sector is indeed a welcome move ("Insuring Improvement", December 7). Unlike developed countries where the consumer is king, buyers in India have so far been getting a raw deal with a take-it-or-leave-it approach. There is great enthusiasm to sell business. But the truth is when it comes to settlement of claims, one has to run from pillar to post. Nationalised insurance companies hitherto operating in a monopolistic market must see the writing on the wall and gear up to face the challenge of competition by adopting a more consumer-friendly approach and lowering premia.-D.B.N. Murthy,BangaloreTakes More InitiativeYou couldn't have been farther from the truth in your observations on contemporary male dressing ("Gems Bond", December 7). Dressing up casually for office does not mean jeans and a fluorescent shirt. It takes time and initiative to come up with a wardrobe of smart day shirts, chinos and loafers than a formal shirt, a suit or a branded tie. As far as the accessory baubles go, it's best left to the MTV-wallahs, fashion designers and their ilk.-Sunita Wadekar,on e-mailWhere's the Review?The review of Arun Shourie's Eminent Historians ironically hardly mentioned what the book was about. ("History Sheeter", December 7). It read more like a biographical sketch of the author with a string of abuses thrown in. They were totally uncalled for to say the least.-K.R. Panda,DelhiNowhere has the reviewer, Sanjay Subramanyam, refuted a single evidence or argument cited by Shourie. All that Subramanyam has done is vomit an article full of bile against the author. The article reflects the reviewer's intensely personal feelings masquerading as review, which sadly is about the author, not the book.-Arnab Kumar Chowdhury,MumbaiBetrayers AllThe revelations about trickster Romesh Sharma and "Mr Fix-It" V. Balasubramaniam remind one of past Indian rulers in princely states who took the help of foreign invaders to fight each other for petty gains ("ISI Spreads its Net", December 7). While such traitors are a country's shame, it is doubly unfortunate that there are others in the prevailing system who have neither the will nor the courage to bring them to book.-Lt-Colonel (Retd) B.K. Nautiyal,DehradunThe property at Chirag Delhi is owned by the family of my cousin, Ramesh Malik ("The Sleazy World Of Romesh Sharma", November 16). It is a subject of litigation not just towards return of rented property but certain long-term commitments towards part sale between his mother, the rest of his family and me. The matter is currently subjudice. I too have received threatening calls demanding that I vacate the said property and was in the process of seeking help when this matter of Romesh Sharma came up in the media.-Ashok Malik,DelhiSaluting SportspersonsIt is high time the government took some steps to give sportspersons other than cricketers their due ("Brave Hearts", November 30). That they have been assiduously pursuing their disciplines despite the lack of recognition and support speaks volumes for their commitment. Better training and other basic facilities would go a long way in boosting their morale and getting the best out of them.-Lester D'souza,on e-mailNo LiabilitiesThe table accompanying the article on cellular operators said Escotel has not paid Rs 108.73 crore towards licence fees ("Crash Course", November 30). This is totally incorrect and misleading. The company has not defaulted in any manner and has absolutely no liabilities on this account.-K. Vijay Rao,Escotel Mobile Communications Ltd, DelhiStill in SchoolJason Fernandes is certainly not a school dropout ("Web Junkies", December 7). We, his parents, transferred him from his ICSE Board school to the National Open School as it was better suited to his needs.-Jeanette Fernandes,MumbaiThe error is regretted.EditorDid the assembly poll results hold a message for the Centre?The only thing the BJP and the Jan Sangh have achieved over the past 50 years is to fool the people into believing they were different from the Congress and that they were principled and able administrators ("Unfit to Govern", November 30). The BJP-led Government has proved the claims hollow on all counts. It must realise that the assembly election results in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are an emphatic referendum on the party's inability to rule.-D. Singhal,DelhiThe issues on which elections were fought in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi related to the performance of the respective state governments. It can neither be construed as a referendum against the Vajpayee Government at the Centre nor as a national victory for the Congress brand of secularism.-S.N. Phadnis,MumbaiIndia Today must be congratulated for the accurate opinion poll predicting victory for the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.-Antony A.P.,AgraPublished By: AtMigration Published On: Dec 21, 1998--- ENDS ---
