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Fine team, finest ode

“A turf of their own” (TSI, August 22-28) was the finest possible tribute to what can be said of the most amazing blend of footballers. So what if they are off-springs of sex workers, or children of a lesser God. They are, after all, human beings like all of us and also one of us. Hats off to Durbar Mahila Samanway Samiti for having knitted a team that is ready to take on the world. As the writer rightfully mentions, it’s a victory over social prejudice. Let it be a passport to a well-secured future. One fervently hopes that Lionel Messi takes a leaf from Steve Waugh and adopts the soccer team of Durbar Football Academy when he steps on the shores of Kolkata. Meanwhile, Indian authorities should take cue, and inspiration, from the American Olympic mandarins who pick their future superstars from ghettos and run-down neighbourhoods. That, of course, depends on whether the 'ambitious’ Indian thinktank truly aspires to emerge as a sports superpower.
Sridhar K Penna
Hyderabad

Time to change

This is with reference to the editorial “It's important for Anna...” (TSI, Aug 22-28). Our constitution allows us to peacefully protest against anything that we perceive to be wrong, but Team Anna's stubbornness and inflexibility in their demands seems to be the 'dictatorship of the people'. Corruption is wrong but Anna is trying to replace it with another wrong and ultimately it may be harmful. Who will assure us that the Lokpal will not be corrupt? Our constitution has armed us with a potent weapon, that is, the right to vote to replace corrupted persons. But how can one replace a corrupts Lokpal with sweeping powers? We have so many issues to protest against but how many people we find beside Irom Sharmila? How many of us open our mouth against reservation? The fact is that no law can stop corruption if we don't try to make ourselves free from corruption.
Palash Midya
Kolkata

The new messiah

What Anna Hazare did and achieved is unprecedented in the annals of democracy. Ever since Mahatma Gandhi started his non-violent strategy and fasted to oust the British from our soil, no one had been able to match that feat.  Now, Anna Hazare, the new messiah has arrived on the scene to show our democratic tyrants the true meaning of the will of the people. A new dimension has been added to democratic struggle. The West should take a leaf from this astounding achievement launched by a retired soldier not having the sophistication of an educated urbanite. Anna Hazare, an ordinary and unknown person with his 13 day fast has achieved what governments could not do even in 64 years.  The bill has to be passed and made into Law, a process which could take quite a bit of time. But it remains to be seen how soon the bill sees the light of day.
Shanmugam Mudaliar
Pune