Paes is an example the young should follow

‘And that’s 50 for Paes!’ (April 2) made for delightful reading. One feels proud of this unassuming player who has been remarkably consistent over the years. To win 50 doubles titles after playing 600 matches in the international tennis circuit is an awesome performance. All kudos to Paes! Only 23 players had done this before in the ATP World Tour history. He has had to take many partners in the doubles in recent years and one feels certain that he would have won many more doubles titles
if only his pairing with Mahesh Bhupati had not run into problems. It is not too late for the London Olympics and they would do well to come together for it.
—V Subramanyan, Mumbai

II
Leander Paes has been a picture of confidence after he started doubles and mixed doubles with different partners in the last decade or so. This is the second trophy for the Indian with his Czech partner this season. It is a memorable one for him as he defeated his erstwhile partner Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in a 3-setter. The final set, which he went on to win at 10-8 shows his tenacity to succeed. Leander has shown tremendous grit and determination to perform at the highest level. Unlike our other sport personalities, Leander has the killer instinct to succeed at an appropriate moment. Kudos to Leander for his 50th double title win in his illustrious career.  He is an striking example for youngsters to follow and achieve success at the highest level.
—CKS  Ramani, Mumbai

Elaborate, Mishra
This has reference to ‘Send Gen on forced leave: Former NSA’ (April 2). Brjesh Mishra should be more elaborate on his comment, “If he is sacked, then something more may happen”. Did he mean that the General might retaliate by spilling some more beans? Be careful, if sent on forced leave, the General might utilise his free time to jot down some more letters, this time to the supreme commander of defence forces, on whose “pleasure” he will be enjoying his leave. If Mishra is of the opinion that the General has lost his mental balance, then he should admit that the defence minister and his advisors are amnesiacs, since they all had memory loss about the written complaints received two years back on the issues raised by the General.
—Haridasan Mathilakath, Navi Mumbai

Full of conjectures
This has reference to Aditya Sinha’s ‘The man who leaked too much’ (April 2). The letter which was supposed to be discreet and secret became a open secret much to the discomfort of government and the and General. Contents of the letter were ‘routine’ if they were to remain undisclosed but became ‘lethal’ after they were leaked. Sinha’s needle of suspicion on prime minister is quite ominous and full of conjectures. By leaking the letter the prime minister may not have made the water more muddier and things difficult for him because he hardly reacts and this is true in this case as well. The leaked letter has already done the collateral damage and the goveernment as usual is reacting incoherently and ambiguously trying to cover tracks rather than initiating action on the issues raised by it. If the ‘letter bomb’ and the ‘bribe bomb’ have not stirred the government out of deep slumber, nothing else will shake them into action as they seemed to have slipped into deep coma.
—Ashok Goswami

In just 10 months
It has taken Mamata Banerjee only 10 months to became as dictatorial as her predecessors from the Left Front. It seems democracy in West Bengal is taking a real beating. Now, even the right to read newspapers of one’s choice is being curtailed.

Mamata ratified the decision to allow only 13 dailies in state libraries and reportedly said that everything was done according to government policy. The TMC must realize that winning absolute majority does not mean it can rule the state; it can only govern it. It is obvious that Banerjee wants people to read only those papers that openly support her government or do not criticize it. It is interesting to note that the dailies that the government has approved of are not free of political affiliations; many of them have undeniable links to the TMC.
—J Akahsy, Bangalore

Deteriorating MU
Apropos of ‘TYBCom re-exam on April 11’ (April 2), the university has tremendous demand worldwide, attracting a number of foreign students. However, the institution which  boasted itself as ‘one of the best universities in the country’  is loosing its charm. Its administration is deteriorating day by day. It appears that the present manpower of the university is unable to handle the tremendous pressure of workload. This year, the university has not only failed to issue hall tickets in time, but also to allot correct roll numbers and centres. The sequence of events that have occurred in conducting TYBCom exams gives the ill feelings among students. The functioning of the university should be condemned in strict words. Let us hope the officials concerned will take effective steps to avoid its recurrence of such things in future.
— Kishorkumar J Ved, Mumbai

Salve no more
This has reference to ‘Former BCCI chief passes away’ (April 2). With the death of veteran politcian and Congress leader NKP Salve the country has not only lost a person with great vision in the field of politics but in cricket as well. He was an outstanding cricket administrator who was credited with making India a cricketing force. Salve, a great cricket lover, was fondly called Polly by his friends and admirers. His contribution to Indian cricket will never be forgotten and he will also be remembered for steering India’s victory in the 1983 World Cup.
—Ramesh G Jethwani, Bangalore