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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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'Do you think the attack on Christians is justified' is a ridiculous question for the Rediff Poll
E-mail from readers the world overDate sent: Sunday, January 10, 1999 11:35 PM
On the Jan 9 issue, I saw a most ridiculous question in the Rediff Poll. The question was, "Do you think the attack on Christians is justified?" I would think the answer to this question is obvious. The fact that you even needed to ask your readers to opine on this is repulsive. What next? Is the next poll question going to be: "Do you think the murder of Hindus is justifiable?" or "Is the assault on Sikhs okay?" Raj "Thoroughly Disgusted" Kotaru
I was bewildered by your recent Rediff Poll question, "Do you think the attack on Christians is justified?" I am a regular reader of Rediff and have always enjoyed the sober coverage and refreshing perspectives in your reports. But this question jolted me. First of all, I wondered how one could even ask such a question. How can one community justify physical cruelty and attacks on another? The next shock came when I looked at the number of people who polled. I have always been proud of my Indian upbringing, but when I looked at the numbers who voted, I hung my head in shame. To me the physical violence we are seeing is due to desperation, due to an inability or reluctance to convince people with reason. This impotence has given way to physical violence. How else can one justify the rape of a nun? The bone of contention seems to be the issue of conversions, though I think there are other political issues involved since the resurgence of the Congress under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi. Conversion is a process that occurs at a personal level. A person gets converted because of what he or she believes is the right thing to do based on his or her experience or understanding of truth. If the Shiv Sena or the Bajrang Dal or the VHP or anybody else thinks its way leads to truth, do they think they are going to convince anyone with this kind of violence? I myself am a convert to Christianity from Hinduism. If people think I have become any less Indian because of that, they have a very wrong idea of what it is to be Indian or Christian. I became a Christian because of my own personal experience with God and not because some white man gave me bread or rice. Whatever happened to the idea in Hinduism that all religions are equal? So why this heartburn if someone decides to become a Christian. By the way, I rooted for the BJP in the previous election, I have an Indian name, speak Tamil at home, have lived in India until my graduation, have Indian blood, have an Indian wife, eat Indian food, enjoy Indian fellowship and music, defended India for the Pokhran blasts, oppose American imperialism, plan to have Tamil names for my kids, and constantly pray for India. If that is not enough evidence of loyalty to India, what is? Let this nonsense stop. Let India not be led by demagogues like Ashok Singhal but by leaders like Vajpayee. Jitendran Muthuswamy and Anita Jitendran
Date sent: Friday, January 08, 1999 8:17 PM
I am shocked that your site is hosting a poll titled: 'Do you think the attack on Christians is justified?' How in the world does one 'justify' attacks on a linguistic or religious group? While I have always enjoyed visiting your site, I feel you do need to be more responsible. Bhaskar Das
Date sent: Friday, January 08, 1999 3:19 PM
I am a regular visitor to Rediff, but was disgusted by your poll question, "Do you think the attack on Christians was justified?" Nothing can justify violence against innocent people, and lack of law and order in a country. It's very distressing to see that there is no governance, that hoodlums rule the roost, and that people like you, who claim to be educated, instead of condemning it, are discussing whether it's justified. I think you will do more justice to your esteemed site by removing this poll. I hope sanity prevails. Syed Nadeem Ahmed
Date sent: Monday, January 11, 1999 1:49 AM
The NCCI president is right when he says "the VHP's claim that everyone in India should be a Hindu is a ridiculous proposition". Can somebody be forced to change religion? Christians are not holding a gun to the heads of Hindus and asking them to change their religion. In fact it is the VHP that has let loose terror in Gujarat and other parts of the country, harassing the minorities to change their religion. Money too can't buy religion. People change their religion because they find the new religion more appealing or their ancestral religion oppressive. The reason adivasis, scheduled tribes, and scheduled castes change their religion is because the new religion promises them dignity. Ambedkar gave up Hinduism not because he had a sword over him or because he needed money, but because he found the caste-ridden Hinduism oppressive. A change in attitude towards lower castes is necessary to stop conversions. Economic measures such as full implementation of the Mandal recommendations is required. A social policy regarding inter-caste marriages is essential. An overhaul of Hindu religious scriptures, deleting reference to castes, is needed. Only such measures will stop the oppressed sections of society from converting to Christianity, Islam, Buddhism etc. Unless high-caste Hindus make revolutionary changes, the downtrodden will continue to leave Hinduism. The terror tactics of the fundamentalists will not work, because the minorities are used to communal violence against them. They are trading caste violence for religious violence. The minorities want to be treated like human beings. Do we have the courage to bring about social change, which, after all, is what oppressed minorities are seeking in non-Hindu religions? No. Will VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore marry off his daughter to an adivasi, a dalit, a Buddhist or a Jain? No. The current complaints about conversion to Christianity are part of a political ploy. The Sangh Parivar is scared that Sonia Gandhi may dislodge the BJP from power. So attempts are on to foment religious violence and indirectly target Sonia Gandhi. But voters have seen through all these tactics time and again. Unless the BJP provides a clean government, there is nothing to stop it from losing power. What happened to the promises of a clean government, the promise of law and order, the swadeshi movement, discipline, and low prices? Nepotism is at a peak, infighting is rampant, and back-stabbing has become the norm. The Ram Mandir is not coming up and the Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram are forgotten. You can be certain that violence against Christianity will stop if the Sangh Parivar manages to retain power in the general election. Satya Narain
Date sent: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 05:57:49 -0500
The interview was all right, but the audacity of the Gujarat chief minister was on display. He gave no direct reply to any question. As a chief minister who is in cahoots with the fundamentalists, what right has he to remain in power. It's time he is unseated. Alexander John
Date sent: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 15:27:46 -0500
If Thackeray thinks that letting the Pakistani cricket team play in India is unpatriotic, can he please explain why Shiv Sainiks are not in Kashmir trying to fight ISI-sponsored terrorism? Why is it also that when an ally like the National Conference is ruling Kashmir, Thackeray does not have the courage to go to Kashmir? Thackeray, every one of us can be armchair critics like you. Sponsoring an organisation that generates violence to achieve your personal needs is not patriotism. It is hooliganism. Hinduism does not preach violence and it has proved that for the last 5000 years. Kaushik Kumar
Date sent: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 12:26:19 -0600
I strongly support the Shiv Sena for not allowing the Pakistanis to play on the soil of Bharat. The BJP does what it is good for the Centre and the Shiv Sena does what is good for the country. I was very embarrassed to see Muslims supporting the Pakistani team during matches played in Hyderabad and Kanpur. We don't need such citizens living in Bharat. We sure don't need a bus service to link Bharat and Pakistan. The only way to become a strong Hindustan is to do exactly the same thing that Pakistan does: promote terrorism in the other country. Our freedom fighters, I mean the Congress party, has done everything to woo Muslims, to make them Hindustanis. The result was the partition of our motherland. We do not need any kind of amity with the Pakistanis.
Date sent: Fri, 8 Jan 1999 17:10:07 -0800
It is great to read that the trial run of the DTC bus to Lahore and back was conducted peacefully. We need more missions like this to prove to the world and ourselves that it is our own brothers and sisters who reside across the border. The West has made tons of money by dividing us and making us buy the arsenal to maim and kill each other. As a goodwill gesture, Pakistan should stop helping terrorists in Kashmir and elsewhere. Pakistan should deport terrorists and criminals and help India fight crime and corruption.
Date sent: Fri, 08 Jan 1999 22:57:46
This is regarding your story of a swami with a difference. Yes, a sanyasi is certainly a unique individual, if he is really a sanyasi. Swami Ramsukhdasji is not a carbon copy of any other swami. But in India, the majority of sadhus have no individuality -- they are merely clones. That's why they are so utterly boring, totally uncreative and parasitic. Swami Ramsukhdasji has written 50 books. He must be a karmayogiand well-wisher of the people -- a kalyanmitra. Swami Chaitanya Keerti
Date: Thursday, January 07, 1999 11:22 PM
Great article! Azhar whines too much. If he cannot change the run of things, then he needs to step down, like Kim Hughes did. Maybe we might find a captain like Allan Border, maybe not. But we will definitely be better off than we are with the incumbent. Shyam
Date sent: Thursday, January 07, 1999 11:10 PM
Greetings, Mr Panicker. Let me first say that I applaud you and Rediff's coverage of cricket over the past few years. As a resident of the United States, I rarely have a chance to see live cricket, so I am very grateful for your coverage. Your match reports are the finest example of sports journalism in my opinion; it makes me feel as if I was there. So keep up the good work. If I may, and with all due respect, I would like to make one comment about your "Runs 'n' Ruins" article. I agree with you completely about the Indian management's poor excuses and the attitude of the Indian team. This is something you have mentioned often, and I'm sure you, like me, are tired of seeing no improvement in this regard. But in your article you also mentioned the conflicting verdict on "too many ODIs" given before and after the Test series as well as why the players don't complain about it. The only reason I am writing to you about this is because, unlike a journalist or a fan, I am a close relative of one member of the Indian team. Since I speak with him often, I have a slightly different view of the team we see through the popular media. During the Sahara Cup in particular, it was very clear what the major problem was. As we all remember, it was during the Commonwealth Games fiasco that the announcement of the team to Zimbabwe was made and Jadeja and Tendulkar were flying across the world. At the press conference, as reporters asked the captain and coach what they thought of the recent decisions of the board, the frantic schedule of the team, the timing of the Zimbabwe team announcement, the usual responses came up, i.e. 'We cannot comment on that; it is the board's decision', 'I'm happy with the situation', etc. But after the press conference, away from the reporters, I heard quite a different story. Everyone, from the coach down to the 12th man, was angry with the board for splitting up the two teams, and many, many other things, including the frantic schedule. Some even hoped that the Pakistan tour would not happen since they wanted some rest. I won't excuse the Indian captain or his players for their reticence to speak out. But let us not forget the board's role. When players, the captain or coach speak to the media or to anyone publicly, they are obliged to toe the "party line" or they may risk being dropped or reprimanded severely. You cannot criticise the board. There is a high degree of resentment about the way the board functions but the Indian team feels helpless; they feel like pawns. These fears are not alleviated when we consider how the board treats players -- some of them legends -- who rocked the boat. There are many times I wish that millions of Indian cricket fans and journalists who cover the team could know what these young men really feel and what their motivations are. Many of them don't speak out against the board, not only out of fear, but also because they take the responsibility of representing their nation quite seriously. These are young men who have been thrust into the spotlight, who wish to portray the Indian cricket establishment as a unified one. To highlight the differences between themselves and the board, they perhaps feel would not be worth the destruction of that image. The feeling I've got is that they feel helpless: They wish things would be better, yet they are afraid of the consequences of speaking out. In the meantime, they combat fatigue and frustration. Let us hope though, as you said, and soon, that the players do speak out. True, the image of Indian cricket may be further tarnished, but in the long run, this could be cathartic and lead to a stronger, truly unified cricket establishment that will ensure both excellence and dignity, on and off the field. Thank you for your time, and keep up the good work.
Date sent: Friday, January 08, 1999 12:16 AM
Hi, Prem, Excellent article! Even though I can understand Azhar's somersault on the overdose of one-dayers, you can't expect a captain to give the same kind of press conference at the beginning of a tour, where he is supposed to be upbeat, as he does at the end of a series loss, which will naturally be far more candid. I will excuse Azhar for that. The batting line-up has four fine players -- Sachin, Dravid, Azhar and Ganguly. Considering that Gavaskar played till he was 38, I would think that Azhar, who is fitter, has two more years left in him. Any cricket fan will agree that these four players are fully capable of scoring on foreign soil. Azhar's problems with the short stuff might be brought up, but I can't see him fail at number five in the Tests. Now let us look at the problems that can be fixed. Clearly, there's a problem with the opening pair. Indian domestic cricket is incapable of producing good opening batsmen. Let us not blame the cricketers -- the problem is with the system. To me, it seems futile to keep trying Jadeja as a opener. He might make a good middle-order bat in Tests, but I have my own suspicions about his suitability for Tests at any position -- his lack of defensive technique being the main problem. Sidhu should either retire or be shown the door. His fielding also seems to have deteriorated. Even though Azhar is older, he is still one of the fittest players in the side. Sidhu almost seems to be cracking all over. I think the management should try Ganguly as the opener. After all, he has opened in numerous ODIs and has both the technique and patience to open the batting. Laxman is another classy batsman, at least in Tests. He should be given an extended run. Sadagopan Ramesh is another excellent prospect, not based just on his domestic average, which would be meaningless, but the way he handled the Windies. Most important, the management should absolutely stop giving chances to worthless cricketers like Khoda. I hope Wadekar will exercise his power on this matter. In the bowling department, India has a pretty good supply of fast bowlers -- Srinath, Agarkar, Prasad, Mohanty and Singh. But fast bowlers, are only as good as your slip fielders. India should develop good attacking spinners for Test cricket. Besides Kumble, both Harbhajan and Joshi are excellent prospects. Let us not lament the lack of Bedis and Chandras. Kumble, Bajju and Joshi seem a decent spin line-up to me. Fielding, recognised by one and all, has been the Achilles heel, not just for the current team, but for all Indian cricket. Close-in fielders are critical to winning Test matches. Because of domestic cricket, Indian fielders are quite competent in fielding for spinners. But the slip and gully catching is way below international standards. I wouldn't blame Azhar for regularly changing his slip cordon. The reason is simple -- he does not have a choice. Dravid was moved there, because there was no specialist slip fielder at Azhar's disposal. It is as simple as that. India has to train its fielders to field at slip and gully. Traditionally, it is batsmen who have excelled at these positions, because of their sharper reflexes. Azhar is already outstanding in the slips. Sachin is pretty good; he may need some honing though. Others like Ganguly, Jadeja and Dravid should be given rigorous training to field in the slips. The final problem is lack of aggressive tactics on the field, as you had pointed out. It is amazing to me what the coach and his coterie are doing during a Test. Shouldn't they be chalking out strategies for the upcoming session? Shouldn't they be considering various possible positions and how the team should modify its attack? Shouldn't this be conveyed to the captain at regular intervals? Yes, Azhar is not an aggressive captain, but it is something that can be drilled into him by a strong coach and his think-tank. Ananth Nagarajan
Date sent: Friday, January 08, 1999 12:27 AM
Prem, I appreciate this wonderful article. But I beg to differ with you on a few (very few) points. First, the bright side of the series was that the middle-order batsmen have proved that they aren't bunnies abroad. I feel this is one of the most talented batting sides India has produced in a long time. This is better than the time Gavaskar and Vishwanath were around, because we have some very solid players in Sachin, Rahul and Saurav. Add Azhar to the list and we have some good players. Also, the bowling has more teeth and can bowl the opposition out on foreign soil. The team that played in the 1980s had just one Kapil Dev. Srinath and Kumble can make the best of batsmen watchful and, with Prasad coming into form, we have a decent attack out there. The question now is, where do we fall short? This is where you have hit the nail right on the head. We don't lack team spirit or suffer from factionalism like the team in the Eighties. But we do need a good strategist. With due respects to Gaekwad, he can at best be a good team man and manager. What we need is somebody who can be aggressive and is focussed on winning. This is where I feel somebody like Ravi Shastri will be a boon. Shastri, in the few games in which he led, showed what a wonderful leader he can be. He is aggressive in thinking, has a balanced head, and is a very good communicator. He can be designated additional coach or whatever. But his presence would be invaluable. Each person in the team has to be told his role. Cricket is a team game and everyone has to pull their weight. It is not enough if Mongia scores a 39 once in five innings and fails in the rest. The same goes for Kumble. For example, between Mongia and Kumble, they should be given a target of 40 runs per game. For Srinath, Prasad and the number 11, a target total of 30 runs between them should be made compulsory. This will enable them to take their batting seriously. The same applies to the top-order batsmen. In the one-dayers too, their roles should be made clear: Ganguly and Dravid should be the sheet anchors. One of them should be in the middle till at least the 35th over. Robin Singh, Jadeja and Agarkar have to be attacking in the last 15 overs. They should be mentally prepared for such situations. We need to have a couple of potentially good openers, and keep persisting with them till they come good. There's no point continuing to give Sidhu a chance. We have to select between Laxman, Jadeja, S Ramesh and Wasim Jaffer. The inclusion of Jadeja's name might raise a few eyebrows. But to be kind to Ajay, he has come good at the international level and proved himself against top-class bowling. He may need to make some minor technical adjustments. A couple of big innings at the top is what he needs. We have to give fringe players a chance by resting top players once in a while. Players like Kambli and Ganesh should keep the top players on their toes. Encouragement for any budding talent among the all-rounders is also necessary. Rajesh Sutar and Reetinder Sodhi too should be encouraged. Fielders are not born; they are made. Take the case of Sidhu. By sheer willpower, he showed what a brilliant fielder even he can be before he went back to his old ways. Azhar himself can train the team. Since Simpson seems to be away, it may not be a bad idea to hire somebody like Brijesh Patel or Ghulam Parkar, who were electric fielders in their time. The point is that fielding has to be taken seriously, however good players are in their own department. Remember, it was Dravid's reflexes that got India wickets when there was no breakthrough in sight. Let us hope the New Year will find our cricketers thinking on these lines. Mukund Ramadoss
Date sent: Friday, January 08, 1999 5:07 AM
I'm one of the thousands of Indian cricket lovers who read your article about the current performance of Indian team in New Zealand. I think one point you missed was about seamy practices in cricket like betting. The Indian team never played to win the game, particularly the fielders, whose positions are decided by the so-called "think -tank". The recent series gives fans the impression that the players are influenced by something other than patriotism. I am a very strong supporter of the Indian team, but when such things happen, it gives me a feeling that the Indian team is losing its credibility. Prasanna Mucharikar
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