Commercialisation of cricket

APROPOS of Abhijit Chaterjee’s article ‘Fixing fixers’ (October 9), cricket has transcended the realm of sports and has become big business. In fact, it has been reduced to the level of just another commercial venture. The T.V. has not only enabled the world to follow the action live, but has also helped corporate giants and MNCs to advertise their products. Players spend more time promoting products — like cold drinks, credit cards, toothpaste, tyres, cycles, shoes — than practising on the field.

Unfortunately cricket authorities have also succumbed to the lure of money. The crass commercialisation of cricket has led to match-fixing, betting and black marketing tickets of important matches.

Cricket control boards all over the world should take urgent steps to stop the commercialisation of cricket.

O. P. SHARMA
Faridabad

Beyond death

Apropos of Khushwant Singh’s "Life death and beyond" (October 9), in our books on philosophy, our religious scriptures and our mythological stories, we find suggestions about the continuity of life. According to Plato’s Theory of Reminiscence, our present knowledge is a recollection of what was learnt or known by the soul in a previous state.

Today efforts are being made to investigate the theory scientifically on the basis of empirical evidence instead of philosophical logic and reasoning. If pre-existence should happen to be a fact, it is obvious that the only possible empirical evidence of it would consist of verifiable recollection of that existence.

Research findings also prove that many of us had previous lives.

Dr Prasad, one of India’s top researchers in the field, said that in several cases of reincarnation there were birth marks which corresponded to injuries sustained by these people in their previous lives which caused their deaths. Dr Stevenson has studied many cases in Turkey where the places of injury as indicated by the birth marks have been corroborated by autopsy reports.

K.M. VASHISHT
Mansa

II

Different poets, writers and philosophers have looked upon death as either a foe or a friend. Some have regarded life as something precious and death as destructive. To some it is a blessing while others decry it as a curse.

According to A.C. Swinburne "His (man’s) life is a watch or a vision between a sleep and a sleep".

Shelley says "Death is the veil which those who live call life, they sleep and it is lifted".

Russell, the great philosopher says "I warmed both hands before the fire of life. It sinks and I am ready to depart".

In his recent book, Death, the supreme friend, the late Kakasaheb Kalelkar, a Sanskrit scholar, propounds the rather astounding thesis that death is our supreme friend "God’s most precious gift to mankind".

We must agree with a Greek philosopher who says "Death is a debt we all must pay".

VIJAY SHEEL JAIN
Ludhiana

Vaishno Devi

Although the detailed account of pilgrimage to Vaishno Devi presented by R.K. Malhotra (October 9), is very fascinating there is no proof of the story of the origin of this goddess in any of the 18 Puranas of Sanatan Dharma.

This shrine has never been a centre of Shakti worship and does not find place in the 52 Shakti-peeths. In fact, this shrine was quite unknown upto the time of the legendary Dhyanu Bhagat who used to visit Kot Kangra and who is said to have performed certain miracles.

The goddess is one of the forms of adi-shakti, worshipped so widely throughout the country, right from Kamakhya in Assam to Hinglaj in the western part of present day Pakistan and from Kashmir in the North to Meenakshi in the South.

H.S. SINHA
Kurukshetra

Crimes in cities

Renee Ranchan, in her article "How safe are you? (October 9), has cited some of the crimes committed in Delhi. It goes without saying that good number of these crimes are motivated not by economic compulsions but by hatred, enmity and revenge. Another reason for the unabated spate of crime is the indifferent and unhelpful attitude of neighbours who play the role of silent spectators.

In big cities people avoid getting involved in the problems of others because of the inconvenience it would cause. Secondly, harassment by police, repeated court appearances and the lurking fear of being implicated prevent even good citizens from reaching out to the victims.

SURINDER KUMAR MARWAHA
New Delhi

Maintaining hygiene

This refers to the article "What an unholy mess!" by Abu Abraham (October 9). One could not agree more with the writer when he laments: "Our areas of darkness of 40 years ago have only increased. More and bigger slums. More illiteracy, more filth in our towns and cities." According to Stephen P Choen, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute,: "The real national security crisis for India is the massive bulge of poverty."

I hope our new government takes serious note of these comments. It is high time we learnt to respect our environment and enforce basic sanitation norms.

ONKAR CHOPRA
Ludhiana