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Sachin has created history

Words cannot describe the greatness and genius of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. It is impossible to sum up his achievements which has earned him the status of ‘God’ and the man himself can be aptly dubbed as “a living record book.”

Certainly he is a phenomenon and a real treat to watch. We are blessed that we are in the same era where we have witnessed history being written in golden words. We wish his hunger for runs, continues and he keeps on enthralling his countrymen and cricket lovers across the globe in a similar fashion. Long live the little master.

RATAN SHARGA, Lucknow

II

Sachin scripted history by becoming the first cricketer to score a double ton in an ODI. Hats off to him. Without casting aspersions on his achievements I want to ask why pitches in India are favourably prepared to suit batsmen. Runs should flow but not by manoeuvring pitches.

PIYUSH SHARMA, Solan

III

Sachin Tendulkar is a living legend and millions of cricket fans are his avid admirers. A soft-spoken gentleman, he has given a befitting reply to his critics who had made unfavourable comments when he was not in form. Tendulkar is an icon and ideal for the younger generation.

RAJAT KUMAR MOHINDRU, Jalandhar city

IV

Our little master Sachin Tendulkar’s world-record, a double ton in an ODI against the formidable South Africa, in Gwalior will go down as an unforgettable achievement for centuries to come. However, not long ago he along with Shah Rukh Khan was the target of harsh criticism by the Shiv Sena. Hats off to Sachin’s persistence and dogged determination.

I fear that now the Shiv Sena might rear its ugly head to question Sachin by asking him why he struck a double century outside Maharashtra.

SAFIUDDIN KHAN, New Delhi

V

Hats off to Sachin Tendulkar for setting a world record in cricket history. He made the entire country feel proud of him. May God bestow upon him the ability to play for many more years.

J R AZAD, Shimla

Jatropha — a green gold I disagree with the article “Seeds of discontent: Jatropha has failed to deliver” (Feb 16) by Cahal Milmo particularly with the lines that “Jatropha was the subject of an explosion of fabulous propaganda. But this was an untried crop at commercial level and many thousands of marginal farmers who have gone into production have been experimented on with disastrous results.” Jatropha has been recognised recently as a viable alternative to many bio-fuels. Even in the news report “Jatropha is fuel for future: Kalam” (May 31) former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had sought introduction of a pricing policy for jatropha to make it farmer-friendly and thus furthering the cause of bio-fuel production. He also said that it would significantly help in meeting energy requirements while also leading to improvement in per capita income in rural areas. Dismissing the notion that bio-fuel production was in anyway a threat to food security, Dr Kalam said that with 60 million hectares of wasteland, jatropha cultivation could only bring this wasteland into intelligent usage apart from fulfilling the energy goals of the country. A key issue surrounding jatropha is the productivity of the tree in the dry, degraded lands on which it is said to thrive. It is already clear that jatropha can indeed grow on lands with minimal water and poor nutrition. Yet evidence suggests that the tree will grow far more productively on high quality land with more rainfall or irrigation. But for jatropha to reach wonder-plant status, the tree would have to be grown on a scale far beyond the village level. Jatropha's potential was recently underscored by the highly publicised jet test flights using a mix of jatropha and other biofuels. Whether jatropha will turn out to be the wonder plant it was originally touted to be will depend a great deal on how and where it is grown — an issue that must be resolved by scientists, businesses, and governments. AMIT SARIN, Senior Lecturer, Amritsar College of Engineering & Technology, Amritsar

Sitting ducks

It is sad that in the present case and in many earlier incidents, men of police force were killed without any resistance on their part (editorial, “Policemen as sitting ducks: Sheer incompetence in the set-up”, Feb 18). This shows that the men are not trained properly.

In areas, where such an attack is a possibility, these should be defended all the time and with greater alacrity. There can be no compromise on security. The Centre should post highly trained security personnel in the Maoist-infected areas.

Maj. NARINDER SINGH JALLO (retd), SAS Nagar

II

The policemen who were gunned down by the Maoists did not even put up a symbolic fight. Their casual attitude and lack of professionalism was clearly visible.

The editorial has rightly observed that they would win no gallantry awards. The police force needs sophisticated arms and proper training but what they need most is a change in their casual attitude.

Wg-Cdr C. L. SEHGAL (retd), Jalandhar