MyVoice: Views of our readers 5th December 2021

Ashwin, an under-appreciated legend of Indian cricket

For a cricketer who has been so extraordinarily successful, Ravichandran Ashwin hardly gets the universal applause, even in his own country.

India's record making off-spinner R Ashwin has perfectly expressed the fears experience by sportspersons during the pandemic and lockdown 2020 by expressing he was standing at the crossroads and was not sure of another opportunity to play tests for the country, With Kohli playing his dirty politics it was just survival of the fittest.

Ashwin's return to the team can be termed as one of the examples of self-belief and determination to turn the tables.

He had been relegated as a one format bowler as India chose different spin options in white ball cricket. The way Ashwin roared back to reclaim his place in every format of the game should form an example worth emulating for all.

Ashwin took his 418th Test wicket to surpass Harbhajan as the third-highest wicket-taker of all time for India with 417 wickets. Ashwin is 16 wickets away from Kapil Dev's mark off 434.

However, he is a fair distance away from overtaking his former India head coach Anil Kumble, who retired in 2008 with a whopping 619 wickets to his name in 132 Test matches.

Ashwin is the fourth Indian bowler to take more than 400 wickets in Test cricket. He also became the 13th highest Test wicket-taker of all time.

He jumped past Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram (414) as well apart from Harbhajan on the list.

Among active Test cricketers, Ashwin is the third highest wicket taker after England fast bowling duo Stuart Broad (524) and James Anderson (632).

The Tamil Nadu cricketer reached the milestone with what was a crucial wicket for India, as Latham was a set batter on Day 5, having scored 52 off 146. The off-spinner got the breakthrough with an inside edge onto the stumps. He went on to pick up another wicket, that of Tom Blundell. He can go further and attain many more records in the years to come.

M R Jayanthy, Mumbai

Recurring attacks on Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil diaspora in Sri Lanka is highly aggrieved by the breaking up of Tamil memorials for Sri Lanka's civil war dead and beating up of journalists covering one ceremony in a former battle zone on November 27, the date commemorated as 'Heroes' Day' by the Tigers to honour members of the militant group who died in the conflict.

Grieving relatives were forced out of cemeteries on the weekend as they attempted to light lamps at graves of loved ones who died in the island's decades-long conflict, which ended in 2009. It may be recalled that Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's government had banned Tamil commemorations of the war dead since coming to power in 2019.

The history is that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a guerrilla organisation that sought to establish an independent Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka waged war with the Sri Lankan government for more than three decades and slipped into oblivion having been oppressed by the Sri Lankan army. Thousands were killed and many more were made homeless by the fighting.

It may also be recalled that after 1948, the Tamils also became the targets of numerous riots that swept through the island nation. Believing that these riots were instigated by the Sinhalese authorities, Tamils began calling for an independent state and for an organisation to protect their rights. But their dream for an independent state did not materialise as the Indian government sent an Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF) to Colombo to quell the insurgence by the LTTE.

This was an unwise move of the Indian government and many foreign countries criticised India for sending Indians to crush Indians. However, following the withdrawal of the IPKF in March, 1990, the Tigers grew in strength and conducted several successful guerrilla operations and terrorist attacks. Thereafter as series of conflicts took place killing thousands of people and political leaders including former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and former Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premadasa.

As a matter of fact, President Gotabaya is still afraid of the Tamil community in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, and that was why he banned Tamil commemorations of the war dead as soon as he came to power in 2019, because this Tamil diaspora, he knows, can swing back to aggressive mood if they are allowed en bloc to recall the martyrdom of many for the Tamil Ealam.

If the government grants some relaxations to them in this connection, they are likely to reorganise themselves and come back to aggressive mood like the phoenix. The government also fears the Tamil community for their organising power for a separate Eelam in northern and eastern Sri Lanka within a short span of time.

Besides, the growing terrorism across the world and the undeniable presence of terrorist elements in Sri Lanka have made the government turn stricter on this community.

T K Nandanan, Kochi

Reckless rise in fuel, LPG prices

By seeing ahead as Assembly polls draw near, the Centre withdrew its recurring daily hike in fuel prices. However, it appears that Centre is still not prepared to abandon price hikes as is evident from skyrocketing price of commercial cooking gas cylinders.

During current year, over commercial LPGs, an additional burden of Rs.821 was inflicted. Claiming that prices of petroleum is in accordance with variations in international crude market is utterly baseless. Cooking gas being produced by refineries is being sold at most highest price devoid of any criterion.

No democratic government respecting public opinion will perform such cheating. While suffocating on account of price rise of commodities, hiking price of LPG is indeed cheating and plundering being not befitting to status of a democratic government duty bound to control price rise.

This is proof of not having bashfulness despite widespread protest against Centre's anti-people fuel pricing policy. It is foolish to consider that massive majority in Parliament is a license to pursue any kind of anti-people measures.

Moreover, central-state governments are not even willing to bring fuel price under GST which would have decreased prices, since their income to state exchequer will decrease. In short, since fuel is indispensable commodity for people so-called democratic government gets opportunity to squeeze people terribly. Accordingly whole episode amounts to utmost fleecing to the core. What a pity!

Jayashree Thampi,Thiruvananthapuram

Obsession with trivia

There has been needless heartburning on the tweet of Shashi Tharoor with six lady MPs. It has been unnecessarily been made into an issue by people who cannot appreciate some humour and fun. Why is it that in the nation such trivial issues are blown out of proportion while the real issues are ignored. The cancellation of the teacher eligibility test in UP has affected two million aspirants and hardly anybody has shown any concern for those who have braved many difficulties to reach the examination centres. Likewise, the deaths in Bihar due to consumption of spurious liquor are ignored. Instead we are more worried about why Priyanka Chopra deleted her surname of her Insta account or why Tharoor has to pose with the ladies!

Anthony Henriques, Mumbai