Viswanathan Anand not only fought the battle on the chess table with his Israeli counterpart, Boris Gelfand, but also overcame many odds in the past few years (Cover Story, June 29). The Russian chess establishment was against him; Anand and his team had to travel for 30 hours by road to reach Sofia in 2010 for the world championship; his critics were baying for his blood before this championship at Moscow; and the age factor. He emerged as a true champion and deserves all the accolades he is getting. People in Moscow may not agree but Anand is right up there with legends like Garry Kasparov. And if today we have so many chess grand masters in India, the credit goes to none other than Anand.
AnandS brilliant triumphs in successive world chess championships will make the game even more popular in India. He has silenced critics like Kasparov with his firm determination and great sporting prowess just as a true champion does.
Though the game was tough and absorbing and could have gone either way, Anands cool temperament and novel strategy paid off.
However, what makes Anand different from other sportspersons is his spotless conduct and pleasing disposition.
Anand has once again shown that he is the best rapid player of his generation and is considered by many as the greatest Indian sportsperson. His success has spurred more interest in the game, and today the nation boasts 27 grand masters.
India is among the top 10 nations in chess. Women have also made a mark in the game.
But there is lack of institutional support for chess.
Kill at willWhen Osama bin Laden and his family members were killed in brazen violation of Pakistans sovereignty and when over 3,000 innocent lives have been lost and as many maimed in the United States drone attacks, how on earth could Pakistans army chief Ashfaq Kayani claim that they value their freedom more than anyone else (Obamas kill list, June 29)?
The people of Pakistan are paying with their lives for their governments senseless support for the U.S. war on terror.
Inhuman actI Was saddened to read about the merciless killing of Dalits, landless Muslim labourers and other backward caste people by the Ranvir Sena in the 1990s in a particular part of Bihar with the active support of upper-caste politicians (Violent end, June 29). It is very unfortunate and beyond ones imagination that such ghastly things could happen in free India. Further, the recent gruesome gunning down of former Ranvir Sena chief Brahmeshwar Singh was preceded and followed by acts of arson and violence, and unruly scenes created by his upper-caste supporters.
Despite Bihars many achievements, it is dominated by the caste factor. Undoubtedly, Bihar under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is undergoing rapid transformation and one hopes the administration will bring in the law and order situation under control.
KolkataCaste clashes have been politically instigated in Bihar. The government has been passive in tackling such issues. The Lalu Prasad-Rabri Devi government ruled Bihar for more than 15 years on the basis of caste politics. Nitish Kumar is known as a social engineer. The State has failed to protect the poor.
Bose and NazisSubhas Chandra Bose, one of the greatest nationalists the world has ever seen, has been at the receiving end for long from various individuals and groups including the Leftists (Bose & the Nazis, June 29). There are many who strongly believe that the so-called anti-Semitic article Der Angriff authored by Netaji, which has never been found, was a British-American propaganda to belittle the leader and his anti-British struggle outside India.
Even the late Jyoti Basu openly confessed that the Communists made a major mistake in analysing the nationalist activities of Bose.
CorrectionIn the article "Smoking gun" (Frontline, June 29), the area of Uruguay was erroneously given as 174,000 square metres. It is approximately 176,000 square kilometres.
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