Apropos Dhoni Without End (Apr 29), is the question posed in your cover so relevant as to be written down in red, bold and caps? Dhoni has had a fantastic innings. And unlike the anxiety he showcased a couple of years ago when an Australian journalist had pre-maturedly asked him if he was thinking of retiring (M.S. had called the reporter in front of the entire press and mock-lectured him quite unwittingly), Dhoni seems comfortable in the current phase of his career. It is the last lap for him, everyone knows that. There is no anxiety around the question anymore. He is playing his last world cup, after that, the legend can hang his boots whenever he wants. It wouldn’t make for sensational gossip news whenever he does that.
Dhoni has by now carved a lasting memory in the minds of his fans and admirers. He is also a brand that transcends his profession—your story T20, 000, 000, 000 gives us a glimpse of that. His celebrity will enter its next phase when the champ retires. And looking at his wit and intelligence, one can say that he won’t be lying low but will surely find a meaningful space in the sport as a commentator, coach or entrepreneur. All said, it will indeed be heartbreaking when the news of his retirement is announced. It has been a pleasure watching you play sir, and I shall relish every drop of this last phase of your career like a greedy fan.
Tashi Borai, New Delhi
After staring at your cover for a good few minutes, I have one request for Dhoni, I want to see him grow his hair back. His long locks were such a style statement back in the day where most Indian cricketers were still sporting well-behaved engineering graduate looks. Dhoni appeared like the lone transgressor, the rebel with bleached hair. Of course, Irfan Pathan had thrilled us with his gorgeous curls before that. But Dhoni should start growing his hair back and retire in the same style in which he made an entry. Fans will be delighted to see the helicopter get back his wings. The cropped look is too timid for Dhoni’s personality.
Jayshree Vaidya, Surat
Colonel Dhoni has won many hearts over the years. But everyone must face the fact that there is a time to leave the pitch gracefully. I feel that time has arrived for M.S. The youngsters must get the chance now. He could have skipped this WC. After all, he has tasted the glory of lifting one cup. The game has also changed drastically since Dhoni joined—old values have given way to new one. The current nature of cricket is aggressive and cut-throat. Hyper-confident captain Virat Kohli is the perfect contrast to Dhoni’s cool. Kohli’s phenomenal performance shows that the level of the game has upped many times over in the last five years. Dhoni has held his own in all these years but the new boys in blue are taking Indian cricket to a new direction and MSD doesn’t really fit in that star cast. The genre of his game is different, it belongs to an older generation.
Rohit Sengupta, Mumbai
This refers to the Poliglot item on private detectives being hired by politicians this season (Adhe Idhar Jao, To Be Precise Aadhe Udhar Jao, Apr 29). The issue discussed is as old as time itself—even chieftains of nomadic tribes had to remain ever vigilant about the activities of their comrades to secure their position. Controlling opponents and keeping their mouths shut by uncovering unsavoury details is the sine qua non of Modi’s style of functioning. Modi excels in this. Indeed, we hear that dossiers of competitors—whether staunch opponents or closest comrades—are maintained sedulously, to be used when anyone starts ‘acting smart’ and has to be cut down to size. But this is typical of all characters evincing dictatorial tendencies.
M.N. Bhartiya, Alto-Porvorim, Goa
This is about the story on Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s pronouncements on Indian politics and what it means for India-Pakistan ties (Poll-Time Reverse Swing, Apr 29). Actually, Imran’s U-turn, openly siding with the Indian PM was quite unexpected. Modi is in the habit of saying that terrorists and their supporters across the border are praying for his defeat. At this juncture Imran’s open espousal of his victory opens up the suspicion that maybe the Pulwama attack was carried out to draw out a reaction from Modi, so that he can then use it to win the polls. However, it possibly is an astute calculation of Imran that peace with India stands a better chance if a hardline party comes to power, which has no extra pressure on it to appear strong vis-à-vis Pakistan, as happened under Vajpayee’s government. Also, it goes down well with the international community.
L.J. Singh, On e-mail
When MSD does retire, an era of cool, composed, dignified cricket will indeed be on its way out.
Anil S, Pune
I write in response to the cover story Shoot Me With A Slogun (Apr 22). The best of pithy slogans and catchy phrases have always stood the test of times. Sloganeering becomes all the more pertinent in today’s age of high-pitched rhetoric. Also, slogans do not debase opponents, as personal attacks do. In fact, they add value to campaigning, the funny ones providing a comic release for everyone. Long after the dust kicked up by the poll season settles, it’s the slogans that linger in the mind. They have great recall value too. Sometimes, slogans return to haunt the creator. A case in point is how Congress seized BJP’s slogan ‘Khanduri hai zaroori’ while fielding the veteran BJP leader’s son Manish Khanduri from Pauri in Uttarakhand in the ongoing polls. Why, even Rahul Gandhi is flogging his grandmother’s ‘Garibi Hatao’ slogan in pushing his Nyay scheme.
Vijai Pant, On E-Mail
Slogans were necessary during pre-Independence days, but slogans in the present mould are ill-conceived, meaningless or offensive in a big country like India, which is a vibrant democracy where people facing countless burning problems want to live prosperous lives in peace and harmony. Slogans such as ‘Inquilab Zindabad’, ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Quit India’ instilled the spirit of patriotism and ignite the minds of people to revolt against the mighty British empire. But they have become redundant as India now has to deal with new issues concerning livelihood, illiteracy, disease, malnutrition, unemployment, threats to freedom of speech and so on. What every Indian badly needs today is ‘Roti, Kapda, Makaan’ (bread, clothing and house) and ‘Bijli, Paani and Sadak’ (electricity, water and roads), not sloganeering to confuse and divide people.
M.Y. Shariff, Chennai
Modi must feel lucky to have a precise, two-syllable name that looks like it was handcrafted for slogans. It makes it super convenient for the PM’s supporters, aka bhakts, to go into a trance chanting ‘Modi, Modi, Modi.’ It’s a name to start a cult if you ask me, it has indeed started one. Now, the next step for the guardians of Modi galaxy should be to compile all possible combinations of slogans emanating around Modiji. We can call it ‘Modi Chalisa’, it will be a sureshot hit and bhakts can read it whenever the ghost of demonetisation comes to haunt them on those cold cashless nights.
Mahesh Agrawal, On E-Mail
While we take stock of the vibrant culture of inventive political slogans just before the election, a sinister genre of divisive slogans gaining traction can be examined too: the effective two word weapon ‘Love Jihad’; another two word arrow, ‘gau raksha’, and the three word bomb ‘Mandir Wahin...(echoes).’
Lakshit Joshi, Sydney
Kishorechandra Wangkhem’s Prison Diary (April 29) was a gross case of bad application of the sedition law and the National Security Act, resulting in loss of personal liberty. This happened despite clear rulings by the Supreme Court. It is a fit case for demanding compensation from the government. Kudos to Outlook for highlighting this.
Vinod Ohri, On E-Mail
This refers to Treading the Shaky Bridge (April 29). The article traces the fraught relationship between Jammu and Kashmir and the central government over the past many years. After hopeful talks of Kashmiryat and some attempts at reaching out to each other, we are back again at what we are best at—bullying. It is said history repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce. We see ample evidence of both existing simultaneously. The result is the missed opportunity that is Kashmir, with terror underlining and undermining every peace move.
Sangeeta Kampani, Delhi
