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Animal sacrifice and religion
All religions are for the peace and prosperity of all living beings. Worshipping is meant for protection and blessings. There is no truth in the world that can be obtained by the sacrifice of living beings at the feet of God. The teachings of Vedic scriptures or Quranic verses have had much ambiguity, like all other religions. It can't be explained or followed literally. God and Goddess are nothing but our conscience; nobody has seen them physically. A good conscience always urges us to abnegate or sacrifice evil feelings at the feet of the Almighty. Religious occasions are merely the formality of this act of purifying one's soul.
The wrong literal interpretation of the sacrifice of living beings in holy puja or Islamic Eid is tantamount to renunciation of righteousness or truth. The proponents of this sacrifice culture always justify it differently. Their view is that if people can eat meat, then what is wrong to kill? All the living species survive on plants and flesh proportionately for environmental balance. That is the scientific rule of nature, or survivability. But the formal killing of animals (previously humans too) to satisfy the deity is reminiscent of the barbaric Stone Age. All religions, irrespective of custom, belief, interpretation, or location, should stop animal sacrifice for the sake of our modern cultured civilization, from the core of our hearts.
Sanatani Hinduism, monotheistic Christianity, or Islam can sustain only on non-violence for eternity. No one can perceive God through violence.
Arup Saikia
(arupsaikia07@gmail.com)
Pseudo ‘Freedom Fighters’
According to our understanding, terrorists are the people (call them beasts) who terrorise and even kill innocent people without any mercy or discrimination. Both India and Israel have been bled by terrorists belonging to a particular faith since its inception. Very sadly, a group of people belonging to a certain faith have resorted to violence across the globe in the guise of freedom fighters supported by countries, namely Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, and Bangladesh in particular.
In India, of late, a group of people backed by our secular forces in the guise of freedom fighters are bleeding the nation. According to them, a few like Yakub Menon, Afzal Guru, Kasab, Sarjeel Imam, etc. are freedom fighters, not terrorists. The plight of the Kashmiri Pandits in 1990 and their exodus from their homeland were caused by these so-called ‘freedom fighters’, not terrorists, as it is happening in Palestine, where a dreaded terrorists’ group named Hamas is ruling the roost. A true freedom fighter never kills innocent civilians.
Joel Goyari,
Tangla.
The ‘Hitman’ and ‘King’ are special
In recent times, there have been calls for the exclusion of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the Indian team, especially from the shorter versions of the game, as the selectors are focused on building a totally young team, keeping the future of Indian cricket in mind. But, ironically, these two warhorses have been pivotal for Team India’s extraordinary run in the World Cup 2023 so far, doing the bulk of the scoring and guiding the team in its emphatic wins in the first four games. There is little doubt that India’s chances of winning the ODI World Cup for the third time largely rest on the shoulders of these two veteran batters, who are in scintillating form. The IPL might have unearthed a handful of young Indian talents to represent the country at the national level, but there is no guarantee that most of them will perform for a long period at the international level. The ‘Hitman’ and ‘King’ are rare and special talents in Indian cricket post-Tendulkar era. These two legendary players’ contribution to Indian cricket with the willow is gargantuan, and their services are required for the team, at least for the next few years.
Ranganathan Sivakumar
Chennai
Lacklustre response
Cricket connoisseurs expected the ongoing Cricket World Cup to be a magnificent extravaganza; after all, India is hosting the tournament independently for the first time. However, the World Cup has not transcended the level of a routine cricket tournament. The poor turnout at the matches is very painful. Even for matches involving the Indian team, the usual euphoria and excitement seem to be missing. It appears that people are getting bored by non-stop cricket: tests, T20, and ODI. Further, T20 is the latest trend, and even a die-hard fan seems to be least interested in the longer one-day format. In today's fast-paced world, people appear more inclined towards the bang-bang form of cricket, the T20.
Mode of ticket-sale and astronomical ticket prices, too, are putting fans off, especially when they have the option of viewing the same match in the safe and comfortable environs of their homes. The World Cup could have been scheduled better, maybe after Deepavali, and the absence of a befitting opening ceremony and a damp-squib opening match have not helped matters. No doubt, the game of cricket is still blessed by exceptional talents. But the fans are missing big and charismatic names who have hung up their boots over the last five years. Has India's rise in other sports disciplines and the country's extraordinary performance in the recently concluded Asian games taken the sheen off cricket? If so, then everything happens for a reason.
Dr. Ganapathi Bhat
Akola