What’s the case here ?

Varun — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:57 +0000

In 1993 , the Supreme Court of India ruled that capital punishment be reserved for the rarest of rare cases . But do we need the death penalty at all ? In India , the sentence of life imprisonment requires the guilty to spend fourteen years behind bars . However , for some cases this might be a lenient punishment . Can’t we include the provision of handing out consecutive life sentences in such cases rather than capital punishment . In the United states , most of the states have abolished capital punishment . Most of the developed countries of Europe too have abolished capital punishment . Even in the extradition of Abu Salem , the Indian authorities had to assure the Portuguese that the accused will not be hanged even if found guilty just because India still followed capital punishment .

The case for capital punishment , if there was one in the first place is espouses vendetta . A person who commits a crime befitting capital punishment like murder does so knowingly. When he commits the crime voluntarily , he does everything he can to see to it that he doesn’t get caught . He plots and plans knowing very well the consequences of his actions . So,capital punishment doesn’t prevent crime . Punishment should either be preventive or reformative . Capital punishment is neither . With life imprisonment , there is still a chance that the guilty might one day repent his crime .

Should India continue with capital punishment ? I think the state has a responsibility to avenge the victims , it has a duty to bring to justice the guilty . I’m not entirely sure if there is a provision but I’d rather have a provision that allows the victim’s family the right to forgive . If the President can do it , why can’t the family who were at the receiving end of the crime .

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The hockey quagmire…

Varun — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:57:58 +0000

Should field hockey really be our national sport ? We have had great success in the sport, it is probably still our most successful sporting endeavour. But shouldn’t the most popular sport be our national sport ? In terms of popularity cricket is undoubtedly India’s if not the subcontinent’s obsession. It’s unfair on other sportsmen who toil as hard if not more than our cricketers but don’t receive the adulation that is their due. No more than a score of countries play cricket and even then it is still half a dozen nations that are actually contenders. But cricket has risen to such colossal heights on it’s own. So, cricket can’t be blamed for it’s own success and popularity. Anyways, this really isn’t about cricket, it’s about our national sport – Hockey.

Indian hockey can boast of being a powerhouse of the sport. Ours is the most successful hockey team in the history of Olympics – winning eight gold medals, six in concession from 1928 till 1956. India can boast of producing one of the biggest legends of the game – Dhyan Chand. But that was then. Before partition, the Indian team consisted of Pakistanis, Indians, Anglo Indians. But, in my view that wasn’t the reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the Indians. What could have been foremost reason was the British influence. Under them the Indian team was at par with the rest of the world in terms of tactical prowess and technical advancements. With the exit of the British, the Indian failed to keep up with the rest of the world and their performances went downhill. It is interesting to note that India managed to win Olympic golds consistently till 1964 but with the introduction of artificial turf in the 1970s, India’s dominance declined steadily. It was only recently that traditional powerhouse of Indian hockey Punjab acquired the astro turf at the Chandigarh stadium. Unlike those years when young boys would learn the tricks of the trade on the school’s playing field itself and then go on to play at the international level in the same way, today it is only after they’ve reached the state level that they get the feel of the astro turf. Even today, Punjab doesn’t have a hockey stadium in place where as field hockey has become almost obsolete in other nations around the globe.

The team’s recent performances are nothing to be optimistic about either. Even after the ouster of KPS Gill, the team would take some time to acquire some of the fearsome prowess of their renowned predecessors. The team has fared pathetically in better tournaments like Champions Trophy and World Cup and even failed to qualify for the Olympics. The rot will remain in the system until there’s a concerned effort from the sports ministry. It is about time that the powers that be hear the desperate cries of this great tradition…

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What’s the case here ?

The hockey quagmire…