— Shyam S. Rathore

Kolkata

Speedy killer

• Good liquor is slow poison; bad liquor can kill instantly. It’s ironic that hooch has claimed 16 lives in Ahmedabad, in a so-called dry state. Such cases prove time and again that prohibition as a policy is foolish. Prohibition only drives the liquor trade underground, and those consuming cheap, spurious country liquor are endangered. This is the plight of millions of poor across India but it makes news only when sufficient numbers die of it. In place of prohibition, what we need is a massive public awareness drive about the hazards of drinking.

— Vinod C. Dixit

Ahmedabad

What about Roddick?

• Roger Federer undoubtedly deserves every bit of applause for smashing Pete Sampras’s record. But what struck one more is how little space was devoted to Andy Roddick, who put up a very tough fight. He had made a terrific comeback. The Roddick playing Federer was unlike the one seen before.

— Rashmi Mavle

Pune