Daily Hindu Editorials

💥Australia needs to do a lot more to punish the ‘ball-tampering’ guilty Cricket is a sport, but it is also a code of honour. The phrase ‘it’s not cricket’ refers to any act that is not fair. That it has been called ‘a gentleman’s game’ suggests that it is held to high standards. Yet, like a few other things wrong with the game, ball-tampering remains one of its murkiest secrets. The seemingly innocuous application of saliva and sweat, and more interventionist acts such as pressing chewed lozenges, throwing the ball hard on the surface, the use of nails or abrasive dust from the turf, and in some cases the use of bottle openers have plunged a knife into the game’s heart even as they enhanced many a fast bowler’s ability to extract reverse-swing. This past weekend, Steve Smith’s Australian team went one step further on that road to infamy, prompting its opening batsman Cameron Bancroft to scuff the ball with a yellow tape laden with dirt-granules from the pitch during the course o...

💥The court ruling on AAP MLAs is a scathing indictment of the EC’s functioning The Delhi High Court verdict setting aside the disqualification of 20 Aam Aadmi Party MLAs in Delhi is a searing indictment of the manner in which the Election Commission handled the complaint that they held offices of profit while serving as parliamentary secretaries. For a body vested with the crucial power to determine whether lawmakers have incurred disqualification in certain circumstances and advise the President or the Governor suitably, this is an embarrassing moment. The court has not reviewed its decision on merits. Rather, it has ruled that the EC violated the principles of natural justice while adjudicating a lawyer’s complaint against the legislators. It failed to offer an oral hearing on the merits of the complaint and chose to hide under the specious argument that notices had been issued to the MLAs to respond to documents that the EC had summoned from the Delhi government. After saying...

💥South Africa provides a viable template on how to make the game more inclusive “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” C.L.R. James famously said. The spectacular rise of Lungisani Ngidi in South African cricket (in the recently concluded South Africa-India series) from the racially oppressed black African majority community is a lesson for other sporting nations characterised by racial and caste oppression. More importantly, the quota policy for the disadvantaged communities of South Africa shows a mirror to India whose marquee sport, cricket, reflects severe social inequities. The virtual absence of Dalits and Adivasis from the Indian playing XIs is there for all to see, even though they constitute around 25% of India’s population. 👉An invisibility In a nation where the word “reservation” can unleash violent emotions, it is nevertheless important to deliberate upon the advantages of reservation in sport. After years of Independence, the sporting culture...

💥Why India is the only Bt cotton-growing country facing the problem of pink bollworm infestation Earlier this month, the government cut royalties that local seed companies pay to Monsanto, for the second time in two years. This follows previous attempts to defang Monsanto. In February, for instance, the anti-trust regulator, the Competition Commission of India, decided to probe into anti-competitive practices by Monsanto. At the centre of all this is the pink bollworm infestation plaguing cotton farmers. Even though Bollgard 2, or BG-2, Monsanto’s second generation insecticidal technology for cotton, was supposed to protect crops against the pink bollworm, the pest has grown resistant to the toxins produced by this trait. As a result, farmers now spend more on pesticides to control infestations. This, along with the high cost of Bt seeds, is driving farmers to indigence. One solution suggested by the National Seed Association of India is for the government to encourage a mov...

💥The Islamic State has weakened, but it continues to expand Does the rise of the Islamic State have anything do with Islam? What does it want and what is its strategy? In The ISIS Caliphate: From Syria to the Doorsteps of India, Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor of The Hindu, explains what makes it stand apart from other jihadist groups and why it continues to inspire Muslim youth from different parts of the world, including India. An extract: What makes ISIS different from other jihadist groups is that it’s an insurgency as well as a proto-state at the same time. The way it operates is different from other organisations. Al-Qaeda, the most powerful force in the global jihadist landscape till the rise of ISIS, is largely a hit-and-run outfit. Osama bin Laden didn’t create a state. Nor did he declare himself as the Caliph of the world’s Muslims. He was always at the mercy of foreign governments or intelligence agencies — Saudi Arabia and Pakistan during the Afghan ci...

💥India still depends on European genetic panels. This has to change In Nalgonda district of Telangana, Sai Chaitanya, 21, has been waiting for advancement in Indian genetic research. He has Ichthyosis, a condition caused by the mutation of a single gene, which has led to the growth of fish-like scales on his skin. Like him, many others are virtually locked into disease-prone gene pools and yearn for early detection and treatment. In India, private enterprises engaged in genome mapping now offer testing for relative genetic risks, which effectively predict the risk of diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The costs involved vary from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000. The not-so-apparent factor in genetic test results is that they do not guarantee comprehensive or accurate prognosis for individuals. Across India, screening for genetic diseases is a painstaking, expensive, and less-than-efficient process. This is because the country has not yet developed indigenous genetic panels speci...