The Prem Panicker Column

< Amlesh Kanekar: amlesh@spidernet.com.cy: Subject : Calcutta is celebrating the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi!" Dear Prem, It delights me to say after reading yur latest piece that we have got ourselves a cricket correspondent. Pardon the understatement. Sorry I could not meet you in Mumbai as I had suggested in February. Sincerely, Amlesh Kanekar Nicosia, Cyprus.

sharad: sharadn@wipsys.soft.net: Thoroughly enjoyable and first of its kind Thanks for the treat! Rgds, Sharad B N Bangalore

Karthik: KKrishna@seta.com: Good Show Prem ! Karthik

Manmit Madan: manmit_madan@dpa.act.gov.au: Dear Prem, I had a very high opinion of your insight into this game-till you wrote this gem. There is no doubt that you are talking of some of the best commentators of our time. One of the very best is Henry Bloefeld. Half the fun of watching cricket on TV is due to his commentary and I have sorely missed that in recent times. I do not see absolutely any comedy in the 2 slips of his tongue you have quoted. Moreover, most of the time they are talking of abstracts, strategies, etc. They do not give ball by ball commentary. Their extempore assesment is better than your columns and miles ahead of commentary by most subcontinent commentators [possibly excluding Harsha Bhogle and Gavaskar, in that order!]. Criticize them justly [some of them have a very subtle racial bias, others have an arrogant superiority complex], for the thoughts they speak, but not for silly slips of the tongue.