The Indian and Pakistani cricket teams have done great jobs as ambassadors of peace and goodwill ("Bowled Over", April 5). It is now time for the leaders of both the countries to build on the foundation of peace laid by the cricket series.

Meghana A., Hyderabad

The ODI series was a victory for peace and the people on both sides of the border. The manner in which each shot by the Indian players was applauded shows that the two countries may be different political entities but there are no differences between the people.

Siddhartha Raj Guha, Jabalpur

The Pakistanis have scored as far as security arrangements are concerned. They have ensured that the series was conducted in a smooth and trouble-free atmosphere. So far, the Indo-Pak series has been a great show of cricket and impressive hosting.

Charudutta Jena, Mumbai

The cricket series has served as a real eye-opener. If we want to build a truly shining India we have to get rid of all divisiveness and promote peace and communal harmony.

Cletus Dias, on e-mail

Full marks to cricket fans in Pakistan. Till some time ago it was unimaginable that Pakistanis would applaud an Indian victory. This has been a true friendship series. One must also appreciate Atal Bihari Vajpayee's move to allow the series with Pakistan.

Mahesh Kapasi, on e-mail

Amidst all the euphoria surrounding India's victory over Pakistan in the one-day series, some questions keep popping up in my mind. What if Pakistan had not been separated from India? Would Australia still have been the world champions?

Suresh Behera, Ranchi

The behaviour of the Pakistani fans should be an eye-opener for all the fanatic, self-proclaimed "patriotic" Indians who blindly believe that all Pakistanis are our sworn enemies. The tour has done a lot to show us the true face of the Pakistani people.

Philip Morley Abraham, Ranni, Kerala

It is a great pleasure to see team effort contributing to the Indian victory. Earlier we used to depend a lot on individual miracles to win matches. Now it seems that we have a bunch of players who can win matches by their never-say-die attitude.

Atul Satbhai, Pune

Ballot Business

The Election Commission should remove all limits on expenditure by candidates, but insist on a proper audit ("Rs 11,562 Crore Show", April 5). We have a completely unrealistic limit for poll expenses, and this is the reason why candidates resort to dubious ways to generate money. As for the argument about democracy enabling a system of equals, not everyone can afford even Rs 25 lakh.

Shailesh Gandhi, on e-mail

We can hardly afford to spend such a huge sum of money on elections. It would be much better to utilise the amount to improve the infrastructure of our country.

S. Nagaratnam, on e-mail

Diplomatic Disorder

The major non-NATO ally (MNNA) status may sound like manna from heaven for Pakistan, but this should not embolden it to scuttle the on-going détente with India ("The Stealth Bombshell", April 5). The US should not play the role of a spoiler and sabotage the prospects for peace between the two neighbouring countries.

Kangayam R. Narasimhan, Chennai

Sulking about the US not informing India about its decision to give the MNNA status to Pakistan will be of no help. India should realise that it does not have enough clout to influence US policies. Instead it should adopt a more diplomatic tack of studied indifference which will send home the message much more effectively.

H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana, Mysore

The US' latest move is another example of its double standards. It has overlooked Pakistan's nuclear profligacy and the fact that it is a breeding ground for terrorists. India should be careful while dealing with the US as all its decisions are dictated by self-interest.

S.P. Sharma, Mumbai

Setting the Base

The American century was built on a fast economic growth ("Building an Indian Century", March 29). There was a time when its quality of governance was not very different from that of India in the early 21st century. Let us hope that the 21st century will belong to India and there won't be any major calamities like the two world wars.

Manjunath Prabhu, Michigan

The participants at the India Today Conclave were mostly American or pro-American. There were no speakers from other countries, not even Europe. You should have at least considered inviting Amartya Sen.

R.B. Nair, Koovappadi

Border Bogey

It was not clear from President Pervez Musharraf's speech in what way he wants the Kashmir issue resolved ("Kashmir is the central issue", March 29). After listening to his views one feels that there is not much hope for the success of future bilateral talks.

G.L. Karkal, Pune

Musharraf has turned out to be a brilliant politician-he is capable of making India dance to his Kashmir tune and, at the same time, manipulating Pakistan's relations with America in such a manner that it has become indispensable to it.

M.R. Iyer, Mumbai

It is evident that Pakistan's domestic compulsions will make it use every available platform to raise the Kashmir bogey.

Lt-Colonel (Retd) Nageshwant Roy Vaid, on e-mail

Just as a leopard cannot change its spots, Musharraf cannot give up his hawkish stand on Kashmir.

K.M. Hukku, Kanpur

Double-edged Utility

The article on ATMs masks the underlying counterproductive nature of the multiple tasks engineered into the machine whose primary function is to disburse cash quickly ("Any Task Machine", March 22). Imagine how you would feel if you are standing in the queue and need cash urgently and the person ahead of you is busy booking movie tickets, checking cricket scores and reading horoscopes.

N. Dharmeshwaran, Bangalore