Sachin Tendulkar and His 100th Century: A Case of the Pathetic State of Sports in India

The hype and expectation circling the still elusive 100th international century for Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar, is a clear indication of the pathetic state of sports, in general, in India. Further evidence of the earlier statement may lie in the fact of promoting, to extremes, individual achievement in a team sport, pointing the way to a sort of shameless star worship we involve ourselves in.
Calls to award the "Bharat Ratna" - India's highest civilian honor - may have gained intensity following India' World Cup triumph. It must be said that it is easy to understand why politicians and social crusaders like Anna Hazare demand the recognition for Tendulkar; he is something of a living God for a number of young men and women in the country, who, incidentally, comprise immensely large vote banks for the politicians to play with.
A coveted award like the "Bharat Ratna" should really only be given to an individual whose achievements have benefitted the society at large, rather than an individual whose claim to fame is of a far more personal nature... the scoring of, say, 99 or 100 centuries.

Of course, it cannot be denied that Tendulkar is a fine batsman and his achievements do make the country proud. However, it must also be said that his career coincided with the years marking his country's entry into the whole idea of a global consumer culture and represented the success of the Indian middle class. His personal achievements, therefore, were billed as a triumph for India, as a whole.
Cricket is not a game of personal accomplishments; it is fundamentally a team sport. Tendulkar's failure to carry the team to victory when his presence was most needed and the ability to translate transient leads into triumphant results suggest that the act of labeling him a cricketing God is perhaps not quite right. One particular example of that inability was back in 1999, when India lost a test to Pakistan (in Chennai), despite Tendulkar scoring a century. Most recently, the inability of the player to come to his team's resuce during the disastrous tour of England, highlights, perhaps, his flaw. Unfortunately, however, we have a culture where the unashamed worship of heroes is a characteristic feature.


At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Indians should have realized that they had a number of talented athletes, across a number of sporting disciplines, including those capable of creating their own legacies. How many does the country remember today?


For example, India last won the hockey World Cup in 1975. Since then it has not placed in the top four of any edition; its best was an eight-place finish at the 2010 World Cup. The country's men's national soccer team is ranked 145 in the world; 50 in basketball and 37 in volleyball. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, India won three medals - a gold in shooting and a bronze each in wrestling and boxing. In contrast, the hosts, China, won 100 medals (51 gold) and Brazil 15 (3 gold).


While the cricket World Cup win was impressive and deserves to be celebrated, India has to figure out ways to improve its performances in other sports. A major reason why the sport is so successful in the country is because it represents big business to the nation's corporate czars. In fact, India is, by some distance, one of the most popular and lucrative markets for the game.


The popularity of the sport and the nation's tendency to hero worship, especially among the younger generation, seems to be preventing the growth of other sporting activities.

Are Australia prepared for India?

At first glance, that is an insane question to ask, considering what India endured on their most recent foreign tour. But their preparation index - and their desire to learn a lesson - will be judged later.

Right now, this is Australia's big moment. Rewind the clock a little. In the last three summers, Australia lost to England and South Africa at home. They won against New Zealand (always a weaker opponent for them), West Indies (nowadays a weaker opponent for everyone) and Pakistan (it is widely believed they chose to 'play weak' in that series). India are generally considered a better Test outfit than any of these three aforementioned teams and their record Down Under on the last two tours is quite appreciable.

Consider their 4-0 spanking in the summer as an anomaly and the summation is that Michael Clarke should be a worried man indeed.

It can be argued that there are ifs and buts against that last statement. India's batting needs to click, its pivotal figures all need to stay fit, Zaheer Khan has to last all four Tests and they need to find proper support bowlers for him, while hoping that R Ashwin can continue to fill Harbhajan Singh's shoes.

Quite a few things can go wrong for any subcontinental team on a tour to Australia and they will. But there is also the odd chance that it all just comes together perfectly. India will be a very difficult proposition in that light. And this is about that slim, but definite possibility.

One has to begin with their recent tour of South Africa and by any standard, if your team is struggling at 21 for 9 in one of only four Test innings, then the trip isn't really a success. That they came back from the dead to win in Johannesburg is down to the mental strength these Aussies possess.

They can back themselves against the heaviest of odds, in any situation. And 47 all out was a hurtful score indeed, bad enough to awaken even minnows. With a new selection committee coming in ahead of their summer, the task is clear cut - build again.

And they have to start with the two Tests against New Zealand. The process has sort of begun already with Mickey Arthur appointed as new coach. It is a well-thought-out selection. Arthur has been working in their domestic circuit with Western Australia. He took South Africa to good heights during his long term with them and has been given an equally long term here, until 2015.

Normally coaches aren't given such a lengthy contract first up. Plus, under the new system, both the captain and the coach have selection powers. Both these factors only suggest that Australia are keen to see where a proper rebuilding process takes them. And of course they have already set eyes on the next ODI World Cup to be played at home, but that is for much later.

Right now, a new Australian team has to begin with getting rid of those who have outlived their utility. This pointer rests much on Ricky Ponting and to be honest, one isn't a proper judge of where he stands in his career. He is a true legend of the game and has to take a call on his own, yet the need to consult the selectors and his captain is fast arising. Never has he seemed so susceptible while lunging forward - his trademark front foot movement - and the ease with which he fell LBW against the Proteas is a mark of the same.

If Ponting goes, the last bond with that superhuman team of Steve Waugh will be cut. Mike Hussey came much later, so he isn't really a total part of those 'invincibles'. Perhaps it will also allow Clarke some breathing space, something young captains don't really get when you have an ageing old-timer on your back. It isn't really expected that Ponting won't play against India, but beyond that this should be given proper consideration, depending upon form.

In the current scenario, a whole lot of players need to be unearthed and their problems are much similar to India's. A proper spinner, a couple of fit and healthy fast bowlers who can replace Mitchell Johnson and the easily injured Ryan Harris, along with an opener or two to take the load off Shane Watson. And they need to replace Brad Haddin too, for his horrible shot in the second innings at Cape Town alone merits severe punishment, let alone dropping.

Before long, India will be on their way. It is indeed time for Cricket Australia and their wards to get cracking.

Contributed By: Siddharth Jha

Dear Yuvraj… stay hungry, not foolish

Often when Yuvraj Singh’s place in the Test side is questioned, and it is often, his supporters will turn around and say: “When he is in form, he looks so good.”

But then again, tell us, which batsman looks bad when he is good form? Well, maybe Shivnarine Chanderpaul. But no one else comes to mind.  

As soon as Yuvraj Singh was clean bowled in second innings of the first Test against West Indies at Kotla with India needing just one run to win the match, he sunk to his knees. His head was bowed and he looked at the ground – seemingly frozen in the spot.

On the larger scale, this wicket did nothing. India still won the match. West Indies still lost. But on an individual scale, the loose, almost casual defensive shot could come back to haunt Yuvraj very soon. Add the fact that in terms of poor shot selection, it almost matched his disastrous shot in the first innings and the left-hander has a problem.

There are times when he’s been unfortunate but at some point, you have to make your own luck. He’s done it enough times in ODIs to know what needs to done. And he should also realise that the only reason he has made comeback after comeback after comeback into the Test team is because someone in the selection committee believes in his talent. But if talent leads you to play a casual shot in a Test match, then India can do without it.

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and Cheteshwar Pujara… to mention just a few, are all waiting for a chance. They are hungry. They are young and they want in. And after eight years, Yuvraj should recognise that excelling and survival are two very different things. Right now, though, he is in danger of doing neither.

Contributed By: Siddharth Jha

Enough Is Enough

The recent one-day series between England and India in India drew surprisingly sparse crowds, especially for the last two-three games. The site of half-empty stadiums in Mumbai and Kolkata suggest that perhaps there is a saturation point for cricket in the country and that the principle of if you play them, they will come, no longer holds true. I can’t remember in recent living memory seeing stadiums half-empty in a one-day and t-20 internationals. To see vast empty spaces in Wankhede and then Eden Gardens only means that the overkill of cricket is having its effect and the spectators are finally saying enough is enough.
Will boredom drive India's cricket fans to supporting other sports, finally?

The Art of Giving

Money can buy happiness, at least when you spend it on others. I found that spending on others brings me greater satisfaction than buying things for myself. Those who spent their money on others reported greater "post-windfall" happiness than those who were looking out for themselves.

Still, most people spend more money on themselves than others , but the I suggest that as little as 
Rs.5 may be enough to reap a happiness dividend.
"Reaching out and doing things for other people allows you to kind of create a community,". It's all about creating social networks and community ties and having a sense of self that you feel is worthwhile so money therefore can be used in service of that."
And money is just one resource that can be used to that end. All kinds of resources may be beneficial for our well-being.






Contributed By:Siddharth Jha

Ra.One- SRK Biggest Gamble

Shah Rukh Khan’s ambitious film ‘RA.One’ has all the ingredients of a blockbuster film. Thrilling action sequences, mind blowing special effects, foot tapping numbers and SRK romancing Kareena. But yet, inspite of all this, ‘RA.One’ falls short somewhere.
The plot is pretty simple. On the behest of his son Prateik , Shekhar Subramaniam (Shah Rukh Khan), the geeky gaming expert creates an anti hero who is invincible. Hell breaks lose when the anti hero RA.One(Arjun Rampal) manages to come out of the virtual world and enter the real world. And to protect the mayhem that ensues, G.One (SRK again) comes to protect the world.
The clashes between the hero and the antagonist work well. Due to his uncanny similarity to Shekhar who is now dead, Sonia(Kareena), his widow finds herself warming up to G.One. Infact, G.One the robot also develops an emotional and protective bond for Sonia and her son.
The film has its moments but they are far and few in between. Some of the scenes are surely entertaining but when one goes to watch a SRK film, one hopes to be entertained throughout, and sadly ‘RA.One’ fails to do so.

Music by Vishal Shekhar is okay. But songs appear out of no where and for no reason as such. The high point is surely the AKON number-‘Chammak Challo’. Director Anubhav Sinha falters mainly due to a hollow script. It fails to leave an impact of any kind.

For SRK fans, it is a film which has the superstar in a new avatar. Of that of an action star. But somehow, SRK’s loverboy acts surpasses his action hero image any day.
Don’t expect it to woo you the way other SRK films do, because it isn’t the same.

Overall Rating: 3/5

A Review By: Siddharth Jha

Need for Speed: First Look At Varun Aaron

Varun Aaron playing his debut One Day International against England at the Wankhede stadium looks well burnished as he was bowling the the right channels, most of the deliveries were full and straight, some odd deliveries bowled at the good length kept low.He bowled a decent first spell but was wicketless and was then asked to bowl the second spell in the later part of the inning which proved to be a dream debut spell. The brawn power package who plays for Jharkhand at domestic level was stiff but calm, he continuously bowled at a decent pace and the good thing about the last spell was he never tried to innovate much of his bowling, he bowled accurately with good pace which got him 3 crucial wickets. He knocked off the stumps of Borthwick to claim his maiden One Day International wicket. It was a good delivery at the right spot which kept low as it mostly happens at the Wankhede (due to high concentration of red soil). He then uprooted the stumps of Meaker, the bowl hit is pads and the leg stump was on for a ride. The last wicket was of Bresnan, who was playing run a ball and was again bowled by Aaron, it was a good delivery and Bresnan was beaten for pace.Lenght deliveries were a salient feature in his bowling today.
Aaron who was playing his first ODI looked a bit tensed, but it entirely depends on who capitulate in pressure situations and today he got the best of the English batsmen, on the first look he seems to be a fine young lad with intent and aggression we all wish that he plays with the same  quickness and attitude.

The Real Steel - Prof.Arunabhas Bose

The best teacher I had so far is Prof.Arunabhas Bose. He is currently our head of department(HOD).He made us think. I think it was the first time I was really made to think in college. Instead of just learning about the major theories of management , we relived them. Playing the devil's advocate, he forced us to look at the world through the eyes of the people involved. We took their parts and argued their causes, and tried to convince each other what was just. This way, we understood the complexity of management, and its meaning for us, and no longer conceived of it simply as a time line to be memorized.
The teacher who makes you realise that you can achieve whatever you want to, if you're willing to work for it...and also cares that you do!  I praise him and respect him from the core of my heart. Without him, I could not have thought of being at the place here where by the grace of GOD I am..
Having him as a teacher is a blessing!






Contributed by: Siddharth Jha

What to do now?

We all love hanging out with our friends.. As children it was play dates, then extra curricular activities, going to the park, movies, the mall, then it was weekend parties in college, dinners with other couples, family vacations together and just having a good cup of coffee with a girlfriend.

All of this is great.  Love spending good times together.  When there are good times.  But what do we do when times get tough?

So what can we do about it? 
 What do we do when a friend is not well?  Are we there for them?

Passion or Profession?

Passion or Profession? This is something really confusing that everybody has to face in life. As we turn into an adult, we have several responsibilities. Should we leave our passion for the profession..for making money? Or should we make our passion, our profession?


I know..great people would say that passion is more important..and one should never give up his/her passion. But guys..it's totally impractical. 


Let's take an example, in my case, I wanna be a writer! But WRITER..in a country like INDIA!!??? Is this practical. Would I be earning enough..or just lost in crisis?? And more, I AM interested in being a CA. I would love to be. But should I leave my passion for writing for this? 


What I have thought now is to be a CA cum writer! Would I be able to succeed?




Contributed By: Siddharth Jha

BANGALORE UNIVERSITY SUCKS..

I've chosen to write this under politics cause thats just what this is ... a whole load of gas they call the BANGALORE UNIVERSITY.

It's summer, the heat was killing me, the teachers were making us stay back for extra classes ... you know how these last weeks of college gets. Anyway, i was having a pretty decent day till i get messages from friends in other colleges saying that they've got their results. We run around college and ask for them and still no sign of them .... they come to us 2 weeks later.

As if to make matters worse, they screw over our marks.

Oh, Oh, it gets better. The drop out is not only on the list, he gets marked on papers he didn't even write. Plus, he gets a pass class when hardworking boys, who've given this exam all they have, are weeping cuz BU has seen to it that they fail.

They've screwed us over, for lack of better words to describe the past 3 sems. And now they're determined to continue doing this for the rest of our college lives. Next exams are in june, the time when ppl usually go back to college after a long beautiful summer.

Does bangalore university suck or what?!!!

Grrrr, i've run out of words. I'm planning to buy me a gun. Any sponsors?


Contributed By: Siddharth Jha

I love a muslim girl - she is very wise , cultured , calm and very polite - ? but --

It is very unfortunate about the intercaste marriages. Marriage between two adults is not a simple man-woman coming together, but much more than that. Each caste is a sum total of its way of life -from eating habits to worshipping habits. Certain beliefs and outlook at life. These young kids, driven by the wreck caused by the harmonal influence, are blind to the reality. It only strikes later in their life when the harmone-effect wears off and emotional and spirutaul feelings start replacing the same. By the time it is too late. It is perfectly possible for two human beings to choose life of togetherness even if they are not in direct contact ( like the situations of intercaste marriage) as long as the value-system is the same for these two. Quite true if hey hail from same caste, though there could be some minor differences owing to educational and affluence levels of the respective individuals.

i really dont support inter cast inter religion marriages but i dont stop a person from marrying a Muslim girl or vice versa.....bcz at the end of the day its their life and they have to decide whom they want to be as a life partner.....

frnds, wts your take on dis..??????

If it has to be a morning in B’lore, it has to be @ Nandi Hills!

Yup, I strongly feel so esp. after my recent visit to Nandi Hills. This was not my first visit to this absolutely serene place which is just 60 kms from Bangalore but the difference this time was that I had an overnight stay at the hills there. Thanks to our friends who insisted to stay there at night & then enjoy the quietude of that place. I must say that the difference in experience was startling.

 Now what better place than Nandi Hills which is so close to Bangalore & yet seems to be so far from the regular hustle-bustle of the city. I’m sure anybody who has lived in Bangalore for even few months would have definitely gone to this place at least once. But I’m not sure how many of them would have done the mistake of doing a day trip like us? Trust me, if you really want to enjoy this place you need to experience the morning of Nandi Hills. I don’t remember when was the last time when I had breathed such fresh air, felt such lovely breeze, seen such picturesque sunrise & played amongst such vivid clouds. The descent of cloud outside our rooms or on the plateau was such that the literal phrase “playing with clouds” seemed to be absolutely real at that moment. 

Have a look on the above pictures, & you’ll know why I say now – “If it has to be a morning in Bangalore, it has to be @ Nandi Hills”:

To add to this quaint experience, the weather that day was simply awesome. Heavy rains with that typical smell of wet soil all around! Ahhhh :-). If you wanna go for a short & economical break from Bangalore, then in this weather, Nandi Hills is surely one of the perfect options for you...!

Dravid..the man who made India believe..!

Rahul Dravid finally calls it a day from One-Day Internationals. My only memory of being absolutely in love with someone is this man. Call me star-struck, but I never have rated anyone above him. His game, his style, his way of talking and the ability to remain calm and composed in the worst of all situations and I think I can go on endlessly. I must have been an eight-year-old when I first saw him play, and ever since there was not anyone whom I have liked better.

I still have a treasured scrapbook, which has all the possible pictures and newspaper cuttings of Dravid's articles, ads and those cricket cards we used to get in packets of chips. 4th May 2003 was a teary day in my life, being one out of many women who thought Dravid was the true love of my life. (That is the day he married Vijeta Pendharkar -- one lucky woman!)

Ups, downs and those quite phases - Dravid has seen it all, heard it all. Nevertheless, he stood there strong playing his game, his way and simply be himself. Many found his way too traditional to be acceptable in today's world. Many wrote him off much before his time. However, Dravid silently stood his ground, played his game, worked hard and kept himself in the game.

I remember that disastrous World Cup tour in 2007 after which everyone called him names, blamed him for the embarrassment that India faced. The man remained calm, not because he could not answer but because silence is always the stronger man's weapon. Hailed as 'The Wall' of Team India, Dravid has always been a team man; someone who has performed when nothing else worked. His records do the talking. As much of a cliché as it may sound, Dravid is indeed the unsung hero of our times.

Devendra Prabhudesai aptly named his book on Dravid 'The Nice Guy Who Finished First'. Dravid has always had an aura of being the nice guy around. Someone who would never say no, someone who would have that warm smile even on the worst of days. Seldom have we seen an animated Dravid but one memory of an elated Dravid will remain embedded in every fan's memory when he jumped with joy after getting his double century against Australia.

It is a fitting farewell for Dravid as it ends where it all began. Dravid will be seen in the Indian blues for the last time today playing against England. He made his Test debut against England in 1996 at Lord's. A memorable debut it was, he scored a spirited 95. Dravid had made a place for himself in the world of cricket for eternity.

As a fan it gets increasingly difficult for me to imagine the game being played without Dravid, it's an end of an era. The good part, however, is that with his formidable form, we can always be assured of a lot of good Test cricket left in him. Dravid will forever remain the shy guy who stood tall amongst his peers and performed for India in the most difficult of times.

TWO TEARDROPS

Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life. One drop said to the other, "I am the teardrop of a girl who loved a man and lost him." Who are you? "Well, I am the teardrop of the girl who won him." 

Love is very strange. Love is unconditional commitment to an imperfect individual. You need it but when you love, it's like destining yourself for pain. You become addicted and dependent on the person. You become strong and at the same time, you open yourself up to being hurt. Love can make you bear any kind of pain and any kind of sacrifice. It can also make you feel stupid and act stupidly. Sometimes when you love and end up giving so much of yourself, subconciously you only discover how much you've given when the person you love hurts you or has to say goodbye. 

Then you realize, an important part of yourself is already with that person. It goes away when he leaves and you are left with a sickening, empty feeling inside. 

Tears are bound to shed from your eyes no matter how you force yourself to keep them in. Most teardrops ever shed on this earth have been for love or lack of it. When tears dry, a silent loss sticks to your heart for a long, long time. 

Well, that's what you get for caring so much about someone. But how can you regret it? To give yourself freely and lovingly is the most beautiful thing you can do. Loving makes you real. Loving also makes you cry. And that is why a teardrop is also BEAUTIFUL....

Cricket is the sport which most loved and popular game in India than in any other country in this world. Though it is created and spreaded by Britishers but the game is most popular in our country rather in England.

We all  gathered on the college ground near on Wednesday at 1 AM to kick off the match. I never expected that all 25 boys will turn up. After gathering, there went discussion of who will lead the team, who will become the captain of the team? I said, guys, let SACHIN CHAURASIA be the captain of the team because of his awesome record as captain, and all of the teams members agreed to my views and he was made the captain of the team and all got agreed to my suggestion and we formed two teams of 12 players each. Then we went on for a toss in which my team won and was made to field bat. 

 It was a 8 overs friendly match and we scored 84 runs in 8 overs for loss of 8 wickets. No one was high scorer as few batsmen scored on an average of 15-20 runs.

Then it was their turn to bat and achieve the target. For the first 4 overs, our score was 41 for the loss of 3 wickets.  In 5th over ,DILNAWAZ came on bowling. With DILNAWAZ bowling all over the place, we were tensed and the match seemed going out of the hand..But then a brilliant effort from RANA we finally we able to tie the match with the score of our juniors being 84 for 7 after 8 overs.

After the match being tied, the umpires decided to have a 1 over super-over to decide the winner of the match.

Then the real tension begins. "Who to bowl the super over?????"

Our captain "SACHIN" took the ball he said"I will bowl the final over". And with his brilliance with the ball we restricted the juniors to just 6 runs..

With 7 runs needed to win the match, we sent one of our most destructive batsman "GOVIND", who as expected finished the match in just 4 balls..and we won the match..!

SACHIN was once the  the college hero!

                                                                                                                      SACHIN with a smile after yet another win

Review : Mere Brother Ki Dulhan

Rating: 3/5 stars.

Star cast: Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan, Ali Zafar.

What’s Good: The entertaining screenplay; the emotional undercurrent of the drama; Katrina Kaif’s fantastic performance; the hit music and the eye-pleasing song picturisations.

What’s Bad: The screenplay dips at a few places; a few comic scenes seem forced.

On the whole, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan has reasonable entertainment value, very good music, exciting song picturisations and an impressive start to make it a rewarding experience for all concerned.

An Open Letter..!

This is the most craziest letter sample written by my friend "SHUBHAM PODDAR" on 6th Sep,2011.
I really loved the way he expressed his thoughts about the hostel and problem faced by him while staying there.

I really wish that the hostel authorities should read this once and make a step forward to solution for such problems...!
 A Letter to think about....

When I Fall In Love..!!

If there was one star in the night sky for everytime I thought of you, there wouldnt nearly be enough, not even if you times them by two.

To the girl I see everywhere,

If i could do one thing for you I would hold you till you knew everything was ok.

If you could do one thing for me, I would never ask but all I would want is for you to talk to me.

I love therefore I am..!

Love can cause war; in the cases of love of religion and the love of money; war can cause people to steal and murder, it can lead to suicide and shatter marriage and family life, it can spread disease and give birth to evil; but love is eternal and cannot be eliminated, it is what makes people human. "I think therefore I am" may also be translated as "I love therefore I am". 

I was unable to ignore her innocent face..!!!!

This photo was taken by Me(Siddharth Jha) when I was on way to my home town. I was in the tempo and as I look my left side I saw a sweet little girl, hanging along with shutter. I waved  her and she gave me a priceless smile.

I just sign here that I am going to click her photo now. and at least she made a funny and innocent face as you seen in below picture..!!

Real Learning Is a Lifelong Process ..!

It is so sad to know that when someone has already graduated from college or what, he stops learning. Yes, as if he has already absorbed every knowledge in the world and taking precious time from work or what to read books or what, is somewhat an impossibility. Well, of course, there are those who are wild and wide readers, but the intent of this article of mine is not about them.

Learning is a continuous process; it never stops. But, when the mind is lazy absorbing new knowledge or what problems set in. Yes, with technological advancement and the information superhighway are in our midst, it would be difficult to ignore all the chances of getting new knowledge, skills and the like to benefit oneself from this scenario.

So, it is great a habit to acquire new skills, knowledge and the like for self-improvement or empowerment.

Aim for the better when better is better than best. Yes, best is final--but better is a fun journey towards excellence. Perfection is nothing but a fool's dream. A journey is an adventure and destination is the dead end..!!

There is no day when I don't remember you..!!!!

It is impossible to forget you there is no day when I don't remember you.

Your magic is spread such that I find you in every place.

You presence is felt every moment, every season is your season

I make thousands of excuses but without you heart doesn't listen.

More I try to forget you........more I find you near me...

You don't know how much I love you..!

love is blind.......!!!

Once there was a BLIND girl. Every1 HATED her Except her Boyfrend. She'd 

ALWAYS said to him,"If I was able to see, I wud've Married You." ..One 

day All of a sudden, sum1 donated the eyes to the girl. She opened her 

eyes,and found that her BF was ALSO BLIND! The Boy then asked 

her,"Will You Marry Me Now?" ..The girl .........REJECTED!..The Boy jst 

turned, began to walk away,& said in a low voice,"PLZ Take Care of 

My Eyes."

Rahane -- the next big hope for Indian cricket

Ajinkya Rahane is a class act – 17 hundreds and 18 fifties from just 48 first-class matches at the stupendous average of nearly 68 speaks volumes for his the precocious 23-year-old’s talent. One of the successes in the recent Emerging Players Tournament in Australia, the Mumbai youngster made an impact straight away on his debut with the Indian senior side on Wednesday.

Opening the Indian innings in the T20 international against England at Old Trafford, Rahane was confidence personified as he treated the English opening bowlers with disdainfully authority.

Not many would have expected him to get a game in the one-day series that follows, but his ballistic 61 off 39 balls at Manchester almost assures him a place in a side that has been struggling right through the tour. Rahane’s infused much confidence down the order and, after being outplayed in the Test series, the Indians definitely had a chance to emerge victorious yesterday.

In my previous article I had mentioned Parthiv Patel as the automatic choice to open the batting with Sachin Tendulkar in the One-Day International (ODI) series against England. Parthiv has done decently well since his comeback into the one-day side late last year and continued that good work into the tour games prior to the one off T20 against England. However, after Rahane’s authoritative batting at Manchester, Parthiv is likely to lose out.

Rahane came into the Indian set-up with the reputation of being a solid batsman with a balanced head and good technique. He fits into the classical mould as he is technically correct and plays all the shots. His numbers in the three formats would indicate that he is more comfortable in the longer versions. However, he was absolutely brilliant on his T20 international debut.

Making an international debut can be unnerving in any format. It is the day a young player dreams about for years, and when that turns to reality it is natural to find butterflies in the stomach. Such a scenario becomes even tougher to deal with if you are told to do something outside your comfort zone. Rahane isn’t an opening batsman by trade but was asked to do that important job on his debut which would have put even more pressure on him. Despite all these factors, he looked comfortable in the middle and was up for everything Stuart Broad and Company challenged him with. What it tells us about Rahane is that he has a good game temperament which will help him deal with tough situations in the middle.

The best part about his batting was that he played good cricketing strokes and not agricultural essays – not uncommon to see in T20 cricket. But here was a man who played according to the book and showed that one can play the conventional way in the shortest format. There may have been the odd top edge over short fine-leg, but all the other strokes were natural and the knock was devoid of any slogs. Whenever the English bowlers pitched it short he wasn’t afraid to hook or pull. Any lose delivery was dispatched with disdain.

Two shots stood out: A wristy flick off the pads through midwicket for four to an overpitched delivery by Stuart Broad – reminiscent of Wasim Jaffer, Rahane’s Mumbai teammate. The second was an inside-out shot through cover to the cover boundary off Graeme Swann. The best part about these shots was that his head was absolutely still when he played the ball - sign of class player.

Any Indian cricket fan would have preferred to see Rahane make his first appearance for India in whites as he promises to do very well in the longest format of the game. Nevertheless, a chance to represent the country at the highest level came and he grabbed the opportunity that comes his way.

After Rahul Dravid’s heroics in an otherwise forgettable tour, Ajinkya Rahane’s debut on Wednesday is most heartening for Indian cricket – especially considering the fact that three of its middle-order stalwarts could soon be bidding adieu to the game.

Corruption - could this be India's 'Arab Spring'

Anna Hazare, the daring 74 year old social activist's anti-corruption crusade is gathering momentum and is now one of the biggest uprisings in decades for the ruling Congress party. If the situation is not contained does the country risk sparking India's 'Arab Spring' ?

Hazare has become a 21st century Mahatma Gandhi, inspiring millions of people who are fed up with rampant corruption, red tape, inadequate services and no safe resort or respite against politicians, law and order, unruly gangsters who are in cahoots with the law and politicians both, all of which is watched and reviled by an aggresive private media freed by technology's open gates of information sharing. Strangely, all this exists despite India showing near-double digit economic growth over almost a decade.

Hazare's arrest was the last straw. People of every creed, class and economic status raised a united voice, one of solidarity. In recent years a growing, more prosperous middle class is finding ways to exert more influence.

India's huge rural population, sidelined but subsidised are also running out of patience, gathering up their frustrations to brave the curse of endemic graft.

Indian Spring or not, Indians will prevail and bring about a sea change in much of the nation, more so in Indian politics.

KASHMIR

The so-called Kashmir problem came into being almost with the independence of the country. Through 64 years have passed, the problem still remain unsolved. Kashmir still remains the most important source of friction between India and Pakistan.

The British withdrew from India on 15th august, 1947. The princely Indian states were given the option either to (a) accede to India; (b) accede to Pakistan (c) become independent. No serious difficulties arose in the case of the other states. But the position of the Kashmir is unique. It is contiguous both with India and Pakistan, so it could accede to either of them. Both desired it, for the state is not only a ‘heaven upon earth’, it is so far reaching significance from the military point of view. While it was ruled by a Hindu Maharaja, its population was predominantly Muslim. In this fact, lay the real problem, Pakistan claimed it as its own, for it has a predominantly Muslim population.

The Hindu Maharaja was still hesitating whether to join India or Pakistan, when Pakistan encouraged her-war like tribes to enter the state. They were supported by regular Pakistan army. Having no other option left to him, the Maharaja acceded to India and urgently requested for help. The accession was endorsed by the popularly elected constituent Assembly of Kashmir. Indian armies were flown over to Srinagar immediately, and the invaders were pushed out of the Kashmir valley. They could not be thrown out of the rest of the state territory, for to do so would have meant bombing of military bases in Pakistan. As India wanted to avoid an all out war, it complained to the Security Council against Pakistan. A cease-fire was declared immediately, as a result of which Pakistan remained and still remains, in illegal possession of a part of the state which is called “Azad Kashmir” by Pakistan.

The U.N.O. then made various efforts to settle the dispute peacefully. The true facts thus came to light, and Pakistan was accepted by both the countries. The resolution provided that (1) Pakistan would withdraw all its forces from the state. (2) That the Azad Kashmir government and its forces would be disbanded, and (3) when conditions permit, India too, would gradually withdraw her forces. Time passed, but Pakistan did not withdraw her forces nor did it disband the Azad Kashmir Government. Every year it complained to the U.N.O. that was India was oppressing the Kashmir Muslims and the Islam was in danger. On countries occasions, she was guilty of violations of the cease-fire line. Power polities of the big powers also came in the way of a just solution of this dispute.

The rules of Pakistan took to the war path. When the U.S.A. did not encourage them in their war-like actions, they turned to China for help. Encouraged by China, they sent infiltrators into Kashmir in Sep., 1965. This led to an all out war between India and Pakistan. The Pakistan army was badly defeated and its armory destroyed. However, late Mr. Shastri’s statesmanship enables the two countries agreed not to use force, but to solve the Kashmir problem by peaceful means.

The position at the present is that the armies of the two countries still confront each other along the cease-fire line. While Pakistan continues to demand Kashmir, India declares that the only problem is that the aggressor should be asked to vacate. Both countries are spending huge amount over their armies in Kashmir. No solution of the problem seems to be in sight in the near future. The relations of the two countries continue to be bitter and hostile. Even the crushing defeat suffered by Pakistan in the Indo-Pakistan war of Dec. 1971, has fail to make that country see reason. Efforts were made through the Shimla Agreement to normalize relation with Pakistan, but not too much avail.

In more recent times, there has been considerable deterioration in the situation in Kashmir. The Pakistan trained subversives have infiltrated into the valley in large numbers. One slogan, “Independent Kashmir” has been used to misguide the people. Pakistan has tried its best to politicize the problem and win international support for its point of view. It seems that the two countries were on the very brink of war. However, good sense prevailed and the danger of war receded. But violence still continues, life in the state is still insecure and thousands have migrated from the valley into Jammu, Delhi and other parts of the country. Kashmir problem is the most serious problem that India faces today.

Welcome Speech for Fresher’s day

Good Evening Friends,

I am Siddharth – student of BBM, second year.

When I was climbing up the stairs to this podium, my friends asked me to speak something really motivating. Friends, I find no motivating words for you.

To give my speech a Bollywood touch, “teen saal, teen saal hain tumhare paas, shyed tumhare zindagi ke sab se khaas teen saal”. But I won’t really say that...  (I am bad at mimicking, I know!)

Even if I say that, I won’t be entirely wrong – these three years are the deciding three years of your life. This is a new start, a beginning to something new.

These three years give us an opportunity to become someone we never were … for perhaps we can never be... but at least we can try to.

We all have with us, our set of dreams, this is the time to let free and chase your dream... not forgetting our core mission – studies!

We are in this college, primarily to study, and this mainly forms the base of whatever we do. None the less, explore yourself, extend your limits, challenge your capabilities… take part in as many activities you can, meet as many people you can… express yourself... spread your wings of freedom. But in this endeavor, be responsible, don’t loose your track, remain the kind of person, your friends wish you to be.

I wish you happy 3 years, 3 deciding years of your life... wishing you luck with your dreams...work hard and live your dreams!! Have fun.

And ya… as an elder brother... On behalf of the entire Alliance Family, I welcome you all to the family.

Thank You.