Cricket in India

Cricket is not only a game in the ordinary sense but a passionate pasttime and a model one for umpteen number of youngsters in India. It has not been a global game like foot-ball or tennis but it was thought to be a fashionable and aritocratic game for a favoured few. It has been a tremendous transformation from such a position to a common man's arena. How do you take it otherwise inasmuch as a man like Mahendra Singh Dhoni from a rural background at Ranchi leading a winning team of world class players mainly hailing from from metro towns in the run-up to World Cup in South Asia.

The rich game of cricket was expected to yield a sum of Rs 700 crore during the World Cup of 2011 in advertising revenue alone. The whole nation salutes the Team India for having won the Cup on the home turf after a gap of 28 years. India is lucky to have a world-famous cricketer Sachin Tendukar amongst us at this juncture of Indian Cricket History and the whole nation feels proud of him and wish him further strength and unbeaten performance in world cricket.

The nation and the citizens including sportsmen and sports authorities should encourage and promote athletic events, games like foot-ball, hockey, base-ball, badminton, basket-ball, volley-ball etc where thousands and thoudands of people can participate, exercise and bring gold medals to India in Olympics like China.

Swann-song for America

Standard & Poor’s analyst Nicola Swann’s decision to downgrade U.S. sovereign debt outlook (of the gold-plated AAA rating) underscores the growing view that America is a super-power in decline. Swann has based his finding on U.S’s staggering debt ($14.3 trillion & growing), Washington’s large budget deficit and American politicians’ squabbling and evident lack of will to rein these in and prevent United States from sinking under a mountain of debt.

American officials including Treasury Secretary Timothjy Geithner are a worried lot although trying to challenge the outlook and contest its reading that they are a scrappy divided lot. Their optimism and strength in the form of unique advantages are stemming from the dollar’s preeminent place among the world currencies.

How long will your rich resources come to your rescue?

Chief Justice on an Anti-graft Mission

Chief Justice of India, S.H.Kapadia’s unequivocal judgement was no surprise to those who know corruption to him is a red rag to a raging bull. He questioned CBI last month on the status of the proble into graft charges against ex-CJI K.G.Balakrishnan. Thursday’s verdict, that he delivered in his booming voice, recalled a starring moment in 2006, when he read his dissent note on dismissal of a PIL alleging compromise of judges in a graft case against Lalu Prasad.

Virugambakkam Votes with Covered Nose, Open Mind

This explains the status of a colony (Virugambakkam) in Chennai Metro on the day of polling i.e Wednesday, April 13, 2011. A news item says sarcastically that nothing about the Virugambakkam canal changed on Wednesday. The Garbage continued to float and the sewer pipes from several illegal occupants continued to flow. But unlike other days, the nauseating stench reminded people of the difference they could make.

It is a day of reckoning and the voters are free to express their anger and feeling and effect a difference in the polling of votes in that area. The public there are in fact totally vexed and fed up with the callousness of authorities and representatives that they must have decided to teach a lesson to the candidate seeking votes on that day. Well that is the only last resort left with them to express their uneasiness on the state of affairs in a democracy.

God alone knows in how many colonies in the City of Chennai such a thing still persists for the new government to take note of for speedy and satisfactory solution in the near future.

Loans under the Garb of Farmers

Delhi and Chandigarh may hardly have any land left for agriculture, but when it comes to availing cheap farm loans, they beat even the top agricultural states. Residents of these two cities took agricultural loans worth over Rs.32,400/- crore in 2009-10 – more than U.P., West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand put together.

It is quite intriguing how thousands and thousands of crores are being utilized for agriculture in such urban agglomerations but the same is getting prominently propagated as if the banks are giving priority to agriculture in these places. Where is the loophole and who is getting the benefit under the garb of farmers? - these are the questions the bankers and the government have to answer before any scam is reported in this regard.

Judges in the Society

Chief Justice Shri S.H.Kapadia deserves congradulations for signaling a “no mercy” approach to weed out corruption from the judiciary. While delivering the fifth M.C.Setalvad Memorial Lecture on Judicial Ethics organized by the Bar Association of India (BAI) the Chief Justice stated that “Political protection should not be given to corrupt judges.”

“The man who is only interested in himself is not admissible”, for a judge must have a habit of thinking impersonally without regard for worldly advantages or disadvantages of an opinion or an action, Justice Kapadia said.

He was also against relatives of judges appearing before them. “When a family member regularly appears before a judge, adverse public perception can affect the working of the integrity of an institution like the judiciary” he said.

Another point for which we should appreciate the views of Justice Kapadia is that the Judge should not accept patronage through which he acquires office, preferential treatment or post retirement assignment. He fears that these things can give right to corruption if and when quid pro-quo makes the demand on such judges.

Snap Judgment

I quite agree with the Times of India's “Snap Judgment" on Tuesday, February 17, 2011 with the caption “Singh on Song” saying that the Prime Minister’s role deserves compliments for breaking his silence and speaking openly on the number of issues on which the opposition parties have been relentlessly attacking the government in a live television interaction with Network journalists. While the PM is right by saying that scams are not the only thing happening in the country, we may be justified in saying that the positive impressions created can only be sustained if those involved in scame are actually brought to book without any fear or favour or discrimination.

Winds of Change Sweeping the Arab World - Who are the Winners and who are the Losers?

The spark ignited by the Tunisian citizens against their establishment on issues such as Poverty and Unemployment took the shape of a large-scale fire at the Tahrir Square in Cairo where the thousands of protesters squatted for more than a fortnight with a view to oust President Hosni Mubarak ruling Egypt for 30 years. President Mubarak is reportedly the richest man in the world with US $ 70 Billions worth of assets. The 82 year old man had a cushy life with western powers and Israel in particular backing him for so long. That Mubark under pressure offered on Tuesday, February 8, 2011 to recommend constitutional amendment to relax Presidential elegibility rules and impose term limits revealed his anxiety to appease the peoples' anger towards his style of rule. Externally President Mubarak was on a sound footing by keeping the western powers in good humour and also ensuring the commercial ineterst of Israel. United States of America was happy that there was a stable Government under Mubarak in Cairo to ensure a hormonious relationship politically and economically with the rulers of Israel. The very first peace treaty with a democratic government in Israel was done by Mubarak and the same was likely to be threatened and repealed by the new regime under the banner of Muslim Brotherhood (Mubarak's sworn enemy) in the near future.

While the foreign governments were happy with Mubarak's rule in Cairo, the public of Egypt tolerated the ruler for 3 decades with no hope of change or alternative to Mubarak or his family. Rule or misrule is bound to end sooner or later as nature dictates. People rose in revolt in thousands and thousands with no mood to retreat or withdraw from the protest unless the man at the power got down and gave way to a democratic successor. Thanks to Google Executive also who played a key role in starting Egypt's two weeks old uprising against Mubarak and tactfully led the browsers of web-sites with internet connectivity .

One has to salute that Egypt's playwright and journalist Mohammed Salmawi who exactly predicted the events as they were unfolding recently in the main squares of Cairo and other major Egyptian cities. The Arab World is undergoing a massive transition from dictatorship and authoritarian rule to a dreamy democratic set up as they keep watching and realising the importance of freedom to elect and change the government at regular intervals as and when needed. The countries falling in this category are : Algeria, libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebonon, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Tunisia, Jordan, Djibouti and Morocco.

The winds of change might cause sleepless nights to the rulers both in democratic and despotic societies / nations situated in Asia too wherever corruption, dynasty and poverty find a common ground to flourish without a limit.

The people are the winners and the rulers are the losers!!

Glacier Melting due to Global Warming

A stern threat and warning visible in the Horizon at a little distant future is that the world's “Glaciers” are melting up to 100 times faster than any time during the last 350 years, as revealed by a study of Patagonia, South America as reported in the journal Nature Geoscience. Glaciers everywhere in the world are retreating and could be losing ice more quickly than many experts realize. The resultant impact in due course could be in the following manner:

1) As the Glaciers are melting, sea-water level would increase and swallow some of the areas along the coastal regions of many countries.

2) The global temperature as a whole might increase disturbing the natural balance of hot and cold atmosphere.

3) The quantum of fresh water resources would get reduced in the long run.

There could be some unknown and unanticipated impact too disturbing the natural growth and sustenance of different species of flora and fauna in the immediate future. Let the global leaders sit together again and chalk out a strategy for checking and controlling pollution levels on account of mindless industrialisation. Sooner the better.

Niagra Waterfall

Cycle Rickshaw in New York

[Saturday, November 20,2010]

New york is one of the largest and the most fabulous cities in the world today. The richest of the riches in many fields live there. There is hardly a thing which is not seen and experienced here which is otherwise available elsewhere. New York has seen the pinnacle of modern civilisation. Its transport system is one of the best in the world. Hats off to the tourism development and its execution by the Americans, the tourists from all over the world keep landing there from all directions throughout the year. I was indeed struck by a few cycle rickshaws plying on the side roads of the famous central park already created a century ago in the center of the city. A Luxury bus along with a cycle-rickshaw is shown plying in front of a famous hotel run by a rich family of an Arab country in the above photograph.

We need Sincere Sweepers & Judicious-minded Judges

Indian settlements – be it metro towns, state capitals, district headquarters, tahsil towns, municipalities or panchayats in rural areas – are established and inhabited in the midst/heap of garbage & sewage. Any open place in the middle of the colony is converted into a dumping ground until it is reclaimed and used for some other purpose. It is a nasty and nauseating sight to look at the roads, pavements, colonies, residential complexes, shopping malls/complexes, office complexes throughout the length and breadth of this nation without an exception. So what we need first and foremost is to employ at least 5% of the work force in the country for sweeping the floors and public places all over the nation before we can claim to be the educated Indians of 21st century. As we are conscious of our interiors we should also much bother about our exteriors and neighborhoods and maintain the surrounding as much clean as possible. If need be, politicians, bureaucrats and social workers should sweep their localities atleast in order to create awareness among the masses.

Similarly if we want to enforce discipline and ensure implementation of laws/rules and regulations in our society, we should appoint competent judges @ 1:1000 to adjudicate matters of public importance inasmuch as the elected executives and permanent executives have lost legitimacy, competence and impartial conduct in their work for the last few years.

Initial Inventive

Anna Hazare's initial inventive in the form of 'fast unto death' agitation in Delhi's Jantar Mantar for ensuring the enactment of 'Lokpal Bill' in the ensuing session of Parliament has been successfully executed with the announcement by Government of India of a Joint Committee for drafting the proposed bill. Lokpal's appointment and establishment of his office on the lines suggested by the Civil Society headed by Hazare is only the first step in the direction of controlling corruption from the top level. Top level politicians at the helm of affairs, bureaucrats and judges at the Government of India level are to be monitored and controlled in their day-to-day affairs of public governance and administration. Certain amount of fear and control for impartial conduct and flaw-less delivery of services is to be instilled in the minds and activities of those public dignitaries . Corruption-free governance and administration are to start from the top. Subsequently the middle layer and the gross-roots cutting edges can be tackled easily and constantly by showing deterrence and drawing lessons from the top level players. Once the Lokpal and his establishment are in place with full powers and duties, the secondary reform could be ready to ensure abolition of corruption at the middle and lower tiers of administration. That exercise would need at least 6 months to 1 year. We appreciate the initiative taken and the leadership role provided by Sri Anna Hazare at this juncture.

Second Green Revolution

Indian economy was agrarian in nature when the first five year plan was drafted and taken up for execution. Luckily due to the scientific development of late 1960s wheat productivity multiplied substantially in countries like Mexico, thanks to Dr.Norman Borlaug and his team of scientists. In India too, green revolution took place around 1970 and we became self sufficient in foodgrains. Unfortunately the green revolution enabled the rich and large farmers to retain their status and increase the production of wheat and rice whereas the small and marginal farmers continued to get neglected till date. The country is still awaiting the onset of a second green revolution. Such an expectation can be converted into reality provided the following steps are taken earnestly.

1) A genuinely interested person who is richly experienced in Indian farming practices should become the Union Minister of Agriculture & Co-operation in New Delhi.

2) A thorough review of the existing programmes and projects undertaken by the Departments / Sub-ordinate Offices / Agencies working under the control and guidance of Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operation, Ministry of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer affairs should be done to justify reduction in their strength and budgeted outlays.

3) Paying full attention to the specific problems of the majority of farming community viz., small and marginal farmers in different states of the country.

4) Adequate investment both in Public and Private Sectors for interlinking of major rivers, requisite and timely expansion of the existing canal work in almost all major and medium irrigation projects so that national irrigation percentage is pushed up to 75%.

5) Making adequate provision for supply of inputs like quality and certified seeds, both organic manure and inorganic fertilisers, both short term and medium term credit from various financial institutions to the fullest extent.

6) Framing realistic policies for improving the capacity of food processing industry as also storage and marketing of processed food.

Sailors at the Hands of Satans

It is quite disheartening to note that 400 Indian Sailors have died in marine accidents between 2005 and 2009 according to the Director General of Shipping. It is also learnt that about 50% of the Indian labour force employed in the international maritime sector have not been recruited through agencies registered under D.G., Shipping. It is a pity that although 202 licensed recruitment and placement agencies are operating in India, half of the labour force working is not engaged through these agencies. As a matter of fact the foreign firms that have engaged the Indian sailors on different oceans care very little when accidents take place. The Government of India too is quite lax in tracing those sailors and helping their families on their disappearance or deaths.

It is for the Government of India and the D.G., Shipping to ensure that no sailor is employed other than through these registered agencies and each Sailor's movement and their engagement by the foreign firms/domestic firms are noted down and pursued from time to time. The fact that Indian youths are unemployed in large numbers doen't mean that we can afford to lose our Sailors and cause untoward sufferings to their families.

For the sake of formality?

Demand for various ministries in Government of India totaling Rs.1,257,728 crore without the scrutiny of Standing Committees that normally examine departmental proposals and allocations have been passed in the budget session of Parliament on March 5, 2011 mainly due to elections scheduled in 4 states and 1 Union Territory in April-May. We very well understand that even after the detailed scrutiny of the departmental proposals, several hundred crores of rupees are normally found to be misspent or under-utilized by different departments. Under these circumstances demands worth Rs1.2 billion are passed for expenditure without any examination. God knows how much will be utilized and with what justification. The way the Public Accounts Committee of the same Parliament finds several loopholes in implementation of the projects by various Ministries one is sure that many of the departmental proposals may not have been properly formulated and kept for implementation during the financial year 2011-12. The Parliament and the Standing Committee are supposed to go through the proposals in detail before the demands are passed by the full house in the form of a Finance Bill. It is a pity that public representatives even after spending crores of rupees on travels and sittings are unable to scrutinize the budget proposals and guide the Ministries or the departments for fully utilizing the provisions given in the budget. As an insider has pointed out, hardly any department or ministry is in a position to release the budget allocation to the proper beneficiary including the State Governments without any illegal cut. Several lobbyists and the beneficiaries are quite manipulative in getting the allocation made, proposals sanctioned and funds released within a few days despite owlish eyes and regulatory mechanism in place on paper.

Plan Allocation

The editor of “Dinamani” in his editorial of Saturday, March 2, 2011 on the above topic has described in detail the way the ministries within Government of India are quite careless in implementation of irrigation schemes on the basis of the follow-up action initiated by the Public Accounts Committee headed by Sri Murali Manohar Joshi the other day. As we are all aware the irrigation percentage of Indian Agriculture is not up to the mark compared to the volume of run off water that goes into the ocean during every monsoon. Although the Government of India and the State Governments keep complaining that the resources allocated for water resources management fall short of the expectation and requirement. Keeping this fact in mind, the Government of India sanctioned 253 small and major irrigation works during the year 2008 out of which 100 projects were reported to have been executed. Surprisingly 12 out of those 100 schemes were in fact incomplete as quoted and taken serious note of by the Public Accounts Committee. The members of the PAC were wondering as to why the Ministry of Water Resources had failed to implement projects through State Governments as per the original plan and commitment. Accelerated Irrigation Utility Plan was introduced by Government of India in 1996-97. Under this scheme the irrigation potential could be increased by lengthening of the canal system and amalgamation of rivers or putting up Dams to store water and taken to a long distance to irrigate lands. Under this scheme, the Government of India is supposed to share the expenditure to the extent of 60% to 90% of the project cost. Many State Governments like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur & Kerala availed this plan. But a few State Governments have not properly implemented this scheme like in the case of Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka. It is disturbing to note that the former Chief Minister of A.P., (Late) Mr.Rajasekara Reddy obtained the maximum assistance of Rs.2000 crore under the banner of 'Jala-yagnam' with an avowed objective of covering the entire State under irrigation. The PAC found to its dismay that the Contractors were paid money in excess of the original estimates by revising them subsequently. They were also found to have misused the allocation of Cement & Steel by diverting to other works. Despite the provision for repair and maintenance committed by the contractors, the State Government had never insisted on its implementation, rather the funds were released before the execution of schemes. About Rs.160 crore of rupees were the extra income earned by these Contractors in Andhra Pradesh alone.

So the editor sarcastically makes a remark that the Government’s allocation of funds is only meant to fill the pockets of the rulers and the Officers by looting the tax payers’ money. It is indeed the concern of each and every citizen of this country. The day is not far off when every body in such a system will be made accountable and the looted money brought back to the treasury.

Man Grows, Nature Remains

As the man or women grows in age, he watches nature or his environs first as a child, then an adolescent, a young man, an adult, a middle aged man and as an elderly man before he leaves the earth and his atma leaves the human body/form. Things that appear giant or too big in size and shape to a child’s vision, actually don’t change in physical status but the same child after growing in age views those very things in proper perspective and in actual status. Atma or the knowledge of the human body gets updated and adjusted according to the human’s needs and understanding.

Nature gets disturbed and keeps changing marginally as the humans deal with it in their inimical style. At times such interventions accommodate man’s greedy requirement upto a limit but little later nature too starts showing its annoyance or irritation in the form of tsunami, El nino/El nina, earthquake etc. Man’s commissions & omissions lead to a devastating effect on the environs immediately but at the same time slowly but certainly affecting the balance of nature. Man helplessely and consciously watches his own time passing fast and painfully realizes that his past days are not going to come again.

A kid keeps shaking its hands & legs hither and thither most of the time kicking at the body of mother and father in whose lap it happens to be lying. The kid expresses its needs by screaming and enjoying in the absence of ability to speak and convey. A little grown up child walks, moves, jumps, laughs, cries and screams, watches envious people around and speaks the language known and beautifully and joyfully entertains parents and relatives till it reaches the adolescent stage.

An adolescent gets attracted by opposite gender in a natural way. Most of his free time is spent in fantasying the presence or touch of an individual whom he loves and longs for. Nature brings out changes in his/her physique and mental caliber. He tries to view the environs in their true colours and strength. After obtaining a professional or vocational skill in a formal or informal way he/she becomes an adult and starts practicing for earning their bread/livelihood.

Every individual looks around him whether senior or junior in age and experience and is getting transformed in ideas and understanding of his environs and objects/symbols of nature. The man in his fully-grown and ripe age starts appreciating, reviewing, reassessing and readjusting his thoughts and actions visa-vis those objects of nature which normally continue for ages and ‘yugas’.

Man’s trivial length of life in comparison to the infinite age may undergo indefinite change in timeless future. Man’s history, his knowledge of science and technology, the expanse of his brain power are all insufficient compared to the creator’s designs and the charisma of cosmos in its time path.

Hail the Nature & Bail the Humans

Women At The Receiving End

According to R.Isbal, Executive Director of Madras Christian College of Social Service which rehabilitates and reintegrates trafficked women with their families, the increased number of cases in this regard could be because Tamil Nadu is an active transport hub and thus serves as transit point for people indulging in trafficking. She said that there were cases, the women and young girls from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka & Kerala had been rescued in Tamil Nadu. With sex tourism becoming widespread, women from all four southern states and sometimes even Mahrarashtra are brought into Tamil Nadu, she said. A woman named Rekha 22 was 14 when she ran away from her house in Vijayawada with her Boy Friend taking with her Rs.50,000/- and some gold jewels. "I lived with him for five months in Hyderabad before he sold me to a pimp and ran way. They later told me that he had sold me for Rs.50,000/- ", says a teary eyed Rekha. She was later brought to the MCCSS where she has been helping auithorities creating awareness in colleges.

Poverty and sometimes a good look are a few reasons for the girls running away from home in search of employment or a chance in films. Umpteen number of girls have been cheated, exploited and spolied for life without a hope for rehabilitation. Thanks to MCCSS and such centers with whose help trafficked women can return home and start a fresh life. More and more volunteers and institutions should come forward and guide the young girls and women studying in schools and colleges so that they don't become easy prey in the hands of bad elements.

Role Reversal OF Genders

A Study of over 5000 American adults has revealed that men of today want babies and commitment when women are more likely to want independence in their relationships. This reflects the effect of massive social changes that have taken place on Gender relations in recent times. It is reported that more than half of single men want to have children compared to just 46% of women. "The results reveal the effects of the growing gender role reversal", said Helen Fisher, Biological Anthropologist at Rutgers University and Chief Scientific Adviser at dating website match.com which commissioned the study. As a matter of fact the onset of Industrial Revolution has resulted in women getting economic equality on par with men. It is no doubt a good sign of women empowerment even in urban areas of developing nations. Career women in India’s Metro Cities are not lagging behind in such economic empowerment. In the days to come they would also prefer economic equality rather than family bonding giving more reason for concern to Indian males.