Friday, April 1, 2011
It's Sachin's World Cup, says Akram
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." - Albert Einstein
news at in
Thursday, March 31, 2011
A detailed look at the India vs. Sri Lanka World Cup final
"Don't hate, it's too big a burden to bear." - Martin Luther King.
The 10th World Cup will feature the first all-Asian final. After Australia won the last three World Cups, beating an Asian nation every time, this Saturday a subcontinental side is guaranteed to win. India won the World Cup once, 28 years ago, in 1983 at Lord's when it beat West Indies. The Indians were beaten by Australia in 2003. They are favourites to be the first home side to win the competition. For Sachin Tendulkar, 37, it is his sixth and probably last chance to lift the trophy for India. He made his first World Cup appearance on Feb. 22 1992 in Perth aged 18. He is the leading runscorer in World Cup matches, with 2,260 runs at 57.94 from 44 games, including six hundreds. He made his first-class debut at Wankhede Stadium in December 1988 for Bombay against Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy and scored an unbeaten hundred. He is one short of his 100th hundred in international cricket. more at AP
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Young widows of India's 50-year-old conflict in Manipur
"The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now." - Bill Cosby
For about 50 years, the Indian police and army have been battling separatist insurgents in the north-eastern state of Manipur, a conflict which human rights groups claim leaves at least 500 women widowed each year. There were 10 of them. They were strikingly beautiful. They were all sitting chatting in a regular room in a regular house. Nothing about the way they looked prepared me for the sad story they had to tell. more at bbc
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
India revives colonial-era caste count
India plans to hold a full count of its citizens and their castes, the country's first since 1931.
Prime minister Manmohan Singh's Cabinet on Thursday approved proposals to hold the count separately next year after the ongoing general census is over, a government statement said.
The move largely aims to enumerate low-caste groups called Other Backward Classes (OBCs), which a government-appointed commission in 1980 reported makes up 52 percent of the population.
The last time India collected comprehensive caste data was under British rule, almost 80 years ago.
After gaining independence in 1947, India picked only two of its most disadvantaged communities in its decennial population calculations instead of listing all of them from Hinduism's complex caste hierarchy.
more at cnn
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Young Indian population an asset in taking nation to greater heights: Manmohan Singh
Describing people as India's biggest asset, visiting Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday said at a time when the industrialised world is aging rapidly, India has the advantage of a young population.
Taking part in the Khazanah Global Lecture Series 2010 on "India's Development Experience here, Dr. Singh said the dependency burden in India is expected to keep falling for another 20 years."It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years, compared to 37 for China and 48 for Japan. However, a young population is an asset only if it is educated, skilled and finds productive employment. If this were to happen, our objective of realizing India's potential to grow at ten percent or more per annum for a substantial period of time can become a reality," he added.During the interaction, Dr. Singh reflected on some key features of the new phase in India's economic development. He highlighted six key elements facilitating India's drive towards development and economic well being.First, India seeks rapid economic growth that will create wealth for its people and also generate surpluses to fund our ambitious social development programs.more at sify
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
India's disappointing government Much less than promised
THE weightlifting auditorium has a leaky roof. The athletes’ village has no kitchen. Stagnant monsoon water, abuzz with dengue-carrying mosquitoes, collects at most of the stadiums being hurriedly built for the Delhi Commonwealth games, which are due to begin on October 3rd. The security arrangements, in terrorism-stricken India, are shot to pieces because of 24-hour processions of workmen at most venues. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister, reiterates the official line that these will be the “best games ever”. That may depend on how you define “best”.
more at economist