Sachin - completes the magic !!

The 100th ton has come – everyone is happy – still I maintain that this is no record – you don’t combine two different forms to count for something statistically !!

Yet for many this was no match – they were not seeing India play to beat Bangaldesh  - it was all about Sachin – every run was cheered and there was expectations ranting the air. 

May not the best of his – but still a century, that too coming after quite a few matches and lot many words spoken  by many critics – now Sachin is good for a few more, perhaps expect one or two in this tournament itself.

If some one were to rave that this came against lowly Bangladesh – it is Sachin’s only century against Bangaldesh – most have come against major Nations in tougher times.

…… and in One dayers,  Sachin Tendulkar has been out in the 90s on 17 occasions. That would have given his fans a good mighty pressure when he was in 90s this time. 

So it is Sachin, Sachin….. the day has arrived ! – the little Master in thick of action – he has done this before and would repeat more……….  – as some one jocularly remarked, a decade after – Virat Kohli might retire, and Sachin would be there to make a statement that ‘Virat would be missed in the dressing room’.  Love to watch Sachin in cruise mode and play his natural game just longer……..

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.  

Is Chennai enjoying the largesse of desalination plant after so many years ?

Every Budget raises expectations and the speech of the Finance Minister is heard and read many many times.  But do the proposed or promised plans really materialize to benefit the citizens ??

Water – the availability of potable water is a regular crisis especially for major cities which do not have a good water source.  Chennai in particular always suffer from drinking water problem, whenever there are droughts.  Often desalination is touted as the easy way out.  Desalination through a series of processes removes major amount of salt and other minerals from the saline water. 

Daily Mail reports of a Desalination plant  that will turn seawater from the Thames Estuary into drinking water for one million people as drought hits. The facility in Beckton, east London,  has the capacity to produce 150million litres every day and is set to begin operating in next few weeks.  More than 20million Britons face stringent hosepipe bans this summer as the current drought shows no signs of letting up.  Drinking water is scarce, so is water difficult to find for use to wash cars or fill paddling pools.  The desalination plant at Beckton, East London is reportedly made with £270million and can provide 150million litres a day, enough to supply 400,000 households in North-East London.  Clearly the existing resources from non-tidal rivers and groundwater – simply aren’t enough to match predicted demand in London.  So they are resorting to the new and limitless resource of the tidal Thames, fed by the rolling oceans beyond.  In making this feasible, 300 nos. number of ant hills had been moved and repositioned from the site.  The project, the first of its kind in the UK, was proposed following the drought of 2005/06 and took four years to build.    It works by taking water from the outgoing tide of the River Thames when it much less salty and treats it using various cleaning and filtering processes.  Salt is removed using a process called reverse osmosis. This involves forcing the water at high pressure through very fine membranes, which hold back the salt and other molecules. The treated water is then re-mineralised so that it has similar properties to other local supplies. The resulting water is slightly softer than normal.

The water is then purified to ensure it is safe to drink, before being released into the supply network.

That is good governance – but don’t you feel the process and terminology appear more too similar.

Yes, because you have heard them before and you believed that it was to be a largesse as announced by the then FM P Chidambaram.  Years ago, as it was with  the surface and groundwater options either running dry or proving highly undependable, Chennai also looked towards the sea.   There are some smaller ones functional and varying estimates were provided with different technology based desalination plants  -  Budgetary support to Tamil Nadu’s giant desalination project  was announced.  In 2008, the residents reacted with joy on the announcement of  setting apart of Rs 300 crore by Finance Minister P. Chidambaram in his  budget to begin work on a mega sea water desalination project near Chennai under public-private partnership.  It was also stated that every State in the South wanted similar plants in their areas and more than a dozen applications were pending with the Ministry of Water resources.  Madras a la Chennai was favoured by PC – so one thought !! 

In her earlier regime Ms J Jayalalithaa had criticized Finance Minister P. Chidambaram,  for prematurely saying that the central government was ready to give Tamil Nadu Rs. 10 billion (rupees) for setting up a desalination plant, and doing nothing to prevent the stalling tactic used by A Raja.  There were cries from a section that the 100 million litres a day desalination plant would quench the thirst of city but would do harm by greenhouse emissions as also the price would be beyond the reach of the poor.   One tends to get more confused with the dates as another report of ET in July 2004, reports of the Budget gift of FM running into saline waters.  It states that  Finance minister P Chidambaram's Budget gift of Rs 1,000-crore desalination plant for Chennai is starting to face its first roadblocks.  Envisaged to be implemented through public-private partnership, the project is learnt to be facing lukewarm response from potential investors who say the project, on the face of it, is likely to generate an internal rate of return (IRR) of only 9%.  The report mentions that the  total cost of the project is actually Rs 1,550 crore on account of an additional cost of Rs 300 crore for a captive power plant and Rs 250 crore for transmission pipelines and associated pumping. The 300 MLD plant will be set up in modules of 100 MLD.  At this stage, the project embraces the Reverse Osmosis (RO) technology for seawater desalination which is said to deliver the cheapest cost of treated water due to the relatively lower cost of the plant and lower energy consumption. However, experts also say that operating costs are higher for the RO technology. 

So for Tamil Nadu, it is more of hearing of a largesse in Budget speech and then waiting through the ordeal to realize that nothing happens to alleviate their suffering.   The Summer onset is about to come and alongside the woes of residents of the city for good drinking water and water for other needs

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

16^th Mar 2012.

the morning beauty of Marina Beach !

To a morning walker, the famous Marina beach offers intriguing things. There are young, old, fast, slow, and varied people indulging in chit-chatting, eating and drinking the various health drinks ! that are sold on pavements.  You can see people walking, walking fasting, jogging, sprinting, skipping, doing physical exercises, yoga, laughing out loud – more – all law unto themselves – thinking and spreading that these are the passport to good health. 

You can observe a couple of elderly Jain gentlemen distributing bread and sometimes biscuits to old, disabled and vagabonds. A group singing bhajans; some doing breathing exercise ……………….

You can hear the sea and when near sea the waves jumping and touching the shore and then submitting themselves to the shore but trying to comeback to conquer again ! – you  can see ships anchored in the middle of sea, some fishing boats and Sun coming out as a red ball from the Sea – all great sights to behold. 

Those given to enjoying Nature, the morning provides innumerable things like Pigeons and other birds, dogs – stray, and owned – local and foreign breeds of various sizes; posh cars; bi-cycles; vast expanse of sand and more…..

Today, near Gandhi beach there was some unusual activity.  Went near and saw a  pyramid like structure with footwear strewn inside; some cardboard made art representing the turtles – reportedly creatures of sea; lot of placards and illuminated board with words ‘I am so angry; I made this sign”…………  I was not able to understand or make out what these are what was sought to be represented.

Understand that these were the works of ‘Art India’ – which would be left as it is to be taken by the sea or destroyed by men or by the same who made these.

May be you know better of that – I could decipher little

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Imran Khan not attend India Today Conclave - cites presence of Rushdie

The enigmatic dasher who is not part of Asia Cup squad is to speak on ‘Rising from the Ashes’.

The word ‘Secular’ has been (mis)interpreted by many to their likes and in India it has very different meaning and implications – depending on who or which Organisation becomes its subject matter.  The word secular was inserted into the preamble by the Forty-second Amendment in 1976.   It implies equality of all religions and religious tolerance. India, therefore does not have an official state religion.  Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries.  Quite often, here, the term is used in the sense of atheism rejecting the acceptance of God, in a Country where religion, heritage and culture are very central to the life of people. 

The list of speakers offers a very curious and interesting mix, representing various walks of life indeed.  Some amongst them are stated to be : Adi Godrej; Akhilesh Yadav; Anna Hazare; Arun Jaitley; Harbhajan Singh; Kangana Ranaut; Kapil Sibal; Kareena Kapoor; Montek Singh Ahluwalia; Namal Rajapaksa; Nitin Gadkari; Omar Abdullah; Prakash Padukone; Pranab Mukherjee; Rahul Bajaj; Sandeep Singh & ………………..  That is some names from the long list of speakers at India Today Conclave 2012 – which attracts more news following the news of Imran Khan cancelling his trip protesting to the presence of Salman Rushdie in that list. 

There are now reports that Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan will not participating in the conference in India because author Sir Salman Rushdie is due to speak there.  Imran is quoted as stating that Rushdie  had "caused immeasurable hurt to Muslims".  A statement released by his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf,  said Mr Khan had cancelled his participation in the conference organised by the India Today media group on learning of Sir Salman's participation. The statement said Mr Khan had "received and seen" the programme on Tuesday evening, and took the decision soon after.   "Khan expressed his regrets to the organizers but stated categorically that he could not even think of participating in any programme that included Salman Rushdie who has caused immeasurable hurt to Muslims across the globe," the statement said. 

Salman Rushdie’s speech is titled "The Liberty Verses - I am What I am and That's All That I am".  One may recall that recently in Jan 2012, Rushdie  withdrew from attending the Jaipur Literature Festival, saying that sources had told him of a death threat.

Imran Khan was to deliver the closing gala dinner keynote address, Captain Pakistan: The Ultimate Test.  Perhaps it is clearly Pak’s domestic political compulsions and his aspiration to continue riding a popularity wave that made his announce this.  In January at a different wicket at the Kolkata Book Fair, Imran had slammed Rushdie to which Rushdie reacted in a tweet -   "Thirty years ago @ImranKhanPTI was a fan at my 1982 Delhi lecture and 100% secular. Now my work "humiliates" his "faith."

India Today Conclave platforms have provided meeting of distinctly opposite political entities too but have been interesting debates. Here is a file photo of last year showing Jairam Ramesh, Narendra Modi and Aroon Purie

India Today Conclave 2012 – has the  idea of the 21st century being the 'Asian Century' – Asia moving rapidly from hesitant prophecy to likely reality.   Asia as a region  represents a hive of economic and geopolitical intent and action. Leading Asia's increasingly significant role in the world is China.  The conclave is to represent the best and the shortcomings of Asia.    India Today Conclave is to  bring together the best minds across politics and economics, business and administration, security affairs and social issues, and the sciences and the arts from around the world to examine this exciting present—and an even more exciting future.  The issues and discussions are to include :  How will Asia continue to power its ambition? How will Asian nations evolve and influence one another? How will Asia's energy shape the region and the world, affecting critical areas such as geopolitics, security, trade and the environment? And, what will India’s place be in this dynamic equation? What will it take for India to fulfill its ambition of emerging as an economic and geopolitical superpower?

A search reveals many interesting topics to be dwelt by interesting and famous personalities.  Here are a few of them : 

The Making of an Asian Century - Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State of the United States of America and Nobel Laureate

Can You Be a Superstar Without Being an Actor?  - Fashion icon and  actor Kangana Ranaut

Budget 2012 Report Card : Gainers & Losers – Adi Godrej, Chairman Godrej Group

Changing the Game – Young Leader Insight - Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh

Game for Gold – Olympic Send Off - What Does it Take to Win a Gold Medal?  -  Sandeep Singh, Captain of Indian Hockey Team

Game for Gold – Olympic Send Off : What Does it Take to Win a Gold Medal?  - Vikas Krishnan, Boxer, Gold medalist at 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou

So, Secularism means different things to different people –  there is another speaker Namal Rajapaksa, eldest son  of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. His paternal grandfather and numerous uncles and aunts have been elected Members of Parliament in Sri Lanka from the family bastion of Hambantota.  He is currently a MP from Hambantota and is to speak on – South Asia Brainstorm “Is dynasty a Burden or Boon’ – a topic which augurs well for many State and Central politicians.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

With political pressure mounting, Will India vote for or against Lanka at Geneva

It is a simmering cauldron out there - SM Krishna, once famously read the note of Portugese Minister thinking it to be his.

It was hot out there at Delhi.  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and senior Congress leaders, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, and her political secretary Ahmed Patel, went into a huddle at 7 Race Course Road late on Wednesday night(14th Mar 12), after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee precipitated a potential political train-wreck: sources said she had faxed a letter to the Prime Minister, asking him to sack Railway Minister and fellow Trinamool party leader Dinesh Trivedi and withdraw the hike in passenger fares announced in his first budget earlier in the day.

On a different pitch – one which perhaps could keep the Dravidian parties together, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna stated that Sri Lanka should investigate and inquire into rights violations charges through a transparent process.  In the wake of sharp criticism from members of both Houses of Parliament that it was trying to bail out Colombo at the ongoing 19 session of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Govt on Wednesday said its stand on the issue would be finalised keeping in mind the implications on the reconciliation process in Sri Lanka.  In a  suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the government's “objectives, as always, continue to remain the achievement of a future for the Tamil community in Sri Lanka that is marked by equality, dignity, justice and self-respect.”

His statement on the need to examine whether our actions will actually assist in the process of reconciliation in Sri Lanka, and enhance the current dialogue between the government of Sri Lanka and Tamil parties, including the Tamil National Alliance, made some members aggressive.  Those belonging to the AIADMK tore up a copy of the statement of External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on the issue made in both Houses before staging a walkout.

The 19th regular session of the Human Rights Council is on at Geneva and tomorrow it might take up the US sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka for discussion at the  UN Human Rights Council. This will be the second time that Sri Lanka has had to face a vote at the UN-HRC. In May 2009, the Western powers tried to get a resolution passed against Sri Lanka and they failed.   The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body created by the United Nations General Assembly on 15 March 2006 by resolution 60/251.  Analysts say that last time, of the 47 members of the HRC, 29 voted with Sri Lanka, 12 voted against and 6 abstained. The scenario could be in for a change with many of those ‘for and against’ not continuing to be members of HRC. 

Delhi need to pronounce its stand clear on whether India would vote for or against Sri Lanka if a resolution does come up against the island-nation at UNHRC.    Earlier, India has  backed Lanka solidly and had opposed moves in Geneva and elsewhere to censure Colombo for its acts of commission and omission during the last stages of the Eelam War 4.  officially that had been sought to be explained as in the hope that the Sri Lankan government will respond swiftly to global criticism by ordering an impartial probe into allegations of excesses committed during the final phases of the civil war that ended in May 2009 with the killing of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, and take action against the guilty, if any.   SM Krishna has stopped short of giving a clear answer to whether India would support the resolution submitted by the United States. 

The issue disrupted the Parliamentary proceedings in both the Houses as pressure builds up by both AIADMK and DMK.  Sri Lankan diplomats  are also intensely  lobbying on the same asking the Indian government to take the right decision at the right time.   DMK, a major ally in the UPA coalition government,  issued a veiled threat  that it could pull out of the government if its demand is ignored and stressed that the government should unequivocally support the US-backed resolution on Sri Lanka.  DMK Leader M Karunanidhi is quoted as saying that “India should support the resolution. Otherwise, the DMK would consider it as a betrayal of Tamils”.  However, on the Q of whether DMK would withdraw its support to the Central government if India failed to support the resolution, it was stated that the Party’s EC will have to discuss and  decide.   Perhaps the Centre solaces the past where many a times where the party has backed down after making the demands. 

There is increased  emergence of new macabre evidence of alleged human rights violations by the Sri Lankan army, particularly in the killing of LTTE leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran and his son Balachandran.  The photos and video  has generated all-round outrage in Tamil Nadu. The state, which had been divided in its support to LTTE, now seems to have gained more concerted opinion that the perpetrators of the alleged war crimes against Tamils in Sri Lanka should be brought to book.

Whilst what could the Indian move be,  is hotly debated in political circles, some International forums have snubbed  Delhi stating that it has always prevaricated and slobbered with confusion on its stance in the issue.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Koney Video goes viral - Koney, Who ??

Today media is screaming about the judgment of ICC – the International Criminal Court that  has found the Congolese warlord, Thomas Lubanga, guilty of recruiting and using child soldiers between 2002 and 2003.  It is sensational in one more way because, it becomes the first verdict of this Court since it was set up 10 years ago.

Thomas Lubanga, will be sentenced at a later hearing.He headed a rebel group during an inter-ethnic conflict in a gold-rich region of Democratic Republic of Congo.  The prosecution accused him of using children as young as nine as bodyguards and fighters. In a unanimous decision, the three judges said evidence proved that as head of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and its armed wing, Lubanga bore responsibility for the recruitment of child soldiers under the age of 15 who had participated actively on the frontline.

As you read that, there is another similar – it has been viewed close to 80 million times and most of them do not know this person or his victims in Northern Uganda.  You can have your own view ? A cry for the children of Africa or another attempt by the Western World to indulge and interfere in the affairs of another Country and have their political will implemented.  Apart from going viral on internet ‘on You Tube’ – its premiere was shown in a makeshift open air theatre in Lira, 350 km off the capital Kampala and attracted a large crowd.   Some of the spectators did not like what they saw and the screening ended amid jeers and scuffles, with some angry viewers throwing stones. It is Kony 2012 Campaign – the campaign  against African warlord.  Do you about this viral campaign and who he is ?

Joseph Kony  is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan guerrilla group. While initially enjoying strong public support, the LRA turned brutally on its own supporters, supposedly to "purify" the Acholi people and turnUganda into a theocracy. Kony proclaimed himself the spokesperson of God and a spirit medium, primarily of the Holy Spirit, which the group believes can represent itself in many manifestations.

Kony 2012 is a film created by Invisible Children, Inc. with a stated purpose of promoting  the charity's 'Stop Kony' movement to make the movement for arrest of indicted Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony.  As like many other things, it has been watched by millions on You Tube and on other video sharing website Vimeo.   There is also a  central "Kony2012" website operated by Invisible Children. The intense exposure of the video caused the "Kony 2012" website to crash shortly after it began gaining widespread popularity. The video has also seen a number of celebrities endorsing the campaign including Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Christina Milian, Nicki Minaj, Bill Gates andKim Kardashian. On April 20, 2012, as part of the campaign, supporters will put up posters promoting Kony 2012 in their home towns. The movement launched,  Invisible Children,  offers posters from an online shop in an attempt to gain wider recognition on the issue. They have also created action kits that include campaign buttons, posters, bracelets, and stickers to help spread awareness

It is a video that runs for 30 minute urging sustained US military role in Uganda; the arrest of Joseph Kony, the fugitive leader of the Lord's Resistance Army militia group in Uganda, that is sweeping  across the Internet,  attracting a wave of support on Twitter and Facebook.  The group urges people to help make Kony "famous," and many high school and college students especially apparently related to a message focused on helping innocent children. The Lord's Resistance Army has been notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to fight. Russell narrates the video, which juxtaposes shots of his young son in Southern California with the plight of scarred Ugandan children. Over a stirring soundtrack, Russell urges viewers to call legislators and government officials to sustain the U.S. military presence in Uganda.  He also encourages viewers to purchase an Action Kit, which includes "Kony2012"-themed posters, stickers and bracelets fitted with "unique ID numbers" that buyers can distribute to their friends.  The campaign is supposed to culminate on April 20, when Russell urges supporters of the movement to "blanket every street, every city."

There has also been criticism that it only promotes a misunderstanding of the situation - beginning with the fact that Kony is believed to have long since fled Uganda for South Sudan or the Central African Republic.  Though his army once numbered in the thousands and sowed fear across northern Uganda, he is now believed to have only a few hundred followers and much of the armed conflict in the area has subsided.  Critics of the Invisible Children campaign also said the video oversimplified the situation, created the illusion that posting messages on social media could have a meaningful impact on a long-standing human rights crisis and ignored the efforts of people on the ground who truly understood the situation.  A similar type of celebrity-driven campaign to "Save Darfur" fell short of its goal of ending genocide in a strife-torn region of Sudan and drew similar criticism.

Some say that  Kony was last seen in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state in 2007 when the LRA leader had attended abortive peace talks before disappearing again into the bush. Reports suggest that  Ugandan military had only managed to drive Kony out of Ugandan territory after more than two decades of killings and kidnappings by the LRA.

The Kony 2012 campaign succeeded in making African warlord Joseph Kony infamous, but left out much of the background.  And that would start a fresh debate on whether the concern is real and how much of real success online campaigns would do…..

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Hail the valour of Naik Velu Satish - the hero of 26/11 attack

This particular article which appeared in ‘The New Indian Express’ written by Mr M. Anantha Krishnan is worthy of reading and reproducing, and circulating to all known persons – for it is on ‘the hero of 26/11 attacks – Naik Velu Satish – Kirti Chakra Winner’

It was an incident when Indians criticised their political leaders after the attacks, saying that their ineptness was partly responsible. The Times of India commented on its front page that "Our politicians fiddle as innocents die."  Political reactions in Mumbai and India included a range of resignations and political changes, - the attacks also triggered a chain of citizens' movements across India; there were vigils held across all of India with candles and placards commemorating the victims of the attacks. 

It was the carnage of innocents – the  2008 Mumbai attacks [simply 26/11 – Indian hour of shame] were 11 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks across Mumbai, by terrorists who came from Pakistan.Ajmal Kasab  who was captured alive, later claimed upon interrogation that the attacks were conducted with the support of Pakistan's ISI.  The attacks, which drew widespread global condemnation, began on Wednesday, 26 November and lasted until Saturday, 29 November 2008, killing 164 people and wounding at least 308.  The heroic efforts of Police, Military and NSG ensured that things were brought under control.   On 29 November, India's National Security Guards (NSG) conducted Operation Black Tornado to flush out the remaining attackers; it resulted in the death of the last remaining attackers at the Taj hotel and ending all fighting in the attacks.

While Ajmal Kasab still lives making the Indian Government expend crores of rupees to keep him alive, not all the heroes were honoured appropriately.  Some of them were indeed decorated with military decoration.  Kirti Chakra is one,  an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the peacetime equivalent of the Maha Vir Chakra. It is second in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards; it comes after Ashoka Chakra and before Shaurya Chakra.  By any yardstick the amounts that go alongwith the award pale in comparison with the other monetary expenditure.  Time Government raises these to more than reasonable amounts which would be a real honour to those who dared to sacrifice. 

Here is a reproduction of the article that appeared in the New Indian Express :  By Anantha Krishnan M  -  Express News Service

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Bangalore: “My wife was screaming and couldn't control her pain. She was almost 10-month pregnant. She was holding on to me , when the message came. When I was speaking she had drifted to sleep. It was probably the toughest moment in my life. I did not wake her up. I had to leave her alone. But then she knew what my job was,” Naik Velu Satish, the 34-year-old braveheart from the ranks of Indian Army's MEG & Centre (12 Engineer Regiment), spoke toExpress in a mix of Tamil and broken English.

“Bombay Operation Pathi Ethuvum Kekkadeenga (Don't ask anything about the Bombay Operation),” Satish, the 26/11 hero who was part of Op Black Tornado in Mumbai's Nariman House, set the rules straight, when he was cleared for a conditional interaction with Express in Bangalore. Satish, a Keerthi Chakra recipient, was honoured during a Passing out Parade at MEG recently. His family could resemble a mini-battalion, with two of his brothers already in Army, with his late father too serving the nation.

At Nariman House on November 28 (2008), Satish was part of small team from the 51 Special Action Group (SAG) of National Security Guard (NSG), who that took control of the 4th Floor. According to the Defence Investiture Ceremony (2009) citation records, it was Satish's utter disregard for his personal safety that helped locate the terrorists under fierce firing. He helped his Team Commander in creating an entry through the wall by planting improvised explosives.  Immediately after the wall blasted, Satish jumped inside the room and killed a terrorist from close range. He lost one of his buddies in the operation (Hawildar Jittender Singh), but Satish's stunning courage under fire made all the difference,” Army sources said, referring to records.

Back in Delhi after the successful operation, Satish rushed his wife Sumitha to the hospital only to get a mouthful from the doctors as she was already in a very-advanced stage of pregnancy. “I am thankful to God for giving me twin-sons. I strongly believe my buddies (Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and Havildar Jittender Singh) are reborn in the form of my kids (Dinakar & Diwakar). I am hoping to get a posting to NSG again,” says Satish.  While his mother Savithri leads the proud soldier-sons at home, she is not happy at heart. “I am supposed to be a Veer Thai (Brave Mother) with three of my sons in the Army. In Tamil Nadu, if a mother sends more than two of her sons to Army, she is eligible for many benefits and I haven't got anything. After Satish got the Keerthi Chakra, we received two cheques (Rs 75,000 and Rs 12,000) from TN government, but no land. Even the Karnataka government didn't congratulate him despite Satish belonging to MEG,” Savithri told this newspaper over phone from Unai Mottur village (Anaicut), in Vellore, Tamil Nadu.  None of his villagers, neighbours and teachers at Higher Secondary School in Anaicut know that it was their boy who did the brave deed in Mumbai.

HIS WISH: A photo with Arjun, 5 min with Sachin!

At the NSG HQ in Manesar, Satish had once interacted with cricketers Sachin, Dhoni and Harbhajan soon after Op Black Tornado. “I am waiting for Sachin to score his 100th Century. I am hoping to have five minutes with him to show him my Keerthi Chakra Medal. Sachin had told me that he was very proud of our achievements. I am a great fan of Tamil actor Arjun who is widely known as Action King. His films Muthalvan and Gentleman are my favourites. I hope to meet him once only to get a photograph clicked along with him,”says Satish with a child-like smile. And for the record, this braveheart can prepare spicy chicken curry in just under 25 minutes!

News reproduced in its entirety : Copyright@The New Indian Express

 

http://expressbuzz.com/states/karnataka/%E2%80%98my-twin-sons-are-buddies-reborn%E2%80%99/372408.html

the photo of the hero from the blog spot : tarmak007.blogspot.in.

http://tarmak007.blogspot.in/2012/03/2611-hero-says-his-twin-sons-are.html

Encyclopaedia Britannica ends Print Editions

Sadly, the reflection of changing times !!

Can you relate a Scottish Master Printer, Naturalist, Anitiquary on whose tombstone was written ‘here lies a man who did honour to human nature’ – William Smellie (1740-1795) to a Company founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 18th century, in the atmosphere of the Scottish Enlightenment, whose reputation grew throughout the publication of its subsequent volumes.

Before the advent of World Wide Web, Google search and people’s over reliance on articles of Wikipedia, it was the one and only  fountain of knowledge ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’.

Since 1985, the Britannica has had four parts: the Micropædia, the Macropædia, the Propædia, and a two-volume index. The Britannica's articles are found in the Micro- and Macropædia, which encompass 12 and 17 volumes, respectively, each volume having roughly one thousand pages. The 2007 Macropædia had 699 in-depth articles, ranging in length from 2 to 310 pages and having references and named contributors. In contrast, the 2007 Micropædia has roughly 65,000 articles, the vast majority (about 97%) of which contain fewer than 750 words, no references, and no named contributors. The Micropædia articles are intended for quick fact-checking and to help in finding more thorough information in the Macropædia. The Macropædia articles are meant both as authoritative, well-written articles on their subjects and as storehouses of information not covered elsewhere. The longest article (310 pages) is on the United States, and resulted from the merger of the articles on the individual states.

Encyclopædia Britannica (Latin for "British Encyclopaedia"), is  published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.  It is available  in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert contributors. It is regarded as one of the most scholarly of encyclopaedias.

It was  first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh, Scotland as three volumes. Beginning with the 11th editionin 1911, the Britannica shortened and simplified articles to broaden its appeal in the North American market. The current 15th edition has a unique three-part structure: a 12-volume Micropædia of short articles (generally fewer than 750 words), a 17-volume Macropædia of long articles (two to 310 pages) and a single Propædia volume to give a hierarchical outline of knowledge.  

Sadly, on 13 March 2012, it was announced that after 244 years, the Encyclopædia Britannica is going out of print, instead focusing on its online encyclopedia. In tune with the challenging times, the Britannica has had difficulty remaining profitable. Some articles in earlier editions have been criticised for inaccuracy, bias, or unqualified contributors. The accuracy in parts of the present edition has likewise been questioned, although criticisms have been challenged by Britannica's management.  So from now on, there will no further print edition and it would remain ‘completely digital’

Just before the full Internet boom, sales reportedly reached its peak wen 120,000 sets were sold in the United States in 1990  - even with its high price tag reportedly closer to $ 1500 (roughly Rs.70000 +). Britannica offered its first digital edition in 1981 for LexisNexis users, published the first multi-media CD in 1989 and the first encyclopedia on the Internet in 1994.  The online version - which offers some services for free and charges an annual fee for enhanced content -- attracts an audience of 100 million people worldwide, Britannica said.

A book is more attractive by its cover – the golden bound volumes would ever be a Priced possession of the beholder. But it would always be easier to ‘search online’ rather than pounce through the bound volumes !!  Britannica, as a whole, is not moribund, though: a half a million people pay $70 each year for complete access online.

William Smellie, at the age of 28, was hired by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell to edit the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar. 

How do you react to Indian win at Mirpur ?

Perhaps the simplest of the tests – do you rejoice or are you a cynic ?

India won their first match at Asia Cup beating Sri Lanka comfortably.  On hearing the news, what was your reaction ?

“Mirpur is not Perth or Lords ! – Lanka is no opposition – Asian grounds ball does not bounce much – Sachin got out another time and may never make that 100^th ton – I do not follow such games” – any of these or ‘we take them match by match’ – India bowled well – Gambhir and Kohli made centuries – India made their 68^th score of 300+

Sri Lanka boasts of a line-up which bats till no. 9 and only recently they had performed so sell in the CB Series taking the finals to 3 match affairs and making Australia struggle for a win.  Under the present rules, the batting powerplay is mandatory before 40^th over.  Lankans were well placed by 35 overs requiring 7.2 runs with 7 wickets in hand – but lost their way in the batting power play.   Downunder India struggled for 100 + stands, today it was 200+ with Gambhir and Kohli making centuries which gave them the control. Though there was a double strike in 43^rd over, Raina and Dhoni plundered to lift the score to 300+

This was Kohli’s 10^th ODI century in 83 matches; also the 10^th for Gambhir and it was their 3^rd double century partnership in ODIs.  Mirpur is running with a record having hosted 31 One dayers since 2010. 

Curiously more is being made against Tendulya that he is failing to reach his 100^th ton.  Again that is not a landmark by any yardstick – you don’t combine two different forms of cricket to make a record !  He has been there right at the top for over 23 years now bringing charm and happiness to millions of Indian fans.  No point counting days, matches and telling that is so long since he made his last international century.  Whether he is scoring or not should be a yardstick and if he fails, and fails continuously, like all other ordinary mortals, the greatest of the batting icon also would have his final day – but till then he should be allowed to play freely and sure he would sign off on top than make others ask ‘why not’.  People say the 100th hundred is playing on Tendulkar's mind.  Could be a fact but more factual is that people are hounding him with that statistics.  He had brought happiness to all cricket fans and the fans need to repay him with peace of mind.

He has displayed passion and insatiable appetite and has lived for the game.  Whether it is 99 or he closes at much higher figure does not matter. Watch him for his class and game not for wrong reasons !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar. 

Budget Session of Parliament commences today

In some ways, it the last vestiges of British rule – the Union Budget..  Until the year 2000, the Union Budget was announced at 5 pm on the last working day of the month of February. This practice was inherited from the Colonial Era, when the British Parliament would pass the budget in the noon followed by India in the evening of the day.  It was Mr.Yashwant Sinha, the then Finance Minister of India in the NDA government (led by BJP) of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who changed the ritual by announcing the 2001 Union Budget at 11 am.

Being the annual financial statement for the forthcoming year Apr 2012 – Mar 2013, the Budget (Union & Railway) should have been announced, discussed by now.  But the dates had to be deferred due to elections in 5 States as code of conduct of the elections commission of India does not allow making policy statements.  Now, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will table the budget in Parliament on March 16.  Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal announced that the Budget session of Parliament will commence from March 12, and the Railway Budget will be presented on March 14.

There was a time when people would queue up in petrol bunks on the eve of budget, expecting a rise in petrol prices – middle class perception of saving – that % rise in the 5 litres that they used to consume in their scooter…. Now that has changed – not their perception but the way petrol prices rise – they rise at the drop of hat. 

The Union Budget of India, is the annual Financial Statement stated in Article 112 of the Constitution of India.  The budget has to be passed by the House before it can come into effect on April 1, the start of India'sfinancial year. One hour of every sitting is called the Question Hour, during which questions posed by members may be assigned to specific government ministries, to be answered at a fixed date in the future.    The Lok Sabha shares legislative power with the Rajya Sabha, except in the area of money bills, in which case the Lok Sabha has the ultimate authority. Three sessions of Lok Sabha take place in a year: - Budget session: February to May; Monsoon session: July to September and Winter session: November to December.

The crucial  Budget session which have the Nation’s budget being presented and President Pratibha Patil addressing a joint session commences today.  The focus of the session will be on the economy with the finance minister due to present the budget. Analysts say political issues are also likely to impact the proceedings over the coming days.  The ruling  Congress party-led government has been weakened due to its poor showing in recent elections in five states.  In her address to the parliament, Mrs Patil said India's economy was faring much better than the rest of the world.  But she added that there had been a decline in economic performance and there were challenges before the government.

Perhaps most of us have forgotten Anna Hazare by now – the  last session of parliament was adjourned in December amid chaos over the issue of the controversial anti-corruption Lokpal bill.  The bill, which empowers an independent ombudsman to prosecute politicians and civil servants, was passed in the lower house, but failed to get through in the upper house of parliament, which adjourned without a vote.  The bill may be taken up again in the budget session.

Every year there are raised hopes that Govt’s  top  priorities would be fiscal consolidation and growth.  But it makes good to expect budget with low expectations.  So, higher taxes could almost be certain and the excise duty might go up for some products – there could more services falling in the service tax net.

The salaried class will as usual hear the budget speech with great expectations and the Income Tax limit would stand hiked by a couple of ten thousand rupees, which eventually would provide a relief of 2 or 3 thousand of rupees !!

Not many would have read the news of Delhi Court allowing participation of DMK MP Kanimozhi, facing trial for her alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation case; Special CBI Judge OP Saini allowed Kanimozhi's plea to attend the session after the CBI did not oppose it.   It is submitted by Kanimozhi that she is a member of the Rajya Sabha and Budget Session of Parliament is commencing from today and she may be allowed to attend the same to which senior public prosecutor (of the CBI) has no objection.  "She is permitted to attend the session subject to the condition that her identity shall not be disputed and her counsel shall remain present in the court for participating in the court proceedings and shall actually participate in the court proceedings," the special judge said.

That is Union Budget and Middle class who reads so much into the statement

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.