India Against corruption- Pros and cons

                                                    

IAC is a huge revolutionary movement that looks promising to sweep away the corruption from this country. But how far can it go is a question to be answered. It is led by a man who is an epitome of simplicity, reverence and honesty. But does he have the strength to take it far is a wait and watch question. What makes IAC a special team is that, it does not consist of normal citizens. It has people who are well educated, disciplined and above all who have proved to world that they are one of the best in their respective fields. The likes of Arvind Kejriwal, kiran bedi, Prashanth Bhushan,Meda patkar are extraordinary people themselves and for them to unite for a noble cause is something commendable. How many people who have achieved in their lives have the vision to do something good for the country? Especially to fight against all odds is something that is not trivial and needs to be supported and well appreciated.

Demands of IAC

The demands of IAC are simple and straight forward. They want a lokpal bill which seeks to provide for the establishment of the institution of Lokpal to inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for matters connecting them. They also want an independent council that is exempt from governmental control that could look into corruption charges. The independent council must be open to all and must be visible to general public eyes. They have also demanded an independent CBI that is free from all control and that would come under the eyes of lokpal which would investigate corruption allegations or charges.                          

Although it started as a united front to confront corruption, it is looked up on as an anti –government rebellion and has often been termed as ‘INDIA AGAINST CONGRESS’ since most of its allegations have been against the congressmen. Arvind Kejriwal rubbished the notions of the ruling government by accusing BJP head Nithin Gadkari of being corrupt and thus showing the country that corruption is not just restricted to Congress alone but is also associated with other parties as well.

Banes of IAC

What makes IAC look weak is that, although it has been able to successfully find evidences for all the allegations it has made, it has never lodged a complaint in court of LAW. It has only been revealing facts in media and has never taken pains to file a charge against the corrupt in the court. As Janatha party Subrahmanium Swamy has beautifully quoted ‘there is no point in making allegations if you cannot take it and prove it the court of LAW’. Wrong doers need to be punished and just by tarnishing their image in public with the help of media is not going to do good for the country. Hence every allegations made needs to be taken to the court and justice needs to be served to the people of this country whose hard earned money has ended in the pockets of these so called 'Netas'.   

IAC's idea of contesting elections

Although IAC as a team have managed to move the masses, the idea of contesting the elections as an independent party is a precarious decision and has not been backed by their pillar of support Anna Hazare. I always believe that to clean the gutter you always need to put your foot in to it even though you know it’s going to stink. In that sense, I personally think IAC to contest as a party is a right step forward. Will masses who have given their support during fasts, turn out to vote during elections 2014??? Only time will answer. Till then let’s watch how the story unfolds itself in times to come.

Spanish juggernauts ruling the world of football

Champions of Euro 2008, Champions of world 2010 and now champions of Euro 2012 again. Well, Spain has learnt how to dominate footballing world for sure. It is not about domination; it’s the way they dominate that amazes me. Spain has always been a team with great talent but has always under- performed when it comes to big stages. Ever since they were crowned as the champions of Europe in 2008, they have learnt their lessons and have started dominating the game like never before.

The main reason behind Spain’s victory over the years has been the kind of football they have played. Their style of football which is called as ‘Tiki-taka’ is something that is so amazing to watch. The selfless football they play is a lesson that other footballing nations must learn. There are so many other reasons which can be attributed to Spain’s success in recent past. The first and foremost is their domestic footballing structure. Although they do not have a competitive league as the English, their top two domestic clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid have always produced quality players. Most of the players in the national side are representatives of these two clubs which makes the team so strong. Not only that, the kind of football they play at domestic level ie.’tiki - taka’ is something that is being groomed and followed even at international level.

To highlight few more positives, the players playing for Barcelona and real are of Spanish origin and hence, it becomes easy for them to coordinate and play as a team when it comes to national duty. This is something that is missing in English football. Despite English having a competitive club footballing structure, they fail to dominate international stages. This is because most of the clubs in England have foreigners and the failures to groom local talents have cost them high at international level. Too add to the woes, the EPL is too long and it makes life more difficult for players to play at international tournaments. Whereas on the other hand the Spanish league gets over much early and it becomes easy for players to forget their club rivalry and play in unity.

As a matter of honesty the kind of talented players that Spain has in its’present team, the likes Xavi, Xabi, Iniesta, Fabregas, Silva and Casillas can be regarded as their golden generation. It’s not only individual talent but the talent as a team which Spain possesses that makes it a special side. To be able to play as a team with so many great names is not easy and is something that Spain has been successfully doing. If Spain continue to play the kind of football they have, they will not only be considered as ''the juggernauts'' but will also be regarded as team that has touched the pinnacle of glory not once but as many as possible,a feat that no team has ever touched before.

If I were a LAW maker- A wild dream

There is a general belief that the biggest old age home in the world is the Indian parliament, such ridiculous is our political system. We cannot blame our politicians, for the law itself is flawed with loop holes and cracks. There is a lot of flexibility in our political system which is taken to advantage by LAW breakers. So If I were the LAW maker of this great country, there are quite a few amendments that I would like to make.

                         First things first, politicians are the face of our nation, so if politicians are corrupt,  then there is no apprehension that the  entire nation would be flooded with corruption. The root for all this is the quality of politicians who sit at the top. I agree that every citizen be given equality in all walks of life but there must be restrictions when it comes to leading a nation. So the people who are contesting the election must fulfil some criteria to nominate themselves. Every bloke nominating himself must have a basic degree in education and must have specialised in political science. This would eliminate illiterates from holding the office at the top. Secondly, there must be a separate body which consists of honest people who monitor the politicians who are being  corrupt. If found guilty they have the right to file a suit in Supreme court against the same. SC has the right to penalise any politician even if it were the PM of this country. So ultimate power lies in the hands of the SC. Next, there must be age limit for politicians. The age to run the office must have a lower limit of 28 years and upper limit of 70 (max).

                    Next, the education system needs to be revamped. We produce quantity but not quality professionals. This is because of the disparity in education systems across various states of the nation. So we have to centralize the education system. If this is done, students will have to compete in national level, and the competition would be even, and quality people will make it to the top colleges across the nation. Also, all the quotas for so called under privileged classes should be removed and all students must be given equal treatment. This would eliminate many quacks and inefficient professionals.

              India despite being a huge nation lacks proper infrastructure be it roads or buildings, this despite collecting taxes from every earning common man .Most of the money goes in to the pockets of our so called leaders. To avoid such mishaps in future, there must  be a web site which informs every citizen of the country the amount of tax collected for that financial year and amount of money spent on infrastructure development. This would enable common man to track his tax and ensure that it has been put to proper use. Since everything is open to public ,the chances of mishandling of government funds and taxes can be eliminated.

            Next, justice delayed is justice denied. Although judiciary is the only thing in this country that seems to be less corrupt, the amount of time taken to convict or acquit an accused is simply too much. So there must  be  speedy yet fair justice available to the people of this country.

            Last but not least, all the important departments ranging from RTO, police, EB, water, etc. should have accountability and responsibility. They should clear all the grievances within 24 hours of them receiving the same and should inform if more time is required. Nothing should be taken for granted and status of every problem must be informed to the concerned. They should have respect when are dealing with people and should always remember that they are servants of the government and its people. People have the right to question and they are obliged to respond to the same with utmost gratitude.      

    If all these stated above are followed consciously, not only the people will have faith in its government and judiciary but the country in general will touch new heights. If every citizen of this country realizes his duty and follows them judiciously, then question of ineffective governance would never rise. Always remember a country is good as its denizens and hence disciplined people means disciplined nation.

                                                                     JAI HIND!     

The Wall – Respects

Rahul Sharad Dravid India’s ‘The Wall ’ has finally hung up his boots after an illustrious career lasting over a decade. He has been a great servant for Indian cricket and deserves all accolades that he is entitled to. What amazed me is the way he carried out himself every time he walked on to the pitch. He never showed any emotions and always let his bat do the talking. A man with flawless batting technique and great determination, Jammy indeed has been a gentleman.

He has been India’s ‘go to ‘man ever since he made his debut way back in 1996.He has opened the batting, kept behind wickets and even bowled at times. ‘When the going gets tough, the tough gets going’ best describes Dravid. There has never been an occasion where he hasn’t given his 100%. Mr.dependable has led India to great victories ranging from famous Calcutta test against Australia to a commendable win against the same opposition in their own backyard in Adelaide. He could be next to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of number of test runs but in terms of commitment Rahul stays far ahead of anybody else in Indian cricket.

Despite Dravid being so humble, he was never spared by his critics. He was initially criticized for being a slow player when it came to one day cricket. Dravid, a man who always lets his cricket do the talking proved his potential even as a one day player scoring over a whooping 10,000 runs silencing all his critics. Dravid captained India in 2007 WC where India failed to qualify from group stages making it India’s worst ever performance in WCs.

Dravid was not only a great man on the field but also off the field. The speech he gave on the status of test cricket in present times and his ways to improve it was also something that caught the eyes of the listeners. Dravid has always played second fiddle to Sachin, Sourav and Laxman. He never cared for personal glory and always kept his country first. A commentator once told ‘if Dravid wasn’t from India, he would have been as famous as Sachin and it was because of this great man that all his performances have been overshadowed’. But Jammy never worried about number of runs he scored or the accolades, it was the number of victories under his belt that mattered to him the most.

Dravid you are indeed a great servant to Indian cricket and a warrior in your own terms. You have inspired many young hearts who aspire to take cricket as a career. You might have retired but your legacy still remains.

Tribute to Dravid:

1st person: Sachin is God
2nd person: If Sachin is God, then Saurav is next to God on the Off side.
3rd person: Then Laxman is the God of 4th innings..

Then who is Dravid?

4th person: When the doors of the temple are closed ,even the Gods are behind "The Wall".

DADAGIRI unleashed

Ever since I started following cricket, I don’t know why I became a fanatic of this guy who has been an epitome of grit and determination for over a decade now.’DADA’ as he is known amongst his fans and fellow mates, has been a true source of inspiration and role model to many like me who follow cricket not just with heart, but with mind. The south paw comes from a royal family from Bengal. Despite him being a Maharaja, the man did not crave for the crown but wanted to carve out a path for himself unlike many other Indians who enjoy being a nepotist.Sourav Chandidas Ganguly was not just an ordinary Indian but he was a true warrior, not on the battle field but on the cricket field.

Like every other typical Bengali ,Ganguly was also a football enthusiast. He played for Mohan bagan one of the top most football clubs in India. It was his brother Snehashish who inspired Ganguly to become a cricketer. It is also a fact that Ganguly was a right handed batsman who later started batting left handed so that he could use his brother’s gloves. A blessing in disguise which many believe.Ganguly made is debut in 1992 against west indies. He had a terrible series down under and was later shown the doors.Ganguly, a man famous for comebacks made a reentry to the team only after 4 years in 1996 in the tour of England. Ever since then, there was no looking back. He made centuries in back to back matches against a grisly England attack. His stylish and flamboyant batting in that tour earned him the name of ‘GOD OF OFFSIDE’.Ganguly is also known as ‘Prince of Calcutta’,’Royal Bengal tiger’ amongst his fans.

In early 2000,Indian cricket’s credibility was questioned when few of our so called demi-Gods where caught in match fixing allegations. Our reputation was at stake. The likes of some of the greats like Sachin, Dravid,Kumble refused to take up the responsibility to captain the Indian side. It was Ganguly who put his hands up and decided to steer the ship from the front. It was when the Australians toured India that the world realized that Ganguly was not just restricted to flawless batting tearing oppositions apart but he was most able and one of the finest captains that India was ever to produce.Ganguly’s aggressive captaincy was something that Indian cricket had never dreamt in the wildest of its dreams.Ganguly was not just street smart on the field but was also off the field. His late entry for the toss against Australia not just once but 4 times in a row dumbstruck Steve Waugh, the then Australian captain. He was a king at mind games. Also, Off the field, his interactions with the media, his fans, and detractors were uncompromisingly honest and earned him the respect of cricket followers everywhere.

Ganguly has led India to many victories which included 2000-ICC knockout trophy,2002 NatWest trophy and 2003 WC finals being most noticeable ones.Ganguly was dropped from the Indian side owing to his most infamous spat with then coach Greg Chappel.Although many believed this was the end of the road for Ganguly,he the man with great determination and passion wanted to prove his mettle. Following India's poor batting display in the 2006 ICC Champions trophy and the ODI series in South Africa, in which they were whitewashed 4-0, Ganguly made his comeback to the Test team. During his first Test innings since his comeback, against South Africa in Johannesburg his score of 51 helped India to victory, marking the first Test match win for the team in South Africa. Though India lost the series, Ganguly accumulated the most runs on the scoring chart. After his successful Test comeback he was recalled for the ODI team, as India played host to West Indies and Sri Lanka in back to back ODI tournaments. In his first ODI innings in almost two years, he scored a match winning 98. He performed well in both series, averaging almost 70 and won the Man of the Series Award against Sri Lanka. On 12 December 2007, Ganguly scored his maiden double century of his career while playing against Pakistan. He scored 239 runs in the first innings of the third and final Test match of the series. He was involved in a 300 run partnership for the fifth wicket with Yuvraj Singh.Ganguly remained prolific in both Test and ODI cricket in the year 2007. He scored 1106 Test runs at an average of 61.44 (with three centuries and four fifties) in 2007 to become the second highest run-scorer in Test matches of that year.He was also the fifth highest run-scorer in 2007 in ODIs, where he scored 1240 runs at an average of 44.28.

Ganguly was instrumental in bringing youth and experience together. Ganguly felt that every young player should play two years of domestic cricket before being selected for international assignments. He also said that every newcomer should be given at least five games to prove himself. Later he explained that being at the receiving end of an unfair decision against him, that threatened to ruin his international cricket career, it enabled him to understand the insecurities of other newcomers in the team better than his predecessors. Ganguly had always backed the influence and contribution of younger players of the team. He is one of the most successful Indian Test captains to date, winning 21 out of 49 test matches. An aggressive captain, Ganguly is credited with having nurtured the careers of many young players who played under him, and transforming the Indian team into an aggressive fighting unit

Ganguly gracefully retired in November 2008 after a terrific series against Australia. Apparently it was the same series when when another legend by the name Kumble had also hung up his boots. In his final series Ganguly led India to a series win against the Aussies at home. He was adjudged the man of the series. The great Indian saga had come to an end.Althogh Ganguly might have retired from cricket, he still remains in the hearts of his fans as one of the finest and most respected cricketer of all times that world has ever seen.

Long live dadagiri !

-krishnan

Chauvinism at its best

The whole idea behind this article is to make people realize what women empowerment and treating women equally ,really and truly means. There is a hell a lot of difference between suggesting a corrective measure and implementing it. As they say “Actions speak louder than words”, it is true when it comes to our male chauvinistic society.Infact the word ”chauvinism” has now started being associated with men.Such is the disparity in society we live. We say women are our eyes (“pengal num kangal “ in Tamil).But it’s just a mere phrase, when it comes to real picture we just turn blind. Nobody actually understands the real essence of it. There is no doubt that men are stronger than women in terms physical strength, but does that mean that we treat them differently? Just by asserting force :)

on them doesn’t make us a superior class of human being or them an inferior one. They could be no match to us in terms of brawniness , but when it comes to moral strength they are on par with us. This I support despite me being a man myself (rational though).

To be honest, I sometimes feel that I am lucky to have been born as a man rather than a woman. I really can’t imagine myself to be looked up on as a mere sex tool. Most of you reading this article might argue about this, but deep inside your heart if you can realize how we have treated our female counterparts over the years you would agree with me. A mistake is a mistake, be it small or big. There is disparity not just in terms caste,colour,creed but also in terms of sex as well. When do u think the term “reservation” springs? It happens only when there is a disparity in society. We have women fighting for 33%(approx.) reservation in parliament. This proves it all. If we think that we treat our women folks equally we wouldn’t be giving them 33% reservation but we would have given them 50% , not reservation but equality and also not just in parliament but in every walks of life.

To add to the statistics why do we have 50% seats reserved for women in public transport? By doing this we are indirectly telling them “you are a weaker sex”.Women not understanding the real idea behind it think it to be a blessing and enjoy the special right given to them. Why do we not have women walking down the street late night. The reason being simple-they feel it’s insecure to be hanging out late night for they could be a victim of harassment both mental and physical. Is this what equal treatment means? Don’t they have right to live securely?

In today’s world women earn on par with men but why is it that they have to do the houslehold work apart from the office work?(there are few exceptions) and men get to relish the beauty of existence and freak out as and when they wish. Shouldn’t we be sharing our burdens equally?shoudn’t they have equal entertainment as we do? Women are also to be equally censured here for they have learnt to live like slaves.

Lastly, Although there are women leaders in our society who are proving to be exceptions, the numbers are just too low to justify that we have a just society. People time to think and revamp our thoughts as to how we move forward not just in terms of development but in terms of existence as well.

India and Olympics

Cricket, cricket and cricket, guess this is all what buzzes in India day in and day out. People follow cricket like religion. It is pity to even describe the abject condition of other sports in the country ranging from soccer to athletics. India is a land of billion people yet we play no other sport barring cricket. When it comes to Olympics it’s a total disaster. Why is it that we fail to win medals when it comes to Olympics? It’s high time we introspect and find out a solution for this long lasting problem.

China is a nation which is as populated as we are, but they always finish top in the podium. Why is it so? Well, before 1986 Olympics China failed to win medals at the mega event.They took this as a great offense to their nation and decided to forgo the following olympics.They nation as a whole decided that they would only participate if they were assured of medals from their athletes. Each and every denizen of that country worked hard for they thought their reputation was at stake everytime they went in to the event. In 1986 Olympics China finished second. Such was the hard work and dedication from their athletes. With the same amount of population don’t you think we don’t have the same potential as they have? We produce a hell a lot of engineers and doctors than China, a fact which we must feel proud of. If same amount of dedication and commitment can be put in to sports, we could go sky high.

The reason for this lackluster performance can be blamed on poor training facilities, lack of awareness on importance of sports as a career, domination of one sport( cricket),lack of sense of pride, laziness etc. Over the years people have blamed the infrastructure and quality of trainers as the reason behind India’s dismal performance. There is no doubt that there is truth behind it but, this in not the only reason for our failure. The root to this problem is poor fitness inspite of the decent facilities provided. Indians are physically weak compared to their counterparts from countries like USA,USSR,U.K, but so are China. How come they are able to achieve?? Fitness does not mean being strong and brawny. It means staying healthy and fit. How many of us Jog, cycle everyday? With advancement in technology the need for fitness has become extinct. Americans are far more technologically advanced than us, yet you can find people jogging, trekking and cycling everyday. One must know how to balance life. There is not doubt that you must use the technology but it is also mandatory that we don’t forget our basics.

Next reason being education. There is no question of eradicating education out of our lives for sports. Instead, the inclusion of sports in to our curriculum would do us a world of good. Marks for sports would enable children work a lot harder and also give equal grandness for sports. This will also bump off the fear in the parent’s mind who see potential in their children to make a career out of it.

To conclude, If we can rectify our shortcomings and realize our potential we can achieve a lot things that we can never dream of. Hope is the key to future. Lets be optimistic that glory awaits our nation soon.