India bids adieu to CWG, finish 2nd with 101 medals

Several promising players failed to match up to expectations but India finished with 101 medals in the 19th Commonwealth games, their best in CWG history. With 38 gold medals in its kitty, India surpassed its previous best performance at the Manchester Games and finished second in the medals tally.

The last day saw India falter in the hockey final as they were thrashed by Australia but Saina Nehwal’s singles gold in badminton capped a series of impressive performances.

While Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra managed only a silver, India’s other shooters including Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar outperformed the competition and won 14 golds in different shooting events.

The Indian grapplers too proved their mettle and clinched 19 medals (10 golds, 5 silver and 4 bronze) in wrestling. Olympic bronze medalist Sushil Kumar (66kg freestyle) along with Ravinder Singh (60kg GR), Rajender Kumar (55kg GR), Sanjay (74kg GR), Anil Kumar (96kg GR), Yogeshwar Dutt (60kg FS), Narsingh Yadav (74kg FS), Geeta Kumari (55kg), Alka Tomar (59kg), Anita (67kg) bagged the top prize.

The host nation wrote history in athletics bagging the first gold in discus throw and 4X400 metres relay. Krishna Poonia along with Harwant Kaur and national record holder Seema Antil swept all the medals in the women’s discus throw event to register a magnificent victory. The Indian quartet of Manjeet Kaur, Sini Jose, Ashwini Akkunji and Mandeep Kaur finished first in the 4x400m relay, clocking 3:27.77s.

In boxing, Indian pugilists made their mark winning three golds in the event. There was disappointment in the Indian camp after the early exit of star players Akhil Kumar and Vijender Kumar. But other pugilists Paramjeet Samota (91+kg), Manoj Kumar (64 kg) and Suranjoy Singh (52 kg) made the nation proud bagging gold.

Youngster Somdev Dev Varman clinched India’s maiden gold in men’s singles tennis though tennis stars Sania Mirza and Leander Paes could not live up to the hype created in the run-up to the games. Somdev demolished Greg Jones in straight sets to send the home crowd into wild celebrations.

In hockey, Indian team stormed into the finals in style beating England in a thriller. But they lost badly to Australia in the finals and had to settle for a silver medal. The Australian thrashed India 8-0 in the finals to clinch gold.

India, however, could not have asked for a better finish at CWG 2010 with its shuttlers coming good at the Siri Fort Stadium. The pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa bagged gold in the women's doubles taking India’s gold tally to 37. And then Saina Nehwal created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the singles gold at the CWG.

The final tally for India was 101 medals (38 golds, 27 silver and 36 bronze).

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Posted in Cwg2010 , Delhi , Farewell , Nation , sports

Grand farewell to Commonwealth Games

The curtains came down on the biggest sporting show India has witnessed with a colourful closing ceremony capping a series of brilliant performances on the field over the past 12 days.

The closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games 2010 commenced with a gripping display of martial arts and a performance by a 400-strong Army band. Over 6,800 performers had been lined up for the closing ceremony in front of a capacity crowd of nearly 60,000 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. A rendition of Vande Mataram preceded a parade by athletes from the 71 participating countries.

The ceremony came on a day that saw India post its best performance in CWG history. With 38 gold medals in its kitty, India surpassed its previous best performance at the Manchester Games and finished second in the medals tally.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received the loudest applause when he walked in for the ceremony. Others present to witness the ceremony included the chief guest Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Congress youth icon Rahul Gandhi, Salman Khursheed, Nafisa Ali and Prasoon Joshi were among the other prominent faces visible at the stadium.

The highlight of the show, apart from the performances, was again the helium aerostat suspended over the stadium. The balloon had become an instant hit at the opening ceremony as well, with video content being projected on it, including animation and graphics synchronised with the events taking place during the opening ceremony.

The crowds had begun coming in long before the event began, anticipating a repeat of the impressive show put up for the opening ceremony. Tight security measures had been put in place. Many markets across the city were shut with the day having been declared a public holiday.

The last day saw India falter in the hockey final as they were thrashed by Australia but Saina Nehwal’s singles gold in badminton capped a series of impressive performances.

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Posted in Cwg2010 , Delhi , Farewell , Nation , sports

City schools say no to cane

Schools are taking a stand and devising ways to put a full stop to corporeal punishment which has left a scar on many students. The schools believe that by developing a friendly relationship between teacher and students, they can solve the issues pertaining to discipline amicably, and therefore bring an end to corporal punishment.

The decision came in the wake of the arrest of the principal and three teachers of La Martiniere School for boys, Kolkata, on charges of abetting the suicide of a class VIII student who was allegedly subjected to corporeal punishment.

Schools in the city have also come up with a set of strict rules to end corporeal punishment on their campuses. They have prepared a list of dos and don'ts to be followed by all teachers. The teachers found guilty of violating the rules will be severely punished. Many schools are already counselling teachers on how to deal with students.

"It's through love and friendship that teachers can win over students. Our teachers are friends to the students. Corporeal punishment is never practised here," said Manjula Raman, principal, Army Public School.

Echoing Raman, Archana Vishwanath, principal of Jain Heritage School said that the school has been strictly following a 'no corporeal punishment' policy since its inception.

"We conduct regular counselling for teachers. We actively engage students and teachers in one-on-one discussions to bridge the gap that may exist between them," she said.

Supreme Court had banned corporeal punishment in schools in 2000. The Section 17 of Right to Education Act, which came into effect on April 1, states : "No child shall be subjected to physical punishment and mental harassment".

Taking cognisance of the Kolkata-boy Rouvanjit Rawla suicide case, Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has begun formulating stringent guidelines against corporeal punishment in schools.

The guidelines will examine ways to take penal action against such schools, award compensation to affected students, besides giving more teeth to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

However, Karnataka Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (KCPCR) says that awareness holds the key to root out the practice from campuses. The commission has so far received five cases of corporeal punishment this year and they fear many more have gone unnoticed.

"As part of our awareness programme, we are asking schools to do everything to put an end to this menace," said Vasudev Sharma, member, KCPCR.

Students too hope that the practice would be banned in all schools. "Earlier, corporal punishments were common in schools. But today, the society is aware about the laws governing child rights and its implications," said Raja Hedge, a student of class IX, who did not wish to name his school.

"Corporeal punishment is not the solution for bringing discipline among children. A teacher should be a friend, philosopher and guide to students," said Tina Mathews, a student.

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Posted in Cane , City News , Nation , School

BJP rushes Venkaiah to handle Karnataka crisis

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

So as his government in Karnataka skids towards a minority, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa is touring temples; senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu has been flown by his party to Bangalore to handle the crisis; rebel BJP MLAs who're causing the crisis are in Mumbai (via Chennai and Kochi); and worried about its own men switching sides, the Congress has led 50 of its MLAs to a secret location.

First, the BJP. 14 of its MLAs have told the Governor they no longer support the BJP government because it is riddled with corruption. Yesterday, along with 5 independent MLAs, they said -from the safe distance of a hotel in Chennai -that they were opting out. The thinly-disguised motive is a recent cabinet reshuffle, in which some of them lost their posts.

In the absence of these 19 MLAs, Yeddyurappa's numbers in the Legislative Assembly fall well below the half-way mark of 113. The Governor has told him to prove his majority before October 12. Expressing his confidence at surviving this crisis, the Chief Minister said he plans to ask for a trust vote on October 11.
Naidu said in Bangalore that the Congress is determined to destabilize the BJP government.

But the puppeteer pulling the strings is believed to be former chief minister and opposition leader HD Kumaraswamy. When asked about whether he had nudged the BJP revolt, he said the dissidence was entirely of Yeddyurappa's making. But in the last few weeks, Kumaraswamy, who heads the JD(S), has publicly charged Yeddyurappa with using his office to help his sons buy prized property at throwaway rates. Privately, many say, he has been colluding with BJP MLAs and independent MLAs to quit the government.

The corollary to the BJP's nightmare is whether the Congress and the JD(s) will be able to combine forces to form a government, if they can topple Yeddyurappa's.

Amid reports that some of the BJP MLAs who've promised to withdraw support are reconsidering, they arrived in Mumbai and were driven to an undisclosed location. Reports suggest they resurfaced later at the Mumbai airport. There is speculation about whether they might be flown out of the country till the vote of confidence on Monday.

Karnataka: How the numbers add up

224-member assembly; majority mark is 113. If 19 MLAs withdraw support, the government will be in a minority.

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Posted in BJP , Karnataka , Nation , Politics

Disputed Ayodhya land to be divided into 3 parts

Allahabad High Court rules by majority that the disputed land in Ayodhya be divided into three parts to be distributed among the Sunni Waqf Boaard, Nirmohi Akhara and the party for `Ram Lalla`. Justice SU Khan rulesthat the disputed land belongs to both the communities,say lawyers. Status quo will be maintained at the disputed site in Ayodhya for three months, claim lawyers Ravi Shanker Prasad and KN Bhatt.



In a very significant verdict, HC also pronounced that the `moorties` of Ramlala will not be removed from thee disputed land. Court also made it very clear that the dissputed land belongs to Ramlala.





Earlier, Justice S U Khan, Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice D V Sharma start the proceedings to pronounce the judgement in the Ayodhya title suit.





The litigants have reached Court No. 21 of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court. Justice SU Khan rules that the disputed land belongs to both the communities,say lawyers. Status quo will be maintained at the disputed site in Ayodhya for three months,claim lawyers Ravi Shanker Prasad and KN Bhatt.





In a very significant verdict, HC also pronounced that the `moorties` of Ramlala will not be removed from thee disputed land. Court also made it very clear that the dissputed land belongs to Ramlala.

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Posted in Ayodhya verdict , Nation

Highlights of the judgement

-Hindus to get part where idols are kept




-Disputed structure can not be treated as a mosque




-Disputed land is the birth place of Lord Rama




-Sunni Waqf Board to appeal in Supreme Court

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Posted in Ayodhya verdict , Highlights , Judgement , Nation

Muslims want to move on

As very important judgement would be delivered on RamJanam Bhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the issue is no longer as inflammable for the Muslim youth as it used to be. They feel that preventing fresh unrest is more important. Sixty years since that suit was filed, and 18 years after the mosque’s demolition, the inflammatory issue seems to have lost some of its fire. Muslims once thought the mosque was a metaphor for Indian secularism and its rebuilding alone could restore their faith in their nation.



Today, the debate has little meaning for many among them, or at least the younger generation.

“Me and my Muslim friends may have together discussed this subject once in my entire life,” says Shabbir. “I think it is pointless to shed blood over one mosque when there are so many other mosques around the country.



It had anyway been locked for decades before the demolition. What happened was grossly unjust, but we have to move on.”-- Saif Shahin,editor and publisher,NewageIslam.com. Omar Ilyasi,Islamic scholar and Imam of Kasturba Gandhi Marg mosque of the capital said that the nation has to address other serious issues like poverty,social injustice and unemployment rather than this non-issue. “ I am of the firm view that both parties much accept the court verdict with all the humility,” he concludes.



Echoing the views of Omar Ilyasi, noted social worker and school teacher in capital,Maqsood Ahmed said,” I know for sure that this very issue is now not that important as it used to be for Muslims. Their priorities have changed. They are now more interested in getting good education and jobs. They would accept the court's verdict. I am ateacher in one of the minority schools of the capital and i can tell you with certain degree of confidence that even Muslims kids are not very much interested in this issue. My only worry is that some parties and leaders may to try to whip the communal feelings in order to gain politically.”



Noted historian and teacher in capital's elite Modern School,FerozFeroz Bakhat Ahmed is of the view that this very issue should be resolved at the earliest. There is no point that we concentrate on this matter rather working on other key issues.

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Posted in Ayodhya verdict , Muslims , Nation