#IPL6: Chennai add to Pune’s misery, inflict 37-run defeat on hosts #CSK


Suresh Raina worked his way to a superb 63 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an explosive 16-ball 45-run knock as Chennai Super Kings strengthened their position at the top of the table with a 37-run win over Pune Warriors in an IPL match, in Pune on Tuesday.

1829030

Raina anchored the innings with his 50-ball knock and skipper Dhoni provided the late fireworks as Chennai overcame a slow start to post a challenging 164 for three.

Paceman Mohit Sharma then rocked the Pune top-order in a fiery spell in which he dismissed Aaron Finch (15), T Suman (0) and Yuvraj Singh (5) from which the hosts never recovered and managed just 127 for nine.

Finch was caught behind and Suman was trapped in successive balls in Mohit’s first over. He returned to scalp Yuvraj. Raina’s electric fielding resulted in run out of Robin Uthappa (10) which left the hosts reeling at 43 for four inside fifth over.

As if that was not enough, Luke Wright was run out in an unfortunate manner when Steve Smith played a solid straight drive but the ball touched Albie Morkel‘s foot before hitting the stumps and Wright was caught out of crease.

A terrible mix up meant that Abhihek Nayar too was runout. Smith handed back a simple catch to Ravindra Jadeja a few overs later and with that wicket Pune were on their way to their eighth defeat from 10 matches.

Earlier, Raina showed a lot of maturity while batting as he did the spade work along with S Badrinath (34) while Dhoni batted amazingly in his side’s remarkable recovery later on.

After losing Michael Hussey (5) and Wriddhiman Sahara (13) early, Raina and Badrinath steadied the ship with a 75-run stand for the third wicket.

But it was 61-run unbeaten partnership between Raina and Dhoni for the fourth wicket that spoilt all the good work Pune bowlers had done earlier.

It rained fours and sixes when Dhoni batted as Chennai collected 50 runs in the last four overs. Dhoni punished hapless bowlers with seven boundaries including three sixes, the last one coming off the last ball.

Raina helped himself with five fours and a six.

India’s Worst-Behaved Motorists are in Bangalore


Every two days, three pedestrians are killed on roads and annually more than 10,000 are hospitalized – ONLY in BANGALORE CITY.  And today the motorist behavior is a heated topic of discussion, the arrogance and negligence of motorists in cities killing many and injuring many more.

The tech capital of India, Bangalore scored the lowest in the category on the motorist behavior in cities – the miserable score of all – 30 out of 100. However, the city scored 45 in overall walkability index while Pune scored the highest with 54, Rajkot 53, Bhuvaneswar 50, Surat 43, and Chennai 40.

The survey was carried out by a New Delhi-based green group called Clean air initiative aimed to determine the walkability (walking infrastructure availability) of Indian cities. Initially conducted in 13 Asian cites, the survey was later extended to seven Indian cities namely – Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Pune, Indore, Rajkot, Chennai and Surat. It aims to draw constructive results from the walkability parameters and educate the stakeholders and policymakers on the necessary changes.

Bangalore scored the least in the category called disability infrastructure with a shocking low score of 24 against 100. Disability infrastructure category measures the availability of positioning and maintenance of infrastructure for the disabled.

Adding misery to the plight of the Bangalore pedestrians struggling with poor infrastructure, vehicles hardly stop for people to cross the roads and you can seldom see any zebra crossing at signals as vehicles often halt on them leaving the pedestrians a very minimum or no space to cross the road. Footpaths are often taken over by bickers.

“Although the pedestrian fatality share at the national level is 13 percent, metropolitan cities like Bangalore New Delhi and Kolkata have a pedestrian fatality share greater than 40 percent,” the survey finds. Elderly people and school children carry a large share of the burden with 23 percent fatalities and 25 percent injuries. “Bangalore has drafted a policy paper for pedestrian movement in the Bangalore metropolitan region. The policy paper and the comprehensive traffic and transportation study envision a pedestrian mode share target of only 20 percent by 2015. With such a relatively small vision and target, the city may be planning for poor walkability, the survey suggests.

Walking path modal conflict, availability of walking paths, availability of crossings, grade crossing safety, motorist behavior, amenities, disability infrastructure, obstructions and security from crime were the parameters on which the survey was made.

60 Interesting facts about Superstar Rajinikanth


Superstar Rajinikanth alias the original Shivaji Rao Gaekwada is such a prankster in his early teenhood. completely contrast to the present poised man he is, Rajini always got into trouble and had indulged in galore of mischief.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

• The much popular style of tossing the cigarette up in the air to catch it with his lip started as early before he reached his eighteen. Betting his senior friends that he is capable of joining their gang, Shivaji first performed the trick in the bushes at school

.• He has a way with his friends and just like his on screen demeanor, there was a group of followers mesmerized with the style that made him their leader in school.

• Rajinikanth was such a spoilt brat that his brother dropped him from school temporarily so that he could learn some lesson. He was enrolled in a yoga hall with the famous Babaji and that is where his strong liking for the saint began at the age of 16.

• When he had a freak accident at that age, a deep wound developed in his body and later it became his mark for all identifications which Rajini used to flaunt to his friends earlier

.• The story of ‘Kuselan’ was based on one such friend named Bahadur during his days in Bangalore and it was also the same man who sent him to study acting in Pune.

• After much deliberation Rajinikanth’s elder brother managed to get him a job in the government as a bus conductor and apart from acting it is one of his favorite jobs which he loved doing every minute interacting with people.

• During his school days, Rajini had a strong liking for acting and had performed various roles in the stage plays. Playing the role of villains like Ravana was his favorite and he did it so well in his own style that the audience clapped for minutes together after his performance.

• His elder brother always sacrificed a lot that made him the superstar he is now. In his childhood, their family was so ridden in poverty that their food was not at all enough. He used to share his meal for Rajini so that he had his fill for the day.• Rajini have a peculiar habit of remembering names even if it is years before they met and also is very good at keeping the faces in mind. It serves him the best outputs even now as keeping people in mind is an important aspect in the film industry.

Education wise the star didn’t had a strong background as he was more interested towards art and creative things. So, his brother at first tried to get him a degree but later let him go in his own path that determined the strong future.• Rajinikanth is synonymous with simplicity and just like in the movies he loved to sleep inside or on the top of the bus in the natural setting without comfort of the bed.

• His close friend Bahadur is the first guy who rekindled his interest in art during the conductor profession and also helped him go to Pune for studying in the film institute.

• Even though, he has not seen his parents, superstar always had a strong liking for his mom and used to pester his elder brother to tell about their past life accompanied with vivid description of his mother.

• Coming from such a poverty filled home, he knows the value of food and money which helped him to be stable even after attaining global recognition.• In this period, Rajini had lost signs of his early days but he was such a short tempered man in the past due to which he got stuck into many controversies.• It was only after he became a superstar, the color black considered as inferior in our state became prestigious and youngsters started feeling more confident quoting him as a role model

.• Without any money to even board the bus to attend the interview in Pune, his friend and bus driver sold his wife’s jewels to pay the expenses and also to pay the fees. Rajini had never forgot that selfless attitude towards his well being.

• Without any hope or idea about his future career, he landed and the inferior complexity of being black was a major shortcoming when he attended the interview but it was the style that changed the day.

• During his education at film institute, Rajini was the poorest boy of all who couldn’t afford to even have few sets of clothes. He used to wash the same and sometimes even wear it wet to college that students mocked at times.

• After several years, it was the movie ‘Sivaji’ that gained nationwide accolade and sold for whopping crores that flabbergasted the distributors seeing Rajini’s star power.

• Smoking was the most harmful habit that he had even after finding peace with Babaji and Himalayas. Only a few years back during ‘Chandramukhi’, he stopped it due to serious conditions and continues to stick to his decision.

• Rajini loves being the centre of attraction and wonders often how the media used to publicize him for sales. In his middle age in cinema, he was so harsh in his tone that warranted several controversies.

• Superstar met his wife Latha when a group of young college girls came to interview him and she was leading the team. He was immediately attracted and their marriage was made possible with help of YG Mahendran.

• A peculiar attitude of Rajini is he doesn’t want even his family members to intervene in his decisions or plans. Basking in solitude is his forte but he had never failed to look after the family with due concern.

• In his poyes garden house, he has reserved a special place as advised by vastu experts for poojas and meditation. Considered as restricted zone for others, Rajini meditates and prays in the room.

• The preaching songs included in his every movie were not intentional and it was made on demand when many personalities felt Rajini has a way with youngsters which pushed him to the stereotype songs.

• Similar to his punch dialogue in Padyappa, Rajini has his own ways of treating and seeing things to which he sticks. No one is supposed to advice him unless he voluntarily seeks their help.

• After every movie, he maintains a habit of taking a break out of Chennai and usually before the Himalayas, Bangalore is his favorite spot to hang out with his old buddies.

• While studying in college, Rajini had no source of income except for the one he gets from his brother and friends. So, he spent many a nights without a morsel of food on the roadside areas.

• A friend who works at the famous Tata Udipi hotel became close to Rajini and it was with his help that a group of young buddies used to steal food at night to satiate their hunger.

• Many of his close friends still wonder, what kind of person Sivaji Rao alias Rajinikanth is. He is such a mystery even to his close ones and always acts in unexpected ways.

• Most of the time, Rajini doesn’t stay in his house at Boyes Garden and always likes to spend time amidst nature in his farm house.

• During his stay in the outskirts of the city at guest houses, just like any common man Rajini would get into the fields and plant seeds after cultivating the ground by digging it.

• His regular schedule includes waking up early in the morning around 5, meditating and a compulsory one hour long walking in the evening for physical fitness.

• Rajini is the only star who had visited the most sacred caves of Himalayas were Sadhus live. He had gone deep into the mountains around five times which is considered impossible by many even now.

• Apart from seeking spiritual peace, Rajini likes to roam around without identity and he wants to be nobody as he used to be decades before.

• In Chennai and Bangalore, Rajini often roams around in disguise which is hard to find and he mingles with the local crowd to know what people opine about him in general.• Rajini had acted in some six Hindi films during the early stages of his career and even shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra.

• Superstar can speak four languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Marathi. He is also well versed in many slogas in Sanskrit.

• A simplicity that everyone loves about Rajinikanth is he always stands up to greet everyone who enters the sets for the day’s shoot.

• Punctuality and Rajinikanth is synonymous as he always maintains to be at the venue whether be it a shooting or event minutes before it commences.

• Rajini is a fond of his demised mother Jakkubai and even named his movie with KS Ravikumar earlier.• He was as young as nine years old when his beloved mother passed away. Since then, he repents her demise in lonliness.

• Superstar’s official tailor had often wondered how he could have the same sizes and no changes at all in his 25 year career.

• It was the trademark of screenplay and similar storyline created for Rajinikanth that has been used and re-used by many heroes in more than 100 movies in the recent past.

• With his own creative mind, Rajini used to introduce new styles in his movies and directors never intervene in his decision.

• When he was still young, he used to pester his brother to tell stories and activities related to his mother Jakkubai.

• The enormous changes in life and the success that he tasted changed Rajini into an ardent devotee. He was an atheist who doesn’t believe in god earlier.

• His favorite food cooked in Bahadur’s home in Mutton Kaima and Rajini devours it always even if it is for a whole week.

• Rajini is a brand name and in the prestigious AVM studios he has a room allocated for him to use while shooting.

• The same kind of room is allotted for him in the hotels he visit and in Rishikesh where he stays during the Himalayan visit.

• The Raghavendra Mandapam in Chennai is built specially for bypassers and those who seek a shelter to stay initiated by Rajini.

• When it comes to treating fans with respect, no can beat the superstar in hospitality.

• So far in his life, it was in the life matters of his daughter that Rajini behaved very poised while he’s short tempered by nature.

• His marriage took place in Thirupathi without much fanfare or the media glare that he willingly rejected.

• Ironically, in the wedding reception he treated the media persons with much care and let them take pictures as they wished.

• Rajini is fond of his old memories and retains the things he used in the past like his car, clothes and other accessories.

• The only person who has the right to scold and put him in right path is his mentor K Balachandar, who can question him anytime.

 

Are the Men in Khaki Killing the Democracy?


Why there still exists a sense of trepidation towards our policemen? Why are we scared to approach them? Are they the legal goons in Khaki? These are questions that have always surfaced the Indian police administration time and again; the recent incident to add fuel to the fire is Raj Bala’s death who succumbed to the serious injuries, a Ramlila Maidan lathicharge victim.

Indian policemen

The 51-year-old woman was injured in the police crackdown on the yoga guru’s anti-corruption gathering in June this year. Rajbala was admitted at the capital’s GB Pant Hospital for the last few months. Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj attended the funeral of Raj Bala. Swaraj tweeted, “After battling between life and death for 15 weeks, Raj Bala died. It is a sad commentary on our Police functioning.”

Pune farmer firing

This is not the only incident where the Khaki people have been responsible for claiming innocent lives, the recent attack on Pune farmers was a shame on the whole governance administration. Thousands of farmers had blocked the Mumbai-Pune expressway to protest against an underground water pipeline project that will divert water from the Pawna dam to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Township. Shocking video footage of alleged police excesses during the farmers’ agitation on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway came to the fore where two cops were seen firing at fleeing farmers, killing three protesting farmers on the spot. Later Police Inspector Ashok Patil, Sub-Inspector Ganesh Mane were suspended and six policemen had been suspended for damaging cars. Rahul Gandhi termed as “wrong” the police firing on agitating farmers in Mawal in Pune district as he visited the families of those killed in the incident and joined a prayer meeting.

However, for the politicians it was again a good opportunity to lash out on the ruling party and a new political agenda; the National Democratic Alliance crippled the functioning of Parliament demanding the dismissal of the Union Home Minister and the Maharashtra government over the police action in Pune.

Gujarat Riots

Gujarat Riots

The Gujarat police remained silent spectators during the famous violent riots of 2002 when the unfortunate incident of the burning of the bogies of Sabarmati Express on February 27 sparked a wave of Hindu-Muslim riots in the State. The police were hushed even when a building opposite the Commissioner’s office was burned and former Congress Member of Parliament, Eshan Jaffri, a Muslim, was burned alive along with his family. Reportedly, police sources admitted that he made various calls to the police informing them about the danger and asked for help, but the police turned a blind eye. The irresponsible attitude of the police and State government has been criticised by Indian Opposition parties and human rights organisations.

However huge political nexus has been a problem for some policemen to play honest and this is a prima facie in Modi’s case. When a senior police officer Sanjiv Bhatt implicated Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the communal riots in 2002 he was suspended right away.

Gujarat Riots

Sanjiv Bhatt was posted in the Intelligence Department when India saw its worst communal riots since the partition. In an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, Bhatt said that he attended a meeting on February 27, 2002 after the Godhra train burning incident where Modi asked police officers to be “indifferent” to rioters.

The Congress and the Left parties condemned the Gujarat government’s action of suspending two police officials, who provided evidence against Chief Minister Narendra Modi about the handling of the 2002 communal riots.

Other miscellaneous cases around India

On 25th August 2011, an 18 year old girl was detained on suspicion of the murder of her 15 year old lover, was raped by some unnamed policemen. The police station chief has been suspended for dereliction of duty, by not having female constables present while a woman is in remand.

 On 7th September 2011 Irshad a truck driver and his assistant Siyaram, were assaulted by two constables in Kanpur after they refused to pay an 50 bribe for driving into a no-entry zone.

Siyaram succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. The two offending police constables have been arrested, suspended and booked for murder.

On 17th September 2011 Govind Rajdhar 22, of Bihar, was detained by police on suspicion of robbery. The man died while in custody.

His family and others protested in the streets saying Govind was badly beaten and tortured during interrogation and succumbed to his injuries.

India has innumerable such incidents where the men in khaki has put us to shame and doubt. Where the problem lies? Is the high profile politics responsible? Are our politicians suppressing the minimum number of honest policemen also? Or it is the recruiting system that is the root cause of all? Or the pay structure, the model of power associated with it makes the cops corrupt? These are questions that our system and higher officials needs to address soon to create an orderly state.