Pi-rated

Piracy has taken deep roots Kolakata. Repeated police raids in the pirated CD den in Chandni Chowk has led the pirated CD and DVD sellers to infiltrate into the numerous crossings of the city. It won’t really be an exaggeration to say that the more important and busier crossings of Kolkata are occupied by at least one such seller in each point. From Hrishikesh to Himesh, Suchitra Sen to Shreya Pandey, De Sica to DiCaprio, with a fair sprinkling of Ravi Kissen, Shakeela and Uttam Mohanty, as also – all available within twenty to sixty bucks set the crossings on fire. Dreamweaver and Delta Force might just be a bit harder on the pocket – but then again, just by the odd bit. That doesn’t mean print piracy has been relegated to a backseat. Pirated booksellers occupy the pavements between such important crossings, with Peter Drucker, J.K. Rowling, Dutta-Pal-Chowdury, Sayajit Ray lying in happy congregation. The arm of law isn’t that long after all.

No Preparation To Speak Of

The inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup will be kicked off on September 11. And India will be featuring in the final one-dayer of the ongoing Natwest series against England on September 07. It is astonishing to note that there is hardly any scope for practice and training for the mega event. The BCCI should be aware that putting out-of-form perishing stars like Virender Sehwag and Irfan Pathan in the team led by first-time captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is far from enough for making a mark at the world event. The officially recognized apex body of Indian cricket seems to be too busy in tackling the Indian Cricket League. The lack of professionalism on the part of the administrators is appalling. Prior to the first Twenty20 World Cup, India has played only one such game at the international level, where, of course, it emphatically overpowered the Proteas. India never recognized the importance of one-dayers and went to the 1975, as also the 1979, Prudential Cups virtually unprepared. Thirty years hence, the Board has become richer manifold, but its professionalism seems to be cooling its heels. Personal tussles against the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya and Subhash Chandra, seem to top the priority list of BCCI. No less disgusting is the comment from veteran Sehwag, who was reported to have remarked at the inauguration of flood light facilities of a Kolkata cricket coaching centre, that Twenty20 is pure entertainment ahead of serious cricket. More refreshing and closer to ideal is the attitude of young Robin Uthappa, who observed after his match-winning knock at the penultimate Natwest ODI that he has been practicing innovative shots for the Twenty20 World Cup, even though such disclosures in front of the television camera for the world and the opposition cricket managers to watch, may not be regarded as something utterly professional and wise.

First Citizen Farce

It is disappointing to find that in all likelihood, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will be required to vacate his chair of the President of India. It is equally frustrating to digest the fact that Pratibha Patil will be his likely successor to the post of the first citizen of the world’s largest democracy. What is being projected as a symbol of women’s empowerment in India is actually a garbled form of women’s embarrassment. Someone with a history of fiscal fraud and favouritism could certainly be bettered by any other woman, if at all gender is an issue worthwhile enough to have any effect on Presidential election. India can do well without an empowered puppet, at the hand of subtly crude dynastic politics. If at all a woman has to be made the next President of India, why not approach Arundhati Roy, or Kiran Bedi or Lalita Gupte or Kalpana Morparia? Is a woman professor at IIT or IIM or IISc less fit than Ms. Patil for the post of President of India? It remains to be seen what Pratibha Patil or Bhairon Singh Shekhawat or even Pranab Mukherjee (a last-minute bid at sanity, perhaps) does with Kalam’s Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) plan.

Bus Woes

The West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation buses operating in the Newtown to Garia Station, Newtown to Jadavpur and Newtown to Rabindra Sadan routes are designed for discomfort of those passengers who have to remain standing. The space between the two rows of seats on either side being too large to accommodate a single file of standing passengers, the conductors are inclined to push in another file. But the space is simply too little to make room for this second file. That is why the conductor finds it too difficult to squeeze in for collecting the fare. Really, the West Bengal Government should have been wise enough to understand that employees at the Salt Lec Electronis Complex, who mostly board these buses should not be tortured this way on their way up to and back from office.

Drugged Youngies

Young people today are more experimental. They often suffer from lack of parental guidance. No wonder, with easy bucks to spare, they are more open to drugs.

Big In Small, Small In Big

Sweta Keswani got noticed in a big way in 'Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki' and gained fair bit of popularity also in 'Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand'. Her glamorous and bubbly screen presence adds spice to the television magazine show she hosting with Romanchak in Star Plus. However, since she failed to transfer her small screen popularity into the silver screen, as in her item number in 'Tauba Tauba' and her role in 'Love In Nepal', she should be more selective in opting for the big screen.

Sing Song

Kunal Ganjawala created ripples in the Hindi music industry with his seductive 'Bheege hont tere'. This singer with little formal training in music goes to show what passion and love for music can bring out of a person who discovered that he can sing only when being ragged in college. He should not be looking to flow along the waves of popularity and be selective in choosing the songs he should lend his voice to.

Examining Examinations

More frequent and tighter vigil of examination procedure is required on the part of the authorities to prevent question paper leaks. There should also be more frequent inter-departmental change of staff so that they do not develop vested interests, in detriment of the interest of the educational institutes and organistions and the students attached to them.

Defining DNA

Genetic engineering and DNA mapping have made understanding the characteristics of DNA much easier. It is interesting to know to what great extent DNA controls behaviours. More in-depth researches in this regard can lead to the solution of long-standing psychological mysteries, resulting in better scope of reform of criminals, and others experiencing psychological disorders.

Awards For Professionals, Rewards For Job-seekers

The multifarious awards in every other field may be the offsprings of aggressive marketing in a liberalised economy, but they are undoubtedly morale-boosting and an added incentive to produce the best output. Most of the these events score high on the entertainment count, and are opening up wide opportunities for event management professionlas, leading to public relations, marketing and event management getting more and more lucrative as job options these days.

Box-ing Behind Screen

The aggressive manner in which the small screen is being marketed these days only spells success for the medium. A number of actors, like from Sridevi to Iqbal Khan, Ronit Roy to Amrita Singh from the big screen have made their way into the television world and have taken the entertainment world by storm. Not only are some of the programmes superhit, many an actor have also become superstars.

Non-profit Office

MPs should be allowed to hold an office of profit only on purely voluntary grounds without any compensation payable to them thereof. If they are unwilling to hold on to such offices without receipt against them, they have to choose between a parliamentary membership and being at an office of profit.

Fashion Mishaps, Tainted News

It is shocking to the senses that the Lakme Fashion Week has become has become a den of sleaze. One wonders how such a big event involving so much of manpower and capital outlay has shown mismanagement on a crucial ground. The dresses themselves, which are the protagonists of the show, have been poorly patched up in certain cases, leading to humiliation for the models. There should also have been proper and adequate arrangements for the models to change their attires and come up with new ones. Again, though such repetitive moments of humiliation are food for news, the way such incidents are displayed in the audio-visual electronic media is disgraceful. Not only is the incongruity being portrayed, it is being given a sleazy mileage, which is far from good for formative minds, watching news after all.

Growing Gujarat

Gujarat is not solely about Narendra Modi and communalism. It has been the breeding ground of Verghese Kurien and Dhirubhai Ambani, among many other greats in various fields. It has produced cricket stars like Ansuman Gaekwad, Kiran More, Nayan Mongia, and now Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel. It is an industrially vibrant state, with the educational infrastructure picking up every day, thanks to the towering presence of IIM, Ahmedabad, rural management school at Anand, and others. And of course, Mahatma Gandhi is the Father of the nation. Gujarat can only prosper.

Dress Uncoded

If the students themselves wish and are able to maintain decency in their in-campus behaviour, there is no reason why the college authorities would still like to impose a dress code upon the students.

Tsunami Precaution

If the tsunamis can still not be forecasted with impeccable accuracy, it is at least worthwhile to decide upon scientific measures to reduce the damage that can result if and when such a disaster actually occurs. It can only be expected that the awareness programme among coastal communities, which the scientists at the 6-10 March workshop at the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics promised to undertake for reduction of possible tsunami damages materializes pretty soon and is of use in a possible hour of need.

End Of An Era

The death of Anil Biswas is unfortunate for his family and his comrades at the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Especially, his demise when the West Bengal State Assembly elections are round the corner can be a blow to the principal Left Front ally in the state. However, since the CPI(M) has never really experienced a one-man show, it can be expected that some senior and experienced leader will be given the responsibility of the West Bengal State CPI(M) Secretary, who will be able conduct the party affairs in this critical hour with élan.

Commonwealth Saga

The eighteenth Commonwealth Games have been a golden two weeks for India. The India shooters have taken the Commonwealth by storm, and are all set to get deserved recognition at events with greater international participation. Table tennis and boxing have also been happy hunting grounds for India. But though weightlifting has brought glory to India at this international stage, doping scandals and reactionary measures from the organizational management, has left the nation dumbfounded. The country’s sports authorities must ensure better protection of the athletes against intake of banned drugs. The onus lies with them as much with the athletes themselves. Professional medical and legal counseling of the officials and the sportspersons is the need of the hour in this regard. As the women’s hockey team slips down to the second spot, men’s hockey continues to bite dust.

Another Controversy

The office-of-profit tantrums are only a fall-out of the inherent ambiguity of the Indian Constitution. Even though the Indian Constitution happens to be the longest in the world, still it is quite clear that its variety of content and explanations thereof, fall short of the requirements of the multi-party democracy that the country happens to be. There should be a pro-active permanent cabinet-level committee for constitutional review, that would keep on suggesting relevant and just amendments from time to time. Otherwise, greater national interests will continue to remain inundated by floods of apparently insignificant legal interpretational controversies, like the present one, which is definitely detrimental to the larger interests of India and her people.

Up Star

Himesh Reshammiya has been striking gold since the days of ‘Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge’ with David Dhawan. His beats were foot-tapping to say the least in ‘Humraaz’. But once there was ‘Tere Naam’ there was hardly any looking back for him. ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’ has sent the nation to frenzy, as he lent his vice to the title track. He appears to take Bollywood music to new vistas of popularity.

Marketing Mantra

Bollywood is going great guns with power-packed music videos, which have become a marketing mantra these days. These glossy promotional packages beamed on the television and available over the internet and mobile phone networks as well, in modified forms, set in the right mood of expectation out of the movie. They are ideal to drive the already movie-crazy Indians to the theatre.

Have A Break

Sachin Tendulkar can take a break from Test cricket for the time being. After World Cup 2007, he may quit one-day cricket and concentrate solely on the longer version.

Lying Dilapidated

It is bewildering how a star-studded Indian batting line-up managed to crumble before a depleted English bowling. The Team India big names managed to drop catches, miss stumpings, chase deliveries wide outside the off-stump, play down the wrong line, and put almost every second step wrong in the course of the five days at Wankhede Stadium. No wonder the entire team goes into a shell even after comprehensively winning the previous Test, the captain looking so dismayed and dejected right from the word go.

Long Run

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken the bold and wise decision to retain Rahul Dravid as the Team India captain till World Cup 2007, something that never happened in case of Sourav Ganguly, whose captaincy always got renewed for only a few series at most at a stretch. Dravid can now get on his experimentations with greater confidence and assurance, that can only be better for his boys in blue and warriors in white.

Going Down

Sachin Tendulkar has had his slumps in batting form in his career, more so after being plagued with back and elbow injuries. But the downward slide in batting record graph following his thirty-fifth Test hundred, has been alarming. His shot selections have been horrendous at times. He is seen trying too many things at the start of his innings or getting into a shell once too often. It seems that the pressure to deliver the goods every time he walks into the crease is finally telling on his tired shoulders. He appears to be aging out of the blue with his movements getting wearisome on the field. In any case, he has never been able to completely get out of his weakness against incoming deliveries from outside the off-stump early in his innings. Earlier, he could still time few of them to the on-side for runs, when he was unsure of his defence. But now some serious problem looks to have crept into his hand-eye co-ordination and corresponding feet movement. No wonder he seems to be getting jittery with the willow. However, he continues to be the hare between the wickets, undrerlining his overall agility and fitness. Sir Achrekar or the previous Little Master should be able to sort out his problems.

Not Much To Write Of

Diana Hayden continued to be the least talked about Indian international beauty queen until recently. But Yukta Mookhey in spite getting the privilege of having the limelight cast on her, has failed to soar up the popularity charts. Her lone Bollywood venture, ‘Pyasa’ was a complete wash-out at the box-office. She has not made a mark in the advertising world, neither has she been able to set the ramp on fire. Off late, like any other run-of-the-mill flop star, she is being seen only at some parties and not even in stage shows.

Commonwealth Calamity

The Commonwealth Games has been one of the rare regular happy hunting grounds for Indian sportspersons, and things are expected to go the same way for the highest populated commonwealth nation in the current edition of the Games as well. But the way one of the support staffs of the Indian playing contingent has got himself tangled by the Melbourne police for charge of assault is disgraceful. Equally mystifying is the story coming up on his winning a ticket to the Games as a part of the Indian contingent. The country’s Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry should see to it that India is no further disgraced at least in extra-sports affairs at the Games. In any case, the sword of doping scandal always seems dangling overhead these days.

Doctor Dehumanised

Dr. Jayanta Ghosh’s brutal murder after picking him up from his chamber in Kolkata sheds light on the shadow of criminality looming large over the city. Not even the ordinary civilians are out of its potent grip. If philanthropist medical practitioners get murdered out of nowhere, it has to be said that there is something seriously wrong with the state law and order system and civil defence mechanism.

Militant on Rails

The Maoist militants are getting out of hand. Bihar has been deemed unsafe for train travel since long. But this time the way an entire train has been hijacked there allegedly by the Maoist rebels poses a new challenge to the country’s internal security mechanism. The RPF personnel strength has to be increased in trains passing through Bihar at night. Railways are still very much alive as the lifelines of the country. It is part of the Indian citizens’ basic duty to protect this national heritage which is a part of our culture. It is high time that the country’s administration took serious notice of the burgeoning Maoist menace and hit hard at them to root them out once and for all.

For Pure Water

The water filter devised by the National Chemical Laboratory should be made available for industrial production as soon as possible. This cheap and reliable water filter requiring no electricity should be an easily adoptable solution for preventing water-borne diseases, where incidence of such diseases continues to be high, primarily because of consumption of unclean water, which is imperative due to absence of inexpensive, effective water filters which are easy to operate.

Ground Realities

It is shameful that the Yubabharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata is being left bare for political molestation. The pro-development West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharje should have shown the wisdom not to run his convoy through the state’s only synthetic athletic track. There is no justification behind holding a CITU conference, caring a fig for the maintenance of the playing arena only days ahead of the second leg of the National Football League to be held there. The CM is also the information and culture minister of the state. But he has been failing miserably in reining his party people from going against basic human culture by creating a ruckus over election campaigning on walls and now throwing sporting concerns out to the howling winds.

Close The Book

Examination is a misnomer and a farce in an open-book system, which, in fact, does not deserve to be called a system at all in the first place. Whoever has in mind the idea of implementing this malpractice, should delve deeper into the ethical connotations of the term, ‘examination’ and practical implications of the mechanism of the same name only to drop the idea once and for all.

India Safe

India has not compromised with her sovereignty by coming bureaucratically closer to the US. India has certainly to guard against unwanted interference into her internal matters on the part of the Bush administration. As of now, India is in safe distance from the infamous evil impact of the US.

Batting The Way Up And Across

No word of praise is enough for South Africa for chasing down a total of 434 runs to pull off a truly out-of-the-world victory against Australia. It was a spectacular display of brutal batting by the Aussies led from the front by skipper Ricky Ponting, seen at his belligerent best flaying the white ball into the crowd with machine-like frequency. And the South Africans just took off from where the kangaroos had left. It was a team effort per se. Herschelle Gibbs dropped a sitter from Steve Waugh to let go the World Cup 1999. Mark Boucher misinterpreted the Duckworth-Lewis run requirements to draw curtains to the South African campaign at the World Cup 2003. And this time round, while the former was instrumental in building the base and constructing the superstructure for the epical run-chase, the latter was standing tall and strong to seal the victory. Poor bowlers!

England Annihilated

Kudos to Team India for pulling off a spectacular victory at Mohali against England. India captain Rahul Dravid marshaled his resources to perfection and led from the front by his exemplary batting in both the innings. It is heartening to see Virender Sehwag back among runs and Wasim Jaffer taking off from where he left in Nagpur. Anil Kumble is an old warhorse and he seems fit enough to burst into the 600-wickets club in no time. Munaf Patel is a revelation. His nagging line and length is bound to frustrate any batsman, and his pace, though not express, can still set the cat amongst the pigeons in the opposition camp. India’s pool of pacers is well and truly becoming a cause for concern among the batting line-ups across the world with the World Cup in the offing next year. India’s second youngest Test debutante, Piyush Chawla seems to be a bright prospect, especially with his positive, easy and aggressive mindset. However, the glaring inconsistency that has set into the batting of India’s youngest ever Test debutante is posing to be major cause of concern for the Team India think-tank.

Food For All

No matter whether Bengal is out favour as far as selection of the Indian cricket squad is concerned, Bengali cuisine is well and truly the ‘in’ thing these days. Not only are the traditional and the rehashed fish dishes making waves, non-vegetarian dishes are also soaring up the popularity charts. No wonder Bengali dishes are a hot favourite in eat-outs, delighting the non-Bengalis and the foreigners alike, apart from food-frenzied Bengali populace.

Chocolate Delight

Chocolates are a perennial favourite among people of all ages. No matter whether its frequent and heavy intake sets the butterflies on flutter inside the stomach with inroads into the teeth enamel, it is a teasing time for the taste buds whenever the sweet and strong smell of the creamy mass makes its way into the olfactory lobe. Attractive packaging and aggressive marketing are making the restraint that much more difficult. Let the floodgates open and let the chocolate gush in. Amen!

Attacking Spree

The blasts at Varanasi come as a shock. Whoever is or are responsible for the string of terrorising explosions in different parts of India for the past year so, must be immensely experienced in terrorism. The Government of India should strengthen the country's internal security and intelligence mechanisms to track down the criminal mind(s) behind such serial killings. Otherwise, India is headed for a massive loss of life and property in times to come. If the political parties and factions and coalitions stop fighting among themselves for meeting the selfish ends of the power-hungry politicians, much of India's problems are bound to be solved. The politicians need to have confidence in their ability of running the country and stop feeling insecure. This will help them devote more time to the national cause, making them serve the country better. Then no terrorist, internal or external, can dare to attack India's integrity.

All For Education

Kudos to St. Xavier's College for being the first college in West Bengal to achieve autonomy. It is a positive move on the part of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to allow autonomy to the institution for an initial period of six years. Constant evaluation by the apex higher education body of the country is supposed to keep the College on its toes and strive best to retain its autonomy. The precedent set by the St. Xavier's College should encourage other colleges in the State to strive for gaining autonomy. The UGC should consider mooting a proposal to form another university to lessen the number of affiliated colleges under the University of Calcutta (CU), for improving its scope for providing better service to the education fraternity.

Coveted Careers

Job opportunities are definitely on the rise today in West Bengal in comparison with the scenario five years back. Specialised technical job opportunities, in the engineering sector are on the increase, as also there is increasing scope for such jobs in sectors like sales, marketing, IT, ITES and medical transcription and representation.

Accurate Updates

As opposed to the run-of-the-mill chatrooms, the blogs in most cases are informative. Blogs are a happening source of credible information in many cases and are generally, better than some of the most authentic websites, primarily because the information often comes from the horses' mouth.

CU Fund Allocations

One only hopes that the University of Calcutta will be able to make fruitful use of the Rs 100 crore grant it is due to receive from the Union Government. Apparently, a bulk of the amount will be used for conducting researches. But the University administration should also pay due attention to updating and overhauling the existing infrastructure wherever required, for better basic service to the education fraternity and the society at large. Sufficient attention should also be given to ensure the University personnel are well-trained for making the University services better available to those who need to avail them.

Kicked Out

Judging by the scoresheet of the Asian Cup qualifying matches, Indian football is going nowhere. Only around a month back India performed creditably to win the SAARC football championship in Pakistan. But now they are back to their groove of putting up back-to-back wretched shows. There would be very few people expecting India to win or even snatch a draw against Japan, though depleted, but playing in home turf. But India could have fared better in their home match against Yemen. Also a tennis set-like scoresheet in favour of the World Cup qualifiers was not expected from India. The players should have taken to the opponents more confidently. But the team, with the exception of goalkeeper Sandip Nundy, was almost non-existent down the length of both the matches.

Ominous Signs

The Nagpur Test between India and England showed that all is not lost for the Ashes winners following the debacle in Pakistan. All credit goes to the English team for pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Apart from the seasoned campaigner like Matthew Hoggard and the upcoming superstar in the form of Kevin Pietersen, debutantes Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar took the attack to the Indians in their own backyard. The rookie English opener was particularly impressive in both the innings playing the illustrious Indian spinners with ease on a slow turning track. Panesar has all the reasons to be jubilant for being able to keep the Indian batsmen, traditionally known for playing spin with élan, under control and achieving the prize scalps of Sachin Tendulkar as the first blood, and the set Mohammad Kaif and Rahul Dravid later in the match. For India, opener Wasim Jaffer making a comeback to Test cricket after a long hiatus showed a lot of character in countering the English bowlers with confidence in crunch situations. Debutante Shantakumar Sreesunth did bowl well in the first innings claiming four English wickets, but his catching leaves a lot to be desired. One wonders why he was at all picked as India’s second seamer ahead of Rudra Pratap Singh, who has been in fine form in both the versions of the game since the Pakistan tour. The ease at which the Indian spinners are being flayed to all parts of the ground, has apparently set the cat amongst the pigeons in the Indian dressing room, and not only the young Piyush Chawla but also the other promising spinners likes Ramesh Powar in particular, as also Sourasish Lahiri, Ravinder Jadeja have all the reasons to hope to win a Team India cap in the near future.

Making His Way Up

Kunal Kapoor did get noticed in M.F. Hussain’s ‘Minaxi’ but still he was not being able to make a headway into Bollywood till ‘Rang De Basanti’ happened to him. The fact that he created a separate identity for himself in the movie, in spite of the towering presence of Aamir Khan and the glittering presence of Soha Ali Khan alongside him, is ample proof of his acting credentials.

Animated With Success

The Indian animation industry is truly on the verge of experiencing a boom. The unprecedented popularity of the animated movie ‘Hanuman’ and India-made television animated cartoon strips is a testimony to the ripples being created by Indian animation houses in the world animation scenario. Some of the production techniques may be inspired from foreign animations, but is a healthy trend that most of the Indian animation strips are trying to project the Indian culture not only from the traditional Indian mythologies, but also from more recent Indian literature.

N-powering India

India should reap rich benefits out of her nuclear treaty with the US. Large-scale generation of nuclear power should help India to solve her power crisis to a great extent. Those agitating against George Bush in India should know it once and for all that India is signing a treaty with the US and not personally with George Bush. They should try to leave aside the issue of the current US President being a warmonger and look forward to the brighter side of things that India will soon be experiencing a giant leap for becoming truly self-sufficient in energy generation and provision.

Out Of The Way To Tarnish

Greg Chappell had no business to speak of the reason why Sourav Ganguly wanted to cling on to the captaincy of the Indian cricket team, and that to a non-Indian news medium. Moreover, there is seemingly no basis behind his allegation against Ganguly’s attitude to his role in the team in and outside the ground. One wonders what made him make the comment that Ganguly wanted to remain the skipper of Team India for money, and that the latter drove the previous coach John Wright as he wished in the later part of the Kiwi’s stint as the Team India coach. Chappell should understand that the Board for Control of Cricket in India should not be taken for granted. The coach should publicly apologize for his misconduct. No matter how good the team performs under his training, he is certainly bound to lose the respect of the squad, and the Indian at large, if he continues to make such irresponsible and demeaning comments against Ganguly.

Book Bridge For Buyers And Sellers

The proposed book mall at College Street has a striking innovation in the concept of book hospital where old books can be 'repaired'. It seems that the apprehension regarding feasibility and materialization of the project is misplaced. It is only a question of adaptation to a changing marketing scenario. If Kolkata can have flyovers crisscrossing the city, there is no reason why the College Street boipara would not take up a new look for better buyer-seller interaction.

Budget For All

This year’s Union General Budget is a coalition budget per se. True to the spirit of coalition politics where diversified bits and pieces are held together in a fluid bond, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s budget tries to please all, which is actually what the nation wants. But, as is often the case with such attempts, he fails to live up to the ideal expectations of the Indian citizens. But still, while the price-cut for food items is welcome the price-hike in edible oils will ensure that the furrows in foreheads of the middle-class remain deep. Cheaper computer hardwares like DVD, flash and combo drives are supposed to further increase the computer sales in the country. But packaged softwares getting dearer can very well add fillip to software piracy, which, as of now, is nothing sort of a menace for the country’s economy. One wonders at the feasibility of buying cars at cheaper rates when the Golden Quadrilateral is biting dust at places and when city roads continue to resemble the moon surface when rains are heavy.

The Fiery Naxalite Revival

The alleged Maoist killings in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh only go to point to the alarming extent to which the Naxalites have spread their wings virtually unhindered following their temporary suppression in the 1970s. Now that they have been left unaccounted for in past two-three decades, it is the duty of the national administration to hit them hard and uproot them once and for all. The brutality of their attacks is shocking and no less bewildering is their strategy of outbreak. The police is still in dark as to how they were provided with the arms and ammunition to materialize their violence. Such incapacity of the country’s internal security can only further lessen people’s confidence in the country’s police internal defence mechanism.

Justice At Last

The Best Bakery case is finally over and it is good to see the communal criminals dealt with an iron hand. The exemplary punishment meted out to the culprits should teach the votaries of communal violence in the country to abstain themselves from attempting to damage the country’s unity. The lawmakers should come up with more stringent legal procedures to root out communal violence from the country. But, for that to happen the country’s electioneering money-monger politicians should first of all, stop feeling selfishly insecure and thereby taking recourse to saving their power by hook or by crook. These power-hungry statesmen should understand once and for all that only political stability in the country can ensure their remaining in power; nurturing the idea of alienating people against one another on communal basis in the hope of enjoying being at the helm of affairs, is only living in a fool’s paradise.

Money On Tracks

The Rail Budget 2006 is certainly directed at giving the low-cost air transport a run for its money. Slashing the rates of air-conditioned travel fare and proposing a reduced journey time for some of the key long-distance trains, are certainly indicators of this. The proposed ‘Garib Rath’ is a novel idea, as is the slash in travel fare for farmers and milkmen. However, the Railway Minister will supposedly be tested with volleys of angry questions from the West Bengal Left Front MPs for not extending the proposed freight corridor to Kolkata.

Connecting Lifeline

It remains to be seen how far and how quickly the Railways is able to make the newly inaugurated third Kolkata terminal at Chitpur popular and thereby cost-effective. The West Bengal Governmnt and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation should take necessary infrastructural measures to make the Chitpur terminal serve the passengers better. First of all, the spot should be better connected with the rest of Kolkata and its industrial and residential suburbs. It is bewildering how such vital infrastructural requirements were largely overlooked prior to the proper operational commencement of the terminal.

Laughter Stock

Comedy is certainly ruling the roost on both the small screen and the silver screen. Sajid Khan, Shekhar Suman are household names, thanks to their small screen antics. The Great Indian Laughter Challenge has proved to be a good breeding ground for potential comedians, like Sunil Pal, Ehsan Qureshi, among others. Raju Srivastav has experienced a revival of sorts through this comedian hunt. And thanks to Priyadarshan, comedies like ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Hulchul’, ‘Hungama’, and ‘Garam Masala’ etc. are setting the big screen ablaze.

From Wall To Screen

The calendar girls have taken the fashion world by storm. They have become the eye-candy of the country’s young generation. They have hogged the limelight like anything and these glamdolls can easily storm into Bollywood. They have already set the calendar by fire, now they are all set to set the silver screen ablaze.

Law Blind To Truth

It is unfortunate that the alleged murderers of Jessica Lal have gone unscathed. This only goes to show the inherent loopholes in the Indian law and order system, which can seemingly be manipulated at will to suit the selfish evil ends of criminals. The police has to take the onus of not ensuring safety to the witnesses, who have apparently tried to seal their own fortune first, caring a fig for the distressed family and well-wishers of the murdered lady. The acquittal of the alleged murderers can only further damage people’s already damaged confidence on the Indian legal procedures.

Communication Bottleneck

Public communication for scientists is often jeopardized by administrative and political influence. NASA scientists may be feeling free to reveal startling facts on global warming on humanitarian grounds. But they should better beware of having to bear the brunt of the Bush administration. It is bewildering how the US President is on the one hand, willing to destroy a nation to uproot a militant organization, to save humanity, and on the other hand, trying to choke the voice of a scientist eager to save the very existence of the planet Earth.

Poaching Penalised

After the severe punishment meted out to Salman Khan in the poaching case, it remains to be seen whether such an exemplary and widely publicized court verdict against a popular public figure goes to prevent common people from causing harm to wildlife. Figures like Salman Khan and Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi may have been poaching for fun, but there are people who poach for making quick money. People with either kind of motive are guilty of offence against wildlife and are to be punished likewise.

Nuclear Security

The signing of the vital civil nuclear deal with the US will certainly boost India’s profile for securing a permanent membership at the UN Security Council. But the US standpoint on supporting India’s claim is still far from clear. Also it is unlikely that India would vie for explicit US support to secure such a seat, as receiving imperialist support in a such a crucial issue may tantamount to some damage to India’s sovereignty in the US hands.

Age No Bar

In any game, performance should be the top priority for selection of players in a team. Age is not a factor here, as an elderly player, if fit enough, nonetheless, can always be considered fit for selection consideration, Indian cricket being no exception.

Bird Virus Affecting Humans

The drop in chicken consumption is certainly a precautionary measure, at least in eastern India, where there has been no report of spread of bird flu virus. It is certainly better not to consume chicken meat and eggs as there is hardly any medicine to cure the human version of the bird flu disease. The drop in chicken consumption may be more an outcome of panic than precaution in those parts of the country where there has been reported cases of bird flu among the birds themselves and alleged cases of incidence of bird flu in human beings.

Mosquito Farm

The Jadavpur University has been awarded the tag of a University with Potential for Excellence, and its Raja Subodh Chandra Mullick Road campus is located in the West Bengal State Legislative Council constituency of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. But the campus is a happy hunting ground for swarms of mosquitoes. The bog opposite to the UG Arts and the UG Science Buildings provides an excellent breeding ground to these lethal parasites. After tackling with the student unrest in its golden jubilee, the University administration should look to cure this mosquito menace.

Virus On Wings

The panic surrounding the alleged spread of the bird flu virus is a potential menace for India. Not only is the internal consumption of poultry products going down drastically, the international market for such Indian products is getting badly hit. Though vaccination of the birds in some cases, and their slaughter in some other instances are going on war footing, with governmental assurance as to the safety of chicken consumption, it will take more than a while to restore normalcy, even if there are not confirmed cases of human death due to bird flu.

Science Research By All

There is a need to enforce changes in the social outlook towards women to allow them to be inducted into the mainstream of scientific research. It is far from the truth that women are not willing to work beyond scheduled hours. Neither do they lack in the skills of in-depth science study. The faster the university and science institute authorities understand this the better. Human resources, after all, cannot be let to get wasted on the invalid ground of sexual discrimination.

Autonomy For The Deserved

The University Grants Commission is supposed to grant autonomy only to those colleges which have the infrastructure, among other things, to self-sufficiently run an undergraduate educational institution. In that case, the students can be properly guided and trained with higher education and easier availability of funds for research works can help the cause of higher education as well.

Striking A Winning Note

Team India has settled scores with a vengeance against Pakistan in the one-day series, after the shameful surrender to the western border rivals in the final Test. The series has seen young faster bowlers Rudra Pratap Singh and Shathakumar Sreesnath proving to be more than a handful for the Pak batsmen, fresh from a thumping series triumph against the exuberant Englishmen on a high after bagging the Ashes after the proverbial ages. It was encouraging to see the Indians featuring four medium pacers in their final eleven on the Pakistani pitches, which were too heavily loaded in favour of the batsmen, with the exception of Multan. Considering the experimentation and innovation mode the current Team India think-tank is known to be in, one really expected to see Ramesh Power, who has created a niche for himself in hitting useful cameos in the domestic circuit, to have a got a look-in with the bat as well in the final one-dayer. As far as batting is concerned, it is an immense relief to see Sachin Tendulkar back in form. Rahul Dravid has been the wall as always, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni is getting rather boringly consistent with his in extended dashing batting. However, the series has been truly a graduation of sorts for Yuvraj Singh, who has shown amazing consistency with the willow, something which has unfortunately been so uncharacteristic of him down the years. With Gautam Gambhir, and especially, Mohammad Kaif failing to make a mark with the bat, under-19 lads like Gaurav Dhiman and Cheteshwar Pujara may well get a look-in in the home series against England. Suresh Raina’s bowling credentials should be tried out more. His Uttar Pradesh teammate Mohammad Kaif, who happened to be a more-than-useful spinner at the junior levels, was hardly given a bowl at the top level, without any valid reason. Rahul Dravid should not repeat the same mistake with Raina now, who shows all the potentials to be a match-winning super-sub.

Running With Enthusiasm

The Kolkata marathon has proved to be a huge success. It is expected that the athletes will be eager for such an event, but the enthusiasm with which the common Kolkatan got into the task of supporting the otherwise tiresome outdoor sport, was really heartening. Leaving aside the occasional fanaticism regarding extra-sporting politicization of sports, Kolkata has once again lived up to its reputation of being a vivacious sports-friendly city.

Dancing And Stumbling Non-performer

Esha Deol has proved to be more successful in making fashion statements than appealing as an actress. She has got far too many opportunities to prove her mettle at the box-office, and has been putting up eminently forgettable performances, other than in ‘Dhoom’, where she did give Tata Young a run for her money in the Hindi version of the title song. Otherwise, the Bollywoodwallas have been largely unsuccessful in exploring her dancing talents.

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New

The way the ruling Left Front has done away with the old faces from the candidate list for the forthcoming West Bengal State Legislative Assembly elections only goes to strengthen the countrywide thrust on young blood in politics. Another remarkable feature of the striking candidate list is that the entire existing education department has been wiped out. If the Left remains in power in the state, it remains to be seen what the renovated education department can achieve for the state youth. Such drastic overhauling of the candidature also points to the overwhelming confidence that the State Left Front has in its benchstrength.

Tiger, Tiger Fading Fast

The tiger census in North Bengal forests, though done by an NGO, is alarming in its findings. The attribution of the cause of the drop of the tiger population in the region from thirty-five to four in next to no time, to the tigers migrating to Bhutan, seems to be an over-simplification of things, with little factual support. The Union Government should extend all necessary support to the state to conserve wildlife and properly document all data regarding the state of wildlife in the state.

Groaning, Not Growling

It is encouraging to know that former Windies all-rounder Roger Harper has been appointed the new Kenyan cricket coach. Harper was best known for his fielding finesse, apart from his tight off-spin and more than effective lower order hittings, especially in the limited overs format. The south-east African giant minnows should benefit from his street smart cricket sense. But the real problem for the African lions lies in their lack of exposure to top-class international cricket. Their problems have been multiplied by all-rounder Maurice Odumbe’s involvement in cricket betting scandal. It is dubious and disheartening fact since Kenya’s phenomenal run in the ICC World Cup, this scandal has been the only major cricket news involving Kenya. They were outperformed at the Sharjah tournament following the last World Cup. Their performance at the last ICC Champions Trophy was eminently forgettable. And that is just about it, though one of their World Cup heroes, Colins Obuya did create a few odd ripples at the English county championships. It seems that after the current lot of the likes of Ravindu Shah, Kennedy Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Maurice Odumbe, Hitesh Modi, Thomas Odoyo, Colins Obuya, Martin Suji, Asif Karim, among others, Kenyan cricket has not much to speak off. Kenya is virtually a perpetual absentee at the various junior level international cricket meets. This is all the more disturbing, since apart from Scotland, and Ireland to some extent, Kenya happens to be the only top ICC Associate member to boast of more natives in their team than players migrating from Test-playing nations. The world cricket apex body should address the problems of the upcoming cricketing nations better. Not only the hardcore cricketing loopholes be set right, the administrative and infrastructural shortcomings should also be taken care of. Otherwise, ‘globalization of cricket’ will remain a misnomer.

Designer Showpieces Of No Use

The designer electric lamps modeled like antiquated gas lights bordering the approaches to the Park Street flyover are gathering dust due to no use. Only a few can be caught lit in the evening. If these lights are not meant to be illuminated, then there is hardly any point in keeping them as ornamental showpieces. The concerned authority should understand that beautification is incomplete without utilization.

From Weakness To Weakness

Notwithstanding the tremendous cold in South Korea, India’s performance in the Davis Cup against the host country has been below par. The inspirational way in which Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati used to perform in the Davis Cup singles ties in the 1990s, is not being emulated by the young guns like Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna. In the late1980s when Ramesh Krishnan and the Amritraj brothers were going strong, Zeeshan Ali and Gaurav Natekar provided able support, till Paes, and later, Bhupathi, took Indian men’s tennis to the next level of glory, not only by means of their ATP Tour exploits, but also by their powerhouse performances representing India at the Davis Cup. But the next generation is struggling to step up the gas to succeed at the highest level. Prahlad Srinath and Syed Fazluddin flattered to deceive. The likes of Junior Amritraj, Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad have had enough opportunities to prove their mettle, but apart from the odd flares of their talent, they have been leaving Indian fans in the cold, and their hopes buried in heaps of shame.

Registering The Knot

The Supreme Court of India’s decision to make registration of all marriages mandatory is laudable. It should help in sorting out legal marital complications. But the apex court should see to it that the marriage registration facility is guaranteed at all corners of the country. It should also guard against unscrupulous moneymongers trying to befool people in this regard. Without proper infrastructure the move may backfire.

Simmering Southpaws

It is encouraging that left-arm spinners are hogging the limelight in the Under-19 World Cup. In recent times world cricket has produced a number of great spinners like Anil Kumble, Mushtaq Ahmed, Muttiah Muralidharan, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shane Warne. But all of them have been right-armers. South African Paul Adams showed glimpses of his extraordinary talent before fading into oblivion. Among the current players, English Ashley Giles and Bangledeshi Mohammad Rafique have been performing creditably. It would be a prize for world cricket if the likes of Graeme White, Ravinder Jadeja and Saqibul Hasan can send wickets tumbling at the game’s highest levels. Especially encouraging is Test minnows Bangladesh building a pool of left-arm spinners to take the big boys by storm in some future date.

Countrywide Economic Zone

The Union Finance, Industry and Commerce Ministries should have a look at Jaithirth Rao’s insight into India’s Special Economic Zones. Economic reservations for certain parts of the country do not seem to be as noble an idea as promoting and sponsoring the socially backward classes in the country for educational and occupational upliftment. Perhaps it is now still not too late for India to restore economic equality in the country by abolishing the Special Economic Zones (SEZs). India, an economically developing country as it stands to be, can very well do without the practice of privileges to the SEZs.

Valid Celebration

Valentine’s Day speaks of love. India has been known for love. So celebrating Valentine’s Day, though primarily a non-Indian concept, is not against Indian culture.

Eye On Techies

It is heartening that the leftist West Bengal government has finally agreed to allow a private entrepreneur, Anil Ambani to set up a university in the state. It is expected that the new information technology university scheduled to come up at Kalyani within the next year and a half will cater to the needs of the burgeoning IT sector in the state. The Reliance group under the younger Ambani sibling has also to be praised for considering it worthwhile to set up such an IT school in West Bengal, which has traditionally been the breeding ground for some of the best brains in the country and is currently en route to tap its industry potentials in big ways.

Road To Disaster

The caving-in of a newly built six hundred metres of the National Highway 6, under the Golden Quadrilateral Project, only goes to show the malpractices and negligence going into the implementation of the otherwise much-hyped project. If the murder of National Highways Authority of India engineer Satyendra Dubey was not enough for authorities to take note of the fallacies gushing into the materialization of the project, the new highway on the Bengal plains taking the shape of an avalanche or earthquake-struck hilly terrain, should be leading to countrywide agitation against those responsible for attempting to make a mockery of human lives and properties, including public money being spent for such public disservice, in the name of better transport connectivity in the country.

Better Mind Own Business First

Instead of making irresponsible comments against Shoaib Akhtar’s bowling action and thereby inviting uncalled for controversies, Team India coach Greg Chappell better concentrate on the actions of the Indian bowlers who are being battered in the series, with the hitherto unheralded Mohammad Asif from the opposition camp hogging all the limelight. There is no reason why Shanthakumar Sreesanth should be getting a place in final eleven ahead of Rudra Pratap Singh. Singh appears to score higher than his Keralite colleague on all cricketing points other than athleticism. The Rae Bareily lad is also a potentially better lower order hitter than Sreesanth, if Chappell’s stress on total cricket is emphasized.

What Is Sensex

The Sensex has been steadily rising in the post-liberalisation period. Off late the share market graphic index has been registering an upwardly mobile trend at a remarkable rate. Now, that it has crossed the psychological 10,000 mark, some sort of public awareness programme should be undertaken by the Union Finance Ministry, to allow the laymen to understand the implications of such a phenomenon on different segments of the society. Otherwise, a vast majority of the Indian population having access to news media but unaware of the basics of the share market will continue to regard Sensex news to be directed primarily at the moneyed few.

Much Ado About Nothing

It is bewildering why not only a rank outsider like Moin Khan but also the Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq has expressed displeasure over the Indians appealing against Haq for obstructing the field. The appeal was perfectly within the purview of cricketing rules, as corroborated by the umpire’s decision in favour of the Indians. First-class cricket is a matter of thorough professionalism and fierce competition and a team cannot really claim the opposition not to be desperate to win a match. The Indians did not sledge nor did they make obscene gestures at the opposition. They only appealed against an opposition batsman, the stamp of validity on which was put by the International Cricket Council (ICC)-appointed umpire ruling in favour of the Indians. So there cannot be any scope for controversy. The current Pakistani cricketer concerned and the former Pakistani cricketer poking his nose into the matter better concentrate on their game and writing respectively, without disrespecting India and the ICC.

Spoiling Influence

The way the current Hindi serials are glamorizing a system of multiple spouses and in-family betrayals, for some TRPs and sponsorship money, can only promote infidelity and adultery in the society, especially in the younger generation.

From Close Circuits

CCTV cameras can be fixed in college classrooms, to avoid malpractices among adults. But the same should not be done in schools, as otherwise, insecurity can enter into students from an early age, which can adversely affect their psychological make-up.

Unpatriotic

The way the international airports across the country were being left littered with garbage showed how some government employees care a fig for the reputation of India. In any case, not long ago India has been dishonoured by die-hard Sourav Ganguly fanatics who have placed the Bengal Tiger ahead of India and wished that Sourav Ganguly scored runs even with India losing. ‘Rang De Basanti’ being a runaway hit does not necessarily mean that the Indian multitude is patriotic.

Cricket Kudos

Uttar Pradesh deserves all the kudos for emerging as the Ranji champions for the first time. They were without the services of their ace medium-pacer Rudra Pratap Singh and still they managed to defend their not-so-big first innings total of 387 runs. Team India players like Mohammad Kaif and Suresh Raina were expected to play well, but especially heartening was the first innings bowling of young spinner Piyush Chawla, who has been sending a chill down the backbone of opposition batting orders on a consistent basis after foxing Sachin Tendulkar in the Challengers’ Trophy 2005. In fact, it is heartening that teams like Bengal, Baroda, Orissa, Railways, Uttar Pradesh, which have traditionally not been among the top-notch Indian domestic teams, have been making more than a mark in the national level. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala of the defeated finalist Bengal has shown the credentials to perform with élan within the next few seasons. This decentralization of the game in the country is a good index of the spreading popularity of the game at the micro levels. This should go on to decrease the apparent administrative malfunction of the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI).

More Test Ahead

The onus of India’s humiliation at the hands of Pakistan in the third and final Test has to be taken by the both the batsmen and the bowlers. Sourav Ganguly has been at the receiving end of a hell of a lot humiliation. But one should spare a thought for Sachin Tendulkar. He has been fading into uncharacteristic inconsistency. Whatever may be the reason – pressure of expectation or a sore elbow, he is clearly experiencing a torrid slump of form. The bitter truth is that he should be rested, with Rahul Dravid coming at three and Wasim Jaffer opening the innings with Virender Sehwag. Another ominous sign for Team India is the glaring ineffectiveness of Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. There seems to be very few spinners to step into the latter’s shoes. While India has a new find in Rudra Pratap Singh, Pakistan has pitted Mohammad Asif against him, both of whom stress on a disciplined line and length to nag the batsmen out. Pakistan proved to have two phenomenal plunderers in their lower middle order in the form of Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal, in reply to India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Irfan Pathan. Watching the cross-border arch-rivals locking horns in the one-dayers should be exciting.

Oppose

The Mahajot conceived by Mamata Banerjee will remain a dream unfulfilled if the Left Front oppositions in West Bengal continue to look after their own interests ahead of the interest of the State. In any case, the Mahajot chalked out by the Trinamool leader should not be an extension of her party in the sense of being an anti-Left Front coalition without any concrete ideology, the sole unifying factor being their opposition, if not bias, against the State Left Front. Such a negativist coalition, if somehow elected to power in the state, can only spell doom for the emerging industrialist state.

Catch `Em Young

There should be more young MPs in the union ministry, to infuse innovation and energy to the country’s governance. Their elder colleagues need to guide them through the trials and tribulations of bureaucracy.

Medicine Mayhem

The news that pharmaceutical companies are hiring wannabe beauty queens and cheer leaders only shows how the market forces are making inroads into people’s health. Patients, actual and fake, may get lured by such seductive appeals and take medicines, without much consideration for their health. Other industrial magnets, medical practitioners and people in general should come in protest of such foul practices to increase sales of medicines.

Mahesh On Top

Mahesh Bhupati has made it a routine to win Grand Slams. It is highly creditable on his part to win ten Grand Slam titles, be it men’s doubles or mixed doubles. He with Leander Paes has led to the resurgence of professional tennis in India and youngsters like Prakash Amritraj, Rohan Bopanna and Harsh Mankad can only improve their game following their footsteps. A word of praise is also deserved by Martina Hingis, who after an injury-induced lay-off for three years has picked up from where she had left. It is hoped that that the Mahesh-Martina duo will win many more titles, contrary to the Indian’s track-record of winning each of his Grand Slam titles with different partners.

Quota-unquota

It is a shame for the country where the sensex is reflecting the upward surge of the economy almost every day to be having job quotas for minorities. It is disgraceful yet again for the country’s polity to having to stick to job reservations, to win votes, caring a fig for economic development and social integrity. Now, it would a sin if the private sector is also forced to recourse to job quotas for minority communities, deprioritising relevant rational qualifications.

Fiery Decimation

It is no wonder that 150-odd hutments were razed by a Canal South Road fire in Kolkata. Neither the State Government nor the Kolkata Municipal Corporation seems worried about the sub-human way those who are now homeless used to live there. Rehabilitation of the eighty families presently without shelter in this biting cold, should be on war footing. Investigation for the cause of the fire should be simultaneously on and adequate actions are to be undertaken immediately to prevent such mishaps. Industrial licensing should not be allowed to be reduced to a ridicule.

On A Learning Curve

Apart from the absorbing and interesting plenary and luncheon business sessions in the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit 2006, there were special spouses’ programmes like introduction to Kolkata fashion, Kolkata architecture and the Sunderbans, and art exhibition with an interactive session with The Asia Society President Vishakha Desai, heritage tram ride, and not to forget the sumptuous lunches and snacks at ITC Sonar Bangla and Oh Calcutta! Both the technical and the leisure coverages were great learning experiences for students trying to make a foray into the exciting challenge called journalism.

Quota-raj

There are umpteen number of government organizations to provide job reservations, even at the risk of compromising with quality. The private sector should not be forced or allowed to follow the government footsteps in this regard.

Business-unlike

As distinct from all those potentially good things that came out of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit 2006, the lack of punctuality on the part of the organizers in certain cases was disheartening. Session V on January 18 on ‘Strategic alliances: Recipe for growth’ had to be called off. A luncheon session in honour of former Philippines President Fidel Ramos was delayed by an hour. Such mismanagement on the part of the otherwise respectable CII is unacceptable. It should take more care to avoid bringing disrepute to India in general and the business community in particular.

For Flora And Fauna

It is an appreciative effort on the part of Nandan to host the third Aranyak Wildlife Film Festival. Wildlife awareness has to be increased manifold in India in particular to stop animal poaching. Especially the young generation should be groomed to protect wildlife, instead of allowing them to romanticize on hunting. Also the film festival is expected to influence people to stand in unison against illegal felling of trees in forests. The festival can provide a good scope for pooling like-minded crusaders for wildlife conservation.

Military Scam

The Indian administration has to see to it that the Bofors scam is no further scandalized. The investigation should be proper and quick. All concerned should be made to act properly to see to it hat the case is solved without further delay. The culprits should be taken action against with no consideration to their political and other leanings and support. The disreputing of India in the name of high drama should be put an end to.

Get The Cup Back

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI)'s decision to hold a joint bid, along with other sub-continent nations like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for the 2011 ICC World Cup is praiseworthy. Not only would this further heighten the cricket following in the region, this is also supposed to harmonize the often different wave lengths at which these countries tend to operate. The sub-continent is the modern haven of cricket with up-to-date infrastructure and there is no better place to hold the Cup anywhere else in the world.

Education Beyond Borders

Being a premier set of management education institutions in the world, the IIMs can serve the aspiring management professionals the world over better if they are allowed to set up foreign campuses. In the era of globalization there is no point in restricting quality education to within national boundaries.

Tame Series-opener

The Lahore Test was a happy hunting ground for the batsmen. Virender Sehwag and Rahul Dravid would have loved to get past the highest ever Test opening stand but the Nawab of Najafgarh was in too much of a hurry, and the record remained elusive. Weather permitting he would have liked to carry on to challenge Brian Lara's world record of the highest individual score in a Test innings. Apart from the tumbling and threatened records, the match was as dead as a dodo. Pitches need to have some room for the bowlers to perform as well. Only loads of runs cannot lead to a decision. Sourav Ganguly, apart from spectacularly holding on to an otherwise dolly catch, did not have much to do. This would have been the ideal opportunity for him to score heavily and regain some confidence, which would have eased the pressure on him. However, it would be unfair on Captain Dravid to allege that he intentionally did not allow Ganguly to open, lest the latter should get the time to prove himself with willow-wielding. Manufacturing controversies should be stopped, even at the risk of alienating gossip-mongers.

Copy Devils

Abdul Karim Telgi's conviction to ten year's jail should deter people from indulging in making easy money out of making and unauthorized copies, whether they be stamps and stamp papers or cassettes and CDs. Laws regarding production and exchange of such fakes are to be made more stringent and such illegal traders are to be tracked down with due alertness and their activities curbed ruthlessly.

Talk Time

Gossip has always been a spontaneous mode of communication. Apart from being the surest way for time pass, it is also a healthy way to remain energetic and enthusiastic. It can work wonders as a stress-reliever. However, as in case of all other social interactions, some amount of restraint is also advisable for gossips, lest someone should misinterpret things and get hurt.

Fit In

Certain cricketers may be more suited to Test cricket than other forms of the game. But that does not mean that they are misfits in limited over matches. So it is thoroughly unjustified to brand some cricketers as just Test players. Australian Justin Langer, for example, scores runs at such an amazingly fast rate in Test cricket, and can be a handful for the opponents in shorter versions of the game as well.

Behind The Screen

The Bollywood technicians are adding splendour to the spectacular end-products that reach the audience. From set-designers to sound recordists, from editors to dress designers, the untiring efforts of these people of substance are finally being recognized and acknowledged in a big way, thanks to the increasing media insight into the making of movies and the Bollywood award bashes.

Due For Something Big

Hrishita Bhatt has come a long way from featuring in advertisements and music videos. But though she got noticed in such movies as ‘Ab Tak Chhappan’, ‘Asoka’, ‘Charas’, ‘Dil Vil Pyar Vyar’ and ‘Haasil’, she is yet to hit the silver screen in a big way. She has to force her way into Bollywood where she has thus far been getting important but only small roles.

Fizzled Out In Air

It is heartening that the Indian Air Force has not found it wise to meddle in the latest Bollywood eye-candy ‘Rang De Basanti’. Very rightly, the mere fictionalized depiction of the otherwise controversial MiG21 issue in the movie should not be making it disrespectful towards the Indian defence system. The all-powerful ‘public’ is there to judge the worth of the long-awaited and much-hyped movie.

Take Care

There is no need to unnecessarily meddle into Ramdev’s ways. Before poking one’s nose into other’s affairs the politicians should take ample care to mend their own ways.

Footlink

Footsteps of an ancient giant human being have reportedly been found by amateurs in Karalmanna near Palakkad in Kerala. Aparently and supposedly, this is giant leap forward for biologists dealing with human evolution. But the veracity of such findings is to be ascertained first, before embarking on reaching any conclusion in this regard. A number of hoaxes had earlier cropped in such regards and experts need to be doubly sure before making such findings officially public.

Mobile Malfunction

Tata Indicom may be making potentially good offers to increase its sales. But first of all, it should improve its services. It is very difficult to make a call from a BSNL landline to an Indicom mobile. In fact, it is only a shade easier to reach an Indicom mobile from an Indicom booth. It is better if Tata Indicom dishes out a few more bucks for proper signalling, rather tan spending crores on the likes of Sourav Ganguly, Irfan Pathan, Sania Mirza, Ajay Devgan and Kajol for publicity purposes. Much better service is expected of a Tata enterprise.

Cool The World

The observation that global arming is yet to become a danger for most forms of life should not stop scientists from looking out for methods to stop global warming and retard the progression of its evil effects. Country administrators should work on war-footing to implement measures to ward off global warming.

Versatile Veteran

Prosenjit Chattopadhyay has proved his mettle as an actor of substance over and over again. His subdued performance in 'Chokher Bali' was in stark contrast to his usual powerhouse performances in out-and-out commercial Bengali movies. His superb performances in the roles of the father and the son in 'Criminal’ and in variegated roles in 'Sangram', a la Uttam Kumar in 'Sabyasachi' indeed deserve kudos. Rituporno Ghosh's 'Khela' should be another blockbuster from his kitty.

Toxic Disposables

The Supreme Court decision to bar a French battleship from dumping toxic wastes in India is praiseworthy. Rules regarding disposal of such harmful wastes are to be made more stringent. However, the best option is to invent certain materials that would prevent the very use of materials that give out toxic wastes as by-products. Unless such environment-friendly products are put to use, no matter whatever international policies are adopted, the problem of such disposals will continue to worry people.

Books For Ever

No matter how far technology has developed, it is still difficult for it to dislodge books from its current revered position. The very fact that those devices like the new Sony Reader, which are supposed to replace books are modelled on books themselves, goes to prove once and for all that books are there to remain people's best friends for ever. The personal experience of reading a book is difficult to replicate in terms of electronic software.

Small Wonder

Nanotechnology is yet to hit the world stage in a big way. But the potential it has shown till date, of easing out people's woes only goes to foretell that it will be the next driving force in the world in the near future. Small is the revolution!

Public Harassment System

Smart cards are potentially very much a viable alternative to the infamous hassles going with the Public Distribution System (PDS). The electioneering statesmen should understand the importance of information technology to ease out the otherwise cumbersome rationing system for the Indian citizens. There is no point in lazily sticking to the old system, when there is a cheap easier alternative set to lessen public woes.

Golfing Prowess

After Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa, it is the turn of the new Indian kid on the block, Shiv Kapur to shoot fountains of fire out of the eighteen holes. His triumph at the Volvo Masters of Asia and him being crowned the Asian Tour’s Rookie of the Year are ample testimonies of his golfing credentials. The Government of India should promote the game right from the school level, so that it does not remain confined to the moneyed few. In fact, the Indian Olympic Committee should push forward to make the International Olympic Committee include golf as an Olympic discipline from Beijing 2008 itself. Some of the Indian business tycoons and former India cricketers who take to golf only out of fun and as a pastime, but actually end up playing the game quite well, may be persuaded to think of becoming golfing professionals. These go-getting men of mettle just need a catalytic government proposal to promote and sponsor golf as a well-followed game in the country, especially since it has its in-built similarities with the Indian National Game hockey and the unconstitutionalised unofficial Indian national religion called cricket.

Lack Of Bowling

Sourav Ganguly has done himself great injustice by not bowling more often while he was the Team India captain. It has been proved time and again that he is more than a handy bowler, especially when it comes to the matter of breaking long partnerships. Instead of picking up a tiff with Andrew Flintoff, he should have used his stint with English county Lancashire to hone his bowling skills, as Jacques Kallis has done. Ganguly has never been a great runner between the wickets, neither was he ever the technically most equipped player of rising deliveries outside the off-stump. So it is natural that being on the wrong side of the thirties, he is finding it difficult to stand up to quality seam and swing bowling with élan. The Team India selectors’ decision to regard him as an all-rounder might have apparently been another scope to ridicule the Indian cricket administrators, but this should actually be a wake-up call for the Prince of Calcutta to bowl back with a vengeance. However, he has to get rid of his woes with the willow before anything else.

Irresponsibility At The Top

By indulging himself in irresponsible comments on Sourav Ganguly, Raj Singh Dungarpur is only going as far as tarnishing whatever good reputation, if any, he has managed to keep intact for himself. One wonders how a senior cricket administrator like him can look to damage the reputation of the former captain by saying that the latter is a lazy player, a bad fielder and one who cannot motivate his team. The credibility of such charges is very much under clouds since he has no concrete evidence to support his claims. He has made himself a butt of ridicule by saying that Ganguly would have been better off taking on the Pakistan A side in Pakistan, instead of playing in a first-class domestic match in India. By making such irresponsible comments when he is the officially appointed manager for India’s tour of Pakistan, he is jeopardizing the goodwill and integrity of the already controversy-ridden Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI). Moreover, by making the former foreign coach, John Wright a party to his unverified charges, he is also bringing disrepute to India as a nation. Indian cricket has been witness to his cricketing sense for years now. It is only fair to say that it is high time that he bade adieu to all aspects of the game.

Perishing Without A Trace

Dev Anand has been a renowned filmmaker, known for unearthing promising talents. But of late,he has been producing movies which have little entertainment value and are even more poorly publicized. ‘Pyaar Ka Tarana’, ‘Main Sola Baras Ki’, ‘Censor’ and the most recent ‘Mr. Prime Minister’ are cases in point. The last-mentioned box-office dud has not had a single audience in certain shows in some cinemas of the country. The evergreen actor should stop investing time, money and effort in such dubious projects to avoid further blushes for himself and his admirers.

Women In Blue

The Indian women’s cricket team deserves kudos for sweeping through the Asia Cup. Neither Pakistan nor Sri Lanka is among the top teams in women’s cricket. But that does not undermine the importance of the emphatic nature of India’s win. India’s batswomen like Anjum Chopra and Mithali Raj have been consistent performers over the years. And now it is heartening to see that the Indian bowlers, like Jhulan Goswami and Rumeli Dhar are bowling with guile. Also, Karuna Jain the wicket-keeper – batswoman, seems to be the female version of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Hopefully, the men in blue should also be able to cruise through winning ways in Pakistan.

Format Overhaul

Ahead of improving pitch conditions and appointing expert physios, the playing conditions are to be changed. The existing rule of awarding points to a team only on the basis of a first innings lead makes a team try to bat seemingly for ever and ever to snatch a first innings lead. This makes the game highly tiresome to watch. Moreover, and more importantly, this does not allow the longer version of the Ranji Trophy matches to be the ideal platforms to prepare for international cricket.

Just For Pleasure

In today’s people, there are many to whom enjoyment emanates showing off. The irony sometimes is that that such show are not always seen by many. But still there is no harm in one trying to extract harmless pleasure out of such exhibitionism.

Fallouts Of Industrialization

Industrialisation is healthy for the economy, but not at the expense of tribal life and tribal land. Adequate provision for rehabilitation is an urgent necessity for those tribals whose plots are to be taken over for setting up steel plant in Jajpur district of Orissa. The death of twelve people in connection with protests against the establishment of industry by taking over tribal land in the district, is shocking. This incident should bean eye-opener for the administration to bask in the glory of industrialisation only after taking care of those who are to become homeless due to rampant blind industrialisation.

Disturbing Noise

On Tuesday, January 03, 2006 a Bengali newspaper organized their fortieth anniversary celebrations at the Centenary Auditorium of the University of Calcutta College Street campus. Bengali songs extolling mankind and creation were sung to increase the enjoyment quotient of the occasion. So far so good. But the songs were amplified manifold by using loudspeakers in the open inside the campus itself. This was a gross injustice to the students. Better sense was expected of the politically-backed news medium and the University administrators.

Wrong Treatment

The beginning of the lead ‘Police seen as spectators of killings’ frontpage on Monday, 2 January with the derogatory word “Shala” in prominent italics is disgraceful. Newspapers are supposed to be read by children also and such words, even if based on reality may adversely affect their formative minds. They may be indirectly referred to, may be in an inside page. But it is always advisable not to put such words on page one, especially keeping in mind the maturing psychology of children who are actually often advised to read newspapers.

Next Step Forward

With BPOs experiencing a boom, working hours have become immensely flexible and cut-throat competition means people have less time to glance at newspapers or browse through news channels. Internet, which can be accessed during work, is expected to gain more popularity as a news source to the end-users. So, internet journalism can be promising career option in 2006, as can be cyber law, due to rampant use of fast communication technology for spreading sleaze.

Mobile Malfunctions

Even after of so much of technology advancement in and government support to the telecom sector, mobile phone networks still tend to jam on the year-end, due to too much of messaging. Messages take hours to be delivered and often they bounce back to the sender, usually with message charges accounted for. That is not acceptable. But even more unacceptable is voices breaking up while talking over the mobile phone, even if there is adequate charge in the handset. The moblie giants better improve their services first - ahead of spending huge sums in attractive advertisements. After all, mobile telephony is a utility service, and not something which is potentially easy to do away with, like soft drinks containing pesticides or chocolates containing harmful organisms.

Tainted Sports

After the game of hockey getting disgraced by virtue of an on-field brawl in Delhi, it was the time for the name of table tennis to get tarnished, in Pondicherry, thanks to alleged molestations of female players during lodging. To rub salt on the burn is the charge that some of the rooms have been ransacked and a boy beaten up by the intruders. It is high time that the sports administrators took their duty seriously, paying due regards to the safety and security of the sportspersons, both on and of the field.

One For The Future

The Ninety-third Indian Science Congress scheduled to be held in Hyderabad deserves kudos for honouring twelve-year old K. Masha Nazeem for her invention of an effective drainage disposal system for Indian Railways. Such achievements of young minds are to be acknowledged and encouraged more often, to bring about the creative and effective best out of young brains, who are the future of the world.

Choked Passage

The entire stretch between Shyambazar and Bali Bridge experienced an unprecedented traffic standstill on Saturday, December 31. It took an incredible close to four hours to overcome the stretch. The traffic snarl had nothing to do with the new bridge construction beside the Vivekananda Setu, as the congestion eased out dramatically after Bali. The traffic police were utterly negligent towards the problems of the commuters, and the experienced bus-conductors too were of the opinion that the congestion was beyond comprehension. Such negligence on the part of the police can lead to any mishap, from discontent among passengers to mass-killing by terrorists.

Stick Fight

The on-pitch fight among players and officials during the Nehru hockey tournament in New Delhi is disgraceful. Even more bewildering is the neglect with which the Indian Hockey Federation is treating the shameful issue. India's performance in international hockey is at a low ebb. But in spite of that, the spectator turnout in domestic games has been heartening. But such on-field violence and the utter disregard of the country' sports administrators to the maltreatment of the National Game will only drive the fans out of the stadium.

Health Guard

Error in diagnosis or treatment of ailments can be fatal. Technical support has to be impeccable in order to minimise such mistakes. This aspect of the medical profession has to be treated with utmost seriousness, since this is a matter of life and death for the patients concerned. And, of course, the medical practitioners themselves are expected to work as thorough professionals, which presupposes no laxity in work, no matter how tremendously demanding the working conditions are. Continuous overwork has to be kept in check by the hospital administrators and other medical officials.

Old Wine In New Bottle

With the expected release of JP Dutta's 'Umrao Jaan' and Farhan Akhtar's 'Don', 2006 is all set to be a year of remakes. However, it remains to be seen whether Aishwariya Rai can surpass the charm of Rekha. Shah Rukh Khan is a self-proclaimed Amitabh Bachchan fan. It will be potentially exciting to see the Bollywood Badshah trying to fit into the shoes of the Bollywood Shahenshah. However, the treatment of such movies should be their most interesting aspect.

Small-town Wonder

Udita Goswami has impressed one and all in her debut movie 'Paap' and also 'Zeher', both of which portray her in her sensual best. However, she is yet to get typecast as an item girl. She has given glimpses of her acting acumen in both the movies, and she looks all set to excel in power-packed roles. Her small-town background can make her a role model for those who look to succeed in Bollywood without having any godfather.

Pace Up Spin

The faster bowlers are potentially more prone to injuries than any other breed of cricketers. So, in case, a Zaheer Khan, or an Irfan Pathan, or an Ajit Agarkar, or an Ashish Nehra gets injured, the Team India selectors are set to find out their replacements, if not for the long run, then definitely for the short run.

So, under the John Wright-Sourav Ganguly regime, Laxmipathy Balaji, Amit Bhandari, Joginder Sharma, Shib Shankar Paul, Gagandeep Singh were tried. Of course, Paul and Singh never got into the final eleven.

In the current Greg Chappell-Rahul Dravid era, the likes of S. Sreesanth and Rudra Paratap Singh are already making their presence felt. At least another, in the form of Vikram Raj Vir Singh, who consistently crossed the hundred and forty kilometres per hour mark in the 2005 Challengers Trophy, can secure a Team India berth any fine morning.

Down the 1990s and into the new millennium, a number of faster bowlers, like Abey Kuruvilla, Bhupinder Singh, David Johnson, Debasish Mohanty, Doddanrasaiah Ganesh, Harvinder Singh, Iqbal Siddiqui, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Paras Mhambrey, Prashant Vaidya, Subroto Banerjee, Tinu Yohannan, Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran, were tried at the highest level with varying degrees of success.

But who are to spin the web? Nikhil Chopra, Rahul Sanghvi and Sunil Joshi did create the odd ripples in the limited overs version, but failed to impress in the Tests. Nilesh Kulkarni, Noel David, Saiarj Bahutule and Utpal Chatterjee were tried and dumped. Only Ashish Kapoor could be persisted with for some time. Venkatapathy Raju and Rajesh Chouhan filled in the numbers in the presence of the killer Karnataka trio - Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble.

Now, with Harbhajan Singh going great guns, and the wily Kumble continuing to deliver with guile, the other spinners are being overshadowed.

Murali Karthik gets great purchase out of rank turners, but has proved to be a dead duck on flat pitches. Sarandeep Singh is fast fading into oblivion. Ramesh Powar seems to be a better batter than a bowler.In case the youngsters like Amit Mishra(Haryana), Madhusudan Acharya(Madhya Pradesh), Navdeep Singh(Punjab), Piyush Chawla(Uttar Pradesh), R. Ramkumar(Tamil Nadu), Sourasish Lahiri(Bengal), Yogesh Golwalkar(Madhya Pradesh), fail to make a mark in the seasons to come, Chappell and Dravid may do well to polish the spinning skills of Virender Sehwag in particular, as they have done with the batting acumen of Irfan Pathan; as it is Dinesh Mongia and Sridharan Sriram are currently out of favour. A spinners' academy in the lines of the pacers' academy at Chennai is the need of the hour.

Grind At Home

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI)'s decision to force some of the Indian cricketers scheduled to tour Pakistan for the upcoming away series, to play in Ranji Trophy matches at the expense of a tour match in Pakistan, is astonishing. The players have been selected for the tour after considering their domestic performances. A warm-up match in Pakistan would have been ideal to mould these players into the right groove for the long away series ahead. But instead, some of them will be required to remain in the country, detached from their national teammates. The match fitness of the players could have been judged in the tour match itself, against the likes of Hasan Raza, Bazid Khan, Asim Kamal, Umer Gul, among others. Parthiv Patel was reportedly ill and Sourav Ganguly opted out for Bengal's last Ranji match against Gujarat due to personal reasons. At least Ganguly, who was supposedly otherwise fit, should have been directed immediately after the squad selection for the Pakistan tour, to make himself available for the match, instead of creating this unnecessary and illogical furore now.

Explosive Terror

The mysterious disappearance of explosive cargo from a ship leaving from Mumbai is alarming. The security personnel should investigate the case with due seriousness, weighing such pros and cons as the genuineness of the consignment supposedly meant for road construction in Afghanistan. The claim by the ship's spokesperson that the entire load of explosives had to be dumped into the sea for smooth sailing of the ship has to cross-checked. It would be a cause for great alarm if the explosives fall into the hands of terrorists, who are already very much a menace in different parts of the world including India.

Industrial Meeting Space

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's zeal for industrialzation of the state is not being manifested in the right way. In an open meeting at the heart of Kolkata, an announcement was made for enhancing the number of jobs available in the state. But naturally, and ironically as well, this meeting and the processions flowing in to it threw the city traffic out of gear, that obviously goes against the motive of the industrialization of the state. Moreover, it would be better if the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is allowed hold such a meeting in the Brigade Parade Ground. It will be directed towards industrialization, and is not supposed to paralyse the city traffic either. In any case, the CII meeting should not have the National Library as its venue, as that would prevent the normal fruitful reading of the library users. The Netaji Indoor Stadium can also be considered as a possible venue for the CII meeting. The concerned authorities are expected to be wise enough not to further damage the Yuba Bharati Krairangan by allowing more than a thousand people to move into and occupy the playing arena at the same time.

Attacks Unlimited

The militant attack on IISc Bangalore was shocking, not only because of the way the operation was carried on, but also because it was directed against some of the country's premier scientists. Such heinous crime in the premises of an educational campus, speaks volumes about the desperation and cruelty of the criminals. But more alarmingly, the incident should be an eye-opener for the city police forces to appoint more personnel for the security of the country's leading educational institutions, which are the hubs of some of the best brains in the country.

Direct Waste

The DTH mechanism launched by Doordarshan is flooded with the government channels. It has not got some of the most popular entertainment and sports channels and is sure to flop in the cable television market. It is true and justified that the Indian government would not ever look to promote sex and violence, depicted in some of the cable channels otherwise beamed in the country. It is also justified that the Prasar Bharati would like to promote its own channels. But that should not tantamount to wasting public money by promoting a hi-tech bouquet of electronic media channels which is sure to be a loser in the competitive market.

Innovation Infused

Kerry Packer will be remembered by cricket lovers all the world over for such exciting cricketing innovations like playing under artificial lights and colour outfits. By pouring immense amounts of money into the game, he increased the competitiveness, and hence the acceptability of and interest in the game. Cricket became a game for the masses, and this spirit of innovation that he infused into the game with a telling effect, is the cornerstone of the raging popularity of the game. Twenty20 cricket and such rules as Power Play and Super-sub, which are making cricket more and more exciting all the time, are direct results of the innovative spirit that Packer injected into cricket administration.

Bengal High

After Sourav Ganguly and Deep Dasgupta, it seems that Sourasish Lahiri will wear a Team India cap. Lahiri is a consistent spinner, who has been getting bagsful of wickets in the domestic circuit for a number of seasons on the trot. With Murali Karthik failing to impress on a regular basis, and Piyush Chawla too inexperienced at the first-class level to book an India berth at the highest level, Lahiri can be a very good support bowler to Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. He can be really effective in the shorter version of the game, since he can use the long handle to good effect, where he has surely an edge over the other spinners like Amit Mishra and Sarandeep Singh. With coach Greg Chappell stressing on the creation of a pool of pacers, Shib Shanker Paul and Ranadeb Bose, with plenty of recent first class wickets to boast of, may also get a look-in into the Team India squad.

Disaster Mismanagement

Only public announcement system seems to be working to forecast some imminent natural disasters like rains and storms. But otherwise, an earthquake cannot be forecasted with much accuracy, the coasts are still largely without mangroves to ward off the waves and there are stampedes for relief, thanks to disaster mismanagement.

Trees As Guards

Not much work seems to have been done to restore the mangrove forests in the December 2004 tsunami-ravaged coasts of India. Though some reconstruction and rehabilitation works have been undertaken with desired effect, the basic natural way to ward off a burgeoning tsunami has not been resorted to any noticeable extent. The coasts are largely still bare, as if in wait for another huge wave to strike in full throttle, and create untold miseries for the coastal people. Transplantation may be a costly affair, but that is the only way to fortify the coast, since saplings cannot mature overnight.

BJP Tainted

The RSS, which often seems to have taken up the onus of being the country’s moral police, has now ironically got itself involved in a sleaze controversy with sex-video slur on Sanjay Joshi. The BJP is getting deep into the troubled waters of controversies, with the unearthing of skulls of suspected March 2002 Gujarat riot victims. The BJP better keep a strict vigil on the unlawful activities of its insiders and its aides, in order to attain credibility in a constitutionally secular state like India.

Demolition Drive

The demolition drive against illegal constructions in Delhi is creating a lot of furore. A number of such illegal constructions are important and big establishments, which are difficult to pull down, if not for anything else, then certainly on humanitarian grounds. The government officials should have been vigilant enough, in the first place, to stop such constructions. Now that the constructions have been there for so many years, they cannot be easily destroyed. The small settlers are being made the scapegoats, and there is every likelihood, considering the furore, that those with political back-up will be spared. It is better to legalise some such constructions, with due considerations to details, instead of demolishing them at random.

From Behind The Wickets

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has taken Indian cricket by such a storm that it has become difficult to think of any other Indian wicketkeeper-batsman. So when Parthiv Patel, notorious for his poor work with the big gloves, gets picked up for India's forthcoming tour to Pakistan, as a back-up for the Ranchi rocker, the news comes as a surprize. In this context, it is all the more heartening to see that the good work of some other former India stumpards are achieving media space. It is unfortunate that after Nayan Mongia, none of the wicketkeepers like Mannava Sri Kanth Prasad, Sameer Dighe, Deep Dasgupta, Ajay Ratra have been reliable behind the stumps on a regular basis. Parthiv Patel impressed one and all with his simple effective bating, but was a big let-down behind the stumps. Dinesh Kaarthick, showed promise both behind and in front of the wickets, but naturally had to give way to the dasher called Dhoni. Rahul Dravid, in the meantime, true to his reputation of being a dedicated cricketer par excellence, excelled behind the stumps as well. India however, is still on the look out for a 'keeper who can weather the storm of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh on a consistent basis.

Airport Cleanup

Opening up the sky to a plethora of private airlines has not meant improvement of the basic infrastructure of India's international airports. It is extremely unfortunate that normal operations at the airport at the country's national capital is being badly affected by fog, with the passengers left to languish in the cold. Strict vigilance is required to get the job done from those in charge of operations and maintenance of the airport. If that does not break the airport personnel's hibernation, the next best alternative would be to call a tender, and appoint a private agency to take acre of the day-to-day operations at the airport. But that is easier said than done, since some are supposedly averse to working properly, but have grave reservations when it comes to showing them the door on that very ground.

Night Security

A company should arrange for a spycamera network linked to close-circuit television sets under the charge of shifting male and female security personnel, to ensure the security of their women staff working on night shifts.

Research-Check

Increasing competitiveness is taking its toll on research works as well, and this is an ominous sign for research and development, especially when the same deals with medicines. Any illegality in the research process or manipulation of research findings may lead to fatality to the human cause. The situation is all the more grave since it is difficult for many a researcher to work under the strict vigilance of a security personnel. Moreover, since research is by definition about something new, a person appointed to keep track of the research may not be competent enough to detect a malpractice.

Way To Pakistan

It is a right move on the part of the Team India selectors to recall Sourav Ganguly and Zaheer Khan to the Indian squad touring Pakistan. Ganguly's experience and performance against Pakistan is supposed to add further to the confidence of the team, which is already upbeat, having got the better of Sri Lanka in a comprehensive way in the recent home series. Zaheer Khan had to be recalled, not only because Ajit Agarkar is not yet a consistent wicket-taker in Tests and Rudra Pratap Singh is too inexperienced, but more so because he has been bagging loads of wickets for months in the domestic circuit. Gautam Gambhir is under pressure, he having been unable to switch over to the Test mode from the One-day style. Moreover, Wasim Jaffer has not been stopping short of a hundred these days in the domestic matches. It would be too much to expect Parthiv Patel to get a berth in the final eleven ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. However, Patel with his more than effective no-nonsense batting, can find a place in the Indian middle order, or even as a opener, in case a batsmen gets injured. The very fact that no spinner other Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh have been picked for the tour shows that, the rest of the breed in India are not worth an India cap as yet. The likes of Piyush Chawla, Madhusudan Acharya, Sourasish Lahiri, Yogesh Golwalkar need to be delivering the goods on a more consistent basis to pose a challenge to the established spin-twins.

After Six Years

John Matthew Matthan created sensation in the Bollywood box-office in his debut Hindi venture, 'Sarfarosh'. That was 1999, and his admirers had to wait for six years for his second foray into the Bollywood silver screen. 'Shikhar' featuring Ajay Devgan and Shahid Kapoor is expected to be yet another thought-provoking movie, with a high score on entertainment value.

Making A Comeback

Iqbal Khan started his acting career with such box-office bombs as 'Kuchh Dil Ne Kaha', 'Fantoosh' and 'Bullet’. However, he has worked wonders on the small screen with 'Kaisa Yeh Pyaar Hai'. His acting acumen is enhanced by his superb voice and macho figure. He is doing well also in his role with a negative touch in 'Kahin To Hoga'.

Series Won, Concerns Remain

India has won the Test series against Sri Lanka, thanks to a superb all-round performance by the team. Sri Lanka had no answers to the guiles of the wily Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh. None of the Lankan batsmen got the measure of the Indian spin-twins and their batting line-up, shaky as it is with the absence of Sanath Jayasuriya, fell like nine-pins, so much so that the unjustified absence of Zaheer Khan was never felt. As Irfan Pathan and Mahendra Singh Dhoni continue to shine as all-rounders, India still has problems at the top of the batting order, with Gautam Gambhir failing to come out of the one-day mode, and Virender Sehwag failing to deliver once too often. Wasim Jaffer, after a string of impressive outings at the domestic level, should be considered for the Tests against England and Pakistan, and Sourav Ganguly should be recalled to replace the disappointing Mohammad Kaif. It remains to be seen whether Team India goes in for the surprise element in Rudra Pratap Singh, or falls back on the experience of Zaheer Khan, for the upcoming Tests.

Safety At Work

One or two stray untoward incidents should not lead to the conclusion that Indian cities are unsafe for women working in night shifts. However, the employees themselves should be more careful and the employers and the police more vigilant to ensure that women are not dishonoured at work.

Wrong Processes

The BPO employers in the country should be more vigilant to prevent any attempt at dishonouring a female at work. They would do well to place hidden cameras in the office workplaces and constantly monitor the visuals through close-circuit television sets. If any untoward incident is sensed necessary action may be taken immediately to abort such miasbehaviours. It is a shame that some men working at a Generation-Y service industry like BPO have the sick mindset of commodifying female colleagues.

Mountain Move

The Bhutan King deserves kudos for himself allowing a democratic election to be held in the country in 2008. He has realized the value of people's discretion and judgement and acted likewise to implement democratic measures. The other Himalayan kingdom of Nepal, which has been making a mockery of democracy should take a cue from Bhutan and immediately restore democratic rights to the Nepalese citizens.

Kicking Its Way Up

The Indian football team deserves praise for winning the SAF football championship in Pakistan. With the increasing media coverage of Indian football, the game is experiencing a resurgence of interest in the country. At this point, the superb performance of the Indian football team gains all the more prominence and significance. The Indian young guns led by Bhaichung Bhutia made India proud and consistency is what is expected of the bunch of Indian rising stars. The National Football League has really led to a renewal of an all-new competitive spirit and the IFA deserves kudos for that.