Tuesday 12 March 2013

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup: India beat Pakistan 3-1

A spirited India beat Pakistan in a must-win match to keep alive their hopes in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament by notching up a come-from-behind 3-1 win over their arch-rivals, here today.

By virtue of today's win, India have moved up in the team standings to the fourth position ahead of Pakistan with three points from as many games.


The Pakistanis put the Indian defence under tremendous pressure in the opening few minutes of the game.
But the Indians hardly took any time to bounce back as they pumped in two goals in a span of five minutes to stun their neighbours.
After a rest day tomorrow, India will play defending champions New Zealand, who beat Korea 0-3 in the first match of the day while Pakistan will be up against hosts Malaysia.
India's chief coach Micheal Nobbs said he has every reason to be delighted with the win, which put India back on the track after consecutive defeats in the opening two matches of the Azlan Shah Cup.
Courtesy : India Express





Sunday 10 March 2013

Two Muslim students win all 3 Sanskrit medals in Gujarat University


In the ancient Indian language by the Gujarat University,
a Muslim boy and girl have bagged all three medals.

These students were  instituted for the BA course, in the ancient Indian language by the Gujarat University,

Two of the medals for Sanskrit were won by Taiyab Sheikh, a student of Y S Arts.

And Commerce college in Devgadh Baria in Panchmahals district.

Courtesy : younews.in




Monday 30 July 2012

London Olympics 2012: Gagan Narang shoots bronze; India's 1st medal

Ace marksman Gagan Narang shot his way to the men's 10m air rifle bronze medal after watching compatriot and Beijing Games gold medalist Abhinav Bindra fall by the wayside in the preliminaries as India scooped up its first medal at the Olympic Games, here today.

Narang held his nerve in a gripping 8-man finale to stave off the challenge of Chinese rival Wang Tao bagging the third spot with an aggregate of 701.1, behind gold medal winner Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania and Italian world No 1 Niccolo Campriani who tallied 702.1 and 701.5 respectively.

Narang was bang on target from the beginning of competition, scoring two successive 100s, but a 98 in the third series of qualifiers somewhat let down the quadruple gold medal winner at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.kasam The 29-year-old Punjabi based out of Hyderabad, however, kept his cool and fought his way back into the reckoning for the medal round with a perfect 100 in the fourth series and then clinched the final spot as the third best performer by notching two more 100s in his last two rounds.kasam Narang, will also compete in the 50m rifle 3-position and prone events.

The 29-year-old's medal-winning effort, the first for India on the third day of competitions here, has lifted the spirits of the Indian camp who were left dazed by the unexpected elimination of Bindra in the qualifying rounds. kasam While Narang sailed into the medal round with a total of 598 out of 600 in the preliminaries before clinching the bronze, Bindra started poorly that cost him dearly in the race to earn the berth in the finals. kasam Bindra, who created history and a frenzy four years ago at Beijing when he won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event --the first ever individual Olympic title won by an Indian --performed way below par and made a tame exit.kasam He ended up a distant 16th from 47 competitions to end his campaign in the Games on a disappointing note.

Bindra began the defence of his title with two 99s in the first two series before coming back strongly by getting two perfect 10s for consecutive 100s in the third and fourth rounds.kasam The two 100s gave Bindra the lift and the belief he badly needed after dropping a point each in the first two sets.kasam However, a 99 in the fifth and an even poorer outing in the last series where he could score just 97, dashed Bindra's chances of earning a berth in the eight-man finals.kasam The man who became the pin-up boy of Indian shooting after his heroics in Beijing in 2008 later conceded he was inconsistent and it was simply not his day.

"This was not my day. I started slowly and there was a lot of pressure. It was a very highly competitive field, my performance went up and down," Bindra told reporters after his disappointing show.

This was the only event the 29-year-old Bindra was taking part, thereby cutting short his campaign in the ongoing Games, but he insisted he has no plans to retire.kasam "It has been a nice journey for me and I have worked hard for this, but unfortunately, I could not make it to the finals," he added.

There was another setback for the country's sagging hopes in the archery competition when Laishram Bambayla Devi was ousted from the women's individual event at the pre-quarterfinal stage by Roman Aida of Mexico 6-2.

Bambayla had raised slim visions of a medal when she performed superbly to enter the last 16 by despatching first round rival Evangelia Psarra of Greece easily with a 6-4 margin.

India begin their campaign in men's hockey later today while tennis players would also be seen in action at Wimbledon after their doubles matches got postponed due to rains yesterday.

Also seen in action would be major medal hope in badminton, Saina Nehwal, who would be playing her second group match, and light heavyweight (81kg) boxer Sumit Sangwan.

 Courtesy :: Indian Express




Sunday 22 July 2012

President election: Pranab Mukherjee will be India's 14th President

Pranab Mukherjee will be India's 14th President, officials announced on Sunday, as the UPA candidate comfortably crossed the half-way mark with 558,194 votes to secure his journey to Rashtrapati Bhavan. His rival, former Lok Sabha speaker PA Sangma, was way behind with 239,966 votes as counting continued, Mukherjee's polling agent Pravin H Parikh said.

"He has crossed the halfway mark. He is the president-elect," Parikh said.
Though the result was clear, votes would continue to be counted till all the ballot boxes were opened.
"I congratulate Pranab Mukherjee for this historic win. He will garner more than 70% of the votes. I also thank people who supported him," Union minister V Narayanasamy said.
Mukherjee will be administered the oath of office as India's 14th President by the Chief Justice of India at 11:30 am on July 25.
Pranab got the overwhelming support of Parliamentarians in the President's election securing a vote value of 3,73,116.

Mukherjee's lone rival PA Sangma, supported by some opposition parties including BJP, managed to get a vote value of only 1,45,848 in the counting of votes which is in progress at Parliament House, official sources said.
A total of 748 MPs voted in the election on July 19. Of the total votes, Mukherjee got 527 votes while Sangma got 206. Fifteen votes including that of SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were invalid.

Each MP has a vote value of 708. There are a total of 776 voters in both the houses of Parliament.
The electoral college consists of 4120 MLAs in the states.
In Andhra Pradesh, which has a 294-member Assembly, Mukherjee got the support of 182 MLAs including that of Congress and YSR Congress while Sangma got the backing of three. Five were invalid.
In terms of vote value, Mukherjee got 26936 while Sangma 444. A total of 190 MLAs voted because TDP and TRS abstained. Each MLA in Andhra Pradesh has a vote value of 148.
Mukherjee kept up his lead even in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, where he got 54 of the 59 votes polled. The vote value corresponded to 432 for Mukherjee, while it was 16 for Sangma.
Three votes were invalid.
Counting of votes for the 14th Presidential election began in Parliament House on Sunday in which UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee has a clear edge over BJP-backed Purno A Sangma.

Counting of ballots began amidst tight security in Parliament House in New Delhi in the presence of authorised representatives of both Mukherjee and Sangma.

The ballot boxes of votes cast in Parliament House were taken up first for counting after which those from the states will be opened.
Authorised representatives inspected the seals of the ballot boxes and the counting began after ascertaining that they were not tampered with.



'Relaxed' Pranab awaiting presidential poll results
Mukherjee, 76, a ruling Congress party loyalist, was the overwhelming favourite for the post of head of state after drawing broad support over rival Purno A Sangma, 64, a former Speaker of Lok Sabha.
The President is chosen by 4,896 state and parliamentary lawmakers and Mukherjee's success would mark a welcome victory for the embattled Congress, which is struggling with a string of graft scandals and a slowing economy.

India needs Pranab as president: Sharad Yadav
The lawmakers cast their votes late last week and results from the counting were due in the afternoon on Sunday.

Famously just five-feet (152 centimetres) tall, Mukherjee -- who uses a stool to be seen over podiums -- has long been Congress's firefighter, leaving many wondering how the party will cope without its "political Mr Fixit."
But analysts say he may be called on to play an even more influential role as President. Under the Constitution, the Prime Minister wields most of the executive power but the President can play a vital part in forming governments.
Mukherjee, who resigned as finance minister to seek the presidency, could "be the kingmaker," said analyst TK Tripathi.
With the upsurge of regional parties in an increasingly fractious political landscape and the possibility of a hung Parliament after the 2014 elections, he could have a pivotal role in deciding the next government, analysts say.
"It's in this turbulent scenario Mukherjee as a President will be able to steer the ship of the state. He's a troubleshooter," said Sanjay Kumar, analyst at India's Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan's current occupant, Pratibha Patil, 77, India's first woman president, has kept a low profile and cut a conservative figure with her sari pulled over her hair.
Victory of Pranab Mukherjee, the ruling UPA's candidate for the Presidential poll held on Thursday, is a foregone conclusion, but the final outcome will be announced after counting of the ballots on Sunday at Parliament House.
"The results of the presidential election will be known immediately after counting is over Sunday," Rajya Sabha secretary general and returning officer for the poll VK Agnihotri said in New Delhi.

Rajya Sabha officials, who have been entrusted with the conduct of the presidential poll, said all the ballot boxes from the states have reached Parliament House, where a strong room for storing them had been prepared.
About 95% of the total 4,896 electors - 776 MPs and 4,120 assembly members - exercised their franchise at the polling centres set up at Parliament House and 30 other state and union territories with assemblies.
Mukherjee is expected to bag 735,000 of the 1,097,000 votes, bagging the support of the United Progressive Alliance constituents such as the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Trinamool  Congress, DMK, and National Conference, apart from supporting parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and others.
He also got the support of opposition National Democratic Alliance members such as the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal-United and other smaller parties such as the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.
His rival Purno Sangma, supported by Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Asom Gana Parishad, AIADMK and Biju Janata Dal, is expected to garner about 313,000 votes.
Interestingly, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's ballot will not be counted, as he had inadvertently voted for Sangma, though he had pledged support to Mukherjee, the first time, and then tore the ballot to vote a second time.
On a complaint from Sangma's advocate and BJP leader Satya Pal Jain, the Election Commission had ordered that both the ballots be deemed invalid.
(With inputs frpm PTI, IANS, AFP)

Courtesy :: HindustanTimes








Wednesday 18 July 2012

Rajesh Khanna dies, India pays tributes



Bollywood's original superstar Rajesh Khanna, who charmed his way into the hearts of millions of swooning women in the 1960s and 70s, died in Mumbai on Wednesday. 69-year-old Khanna, who shot to superstardom with the 1969 hit Aradhana opposite Sharmila Tagore, passed away at his
Expressing shock at the the demise of Rajesh Khanna, veteran actor Hema Malini said she always hoped that he would recover.
"We always thought he would come back (from the hospital). We are in shock right now," Hema told a TV news channel.
Though a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles with ease in his illustrious career spanning four decades. His portrayal as a cancer patient in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-film Anand (1971) in which he got the better of Amitabh Bachchan left many teary eyed.
Nicknamed "Kaka" by his adoring fans, he is survived by estranged actress wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinkie, all of whom were by his side when his end came.

Khanna's family as also Lilawati Hospital authorities were tightlipped about the nature of the actor's illness.
 "We cannot tell you about the nature of Khanna's illness....Please get in touch with his family," a spokesman for Lilawati who identified himself only as Dr Trivedi told PTI.
According to sources close to the family, the cremation will take place on Thursday at 11am.
Vijay, a close friend of Khanna who had been interacting with the media since his illness, said, "Kaka's food intake had gone down over the last few days making him very weak."
The news of Khanna's death this afternoon spread like wildfire and hundreds of teary-eyed fans descended at his bungalow 'Ashirwad' in Bandra.
"My father-in-law is no more. He has gone to a nice and heavenly place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will pray for him," his actor son-in-law Akshay Kumar told waiting reporters and fans outside 'Ashirwad'.
Several Bollywood celebrities including actors Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra and film maker Sajid Khan visited Khanna's home to pay homage to the actor.
The political fraternity including prime Minister Manmohan Singh too condoled his demise.
"I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna," he said in his condolence message.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi too expressed deep sorrow and grief at the demise of Rajesh Khanna.

Rajesh Khanna has passed away but his legacy lives on. Here's a look at the journey of Bollywood's original heartthrob.
Bollywood's original superstar Rajesh Khanna, who charmed his way into the hearts of millions of swooning women in the 1960s and 70s, died in Mumbai on Wednesday.

69-year-old Khanna, who shot to superstardom with the 1969 hit Aradhana opposite Sharmila Tagore, passed away at his

home, a day after being discharged from Lilawati hospital. He had been ailing since April. Expressing shock at the the demise of Rajesh Khanna, veteran actor Hema Malini said she always hoped that he would recover.
"We always thought he would come back (from the hospital). We are in shock right now," Hema told a TV news channel.
Though a romantic hero, Khanna essayed a variety of roles with ease in his illustrious career spanning four decades. His portrayal as a cancer patient in the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-film Anand (1971) in which he got the better of Amitabh Bachchan left many teary eyed.
Nicknamed "Kaka" by his adoring fans, he is survived by estranged actress wife Dimple Kapadia and daughters Twinkle and Rinkie, all of whom were by his side when his end came.
Khanna's family as also Lilawati Hospital authorities were tightlipped about the nature of the actor's illness.



"We cannot tell you about the nature of Khanna's illness....Please get in touch with his family," a spokesman for Lilawati who identified himself only as Dr Trivedi told PTI.
According to sources close to the family, the cremation will take place on Thursday at 11am.
Vijay, a close friend of Khanna who had been interacting with the media since his illness, said, "Kaka's food intake had gone down over the last few days making him very weak."
The news of Khanna's death this afternoon spread like wildfire and hundreds of teary-eyed fans descended at his bungalow 'Ashirwad' in Bandra.
"My father-in-law is no more. He has gone to a nice and heavenly place. I am happy that he has gone there and hope that everyone will pray for him," his actor son-in-law Akshay Kumar told waiting reporters and fans outside 'Ashirwad'.
Several Bollywood celebrities including actors Rishi Kapoor, Prem Chopra and film maker Sajid Khan visited Khanna's home to pay homage to the actor.
The political fraternity including prime Minister Manmohan Singh too condoled his demise.
"I convey my heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and countless fans and admirers of Shri Rajesh Khanna," he said in his condolence message.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi too expressed deep sorrow and grief at the demise of Rajesh Khanna.


"Rajesh Khanna was always a symbol of romance. His smiling face and the ability to connect with people at ease had made him popular. We lost a big pole star in the film world today," West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said.
Expressing profound grief, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar said, "his (Khanna's) death has caused irreparable loss to Hindi cinema."
The veteran actor, who lived a secluded life of late, recently appeared for a film advertisment of a well known brand of fan, his faces and eyes sunken. His real fans were shocked to see him a pale shadow of his former self.
During his illustrious career Khanna gave 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 and 1972 including Aradhana, Haathi Mere Saathi, Anand and Amar Prem.
Debuting with Akhri Khat which he bagged after winning a talent contest in 1965, Khanna went on to star in over 180 films.
He carved a niche for himself in Bollywood dominated in those days by the troika of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor and the likes of Shammi Kapoor and Rajendra Kumar.
However, it was Aradhana in 1969 opposite Sharmila that catapulted him to superstardom overnight.
His disarming smile and twinkling eyes made him the darling of millions. Female fans lined the streets he took, covered his car with kisses leaving lipstick marks, married his photographs and wrote love letters to him in blood while young men would sport his hairstyle.
Born as Jatin Khanna on December 29, 1942, he was adopted and raised by foster parents. He began taking interest in acting while in school and performed in a number of plays. It was his uncle who changed Khanna's first name to Rajesh when he decided to join films.
In 1965, he won an all India talent contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare and as a result made his debut the next year in Aakhri Khat, directed by Chetan Anand. His second film Raaz was also a part of his predetermined prize for winning the competition.
He found success with films like Baharon Ke Sapne, Aurat, Doli and Ittefaq, but it was the 1969 film Aradhana opposite Sharmila Tagore that catapulted Khanna to superstardom.
The film also saw the resurgence of Kishore Kumar, who eventually became the official playback voice of Khanna and the actor-singer duo delivered a number of hit songs subsequently, memorable among them being Mere sapno ki raani, Roop tera mastana, Kuch to log kahenge and Jai jai shiv shankar.
After Aradhana, Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) became the biggest hit and also the biggest grosser ever till then. Khanna appeared in 163 feature films of which 106 had him as the solo lead hero and 22 were two hero projects. He had 15 consecutive solo superhits between 1969 and 1972, which is still an unbroken record in Indian film history.
He won three Filmfare Best Actor Awards and was nominated for the same fourteen times. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Despite his heartthrob status, Khanna played a variety of roles - the terminally ill Anand, a chef in Bawarchi, a lonely husband in Amar Prem, and a psychiatric patient in Khamoshi.
He worked with the best of the talents of his time, be it directors, actresses and composers. Sharmila Tagore and Mumtaz became his leading ladies in many films including Amar Prem and Aap Ki Kasam.
Directors like Shakti Samanta, Yash Chopra, Manmohan Desai, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Ramesh Sippy worked with Khanna. His films' music made them more memorable, with the trio of composer RD Burman, Kishore and he himself working together in more than 30 films.
The commercial success of his films declined during 1976–78. After 1978, Khanna starred in critically acclaimed films such as Amado, Phir Wohi Raat, Dard, Dhanwan, Avtaar and Agar Tum Na Hote.
If Khanna's rise to fame was meteoric, so was his fall from stardom. By the late 80s his charm at the box office had waned but it did not affect his personal charisma. He held a Lok Sabha seat as a Congressman from 1992 to 1996
.
His enigmatic personality not only charmed his fans but also led to him into relationships with three Bollywood actresses in their heydays. Khanna was in a long-term relationship with Anju Mahendru in the early '70s, and later went on to marry Dimple Kapadia, 15 years younger to him, in 1973. They have two daughters - Twinkle and Rinke - who followed their parents into showbiz.
Dimple split from the actor in 1984. Though they lived separately, the couple never completed divorce formalities. Khanna was also romantically involved with his Souten co-star Tina Munim (now Ambani). The pair starred together in films like Fiffty Fiffty, Bewafai, Suraag, Insaaf Main Karoonga and Adhikar.
(Courtesy :: HindustanTimes)




Sunday 13 November 2011

INDIAN again Insulted by US

Former president APJ Abdul Kalam was frisked twice at an US airport in September, an act that violates protocol followed by almost every other country.


The incident had occurred at New York’s John F Kennedy airport on 29 September. Security personnel patted Kalam down before he was allowed aboard an Air India flight, according to an ibnlive report.

They then tried to frisk him again once he was seated saying they’d forgotten to check his jacket and shoes for explosives.

But it was not a new experience for Kalam. In April 2009, Kalam had been frisked by officials of US airliner Continental Airlines despite the fact that his name featured in the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security’s list of people exempt from security checks in India.

As per the US law, only current cabinet ministers are exempt from security screening.

The Ministry of External Affairs has reacted, saying, “Under US law only cabinet ministers are exempt from security screening. Mr Kalam was accorded due courtesies at the airport. He was escorted to a private screening area.”





Sunday 23 October 2011

`Bigg Boss 5` offends Marathi Manoos Raj Thackeray

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thakeray is mighty peeved with the use of a Maharashtrian surname on reality show `Bigg Boss 5`.


Inmates Shakti Kapoor and Siddharth Bhardwaj had nicknamed their fellow contestant Amar Upadhyay as `PK Lele`, which happens to be a Marathi surname.

Calling it a derogatory use of a Maharashtrian surname, Thackeray sought an apology from Kapoor and Bhardwaj.

Speaking to reporters, Raj said, “Kapoor and Bhardwaj should apologise to the Marathi-speaking population for the insult. Just because Lele is a Maharashtrian surname, does it mean all servants are Maharashtrians?”

“They (Kapoor and Bhardwaj) should apologise for the same within 24 hours or they will have to face the consequences,” he added.

Amar Upadhyay was unable to complete the task `Bigg Boss` had given him to do. Kapoor and Bhardwaj made a mock at his inability to complete the task and named him `PK Lele` that has a double meaning.

Amar Upadhyay’s publicist Dale Bhagwagar said, “Obviously, when Shaktiji and Siddharth named Amar ‘PK Lele’, their intentions were to poke fun at him, especially as the name also has a double meaning.”

“However, with due respect to Maharashtrians, the name was given in jest and as part of a `Bigg Boss` task given to Shaktiji and Siddharth. Though they are targeting a helpless Amar, it’s a game and Amar has taken it sportingly,” Dale added, evading the controversy about the ‘insult’ and ‘apology’.