Let’s Celebrate 40 years of INTERNET!

Internet, the great invention of man, turns 40 today. Believe it or not it’s only 40. It looks as though internet existed since ages. Stats suggest that internet gained popularity only in the 90s. We have become internet addicts in such a short span. It is a fast medium which reaches out to the masses. In the present day, everything is possible through the internet. We play, communicate and shop online. Networking has touched its peak. Everyone seems to have an account on Facebook, Orkut, Twitter, or My Space. You are just one click away from all the latest happening all over the world. One can browse the internet and easily get to know all about science, technology, history, politics, sports…you name it. Internet has truly and surely set the world on fire. The buzz today is about how technology keeps improvising the accessibility to the internet. All thanks to Len Kleinrock who first started the internet. He has done the world of good to our generation. We now get more exposure and with exposure we gain experience and ONLY through experience can we build a world.

Go Eco-Friendly

Festive atmosphere is on and the celebrations are high. Ganesh Chaturthi is round the corner and the preparations have begun days before. Idols are being purchased, houses are being decorated and sweets are being ordered. Festivities help the very cause of being in a society but not at the cost of our environment. So, why not go eco-friendly by going green. We have to stop purchasing idols with chemical paints and Plaster of Paris on it. It may look attractive but it takes years to disintegrate in water after its immersion. It has got many harmful effects on aquatic life. Chemical paints contain toxic substances which take really long to degrade. We have alternatives like shifting to the traditional usage of clay idols instead of Plaster of Paris. We can also make use of edible dyes and these days natural pigments such as turmeric are made use to paint the idols of the Lord.

The picture of Lord Ganesha you see above is the one brought in our house this year. Every year we bring home clay idol and immerse it in a bucket of water and that water is later used in the garden to water plants. Though arrangements are made for the immersion of the idol in public places people still immerse it in lakes. On the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi let’s take a pledge that we shall GO GREEN and SAVE ENVIRONMENT.

A green festival awaits us. Let the Lord of knowledge and success shower his blessings on mankind.

The Blogging Capital of India: Bangalore

Call it “The Garden City” or “The IT City” or now “The Blogger’s City”. Yes, Bangalore is now the blogging capital of India. The latest TCS Generation Web 2.0 trends survey reveals that there are more number of bloggers especially students in Bangalore than in any other city in India. 66% of students in Bangalore blog and I’m proud that I’m one among the many student bloggers of Bangalore. Namma Bengaluru is known for it’s advancement in technology and the new title – The Blogging Capital, comes as no surprise. Blogging is every student’s favourite these days. I personally love blogging because I consider this a platform to express my thoughts and improve upon my writing skills. I find no reason why I shouldn’t blog.

Way to go Bangalore Bloggers!!

Is this Modernization?

What exactly is modernization? I was a firm believer that young India is heading the right way because our ideas are modern. But when I took a step back and tried to analyze the present situation, I noticed that it is more of westernization than modernization! We Indians are known for our culture, our traditions, our languages and our spicy food. But these days in the name of modernization youngsters are driven by Western culture, their way of speaking and dressing. Western influence is running so high in India that everyone wants to eat pizzas, burgers and sandwiches and spicy house-made food is out of trend. This is ridiculous to say the least. I’m very clear with my thoughts here - I’m not against any culture but all that I’m concerned about is Indian culture which has a rich history of several centuries shouldn’t disappear forever.

Let’s now shift our focus on the other effects of the so-called “Modernization”. People often misunderstand modernization for taller buildings, more number of highways and luxury living. I do agree that modernization, as our oxford dictionary says, is ‘involving up-to-date techniques or equipment’. Have you seen the number of trees being cut down to construct a highway or these days metro? I remember when I came into this newly built house in 1999 there was just another house in the entire area. It was not a jungle but it seems it was an agricultural land some long time ago. I was a 3^rd grader back then. I’ve seen many poisonous snakes, scorpions and what not! I would like to share an incident with you which happened some 8 years back. While I was watching t.v (I still remember it was a SRK movie that I was watching), my granny anxiously exclaimed – Don’t move!! I looked around and I spotted a long scorpion next to me on the sofa enjoying the movie may be. It may seem scary but I’ve been lucky enough to grow very close to Mother Nature. How cruel we human beings are! We encroach on their peace of land and complain about it later. Now just after 9 years there’s not a single scorpion or a snake that I’ve seen in the past 1 year or so. I also remember sparrows and minas chirping inside my house but now they have vanished. Gone are those wonderful days when I used to savour the sight of those lovely birds and animals.

Let’s hope for a better tomorrow or rather a GREENER TOMORROW and do our bit to SAVE EARTH!

My Dreams, My Fears

I’m an aspiring journalist! I always dream of being as famous as Harsha Bhogle. So am I by any means driven by the glamour part of it?! Hope not. I still believe I can stay in the sidelines and play with words in my articles or have a few interviews with the best sportsperson in the world! Why am I always thinking of the best? I’m confused! Totally confused!

By now you must have known how much I desire to be a journo. But I’m scared. I told you I feel I’m good enough but if you’ve noticed in my previous articles all that I’ve written about is CRICKET. Every Indian knows everything about cricket and I’m no different. Mr. Harsha Bhogle today hasn’t reached that position with just a lot of knowledge about cricket. He obviously has a fair knowledge about everything that’s making news. Those are signs of a good journalist. And now you know why I’m scared. I off course have the desire to improve. But “how?” is the million dollar question.

Am I thinking too much into my future? Should I just sit down and concentrate on my studies which would ultimately decide my future? Ummm...May be yes.

Okay Shruthi, stop dreaming, wake up now or else you will have to keep dreaming all your life. You don’t wanna regret in the future. It’s high time that you open your books and STUDY. Class 12 is the turning point of your life.

Was that boring? Let me know if you felt otherwise.

Cricket – then and now….

Cricket as we all know is growing day by day. It is said that cricket originated in England and they took the sport to quite a few countries. To start off there were a few county teams playing and at present almost all commonwealth nations play cricket. I’ve heard that gambling was once a major part of cricket and I wonder why it was still called gentlemen’s game when there’s nothing gentlemanly about gambling. This was the story of 17^th and 18^th century. But things had changed in the 19^th century. Test cricket officially began in 1877 and there is no looking back from there after as the game is gaining a lot of popularity.

Cricket has had its share of highs, lows, controversies and rivalries. Ahh...talking about the highs, how could I forget Sir Don Bradman? He was the real DON of his times. In the early 30s bowlers were so frustrated that they even tried to bowl illegal deliveries which led to the bodyline series. Those were the times when Australians were ruling international cricket. But in the 60s and 70s (if I’m not wrong) West Indies dominated world cricket with legendary bowlers, classy batsmen and aggressive all-rounders. Though cricket is a team game there have been extraordinary individuals. Be it Sir Don Bradman, Sir Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Denis Lillie, Sunil Gavaskar, Prasanna, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Brian Lara, Shane Warne, or the present day greats like Sachin, Ponting Dravid, Kumble, Murli, well I can go on and on and on...they’ve all been great ambassadors of the game. They’ve set several records to be broken. Hats off to the commitment, passion and determination they have.

There was a big blow to cricket when South Africa was forced out of international cricket because of their apartheid policy. Ironically, South Africa was arguably the best team at that point of time. However, they eventually returned to world class cricket in 1991.

Controversies have unfortunately become an integral part of cricket. Sledging, over appealing, not walking even after being given out, wrong umpiring decisions, ball tampering, match fixing and off-field “activities” have all been the darker side of this amazing sport.

It was the test match at Oval in 1882 which gave birth to the Ashes. Till today rivals England and Australia fight hard to get their hands on the prestigious Ashes trophy. In the sub-continent, traditional rivals India and Pakistan are always geared up for a victory against each other. In the recent past India-Australia matches have been as exciting and as controversial as the Ashes or the Indo-Pak series.

Cricket has developed remarkably since the day it was started. Cricket equipments have been modernized. Latest technologies have been introduced. Cricket has become a professional sport. Gone are the times when cricket was considered a lazy game. It’s a demanding sport now. Players have to be athletic and match fitness has gone to a different level. Test matches and One Day Internationals are being played for some time now. But the introduction of Twenty20 cricket has been a complete package of entertainment for the spectators to watch. The shortest version of the game has a nice blend of cricket and glamour. But the ultimate goal in a cricketer’s life is to represent his country and play as many test matches as possible.

There is a substantial change in the approach to the game by modern day cricketers. The competition for a place in the national side is unbelievable. In India, cricket is our religion. It’s in our blood. Everyone in the country wants to contribute to the game in one way or the other. Ask any child in the streets of India – what they aspire to be? And 9 out of 10 will tell you that he aspires to be a cricketer. This is how crazy Indians are about cricket. And one can imagine the amount of pressure those 11 players will have whenever they walk out to the centre. But they are not complaining. For they’ve reached that position by choice and not by chance. There are more than a billion people in this country and every person has an opinion or two when it comes to cricket. We Indians are very passionate cricket lovers.

CRICKET IS OUR LIFE!

The Show must go on…….

IPL or Elections? This is the much debated issue these days. And I guess, the elections are far more important than the IPL. The ideal situation would be to have both IPL and elections. But, what about the security issues? Our home ministry is also concerned about the safety of the players. There will be thousands and lakhs of Indians out in the streets to vote. And it is the responsibility of the Government to safeguard the citizens. At the same time, is it possible for them to provide security to the players as well? They hopefully can.

On the other hand, the IPL organizers are confident of having a safe IPL. But in this new age terrorism, no assurance can be given. Hence, an element of risk is involved. But is the risk worth taking? Well, the players will decide that.

IPL, for all Indians is no less than national pride. It may be a domestic tournament but the best players in the world come together for this grand event So, here is an opportunity to show the world that India, unlike other sub-continental countries, is safe.

If by chance, the IPL gets cancelled then it’s a kind of victory to the terrorists. Their main motive is to spread terror and I’m afraid they’ve achieved that. We should never let them win again. Let’s unite and fight against terror. I’m pretty confident that the BCCI will do whatever it takes to safeguard the players. And I’m sure all players will come to India not just for the money but for cricket, the game that they love and we Indians love.

Cricket will remain a religion in India and cricketers are still our Gods! Let’s hope for a safe IPL and not to forget, a safe elections too!!!!

TERRORISED CRICKET

The Sri Lankan cricket team’s convoy was attacked by terrorists, thanks to the so called full proof security that the Pakistan Government had provided them with. It came as a shocker to the whole world when these cricketers were attacked by merciless terrorists! It’s undoubtedly the bloodiest day in the history of cricket. Lankan cricketers in their wildest of dreams wouldn’t have thought of something like that. Luckily they escaped with minor injuries. They went to Pakistan to play cricket when no other team agreed to visit Pakistan. Sri Lankans were truly the ambassadors of goodwill. They were obviously there to face deliveries and not bullets.

The first few questions that came to my mind were – Where was the security? Why there was no bullet proof team bus? And of course why weren’t those terrorists caught? These questions will go unanswered but it’s necessary to find answers. I still wonder how these stonehearted terrorists could just walk to the team bus carrying so many weapons and open fire at the visiting team! I always agreed with Mr. Imran Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain, that terrorists would never attack cricket in the sub-continent for a simple reason that cricket is a religion here. But unfortunately that was not to be.

Team India was supposed to tour Pakistan but they chose otherwise. The team is glad that they are not there and so are millions of Indians but our heart goes out for the Lankan team. The whole cricket fraternity is terrified after what happened to the Lankan team. In fact the whole world is.

Where does cricket in Pakistan go from here? The answer is nowhere. Cricket in Pakistan will surely come to a standstill at least for a few years now. And they’ve got nobody but themselves to blame for this situation. If they had provided top grade security as they had promised there was some hope for cricket in Pakistan. But what concerns me is the IPL. A few cricketers have already raised questions about the IPL and why not, there lives are more important than cricket itself. And no cricketer would like to risk his life. Situation in India is not as bad as in Pakistan but it isn’t too good either. I’m afraid there will be a very few teams touring the sub-continent especially after the tragic incident in Lahore. I’m an optimist and I believe that the IPL will go on as scheduled. Let’s all pray for peace and hope that the IPL will be a grand success and wish that Cricket moves on.

“YES WE CAN”

Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of the United States of America. He’s an Afro-American and America’s first black President. He’s here to make a difference. He’s a man of determination and dedication. He’s now a celebrity icon and one of my icons too. I’m a young student in India and I wonder how Mr.Obama, who is the President of US, can make an impact on the youth across the Globe! I’m immensely inspired by his positive approach, cool confidence, humble nature and most importantly the desire to change the world. That’s the reason I am writing of something other than cricket for the first time. I’ve learnt from Mr.Obama that nothing is impossible. No doubt the world is going the Obama way.

The question that I’ve come across many a times is – Can Obama change the world?
Well, I’m not too sure of what that actually means. Barack Obama may well not be a super human but he’s undoubtedly the most powerful man in the world. I believe that Mr.Obama has got some Magic Formula to solve all sorts of problems and overcome the crisis prevailing in the world. He will for sure have a major role to play in restoring World Peace.

Education is a strong force through which the evils of terrorism and corruption can be defeated. I’m confident that Mr.Obama will contribute to the field of education more than anything else. But to begin with, he has too many tough tasks to deal with. His ability to fight heavy odds should come in handy. He’s definitely going to change the world for the better. For that to happen, the International community as a whole should join hands with Mr.Barack Obama, the admirable. After all, ‘you cannot enjoy the light without enduring heat.’