Sachin's swansong?

With lot of speculations on the imminent retirement of Indian master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, BCCI has approved a proposal which seems to close the deal. The proposal, if implemented, would mean that West Indies would tour India for a series comprising of 2 tests and 5 ODIs in the month of November. And it would seem to be a ideal farewell for the icon who will get to play his 200th test in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. The Little Master is, in most probability, likely to announce his retirement from all forms of the game, which has made him a household name and a national legend. He has already retired from the ODI format last year and has played 198 test matches, the most by any cricketer, dead or alive. He has a mind boggling 100 international centuries under his name and it would be really interesting to see if he can increase that tally further, in his own backyard.

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Slokas for daily chanting

Early Morning Slokam : Karaagre Vasathe Lakshmi, Karamadhye Saraswathi, Karamoole Sthitha Govinda, Prabhaate Kara Darshanam

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Holy Bath Slokam : "Ganga Cha Yamuna Chaiva Godavari Saraswati,Narmada Sindhu Kaveri Jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru"

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Ganesha Slokam : Vakratunda Mahakaaya Suryakoti Samaprabha Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada Gajaananam Bhoota Ganaadhi Sevitam Kapitta Jamboophaala Saara Bhakshitam Umaasutam Shoka Vinaasha Kaaranam Namaami Vighneswara Paada Pankajam

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Saraswathi Slokam : Saraswathi Namastubhyam Varade Kaamaroopini Vidyaarambham Karishyaami Siddhir Bhavatu Mey Sada Ya Kundendu Tushaara Haara Dhavalaa Ya Shubhra Vastraavrita Ya Veena Vara Danda Manditakara Ya Shveta Padmaasana Ya Brahma Achyutaha Shankara Prabrithibhih Devai Sadaa Poojitha Saa Maam Paatu Saraswathi BhagavatiNishyesha Jyaadyaapaha

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Devi slokam : "Sarva Mangala Maangalye, Shive Sarvaartha Saadhike Sharanye Tryambake Gaurii, Naaraayanii Namostute"

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Vishnu Slokam : Shuklaambara Dharam Vishnum Shashi Varnam Chatur Bhujam Prasanna Vadanam Dhyaayet Sarva Vighno Pashaanthaye "Shaantaakaaram Bhujanga Shayanam Padmanaabham Suresham Vishvaadhaaram Gagana Sadrisham Meghavarnam Shubhaangam Lakshmiikaantam Kamalanayanam Yogibhidhyaarnagamyam Vande Vishhnum Bhavabhayaharam Sarvalokaikanaatham"

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Ayyappan Slokam : Bhootanatha sadananda sarva bhootha dhayabhara raksha raksha mahabavo saste dubyam namom namaha

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Anjaneyar Slokam : Buddhir balam yaso dhairyam Nirbhayatvam arogata Ajaadyam vaak patuthvam cha Hanumath smaranaath bhaveth

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Hyagriva Slokam : Gyaanaanandamayam devam nirmalasphatikaakritimh Aadhaaram sarvavidyaanaam hayagriivamupaasmahe

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Dakshinamoorthy Slokam : Gurur Bramha Gurur VishnuGurur Devo Maheswaraha Guru Shakshath Para Bramha Thasmaisri Gurave Namaha Gurave Sarvalokanam Bhishaje Bhavaroginam Nithye Sarvadhiyanaam Dhakshina Moorthaye Namahah.

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Rama Slokam: Ramaya Ramabhadraya Ramachandraya Vedase Raghunadhaya Nadhaya Seethayampathaye Namaha Sree Rama Ramethi Rameraame Manorame Sahasra Nama Thathulyam Raamanaam Varaanane Sri Raama Raama Raameti Rame Raame Manorame Sahasra Naama Tat Tulyam Raama Naama Varaanane

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Dhanvantari Mantra: Om Namo Bhagavathe Maha Sudharshanaya Vasudevaya Dhanvantaraye; Amrutha Kalasa Hasthaaya Sarva Bhaya Vinashanaya Sarva Roga Nivaranaya Thri Lokaya Pathaye Thri Lokaya Nithaye Sri Maha Vishnu Swarupaya Sri Dhanvantri Swarupaya Sri Sri Sri Aoushadha Chakra Narayanaya Namaha

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Subramanya sloka: Shadananam kumkuma raktha varnam, Mahaamadhim divya mayura vaahanam. Rudrasya soonam, sura sainya natham, Guham satha, sharanam aham prabadhyey. Shanmukhamcha ganaadeesham shampancha Parameshwaram, mama dukha vinaashaaya, Sandhadam chintayaamyaham.

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Gayatri Mantra: AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA, TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

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Navagraha Mantra: Om Namah Sooryaya Chandraya Mangalaya Budhaya Cha Guru Shukra Shanibhyascha Raahave Ketave Namo Namaha

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Outrageous judgement!!

The judgement today on the Delhi rape case was shocking, to say the least. Considering the severity of the crime, a paltry 3 year remand in a juvenile home seems to be a mockery of the Indian justice system. It is hard to imagine the trauma the victim's family must be going through, especially since it is alleged that the juvenile was the one who was the most horrific among all the rapists. This was something more than a rape, it was a monstrous crime which cannot be even imagined by a sane person. The doctors trying to rescue the girl had never seen such injuries before. The nation has never seen such a rape before. The outrage across the country was never seen before. But the laws continue to remain the same. If a person can get away with such a crime just because he is a juvenile, imagine what this judgement will do to future offenders. It will not only help juveniles to get away with crimes, it will also encourage hard core criminals to use juveniles to perform crimes for them. This is only going to increase the crime rate among the uneducated youth of this country and dims the hope for a bright, young and prosperous India. Laws have to be changed drastically and punishments have to be meted out faster. Juvenile age limit must be brought down to 15 or 16 and education must imparted for all children who cannot afford it. The recent Mumbai rape case shows that criminals are not bothered about the laws and they have no fear. The current Congress government seems to have no intention of bringing in these laws as they are more interested in introducing new bills to gather votes for the election next year. As an Indian, I sincerely hope, whichever government comes to power after the next election, takes up the initiative and does something more for the welfare of women in this country.

Financial Mess

Chidambaram, after taking over as the finance minister from Pranab Mukherjee, has announced a slew of measures to bring the economy back on track. While the intent may be appreciable, the task is easier said than done. Though the economic condition in India is not as grim as in other western countries, the situation is certainly precarious due to the global turmoil, especially in eurozone, and rising crude prices, and adding fuel to the fire is the below-average monsoon across many states in India. With such a range of factors playing havoc with the economy, it is indeed a tough task for the finance minister to turn the tide within a short span of time.

The government has attributed the marginal fall in WPI inflation to its fiscal and administrative policies. But the rupee still continues to hover around 55 to 56 level against the US dollar and this has sent the import costs sky rocketing. And in some cases the consumers have to bear the brunt leading to price rise and further inflation. The government in tandem with RBI have decided to put in place a number of steps to prevent the slide of rupee and all these focus on bringing investments back on track and also increase the cash flow into the country.

Boosting exports, regulation of tax laws, reducing the interest rates etc all have been aimed at reviving the growth and improving the investment climate in the country. Chidambaram has stated, "The slowdown in the growth of the economy is mainly on account of the slowdown in the industrial sector and lower growth registered in the agriculture sector" Well he has got that right and that should be his prime focus. Investments in the industrial sector has not made much headway in India in the recent past and 1 glaring example of this would be the recent comment made by richest person in UK, NRI Lakshmi Mittal "India remains a priority but not for investment. I'm not locating capital to India or China as I don t see things progressing there." Such a comment from one of the richest men in Britain would certainly send wrong signals to other prospective investors. Decision making and political compulsions are said to be the root causes for this. These things needs to be looked over and hard decisions have to be taken. Laws, which can attract new investments, have to be passed and these in turn would accelerate rapid job generation. Rating agencies such as Moody's and S & P have predicted low growth rates for India in the coming quarters on account of its poor GDP scores. Government inactivity is also seen as on of the catalysts for this and the manufacturing sector, which forms the core of the Indian economy, has been badly hit. Industrial output is reaching sluggish levels due to dried up investments. So the only way out of this mess would be to have a immediate look into how the output from agriculture and industry can be increased and sustained over a longer period of time.

Chidambaram would be well advised to chalk out a plan that serves to address the issues in these 2 sectors. India is a agriculture driven country and the backbone is agriculture. At the same time it is also a developing country and needs huge investments in the industrial sector. Population is growing exponentially and cities are becoming larger. Demand for water and electricity are reaching new highs and the number of graduates seeking employment have also grown by leaps and bounds. Subsidies for farmers and proper irrigation should be top priorities with the government. Farmer suicides which have been happening in recent times cut a very sorry figure for the nation and its high time the government wakes up to stop this. Loans to farmers need to be made cheaper and power supply should also be given free for desperate farmers. Agricultural scientists should be encouraged and supported to devise new and effective ways of farming and irrigation. The government needs to involve itself at all stages to ensure things move smoothly at all time. Reviving agriculture is they key to Indian economy's rise.

What a let down!!

The ICC World T20 Super 8 match between India and Australia was hyped as the "grand final" before the final but instead, ended up being the "grand shame" for the men in blue. In an embarassing display for the ODI world champions, their much famed batting line up struggled against the Aussie pace battery and crumbled against some really hostile fast bowling. The Australian bowlers must be really commended for their display on the sluggish Sri Lankan pitches and managed to beat the Indians with pace, accuracy and bounce. Their superior athleticism also came to the fore, which was evident the way Gambhir was run out "football" style by Cummins. After restricitng India to a below par score, the men from down under simply mauled the hapless Indian bowlers all over the park. Much was expected from the Indian spinners but the Aussie openers W & W (Watson and Warner) with plenty of experience playing them in the IPL, just used their knowledge and skills to decimate the spin trio of Ashwin, Chawla and Harbhajan. The opening partnership of 133 in 13.3 overs was the highest ever in a world T20  and it was a very well deserved Man of the match award for Shane Watson who top scored with 72 off 42 balls and also picked 3 wickets. He also holds the record for the highest number of MoM awards to T20s.

So whats next for India? They now find themselves in a do-die situation which seems to be the norm for the Indian team nowadays. They are anything but convincing in the shorter version of the game and their opponents seem to have got the better of them ever since their dramatic victory in the 2007 World T20. In what would  be a shocker for Indian fans, they are yet to beat a test playing nation in the Super 8's stage ever since 2007. And coming back to this year's edition, things dont look too promising as they have to face their arch nemesis, Pakistan, who are looking red hot at the moment in a must win clash. Current form points to Pakistan as the clear favourites but India-Pak matches in world cups have always provided entertainment and Pakistan would desperately want to break the record of never beating India at a world event. And for India, winning this much awaited clash may not be enough to go through to the next stage. They must also win their final Super 8 match against the powerful South Africans if they want to avoid the NRR calculations. Their current NRR is too low and the lowest in Group 2 and they will find the going tough if their progress is going to be dictated by the NRR.

India have done it in the past and have won 2 cups, the recent ODI triumph in 2011 and the world T20 in 2007. Most of the players who played these 2 tournaments are still playing in the current eleven and they know what it takes to hold the cup in their hands. Hope they start implementing it from today's clash with Pakistan.

Om Sri Maha Ganapataye Namaha

Today, Sep 19th 2012, is being celebrated as Ganesh Chathurthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha all over the country. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati and is the elder brother of Lord Karthikeya. This Hindu God is one of the most popular dieties in Indian folklore and culture. He is worshipped in human form with the head of an elephant and is known by many names, such as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Vigneshvara and Pillayar. He is considered to be the remover of obstacles and is also considered to be a very fantastic scribe with a high level of wisdom. It is through his writings that Mahabarata narrated by Vyas, became so popular and is among the finest pieces of Hindu literature. Thus, it is of no surprise that he is also worshipped as the god of learning, knowledge and wealth. He is invoked before starting any new venture such as a new business, writing a book etc and there is hardly any Hindu house without his picture adoring the walls.

The significance of his physical form has some very interesting points to ponder. They are briefly described below.

Ganesha's head denotes wisdom and his trunk teaches us to be efficient and adaptable at all times. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The rope in Ganesha's left hand is supposed to help surmount all difficulties and reach your goal. The broken tusk in Ganesha's lower right hand is beleived to have been used as a pen for writing the Mahabarata, and is a symbol of sacrifice in search of knowledge and wisdom. The rosary in his other hand goads all devotees to continuosly pursue knowledge. The sweet (laddoo) in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His large ears indicates that he is always ready to listen to us. The snake around his waist represents energy in all forms and the mouse at his foot is his humble mount.

The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana are the main scriptures for the devotees of the Lord. The Ganesha Purana talks about four incarnations of the lord, such as Mahotkata, Mayuresvara, Dhumraketu and Gajanana (see pic below).

There are 8 incarnations according to the Mudgala Purana (i.e.) Vakratunda, Ekadanta, Mahodara, Gajavaktra, Lambodara, Vikata, Vighnaraja and Dhumravarna. (see pic below)

Both these Puranas consider Ganesha to represent the ultimate reality of being.

The devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas' and I am proud to be one among them.

Wish you a very very Happy birthday Vinayaka !!

A Bold and Outrageous move !!

With the government showing no sign of initiating any reforms in recent times, the move to allow FDI in retail and aviation, very well knowing its consequences in the political circles, must be hailed as a bold move. Manmohan seems to have gotten that "animal" instinct as some claim, and it is high time he got some.  51 percent in multi-brand retail, 100 percent in single brand retail and 49 percent in civil aviation is what the doctor has prescribed. This is a very positive step in boosting the sliding economy but not all states are on the same page as the Centre. They claim that FDI in retail would lead to large scale unemployment and destroy the livelihood of small traders, and eventually the already distressed farmers. U.P, Tamilnadu, West Bengal etc are some of the states who have taken a hard stance against FDI in retail. There is a widespread opinion that the Congress led UPA government has done this out of pressure from global investors but they are going to be facing an even greater pressure from within, from allies such as TMC led by Mamta Banerjee. They have threatened to withdraw support to the government and the next few days will tell us if it is really going to happen.

Adding to the woes of the aam aadmi, was another shocker from the government, raising the price of diesel by a massive Rs.5 a litre and restricting the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders for domestic purposes to 6 a year. This has led to outrage throughout the country as every burden is being passed on to the common man and no steps are being taken to weed out corruption. The interests and welfare of the public do not seem to be in the agenda of the scam-tainted government and they are resorting to drastic measures to revive the sagging economy. There seems to be no end to this ever rising price rise and the lack of a proper leadership results in erratic decisions being taken. The finance minister, P Chidambaram has indicated that there is not going to be any roll back in the decisions taken and the government does not feel threatened by its allies. Much was expected from the RBI in terms of rate cut but it flattered to deceive on account of high inflation, but neverttheless termed the government's decision as a "significant achievement". The fuel price rise is almost sure to raise the inflation further in the short term, but bring in some greater capital inflows over the long term, it said. Looks like there isnt going to be any relief for the common man anytime soon.