Foundation of Nalanda University likely in 2009: Amartya Sen

The foundation of the ambitious Nalanda University, which would be a centre of outstanding academic excellence reflecting the collective Asian heritage, is likely to be in the year 2009 and the first teaching class could begin in a few years from then, Nobel Laureate, Amatya Sen, said on Saturday.

Sen, who heads the Nalanda Mentor Group, said the final report in this regard, is expected to be presented to the East Asia Summit in December this year, which is most likely to be finalized at the fourth meeting of the mentor group in August. The first two meetings of the Nalanda Mentor Group were held in Singapore and Tokyo last year

I catch up on news related to India only on NDTV 24×7 since it is the only channel that provides comprehensive and accurate news. People in the US can access this channel only through DirecTV.

Poll: Indians want less media control

More people in India want the media to be free to publish news and ideas ”without government control” than those who would prefer some state intervention, a new worldwide poll on freedom of press said on Thursday.

The survey by ‘WorldPublicOpinion.org’, released to commemorate World Press Freedom Day also found that a ”modest” majority of Indians realised the importance of media freedom.

As many as 52 per cent of those polled in India said it was important to have freedom of the media, and an equal number said that people should have the right to read whatever is on the web, the poll including views from 20 nations, said.

This news is available on NDTV 24×7. DirecTV makes it possible to access this channel in the US and also guarantees excellent picture and sound quality.

Gridlocked Mumbai shrinks every day

NDTV Reports:

Mumbai is shrinking everyday as every inch of road is covered by vehicles, standing bumper to bumper. Even the fastest dream machines are literally brought to a standstill.

Mumbai’s traffic jams can be a great leveler. With over 22.5 lakh private vehicles in the city including two-wheelers. With eight thousand buses and 55,000 taxis, there seems little hope for those who want to get anywhere in these.

The future is not too bright either with 50,000 cars being added to the roads a year.

”We have already reached a gridlock situation in some areas for some hours at least. We might reach a 24-hour gridlock in a year.

The city grinds to a virtual halt every day at peak hours at these places.

The most affected areas are the Western Express highway at Kandivli, at the airport junction, the Bandra-Mahim junction, Powai near the Indian Institute of Technology, the Eastern Express highway at Kurla, Lal Bahadur Shastri marg between Sion and Mulund, Peddar Road in south Mumbai.

The problem is compounded by lack of parking space. Side lanes double up as parking lots, pedestrians and moving traffic have no space.

The government is focusing on expensive and lengthy projects like Metro Rail and Sea links, while simpler solutions like paid parking, lane discipline, car pooling are not priority.

I hail from this great city and it is very sad to see the traffic situation worsening now. I was manageable when i was there a few years ago but it seems to have gone from bad to worse now. I hope the government takes some immediate steps to solve this issue as its hampering the city’s and India’s growth. Watched a great report about this issue on NDTV 24×7 which is available here in the US on DirecTV.

PCB to launch Pakistan Premier League in 2009

I am tracking the current IPL tournament on NDTV 24×7. It’s practically impossible for me to watch a match everyday so the news channel is my best resort.

NDTV 24×7 came up with an interesting story on Pakistan’s version of the IPL.
The Pakistan Cricket Board will launch a new look Twenty20 domestic tournament next year on the lines of the Indian Premier League, offering franchises of city-based teams to sponsors and companies.

A senior official of the board said that this year’s Twenty20 competition, which has been delayed until August 10, would be the last time that the popular domestic event would be held on regional basis and without team sponsors.

“From next year, we will offer franchise of teams like in the IPL to interested companies and individuals and work has already begun in this direction,” the official said.

He said the Twenty20 national championship would also be expanded to possibly include foreign players.

“But that will definitely depend on the sort of money the companies and individuals buying the franchise of teams are willing to offer for overseas players,” the official said.

“The fact is that Twenty20 leagues are now a popular form of cricket and we don’t want to lag behind other countries in this regard,” he said.

Its good to see other Cricket boards jumping on to T-20 bandwagon. Maybe a match between the teams form both the leagues can be arranged in the future on the lines of the European Football Leagues. It will be exciting to see the PCB league.

The news channel is available in the US only through DirecTV.

Sehwag takes Delhi to thumping win

NDTV Reports: Daredevils captain Virender Sehwag ravaged a ragged-looking Deccan Chargers side in a nine-wicket win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here.

Sehwag’s 94 runs came from 41 balls, with 10 fours and six sixes. The last 30 came in an Andrew Symonds over, which read 4, 6, 4, 6, 4, 6.

The scores were tied at 142 after that over. Sehwag, who was one blow away from a hundred, instructed his partner Shikhar Dhawan to not run the single needed for a win.

However, Chaminda Vaas immediately sent down a wide, leaving Sehwag stranded on 94 while Delhi reached home in just 13 overs.

Incidentally, Sehwag had been dropped on 13 off Chaminda Vaas. Hyderabad, who put up a very ordinary show with bat and ball, paid for the drop dearly.

Having raced to his fifty off 27 balls, Sehwag dismantled the harmless bowling of Sanjay Bangar with some long hits to the leg side boundary. After that followed the assault on Symonds and it brought the proceedings to a quick end.

Earlier in the day, Delhi’s all-seam attack put Hyderabad on leash so tight, the visitors needed 18 overs to cross the hundred-run mark, and not before they slumped to 6-82.

It surely was an awesome knock by  Virender Sehwag that took the Daredevils home against the Chargers. I watched the post match analysis on NDTV 24×7. It is available here in the US only on DirecTV.

IPL is not a light competition: Ganguly

NDTV Reports: With big names and huge money involved in it, the IPL cannot be a “light competition”, former India captain Sourav Ganguly said on Thursday, dismissing suggestions that the much-hyped event would be a non-serious affair.

Ganguly, leading the Kolkata Knight Riders team which takes on Bangalore Royal Challengers in the inaugural game at M Chinnaswamy stadium, said it’s going to be a serious competition, given “so many big names, so much money involved in it”, and there being a “question of reputation (at stake for many players)”.

“It cannot be a light competition”, he said after the practice session.

Despite his T20 plunge, Ganguly held test cricket in highest esteem and said a player should be judged by his performance in five-day cricket.

“That’s how (performance in test cricket) a player should be judged”, Ganguly said.

Even in the case of fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who has burst into the international scene, Ganguly said he would judge the bowler from his performance in Test cricket over a decade.

One-day cricket killing spinners: Kumble

NDTV Reports: Thanks to the surfeit of one-dayers, quality spinners are a fast diminishing tribe in India, fears Test captain Anil Kumble.

The veteran leg spinner believes one-day cricket, which dominates the international calendar, does not allow a spinner develop his game like matches of longer duration would do.

In an interview with Cricinfo, Kumble said, “I think it’s all because of one-day cricket. It’s hard to get spinners of that quality because you don’t play that many three-day or four-day games. You need to develop your game.

You are only bowling ten or eight overs or less in the shortened game, so the development of a spinner is tough,” he said.

Speaking from experience, the leg-spinner said, “I played a lot of three-day and four-day cricket, and you learn by bowling 30 overs. You try and learn while bowling those spells. That’s the reason I have actually enjoyed bowling even when there is nothing in the match.

“Just bowling a spell where I start learning about my game. It’s about saying, ‘What are the things that I can do if I come across this situation again?’ So that’s the learning process. That probably doesn’t happen these days for the younger lot,” he said.

Kumble said India needed to produce more turning tracks, which would have some bounce as well.

“We’ll have to prepare wickets for spinners. The emphasis now is definitely on fast bowlers, but we need to create turning wickets.

“If the first ball of a Test match seams and swings, then it is a good wicket. What’s wrong if the first ball spins?” he asked.

I agree with Kumble on this one. This fast and furious form of cricket that is 20-20 will take away some of the charm of test cricket. Spin bowling being one of the first casualties. But there is a trade-off. This new form of cricket has more adrenaline. I’m sure Cricket will evolve into a great new global game in the coming decades.

Sachin not to run in Olympic torch relay

After footballer Baichung Bhutia, master blaster Sachin Tendulkar has decided not to take part in the Olympic torch relay in New Delhi.

The torch is expected to arrive in the capital from Islamabad later on Wednesday.

Tight security arrangements have been made in India for the relay on April 17.

The torch relay has been marred with disruptions in London, Paris and San Francisco by Tibetan protestors.

I got this latest update on NDTV 24×7. It is an excellent news channel for NRIs since it provides the most comprehensive news related to India. DirecTV makes it possible to access this channel in the US.

India to coach Brazil in cricket

NDTV Reports: You help us in cricket and we will help you in soccer – this was the message to President Pratibha Patil, who is visiting the soccer-crazy Latin American country as part of her 13-day three-nation tour of Brazil, Mexico and Chile.

Under an understanding arrived between Brazil and India, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will soon send a coach to train the cricketers here.

“BCCI will soon be sending a coach as Brazil wants the status of a cricket Test playing nation,” Indian Ambassador to Brazil Hardeep Singh Puri said here.

While a coach from India, which ranks number two in Test cricket in the world, has been selected to train the Brazilians, search for a football coach for India was still on, he added.

“Football in this part of the world is highly professional and coaches charge a large amount. But something will be worked out shortly,” Puri said.

Brazil became an ICC member in 2002 and its international debut came in 2006 when it participated in Division Three of the ICC Americas Championship in Suriname.

It lost all three games in the tournament and remains in Division Three in 2008.

India had signed a cultural agreement in 2006 with Brazil, which ranks Number 2 in soccer in FIFA rankings, under which the two countries would cooperate in promoting exchanges in the field of football and training of Indian players and coaches.

Meanwhile, Puri added, Union Information and Broadcasting minister P R Dasmunsi, also the president of All India Football Federation, was working closely for finding a coach for the Indian soccer team.

Dasmunsi had earlier also talked to the Brazilian envoy in New Delhi seeking his help in getting coaches and training for Indian footballers.

While Brazil is a foremost football playing nation and the game is almost a religion in the country, India ranks a lowly 130th in the list put out by the world soccer body FIFA, and the sport is in the doldrums in both standards and patronage.

The national team recently got a drubbing from Saudi Arabia in their World Cup qualifying matches.

This is an excellent arrangement. Brazil is one of the very best in football and India has been no.2 in Cricket since a year now. The status that football enjoys in Brazil in terms of popularity is the same as for Cricket in India. This partnership will go a long way in bring the two heavyweight developing nations closer.

Irked by study choice, NRI kills daughter

NDTV Reports:
An Indian national stabbed to death his 17-year-old daughter who had been awarded a scholarship to study medicine in Chennai because he did not want her to go to India, reports said in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

S Narrmata was stabbed repeatedly by her father Selvaraj Deekramasamy, 49, who also killed his younger sister Mahalaxmi, before hanging himself from a ceiling fan, the reports said.

All of them were Indian nationals living in Malaysia as Permanent Residents. Selvaraj, 49, an ex-taxi driver was unemployed for the last 10 years, while his wife was a cleaner.

Media reports said the family prayed together at about 2pm on Sunday before having lunch to celebrate the Tamil New Year. The incident took place after his wife left for work.

Narrmata, who had obtained top marks in her exams had been awarded a scholarship to study medicine in Chennai. Her father was against her studying in India.

Shocking!!! I saw a report about this on NDTV last night. It was very well reported and presented. NDTV is available here in the US on DirecTV…