Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave an exhibition of blistering strokeplay to hit a career-best undefeated 206 while Virat Kohli cracked 107 as India rode on their captain's batting brilliance to gain control of the first cricket Test against Australia by taking a substantial 135-run first innings lead in Chennai on Sunday. Dhoni produced a stunning counter-attacking knock to notch up his maiden double hundred, his sixth Test century overall, while Kohli recorded his fourth in longer format as the hosts reached a commanding 515 for eight at close, on an eventful third day's play. The Indian captain set the M A Chidambaram stadium ablaze with his amazing strokeplay as he smashed 22 boundaries and five sixes during his 243-ball assault much to the delight of a sizeable Sunday crowd which cheered the Indians as they went about consolidating their position in the match. Dhoni, who was agonisingly run out for 99 against England in India last Test in Nagpur, changed the complexion of the game with his aggressive batting after the hosts lost Sachin Tendulkar (81) early in the morning session. Tendulkar, who gave glimpses of his vintage form yesterday, could add just ten runs to his tally. The Indians found the going a little tough in the pre-lunch session as the runs dried up but the second new ball ball saw the game slipping away from the Australians as both Dhoni and Kohli attacked the bowlers with an array of shots on both sides of the wicket. The duo added 128 runs for the fifth wicket before off-spinner Nathan Lyon provided the breakthrough for the visitors with India still 56 runs short of Australia's first innings total. Kohli paid the price for a lapse in concentration as he tried to lift a dlivery from Nathan Lyon over mid-on but could not get the desired elevation and Mitchell Starc latched on to a good catch. Kohli clobbered 15 boundaries and a six during his 206-ball knock. Source: Hindustan Times
Superb double ton by Dhoni, India take control of 1st Test
India celebrates Republic Day with pomp and hope
New Delhi, Jan 26 (IANS) With millions taking part, India celebrated its 64th Republic Day Saturday with pomp and pride, with people in a few areas defying rebel groups to join official flag hoisting functions. Men, women and children participated enthusiastically in numerous events across the length and breadth of the world's most populous democracy which was declared a Republic on this day in 1950. It was the first Republic Day for President Pranab Mukherjee, and chief guest at the main event in the capital was King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk of Bhutan, India's closest neighbour. In New Delhi, there was a
perfect blend of the indigenous military hardware and rich cultural diversity as the country showcased its military strides as well as its roots with the past. Time was when almost all the hardware on display was of foreign origin. This time around, it was the the opposite barring few exceptions. And what was on view was itself an exercise in contrast. The smartly attired marching contingents came from the armed forces, the paramilitary forces, the National Cadet Corps and school students in their colourful best. There were also tableaux from 19 states and government departments. The highlight of the 100-minute parade was the nuclear-capable 5,000 km Agni-V ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, flight-tested last year. A flypast by the air force provided the grand finale. The day passed off peacefully all across India barring a minor bomb explosion in Manipur that injured no one. Republic Day functions were held in state capitals and district headquarters with patriotic zeal. Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary and his Manipur counterpart Gurbachan Jagat appealed for peace, with the former asking rebel groups to end their violence spree. Defying boycott calls by militant groups, hundreds of thousands turned up at official functions in Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya. The
scene was no different in the sprawling Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, a known Maoist den. Central Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh hoisted the tricolour in a Maoist stronghold in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district, saying Maoists could be battled with sound economic development. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik chose the event announce that his government would provide a kilo of rice at Rs.1 to the poor from February. He said after unfurling the tricolour in Cuttack that he wanted to ensure food security to over 58 lakh families. Patriotic fervour marked the celebrations in Andhra Pradesh despite unending acrimony over a separate Telangana state, with the issue marring a function in the Congress party office. Karnataka Governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj used the occasion to advocate "discipline" in democracy to prevent the country slipping into "chaos and self-destruction". In Srinagar, Rural Development Minister Ali Muhammad Sagar lamented that the gun had only caused destruction in Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu, Governor N.N. Vohra called for vigil on the border with Pakistan. In Himachal Pradesh, people braved sub-zero temperatures at many places to celebrate the day with enthusiasm. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal unfurled the tricolour in Amritsar, not far from the Pakistan border. Across Maharashtra and Gujarat, politicians and citizens hoisted the national flag in numerous places -- schools, colleges and housing blocks. Ignoring a dense fog and icy winds, hundreds of thousands all over Bihar celebrated Republic Day, with Governor Devanand Kunwar leading the main function at the Gandhi Maidan in Patna. There was no dearth of patriotism in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala either. In Chennai, thousands gathered at the Marina beach. Students displayed a 1.5 km long and nine metre wide national flag in Andhra Pradesh's Karimnagar district. Not to be left behind, more than 1,000 people marched in Allahabad to celebrate Republic Day on the banks of the Ganges at Kumbh Mela to demand efforts to save the holy river from pollution. Image Link photobucket, Source: NewsTrackIndia,
22 young heroes to get National Bravery Awards 2013
New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) Young bravehearts who saved their friends and others from drowning and exposed social evils will be among the 22 children, including four girls, who will be conferred the National Bravery Awards for 2013, it was announced Friday. One of the award would be given posthumously to Ramdinthara of Mizoram, who died while trying to rescue his friend from drowning, the Indian Council for Child Welfare said Friday. The Bharat Award has been conferred on 17-year-old Tarang Atulbhai Mistry of Gujarat who saved four people from drowning in the Narmada River. Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Renu will be given the
prestigious Geeta Chopra Award for exposing the perpetrators of inhuman treatment of a children's home. The Sanjay Chopra Award has been given to 11-and-a-half-year-old Gajendra Ram of Chhattisgarh who saved a child from drowning in a well. Vijay Kumar Sainik, 17, of Uttar Pradesh, Akanksha Gaute, 16, of Chhattisgarh and Hali Raghunath Baraf, 16, of Maharashtra will receive theBapu Gaidhani Awards. Other recipients are Devansh Tiwari and Mukesh Nishad (Chhattisgarh), Lalrinhlua (Mizoram), E. Suganthan (Tamil Nadu), Ramith.K, Mebin Cyriac and Vishnu M.V. (Kerala), Koroungamba Kuman (Manipur), Sameep Anil Pandit (Maharashtra), Viswendra Lohkna, Satendra Lohkana and Pawan Kumar Kanaujiya (Uttar Pradesh), Stripleaseman Mylliem (Meghalaya), Sapna Kumari Meena (Rajasthan) and Suhail K.M. (Karnataka). The children will receive their Awards from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh prior to Republic Day 2013 and will also participate in the Republic Day Parade atop an elephant. The awardees will receive a medal, certificate and cash. A reception in honour of the children will also be held by President Pranab Mukherjee, and Defence Minister A. K. Antony. Since the inception of the scheme in 1957, the Indian Council for Child Welfare has given awards to 846 brave children - 602 boys and 244 girls. Image Screen Shot On Youtube, Source: News Track India
And finally, Kamal Haasan bends down
When south Indian actor Kamal Haasan announced that he will not release Vishwaroop on January 11th, He became unavailable for any comments to media. Later the actor proceeded with his official statement on releasing the movie on January 25th. And now we hear that Vishwaroop will only have a Theatrical release. The film, which will release on the big screen on January 25, will premiere on TV via the direct-to-home (DTH) platform at a later date. “It will definitely release on the DTH platform but some time after the theatre release. I am working with my DTH partners on the exact dates and will announce that when we have decided." said Kamal Haasan in Chennai. The actor had dropped plans to premiere the film on DTH platform after keeping in mind the good health of the industry as quoted by a Source. The CEO of Airtel (DTH), Shashi Arora, said Airtel Digital TV had credited back the booking amount paid by subscribers for the intended DTH premiere of Vishwaroopam. In fact, They are waiting for the actor's production house Rajkamal Films to communicate the date when it would release the movie on video-on-demand on DTH. Source: Page3
Prez presents 'Krishi Karman awards' to states with record foodgrain production
New Delhi, Jan 15 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee, who presented 'Krishi Karman Awards' to eight states for their achievements in foodgrain production in 2011-12 at a function here on Tuesday, highlighted the challenges faced by the agriculture sector. Congratulating the award winning States and farmers, President Mukherjee expressed hope that the strategies adopted in the recent past and new technologies would further strengthen this sector. Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland received the awards for special contribution to total foodgrains production. Bihar received the award for contribution to production and productivity of rice, Haryana for wheat, Jharkhand for pulses and Uttar Pradesh for coarse cereals. Punjab, Uttarakhand, Assam, West Bengal, Tripura, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Himachal Pradesh received commendation awards. The awards were received by Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Manipur and Agriculture Ministers/ Agriculture Secretaries of other States. For the first time, one female and one male farmer from the eight award winning states were also given awards for their outstanding performance. Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar speaking on the occasion said 'there are two significant developments in production of foodgrains in the country in 2011-12' " One, there is broadening of the food production basket, with as many as 18 States qualifying for awards with record production in the year," said Pawar. "Second, there is a definite shift in production base with inclusion of hitherto low productivity States like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Nagaland in the award winners list ahead of many better known names in foodgrains production. Krishi Karman Awards are serving their purpose in letter and in spirit by highlighting the good work in relatively unsung places," he added. (ANI), Source: News-Track-India
Luxury brands target India’s conservative markets
With traditionally conservative markets like Surat, Chennai and Kolkata now emerging as the cities for luxury labels more and more international luxury brands are looking to make their presence in these places. These cities have opened a wealth of opportunity for brands like Louis Vuitton, Armani and Burberry. As Sanjay Kapoor, MD, Genesis Luxury puts it there is a nascent market waiting to explode. “We think the time has come." Genesis Luxury, markets brands such as Armani, Burberry and Canali in India. Recently, Louis Vuitton opened a store in Chennai. Chennai is becoming big in terms of consumers’ spending on luxury and lifestyle, feels Rajmohan Krishnan, Executive VP (wealth management) for north and south, Kotak Mahindra Bank. People have new money and there is a new generation of entrepreneurs who want to splurge. Also, the mounting connection between the north and south is impacting spending habits of people in south India. Louis Vuitton also plans to share space in the seven lakh sq. ft. mall built by businessman Sanjiv Goenka in Kolkata. Although the mall is under-construction and expects to open by next year, it has already leased out 50,000 sq. ft. of space to luxury brands like Bottega Veneta, Bally, Burberry, Rolex, Porsche Design and Jimmy Choo. Pankaj Renjhen, MD, retail services, at property consultant Jones Lang LaSalle feels that the mall will not only attract shoppers from the entire east India, but also from Bangladesh. Apart from this, Louis Vuitton also plans to have its presence in cities like Hyderabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Pune. Gucci too is exploring possibilities of opening a store in Kolkata. In Surat, Genesis has taken up space for half a dozen stores at a luxury mall being built by Virtuous Retail, a retail real estate asset platform sponsored by the Xander Group Inc. It is also looking for space in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jaipur. It is expected that in the next six months, more than half a dozen international luxury brands including Armani, Burberry, Tumi and Crabtree & Evelyn would enter Surat. According to a report, boomtowns like Surat, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Bhopal, Coimbatore and Kanpur have seen the most striking shift in income distribution. The number of high-income households in these cities is growing at around 20 per cent a year, against 13.7 per cent in the mega cities and boomtown households on average spend 12.7 per cent more than mega cities on clothing. Anupam Yog, MD, Virtuous Retail says Surat is one of the top 10 markets on the company’s radar and has massive consumption potential with 73 per cent of the five million population in Surat below 35 years, and 32 per cent of the households having an annual income of more than 3 lakh. No wonder, newly opened luxury hotel in the city, The Leela Palace, has set aside around 8,000 sq. ft. of retail space for luxury retail brands, with a focus on jewelry and watches. Source: Fashion United
Actress Bhavana latest Picture in silk Saree at Photo Shoot , Walt Disney's Rs 1,000-cr FDI cleared: Govt
The government has cleared entertainment major Walt Disney's FDI proposal of Rs 1,000 crore to expand its operations in India. Besides, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) cleared nine other FDI proposals amounting to about Rs 260 crore. "Based on the recommendations of FIPB ... the Government of India has approved ten (10) proposals of foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to Rs 1,259.92 crore approximately," the Finance Ministry said in a statement today. The FIPB deferred decision on 16 FDI proposals, including that of Mahindra and Mahindra to set up a joint venture firm in defence sector and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) for providing unified access services. Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte proposal was for "induction of foreign equity for inter alia expansion of the business and making downstream investment in other companies and subsidiaries of the company, including broadcasting companies," the ministry said. Also Equitas Holdings' has been allowed to increase foreign equity in an investing company while Mauritius based Anamika Tea Holding got government nod for acquisition of equity shares of a company engaged in business of plantation/ cultivation and manufacturing and selling of tea. Of the 16 proposals on which FIPB deferred decision, half of them were related to pharmaceuticals and medical sectors. These included Pfizer (Mumbai), B Braun Singapore Pte (Singapore) and Ordain Health Care Global (Chennai).The ministry further said four proposals were also rejected by the FIPB. The next FIPB meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. Source: Indian Express
Sachin Tendulkar gets Wisden India Outstanding Achievement award
Dubai, Sachin Tendulkar, the little master was presented the Wisden India Outstanding Achievement award for completing a century of 100 international hundreds here. Tendulkar had achieved the milestone while playing against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in March. The event was organised by FidelisWorld and the iconic batsman was presented with a trophy. Made from crystal, it features a cricket ball resting on the open pages of a book. The 49 one-day international centuries that Tendulkar has made are listed on one side, and his 51 Test hundreds on the other. Tendulkar spoke on various aspects of his career at the function such as his favourite innings - the match-winning fourth-innings hundred against England at Chennai in December 2008 - balancing play and personal life, and the influence that his late father had in shaping his career. Source: Indian Express
