Bangladesh could not score freely in the opening overs of the power play. Ravi Chandran Ashwin was in charge and had Mithun caught at deep mid-wicket in the third over. Mithun had scored only 1 run in 3 balls. In the eight over Tamim tried to attack Jadeja but slowly piled up 26 runs when he standing in the crease attempted a drive and missed it and then jumped in the air momentarily to regain his balance and Dhoni completed the stumping.

Shakib Al Hasan inspired some confidence from the Bangladesh point of view with some lusty blows for six. He kept the scoreboard ticking, but India see-sawed back into the contest when he was dismissed by Ashwin for a 15-ball 22 in the 13th over.

Ravindra Jadeja removed Mashrafe Mortaza, who had promoted himself in a bid to up the scoring rate. Mortaza managed to only score one six in the five balls he faced.

Thereafter Soumya Sarkar and Mahmadullah tried to steady the ship with some calm batting, but they were unable to keep the scoreboard ticking and the pressure mounted on Bangladesh. Sarkar particularly struggled against the spin of Ashwin. Mahmadullah has been in great form but even he was bogged down by some tight bowling.

Bumrah covered the trail of his earlier mistakes and in the 17th over he sent down almost six perfect yorkers together.

In the final three overs, Bangladesh required 27 off three overs. Nehra bowled the next over and started with a nice yorker, but the next ball was a poor short ball and was put away by Sarkar with a cracking pull shot to deep square leg.

Nehra then got a wicket off a full toss when Sarkar failed to get hold of it and was caught at long on for a run-a-ball 21. At that stage Bangladesh were left requiring 21 off 13 balls. Nehra followed it up with another full toss, and this time Mahmadullah put it away for four, meaning Bangladesh required 17 off the final two overs.

Bumrah bowled the penultimate over and under pressure bowled it superbly. He conceded just six runs of the six balls, a single of each ball.

Bangladesh then needed 11 off the final over, which was to be bowled by Hardik Pandya. He conceded just one run of the first ball. He conceded a boundary on the next ball taking the equation to six off four balls. Mushfiqur then scored another boundary with a paddle, bringing the equation to two of three balls. But then Musfiqur got caught at midwicket. The next ball, Mahmadullah got a full toss but failed to get the best of the bat on it, and was caught at the midwicket again. Leaving Bangladesh needing two off one ball. It was a wide ball outside off which the batsman missed and attempted to run a bye, Dhoni ran towards the stump to dislodge the stumps and he was declared Run Out by the third umpire to whom the case was referred.

India earlier scored a middling 146 for 7 against Bangladesh. The pitch may not have been particularly conducive to shot-making, but credit has to go to the Bangladeshi bowlers for very smart bowling right through the innings.

The openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were struggling on this surface. They were unable to get the boundaries in the power play period, even though they are typically players who play their shots fearlessly. The first five overs brought them less than 30 runs. Mortaza experimented with a whole range of bowlers in that period, including himself, Shuvagata Hom, Al Amin Hossain, Mustafizur and Shakib.

Mustafizur erred on his line in the sixth over and got smashed for a couple of sixes, one from each batsman. But being the crafty bowler he is, he came back with a cutter that foxed Rohit in that very over, to have him caught at midwicket. Dhawan fell soon after to Shakib, falling leg before.

Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, then played a steady partnership by their usual game. Raina seemed to be struggling, but made up for it with a couple of sixes which injected some life in the dull Indian innings.

Kohli, who has been in spectacular form, also struggled for timing. He managed to score a run-a-ball 24 at time of his dismissal. Raina fell soon after for a mere a 23-ball 30, miscuing a pull shot of Al Amin-Hossain’s bowling.

Hardik Pandya came in with a bang, smashing a six and hit a couple of fours. He scored a 7-ball 15.

Yuvraj Singh failed to come to terms with the nature of the surface and scored just three runs off six balls before miscuing a pull shot of Mahmadullah to fine leg. In the final two overs, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja capitalised on some loose bowling by Al-Amin Hossain to score a few boundaries and give India some late impetus.

Mustafizur bowled the final over. He got Jadeja castled off the very first delivery. He next had to bowl to Ravichandran Ashwin and goofed up by bowling one down leg, which Ashwin tickled down to the fine leg boundary. He then rotated strike to give Dhoni the opportunity to finish well. But Dhoni was unable to make most of it, scoring just four of the final three balls.

India now stand at the second place in their group, They still have to beat Australia to qualify to be in the Semi Finals.

Ravi Chandran Ashvin was declared the Man of the Match.

A ‘smart city’ is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability. Information Technology should provide solutions in a secure fashion to manage a city’s assets – the city’s assets include, local department’s information systems, schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, law enforcement, and other community services.

The goal of building a smart city is to improve quality of life by using technology to improve the efficiency of services and meet residents’ needs and the raise awareness of such technologies to the people of Dehra Dun. These should be available in Hindi and in English.

While creation of Dehra Dun into a Smart City, attention should first be paid to transport and traffic management, energy, health care, water, innovative urban agriculture and waste management.

Emphasis has also to be laid on good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation in developmental activities. There is worth mentioning here that Safety and

Security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly is of paramount importance.
Efficient Public Transport is a major factor which contributes in making a City Smart. As at present the Busses inside the City are being run under the control of the State Transport

Authority and their service is pathetic. The transport system should be privatised so that effective service transport may be provided for the residents of the District. The private Sector would run the busses on time and provide new and modern busses. This ensures good connectivity and effective mobility for residents.

There is too much traffic congestion inside the City and it takes almost 45 mins of travel time to get out of it and reach the four exits of Doon – Mohund, Premnagar, Jogiwala, Rajpur. It is imperative that a Ring road should be provided encircling Dehra Dun to facilitate traffic movement and decongest the main artery i.e. Rajpur Road.

Sufficient Parking lots should be constructed to enable vehicle users to park them properly. As of now, people normally park their vehicles on the road-side which blocks the normal flow of traffic causing inconvenience to commuters.

The other essential pre-requisite in a smart city is adequate water supply water and uninterrupted electric supply on a 24/7 basis.

Sewer pipe lines should be provided for all residential and commercial pockets to ensure effective Sanitation. These pipe lines should also have a sewage treatment plant so that human waste is not thrown out of them in the open.

Alongside the Sewer pipe lines another pipe line of about 2’ in diameter should be placed parallel to them with junction boxes at regular intervals. These would provide passage to underground path for electric cables, water pipes for connections to various commercial and residential buildings and the Roads thus made will not have to be dug up every now and then.

Waste management is an essential part of making a City Smart. First of all, as a law abiding citizens we need to make sure that we chuck the rubbish in appropriate dustbins placed by the authorities. The waste shouls first be seggerated at the residences by the owners themselves. Broken glasses, crockery etc. should be placed in one dusbin and the rest of the kitchen waste should be kept in another bin.

Garbage collection from the dust bins placed in these residential pockets will be done by the concerned authority and deposited in the waste dumping ground earmarked for this purpose.

The waste/garbage should not be kept lying in the garbage dump for an unduly long period and Garbage treatment plant should be erected there to facilitate it’s treatment and later on the retrieved product put to further use.

Other most important thing we need to do is to keep stray animals off the roads and especially away from garbage cans. We need to keep Cows, Buffaloes, Bulls, Goats, Dogs and Pigs etc off our roads.

Another major factor to make our city smart is Affordable Housing. Dehra Dun is a town which is inhabited mostly by the middle class and lower middle class of the Society. They cannot afford to buy costly plots now as the costs of land have sky-rocketed. Construction of houses on such expensive plots would also not be financially viable. So, State Government should be able to provide houses at affordable rates for the middle class and poor people.

Due importance has also to be given to Education. It has to be improved in as much as more Schools, Colleges and Universities have to be opened to make Dehra Dun an education hub as compared to Manipal.

Health Services also need a major overhaul to compete with the services provided by Smart Cities of the Western World. Just look at the Government run Hospitals in Dehra Dun? Their conditions and services are pathetic. On the other hand the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes run in the Western World are immaculately clean and their services are immaculate.

Though the charges are no doubt exorbitant but they are subsidised by the Government and they also have an effective Health Care and Insurance Schemes.

On the above lines European Union (EU) has devoted constant efforts for achieving ‘smart’ urban growth for its metropolitan city-regions. Technologies and programs have been implemented in Milton Keynes, Southampton, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stockholm.

Ravi Matah.

Durbhagya hai is desh ka ki jagah jagah ‘Beti Bachaao Bet Padhaao’ ki is vishay par charchay ho rahe hain.

Mitro, unke dil se poocho jin ke ghar aulaad nahin he?

Bhikari bun kar woh Mandir Masjid Gurudwaaron per ja kar aulaad ki bheek maangte hain.

Jin ke ghar do do bete hain, Ik din  bhikhaari to woh phir bhi ban jaate. Is vishay ka main aage khulasa karta hoon.

Betiyaan mahaan hoti hain,

Pita ki jaan hoti hain,

Ghar ki shaan hoti hain,

Thodi shaitaan hoti hain.

Jab meri bitiya teen varsh ki hui to uski Maa ne use payjeb (anklets)  le di aur maine usme do do ghunghuro extra dalwa diye. Ab saara din woh ek kamre se doosre mein aur teesre se baraamde main bhaagti phirti –
aur woh jo payjeb ke ghunguroan se sangeet ubharta tha, woh sangeet aaj bhi koi mahaan  sangeetkaar bana nahin sakta.

Agar ghar mein bitiya he to aap bhaagyawaan hain,
Ghar mein bitiya  nahin  Woh ghar kahaan, sirf makaan he.

Betiyaan mahaan hoti hain, gharon ki shaan hoti hain.
Beta ghar mein ho to beshak chulha thanda pad jaaye,
Beti ghar mein ho to bhookha mehmaan nahin ja sakta.

Akhbaaron mein padh ke pata laga ki kuch Pita aur kuch Doctor hatyaare ho gaye,
Sunte hi beti hone waali he, Bhroon hatya karvaane lage.

Arre Mitro, jiska abhi janam hi nahin hua uski hatya karvaane lage.
Aap ke ghar Luxmi aa rahi he aur aap use bhagaane lage.

Ab main usi point per aata hoon ki jis ke ghar sirf bete hain – dekhiye

Makaan ko ghar banaane ke liye Bahu to maangni padegi.
Ab dekhiye woh bhikhaari bun gaya ki nahin?

Suna he ab ratio 100% ladke aur 84 % ladkiyaan ka ho gaya he.
Ek din Bhikhaari bun jaaoge,  apne bete ke liye bahu chahiye to bheekh maango ge.

Sachchayee dekhiye —

Dulha ghori pe chadh ke saath 100 aadmi, band-baaja le ke jaata he,
Woh moorakh itna nahin jaanta ki woh Sherni to wahaan se akeli hi chali aayee.

Sherni Shakti he.

Agar aap yeh chahte ho ki Ishwar aap ke saare dukh dard door kare,
to jis ko Bahu ke roop  ghar laaye ho uski saari khushiyaan pori karo.

She is someone’s daughter.
She may be mother some day.
She may be wife some day.
Treat her the way you’d want yours treated.
Betiyon ke mehatva pe do punktiyaan suniye –

Betiyon ne hardum ghar ka naam hi roshan kiya he,

Waqt aane per Meera ne zehr ka pyaala piya he,

Haath mein talwaar liye LuxmiBai bani he,

Saanya ban kar khel ke maidaan mein bhi khilkhilaayi,

Lata Mangeshkar ko sun Samandar dolte hain,

Betiyaan to Bhagwaan ka vardaan he.

Ladki ka astitva to Shrishti Shrijan se juda he.
Itna hi nahin hamaara Purush pradhaan samaj us seema tak pahunch chuka he ki hamey Beti bachaao aadi yojnao ko chalaane ki zaroorat ho rahi he.

Is dharti se maatrishakti ka maan nahin ja sakta,
Nar ke mun se Naari ka Samman nahin ja sakta.
Baap ki pagdi he woh, Maa ka reshmi paridhaan he who.

Betiyaan mahaan hoti hain, gharon ki shaan hoti hain.

Tere liye Sudaama ban jaaoonga,
Safed makkhan nahin to Amul Tujhe khilaaoonga.

Rath nahin to kya, Santro mein ghumaaoonga,
Teri khaatir Arjun main ban jaaonga,
Ration bazaar nahin, Mall mein ghumaaoonga,
Ek baar tu mere ghar aa ke to dekh,
Ek baar mujhe apna bana ke to dekh.

Maangne ki koi ichcha nahin,
Shukriya Aapne sab kuch diya hai,
Maangoon sirf ek jhalak Teri,
Darshan dikhla ja, meri bigdi banaa ja.

Aap ke liye dhoti Kurta nahin to jeans khareedwaaoonga,
Chappal nahin, ‘Nike’ main dilwaaoonga.
Vaiada hai doodh/chaach pilaaoonga,
Guy nahin to kya, Mother Dairy se Plastic-pack le aaoonga.

Bansuri nahin to CD pe dhun sunvaaooonga,
Dholak, baansuri, gaatke – main le aaoonga,
Naach waise-hi raha hoon,
Raas Leela karwaaonga,

Bhaarat mein Mahabhaarat to abhi khatam hui hai,
Aap ki Kripa, Gujraat se Yudhistra Dilli aaya hai.

Aajkal jinko dikhta hai, Dhritrastra ho gaye hain wo,
Pooja-paathi Sant jail mein, quatil khule-aam ghoom rahe hain.

Dekh to sahi kaise badal gayi duniya Teri,
Dekh le kaise ujad gayi duniya meri,
Aarti main sajaaoonga, deepak dhoop jalaaonga,
Jhalak dihkla ja mera janam sanwaar ja.

Ek baar, mere ghar pe aa ke to dekh,
Ek baar mujhe apna bana ke to dekh.

Tera bhakt – Ravi.

Shri Krishna

Dhoni handed him a cap which had “200th Test” stitched on it while the whole Indian team wore a shirt which had “Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar 200th Test” embossed on it.

Guard of honour

Spectators at Wankhade Stadium gave a standing ovation when Sachin came out to bat on Friday and his team-mates gave him a guard of honour. He walked towards the pitch with his heavy bat which had a grip coloured in the Indian National Flag.

The Little Master scored 74 runs in this final Test match.

The clocks stopped ticking. It was 11.47 AM on 16th November 2013, Saturday, at the Wankhade Cricket Stadium, Mumbai. India had beaten the West Indies by an innings and 126 runs in the Second and the final Test match of this Series.

Mohammad Shami took the last West Indian wicket Sachin uprooted a stump and hugged Captain M.S.Dhoni. The spectators at the Wankhade Stadium Mumbai, stood on their feet gave a deafening roar and chanted ‘Sachin Sachin’ in unison. Time had come to bid adieu to the ‘God of Indian Cricket’ at the conclusion of this match.

One spectator in the stands was carrying a banner which read – ‘From now onwards only humans will play Cricket’.

His achievements were – that he was the first to score 10,000 runs in ODIs. He was the first to score a double hundred in an ODI match. He was also the first to score 1000 Test runs in one Calander year on six occasions. He is the first to play in 400 ODI matches. He is the first person to have played in 200 Test matches for his country. A remarkable feat and unsurpassable too as it seems today.

Sachin also has one Hundred centuries in International Cricket as he has scored 51 centuries in Test matches and 49 ODI hundreds in his illustrious carrier spanning 24 years.

He had made his Test debut against Pakistan on 15th November 1989 and after a span of 24 years, it was on 15 November 2013 that he walked back to the pavilion after scoring 74 runs.

Sachin is the greatest Ambassador of Indian Cricket and has captured the hearts of billions of people all over the World. As an individual he is a down-to-earth and a very humble person.

After the prize-distribution was over, Sachin, in his heart-warming speech thanked all those who had helped him in achieving this success in Cricket. He thanked his father who had given him freedom to play Cricket at the age of 11 years. He thanked his Coach Mr. Ramakant Achrekar, his friends, colleagues and fellow team-mates.

He started off by- “Friends, please settle down, I’ll get more emotional. It’s hard to believe my life between 22 yards in the last 24 years is coming to an end”.

It was a very emotional speech which brought the 33,000 spectators in the Stadium to their feet. No one had ever seen Sachin crying in last two and a half decades, but today it was different.

This is the first time the world came to know that Sachin is a good orator also.

During his speech he made a point to thank the media, the photographers and also the spectators who came to witness the matches. He made a point to thank everyone who had helped him in making a successful career.

With a bottle of water in his left hand he tried very hard to control his tears and thanked his wife Anjali [who is a Doctor by profession] and two kids Sara and Arjun and said that he had neglected them for the sake of Cricket over the last many years, and added that he would now cover all that up. He then walked down the pitch, bowed down, touched it and saluted it.

Anjali said that it is like a dream to see Sachin without Cricket though she could visualise Cricket without Sachin.

During the prize distribution he was given a tribute from the host broadcasters, tribute from the Sri Lankan government and a tribute from the Mumbai Police.

As soon as this match and the ceremony was over, the Prime Ministers Office announced that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been conferred the title of BHARAT RATNA, which is the highest civilian honour.

Later, Sachin said that he is dedicating this title to his mother Rajni, who is not keeping too well.

He has achieved the following  Awards –  Wisden Cricketers of the Year, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Padma Shri, Padma Vibhushan, Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Maharashtra Bhushan Award, Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World, ICC World ODI XI, World Test XI, Wisden India Outstanding Achievement Award, LG People’s Choice Award, Outstanding Achievement in Sport, Arjuna Award for Cricket, BCCI Cricketer of the Year, Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year, People’s Choice Award and now he has been awarded the ‘Bharat Ratna’.

And the signboard at Wankhede Stadium read: You will always be remembered!

Ravi Matah.

It was the 15th of Nov 1973 that I had got married and my wife stepped into my life.

She was a calm and composed person and full of laughter. She smiled even during adverse conditions and was able to make this world a better place for me. It was mainly due to her positive attitude that we actually lived life with lots of Love, Care and Share.

Affectionately, I used to call her Rani and believe me that she was indeed taken care of like a Queen.

And like any other married couple, we too used to quarrel a lot.

She was a simple down-to-earth girl whose ‘wants’ were very few. She never demanded anything from me and never complained about anything. She was God-fearing, educated, a double-Post-Graduate and she had had the knack of taking every situation in her stride.

Those initial days after the marriage were perhaps the best in our lives, and soon we were blessed with a baby-girl. To celebrate the arrival of our daughter, we threw a lavish party that was, then, far beyond our means.

We tried our best to fulfill our responsibility towards the newly-born regarding her upbringing and her education. Rani used to do everything for the kid but time and again would come to me for counsel and advice. I don’t know why but sometimes we would quarrel over trivial issues?

By the time our daughter was four-and-a-half years, God Almighty blessed us with a son.

The main priority was the health and education of both our children. My daughter was going to St. Joseph’s Academy and after four years we enrolled our son also in the same school.

My wife used to prepare their breakfast, lunch, get their school dresses ready and helped complete their home-work even though sometimes I used to assist. Additionally, she would do the laundry, cook and serve meals and do other household chores.

After her graduation my daughter took up a professional course and within a couple of years she got had got a job in US and flew away leaving me with my wife and son. Three years later we married off our daughter to a suitable boy who was also working in States.

I now wonder how my wife then managed all of this by herself. She gave me two wonderful and intelligent kids and she gave them the best education and her teaching of [sanskars] was exemplary. In addition to all the above she found time to clean the house as well as attend to the relatives and friends who dropped in. And this is not all; she found time to take care of me when I was at home. She, indeed, was a very devoted wife.

Life was very beautiful which in retrospect I feel that I should have realized earlier, and then …..

Three years ago she was afflicted with Arthritis and was prescribed many medicines including pain-killers; and because of the side effects, she became very weak and found it difficult in doing her household jobs.

Finally she was diagnosed Scleroderma, an autoimmune disease of the skin. After consulting many doctors, we finally found a doctor at Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, who was able to give her a second life. With the right medicines, she became healthy again. She had finally improved and started doing all the chores. The doctor from Fortis Hospital was a godsend.

On 26th Aug 2013, my daughter, her husband and their two kids had come home from the US for their annual vacation after a lapse of two years. Rani was overjoyed and kept playing with the grand-kids like a kid herself.

On the 1st of Sept she developed some breathing problem. I took her to the Hospital, got her check-up done by a cardiologist. The doctors opined that her heart was normal, prescribed some medicines and declared that she would be OK in a couple of days.

Next day I took her to another physician and the third day to a chest specialist but they all held the same opinion that she will be OK with medication and did not require hospitalization. The following morning she had difficulty in breathing again, and I decided to get her admitted to a hospital. I went out and got the car to the front door to take her to the hospital. On the way, her breathing became difficult.

On reaching there, the doctor tells me that she is no more. Indescribably, my small world had sunk like the Titanic.

She breathed her last on the morning of 5th Sept 2013 leaving a void which is impossible to fill. She left me and my son bewildered and we don’t know what to do now? We are devastated. Luckily our daughter was also by her side when she passed away. At least, Rani must have died happy for she had met her daughter before she left this world.

Everything has now come to a standstill. She was the driving force in the family and without her concurrence nothing ever moved. After four decades of toil and hard work, we had managed to buy a house just three years ago and now she has left us. What do we do with all these worldly things that I have built over these four decades!!! Life without her would indeed be lifeless.

There were so many things I wanted to talk to her but God didn’t give me those minutes and she left us in tears..  As has been rightly said – “Tears shed on a grave are for the words left unspoken and for the deeds left undone”.

On hind-sight I wondered, why did we quarrel at all? I still don’t know. When will I get the time to see her and apologise for things I might have unintentionally uttered? My goddess Rani has gone and I still stand here seeking forgiveness for the wrongs that I did and some duties towards her that I may have failed to do.

May you Rest in Peace, Rani. You had been the most precious possession that I have ever had and all that I have now, is of no use without you. Thank you, Rani for all what you did in this short spell of time and for giving me two intelligent kids.

Ma Dhari Devi Temple

June 16th witnessed  the worst ever natural calamity in the hills of Uttarakhand. It was a cloud burst, rush of water into the Ganges, erosion of soil along it’s embankments, resulting in destruction of the  roads along the entire route, and a total catastrophe supported by incessant rains thereafter.

Rest houses, buildings, approx 90 Dharamshalas were washed away within seconds at KedarNath alone.

Lakhs of pilgrims go to Char Dham Yatra which include – KedarNath, BadriNath, Gangotri and Yamunotri every year and  on that day also there were no less.

After the disaster bodies have been found floating in the Ganges downstream right upto  Rishikesh, Haridwar and beyond. Thousands of people are still searching for their loved ones.

The disaster management team was a total failure in the face of a tragedy of Himalayan proportions. Only the Indian Army personnel lead by The Commandant Central Command, Lt.Gen. Anil Chait were able to rescue more than 85,000 pilgrims and brought them down to safer places by employing helicopters in such difficult terrain and horrible weather.

How could Mother Nature become so cruel to the helpless pilgrims whose sole purpose was to pay obeisance to the Gods?

Did uprooting of the Idol of Maa Dhari Devi from her temple unleash the flood fury? Probably yes.

Was the Uttarakhand tragedy really the fury of Goddess Dhari Devi who was forced to relocate? The elders and the pundits do think so.

The temple of Dhaari Devi is located near Srinagar, Uttarakhand and is considered to be the protector of the pilgrims visited the Char Dhams. Those who believe in Hindu mythology understand that this temple was directly in the line of sight of Lord Shiva who also helped in ensuring the safety and  welfare of the pilgrims enroute. The temple of this Diety, believed to be another manifastation of Goddess Kali, is located on the banks of river Alaknanda, 19 kms from Srinagar.

But on 16th June, hours before the flash floods hit the upper reaches of Uttarakhand, the temple of Dhari Devi was shifted uphill to prevent it from being submerged by the water of 300 MW hydel power project being built by the Alaknanda Hydel Project Company, a subsidiary of GVK Power.

The idol, which rested on a small hill was cut from its base.

For years the locals and Pundits had been protesting the relocation of the temple but the State Govt. was adament about the shift. Reason -without the relocation, the project work could not start. GVK officials , however, claim that the relocation was decided much earlier and was not done in a haste.

And when it was done, all hell broke loose. The cloud burst occured approx 3 hours after the Statue of the Goddess Dhaari Devi was moved from it’s original place to be re-installed to a new temple. Sources reveal that approx 20,000 people were washed away, several Buildings, both commercial and private were damaged and washed away by the flood fury and approx 180 kms of metalled roads are no where to be seen.

Two days after, 18/6, these occurences were tweeted and here is the copy of the tweets that were exchanged live on what had happened there :- These tweets will have to be read from No. 1 upwards.

Madhavan Narayanan?@madversity1h
Where did the number come from? Reporter claims Modi’s ‘15,000’ rescue figure came from BJP itself http://thne.ws/13bzRmR – 39

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL91h
@Sanity_3 Do read this on kali’s anger, the significance of Dhari Devi, Kalimath and kedarnathji. http://srath.com/jyoti%E1%B9%A3a/mundane/vastu/kalis-anger/ … …38

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL91h
RT: ?@MukulAgarwal66 Do read this on kali’s anger, the significance of Dhari Devi, Kalimath and kedarnathji. http://srath.com/jyoti%E1%B9%A3a/mundane/vastu/kalis-anger/ …37

Raghunath AS?@asraghunath1h
140 Villages face hunger in Uttarakhand. Only 44 villages received ration relief. supplies. pic.twitter.com/CKXjh8gnrP – 36

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL92h
@dkpcrwa Looks like a huge Temple..35

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
@Ravi_Matah pic.twitter.com/EBRWHlZLdQ -34

@manojsirsa14h
“@ALKAAGARWAL9: These joint temples are exactly at NE-SW direction (see image) /15 pic.twitter.com/9IGNeXFegn #ShriKedarNathJi #DhariDeviTemple33

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
Please read full article .. the significance of Dhari Devi, Kalimath and kedarnathji. http://srath.com/jyoti%E1%B9%A3a/mundane/vastu/kalis-anger/ … … …32

KA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
and this will prove to be one of the worst years in the history of modern India.31

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
URGENT-4 If this is not done, then the agitation of Kali shall spread throughout India-cont..30

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
URGENT-3 If this is done, then Kali will calm down and the agitation of nature will stop29

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
URGENT-2 Shri Yantra s?dhan? has to be maintained at K?lima?h and Bael leaf must be offered to Kedarnath.28

LKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
URGENT-1 Restore the idol of Dhara Dev? (Kali torso) to its original shrine and start the prayers that calm her down.27

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
when official (?) death figures are at 1000 the unofficial figures is way beyond 5000 deaths and more are still following26

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
Exatly on the next day massive cloudburst and flash floods started in Uttarkhand and even today,26

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
and she seeks the demon Raktabija (seed of blood). As per mythology, Raktab?ja took various bodies and she continued to destroy each one.25

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
With the shifting of Dhara Dev?, the agitated Kali has been woken up, 24

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
There are energies we human beings do not understand as yet and it is best to let these spiritual shrines where these energies are contain

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
They were right in their belief as any movement would lead to a change in the angle of the Dhara Dev? and K?lima?h,/23

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
locals were opposing the conception of the project with the belief that the moving of the Dhara Dev? would somehow agitate Kali/22

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
On June 15th, 2013, the idol of Dhara Dev? was removed to be shifted to another location to facilitate the construction of the same dam/21

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
In this Kedarnath being to the north (Mercury direction for ahimsa) is constantly calming the dev? who is in the south (Mars direction/20

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL914h
The Kedarnath jyotirliñga is exactly North from K?lima?h (see image) symbolising the husband-wife or ?iva-?akt? relationship./19

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
The upper part of the dev? with the head symbolises the calming of Kali by ?iva, the Guru. /18

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
This causes the energy to flow in the NE direction, which in jyoti?a, is the direction of Jupiter (I??na ?iva), the parame??hi guru/17

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
symbolising Kali as sleeping with her feet in NE direction and head in the SE /16 http://direction.pic.twitter.com/EBRWHlZLdQ

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
These joint temples are exactly at NE-SW direction (see image) /15 pic.twitter.com/EBRWHlZLdQ

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
the remaining lower part is believed to be in Kalimath in Rudraprayag district/14

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
The temple of Dhari Devi in Srinagar hosts only the upper part of idol of Godess Dhari,/13

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
It is believed that the idol of Dhari Devi shall not be put under roof. For the same reason/12

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
known as Dhari Devi, under the open sky, and thousands of devotees on the way to Badrinath pay their obeisance to it/11

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
the villagers heard the cries of the idol. On reaching the site they heard a divine voice instructing them to install the idol as it was/10

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
According to a local legened, the temple was once washed off by floods, while floating the idol struck against a rock,/9

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
Dhari Devi is a temple on the banks of the Alaknanda River in the Garhwal Region of Uttarakhand state/8

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
These are not just any other Shakti temples, they are among the 108 Shakti Pitha mentioned in the Devi Bhagavat/7

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
There is some strange connection between these guardian goddess and the Kedarnath jyotirliñga./6

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
an attempt to shift the shrine was immediately followed by havoc in Kedar Valley/5

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
The government has tried to build up dams to overcome the power shortage. This has been opposed by locals/4

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
. Let us look at the events leading to the great devastation of Uttarakhand by flooding of Uttar Kashi./3

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
The fury of the goddess is well known and any attempt to instigate her would lead to great destruction/2

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
This may sound like a story – but it is not so – its reality that most people today like to ignore and push aside as superstition/1

ALKA ?@ALKAAGARWAL915h
RT: ?@MukulAgarwal66 Do read this on kali’s anger, the significance of Dhari Devi, Kalimath and kedarnathji. http://srath.com/jyoti%E1%B9%A3a/mundane/vastu/kalis-anger/ … …

Alok Bhatt?@alok_bhatt16h
Dear media, Kedarnath hasnt been damaged, what was damaged are buildings around temple…..temple of faith is standing tall!

@thinkerspad17h
Tell me honestly, doesn’t Congress look like the most useless & repulsive organism in the entire Uttarakhand episode? Who wants them around?

Ravi Matah.

As her condition worsened in the Hospital here, she was shifted toMount Elizabeth Hospital,Singaporefor treatment, but she passed away this morning. 

Nation-wide protestors held candle-light vigil on the brutal rape and murder of a 23 year old medico girl.

The day after the rape, protestors gathered at Vijay Chowk, and then spread all over North and South Block. Their main demand was that ‘Death Penalty’ should also be included amongst other penalties specified in the CrPC for such cases. They were greeted with lathi charge, tear gas shells and water cannons.

I feel that death penalty is no penalty for those who have committed such a horrific crime. If they are sentenced to death, they will be free in a minute, which is not what the public wants. The public desires that they should suffer more than the kid suffered. Because this is not RAPE, this is far worse than RAPE. This is a case of utmost cruelty perpetrated on a victim.

The laws in such cases should now be so modified that they should serve as a deterrent for others and ensure safety of women everywhere.

After news of her death spread, people held protests peacefully throughout the country.

The protestors were totally peaceful atDelhialso, but some people vested with political interests tried to hijack the agitation. What did they think, the public doesn’t understand their cunningness/oppoutunism?

The social media like Facebook and Twitter are abug with people who tweeted their anger throughout the day and demanding burning the culprits alive, hanging them and sternest action possible be taken against them.

Thousands of tweets are being posted every day on the issue and this has become a Trending Topic on Twitter bearing #DelhiGangRape. This is what some of them have said :-

@Ravi_Matah – Castrate them, hang them on a tree, burn them ALIVE and telecast LIVE.

SKB?@Sai_ki_bitiya

Rape is a death that victim has to live all her life.

@PritishNandy

Rape is the flashpoint, yes. But this agitation goes beyond that. People are angry with corruption, a deaf and dumb Govt, too many lies.

After the news of her demise spread today, the candle-light vigil at Jantar Mantar was an unprecedented show of solidarity for the victim’s family and most of the people were carrying placards some of which read :-

‘Delhi is a Rape Capital’.

‘My sister could be next’.

‘You are an inspiration for all of us’.

People were chanting Gayatri Mantra and other Vedic Mantras for the peace of the departed soul.

Just spare a thought for the victim and her family members – what they had to go though in the last fortnight just because of those few drunken men on the bus? A very sad state of affairs and it is very depressing even to think about it.

Todays’ protests at Jantar Mantar  the people gathered willingly and it appeared to be a youth awakening to a National cause or should I call it shame?

What do the perpetrators of this crime now deserve?

Your comments would be most welcome.

Ravi Matah.

The lone surviving Pakistani terrorist of Mumbai terror attacks, Mohammed Ajmal Kasab – was hanged at 0730 AM at Yerawada jail, Pune. He had killed 166 people at  Mumbai  on 21/11/2008.

Ajmal Kasab

President Pranab Mukherjee had rejected his mercy plea earlier this month.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told journalists that Kasab had been buried inside the Yerawada jail premises after the execution. Chavan said, Kasab had been shifted from Mumbai’sArthur Roadjail to Pune two days ago.

The execution was carried out in complete secrecy but it was only when the news of his hanging was announced on the TV news channels, people thronged the Yerawada jail.

Ironically, Kasab’s end came 5 days before the fourth anniversary of the terror attacks which injured more than 300 people and killed 166 – in cold blood.

Kasab was barely 21 when he carried out the brutal attack and was sentenced to death on four counts and to life sentence on five counts on charges including murder, waging a war onIndiaand possessing weapons. His last wish was that his mother should be informed about his execution.

He was first sentenced to death by a special trial court on May 6, 2010.

The Bombay High Court upheld the verdict February 21 last year, followed by a similar decision by the Supreme Court on Aug 29.

It took the Maharashtra government less than two weeks to hang Kasab, after President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his mercy petition on November 5.

‘Pakistanhas been informed but there is no demand for Kasab’s body,’ Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said, adding, that the entire operation had to be conducted under secrecy due to the sensitivities involved and the due procedures were followed.

Soon after, reactions started pouring in.

‘Better late than never. Kasab’s hanging will act as a balm on the wounds of the people of Mumbai but their wounds are still fresh,’ said Shahnawaz Hussain, the spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

‘They will get relief only when Kasab’s handler’s from across the border are also brought to justice.’

In the wake of Kasab’s hanging, actor Ram Kapoor (seen in TV serial Bade Ache Lagte Hain) reacts :-

“To be honest, I am feeling mixed emotions. Even though his crimes were heinous I can’t seem to forget that he was just a kid. The real culprits are the people that were controlling the entire event by phone and those people are very much alive. We can never disregard what Kasab did but we must also remember that he was merely a 19 year old pawn being used by the masterminds that are still at large.”

The father of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a NSG commando slain in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, Wednesday said Ajmal Amir Kasab’s execution was a step in the right direction.

“It is not a late decision, and it is a step in the right direction. But a lot has to be done before perpetrators of the Mumbai attack are brought to justice (inPakistan).”

I also concur here that the hanging of Kasab is not the end. It’s not a matter for the country to rejoice. Kasab was a kid and a pawn in the hands of the master-minds of 26/11 attack who are roaming free inPakistan and until Pakistan takes action against them, this is not the end, it’s the beginning of the clean-up.

In keeping with jail manual processes, Kasab was offered contact with his family and the drawing up of a will, but he refused all of it, Maharashtra government sources said. Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said his family and thePakistangovernment had been informed through the Indian High Commission about Kasab’s execution. No one, however, had claimed the body.

Kasab deserved the extreme punishment and a sad chapter has come to an end. But this is not the end. The perpetrators of the 26/11 attack are alive and ticking inPakistanand are not non-State actors.

The Pakistan Embassy was informed of the execution in time, but they did not claim the body of Ajmal Kasab.

The families of those killed or injured in the 26/11 attack are now satisfied that justice has been done, even though late but still acceptable.

Ravi Matah.

Barack Obama at Democratic National Convention

The choice will come down to the person, who can create the much needed jobs to eradicate the unemployment problem, tackle the financial situation and bring the country out of the financial mess which Obama had inherited from the previous regime. [Too many problems (incl recession & job losses) created by Bush are unnecessarily being attributed to Barack Obama.]They will have to make a choice between ‘Govt. of the rich, by the rich for the rich’  as propagated by Romney & Paul Ryan – on one hand AND  – a Government for upliftment of the masses as proposed by Obama – on the other.

Bill Clinton at Democratic National Convention 2012

What will the fate of the middle income group if the rich are taxed more as proposed by Romney? His fiscal policies do not, prima-facie hold good. Mitt Romney promises cut government spending, eliminates the deficit, create over 240,000 new jobs for Wisconsin. This he has committed in one ad for his campaign, but never has been able to tell how he proposes  to achieve it.

On the opening night of the Democratic National Convention, it was Michelle Obama who held the fort, which was followed up by Bill Clinton with his total support to Obama’s candidacy, thereby improving Obama’s popularity rating.

On Thursday night, Obama, in his acceptance speech as Democratic nominee spoke at the Democratic National Convention and told the country that they had a choice to make their future [and the future of their kids] by electing him in the forthcoming elections.

The delegates who attended the convention gave Obama a standing ovation and reacted to whatever he said.

He said in his speech that he would provide more jobs to the country make US less dependant on others and laid stress on Education and Energy Plans. He said that education is the gateway to middle class life.

On the economic front he stressed that he would use the money being spent on wars to build bridges to repay the debt and also added that he is no longer a candidate for the post of President, but is the President.

This means that Obama already knows what is required to be done to safeguard the future of the American people and take effective measures towards fulfillment of their dreams.

He also added that he knows what is takes to achieve the objectives of a nation and after this speech he has emerged a clear winner.

Obama then said that he now wants the people to make a choice and elect him for another period of four years and that he would deliver the goods better than his political opponents Mitt Romney & Paul Ryan.

By killing Osama Bin Laden he is in a better position than his opponent so far as the national security rating is concerned.

The mood in the street following his speech was electric. Thousands of Obama delegates and supporters flooded the street inCharlotte,North   Carolina, some singing and chanting. They were full of hope and were looking forward to a secured future.

After the speech, the CNN Political Analyst, David Gergen said – “I thought it is a very strong speech’.

I also say that America should now choose a man with guts who could protect them rather than try to get an inexperienced person who talks about money only.

Even though the President leads his opponent Mitt Romney by a thin margin in the polls, still Obama is more acceptable and liked by the Americans and after this acceptance speech on Thursday and appears to be a clear winner in November 2012.

This speech has brought Obama in the lead by 3 to 4%.  But a lot of strategists say that  in a closely contested election, even this little margin  could be determinative and  sufficient to swing the balance in favour of Obama which means that the Democratic National Convention was a great moment for Obama and his Democratic supporters.

Barack Obama possesses the character, commitment and the charisma to deliver what the American public expect of him.

Obama will also be able to take adequate measures so far as fiscal austerity is concerned, and solve the US economic problems.

I am of the opinion that Americans should give Obama another four year term in the Nov. 2012 elections and that would be for a betterAmerica.

Today is the 11^th Anniversary of the 9/11 attack on USA, and I post this blog on the 9^th of September afternoon inIndia so that whenAmerica wakes up early morning in US on 9/11, they should read this alongwith their cuppa tea and decide their future.

.I think Barack Obama is a clear favorite to win the Presidency in the forthcoming elections.

Ravi Matah.