India-Australia Clash in the World Cup Knockout Round

Cricket World Cup 2011 is reaching its finishing point and India finds itself in the knockout stages as it is all set to face Australia in the second quarter final on Thursday. There would not be any difference in opinion that the match between India and Aussies would be a tough one for both teams. When Australia is the reigning world champion with three consecutive titles, India is a force to reckon with, particularly in the sub continent conditions.

Both India and Australia were once defeated in the league stage – India was defeated by South Africa and Australia was defeated by Pakistan. In one of the most intriguing cricket matches, South Africa defeated India by 3 wickets with 2 balls remaining. At the same time Pakistan was able to defeat Australia in the league match there by breaking the 34 match winning streak of the Aussies in the world cups (they were last defeated by Pakistan itself in one of the league matches in the 1999 world cup). So it is sure that both these teams would not leave any stone unturned for winning the match. Moreover, whoever loses the match would be out of the tournament.

There is no doubt that India should tighten up their bowling if it has to put a formidable challenge to the Australians. It is true that the batting unit of the Aussies is not as strong as in the earlier three occasions when they had heavy weights like the Waugh brothers, Gilchrist, Hayden and the likes. But still the Aussies can back a punch with their batting with batsmen like Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Watson and Haddin. India’s biggest problem with its bowling is that only Zaheer Khan is in good form. Ace bowler Harbhajan Singh is not at his best and bowlers like Piyush Chawla, Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra have been wavered in their bowling. At the same time the inclusion of R. Ashwin has brought some much needed quality to the Indian bowling. It is to be seen whether Dhoni would include another bowler in the place of Yusuf Pathan in the final eleven against Australia. An attacking option in Chawla or Sreesanth is surely a choice. The Aussies were not finding it easy against Chawla in the warm-up match and Sreesanth has always been one of Australia’s arch foes. Anyways Yusuf Pathan hasn’t been in good form throughout the series and it is almost sure that the Aussie bowlers will try to bounce him out because of his apparent inability to play the short pitched deliveries. It is to be seen how he would play them if he is included in the final eleven. Munaf Patel is not a incisive bowler particularly when bowling in the death overs. So it wouldn’t be a bad thing to include the attacking option of the leggie, Chawla in Munaf’s place. It is almost sure that the track at Motera, Ahmedabad would be a slow one that would help the spinners. Therefore it would be a good option to include three frontline spinners in Harbhajan, Chawla and Ashwin. If by any chance Chawla fails to perform we could always turn to Yuvraj for his slow left arm spin.

Indian batting is not in a good shape either. There were many opinions expressed stating that India has got the best batting line-up among all teams in this world cup. But in the matches against South Africa and West Indies, the flaws in the Indian batting line-up came to the fore. Still much of the Indian batting depends on the great man, Sachin Tendulkar. Playing in probably his last world cup Tendulkar would be looking to make a large impact in the match against his most favourite rival, Australia. Much expectation also rests on the swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag and his fiery batting prowess. It would surely be an exciting contest between bat and ball when the likes of Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj come against Lee, Johnson and Tait. Dhoni has to be at his proactive best if India has to win Thursday’s match and it has to be seen with what combination he will play this very important match. It would be good for India if MS Dhoni wins the toss and elects to bat first because if India is batting second a score of even 240 would be hard to chase against the Aussies. In such a case it would also be difficult for the Aussies to bat second in a slow turning track, which is expected at Motera.

The match between India and Australia is going to be the last world cup match for either Sachin Tendulkar or Ricky Ponting, two of the game’s greatest batsmen. Therefore both will be quite keen to make their presence felt in this critical showdown. While one man is known for his impeccable integrity, the other is known for the lack of it. Ponting has the dubious distinction of being a dishonest captain whose on-field and off-field actions have often come under criticisms not any less in this world cup.

Anyways let us keep our fingers crossed for the ultimate showdown between two top teams in world cricket. In all probability it is going to be an interesting match with a nail biting finish. Let the best team win.

India: Jammu and Kashmir detentions used to keep people ‘out of circulation’

(For Amnesty International)

On 21 March 2011, Amnesty International will launch a new report revealing how administrative detention in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir is being used to detain people for years at a time, without trial, depriving them of basic human rights otherwise provided under Indian law.

A Lawless Law: Detentions under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, documents how authorities are using the Public Safety Act to secure the long-term detention of political activists, suspected members or supporters of armed groups and a range of other individuals against whom there is insufficient evidence for a trial or conviction to ‘keep them out of circulation’.

It is the first report by Amnesty International about Jammu and Kashmir since 2000.

After the Japanese Nuclear Disaster

As if the chaos caused by the powerful earthquake and the subsequent tsunami isn’t enough, Japan faces a serious calamity after the explosions in the four nuclear reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant. Scientists and workers at the nuclear plant were tirelessly working to contain the nuclear radiations emitted to the atmosphere when the new fire at reactor four resulted in the rising of the radiation level in the atmosphere. Such a rise is dangerous for those workers at the nuclear plant and hence the Japanese government has withdrawn all workers from the plant. Many countries, including India, are dependent upon nuclear reactors for power generations and therefore it is important for all to know more about nuclear radiations and its harmful effects.

The Japanese are well aware of the dangers of the nuclear radiations after falling prey to the atom bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War. However they have very few natural resources and therefore decided to go for nuclear power to supply a third of its energy needs. They have more than 50 commercially operating nuclear reactors and many are built in seismically dangerous environment, where the threat of earthquakes is more. Though most of the nuclear reactors are built after taking this factor into consideration, the enormous power of the earthquake and tsunami has toppled all security measures that were put in place. Shutting down a nuclear plant is as complex a process as the nuclear fission process that generates power. Therefore it seems that it would take a long time before the nuclear radiation emission to the atmosphere is brought under control and stopped. The government has asked people not to panic and has given them guidance on how to avoid getting affected with the radiation. BBC is giving an extensive coverage of the issue and you can find a lot of information about the nuclear disaster at Fukushima from the following URL.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12732015

India has got many nuclear power plants as well and the nuclear calamity in Japan would be a time that should take our attention to the security of those plants. Indian nuclear scientists have repeatedly said that all our nuclear reactors are safe and we have nothing to worry about if a similar environmental disaster as in Japan happens in India. At the same time Indian nuclear agencies have promised to revisit the security measures at all atomic plants. It is quite important for the common people to know more about the dangers of nuclear radiations, about how to avoid it and about how to get treated if ever exposed to it. The following resource from BBC gives a good account on this regard.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12722435

The nuclear disaster in Japan has raised alarm bells in many countries. China, South Korea and the United States, Japan’s neighbours, have increased their security level to fend off radiation threat from Japan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that all seven nuclear plants built before 1980 would be closed down for now as safety checks are conducted. Switzerland announced that it would freeze all plans to build or replace nuclear power plants and Austria called for new stress tests on nuclear plants across Europe. India has decided to adopt radiation checks at ports and airports and on all food imports from Japan. In Russia President Vladimir Putin has ordered a review on all nuclear plants.

Inarguably, one of the most important outcomes of the Japanese nuclear crisis is that it has re-ignited the anti-nuclear debate around the world. It is extremely important for the global community to have an impassioned debate on the pros and cons of nuclear power before we move forward with nuclear power projects.

Image: The No:3 reactor of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant at Minamisoma is seen burning after the blast

SSLC Exams – Re-Publishing My 3 Year Old Blog Post

In our state of Kerala the SSLC exams (class 10 exams) start today. On the occasion I am re-publishing one of my blog posts on the exams, “SSLC Exams – Why This Much Fuzz About It”, that was written 3 years back.

Please click on the title of the article in the above sentence or click on the below mentioned link to find the article.

http://candidminds.blogspot.com/2008/03/sslc-exams-why-this-much-of-fuss-about.html

International Women's Day - Celebrating 100 Years

I’ve often wondered why only very few poets, novelists and story-writers have written about their mothers. With such a queer cogitation, I sat up to write a ballad on my mother when I found out that my vocabulary is modest, my imagination rather inferior and my creativity mediocre. It seemed to me that all the words in this world, even if used in their most effective manner, can hardly conjure the true meaning and essence of a mother’s love.

Respect for women should come from this miracle called mother’s love, for in every woman, even in a girl as little as five years, we can find this expression of motherhood. With such a magnificent thought let us celebrate the centenary International Women’s Day today. It is a day where you could express your gratitude to all women who have influenced your life – mother, sisters, wives, friends, colleagues and even mere acquaintances. I am using this occasion to thank all my sisters, friends and colleagues of the fairer gender, my sincere gratitude for all the support and affection you all have given me. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.

(Image Courtesy: United Nations ESCAP)

Middle East and North Africa: Stop Supply of Arms Used in Protest Killings

(Amnesty International Appeal)

Libya has witnessed horrific levels of violence in the last few days. Hundreds of innocent people have died, among them protesters who were peacefully demanding basic political and human rights reform.

Across the Middle East and North Africa region, people have taken to the streets in their thousands to demand change. In far too many cases, they have been met with bullets, shotguns, grenade launchers, riot guns, electro-shock batons, armoured vehicles and police trucks.

A number of states from around the world have supplied arms to these countries. Wouldn’t it help to have a treaty that would stop arms from getting into the hands of those who will use them to commit human rights violations?

You can do something to make this happen.

At the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty negotiations in March, Amnesty International will call on governments to push for a treaty that is strong enough to prevent the horrors now taking place in Libya from taking place in other countries in the future.

Help us show world governments that thousands of people like you support this. Stop arms from getting into the wrong hands.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/middle-east-and-north-africa-stop-supply-arms-used-protest-killings

How Farcical is Umpire Decision Review System?

There would not be a second opinion that the world cup league match between India and England at Bangalore Chinnaswamy Stadium which ended up in a tie was one of the most intriguing one day matches ever. Though the Indians got to a mammoth total of 338 runs, thanks to the brilliant innings by Sachin Tendulkar, England was able to tie the match because of the great innings played by their skipper Andrew Strauss. Strauss was ably supported by Ian Bell who was lucky enough to survive a close LBW shout which was referred to the third umpire under the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) after on field umpire Billy Bowden gave it not out.

It is inarguable that the life that Ian Bell got was instrumental in the England equalling the score that India made. The decision taken by Billy Bowden after the opinion he got from the third umpire based on the UDRS has come under severe criticism from several quarters, not any less by the Indian captain MS Dhoni. The aggrieved Indian Captain called the incident ‘adulteration of technology’.

In the UDRS three main factors are considered for leg before wicket (LBW) decisions – whether the ball pitched in line, whether the impact of the ball hitting the batsman is in line and whether the ball is hitting the wicket. In the Ian Bell issue, the ball bowled by Yuvraj Singh pitched slightly outside the off stump, which is not an issue here as Yuvraj, a left arm bowler was bowling to a right handed batsman in Bell and the ball was not turning away but was going straight. The impact of the ball hitting the batsman was in line and the replays showed that the ball was going straight and hitting the stumps. On seeing the replay in the big screen in the ground all where convinced that the batsman was out. Even the batsman started walking when the on field umpire Billy Bowden gave the batsman not out and called the batsman back. Everyone was surprised including the batsman and there was chaos in the stadium as the spectators watched the replays in the big screen and thought the batsman was out.

Now the reason for giving it not out even after all three factors coming good in this incident was that when the ball hit the batsman he was more than 2.5 meters away from the wicket and hence the umpire gave the benefit of the doubt to the batsman. It is said that the technology is not sure about how the ball would behave if the distance between the point of impact and the wicket is more that 2.5 meters. (It is preposterous to believe that the ball would behave any differently in the last 2.5 metres it has to travel.) In the ICC rule on UDRS about LBW decisions the statement on the 2.5 metres factor is as follows,

In instances where the evidence shows that the ball would have hit the stumps within the demarcated area as set out above but that the point of impact is greater than 250 cm (2.5metres) from the stumps, the third umpire shall notify the on-field umpire of:

1. The distance from the wickets to the point of impact with the batsman
2. The approximate distance from point of pitching to point of impact
3. Where the ball is predicted to hit the stumps.

In such a case, the on-field umpire shall have regard to the normal cricketing principles concerning the level of certainty in making his decision as to whether to change his decision.

Of course it is true that many umpires are inclined to give not out if the ball hits the batsman on his pads when he is well forward as the umpire won’t be sure whether the ball will go ahead and hit the wicket. However the technology is used here to help umpires judge whether the ball will hit the stumps or not, which in this case was confirmed by the replay. When that is the case there is no reason not to give out in this case. There had been many occasions where umpires had given batsmen out when they were good distance down the ground but they were sure that the ball would hit the stumps. When India toured Sri Lanka last decade there had an occasion where umpire Dave Orchard of South Africa gave Sourav Ganguly out when he came down the track and padded away Muralitharan. The ball hit Ganguly when he was well down the pitch but the umpire was sure that the ball will go straight and hit the wicket. This is just one example and there were many such occasions in world cricket.

The argument is that if even this technology used in UDRS is inconclusive in determining whether the batsman is out or not then there is no need to use it. Here also we have used human judgement to arrive at a decision (in this case the judgement of umpire Billy Bowden). It was the case before the introduction of the UDRS – it was human judgement of the umpire that was used to arrive at a decision in LBW. While that is the case then why should we use technology if we are not able to rely completely on it and have to again count on human judgement in taking decisions?

It must be noted that the ICC is not well prepared with the UDRS. Even the players were not aware of the rules, which was evident from the comments made by Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell and MS Dhoni after the match. When the great Sachin Tendulkar made his reservations on the UDRS and said that it should not be used in matches, many people, including this writer, were highly critical of the man. However now all the reservations that Tendulkar made on UDRS appear to be true and now the cricketing fraternity should debate on whether to continue with the system. As of now it appears to be rather farcical to use the Umpire Decision Review System in such a big tournament as the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Will Libya’s Gaddafi Do a Hosni Mubarak?

Drawing inspiration from the successful and popular uprisings against autocratic rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, people in Libya have also taken to the street against the four decade old parochial rule of Muammar Gaddafi. But unlike Zine al-Abidine of Tunisia or Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Gaddafi has overtly declared his intention of violent crackdown of the peaceful protests. Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya is already under the control of the protesters and they are, slowly but surely, firming their grip on the capital city of Tripoli.

Gaddafi has approved the violent use of force to crackdown the protests for democratic reforms. On his state address on Libyan state TV on 22 February, Gaddafi vowed to fight the uprising to the last drop of his blood. He accused the demonstrators of being hardened fundamentalists and called them the “followers of bin Laden and Zawahiri”. Taking a dig at the United States, he said that because of the protests Libya has become vulnerable to the simultaneous attack by al-Qaeda and the US. In his speech, Gaddafi appealed to the tribal leaders to back him as he has done tremendous amount for them. Gaddafi also called on his supporters to get to the streets and face the protestors. In the speech Gaddafi appeared in no mood to relinquish his power and seemed determined to clutch to it with hook or by crook.

Reports suggest that Gaddafi has unleashed numerous mercenary forces to attack his own people in a desperate attempt to hold on to the power. There are persistent claims from the people of Libya that they have come across mercenaries from different nations including Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Mali, Sudan and even from Asia and Eastern Europe. Though the military of Libya is loyal to Gaddafi many army men have defected to the other side and are working hand in glove with the pro-democratic protesters. It is only natural that many of those Libyan military men find it difficult to point their guns against their own people. Gaddafi was quick to realise that most of the Libyan army men would be reluctant to attack the Libyan protesters and therefore he has used his monetary power to get foreign mercenaries to work for him. Human Rights Watch believes that the overall death toll from the attack of the state on the protesters in all of five Libyan cities may have reached more than 300 since February 17. At the same time many other people knowledgeable of the ground scenario say that the death toll may have reached beyond 1000.

International pressure is mounting on Gaddafi to stop his violent crack down on the protesters. Arab League has suspended Libya from its membership and the United Nations has condemned the violence and appealed for an immediate end and to hold accountable all responsible for the violence. The European Union warned Libya that it would be forced to take further measure against the country if the violent crackdown of the peaceful protesters continues. The President of United States, Barack Obama has condemned the attack on the protesters and called this violent act of Gaddafi as outrageous. At the same time Indian Government is making plans to evacuate Indians from the troubled country as situation gets worsened day by day. New Delhi is rushing to increase the number of staff in Tripoli to make arrangements for the evacuation of about 18,000 Indians living in Libya, of which 12,000 is in Tripoli. Human rights organisations are also concerned with the growing human rights violations in the country and on the violent crackdown on the protesters. All rights organisations are appealing to the countries of the world to firm up their opposition to the Gaddafi regime’s violent crackdown.

Experts believe that the days of the Gaddafi regime are numbered and it is only to be seen for how many more days Gaddafi would stick on to the power using his violent crackdown on the pro-democracy protesters. International pressure is mounting and many members of his regime have already resigned as a protest to his violent crackdown. It is to be seen whether Muammar Gaddafi will do a Hosni Mubarak and renounce his power and flee or whether he will fight till his last drop of blood, as he has vowed.

Cricket World Cup 2011 is Right Here at Our Doorsteps

Simple is beautiful; there is great beauty in simplicity. However there is a kind of queer beauty in complexity as well. Cricket is a favourite game for many because of their appreciation for this strange beauty of complexity. The tenth edition of the Cricket World Cup starts today with the inauguration ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh. First match of the World Cup will be played between co-hosts India and Bangladesh on 19th February, Saturday.

Cricket is one of the most complex among all games, with the ground in which a game happens, the direction in which the wind blows, the percentage of humidity in the atmosphere, the cloud covering in the sky and even the frequency with which the viewers move in the stands affect the result of the game. Most naïve fans of the game are even oblivious that there are 10 ways in which a batsman can get out. Even some of the ardent followers of the game haven’t heard of dismissals like handling the ball (Steve Waugh and Michael Vaughan had the misfortune of this type of dismissal against India in test matches), obstructing the field (Inzamam-ul-Haq was once out in this fashion against India in an ODI match) and hitting the ball twice etc. So complex, yet so beautiful is the gentleman’s game Cricket.

The 2011 Cricket World Cup edition is one of the few editions of world cup where it is impossible to predict the champion with any degree of certainty. After many editions this is one World Cup where the once mighty Australians are not the favourite of the bookies or the experts. If recent form is anything to go by, the Aussies are not in the best shape when it comes to winning matches. After the retirement of greats like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, the Australians are not able to find replacements for them. Ricky Ponting is a perfect example of what they generally say in cricket, ‘a captain is as good as his team’. When compared to the previous captains like Steve Waugh and Mark Taylor, Ricky Ponting falls awfully short on being an inspiration or a model. He is hailed as the greatest Australian batsman since Sir Don Bradman, yet when it comes to captaincy he is not at all comparable with the previous captains.

India, Sri Lanka and South Africa are widely considered to be the teams that are very much capable of winning this edition of the cricket World Cup. With a young side, the Indian team under skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is quite capable of wining the title as well. It is also the final World Cup of the great man Sachin Tendulkar. Already the theme ‘Win it for Sachin’ echoes everywhere in India. A World Cup is the only title that is missing in the otherwise perfect resume of Sachin Tendulkar. It goes without saying that lot will depend on this great man if India has to win the World Cup. The Lankans are a force to reckon with, particularly in the sub continent conditions. They play most of their matches in their home ground and under the captaincy of Kumar Sangakara they are a team that can beat any side on a day. South Africa, as always, is a team that has the ability to the win the world title. It is to be seen whether they would be able to jettison their tag of ‘chokers’ finally and win the world cup after many lost opportunities. Pakistan, a cricket team known for their unpredictability, is another team that could make a surprise and win the world cup. Many predict that Bangladesh would be the dark horse in this world cup as well. Other major teams like England, New Zealand and the West Indies would also make all possible efforts to make a mark in this World Cup.

The whole world is in cricket fever and for the next 43 days there will be absolute cricketing action spread across 13 venues in three countries – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. ‘Kapil’s Devils’ won the world cup for India in 1983 and hopefully ‘Dhoni’s Dare Devils’ can do it again for our country in 2011. Let us keep our fingers crossed.

People’s Moment in Egypt

The successful ouster of the tyrannical Hosni Mubarak from his 30 year old rule in Egypt would remain as one of the most important events of this century. The fact that it was made possible by people’s power adds to its importance. The pro-democracy activists of Egypt used modern online tools like the Facebook and Twitter to come together and waged a mostly peaceful uprising against the dictator Mubarak. It is certainly people’s moment in Egypt as after 18 days of unrelenting struggle, brave Egyptians attained their long cherished freedom.

Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak assumed the presidency in 1981 following the assassination of the then President Anwar El Sadat. Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in the Egyptian Air Force. He is mostly seen as a pro-west leader and has generally been known for his support of Israel. Hosni Mubarak significantly presided over the Camp David accord, which contained a series of agreements between Egypt and Israel. At the same time most people in Egypt do not accept the Camp David agreement and generally accuse Mubarak for the installation of the accord. Mubarak continued with his reign of the country using highly rigged general elections in the country. Elections were held once in every 6 years and in all these elections Mubarak used the state machinery to turn the popular votes in his favour. During his reign state corruption was extremely high and it led to the imprisonment of many young activist and political opposition without trial. Egypt has been under perpetual Emergency Law rule since 1967 and under the law constitutional rights of the people were suspended, police powers were extended and censorship was legalised. Citizen’s efforts towards achieving freedom of speech and expression were thwarted using iron hand. All these factors lead to popular discontent and people took to the streets after gaining encouragement from the Tunisian uprising.

The role of online social media in the success of the Egyptian revolution is commendable. Facebook and Twitter were effectively used by the activists to organise people for the cause. It could be safely said that the revolution was started online, as accepted by Wael Ghonim, Marketing Manager, Middle East at Google Inc. He is one who started a Facebook page for convincing the masses about the need for an uprising and is credited with helping millions of Egyptians feel emboldened to take to the streets to bring down 30 years of autocratic rule by Hosni Mubarak. During the victory march by the protestors after Mubarak announced his resignation, many people carried banners and posters that read ‘Thank you Facebook’ in Arabic and English. The wide use of social media sites by the protesters in Egypt has raised alarm bells in China, where both Facebook and Twitter are blocked.

The Egyptian revolution that ousted Hosni Mubarak drew inspiration from the Tunisian revolution that resulted in the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Similarly all other autocracies in the Middle East are under threat of people’s movement as in Tunisia and Egypt. Governments in other Middle East countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen and Jordan are petrified at the probability of similar popular uprisings against them.

Though Hosni Mubarak gave up his presidency and fled to Sharm el-Sheikh, all of Egypt’s problems haven’t disappeared yet. The Supreme Military Council has taken over from Hosni Mubarak and they have made it clear that they have no intention of holding on to the power and will only oversee the peaceful transition of power to democratic forces of the country. The people’s movement has to remain vigilant till the governance of the country gets into the hands of the democratic players. Hopefully such a transition of power from autocracy to democracy would happen in a peaceful way. There is little doubt that the people’s revolution in Egypt would remain in the annals of history as one of the greatest movements for freedom. It is equally true that a violent storm of democracy is sweeping across Middle East and only time will tell how many more despotic governments are going to get uprooted in its rage.