Assam serial blast .62dead &more than 300 injure.

More than 50 people were killed and about 300 injured in 12 bombings across the eastern Indian state of Assam, the scene of clashes between ethnic groups.
The casualties took place as devices containing high- intensity explosives went off between 11 a.m. and noon today in the city of Guwahati and the Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar districts, state Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a phone interview. Most of the bombings were in crowded places, he said. Authorities imposed a curfew in some parts of Guwahati. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks.
Cities and towns across India have been targeted recently in bombings, with devices strapped to bicycles, hidden under auditorium seats and left near market stalls. About 40 bomb attacks took place from May 13 to Oct. 21, killing 175 people. The blasts on Oct. 21 in Imphal, capital of the northeastern state of Manipur, left at least 17 people dead.
Ethnic clashes in tea- and oil-rich Assam killed 49 people this month. The clashes began Oct. 3 in the Udalguri district, between members of the indigenous Bodo tribe and Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh, and spread to other areas. The two sides are involved in longstanding land disputes.
Assam, which also shares a border with Bhutan, is home to several rebel groups. At least 314 security personnel and civilians were killed last year in violence in the state.

Within a shortwhile Ministry of Home Affair issued a press statement: The Union Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil has condemned today’s blasts in Assam. Following is the text of his statement.
“ I am deeply aggrieved at the loss of lives in today’s blasts in Assam. I convey my heartfelt condolences to the kin of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured. These are cowardly acts perpetrated by the elements which do not want peace to prevail in Assam and the rest of the North-East. No words are strong enough to condemn the blasts. I appeal to the people of Assam to unitedly meet this challenge. A post-blast team of NSG is reaching Assam shortly. The State Government has been requested to send a detailed report and strengthen the security measures in the affected and vulnerable areas.
The Union Home Ministry is in close touch with the Assam Government and will extend all possible help to them to nab the culprits at the earliest.”

22year old bihari boy with a rifle want to talk with Raj Thackeray -shot dead by Mumbai Police

Putting their differences aside, union railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar met prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking action against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray. The shootout in Mumbai bus has clearly taken a political turn with Lalu demanding Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's arrest.
With arch rival Lalu Prasad Yadav upping the stakes over Bihar-Maharashtra row, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar now gets into the act.
Nitish Kumar addressing the mediamen outside the prime minister's office, said, "MNS is acting against the integration of the nation. Their activities are highly condemnable. What is happening in Maharashtra and against Biharis is an anti-national act. We have asked the prime minister to take strict against Raj Thackeray and MNS."
Criticising the attacks on north Indians in Mumbai, Lalu Prasad said, Shiv Sena and MNS are continuously waging a war against north Indians especially against Biharis. There should be a ban on Shiv Sena and MNS. They are against the integration of this country."
Lalu speaking on the Mumbai bus shoot out said, "The Bihari boy Rahul Raj is not a terrorist, is not a criminal. From the footage we cannot see him shooting any one. The police comes to the scene and kills the boy even as he says to everyone that he has no grudge against any passenger."
In the wake of attacks by MNS activists on railway job aspirants from Bihar in Mumbai, an all-party delegation met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, demanding action against the MNS.
The delegation headed by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar submitted a joint memorandum to the Prime Minister and sought action against the MNS for attacking North Indian students.
The delegation included union ministers, parliamentarians and leaders of various political parties. It also sought protection of north Indians living in Mumbai. Earlier, leaders at an all-party meet expressed anguish over the attack on North Indian examinees in Maharashtra by activists of Raj Thackeray's MNS.

Read the transcript of Live Chat with all Rediff reader on this subject @ Newsvine.

DMK roll back quit Threat

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, emerging out of a meeting he had with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on yesterday, said that the talks they had over the Sri Lankan Tamils issue had been satisfactory and it had brought enough hope to the people of Tamil Nadu on the ethnic issue.
Mukherjee, who had flown in from Delhi to brief Karunanidhi about the latest political developments on the Lankan Tamils’ issue, however, told reporters after the meeting that India could not ask for a ceasefire in Lanka as it would amount to interfering in the internal affairs of another country.
“India is not a party to the ceasefire,’’ he said by way of replying to Karunanidhi’s demand for ensuring the ceasefire.
Mukherjee said Karunanidhi had also assured him that he would not embarrass the UPA government by asking the DMK MPs, including ministers from Tamil Nadu to quit over the issue.
The External Affairs Minister said his meeting with Lankan Special Envoy Basil Rajapaksa, earlier in Delhi, had been fruitful as it had given the indication for a package to be pushed through politically by the Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa towards ending the ethnic conflict in the island nation.
When asked about the military assistance extended to the Lankan Government, he said that only non-lethal equipment like radars had been installed near the territorial waters bordering India and Lanka. On the reported training extended to Lankan soldiers in India, Mukherjee denied any such training being given to the Lankan army.
Mukherjee said he had stressed the need for increased devolution of power in the Eastern Province in Lanka by creating confidence and increasing resettlement efforts in areas cleared by the LTTE. The Lankan Government would assist and facilitate dispatch of 800 tonnes of relief material from the Union Government to Tamil civilians, he said.
Karunanidhi said that the Lankan conflict could not be resolved in four days as it had been there for well over four decades. The Chief Minister noted that India could seek the help of other countries to bring ceasefire in the areas of conflict in the island nation.
Asked whether there would be any change in the decision on the resignation of the MPs in Tamil Nadu on the Lankan issue, he replied that the need would not arise now as the UPA Government was doing all that was .
Read an live chat on :"Tiger boss appeal for lifting ban"- on Newsvine <http://whatanews4u.newsvine.com/_news/2008/10/27/2044137-live-chat-ltte-boss-appeals-for-lifting-ban>to all of my BBCh2gi Reader

Raped nun press conferance in NewDelhi

Yesterday i enjoy a very beautiful evening , one of india's veteran politician who self claimes as a "responsible leader"- say :"Nun is not raped, -this is an allegation not proved"-{mr.Singhal ,of BJP to TIMES NOW<
The chatter inside the packed room swiftly made way to pin-drop silence as Sister Mina Lata Barwa entered. The nun, who was raped and paraded naked during the Kandhamal communal violence in Orissa on August 25, came out in the open for the first time here on Friday.
She appeared covering most of her face with a scarf and read out her hand-written statement that ran into four pages, often with a choked voice. She narrated the trauma she had gone through, even as the constant camera flashes threatened to drown her voice, and asked for a CBI probe into the incident.
She went on to narrate her tale of woes. She said she was taking shelter in the house of a Hindu when the mob of 40 to 50 chased her. “They pulled out my saree and one of them stepped on my right hand and another on my left and then a third person raped me,” she recalled.
Even as she gathered herself to get away, another mob came and stripped her again and paraded her naked to the market half-a-kilometre away. “A dozen policemen were there. I went to them asking to protect me and I sat in between two policemen but they didn’t move,” she said. “I filed the FIR, but I was not given a copy of it,” she complained.
The police also did not accompany her up to Bhubaneswar.
She explained how she lost her faith in the police: “The state police failed to protect me from the attackers. They were friendly with the attackers and they tried their best that I did not register an FIR. They didn’t take down my statement as I narrated in detail and they abandoned me half the way.”
“I was raped and now I don’t want to be victimised by the Orissa police. I want a CBI inquiry,” she said.After that, she left the venue immediately.
John Dayal, member of National Integration Council, asked: “If you could set up a CBI inquiry in Arushi and Jessica Lall cases, why not for this?

Gilchrist told Sachin: "Bad Sport"

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar has attempted to defuse the tension between the Indian and Australian cricket teams over the reported remarks by the former stumper Adam Gilchrist, by stating that the retired player had called him on the phone to clarify his position. Tendulkar was quoted by a television channel as stating that Gilchrist had called him to clarify that remarks attributed to be a part of his autobiography "True Colors" were taken out of context and reported. "Gilchrist called me up and clarifed the whole matter," Sachin told Times Now Television from Pune while reiterating that his comments were taken out of proportion. The Australian stumper, who questioned Sachin's role in the Monkeygate scam involving Andrew Symonds and Harbhajan Singh, came out with a clarification last evening after angry remarks from the cricket establishment in India. Gilchrist said that he would come out with a statement clarifying his position on the matter that incidentally was pooh-poohed away by members of the touring Aussie team in India with Shane Watson telling CNN-IBN that the former stumper's views were his own and had no bearing on the ongoing tour or cricketing relations between the two teams.
This article was originally composed by Network18 Group & republish/reblogged with an e-mail permission from TV18's Sports Editor Gaurav Kala. All copyrights must be belongs to Cricketnext.com& TV18Group. All rights reserved. For the mother script click<http://cricketnext.in.com/news/gilchrist-clarifies-his-stand-on-sachin-once-again/35071-13.html>

Chandrayaan -1

A rocket carrying India's first lunar spacecraft was launched from the country's spaceport here early Wednesday, catapulting the country into the select club that have sent missions to the moon, after the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan.
Carrying aloft the lunar orbiter Chandrayaan, the rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C11) lifted off from the second launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here and broke through the scudding cloud cover at 6.22 a.m., exactly on schedule.
Trailing its characteristic orange plume, the 44-metre-tall 316-tonne PSLV started to move into its designated orbit within minutes, to sling Chandrayaan into geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), as scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) cheered at this spaceport off the Andhra Pradesh coast, 80 km north of Chennai.
From the GTO the satellite's onboard liquid apogee motor (LAM) will be fired to take it to the lunar orbit - 387,000 km from earth - around Nov 8.
Once the 1,380-kg Chandrayaan gets near the moon its speed will be reduced to enable the gravity of the moon to capture it into an elliptical orbit.
At the earliest possible opportunity Chandrayaan will drop its Moon Impact Probe (MIP) which will land on the moon's soil carrying India's flag, among many scientific instruments. After that, the spacecraft will also activate its cameras and other instruments on board.
Chandrayaan will orbit the moon for two years. It carries 11 experimental payloads, five Indian and six from the European Space Agency (3), the US (2) and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (1).
At liftoff, PSLV C11 weighed 22 tonnes more than earlier PSLV models, as its six strap-on motors were 3.5 metres bigger at 13.5 metre and the rocket carried 12 tonnes of solid propellant as against the usual 9 tonnes.
'The vehicle structure was altered to have bigger strap-on motors. The rocket is also padded up with additional thermal insulation,' George Koshy, project director

All pictures copyright should belongs to AFP. Re-blogged with an e-mail permission from India Editor of AFP.

Raj Thackeray-- is going to get what he wants.

Raj Thackeray has been arrested in wee hours at Ratnagiri. The chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was taken into custody shortly around 2:30am on Tuesday.
A case has been registered in Kherwadi against Raj Thackeray and supporters of his Maharashtra Nirman Sena after brutal attacks on north Indian candidates at 13 railway board examination centres in Mumbai.
It has been reported that Raj Thackeray has been booked under several sections including sections 353, 153, 336 and section 427.
The arrest at Ratnagiri was preceded by a crackdown on MNS activists by the cops. Several hundreds of MNS workers of the party had been taken into custody before the police made its moved at Ratnagiri on the party leader.
This was obviously done to prevent any spurt in violence especially after Raj Thackeray had openly threatened that there would be large scale violence in the Maharashtra if he was arrested.
He is being brought to Mumbai where he will be produced in Bandra Court.
Meanwhile, reports of stray incidents of protest against the arrest of Raj are coming in.

This article posted as a part of special reporting from Mumbai. For exclusive reporting clickNewsvine.

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Separitist may create violence during 7 phase Assembly Election in J&K

NEW DELHI, OCT 19
Suspense over the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections ended on Sunday, with the Election Commission (EC) declaring the polling on seven different dates from November 17 to December 24 and slating counting in all 87 constituencies together on December 28.A notification for the first phase of polls in 10 constituencies will be issued on October 24, setting in motion the two-and-a-half month long election process that ends with constitution of the new House by December 31. Polling will take place on November 17, 23 and 30 and December 7, 13, 17 and 24. Altogether 65,38,111 voters are on the electoral rolls to exercise their franchise at 8109 polling booths.Mum on PoK seats: The J&K Assembly consists of 111 constituencies, 25 of which are in the Pak-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and hence the Election Commission always stated that these seats were being kept vacant. But missing is that technicality in its press note this time.The National Conference, the main Opposition party, coming on board early this week for the polls weighed on the Election Commission not to put off the elections to March-April as initially planned. Boycott call: Both the factions of the Hurriyat Conference and other separatist outfits were quick to announce “boycott” of the elections. Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami said the Commission was prepared for any such eventuality by already drawing up a contingency plan to draw the government employees from other states for poll duties.The Commission never stops anybody giving the poll boycott call, Gopalaswami told a press conference here, flanked by Election Commissioners Navin Chawla and S Y Qureshi. “We depend on political parties to mobilise voters and ensure elections go on. I don’t think anybody can enforce a boycott. They can call a boycott, but not enforce it,” he said. He also announced that model code of conduct for political parties and government comes into effect immediately with the announcement of the elections.Srinagar last: Most sensitive eight constituencies of Srinagar district where the “boycott” call may have the impact go to polls in the last phase on December 24, along-with 11 constituencies of Jammu district and two of Samba district.Districts that go to polls in the first phase on November 17 are Bandipora, Ladakh, Kagril and Poonch, followed by Ganderbal and Rajuri districts on November 23, Kupwara district on November 30, Baramulla, Budgam, Reasi and Udhampur districts on December 7, Pulwama, Shopian and Kathua districts on December 13 and Kulgam, Anantnag, Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts on December 17

This article is a part of author's D-day reporting from NewDelhi, for the complete posting click http://www.starnews.indya.co.in/blogs/news/sec?national_news/author=whatanews4u/story?19Oct-2008_Jammu-Kashmi_assembly_election.htm

Sachin is Sachin

The family man beneath the champion cricketer came to the fore again and Sachin Tendulkar said he missed his deceased father after eclipsing Brian Lara's world record for most runs in Test cricket's history.
Once he reached the mark, Tendulkar took off his helmet and looked upwards, as if muttering a silent prayer.
"When I looked up, I had two thoughts in my mind. First I thanked the almighty for all he has given to me. Then I thanked my father. Today I miss him. Definitely he would have been a proud man today," Tendulkar said.
On this momentous occasion, none of his family members was around and the batting great explained, his family members don't believe in public display of emotions.
"I don't play for records and it's not that everyone has to be around. We'll celebrate. They all value this, they all must be extremely happy for me, I know. But it's not my family style to go over the top. As long as I know their feeling, it's important and I know that everyone must be extremely happy for me." Asked how his son would celebrate the feat, Tendulkar said, "Well, I'm not sure because he always surprises me." Tendulkar said today's historic feat was one of the proudest moments of his career.
"Of course it is. I mean whenever the team wins or does well, it's a fantastic feeling. Of course there was some excitement in mind but I had a big task ahead. It was an important knock for when I went into bat, we had lost three wickets in no time. It was important to get a partnership," Tendulkar said, of his 142-run stand with Sourav Ganguly.
It has finally happened. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has surpassed Brian Lara as the leading run-getter in Test cricket history.
It was almost destined that Tendulkar achieved the feat against his favourite opposition - Australia - against who he has amassed 9 Test centuries and over 2000 runs.
Tendulkar has become the 10th batsman in Test match history to hold the world record. Here is the list:-
Batsman Final Tally Record set Record held for C Hill (Australia) 3412 July 1902 22y-4m

JB Hobbs (England) 5410 Dec 1924 12y-6m

WR Hammond (England) 7249 June 1937 33y-5m

MC Cowdrey (England) 7624 Nov 1970 1y-4m

GS Sobers (West Indies) 8032 Mar 1972 9y-9m

G Boycott (England) 8114 Dec 1981 1y-11m

SM Gavaskar (India) 10112 Nov 1983 9y-3m

A Border (Australia) 11174 Feb 1993 12y-9m

BC Lara (West Indies) 11953 Nov 2005 2y-11m

SR Tendulkar (India) ????? Oct 2008

Allan Border held the record for the most number of years (in recen times). How long would Tendulkar hold on to it? Only time will tell.
Interestingly, when on 23 runs (on Monday) Sachin Tendulkar became the highest run scorer for a single team. Brian Lara has scored 11912 runs for West Indies alone. It may be recalled that Lara scored 5 & 36 for the World XI vs Australia in the Super Test. Tendulkar however was not part of the World XI side for the Super Test.It's been a fantastic journey: Sachin Tendulkar

With special inputs from PTI-Mohali

POST--IT Widget

Technology News opinion Widget.

Bizare politics :Personality clash-

It's unusual for Rae Bareli to see glum faces when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi comes calling, but that was how it was Tuesday when resentment against the government for nixing a rail coach factory in the area brimmed over.
A day after their MP called off her public rally and religious ceremony for the factory, crowds gathered in Lalganj town, only to helplessly watch masons pulling down the infrastructure laid out for the 'bhoomi pujan'. The factory, for which the railways had acquired land after paying compensation of Rs 8.5 crore, would have landed jobs to over 50,000 people.
Left ready to consider Mayawati for PM post
On Saturday night, the Uttar Pradesh government had taken back the 400 acres it had allotted to the Indian Railways for the project. The Mayawati led government also announced that it would return the compensation money to the railways.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday ordered status quo on the land while hearing a writ petition by the Northern Railway (NR) and a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by locals in the area.
Mayawati announces slew of schemes for Muslims
"Mayawati has taken her political revenge because she could not defeat the Congress during the confidence vote in parliament (over the India-US nuclear deal) and this is why her government withdrew the land allotted for the factory," said Krishna Bahadur Singh, a farmer from Dedani village in the area.
As the political divide between the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) deepened, an overwhelming majority of the people here said the move meant an end to their dreams.
"I was expecting to get a job in the rail factory but Chief Minister Mayawati has derailed my dream. Look at the way she is forcing the central government to wrap up the coach factory plans," said Raj Kumar Singh, an unemployed youngster whose father works as a waiter in a train.
Man arrested for offering Rs 1 million to kill Mayawati
Asked what were they doing at the coach factory site when the religious ceremony to kick off its construction had been stalled, Ramu Gupta, a local from Lalganj, added in a matter of fact tone: "I am watching workers wrap up the paraphernalia for the function and seeing how so many people lose opportunities because of scheming petty politicians."
People in the constituency were visibly angry at seeing the project being stalled for what they said was nothing but political expediency.
"Mayawati has already taken money for the land, some Rs 9 crore, and overnight she decided to withdraw the land allotment; why is she doing this?" asked Rajkumar.
"Not just Rae Bareli, youngsters from several districts like Sultanpur, Fatehpur, Banda, Unnao, Pratapgarrh, Amethi and other neighbouring districts would have found jobs because of this factory. Technical hands from neighbouring states could have also had employment opportunities," said Krishna Bahadur.
Mayawati has decided on her heir
Gandhi did land early afternoon in her constituency, but only to attend a function to inspect the Lifeline Express Train, a health camp on wheels run by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to look after the health needs of people in her constituency, at the Lalganj station.

India's great aviation deal.

Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are in discussions for a possible merger, reports Economic Times.
An announcement on a prospective mega-merger is expected shortly.
Airline companies have been under severe pressure over the past few quarters given the fiercely competitive market, slowing passenger traffic, rising costs and the current liquidity crunch.
Shares of Kingfisher Airlines gained Rs 13.85, or 35.7%, to settle at Rs 53. The total volume of shares traded was 262,517 at the BSE (Monday).
Reeling under a financial crisis, Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways today broached a possible alliance to overcome problems largely generated by mounting fuel bills.
Kingfisher chief Vijay Mallya walked into the corporate head office of Jet Airways at SM Centre in Andheri to discuss the issues of common interest with Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal as both airlines are losing an estimated Rs 20 crore a day.
When contacted, a Jet spokesperson said, "Yes, Dr Mallya and Mr Goyal met today."
Asked if the two sides are working towards an alliance to handle the financial pressures, she said: "I would not like to comment on anything at this juncture."
She also declined to take any question on the possibility of a merger discussion.
The two airlines, which have chopped a number of new initiatives including flight expansion plans and reduced jobs, are facing pressure from oil companies for payment of fuel bills - an issue on which both Goyal as well as Mallya met Aviation Minister Praful Patel last week.
The meeting between the two today is possibly to work out a joint strategy, particularly on clearing the fuel bills, before approaching the government for support.
Aviation industry has been crying hoarse about the financial pressure, which has been accentuated by the global financial meltdown resulting in loss of creamy international and national traffic.
Neither Mallya nor the Kingfisher spokesperson could be contacted for comments on the developing scenario or the talks with Jet.
While Kingfisher recently cut 300 jobs, Jet, together with its low cost arm JetLite, has cut over 680 jobs.
Jet Airways has also stared undertaking a route rationalisation exercise for its international operations. It recently announced discontinuation of operations on the Mumbai-San Francisco sector from January 13 next year.
How they stack up financially (in Rs crore)
Jet Airways Kingfisher Airlines
Revenue (FY09E) 13,689.19 2155.5
Profit (FY09E) -1143.18 -903.40
EBITDA (FY09E) -368.40 -807.50
Market cap 2,667.1 1,031.7
Enterprise value 13,611.56 1,131.38
OPM 3.54% -18.33%
Debt:Equity ratio 2.48x 0.97x
Jet Airways
Operates 85 aircraft with an average fleet age of 4.45 years
380 flights to 44 destination in India
10 Boeing 777-300 ER
10 Airbus A330-200
54 Boeing 737-400/700/800/900
11 modern ATR 72-500 turboprop
Kingfisher Airlines
Fleet of 86 Airbus and ATR aircraft flying to 70 destinations
Aviation Market Share
Indian 15.4%
Air Deccan 13.5%
Kingfisher 14.3%
Spicejet 10.4%
Paramount 1.2%
GoAir 3.9%
Indigo 11.7%
Jet Airways 21.1%
Jetlite 8.2%
Aviation Fleet Strength : FY09 Estimated
Indian 66
Jetlite 25
Jet Airways 62
Kingfisher 46
Air Deccan 43
Spicejet 20
Paramount 5
Go Air 5
Indigo 2

Rock On :Review

ROCK ON!! is already making a mark with audiences, with its innovative and fresh concept since the trailers hit the screens. Multifaceted Farhan Akthar is turning actor with ROCK ON!! After wearing multiple hats of being a director, producer, story, screenplay and dialogue writer. He has made three diverse films like DIL CHAHTA HAI, LAKSHYA and DON - THE CHASE BEGINS AGAIN and is now all set to be seen in an altogether different role with ROCK ON!! The film is directed by Abhishek Kapoor, produced by Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar under the banner of Excel Entertainment and presented with Big Pictures.
With an impressive track record of producing hit soundtracks together, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, Javed Akhtar, Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar have now created another power packed album in ROCK ON!!. The album consists of nine tracks, of which Farhan Akhtar has sung five, himself.
The film is about four rock stars played by Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny and Farhan himself. The film is set on a medium budget and also marks the big screen debut of TV starlet Prachi Desai.
To give the film and its characters authenticity, the actors underwent personalized training for their portrayal of the band members. Purab Kohli trained with Lindsay D'Mello on drums, Arjun Rampal trained with Chandresh from the band 'Dream out Loud', Luke Kenny worked with Loy and Farhan trained with Shankar for vocals and Ehsaan for rhythm guitar.
Synopsis :
In 1998, rock music had a shot in the arm with the emergence of Grunge. The voice of teenage angst found an audience across the globe and rock music seemed like it was on the threshold of becoming the leader in mainstream music.
'Magik' was one such band that wished to ride this wave.
Aditya Shroff, a bohemian wild boy from Delhi who left the comforts of his parents' home to chase his dream of becoming a singer in a rock band. He is the lead singer of 'Magik'
Joe Masceranous, an Idealist. He hails from a family of failed musicians and hence feels the pressure of not succumbing to the legacy. A man of few words and lets his guitar do the talking. He is the lead guitarist of the band.
Kedar Zaveri, prefers to be known as KD "Killer Drummer, On stage it may look like he is slamming those drums with a vengeance but actually, he's only just breathing. He is the heart of 'Magik'
Rob Nancy, the laid back quiet fence sitter of the band. Just to experience the moment of his creation was to be in the presence of something truly ethereal.
This story about the 4 young friends who put together the greatest band this country had ever seen but never made it.
Years later fate conspires to bring them together again and sets them on a journey back to where they left off. A soul searching pilgrimage into their past.
Just like an old Indian saying, if one dies without fulfilling a cherished dream he will be reborn to have another shot at it.
The 4 of them came from different walks of life but when they jammed together they were 'One'.
If Aditya was the mind then Joe was the will, Kd the heart and Rob the soul... Together they were... 'Pure Magik'
So let's rock on with the music till 29th August, when the film hits screens worldwide.

Sourav quit

“This will be my last series,” … “Before coming here, I spoke to my team-mates and hopefully I will go out with a winning knock” Sourav Ganguly, yesterday, announced his retirement from International Cricket after the upcoming Oz series. The decision might be surprise for a few but it was expected ever since his name was included in the test squad. Ganguly has mentioned in the press conference that he wants this series to end on a high note without any controversies. But there will be definitely lots of talks in media over his retirement. However, I don’t wish to talk about the same issue.

Sourav Ganguly, is unarguably the best left hander India has ever produced. He is India’s most successful captain, a leader with the killer instinct and innovation, batsman of highest ability, class and elegance. Many of us love him and many of us hate him. But to me Sourav Ganguly has been a real inspirational role model. Throughout his career Ganguly made it his habit to defy the odds.

When he was first selected in 1996, there were many who doubted his selection saying that he was included in the side not on his ability but due to the quota system. He made one of the most splendid debuts in the test cricket hitting consecutive centuries against England in England. Ganguly never looked back again and in the coming few years was crowned the title ‘Prince of Kolkata’ by legendary Sir Geoff Boycott for his unmatched timing on the cricket ball. Soon, he became one of the most destructive one day player.

After the failure of the home test series against South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar resigned from the captaincy. Sourav took over from him and lead India to win the ODI series. But soon after winning the one-day series, there were allegations of match fixing on few of the leading players in the team then. The ban and retirement of few players after the incident left the team in the doldrums. It was during this juncture the great leader emerged in the Cricketing arena by the name of Sourav Ganguly aka DADA.

Ganguly rebuilt the team with a great vision. He identified the youngsters who had the potential and backed them to the hilt. At the same time he understood the importance of the seniors and fought with selectors many time for their place. The faith in the ability of new guns and veterans did wonder for the captain and the team. His enthusiastic sporting action and his aggressive nature in the field made a new style in the world of Cricket. The team reached the finals of the 2003 world cup, won the Champions Trophy and the very famous Natwest victory, defeating Australia in 2001 test series and then drawing against them in 2003-04, beating Pakistan in Pakistan for the first time. These were few of the achievements of this great cricketer. He dared to look into the eyes of the opposition and fought fire with fire.

Saurav was possibly the first Indian captain who lacked any regional bias while selecting players to the Indian team. The players like Harbhajan, Zaheer, Yuvraj, Sehwag, Dhoni, Irfan Pathan who are holding the team currently have been backed by Sourav and he has left a rich legacy for the team. But they say that the life is not bed of roses and Ganguly was sacked from the captaincy and lost his place in the side after the spat with the infamous coach Greig Chappell. He defied all odds again and made a dream comeback to the national side in the late 2006 against South Africa. He amassed over 1100 runs, with 239 his career-best score against Pakistan in Bangalore in late 2007, at a fantastic average of 61.44 last year, which compares very favourably with his career average of 41.74 in 109 Tests. In the same period he scored at an average of over 45 in the ODIs. This comeback indeed made him a true legend. Ganguly finished his one-day career with 11,363 runs in 311 matches, one of only seven batsmen to reach the 10,000-run mark in limited-overs cricket.

Off late, Ganguly lost his place in ODIs and his place in test was also not sure. He has announced his retirement at the right time. I say right time because this is the time when you need to start the systematic phase out of the seniors so that young players can be drafted into the team. This has been trend which is followed by Australians and it is heartening to see that Dada has lead in this department as well. I must admit that I have never seen any Indian great retire with grace like an Australian by announcing in advance. The others were practically removed. Dada has been all grace while quitting captaincy and cricket.

The void that will be left by Dada’s absence can not be filled but then the show must go on. Let’s hope that Ganguly will script one of the best swan song. I wish the loving Dada all the best for the upcoming series.

Ganguly’s Cricketing Trivia:

Test:

* Captained India in a record 49 Test matches* Led India to a record 21 Test wins* His test average has never been less than 40

ODIs:

* Hold the record of most 200+ ODI partnerships (6 times) along with Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting.* Holds the record, shared with Sachin Tendulkar, for most 1st wicket ODI partnerships of 175+ runs (7 times).* Holds the record, shared with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for the second highest score by an Indian cricketer in an ODI — 183, against Sri Lanka in 1999.* Held the record, shared with Sachin Tendulkar, for the highest first wicket partnership for India in an ODI match, 258, against Kenya in 2001. This record was bettered by Sri Lankan opening pair of Jayasuriya and Tharanga in 2006 at Headingley.* Was involved in the first 300 run ODI partnership with Rahul Dravid.* Sixth on the all time list with 31 Man of the Match awards.* He is also the only player to win 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards in ODIs.* India’s most successful ODI captain.* First Indian to score an ODI century against Australia in Australia.* Highest ODI runs scorer in the world (in a calendar year) in 1997,1999,2000.* Third in the list of hitting maximum number of sixes in ODIs.* Second in the list of highest number of centuries in a single calendar year ever. 7 centuries in 2000.
Ganguly has been 1 Indian Captain who has rewritten History of Indian Cricket Probably a few days back Dada announced that atleast 2 years cricket is still left in him .But after visiting the Bangalore camp and witnessing the attitute of other cricketers with him he probably felt why to linger abt to fight for coming into the team which has players that reaaly dnt want his presence in the team namely(Sehwag,Dhoni,Yuvraj)and probably the previous selection team as well( Dilip Vengsarkar never wanted him to be in the team nor did his predecessors Kiran More)
What does this signify ?What has Ganguly to prove to anyone?
He has simply got tired of all this in and then out and then again in to the team (He has proved his mental strength and composure infront of the whole world by his comeback in 2006.
He turned a bunch of talented but directionless individuals into a todays High profile Cricketers like
(Yuvraj,Zaheer,Harbhajan,Dhoni,Pathan,sehwag)
and look these crickters are paying back to him in his times when needs the team the most he has been Devastated by the Team.
He turned India into what is famously called as "Team India"
He showed how to give it back to Arrogant Aussies and Egoful England cricketers and rude Pakistanis .
Ganguly will be remembered as the Laying stone or Pillar Of Todays And futures Team India.........
I wish Sourav a lot of success in his coming life and and wish that he may be able to turn his last series into a proving point That he is still THE DADA OF INDIAN CRICKET..........
I wish a very happy family life with Sana his daughter and his wife Dona and his entire family .....
I wish that BCCI should give him a very famous FAREWELL IN RIGHT SPIRITS lest he will never ever come back to serve TEAM INDIA AGAIN AS A COACH OR A SELECTOR IN FUTURE..............
OK DADA BYE BYE . I AM PLEDGING TODAY THAT I WILL PROBABLY SOME DAY IN FUTURE MEET U AND MAKE A FILM ON U AND UR CAREER .......
BYE DADA WILL REMEMBER U THROUGH OUT MY LIFE....................

No Smoking

The ban imposed on smoking in public places seems to have gone up in smoke completely as almost no one appears keen on following the rule imposed by the Central Government.
As per government notification, smoking is strictly prohibited in all public places, including hospital buildings, health institutions, amusement centres, restaurants, educational institutions, libraries, stadia, railway stations, bus stops,work places, shopping malls, cinema halls, discotheques, pubs and bars.
The Union Health Ministry issued a notification for the ban under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003.
However, on the premises of the Secretariat, the seat of administration for the entire State, dozens of smokers can be seen openly puffing away to glory without a trace of fear on their faces.
Even at the head office of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the implementing agency in the metropolitan city, one can find visitors and employees smoking cigarettes and beedis in a hasslefree manner.
The same situation prevails on the premises of the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate, Basheerbagh, where policemen are found leisurely smoking cigarettes.
At the Gandhi Bhavan, the headquarters of the ruling Congress party, one can easily find netas casually smoking both inside and outside the building.
Despite the Centre’s instructions to put up ‘No Smoking’ sign boards, the latter seem to be conspicious by their absence in government departments, including the Secretariat and the GHMC.
The situation is no different in any nook and corner of the twin cities — one can find people smoking at pan shops, hotels, in restaurants and other public places.
Ramesh, a Secretariat employee who is a moderate smoker, is hardly worried about the ban. Says he, ‘‘Rules are made to be broken. I will continue to smoke in public places.’’ Krishna, another smoker, offers a different perspective on the issue. ‘‘The ban is a legal way for authorities to collect fines from the public,’’ he opines. ‘‘When we smoke in office or a hotel, there is a separate place for us and thus passive smokers are at the minimum risk. But at home and on roads, the risk of non-smokers being affected is more,’’ says Satish who resides in Basheerbagh. ‘‘The government should have let the smoking zones be in place and banned smoking on roads,’’ he adds.
‘‘It’s a draconian ban. When you are stressed during work and just want to unstress yourself, smoking can come to your rescue. But now, you have no other option,’’ Rajesh Kumar, a software engineer, says.
Anti-smoking squads fined 80 violators for smoking in public places across the capital Friday, a Delhi government official said.
"The eight anti-smoking squads conducted raids at 50 public places including restaurants, bus stands and Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBTs) across the capital. 289 buses were also raided by the squads throughout the day," State Tobacco Control Officer, Delhi government, R.P. Vashisht told IANS.
"During these raids the squads fined 80 people -- 79 males and one female -- and Rs.8,940 were collected as fine," Vashisht said.
The Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008, passed by the union health ministry, came into force Oct 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The new rules expand the definition of public places from government buildings to include all office buildings, hospitals, schools, colleges, railway stations, airports, bus stands, hotels and restaurants. If caught, smokers will have to pay up to Rs.200 and even the owners of the premises can be held liable.
"Maximum numbers of violations were found at the ISBTs - particularly Anand Vihar bus terminal. However, I am very happy that there was not a single violation found in the buses," Vashisht further said.
Delhi has been implementing the anti-smoking rules since 1997. According to official records, "from 1997 till July 2008, the Delhi government has fined more than 87,000 people for smoking in public places."
"Every year, on an average, Rs.700,000 are collected as fines," Vashisht added.
He stated that strict guidelines have been given to the squads for implementation of anti-smoking rules.
"We have given strict guidelines to the squads and told them that no one should be harassed. We have asked them to be polite but firm," Vashisht said.
"The squads have been told to educate those found violating the rules due to ignorance. Anti-smoking law is a social law and it is to educate and make people aware," he added.

This article also publish on Merinews http://www.merinews.com/cj/whatanews4u.aspx