Save The Girl Child

Census is an activity which is carried out in India every decade. The aim of the census is to take a count of the population of the country, understand the detailed demographics and use this for detailed planning of future activities and resource distribution.

India Census 2011 has been completed recently, in Feb 2011. Among the significant highlights are the the following facts.

• India's current population is a staggering 1.2 Billion - almost 17% of the world's population.

• The population has grown by 181 Million in the last decade - but at a rate slower as compared to the previous decade. 

• The sex ratio has been tagged at 940. It means that for every 1000 men, there are 940 women.

These statistics highlight the immenseness of our population. As for the sex ratio, it has been a positive move from 2001 - when the sex ratio was 933. 

However, there is another alarming statistic that has emerged.

• The child sex ratio (determined for children between the the age 1 day to 6 years) has declined to 914 from the 2001 value of 927.  

• This child sex ratio is the lowest since our Independence in 1947.

A closer look at the detailed demographics would reveal that the child sex ratio is less than 900 in 8 states across India - including the two biggest states - Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

If this statistic is alarming, the next graph would leave you dismayed.

The child sex ratio has been continuously reducing since the 1961 i.e. for the last 50 years.

What is it that is causing an unabated decline in the Child Sex Ratio? 

It would be worthwhile to go back to the school days and understand how a baby boy or a baby girl is born.

• Every human being has 46 chromosomes - a total of 23 sets. Each of the two parents contribute one from each of the 23 sets to the baby - a total of 23 chromosomes.

• One set of chromosomes determine the sex of the baby.

• The lady has only one type of egg - with an X chromosome. It can be either the X or Y chromosome containing sperm - from the man - that fertilizes the egg.

• If the baby has two X chromosomes, a baby girl is conceived. If the baby has a X and a Y chromosome, a baby boy is conceived.

And considering the fact that you cannot govern whether a sperm containing a X chromosome or a Y chromosome  would fertilize the egg, the probability of conceiving a boy or a girl would be uniform. In simplest terms, it would be 50-50.

But if this is the case, what is it that is causing such an imbalance in the Child Sex Ratio? Why is is that you have just 914 little girls for every 1000 little boys? Is there something which does not meet the eye?

Let's go back to 1971. It was in 1971 that Abortion was legalized in India. The Indian MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act laid down the conditions under which an abortion could be taken up. It aimed to empower the women - to take a conscious decision to give birth to a child - and protect her from harmful medical conditions.

But as all good things come with certain bad things, this too had its own share.

Using a technique called as ultra sound scanning, the people could determine the sex of the baby carried by the lady. If this was just for information purposes, it wouldn't have done any harm. 

But people started misusing this information. If the sex of the baby was not as per their expectations, or the expectations of their family, or other such conditions - abortions were done to terminate the pregnancy. Sometimes it was with the concurrence of both parents, while in many many cases - it was done without respecting the thoughts and views of the lady or both the parents.

A child was being killed before he or she was born. This was foeticide. And it was female foeticide which resulted in the imbalance in the child sex ratio.

The Indian Government woke up to this harmful practice in 1994 - by making ultrasound scanning, just to determine the sex of the fetus, illegal.

While this was a step in the right direction, it has not completely arrested the problem. If you would read this news article, you would understand that still we have many people in the society who beat the law to carry out ultrasound scanning for the very purpose it was banned. 

You would be hurt when you read that a district, with 19 ultrasound scanning centers, has a very low child sex ratio of 774. Definitely, malpractices are on. 

I'm wrong - it's not malpractices. It's murder. And no one is being punished.

To understand the reasons why people go to such clinics, it would be important to consider an example - which I came across recently. 

The question plaguing the mind of the lady is simply depressing.

==

I have been married for seven years into a very good family. I have a daughter and am pregnant with my second child. My husband wants a son to carry on his business. I explained to him that we cannot choose what sex our child is born, children are God's gift. But he says we must keep trying till we have a son. I don't want to have more than two children and am very disturbed. My in- laws also are with my husband on this issue. What do I do?

==

Here you have a lady who is definitely well educated, with an equally educated husband. She has her mind over her shoulders. Yet, her husband and family are pressurizing her to have a boy child - a thing which she can't control.

In this case, if the lady has to meet the whims and fancies of her husband and the family, she would end up having more than two children - a thing which she is averse too (in our modern difficult times).

While in some cases the parents do have more than two children with the intention of having at least one boy child, for others - it is simply not possible - given their economic and social conditions. And in such cases, they go in for female foeticide.

And if this is the case with well educated people, consider what would be the case with women who are not literate. Women who don't have the power to choose. Women who are not economically and socially independent. The situation is indeed dejecting.

To understand the gravity of the problem, you can consider the note below.

==

A survey by Action India of Women in Delhi revealed that even the highly educated women have resorted to as many as a whopping eight abortions to ensure that they only give birth to a son. 

==

Why is someone averse to having a girl child? Is it because they are apprehensive that the girl child will not be sucessfull in this world? Or is it because they want a boy to take care of them in their twilight years? Or is it just for the sake of it? 

Or is it just to meet the wishes of senior members of the family? Or is it because the difficulties the girl will face in her life, in a society - which many perceive as - a male dominated society? 

A study by Government of India indicates the few significant reasons for such situations.

• Menace of dowry   

• Fear of loss of face in local community     

• Desire to keep the wealth within the family, through sons

• Fear of dependence of the girl on the family, for life   

• Attempt to control family size 

• Wish to appease Gods in times of crisis

As you can see, most of the reasons are social. And most are irrational. Most are unjustified. It is very important to understand these reasons and causes, because only then steps can be taken to avoid the situation due to any of this causes.

The reasons for not having a girl child can be many. But all such fears are unfounded. All such concerns are irrational. The social reasons are created by the society itself and they need to be banished.

It is important to ask some questions which would make someone think twice - if the thought of being averse to having a girl child - would cross his or her mind. 

If it is a question of being sucessfull, a woman can be equally sucessfull as a man. In some cases, she can be much more sucessfull. 

In the real life illustration quoted earlier, the father wanted a boy child so that he could carry forward his family business. Doesn't he know that you have many intelligent and sucessfull women at the top of many businesses? Doesn't he know that the President of our country is a lady? 

Doesn't he know that some of the biggest politicians are ladies? And doesn't the entire nation listen to them when they take on to the dais? Aren't our girls the best in the world of sports? Haven't we sent our girl to space?

And if someone is thinking that a woman can be sucessfull only in a urban environment, then he or she is wrong. You should have a look at this news article - featuring Sunita Devi. 

Sunita Devi is the sarpanch (head) of her village in Haryana. She has made a difference to the life of women in her village and will inspire other women in other villages in similar situations. 

While this was a case of a traditional middle-aged woman donning the roles of a leader, Chhavi Rajawat is an inspiring new age lady. She is a management graduate and the head of her village. 

She had recently being to the U.N. - speaking about the "Role of Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Promoting Development". You should read this news article about her U.N. visit. She was also featured on India Today.

Well, the writing is on the wall. There isn't absolutely anything that a girl cannot achieve. She can win the world. 

India is considered to be a land of many God's and Goddess's. We pray to these Gods and Goddess's to seek their blessings - both in good times and time of needs. The all powerful Goddess's are also women and we look upto them. And we should also look upto the girls. And should abolish the discerning thoughts of having a girl child.

There is absolutely no harm in having a girl child. The parents and the society should be empowered to make the girl ready for the future, ready for her life ahead.

A little girl should be given the right and the best possible education. She should be bought up without any prejudice against her. She should be given whatever her parents are capable of. And if all these are done, there isn't even an iota of doubt that she is on the road to success. 

She will definitely be sucessfull enough to take care of her family. Her independence - social and economic - would make her strong and brave to face our difficult world. And such a girl would certainly be able to take care of her aging parents.

If someone is so detrimental to have a girl, and would like to have a boy child, they should think that some two decades down the line - they would be searching for a suitable girl to get their son married. And if all parents would just like to have boys - like they do - where would you get a girl from?

Haven't we heard of the quote - Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family. It is here you can understand the importance of a lady. 

The Government of India has taken steps in the right direction to improve the situation. Some prime initiatives include free and compulsory education for the girl child, and enacting laws against dowry. 

The first one is to make the girl ready for her future, make her independent and enterprising. The second one is to set her on course for the rest of her life - without causing any hardships for her family and herself.

But what is more important is to have a mindset revolution. People should discard the gender bias they have in their mind. People should overthrow any apprehensions they have towards the girl child. 

They have to realise that she is very important for the success of our society. That's why the Girl Child Campaign in India says - A happy girl is the future of our country.

After all, a Girl Child can become an inspiration for your life!!

India Wins Cricket World Cup 2011

India has won the Cricket World Cup 2011. India is the champion of the world of Cricket. Blessed by God Almighty, India has won the ultimate prize in Cricket - sending the entire nation into a state of frenzy.

In the biggest showdown in the world of cricket, hosts India took on co-hosts Sri Lanka in a high voltage final at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April 2011. 

Sri Lanka won a controversial toss and decided to bat first. They scored a majestic 275 runs, inspired by a great century by Mahela Jayawardane. 

Chasing under pressure was never India's forte, and the top order collapsed. However, powered by a great sheet anchor knock by Gautam Gambhir and super cool innings by uber cool captain - MS Dhoni, India won the World Cup it style. Gary Kirsten - India's coach - was also a great influencing factor in this victory.

Winning moments like these are rare, and India have done it in great style.

India had last won the World Cup in 1983 - under the leadership of Kapil Dev. And in 2011, just less than 10 hours back, entire India was on tenterhooks. Sachin was playing in what was most likely his final World Cup match, and the entire nation wanted Team India to win the Cup.

The toss was a disaster. MSD threw the coin and Sangakarra made the wrong call. Incidentally, neither the referee nor MSD had heard what the Sri Lankan captain had called. The referee insisted that the toss be done again. The Lankans won it this time and chose to bat. The entire country contemplated whether this toss-gate would result in the loss of the Cup 9 hours later.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start - but not a great one. Their top players - Tharanga, Dilshan and Sangakarra - couldn't score freely and were out without scoring heavily. 

Mahela Jayawardane stepped up and took on the responsibility of steering the innings. He scored 103 runs - proudly cheered by his wife. The lower order batsmen too hit some great boundaries and sixes. Sri Lanka made it to 275 runs, a score which would have scared most Indians.

Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel had kept their cool in the most important match of their career. Yuvraj too bowled his quota of 10 overs, taking crucial wickets. The surprise selection - Sreesanth - took some stick. Yet, he didn't let the match  completely slip out of India's match.

And when India took to the field to start the batting, the hopes of the entire nation rested on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. 

Sehwag got out in the first over of the match - caught leg-before-wicket to Malinga. My thoughts raced by to 2003, when Sachin had got out to McGrath in the finals against Australia. Would India lose the finals again? 

Next came Gautam Gambhir. If there is any man in the Indian team who is the most under-rated, it's Gautam. If there is any man who plays without seeking any attention, it's Gautam. 

Sachin Tendulkar looked to be in great touch, scoring good runs. But then came then moment which the entire nation feared. Sachin Tendulkar got out for 18 runs, and people across the country felt that the Cup had slipped out of India's hands.

Virat Kohli came into the middle and scored a respectable 35 runs. He was caught out by a stunning catch by Dilshan. At this moment, India were under immense pressure. The fire was on. And in walked the uber-cool skipper, MS Dhoni, ahead of the man in form - Yuvraj Singh.

If you have noticed MSD keeping the stumps, you would notice that he goes about his job with heavy concentration and supreme determination. India needed these very qualities at this moment. 

Dhoni rose to the occasion. He went about scoring runs with a quiet pace. He kept Gambhir on his feet and made him do the same. And after doing all the hard work though the middle of the innings, India were standing at the door steps of victory.

Gambhir got out on the score of 97, with India needing just 53 odd runs. I had got into a superstitious habit of not sitting down for the last 20 overs. Incidentally, I sat down for a single ball and Gambhir got out. That made me curse myself, but only to make a resolution of not sitting down - until India wins the World Cup.

Once Gambhir was back, the Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh joined his skipper in the middle. Both the champions went about scoring the runs with ease, never letting the pressure get on to them. At the same time, they didn't let the strike rate to climb.

They say - Strike while the iron is hot. True to this axiom, when Kulasekara came to bowl in the 47th over, Dhoni and Yuvi ripped apart his bowling to bring India on to striking distance of a victory - a victory which could not have been stolen from the nation - come what may!!

And in the 49th over, the skipper MS Dhoni won the World Cup for India, hitting the biggest six of the match, in great style. India had won the World Cup. India were crowned as the Champions. India had won the title - sending the entire nation of 1.2 billions into a state of euphoria, pride and happiness.

If you have to relive those moments, it is these three minutes of magic. The entire country wanted Dhoni to finish it in style with a four. He delivered a sixer - the most stylish one. He didn't start celebrating until the ball had landed in the stands. After that, it was just party all the way. 



Jubilant and emotional scenes were seen across the entire nation. Almost every single player said that they had won the Cup for Sachin. Sachin was his modest self in the victory, crediting the entire team. MSD was his frank self - playing a captain's knock in the most important match of his career, backing his decisions, laying any doubts about his leadership capabilities to rest.

Importantly, a great team work powered India to this majestic victory. Different player fired when it mattered the most in different matches. India made true of the saying - the sum is more than its parts. 

After a long gap of 28 years, India had won the World Cup. I was not even a 28 day baby when India had won the Cup back in 1983. And today, it is a proud moment to see India being crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Jai Ho!!! 

(All pictures courtesy - Getty Images, Google and The Times Of India)

ICC Cricket World Cup Finals 2011

Fresh Fresh 
~~~
India wins Cricket World Cup 2011
~~~

The stage is set for the battle for the supremacy over the world of Cricket. It will be India Vs Sri Lanka in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals on Saturday, 2nd April 2011 in Mumbai (Bombay).

Both India and Sri Lanka have been co-hosts for this World Cup -  staged across the Indian sub-continent over the last 40 days. The sub-continental giants - both of whom have won the World Cup once - will be taking on each other in the finals at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai.

India were touted as the favorites for winning the championships. They have lived upto that expectation, losing just one match on the road to the final. Sri Lanka too were considered as a strong side. They too have grown from strength to strength to block the tickets to Bombay.

In the semi-finals, Sri Lanka played against New Zealand. After restricting New Zealand to just 217 runs, Sri Lanka kept their cool in the difficult run chase - winning by 5 wickets. 

The top order fired for Sri Lanka, as it has done all through the tournament. Guys in the middle order also digged in to take the team to a glorious victory. Importantly, it was their champion spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan's - last match on Sri Lankan soil. And Sri Lanka heads to the final with the intent of wearing the Champion's Crown once again.

The other semi final was between India and Pakistan. It wasn't a cricket match. It was a battle. The hype before the match was simply too huge too comprehend. 

Adding to the pressure was the fact that the Prime Minister's of both nations - Dr. Manmohan Singh of India and Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan - were meeting on the sidelines of the cricket match. This is what they called as cricket diplomacy.

India batted first and the Indian top order looked as if they were firing. Only Sachin was able to dig through the innings, with the blessings of the generous Pakistani fielders who dropped him four times. India managed to score a respectable total of 260 runs.

In the second innings, MS Dhoni - India's captain - led the team into the field. The entire nation contemplated Dhoni's choice to play Nehra over Ashwin - expecting it to back fire. 

Pakistan got off to a great start. But India took wickets at regular intervals. All the five bowlers bowled like champions in the most important match in a decade. The Pakistani team fell like nine pins. Misbah-Ul-Haq, the eldest Pakistani player, scored at a snail's pace, virtually awarding the match to India.

And with two wickets a piece, the five Indian bowlers wrapped up the Pakistani innings with a bowl to spare, winning by a majestic 29 runs.  

With this, the euphoria is set to rise further - culminating in the final's in Mumbai. Sachin Tendulkar, India's Demi-God will be playing it in front of his home crowd. The entire nation will be hoping that India wins.

If there is one star which is missing on Sachin's proud chest, it is the victory medal of the World Cup. And Sachin would be making every possible effort to win the Cup for India, in what should be - for all practical purposes - his last World Cup match. ( A few blog posts back, an anonymous visitor left behind a comment, saying - Sachin will play two more World Cup's. You never know what the future holds.) 

But as they say, Cricket is a team game. And the entire team needs to back up Sachin. India needs a fiery start from Virender Sehwag and a stable knock from Gautam Gambhir. Yuvraj Singh should score a decent knock and Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni should make a respectable contribution.

Among the bowlers, Zaheer Khan has to lead the attack once again. Harbhajan has to bowl with all his guile. Munaf Patel was impressive in the big game against Pakistan and should keep his cool. 

And, if - once again - you have too choose between Ashwin and Nehra, Nehra should get a place in the playing eleven. But you never know how the uber cool skipper - MSD - would think. Whatever may be the choice, the chosen player should play his best.

Most importantly, it's the captain - MS Dhoni. He is the captain of the ship which has sailed so far. He is the general of the army which has won all these battles. Dhoni would have got a lot of flak - be it for his selections, or for his interspersed poor keeping, or his mediocre batting through the Cup. 

Whatever may be the case, captaincy is his stronghold. He should construct his best thoughts over the next two days, prepare a plan for every single eventuality which may shape up in the game, and lead his team with confidence. He has a team which is extremely talented, and has a huge heart. He just has to rally them like a bunch of champions and take them to the glorious pedestal - a victory in the Cricket World Cup.

As for what Sri Lanka needs to do, I will just leave it to the Lankans. They are India's opponents - and any tips are not advisable.

However, it will be worthwhile to analyse Sri Lankan's for the benefit for India. The top three batsmen - Dilshan, Tharanga and Sangakkara - are the most dangerous. India should prepare a very strong plan to get these guys out.

Among the bowlers, Malinga has been very very dangerous with his slingers. Sachin and Sehwag should rip apart his bowling, and demoralize him completely. 

The spin twins - Murali and Ajantha Mendes - will use all their tricks to get the Indian's out. India should play them with utmost caution, and capitalise on their weak deliveries.

Simply speaking, India have an uphill task against Sri Lanka. A long fifteen years back, in 1996, when I was just a little school going boy, India played Sri Lanka in the World Cup semi-finals at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. The Indian batting crumbled under pressure and India lost poorly. Sri Lanka went on to win the match, under the leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. 

I just want one thing. India should avenge that defeat and win the Cricket World Cup 2011.

For the next two days, the entire nation will be on tenterhooks. After celebrating the victory against Pakistan, the entire nation will sit down and prepare the plans for winning the World Cup. From trains to buses, from schools to colleges, from TV to Radio, from corporate boardrooms to the neighboring tea-shops - it will be just one thing - India and World Cup. Everything else will take a back seat.

You don't have any Octopus Paul predicting the winners. But if you are interested in following someone, it should be the guru of spin bowling, the wizard of spin - Aussie spinner, Shane Warne. He has been predicting winners with amazing accuracy. Do not forget to check him out on his twitter page before and through the match.

I strongly hope and pray to God that India emerge victorious in Mumbai on 2nd April 2011, in the World Cup final.

And by God's grace, if this wish comes true, entire India will erupt into a state of joy and euphoria. Just three days more - and India will be crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Dhak Dhak Go, India Go!!

Cricket World Cup Knockout

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 being played in the Indian sub continent is just past its league stages and the quarter final line up has been framed. The stage is set for the knockout matches to begin.

The mood across the world is of sombre and anger. The terrible Tsunami in Japan has resulted in immense loss of life and property. On the other side, a war is being fought in Libya - wherein an internal civilian conflict has snowballed into a war between Libya and Coalition forces, comprising more than 10 nations.

The World Cup matches in India too are said to be under threats from terrorists. The players of various nations are showing great character in playing under such trying circumstances.

The last few matches of the group stages made an upset quarter final lookup quite possible. However, the top teams managed to pull it off and will now be battling it in the quarter finals.

 

At the quarter final stages, two matches are scheduled to be played in Bangladesh and one each in India and Sri Lanka. The semi finals are in India and Sri Lanka, with the final scheduled in Bombay.

The first quarter final is between the Asian giants Pakistan and the erstwhile champions of the world cricket - West Indies. 

Even though West Indies figured lower than Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket rankings, they have made it to the knockout stages with a good show of cricket. Pakistan were tagged as the underdogs and they have lived upto the billing, by topping their Group A. In my opinion, if Pakistan play the way they have been till now in the Cup, they should emerge as winners. 

The next match is the one which is being most looked forward too. After all, it is the hosts India taking up the winners of the last three Cups - Australia. 

There is a lot at stake here. It will be the World Cup swan song for many a great players. Sachin, Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee come to my mind right away. And all of them would want to finish their careers with a high and this match stands between them and World Cup glory.

India were deemed as the favorites, but have choked in crucial moments. Australia too have wilted under pressure, as can be seen in their last match against Pakistan. 

It will be difficult to predict the winners of this match. If you have to go by the form book, Australia can win. But the hopes of an entire nation - India - will rest on Dhoni and his men to take them through the quarter final, only to setup a battle royale against Pakistan a week later in Chandigarh.

The next one is between South Africa and New Zealand. Both teams have done well in the league stages. But they have a historic reputation of being chokers in the elimination round matches. Whoever manages to keep their cool in this match will come forth as the winners. My money is on South Africa to win this one.

The last of the quarter finals is between the other hosts - Sri Lanka - against the men from England. 

England were virtually knocked out from the Cup. Yet Andrew Strauss promised his country men that they could still win this Cup. Amazing confidence, I would say. Sri Lanka too have been looking weak and strong, in waves. 

While Sri Lanka look to be the favorites to win the match, a resurgent England might just pull it off. And if things go the way in the next match too, they will  be on the way to Bombay to play the finals.

The next 10 days promise to be exciting for cricket lovers across the world. 

Just as with any Indian, who has been with - eat cricket, sleep cricket - I too strongly hope that India win the cup. And if they have too, they have to play like champions in the next three matches. 

Sachin has to the ruthless batsman he has been over the past two decades. Zaheer Khan has to bowl with the heart of a lion and lead the weak Indian bowling attack. Sehwag has to be the swash-buckling batsmen, ripping apart the opposition bowling attacks. 

Harbhajan has to bowl his best for the next thirty overs - using all the tricks in his bag. As for the rest, they have to play the role they have been given. 

Most importantly, MS Dhoni has to be the super cool captain which has bought him this glory in the past five years. 

And finally, if "All goes well", it will be party time across India on April 2. Until then, its fingers crossed.

Cricket World Cup - Mid Term Review

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is in progress in the Indian Sub Continent for the last three weeks. And as the time is progressing, the frenzy is building up.

Here's a low down on a few things which have caught my eye in this World Cup. Being played in my time zone, I have managed to catch a few of the matches.

Starting with the teams first.

India were considered to be hot favorites. But only time will tell on whether they will manage to live upto their reputation. If their on field antics are to be considered, then they have hardly done justice to their favorite tag. 

They have managed to score three wins - all against the minnows - Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands. And against the two top teams, all they have managed is tie against England and a loss against South Africa.

England have been more fickle - having lost against Bangladesh and Irish. South Africa have been swinging between being chokers, losing in a low scoring match against England while keeping their cool in a humdinger against India. 

West Indies, who came lower than Bangladesh in the ODI rankings have been more balanced. And Bangladesh with their decent performances seem to be knocking on the doors of the Quarter Finals.

While this has been the story in Group B, Group A has been equally unpredictable.

New Zealand seem to be going strength to strength - winning four of the five matches they have played. Pakistan too have been playing nicely.

Australia have been going about their tasks quietly, doing what they do best - win. And Sri Lanka is facing the heat, struggling to win the matches.

The other nations in this group - Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya - haven't been able to do much apart from being "also rans".

Among the players, Sachin has caught the attention. He is fine form, scoring nicely, to be the second highest scorer in the tournament. Shahid Afridi's leadership has been inspiring for Pakistan. 

Virender Sehwag's confidence and calm has been noticeable. Of course, you also have had Kevin O'Brien scoring the fastest century in World Cup Cricket, in 50 balls.

Frankly, no other player comes to my mind - whose performance I would rate as inspiring or great. I strongly hope that we have better and more electric performances in the coming matches.

Coming on to the systems. 

One thing that has caught my attention is the Decision Review System - which allows the batting as well as the bowling sides to appeal against the Leg Before Wicket (LBW) decisions handed down by the on-field umpires.

It has seen some wrong decisions being turned over in the favor of bowling side. And you have had cases where a batsmen had been ruled as out, only for the decision to have been reversed after a review. All in all, it has bought in more stability and uniformity in the decisions.

Another thing which has been troubling  my mind is the lack of a good anthem for the Cricket World Cup. The song - which is said to be the official song - is simply not upto the mark. 

First of all, it is in Hindi. That makes it difficult for teams and spectators of all nations to relate to it. Secondly, it does not have the kind of spark  required to ignite the passions at the World Cup. 

The Football World Cup 2010 had a great anthem. I'm sure that India does not have any dearth of talent to produce an anthem which is comparable as this one, if not better. Hopefully, we will see an better one next time.

All in all, it has been a good World Cup. In group A, the top 4 teams - Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka - seem to be on the way to the Quarter Finals. Group B is more wide open, with India, West Indies, South Africa, England and Bangladesh being in contention.

Hope the best and the strongest teams make it to the knock out stages.  This will help us have sparkling games in the coming days.

Against Cyber Censorship

Time and again, we have discussed about silly laws. These laws are ridiculous to such an extent -  you would wonder what would have the law makers thought about while making them.

One such law has recently been proposed by the Government of India under the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2008. This draft deals with the due diligence to be observed by some entities - being referred to as "Intermediaries".

Now question 1. Who are these Intermediaries?

An intermediary is defined as any entity, which on behalf of another receives, stores or transmits any electronic record. Importantly, Telecommunication Networks, Web-hosting and Internet Service Providers, Search Engines, Blogs, Online payment and Auction sites as well as Cyber Cafes have been classified as Intermediaries.

And question 2. What are these intermediaries supposed to do?

As part of the due diligence, they are supposed to be responsible for the contents that they host.

What does this mean for the bloggers?

Well, it means that the bloggers are responsible for the contents that they host on their blog. I would say - nothing wrong with that. 

But if the contents that they host would be reviewed by someone, and if some steps are taken to restrain those contents, views and opinions from being published - then it would mean that the Freedom of Expression is being curtailed.

Blogs give an opportunity to an individual to share their thoughts. And a chance to the general public to share their counter views. And if such healthy discussions are being clipped, it would not reflect nicely on a democratic country like India.

After all, we do not want to go the China way. If I see the visitors to my humble blog, I hardly find anyone from mainland China.

Once when I asked my friend in China to check out my writings, she said sadly - the site does not exist. The Chinese government had blocked my site.

Well, we don't want such a situation to exist in India. India has given her people a chance to voice their opinions and thoughts. And it should continue this way - for the development of the nation and her people.

If you are interested in reading more about Internet Freedom - how some countries have taken steps to curb it and how the people have overcome such difficulties - you should have a look at this article.

This article has classified Saudi Arabia, Burma, China, North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkmenistan and Vietnam as  "Enemies of the Internet".

Other countries are classified as "Countries Under Surveillance".  You might be surprised to find some first world countries - like Australia and France - in this list.

We should hope that better sense prevails and such laws are not passed. Only then we can ensure we have an inclusive growth - and voices of the people being heard.

And lastly, before I conclude, it will be worthwhile to note that 12th March is observed as "World Day Against Cyber Censorship".

Here is the newly compiled list of nations and the leaders of the nations who are considered as opponents of the Freedom of the Internet.

Catch more here for discussions on this topic.

Earthquake And Tsunami In Japan

The signs were ominous.

An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale had struck New Zealand, in the city of Christchurch, on 22nd Feb 2011.

Occurring at a shallow depth of 5 kms below the earth surface, the worst disaster to strike New Zealand in 80 years resulted in the death of at least 75 people.

It resulted in immense loss to life and property. It also had a significant impact on a nature's creation. 

The earthquake resulted in a creation of a breakaway iceberg from the country's longest glacier, the Tasman Glacier. The iceberg is said to be of the size of 20 football fields. And such a huge displacement of ice resulted in massive waves in the Tasman Lake.

Read more here.

The next was the news of the Super Moon on 19th March 2011.

The moon, as we know, has an elliptical orbit around the earth.

At some times, it's farthest away from us. This is known as the Apogee. The moon was it's Apogee on 6th March 2011.

And at some times, it's the closest to us. This is known as the Perigee. And on 19th March, we will have the moon on it's perigee. It's the closest it has got to us in the last 18 years.

The day coincides with the full moon. This in effect means that the moon will appear unusually larger to all of us from the earth.

While this is a phenomenon which occurs at regular intervals, it has been quite feared by astrologers. While some are predicting earthquakes, others are fearing huge storms, volcanoes, and other natural disasters.

And as with every celestial event, the debate is on. Catch one here.

But while all of these possibilities were being discussed and debated, the world watched with great horror about the earthquake in Japan on 11th March 2011.  The worst fears had come true.

A massive earthquake measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale had occurred off the coast of Fukushima, Japan. It was the biggest quake ever to strike Japan.

It occurred at a depth of 24.4 kms below the earth's surface, below the sea. It was preceded by a series of large fore shocks, just two days prior to 11th March - measuring 6 or more on the Richter scale.

Read more details here. 

But what hurt most was the Tsunami that resulted from the trembler. The quake right below the sea resulted in a mass displacement of water, causing a wave of Tsunami's across the entire North East coast of Japan.

The water just flowed into the mainland and swallowed up everything in it's path, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The scale of devastation is simply too immense to be conveyed with words.

Entire towns, homes, cities have been swept away by the water. Everything that came in the way of fury of the waves were washed away.

This view from the sky just wrenches my heart. Similar videos from YouTube have left me numb. Catch one such video here and here. The scale of destruction unleashed by these killer waves is simply unfathomable.

Only God will know the strain, the pain that would have gone through the minds of the people as they helplessly saw the sea rummaging towards them.

The damage from the quake and the resulting tsunami is yet to be assessed. While thousand's of people are thought to be dead, the damage to life and property is considered to be in billions. And rebuilding a big part of the nation from such a big calamity would require a lot of effort and perseverance.

Google has opened a crisis response page - for helping Japan with the quake response.

We pray to God to help Japan and her people to overcome the crisis soon and come back stronger than before. 

Bloggable

I have been an avid blogger for the last 4 years. And blogs have been active on the internet for the last decade or so.

The humble blog topics - which millions like me and you write about - have finally found an official recognition, courtesy the Oxford Dictionary.

The word Bloggable has made its way to the Oxford Dictionary.

It means - and I quote "suitable or sufficiently interesting as a topic for a blog".

A sample sentence right the from dictionary is - "I started subscribing to the journal in the hope of finding bloggable material in there". 

And I pray to God and hope that I get a lot of bloggable topics to voice my opinions and thoughts.

Arab World Protests And Crisis

The Arab World is in turmoil. Agitations are the order of the day - across several Arab world countries. And many of them are on a verge of a mass social and a political upheaval.

This has caused media furore all over the world. The eyes of the entire world is focussed on this region.

Which countries exactly are said to be a part of the Arab world? 

The picture above would give you a broad idea. Right at the center of the world map - slightly above the equator, these countries compose the elite Arab world.

Starting from the Middle East countries - Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain, and Kuwait to the countries in the north of Africa - Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon and Sudan are a part of the Arab world. 

Also included are the African power houses - Egypt and Jordan. Iraq too is a part of the Arab world. And so is Somalia - which is known as the pirate capital of the world these days.

You might wonder why did I use the term elite to describe the Arab world nations?

It's not without a reason. First of all, these Arab countries are rich in oil. Not just rich - they are mega rich.

Oil is something which drives the energy generators across the world. It is the fuel for the vehicles which you own. And all of this increases the dependency of the world on these oil rich Arab countries.

A conflict in Iraq sends the cost of the oil barrel right through the roof. And this has a downward spiraling effect on the rest of the economy - right across the world.

How are these Arab world countries structured - socially, economically and politically?

Arabic is the first language for most countries in this part of the world. And most people practice Islam as their religion. A good point to note is that most of these countries enjoy a good literacy rate.

Arab countries are considered to be economically thriving. The Sheiks of the Arab worlds are the icons of this mass wealth. They make their money by selling oil, gas and other petroleum products.

Most countries are considered to be emerging economies. Dubai, a part of the UAE, for example, is a hub for expatriates and home to the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa. Qatar has been chosen to host the Soccer World Cup in 2022.

Bahrain is the fastest growing economy in the Arab world. And Qatar tops the charts for the highest GDP in the world.

If oil and gas money unite these countries on the economic front, the style of leadership unites them at the political front.

Almost all these countries have an authoritarian regime. If we consider the Freedom Index, then it would be noteworthy to understand that countries with authoritarian regimes are considered to be dictatorial.

They would indicate a considerable lack of democratic freedom. And lack of democratic freedom would have an impact on various parts of life - the social freedom, the economic freedom, the political freedom, the press freedom etc.

Human rights are a reason of concern in these countries. Women rights too are a matter of concern.

With all this background information, you would be thinking of one thing.

If the economies of the Arab world are thriving, so must be its people? And if the people are thriving, are they really happy? Or aren't they thriving at all? What is it that is causing the sea of protests at the heart of the Arab world?

To give you a pre-cursor, have a look at this statement by the Saudi Prince - Bandar Bin Sultan.

"If you tell me that building this whole country ... out of $400bn, that we misused, or got, $50bn, I'll tell you, 'Yes. So what?'."

This would give you a view that Arabian leaders are quite cocky. And if the allegations are true, they would have amassed a mass of wealth while ruling their respective nations. The ex Egyptian president - Hosni Mubarak, the Saudi rulers, the former leader of Iraq - Saddam Hussein were known to be filthy rich.

It all started in Tunisia on Dec 2010. Starting 18th Dec 2010, people took to the streets of Tunisia - protesting against corruption, lack of freedom of various points which compose the Freedom Index, inflation, unemployment plus a lot of other factors.

The heat was directed towards the President Ben Ali who was in power for the last 23 years. Ben Ali could not sustain the pressure of mass unrest and resigned on 14th Jan 2011 and fled to Saudi Arabia. The winners were the Tunisian people.

But the real take away of the Tunisian revolution was the motivation it set in the mind of the other people in the Arab world - who were also be suppressed under such long running leaders.

The Egyptian protests began on 25th Jan 2011. People took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other major Egyptian cities.

Hosni Mubarak had been the Egyptian president for 3 decades. He tried his best to quell the people's uprising but was unsuccessful. After trying to take some steps to make him appear good in the eyes of the nation, he finally resigned on 11th Feb 2011. Since then, he has been untraceable. But the Egyptian people got what they wanted.

Protests also started in Algeria in late December 2010. The people of Yemen and Jordan too have started with the protests against their regime since Jan 2011.

They have been unsuccessful till now to overthrow the current rulers. But with the kind of heat building up across the region, the leaders are bound to succumb and hand over the reins to the authorities chosen by the masses.

Taking a cue from the victorious Egyptian people, the janata in Bahrain and Libya have also taken to the streets in Feb 2011. In Bahrain, people took to the streets of Manama - demanding greater political freedom and an end to the rule of the monarchs.

The leaders of the Bahrain have used the military to squelch these protests. Till today, the protests are on. And these brave people are hopeful that they will get what they want.

The protests in Libya have been more bloody. Libya is under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi who has been ruling the nations for a long 42 years.

Now, four decades is a long time to be in power. And if someone in power for such a long time in modern times, you can safely conclude that brute force has played its part.

Needless to say, Gaddafi has the tag of been the worlds longest ruling autocrat. He has been accused of ordering the bombing of a Pan Am jet off the coast of Scotland in 1988, which resulted in the death of 270 people.

Protesters have been demonstrating strongly in Tripoli, Benghazi, and other Libyan cities. The protests have later spread to other cities too. While Gaddafi asked his armed forces to launch a deathly offensive against his own common men, some of the armed forces revolted against him and have gone against his order.

This has resulted in a deathly battle across various Egyptian cities. Gaddafi has also resorted to bombings by fighter jets to quell the uprising.

Libya is the largest producer of oil in Africa. And this conflict has sent the prices of the crude oil through the roofs. The cost of crude oil is hovering around 110 USD. This has resulted in soaring prices of the commodities across the world.

The entire world watches these protests in Libya and other African nations closely. They hope for a speedy resolution. They expect that the people of these nations are victorious, without loss of precious lives of men and women. All of this is in hope for a more democratic and secure world.