Virender Sehwag doubtful for IPL opener.......

Kolkata: Already missing a few key players due to injuries, Delhi Daredevils may suffer another setback as explosive batsman Virender Sehwag is a doubtful starter for Wednesday’s IPL opener against Kolkata Knight Riders due to a back problem.

"He is having back spasm. We have no idea when he`s joining the side the side. We will take a call after he`s here," coach Eric Simons said hinting that the team is prepared to play without the swashbuckling opener.The team will also miss out on last season`s Purple cap holder Albie Morkel, who bowled Titans to a semis place in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in the South Africa domestic cricket.

"They are playing semis tomorrow and if they make final (on April 7) we may miss him for another game," Simons added.

The Daredevils are already missing English batsman Kevin Pietersen who had been ruled out for the entire season owing to a knee injury.

They will also miss Jesse Ryder since the big-hitting is badly injured following a brutal assault in a Christchurch bar. 

IPL 6: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils – Preview...........

Kolkata: Eyeing a repeat of their success last season, Kolkata Knight Riders will open their title defence with a clash against a depleted Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League, here on Wednesday.

Expectations will be high from the home side as they would aim to become only second team to win back-to-back titles. Only Chennai Super Kings have won consecutive trophies (2010 and 2011).

For Delhi, who are yet to win the title, it would be a season to make amends as they look at life without English swashbuckler Kevin Pietersen who has been ruled out for the entire tournament due to a knee injury.

Delhi will also miss out on explosive Kiwi batsman Jesse Ryder who was to begin his USD 300,000 contract before a brutal assault in a Christchurch bar left him hospitalised.
Last season`s Purple cap holder, Albie Morkel (25 wickets), who bowled Titans to a semis place in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in the South Africa domestic cricket, will also miss out on the opener.

And if that was not enough, Virender Sehwag is also a doubtful starter for Wednesday`s tournament-opener as he is down with back spams.

"He is having back spasm. We have no idea when he`s joining the side the side. We will take a call after he`s here," coach Eric Simons said.

Having recovered from jaundice, KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir will be eager to start on a winning note under conditions best suited to them.

It would be an important season for the India opener, who went through a rough patch and was discarded for the four-Test Australia series. The left-hander would be keen to be back among runs. 

Among the foreign recruits, KKR will miss Brendon McCullum, who is down with a hamstring problem, while the recently-married Shakib Al Hasan is yet to report to the side.

West Indian mystery spinner Sunil Narine, the second leading wicket-taker behind Morkel with 24 scalps, was instrumental in KKR`s success last season.

KKR will now hope to unleash another `mystery` spinner in Lankan offie Sachitra Senanayake in the upcoming season.

Jacques Kallis will lend experience to the middle order, while the home grown players of Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla and Debabrata Das would also come in handy.

KKR also have a balanced pace-spin attack.

Brett Lee, who will double up as a bowling mentor in absence of Wasim Akram, will lead the pace attack with fellow Aussie James Pattinson.

Laxmipathy Balaji, who was most economical last season, will add variety to the attack along with the part-timers in Rajat Bhatia and Shukla.

Besides Narine and Senanayake, the team also has Indian left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, who though would face competition for a place in the XI.

If the absence of the big names was not enough, the Daredevils would have to deal with the poor form of David Warner and Virender Sehwag as both of them would look to get into their rhythms.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene is coming from an injury lay-off and he too would look to get into the groove sooner.

In such a scenario, it`s the exuberance of U-19 winning skipper Unmukt Chand, who has two successive centuries for Delhi in the just concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, that would come to fore. 

West Indian big hitter Andre Russell will look to play the role of a finisher. Till Morkel joins the side, the pressure would be on the Indian trio of Ashish Nehra, Umesh Yadav and Irfan Pathan.

That Yadav and Pathan are coming back after injuries would be a point of concern.

In the sixth season, nine teams will battle it out in a total of 76 matches, over a period of seven weeks with summit clash slated for May 26.

Rajasthan Royals were the first champions, in 2008. Deccan Chargers won the title in 2009, when the tournament was played in South Africa. Chennai Super Kings won back to back titles in 2010 and 2011 while Kolkata Knight Riders scaled the summit last year.

Teams (from)

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Debabrata Das, Eoin Morgan, Iqbal Abdulla, Jacques Kallis, James Pattinson, Laxmipathy Balaji, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Manoj Tiwary, Manvinder Bisla, Shami Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rajat Bhatia, Ryan McLaren, Ryan ten Doeschate, Sachitra Senanayake, Sarabjit Ladda, Sunil Narine and Yusuf Pathan.

Delhi Daredevils: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Ajit Agarkar, Andre Russell, Arisht Singhvi, Ashish Nehra, C M Gautam, David Warner,Gulam Bodi, Irfan Pathan, Jeevan Mendis, Johan Botha, Kedar Jadhav, Manpreet Juneja, Naman Ojha, Pawan Negi, Roelof van-der Morwe, Royston Dias, Siddharth Kaul, Sujit Nayak, Shahbaz Nadeem Umesh Yadav, Unmukt Chand, Venugopal Rao, Virender Sehwag and Yogesh Nagar.

India, Switzerland join hands to study Himalayan glaciers.........

New Delhi: Glaciologists from India and Switzerland today kickstarted joint efforts towards building a comprehensive network to monitor Himalayan glaciers. 

As many as 28 scientists from research institutes across India and Switzerland are participating in a four-week capacity-building programme on Himalayan Glaciology which was inaugurated by Thirumalachari Ramasami, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology. 

"The programme will directly contribute towards fulfilment of one of the key objectives of National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE). Establishment of a comprehensive network and creation of human capacities for monitoring glaciers in the Indian Himalayas is an important component of NMSHE," officials said. "The programme is an opportunity for Swiss scientists and experts to collaborate with their Indian counterparts to seek and identify areas of mutual interest for research," Linus von Castelmur, Ambassador of Switzerland to India, said. 

He said the programme provided an opportunity for strengthening capacities of Indian researchers and institutions involved in research on climate change and glaciology. 

Ramasami asked the participants to benefit from the cumulative knowledge and expertise of some of the best Swiss and Indian faculties in enhancing their understanding as well as contributing to new knowledge for country to plan its policy action for sustaining the Himalayan ecosystem. 

The four-week programme is being organised by the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. 

Super Kings, the team to beat again.........

New Delhi: The India Cements-owned team has probably been the most consistent team in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings are the only team to qualify for the knockout stage in every edition of the tournament.

They also hold the impressive record of qualifying for the final of every IPL except one. They went on to win two of the four finals they were in. Led from the front by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni; the men in yellow are once again one of the favourites in the tournament.

With the core of the team remaining same in all editions, Chennai Super Kings have one of the best team chemistry. A strong batting line-up and a gang of big hitters in the lower order, the Super Kings are capable of posting big scores.

With the addition of Dirk Nannes, Chennai have addressed their death bowling woes.

There is hard to pinpoint, specific weakness in the team, which has contested four finals. But nevertheless, the omission of Faf du Plessis through injury for the first four weeks would be a cause for concern, especially with no other big name for the opening slot besides Murali Vijay.

New recruits: Akila Dananjaya, Ben Laughlin, Chris Morris, Dirk Nannes, Jason Holder.

Players to watch out for: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Morne Morkel, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Srikkanth Aniruddha, Baba Aparajith, Ravichandran Ashwin, Subramanian Badrianth, Dwayne Bravo, Akila Dananjaya, Faf du Plessis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jason Holder, Michael Hussey, Imtiaz Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, R.Karthikeyan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ben Laughlin, Ronit More, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Dirk Nannes, Suresh Raina, Ankit Rajpoot, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Vijay Shankar, Mohit Sharma, Murali Vijay.

Will it be the year of Mumbai Indians?.......

New Delhi: Despite being one of the top-spenders and having one of the best teams, Mumbai Indians are yet to win the Indian Premier League (IPL).

After two poor seasons in the beginning, the team showed their true skills only in the third edition in 2010 when they reached the final before losing to Chennai Super Kings.

In the subsequent two seasons, they managed to reach the last four stage before, again, losing out. However, this time the Ricky Ponting factor just might do the trick. The Aussie will lead the side with the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma in the midst. 

Malinga is also the leading wicket-taker in the tourney with 83 scalps to his name. Million dollar baby Glenn Maxwell also promises to be an interesting prospect.

New recruits: Ricky Ponting, Phillip Hughes, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jacob Oram.

Players to watch out for: Ricky Ponting, Sachin Tendulkar, Lasith Malinga, Rohit Sharma.

The squad: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Pragyan Ojha, Ambati Rayudu, Dhawal Kulkarni, Abu Nechim, Aditya Tare, Pawan Suyal, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Yuzvendra Chahal, Amitoze Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Jalaj Saxena, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Aiden Blizzard, James Franklin, Dwayne Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Phillip Hughes, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jacob Oram.

We are better equipped for death overs this season: Dravid.........

Jaipur: Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid on Tuesday said death bowling was not a worry for his side this season as not only their experienced bowlers are back, they have a good backup after signing a few more exciting players.

"We were hampered by injuries to our main bowlers Shaun Tait, Kevin Kooper and Sreesanth. Moreover, Shane Watson was not available for most of the matches and that meant that at times the responsibility of bowling death overs was shouldered by rather inexperienced bowlers," Dravid, who will also coach the side, said

"We had to pay price for that but this time we are better equipped. In the auctions, we went for Fidel Edwards and James Faulkner under our backup plans," Dravid said after the launch of official fan wear collection of the team."Edwards can generate good pace like Tait and Australian youngster James Faulkner has been doing well in this version of cricket. Sreesanth too is fit and available. He has been bowling very well at the nets and practice matches. He is eager to prove himself and that is why he slogged in the nets even after the practice match. So this time we won`t be facing the heat in death overs," said the skipper.

Dravid hinted that Shane Watson might get to bowl in the tournament but added that the decision lies remains with the Aussie all-rounder. 

"I feel at some point of time he will bowl but he will have to decide himself. He is such an imposing player and a person that his presence alone is great for us. He is an asset for us whether he bowls or not. He will be reaching Delhi on the morning of April 6 and would miss the first match (against Delhi Daredevils) but would be available for the rest," Dravid said.

Former Indian skipper, however, did not reveal who will open with Ajinkya Rahane.

"Yes, there might be some thinking but that also means that we will have more options. Ajinkya Rahane and I did a pretty good job at the start. We are planning out strategies which cannot be divulged here," he said.

Dravid did not seem too concerned about the poor-form of Rahane and Watson in the last Test series.

"Who says they are in bad form? I don`t want to "jinx" Ajinkya. He has been batting very well in -the nets and the practice matches, and Shane too can bounce back any time," Dravid, who scored 462 runs, including two half-centuries in the previous edition of the tournament, asserted. 

IPL 2013 Opening Ceremony LIVE: Fireworks to begin in a while! ........

New Delhi: Every year, every die hard cricket fan waits with bated breath to watch the most glamorous, spectacular and nail-biting action in the universal favourite Indian Premier League (IPL) that brings together hand picked cricket talents from all around the world playing hard to emerge the best of the lot.

This time around too the IPL 6 opening ceremony will be a gala affair with fanfare, music and the works. Shah Rukh Khan, who also happens to be the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, has taken upon the job on his pro shoulders of enthralling the audiences, with his production company, Red Chillies Entertainment taking care of every detail of the event this evening.

The stage has been set at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium for stars like Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone, international rapper Pitbull and SRK to kick-off the event with fireworks.

The participating teams are going to be nine in number this year too with team owners Shilpa Sheety and Raj Kundra (Rajasthan Royals), Preity Zinta (Kings XI Punjab), Shah Rukh and Juhi Chawla (Kolkata Knight Riders) showing up in their full star glory for the celebrations.

Sameer Kochhar, the host for the evening, introduces Navjot Singh Sidhu and Kapil Dev who are going to be present throughout the entire IPL 6 journey.

The scene now shifts from the studio to the main event ground where another host - Gaurav Kapoor - is raring to take the proceedings ahead.

'Bigg Boss 6' participant Karishma Kotak is introduced by host Sameer as his co-host for the evening.

TRUST YOURSELF...........

Sooooo Wrong Ball!!!! ......

AIR PURIFYING HOUSE PLANTS.......

6 Air Purifying house plants

1. Bamboo Palm: It removes formaldahyde and is also said to act as a natural humidifier.

2. Snake Plant: It absorb nitrogen oxides and formaldahyde.

3. Areca Palm: One of the best air purifying plants for general air cleanliness.

4. Spider Plant: Great indoor plant for removing carbon monoxide and other toxins or impurities. Spider plants are one of three plants NASA deems best at removing formaldahyde from the air.

5. Peace Lily: Peace lilies could be called the “clean-all.” They’re often placed in bathrooms or laundry rooms because they’re known for removing mold spores. Also know to remove formaldahyde and trichloroethylene.

6. Gerbera Daisy: Not only do these gorgeous flowers remove benzene from the air, they’re known to improve sleep by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving off more oxygen over night.

Courtesy : world facts

height of TECHNOLOGY....

Is this a mosquito?
No. It's an insect spy drone for urban areas, already in production, funded by the US Government. It can be remotely controlled and is equipped with a camera and a microphone. It can land on you, and it may have the potential to take a DNA sample or leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin. It can fly through an open window, or it can attach to your clothing until you take it in your home..

Watch Video : http://youtu.be/xlYIex2TF5g

MOTHER-MORE THAN GODESS....

Ur mom carried u in her womb for 9 months.
She felt sick 4 months with nausea.
She watched her feet swell & her skin
stretch & tear. She struggled 2 climb
stairs, she got breathless quick,...She
suffered many sleepless nights. She
then went through excruciating pain 2
bring u into this world.
Then, she became ur nurse, ur chef, ur
maid, ur chauffeur, ur biggest fan, ur
teacher, & ur best friend.
She's struggled 4 u, cried over u,
hoped d best 4 u, & prayed 4 u.
Most of us take our mom 4 granted.
But there r people who have lost or
never even seen theirs.
If you have a loving Mother who did all
of this for you, you are very lucky,
never devalue her worth because one
day, you'll wish you hadn't!.
To every women who is a mother, and
to every other women who is going to
be one day.

HITLER SAYS......

GET SOME ATTITUDE......

GET SOME ATTITUDE

Clement Stone once said, "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is negative or positive."

One of the many commonalities among people of good character is that each has "an attitude." More accurately, each has "three" attitudes, all of which are factors that lead to personal success.

CONTAGIOUS AND UPBEAT OUTLOOK ~ People who exhibit this are generally positive, approachable, and cooperative. For them the glass is always "half full." Even on bad days, they typically bounce back quickly, choosing to be "victors" rather than "victims."

CAN-DO SPIRIT ~ Here, the mentality is, "Give me a task and I am all over it. We can do this. Let's get it done." People with this mindset focus on making things work rather than on lamenting on why they won't. That's why these folks are the "doers" of the world.

ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE ~ They appreciate the people they know, the things they have, and the opportunities they're afforded. And they "show it" graciously.

MOTIVATION.......

EVERY ONE IS GENIUS-EINSTEIN......

Six killed in China colliery blast.....

Beijing: At least six people were killed and 11 others reported missing Monday after a gas explosion at a state-owned coal mine in northeast China, three days after a similar blast killed 28 miners at the same site. 

The explosion occurred at the Babao mine in Baishan city in Jilin province, Xinhua cited a spokesman with the provincial government as saying. 

Rescue work is under way, and the cause of the accident is being investigated.On Friday, a gas blast hit the coal mine, killing 28 miners and injuring 13 others.

The mine is state-owned. Initial investigations showed that a safety team consisting of 41 technical workers was sent underground to repair a reported gas leak when the accident happened Friday, an official said. 

Suicide bombing in Iraq kills 10......

Baghdad: A suicide bomber Monday blew up an explosives-laden tanker truck near the police headquarters in Iraq's central city of Tikrit, killing at least 10 people and wounding 30 others, police said. 

The bomber blew up the tanker truck near the police office and a fuel facility in Tikrit, 170 km from Baghdad, a police source told Xinhua. 

Seven of those killed and most of the wounded were policemen. 

Police said the guards did not suspect the tanker truck because fuel tankers usually enter the nearby fuel facility to deliver gas and oil used by provincial government offices.The blast destroyed parts of two buildings and set a huge fire at the oil facility.

No one claimed responsibility for the attack. 

Chinese army urged to be combat ready.......

Beijing: A senior Chinese military official has called on the armed forces to strengthen combat preparedness and ensure victories in wars, reports Xinhua. 

Fan Changlong, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks during an inspection tour of troops in east China's Jiangsu, Fujian and Zhejiang provinces. 

The army should always maintain its readiness and fighting abilities to ensure victory, Fan said. 

He urged all military staff to comprehend and implement the key points conveyed in a speech by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CMC. 

"Military officers and soldiers must be absolutely loyal, pure and reliable, and firmly follow the directions...," Fan said.

He urged military staff to step up training, especially in complex situations such as electromagnetic environment and field operations.

Training must be strict and targeted to meet real wartime needs rather than a show, he said. 

Anna begins 'Janatantra Yatra' from Amritsar......

Rayya: Launching his 'Janatantra Yatra' from Punjab, social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday described it as the beginning of the second freedom struggle to rid the nation of the corrupt politicians. 

"Now for me 'Janatantra Yatra' is the second freedom struggle to free the nation from corruption and corrupt politicians," he said, and lashed out at politicians alleging many of them were "Gundas" facing criminal charges. 

The social activist categorically made it clear that he and his activists have no future plans to contest Lok Sabha elections or to collect funds. 

The only motive of 'Janatantra Yatra' was to bring honest candidates for the upcoming Parliament elections so that candidates having criminal and corrupt background could be kept away from the election fray, Hazare said while addressing a rally in Rayya town here, nearly 40 km away from Amritsar. 

Earlier, accompanied by a small group of supporters, the 75-year-old activist paid obeisance at Durgiana Mandir, Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh before starting the Yatra. Addressing a group of people outside the Jallianwala Bagh, Hazare, who was flanked by former Army Chief VK Singh, said only a mass movement will bring change in the country. 

Hazare said after five months a big Jan-Sansad (public rally) will be organised at Ramlila Ground in the national capital "which will seal the fate of this corrupt government". 

The public rallies are being held to press 25-point agenda under the banner of 'Janatantra Yatra' to garner people's support against the Congress-led UPA government ahead of next year's Lok Sabha polls and make "people aware of its efforts to ditch the Jan Lokpal bill," he said. 

Hazare had floated 'Janatantra Morcha' after the protests on Lokpal Bill fizzled out and Team Anna split, with a faction led by Arvind Kejriwal forming a political party. Hazare told about his past life and said Punjab will always remain a source of inspiration for him. 

Hazare said, here in Punjab, during the India-Pakistan war in 1965, he got a 'second life' as he had a narrow escape during the gun battle. 

During the war he was at Khemkaran border where Indian Army achieved victory in fierce tank battle, he said. 

Hazare said that during the war his colleagues were killed and he was wounded "seriously" in air strike. 

"After surviving, I decided to put the rest of the life for wellbeing of the nation and not to marry," Hazare said while addressing the rally. 

Hazare said that the motive of the yatra was to infuse new spirit among the youth who could raise their voice against the "malpractice on the part of UPA Government". 

The social activist said that he never intended to harm anybody personally and has no concern with any political party. 

Earlier, in Golden Temple, Hazare said that after visiting the holy temple he felt a unique inspiration to continue his 'Janatantra Yatra' with brave heart. 

Talking about the 1984 Blue Star Operation, Hazare said, "it was done by the then Government due to ignorance". 

He said that Golden Temple was a pious place where people get inspiration to fight against the evils and Guru Granth Sahib never taught violence. 

"Golden Temple is the house of the God and the then Government of India took decision under the influence of ignorance," he said. 

Meanwhile, former Army chief VK Singh, while addressing the rally, said during his tenure in the Indian Army he dealt with Punjabi people and experienced that they have great energy and can do the most difficult task in difficult circumstances. 

Singh sought support from ex-armymen and people from each section of the society to bring changes for the betterment of nation. 

Later, Hazare and Singh also visited Dera Baba Jaimal Singh to meet Radha Soami Sect chief Gurinder Singh Dhillon at Beas headquarters, about 45 km away from Amritsar. 

Both the leaders spent about one hour with the sect chief. Hazare also talked about his 'Janatantra Yatra' with sect chief in brief.