Sachin Tendulkar, CNR Rao to be awarded Bharat Ratna

NEW DELHI: In a fitting finale to what has been a glorious career, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar was on Saturday chosen for the prestigious Bharat Ratna, the country's highest civilian award, making him the first sportsperson to be bestowed with the honour.

The 40-year-old icon, who called time on his glittering international career today, was chosen for the top award soon after his farewell Test against the West Indies ended in Mumbai.

A brief statement issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson Venu Rajamony said the President has awarded the Bharat Ratna to Tendulkar, who retired from the international cricket today.

Tendulkar bows out as the most successful batsman in international cricket with 15,921 runs in 200 Tests. In his ODI career, which he ended last year, Tendulkar amassed 18,426 runs in 463 matches.

The Mumbaikar is the only batsman in international cricket to score 100 centuries. He was the first batsman to get a double hundred in one-dayers.

The award is a perfect send off gift to Tendulkar whose career spanned 24 years making him an inspiration for an entire generation of cricketers.

There have been continuous demands for him to be conferred the honour for a long time and the eligibility criteria of the award was revised last year to accommodate sportspersons as well.

Tendulkar, who became the first active sportsperson to become a Rajya Sabha member last year, is being given the honour along with Professor CNR Rao, the man behind India's maiden Mars mission. Prof CNR Rao is an eminent scientist and a well recognized international authority on solid state and materials chemistry. He has published over 1,400 research papers and 45 books.

Prof Rao's contributions have been recognized by most major scientific academies around the world through conferment of memberships and fellowships. He has been honoured with several national and international awards.

The Bharat Ratna is being conferred after a gap of years with classical vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi being the last recipient.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Sachin-Tendulkar-CNR-Rao-to-be-awarded-Bharat-Ratna/articleshow/25887414.cms

Can't believe life between 22 yards has come to an end: Sachin Tendulkar

MUMBAI: A teary-eyed Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday brought the curtains down on his phenomenal career by giving a heart-warming speech to thank his family, coaches, teammates, friends and fans, saying it was hard to believe that his life between "22 yards in the last 24 years" has come to end.
Trying hard to control his emotions, Tendulkar had the Wankhede crowd spell-bound with a thanks-giving speech every word of which drew applause.
"Friends please settle down, I'll get more emotional! It's hard to believe my wonderful journey is coming to an end," Tendulkar said immediately after his 200th and final Test which India won by an innings and 126 runs.
Handed the microphone at the end of the presentation ceremony, the 40-year-old struggled to keep his composure as he took out a list of people to thank at the end of a remarkable journey.
"I have got a list of people to thank because sometimes I forget," he joked.
"The first is my father ( Ramesh Tendulkar), who passed away in 1999. Without his guidance I wouldn't be standing in front of you. He said 'chase your dreams, don't give up, the path will be difficult.' I miss him today," said Tendulkar, who always looked heavenwards after every big knock in memory of his father.
Next in the list was his mother Rajni, who came to watch him for the first time in his farewell match and the other immediate family members.
"I don't know how she managed a naughty child like me. She just prayed and prayed from the day I started playing the game. For four years I stayed with my uncle and aunt when in school, they treated me like their own son," he said.
"My eldest brother Nitin doesn't like to talk much but he said, 'whatever you do, I know you will give 100 per cent'. My first cricket bat was presented to me by my sister Savita. It was a Kashmir willow. She still continues to fast while I bat," he said.
"Ajit my brother, we have lived this dream together. He sacrificed his career for me, he took me to (Ramakant) Achrekar sir first. Even last night he called me to discuss my dismissal. Even when I'm not playing we will still be discussing technique. If that hadn't happened, I would have been a lesser cricketer," he added.
Tendulkar then thanked wife Anjali for being the best partner that life could have given him.
"The most beautiful thing happened to me when I met Anjali in 1990. I know that being a doctor there was a big career in front of her. When we had a family, she decided that I should continue playing and she took care of the children. Thanks for bearing with me for all the nonsense I've said. You are the best partnership that I had in my life," Tendulkar said as an emotionally-overwhelmed Anjali cried in the presentation area.
Tendulkar's two kids, son Arjun (14) and daughter Sara (16), were also present at the ceremony and Tendulkar promised them a lion's share of his time now as reward for being patient when he missed their special days for cricket.
"The two precious diamonds of my life Sara and Arjun. I've missed out on several birthdays, holidays, annual days. I know for 14-16 years I've not spent enough time with you. But I promise you that the next 16 and the many more after that are yours," he said.
Tendulkar also thanked his in-laws for, most importantly for letting him marry Anjali! He also did not forget to thank his friends but didn't name anyone in particular.
"My in-laws - I've discussed several things with them. The most important thing they did was to allow me to marry Anjali. So, thank you for that," he said, lightening the heavy atmosphere surrounding his farewell.
"In the last 24 years my friends have made terrific contributions. They have been with me while I was stressed. They have been with me even at 3am when I was injured. Thanks for being there for me," he said.
Not to forget his first coach Ramakant Achrekar, who came down to the stadium for the first time to watch him in action, and the BCCI for supporting him.
"My career started when I was 11. I was extremely delighted to see Achrekar sir in the stands. I used to ride on his scooter and play two matches a day. Sir took me along to make sure I played. On a lighter note, Sir never said 'well played' because he didn't want me to be complacent. You can push your luck now, Sir, since I'm not playing cricket anymore," he joked.
"The BCCI was fantastic from my debut. Thanks to the selectors. You were right with me making sure my treatment was taken care of," Tendulkar said.
Tendulkar also thanked his fellow cricketers and the support staff, especially the doctors and trainers.
"Thanks to all the senior cricketers who have played with me. We see on the screen Rahul (Dravid), VVS (Laxman), Sourav (Ganguly), Anil (Kumble) who is not here. All the coaches," he said.
"I know when MS (Dhoni) presented the 200th Test cap, I had a message to the team - I said 'we are all so proud to be representing the nation. I hope to continue to serve the nation with dignity. I have full faith that you will serve the country in the right spirit'.
"I will be failing in my duty if I didn't thank the doctors who have kept me fit. Given the injuries I have suffered. They have treated me in odd hours," he said.
"My dear friend the late Mark Mascarenhas. I miss him. My current management team WSG, for continuing what Mark has done. Someone who has worked closely with me for 14 years is my friend Vinay Nayudu," he added.
"The media has backed me a lot, since my school days. Even today. Thank you. Thanks to the photographers for capturing those moments."
In the end, Tendulkar thanked the millions of adoring fans by saying that the chants of 'Sachin, Sachin' that resonated in the stadiums would remain with him till the last moment of his life.
"I know my speech has become long. I want to thank people who have flown in from different parts of the world here. I want to thank my fans from the bottom of my heart. 'Sachin, Sachin' will reverberate in my ears till I stop breathing," he said, drawing a deafening applause from the crowd.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournament/sachin-tendulkar-hangs-his-boots/top-stories/Cant-believe-life-between-22-yards-has-come-to-an-end-Sachin-Tendulkar/articleshow/25879593.cms?

Stalker's death triggered Muzaffarnagar conflagration

By Indo Asian News Service | IANS India Private Limited – 22 hours ago

Muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh), Sep 9 (IANS) Two brothers kill a man stalking their sister and the stalker's family kills both of them. It was a revenge killing that triggered sectarian violence in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district that has left 28 people dead.

On Aug 27, two brothers of a girl were beaten to death when they went to talk to the family of a stalker who was stabbed to death by them in Kawaal village.

Sources said police registered the first information report (FIR) against the parents of the girl who were not present on the spot.

The inclusion of parents' names in the FIR did not go down well with the majority community of the area, following which the sympathizers of the girl's family announced a panchayat in Kawaal Aug 31. The rival community opposed the plan.

Opposing the Kawaal panchayat, a parallel panchayat was planned in Khalapar area of the city. At this, the government representatives, including members of parliament and state legislature, and local leaders dared the Kawaal panchayat organisers to hold it at the appointed time on Aug 31.

The authorities concerned then assured the angered locals the Khalapar panchayat would be put on hold, and the civil administration after deliberations with the Bhartiya Kisan Union leaders Rakesh and Naresh Tikait announced that the scheduled panchayat had been postponed.

A huge gathering of about 40,000 people turned out but the Kawaal panchayat organizers called off the proceedings and announced the assembly again Sep 7. But when the participants of the - 'Beti Bachao Bahoo Bachao panchayat' - were returning to their homes they were attacked by swords at Basi village under Shahpur police station.

The police booked under the National Security Act (NSA) eight people, of whom seven people were from the majority community and one person was from the minority community.

The riot quickly spread to the neighbouring areas falling under Shamli and Meerut districts.

On Sunday, 48 injured people were admitted at district hospital.

The dead include two people -- one of them a photo-journalist -- who were killed in Khalapar, four killed in Bhopa, two killed in Mansurpur and one killed in Sikeda village. In addition, three people were killed in Kawaal and three people were also killed in Kutba village of the area.

"The administration has put the adjoining districts of Meerut, Baghpat, Bulandshahr on high alert...," IG (Meerut Zone) Brij Bhushan told IANS.

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/stalkers-death-triggered-muzaffarnagar-conflagration-090206726.html

Meteor shower to illuminate the sky tonight

By Vanita Srivastava | Hindustan Times – Sun 11 Aug, 2013

New Delhi, Aug. 11 -- Skygazers - get ready to watch one of the most spectacular meteor shower of the year - Perseid meteor shower which started in mid-July will peak from the midnight of August 12 with an average of around 100 shooting stars per hour.

Every year the Earth passes through the debris from the comet Swift-Tuttle forming the Perseids meteor shower.

The Perseids meteor shower is active every year from around mid July to late August, but for most of this period only a few meteors an hour are visible.

According to the International Meteorological Organisation (IMO), the meteor shower will peak on the intervening night of August 12 and August 13.

The peak activity will be from 11:45 pm IST on August 12 to 2:15 am IST on August 13. Even after its peak visibility, the meteor shower will continue till August 24.

" Although the shower will peak between Monday-Tuesday, the visibility will depend on sky conditions and the location of the place. This year will be a good show as the Moon sets early, so dark skies will prevail. In the absence of the moon, the falling stars will be more illuminant and visible. Next year this may not happen and they will not be as visible," N Sri Raghunandan Kumar secretary Planetary Society of India told HT.

Kumar said that that no telescopes or binoculars were required for the viewing.

"All one has to do is to look towards the north east direction to observe the constellation called Perseus from midnight to dawn. The best time is to start observing at 1 am when the constellation is sufficiently above the horizon."
Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

Source:
http://in.news.yahoo.com/meteor-shower-illuminate-sky-tonight-183000991.html

Delhi Police reveal Sreesanth's wild party side

Sreesanth had plans to party all night “with as many women as possible” on May 15, the Delhi Police have said.

New Delhi: Sreesanth had plans to party all night “with as many women as possible” on May 15, the Delhi Police have said. They claimed the cricketer was drunk and easily lured to Mumbai’s Trident hotel, where police had already arrested his bookie friend Jiju Janardhan.
“We nabbed Jiju first and sought his help in luring Sreesanth,” an investigating officer said Sunday. “Jiju was made to call and tell him to come to the Trident, so he could be introduced to a female friend.” Minutes later, Sreesanth arrived at the Trident with a “woman on his arm”.
Police also said that when Jiju called him, Sreesanth told him he was “resting at home”.
ALSO SEE:

• Cash, phones recovered from Sreesanth's room
• Royals to slap charges against players
• Sreesanth: Cricket’s Problem Child
• Sreesanth wanted half in advance

But it turned out he had been at the InterContinental Hotel with his "girlfriend".
As the police moved in on him, an enraged Sreesanth warned them "not to touch" him.
"He yelled at one officer and shoved another, saying he knew the chief minister - though he didn't specify of which state," the officer said.
Police, meanwhile, arrested three more men - including a former Ranji player - for acting as go-betweens for cricketers and bookies. The number of arrested now stands at 17.
Sunil Bhatia, Kiran Dole, and Manish Gudewa were apprehended from Maharashtra's Aurangabad. Gudewa was a Ranji cricketer who played for Vidharbha between 2003 and 2005. Police are also trailing their associate Babu Ram Yadav.

Source:
http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/delhi-police-reveal-sreesanth-s-wild-party-side-044954591.html

Sreesanth, Chavan accept spot-fixing charge

More trouble for Rajasthan as former player Amit Singh has been reported to be one of the bookies arrested by the police.

Police escort bookies and cricket players after they were produced in a court in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI/ CHENNAI/ BANGALORE: Rajasthan Royals bowlers S. Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan broke down under interrogation by Delhi Police on Friday and accepted their role in the spot-fixing scandal that has rocked the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
'Yes I made a mistake,' Chavan reportedly confessed to Delhi Police Special Cell. However, Chavan's family and lawyers claimed the cricketer was innocent. "It is said that small fish are easier to catch, that is what has happened here too. He is innocent, we know that. He has struggled a lot," his brother said.
Sreesanth, who until Thursday had claimed innocence said before a Delhi court that bookies 'did him in'. The Kerala medium pacer said that the bookie Jiju Janardhan had lured him into spot-fixing. This came as a huge shock to Sreesanth's family, who had maintained that he was innocent and was being framed by MS Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh (his father's claim).
Chandila in a soup: Read more

Chandila, who has not yet accepted the charges, was further implicated when it was learnt that he had approached two more IPL players to be part of spot fixing after bookies asked him to rope in more people, police sources said on Friday.
"During questioning, Chandila told police that he met bookies at Country Club in Manesar (adjoining Delhi) on April 6. In the meeting, the bookies asked him to rope in more players for spot fixing. He gave two names and the bookies asked him to bring them to a party where the deal could be discussed," police sources told IANS..
Amit Singh suspended

There was more trouble for Royals when Gujarat player Amit Singh was reported to be one of the 11 bookies arrested by the police on Thursday from New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Singh is accused by the police of being the 'talent-spotter' for bookies. He was released by the Royals franchise in November. The BCCI suspended Amit pending inquiry. The cricket board is to meet on Sunday, and may consider after deliberation, the imposition of a life ban on the three principal accused players.
No more players

Delhi commissioner of police Neeraj Kumar said more arrests of bookies could be expected but no other cricketers were likely to be part of the racket. He also said that the nexus as discovered by the police investigation seems to be between players and bookies alone, and that there seemed to be no involvement of other individuals.
This is possibly the worst scandal to hit the perpetually controversial Indian Premier League, which attracts some of the best cricketers from around the world.
The Delhi police commissioner said while Chavan was paid Rs.60 lakhs by the bookies, Sreesanth and Chandila got Rs.40 lakhs each. Police said they had seized 55 mobile phones and laptops but needed to recover money allegedly paid to the players to give away a fixed amount of runs in one over each.
Neeraj Kumar said Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandela were involved in spot-fixing May 5, May 9 and May 15 in games against the Pune Warriors, King's Punjab XI and Mumbai Indians respectively.

'Sreesanth will fight it out' [Story]
Sreesanth's lawyer rubbished accusations that the paceman used a towel to signal bookies, before the start of an over that he would be giving away runs, saying that a majority of players use towels due to hot weather.
Cricket bookies raided in Chennai [Story]
Police in Tamil Nadu took into custody four cricket bookies on Friday, a day after three Rajasthan Royals players were arrested for allegedly spot fixing matches in exchange for money.
Dawood and company gets hold of T20 [Story]
Dawood Ibrahim's focus on cricket betting gained momentum again when the first edition of the T20 league was launched in India.
Royals banking on Dravid [Story]
In Rahul Dravid as skipper, the Royals have the perfect ingredient to prevent the side from falling apart. During his international tenure, Dravid has helped India stay afloat in precarious situations on countless occasions. He has the same task on hand here, albeit with a difference.

'I'm bewildered, I'm angry and I'm upset' [Story]
Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait has strongly denied any link to the arrest of three Indian team-mates allegedly involved in spot-fixing during an Indian domestic T20 tournament.

This is a developing story. More details will follow.

Source:
http://cricket.yahoo.com/news/chavan-confesses-to-fixing--sreesanth-says-he-is-innocent-061934302.html