IPL9 - Dhoni has lost his magic touch - Pune loses to Bangalore by 13 runs

It is gradually becoming clear that M S Dhoni, the captain of Rising Pune Supergiants is losing his magic touch because it was yet another loss - this time to Royal Challengers Bangalore by 13 runs at Pune. RPS won the toss and asked RCB to bat first. The openers AB de Villiers (83) and Virat Kohli (80) posted a sizeable total of 185 for three. In reply, Ajinkya Rahane (60), MS Dhoni (41) and Thisara Perera (34) did put up fighting knocks, but ended up on the losing side - they fell short by 13 runs.
This has been reported in cricbuzz.com dated 22 April 2016.

RPS had lost the previous two matches batting first after winning the toss and their inability to put up a defend able score. This time they again won the toss and opted to field first - the result was no different. The reason - dropping a vital catch by Ravichandran Ashwin, the trusted fielder in the slips, in the first over of Ishant Sharma - Ishant had a miserable day conceding 47 runs in just 4 overs without a wicket. RCB managed to put up a huge formidable score that required more than 9 runs from the word go.
To make matters worse, RPS opener Faf DuPlessis gifted away his wicket, Kevin Pieterson twisted his ankle after facing the first ball and Steven Smith got run out trying to steal a single.
In the end, it was another loss for RPS - they are now placed at 7th position in the table of 8 teams in the IPL9 points table. Obviously, RPS has to rework its strategies and go in for a change in team composition. A B deVilliers was declared the Man of the Match.



Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Drought fears return to Maharashtra with break in monsoons

The break in monsoon in the last leg has resulted in rainfall deficiency in Marathwada and central Maharashtra to increase again as fears of drought loom large on the horizon. This has been revealed by data made available by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 30 September 2015.

Only a few days earlier, there was a fairly good spell of rains and it had reduced rainfall deficiency in these regions by almost 10%. But, due to the truant monsoons, Marathwada now faces deficiency of 39% - up from 34% as on September 20.
Similarly, the deficiency in central Maharashtra has increased to 32% from 28%.
In the opinion of experts, the situation is not likely to improve with just two days left for ending of the southwest monsoon. In fact, the deficit may increase further because the possibility of rains in whatever remains of September is a distant dream.
These regions in Marathwada and central Maharashtra (which includes Pune) have fallen victim of a strong El Nino this year.
A Central Water Commission (CWC) report has indicated that 14 of the 17 reservoirs monitored by it in Maharashtra had storage less than last year as well as less than the average of last 10 years, till September 23. Some of these are the Khadakwasla, Mula, Jayakwadi, Koyna, Ujani, Dhom and Kukadi.
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MSRTC increases buses for devotees of Lord Shiva to Bhimashankar

Bhimashankar is an important destination for not just tourists but also for devotees of Lord Shiva and the rush increases during the Marathi month of Shravan when people flock there in large numbers.
Therefore, the Pune division of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has planned to operate additional buses operations from Pune to Bhimashankar.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 14 August 2015.

There will be more than 50 additional buses to Bhimashanakar located in Ambegaon taluka – it is a well-known place because of the temple of Lord Shiva. The trips will originate from Shivajinagar, Swargate, Narayangaon, Rajgurunagar, Daund, Junnar and Saswad.
In order to have a smooth flow of traffic, a separate bus stand has been set up near the temple.
As indicated by an official of MSRTC, due to the rush on Sundays and Mondays there will be more number of buses on these days. The depot managers have been told to make arrangement for operations of these additional buses and deploy additional manpower for maintenance and repairs of buses to avoid break downs. They would also have to ensure that every bus is checked at maintenance depot before it is allotted to the route.
The local police have also been requested to make arrangements to avoid traffic jams outside the bus stand and, preferably, have separate arrangement for parking of private vehicles near the temple.
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IPL8 – Yuvraj Singh shines Delhi Daredevils win at Pune

#IPL8 #KXIPvDD #yuvraj #sehwag #mayankagarwal At long last Yuvraj Sigh came into his own at Pune by smashing 55 runs in the match against the Kings XI Punjab – it was the first and, a much needed win, for the Delhi Daredevils as reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 15 April 2015.

Yuvraj Singh (55 three sixes and five fours) in the company of Mayank Agarwal (68 two sixes and seven fours) helped Delhi Daredevils to beat Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and register their first win of the eighth season of the Indian Premier League at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium. The pair put on 106 runs for the third wicket before both fell to Anureet Singh who send both back to the pavilion in successive balls of the penultimate over.
KXIP had scored 165 and, with 166 to score, the Delhi boys chased it down with one ball to spare and won by 5 wickets.
Winning the toss, KXIP decided to bat first and Virender Sehwag top-scored with a 41-ball 47 and with a 71-run partnership for the second wicket between him and Wriddhiman Saha (39) Kings XI Punjab managed to an apparently competitive score of 165 for seven. But, cricket is an unpredictable game, especially the T20 version where a single over can change the complexion of the game. The result, at times, disappoints the fans and takes everyone, including the opposition by surprise.

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Me, a city named Nashik and Maha Kumbh Mela

Two important events are slated for Nashik in 2015 – the first is the Maha Kumbh Mela 2015 and second is the air connectivity from Nashik to other cities probably starting from January-2015.
Nasik is strategically located and its proximity to the financial hub of Mumbai and the industries of Pune have given it an added advantage to prosper. In the bargain, roads have widened from two-lane to six-lane, and multistoried buildings have cropped up to accommodate housing complexes and provide accommodation to the thousands of people who have come to stay to make it their home. I am no exception.
The River Godavari has its origins in the mountains of the Brahmagiri in Trimbakeswar and it wends its way through the Deccan plateau to flow into the Indian Ocean, bisecting the country into two halves. Starting as a trickle, it grows from strength to strength till its confluence in the Bay of Bengal and, the first important city on the banks of this mighty river is Nasik (also called as Nashik). Till the sixties, it was known to the outside world more as a pilgrimage center where kumbhmela was held once every twelve years.
I arrived in Nasik in 1967 – just one year before the kumbhmela of 1968. The kumbhmela takes place once every 12-years and the next one I witnessed was in 1980. I am not much of a believer in the fact that just by immersing oneself in the waters of a holy river like the Godavari, one can wash off all of ones sins! Moreover, I was still a young man and my idea of cleansing oneself of sins was not commensurate with the thinking of others. Therefore, I did not involve myself much. However, in the next kumbhmela in 1992 I decided that enough was enough. Staying in Nasik and not witnessing the kumbhmela was an unpardonable offence like visiting Paris and not taking in the Eiffel Tower. My relatives saw the makings of Satan in me. A non-believer in the Holy Scriptures deserved to be isolated in Society. Hence, throwing caution to the winds, I prepared to take the plunge. And, what a plunge it was!! Nashik is now getting ready for the 2015 celebrations.
People from all over the country come here to participate in this mela. But, there is also a very different kind of ongoing mela – the mela of Industries, the mela of IT revolution. In the sixties, one had enough leisure time to relax on the banks of the Godavari, atop the Hill Temple in Deolali or amidst the relics of the Pandu caves. The only worthwhile industrial activity in those days was confined to the village of Ojhar, situated approximately 30 Kms. from the Railway station, where an aircraft factory was being set up to manufacture the sophisticated MiG class of fighters. And, of course, there was the India Security Press which printed currency notes and the Government of India Press which printed Stationary. The villages of Ambad and Satpur were not even in the map of the Nasik of the sixties.
Times have changed since then - several million cusecs of water have flown down the Godavari and Nasik today is a tremendously busy industrial center, which does not have time to even sleep. Fairly well connected by road and rail with efforts on to get air connectivity, industries are localized in the two villages of Ambad and Satpur in Nasik and Sinnar on the Pune highway. The wide range of Industries, which have found permanent footholds and have become the pride of Nasik, range from Plastics to Transmission Towers. Some products have become household names like VIP suitcases and MICO spark plugs. And, to cater to the needs of people who have migrated to this part of the world, any number of eateries, shops and such subsidiary establishments have mushroomed all over the city. Not to mention a full-fledged Engineering College and a Medical College. To meet the continuously rising demands of local transportation, bus routes are being extended and new ones are being introduced. Even then, during peak hours, one will have to, more often than not, travel standing. A situation which the old timers could never have imagined!
This tiny hamlet town of Nasik and its wonderful environment used to, once upon a time, attract vacationers. Today, it attracts entrepreneurs.

Travel by MSRTC buses from Nashik to Pune

It takes roughly six hours to travel by bus from Nashik to Pune and, the prompt service of the MSRTC at half-hourly intervals have ensured that there are no hiccups. There are the semi-luxury buses as well as the air-conditioned Shivneri buses. During peak season or during festivals like Diwali or Dussera, passengers go in for online booking and those who do not do so get frustrated.
I had to wait in queue at Nashik for nearly two hours before I managed to get a seat to travel to Pune last week because it was ending of Diwali and the crowd comprised mostly of young men and women who were employed in IT firms in Pune and were going back to join duties.
The IT industry in Pune has resulted in hundreds of hotels and restaurants on the way – some of them like Daulat, Indraprastha, Kamats and Purohit are always busy and the cars in the parking lots bear testimony to the fact that for any place to prosper it is necessary to have good infrastructure that attracts investments.
As I waited at the Nashik bus stand I saw people ahead of me in queue getting their reservations for the 10am bus, then for the 10.30 am bus and by then, I was third in queue for the 11am bus. Unfortunately, when that bus arrived, there were only two vacant seats because all the remaining had been booked online!! I finally managed to get the 12am bus. Incidentally, the road for a major portion is through hills and the Ghat sections and I was pleasantly surprised to see that the huge mountains had been demolished in certain areas to eliminate curves and make the journey by road more pleasant. Moreover, elimination of frequent curves help to economize on fuel consumption and reduces fatigue for the drivers.
A proposal to have a railway route as an alternate means of communication failed to take off the ground.
As per the plans of the railways, the route between Nashik and Pune would be via Sinnar, Sangamner, Alephata, Manchar, Rajgurunagar, Chakan and Begadevadi on the Mumbai-Pune main line. This is the route that is flowed by the MSRTC buses. However, an alternate route has been proposed by an NGO named Rail Parishad – this is a route that will pass through Sinnar and then pass on through Akole, Kotul, Junnar, Ghodegaon before reaching Begadewadi. In the opinion of the NGO, this route would reduce the distance and also the cost of laying out railway lines.