Ro-Ro Service @ Saurashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Sunday launch India’s first roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) ferry services in Gujarat. PM Modi had announced this himself while addressing a huge gathering on October 16. Developed at a cost of around Rs 615-crore, the project has been executed by Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB). The ferry services will dramatically reduce travel time between Saurashtra region in Gujarat with the southern parts of the state. On Friday, PM Modi shared a video providing a glimpse into what he calls his “dream project.”

The Ro-Ro services between Ghogha in Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuchwill will facilitate vehicular and passenger ferry services across the Gulf of Cambay. It will not only reduce the travel time between the two regions, Ro-Ro ferry services will also allow vehicles with passengers aboard.

India is darling of global defense firms

March 30, 2012

Sailor-suited Russian models touted their nation's submarines. Indian officers posed for pictures atop foreign-made armor-plated vehicles.

And working the room at New Delhi's aging exhibition center were French, British and American arms merchants from global defense giants, elbowing each other aside in the search for a deal at Defexpo India 2012, the country's biggest-ever weapons trade show.

Fueled by superpower ambitions and rivalry with China but hampered by a creaky domestic defense industry, India is on a military buying spree that's made it the belle-of-the-global-military ball.

"India's a little yokel with pockets full of cash and everyone's trying to mug it," said Ajai Shukla, a defense analyst and former army colonel.

India's long shopping list calls for $20 billion in fighter jets, $1.5 billion worth of refueling aircraft and billions of dollars in submarines, tanks and artillery, among other equipment, all part of an estimated $80 billion spending spree over the next five years.

Pakistan once kept Indian generals awake at night. But increasingly that mantle goes to China, with its growing economic and military might and festering territorial disputes along its shared 2,800-mile-long border with India. Adding to India's insecurity are memories of its defeat by Beijing in a 1962 border war.

The situation leaves India increasingly bracing for the possibility of a two-front war given close Sino-Pakistani relations. Its armed forces already battle civil unrest and border incursions in the disputed region of Kashmir, a homegrown Maoist insurgency and threat of terrorists breaching its thinly patrolled coast, as seen during the 2008 Mumbai attack.

The country was the world's largest weapons importer for the 2007-11 period, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank, followed by South Korea, Pakistan and China. Although the Middle Kingdom's annual military budget of $106 billion is nearly three times India's, the rapid expansion of its homegrown defense industry means it produces an estimated 90% of its weapon systems domestically, compared with 30% for India.

A measure of India's unease is seen in plans to add three army divisions totaling 90,000 soldiers along the border. This anxiety isn't shared, however, with Beijing largely focused on what the American military, not India's, is up to, analysts said.

China holds the high ground given the altitude of the Tibet plateau — key in any land conflict — in part because of its superior hardware and better rail and road links. By some estimates, China could deploy troops within a week, whereas India would need three weeks.

"India must at all costs avoid land competition with China," said Endre Lunde, a consultant with IHS Jane's, a defense consultancy. "It just can't end well."

Greg Chappell attacks Indian culture and cricket team

ADELAIDE: In a vicious attack on Indian culture and Indian cricket team of which he was the coach, Greg Chappell has said that the side lacked leaders because parents, school teachers and coaches made all the decisions in the Indian system.

"The (Indian) culture is very different, it's not a team culture. They lack leaders in the team because they are not trained to be leaders. From an early age, their parents make all the decisions, their schoolteachers make their decisions, their cricket coaches make the decisions," Chappell said.

"The culture of India is such that, if you put your head above the parapet someone will shoot it. Knock your head off. So they learn to keep their head down and not take responsibility.

"The Poms (British) taught them really well to keep their head down. For if someone was deemed to be responsible, they'd get punished. So the Indians have learned to avoid responsibility. So before taking responsibility for any decisions, they prefer not to," Chappell was quoted as saying during a promotional event for his book 'Fierce Focus'.

Chappell said Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was an exception to that rule but even he seems to have lost to the system.

"Dhoni is one of the most impressive young men that I have ever worked with. When he came into that Indian team, you just knew that he was a leader in the making. He was definitely someone who could make decisions, and he didn't mind putting his head above the parapet, and didn't mind putting the bigger players in their place. I think he is the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket in recent times," he said.

Chappell, who was the coach of Indian team for two turbulent years from 2005 to 2007, reckoned that excessive cricket has now started taking a toll on Dhoni.

"But looking at him on this tour - I didn't meet or speak to him at all - but just watching the body language and just watching him on the field, it wasn't the MS Dhoni that I knew. I think Indian cricket has worn him down as well.

"Especially, captaining all three formats, and India plays about 50 per cent more cricket than Australia does. And Dhoni played four years, captaining three years while being wicketkeeper and their key batman - one of the best chasers of a target that I've ever seen," he said.

The former Australian captain also said that the Indians appeared disinterested in Test cricket during the just-concluded disastrous tour Down Under.

"It was obvious from the start of the tour that the Indians weren't really interested in Test cricket," Chappell said.

Velavadar Blackbuck National Park

Velavadar National Park is located in the Bhal region of Saurashtra and is set between two rivers, 50 km west of the Gulf of Cambay (also known as Khambhat). Velavadar is one of Gujarat’s best-kept secrets and that is the reason it is brimming with animal and bird life.

Before Independence, Velavadar was a part of the princely state of Bhavnagar with the grasslands acting as private grazing lands for the maharaja’s cattle. It is currently a 34 sq km protected area. Hunting of blackbucks is strictly prohibited here. If one remembers, the Bollywood actor, Salman Khan was arrested for shooting a blackbuck. Velavadar is the only tropical grassland to be given the status of a National Park. Its ecosystem houses four distinct habitats – grassland, shrub land, saline land and high tidal lands. 

In Hindu mythology, the blackbuck is considered sacred. Even a glimpse of the animal is considered auspicious in many communities.

With its maximum recorded speed standing at 80 km an hour, the blackbuck is the fastest Indian antelope. I was extremely thrilled to have spotted a couple of male blackbucks in full steam. Their leaps and jumps are just a sight to behold. The male blackbuck is highly territorial and tends to lead a lifestyle that is now against the law in most human societies – the dominant male lives in harems and quasi-harems.

President Pratibha Patil Visited Dwarka Temple

Dwarka Mandir Jamnagar District gears up for President's visit.

The district administration of Porbandar and Junagadh and police authorities have only one job at present. To make foolproof arrangements for President Pratibha Patil's scheduled visit to the region starting October 2. Authorities have even prepared a helipad near Dwarka temple. Special care is being taken at Dwarka and nothing is being left to chance.

"We have to make all arrangements as per the book of guidelines. We have arranged for a bedroom, sitting room, dressing room and dining hall. Special air-conditioners are fitted in every room," said an official.

As many as 13 rooms of Dwarka circuit house have been equipped with new air-conditioners and a special shamiyana is being put up for dinner for 100 people who will accompany the President.

Chiefs of Indian Army, Navy and Airforce will be present to welcome her on her arrival along with representative of the Gujarat government, energy minister Saurabh Patel.

Rajkot Range IG police, SPs of Jamnagar and Vadodara, 5 DySPs, 20 PIs, 40 PSIs and 400 jawans of SRP will be present. They will provide security along the way from circuit house to Dwarka helipad and other temples of the holy town.

As per schedule, she will first visit all the temples of Dwarka and reach the circuit house. The President will be accompanied by her family members in her visit to the holy town. After lunch, she will leave for Sasan Gir(Gir National Park,Junagadh District).

Glory Of India

O land of Central India!

Bengal and Bihar fair!

O Glorious land of Gujarat

With whom shall I compare?

Madras! Maharashtra! Saurashtra!

And Rajputana great!

You all have done your duty

In lifting national weight.

We Hindu! Jain and Muslim!

Parsi! Jew! Buddhist!

Christian! Sikh and Brahmin

Children of the east.

Purified by Ganges

Keep your spirits high

And save your dear old India

And raise a joyous cry!

For so proclaim shastra

Where duty is the goal,

There victory must be follow

To crown the glorious soul.

But if we are divided

There surely lies our fall

In Union lies our safety

As known as each and all.

Then up United India

And make your country bright

In doing one's duty

There shan't be fear and fright.