Happy Republic Day To All

About Republic Day :

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Mahatma Gandhi and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since. 
 

    Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations. 

    To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms. 

    The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country. 

    The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

 

Players sold at IPL auction 2011

Given below is the list of players involved in the IPL auction held in Bangalore: 

The list of players bought is in descending order of their final bid price.

1. Gautam Gambhir sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for a record $2.4 million.
2. Yusuf Pathan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.1 million.
3. Robin Uthappa to Pune for $2.1 million
4. Rohit Sharma to Mumbai Indians for $2 million.
5. Irfan Pathan to Delhi Daredevils for $1.9 million.
6. Yuvraj Singh to Pune for $1.8 million.
7. Saurabh Tiwary to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.6 million.
8. Mahela Jayawardene to Kochi for $1.5 million.
9. David Hussey to Kings XI Punjab for $1.4 million
10. Dale Steyn goes to Deccan Chargers for $1.2 million
11. Muttiah Muralitharan to Kochi for $1.1 million.
12. AB de Villiers to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.1 million.
13. Cameron White to Deccan Chargers for $1.1 million.
14. Jacques Kallis to Kolkata Knight Riders for $1.1 million.
15. Ross Taylor to Rajasthan Royals for $1 million.
16. Angelo Mathews to Pune for $950,000
17. Ravindra Jadeja to Kochi for $950,000
18. Johan Botha to Rajasthan Royals for $950,000.
19. Dan Christian to Deccan Chargers for $900,000
20. Dinesh Karthik to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000
21. Piyush Chawla to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000.
22. Sreesanth to Kochi for $900,000
23. Adam Gilchrist to Kings XI Punjab for $900,000.
24. Zaheer Khan to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $900,000.
25. R Ashwin to Chennai Super Kings for $850,000
26. Ashish Nehra to Pune for $850,000
27. Andrew Symonds to Mumbai Indians for $850,000
28. S Badrinath to Chennai Super Kings for $800,000.
29. Praveen Kumar to Kings XI Punjab for $800,000.
30. Abhishek Nayar to Kings XI Punjab for $800,000
31. Umesh Yadav to Delhi Daredevils for $750,000
32. David Warner to Delhi for $750,000
33. Munaf Patel to Mumbai Indians for $700,000
34. Venugopal Rao to Delhi Daredevils for $700,000
35. Cheteswar Pujara to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $700,000.
36. Doug Bollinger to Chennai Super Kings for $700,000
37. Kumar Sangakkara to Deccan Chargers for $700,000.
38. Dirk Nannes to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $650,000.
39. Tillakaratne Dilshan to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $650,000.
40. Kevin Pietersen to Deccan Chargers for $650,000.
41. Daniel Vettori to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $550,000
42. Lakshmipathy Balaji to Kolkata Knight Riders for $500,000
43. Pragyan Ojha to Deccan Chargers for $500,000
44. Rahul Dravid to Rajasthan Royals for $500,000.
45. Graeme Smith to Pune for $500,000.
46. RP Singh to Kochi for $500,000.
47. R Vinaykumar to Kochi for $475,000
48. Manoj Tiwary to Kolkata Knight Riders for $475,000.
49. Morne Morkel to Delhi Daredevils for $475,000
50. Brendon McCullum to Kochi for $475,000.
51. Ishant Sharma to Deccan Chargers for $450,000.
52. Brad Hodge to Kochi for $425,000.
53. Shakib al Hasan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $425,000
54. Michael Hussey to Chennai for $425,000.
55. Brett Lee to Kolkata Knight Riders for $400,000
56. Stuart Broad to Kings XI Punjab for $400,000
57. VVS Laxman to Kochi for $400,000.
58. Ashok Dinda to Delhi Daredevils for $375,000
59. Eoin Morgan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $350,000.
60. James Hopes to Delhi Daredevils for $350,000.
61. Ryan Harris to Kings XI Punjab for $325,000.
62. Brad Haddin  to Kolkata Knight Riders for $325,000.
63. Shaun Tait to Rajasthan Royals for $300,000
64. Callum Ferguson to Pune for $300,000.
65. Aaron Finch to Delhi Daredevils for $300,000
66. Amit Mishra to Deccan Chargers for $300,000
67. Shikhar Dhawan to Deccan Chargers for $300,000.
68. JP Duminy to Deccan Chargers for $300,000
69. Parthiv Patel to Kochi for $290,000
70. Naman Ojha to Delhi Daredevils for $270,000
71. Tim Paine to Pune for $270,000
72. Jaidev Unadkat to Kolkata Knight Riders for $250,000
73. Paul Collingwood to Rajasthan Royals for $250,000.
74. Ajit Agarkar to Delhi Daredvils for $210,000
75. Scott Styris to Chennai Super Kings for $200,000
76. Steven Smith to Kochi for $200,000
77. Dwayne Bravo to Chennai Super Kings at $200,000
78. Davy Jacobs to Mumbai Indians for $190,000
79. Ramesh Powar to Kochi for $180,000
80. Charl Langeveldt to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $140,000
81. Clint McKay to Mumbai Indians for $110,000
82. Matthew Wade to Delhi Daredevils for $100,000
83. Ben Hilfenhaus to Chennai Super Kings for $100,000
84. Nathan McCullum to Pune for $100,000
85. James Franklin to Mumbai Indians for $100,000
86. Wriddhiman Saha to Chennai Super Kings for $100,000
87. Thissara Perera to Kochi for $80,000
88. Roelof van der Merwe to Delhi Daredevils for $50,000
89. Luke Pomersbach to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $50,000
90. Steven O'Keefe to Kochi for $20,000

Unsold on Sunday: Rusty Theron, Peter Siddle, Grant Elliot, Moises Henriques, Elton Chigumbura, Dillon du Preez, Samit Patel, Justin Ontong, Zander de Bruyn, Vernon Philander, Wasim Jaffer, Upul Tharanga, Darren Bravo, Adam Voges, Michael Lumb, Colin Ingram, Mohammad Kaif, Ian Bell, Chamara Silva, Nikita Miller, Malinga Bandara, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Sulieman Benn, Robin Peterson, MS Panesar, Rangana Herath, Paul Harris, Kyle Mills, Farveez Maharoof, Ryan McLaren, Jacob Oram, Dwayne Smith, Justin Kemp, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Ravi Bopara, Michael Yardy, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tim Bresnan, Indika de Saram, Denesh Ramdin, Tatenda Taibu, Chris Hartley, Gareth Hopkins, Brendan Taylor, Dinesh Chandimal, Niall O'Brien, Luke Ronchi

Unsold on Saturday: Tamim Iqbal, Chamara Kapugedera, Murali Kartik, Ajantha Mendis, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Dilhara Fernando, Luke Wright, Matt Prior, Mark Boucher, Graeme Manou, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs, Jesse Ryder, Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle.

List of players sold after lunch in Day 1 of Auction for IPL 2011

Michael Hussey- Chennai Super Kings- US$ 425,000

Shaun Marsh- Kings' XI Punjab- US$ 400,000

JP Duminy- Deccan Chargers- US$ 300,000

Shikhar Dhawan- Deccan Chargers- US$ 300,000

Saurabh Tiwary- Royal Challengers Bangalore- US$1.6 million

David Hussey- Kings' XI Punjab- US$1.4 million

David Warner- Delhi Daredevils- US$ 750,000

Parthiv Patel- Kochi- US$ 290,000

Wriddhiman Saha-Chennai Super Kings- US$ 100,000

Dinesh Karthik- Kings' XI Punjab- US$ 900,000

Naman Ojha- Delhi Daredevils- US$ 270,000

Brad Haddin- Kolkata Knight Riders- US$ 325,000

Tim Paine- Pune- US$ 270,000

David Jacobs- Mumbai Indians- US$ 190,000

James Hopes- Delhi Daredevils- US$ 350,000

Ravindra Jadeja- Kochi- US$ 950,000

Shakib-al-Hasan- Kolkata Knight Riders- US$ 425,000

Stuart Broad- Kings' XI Punjab- US$ 400,000

Abhishek Nayar- Kings' XI Punjab- US$ 800,000

Angelo Mathews- Pune- US$ 950,000

Dwayne Bravo- Chennai Super Kings- US$ 200,000

Steven Smith- Kochi- US$ 200,000

James Franklin- Mumbai Indians- US$ 100,000

Here are the lis of some spinners sold:

Muttiah Muralitharan- Kochi- US$1.1 million

Piyush Chawla- Kings' XI Punjab- US$ 900,000

R Ashwin- Chennai Super Kings- US$ 850,000

Pragyan Ojha- Deccan Chargers- US$ 500,000

Amit Mishra- Deccan Chargers- US$ 300,000

Nathan McCullum- Pune- US$ 100,000

Ramesh Powar- Kochi- US$ 180,000

Aaron Finch- Delhi Daredevils- US$ 300,000

Eoin Morgan- Kolkata Knight Riders- US$ 350,000

Brad Hodge- Kochi- US$ 425,000

Callum Ferguson- Pune- US$ 300,000

Manoj Tiwary- Kolkata Knight Riders- US$ 475,000

Cheteshwar Pujara- Royal Challengers Bangalore- US$ 700,000

S Badrinath- Chennai Super Kings- US$ 850,000

Paul Collingwood- Rajasthan Royals- US$ 250,000

List of Unsold Players:

Sourav Ganguly, Chris Gayle, Jesse Ryder, Herschelle Gibbs, Brian Lara, Graham Manou ,Matt Prior, Mark Boucher, Luke Wright, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Ajantha Mendis, Murali Karthik, Chamara Kapugedera, Tamim Iqbal

Players sold at IPL auction 2011 and their price

The auction for IPL 2011 is going on. This is going to be fresh auction with some teams retaining some of its previous players. Here are some of the players sold at IPL auction 2011.

S.N.	Player	Country	Team	Price
1	Gautam Gambhir	India	Kolkata	$2.4 million
2	Yusuf Pathan	India	Kolkata	$2.1 million
3	Robin Uthappa	India	Pune	$2.1 million
4	Rohit Sharma	India	Mumbai Indians	$2 million
5	Irfan Pathan	India	Delhi Daredevils	$1.9 million
6	Yuvraj Singh	India	Pune	$1.8 million
7	Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	Kochi	$1.5 million
8	AB de Villers	South Africa	Bangalore	$1.1 million
9	Cameron White	Australia	Deccan Chargers	$1.1 million
10	Jacques Kallis	South Africa	Kolkata	$1.1 million
11	Ross Taylor	New Zealand	Rajasthan Royals	$1 million
12	Johan Botha	South Africa	Rajasthan	$950,000
13	S Sreesanth	India	Kochi	$900,000
14	Adam Gilchrist	Australia	Punjab	$900,000
15	Zaheer Khan	India	Bangalore	$900,000
16	Andrew Symonds	Australia	Mumbai Indians	$850,000
17	Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	Deccan Chargers	$700,000
18	Tillakaratne Dilshan	Sri Laka	Bangalore	$650,000
19	Kevin Pietersen	England	Deccan Chargers	$650,000
20	Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	Bangalore	$550,000
21	Rahul Dravid	India	Rajasthan Royals	$500,000
22	Graeme Smith	South Africa	Pune	$500,000
23	RP Singh	India	Kochi	$500,000
24	Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	Kochi	$475,000
25	VVS Laxman	India	Kochi	$400,000

Live Updates - IPL auction 2011

Players sold before the lunch-break at 1.25 p.m.

Gautam Gambhir , Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.4 million

Dilshan Tillakaratne, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $650,000

Zaheer Khan, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $900,000

Ross Taylor, Rajasthan Royals, $1 million

Yusuf Pathan, Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.1 million

Kevin Pietersen, Deccan Chargers, $650,000

Mahela Jayawardene, Kochi, $1.5 million

Yuvraj Singh, Pune, $1.8million

AB de Villiers, RCB, $1.1 million

Sourav Ganguly, base price $400,000, unsold

Cameron White, Deccan Chargers, $1.1 million

Jacques Kallis, Kolkata Knight Riders, $1.1 million

Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians, $2 million

Andrew Symonds, Mumbai Indians, $850,000

Kumar Sangakkara, Deccan Chargers, $700,000

Adam Gilchrist, Kings XI Punjab, $900,000

Rahul Dravid, Rajasthan Royals, $500,000

Graeme Smith, Pune, $500,000

Robin Uthappa, Pune, $2.1 million

Johan Botha, Rajasthan Royals, $950,000

V.V.S. Laxman, Kochi, $400,000

Daniel Vettori, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $550,000

Brendon McCullum, Kochi, $475,000

S. Sreesanth, Kochi, $900,000

Chris Gayle, base price $400,000, unsold

Irfan Pathan, Delhi Daredevils, $1.9 million

R.P. Singh, Kochi, $500,000 

See you folks. The update will continue at 14:30 hours

13:28: It is lunch time at the auction hall. The last bidder R.P. Singh was bought by Kochi, the new comer for this IPL season.

13:27: Kochi bids for R.P. Singh 475,000 dollars

13:26: Kochi bids for 450,000 dollars for R.P. Singh

13:26: R.P. Singh's bid going well and it is Chennai Superkings bidding for 425,000 dollars

13:25: The bidding for R.P. Singh starts well and it goes to 270,000 dollars from Chennai Superkings.

13:24: It is bidding time for R.P. Singh. The base price 200,000 dollars.

13:23: Delhi Daredevils buys Irfan Pathan for 1 million 900,000 dollars.

13:22: Irfan Pathan bidding rises to 1 million 700,000 dollars from Delhi Daredevils. Irfan Pathan's bidding goes on and on..... swinging from Punjab to Delhi. It is now 1million 900,000 dollars.

13:20: 1 million 500,000 dollars for Irfan Punjab. Still in bidding

13:13: 1 million for Irfan Pathan from Punjab. I'm still in shock about Chris Gayle going unsold. Bidding for Irfan Pathan is still on.

13:10: No bid for Chris Gayle! What is going on! Nobody wants the match winner from West Indies.

13:09: Chris Gayle not getting too many opening bids. Surely he cant go for a lowly 400,000?

13:08: Wow that came from nowhere. Kochi bid 900,000 for Sreesanth out of the blue and get him. So Sreesanth goes to his home team.

13:07: Kochi make a splash at 900,000 for Sreesanth.

13:05: Sreesanth in the mix

13:03: Just 475,000 for McCullum. Kochi buys him at a seriously low price. This is an absolute steal!

13:01: The IPL's first centurion, Brendon McCullum now.

13:00: Daniel Vettori sold for 550,000 to Bangalore. Bit surprised at the low price. Not too many bidders for the spinner.

12:57: 400,000 for VVS Laxman to Kochi. He got one bid, and thats the last.

12:55: 950,000 for Johan Botha. Sold to Rajasthan. That is a huge sum for Botha. Did Rajasthan pay too much?

12:53: Bangalore drops out after Rajasthan bids 750,000 for Botha. Then Pune step in with 800,000.

12:50: Looks like Bangalore is keen on Botha. Bangalore matching Kochi bid for bid.

12:49: South Africa's spinner Johan Botha now.

12:48: Robin Uthappa going for a huge sum! 2.1 million to Pune!

12:47: Kochi and Pune going head to head for Robin. 2.1 million now for Robin from Pune.

12:43: Kochi and Pune fight for Robin, Bid stands at 1.6 million from Kochi now.

12:43: 1 million from Kochi for Robin Uthappa and we aren't done yet. Bangalore might step in with a bid, they seem keen.

12:42: Big hitter Robin Uthappa up for grabs.

12:41: Team Pune gets Graeme Smith for 500,000. Some laboured bidding there, not too many franchises keen on the South African captain.

12:39: Richard about to drop the hammer but Kochi enter with 420,000 for Smith. Richard Madley explains that he saw the last second bid before he dropped the hammer, so the bid counts.

12:38: Even Graeme Smith not getting too many bids. Stuck at 400,000.

12:37: A little painful to watch as Dravid goes without many bids. Sold for 500,000 to the Rajasthan Royals.

12:35: Ex-Bangalore icon player Rahul Dravid struggling to get bids here.

12:33: 900,000 for Gilchrist to Punjab. The opening bid took a while to come, but the bidding picked up quickly after.

12:31: Unsold? Who am I kidding? Bidding on at 850,000 for Gilchrist now.

12:29: Opening bid at 400,000. So he won't go unsold.

12:29: Adam Gilchrist, you're up

12:28: Keeper-batsman Sangakkara goes to Deccan Chargers for 700,00. Chennai made a brief bid but backed out quickly.

12:26: Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara now.

12:25: Andrew Symonds goes to the Mumbai Indians for 850,000. Mumbai gobbling up players here.

12:23: Chennai Super Kings finally make a bid after staying on the sidelines all through. Will they buy their first player?

12:22: Andrew Symonds up for sale now.

12:21: 2 million for Rohit Sharma! 2 million! Sold to Mumbai Indians! Mumbai with a mammoth bid!

12:20: Priety Zinta and Punjab keen on Rohit Sharma at 1.1 million, but Mumbai and Deccan Chargers enter with 1.4 million bids.

12:19: Can you believe it? 1.1 million for Rohit Sharma. Bidding still on!

12:18: Step up, Mr. Rohit Sharma. Another T20 specialist.

12:17: Kallis sold for 1.1 million to Kolkata after Bangalore exits the race.

12:14: Star player Jacques Kallis up for sale now. Expect some frenzied bidding.

12:13: Cameron White goes to the Deccan Chargers for 1.1 million.

12:11: Can we go back to Ganguly for a minute? Ganguly upped his base price from 200,000 to 400,000, it has backfired on him. No bids for Ganguly. Silence as Ganguly's name is called by Richard Madley, the autioneer. There was talk that Ganguly might go unsold, turns out to be true in the end.

12:11: Cameron White is up next.

12:09: And we're back with the bidding. Major setback for Saurav Ganguly, he goes unsold!

12:04: Right, a quick recap of the players sold so far. We have K.C. Vijaya Kumar, our sports correspondent, with the roundup:

 

Players sold at 12 noon.

Gautam Gambhir , Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.4 million

Dilshan Tillakaratne, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $650,000

Zaheer Khan, Royal Challengers Bangalore, $900,000

Ross Taylor, Rajasthan Royals, $1 million

Yusuf Pathan, Kolkata Knight Riders, $2.1 million

Kevin Pietersen, Deccan Chargers, $650,000

Mahela Jayawardene, Kochi, $1.5 million

Yuvraj Singh, Pune, $1.8million

AB de Villiers, RCB, $1.1 million 

 

11:51: We have a short break now of 15 minutes. Some crazy bidding going on in this first session. Yusuf Pathan and Gambhir setting the stage on fire with record bids. Still much more to go.

11:50: 1.1 million for de Villiers. Bangalore with the buy.

11:48: AB de Villers now

11:46: Mumbai and Deccan Chargers fight for Yuvraj, but Pune comes in with 1.8 million to get the big hitter.

11:44: In about a minute, Yuvraj's bid rises to 1.3 million. Chennai have been rather inactive thus far, will they enter with a surprise bid for Yuvraj?

11:43: Here is another prize catch. Yuvraj Singh.

11:42: Jayawardene sold to Kochi for 1.5 million. Inflated price?

11:41: I'm not sure about these inflated prices. Jayawardene at 1.5 million with Kochi. Is he really worth this much? It's not over yet, Kings XI Punjab might up the bid.

11:40: Hello, what do we have here? Kings XI Punjab, who have been silent all the while, comes in at 1 million for Jayawardene.

11:39: Kochi and Bangalore battle for Jayawardene. Bangalore has the bid at 900,000 as of now.

11:38: Who wants Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene?

11:36: Pietersen sold to Deccan Chargers for 650,000. Not too much, very modest price.

11:34: Pietersen, who played for Bangalore in the previous edition, should be hot property with his pyrotechnics.

11:34: England's former captain Kevin Pietersen up for grabs.

11:32: Yusuf Pathan, T20 specialist, is sold for 2.1 million to Kolkata! Just a shade under Gambhir's 2.4 million.

11:31: As expected, Yusuf's price is through the roof. Kolkata bids 2.1 million. Bidding still on.

11:29: Kolkata, Kochi and Deccan Chargers in a three-way fight for Yusuf.

11:29: In no time, 1 million for Yusuf Pathan. Bidding still in progress.

11:27: And now, we have the big gun - Yusuf Pathan. Bidding begins in earnest. Will this be the record buy? Let's wait and see.

11:26: Rajasthan Royals get Ross Taylor for exactly 1 million. Nicely done Rajasthan, Ross Taylor is a great T20 buy.

11:24: Bid stalls at 850,000 for Ross Taylor. Bangalore almost gets him, but Rajasthan enters the fray with 900,000. This auction is full of last minute surprises!

11:23: Time for New Zealand's explosive Ross Taylor. Who wants some? Base price 400,000.

11:22: Bangalore steals Zaheer Khan from Mumbai and Delhi. Zaheer sold for 900,000 to Bangalore! Prize catch! Last minute bid from Bangalore snares the left arm pacer.

11:20: A bit of a tussle between Delhi and Mumbai for Zaheer. 850,000 USD right now with the Mumbai Indians. RCB enters at 900,000.

11:19: Zaheer Khan, India pacer, now. He has a base price of 300,000 USG

11:18: 650,000 USD for Dilshan, bought by Bangalore. A bit of a bargain if you ask me, I think he is definitely worth more.

11:17: Each team can spend a maximum of 9 million, so spending 2.4 million on just Gambhir is quite something.

11:16: Dilshan can be be murderous in this form of the game. Expect skyrocketing prices for the Sri Lankan too.

11:15: Sri Lankan dasher Dilshan under the hammer now.

11:14: What a brilliant start to the auction! Gambhir is sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for 2,400,000 USD. 2.4 million for Gambhir! 11.4 crore for the India opener!

11:12: Gambhir was about to be sold for 1,900,000 but Kolkata comes in with a 2 million bid. Hot property, Gambhir.

11:09: Pune and Mumbai in a bidding war. The bid stands at 800,000 for Pune, but wait, we have a new entrant. Bangalore comes in with 900,000 USD!! The bid is still on, 1 million now by RCB.

11:06: You can cut the tension with a knife. Richard Madley, the auctioneer, puts Gautam Gambhir up for sale. His base price is 200,000. "I hear 250,000 for Mumbai. Now 260,000". This is exciting. Let us wait and see how much Gautam Gambhir is sold for.

11:04: The IPL chairman Chirayi Amin: "I'd like to congratulate all the team owners and wish you all the best in the auction. Also, good luck to the players."

11:03: And we're off! Introductory speeches begin.

11:01: Right, let us go through the rules for a bit. Each team needs to have a sqaud of 30 players, with not more than 10 overseas players.

10:59: I think the most interesting part of today will be the auction of Brian Lara. His base price is 400,000 USD, a bit steep for a player who hasn't played competitive cricket for three years.

10:56: Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise plays down the importance of money at the auction. "It isn't about the money you have in your pockets, it is about picking a well balanced squad," he says.

The team owners and officials are gathering in the auction room in Bangalore now. We are minutes away from bidding action.

Welcome to The Hindu's live coverage of the IPL player auctions 2011. 48 Indians up for 'sale', and a total of 353 players to be auctioned today and tomorrow.

OU turns war zone; students lob petrol bombs Read more: OU turns war zone; students lob petrol bombs

HYDERABAD: Clashes on the Osmania University campus intensified on Friday after the students lobbed a variation of Molotov cocktails at the security forces and torched at least 10 vehicles in and around the campus even as the cops fought back with lathis, stun grenades and rubber bullets on a day which saw pitched battles between the two and showed no signs of abating.

In the violence that began at 10.30 am and lasted till 7 pm, at least 12 students and three security personnel were injured. The police fired over 200 rounds of tear gas shells, 40 rounds of stun grenades and 15 rounds of rubber bullets while the agitating students answered with stones at first and later improvised it with Molotov cocktails in which beer bottles were filled with petrol and lobbed at the security forces.

After a violent stand-off the previous day, the students numbering about 400 took out a rally from Arts College to the NCC gate at Vidyanagar around 10.30 am and wanted to proceed to Gun Park at the state assembly. However, on being denied permission, they started pelting stones at the security personnel near the Vidyanagar gate of the campus.

The cops retaliated with tear gas shells and rubber bullets and the stand-off continued till 12.30 pm. The students were finally dispersed from that point. While retreating, the students stared pelting stones again at the security forces stationed at an entry point near the Ladies Hostel to which the cops again replied with tear gas shells and rubber bullets. The second round of clash lasted for more than an hour.

Around 2.40 pm, the students regrouped at the Arts College and after a brief meeting, marched towards B Hostel. It was from here that the students from inside the hostel started lobbing Molotov cocktails and took the cops by surprise even as those outside pelted the security forces with stones.

It was at this stage that the cops resorted to firing tear gas shells from the Vajra vehicles. This standoff continued till almost one hour and triggered the worst phase of the violence on Friday.

Even as the injured students from near Arts College were being taken by 108 ambulance for treatment, the angry mob toppled a police jeep and torched it.

To add to the melee, a group of BJP leaders led by Bandaru Dattatreya arrived at the campus at around 5 pm and was arrested immediately.

The students then continued their battle with many of them moving to the football ground (A Ground) facing Big Bazaar, Tarnaka. While they tried to jump the wall to spill out into the main road, the police fired shells from the Tarnaka flyover to chase away the students.

But this time, the students strength rose to over a 1,000 and they were finally stopped from marching outside the campus at Manjira Hostel by the security forces. Around 6.30 pm, the students torched a private bus on the Tarnaka-Osmania University Road near B Hostel.

The violence then spilled over to the Tarnaka-Habsiguda main road in which four private buses, two cars and one tanker were damaged near Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Habsiguda by unidentified persons. At the same time, another private vehicle was torched by miscreants near English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu).

The stand off between police, locals and students continued till late in the night at Manikeswarinagar. DCP East Zone Y Gangadhar said seven persons were arrested in connection with the violence at OU on Friday.

The students, meanwhile, charged the security forces with unleashing brutality and vowed to fight on Saturday.
"We condemn the police attacks on students and request students from other universities in Telangana to pool in support for the movement," said Tirumani Kondal, co-convener, OU Students JAC.

Meanwhile, Kailash Neta, spokesperson, OU Telangana Students' JAC said that even after the students retreated, the police raided hostels and detained many of them.

The JAC has given a call to students to stage dharnas before the residences of public representatives belonging to Congress and TDP on Saturday, he added.

Source : The Times of India

Andhra: North winds blow in more chill

The twin cities continued to shiver in the grip of a cold wave with temperatures plummeting further in several districts of Telangana.Hyderabad and Secunderabad reported 9.3 degrees Celsius today while Adilabad reported the lowest temperature of 4 degrees, Warangal 7 degrees and Nizamabad 9 degree Celcius.However, the city recorded the lowest temperature for January at 8.3 degree Celsius on Thursday after the 6.1 degree Celcius recorded on January 8, 1946 .The Hyderabad Meteorology Centre officials said that the existing cold wave conditions would prevail over Telangana for the next 48 hours.Venkateswara Rao, assistant meteorologist told Express that the twin cities was reeling under the cold wave due to the north winds blowing over Telangana region since two days after a trough was formed due to western disturbances which occur during winter."Besides, Easterly winds have been blowing over Telangana and Coastal Andhra regions and prevailed in Adilabad, Ranagareddy, Medak and Warangal districts in Telangana. Under their influence, the existing cold wave is likely to continue," the MeT officials added.

Telangana: The road ahead

Hyderabad:  Two days after the contents of the Srikrishna committee report were made public, there is disappointment and confusion among the people of the Telangana region about the road ahead.

"We want Telangana. We get educated and work as labour and donkeys here. For how long will domination by the Andhra and Rayalaseema people continue?'' says a pro Telangana man on the streets of Hyderabad.

At the Jadcherla market yard in Mahbubnagar, it doesn't take time for the locals to get passionate and emotional on the issue of Telangana. Everyone is concerned and everyone has an opinion.

"Telangana must come... at least so that the lives of our children can be better than ours... our lives have got wasted away... let our children get a chance," said another man who works at the Jadcherala market yard.

While some see the future of their children in dark, for some the diplomacy of political leaders is the reason behind demanding a separate Telangana.

"No one would have been asking for a separate Telangana today if only our political leaders had not let us down," said another man.

In Mahbubnagar town the pro-Telangana Joint Action Committee is demanding that the Central government must act on its promise for a separate Telangana, irrespective of the Srikrishna committee report recommendations.

On ground zero, college students have once again come back to the forefront of the Telangana agitation, their aspiration for a job and dream for a better life linked to the idea of a separate state.

"We waited 365 days. The Srikrishna committee stopped us for so long. It has given six options. But it is not acceptable to us," said Guruvaiah who is a student.

The prime concern now is whether the prolonged turmoil and uncertainty will translate into a better tomorrow.

Shutdown in parts of Telangana to protest firing on students

Shops, business establishments and educational institutes were closed in parts of Hyderabad and nine other Telangana districts on Friday in response to a shutdown call to protest police firing on students  at the Osmania University campus. The shutdown call was given by the Osmania University joint Action  Committee (OUJAC) OUJAC and the Telangana Joint  Action Committee, comprising various groups fighting for separate state.

Shops and business establishments were also closed in some parts of  Nizamabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Medak districts while the state-owned  Road Transport Corporation (RTC) stopped plying buses on some routes  as a precautionary measure, officials said.

Schools, colleges and universities in the region remained closed to  protest both the police action on Osmania University campus and the  report of the Srikrishna committee, which strongly recommended keeping  Andhra Pradesh united.

The Telangana JAC has also called for lunch-hour demonstrations by  government employees.

Osmania University, the nerve centre of the Telangana agitation, remained a  tense a day after violence on the campus.

Areas around the university wore a deserted look as shops and business  establishments were closed. However, normal life remained  unaffected in the rest of the city.

Violence in the campus continued till late Thursday night as students fought pitched battles with police and the latter fired rubber bullets  and lobbed teargas shells after repeated caning failed to disperse the  students.

At least a dozen policemen including a senior officer were injured in  stone pelting by students. Scored of students were also injured in the  use of force by police. Two students sustained bullet  injuries and they were shifted to hospital.

As the government imposed restrictions on media, no television channel  telecast the clashes which continued throughout the day. This helped  the police in containing the violence from spreading outside the campus.

Additional police forces were deployed in the campus Friday to prevent  students from taking out any procession. The trouble had broken out Thursday after students tried to take out a rally to protest the  report of the Srikrishna Committee.

Source: www.hindustantimes.com

Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana submitted to Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: The Justice Srikrishna Committee on Telangana statehood demand on Thursday submitted its report to home minister P Chidambaram.

After a meeting, the five-member committee, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Srikrishna, met the home minister in North Block office to present the report.

Details of the report are still awaited, but the home minister has appealed for peace. Security all across Andhra Pradesh has been tightened.

A meeting of eight political parties has been convened by the home minister on January 6th, 2011. Details of the committee's report will only be revealed once they are shared with the other political parties.

"I propose to convene a meeting of 8 recognised political parties of Andhra Pradesh on January 6. Immediately after the meeting, the report will be made public," Chidambaram said.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh presided over an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet to review the Telangana state issue and security in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the submission of the report.

Earlier, the five-member committee on Telangana statehood issue had said it would give "several options with their pros and cons" in its report that will seek to achieve the highest satisfaction of the largest number.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Justice B N Srikrishna hoped that the report, would offer a solution to the divisive demands for the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. He also expressed the hope that all political parties in the state will accept the report and maintain peace and harmony after the report is submitted.

"I hope peace prevails in the state after the report is submitted. It is the responsibility of the politicians and the media," he said.

The seven-point term of reference announced by the Union Government on February 12 has mandated the Justice Srikrishna Committee to "examine the situation in Andhra Pradesh with reference to the demand for a separate state of Telangana as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of united Andhra".

The government constituted the committee on February 3, nearly two months after it had announced that steps have been initiated for the formation of a separate state of Telangana.

The Telangana region is spread over 10 northern districts of Andhra Pradesh.

From timesofindia.com

Srikrishna committee gets first representation on Telangana

 New Delhi: The Justice B N Srikrishna Committee on Telangana on Tuesday received the first representation from a Congress MP who opposed bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, saying a separate state will not do any good for the people of the region.

Lagadapati Rajagopal, the Vijayawada MP who quit over the issue and then withdrew his resignation, said "mere sentiment" should never be the ground for division of states.

"If states are divided based on this (sentiments), it will have far reaching repercussions. Definitely, there will be more and more such demands in the resultant a truncated state," he said in a letter to the committee's Member-Secretary V K Duggal.

Rubbishing the claim of Telangana supporters that the region was under-developed, the MP in his 5-page letter said all Telangana districts, except a couple of them, have shown more growth rate compared to other regions of Andhra Pradesh and also all India growth rate over the last 15 years.

"We are all proud of the development and prosperity of Telangana region, which is comparable to the best of the developed regions in the country," he said and claimed he got the figures from government and other agencies.

Rajagopal also said that out of the total government jobs, there are 92 per cent of jobs at the district level, 6 per cent at zonal level and the remaining 2 per cent at the state level.

He said the claim of pro-Telangana activists that a separate state would generate more jobs for the people was not true.

"There are only 27,000 state level jobs in Andhra Pradesh and there are hardly any regional disparities with regard to government job recruitments.

"If a new state is formed, at the most a couple of thousand additional jobs would be created with the formation of the new state," he said.

"With more than a million youth coming out of graduation every year in search of jobs, will these couple of additional government jobs suffice?" he said.

He also contested pro-Telangana activists' view that the culture of Telangana people is different from that of others in the state.


’Committee on Telangana to finish consultation by July’

The Srikrishna committee appointed by the Centre to go into Telangana statehood issue would start the process of consultation by the end of March and complete it latest by the end of July, Member-Secretary of the committee V K Duggal said here tonight.

"We would like to complete the consultation process by the end of June and might extend till July. After that, we will start evaluation of the data and write the report. We are determined to give the report by the end of the year", he told reporters on his maiden visit to Hyderabad after the constitution of the panel.

The committee has been asked by the central government to submit its report by December 31.

Duggal is on a day's visit to Hyderabad to put in place the necessary infrastructure and other arrangements for the committee to do its job.

Duggal had a meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary S V Prasad and will meet Governor E S L Narasimhan.

‘Include Dec 9 statement in Telangana committee's ToR’

Congress MPs from Telangana today appealed to the party high command that the Centre's December 9, 2009 statement on the separate statehood issue should be included in the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Srikrishna Committee to clear the air over the issue in Andhra Pradesh.

The MPs have already written a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi demanding that Home Minister P Chidambaram's December 9 statement that the Centre would initiate steps for the formation of a separate Telangana state be included in the ToR of Justice Srikrishna committee.

"We want the statement to be included so that the people of Telangana will have no doubt about the Centre's initiative for wide ranging consultations," Nizamabad MP Madhu Goud Yaskhi told agency here.

He said including the statement in the ToR will bring confidence among Telangana people about the Centre's willingness to form a separate state.

The Srikrishna Committee has been mandated to look into the demands for a separate Telangana state as well as keeping Andhra Pradesh united.

From www.zeenews.com

Separate Telangana, United Andhra among options

 In the fourth option, for which political parties spearheaded by Telangana Rashtra Samiti have been campaigning, the committee suggests bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into two units -- Telangana and Seemandhra -- as per existing boundaries. Telangana will have Hyderabad as its capital, while Seemandhra, comprising Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, will have a new capital.
In the option for keeping the state united, the committee has suggested that there should be simultaneous provision of certain constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region by creation of a statutorily-empowered Telangana Regional Council.

Srikrishna report on Telangana offers 6 options

 Creation of a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital and keeping Andhra Pradesh united with constitutional and statutory measures for empowerment of Telangana region are among the six options recommended by the Justice Srikrishna Committee.

The report of the five-member committee headed by the former Supreme Court judge, which gave its recommendations after nearly 11 months of consultations in the state, was released by the home ministry on Thursday, a week after it received it.
The two-volume 461-page report has also suggested maintaining status quo with a rider that it is the least favoured option.

Srikrishna panel report out: 6 options on Telangana

The Srikrishna committee on the demand for a separate Telangana state became public on Thursday morning. It has suggested six options, including the creation of a new state.

After the release of the 800-page report, home minister P Chidambaram addressed an all-party meeting in Delhi, but three major parties, TRS, BJP and TDP, boycotted it. Chidambaram has urged all parties to study the report and return for another meeting, later this month.

Minutes after he made the appeal, TRS leader K T Rama Rao said it was up to the UPA government at the centre to make up its mind, since the Telangana activists had already made their position clear: they want nothing less than a separate state.

As things stand, the Congress-led central government cant hedge on the statehood demand any more. The new Telangana state, if conceded, will be carved out of Andhra Pradesh, one of Indias biggest states.

Among the ideas put forth by the committee are: keep a united Andhra Pradesh with provisions for empowering Telangana, divide the state into two (Seemandhra and Telangana) and let each develop a capital, and turn Hyderabad into a union territory. The committee does not favour maintaining the status quo, which is an acknowledgment that popular sentiment demands a change in the states contours.

The committee has also said backwardness is no criterion for creating a new state. All of which means the way forward remains as confused as before, but time is running out for the central government. The Telangana groups are united, and ready to launch a struggle that cuts across party lines.

Paramilitary forces wielding machine guns are standing guard at several places in Andhra Pradesh, and any violent uprising could be crushed immediately. Telangana groups have been threatening that the people will erupt spontaneously if their demand is suppressed any more.

HISTORY

It was exactly a year ago, on December 9, that the central government said it would act on the demand for a separate state. That statement, on both houses of parliament, came after Telangana Rashtriya Samiti leader K Chandrashekhar Rao went on an indefinite hunger strike, and agitators turned violent.

The agitation for a state separate from Andhra Pradesh has been emotive, and by the TRSs estimation, nearly 500 people have committed suicide for the cause.

Not all political parties are for Telangana, though. The Telugu Desam Party, led by Chandrababu Naidu, has been ambivalent about the demand. The Congress is split, with leaders from the Telangana region rooting for a separate state, and those elsewhere sitting on the fence.

From Yahoo News

The options listed by Srikrishna Committee report

New Delhi:  The Srikrishna Report on Telangana has been presented to political parties from Andhra Pradesh. The report places before the government several options rather than recommendations on how to handle the three parts of the state: Coastal Andhra, Telangana and Rayalaseema.

The 505-page report lists six options and then itself rules out the first three options as not being practical, saying the most "workable option" is the sixth one - a united Andhra Pradesh with constitutionally-allocated regional rights.

( Read: Full text of Srikrishna Committee Report)

The six options that the report lists are:
 

1. Maintain status quo

2. Bifurcation of the State into Seemandhra and Telangana; with Hyderabad as a Union Territory and the two states developing their own capitals in due course

3. Bifurcation of State into Rayala-Telangana and coastal Andhra regions with Hyderabad being an integral part of Rayala-Telangana

4. Bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Seemandhra and Telangana with enlarged Hyderabad Metropolis as a separate Union Territory

5. Bifurcation of the State into Telangana and Seemandhra as per existing boundaries with Hyderabad as the capital of Telangana and Seemandhra to have a new capital

6. Keeping the State united by simultaneously providing certain definite Constitutional/Statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region -creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.