The India Scene

How India Got an Innings Victory Over Sri Lanka in the Second Cricket Test?
By Rama Lingam

Having drawn the first test, India managed to post an innings victory against Sri Lanka in the second test. Thanks to Santha Kumaran Sreesanth, the speedster from Kerala, who was included from the test squad after a hiatus of 19 months in the wilderness.

India achieved it by an innings and 144 runs in the second cricket test played with Sri Lanka in Kanpur Green Park stadium. This is the highest innings defeat imposed by India against a team bettering its previous performance in the same venue in the year 1993-1994.

The win in the second test against Sri Lanka was its 100 the test victory making India to join the elite club of test playing countries like Australia, West Indies, England, South Africa and Pakistan, all of them had 100 + test victories under their belt.

India was lucky enough to win the toss and elected to bat in the first innings. Thanks to a fine opening stand of 200 + between the swashbuckling opener Virendar Sehwag, who virtually played a one day knock of scoring 131 scoring his fastest century. India was 417 for 1 on day one, which was a record for India.

Then Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid, the second wall and the first wall of India combined together to propel India to score a mammoth total of 642, scoring 167 and 144 respectively.

When Sri Lanka began its first innings, it was dismissed cheaply for 229 runs thanks to a five wickets haul from Sreesanth.His accurate bowling and reverse swing worked wonders for India. Only Jayewardene and the captain Sangakara scored 47 and 44 runs respectively, the dynamic Sri Lankan opener Dilshan scoring a duck.

India enforced the follow on. In the second innings played by Sri Lanka, a misunderstanding between Mahela and his captain Sangakara resulted in a disastrous run out of the former that made things very easier for India. Despite a stubborn knock of unbeaten 78 runs by the Sri Lankan batsman Tilan Samaraweera, Sri Lanka was all out for 269 in the second innings enabling India to score a historic test victory. In the second innings spinners Harbajan, Ojha, Sehwag and Yuvaraj respectively scalped 3, 2,1 and 1 wickets, while the medium pacers Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan took one each.

Sreesanth was declared the man of the match for his match winning haul of 6 wickets that helped India to restrict Sri Lanka at 229 in the first innings and enforce the follow on.

The Sri Lankan captain Sangakara in the post match interview said that it was Gauti and Viru who took the match away from them and hoped to bounce back and square the test series in the third test to be played in Mumbai in a couple of days.

1.The Hindu (daily)

2.The Deccan Chronicle (daily)

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WorldSpace Dies a Quiet Death in India
By Surajit Ray

Indian section of WorldSpace radio is heading for a quiet demise at the end of this year. Subscribers have been left high and dry! The good days of advertisement free radio are gone! So what went wrong? Why has WorldSpace generally gone from a great concept to a broke company?

The foremost reason is the exclusive device which was a necessary ingredient in their service. This device was unusable with any other service and rarely had any other peripheral uses other than listening to music. Their was no bundled mp3 capability, no FM capability and no video capability. So the device was just that - a WorldSpace device. This made the customer wary of his future with the service. You see the big selling point of any product in India is multi-functionality. People like their gadgets to do “everything”, even if that means having three instances of the same service/function in different devices. The concept a “device only for WorldSpace” was a difficult idea to sell to the average customer.

The second reason was the “directional antenna”. Any other radio like FM or AM did not need a radio hanging outside your window! The antenna system also made it impossible to carry it conveniently in a car. People are rarely listening to music except in the car. That is because they spend the better part of their days sitting in a car waiting for the daily traffic jam to ease! No car capability made WorldSpace a difficult choice for the average buyer.

The third reason was competition from FM ad-supported stations. FM works from the word go in your car. It does not need special “installations” and they keep playing the same “hot” tunes throughout the day. Their idea is the catch various drivers in their cars. In fact a lot of programming content on FM is directed squarely at the average driver.

Thanks to these important details, WorldSpace has breathed its last on Indian soil. There have been many lovers of their service in the short time that they were here. But they failed to capitalize on their initial gains. Hopefully alternative services will spring up to fill the void.

http://www.rareindianart.com

An avid art and handicraft enthusiast.

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Cricket Crazy India
By Srinivasa Gopal

If people forget to sleep and eat in India it is because a cricket game is going on. Due to the excessive commercialization of cricket post the 90s cricket management has also become a very rich business. The BCCI is perhaps one of the richest institutions in the whole world. Also players who play in the private leagues are also paid an enormous sum of money.

Every kid in school talks cricket. Every kid knows how to play cricket as well. There are people in India who understand the sport more than any one else in the world. Post the 80s life was very difficult for these cricketers. The persons who represented India would just be respected by everybody. The BCCI was a very poor institution during that time and players played in competitions only for pride.

But after the Indian team won the world cup in 1983 private funds started flowing in. Reliance Industries sponsored the 1987 world cup in India. The Indian team emerged victorious in a world series in Australia as well in 1985. Due to increased public interest and more people cheering for a victorious side, private sponsorship for players and tournaments started flowing from the Industries. Also Television broadcasting rights were sold exclusively to certain parties for very high prices. BCCI became the worlds most powerful and richest organization.

That not being enough the BCCI management made sure that cricketers were rewarded well when they perform well. The new BCCI leadership also gave generous grants for improving infrastructure and also improving other sports as well in India. The players were also given retainership fees and contracts. The players who played for India are also the subject of attention of an enormous number of television channels.

All said and done the Indian team emerged victorious in many occasions and produced many world class players over the last century. It also excelled in all forms of the game (3 formats) and recently reached the number one spot. Whereas the players and the Board of control of cricket have immensely benefited by public viewership and interest, there is very little to suggest that there is any of the benefit of the game being shared with public.

The author is an Ezine Expert and can be contacted on srinivasa32@hotmail.com. Would love to hear from my readers and publishers

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India Tours - A Journey to the Most Astonishing Land of Beauty at All Levels
By Adiba Roshan Khan

As you ride the camel into the fading orange glow of profound sunsets at Sam Sand Dunes of Jaisalmer, you can feel the horizons of your vision, your imagination, and your fantasy expanding. The oriental feel throughout the country has enough variations to keep most elaborate of your India Tours full of excitement and surprises.

One of the best mega diversity hotspots of the world, India’s amazing tropical rainforests in Northeast and Western Ghats are known to have more endemic species than anywhere else in the world. India is perhaps the only country to have as many as 10 bio-geographic zones on display. National Parks of high Himalayas; Snow leopards, and mountain goats in the Trans Himalayan zone; Tiger Reserves, best bird sanctuaries and desert reptiles of Rajasthan; and rich and unique flora and fauna of South India are among the favorite tourist attractions for inbound India tourists and wildlife enthusiasts.

The emerald green Kerala backwaters reflecting the lush foliage on both the sides relate to the heart in more ways than one. The luxury houseboat cruises through small isolated island villages of Kerala, traditional canoes ferrying people and products to and fro from major urban areas of the state, beautiful fishes swimming along with your boat and sounds of Nature in the early mornings are some of the most romantic experiences that all honeymoon couples want to treasure. A heady mix of crisp, clean and fresh air and fabulous views of pleasantly cool rolling Blue Mountains or Nilgiris, as you stroll through aromatic tea, coffee, and spice plantations, will make your want for more.

The special effects of India are undoubtedly its forts and palaces and grand heritage monuments that display the grandeur and splendor of Rajas, Maharajas, Samraats and Nawabs of the bygone eras. The Land of Rajputs Rajasthan is famous for expansive strategically built forts on hilltops, legendary castles and delicate palaces that are a delight for one’s eyes. Some of these forts are in ruins but there are some that stand in pristine conditions to this day. Incredibly convoluted architecture, opulent and plush interiors and amazing views from palatial forts that have now been converted into luxury heritage hotels are an experience that will get etched in your memory forever. A luxurious bubble bath in a sunken marble tub is not the only fantasy that you can fulfill at these fort palaces.

A feast for the senses has to be good for soul. Nothing is more dramatic and awe-inspiring than the temples, mosques, gurudwaras, churches, and synagogues of India. The drawing power of its pilgrimage places and religious destinations, the exceptional Buddhist and Jain Temples, and the number of devotees who flock to its religious fairs and festivals held at Gompas in Leh and Ladakh, and Pushkar and Ajmer at Rajasthan make us wonder about what is really attractive - the places or the people themselves. India offers beauty that encompasses Mind, Body, and Soul as well as a holistic tourism experience for one and all.

Want to know all about Rajasthan Tours and Golden Triangle Tours, Explore - http://www.rajasthantoursonline.com

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Why Full Service Airlines Are Bleeding in India
By Ravinder Malik

A Case Study

There has been much debate over where really lies the problem with the airlines sector. Full service airline providers are posting losses year on year while low cost carriers seem to be posting some profits. Airlines companies in India together posted a record net loss of 44% in the last fiscal year. This is much higher compared with any y-o-y losses seen in the past by this evolving industry.

Full service airlines are working to being down their cost available per seat km. According to a recent study, this cost for full service airlines has come down from Rs. 4.60 has fallen down to Rs. 3.02. Whereas, this cost for low cost carriers is Rs. 2.40. While all airlines are working to cut their costs, full service airlines are unable to do it to the extent LCCs are. Airlines claim that steep aviation turbine fuel prices and expensive airport charges in the country are the primary cause for their losses. Aviation turbine fuel prices are very high in India compared with other countries in the world. Even so, they have substantially gone down over the last year from Rs 71,028 a kilolitre in August ‘08 to Rs 36,992 a kilolitre in the same month of 2009. The flipside is that most full service airlines in India also run international routes. Fuel used on international flights is available at international prices. This gives the companies some leverage in terms of fuel price as well. Are full service airlines conveniently ignoring this fact?

In the last quarter, Kingfisher posted a loss of Rs 243 crores in the quarter ending June 2009, whereas Jet Airways said it suffered a loss of Rs 225 crores. Contrarily, budget carrier SpiceJet recorded a profit of Rs 26 crores. So while Jet Airways revenue slipped 18 per cent compared to the same quarter last year, SpiceJet revenue went up by 15 per cent. Fuel costs and airport charges remaining constant, there seems to be a huge gap somewhere. A cursory look implies it is not so much the airline industry that is suffering, but the full service airline companies that are really facing the music.

What remains true is that these airlines are posting losses on a yearly basis. Kingfisher losses rose from Rs 158 crore in the quarter ended June 2008 to Rs 243 crore in the same period in 2009. Jet Airways posted profits of Rs 143 crore in this period in 2008, while they suffered losses of Rs 225 crore in this period in 2009. The picture with low cost carriers was different during this period. SpiceJet revenues, for instance, saw an upwards trend. While they posted losses of Rs 129 crore in the June 2008 quarter, they had profits of Rs 26 crore in that quarter of 2009.

All these arguments point towards one straight fact. Airlines that are working on controlling their costs take the lead over competitors. Most have excessive capacity while customer traffic has gone down drastically. This is leading to tremendous suffering for airlines that worked full capacity till recently. Also, Indians are keen to travel for as little as possible. A high percentage of travellers prefer low cost carriers to full service airlines. This is turning out to be the greatest challenge for full service airlines. Where Air India and Jet Airways had a passenger load of 68% approx. for the quarter June 2009, Kingfisher had a passenger load of 72%. SpiceJet surges ahead of all these carriers to maintain a passenger load of about 77%, while GoAir and IndiGo take a passenger load of 85% and 82% respectively.

The most stunning proof of these developments is that while low cost carriers are adding to their fleet and routes, full service airlines are reducing their capacities. There are some means airlines such as Air India, Kingfisher and Jet Airways have to come up with to beat these circumstances. Because low cost airlines are here to stay.

Ravinder Malik, works with iXiGO as their SEO Analyst. You can find excellent Airlines information for Kingfisher, Indigo and Jet Airways on ixigo.com.

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