Round 1 of Ranji Trophy 2019-20 started with a snake entering the ground and ended with a thrilling finish in Dindigul. Here is a complete round-up of the last four days of the biggest domestic tournament in cricket.
Elite A and B Group:
Mumbai vs Baroda
Educational loans have caught large sections of South Indian youth in a debt trap and the problem is so acute that even if the recipients manage to repay the loans, they suffer life-long consequences, from which there is no easy escape.
The problem is particularly bad in the case of Kerala, with its high rate of literacy, where the aspirational value of education as a means of securing a better life is much stronger compared to many other states. Kerala also is one of the most exemplary examples of how education and certain professions have lifted whole communities out of the social and economic hierarchy.
It is no wonder, therefore, that Kerala accounts for the largest disbursement of educational loans by banks and financial institutions for any single state. Over half of total educational loans in India are disbursed in South India, according to rating agency Care Ratings; and Kerala and Tamil Nadu together account for 36 percent of all outstanding educational loans in the country, which gives an idea about the high dependence on bank finance for education in the two states. About 95 percent of the loans are provided by the public sector banks under priority lending, with State Bank of India leading the pack by far.
While going through a petition seeking the lifting of night traffic regulations on the Bandipur National Park stretch of Kozhikode-Kollegal National Highway 766, the Supreme Court made a chance observation that an alternative route be explored, facilitating permanent closure of the national park stretch. This evoked huge protests in the northern hill district of Wayanad in Kerala—the largest protest the district has ever witnessed. True this: devoid of any rail link and located close to Mysore in Karnataka and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu and accessible from the rest of Kerala only through ghat roads, it is a lifeline for Wayanad.
A hunger strike was organised in Sulthan Bathery Town by various youth organisations with the backing of all major political parties and Rahul Gandhi flew down from Delhi to express his solidarity. Thousands took part in the mega rallies held in various parts of the district. The protestors shouted slogans against a few local environmentalists, who according to them, had tried to mislead the Supreme Court and its learned judges. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rushed to Delhi to seek the intervention of the Centre in convincing the Supreme Court about the implications of such a ban on the hill district, affecting tourism and normal life.
Though the hunger strike was called off following assurances from the Centre and Karnataka that no plan for permanent closure of the route was under consideration, the real issue continues to remain unaddressed. At one level, a few self-proclaimed environmentalists with unrealistic goals are making the issue complex by engaging in a prolonged process of litigation. They seek more travel regulations on the route without factoring in that the road had existed for centuries facilitating trade, commerce and other interactions between the Kannadigas and the Malayalis.
“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”—Alanis Obomsawin
The current climate crisis across the globe, poses the greatest threat to human existence. A recent paper published by climate experts at the National Centre for Climate Restoration, Australia, claims there are very high chances that the human civilization would collapse by 2050, if serious steps are not taken by governments and people, to curtail the rising temperatures. Even as the coastal states of India face the wrath of cyclones and high-speed winds, the interiors see the reverse of unquenchable water crisis.
The effects of climate change are particularly fatal in developing nations because of its high population density and ill-preparedness for such calamities. Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, has seen its worst rainfall in the past decade this year, killing at least 32 due to inundation since July 1 and thousands being forced to evacuate.
As a frequent traveller I had been fond of my briefcase. It has immense uses. It carries your essentials while you are on transit and at times it carries your alter ego. Never had I ever thought about its potentials. The potential of any briefcase is thus unimaginable that it could even torpedo the mandates of a written constitution, in the name of democracy.
Even after having a thumping victory and unprecedented majority, AIADMK is unable to organically choose a Chief Minister. The leaders are searching for the inner voice, not their own, but of leaders who are already in their graves, who are the original owners of those powerful briefcases. The people who had done their job of electing a party, for having their government, do not have any clue as to who would be their Chief Minister. Thus being at the mercy of members of the legislative assembly, who have been divided into different camps, eagerly waiting for the commands that may come out of those briefcases.
By virtue of various provisions in the Constitution of India, the ball is certainly in the court of the Governor of the State who is supposed to act according to the mandate of the provisions in the Constitution. One has to admit that Smt. Jayalalithaa had been a trend setter. She had done so many things including giving a clarity of various constitutional issues, by virtue of being party to the proceedings in Court. Since her forte was Tamil Nadu and her most comfortable position was either being Chief Minister’s Man (or Woman) or the Chief Minister herself, her appointment made the Supreme Court to interpret the law and give clarity with regards to the position involving the appointments of the Chief Ministers, by the Governor.
By Amit Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli
Ma’am Jayalalithaa was one of those few people who are feared, loved and respected in equal measure. She was imperious enough to make people tremble at the thought of incurring her wrath. But when one came in her presence, the thing one noticed most was her aura and charisma. She liked order and discipline. Possibly the reason the police department was one of her favourites. She prided herself on maintaining law and order and in not interfering in the functioning of the police. Any Tamil Nadu cop will bear testimony to the fact that she walked the talk. In an era where councillors and party cadre routinely interfere with policing in the country, under her, no one dared interfere. For the ‘police’ was Amma’s department. If any of her party cadre was acting wayward, all one needed to say was a report on his activities would be sent to the Chief Minister. That was more than enough to set things right. In case it wasn’t and a report was sent, that person would invariably find himself expelled from the party.
Though a quintessential ‘Iron Lady’ in life, the memories of her that remain after her passing are of a lady who exuded class and was the embodiment of courtesy. A salute to her always got the response of an equally respectful joining of hands. No matter whether the person offering the salute was a Constable, SP or DGP. No matter how many times she had to do it.
By Justice K. Chandru
Today, the Apollo Hospital on Greams Road (where once Cochin Palace was situated) has assumed great importance. Thousands of AIADMK party cadre assemble every day in front of its gate and offer prayers for the speedy recovery of their “Amma” who is the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu – J. Jayalalitha. Besides these people, there are also daily visits by political bigwigs starting from Rahul Gandhi to various political leaders. The latest being Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Sathasivam who have scheduled to make an air dash from Calicut. The fact of the matter is that whomsoever they may be, none of them had an occasion to meet the ailing Chief Minister. Their visits stop at the reception room of the hospital. Each one later tells the permanently berthed newsmen at the gate that they spoke to the doctors and that she is recovering. The hospital issues periodic health reports that most of the time contradicts the previous state of health.
A public interest litigation filed before the Madras High Court seeking to know the real health of the Chief Minister was thrown out with an observation that it was a publicity interest litigation. The Opposition leader has demanded the appointment of an acting Chief Minister since the Chief Minister’s internment in the hospital was more than three weeks. There is one maverick politician who has already demanded the imposition of President’s rule. Before one looks into the Constitutional position, it is also important to know whether the citizens have a right to know the real state of health of their Chief Minister.
