The Delhi High Court has recently announced that People of Indian Origin (PIO) as well as those who are the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) don’t have the freedom to symbolize India in sports events which would be held at the international arena. Adding to this statement, it said that these players own their alliance to their adopted nations. This all happened, when the court rejected the appeal of two PIO spokespersons who were intending to symbolize Indian in some of the sports competitions.

Karm Kumar, who holds the British passport, challenged this decision to bar the overseas passport holders to represent India in international events. US-based player Robert Blanchette also did the same and went against this decision of court.

Justice S Muralidhar further commented that as long as the dual citizenship of the applicant is not confirmed by the government, overseas passport holders don’t have the right/freedom to represent India in any of the sports events held at the international level.

The court said that the facet of dual citizenship should be acknowledged in all the aspects, otherwise no foreign passport holder would be granted the right to represent Indian in global sporting events.

In addition, the justification to this point that only Indian passport holders should be granted the right to represent their country is that overseas passport holders hold their loyalty towards their country.

Sports craze is something which does not leave anybody especially when it is football. Football lovers go to any extent to enjoy their favorite sport. The fun of watching live game inside the stadium can not be matched with watching the same game on small screen. So, during sports season, commuting of sports lovers becomes increasingly high leading to heavy traffic of immigrants inside the host country.

The most recent example is of increasing migration in South Africa in the month of June as the football world cup is going on. The home affairs department of South Africa has claimed that immigration in South Africa is 32 percent more in comparison to the immigration in the same month last year. The reason for sudden increase of foreigners applying for visa is due to World Cup fever.

On an average, around 744,520 foreign nationals have commuted to South Africa starting from first week of June only. Amongst all the countries, the major five nationalities who entered the territory of South Africa are Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana, Mozambique and Lesotho.

Other than these, other countries are United States, Germany, Australia, France, Zambia, Argentina, Netherlands, Mexico and Britain from where people are migrating. Except Zambia, all other countries have their teams competing in the world cup. Recent data by the home minister department has revealed that around 13,638 immigrants have violated the rules of South African immigration. Amongst these people, there are many who stayed after the expiry of their visa or made the illegal use of temporary resident visa. Around 140 candidates has been stopped at airport only who were about to take the flight for South Africa because their passports and visas were declined.

Delhi is one of the oldest cities of India and its beautiful Mughlai architecture gives it an ancient and traditional look. But the beauty of Delhi is incomplete without its lush green huge gardens such as Lodhi garden, Mughal garden or Garden of Five Senses to name a few.

We make our most beautiful memories of our childhood in gardens and parks only where, a place where we tend to meet many of our childhood friends. Sometimes we have played there, sometimes fought too, but no matter what, it was always our daily routine to go to the park to meet our friends and play with them. Wasn’t it wonderful? During summer vacations, visiting the park in the early morning with grandparents or family dinner at India Gate formed the most cherished memories of our life. I still can not forget that how eagerly I used to wait for my summer vacations because during those holidays I used to spend the best of the mornings with my grandfather at “Lodhi Garden,” enjoying the cool breeze and delicious ice candies. What a fun it was!

Those were the happiest days of my life when I was simply carefree and unaware of harsh realities of the world. Every time I pass through lodhi road, it enlivens my childhood memories, making me feel nostalgic. But the growing pollution and space problem in Delhi is making the government think twice before allotting any space for parks and gardens for public use.

But isn’t it sad that we are losing our parks which are the lungs of the city, as they help in maintaining the oxygen level in the air, giving a fresh and green look to our city. But what’s more upsetting is the attitude of delhites towards the maintenance of our public places. While strolling inside the park and enjoying the cool breeze, we hardly bother to dump our garbage in the dustbin. Plucking flowers or playing sports like cricket and football spoils the beauty of the garden and we should try not doing such activities.

Being a responsible citizen, we must realize that it’s our duty as well to take good care of our public places. After all, these parks are one of the main medium for maintaining our health. We all go for walk and many yoga communities hold yoga session in the morning in these gardens only. They forms the most important activity of our daily routine without which our health and lives could be greatly affected. So, next time before doing anything which you think could spoil its beauty, you must seriously consider that how it benefits you and others.

Sometimes I tend to envy sports lovers, for they never get the scope to miss sports tournaments throughout the year. After so many extravagant cricket tournaments, here is the time for the world’s greatest sports event, ‘World Cup 2010’. I wish I were a sports freak. Had I been a sports freak, I would have had the regular dose of it almost all round the year. Though, I am not saying that I am a complete repulsive, an uninitiated! Anyway, I would definitely catch up with some of the matches of the FIFA World Cup this year.

The football fever is already on, as the two-day opening thing starts today. Every corner of the globe is jiving with excitement…this is not unusual for World Cup has always been a grand affair and it brings lots of excitement with it. The soon-to-be started event is being hosted by the beautiful and exhilarating South Africa. And for the uninformed, the tournament kicks off on June 11 and runs until July 11. Means, one month of excitement and nail-biting moments for the supporters! The sufferers will be the ones who will have to restrict themselves to the sneak-peak of the television, in a desperate urge to steal a look of their favorite daily TV shows.

This event will mark the 19th FIFA World Cup. The charm of the event, along with the beauty of the host country is sure to bring the much expected spectators to the dugout, as well as to TV screens. No doubt, this excitement would hurt a country’s national productivity, leave alone the nations who are participating in the tournament. The most common situation almost every employer would experience is the loads of leave requests from employees during the tournament. Just imagine, when the situation hits the extreme, employers are bound to set TV screens to make its employees sit back at workplaces…not a bad idea though!!

Fans are already going crazy. They are as much thrilled to witness the opening ceremony of the World Cup 2010 as they are to watch star players- Chistiano Ronaldo, ‘Kaka’ and Luis Fabiano, to name a few in the tournament. Johannesburg as the host city for the opening ceremony is all set to watch electrifying performances from some of the big names of the entertainment realm- Shakira, Alicia Keys, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend and many. However, football fans cannot ask for more when they would see many of their past and present favorite football legends. Johannesburg will also be the venue for many of the preliminary matches, one of the quarter final matches and the FINAL!

World Cup 2010 is going to be one of the biggest affairs of the year, as it is always meant to be! Hurry, book your tickets now, if you want to experience the real exhilaration of being in the dugout, backing you favorite team. All football lovers, Have a Great Time Ahead!

It has been commonly said and heard many a times, “Where There Is A Will, There Is A Way!” This has been proved yet again by Arjun Vajpai who is all of 16 years of age. The expedition projects the strength of the human spirit and mind. This is a lesson taught by a young school going teenage boy about will, determination and hard work.

This remarkable journey of Arjun would not have been possible without his father’s advice. He told his son that the time would come when the body would give up and freeze and at that time, the mind must take over for the power of mind is limitless.

While Arjun Vajpai will be the youngest Indian to ever climb Mount Everest, he was overtaken immediately by a 13 year old American boy who went on to become the youngest to track the Mount Everest. But Arjun’s achievement outshines any others because he belongs to a middle class family. More so, he achieved all this without any support from our very own Government of India.

In India, individual sports, adventure and athletics get no priority. Arjun collected all his funds from friends, family and NGO’s to make his dream come true. Even media disappoints in its coverage and obsession with cricket. The news that “Sahara” won the cricket team sponsorship rights finds mention on the front page of majority of the newspapers. The fact that a 16 year old conquered the Everest finds mention in inner insignificant pages. There are “excusers” and “achievers” and it is clear that Arjun Vajpai is an achiever.

Agreed that India is a cricket frenzy nation but isn’t it up to the Indian Government to ensure equal funds to all sports and athletics and promote them in balance? Here is the joy of one boy who is happy with his own achievement and doesn’t seem to seek any form media attention, yet it does arise many questions on the credibility and the stand taken by the media.

There are those who dream and those who turn them into reality. Arjun definitely belongs to the latter. And he has reached the top most point on this planet where he got an opportunity to view the sun rise and the earth curve around him. I am sure it must have been marvelous watching the sight which only few are destined to see!

Yet this achievement has not taken over the boy’s head. He is still humble to accept that Jordan Romero, the 13 year old American has become the youngest in the world to climb the Everest. Arjun does not believe in any competition. So, the next step for the brave Arjun Vajpai is trekking the highest peaks in each of the seven continents.

Bravo Arjun, you make us feel proud and again prove the virtues and importance of hard work, determination, patience and above all being humble in success. Congratulations on this journey on becoming a leader in time to come. At 16 years, this is only a beginning.

First of all, heartily congratulations to all the winners who are applauded as the “Top Canadian Immigrants” for the year 2010. The contest was crafted was a Canadian Immigrant Magazine, in accordance to which it was mandatory to fulfill certain mandates to qualify for the same. One should be above 14 years, hold citizenship of Canada or be a Canadian landed immigrant, in addition to living in the country for the last three years.

The winners are decided on the basis of their contribution to the Canadian economy and applaud those who went on to make huge difference personally or professionally through their valuable contribution! The winners were boosted with commemorative certificate and the best part is that they were given $500, which they could donate to their intended charity.

People from all over the world get some of the best opportunities in Canada, which enables them to come out with flying colors in their individual fields. Some make huge marks in politics; some get applauds in sports while some show their professional skills in Canadian businesses. All in all, the country is a huge hub for people to explore their talents and make big bucks!

Here are the names of all those Canadian Immigrants:

Donovan Bailey, Toronto, ON; Raffi Cavoukian, Salt Spring Island, BC; Vasdev Chanchlani, Mississauga, ON; Dr. Jagessar Das, Surrey, BC; John Furlong, Vancouver, BC; Charan Gill, Surrey, BC; Ian Hanomansing, Vancouver, BC; Maggie Ip, Vancouver, BC; Aditya Jha, Mississauga, ON; Vinod Karna, Markham, ON; David Lin, Toronto, ON; Dr. Joyce Madigane, Charlottetown, PEI; Dr. Lalita Malhotra, Prince Albert, SK; Vivienne Poy, Toronto, ON; Sumith Priyashantha, Saskatoon, SK; Balwant Sanghera, Richmond, BC; Dr. Asha Seth, Toronto, ON; Fulvia Fadigas de Souza, Vancouver, BC; Yasuko Tanaka, Saint John, NB; Parag Tandon, Toronto, ON; Rafael Fabregas, Toronto, ON; Sultan Jessa, Kirkland; Hadi Mahabadi, Mississauga, ; Vijay Sappani, Toronto, ON and Suchart Yodkerepauprai, Toronto, ON

Cheers winners!

Pemba Tamang, one of the India’s leading shooter who was all set to take part in the Shooting World Cup was barred from taking part in the championship as he was stopped at the Mumbai Airport.

He was given a Stapled Visa, as he originated from Arunachal Pradesh. Courtesy the Stapled visa, the immigration officials at the airport stopped him from boarding the flight, knowing the fact that the ace shooter has already been to China previously using the same visa. This time, he was due to participate in the World Cup starting from April 17 to 24.

The irony is that, now instead of 28 members of the shooting team, 27 will go on to compete in the championship, leaving the ace shooter behind in the country. The only reason which was given is that he failed to work in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Government of India’s policy and has a Stapled Visa.

The incident has raised so many questions in the minds of people out there. Is it not justifiable to provide special exemptions to sports players who represent their country in front of the world?

What about Tamang’s future, an athlete who despite being an ace shooter and a Commonwealth Games gold medalist has been left behind in the dusts, to ruin his future. He is left with shattered hopes all over. Is it his fault that he originates from Arunachal Pradesh, a place which China claims as its own and therefore exempts its people to have any visa to visit the premises. But what about the Indian Immigration officials – they have to do their duties.

So what’s the solution?

Sportsmen from India and Pakistan are finding it difficult to enter each other’s premises, courtesy the strange relationship shared by both the countries. The frosty circumstances have made it difficult for the athletes and sports personalities to cross the borders and participate in any championship. Keeping all these facets in mind, Pakistan’s top Badminton player Wajid Ali Chaudhry has remarked about simplifying the visa restrictions to sooth out the entry of players from both the countries.

He said that he and his associated had given up all the aspirations to make it to the Badminton Asia Championships, courtesy the stringent visa regulations which come between the visa clearance processes.

In addition, media in the last few months have been buzzed with news pieces about overseas sportspeople facing problems in taking part in Commonwealth games soon to happen in New Delhi.

The badminton star confirmed that he along with his team would have gone back to their country from the Wagah border itself, if the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan would not have come to their rescue. He argued that why only a Pakistani Sports person has to face hurdles while entering the Indian premises and other overseas players are barred from facing these confusions.

He further requested the government officials from both India and Pakistan to keep the visa procedures simple and stop making it stringent for Pakistani players. Keep politics out of sports.

He also commented that keeping Pakistani players out of the IPL had made the whole situation worse. The aspect has disappointed all the Pakistani fans out there.

For all the media hype surrounding the wedding announcement of Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik has generated, one has to give full credit to the couple for taking this courageous decision. This will not be an ordinary marriage. Ask many similar couples who are likewise married and you will soon know about the difficulties of a marriage between an Indian and a Pakistani.

Such marriages rarely get confidence of their respective local communities and depending on where they are based; one of them is looked upon with suspicion. So it is not a surprise that Sania and Shoaib have decided to settle down in Dubai.

More so, it would be an interesting scene to watch when Sania roots for India in a cricket match between India and Pakistan. Shoaib is rarely to face a similar situation since Pakistani women rarely get an opportunity to play international lawn tennis. So the real difficulty is for Sania.

Sania, being known to be the poster girl for the modern Indian Muslim women, India offers her with a varied range of opportunities. The question is would she be able to relate to the highly conservative Pakistani clergy and a male dominated society? The fact remains (and it is proven by factual on ground situation) that amongst all countries with predominantly Muslim community, India offers the most liberal and democratic environment for Muslim women. Can one think of any other Muslim women player of international fame?  India has had many…

So how will Sania adjust to her new relations and countrymen? One cannot be a Dubai citizen for life and at best can be a resident. So which of the two would give up their citizenship for the other? Will Sania sacrifice her tennis career to become a homemaker just because she is married to a Pakistani? Shoaib is on way out in Pakistan Cricket and Sania, at 23 is on way up in international tennis. She has a good seven to ten years ahead of her in sports. If she was married to an Indian, she sure could have got the support from her family as well as the highly liberal Indian community in general. Can she do so after marrying Shoaib and more importantly if she decides to do so, will the Pakistan community in general root for her?

Indeed a very difficult decision for the couple, more so for Sania. She has more at stake then Shoaib, both at career as well as personal level. Nevertheless, we wish this young couple the best for their brave decision. Perhaps, in the everyday madness in the exchange of crazy words between the two Governments, their marriage will be a symbolic gesture for politicians to follow.

Recently Aussie leg spinner Shane Warne attended a picnic with some Indians, in an attempt to iron out the creases between India and Australia after the recent racial attacks on foreign students.

The picnic event was held in Melbourne, where the Aussie cricketer and the captain of Rajasthan Royals were flocked by some Indians seeking his autographs. Warnie went on to say that as a Victorian, it is critical for him to maintain the relationships between both the nations.

Earlier, Warne was given the responsibility to ease out the tension (http://blog.abhinav.com/indian-aussie-tension-may-ease-out-courtesy-shane-warne/) between the two nations. Cricket is a game that is widely popular amongst people of both the origins and may act as a perfect source to bring peace, unity and love between Australia and India! The choice is perfect too, as the cricketer holds an equal amount of popularity amongst both Australian and Indian audience!

He said that he is eager to know what the students think about this issue and what their current feelings on this aspect are! He defended Victoria, saying that it is a great city to live in. He added that he simply love India!

Warnie also dined with the students, and assured them that Australia is one of the safest places to live in! Attempts of such kind are desperately needed to mend the relations between both the countries.

The Rajasthan Royals captain will leave for India on 4rth March to take part in IPL3 starting from March 12 onwards!