Fun & Games

With the BCCI formally granting associate membership to Lalu-led Bihar Cricket Association (BCA), the railway minister will obviously call the shots in cricketing matters as well. As an associate member of the BCCI, the BCA will have the privilege of selecting state teams to participate in U-16, U-19 and U-22 matches of the board.

"We welcome the decision which was long overdue. Bihar does have a pool of talented cricketers and they will now get the platform to showcase their cricketing skill and talent," secretary of the BCA Ajay Sharma told ET.

For nearly 8 years, the BCA had been fighting to stake membership of the BCCI even as players from the state continued to move to the adjoining Jharkhand to play in the BCCI matches. In a way, president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Amitabh Choudhary should be credited for accommodating players from Bihar in the Jharkhand cricket teams.

His expression of "satisfaction" before the reporters left many shaking their heads in disbelief, though. For, they are doubtful about completion of preparations before the schedule.

While announcing the schedule for the Games, the IOA had mandated that all facilities should be tested thoroughly at least 45 days before the start of the mega event by hosting a state-level meet.

"Today being September 28, no power on earth can make the infrastructure reach a stage so that a state-level meet can be held on or from October 15, which is 45 days before the start of the Games on December 1," a senior sports functionary said.

Kalmadi flew into the city this afternoon and spent around four hours at the main venue of the Games. The National Games Steering Committee chairman A.K. Mattoo, member S.M. Bali, member and Union minister of state for food processing Subodh Kant Sahay and state sports minister Bandhu Tirkey accompanied him. He held a meeting with the technical personnel of the construction companies and government officials working for the National Games, too.

The IOA chief rounded off his six-hour visit with a meeting of the National Games Organisation Committee (NGOC) at the NGOC secretariat. Deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi stood in for the chief minister, Shibu Soren, who is also the chairman of the NGOC.

However, like his previous "first-hand inspection of the site" during his last visit to the city in April, Kalmadi's apparent dissatisfied looks, gestures and statements at the site made it evident that he did not find much difference since his last visit.

But his despair changed to the "satisfied" statement moments before he left for the airport to board the Delhi flight.

Congratulating him for creating history by becoming the country's first-ever individual Olympic gold medalist Nitish said that Bindra had brought pride to the nation by bagging gold medal in 10m air rifle event.

Talking to newsmen at Janata Darbar programme on Monday the chief minister said the state government was constructing a stadium of international standard in Kankerbagh in the state capital, Chief Minister said the indoor unit of the stadium would be named after Bindra, who hails from Chandigarh. He said the state government would also invite Bindra to Bihar to seek his help to promote the sports.

In the past too the state government showed its generosity by felicitating and rewarding the 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist, Kannan Maleshwari.

Some bulk traders have renamed the sweet Digha mango variety after Railway Minister and former chief minister Lalu Prasad, and it is a marketing strategy that has paid off deliciously.

"Lalu mango is nothing but a move to draw mango lovers to brand Lalu," said Bhola Singh, a trader.

A sticker on each fruit carries the Lalu name and it sells for about Rs.35 a kg. The variety is grown in Digha, close to Patna.

Wings Of Desire
COST OF CESSNA 172: RS 40 lakh

OPERATING COST: RS 2,000/hour

PARKING CHARGES Rs 2,000-3,000/month

MAINTENANCE CHARGES RS 70,000-1 lakh/month

Kolkata-based Aerotech Aerospace Services is selling this dream. Says managing director Partha Pratim Datta Majumdat: "Those who think aircraft cost the earth and sky and thus, keep them out of their list of aspirations, should think again."

According to Majum- dar, a second-hand US-made Cessna 172 would cost as little as Rs 40 lakh. About 50 of these airplanes are already in operation in India currently, he says, adding, "In . the US, many doctors use these aircraft"

What about operating ' costs? Avgas, the highoctane aviation fuel that these aircraft (and racing cars) use, costs Rs 80 a litre, and could get cheaper post-budget. Parking charges, in Kolkata, are between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 a month. Third party main- tenance is relatively expensive at Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh a month - still insignificant before the snob value planes offer And you can obtain a private pilot's licence in several cities if you fulfil requirements.

Majumdar has already sold no fewer than 16 aircraft over the past five years, and is about to sell at least one plane and two helicopters in Kolkata this year.

He says, "If aircraft aren't selling by the dozen, it is only because of the lack of awareness." He is now planning a seminar with high net worth individuals to spread the lure of the sky

According to highly placed sources, BCCI has followed up on its promise of contributing to the development of other sports by deciding to fund 50% of the training costs of elite Indian athletes who are medal prospects in the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi.

BCCI had earlier set aside Rs 50 crore to finance training of sportspersons from other disciplines. According to sources, the decision to share training costs of Commonwealth Games athletes might incur, at least, another Rs 50 crore, taking the cricket board's monetary commitment for development of other sports to no less than Rs 100 crore.

The decision was taken on Saturday. BCCI president Sharad Pawar has already met Union sports minister Mani Shankar Aiyar in this regard, sources said.

Havinder worked relentlessly to find gaps and struck the second and third goals after the Nigerian midfielder, Harrison, had put New Delhi Heroes 1-0 up in the seventh minute.

The city team, which is now owned by Osian's, controlled the match for most part, but towards the end it let Bihar Regiment crack open the defence.

Around 600 participants would be seen in action in the prize money championship, the organising President of the National Table Tennis Championship (East), Sanjay Singh, also an MLC, told reporters here.

National ranking top seeds from Railway Sports Promotion Board, Bank Sports Board, PSPFB, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand and Bihar would take part in the event, he said.

National top seed A Sharath Kamal (Tamil Nadu), Subhajit Saha, Anirban Nandi (both West Bengal), Pathik Mehta (Gujarat) and Sunil Sethi (Maharashtra) would take part in the men's event. While Poulomi Ghatak, Mouma Das, Mantu Ghosh (all from West Bengal), J Swarna (Tamil Nadu), Mamta Prabhu (Maharashtra), Bisakha Vijay (Pspb) And Soumi Mandal (RSPB) will be contesting in the women's section of the championship.

The champion in the men's event will receive a cash prize of Rs 75,000, while the winner of the women's section will get Rs 50,000. Union Steel Minister Ramvilas Paswan will inaugurate the championship on October 12.

This was the kind of break Mumbai-based documentary filmmaker Arpita Ghosh had been waiting for. Despite the doubts at the back of her mind, she flew down to Patna for striking the deal with "top railway authorities". "The caller, Manish Rai, who introduced himself as being close to Lalu Prasad Yadav, sounded convincing."

However, by the time she realised that she has been duped, it was too late. The conman had already relieved her of over Rs 50,000. "I just cannot make out how I fell into the trap. But I feel relieved that I came out safely," Ghosh told The Indian Expressover phone.

Razi Ahmad, noted Gandhian and secretary of Gandhi Sangrahalaya here, has written to President A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, seeking their intervention to stop the release of the film "Gandhi My Father" as it is reportedly based on the controversial aspects of the life of the father of the nation.

"Gandhians are against the release of the film as it portrays Mahatma Gandhi in bad light", said Razi Ahmed, adding that they were opposed to any attempt that intended to tarnish the image of national heroes.

The film narrates incidents from Gandhiji's life between 1906 and 1948 and uses the then socio-political structure as its backdrop.

However, this graduate from Nalanda district, the hometown of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, is still deprived of a government job and has been forced to work as a daily-wage labourer.

Incidentally, he is the only trained coach in kho-kho in the state after having received training in 1994 from the Patiala-based National Institute of Sports.

Rajendra belongs to a backward caste and was selected to Bihar's junior kho-kho team in 1981 and represented the state for eight years. He captained the Bihar team during 1985-87.

The sportsman regrets that from time to time top people, including former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, have promised him a job but nothing happened.

Now, the only hope for Rajendra is the weekly janata durbar of Nitish. He plans to meet Nitish to request him to provide a trainer's job to him.

Rajendr's elder brother works in Delhi like millions of migrant Bihari labourers.

While inaugurating the annual sports meet of a college here, Sigriwal announced a financial aid of Rs. 50 lakh for the renovation of mini stadium here.

'Laluji is my favourite leader, I love him, he is the best leader I know,' Rakhi Sawant told media persons in Patna before her dance show Sunday.

'I know Bihar as Lalu Bihar, for me Bihar means Laluji,' she added.

Nitish Kumar's supporters were hugely disappointed when she said: 'I know little about Bihar's new Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.'

It was not first time an actor has praised Lalu. He has huge fan following in Bollywood - Manisha Koirala, Shilpa Shetty, Pooja Bhath, Nagma, Bhagyashree, Pakistani actress Meera, Suniel Shetty, Govinda, Chunkey Pandey, director Mahesh Bhatt and Sanjay Manjrekar to name a few.

The Nitish government has allocated Rs. 50 lakh to spend on an evening full of music, songs, and dances in an attempt to revive the musical tradition that once separated Patna from other big cities in the country during each Puja festival.

Organized by the Art and Culture cell of the state department, the programs will take place on September 29 and 30 with a seating capacity of 10,000 people, officials said.

The BCCI, at its two-day working committee meeting in Chennai, announced its decision to once again recognize the BCA which was stripped off it following the bifurcation of the state in 2000 on the ground that Bihar did not have the required infrastructure for the promotion of the game.

The decision was taken after the members of the Board unanimously accepted the Arun Jaitley Committee report on the state of cricket affairs in Bihar.

The Board also announced its decision to merge Jharkhand Cricket Association with Bihar under the joint banner of BCA.

BCCI president Sharad Pawar has been entrusted to appoint a three-member committee to run Bihar business and to ensure the BCA elections are held in a timely fashion.

Earlier, a number of cricketers from Bihar, outside the hotel in Chennai where BCCI was holding its meeting, threatened to self-immolate if Bihar was once again denied entry into the BCCI.

After briefly being detained by the police, they were later released.

Besides being a Bihari, 17-year old Shilpi, the daughter of Shishil and Preeti Jaiswal, suffers from permanent hearing loss and is not only the first Indian ever to win this tournament, is also the first Indian ever to participate in this tournament, her coach Kunal Aikat said.

Shishil and Preeti Jaiswal, the proud parents of Shilpi, said their daughter had picked up tennis at the tender age of five and has successively participated in various state and national level tournaments with much success including winning the All India Ranking Super Series at Delhi and Jamshedpur involving teens with normal hearing capabilities.

She has been ranked number one in the East Zone (Juniors) and has represented India in the under-18 tournament at the International Tennis Federation.

The UK-based Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) on Friday submitted a detailed project report for setting up a "golf resort" on a 200-acre plot of land near the Bodh Gaya international airport.

"Once we get the official nod, we will have a 18-hole golf course, with two hotels (one five-star and the other three-star) and other real estate development in the area within 30 months," said Randeep Waraich, director (operations) of the PGA, which has been in existence since 1901.

The estimated cost of the project is about Rs 100 crore, he added. "The basic idea is to sell destination Bodh Gaya to foreign Buddhist tourists coming by chartered planes," remarked Bihar tourism secretary R S Tiwari.

He said PGA chief Bob Hunt will visit Patna soon to make a presentation before CM Nitish Kumar. Apart from the "golf resort" at Bodh Gaya, there is also a proposal for a nine-hole golf course at Rajgir, which will be handed over to

Sainik School for maintenance, and possible establishment of a golf academy there.

"This is my first Teej, and incidentally my first fast also. I am so excited that I have already bought my saree and accessories for the day. The only thing left for me to do is to make thekuas and gujiyas," said Prerna, a newly married housewife from S K Puri.

Saree shop owners are laughing all the way to the bank. "We have a sale on chosen sarees for the festival.

There was a time when a club side would have been good enough to

beat a state like Gujarat or Bihar. That Goa has produced international players in dozens is proof enough. The two Goans, our Arjuna awardees are a testimony to Goans dominance in football. Besides football, Goa has produced stars in hockey, volleyball and other games.

The Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) was established in Goa with a

purpose of giving a boost to sports activities.

Can the director give the details of how many grounds the SAG has and how many of those grounds are in proper playing condition.

The Campal ground, which was once a hot-bed for athletes to train is in a pitiable condition, despite the fact that the ground