Perhaps, their key to finding the net!

Chelsea have a redundant battalion of world class midfielders; half of whom are battling for a spot in the playing XI, some are just meant to be loaned out and some just for bench warming purposes. However, the ones who end up playing have one thing in common; they're all reaching out to a striker to finish what they create.

Torres over the course of his Chelsea career has only looked a paler shadow of his Liverpool-self. He has never really looked confident enough to lead the Blues' attack. Once, one of the most feared strikers of the league has become a laughing stock!

Lukaku "The Drogba in the making", showed glimpses of his ability in the pre-season but failed to capitalize on the starts when it mattered the most. The Super Cup debacle wasn't too helpful either.

Ba too has been mis-firing. And Mourinho never seemed to have confidence in either of the three!

The search for a dependable striker got stuck with Rooney from the beginning of the transfer period. It reached a dead end and looked like the Blues' would have to scrape through with the available resources till January.

Yes, Abramovich does not permit signing of players aged over-30. Only Mourinho could make it happen. Without splashing much funds, for an year's deal, a player who he has already worked with in the past and won many titles with; Samuel Eto'o was welcomed to the Bridge in a fairly quick deal!

Five talking points about the man-

His accolades speaks for himself

He needs no introduction. He had very successful stints at Barcelona and Inter Milan winning back-to-back Continental trebles; making him the only player to achieve this feat with two different teams! He has been declared African Player of the year a record four times! He is definitely no short of recognition for his ability on-field.

Will suit the Premier League' weather

Eto'o, doesn't lack physical ability. He can break past a defense like a beast with the pace of a bull. Not much known for his delicate shots, he powerfully shoots at will! The pace of football here in England won't startle him!

A complete striker

Eto'o performs the lone striker role perfectly. Lacks the quality to make crosses but can do magic on the other end of it. Sets up goals with key passes, assists, free-kicks and when all this becomes too mainstream, he simply shoots from distance

Already Mourinho groomed

Been a part of Mourinho's Inter, Eto'o is already familiar with his tactics and coaching techiniques; which is probably what made his decision to come here easier. Eto'o would hope for another Champions League title under the Special One once again!

Experience

The experience card always unfolds while signing any player over 30! Well, in this case the card is very crucial. Having played in the top flight of Spain and Italy, he is no stranger to playing in multiple competitions throughout the calender! His experience comes as a bonus to a side which is practically new school.

The only catch that remains; whether he can continue his overseas scoring here and make his way into the XI with three other strikers in the background. He would have to play some really amazing football to impress the Owner into granting him an extension next season! If Eto'o sticks, Torres will definitely be counting his days!

Today's outlook towards independence day.

Let’s bring back the old spirit!

Back in the day:

I sure can’t describe the rush our people felt back in the day when we attained independence in 47! What I can definitely tell you is that the day’s importance has faded away slowly and gradually. 

Real-time experience:     

            

These are not my words; I’m just putting together what my Grandmother shared with me.

"In 1947, there were no TVs, hardly a radio in an entire village; newspapers were the only reliable source medium of knowing about the happenings of our freedom struggle. In my childhood, I’ve seen Gandhiji, lal Bahadur Shastri and even Indira Gandhi when she was small. There were long parades for celebrating the independence and we women would finish our household chores quickly to watch the crowded processions! Every year on 15^th August, we would go to watch the parades and the decorative lightings on big buildings. Watching electrical lights was a sight for us. There was struggle everywhere, but the independence swung things our way."

That’s the difference today; we fail to feel the struggle we faced in the pre-independence period. It’s boring to read about the struggle in a history textbook. Talk to your grandparents; they can share better than any history teacher and with a lot more feeling. My grandmother couldn’t help but smile throughout with enthusiasm while talking about our independence! 

Today:

In the 1980s, the national anthem was played after the closing credits of the movie. This practice was changed because many citizens would simply sprint out after the movie was over; respecting the anthem was too much of an exercise after a three-hour sitting spree.

The anthem is a symbolic gesture to remind us of our bond with our motherland; just a couple of minutes out of our busy lives to find the emotional connect with our brothers and sisters. 

The Independence Day is treated by most of us as nothing but a holiday and not for what it is intended for; recalling the struggle our freedom fighters went through and celebrating the nation’s freedom that they left for us! 

It’s not independence when we’re still ruled by corrupt bureaucrats.

It’s not independence when a woman can’t walk on a street alone without feeling insecure.

It’s not independence when we unite against the foreigners but divide and resort to communism here.

It’s not independence when the largest democracy in the world is unheard by its own Government.

It’s not Independence when our protectors are the ones we are scared of.    

Take a pledge today:

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi, Father of our nation – who was fasting and negotiating with communal leaders on the day of Independence after a Hindu-Muslim flare up in West Bengal.

Before celebrating yours, protect her freedom too! 

 










Stop corruption, don’t offer it! 

 

Facts you ought to know about the struggle:

• Even at the age of 61, Gandhiji led the 241 kilometer march to Dandi and proceeded to make salt in defiance of the law by non-violent means

• Bhagat Singh underwent a 116 days fast in jail demanding equal rights for Indian and British prisoners. He was aged just 23 when he was hanged to death.

• Apart from our Indian heroes, Dr. Annie Besant, a Britisher supported India’s freedom struggle wholeheartedly and founded the Home Rule League in India 

• India-Pakistan partition created inter-communal violence which cost more than One million lives! About 3.5 million Hindus and Sikhs migrated from Pakistan to India and 5 million Muslims from India to Pakistan.   

• After independence, the Portugese amended their constitution and declared Goa as their state. The Indian troops invaded Goa and claimed it back not until the December of 1961. 

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We all need a helping hand..

The issue:

In a population flooded country like ours, there's a high ratio of children who can't afford good education or the accessories for it or both in most cases! And due to the regional imbalance, there is a very small "schools to students" ratio in many rural areas. The government pretends to try helping them, NGOs and other private entities seem to be the only viable heroes for these unfortunates.

Tackling it:

One such unfortunate area is Vaitarna, just outside of Mumbai.

With just one school to provide education for an entire village.

One such savior is Helping Hands.

This team organised an event for 65 needful students of Saraswati Vidyalaya school in Vaitarna on the 28th July from Std Vth to Xth. The main aim of this event was to provide needful school children with the basic amenities which they can't afford easily and give them a memorable day.
The day for these lucky kids started off with a speech from the Trustee and Principal of the school followed by the kids singing a welcome song for their well wishers. The team introduced themselves and the kids were asked to do the same. To make it interesting, cross introductions 
were done, the shy ones were encouraged to come out of their shell.

Later for entertainment, Ishan Hatekar Foundation performed a bird show for the kids which they thoroughly enjoyed. A break was taken and a sumptuous lunch was served for the kids; biryani, raita and gulab jamun. Post lunch for teasing their brains and dodging any chance of them dosing off, a general knowledge quiz was conducted row-wise and winners were royally gifted stationery items. The fun continued with guitarists and singers; Jugal Sawdekar and Neil Raviya, entertaining the kids with some Bollywood items!

And then we reached the moment the children were primarily made to wait for; distribution of the school kit, which included notebooks, pens, pencil, eraser, sharpener, ruler, a pouch to keep all this, a geometry box, water bottle, lunch box, umbrella and a Chinese lamp! So basically anything and everything the kids would need for a better schooling and studying experience!

To put the cherry on top of the icing, the school library was donated books which cost approx. Rs. 10,000; courtesy the hard-work of the team in raising funds! The kids and school Principal were overwhelmed. The event concluded with a vote of thanks. 

It was a dream come true that they never had!

Spreading the word: 

It's not just about raising funds for the poor children, it's about utilizing it to provide the less fortunate something much more valuable to make them self sustainable in future; education or the means to get the most of it! And that's exactly what this team achieved!

Helping Hands is not an NGO or a private organisation, just a bunch of friends making a difference in the society.

So why can't You and I? Let's lend a helping hand. Leave a message here or on their wall on Facebook! 

Helping Hands Facebook

For volunteering, Contact Helping Hands - 9860369028

All photos have been published with permission from Helping Hands.

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My “eco-friendly” Friend Ganesha

Yes it’s just the first week of July and a couple more months for one of our vastly celebrated festivals and personally my favorite festival, but I think it’s the right time for me to make this write-up and spread a word about eco-friendly Ganapati idols.

 

Significance in short:

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by large communities to mark the birth or rather his rebirth to lord Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is the god of prosperity and good fortune. It’s a festival which is celebrated for ten days by Hindus not just all over India but all over the world. A festival which is being privately celebrated since the Shivaji era and became a public festival in 1893, courtesy Lokmanya Tilak! Before the start of any journey we loudly chant “Ganpati Bappaaa!” and we definitely get back a louder “Moryaaa!”

Now and then:

Ten days of beautiful Ganapti idols’ sights, from a couple of feet small to three-storey building sized idols, decorations exorbitantly expensive but a treat to the eye and the long and noisy visarjan nights are just unforgettable. But what has been forgotten is the fact that traditionally Ganapati wasn’t celebrated the way it today is. The idols would be sculpted and carved out of earthen or natural clay and decorated using little things from home, flowers and after the festival the idols would be returned back to earth by immersing in natural water bodies.

There is something else that we haven’t forgotten and we aren’t completely aware of it but chose to ignore it- Usage of POP idols and other toxic chemicals for decorating these idols. The growing size of idols induced crafters to use POP because it is easier to make idols out of it and make them colorful rather than clay.

Scientific explanation:

 

The visarjan of such POP Ganesh idols converts the POP to gypsum, which breaks down very slowly in water, increases its hardness and degrades the life carrying capacity of water bodies. It forms a waterproof layer at the bottom of the water body. The rampant use of harmful paints, usage of metals like cadmium, lead is wreaking havoc in the environment and contaminating seas, lakes and ponds. 

This is what happens to every single POP made Ganapati idol every single year! When will we learn?

Furthermore, it can impact you too via the consumption of fresh water from lakes, seafood and fish. The impacts can be narrowed down to problems related to heart, kidneys, liver, circulatory and central nervous system. 

Avoid the above explanation:

In simple words, tackling the scientific gibberish – visarjan of clay idols is returning what is earth’s whereas visarjan of POP idols is pressurizing the earth to intake what is man-made and harmful for its well being.

We resort to such a harmful act at the cost of the beauty He has created.

Solutions in action:

Other than the use of traditional clay idols, other suggested solutions which are in action:

A brass idol which can be re-used

Immersion of a clay idol in a bucket.

• Use of a permanent Ganapti icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.

• Recycling of plaster idols to repaint them and use them again the following year. 

• Ban on the immersion of plaster idols into lakes, rivers and the sea. 

• Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as papier-mâché to create Ganesh idols. 
   

 
Our Lord Ganesha is friendly-by-nature; why not make his idols nature-friendly too?






Click on the following link for List of stores of ecosensitive Ganesh idols from Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad

If you stay in Kandivali, Borivali or Dahisar, here's the Rotararct Club of Dahisar Coast's initiative for you!

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The latest Mario in town

 
Who is he?
 

He wears the Number 10 jersey, is one of the gifted footballers who are short in stature, sprints very quickly with or without the ball at his feet, bamboozles defenders and juggles the ball past them with utmost ease, assists not just the goals but the team’s wins entirely, possesses great skill when it comes to converting freekicks, can deceive keepers with those delicate chip shots or give them no chance whatsoever with a powerful bullet, he turned a star for his club but yet to achieve any notable success with the national team – sounds like Lionel Messi, doesn’t he? Well, that’s what he was coined by pundits- German Messi!

Franz Beckenbauer said that Mario Götze "has the same assets as Lionel Messi in terms of his technique and understanding of the game.

Career Highlights:

With club:

Borussia Dortmund

A product of their youth academy, Götze took the golden opportunity given to him by Coach Jurgen Klopp with both hands and cemented his place in the first team in the latter half of 2009-10 Season. He immediately became a prime figure in the midfield and adopted the playmaking role beautifully. Assisting 15 times and scoring 6 goals in the 2010-11 Season, Gotze guided Dortmund to the title. Götze held the Golden boy award in 2011 which was once held by Messi, Aguero, Fabregas and Rooney 

Although he played only half the 2011-12 Season, still he managed to win another title with Dortmund.

With the signing of Marco Reus from Borussia Monchengladbach, him and Götze formed an impeccable partnership and emerged as one of the best attacking duos in Europe in 2012-13. They had19 league goals (Reus 11, Götze 8) and 15 assists (9 and 6 respectively) combined, which meant they were directly involved in over half their side’s 62 league goals last season.

Franz Beckenbauer spoke about Reus and Mario Götze saying, "...as a classic duo there is nobody better than the prolific Reus and Götze."

Götze was a crucial 1^st team member for Dortmund which reached the UEFA Finals after 16 years! Had he played in the all-German finale against the Bavarians, his impact would’ve altered the course of the game in Dortmund’s favour. It’s debatable though.

Götze secured a transfer to Dortmund rivals Bayern Munich when they triggered the €37 Million clause in his contract. He is the latest Mario at Allianz Arena!

With national team:

Götze made his international debut in 2010 at 18 years of age. Reus has secured a fairly regular starting berth, Götze was eluded of it. Although he has deserved a place in the playing XI, nobody can be blamed for his irregular game time. Loew has a huge talented battalion at his disposal with the likes of Ozil, Muller, Kroos, Reus etc. However, just 21 years of age- Götze is here to stay, improve further and probably carve his name in history for sure!

5 things you ought to know about this little magician:

• Götze's first goal for Germany came against Brazil at the age of 19 years and 68 days and he became the joint youngest goalscorer for the German national team in the post-war era along with Klaus Sturmer in 1954.
•  The German transfer is set to make Götze the most expensive German player of all time. 
• He’s called “Super Mario”, but unlike ladies man Balotelli he still lives with his parents in a modest house close to Dortmund. 
• Recently, he was listed 34th in "The 100 Best Footballers in the World" byThe Guardian.
• Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has revealed that Pep Guardiola wanted to sign Neymar but Bayern suggested the purchase of Mario Götze from Borussia Dortmund instead.

This article that I've written has been published on the following site! Do read, it may vary a little due to the website's editing. Please click on the following link.

Sportskeeda: Playerof the season nominees: mario-gotze


Bread and Butter Football: the latest mario in town

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