Pune IPL fans welcome team of their own

PUNE: It was a packed auditorium at a mall in the city on Sunday where an Indian Premier League (IPL) match was being screened. The moment the host announced that Pune had finally got its own IPL team, the crowd erupted in joy.

On Sunday, Sahara Adventure Sports Group bid a cool Rs 1,702 crore to bag Pune, which will be among the ten teams in the 2011 edition of the domestic Twenty20 league. Local cricket fans had to wait for four seasons to get an IPL team and could not contain their excitement.

“Every team has a regional flavour to it. This creates a close bond between the local outfit and fans — this is one of the charms of IPL. And now, we will have a team of our own, too, which will add to the attraction,” Tabrez shaikh a share trading consultant, gushed.

The state will now have two outfits, Pune and Mumbai Indians, Ranade said. “Earlier, we supported the Mumbai Indians. But from season four, there will be confusion as to whom to root for,” he added.

Deepti Dalvi, who was present at a city mall watching the IPL matches, said, “It is a great feeling to have your own city team. We were longing for this and it has finally taken shape — that too for a jaw-dropping price. I’m happy Pune hasn’t come cheap. However, I wonder how much of local talent will get a chance in this team.”

Sanket Joshi, a musician and sportsman, said that the introduction of the new teams will increase competition. “It is also good for new talent— more teams will mean greater opportunities for rising players.”

“I wonder what would they name the Pune team, I’m sure it will be after what the city is known for. I am also eager to know who the team icon would be and who will constitute the squad,” Moin sayyed, a college student, said.

III Commonwealth Youth Games, Pune, India

The spectacular sporting bonanza is about to unfold in the cultural capital of Maharashtra. Pune is the proud host of the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008. An independent multi sports event, the Youth Games are a run up and a trial event to the Commonwealth Games 2010 to be held in Delhi. The unique look and image created for the Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 reflect the heritage of the host city and state. The logo created is a result of an aesthetic blending of culture and modernity. The seal carrying the host city name is formed from the confluence of the city values and the historical seal of the great MUSLIM DARVESH H KHWAJA SHAIKH SALLAHUDDIN CHISTY (RA)

The Mascot:
The mascot of the III Commonwealth Youth Games Pune 2008 is the younger brother of 'Shera', the mascot of the Commonwealth Games 2010. His name is “Jigrr”. He is young, impish, playful, mischievous, intelligent, sporting, alert and full of life, all set to energize Pune for Commonwealth Youth Games 2008. Incorrigibly competitive and incredibly brave, he is oozing with confidence and the twinkle in the eye reflects his 'I can do it' attitude.Jigrr is an amalgam of the Hindi word "Jigar", which implies courage and the sound of a tiger roar (grrr...). Jigrr is also phonetically similar to Tiger.Jigrr will not only promote the Youth Games at Pune but also spread his enthusiasm for sports among the youth of India. He is here to spread pure joy of youth and give a smile to everyone.
The Pictograms:
The pictograms used are also an extension of the same concept, wherein a balance is sought, and the rich cultural heritage is ably balanced with the use of modern day graphics. The result is marvellous, the pictograms for the Commonwealth Youth Games have been derived from the tribal art form of Warli and have the sleekness of the pictograms of Munich Olympic Games.The Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 will include a total of 9 disciplines:Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting, Swimming
Colour Waves:
The vibrant colour waves which form a major part of the Commonwealth Youth Games identity demonstrate the ethos of the games. Each colour represents core values that each participating member and the host city stand by. The colour waves stand for pride, achievement, celebration, harmony and joy. They convey the dynamic nature of the city and its youth; the overlapping waves portray the interaction amongst the participating countries. The whole concept revolves around enthusiasm and sheer energy which is embodied in the youth. The event being specially conducted for youth the colour waves aptly symbolise this spirit of enthusiasm and energy.The seal, the pictograms and the colour waves together lend a classy, youthful energetic, dynamic and contemporary look to the entire event. They encapsulate the intrinsic idea of the Commonwealth Youth Games and thus create an outstanding identity for the multi-sporting event to be held in Pune in 2008.

The Commonwealth games 2010 INDIA

The vibrant city of New Delhi, home to 14 million people, will host the Commonwealth Games in 2010. This will be the first time India has hosted the Games and only the second time the event has been held in Asia (Kuala Lumpur in 1998 was the first).




Delhi is the capital city of India and is rich in culture and history. It stands on the western end of the Gangetic Plain and is bordered by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. There are two main districts of the city, Old Delhi the capital of Muslim India between the mid 17th and late 19th centuries with its historic sites, mosques and monuments and New Delhi, the imperial city created by the British Raj with its imposing government buildings and tree lined avenues.



The dates for the Games are 3 - 14 October 2010, inclusive of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Weather wise the city experiences an October mean temperature minimum 17.2 degrees centigrade and maximum 31.3 degrees centigrade with humidity ranging from 31 to 78% for the October and November months.



The Delhi Games Village is to be constructed as a low rise medium development on a 40 acre site in the heart of the capital with a possible capacity for 8,500 athletes and officials. Existing and new stadia will be used to house the following sports:



Archery, Aquatics, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.



In addition, 15 events will be contested across 4 Para-Sports, for elite athletes with a disability, on the inclusive Sports Programme:



Athletics, Swimming, Powerlifting and Table Tennis.



Delhi won the right to host the 2010 Games by defeating the Canadian city of Hamilton by 46 votes to 22 at the CGF General Assembly held in Montego Bay in November 2003.



The Indian city of Pune hosted the 3rd Commonwealth Youth Games from 12 - 18 October 2008 and saw the following nine sports on the programme; Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weightlifting and Wrestling.



To get the latest on preparations for the Games please click the following link www.cwgdelhi2010.org for the official Games website for Delhi 2010 as well as clicking on the links below to read the Delhi and Hamilton Bid documents and CGF Bid Evaluation Report.

CULTURE IN ISALAMIC PUNE

As called the Cultural Capital of Maharashta, Pune has a proud calendar comprising of a number of festivals and cultural activities ranging from Classical Music to Rock Concerts. What Pune is most known for, is the Pune Festival,

Muslim Holidays or festivals list during 2009.Ramzan is one of the major festival for muslims. Muslims in India observe all the Islamic festivals that are celebrated in other parts of the world, the dates of Muslim festivals keep changing. Muslim festivals that are celebrated in India, include Ramzan (Ramadan), Muharram, Id-e-Milad and Bakr-Id. special prayers offered in mosques, fasting, feasting and exchange of wishes.


Milad-un-nabi or or Id-a-Milad or Eid-e-Miladulnabi

Milad-un-nabi or or Id-a-Milad or Eid-e-Miladulnabi is a key festival and day of celebration among Muslims. It is celebrated as the birthday of Mohammed. Milad-un-nabi (translated: birth of the prophet) is observed on the date of 12 Rabi’ al-awwal according to the Islamic calendar.




The festival of Eid-e-Miladulnabi is also popularly known as Barah Wafat the twelfth day. The day commemorates the birth and also the death of Prophet Mohammed. Bara Wafat falls on the twelfth day of the third month Rabi-ul-Awwal. Here, Barah or twelve, stands for the twelve days of the Prophets sickness.



The celebrations of birthday are subdued as the day also happens to be the death anniversary of Prophet Muhammad. The day is marked by holding religious discourses, reading the Holy book of Quran and giving alms to the poor. The main thrust of these Milad-un-Nabi gatherings is to remember, observe, discuss and celebrate the advent of the birth and teachings of the holy Prophet Muhammad.



Prophet Mohammed



Prophet Mohammed was born in 571 A.D on April12th, in Mecca in Arabia. Circa 610 AD, Prophet is said to have gained revelations from Allah through the angel Gabriel that he was His Messenger. In 622 AD Mohammed along with his followers went to Medina.



This flight from Mecca to Medina is known as Hijrah and marks the beginning of the Islamic era. By 630 AD, Islam came to be accepted as a religion and Muhammad as ruler by a large number of people. However, in 632 A.D. Muhammad led the pilgrimage to Mecca, preached his farewell sermon and died soon after.



Celebrations of Eid-ul-Milad



Barah Wafat does not call for any kind of grand celebrations as the birth day and death anniversary of Prophet Mohammed coincidently falls on the same day. Hence, Muslims spend this period in spiritual activities. Special prayers meets and discourses on Quran are also organised in mosques to mark the day of Milad.



Learned men and scholars focus their sermons on the life and teachings of Prophet Mohammed and inspire people to follow the path of good life as shown in Quran. Hence, the festival gives a chance to people to introspect their deeds and think of ways of being a better person.



Besides, in some places hymns are sung and elegies or marsiyas are recited in memory of the last days of the Prophet. Acts of charity are also done by devout Muslims and alms are distributed to the poor and the needy. Later, people invite friends and relatives for a feast.



In some mosques, however, a ‘sandal rite’ ceremony is performed over the symbolic foot prints of the Prophet engraved in a stone. A stone imitation of buraq the horse on which Prophet Mohammed is said to have ascended to his heavenly abode is placed near the foot prints and anointed with sandal paste or scented powder. Besides, the house and casket containing this are elaborately decorated.




Muslim Festivals Calender 2009



JAN 2009 07 Wednesday Ashura



MAR 2009 09 Monday Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet), Sunni



14 Saturday Milad un Nabi, Sunni



AUG 2009 22 Saturday Ramadan begins



SEP 2009 21 Monday Id-Ul-Fitr, Ramadan Ends



NOV 2009 28 Saturday Eid-Ul-Adha



DEC 2009 18 Friday Al-Hijira/ Muharram

Climate

Pune stands on the leeward side of the Western Ghats on an altitude of 559m.(1863 ft.). The temperatures are pretty moderate. Though not as unpredictable as the British weather, the city of Pune does have its share of uncertainties in different seasons.

SUMMERS: Summers here begin from early March to July. Though not as hot as Northern parts of India, the daytimes are very sunny with dry heat. Early mornings are pleasant and evenings after six, cool and breezy.

Bright summery clothes are an obvious suggestion with sunglasses for driving. The temperature ranges from 38°C to 20°C. Though, last year, summer hit a new high with 40+ a common temp.



MONSOONS:

Being on the leeward side of the ghats, Pune has a good three months of rains from July-August to October. Clear skies in the morning are not to be deceived by, as it does rain in the evenings. Umbrellas for pedestrians and raincoats for drivers are a must, as there lies no escape. While driving, beware of potholes and use a minimum of two pairs of shoes as drying takes about 2-3 days. Temperatures range from 18-19 degrees to 30 degrees.

WINTERS: From November to January, Pune has it’s winter season. Though light woollens are fine during the day, early mornings, evenings and night times require more clothing as it’s chilly.

6°C was the lowest recorded last year. For drivers, windcheaters and head covers are a must. Hot cupsa coffee are highly enjoyable during mornings and evenings.

SPRING:

Though not in the real sense of the term spring, late Jan to March are the most pleasant months in Pune. The sun is bright and warm and temperatures move in the moderate zone. Overall, the climate and temperature does not go to extremities and humidity is negligible here. Any time of the year Pune is perfect for morning and evening walks.

CITY FACTS

Fondly called as the Oxford of the East and the cultural capital of Maharashtra, Pune as a city has grown manifolds over the past few decades.




LANGUAGE: The regional language out here is Marathi. Unlike many other Indian regional languages, Marathi is easy to understand, posing not too many problems to the tourist.



Much can be attributed to the similarity it holds with the national language Hindi.



TRAFFIC: The traffic out here does get congested and it is best to travel either via two-wheelers or auto rickshaws in the interiors. The amount of two-wheelers and women drivers here is probably one of the highest in the country.



SAFETY: As is with the most of the cites, the intra-city areas are very safe even during the night. Venturing alone or into unknown areas near the ghats or on the outskirts are not advisable.



Though Pune does not report of very serious crime rates, petty thefts etc. are to be watched out for. Do not stop to give lifts or to ask directions during night times in isolated areas.





CURRENCY:

The Indian Rupee is the used currency. Many new currency exchange points and ATM centers have come up all over the city over the last two years making money very easily accessible for visitors. Always carry loose change in coins for urgent calls, parking etc. Beware of the Rs 500 notes, check them before using.



THE PUNEITE:

The Puneite is definitely much more relaxed and friendly than the average Bombayite. A warm greeting about his wellbeing will do him in and mind you, he’s very touchy about Pune.

The most outstanding aspect of Pune and its people is the sound balance they have maintained between modernity and their age-old rich culture and tradition. No wonder, it’s called the ‘Cultural Capital of Maharashtra’ as well as ‘The Oxford of the East’.