IMPORTANT QUOTES

“Accept responsibility for your life. Know that it is you who will get you where you want to go, no one else.”	-	Les Brown
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”	-	Steve Jobs
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other reason. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”	-	Barack Obama
"I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. Its because of them I’m doing it myself."	-	Albert Einstein
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”	-	Farrah Gray
“You have to dream before your dreams come true.”	-	APJ Abdul Kalam
“Don’t compare yourself with anyone in this world. If you do so, you are insulting yourself.”	-	Bill Gates
"All of my friends who have younger siblings who are going to college or high school - my number one piece of advice is: You should learn how to program."	-	Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
"Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important."	-	Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates
"I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow."	-	Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer
“I know from my own education that if I hadn’t encountered two or three individuals that spent extra time with me, I’m sure I would have been in jail.”	-	Apple co-founder Steve Jobs
"You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream."	-	Dell CEO and founder Michael Dell
"When my mother took her turn to sit in a gown at her graduation, she thought she only had two career options: nursing and teaching. She raised me and my sister to believe that we could do anything, and we believed her."	-	Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
"I have always respected education, which is why I actually went back secretly and taught school for eight years."	-	Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
"When I was in college, I wanted to be involved in things that would change the world."	-	Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk
"You look at things you enjoy in your life, but much more important is what you can do to make the world a better place."	-	Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
"After high school, I enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, but I stayed only a year and a half. I felt college was a waste of time; I wanted to start working."	-	Twitter co-founder Evan Williams

Photosynthesis in plants Animation for Kids

Dipa Karmakar bagged bronze in women's vault, created history

Glasgow: Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian woman and the second person from the country to clinch a historic Commonwealth Games medal in artistic gymnastics when she won the women's vault bronze at the SSE Hydro here on Thursday.

Agartala-born Dipa got the bronze with an average score of 14.366. The 20-year-old had scored a mere 13.633 points in Vault 1, the lowest out of eight competitors in the final.

However, in a remarkable comeback, Dipa scored the highest in Vault 2 with 15.100 to bring up her average to 14.366. 

Cabinet resolves to create 13 new blocks, 4 Nagar Panchayats, expand AMC

The state cabinet on Tuesday the Aug 13, 2013 resolved to further bifurcate blocks and create new Nagar Panchayats as a part of the effort of extending decentralization of administration. Addressing a press conference at the civil secretariat here today, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said, 13 new blocks has been added to the existing list of 45 blocks. The new blocks are Bamutia, Old Agartala, Belbari, Charilam, Mohanbhog, Kalachari, Laljuri, Tepania, Poangbari, Bharatchandranagar, Raishyabari etc. New Gram Panchayats would be added to Boxanagar, Kathaliya and Kakraban blocks. New Nagar Panchayats would be created at the newly created sub-divisional headquarters at Panisagar, Melagarh, Mohanpur and Jirania. The new administrational units are scheduled to start operation from September, Chief Minister Sarkar said.

He also said that the Agartala Municipal Council (AMC) areas would be widened during the same initiative of bifurcation. Some Gram Panchayats like Hapania, Gajaria would fully come inside the periphery of AMC while others like Hapania, Singerbil, Narsingarh would have few wards included inside the municipal area. The overall area of the Agartala Municipal Council is currently 58.184 square Km which would be raised to 76.504 Square Km at completion of the restructuring. Population living inside AMC areas would also rise from 3 lakh 58 thousand 338 to 4 lakh 38 thousand 408.

The Department for Urban Development (UDD) has been asked to conduct a study for figuring out prospects of making a municipal corporation out of AMC. “Our rules say that a civic area can be declared a municipal corporation with 5 lakh or above population. However, several cities in other states are now declaring themselves as corporation barely with 2 lakh population. We are considering prospects of changing the rules”, the CM said.

Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival that celebrates the love and duty between brothers and sisters; the festival is also popularly used to celebrate any brother-sister like loving protective relationship between men and women who are relatives or biologically unrelated. It is called Rakhi Purnima, or simply Rakhi, in many parts of India. The festival is observed by Hindus, Jains, and many Sikhs. Raksha Bandhan is primarily observed in India, Mauritius and parts of Nepal. It is also celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in parts of Pakistan, and by some people of Indian origin around the world.

Raksha Bandhan is an ancient festival, and has many myths and historic legends linked to it. For example, the Rajput queens practised the custom of sending rakhi threads to neighbouring rulers as token of brotherhood. On Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie a rakhi (sacred thread) on her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. The festival falls on the full moon day (Shravan Poornima) of the Shravan month of the Hindu lunisolar calendar.

Significance

Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit literally means "the tie or knot of protection". It is an ancient Hindu festival that ritually celebrates the love and duty between brothers and their sisters. The sister performs a Rakhi ceremony, then prays to express her love and her wish for the well being of her brother; in return, the brother ritually pledges to protect and take care of his sister under all circumstances. It is one of the several occasions in which family ties are affirmed in India.

The festival is also an occasion to celebrate brother-sister like family ties between cousins or distant family members, sometimes between biologically unrelated men and women. To many, the festival transcends biological family, brings together men and women across religions, diverse ethnic groups and ritually emphasizes harmony and love. It is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Śrāvaṇa, and typically falls in August every year.

Description and rituals

The festival is marked by the several rituals, which vary regionally within India. Typical rituals include:

Prepare for Raksha Bandhan

Days or weeks before Raksha Bandhan, women shop for Rakhi, the ceremonial thread to tie around her brother's (or brother-like friend's) wrist. Some women make their own Rakhi. A Rakhi may be a simple thread, woven and colorful; or a Rakhi may be intricate with amulets and decoration on top of it. Sometimes, a Rakhi may be a wrist watch or men's wrist accessory in the form of bracelet or jewelry. Rakhi in the form of a colorful woven thread is most common. Typically the brother(s) too shop for gifts for the sister, ahead of Raksha Bandhan. The gift from the brother can be a simple thoughtful token of love, and may be more elaborate.

Rakhi ritual

On the morning of Raksha Bandhan, the brother(s) and sister(s) get together, often in nice dress in the presence of surviving parents, grandparents and other family members. If the sister and brother are geographically separated, the sister may mail the Rakhi ahead of the Raksha Bandhan day, along with a greeting card or letter wishing her brother well. The ritual typically begins in front of a lighted lamp (diya) or candle, which signifies fire deity. The sister and brother face each other. The sister ties the Rakhi on her brother's wrist.

Prayer, aarti, promise and food

Once the Rakhi has been tied, the sister says a prayer for the well being - good health, prosperity and happiness - for her brother. This ritual sometimes involves an aarti, where a tray with lighted lamp or candle is ritually rotated around the brother's face, along with the prayer and well wishes.

The prayer is a self composed note, or one of many published Rakhi poems and prose. One of the earliest examples of a Rakhi prayer is found in Book V, Chapter V of Vishnu Purana; it is the prayer that Yasoda says while tying a Raksha Bandhan amulet on Krishna's wrist. An abridged form of the prayer is:

May the lord of all beings protect you,
May the one who creates, preserves and dissolves life protect thee,
May Govinda guard thy head; Kesava, thy neck; Vishnu, thy belly;
the eternal Narayana, thy face, thine arms, thy mind, and faculties of sense;
May all negativity and fears, spirits malignant and unfriendly, flee thee;
May Rishikesa keep you safe in the sky; and Mahidhara, upon earth.

After the prayer, the sister applies a tilak, a colorful mark on the forehead of the brother. After the tilak, the brother pledges to protect her and take care of his sister under all circumstances.

The sister then feeds the brother, with her hands, one or more bites of sweets (desserts), dry fruits and other seasonal delicacies.

Gifts and hugs

The brother gives his sister(s) gifts such as cards, clothes, money or something thoughtful. The brother may also feed his sister, with his hands, one or more bites of sweets, dry fruits and other seasonal delicacies. They hug, and the larger family ritually congratulate the festive celebration of brother-sister love and protection.

The brother(s) wear the Rakhi for the entire day, at school or work, as a reminder of their sister(s) and to mark the festival of Raksha Bandhan.

Myths and parables

The scriptures, epics and ancient fiction of Hinduism is peppered with stories of Rakhi and Raksha Bandhan. Some of these include:

Indra Dev:- According to Hindu scripture Bhavishya Purana, in the war between Gods and demons, Indra - the deity of sky, rains and thunderbolts - was disgraced by the powerful demon King Bali. Indra’s wife Sachi consulted Vishnu, who gave her a bracelet made of cotton thread, calling it holy. Sachi tied the holy thread around Indra wrist, blessed with her prayers for his well being and success. Indra successfully defeated the evil and recovered Amaravati. This story inspired the protective power of holy thread.

King Bali and Goddess Laxmi:- According to this legend, credited to Hindu scriptures Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana, after Vishnu won the three worlds from the demon King Bali, he was asked by Bali that Vishnu live in his palace, a request Vishnu granted. Vishnu's wife, Goddess Lakshmi did not like the palace or his new found friendship with Bali, and preferred that her husband and she return to Vaikuntha. So she went to Bali, tied a Rakhi and made him a brother. Bali asked her what gift she desired. Lakshmi asked that Vishnu be freed from the request that he live in Bali's palace. Bali consented, as well accepted her as his sister.

Santoshi Ma:- Ganesh had two sons, Shubh and Labh. On Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh's sister visited and tied a Rakhi on Ganesh's wrist. The two boys become frustrated that they have no sister to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with. They ask their father Ganesh for a sister, but to no avail. Finally, saint Narada appears who persuades Ganesh that a daughter will enrich him as well as his sons. Ganesh agreed, and created a daughter named Santoshi Ma by divine flames that emerged from Ganesh's wives,Rddhi (Amazing) and Siddhi (Perfection). Thereafter, Shubh Labh (literally "Holy Profit") had a sister named Santoshi Ma (literally "Goddess of Satisfaction"), who loved and protected each other.

Krishna and Draupadi:- In the epic Mahabharat, Draupadi tied a Rakhi to Krishna, while Kunti tied her Rakhi to her grandson Abhimanyu, before the great war.

Yama and the Yamuna:- According to another legend, Yama, the god of Death had not visited his sister Yamuna for 12 years. Yamuna, the goddess of Yamuna river, was sad and consulted Ganga, the goddess of Ganga river. Ganga reminded Yama of his sister, upon which Yama visits her. Yamuna was overjoyed to see her brother, and prepared a bounty of food for Yama. The god Yama was delighted, and asked Yamuna what she wanted for gift. She wished that he, her brother should return and see her again soon. Yama was moved by his sister's love, agreed and to be able to see her again, made river Yamuna immortal. This legend is the basis for a Raksha Bandhan-like festival called Bhai Duj in some parts of India, which also celebrates brother-sister love, but near Diwali.

Historical references

Alexander the Great and King Puru:- According to one legendary narrative, when Alexander the Great invaded India in 326 BCE, Roxana (or Roshanak, his wife) sent a sacred thread to Porus, asking him not to harm her husband in battle. In accordance with tradition, Porus, a Katoch king, gave full respect to the rakhi. On the battlefield, when Porus was about to deliver a final blow to Alexander, he saw the rakhi on his own wrist and restrained himself from attacking Alexander personally.

Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun:- A popular narrative that is centered around Rakhi is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and Mughal Emperor Humayun, which dates to 1535 CE. When Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of the king of Chittor, realised that she could not defend against the invasion by the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a Rakhi to Emperor Humayun. Touched, the Emperor immediately set off with his troops to defend Chittor. Humayun arrived too late, and Bahadur Shah managed to sack the Rani's fortress. Karnavati, along with a reported 13,000 other women in the fortress, carried out Jauhar on March 8, 1535, killing themselves to avoid dishonor while the men threw the gates open and rode out on a suicidal charge against Bahadur Shah's troops. When he reached Chittor, Humayun evicted Bahadur Shah from fort and restored the kingdom to Karnavati's son, Vikramjit Singh. Although contemporary commentators and memoirs do not mention the Rakhi episode and some historians have expressed skepticism about it, it is mentioned in one mid-seventeenth century Rajasthani account.

Rabindranath Tagore & Rakhi:- Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Nobel Laureate for literature, invoked Raksha Bandhan and Rakhi, as concepts to inspire love, respect and a vow of mutual protection between Hindus and Muslims during India's colonial era. In 1905, the British empire divided Bengal, a province of British India on the basis of religion. Rabindra Nath Tagore arranged a ceremony to celebrate Raksha Bandhan to strengthen the bond of love and togetherness between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal, and urge them to together protest the British empire. He used the idea of Raksha Bandhan to spread the feeling of brotherhood. In 1911, British colonial empire reversed the partition and unified Bengal, a unification that was opposed by Muslims of Bengal. Ultimately, Tagore's Raksha Bandhan-based appeals were unsuccessful. Bengal not only was split during the colonial era, one part became modern Bangladesh and predominantly Muslim country, the other a largely Hindu Indian state of West Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore started Rakhi Mahotsavas as a symbol of Bengal unity, and as a larger community festival of harmony. In parts of West Bengal, his tradition continues as people tie Rakhis to their neighbors and close friends.

One of Tagore's poem invoking Rakhi is:

The love in my body and heart
For the earth's shadow and light
Has stayed over years.

With its cares and its hope it has thrown
A language of its own
Into blue skies.

It lives in my joys and glooms
In the spring night's buds and blooms
Like a Rakhi-band
On the Future's hand.

Regional variations

While Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in various parts of South Asia, different regions mark the day in different ways.

Kumaon region:- The people of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, celebrate Raksha Bandhan with Janopunyu. Along with the sister-brother ritual, men change their janeu (sacred thread). The region also marks the day with Bagwal fair at Devidhura in district Champawat.

West Bengal& Odisha:- In the state of West Bengal and Odisha, this day is also called Jhulan Purnima. Prayers and puja of Lord Krishna and Radha are performed there. Sisters tie Rakhito Brothers and wish immortality. Political Parties, Offices, Friends, Schools to colleges, Street to Palace celebrate this day with a new hope for a good relationship.

Nepal:- In Nepal, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on shravan purnima. It is also called Janaeu Purnima (Janaeu is sacred thread and purnima means full moon). A sacred thread is tied on wrist by senior family members and relatives. Nepalese people enjoy this festival, eating its special food "Kwati", a soup of sprout of seven different grains.

Maharashtra:- In Maharashtra, the festival of Raksha Bandhan is celebrated as Narali Poornima. Kolis are the fishermen community of the coastal state (Maharashtra). These Kolis offered prayers to Lord Varuna for invoking his blessings. As part of the Rakhi rituals, coconuts were thrown into the sea as offerings to Lord Varuna also they apply vermillion on each other's foreheads as a symbol of prosperity.

Multiculturalism:- In contemporary practice, Raksha Bandhan festival has developed into a broader context and a multicultural event. Priests tie rakhis around the wrists of congregation members. Rakhis are often shared between close friends. Women tie rakhis around the wrists of the heads of state, political party or social leaders. Ceremonies are also held to tie Rakhi around the wrists of soldiers.

Muslims:- There is no mention of Raksha Bandhan in Quran or Hadiths. However, some Muslims in India view it a secular, multicultural festival. 

The FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the inaugural tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946 when it was not held because of the Second World War. The current champions are Spain, who won the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

The current format of the tournament involves 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about a month; this phase is often called the World Cup Finals. A qualification phase, which currently takes place over the preceding three years, is used to determine which teams qualify for the tournament together with the host nation(s).

The 19 World Cup tournaments have been won by eight different national teams. Brazil have won five times, and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. The other World Cup winners are Italy, with four titles; West Germany, with three titles; Argentina and inaugural winners Uruguay, with two titles each; and England, France, and Spain, with one title each.

Trophy:-  From 1930 to 1970, the Jules Rimet Trophy was awarded to the World Cup winning team. It was originally simply known as the World Cup or Coupe du Monde, but in 1946 it was renamed after the FIFA president Jules Rimet who set up the first tournament. In 1970, Brazil's third victory in the tournament entitled them to keep the trophy permanently. However, the trophy was stolen in 1983, and has never been recovered, apparently melted down by the thieves.

After 1970, a new trophy, known as the FIFA World Cup Trophy, was designed. The experts of FIFA, coming from seven different countries, evaluated the 53 presented models, finally opting for the work of the Italian designer Silvio Gazzaniga. The new trophy is 36 cm (14.2 in) high, made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold and weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb). The base contains two layers of semi-precious malachite while the bottom side of the trophy bears the engraved year and name of each FIFA World Cup winner since 1974.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international men's association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014. It will be the second time that Brazil has hosted the competition, the previous being in 1950. Brazil was elected unchallenged as host nation in 2007 after the international football federation, FIFA, decreed that the tournament would be staged in South America for the first time since 1978 in Argentina, and the fifth time overall.

The national teams of 31 countries advanced through qualification competitions that began in June 2011 to participate with the host nation Brazil in the final tournament. A total of 64 matches are to be played in twelve cities across Brazil in either new or redeveloped stadiums, with the tournament beginning with a group stage. For the first time at a World Cup Finals, the matches will use goal-line technology.

With the host country, all world champion teams since the first World Cup in 1930 (Uruguay, Italy, Germany, England, Argentina, France and Spain) have qualified for this competition. Spain is the defending champion, having defeated the Netherlands 1–0 in the 2010 World Cup final to win its first World title. The previous four World Cups staged in South America were all won by South American teams.

Each participating team will receive at least US$8 million. The World Champions will receive $35 million, while the losing finalists will receive $25 million. Teams that lose in the round of 16 will receive $9 million, and the quarter-finalists receive $14 million. The clubs in which the players are playing for at the time of their World Cup departure will receive $70 million as a compensation for insurance costs and expenses, which will be distributed through their national associations. Overall, FIFA will allocate $576 million, a new record, and an increase from the $420 million allocated in South Africa.

India:- India qualified by default for the 1950 FIFA World Cup finals as a result of the withdrawal of all of their scheduled opponents. But the governing body AIFF decided against going to the World Cup, being unable to understand the importance of the event at that time. Reason shown by AIFF was that there was the cost of travel, although FIFA agreed to bear a major part of the travel expenses, lack of practice time, team selection issues and valuing Olympics over FIFA World cup.

The India national football team is governed by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Since 1948, the AIFF has been affiliated with FIFA, the international governing body for football. In 1954, the AIFF became one of the founding members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). At the peak of its success during the 1950s and 1960s, the team was automatically advanced to play in the 1950 FIFA World Cup (all the other Asian teams withdrew), but they did not go to the tournament in Brazil due to the cost of travel, lack of practice time, team selection issues and valuing the Olympics over the FIFA World Cup. They won gold medals at two Asian Games and one silver at the Asian Cup.

Football was introduced to India by British soldiers in the mid-nineteenth century. It spread because of the efforts of Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhichary. In 1888 the Durand Cup was founded by then India's Foreign Secretary, Mortimer Durand at Simla, India. The Durand Cup is the third oldest football competition behind the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. It was initiated, as a recreation for British troops stationed in India. 

The History of Indian football is a long and detailed one, as it was the national sport at one time. The impetus for this was to unify the Indian Army. There is evidence for refereed team football games being played in the Indian Army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world and the third world's oldest competition, the Durand Cup.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be the 21st FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that is scheduled to take place in 2018 in Russia.

The finals tournament will involve 32 national teams, including that of the host nation, assuming the current format of the finals is maintained. This will be the first time Russia has hosted the tournament, the first World Cup to have been held in Eastern Europe, and the first to have been held on two continents.

Agartala – Akhaura rail work to start from Jan, 2015

The work of proposed 15.54 Km Agartala – Akaura international rail route is expected to start from January 2015, said Alok Sinha leader of the Indian delegation.Interacting with media today after the Project Steering Committee meeting of the railway project he announced that the land demarcation of Indian side is complete, the work on Bangladesh is near completion and the detail project report is expected to be submitted this year. He informed that the 4th PSC meeting will held at Dhaka on September.The leader of Bangladesh delegation Sunil Chandra Pal said the demarcation of land is near completion and Bangladesh Railway is working with close collaboration with IRCON, a central PSU unit of India in certain parts of the proposed alignment due to land owner ship issues. He assured that the Bangladesh government ready to start work of the project within the same time frame along with India by January, 2015.The Government of India sanctioned a fund of Rs. 252 crores for the 15 Km rail-line project connecting Agartala railway station in India with Akaura rail station via Gangasagar railway station in Bangladesh plying through Siddhi Ashram, Badharghat Martripalli and Charipara in the outskirts of Agartala city. The rail line would be connected with its counterpart in Bangla through Nischintapur in the Indo-Bangla borderline.