MS Dhoni Announces Retirement From Test Cricket

We Miss You MS Dhoni - The Legend

No farewell matches like Sachin..

No emotional press conferences like Dravid..

He came out to bat today..

Bailed India out of trouble with his calm batting..

Managed a DRAW for his country..

Then, gave a SMILING Interview in the presentation ceremony..

Praised all his team mates for their effort in the test match..

Didn't uttered a single word about his retirement..

Then, walked away SILENTLY..

Inspirational Stories #176 - The Gift of Forgiveness – Christmas Story

The Christmas of 1949 we didn’t have a tree. My dad had as much pride as anybody, I suppose, so he wouldn’t just say that we couldn’t afford one.

When I mentioned it, my mother said that we weren’t going to have one this year, that we couldn’t afford one, and even if we could – it was stupid to clutter up your house with a dead tree.

I wanted a tree badly though, and I thought – in my naive way – that if we had one, everybody would feel better.

Amazing Facts about Food (It's too funny !!!)

Here are some of the funniest and amazing facts about food.  Read them and enjoy.

100 pounds of rain water is required to produce a single pound of food from earth.  

ü  11.9 pounds of cereal are consumed by average American / Canadian per year

ü  Do you know that we get only one pound of coffee from one coffee tree?

ü  The fear vegetables is called as Lachanophobia

ü  Do you know that the French fries came from Belgium, but they are most popular in USA

ü  The number one selling snack in USA is the Potato chips

ü  Do you know that Russian children are given a birthday pie instead of birth day cake?

Rohit Sharma smashes highest ODI score 264 India against Sri Lanka

Records Rohit Sharma broke during his knock of 264

India’s opening batsman Rohit Sharma smashed a brilliant 264 from 173 balls to register the highest score in the history of ODI cricket. In the process, he also broke a number of other records. He was dropped by Thisara Perera after playing a loose shot early on in his innings, but that did not deter the confidence of the Mumbai Indians captain. He went from strength to strength and took just 15 balls to get from 200 to 250.

Here are some records Rohit broke during the knock:

#1 Highest individual score in an ODI innings - 264

Rohit Sharma broke the record for the highest ODI individual score of all time today. He didn’t just beat Virender Sehwag’s 219, but also bettered Belinda Clark’s 229 against Denmark, making this the top individual score in an innings across all one-day internationals.

TOP 10 ODI INNINGS OF ALL TIME 

1) ROHIT SHARMA (India) 264 (173 balls) v Sri Lanka, November 13, 2014

2) VIRENDER SEHWAG (India) 219 (149 ball) v West Indies, December 8, 2011

3) ROHIT SHARMA (India) 209 (158 balls) v Australia, November 2, 2013

4) SACHIN TENDULKAR (India) 200* (147 balls) v South Africa, February 24, 2010

5) CHARLES COVENTRY (Zimbabwe) 194* (156 balls) v Bangladesh, August 16, 2009

6) SAEED ANWAR (Pakistan) 194 (146 balls) v India, May 21, 1997

7) VIV RICHARDS (West Indies) 189* (170 balls) v England, May 31, 1984

8) MARTIN GUPTILL (New Zealand) 189* (155 balls) v England, June 2, 2013

9) SANATH JAYASURIYA (Sri Lanka) 189 (161 balls) v India, October 29, 2000

10) GARY KIRSTEN (South Africa) 188* (159 balls) v UAE February 16, 1996

Inspirational Stories #175 - A Short Story on Self Confidence

A Short Story on Self Confidence

There was a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him. “I can see that something is troubling you,” he said.

After listening to the executive’s woes, the old man said, “I believe I can help you.”

Inspirational Stories #174 - The Tale Of Two Pebbles

The Tale Of Two Pebbles

 Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry his daughter.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag.

If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. If she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.

CITIES THAT NEVER SLEEP

CITIES THAT NEVER SLEEP

New York City

The city that never sleeps is wonderful, frenetic and often overwhelming. New York lets you choose your own nocturnal adventure—a left turn might reveal the glitzy lights of a late-night theatre and while a stroll to the right might unveil after-hour nightclubs and hip, underground bars.

Indian Cricketers and their Cars

M.S Dhoni with his Hummer –

Shakuntala Devi, Popularly known as the Human Computer

Shakuntala Devi, Popularly known as the Human Computer for her awesome ability to mentally solve complex mathematical problems.

Without any formal education as a child, Shakuntala Devi had the ability to memorize and calculate numbers mentally. An ability her circus artist father discovered while playing cards with her, when she was just three. He apparently found that she beat him not by sleight of hand, but by memorizing the cards.

In 1977 in USA, Shakuntala Devi competed with a computer to see who gives the cube root of 188132517 faster, she won.

Inspirational Stories #173 - Sylvester Stallone Zero-to-Hero Story

This is one of the SADDEST stories ever told in Hollywood. His name is Sylvester Stallone. One of the BIGGEST and Most famous American Movie superstars. Back in the day, Stallone was a struggling actor in every definition. At some point, he got so broke that he stole his wife's jewelry and sold it. Things got so bad that he even ended up homeless. Yes, he slept at the New York bus station for 3 days. Unable to pay rent or afford food. His lowest point came when he tried to sell his dog at the liquor store to any stranger. He didn't have money to feed the dog anymore. He sold it at $25 only. He says he walked away crying. 

Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff

Mail sent by Narayan Murthy to all Infosys staff:

It’s half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on… PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing… And who’s at work? Most of them ??? Take a closer look…

All or most specimens are ?? Something male species of the human race…

Look closer… again all or most of them are bachelors…

And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!! Any guesses??? Let’s ask one of them… Here’s what he says… ‘What’s there 2 do after going home…Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late…Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!’

This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.

Some very good and interesting points about Japanese

Some very good and interesting points about Japanese

.. Read it till the end.

1 - Did you know that Japanese children clean their schools every day for a quarter of an hour with teachers which have led to the emergence of a Japanese generation who is modest and keen on cleanliness.

Who owns the Internet? The Internet's Owners

The Internet's Owners

So who actually owns the Internet? There are two answers to this question:

1.    Nobody

2.    Lots of people

Sachin Tendulkar - 50 Interesting Facts about LEGEND Little Master

Sachin Tendulkar - 50 Interesting Facts about LEGEND Little Master

1. Sachin Tendulkar started off with centuries in his debut matches in the Ranji, Duleep and Irani Trophy. No other domestic cricketer has been able to break this record till now.

2. Sachin Tendulkar was done in by a sharp bouncer from Zimbabwe’s Henry Olonga in a league match at Sharjah in 1998. In the final match against the same opposition, Tendulkar had his revenge as he smashed the bowler all around the ground and belted an unbeaten 118 runs.

Amazing Facts - You Probably Didn’t Know That Will Blow Your Mind

Amazing Facts - Probably Didn’t Know That Will Blow Your Mind

1. A new policy has been introduced in Washington to reduce the crime rate. As per that policy, the person who wants to do robbery or a crime has to inform the police in advance about the crime. Otherwise if he is caught after the crime, the police will treat it as additional crime.

2. In Alabama state in America, if someone knowingly or unknowingly throw salt on rail tracks, he will be hanged.

Lord Jagannath and the English Word Juggernaut

Lord Jagannath and the English Word Juggernaut

The English Word Juggernaut, which means ‘a massive inexorable force that seems to crush everything in its way’, is derived from the name of Lord Jagannatha. Actually from the Puri Jagannath chariot procession. The chariots pulled during the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatraare really huge and earlier people used to get crushed under the big wheels while pulling it. Friar Odoric, a Franciscan missionary, witnessed one such accident in 14th century and wrote about the huge chariot in a European journal.

About the Puri Jagannath Ratha Yatra Chariots

About the Puri Jagannath Ratha Yatra Chariots

The three chariots (Raths) used for the annual Puri Jagannath Ratha Yatra are newly constructed each year. A particular family of carpenters owns the hereditary right to construct the chariots. The construction of the chariots begins on the Akashya Tritiya day, which is around three months before the actual Ratha Yatra day. Each chariot used in the Rath Yatra has specific size and dimensions. The chariots are a classic example on indigenous engineering marvel.

PURI Rath Yatra 2014 date – Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra

PURI Rath Yatra 2014 date – Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra 

Puri Rath Yatra, the world famous chariot or car festival, at the PuriJagannath Temple in Orissa. Puri Rath Yatra 2014 date is June 29. It is celebrated on the second day of the Shukla Paksha (waxing phase of moon or bright fortnight) Ashadh month as per traditional Oriya Calendar. On the day of the Ratha Yatra (car festival), chariots (Rath) carrying Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra is pulled to the nearby Gundicha Temple.

Inspirational Stories #172 - The Carpenter

The Carpenter

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

Inspirational Stories #171 - Who is the Rich Man?

Who is the Rich Man?

One day a wealthy father took his son on a trip to the country so that the son could see how the poor lived.
They spent a day and a night at the farm of a very poor family.
When they got back from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"Very good, Dad!" 

"Did you see how poor people can be?"
"Yeah!"
 "And what did you learn?"

Inspirational Stories #170 - Temper Control

Temper Control

Once upon a time there was a little boy who was talented, creative, handsome, and extremely bright. A natural leader. The kind of person everyone would normally have wanted on their team or project. But he was also self-centered and had a very bad temper. When he got angry, he usually said, and often did, some very hurtful things. In fact, he seemed to have little regard for those around him. Even friends. So, naturally, he had few. “But,” he told himself, “that just shows how stupid most people are!”

As he grew, his parents became concerned about this personality flaw, and pondered long and hard about what they should do. Finally, the father had an idea. And he struck a bargain with his son. He gave him a bag of nails, and a BIG hammer. “Whenever you lose your temper,” he told the boy, “I want you to really let it out. Just take a nail and drive it into the oak boards of that old fence out back. Hit that nail as hard as you can!”

Inspirational Stories #169 - The Brick

The Brick 

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. 

He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! 

He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" 

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please! I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!" 

Inspirational Stories #168 - Mount Everest

Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest. On May 29, 1953 he scaled the highest mountain then known to man-29,000 feet straight up. He was knighted for his efforts.

He even made American Express card commercials because of it! However, until we read his book, High Adventure, we don’t understand that Hillary had to grow into this success.

You see, in 1952 he attempted to climb Mount Everest, but failed. A few weeks later a group in England asked him to address its members. 

Hillary walked on stage to a thunderous applause. The audience was recognizing an attempt at greatness, but Edmund Hillary saw himself as a failure. He moved away from the microphone and walked to the edge of the platform.

Inspirational Stories #167 - The Blind Boy

The Blind Boy 

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: “I am blind, please help.” There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Inspirational Stories #166 - The Idle Fisherman – A Pleasant Life

The Idle Fisherman – A Pleasant Life 

A corporate executive, on holiday in a small, Greek sea-coast village, was strolling by the docks and taking in the local colour. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch.

“How long did it take you to get all those fish?” he asked.

“Not very long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”

“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”

Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs, and those of his family.

The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.” 

The executive said, “Well I have an MBA from Harvard and I’m sure I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”

“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.

“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.

“And after that?”

“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with zeal.

“Millions? Really? And after that?”

“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”

A good life-balance means taking the time to appreciate what we’re doing now. Try thinking again about what you’re doing and what you hope to achieve. Being satisfied with what you’ve got can be a liberating experience. Knowing when enough is enough could transform your perception of success. Keep your guard against narrow definitions of success.  Try to stop and smell the flowers!

Narendra Modi - Next Prime Minister of India Some Known and Unknown Facts

10 Facts to know about Narendra Modi, the new PM of India

Narendra Modi is going to be the next Prime Minister of India.

Narendra Modi is both an ‘enigma’ and an ‘open book’ for his supporters as well as his detractors.

Nobody can explain what exactly makes him so popular among hoi-polloi.  At the same time, he is widely known as a person who wears his heart on his sleeves.

Even his opponents admire him for his bold and fearless stand on sensitive issues that can dent his carefully crafted image of a no-nonsense man.

No other Chief Minister in India evokes as much hatred as Narendra Modi but at the same time no other Chief Minister commands as much respect as Narendra Modi.

The hatred for Modi is community specific but he is admired across communities and his popularity transcends  all barriers of caste, community and religion.

Let’s have a look at some of the little known facts relating to Narendra Modi who is positioning himself as a serious contender for Indian polity's most sought after 'hot seat' in  2014 general elections:


1. The biggest mystery of Narendra Modi’s life was his relationship status. The world knew him as a ‘bachelor’ till the time he declared himself as married in his election affidavit . A magazine published a story in 2009 that claimed Jashodaben to be Modi’s wife. The fact that Modi never contested the facts of the story gave credence to the content of the article. Modi's wife is a retired school teacher and  lives in Rajosana village of Banaskantha district. She is said to got married with Modi when she was 18. She had studied up to class VIII only and that is supposed to have spoiled their relationship. It is said that Jashodaben does not like to be photographed as she believes she is not good looking. Not only this, she is conscious of Modi’s high position and does not want to create any embarrassment to Modi although she is hopeful that someday Modi will come to her and publicly accept her as his wife. In 2014 elections the media covered when she went out and cast her vote. According to another popular story about Modi’s marriage, he got married during his childhood. It was a child marriage and Modi never met his wife again as the ‘second marriage (Gauna)’ never happened because Modi got attracted to RSS by that time and decided to remain bachelor for the rest of his life. It is said that his wife also took the vow of remaining single for the rest of her life.

2.Narendra Modi is a patriot since childhood. During Indo-Pak war of 1965, Modi, as a 15 year old boy, volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at the railway stations. Similarly, in 1967 at an age of 17 years, he served the flood affected people of Gujarat.

3. Modi was born in an OBC family of grocers in Vadnagar of Gujarat. Modi wanted to become a sanyasi when he was a child. In fact, he was always fascinated with Sadhus, different forms of worship and meditation. He ran away from home after completing his school education. He visited many places including Ramkrishna Ashram of Belur in West Bengal. Finally, he reached Himalayas and wandered aimlessly and stayed with unknown but yogic Sadhus for months. After two years of wandering in Himalayas without money and with two pairs of clothes, he suddenly decided to give up ‘Sanyas’ life and returned home.

4. After returning from Himalayas, Modi ran a tea stall with his brother at the State Transport Office in Ahmedabad. Modi sold tea for many years. That was the time when Modi learnt what hardship really meant. It made him more determined and resolute in his approach towards life.

5. Narendra Modi is very particular about his appearance in public. He prefers trimmed beard and hair. As for his clothes, his favourite cloth store used to be Jade Blue of Ahmedabad. He ensures that he looks elegant whenever he moves out.

6. Narendra Modi has done a three-month course in US on public relations and image management. This could be one reason why he has succeeded in positioning himself as one of the most affable and sought after politicians in India.

7. Narendra Modi adores his mother and never forgets to take her blessings whenever he undertakes any new initiative- political or otherwise. Even today he went to meet his mother after it became clear that Modi is going to be the next Prime Minister. In fact, she is his only closest relation. He has got all traditional virtues of an Indian man. He  is a teetotaler. He doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke. He is a complete vegetarian. In nut-shell, he is miles away from even minor vices.

8. Women all over India and cutting over age bracket adore Modi. In his home state, he is seen as a sex symbol among women. A close look at his public meetings makes it abundantly clear that women outnumber men among attendees. Analysts say this is mainly because of his emperor like image exuding absolute power and authority.

9. Modi is a prolific writer and poet.He writes in Gujarati language and his favourite topics include life and teachings of Hindutva icons. Narendra Modi is a big fan of Swami Vivekananda. His most recent election campaign was christened as ‘Vivekanand Yuva Vikas Yatra’.

10. Narendra Modi sleeps only three hours. He is a workaholic. As CM of Gujarat, he reports to his office around 7 in the morning and works as late as 10 or even late in the night.