INDIAN TEAM IN PURSUIT 

A narrow four runs win in the first one day match at Harare.  The redeeming feature of the match was the chase unsuccessfully made by the Zimbabwe side against all odds.  Team India were tattering at 87 for 5 and the writing was on the wall.  The top order batting failed to come up with good scores and as in the past we need to depend on lower order batsmen to put up a moderate total.  A stand of 160 runs between Ambati Rayadu (124) and Stuart Binny (77) all saved the day for Team India.  Zimbabwe was on course of a stunning victory as C. Chibhabha scored an unbeaten 104.  With Bhuvaneshwar Kumar was bowling the last over, the pendulum was swinging on both the sides, but better experienced Indian side prevailed over Zimbabwe by 4 runs to go one up in the 3 match series.  This is somewhat better show than what was achieved against Bangladesh at Mirpur.

In pursuit of lost glory in Bangladesh, the Indian team is trying all its best to redeem themselves with a second string side in Zimbabwe.  With likes of Harbhajan Singh in the side it is second string side only on paper.  Uthappa and Pandey are on the fringe of selection for a longer time and the long rope Rayadu, Rahane and Harbhajan Singh got in recent times is for them to rebuild their stature as International players of repute with a silver lining in their performances.  The golden opportunity offered to them is to make up the lost time and to rejuvenate Indian Team before the T-20 World cup next year.  We failed build up our bench strength by giving chance to tried and test players and that move backfired in Bangladesh.  Instead of trying new faces in a home series we play with our so called famed batting line up and they let the team time and again.  When there was marked improvement in our bowling department with Ashwin holding the trump card, the batting failed to live up to big matches and there was disappointment with fickle batting line up.  The newcomers should enjoy the fringe benefit and upstage the show of seniors and help Team India make solid side for the future.

Navi Mumbai is Pensioner's Paradise

Seniors in the satellite city are better of than their neighbour in Mumbai.  With lot of space available in the city for seniors to go for a walk, meet the friends during birthdays and spend useful time in the evening with a purpose.  Simple living and high thinking is the motto of the Senior Citizen. The "Helping Hands" of the seniors spread to every nook and corner of the country. It helps to spread awareness about the needs of Senior Citizens and makes them know of their own rights. This includes how to make use of Pension Amount to profitable investments and earning good returns. Such returns earned can be made use for the Monthly Medical Expenses without pinching the pocket.

In Navi Mumbai there are number of yoga centres to spend the fresh morning time doing some useful exercises in the company of seniors as well youngsters.  In every nook and corner of the city there are parks to enjoy the greenery and get fresh air as well. As the city is catering to the needs of pensioners, it can be rightly called pensioner's paradise.  However, the frequency of buses has not increased and the foot board height of the buses gives the seniors a nightmarish experience to climb and get into the bus.  More and more user friendly buses with low foot boards can help out the cause as in the case air condition buses plying in the city with high cost. Co-operative societies should be formed to sell household items at a cheaper rate for 60 plus citizens in the State.

No doubt pension is a great help to the retired. But, in the recent times the house rent, prices of essential commodities, High cost of hospitalisation has harmed the pensioners to a great extent . The value of the pension has been eroded greatly. As a result as a pensioner we find it very difficult to maintain a decent living. The city is not bereft of drawbacks. Footpaths have virtually become extinct due to over height and piling of construction material or garbage. Street dogs pose another problem. One can even see more than a dozen dogs flocking together sometimes. Casualties due to dog bite are not uncommon. Another problem are prices. Everything is costlier than other cities, whether it is house-rent, transportation or fruits and vegetables.  It is time to give pride of place to pensioners in the satellite city.  Further safety and security of the seniors should be ensured as there are number of chain snatching and the lonely senior is a target even when staying at home.  It is a clarion call to bring the problems of seniors to forefront and give them freedom to live rest of their life in peace and harmony.