Historic Indus valley land: Sind

Historic Indus valley land: Sind
Before I start here, I feel this is my most obligatory duty to pay homage to ever inspiring memories of my parents Dadanbai & Dr. Premchand Manghirmalani, as whatever you are going to read are the memories of both of them, which I am trying to present with addition of some of recent facts.
Geography and Statics
This was the Indus River commonly known as the river Sindhu [in the Sanskrit language Sindhu Means Ocean] which works for the fertility of this land and well being of native on its banks. In fact the this land derives name Sind from the river Sindhu, the name mentioned in world’s oldest knowledge books Vedas, more times even the holly river Ganga. Area wise Sind is larger than England in the lower Indus basin with Arabian sea Indian ocean in south, Plains of Punjab in north, desert extended to merge with Thar desert of Rajasthan in east and Khirtar mountain range in the west. The human population was in the proximity of 5 millions [at present about 50 millions].
The river Sindhu covers a length of almost 3000 kilometers and all most one third of it is in the Sind. This was common saying that this land is Gift of river Sindhu to human beings another such gift of nature is the Egypt of river Nile. Less rains and hot climatic conditions, average temperature above 30 degree Celsius with world’s hottest city Jacobabad being part of Sind, river Sindhu was working as the life line for the citizen. Among the major cities Dadu, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Larkana, Nawabshah, Tando Adam, shikarpur etc. of the sind, Hyderabad was the city with a some what pleasant climate and cool breezes while the Jacobabad and Sevahan were the among the hottest places of the region. [According to records of meteorological reports in the year 1919 mercury went to touch 52 degree Celsius at Jacobabad].
Economy
Sind was an agro based economy. The main crops were the Rice, wheat, cotton and sugar cane but rice was cultivated in abundance and Larkana was famous for its very fine quality rice crops though Dadu and Thata were not legging for behind in the cultivation of rice crops. Cotton was the main crop of Hyderabad and Nawabshah, and production of cotton has included sind on the world map of textile industry. Sugar can was cultivated in the southern parts. Sind was also producing good quality fruits like the Mango and Banana. Rice Mill was the main industry in the Larkana and Dadu districts.
Beside the agricultural and textile people of Sind were also earning very handsomely from their skills of pottery, leather work and art of weaving of carpets. Specific and very unique way of polishing the ornaments also brought considerable praise for the natives of Sind besides adding to their physical wealth. Mahoan-jo-daro have very distinctive illustration that native of Sind were well versed with these artistic works since the ancient times at least in the pottery.
[ Still to come Part II]

Indian Cricket and Match Referee

Indian Cricket and Match Referee

Entire cricketing world is respiring again with relief as the Indian tour to Australia gets resumed yesterday with the practice match at Canberra. Fears of division among the cricketing nations, if not removed, at least went under the cloud cover of suspects till the ICC appeal commissioner decides the fate of the charges of so called racial comments, framed over the Indian spinner Harbhajan, by the Andrew Symonds and other Australian players during the Sydney Test of on going series.

Cricketing world is sounding with some voices of bowing of ICC before the BCCI on this controversial issue but if you look into history evidence will prove, non reasonable special behavior of match referees, going harsh with Indian or rather with the players from the sub continent always provided with a reason for the clash between BCCI and ICC. Look at the present issue, there were no audio / video proofs and even other evidences were not even sufficient to issue a warning for Harbhajan but match referee Mr. Proctor decided a three match ban for the Indian player.
This action of match referee prompted to look at some of the post records of the same person. In the year 2003 he conveniently over looked at the clash of Birayan Lara and Steev Waugh at Antigo but not hesitate to issue one match warning for the Indian captain Sourav Ganguli at Brisbane during the last Indian tour to Australia for the slow over rate bowling 9 over short, even there is provision of curtailing the match fees in the situation [For players 10% and for captain 20%] but Proctor prefer to go with level two offence and wormed Indian captain about the extreme punishment.
The same match referee Proctor went on to pose a five match ban for the past Pakistan Captain Rashid for making an appeal for a catch not taken properly against the Bangala Desh but at Sydney he prefer to keep quite when Sourav Ganguli was declared out by the way of catch taken in disputed manner by the Australian fielder Clarck not only this but he also over looked the appealing of Australian captain Ricky Pointing for taking improper catch. History will never forget the Oval Test between the Pakistan and England, where the issue of ball tempering gets more complicated shape and structure with the role played by Mr. Proctor in the same capacity of match referee.
The biggest dispute of the history between the ICC and BCCI was the 2001 Port Elizabeth issue, here once again the match referee Mr. Mike Denis was the accused of providing a space for the clash by banning six Indian players including the mighty Sachin Tendulkar. Mike Denis proposed a ban for Sachin for so called charge of ball tempering, Captain Sourav Ganguli for not keeping the players under control, Virendra Shewag for excessive appealing and one match suspended ban for S.Das, Harbhajan and Deepdas Gupta for the same reason of excessive appealing.
Hopefully the appeal commissioner will look into matter with a justifying vision and Harbhajan will come out spotless from allegations of so called racial comments. Indians have a long proven tradition of tolerance and fighting against the racialism but surely all will go behind the memories, rather out of cerebral hemisphere, if the self respect and national pride of Indians is challenged with an unnecessary and non proven blame. I am concluding this with instead of looking at dispute as the war of supremacy between ICC and BCCI or with the market oriented vision, look as the thing of national pride, honor and blame on attitude because this will not help to see and understand the dispute in true sense but will also prove help in reaching to proper and justifying decision and keeping the integrity of cricketing world intact.