Sergey Bubka on a High

Sporting legend Sergey Bubka, the greatest pole-vaulter of all time, today launched the Bubka Podium Sports Foundation Scholarship to promote the spirit of sport at Community Aid and Sponsorship Program (CASP), an organization that supports under-privileged families and children in India.

Bubka, a recepient of Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to grassroots sport earlier this year, launched the new initiative with CASP Project Manager Mr Ramesh Gorwadkar.

The Sergey Bubka Podium Foundation Award, which will be implemented in 2009, will support young people who show outstanding sporting potential and best display the spirit of sport over the course of the year. The award funds will be used primarily to support nutrition with additional help with equipment, coaching fees and entry fees.

Addressing a press conference, Bubka said, “Creating this award for CASP means I can give children from this area a chance to really pursue their sporting dreams. These awards are not only about sporting prowess, but also seek to promote the values of sportsmanship and respect which I consider to be particularly important."

Bubka, who also attended the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune during his visit to India, is chairman of the Coordination Commission for the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010. He makes regular trips to charitable sports establishments around the world to encourage more young people to take up sport and to offer his support to sporting initiatives worldwide.

The Tsar
Having set world records 35 times, 18 times indoors and 17 times outdoors, Sergey Bubka is better known as the Tsar. Overall, Bubka is widely regarded as a living legend of sport.

Bursting on the international scene as a 19-year-old he scored an upset victory at the inaugural World Championships of Athletics in 1983 - A victory that built his career into one of the most remarkable domination sport has ever seen. A World Champion for 16 years (1983 to 1999), Bubka has won 6 consecutive gold medals. He is still the only athlete in any event to win at six world championships.

To top it all Bubka's transition in life reveals a great sport administrator, politician and businessman, a story not many have to boast about. This is his first foray in the social field and Pune has got the distinction of hosting the event.

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CYG : The Games of Politics

(Pic: Yogesh Jadhav)
Two days from now, Pune is to hold the third edition of Commonwealth Youth Games. This is one of the pet projects of Suresh Kalmadi, an influential member of parliament and administrator of the games.

The games, even before they can commence, are being known for the hectic politics played between two parties in Maharshtra. One party is that of Kalmadi and other one is Nationalist Congress Party led by Sharad Pawar, who is a prominent minister in the union cabinet. Essentially though, this is a tussle between Kalmadi and Pawar. While Sharad Pawar is helped by his nephew Ajit Pawar, Kalmadi has to slug it out with the help of his supporters.

Kalmadi was a close associate and Man Friday of Pawar for a long period. Then he broke away owiong to the 'difference of opinion.' Now, after two stints as MP and president of Indian Olympic Association, Kalmadi managed to bring CYG to Pune. At that time, Congress was ruling Pune Municipal Corporation. Situation changed last year and NCP came to power in PMC. It is trying every trick to make the games a hurdles race for Kalmadi whose credentials as a good administrator are at stake.

First, the NCP did not waged a full fledged war and instead chose to go slow in the works related to CYG. Two weeks ago, it fired first salvo and refused to allot Rs 5 Crores asked by CYG organisers for the publicity. Kalmadi camp retalitated by keeping away Pune mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale from attending a ceremony in CYG. She was not given an invitation for unveiling of Chhatrapati Shivaji's stature at Balewadi, as is required by protocol.

The war did not end here. PMC's subway at Baner Road, which allows entry to the Balewadi stadium, was inaugurated for public. Ajit Pawar inugurated the subway but Kalmadi was not invited for the party.

On Friday, that is today, a CNG filling station was inaugurated at the hands of Kalmadi. This station will cater to Pune Municipal Transport buses. Even though PMT has vowed to ply 30 buses on CNG, only 9 buses are actually available with PMT.

If you think the story ends here, it is not so. To counter Congress move, PMT has decided new buses on CNG to be dedicated to Puneites. The dedication is to be done at the hands of Ajit Pawar on Sunday itself. And guess what? Kalmadi is not invited.

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Germany Toying With Bollywood

It seems that popularity of Bollywod in Germany is to stay for a long and for better. I have already dedicated three posts on this subject and this is one more. This article appeared in Deutsche Welle; I was promted to bring it here as it is one of my favorite subject.
The Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany is targetting adults this year with puzzles and jigsaws based on Bollywood.
The world's largest toy expo, the Nuremberg Fair, is strictly for adults only this year. The adults-only rule has sparked a whole range of new play products which industry observers say is all part of a trend toward stepping up marketing to "aging children": people over 40 who play games to relax.

And Bollywood -- India's most popular cultural export -- it seems, is a grown-up's playground.

The country's trademark hip-gyrating song-and-dance films with its formulaic mix of Indian family values, kitsch and sexual titillation have apparently proved an inspiration for several toymakers. Jigsaws and puzzles depicting Bollywood scenes are all set to feature large at the toy fair. Parents have been warned to keep their kids from sneaking a peek.

"Bollywood is a big topic here, especially among our adult customers," said Bettina Brogsitter, sales representative for the puzzle-maker Lupu.

Some are going in for a more chaste version of India's ubiquitous images.

One German manufacturer of puzzles aims to entice European women who love all things Indian by launching a 1,000-piece puzzle, which would take days to solve, depicting Ganesha, the Hindu god of wisdom with four arms and the head of a one-tusked elephant.

Other jigsaws on show in Nuremberg are more serene, depicting yoga positions and mandalas-designs symbolizing the universe.
"People are in search of inner calm," Brogsitter added.

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