Top athletes question timing of national championships

Currenr and former athletes have criticised the timing of the 54tl1 National Open Atl1letics Championships that were beld from 2-5 ovem b er in New Delhi, saying chat holding such a meet at the very end of the season serves little purpose and could in face be detrimemal co the p layers' interests, defeating the very reason behind the championships Tbe event was at the end of a gruelling seaso n. India's top crack and field athletes participa ted in two major evems - the Commonwealt h Ga mes and Asian Games. The Championships saw a dep leted scare as several top athletes withdrew due to injuries and fatigue.

Asian Games silver medallist Manju Bala Singh opted o u t of the women's bammer throw event. National record holder race walker KT. Irfan also pulled out ci ting a swolle n ankle.

But tl1e most shocking was Asian Games silver medallist, Khusbbir Kaur who quit during the 20km race walk. Khusbbir had completed nearly half the race when her coach Alexander Artsybas hev forced her ro stop, concerned that she may gee in jured. Most top atllletes, working with public sector companies, made themselves available o nly for the salte o f their employers. Several performed considetably below their best and admitted tl1at they were not much concerned about their performance as it "meant little" in meir scheme of dungs.

"After the As ian Games I did not gee much time to train. The schedule was really pnnishing. I trained for only two -three days for this competicion. But I was confident of winning despite the lack of training," said M. Poovamma, who won the Women's 400m Gold.

The Asian bronze medallist said chat it is difficult to find motivation after two back- toback mega events and revealed mac she did not give it her best to prevent picking up an injury.

" Taking risk isn't wise in tl1ese circumstances. Compared co other tracks, tl1is tra ck is not well maintained. And I am also not happy wi t h the facilicies pro vided," added Poovamma.

"I turned up for my emplo yers ONGC. Running ell.i s event doesn't matter to me. I am no t concerned with whatever tin1e I register here. This was the last meet of a long seaso n and 1 am glad that it's over."

Her 4x400m relay team mates J\fandeep Kaur and Priya.nka Panwar, who claimed the Asiad gold, also skipped tbe event

Legendary athlete, PT. Usha also echoed Poovamma's sentiments. "This event should have been held before tl1e two mega events. Ir would have proved co b e a grea t warmup evem and given the amleces a lor of confidence. But hoscing it now serves no purpose."

"Athletes are rnnuing chis eve nt for the sake of their employers. W ha t is the point o f running well in tbese championships, after di e season has ended? If yo ur mind is willing to run and perform, tl1en only you nm fast and win," added me P'!ffoli Express, a lso infuriated by the poor infrastructure for the event

"After hitting peak form, a certain amount of laxity d oes arise in the atliletes. Then it becomes difficult for mem co perform at their op cimum. Usually an exrended gap helps the athletes to recover from big events. But this year chat hasn't been the case," said ilie cwo- cime Asian Games sil ver medalli st, Soma Biswas.

Kiss of Love in Kolkata

After Kerala, West Bengal will now hose Kiss of Love, when youngsters in me state capital Kolkata will indulge in public displays of affeccion as a mack of protest against moral policing.

In solidarity wim tl1ose who courted police accion during tl1e Kiss of Love in Kocbi earlier, srudents of India's prestigious Jadavpur U1i.iversicy are o rganis ing a similar event in South Kolkata.

"\V/e are procescing against the organised instances of moral policing lnterested cicizens are welcom e to join us," said university student Nabotcama Pal.

"From Kochi to Kolkata, instances of moral policing are not rare. A saffron wm7 e is slowly but surely engulfing the country - be it tl1rough accusations of conduccing Love Jihad for lovin g a person from a different religion or attack on young people displaying affeccion."

Students will form a human chain and walk from tlle university premises to finall y engaging in kissing, hugging, showering affeccion to each othe r through wh ichever way they feel comfortable, wi tb mucual consent, in the Jadavpur police stacion area They will also move o n to the SB bus stand opposite the rni.iversicy campus to publicly discuss tl1eir stand against moral policing and why they mink it is wrong. A similar event will be followed by Presidency U niversity students as well.

"We will also raise our vo.ice against cl1e recent incident where me autl1oricies of a cinema hall allegedly harassed a girl on the grounds that she was wearing a kneelengtl1 skirt, which according co them was indecent," quipped Nabottama.

Kiss of Love is a protest against me recent attack on a cafe in Kozhikode afte r a TV channel showed yorn1g men and women hug and kis s during tlieir visits to the ou tlet for snac ks

30 Indian -Americans vying for office in the US poll

i\ record 30 Ind ian-A mericans are contesting the US elections mat will determine the course of power politics in die last two years of President Barack Obama's term in office.

Nearly three million people of Indian descent, with an ever growing number of offici als in high places, are better educated, earn more tl1an ocher A mericans, bur haven't had much of an impact on national policies though mey have two state governors and a lawmaker in the House.

No Indian -American is running for any of the 36 seats, including three special eleccions, up for ballot in t he 100 m ember Senate where Oba.ma's Democracic Parry is facing the prospect of losi ng its 53-45 majority with two Independents in me mix. But four of tliem are vying for a two-year term in me House where all 435 seats are up for eleccion.

In a divided US Congress, Opposition Republicans currently control the House with a 233 - 199 lead. Poll pw1dits expect the Republicans co keep their lead i f not increase it.

Prominent among desi contestants to the House are D emocrat Amerisb '.Ami' Bera, who cwo years ago became only the third Indian- American lawmaker in U S histor y, after Dalip Singh Saund and Bobby Jindal , and a former Obama adni.inistracion official Rohit 'Ro' Khanna.

Bera, whose parents emigrated from Rajkot, Gujarat, received a big bo os t in his tight re-eleccion race against Republican businessman Doug Ose in Califotnia's 7th district wich former Pres ident Bill Clinton corning to stumps for him recentl y

In t he battle for Silicon Valley, Khanna, former depmy assistant secretary in Commerce department, is giving a run for h is mone y to ve teran fellow Democrat Mike Honda, who has h eld the seat fo r the past 14 years.

Khanna, who ha s won the backi ng of Yahoo's M arissa Mayer and Fa cebo ok's Shery l Sandberg in tbis home of tech cicans, called it "the best pick up oppornmity for an lndian Ame ri can in the country"

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Iraq war veteran physician Manan Trivedi is making his third cry to e n ter me House, w li.ile. Arvin Vobra of the Libertarian Party is running from Mar ylan d

In the Stares, R ep ublican r ikki Haley, seeking a second four-year tetm as South Carolina Governor, was considered a virtual shoo in even before her Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen called ber a " whore" at a campaign rally and became "a headache" for his par ty. inirata Nikki Randhawa, tbe daughter of Sikh immigrant parents, has also received me backing of Louisiana governo r, Piyush 'Bobby' Jindal, who llimself is considering a presidencial mo in 2016.

But in California governor's race, fel.low Republican i eel Kashkari, also known as me '700 billion dollar man' for running me bailout program after th e 2007 -2008 financial crisis, faces an uphill task against Democratic Governor, Jerry Brown

If he w in s again as expected, Brown, 76, w ill become me only California governor elected to four terms.

In the race for California's top law officer, Kamala Harris, me s tate's first female Indian -American and AfricanAmerican Attorney General , is sitting pretty against Republican Ronald Gold

The daughter of an Indian motlier from Cben nai and a Jamaican father, whom Obama last year called "by far tl1e bestlooking Attorney General", which caused a b it of a stir, is also said co be on me President's short li st to succeed Attorney General Eric Holder.

A score of oilier Indian -American snine Republicans, 10 Dem ocrats and one Independent, are eyeing legislative seats in 15 states in a h id w win a rightful place in me policical arena fo r tbe community.