Passion for Sport is increasing in the Indian sub-continent

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Passion for Sport is increasing in the Indian sub-continent

Srimal Fernando South Asia Correspondent

 (the diplomaticsociety.co.za)

Sport is a passion in South Asia. The fantastic sporting events in the region attract thousands of passionate spectators. The professionally talented players are often treated like national “heroes” in the Indian sub-continent. Among the well-liked games in the region, Cricket is by far the most popular participatory sport that is enjoyed by over one billion people in the sub-continent. Apart from cricket, the other most accepted sport in the region is football. Of the South Asian countries India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the countries having most commanding cricket teams in the region. The ever growing popularity of the game in the sub-continent has vivid and interesting histories in the world of sports.

Cricket was brought to the South Asian region in the 18th-century by British colonial rulers. When the sport enjoyed a considerable popularity in the sub-continent the first cricket club came in to existence in the Indian city of Calcutta in 1792. Its world renowned Eden Garden cricket stadium was built in1864 and was one of the early cricket stadiums to be built in the world. This stadium can provide accommodation to more than one hundred thousand spectators. In June 1932, India made its international debut in cricket at Lords as the sixth test playing nation in the world.

Cricket is not simply a sporting event in India; it is a sign of national unity and pride. Tens of thousands of fans sometimes take to the streets in celebration and people mob their heroes when the Indian cricket team plays an international match. In 1983 Prudential World cricket cup victory changed the way the world looked at India and Indian cricket. Last year’s triumph against Sri Lanka at the Cricket World Cup finals has brought the Indian cricketers fame and glory in the national and international arena. India is the third team in the world to have won the World Cup twice. Legendary cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and M.S Dhoni has succeeded in bringing India to the forefront of the International cricket. In India the controlling body for cricket is the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Pakistan was given test match status in 1952. Its first test match was played in October 1952 in Delhi, India. It was led by skipper Abdul Kardar of Pakistan. After decades of playing the sensational last-ball, victory by the brilliant Pakistanis at the 1986 Australasia Cup played in Sharjah against arch-rivals India, was a shock to the entire cricketing world. Skipper Imran Khan joined the elite captains after Pakistan’s first ever World Cup victory in Cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Grounds (MCG) in 1992. Captain Imran Khan and his men will remember for rest of their lives holding the most valuable trophy in the world cricket after the 1992 victory against England in Australia. Some of the Pakistani greats like Javed Mianded, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul – Haq dominated the game for many years.
The Sri Lankan cricket team played their first One Day International (ODI) in 1975. The country had its first ever cricket World Cup victory against India in 1979. The International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded the country test cricket status in 1981.  The Islanders shocked the world after clinching the “1996 Wills Cricket World Cup” at the Gadaffi Stadium in Pakistan.  Sri Lanka showed the world that “one day” cricket is not all about batting, bowling and fielding.  Skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and his men redefined the shorter version of the game with pinch hitting openers like Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana setting a 100 runs score in the first 15 overs. Aravinda de Silva, Muthaia Muralitharan, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene inspired Sri Lanka cricket revival in the past two decades. Sri Lanka is the fourth nation to reach two consecutive World Cup Finals in 2007 and in 2011.Today the islanders hold several world records, including world record for highest team totals in all three forms of the game.
In November 2000, Bangladesh played their inaugural test match, against India in Dhaka. The world cricket has seen explosive batting from Habibul Bashar and Mohammed Ashraful of the Bangladeshi Team. In March 2011, Bangladesh co-hosted the Cricket World Cup with India and Sri Lanka. Given the South Asian mania for cricket, the Bangladesh cricket team has yet to win a world cricket cup.

Sports in Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives are mainly associated with Football. The game enjoys considerable popularity in these countries.There are numerous world-renowned sporting stadiums located in the Sub-continent. South Asia’s most popular sports channels broadcast live through commentaries in English and in local languages during the matches. Most of the sporting bodies in the area are getting more investments and sponsorship to develop the infrastructure and facilities to lift their sporting professions than in the past. However further support is required for sports like cricket and football in south Asia to overcome the challenges and develop in to one of the world’s most popular sporting regions.

Source : http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=302

Discovering South Africa’s Beautiful Culture

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(Ref Page C 2 Life daily Mirror)


Discovering South Africa’s beautiful Culture

Monday, 19 March 2012 09:19
By Srimal Fernando

Unparalleled in its cultural and ethnic diversity South Africa, known as the “Land of Rainbows” is one destinations for which any number of praising words seems inadequate. Home to eight of the world’s official UNESCO heritage sites the country is a tranquil destination, ideal for newcomers. The countries rich history dates back to some of the earliest human settlements in the world. South Africa has always held an attraction for the outsiders since the historic times. In 1487, the Portuguese became the first European nation known to have reached South Africa. After the British annexure of the Cape Colony in the nineteenth centaury the country witnessed an outburst of immigrants during the time of mineral discovery.

At present South Africans could proudly hold their heads up high because of Mandela’s struggle to end apartheid. Nelson Mandela known as Madiba had endured two decades of imprisonment and was one of the greatest figures, who brought a renaissance to South Africa’s unique social and political history. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his efforts to introduce democracy to his country and has become a world wide symbol of hope and endurance. This year, the country celebrates 18 years of freedom and democracy on National Freedom Day. Every year on April 27 the significance of Freedom Day is remembered throughout the country. The road to advent of non racial democracy in the country was a long and difficult one. South African Freedom Day has a unique story that eventually shaped and molded the country’s progress. Since1994, the first democratic and non-racial national election was held on this day. As a result, today South Africa has a multicultural population living side by side with equal respect and pride. The nation has produced several world-renowned authors, musicians and artists and hosts a broad variety of colleges, academies and universities. The country boasts a wide variety of interesting places.

The Cape of Good Hope, Kruger National Park, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Robben Island, Drakensberg and Table mountains are some of the prominent attractions that appeal to many visitors from all parts of the world. South Africa is also known for its rich varieties of cuisines and wines. Cape Town, Bloemfontain and   Pretoria are some of the thriving cities with vibrant cultural life crowded with a   legacy of a rich cultural past .and centers of intellectual and artistic achievements. The modern buildings with array of giant cranes show the development fever in these cities. The culture of the country   has profoundly influenced the entire African continent. South Africa possesses an exciting year-round calendar of world class and unique local events. Besides all the modern offerings, the country is also famous for cultural performance of songs, dances and entertainment. History South African cinema and drama is the record of generations of young actors, filmmakers and behind-the-scenes workers, cultivating their art through a succession of distinct cultural eras. Theatres and dance venues are mostly alive in many cities presenting classics to home grown dance, drama and comedy.

Glorious Heritage of South Korea by Srimal Fernando

Glorious Heritage of  South Korea 

http://www.dailymirror.lk/ 
( ref Page C 2 Life )
Monday, 05 March 2012 07:35

By Srimal Fernando

South Korea  needs little introduction to many visitors to the country .A country   with its magnificent heritage, glorious culture with its rich royal past is  one of the most scenic extremely popular tourist destination in whole of Asia. This picturesque 99,392 square kilometers landscape is diverse, with mountains, gorgeous lakes, beautiful country side with more than three thousand islands, fantastic  beaches and coastline occupies the southern portion of the mountainous Korean Peninsula. It is bordered by North Korea to the north,  China to the west, Japan to the east and the East China Sea  to the south. South Koreans have undergone tremendous transformation following the changes in the economy. .

South Korea is a country on the move. Here, people strongly believe in respecting each other’s culture and religion. The family is considered the centre of the social structure. South Korea is synonymous with big cities like Seoul, Pusan, Ulsan Inch’on, Taegu, Taejon, and Kwangju. Surrounded by cliffs and rugged mountains the capital city Seoul is one of the best loved cities in the world. The city  is one destination for which praising words seems inadequate . Seoul has  been a thriving metropolis with , cloud-tickling  skyscrapers, numerous specialty shops with  ultra-modern one-stop shopping complexes with  subways that symbolizes unhesitatingly  leaping  into the future.The city has previously hosted 1986 Asian Games, 1988 summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The country   is home to many art galleries and museums. Situated in the heart of the city the National Museum of Korea displays a collection of 150,000 artifacts. Among its highest-esteemed attractions in the capital are the   iconic Hwaseong Fortress, Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty and the Seoul Race Course.

It will take hours of roaming around to see everything in the city.South Korea is rich in its traditions and cultures. Ceremonies play the symbolic role of every tradition. For centuries religious socio-cultural ceremonies hold great importance among the Countries people. Festive occasions of South Korea are numerous. Prominent and widely celebrated festivals are Daegwallyeong and Seorak Snow Flower Festival. The country is famous for its delicious food, distinctive culinary traditions, snacks and savories. South Korean people have unique dress preferences. The traditional Korean dress is “Hanbok”. The country is known all over the world for its skill in architectural splendors and for the knack of painting, especially among older generation of Koreans. The Taekwondo martial art is quite popular among the Koreans. Korean cinema, dramas and animation has captured the interest of the entire world. The   music and dances of the country is an undividable part of the culture of South Korea.

Throughout their long history, South Koreans had an outstanding love for music and dance. The richness of the South Korean culture also reflects in the music of the Country. The countries traditional music can be divided into two major types: chong-ak for the noble class and sogak for the common people. Chong-ak consists of music performed at court and tended to be slow and solemn with elaborate melodic lines.  Sogak included shaman and Buddhist music, folk songs and dramatic songs are usually more colorful and lively, appealing to the emotions. Pop music and other forms of European and American music have become extremely influential. Top pop singers have great followings in person and on television. The country crooning contemporary music, often blaring out of karaoke machines, is very much a part of Korean life. South Korea has number of theatres alongside music venues, art galleries, and a range of other places where the arts can be appreciated. Use of drum is an important part of South Korean dance and musical performance. As the singer complete the invocation song, host of drummers and musicians starts beating  drums.

Dance is a way of expression of joy and serves as a means of communication transcending all barriers of culture. Dances and music are traditionally part of the lives of people. Traditional Korean dance may be divided into court dance, folk dance, ritual dance and the dance of professional entertainers. In the distant past, villagers gathered to sing and dance to celebrate planting and harvesting, which were probably the origin of folk music and dance. Korean traditional music can be divided into two major types: chong-ak for the noble class and sogak for the common people. Four other folk dance forms are Court dance, Mask dance, Ritual dance and Confucian Dances. A popular traditional Korean dance known as Bucheachum Dance or “Fan Dance” is a special type of folk dance that is very popular among people of  the country . Another dance known as  Suwon Dance is a traditional Korean dance that was performed during planting and harvesting seasons. Another well-liked dance genera known as    “Great Peace Dance” is one of the most important traditional kinds of folk dance of Korea.

The cultural diversity of South Korea does not stop with music and Dance .Its heritage has variations in its art and folktales .The cultural aspect of South Korea  is one that comes with a great story with its ancient history, cosmopolitanism, strong traditions, modern political and intellectual history.