While Nelson Mandela was a symbol of the struggle against oppression across the globe, he and his movement always had a very special connection with India.
A Bharat Ratna awardee in 1990, he is the only non-Indian to receive the honour. (He was also given the Nishan e Pakistan in 1992).
Mahatma Gandhi, who evolved and perfected his technique of Satyagraha in South Africa, was a source of great inspiration to Mandela. On his India visit in 1990, Mandela, when informed of a veteran journalist’s 13-year-old daughter, who was his fan, said “Tell her that I was in fact inspired by a man who was born right here in India.”
Mandela used Gandhi’s tactics at several points as he went about evolving his own philosophy. In the early sixties, the ANC had a militant wing called the Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) which Mandela was part of. In 1962, Mandela spoke of the need for forceful action and quoted Gandhi as saying: “If the choice is between cowardice and violence, I will pick violence.” Later, he once again used Gandhi as a guide in his efforts to build bridges between seemingly irreconciliable forces.
Several of Mandela’s closest comrades and associates were of Indian origin. Two of his closest comrades, Ahmed Kathrada, and Ismail Meer, with whom he spent almost all of his prison years, were Indian.
An Indian, Sonny Venkatrathnam, also jailed at Robben Island in the 1970s for his role in anti-apartheid activities, got his wife to smuggle ‘The Collected Works of Shakespeare’ inside the prison and passed it off as the Robben Island Bible. Nelson Mandela, Ahmed Kathrada, Chris Hani and others read Shakespeare’s plays as a relief from the boredom of having to break stones all day.
Mandela kept a diary while in prison, and hid it in the grass to ensure that the wardens do not destroy it. After twelve years in prison with Mandela, another Indian, Mac (Sathyandranath) Maharaj, who was released after 12 years, as opposed to Mandela’s 27 years, transcribed his notes and smuggled the account out, which was known to the world on its release in 1976 as The Long Walk to Freedom.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home / by Seema Chisti / New Delhi , Saturday – December 07th, 2013
She broke a gender barrier by learning to drive an autorickshaw. Now, Jazeera V is taking on the might of the sand mafia in Kerala. Ankit Agrawal reports.
Mother courage Jazeera V with her three children at the protest site near Jantar Mantar / Photo: Ankit Agrawal
It’s 10 am and Jazeera V, a tall, burqa- clad woman, is having breakfast with her three children near Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. A 31-year-old autorickshaw driver, she has come all the way from Kerala to raise her voice against illegal sand mining on the beach near her village, Puthiyangadi, 30 km from the district headquarters of Kannur. She had seen how the rampant sand mining was causing erosion of the beach.
Sitting on a pavement in front of Kerala House, she has turned the little patch into her personal zone of dissent. She asks this reporter to wait until she finishes some daily chores: sweeping the spot where she has been doing a sit-in since 6 October, fetching water and helping her youngest child, 18-month-old Mohammad, have a bath.
Jazeera was born in a conservative family. “I was not allowed to play or read story books,” she recalls. Not one to be cowed down easily even as a child, Jazeera resisted this discrimination by going outdoors to play, just like the boys. But her family stopped sending her to school when she turned 14, and three years later, in 1999, forced her to get married.
However, three days after the wedding, she realised she could not imagine a life together with her husband. “He used to get drunk and have extra-marital affairs,” she says. “When I protested, my brothers thrashed me and locked me up in the house.” They insisted that she must protect the family’s “honour”. She said her husband, too, must fulfil his responsibilities towards her. Finally, in 2004, she shifted to Ernakulam with her elder daughter Rizwana, leaving her younger daughter Shifana with her mother.
At Ernakulam, she worked first as a domestic help and then as a saleswoman for a publishing house. Despite her family’s repeated attempts to make her return to her husband, she remained firm that that she wanted a divorce.
Later, Jazeera broke another gender barrier when she learnt to drive an autorickshaw in Kannur and bought one with financial assistance through the Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana. She moved to Kottayam and started working there as an autorickshaw driver. In 2011, she married Abdul Salam, a teacher at a local madrassa.
“It was in December 2011 that I first noticed the erosion of the beach near my village due to illegal sand mining that had been going on for at least four years,” she recalls. “I was expecting my third child and had come to visit my mother in Puthiyangadi.” She was shocked to learn that one of her brothers was also involved in the illegal mining . “I was pained by the damage being done to the coast. I was born there, so I took it personally,” she says. She told her brother that she would complain to the police if he didn’t end his involvement with the sand mafia . The threat worked. This was Jazeera’s first victory in what would turn out to be a long struggle.
Initially, Jazeera was the only one in her village to stand up against sand mining . The other villagers were not keen to join her as the illegal mining provided them with a source of livelihood. Moreover, several powerful people were allegedly part of the sand mafia.
Jazeera decided to carry on her struggle alone. She lodged a complaint with the local police and provided them photographs of the mining activities as evidence. No wonder the sand mafia saw her as a threat and attacked Jazeera and her children, not once but thrice.
Following her protest, the Kannur district administration set up a checkpost on a 1½ km stretch of the Neerozhukkumchal beach in the immediate vicinity of her house. That was not enough to stop the illegal digging as this was a stretch that had already been mined so intensely that there was little sand left. The mining was continuing unabated elsewhere on the beach. When Jazeera confronted the guard posted at the checkpost, he said he couldn’t do anything about what happens in other parts of the beach.
Convinced that the district administration did not really intend to stop the illegal mining, Jazeera took her fight to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on 2 August this year, and sat in protest outside the state secretariat. On the third day of her sit-in, CM Oommen Chandy invited her for a discussion but refused to give any written assurance on steps to be taken to stop the illegal mining .
Jazeera decided to continue her protest. An NGO was allegedly roped in to take her children away from her in the name of “rescuing” them. A determined Jazeera somehow managed to thwart that attempt. Even as she is completely immersed in the struggle, she says she is taking “proper care” of her children and “they are not begging on the streets”. This reporter saw Elizabeth Philip, a documentary filmmaker, teach Jazeera’s children at the protest site in New Delhi.
“We know how much our mother cares for the beach,” chips in Rizwana, Jazeera’s 12-year-old daughter. “That’s why we are also protesting with her.”
After 64 days of the sit-in protest at Thiruvananthapuram, Jazeera took her fight to New Delhi. Several human rights organisations have come out in her support. Following media reports, on 10 October, the statutory apex human rights body, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), issued notices to the Kerala government and the Kannur district administration. In its reply to the NHRC, the district administration claimed there was no sand mining on the Neerozhukkumchal beach. However, Jazeera has been demanding an end to illegal sand mining on the entire coastline of Kerala, not just that one beach.
The state revenue department also replied to the NHRC citing the action taken under the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001. On 18 November, the rights body observed that this law didn’t apply to the seashores and reprimanded the department for not stating if any steps were taken to stop illegalsand mining along the coastline.
In October, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh wrote to Chandy in support of Jazeera’s demands, but the CM is yet to reply. Social activist Medha Patkar also wrote to Chandy, reminding him of recent judgments of the Supreme Court and directives of the National Green Tribunal.
Though leaders of some political parties have shown their support for Jazeera’s cause, no party has taken a public stand yet on the issue. “Our state secretary visited her to show solidarity,” says CPI leader Annie Raja, who is also the general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women. “Unfortunately, Jazeera is fighting alone but it is not as if we don’t care for her cause.”
F Faizi, an ecologist with the Convention for Bio-Diversity Alliance, says that sand mining is happening on a large scale in Kannur, Alappuzha, Kollam and parts of Thiruvananthapuram. Though Jazeera’s agitation has ensured that the extent of mining is somewhat reduced at the moment, the mining mafia’s clout leaves no room for complacence. Currently, Jazeera is mulling over filing a public interest petition on the issue.
While this reporter was leaving Jantar Mantar, Jazeera was talking to a family who had come to show their support. Perhaps, people like these are Jazeera’s greatest strength.
source: http://www.tehelka.com / Tehelka / Home> Current Affairs / by Ankit Agrawal ankit.agrawal@tehelka.com / Issue 50 , Vol. 10
(Published in Tehelka Magazine, Volume 10 Issue 50, Dated 14 December 2013)
Actor Naseeruddin Shah, a veteran in the Hindi film world, says Indian filmmakers’ fascination for the Academy Awards is “laughable”. He believes “we are never going to win any”.
The 63-year-old, who has featured in films like “Masoom”, “Sarfarosh”, “Iqbal” and “The Dirty Picture”, was asked what he makes of the current scenario of Indian filmmakers fighting with each other to make it to the Oscars.
“The fascination with the Oscar…I find it laughable, because we are never going to win any. I mean those who are hoping about it just forget about it, because it’s never going to happen. It’s like chasing the rainbow,” he said.
This year, Gujarati film “The Good Road” is India’s official submission for the foreign language film category at the 86th Academy Awards.
Naseeruddin says the fascination for an Oscar is futile.
“It’s just a yearning for worldwide recognition and we feel that Oscars guarantees us that, so that’s why there is this hankering for an Oscar. It’s ridiculous. I think everybody should just keep making the kind of films they want to make,” he added. Meanwhile, the actor is currently busy promoting his film “Dedh Ishqiya”. He shares the frame with Bollywood’s dancing diva Madhuri Dixit and sets the record straight about his reported “steamy scenes” with her in the movie.
“There are no such scenes in the film. I think people just enjoy talking about this kind of stuff, so I am assuring those who want to see ‘Dedh Ishqiya’ that there are no steamy scenes between Madhuri and myself. It’s all poetry but its good poetry,” he said.
Directed by Abhishek Chaubey, “Dedh Ishqiya” also features Arshad Warsi and Huma Qureshi.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Entertainment / IANS / Mumbai – December 16th, 2013
Ahmed Kathrada, the Indian-origin veteran anti-apartheid activist and aide of Nelson Mandela, moved many mourners to tears when he paid a poignant tribute to the late statesman during the state funeral at Qunu village in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province Sunday.
“When Walter (Sisulu) died, I lost a father, when you died I lost a brother, now I don’t know who to turn to,” Kathrada said.
Ahmed Kathrada, the Indian-origin veteran anti-apartheid activist and aide of Nelson Mandela, moved many mourners to tears when he paid a poignant tribute to the late statesman.
A long-time friend of Mandela, Kathrada said the last time he saw Mandela alive was when he visited him in hospital, South Africa’s government news agency SA News reported.
“He tightly held my hand… and brought all emotions… Farewell my dear brother, my mentor my leader… I have lost a brother.”
Kathrada and Mandela were both imprisoned in Robben Island for their political views.
“I recall the tall, healthy strong man, the boxer, the prisoner who rigorously exercised every morning. Now the inevitable has happened. He left us to join the ‘A team of the ANC’.
“Together, we shared ideas and walked side by side in the shadow of death,” Kathrada said.
“We are deeply grateful to Madiba… We are deeply grateful that dignity has been restored to the people of South Africa, we are deeply grateful to Chapter 9 institutions that zealously guard our Constitution,” he added.
Mandela, South Africa’s first democratically elected black president, died of illness in his Johannesburg home Dec 5 at the age of 95.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> News> World News – International / by IANS / December 15th, 2013
Nikhat Zareen, who won the silver medal in the recent World Youth women’s boxing championship, shares a lighter moment with the young Abdur Rehman at Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad. / -Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu
12-year-old Abdul Rehman has won five gold, three silver and two silver in the School Games competitions
potential new star is rising from the boxing area in the city. Abdur Rehman (12) has caught the eye of the coaches and boxing connoisseurs with his natural movements while sparring with the punching bag.
The eighth standard student of St. Andrews School in Saidabad took to the sport watching the video tapes of Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson has already made a mark at the national level having won five gold, three silver and two silver in the School Games competitions.
“I have rarely seen such a young boy with such lithe movements. Even some regular trainees in the seniors age group group can’t match him,” insists SAAP boxing coach Omkar Yadav.
He even impressed the likes of World Youth Boxing silver medallist Nikhat Zareen.
“He looks really good and appears to have so much of natural talent,” remarked Zareen after watching him in practise few days ago.
“I want to emulate Zareen,” says the shy Abdur Rehman, nicknamed Maaz. He will be soon competing in the Sub-junior nationals. Given the rich history of boxers from Hyderabad and with a dedicated coach in Omkar Yadav, this young boy could well bring laurels to the city.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – October 16th, 2013
With divides like mainstream and parallel cinema, single screens and multiplexes, Indian cinema lives under a divide which is a deterrent to its own good, superstar Shah Rukh Khan said here Saturday, even as Amitabh Bachchan felt the need of the hour is to “blend in” to go global.
“Until we don’t inculcate a habit of collaborations, we won’t be able to inch towards global cinema,” Shah Rukh said at the Solutions Summit, a conclave organised by NDTV to celebrate 25 years of its existence.
The actor said it is important to be able to give to the world what it understands, in order to be accepted.
“If you want to be a part of global cinema, you have to tell what you want to tell, show the emotions which you want to show, but you have to put it in the way the world wants to see it,” he added.
Shah Rukh was joined on the panel with veterans like Amitabh Bachchan, Waheeda Rehman and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.
Rahman, who has created tunes for international projects like “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours”, says he finds himself in a situation when different things are expected from him in India and in foreign shores.
“I have been a victim of this. What is considered to be good here, is not good there…I have to switch between the two. However, there are some things which are common as well,” he said.
Amitabh, 71, who made his Hollywood debut with “The Great Gatsby” earlier this year, agreed with the fact that Indian cinema is unique, but added that we need to try and “blend in”.
“It is obvious that our cinema is unique. We need to blend with the west in order to be global,” he said.
Amitabh attributes this to the work of the current generation of actors and filmmakers, who are putting in efforts to make Indian cinema visible to the world.
“Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar are responsible in bringing commercial cinema to where it is now. The way they have marketed it has helped us a lot. I think that was a point when Indian cinema became global,” he added.
source: http://www.dnaindia.com / DNA / Home> Entertainment> Report / Place: New Delhi, Agency:IANS / Saturday – December 14th, 2013
Winners Team Coorg pose for group photo after winning the final against Beatrice Dubai. – Supplied photo
Muscat:
Team Coorg lifted the Balan Master Memorial Trophy beating Beatrice Dubai 4-1 in the final. Organised by Beatrice Sports Club Muscat, the six-a-side hockey tournament was held at The Wave Stadium in the presence of former Indian hockey veteran S.A.S. Naqvi.
In an exciting final, Team Coorg showed their complete supremacy over Beatrice Dubai. Children’s football and family fun games were the sidelights of the final day.
Dr Mujeeb (Amana Polyclinic) delivered the keynote address. The tournament was organised in association with Team Coorg Muscat.
Former Oman national hockey coach K.K. Ponnacha and B. Kuttapa played an instrumental role in helping the Beatrice Sports Club Muscat to host the tournament with much fanfare.
During the concluding ceremony, the organisers of the tournament also honoured S.A.S. Naqvi, Mohammed Osama Rawat, K.K. Ponnacha and B. Kuttapa for their outstanding achievements in the field of sports.
Beatrice executive committee members Shahir, Dr Mujeeb, O.V. Feros, Feros. M, Said, Rasheed, Habib A.P.M and Zaheer thanked the audience for coming in large numbers to support the tournament.
Badr Shipping Company and Sixar Group were the sponsors.
source: http://www.timesofoman.com / Times of Oman / Home / by Times News Service / December 05th, 2013
A delegation of college students from South Mumbai called on Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari at his official residence here on Wednesday. Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and Shipping Milind Deora was also present.
Interacting with the students, Ansari said such visits enable students to understand India’s rich cultural and historical heritage, and also it’s all round progress and development. He wished the students good success in their life.
Every year, a delegation of college students from South Mumbai visits Delhi to get first hand experience of the working of Parliament, and also to meet various dignitaries, including central ministers. (ANI)
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> Education and Career / Mumbai, Wednesday – December 11th, 2013
(Pervez Bari): “The time has come for the entire Muslim world to introspect and get awakened to revisit five centuries, from 750 to 1258 AD – which is often described as the Golden Age of Islamic science — the teaching and practice of medicine in Europe was heavily influenced by the works of Al-Razi (d. 925), Al-Zahrawi (d. 1013) and Ibn Sina (d. 1037) to reinvent Islam’s image of peace, human values and service to humanity through Quranic injunction and Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) sayings (Hadees).
The difference between non-Muslims and Muslims is only that of service to humanity by the latter on the directives of Quran”.
The above observation was made by Mr. K. Rahman Khan Union Minister of Minority Affairs, who was the chief guest, while delivering the inaugural address of the three-day International Conference on “Revisiting Abul Qasim Al-Zahrawi’s Legacy in Medicine and Surgery” here on Friday evening at the India Islamic Cultural Centre.
Rahman Khan lamented that whole of Islamic world today is in turmoil despite it is blessed with wealth at its hand but no research is being conducted to benefit mankind. He called upon Muslims, especially youth, to emulate Al-Zahrawi, who has been called father of modern medicine and surgery, not only in medical but all other fields to serve the mankind.
The New Delhi-based Institute of Objective Studies, (IOS), in collaboration with MESCO (Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation, Hyderabad), and Maulana Azad Education Foundation, Ministry of Minority Affairs, New Delhi is organizing the three-day international conference on to mark the 1000th death anniversary of the pioneer physician and surgeon and highlight his wide-ranging contributions to medicine and surgery. The co-sponsors of the event are India Islamic Cultural Centre, New Delhi, and PARAS HEALTHCARE.
Prof. Omar Hasan Kasule, Sr. Faculty of Medicine, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, KSA, in his presidential address said that Islamic medicine is not specific medical procedures or therapeutic agents used in a particular place or a particular time. Islamic medicine is universal, all-embracing, flexible, and allows for growth and development of various methods of investigation and treatment of diseases within the framework described above’. The conceptual clarification from this definition opened the door to Islamization of modern scientific medicine.
Prof. Kasule Islamic Health Care Industry provides a value-added to medical care, spirituality, ibadat-friendly hospital, and Islamic ambience. The Islamic approach provides holistic care. Unlike Islamic finance, it started with professional training at faculties of medicine. All have a stake in health only a few have a stake in banking, he added.
Meanwhile, Harish Chandra Singh Rawat, Union Minister of Water Resources, in his address said that he salutes the sense of dedication and sense of inequality in Islam which Al-Zahrawi followed to serve whole humanity and not Muslims alone.
Dr. Fakhruddin Mohammad, Organising Secretary & Hony. Secretary, MESCO, Hyderabad threw light on the introduction of the theme of the international conference aptly.
Dr. Ahmad Abdul Hai, MD & Chief Consultant, Hai Medicare & Research Institute, Patna, in his key-note address said: “Islam has made a very glorious contribution to the art of healing. The basic impetus and the inspiration for this Islamic medicine came from the Noble Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet which took medicine away from the realm of superstation & fantasy and gave it a rational footing. This was the basis of Islamic Medicine”.
Dr. Hai quoted Dr. Ahmad Al Kadi of USA who had said: “the treatment in question may be spiritual, physical, exercises, nutritional adjustment, pharmaceuticals preparation (natural or synthetic) surgical procedures, implants, use of modern diagnostic tools (MRI & PET Scan), radiation therapy or a combination of any of these modalities”.
This definition of Islamic medicine may come as a surprise for some of us who feel that Islamic medicine is something limited to the therapy practiced by the revered old Hakeem’s, or is rooted only in natural herbs or is limited to the direct health related teachings found in the Quran & Hadith, or some faith healing manoeuvres, he added.
He said that Islamic medicine includes all the modalities of modern medicine but yet differs from it because it is rooted in divine faith & ethics. It strives for excellence. It is comprehensive, paying attention to the body, the psyche and the soul. It takes into account not only the individual patient but also the society. It is universal, utilizing all useful resources and offering its services to all mankind.
Earlier, Dr. Fakhruddin said that Abul Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi (940-1013), known as Albucasis in the West, devoted his entire life, in Madinat al-Zahra, near Cordoba, in Muslim Spain, to medical research and practice. He made an outstanding and original contribution to medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology and obstetrics, pharmacology and dentistry. He has been described as the father of modern surgery.
At the outset Maulana Abdullah Tarique recitated verses from the Holy Qur’an. Prof. M. Afzal Wani, Professor of Law, GGS IP University, Delhi, welcomed the dignitaries, guests and delegates. The inaugural session of the International Conference will be webcast live on the link http://vectraimage.com/webcast/ios/. Dr. Mohammed Iftekharuddin, Director, MESCO, Hyderabad conducted the inaugural function with aplomb.
Meanwhile, after the Maghrib prayers a plenary session was held on the theme of Islamic ethos in al-Zahrawi’s contribution to medicine and surgery which is still going at the time of going to the press. The plenary session is chaired by Maulana Dr. Saeed Al Azami Al Nadwi, Chancellor, Integral University and Chief Editor, Al Baas Al Islami, Lucknow. Prof. Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman, Founder President, Ibn Sina Academy of Medical Medicine and Sciences, Aligarh is the Co-Chairman of the session. (pervezbari@eth.net)
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> India / by Pervez Bari pervezbari@eth.net / Friday – December 13th, 2013
Wasim Jaffer joins an elite club of cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid, Dilip Vengsarkar, VVS Laxman and Mohd Azharuddin, who have record 50 or more hundreds at first class level.
Mumbai :
Seasoned opener Wasim Jaffer cracked his 50th century in first class cricket to rally champions Mumbai from a difficult situation on day one of their Ranji Trophy Group A clash against fellow-state rivals Vidarbha at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday.
Jaffer remained unbeaten on 133 at stumps after batting right through the day and guiding the 40-time champions from a precarious 39 for 3 to a close of play first innings total of 254 for 8. With his 50th first-class hundred, Jaffer joined an elite list of seven other Indian cricketers – Sachin Tendulkar (81), Sunil Gavaskar (81), Rahul Dravid (68), Dilip Vengsarkar (55), VVS Laxman (55) and Mohammad Azharuddin (54) – who have 50-plus hundreds at this level.
The 35-year-old former India batsman showed immense patience and tenacity even as wickets fell from the other end. But for his 393-minute vigil, the hosts, who were asked to take first strike, would have folded up for a meager score.
There were only two significant partnerships for Mumbai, who were rocked by the initial three-wicket burst by medium pacer Sandeep Singh whose victims included South Africa-bound Ajinkya Rahane who was caught in the slip cordon for one run.
Jaffer, who faced 261 balls and struck 13 fours and a six to remain unconquered with tailender Vishal Dabholkar (0), put on 64 runs for the fourth wicket in 98 balls with Abhishek Nayar (27) before the latter was bowled round his legs by off spinner Akshay Wakhre who grabbed 2 for 65.
Later the opener added 58 in 111 balls with Shardul Thakur (26) who was one of three victims snapped up by Rajasthan-born Vidarbha left arm spinner Ravi Jangid.
It was Jaffer’s 34th hundred in Ranji Trophy and his tally of 50 hundreds in first class cricket includes five in Tests.
Vidarbha opted for the second new ball towards close after 87 overs but neither South Africa-bound Umesh Yadav, who went wicketless after six spells, nor Sandeep Singh could break through the ninth wicket stand which was worth 27 runs.
Yadav bowled six overs in his first spell and then was used in short bursts of three overs without success and the best bowler on view on a wicket that offered some bounce and movement was 32-year-old Sandeep who finished with 3 for 29.
Speaking to the reporters after the end of the day’s play, Jaffer said his team has recovered well now in a good position to call the shots.
“We are in a good position though we would have liked it to be something like 270-6. It was a good recovery,” he said.
Satisfied with his day’s rescue work, Jaffer said the team’s batsmen knew that the first session would be a tricky one with the ball seaming around a bit.
“It feels good to score a century. Someone had to stand there and make runs. Happy to have compiled my 50th first class hundred. The first session was very trying. We needed to hang around. There was not a big partnership at all but at the end of the day we are happy.
“They bowled well in the first session and the ball was seaming around and it was a very criticial period. We knew once we played out the first session the wicket will ease out.
“A few bad shots were played, but they will learn with time. The wicket was not doing much after the first session and at end of the day we have recovered well,” he emphasised.
Asked about whether Umesh Yadav’s pace has fallen a bit after his comeback from a serious back injury, Jaffer said it was the first time he had faced him and cannot make a comparison.
“He bowled all right. I have not played him before today and cannot compare,” he said.
“Sandeep bowled all right. He does not have pace but swings the ball and bowls to his strength,” he noted about Vidarbha’s most impressive bowler of the day.
Brief Scores: Mumbai 254 for 8 (Wasim Jaffer 133 not out; V Dabholkar 0 not out; Sandeep Singh 3 for 29, Ravi Jangid 3 for 48).
source: http://www.sports.ndtv.com / NDTV Sports / Sports Home> Cricket> News / by Press Trust of India / Thursday – November 28th, 2013
