India

The Republic of India, commonly known as India, is a sovereign country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world. India has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east. India borders Pakistan to the west;[1] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.

Home to the Indus Valley civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's variegated culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by Great Britain from the mid-nineteenth century, India became a modern nation-state in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread use of nonviolent resistance as a means of social protest.

With the world's 12th largest economy by exchange rates and the 4th largest in purchasing power, India has made rapid economic progress in the last decade. Although the country's standard of living is projected to rise sharply in the next half-century, it currently battles high levels of poverty, illiteracy, persistent malnutrition, and environmental degradation. A pluralistic, multi-lingual, multi-ethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Source : Wikipedia

SAARC

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the largest regional organization in the world by population, covering approximately 1.47 billion people. SAARC is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia. The organization was established on December 8, 1985 by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. On April 3, 2007, Afghanistan became the latest member country to join SAARC at the 14th summit in New Delhi.

Headquarters - Kathmandu, Nepal.

Secretary General - Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji

Image Notification - Dark Blue : Member Nations
Light Blue : Observer Nations

Source : Wikipedia

SAF Games

South Asian Federation Games is a multi-sport event. It is held among eight South Asian countries, namely: India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan.

The first edition of the games was held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1984.

1984 Kathmandu, Nepal

1985 Dhaka, Bangladesh

1987 Calcutta, India

1989 Islamabad, Pakistan

1991 Colombo, Sri Lanka

1993 Dhaka, Bangladesh

1995 Madras, India

1999 Kathmandu, Nepal

2004 Islamabad, Pakistan

2006 Colombo, Sri Lanka

2008 Dhaka, Bangladesh

Source : Wikipedia

Cricket World Cup 2007 Carnival nears its end!!!

The Cricket World Cup 2007 (CWC) reaches its climax as Sri Lanka take on Australia in the finals. This CWC saw the rise of minnows Bangladesh and Ireland who ended the CWC campaign of India and Pakistan in the early stage. The hosts West Indies couldn't reach the semis and were knocked out in the Super-8s owing to defeats against Australia, England, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.

This edition of the CWC witnessed some dramatic and unfortunate events, the tragic murder of Bob Woolmer coming as a shock to the cricketing world. Greats like Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Brian Lara have hung up their boots after the World Cup.

India's early exit in the WC must be taken as a stepping stone to success. We have to make amends to make India a powerhouse in World Cricket.