Suresh Raina: Read why Indian all-rounder once thought about committing suicide...
New Delhi: He is probably India's most valuable player in T20 cricket, but Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina has gone through some tough times in the past.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Raina revealed how he once planned to commit suicide during his hostel days.
Sharing his ordeal, Raina shared an incident where he was travelling in a train at the age of 13 and felt something heavy on his shoulders while he was asleep. He realised his hands were tied and there was a big kid on his chest, who started peeing on his face. Raina somehow pushed the boy off the train to get rid off him.
There were several other bullying incidents and Raina was finding it difficult to cope up in the Sports Hostel in Lucknow. It was during this period that suicidal thoughts crossed his mind.
Raina revealed another incident where he was hit by hockey sticks and one of his mates was beaten so badly that he went into a coma-like state.
Raina quit the hostel after a year but joined rejoined after two months after his brother convinced him to do so.
14 Haunted Places In Delhi You Should Visit On The Next Amavas Ki Raat
1. Delhi Cantonment
Apparently, numerous people have been greeted by a charming lady in white who asks for a lift or runs at the speed of their car. Not scary at all.
2. Feroz Shah Kotla Fort
Built way back in 1354 by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, this fort lies eerily abandoned in the present day. Every Thursday locals can be seen lighting candles and incense sticks; and offering bowls of milk and grain to appease the djinns that supposedly haunt this place.
3. House No. W-3, GK - 1
Apparently, this house has seen the gruesome murder of an aged couple, whose bodies were later found in the water tanks. The house lies abandoned now. Various sounds ranging from sobs to screams emanate from the house as reported by the neighbours.
4. Khooni Nadi, Rohini
Legend has it that no one who enters the river makes it back to the shore alive. While logic dictates that these deaths are probably unfortunate accidents or suicides, you can never be sure what lurks in the darkness.
5. Malcha Mahal, Bistdari Road
Originally a hunting lodge built in the Tughlaq era, this structure is now completely surrounded by the Delhi Ridge. The silence of the jungle can really get to you - if the ghosts don't, that is.
6. Mutiny House, Kashmiri Gate
This memorial was built by the British to commemorate the officials who died during the sepoy mutiny in 1857. Allegedly the ahem... memories continue to live on in the form of severed limbs that people have seen wriggling around the vicinity of the buildings.
7. Bhuli Bhatiyari ka Mahal, Jhandewalan
Another Tughlaq era structure located near the Ridge, this place is reportedly inhabited by invisible spirits that shuffle around in the dark. Mysterious sounds have also been heard.
8. Sanjay Van, near Vasant Kunj
Reportedly, this ten km stretch of forest is inhabited by spirits of children who can routinely be seen bawling and clawing each other. Adorable, innit? *screams internally*
9. Karbala Graveyard, Karbala Road, B. K. Dutt colony
As is expected, this area gets fairly desolate and gloomy - especially in the evenings. The loneliness and silence can be rather unsettling.
10. The Ridge
Of course the Ridge is haunted. If you didn't catch on to that by the number of monuments we've listed in and around the area, you should know that numerous eyewitness accounts have recorded the presence of a British gentleman who continues his official duties like the good old times, among various other not-so-friendly entities. Just so you know, areas of the Ridge are out of coverage. Good luck with that!
11. Jamali Kamali Tomb and Mosque, Mehrauli Archaeological Park
Renowned sufi saints Jamali and Kamali were buried here in 1535. Apparently, voices can be heard calling out to you near the graves - even in broad daylight. People have reported being shoved and slapped by invisible entities. *brb, switching all lights on*
12. Nicholson's Cemetery, Club Road, Civil Lines
This is one of the oldest cemeteries in town, and houses many British families within its confines. Apparently visitors have reported having a nagging feeling of being watched and followed. Just hoping they weren't followed all the way back home!
13. Chor Minar, Haus Khas
Some of you must have noticed this tower while on your way to our beloved Haus Khas Village, and noticed that the tomb is completely covered in holes. Let's just say, these holes were spiked with spears bearing heads of slayed thieves back in the times of Alauddin Khilji. And that if you happen to be in the area after dark, you might be treated with that scene again. Yay!
14. Khooni Darwaza
This is where the three surviving sons of Bahadur Shah Zafar were executed by the British. Reportedly, the three princes still haunt the area, sore from the public humiliation.
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova says she failed a drug test for meldonium at the Australian Open this year. The drug was banned in January and there has been a string of failed tests by athletes in several sports since.
Who's tested positive?
Ekaterina Bobrova, one of the world’s top ice dancers, also said on Monday that she tested positive.
Bobrova is a former European champion who was part of the Olympic gold medal-winning Russian team at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She told Russian media the positive test was “a big shock.” Another Russian case last month saw cyclist Eduard Vorganov test positive.
Besides notable Russians, Swedish media reported in February that former world champion 1,500-meter runner Abeba Aregawi had tested positive for meldonium. Two other cases involved Ukrainians competing in the winter sport of biathlon.
What does it do?
Also marketed as mildronate, the website of the drug’s Latvian manufacturer Grindeks says meldonium gives sufferers of heart and circulatory conditions more “physical capacity and mental function” and a similar boost to healthy people. Meldonium was banned because it aids oxygen uptake and endurance.
Who takes it?
Meldonium is most commonly used in Eastern European and ex-Soviet countries as a drug for people with heart conditions, but it’s also offered for sale online. There are also signs that a sizable minority of athletes were using before it was banned.
In October, the U.S.-based Partnership for Clean Competition, an anti-doping group, said meldonium was found in 182 of 8,300 urine samples from athletes as part of a study part-funded by the PCC.
The World Anti-Doping Agency monitored the effects and use of meldonium before announcing in September that it would be declared a banned substance from January 1, 2016.
WADA declared the decision on its website more than three months before the ban, and it was also announced by the Russian anti-doping agency.
And Sharapova?
Sharapova said she received an email from WADA linking to information that meldonium would be banned ahead of the 2016 season but did not read the information at the time. Sharapova says she has been taking the drug for 10 years for numerous health issues.
Women’s cricket will stand alone as a brand in itself’
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t be qualifying for the semifinals,” said a confident Mithali Raj ahead of the India women’s first ICC World T20 warm-up match against Ireland.
“We had a very successful T20 series against Australia and Sri Lanka. The team is confident following the wins. With the kind of form the team is in right now, I’m confident. Beyond that, I’ll think later.”
The India captain also pointed out that the team’s fielding, which isn’t considered to be on par with the batting and bowling strengths, has also picked up.
“One of the big changes we saw in the Australia series was in fielding. There has been a remarkable improvement in the way the girls have responded. I can assure you that you will see good fielding in the World Cup.”
Asked to pick fellow-contenders for the tournament, Mithali chose defending champion Australia.
“Though we have beaten them at home in Australian conditions, the World Cup is a different scenario. I definitely feel they are tough contenders.”
The 33-year-old also said the men’s tournament running parallel would not overshadow them and, in fact, help them.
“I think [the women’s tournament] has garnered a lot of people’s attention, thanks to the double-headers and television. I’m also quite confident women’s cricket will stand alone as a brand in itself in the future.”
The Nike advertisement where the men’s and women’s teams posed together came in for praise too, with Mithali calling it “one of those first moves by a team sponsor to cover women’s cricket in a big way.”
Non-recognition isn’t an issue confined to India and Ireland captain Isobel Joyce dwelt on how the reception was back home after the team qualified.
“For us, it was the first time we were acknowledged as a proper sports team as opposed to just taking part,” Joyce said. “Cricket is not, obviously, the No. 1 sport. Some couldn’t believe that they had seen me on television and heard me on the radio.
“So it was a really big breakthrough. The challenge is to keep it going.”
India's sixth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1F, put into orbit
The satellite carries two types of payloads — navigation payload and ranging payload.
India's workhorse satellite launch vehicle PSLV-C32, on Thursday, succesfully put India's sixth navigation satellite, IRNSS-1F , into orbit.
The IRNSS-1F was launched into a sub-Geosynchronous transfer orbit with a 284-km perigee (nearest point to Earth) and 20,657-km apogee (farthest point to Earth).
The satellite carries two types of payloads — navigation payload and ranging payload. The navigation payload will transmit navigation service signals to users while the other consists of a C-band transponder that facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite.
IRNSS-1F is the sixth in the series of seven satellites proposed under the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS).
The IRNSS has come to be known as the country’s own GPS.
What have brushing and cleaning your teeth to do with your heart? A lot, say health experts, suggesting that taking care of your teeth and gums will not only help keep oral hygiene or make you smile better, but also save your heart from various heart diseases.
Gum disease can be a reason for heart disease because bacteria from infected gums can dislodge, enter the bloodstream, attach to blood vessels and increase clot formation.
“Swelling caused by gum disease may also trigger clot formation. Clots decrease blood flow to the heart, thereby causing an elevation in blood pressure and increasing the risk of a heart attack”, said Dr. Subhash Chandra, chairman (cardiology) at BLK Super Speciality Hospital in the capital.
Dr. Chandra recently treated Neelam, an 18-year-old girl who was diagnosed with endocarditis (suffering from leaking heart valve). The infection in her heart valves was caused by mouth bacteria.
Endocarditis is an infection of the heart’s valves or inner lining. It occurs when germs get into the bloodstream and settle inside the heart, often on a valve.
The infection is usually caused by bacteria but in rare cases it is seen to be caused by fungi.
Not brushing the teeth increases the bacterial count in the mouth which can travel to the damaged heart valves to cause infection.
Many of the risk factors for gum disease are the same as those for heart disease, such as tobacco use, poor nutrition and diabetes.
There are two groups — namely coronary heart disease and infection in heart valves — in which the effect of poor oral health can be studied. Poor oral healthcare increases the risk of coronary heart diseases.
“Poor oral health increases the risk of infection in heart valves, especially in case of pre-existing damage in the heart valve. With such a condition, the infection due to poor oral health can reach to the already damaged heart valves, causing an infection there too.” explained Dr. Tapan Ghosh, director (cardiology sciences) at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon.
“One of the biggest mouth-heart connections is related to gum disease. The spread of infected bacteria by swollen and bleeding gums not only destroys the structure of teeth jawbones but can also cause heart attack,” the experts cautioned.
So next time when you ignore brushing your teeth, hear the voice of your heart!
Women are outpacing men on searches related to food, entertainment (family television) health and fitness.
Search engine Google has revealed that Indian women spend more time searching on Google than men do. Middle-aged women — in the age group of 35 to 44 years — spend more time on Google search, and in terms of year-on-year growth of “time spent in minutes”, they surpassed men of the same age category by a whopping 123 per cent.
“The internet is playing an incredibly important role in changing the lives of women in India. It is great to see how women are taking to the internet in greater numbers and increasing their time spent, even outpacing the time spent by men,” Google said.
Interestingly, the search engine also recorded a significant uptake in search usage by upper middle-aged women (above 55 years).
In terms of growth in “search minutes,” women outnumber men in younger age-groups as well. In the 15-24 age-group, time spent by women grew by 110 per cent as compared to 104 per cent by men.
In the 25-34 age-group, time spent by women grew by 108 percent as compared to 98 percent by men.
“This trend is likely to continue growing as India’s vast rural population of over 800 million comes online and experiences the power of the internet,” the company said.
Interestingly, this is not just limited to the fashion and beauty segments.
Women are outpacing men on searches related to food, entertainment (family television), health and fitness.
India currently holds the world’s third largest internet user base after China and the U.S. with approximately 325 million active users.
