A CRICKET MATCH

Last winter I happened to sea a cricket match in Delhi. The match was played between Indian cricket team and the West-Indies cricket team. The match was played at Ferozeshah Kotla groungs.Cricket is quite an interesting game. Every game has its plus points. It fosters discipline, duty, team-spirit, cooperation and a sportsman’s spirit. Some of the Indian players are players of international repute.
Cricket is played between two teams of 11 members each, it is on a flat, smooth and clean ground. Cricket requires, two seats of stumps, wickets and a ball. The distance between two sets of wickets is 22 yards. The bowlers take their turns after every six balls. In this fielding is also necessary for victory. Before the game starts, there is the toss. It is the whim of the toss winning captain to first go for batting or fielding. The fielding party puts three fieldsmen on the one side, six on the off side, while one is posted for guarding the wicket and one for the bowling. The game is generally played for six hours a day. The umpire is the final judge. He is the man who declares the players ‘out’; whether they are run out, bowled out, caught out, stumped out or leg-before-wicket out.
The match which I witnessed was really very interesting. There was huge gathering at the Ferozshah Kotala grounds. India’s leading cricketers were playing in the match. I saw the fine game of tendulkar. He hit many boundaries, while Azhar was playing very carefully. But soon Tendulkar was out. Then he was replaced by Sidhu. He made 50 runs in 76 minutes while Ganguly made 66 runs in 70 minutes. Soon there was break for lunch. The Indian team made 219 runs for there wickets before lunch.
Then the West Indies players started bowling after lunch. Marshall bowled very fast and he stumped of Sidhu. Soon he was replaced by Manjrekar. He hit three sixers. There was a tremendous cheer from the spectators. There was great excitement among the spectators as well as players. Everyone was in high spirits. Manjrekar played upto the end and he scored over a century. Then the umpire gave a long whistle and the match ended for the day.
The spectators dispersed. Some of the cricket fans were patting Manjrekar for his brilliant performance. Soon the crowd fizzled out and we came back home. It was a thrilling match for me.

A VISIT TO A ZOO

Last Sunday it was cloudy. I along with my friends visited the zoo. As we reached near the main gate of the zoo, we saw a huge crowd. Some were buying entrance tickets, some were gossiping and chatting other were relaxing under the shady trees.We entered to zoological garden and came across a beautiful lake in which some water-birds like ducks were swimming. Seeing the white ducks on the smooth surface of water is a charming sight. As we moved, we came to the enclosure in which flying birds (fowls) were kept. They ranged from sparrows, eagles and parrots to pigeons of various colors  The birds were chirping. It was an enchanting music. We enjoyed it very much.
In the next enclosure were kept-lions and leopards tigers and tigresses, whose roaring were deafening. We approached the net, a lion rushed towards us and we were frightened. Their fierce looks were frightening for us. After seeing this, we came across a garden in which stags very smart and beautiful. In one of the corners monkeys were jumping. Their tricks and pranks were very pleasing. Some people threw food grains to them and they immediately jumped down the trees in order to eat them. Some children were making faces at them.
Our next halt was at an aquarium in which we were most interested. A large number of the fishes were kept there. There were fish of many species and colors  To see them fidgeting in water was really a delightful spectacle. There were many other aquatic animals. Just by the side of this enclosure we came across polar bears who looked sad and deserted.
It was the place of black bear which attracted a mammoth gathering. The bear was playing many tricks which thrilled the spectators. Some people offered him eatables which he gulped at once.
The zoological parks are so vast that it is very difficult to describe all the departments and enclosures fully. When we took a complete round of the zoo, we relaxed for some time in a cool and beautiful garden inside the zoo. The fragrance of the flawers was tremendously soothing. Then we had some snacks and drinks which refreshed us much. It was evening and the sun was setting. We came out of the zoo like many other visitors. We boarded the bus while casting our last and side by the old but majestic wallof the old fort, which, no doubt, added to the beauty and grandeur of the zoo.

MY SUMMER VACATION

Our school closed on May 14. we had been planning how to spend the vacation this time. There were many proposals. My parents wished to go to our home town, and be with my grandparents for about six weeks or so. My friends had a trekking expedition up their sleeves, while my classmate wished to go to some hill station on an education-tour for which our class-teacher had also given consent. I wished to avail of all three proposals.

First, I made my mother and elder sister agree to my going on the tour, with my class and the teacher, as the railway concession was already allowed for such journeys. They requested my father to postpone the programme to visit the grandparents by a week or so. My father readily agreed and decided that if I wished to go for the educational tour, I could join him later. He and my mother agreed to go in the advance party to be joined by my sister and me after my tour.

My friends agreed to go on trekking, after my return from both journeys, as the weather in May was not conducive to climbing in hills, that too near Alps thus, the three journeys were planned in the following order: Education tour in May, home town trip in June and trekking in july, when the monsoon reaches this part of the country.

My class-teacher had arranged for the railway concession for thirty-five students and three teachers. We started on May 20 by Euro Express at about 2 p.m. reaching railway platform since the train stopped there a couple minutes, that being a big railway junction.

we enjoyed our three-day stay in Paris very much. There we got our rooms booked in a lodge on Thomas street. We had boating in the nearby river four time. We went to different places. We returned on May 25, very much refreshed and happy.

My father had booked our seats by Air France on June 2. I along with my sister went to this journey as already decided and reached home town on June 3. from there we had to motor down to a town nearby. We stayed with our grandparents for the whole of June.

Returning in July, we went on the trekking-trip hills and covered 20 kilometers in a day. Rock climbing was pretty hard.

Thus, I spent my Summer Holidays very nicely.

OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS

Man is a social animal. This fact itself proves our nearness to the animal kingdom or the animal world.

Animals are very faithful and helpful. Right from the very early stages a dog is perhaps the only animal who has helped mankind the most. Cow comes next. She provides us milk and bullocks for the agriculture work. Horse or the mule is yet another animal who helps mankind in more than one way. 

A cat is also known to be the best pet. Children specially the younger ones like her very much. They carry her in their arms like a puppy, as she is lighter and softer to handle. 

Among the animals we can include goats, lambs, hares or rabbits also. The presence of an animal in a house is considered to be a good omen in villages. Farmers own cows, buffaloes, bullocks, horses, mules, ponies and even asses, for milk, framework and over and above that, as a status symbol. The animals are our best friends.

FLOODS

Flood are a natural phenomenon which has resulted in various geographical features. They benefit mankind by forming alluvial soil but they also cause tremendous havoc to human life and property.

Floods are natural calamity and take place regularly in certain areas. When they are expected, they do not cause much harm. In endemic areas people are prepared. They even take advantage of floods to enrich their soil, trap fish and move logs of wood. But when they are not expected, they cause until misery. The rush of water demolishes and carries away the houses, top-soil, men and animals. It inundates large area under cultivation, wrecks public services and makes life miserable.

Floods, however, have always brought out the best in men. They organize rescue and relief for people whom they do not know and from whom they expect no personal gain. Voluntary organizations arrange relief camps and provide medical facilities.

Floods also bring out the worst in men to the fore. People and politicians try to cash on the sufferings of people. They make collections in the name of relief and misappropriate for personal benefit. 

The increasing incidence of floods can be definitely brought down by construction of dams and forestation in the catchments areas. Desilting of rivers in the plains will also help. But these things can be done by government alone as these require big resources, organization and manpower. But people can also contribute at individual level by planting trees and preventing denudation of vegetable cover.

DIWALI

DIWALI FESTIVAL

Diwali is an annual festival of Hindus. Generally it falls during the month of October or November. Hindus throughout India celebrate this festival with great joy.The festival of Diwali has a religious sanction behind it. It was on this day thousands of years ago that Shri Ram Chandra set foot on Ayodhya after completing the 14 years of his exile. His return was a matter of great joy and relief to the people of Ayodhya.They celebrated the occasion by arranging illuminations on a large scale. Mass prayers were held to mark the esteem with which the people held Shri Ram Chandra. Since those days Diwali is celebrated every year to perpetuate the memory of the reunion between the two royal families.Apart from religious considerations the festival marks the beginning of winter and change in the crop pattern. Businessmen close their annual account on this dayDiwali is celebrated by illuminating houses and buildings by electric bulbs, wax candles or even earthen lamps. On this day people visit their relations and friends and exchange greetings with packets of sweets and gifts. At midnight the most religious minded among the people perform puja of the goddess Lakshmi who, it is said, blesses her followers with riches on this night.Many people keep a night-long vigil and do not close their doors in order to facilitate the chance entry of the goddess into their houses. During the day people go out to purchase toys and sweets for their children in mela bazars which suddenly spring up on this day. All houses and shops give a bright look on this dayNowadays children are very enthusiastic to celebrate the festival. They make preparations for it weeks in advance. The most popular form of the celebrations is the use of crackers and fireworks of different shapes and explosive capacities.As soon as the evening falls children come out of their houses, form groups, collect money to purchase crackers and go from street to street making noise by exploding them. Each group competes the other by exploding crackers of bigger force. The noise sometimes becomes intolerable to many a lover of calmness and leads to quarrels. But children always have their own ways to deal with such people.Though thousands of years have passed since Diwali was first celebrated, yet the spirit of Diwali in the minds of Hindus still remains.

FOOTBALL

Football

 Football is a popular spots played in many countries like the United States, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, and in many countries in Asia.  The football is a game played between two opposing teams in which the goal is to carry the ball into the opposing team’s end zone.  The winner is determined based on the number of points at the end of the game.  There are several ways to score points in American football.  It could be done either by touchdown which is worth 6 points or by kicking the ball into the opponent’s goal post which is worth 1 point.  There is touchdown when a player is able to carry the goal directly to the opponent’s end zone.

            If the spectators will notice, football players wear protective gears every time they are out on the field. These gears include the football helmets, jaw pads, mouth piece, chin strap, shoulder pads, thigh pads, hip and tailbone pads, knee pads and the cup for the groin area.  The reason is that it is a very dangerous sport.  The players are almost always tackled so it is necessary for them to have protective gears to avoid serious back injury, neck injury or leg injuries.

            In order to score points against the opponent, the player who is carrying the ball needs to be able to reach the other team’s end zone.  He is supposed to be the fastest runner in the team.  He needs the help of his teammates to block the opponents who try to tackle him.  The team which is on defense needs to stop the player from reaching their own end zone by tackling them.

            American football is a fun sport.  There are many individuals eagerly await the start of the football season.  They will either watch it on television or in the stadium where they can see their favorite players live.