Alphabear


Alphabear is a game where you have to form words from the letters on your screen. Each letter tile is worth some points and comes with a countdown timer.Every new puzzle starts off with a few letters that surround an animated bear.The moment you use a letter, the bear grows to fill up the space freed by the alphabet, and new bears also appear.
You have to form as many words as you can to make your bears grow as large as possible. The tiles' value reduces along with its counter, and when its timer reaches zero, it turns to stone, blocking the growth of your bears. When you fulfil game missions you earn coins and a `special' bear ­ you have to collect 85 of these ­ that come with their own boosts for points and time. Alphabear's design looks cute, but its gameplay requires patience and strategy.Android, iOS | Free, Kindle Fire | $0.99

Sony Xperia Z3+ – Rs 41,700

Launched at Rs 55,990 in June this year, Sony Xperia Z3+ can now be purchased for Rs 41,700 from Indiatimes Shopping.

Sony Xperia Z3+ has a 5.2-inch Full HD screen and a glass-and-metal body; the glass used in the smartphone is shatter-proof, according to the company, while the whole body is water- and dust-resistant. Powered by Android 5.0 (Lollipop), the handset packs the octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM under the hood.

Xperia Z3+ has 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, and supports microSD cards of up to 128GB capacities. On the back of the smartphone is a 20.7MP rear camera with LED flash, whereas the front camera has 5.1MP sensor. The smartphone has a 2,930mAh battery and comes in green, black, copper, and white colours.

Inkboard 

Inkboard is an app that lets you sketch, jot down notes and doodle over photos.You can start with a blank canvas and use it as a scratch pad. Alternatively, you can import pictures and use Inkboard's drawing tools to `improvise' on your photo.You get a basic set of tools, which consists of two erasers, crayons, pencils, ball pens, highlighters and markers. Undo-redo buttons let you correct mistakes, while pinch-to-zoom lets you work on detail. You can share your works of art directly on your social network accounts. Inkboard also integrates into your OS, so you can access its keyboard from within apps like Facebook, Twitter or Gmail thus letting you send scribbles instead of typed messages.To do this, enable the “Inkboard keyboard“ in the app, then choose this input mode while in your messaging app to `draw' your message.

Android, iOS | Free

Roll the Ball: Slide Puzzle


Roll The Ball is a slider jigsaw puzzle game where you are presented with a 4x4 `wooden' grid. Some of the pieces in the grid have a channel running through them. These channels can be horizontal, vertical or curving. The aim of the game is to slide the pieces in the grid to create a path with the channels so that the ball in the grid can `roll' from its starting point ­ unhindered ­ till it reaches the end `goal'.

In each puzzle, certain pieces are fixed and this makes gameplay more challenging. RTB comprises six game packs ­ beginner, talented, medium, skilled, hard and moving ­ each consisting of 180 puzzles that get tougher as you progress. The game's graphics sport a nice metal and wooden finish, along with a realistic clicking sound that accompanies the shifting of the panels. RTB's simple gameplay, but extremely challenging puzzles will keep you hooked for hours.

Android, iOS | Free

How to update Apple iOS9 on your apple phone, ipod and ipad

handwriting and mind and psychology

The Indian campaign at the Sudirman Cup might have come to an early end after crashing out in the league stages but there is some good news for the country's badminton fans.

Injured HS Prannoy has been recovering very well and will be ready for participating in the international tournaments in a couple of weeks time. An unfortunate toe injury at the Singapore Open in April had kept him out of action for more than a month now.

The injury was against the run of play for this fast-rising 22-year-old shuttler. The Kerala youngster was in the form of his life, which had helped him reach the career-best world ranking of 14.

Prannoy's spectacular performance in the last one year or so has not only helped him break into the world's top-20 in a record time but also made him one of the most dangerous players on the circuit.

The tall and well-built youngster has made world No. 3 Jan O Jorgensen his bunny. Prannoy had upset Denmark's Jorgensen twice in as many weeks.

He shocked top seed Jorgensesn 18-21, 21-14, 21-14 in the second round of India Open Super Series at Delhi on March 26. A couple of weeks later, Prannoy did even better when he ousted the Danish star in straight games 21-16, 21-8 at the Singapore Open.

"Yes those two were very good victories for me. I could really play well both the times against Jan. Especially in Singapore, I was really dominating. That was promising. That was a good phase for me," said Prannoy, who has now slipped a rung below to world No. 15.

A trainee of Pullela Gopichand Academy, Prannoy could have entered the semifinal of the India Open but lost a very close match against sixth seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark. Prannoy had started in style by winning the first game but lost 21-16, 9-21, 18-21.

Earlier this year, he had also come quite close to beating Rajiv Ouseph of England at the All England Championship. Here also after winning the opening game, he lost the decider at 18.

With recovery process is on, Prannoy will miss the forthcoming Australia and Indonesia Super Series but is optimistic of continuing from where he had left before the injury.

"I don't know how much time it will take to come back to good form after this injury but I am confident of doing well," said Prannoy, an employee of ONGC.

The winner of 2014 Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold, Prannoy now wants to win Super Series title soon. "It was a special win for me because I had never won a big title so that title means a lot to me. My short term goal is to win a Super Series event and get into top-10. The focus will be on to play consistently well at the international level," he said.

Prannoy gives credit to his coach Gopichand for the giant leap in ranking, "I think he (Gopichand) has been phenomenal. He has changed me as a person. I think my game improved only because of him after I joined his Hyderabad academy in 2009," he said.

Indian cricket team suffered a major blow as in-form Ambati Rayudu ruled out of rest of the Zimbabwe tour due to injury.

Rajasthan Royals player Sanju Samson has been named as Rayudu's replacement for the rest of the tour.

The BCCI medical team confirms that Rayudu has been ruled out of the remaining part of the Zimbabwe tour due to an injury he has sustained while playing the 2nd ODI. Rayudu has pulled his right quadriceps muscles and will require 2 to 3 weeks of rehabilitation.

Rayudu showed top form in the two ODIs to have taken place so far, scoring 124 not out and 41 respectively.

The injury to him gives Samson an opportunity to make his India debut. The Kerala cricketer rose to prominence with his exploits for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He has played 21 First-Class games, besides 29 List A matches and 67 T20s.

The third ODI will be played at the Harare Sports Club on Monday and will be followed by T20 Internationals on July 17 and July 19 at the same venue.

Australia's veteran allrounder Shane Watson announced on Sunday his retirement from Test cricket.

The last of the 34-year-old's 10-year Test career came in the Ashes opener at Cardiff which England won by 169 runs.

Watson made 30 and 19 with the bat, and failed to take a wicket, causing him to lose his place for the rest of the series.

Watson's Test retirement was announced on Cricket Australia's official website.

"It's been a decision that hasn't come lightly, over the last month especially," he said.

"I know it's the right time to move on and still hopefully play the shorter formats of the game, one-dayers and T20s.

"I've been through a lot of different waves of emotion about what is right for myself, my family and most importantly the team as well.

"Over the last couple of days there was a lot of clarity (for me) of what the right decision was. I just know that I've given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself."


Shane Watson poses with the 2010 Allan Border Medal award. (Getty Images)

Watson, who captained his country in one Test and nine one day internationals, steps down after being ruled out of the rest of the one-day international series by a calf injury sustained in the tourists' victory at Lord's on Saturday.

An Ashes winner in 2013/14 and this year's World Cup -- who had his run ins with the cricket authorities being one of four players to be dropped from the squad during the 2013 tour of India for not doing their homework -- he informed his teammates of his decision on Sunday morning.

It follows Australia Test captain Michael Clarke's move to retire from all forms of cricket in the wake of the Ashes series defeat in England.

Watson played 59 Tests for Australia, scoring 3,731 runs and taking 75 wickets.

Sergio Aguero trained normally on Wednesday, dispelling fears he damaged his shoulder when diving to head the only goal in Argentina's 1-0 win over Uruguay at the Copa America.

The striker held his shoulder in pain after scoring his second goal of the tournament in the 55th minute of Tuesday's match at La Serena, and again when he was substituted, but it turned out to be no more than a knock.

The win put Argentina joint top of Group B with Paraguay on four points after two matches with Uruguay a point behind them.

Coach Gerardo Martino will have to sit out Saturday's final group match against bottom team Jamaica at Vina del Mar after being handed a one-match suspension.

Martino was sent to the stands by Brazilian referee Sandro Ricci for dissent during the win over Uruguay.

Kings XI Punjab coach Sanjay Bangar was crystal clear in announcing the injuries of Shaun Marsh and George Bailey ahead of Friday's match against Delhi Daredevils.

"We have some injury concerns. Shaun has got hit on his toe during practice and George has hurt his shoulder," said Bangar after the practice session on Thursday.

While Bailey was seen carrying an ice pack on his shoulder after practice, Marsh looked disgusted after finishing his knock in the nets.

After an hour of batting in the nets, Marsh strode towards the tent where players keep their kit bags. He flung all three bats before banging his helmet hard on the ground. It bounced out of the tent.

Soon Glenn Maxwell, who had been dropped for the last two matches, walked out of the tent to gear up for a knock. He had already rolled his arm over for over an hour. Clearly, Marsh wasn't pleased at the prospect of having to miss another match. He had made a significant impact after having made the playing XI late in the tournament.

With their regular captain Bailey struggling to get fit and Virender Sehwag's form becoming a concern, the Kings XI are in a spot. However, Bangar pinned his hope on Maxwell to set their wavering campaign back on track.

"You have to have patience in dealing with Maxwell. But he can definitely leave an impact by the time the tournament ends. For us to go forward in the tournament, he has to play an important role," said the coach.

Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza sustained minor injuries to both his hands after being involved in a road accident in Mirpur but there is no immediate threat to his participation in the three-match home series against India, starting June 18.

The accident took place when Mashrafe was travelling by a cycle rickshaw from his house to the Shere Bangla Stadium for the team's training session. There was a mild collision between his rickshaw and a bus.

Mashrafe has now got both hands bandaged but the Bangladesh team management is hopeful that he would recover in time for the series.

"This is unfortunate. We are concerned about his palm," Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurasingha told 'ESPNcricinfo'.

"But we will give him maximum chance to recover in time for the ODI series," he added.

English driver Justin Wilson was declared dead on Monday after suffering a severe head injury during an IndyCar race in Pennsylvania, plunging the sport into mourning and triggering calls for a review of safety measures.

Wilson, 37, had been in a coma since Sunday, when a large piece of debris from another racer's car struck his helmet on the final laps of the "Tricky Triangle" of Pocono Raceway in the penultimate race of the season.

Friends and loved ones of the Sheffield-born racer had flown to be at his bedside at Lehigh Valley Health Network Cedar Crest Hospital in Allentown earlier Monday before his death was announced.

"This is a monumentally sad day for IndyCar and the motorsports community as a whole," said Mark Miles, chief executive of the parent company which runs IndyCar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"Justin's elite ability to drive a race car was matched by his unwavering kindness, character and humility -- which is what made him one of the most respected members of the paddock.

"As we know, the racing industry is one big family, and our efforts moving forward will be focused on rallying around Justin's family to ensure they get the support they need during this unbelievably difficult time."

Wilson's Andretti Autosport team paid tribute to him, describing him as a "tremendous racer, a valuable member of the team."

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Justin Wilson," Andretti Autosport said in a statement.

"While Justin was only part of the Andretti lineup for a short time, it only took a second for him to forever become part of the Andretti family.

"His life and racing career is a story of class and passion surpassed by none.

"Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Wilson family and fans worldwide."

Wilson was hit by what appeared to be a section of fellow driver Sage Karam's car after it spun out on lap 179 of the 200-lap race.

The father-of-two was airlifted to the hospital immediately after the crash, and never regained consciousness.

Wilson had driven in major US open-wheel racing since the 2004 season.

He was driving a partial schedule in 2015 for Andretti, making his 174th IndyCar start. He recorded seven wins in CART and IndyCar races, his most recent coming at Texas in 2012.

Two Nevada men filed a class-action lawsuit against Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday, seeking millions in damages because they say he fraudulently concealed a shoulder injury before his defeat to Floyd Mayweather.

It is just the latest fallout from Mayweather's victory in Las Vegas on Saturday in a unanimous decision, with Pacquiao saying afterwards that the shoulder complaint hampered his performance in the welterweight world title showdown.

The plaintiffs argue that by failing to go public with the injury before the feverishly anticipated bout, the Philippine icon and his camp violated the Nevada Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The suit filed in a US District Court in Las Vegas names Pacquiao, his manager Michael Koncz, promotional company Top Rank and Top Rank chairman Bob Arum and president Todd duBoef.

According to court documents available online, the lawsuit claims that when plaintiffs Stephane Vanel and Kami Rahbaran -- who bought tickets, forked out pay per view fees or bet on the fight -- the defendants "knew and had full knowledge and information that defendant Pacquiao had been seriously injured and was suffering from a torn rotator cuff."

"Defendants further know that such injury would severely affect his performance," the lawsuit says.

"None of the defendants informed or apprised the public or even the Nevada Athletic Commission about the injury to defendant Pacquiao."

The clash between Pacquiao and Mayweather at the MGM Grand Garden Arena was billed as the "Fight of the Century."

It's certainly set to go down as the most lucrative bout in history, with possible revenue of $400 million.

That could include as many as three million pay-per-view purchases, at about $100 each.

The bout went the full scheduled 12 rounds, Mayweather easily winning on the judges' scorecards to take his perfect record to 48-0.

After the fight, Pacquiao and Top Rank revealed the 36-year-old had been injured in training camp some three weeks earlier.

They said he'd been cleared by doctors to fight, although they had expected him to be able to take an anti-inflammatory injection on fight night, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission ultimately denied him.

Pacquiao attorney Daniel Petrocelli told The Los Angeles Times that he expects the lawsuit to be dismissed.

"It claims Pacquiao was injured (immediately) before the bout and that's not true -- he was injured (nearly a month) before the bout, was examined by doctors and cleared to fight," Petrocelli said. "And he was examined by the commission right before he fought."

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in hospital on Thursday, two days after the batsman was struck on the head by a bouncer during a domestic match.

Governing body Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed the 25-year-old had lost his fight for life.

"We are extremely sad to announce that Phillip Hughes has passed away at the age of 25," CA said on its Twitter feed.

"Our thoughts go out to Phillip's family, friends, and the entire cricket community on this incredibly sad day."

There were no further details.

Hughes had spent a second night in a Sydney hospital in an induced coma after having emergency surgery to relieve pressure on his brain.

The batsman was struck on the head by a ball at the Sydney Cricket Ground, a devastating blow experts compared to the trauma suffered by victims of a car crash.

News of Hughes death followed calls by former players for the Australian team to abandon the first Test match against India next week.

Questions about the response time of ambulances dispatched to the stadium were also raised.

The head of New South Wales Ambulance was to be hauled before the state health minister Jillian Skinner on Thursday after the ambulance authority issued conflicting statements about their response times.

The arrival of the first ambulance took 15 minutes, NSW Ambulance clarified in a statement on Wednesday.

The state's median response time for the highest priority "life-threatening cases" was just under eight minutes in 2013-14, according the authority's statistics.

"Due to the conflicting information distributed today by NSW Ambulance regarding (Tuesday's) response to the Sydney Cricket Ground, I will be meeting with NSW Ambulance Commissioner Ray Creen tomorrow to discuss the circumstances surrounding the incident," Skinner said.

Dr Peter Larkins, a leading sports physician, said: "Time is of the essence when your brain has suffered trauma."

Family and players had maintained their vigil at Hughes' bedside.

Sports were part of the school curriculum, but in India they never receive due credit from teachers and parents alike.

We played sports, fell down, injured ourselves and went on to become doctors and architects. Eventually, age creeps in as well as fat, we hit the gym but that's not fun and motivating enough. Well you can always get your gang back together and shoot some hoops, a goal, or hit a six. It will help you de-stress, keep you alert, and on your feet, and also help you shed weight. In short, you will improve your overall fitness. Here is what you may have not known about sports and how they can help you.

Lose it: Whether it's quick weight loss, mental and physical agility, muscle tone, cardiovascular, or just plain and simple entertainment - sports always scores over gym and aerobic routines. Here's a quick look at how many calories you burn per sporting activity:

Badminton: 305

Basketball: 370

Cricket: 270

Football: 420

Frisbee: 120

Martial Art: 580

Squash: 660

Tennis: 440

Volleyball: 230

(A quick reminder - The heavier you are, the more calories you'll burn. So a person weighing 90kilos will burn almost twice the calories with the same activity, in the same time, as someone weighing 50 kilos.)

Avoid sport injury: The most common sports injuries are strains and sprains. Sprains are injuries to ligaments, the tough bands connecting bones in a joint. Suddenly stretching ligaments past their limits deforms or tears them. Strains are injuries to muscle fibers or tendons, which anchor muscles to bones. Strains are called "pulled muscles" because over-stretching or overusing a muscle causes tears in the muscle fibers or tendons.

You too can consult a sport medical doctor: It is a myth that sports medical doctors are only meant for professional athletes when they suffer from severe injury on or off the field and are looking for speedy recovery. Sports doctors are meant for people like us as well, since their field deals with the human body's challenges, nutrition and well-being with respect to any sporting activity, whether light or heavy.

Water versus sport drink: During exercise or sports activities a lot of sweating takes place to maintain the body's core temperature. This leads to loss of body's fluid and electrolytes and if not controlled can lead to dehydration. Also the body's carbohydrate stores are depleted during exercise.

Plain water can replenish the fluid lost during exercise but not the electrolytes and the carbohydrates. It also gives a feeling of fullness and increases urine output. Sports drinks do not hydrate better than water, but provide carbohydrates and electrolytes which are lost during the exercise session. They can be consumed in larger quantities as compared to water because of their sweet taste.

It is advisable to take sports drinks (natural or packaged) immediately before, during and after the exercise session or the sports events, if you are involved in high intensity training. But otherwise water is a better source of hydration taken on a regular basis for the average gym-goer.

For Women only: Bra basics. The importance of wearing a well fitting sports bra is quite under-rated. While exercising you might just think that exercising right should be high on your agenda, without giving much thought to the kind of clothes you might be wearing. However, wearing the right sports bra is quite important for women, because a good sports bra offers optimum support while adding to physical ease and comfort - two ingredients that no workout can ever be fun without.

Though sports medicine has grown in city in last few years with orthopaedicians and physiotherapists specializing in the field, lack of awareness among players, coaches and parents still keeps the sportspersons away from these doctors.
Orthopaedic surgeons have now specialized in treating injuries like tennis elbow, knee/ankle ligament tear, repeated dislocations of shoulder, rotator cuff repair. Some centres even have the state-of-the-art equipment like the high density video endoscope system of arthroscopy but despite the dedicated facility most players prefer to go to metros for treatment.
Dr Satish Sonar who has developed a dedicated unit, Sports Med Joint Care Centre, in last one-and-half years after obtaining specialized training from Italy and Australia, Dr Sanjay Marwah who runs Institute in Sports Medicine, other orthopaedic surgeons like Dr Satyjit Jagtap, associate professor at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Dr Mukund Thakur, general surgeon are some doctors who have expertise in treating sports injuries. But unfortunately the dedicated centres too don't attract the sportspersons due to varied reasons.
Dr Sonar has installed radiofrequency machine, high density video endoscope for arthroscopy and also has a platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment modality. "Majority of my patients however are general ones and not sportspersons as there is lack of awareness among them about the facilities available in my centre or elsewhere," he said.
Robin Simon, lecturer of physical education at the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) holds the coaches as well as players equally responsible for the situation. "City players and coaches still do not have the required professionalism. The coaches want to handle every aspect from the diet to the anatomy and physiology of the player which is wrong. Joint, ligament or any acute injuries need special treatment. Unless players and coaches understand that a player is made by team work of many experts and realizes scientific importance of specialized treatment they will not be aware of sports medicine," he said.
Shatrughna Gokhale, secretary of Nagpur District Basketball Association, too supports Simon's views on awareness. But he admits that the awareness in players comes only after certain level of exposure they get by reaching national or international levels. Doctors, he feels, thus should also try to reach players and associations for creating awareness. Principal of Ishwarchand Deshmukh College of Physical Education Anil Karvande says that majority sportspersons in city belong to low income group and cannot afford specialized care. But those who belong to upper income group do not approach sports medicine experts as coaches don't guide them rightly due to their own insecurity.
Interestingly, some players told TOI that they are aware that specialized treatment is available in city but didn't have any answer on why they didn't avail the facility. Sayali Waghmare, a 19-year-old athlete, said largely sportspersons are aware of the latest facilities but feel that local doctors should be more positive and forthcoming for retaining players for treatment in city.
Dr Jagtap says that though many orthopaedic surgeons can treat and operate sportspersons it is the new generation doctors like Dr Sonar who are specially trained in the field can make a dent in the field. "Arthroscopy which involves minimal invasive surgical intervention is a demanding surgery. Though only 10% patients may need it, only trained experts should be taking up such surgeries," he said.
FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN SPORTS MEDICINE
Radiofrequency (RF) treatment for tennis elbow or all racket related sports: The use of RF waves at the injury site recreates the trauma which in turn stimulates the body mechanism to initiate natural healing mechanism.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy: It involves removal of 30-40 cc of blood from the patient, centrifuging it to generate platelet rich plasma which is injected back into the patient on the injury site. This releases growth factors and healing agents which naturally heal the wound.
High density video endoscopic system for arthroscopy: This equipment generates high resolution and exact image of the tissue damaged. It also carries a probe which corrects the damage surgically and can treat rotator cuff problem, repeated shoulder dislocations, knee/ankle ligament injuries.

Michael Schumacher's life-threatening fall while skiing in the Alps only highlights that player safety and the long-term consequences of their injuries has been one of the biggest issues in sports for a long time.

While a few have overcome injuries to make history, some have had to let go of the sport that gave them everything. Here's a look at few of the career-ending injuries in sports.

Saba Karim yorked behind the stumps
Saba Karim injured his eye against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2000, when an Anil Kumble delivery, coming off the batsman's boot, struck him on the right eye. The wicket-keeper was forced to end his career, as despite an eye surgery in Chennai and treatment abroad, his eyesight had not shown signs of recovery

Boucher stumped by the bails
Mark Boucher had to retire following a freak eye injury sustained while playing a practice match against Somerset. A googly from Imran Tahir hit the stumps and a dislodged bail struck Boucher in the left eye. The England tour was supposed to mark his 150th Test appearance, but sadly, the South Africam wicket keeper was forced to retire with 998 international dismissals, including 555 from 147 Tests, which is a record

Mary Pierce's fatal fall
Two-time Grand Slam winner and former World No 3 Mary Pierce was forced into an early retirement following a torn ACL. Down a set, the tennis player chased a ball to her forehand side and planted her left foot awkwardly after hitting the shot. She collapsed, letting out a bloodcurdling scream and never played another match.

The free kick to Dean Ashton
Dean Ashton is an English footballer who played for England's national team and West Ham United. He sustained a broken ankle while training a day before his England debut in 2006. He recovered but the injury eventually forced him to retire from the game altogether in 2009. Ashton sued the Football Association for compensation after the shattered ankle he sustained in a tackle, and the two reached a settlement.

Raman Lamba 'shot' to death
Raman Lamba was an Indian cricketer who played in four Tests and 32 One Day Internationals, mainly as a batsman. He died in 1998, three days after a ball hit him in the head while he was fielding at forward short leg in the final of a club match in Bangladesh. Batsman Mehrab Hossain's shot of left arm spinner Saifullah Khan's delivery was so ferocious that the ball deflected from Lamba's head and flew into wicketkeeper Khaled Mashud's gloves. Although the injury initially did not appear to be serious, Lamba suffered an internal hemorrhage, slipped into coma and lost his life.

Destiny's cruel hand on Nari contractor
In 1962, Nari Contractor suffered a skull fracture off a Charlie Griffith delivery that nearly killed him. The stylish southpaw represented India in 31 tests from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s. Contractor's injury is a perfect example of destiny playing a cruel hand. First, he was not supposed to play this game, but had to since others were not fit. Next, he was dropped a ball earlier. And finally, there was a disturbance by some movement in the dressing room, which he decided to sort out after the deliver, but it was too late. Though he recovered from the injury, his international career was effectively over after that.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated India's first sports injury centre at Safdarjung hospital on Sunday. Officials claimed the centre, built at a cost of Rs 70.72 crore, will cater to athletes taking part in the Commonwealth Games and once the event is over, will provide world-class treatment to sportspersons in the country.

Officials said treatment for various sports injuries like runners knee, a painful condition generally associated with running, tennis elbow, broken bone and torn ligament etc will be available at the centre. Health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit were present at the inauguration on Sunday.

"Emergency services will be operational from Monday. All other services including indoor admissions and hydrotherapy units will be made functional in next two to three days," said Dr Deepak Chaudhury, director of the centre. He said the 35-bed hospital is equipped with modern operation theatres, physiotherapy units and diagnostic facilities such as digital x-ray, Doppler test and bone desitometry test.

"The centre will be a boon for arthritis patients and those suffering from joint problems. They will get specialized treatment for these problems, common among aged persons, almost free of cost," added another official. He said that a state-level cricketer Rohit has already been operated upon two days ago at the centre for shoulder injury.

The new centre has gym facilities for different group of patients, including facilities for cardio and strength training. There is a hydrotherapy unit which will provide sauna bath, chill shower and steam bath for faster recovery and rehabilitation. However, the electrical work in some of these units is yet to be finished.

The hospital has recruited 187 people, including specialized orthopaedic doctors, paramedics, nurses and physiotherapists for the centre. Usually injury cases, specially in contact sports, are referred for treatment abroad. "Cricketers often have to go to countries like South Africa and Australia for treatment of complex sports injuries, which cost above Rs 10 lakh. The centre will provide them with a cheaper alternative," said Dr Naval Bhatia, senior doctor at Safdarjung hospital.

Currently, there are few specialized doctors in sports medicine in the country. Other than the short-term diploma or certificate courses in sports medicine at Patiala, the country does not even have any special training facility for this field of medicine.

A centre dedicated to 'Arthroscopy and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine' to help patients by diagnosing, treating and managing their injuries and joint problems effectively, was opened in national capital on Thursday.

The centre inaugurated at the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) offers a complete rehabilitation for patients by using techniques including physiotherapy and hydrotherapy among few others.

The centre has a team of five sports medicine consultants, who are internationally trained and super-specialised in treating specific joints of the body.

According to Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia (retd), chairman of the ISIC that is known for treatment of spine and brain-related injuries, injuries are a normal part of an active person's life.

He said, however, when the right medical treatment, rehabilitation and trainer support is lacking even relatively small injuries can become life changing.

"Patients in India now have a world class state-of-the-art dedicated facility to look up to for helping them manage injuries and joint problems."

A sports injury is the term that broadly refers various injuries and joint problems that occur most commonly among sportspersons.

H.S. Chhabra, medical director and chief of spine services at the centre, said: "A lot of our athletes who cannot afford to travel abroad are often left without adequate support with shortened careers.

"One of the prime objectives of establishing a dedicated sports medicine facility is to fill this void.

"We want to help sportspersons from across the country get back to their field with the best of help," he said.

Chabra said that some of these injuries may be minor and may heal with medication, physiotherapy and rest. On the other hand, some injuries may require surgical intervention to repair damaged muscles or ligaments.

According to Maninder Singh, consultant, Trauma and Orthopedics, at ISIC, lack of awareness about the consequences of injuries often put careers of sports persons in disarray.

"Sometimes, players ignore minor niggles, which then magnify into major tears and injuries."

"Sometimes, even the coaches and trainers are not well-trained enough to guide sportspersons to work out and build strength in the right way. In smaller centers, sports persons often train without any expert guidance altogether."

"...arthroscopic techniques are equally useful in treating problems in non-sports persons such as shoulder pain in middle aged people," Singh added.

इंडियन पासपोर्ट होल्डर्स को शायद यह पता न हो कि दुनिया के कुछ देश ऐसे हैं, जहां बिना वीजा के ट्रैवल किया जा सकता है। भारतीय सरकार इस बात की इजाजत देती है। हालांकि, जो लोग लगातार ट्रैवल करते हैं उन्हें इस कंट्री के बारे में पता हो सकता है, लेकिन बाकी नागरिकों के लिए यह अच्छी खबर है। ताजा रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, इंडियन पासपोर्ट होल्डर्स 59 देशों में बिना वीजा के ट्रैवल कर सकते हैं। इनमें से कुछ देशों में आपको वीजा ऑन अराइवल की सुविधा भी है।


पावरफुल पासपोर्ट की लिस्ट जारी
ग्लोबल फाइनेंस एडवाइजरी फर्म अर्टन कैप्टिल ने हाल ही में एक रिपोर्ट जारी कर उन देशों की लिस्टिंग की है, जिनके पासपोर्ट सबसे पावरफुल हैं। ऐसे देश दूसरे देशों में बिना वीजा के अपने नागरिकों को घूमने की इजाजत देते हैं। इनमें सबसे पावरफुल पासपोर्ट स्वीडन का है, जो अपने नागरिकों को 174 देशों में बिना वीजा के ट्रैवल करने की इजाजत देता है।


इंडियन्स कर सकते हैं 59 देश में ट्रैवल
दुनिया के सिर्फ 59 देश ऐसे हैं, जहां इंडियन पासपोर्ट होल्डर बिना वीजा के ट्रैवल कर सकते हैं। इस मामले में पड़ोसी देश पाकिस्तान और बांग्लादेश भारत से काफी पीछे हैं।


किन देशों में नहीं लगता इंडियन्स का वीजा
भूटान
ब्रिटिश वर्जिन आइलैंड
कुक आइलैंड
डोमनि‍क
अल सल्‍वाडोर
ग्रेनेडा
हांगकांग
जमैका
माइक्रोनेशि‍या
नेपाल
नेऊ
सेंट किट्स एंड नेविस
सेंट विन्सेट एंड द ग्रेनाडाइन्स
समाओ (Samoa)
सेशेल्‍स (Seychelles)
त्रिनिदाद एंड टोबैगो(Trinidad and Tobago)
टर्क्स एंड काइकोस(Turks and Caicos)
वनुआटू(Vanuatu)


इन देशों में मिलेगा वीजा ऑन अराइवल
कम्बोडिया (Cambodia)
केप वर्डे (Cape Verde)
कोमरोस (Comoros)
इक्वाडोर (Ecuador)
इथोपिया (Ethiopia)
फि‍जी (Fiji)
इंडोनेशिया (Indonesia)
जॉर्डन (Jordan)
केन्या (Kenya)
लाओस (Laos)
मेडागास्कर (Madagascar)
मालदीव (Maldives)
मॉरीशस (Mauritius)
पलाउ (Palau)
थाईलैंड (Thailand)
टुवालू (Tuvalu)
युगांडा (Uganda)

मात्र 10 दिन में बनता है PASSPORT
इंडिया में पासपोर्ट बनवाने के लिए मात्र 10 दिन लगते हैं। इसके लिए ऑनलाइन आवेदन की सुविधा पिछले साल शुरू हो चुकी है। इसके लिए डॉक्युमेंट्स की लिस्टिंग करना भी जरूरी नहीं है। अपने डॉक्युमेंट्स आवदेक ऑनलाइन समिट कर सकता है। आवेदन करते ही आपको अगले 3 दिनों में अप्वाइंटमेंट मिल जाएगा। पूरी प्रक्रिया होने के ठीक 7 दिन बाद आपका पासपोर्ट आपके हाथ में होगा। यानी कुल मिलाकर सिर्फ 10 दिनों में आपका पासपोर्ट आपके पास आ सकता है।

स्वीडन में एक घंटे में बन जाता है पासपोर्ट
दुनि‍या के सबसे ताकतवार पासपोर्ट सूची में शीर्ष पर स्वीडन है, जहां मात्र एक घंटे में पासपोर्ट बनकर तैयार हो जाता है। स्वीडन की सरकार अपने नागरिकों को बिना वीजा 174 देशों में यात्रा करने की इजाजत देती है। हालांकि, कुछ और देशों में भी ये सुविधा है, लेकिन पासपोर्ट तैयार करने के मामले में स्वीडन अव्वल है।