INDIA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO LEAD THE WORLD

Contemporary India is very successfully treading the fast track of development Starting from an utterly ruined and exploited country under the rule of the haughty Britishers who sponged away the India wealth, the story of India's success in the last 60 years, is one of the proverbial rise from 'rags to riches'. India's development within a short span of time, to the level of a country which on its own conducted nuclear test, joining the elite club of nuclear powers, and now becoming a rightful contender for getting a permanent seat in UN Security Council, speaks volumes about India's success.

Statistics and facts bear a testimony to this, that the country once thought to be just a place for the 'snake charmers' is making its presence felt in the land of 'elephants'. In fact, India is flourishing in the real sense, catching the imagination of the world and thus causing blinking of the eyes of westerners who are awestruck at the sudden metamorphosis of this sleeping giant. India has arrived on the world market with a bang - five lakh engineers, 2.5 lakh doctors and 75 lakh graduates. Goldman Sach's BRIC report sees India as the third largest economy in the world by 2050. Another report says that by 2020 only, India will be the fourth largest economy.

All is going well for India now - an improved investment climate, high economic growth, a young population (70% population below 34 years of age) and above all positive attitude of people. India is now among one of the best performing economies of the world in terms of annual growth rate of Grass Domestic Product.

The fact that our foreign exchange reserve crossed 1 $ billion, reflects the growing confidence of investors in India. The companies of India netted over Rs. 70000 crore in exports when the global economy was seething in 2002-03. There are 16 companies whose exports net over Rs. 1000 crore, 15 companies exports goods worth Rs. 500 crore and 150 companies which earn over Rs.100 crore in foreign exchange. The FORBE'S list has included 18 Indian companies under its list.

Noting these positive developments, the US National Intelligence Council in its report has predicted that India will become global player in the 21st century.

The economy of India has grown by more than 7% in the past two years. Apart from economic advancement, the performance of India in political sphere is also praiseworthy. The present Prime Minister of India Mr. Manmohan Singh has successfully come from some foreign trips.

India has its independent foreign policy. It has matured politically and has now become very realistic in its approach. It takes decision according to whichever way suits best for the national interest. Now there is no place for misplaced idealism of third worldism.

Showing utmost political maturity, India shoved aside decades of sloth and signed major agreement with China a country earlier thought of as a backstabber and talk with it was a big no. Our country has now refused to be trapped hopelessly in the remains of a bad yesterday, proving once again that this is a nation hardened by history, that it suffers only to renew itself the other day and that it keeps pace with the changing needs so as to be in consonance with the ever changing time.

Another important factor which radiates the flourishing of India is its successful and smooth functioning of democracy. Right from its start, it allowed Universal Adult Franchise, a unique achievement in itself. Many scholars at that time predicted that a country as poor, illiterate and diverse as India, could not survive on Universal Adult Franchise but succeeding years proved then wrong. These days the general election in India is the largest organized human event in history so much so that Indian Election experts are invited by America.

Communal forces have been out-rightly discarded and secularism is on its hold. Previously, the sovereign head of India was a Muslim and the Prime Minister a Sikh both from minority community. Social conditions are also developing vastly. The number of middle class enjoying a good standard of living is growing at a rapid pace. The hope for an egalitarian society is fulfilling its dream as today we have 13% scheduled caste grade I officers in the I.A.S. climbing from less than 1% in the early 50's. The Indian Diaspora with their commitment and hard work are also making India proud. The per capita availability of grain and cloth is greater than before and health care is better. Now even foreigners are coming to India for cheaper but quality medical treatment.

Today India is for more integrated than it was at 1947. Problems do occur but have resulted in stronger identities and a larger Indian consciousness. . Disasters and calamities do not dumbstruck us. We have defiantly faced the havocs of nature like the Earthquake or Tsunami on national level. The whole country unites as a family in giving succor and solace to the victims. In the field of education also, India is progressing. The literacy rate in 2001 reached 64.8% from 52.21% in 1991. This increase of 12.5%

during this period is the highest increase in any decade. It is also an achievement that the rate of growth in literacy is more in rural areas than in urban areas. The gap in male female literacy rate has decreased from 24.84% in 1991 to 21.60 in 2001.

In spite of being not very affluent, the wisdom of Indian electorate has been proven time and again.

In higher studies the IIT's AIIMS and IIM's of India could compete with the best institutions of the world. Recently Times Higher Education Supplement ranked the IIT's as 3rd in all Technological Universities of the world. Seeing the enormous talent of Indian students the European Union has announced 100 Erasmus Mundus Scholarship for Indian's students which were previously offered to European students only. In scientific, technological and bio medical research India has made a mark. The launching of EDUSAT - a satellite purely for educational purposes marks a great lead forward in the area of satellite education. Space technology has also got a boost. Culturally India is witnessing a great renaissance. Indian music, dance and various performing art have blossomed in the last 50 years. Now these have greater audience and their appeal is becoming universal. Language of India has seen resurgence. Indian writing in English, like that of Arundhati Roy, Jhumpa Lahiri etc has been acclaimed in the English speaking world.

In the field of sports and entertainment also India is shining. Sania Mirza, Lender Paes, Sachin Tendulkar, Vishwanath Anand and A.R.REHMAN, Amitabh Bacchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan, etc are the bright Indian faces in the world arena. All the above mentioned points emphatically prove that India's achievement in the last 60 years has been commendable. This also proves that INDIA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO LEAD THE WORLD.

The Importance of Sports Sports are an important part of just about every society, every country, and every part of our planet. In one way or another, everyone is involved in sports or some sort, whether they're playing or watching or just know someone who does. There are many types of sports. Golf is an individual sport. Even though golfers play on the same course, they are really competing against one another only with their scores. Unlike tennis, in which one player must beat the other to finish a match, golf features each player against every other player, with the one who takes the fewest strokes to sink the ball into 18 holes is declared the winner. Baseball, basketball, and soccer are team sports. Teams of five, seven, and nine play against each other, with team members helping each other to win as a team. Sports are played for fun or for money or sometimes both. Just about every sport has both professionals (those who compete for money) and amateurs Many amateurs who are really good at their sport become professionals. Sports bring people together and also set people apart. A team, whether professional or college or amateur, can inspire many fans to cheer for that team. Each team has its own fans. So, when two teams or two individual athletes compete against each, the fan base is divided in two. Such classic rivalries as Yankees-Red Sox in baseball and Liverpool v Everton in football can last for years and years, with fan traditions being passed on from father to son. Sports cost money, from the athletes, from the fans who watch them, and from the people who make those athletic contests possible. Many professional athletes make millions of dollars every year; others make only a few thousand. Amateur athletes don't get paid when they win, but somebody has to make places available to stage those amateur contests and the athletes have to spend money to travel to those contests. Every sport has a history of. playing sports teaches us about life.do you agree with the statement?

Some people say that playing games is a waste of time and money, since you may disregard your studies or work, you may get dirty playing outside or even you may get hurt by something or someone accidentally. No one can deny the importance of playing games in our life. Some people argue that playing games teaches us many valuable things about life, while others believe that playing games teaches us nothing about life. I strongly support the idea that playing games is beneficial in our life for the following reasons. we can learn a great deal about playing games in our life for the following reasons.

First of all, whether the game is played alone or in company, we can enhance our competences such as mental and physical agility, cooperativeness, as well as competitiveness. For instance, playing chess improves our strategic ability whereas sports like football or basket require a huge amount of stamina and collaboration, Reason behind making playing games useful is that it teaches us teamwork especially

in team games. In team games, the individual team members should not only play for personal achievements but for the sake of the team as well. Moreover, playing games teaches us cooperation, organization and loyalty to our team, which in turn affects positively our relationships with other people.

Secondly, playing games not only develops practical skills but it also performs an educational or simulation role. On the one hand, by using games for educational purposes, students can learn big time in the simplest and the most entertaining way. As an example, playing quizzes stimulates peoples learning process. On the other hand, simulations are become widely utilized as a method to recreate real-life situations for training, analysis and prediction. For example, in a war game the militaries explore the effects of warfare or test strategies without actual combat.

Building friendship is like planting a garden/tree IN ancient Rome in 106 BC, Cicero spoke of a sacred bond that allowed a person to care and be concerned for another with honesty, trust and truth. These were the distinct qualities that bound two individuals together and this bond soon came to be known as FRIENDSHIP. He claimed that when one of the two persons became 'EVIL' the bond was broken and the friendship ended! Who are friends after all?We have several people we care for and are concerned about. We like to spend time with a lot of people, share our joys and sorrows, gossip a little bit about others, and occasionally; even fight and make up with them. We look forward to meeting these people on a daily basis while we are young, maybe weekly when we start getting older and busier; and sometimes monthly or yearly too if we change cities or countries of residence. This is that special category of people we call 'friends'.

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be. ~ Douglas PagelsLife cycle of friendshipsIn the period between the end of early childhood and the onset of full adulthood, friendships are often the MOST important relationships in the emotional life of the teenager; and are often more intense than relationships later in life. One does make friends all along the way but the intensity is the maximum in adolescence. A study by researchers from Purdue University found that secondary-education friendships (e.g. college, university) last longer than the friendships before it and after it. Source of trouble? Understanding the FRENEMY!Having no friends can be emotionally damaging. In cases of shy and withdrawn people, the idea of approaching someone for friendship becomes a source of stress. Yet in other cases, arguments and fights with friends lead to a lot of dissatisfaction and trouble. If these are within limits, they in fact lead to self-realization and selfgrowth.However, sometimes people actually face a big dilemma to decide whether the friendship is really benefiting them or not. An interesting term here is FRENEMY: a blend of the words 'friend' and 'enemy', which refers to someone who pretends to be a friend but actually is an enemy - a proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing in the world of friendships. Most people have encountered a frenemy at one time or another, either at school, work or lurking in their neighbourhood. It is best to be a good judge and keep your distance from them! Friends lengthen your life!The conventional wisdom is that good friendships enhance an individual's sense of happiness and overall well-being. Well-being increases the immune system's responses in the body and makes the body fight illness better. Conversely, loneliness and lack of good friendship is linked to an increased risk of common cold, skin allergies, heart problems, viral infections, as well as cancer! Friendship networks have even been termed as a "behavioural vaccine" that protects physical and mental health. There are several explanations to this. Good friends can encourage you to lead healthy lifestyles; they will coax you to seek help and access services when needed, and they may enhance your coping skills in dealing with illness and other health problems. We are not talking of friends who convince you to follow unhealthy practices like smoking or drinking or doing drugs! They would surely qualify as frenemys who shorten your life!

Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty. ~ Sicilian proverbDoes friendship matter?Every building NEEDS a foundation, for that is what it stands upon. How well it was laid, determines its longevity in testing times like an earthquake or cyclone or storm. Likewise is true for friendships.Friends can help you study during examinations, act as a source of information or entertainment, are good company for movies, lunches and dinners, or simply act as company to fight solitude and loneliness. However, the true essence of friendship emerges like the essence of tea leaves when dropped in hot water. True friends are the pillars who support you when you are in trouble