While it is curtains for the great world event the Beijing Olympics, the sports lovers all over the globe are today celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the Australian cricketing legend, Sir Donald Bradman (1908-2001).
As the ABC News says: “Bradman will always be remembered for his cricket, but as Richie Benaud (another cricket star) said when delivering the eulogy at Bradman’s funeral, he was also a sportsman.” More here…
The former Australian prime minister John Howard once described Bradman as the “greatest living Australian”. Bradman’s image has appeared on postage stamps and coins, and he was the first living Australian to have a museum dedicated to his life.
The AFP adds: “Australia will celebrate the centenary of their greatest sporting legend Donald Bradman on Wednesday by naming the star batsman’s sleepy boyhood town ‘the world’s spiritual home of cricket’.” More here…
Click here for the official Donald Bradman website….
And here is a fine tribute by a Don’s contemporary…
For cricket lovers here are vintage shots from the YouTube (including the famous Bodyline series between England and Australia):
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.