Belgaum Belgavi, Belgaon
—  city  —
Belgaum
Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55Coordinates: 15°51′N 74°33′E / 15.85°N 74.55°E / 15.85; 74.55
Country	India
State	Karnataka
Region	Bayaluseeme
District	Belgaum
Government
• Administrator	Shri. V. Anbukkumar [1]
Area
• Total	13,415 km2 (5,180 sq mi)
Elevation	762 m (2,500 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
• Total	488,292
• Density	36/km2 (94/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Kannada
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	590 00X
Telephone code	+91831
Vehicle registration	KA-22,KA-23,KA-49

Belgaum ( also called Belagavi in Kannada, Belgaon in Marathi ) is a city and a municipal corporation in Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is the fifth largest city in the state of Karnataka, after Bengaluru, Hubli-Dharwad, Mysore, and Gulbarga.^[2]

It is situated nearly 2,500 ft (762 m) above sea-level and is the headquarters of Belgaum district, which borders the states of Maharashtra and Goa. Belgaum is also the headquarters for the Belgaum division. The division comprises the districts of Bagalkot, Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, and Uttara Kannada. The Government of Karnataka has proposed making Belgaum the second capital of the State of Karnataka with the recently upcoming second state administrative building Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.^[3]

History[link]

The Vadgoan and Madhavpur suburbs of Belgaum were important urban centres between 400 BC and 300 AD. The present city was built in the 12th century AD by the Ratta dynasty who were based at nearby Saundatti. The fort of Belgaum was built in 1204 by a Ratta officer named Bichiraja. Belgaum served as the capital of that dynasty between 1210 and 1250, before the Rattas were defeated by the Yadava Dynasty of Devagiri. Belgaum then briefly came under the sway of the Yadavas of Devagiri. The Khiljis of Delhi invaded the region at the turn of the 14th century and succeeded in ruining both the indigenous powers of the region, the Yadava and the Hoysalas without providing a viable administration. This lacuna was supplied by the Vijayanagara Empire, which had become the established power of the area by 1336. A century later, the town had become a bustling trading hub for diamonds and wood, owing to its favourable geographic location in the kingdom.

In 1474, the Bahmani Sultanate, then ruling from Bidar, captured the fort of Belgaum. Shortly afterward, in 1518, the Bahamani sultanate splintered into five small states, and Belgaum became part of the Adilshahi sultanate of Bijapur. The Adilshahis reinforced the fort of Belgaum; much of the existing structure dates from 1519. In 1686, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb overthrew the Bijapur sultanate, and Belgaum passed nominally to the Mughals. However, the Mughal empire went into decline after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, and his principal detractors, the Maratha confederacy, took control of the area during the rule of the Peshwas. In 1776, the country was overrun by Hyder Ali of Mysore, but was retaken by the Peshwa with British assistance. In 1818, the British deposed the last Peshwa and annexed his kingdom, which included Belgaum.Kitturu Chennamma (1778–1829) was the queen of the princely state of Kittur in Karnataka. In 1824, 33 years before the 1857 War of Independence in Murree, she led an armed rebellion against the British in response to the Doctrine of lapse. The resistance ended in her martyrdom and she is remembered today as one of the earliest Indian rulers to have fought for independence.

Belgaum was chosen as the venue of the 39th session of Indian National Congress in December 1924 under the Presidentship of Mahatma Gandhiji. The city served as a major military installation for the British Raj, primarily due to its proximity to Goa, which was then a Portuguese territory. Once the British left India, the Indian Government continued and still continues to have Armed forces installations in Belgaum. In 1961, the Indian government, under the Prime Ministership of Nehru used forces from Belgaum to end Portuguese rule of Goa.

When India became independent in 1947, Belgaum and its district became part of Bombay State. In 1956, the Indian states were reorganised along linguistic lines by the States Reorganisation Act, and Belgaum District was transferred to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.

In 2006, the Government of Karnataka announced that Belgaum would be made the state's second capital and that the city would be a permanent venue for the annual 15-day session of the state legislature.^[4]

Etymology[link]

Belgaum is anglicized name of Belagaavi/Belgaon. The names are from the Sanskrit Velugrama, Kannada for Venugrama^[5] i.e. "Bamboo village" and the same, Belagavi in Kannada, Belgaon in Marathi .

Of late, the city has carved itself a new name as Kunda nagari because of its famous sweet dish Kunda . The city is also known as Sugar City", and the district as Sakkare Jille" (Sugar District) because of its enormous sugarcane cultivation and sugar production.

The name Belgaum had been proposed to be changed to Belagaavi by the Karnataka government.^[6] However Central government has not agreed to rename the city, as Belgaum is caught between Karnataka and Maharashtra in the border dispute. One of the Centre's guidelines for renaming places is that the names should not hurt people's sentiments, not have political overtones and not already be in use in any other state.^[7]

Border dispute[link]

With the passage of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which reorganised India's states along linguistic lines, Belgaum was incorporated into the newly formed Mysore state (now Karnataka), despite the high proportion of Marathi speakers,^[8] who accounted for about three quarters of the total population at the time.^[9] Since then, Maharashtra has continued to claim the district, and the case is now in Supreme Court of India.

Geography[link]

Belgaum is located at 15°52′N 74°30′E / 15.87°N 74.5°E / 15.87; 74.5.^[10] It has an average elevation of 751 metres (2463 feet). The city is situated in the northwestern parts of Karnataka and lies at the border of two states, Maharashtra and Goa on the western ghats (50 km from Goa state border). It is one of the oldest towns in the state, lying at a distance of 502 km from Bangalore;515 km from Hyderabad and 500 km from Mumbai. The district comprises 1278 villages with an area of 13,415 km² with a population of around 48 lakhs or 4.8 million (47,78,439) according to the census 2011. Situated near the foothills of the Sahyadri mountain range (Western Ghats) at an altitude of about 779m, 100 km from the Arabian Sea with the river Markandeya flowing nearby, Belgaum exhibits swift and kaleidoscopic changes in topography, vegetation and climate.

Climate[link]

Belgaum is known for its pleasant climate all round the year. Belgaum is at its coldest in winter (November - February temperatures dropping to 9 degrees Celsius, minimum temperature in Karnataka state is usually recorded in Belgaum ^[11]), and experiences continuous monsoon during July to September. The annual average rainfall is over 200  cm, 2000 mm.

Demographics[link]

As per provisional 2011 India census, while the Belgaum urban area has a population of 6,10,189.^[12] with males constituting 51% (309,689) of the population and females 49% (300,500), the Belgaum metropolitan area has a population of 488,292 (2011).^[2] Belgaum has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 65%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. Eleven percent of the population is under 6 years of age.^[13]

Culture[link]

The lingua franca of the region is mostly Marathi and even the Kannada spoken here is laced with a generous dose of Marathi.^[14] Belgaum enjoys rich cultural diversity stemming from its proximity to the states of Maharashtra and Goa. Kannada and Marathi are the main languages spoken. The customs and traditions of Belgaum have been influenced by both the Kannada and Marathi cultures. Traditional dressing in rural Belgaum is similar to the attires of people in the north Karnataka and Maharashtra; the men wear a turban with a long tailpiece at the rear and a dhoti (a sarong worn in a manner that allows easier movement) and the women wear saris. However, in the city, the costumes are very much in tune with modern urban India.

Second World Kannada Meet 2011 was held in the city on 11–13 March 2011 (First held at Mysore in the year 1985) to celebrate, enrich the tradition, culture and progress of the state.

Economy[link]

Belgaum is the commercial hub and divisional headquarters of north Karnataka, standing second to Bangalore in terms of overall exports in the state (mainly automotive industry). Known as the "Bread Basket / Rice Bowl" of north Karnataka,^{[citation needed]} it is an important location for vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, fish, wood (due to heavy rainfall, rivers and water abundance), mining production, trading in north Karnataka and is mainly traded with Goa along with major cities like Pune, Bangalore. Rich deposits of Bauxite are found in Belgaum district, and have led to the creation of the (HINDALCO) Indian Aluminium Company Birla Group for production of aluminium.^[15] Additionally, uranium deposits have recently been found in Deshnur, a small village near Bailhongal town.^[16] Belgaum is a major producer of milk in the state, almost 1/3 or 30% of state's production and has the highest number of sugar factories; Belgaum, being home to Renuka Sugars and other enormous large scale sugar factories, is also known as Sugar Bowl of Karnataka.^{[citation needed]}

From the early 1970s, Belgaum began developing as an important centre for the manufacture of heavy machine tools, including the manufacture of high pressure oil Hydraulics.

Its also a foundry hub of the Karnataka state having about 200 foundries producing more than 70000 tons^{[citation needed]} of automotive and industrial castings of ferrous base and the supporting ancillaries like CNC and conventional machine shops which finish the castings that are produced in Belgaum.

Belgaum is one of the major textile centre in the State with over 50,000 powerlooms (including unregistered units). Almost entire areas of old Belgaum at Vadagaon, Khasbagh, Shahpur are engaged in business with power looms. Belgaum is known for what are known as “Belgaum saris” which are sold under different brand names. Over 30,000 people are directly dependent on the powerlooms. There are also ready-made garment units, including export oriented, besides those manufacturing Khadi cotton products.

Trade flourishes in Belgaum, and many areas of the city are dedicated to certain kinds of trade. For example, almost all automobile-related trade and manufacture happens in the Fort Road area of the city and Udyambag. The Raviwarpeth area is known as the wholesale market which sells commodities like grains, tea, etc.^{[citation needed]}

Belgaum also is a strong industrial hub for machine shops catering to automotive manufacturing, Specially in Crankshaft machining and castings. The geographical location of the city is an advantage since it is situated right in between Bangalore and Mumbai–Pune to support the major automotive and aerospace^{[citation needed]} companies.

A 300-acre (1.2 km²) Special Economic Zone is being set up along the Pune-Bangalore highway to cater to precision engineering requirements of the global aerospace, automotive and industrial verticals.^[17]

Defence training centres[link]

Its salubrious climate, proximity to the coast and strategic position near Portuguese Goa commended it to the British as a suitable location for an army training center and cantonment, which it continues to be today for the Indian Armed Forces, along with an air force station of the Indian Air Force. The British had a sizable infantry post here, having realized the military importance of its geographical location. Perhaps that is one of the reasons for Belgaum's sobriquet The Cradle of Infantry. Development of a Rail Network for movement of resources and later troops was one of the means employed by both the East India Company and the British to exert control over India. Belgaum houses the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre (MLIRC). It also houses the Commando Training Wing which is a part of the Infantry School, Mhow, where the country's infantry commandos are trained in endurance, escape and evasion, guerrilla and commando warfare techniques and to live off the land. The Commando course at Belgaum is mandatory for all infantry officers. Officers of other arms and services and even some foreign officers undergo the course. In between the Military hospital and the commando training centre there lies an eminent school called Belgaum Military School established in 1945 spread over an area of 64 acres (26 ha).

Indo-Tibetan Border Police, ITBP is building full fledge recreation and Training center In Belgaum at Halbhavi, Belgaum provides the best climate for recreation and ITBP will relocate the personal and will have large family bases in Belgaum for its soldiers after high altitude stressful duty.

CRPF, Central Reserve Police Force Institute of elite central paramilitary force is setting up a national-level training institution (jungle warfare) at Khanapur in Belgaum.

Tourism and attractions[link]

Belgaum is located 502 km from Bangalore and 154 km from Panaji. Nestled in the foothills of the Western Ghats, it enjoys a cool, salubrious climate and is surrounded by natural beauty in the form of rivers, hills and dense evergreen forests covered tourists places like Amboli, Sindhudurg district, jamboti etc. Inside the city, A wide variety of historical sites, temples and churches exist in and around the city, most notably the fort Kamala Basti, Kapileshwar temple (South Kashi), the hills of Vaijyanath, Ramtirth and Siddeshwar temple in Kanbargi, the aerodrome at Sambra and others.

Tourist Attractions within and nearby the city[link]

1. The Handloom cottage industries, and Silk weavers located in Vadgaon and Angol are known for the exquisitely designed Saris.
2. The Belgaum Cantonment Area with its lush cover of greenery, the MLIRC (Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre) is also based here.
3. Jamboti, 20 km south-west of Belgaum, is a popular tourist spot with its evergreen hilltop forests.
4. Vajrapoha Falls on the Mandovi river are located 26 km from Belgaum.
5. Godchinamalaki Falls is a popular destination at a distance of about 60 km from Belgaum. They are stepwise falls which are approximately 100 metres in length, with a step at every 30 metres.
6. Gokak Falls is yet another resplendent waterfall 62 km from Belgaum and 6 km from the Gokak town.
7. Amboli hill station (Maharashtra) This little known coastal highland area, around 70 km from Belgaum, is fabulous during the monsoons. Thick forests, curving misty ghats and shades of vibrant greens.
8. Asha Kiran Planetarium, School of Astronomy and Audio-Visual Education Research Centre. This is a new Planetarium that has recently been started in Belgaum. It is located in Ganeshpur.^[18]
9. Dudhsagar Water Falls, located around 75 km from Belgaum, is a scenic waterfall located on the Mandovi River. The spot also provides various options for trekkers. The best time to visit is during or soon after the Monsoon.
10. International Golf Course (18 hole) located at Desur, 10 km from the city.
11. Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary (Khanapur)
12. Anshi National Park (Khanapur)

One can also visit Buthramanhatti park and Hidkal dam which are quite close to the city.

Architecture[link]

Kamal Basadi Jain temple in Belagavi

• Kamal Basati is a Jain temple located within the walls of the fort.
• Belgaum Fort is a huge construct present in the center of the town. It dates back to 1519. The foundation of the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, a legislative administrative office complex, was laid in Belgaum in August 2007 to celebrate the golden jubilee celebrations of the unification of Karnataka.^[19]

Cuisine[link]

Belgaum is known for its cross culture food right from the Bombay chats to the Chinese delicacies. Belgaum is also famous for its "Kunda" (especially Purohit Kunda), and "Kalakand". A special sweet called "Mandige" or "Maande" is a must during weddings.

Educational institutions[link]

Belgaum is also an important educational center. Consisting of 8 engineering colleges, 5 medical colleges, and some of the dental colleges across the city and district.Vishweshwariah technological university is the biggest university of Karnataka for technical education (for BE,Mtech, MCA, MBA) is based in Belgaum. basic degree colleges,9 polytechnic colleges and 3 Law colleges are other educational institutions. KLE and KLS societies are two big educational giants based in Belgaum.

From the late 1970s onwards, Belgaum began seeing a substantial increase in the number of professional education institutions. While initially this was seen largely in the medical and engineering fields, Belgaum today hosts institutions from a number of other professional streams as well.

The establishment of the Visvesvaraya Technological University in 1998, with the affiliation of more than 208 engineering colleges, raised the importance of Belgaum as a centre of education in Karnataka. Belgaum also hosts a number of medical colleges. The impact of this growth has considerably changed the cultural, linguistic and industrial profile of the city, due to the influx of students from across India (and even across the world), some of whom made Belgaum their home base after completion of their education there.

VTU Belgaum[link]

Visvesvaraya Technological University or VTU, named after Bharat Ratna Sir M Visweshwariah, is located in Machche in Belgaum. It has more than 208 colleges affiliated to it. And more than 67000 students graduate from VTU every year.^[20]

KLE Society[link]

In 1916, Karnataka Lingayat Education (K. L. E.) Society was founded by the Seven Founder Life Members, who are also addressed as "Saptarishis" [Seven Saints]. On 13 November 1916, K.L.E. Society started an Anglo Vernacular (G A High school now)School in Belgaum. Lingaraj College came into existence in June 1933. In 1947, B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology was started in Hubli. J.N. Medical College at Belgaum and G.H. College at Haveri was started in the year 1963. It also runs World famous KLE engineering college in Belgaum. From 1984 onwards, K.L.E. Society started Dental, Education, Nursing, Information Technology, Computer Applications, Hotel Management, Business Management, Tourism, Fashion Designing, Agriculture Colleges and Polytechnics across India. Today under the leadership of Mr. Prabhakar Kore, the KLE Society runs 207 institutions.

Karnatak Law Society[link]

Karnatak Law Society(KLS) was founded in 1939 by a group of diehard freedom fighters and eminent lawyers. Their distinguished vision and sheer service motto not only brought succor and solace to a large number of quality education aspirants but it also paved the way for the establishment of one of the greatest institutions of all times to come. KLS imparts unparallel quality education in Engineering, Management and other allied areas to more than 20,000 students through eleven institutes situated in various parts of Northern Karnataka. KLS is managed by an elite pool of Lawyers, Engineers.

Rani Channamma University[link]

It also recently got Rani Channamma University independent, which was earlier PG centre of Karnatak University, Dharwad. RCB University, Belgaum

Transportation[link]

Road[link]

Belgaum is connected by road via the National Highways 4 (connecting Maharashtra [Now part of the Golden Quadrilateral], Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and 4A (connecting Karnataka and Goa). NWKRTC run buses to all corners of karnataka as well as neighboring states. There are many prominent private buses which servers to all major destinations in karnataka and surrounding states.

Air[link]

Belgaum Airport was the only airport in north karnataka for decades (with an airforce base). Belgaum is directly connected with Mumbai. The airport currently serving the city is Belgaum Airport at Sambra, located at 10 km from the city on SH20. Schedules have been erratic, as the air connectivity is primarily provided by feeder airlines. Belgaum currently has no flight service. The only flight to Mumbai was stopped in Nov 2011 owing to the financial crisis at Kingfisher Airlines.

Rail[link]

Belgaum is on the main Indian Railways grid being part of south western division and is well connected by rail to major destinations such as Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa ,New Delhi and Chennai. Belgaum railway station is oldest in this region.^{[citation needed]}.

Assembly session[link]

In 2006 Government of Karnataka decided to held Assembly session every year during winter season for one week. Suvarna Vidhana Soudha is under construction.

See Also[link]

• Jainism in North Karnataka
• Jainism in Karnataka

Gallery[link]

• 

  Kamal Basti at fort Belgaum

• 

  Inside view of Kamal Basti at fort Belgaum

• 

  Chikka basti, near Kamal Basti at fort Belgaum

• 

  Chikka basti, near Kamal Basti at fort Belgaum

• 

  Inside view of Safa Masjid at fort Belgaum

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Belgaum

• Municipal Corporation of Belgaum
• Government website on Belgaum district
• Directorate of Industries & Commerce
• Belgaum on Wikimapia
• Ultimate Guide for Belgaum City
• Belgaum Fort of Rattas on Google Maps
• AllABoutBelgaum.com The only daily updated news portal for Belgaum

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

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Narendra Modi નરેન્દ્ર મોદી
Chief Minister of Gujarat
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 October 2001
Governor	Dr. Kamla Beniwal
Preceded by	Keshubhai Patel
Constituency	Maninagar
Personal details
Born	(1950-09-17) 17 September 1950 (age 61) Vadnagar, Gujarat, India
Political party	Bharatiya Janata Party
Residence	Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
Alma mater	Gujarat University[1]
Religion	Hinduism
Website	Narendra Modi
As of 9 March, 2009 Source: Government of Gujarat

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: નરેન્દ્ર મોદી; born 17 September 1950^[1]) is the current Chief Minister of the Indian state of Gujarat. Born in a middle class family in Vadnagar, he was the third of six children born to Damodardas Mulchand Modi and his wife Heeraben.^[2] He has been a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) since childhood also having interest in politics since adolescence. He holds a master's degree in political science. In 1998, he was chosen by L. K. Advani, the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to direct the election campaign in Gujarat as well as Himachal Pradesh.

He became Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001, promoted to the office at a time when his predecessor Keshubhai Patel had resigned, following the defeat of BJP in the by-elections. His tenure as chief minister of Gujarat began on 7 October 2001, and he is the longest serving Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat.^[3] In July 2007 he became the longest serving Chief Minister in Gujarat's history when he had been in power for 2063 days continuously.^[4] He was elected again for a third term^[5] on 23 December 2007 in the state elections, which he had cast as a "referendum on his rule".^[6][7]

Personal life[link]

Modi was born in a middle class family in Vadnagar in Mehsana district of what was then Bombay State, India.^[8] During the Indo-Pak war in the mid sixties, even as a young boy, he volunteered to serve the soldiers in transit at railway stations.^[9] As a young man, he joined the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a student organisation and was involved in the anti-corruption Nav Nirmāṇ ("Reconstruction") Movement. After working as a full time organiser for the organisation, he was later nominated as its representative in the Bharatiya Janata Party.^[10] As a teenager Modi used to run a tea stall with his brother.^[11] Modi completed his schooling in Vadnagar. He earned a masters degree in political science from Gujarat University.^[12]

Early activism and politics[link]

Modi was a pracharak (campaigner) in the RSS during his university years.^[12][13] He took up the challenging task of energising the party cadres in right earnest. In partnership with Shankersinh Vaghela, Modi set about creating a strong cadre base in Gujarat. In the initial period, Vaghela was seen as a mass leader, while Modi was recognised as a master strategist.

The party started gaining political mileage and formed a coalition government at the centre in April 1990. This partnership fell apart within a few months, but the BJP came to power with a two-thirds majority on its own in Gujarat in 1995. During this period, Modi was entrusted with the responsibility of organising two crucial national events, the Somnath to Ayodhya Rath Yatra (a political rally through India on a converted Toyota van) of L.K. Advani and a similar march from Kanyakumari (the southernmost part of India) to Kashmir in the North. After the exit of Shankarsingh Vaghela from the BJP, Keshubhai Patel was made Chief Minister while Narendra Modi was sent to New Delhi as a General Secretary of the Party.

In 1995, Modi was appointed the National Secretary of the party and given the charge of five major states in India. In 1998, he was promoted as the General Secretary (Organization), a post he held until October 2001. In 2001, Narendra Modi was chosen by the party to be the Chief Minister of Gujarat after the removal of chief minister Keshubhai Patel.

Tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat[link]

Personality[link]

Modi is known for leading a frugal lifestyle. He has a personal staff of just three. He is known to be a workaholic Chief Minister and an introvert.^[14] He ordered the demolition of many Hindu temples that were built without proper government sanction which earned him the ire of VHP^[11] He is a crowd puller as a speaker. Modi has also tried to turn his image from an Hindu Nationalist politician to an image of able administrator. He wears business suits and is improving his command over the English language.^[15]

Awards and recognitions[link]

Modi was awarded Gujarat Ratna by Shri Poona Gujarati Bandhu Samaj at Ganesh Kala Krida Manch on celebration of centenary year.^[16]

Development of Gujarat[link]

As a Chief Minister, Modi started various 'yojanas' or plans. This includes:

• Panchamrut Yojana,^[17][18][19] a five-pronged strategy for an integrated development of the state,
• Sujalam Sufalam, a scheme to create a grid of water resources in Gujarat in an innovative step towards water conservation and its appropriate utilisation.
• Krishi Mahotsav – agricultural research labs for the land
• Chiranjeevi Yojana – To reduce infant mortality rate
• Matru Vandana – Providing preventive and curative services under the Reproductive and Child Health Programme
• Beti Bachao – Campaign against female infanticide to improve sex ratio
• Jyotigram Yojana – Provide electricity to every village
• Karmayogi Abhiyan – To educate and train government employees
• Kanya Kelavani Yojana – To encourage female literacy and education
• Balbhog Yojana – Midday meal scheme for students to encourage school attendance from poor backgrounds.^[20]

Vibrant Gujarat[link]

Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial Global Investors' Summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat. the event has been held continuously since 2003.

Gujarat earthquake[link]

The biggest challenge which he had to face when he took over as the Chief Minister, was the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the areas affected by the massive Gujarat Earthquake of January 2001.

Gujarat violence[link]

On 27 February 2002, a train was burned by a Muslim mob in the town of Godhra leading to 59 deaths, most of them Hindu pilgrims and activists returning from the holy city of Ayodhya.^[21] Riots broke out in the state after it was suspected to be caused by Muslims, leading to 1180 deaths, many of them Muslims. Modi administration was accused of inaction over the riots and for encouraging them.^[15] As an aftermath of the riots, there were calls for Modi to resign from his position as chief minister of Gujarat. The opposition parties stalled the national parliament over the issue. Even Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), allies of the BJP, asked for Modi's resignation.^[22][23] Modi submitted his resignation to the Governor and recommended the dissolution of the 10th Gujarat Legislative Assembly.^[24][25] In the following state re-elections the BJP, led by Modi, won 127 seats in the 182-member assembly.

In April 2009, the Supreme Court of India appointed a special team of investigators to look into the role Modi had played in the alleged anti-Muslim conspiracy.^[15] The team was appointed in response to the complaint of zakia Jafri, the widow of ex-Congress MP Ehsan Jafri, who was murdered in the riots.^[26] In December 2010, a Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) in its report to the Supreme Court seeking answers pertaining to the Ehsan Jafri case, submitted that they had found no evidence against Narendra Modi.^[27]

However in February 2011, the Times of India reported that a confidential report from the SIT indicted Modi on several counts of alleged complicity in the Gujarat riots of 2002.^[28] Most other sources have noted that the SIT report does not indict Modi for the riots due to lack of evidence.^[29][30] The Indian Express too said the report did not find any Modi involvement in the violence, though it did accuse him of watering down the seriousness of the situation.^[31] According to the Hindu, the report not only found that Modi tried to water down the seriousness of the situation, but Modi also implicitly justified the killings of Muslims, and failed to condemn the attacks on them.^[32] The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded an investigation into the publication of the report, claiming the leak was politically motivated.^[33]

The apex court refused to pass any order on the case and referred it to the Ahmedabad magistrate for a decision.^[34] In April 2012, a Special Investigation Team found absolved Modi of any involvement in the Gulberg massacre, arguably the worst episode of the riots.^[35]. On 7 May 2012, a Supreme Court-appointed amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran observed that Modi can be prosecuted under sections 153 A (1) (a) & (b), 153 B (1), 166 and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity among different groups during the 2002 Gujarat riots.^[36]. However the amicus report has been criticised by the Special Investigation Team for relying heavily on the testimony of a perjurer^[37].

2007 elections[link]

Modi made a speech at Mangrol in which he justified the alleged fake encounter of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, During the election campaign In response to Sonia Gandhi's speech calling him a "merchant of death",^[38] and referred to Sohrabuddin's killing. For this speech the Election Commission of India, a constitutional body governing election proceedings in India, cautioned Modi as it considered it as indulging in an activity which may aggravate existing differences between different communities.^[39] Modi won the election and continued his post as the Chief Minister Of Gujarat, he won with majority of votes of 122 seats out of 182 total assembly seats.^[40]

Conflicts with Governor Kamla Beniwal[link]

On 25 August 2011 Gujarat Governor Kamla Beniwal appointed Justice R A Mehta to the post of Lokyukta of Gujarat, a critical anti-corruption post that had been lying vacant since 2003. Justice R A Mehta was recommended for the post by the Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court in June. Since Governor Beniwal had made this decision without consulting and getting the approval of the chief minister and his council of ministers, the action angered Narendra Modi and his BJP party.^[41]

This marked the beginning of a strained relationship between Modi and the Governor. On 25 September 2011, Narendra Modi accused the Governor of running a parallel government in the state supported by the Congress. He demanded that she be recalled back.^[42] He also later accused her of delaying the progress of bills by not passing them.

The decision of the governor in the appointment of R A Mehta was challenged in the high court by the Modi government. The two member high court bench gave a split verdict on 10 October 2011. Later, a third member upheld the governor's decision in January 2012.^[43]

Foreign visits[link]

As the Chief Minister of the Gujarat State, to attract foreign investment in the state, Narendra Modi has made visits to foreign countries, including China and Singapore.

Narendra Modi made his first China visit in 2007 to invite investors Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor Summit,^[44] and second visit in November 2011. One month after the second visit to China, the Chinese Government released 13 Diamond traders from India jailed by the Shenzhen Customs, which the Chief Minister described as the consequece of his diplomatic efforts and statesmanship.^[45]

In 2005 Narendra Modi was denied of diplomatic visa to the United States, in addition to this visa denial, he was also revoked from his already granted B-1/B-2 visa.^[46]

Sadbhavna Mission[link]

In the late 2011-early 2012 Narandra Modi practised a series of fasts in the name of Sadbhavna Mission. The mission started on 17 September 2011 in Ahmedabad with 3 day fast with a view to strengthen the atmosphere of peace, unity and harmony in the state. He observed total 36 fasts in 26 districts, 8 cities including Ahmedabad.^[47]

Views and opinions[link]

Modi's position on terrorism[link]

On 18 July 2006 Modi delivered a speech criticising Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "for his reluctance to revive anti-terror legislations" like the Prevention of Terrorism Act. He asked the Centre to empower states to invoke tougher laws in the wake of the blasts in Mumbai.^[48] Quoting Modi:

Narendra Modi has frequently commented that if the BJP came to power at the Centre, they will honour the 2004 Supreme Court judgement to hang Afzal Guru.^[49] Afzal was convicted of terrorism in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack in 2004 by the Supreme Court of India and is in Tihar Jail.^[50]

On account of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, on Thursday 27 November, Narendra Modi held a meeting to discuss waterfront security along the coastline.^[51] The meeting decided to ask the Central government to urgently sanction the following:

• Increase the number of police stations along the coast to 50 (from 10)
• Increase the number of police to 1500 from 250
• 30 modern high-speed surveillance boats.

The 30 coastal boats, under construction at Goa's shipbuilding yard, will have the capacity to run at the speed of 25 nautical miles per hour. These are being manufactured under the Centre's Rs 58-crore grant for coastal security.^[51]

Views on criticism of Modi's governance[link]

In 2003, when Narendra Modi was asked about the conflict of his dreams for Gujarat's future with international criticism of his past activities, Modi said,^[52]

Modi's decision to link Gujarat's violence with the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US drew criticism from some observers, who contrasted it with the then Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's unpleasant apology for Gujarat in London a year ago.^[52] Modi responded to this criticism by The Guardian,^[52]

See also[link]

• Chief Minister
• Gujarat
• Bhartiya Janata Party

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Narendra Modi

Official

• @narendramodi Official & verified Twitter Account
• Narendra Modi Official website
• Narendra Modi Personal blog

Other

• Profile at BBC News

v t e Current Chief Ministers of Indian states (list)     Andhra Pradesh: Nallari Kiran Kumar Reddy Arunachal Pradesh: Nabam Tuki Assam: Tarun Gogoi Bihar: Nitish Kumar Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh Goa: Manohar Parrikar Gujarat: Narendra Modi Haryana: Bhupinder Singh Hooda Himachal Pradesh: Prem Kumar Dhumal Jammu and Kashmir: Omar Abdullah Jharkhand: Arjun Munda Karnataka: D. V. Sadananda Gowda Kerala: Oommen Chandy Madhya Pradesh: Shivraj Singh Chauhan Maharashtra: Prithviraj Chavan Manipur: Okram Ibobi Singh Meghalaya: Mukul Sangma Mizoram: Pu Lalthanhawla Nagaland: Neiphiu Rio Orissa: Naveen Patnaik Punjab: Parkash Singh Badal Rajasthan: Ashok Gehlot Sikkim: Pawan Kumar Chamling Tamil Nadu: Jayalalithaa Tripura: Manik Sarkar Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav Uttarakhand: Vijay Bahuguna West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee Delhi: Sheila Dikshit Pondicherry: N. Rangaswamy

For Kannada actor see Srinath

Javagal Srinath

Personal information
Batting style	Right hand bat
Bowling style	Right arm fast
Career statistics
Competition	Tests	ODIs
Matches	67	229
Runs scored	1009	883
Batting average	14.21	10.63
100s/50s	-/4	-/1
Top score	76	53
Balls bowled	2517.2	1989.1
Wickets	236	319
Bowling average	30.49	28.08
5 wickets in innings	10	3
10 wickets in match	1	n/a
Best bowling	8/86	5/23
Catches/stumpings	22/-	32/-
Source: [1], December 22 2005

Javagal Srinath (Kannada: ಜಾವಗಲ್‌ ಶ್ರೀನಾಥ್‌)  pronunciation (help·info) (born August 31, 1969 in Mysore, Karnataka) is a former Indian cricketer. He was a frontline fast bowler for the Indian cricket team until his retirement, being the second Indian pace bowler after Kapil Dev to take 200 Test wickets. One ball that he bowled during the 1996 tour of South Africa measured 156 km/h (97 mph). He also clocked 154.5 km/h (96.0 mph) at the 1999 World Cup^[1]. He is the leading wicket taker from India in World cups with 44 wickets in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 Cricket World Cup

Personal life[link]

Srinath was born in Mysore in Karnataka. He was attracted towards cricket right from an early age. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Instrumentation Technology from Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore. He was earlier married to Jyothsna in 1999 but both decided to split away with mutual understanding. He remarried in 2008 to Madhavi Patravali a journalist.

Career summary[link]

Although Srinath was a batsman as a youth, it was in a club match that he caught the eye of former Indian Test batsman Gundappa Viswanath, now a selector for the state team. In 1989/90, Srinath made his first class debut for Karnataka against Hyderabad, taking a hat trick in the first innings. He followed this with wickets from successive balls in the second innings. Srinath finished the season with 25 wickets from six matches, and took another 20 the following season. The second season involved a display of reverse swing against Maharashtra at the Nehru Stadium in Pune, taking 7/93 to dismiss the home team for 311 in response to a Karnataka total of 638 on a good batting track.

Srinath made his One Day International debut in the Wills Trophy at Sharjah in 1991. He is also India's most prolific wicket-taker at World Cups with 44 wickets from 34 matches. He remains India's highest wicket taker in ODI matches as a fast bowler and only Indian pacer to surprass 300 wicket tally in ODI matches. Only other Indian bowler to achieve this feat is Anil Kumble who is a spinner.

Srinath then was selected to the Indian cricket team for the 1991/92 tour of Australia. Making his Test debut against Australia at Brisbane, he took 3/59 while playing as the third pace bowler. He finished the tour with ten wickets at 55.30. He was given an opportunity to take the new ball against South Africa in Cape Town, where he took an economical 4/33 in 27 overs. Srinath ended the tour with 12 wickets at 26.08. However, due to wickets in India being conducive to spin, he subsequently spent seven consecutive home Tests watching from the sidelines as India only fielded two pacemen. It was not until three years after his international debut, in late 1994 and with the retirement of Kapil Dev that Srinath played his first home Test, against the West Indies. He took five wickets and scored 60 in the second innings to be named Man of the Match as India won by 96 runs. His increased opportunities also coincided with an improvement in his batting, scoring two half-centuries in the series.

Srinath took over 500 first class wickets, playing for Karnataka he took 96 at 24.06. In 1995, he joined Gloucestershire, and took 87 wickets in his one and only season with them including taking 9-76 against Glamorgan. He has also played English county cricket with Leicestershire and Durham.^[2]

In the 1996-97 series in South Africa, Srinath's speeds were timed at 150 km/h with one particular delivery measured at 156 km/h.^[3] For many years, Srinath was India's only regular pace bowler, and the workload is often believed to be the partial cause of injuries, which forced him to undergo an operation on his right shoulder in 1997.^[4]

Some critics argue that Srinath's average and strike rate suffered as a result of bowling on the predominantly dry and spin-friendly wickets in India; however, his average at home was in fact superior to his average away from India: Srinath knew how to reverse swing the ball.^[5]

Though his batting average is not impressive, he has played quite a few scintillating innings and won matches for India with his batting. He scored a vital 30 runs off 23 balls against Australia in the 3rd match of Titan cup series (1996) in Bangalore,^[6] thus winning the match and securing a berth in the finals for India. This innings contained 2 fours and a six. In the same series he also scored a 50 against South Africa in Rajkot.

He retired from international cricket after the 2003 World Cup in South Africa in which he performed strongly until the final against Australia conceding 87 off his 10 overs. He toured England with the famous Lashings World XI team in the summer of 2005, and also served as a commentator for the India-England Test series in 2006.

In April 2006, he was selected as a match referee by the International Cricket Council and served during the 2007 World Cup.^[5]

Awards and honors[link]

• Arjuna award - 1996

References[link]