Celebrating Women (I know and have heard of !!)

celebrating International Women's Day - remembering great women  !!

My knowledge of Cinema is very low – have not heard of this Hindi movie ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’   directed by Ashutosh Gowariker starring Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone  BUT feel bad in not knowing  Pritilata Waddedar !! – who ??- Gandhi and Congress fought Britishers and got freedom without drop of blood and Jawaharlal Nehru guided the Nation !!!!!  

                    According to Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, King Janaka of Videha Kingdom held a Rajasuya Yagna and invited all the learned sages, kings and princess of India to participate. The yagna lasted for many days. The galaxy of scholars, included the renowned sage Yajnavalkya.  There  were eight renowned sages who challenged him for a debate, which included Gargi, the only lady in the assembled gathering of the learned.  Gargi and Yajnavalkya's exchange centered on the ultimate "warp" of reality ("warp" means "the basic foundation or material of a structure or entity).  

This is a post on ‘wonder women’ ~ it would not require a Nobel for a woman to be impressive and an influencer    before you read further, this post is dedicated to all the Women known and those who influenced me – the list would start with my mother, sister, wife – my teachers at elementary school,  my female colleagues, my women bosses and my dear friends).. ..  also to those women who zip past in the morning – the Conservancy workers of Chennai metropolis.

Today (8th March) is International Women’s Day .. ..  Appreciating all Women I know right from my mother, wife, sister, sister-in-law, relatives, teachers, women bosses, female colleagues – and all feminine gender known to me- my  special greetings to all of them  ~  Happy International Women's Day 2026.

  

March 8, 2020 was a Red letter day  for  Indian women's cricket. India's maiden appearance in a T20 World Cup final, against defending champions Australia, drew 86,174 spectators at the MCG - the most ever at a women's or men's T20 World Cup final and for a women's sporting event in Australia.  India lost that match !  .. .. years later at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai in Nov 2025, India  won their first-ever Women's ODI Cricket World Cup  defeating South Africa by 52 runs.  In that finals India posted 298-7, with key contributions from Shafali Verma (87) and Deepti Sharma (58), before bowling out South Africa for 246.

In some ways this is a western concept – marking a day and attaching all importance to it by marketing it. Our literature has cherished  place for women and traditionally we are taught to respect women. Our moral stories are replete with instances of obeisance to mother and femininity holding them in high regard; yet 8th Mar would be a special day.

Any reference to women of fame would not be complete with writing about ‘Avvaiyar’ -  great tamil poetess  whose statue also stands in the marina closer to Queen Mary’s college. She  lived in the southern parts attributed to sangam period. Reverred to be noble besides her extraordinary poetic skills, the term means ' respected old woman' or 'Grandmother'. Her works include Purananuru and Aathichoodi. She had cordial relations with the Kings Pari and Athiaman.  

There are many others who achieved, though not as famous – Reena Kaushal Dharkshaktu was the first woman to reach South pole and Sucheta Kadethankar was the first to have walked across Gobi desert.   Devika Rani was the first recipient of the prestigious film prize, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.  Rajkumari Amrit Kaur from the Princely family of Kapurthala was the first Women Cabinet minister – she was the health minister in the Indian Cabinet for ten years after India's independence from the British Raj in 1947.

In Sept 2022,  a young Kurdish woman was detained in Tehran after allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code. Days later, the 22-year-old died in custody — allegedly after being beaten by police.  Mahsa Amini’s death unleashed a wave of protests under the slogan “Women, life, freedom,” which came to express decades of discontent not only with the country’s veiling laws but with the ruling system itself.  

If there is one field where Men & Women compete together – it is Horse racing   where men and women compete directly against each other on equal terms, sharing the same tracks, prize money, and glory. While historically male-dominated, female jockeys regularly compete alongside men, and studies show they are often slightly underestimated by betting markets.

Jamie Melham is an acclaimed Australian jockey known for breaking barriers in horse racing. She has achieved historic milestones as one of the top female riders globally. Born in 1995 as Jamie Lee Kah, she started racing at 15 and won her first premiership in 2012.  She secured the 2025 Caulfield Cup on Half Yours, making her the first woman to win it, followed by the Melbourne Cup on the same horse, becoming only the second female winner after Michelle Payne.   By early 2026, she was named Woman of the Year.

If you still remember that name at the start – “Pritilata Waddedar” – here is something on that great woman [5.5.1911 – 24.9.1932] – a mere 21 years !

She studied in  Chittagong and Dhaka, attended Bethune College in Kolkata;  graduated in philosophy with distinction and became a school teacher. She is praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr". Pritilata joined a revolutionary group headed by Surya Sen and led  fifteen revolutionaries in the 1932 armed attack on the Pahartali European Club, during which one person was killed and eleven injured. The revolutionaries torched the club and were later caught by the colonial police.  Pritilata was born in a middle-class Vaidya Brahmin family  in Dhalghat village in Patiya upazila of Chittagong (now in Bangladesh).

In 1932, Suriya Sen planned to attack the Pahartali European Club which had a signboard that read "Dogs and Indians not allowed". [Remember this epic instance was clumsily captured in Rajnikant starrer Maaveeran]   Surjo Sen decided to appoint a woman leader for this mission. Kalpana Datta was arrested seven days before the event. So,  Pritilata was assigned the leadership of the attack.  On the day of the attack, Pritilata dressed herself as a Punjabi male. Her associates Kalishankar Dey, Bireshwar Roy, Prafulla Das, Shanti Chakraborty wore dhoti and shirt. Mahendra Chowdhury, Sushil Dey and Panna Sen wore lungi and shirt.  They attacked the club building and set it alight.  There was firing from inside by the Police officers.

An injured Pritilata was trapped by the colonial police;  She swallowed cyanide to avoid getting arrested. In Bangladesh, she hailed as an ideal woman.    A trust named Birkannya Pritilata Trust (Brave lady Pritilata Trust) was found in her memory. Pritilata's birthday is celebrated by the trust in different places of Bangladesh and India every year. The last end of Sahid Abdus Sabur Road to Mukunda Ram Hat of Boalkhali upazila in Chittagong has been named as Pritilata Waddedar Road.  In 2012, a bronze sculpture of Pritilata Waddedar was erected in front of the Pahartali Railway School, adjacent to the historical European Club.

Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey (transl. We Play with Passion)  is  an account of the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid -   an attempt on 18 April 1930 to raid the armoury of police and auxiliary forces from the Chittagong armoury in the Bengal Presidency of British India by armed Indian independence fighters led by Surya Sen.  The group included Ganesh Ghosh, Lokenath Bal, Ambika Chakrobarty, Harigopal Bal (Tegra), Ananta Singh, Anand Prasad Gupta, Tripura Sen, Bilash Dey, Bidhubhusan Bhattacharya, Pritilata Waddedar, Kalpana Dutta, Himangshu Sen, Binod Bihari Chowdhury, Subodh Roy, Monoranjan Bhattacharya.  Now honestly tell 3yourself – whether you know or read about any of these personalities who sacrificed their life for our freedom !!   .. .. [Mahatma Gandhi got us freedom without drop of blood and Jawaharlal Nehru guided the Nation!!]

In the footsteps of legendary PT Usha, Hima Das was a sprinter.   She holds the current Indian national record in 400 m with a time of 50.79s that she clocked at the 2018 Asian Games. She is the first Indian athlete ever to win gold medal in a track event at the World U20 Championships.  She received the Arjuna Award in 2018. A few years ago, Indian sprinter Hima Das    was  inducted as Deputy Superintendent of Assam Police and referred to the moment as a childhood dream coming true.  

Appreciations and greetings to all  Women known and those who influenced me – and pranams to those great women like Pritilata

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
8.3.2026

  

  

celebrating Women's Day 2026

 

Chennai Corporation celebrated Womens’ Day 2026 at Marina beach – honouring Women Health workers, Sanitary workers & drivers.

Part of the celebrations ! a group performing gymnastics !!

: https://youtu.be/6rmm5hSDOSA

what war does ! ............. a Price Drop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

காதல் கத்தரிக்காயும் ! ஈரான் சண்டையும் - என்  செய்யும் என் தங்கமே !!

 

Few years ago, Brinjal (egg plant) prices soared in local market in Chennai – when asked the vendor said - there is WAR  between Iran and Iraq.

 

Almost every household purchase brinjals every week.  In Chennai, the wholesale market is in Koyambedu (earlier it was kothawalchavadi!!) – supply of vegetables come from Tindivanam, Cuddalore, Maduranthakam, Trichy, Krishnagiri.   Yes, brinjal and vegetable prices do go up  due to the Gulf/Middle East war (Iran-Israel-US conflict),  they would say - higher fertilizer, fuel, and logistics costs disrupting supplies.  Wars often trigger price spirals – to distant places too. 

Post-WWII hyperinflations hit Germany (1921-23) and Hungary (1945-46) after massive war financing via currency issuance. Post-1973 Yom Kippur War oil shocks sparked 1970s stagflation globally.  The war started on 6 October 1973, when the Arab coalition launched a surprise attack across their respective frontiers during the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, which coincided with the 10th day of Ramadan. Wars cause GDP drops (13%), consumption/investment falls (11-14%), and inflation surges (50-62%) lasting years, financed by printing money that erodes purchasing power. 

Can you imagine some  price drop ! in the backdrop of war !! that too of something that has been going up, up, up and up in  India !! 

 

Gold rates in the Gulf are falling due to a stronger US dollar, rising US Treasury yields, and reduced expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts amid persistent Middle East tensions and inflation fears. Spot gold dropped about 5% recently to around $5,029-$5,118 per ounce after peaking above $5,300, pulling Gulf prices down (e.g., Dubai discounts amid air traffic issues disrupting flows). Dubai physical gold trades are  at discounts due to suspended Middle East air routes halting bullion to India/Asia, amplifying local rate drops despite global safe-haven bids. 

News reports suggest that Dubai's gold market is offering significant discounts, as Middle East conflict disrupts flights and shipping. Buyers are hesitant due to high costs and delivery uncertainties, leading traders to offer up to $30 an ounce below the global benchmark. While some shipments are moving, delays are impacting physical bullion availability in India, though current inventories are ample.  Many shipments remained stranded on Friday, the people said, although some bullion had been loaded onto flights leaving Dubai from the middle of this week. 

The United Arab Emirates, and Dubai in particular, is an important center for refining and exporting bullion to buyers across Asia, as well as a conduit for shipments from Switzerland, the UK and several African countries. Its airspace has been partially closed due to a barrage of Iranian missiles as the US-Israeli war with Tehran extends for a seventh day with no sign of resolution. Gold is typically transported in the cargo holds of passenger aircraft.  With  flights from the UAE severely restricted, traders and logistics firms are reluctant to transport high-value cargoes overland to airports in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Oman, due to the risks and complications involved, particularly when transiting land borders.  

While the Dubai Good Delivery standard — the standard of gold bars widely used locally and regionally — is typically traded at a discount to the London prices, the shipping bottleneck is making the gold even cheaper.  But buyers in India – one of the largest consumers of gold shipped from Dubai – can afford to wait, with near-term demand relatively muted and inventories swollen by a large volume of imports in January, said  a  consultant for South Asia at Metals Focus.  “As of now, there is ample stock,” he said, “but if this drags on for a few months, then there will be a problem.” 

There are also some signs that refiners are encountering challenges in sourcing doré – semi-refined gold bars typically cast at the mine site. India’s largest precious metals refinery, MMTC-PAMP, gets around 10% of its doré from a mine in the Middle East, but supplies have been disrupted, said a spokesperson. For new contracts supplied from elsewhere, logistics costs have soared by 60% to 70% since the war began, he said.

 

The not so good news for Indian buyer is - Indian gold rates are likely to remain volatile short-term but trend higher overall in 2026, driven by global safe-haven demand, inflation hedging, and seasonal factors like weddings, despite recent Gulf-linked drops. 

தங்கம் வாங்கலையோ தங்கம் !!  இதை படிச்சுட்டு வீட்டுக்காரம்மா உடனடியாக தங்க கடைக்கு போகணும்னு சொன்னா !!  Enjoy life with Thangamani !!

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar
7.3.2026
 

Tiger-nap ! (Catnap) - sleep without guilt !!

On holidays, do you fall sleep in the Afternoons !  (not a Q to those fortunate to sleep on all days of the week !)  Sleep is every day activity.  Many a times, when you get up after a short [or long sleep in AN] – you may have some confusion on the time of the day – is it morning or evening ?

A few decades ago, most people believed sleep was a passive activity during which the body and brain were dormant. “But it turns out that sleep is a period during which the brain is engaged in a number of activities necessary to life—which are closely linked to quality of life.” 

For many of us  addicted to social media, the sleeping time is getting reduced.  When one is sleep-deprived, eyes and mind crave for a nap.   Napping offers various benefits for healthy adults, including: relaxation, fatigue reduction, increase in alertness, good moods, quicker reaction and better memory.  The timing of sleep in humans depends upon a balance between homeostatic sleep propensity, the need for sleep as a function of the amount of time elapsed since the last adequate sleep episode, and circadian rhythms which determine the ideal timing of a correctly structured and restorative sleep episode. 

Siesta,  a ‘Spanish’ word  from the Latin hora sexta – "the sixth hour" (counting from dawn, therefore noon), hence "midday rest”.  It is the  traditional daytime sleep of Spain, and through Spanish influence, of many Latin American countries. Factors explaining the geographical distribution of the modern siesta are mainly high temperatures and heavy intake of food at the midday main meal.   The "siesta" can refer to the nap itself, or more generally to a period of the day. 

The afternoon sleep is often called ‘Catnap’. A catnap is a short sleep, usually one which you have during the day.   The phrase dates back to at least the early 1800s, with notable literary use in 1916 by Edgar Rice Burroughs in "The Son of Tarzan."  The term takes its origin from how cats take a series of naps throughout the day and night. This idiosyncratic cat-like behavior is thought to help cats stay their alert and agile selves, and humans can take afternoon napping to reap similar benefits. There’s no medical definition of a catnap, and there’s no strict limit on how long they last.   

In case you get confused when you get up of the time of the day ! – thinking of getting up, brushing your teeth as in the morning, while it is evening, don’t feel bad and never start crazily querying on forums and searching on web.  If you do so, you might get influenced by some modern phraseology like : 

Confusional arousals -  a sleep disorder that causes you to act in a very strange and confused way as you wake up or just after waking. It may appear that you don’t know where you are or what you are doing. One may have slow speech, stammering, confused thinking, poor memory, blunt responses !!   When a confusional arousal occurs, you may seem to be awake even though you have a foggy state of mind. Episodes often start when someone else physically wakes you up forcefully. 

Sleepwalking or shouting during an episode is common. Some people with confusional arousals also grind their teeth.  Confusional arousals is considered a parasomnia. 

‘Sundowning" refers to a state of confusion that occurs in the late afternoon and lasts into the night. Sundowning can cause various behaviors, such as confusion, anxiety, aggression or ignoring directions. Sundowning also can lead to pacing or wandering. Sundowning isn't a disease. It's a group of symptoms that occurs at a specific time of the day. These symptoms may affect people with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia.   

வேதநூல் பிராயம் நூறு மனிசர்தாம் புகுவரேலும்

பாதியும் உறங்கிப் போகும் நின்றதில்  பதினையாண்டு

 

தொண்டரடிப்பொடி ஆழ்வார் - திருமாலை பாசுரம் -  ஓர் தினத்தில்  உள்ள அறுபது நாழிகையில் முப்பது நாழிகை உறக்கத்தில் கழிகிற கணக்கில்  வேதசாஸ்திரத்திற்படியே  நூறு வருஷங்கள்   வாழ்ந்திருப்பர்களேயானாலும், அந்த சதாயுஸ்ஸில் பாதியான ஐம்பது வருஷமும் உறக்கத்தாலே கழியும் !!! 

There is still some stigma about naps but as long as it does not affect your work, your mind or your night sleep, never mind.  Don’t have any guilt, it is acting to the demands of body and mind.  Sleep well and happy – have naps and do not have interrupted sleeps.  Life is too beautiful to be spent worrying.

Pictured here is a White Tiger – cat-napping at Vandalur even as restless visitors wanted it to be active  ! – it did get up to the amusement of onlookers. White tigers, a color variant of Bengal tigers, sleep 16-20 hours per day on average, much like other tigers.  They are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk for hunting, so they rest extensively during daylight in shady spots like thickets, caves, or under trees to conserve energy after intense bursts of activity.

This long sleep helps them recover from high-energy hunts, maintain their large body mass (up to 500 pounds), and avoid human conflicts by aligning rest with daytime human activity. However, life is different for them in captivity.  Captivity alters white tiger (as is the case of most caged / zoo animals) sleep patterns, reducing total sleep time compared to the wild (16-20 hours daily) while increasing fragmented resting and stereotypic behaviors like pacing due to unnatural environments and feeding schedules.

Fresh from today’s afternoon sleep – yours friendly aasami sirippu sinthanaiyaan.

 

With regards – S Sampathkumar
7.3.2026