Kubla Khan Xanadu ... .. .. Dipendara Airee !!

Xanadu would mean a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Samuel Taylor Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem Kubla Khan.  Today learnt that a few new names of Cricketers – Munkhbat, Malla, Airee !! 

Enkhtuvshin Munkhbat sounds difficult to pronounce !!  - he made his debut, coming in at no. 9 did not score and did not bowl too !!  on a day that belonged to 19 year old Malla who became the second-youngest batter to score a century in men's T20Is. The youngest is Gustav Mckeon of France.  More to be read about Dipendra Airee who  broke Yuvraj Singh's record of scoring fastest fifty in T20I cricket, reaching the milestone in just 9 balls. 

Genghis Khan (1162 – 1227), was the founder and first khagan of the Mongol Empire, which later became the largest contiguous land empire in history. Having spent the majority of his life uniting the Mongol tribes, he launched a series of military campaigns that conquered large parts of China and Central Asia.  Years later Genghis' grandson Kublai Khan established the Yuan dynasty in 1271, taking the temple name Taizu. Kublai's great-grandson Külüg Khan later expanded this title into Fatian Qiyun Shengwu Huangdi, meaning "Interpreter of the Heavenly Law, Initiator of the Good Fortune, Holy-Martial Emperor". 

At - Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field, T20I no. 2255 – Nepal played Mongolia.  

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia  and China. The western extremity of Mongolia is only 23 km (14 mi) from Kazakstan.  Mongolia is covered by grassy steppe, with mountains to the north and west and the Gobi Desert to the south. Ulaanbaatar, the capital and largest city, is home to roughly half of the country's population. The territory of modern-day Mongolia has been ruled by various nomadic empires. 

In the Asian Games records tumbled as  Nepal's batters smashed a number of records in the opening match of the Men's Asian Games against Mongolia in Hangzhou, in a record 273-run win.   

A young Kushal Malla made a hundred off just 34 becoming the fastest  century in T20Is.  The previous record of 35 balls was jointly held by David Miller, Rohit Sharma and Czech Republic's Sudesh Wickramasekara. 

That was to be walloped by a fifty by Dipendra Singh Airee – in mere 9 balls.  Airee's innings featured eight sixes and no fours,  the fastest fifty in all T20s, beating the previous record of 12 balls, which was jointly held by Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Hazratullah Zazai. While Yuvraj's fifty came in a T20I, the other two were scored in T20s. 

273 - Nepal's margin of win against Mongolia,  is the highest margin in terms of runs in all T20s. The previous biggest margin was Czech Republic's 257-run win against Turkey in 2019.  Nepalese batsmen hit 26 sixers.   

It is Cricket at Asia Games - Cricket became a medal sport at the 2010 Asian Games. The last time cricket featured in a major multi-sport event was at the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The gold medal was won on that occasion by South Africa, who defeated Australia by 4 wickets in the final with New Zealand winning the bronze medal. At a general meeting of the Olympic Council of Asia, held in Kuwait on 17 April 2007, it was announced that cricket would be included as a medal sport in the 2010 Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou. Matches would be played on a Twenty20, 20-overs per side format. 

The 2022 Asian Games (officially the 19th Asian Games)  currently being held from 23 September to 8 October 2023 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The games marks 110 years since the creation of the continental event, starting with the 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games. 

Indian womens’ team has won the Gold this year.  The Men’s team for the event reads :  Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Mukesh Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Shivam Dube, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rahul Tripathi, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh.

With regards – S Sampathumar
27.9.2023 

Wishing Jyoti Yarraji Gold in Asian Games 2023

Mark your calendar – Sunday 1^st Oct 2023, remember to watch Women’s 100m hurdles at Asian Games 2023.   .. .. and can you identify this Sports person ??

 

        The event evolved from wooden barriers being placed along a 100 yard stretch, in England during the 1830s. The inaugural Women’s World Games of 1922 featured the 100m hurdles, and a slightly truncated event made its first Olympic appearance over the 80m distance in 1932. The distance was increased to 100m at the 1972 Olympics.  

        Athletes run in lanes and start from blocks, negotiating 10 hurdles of 2ft 9in (83.8cm) over a distance of 100m.      A reaction time – measured by sensors in the starting pistol and on the blocks – of less than 0.1 is deemed a false start and runners will be recalled, with the responsible athlete disqualified.  

The 100 metres hurdles,  is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race, ten hurdles of a height of 33 inches (83.8 cm) are placed along a straight course of 100 metres (109.36 yd). The first hurdle is placed after a run-up of 13 metres from the starting line. The next 9 hurdles are set at a distance of 8.5 metres from each other, and the home stretch from the last hurdle to the finish line is 10.5 metres long. The hurdles are set up so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner, but weighted so this is disadvantageous. Fallen hurdles do not count against runners provided that they do not run into them on purpose. Like the 100 metres sprint, the 100 m hurdles begins with athletes in starting blocks.  

A 655-member Indian contingent is competing at the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China. The 19th edition of the continental multisport event officially began on September 23 and will conclude on October 8.  A total of 48 sets of medals in track and field athletics are on offer at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou taking place in 2023.  

The likes of Olympic champions Mutaz Essa Barshim, Neeraj Chopra, Gong Lijiao, and Liu Shiying will be in action  with competitions taking place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium and the Smart New World Qiantang River Green Belt. 

At the last edition, Jakarta 2018, a 570-strong Indian squad racked up a best-ever Asian Games haul of 70 medals - 16 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze. With an increase in the contingent strength, a bump in the medals count is also expected. Over the years, athletics have accounted for the majority of India’s medals at the Asian Games - 254 from a total of 672. Track and field events will once again be the focus at Hangzhou 2023 with India fielding 68 athletes - the country’s largest contingent in any sport. 

The Indian athletics squad in Hangzhou features top names like men’s javelin throw ace Neeraj Chopra, the reigning world, Olympic and Asian Games champion, Commonwealth Games men’s 3000m steeplechase silver medallist Avinash Sable and women’s hurdles sensation Jyothi Yarraji.  By now you have read in detail the success of Indian Womens Team in Cricket.   

 

Jyothi Yarraji, the national record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, is making  her Asian Games debut in Hangzhou. She is the first Indian woman to run sub-13 seconds in the event.  This season, the 24-year-old from Visakhapatnam won gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok. She also clinched silver at the same tournament in the 200m event and will be in action in both categories in China too. 

She was born in Aug 1999, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Her father, Suryanarayana, works as a private security guard while her mother, Kumari, is a domestic help who works part-time as a cleaner in a city hospital 

The  Sports person featured at the start is – Valsamma.  Manathoor Devasia Valsamma became  the second Indian woman to win an individual gold medal at the Asian Games and the first to win it on Indian soil. Valsamma won the gold medal in the 400 m hurdles in an Indian and Asian record time of 58.47 seconds in front of a home crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in the 1982 Asian Games. This made her the second woman athlete to win an Asian Games gold for India, after Kamaljit Sandhu (400 metres-1974). She later figured in a silver medal-winning 4 X 400 metres relay team.  She was  conferred with  Arjuna Award in 1982 and the Padma Shri in 1983.

Wishing Jyoti all success for winning a Gold at Asian Games 2023

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
26.9.2023 

வெண்சங்கு கழுத்தோடு .... .. .. நான் கண்ட பொருள் கூறவா!

வெண்சங்கு கழுத்தோடு !  ?  !!

Conch (Sanghu) is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point at both ends). 

தோட்டினையும் குழையினையும் அணிந்த பெருமான் என்று செங்காட்டங்குடி தலத்து பதிகத்து பாடல் ஒன்றினில் திருஞானசம்பந்தர் குறிப்பிடுகின்றார்.  தோடுடைய செவியன் என்று ஒரு காதினில் தோட்டினை அணிந்த பெருமான் என்று தனது முதல் பதிகத்தினை தொடங்கிய திருஞானசம்பந்தர் மற்றொரு காதினில் வெண்சங்குக் குழையினை அணிந்துள்ளார் என்று உணர்த்துகின்றார்

நினைத்ததை முடிப்பவன் படத்து பாடலில் காதில் ரீங்காரமிடும் புலமைப்பித்தன்  வரிகள் :

வெண்சங்கு கழுத்தோடு பொன்மாலை அசைந்தாட - நான் கண்ட பொருள் கூறவா!

அது என்ன வெண்சங்கு கழுத்து .. .. பளீர் என்ற நிறம் !  - சங்கின் வளைவு போன்ற அமைப்புள்ளதாலும்,  மிருதுவான தொடுஉணர்வைக் கைகளுக்கு அளிப்பதாலும், சங்கைப் போன்றே மங்கலச் சின்னமான தாலி, தழையப்பெற்றிருப்பதாலும்,  பெண்களின் கழுத்திற்கு சங்கு உவமையாகக் கூறப்படுகிறது. !!!  என எங்கோ படித்தேன் !!

சங்குகள் கூட்டம் கூட்டமாக வாழும் தன்மை கொண்டவை. கடலின் அடிமட்டத்தில் சுமார் 20 முதல் 25  அடி ஆழமுள்ள பகுதிகளில் வாழ்கின்றன.  இந்த இடங்கள் சங்குப் படுகைகள் என்று அழைக்கப்படுகின்றன. பெரும்பாலும் பாறையோரத்தில் இருக்கும் திடமற்ற, மெல்லிய மணற் பகுதிகள் சங்குகள் வாழ்வதற்கு ஏற்ற இடங்களாகும்.  வெண் சங்கு (Xancus pyrum) கடல் நத்தை வகையைச் சேர்ந்த மெல்லுடலி ஆகும். இது வலம்புரிச் சங்கு எனவும்  தட்சணாமூர்த்திச் சங்கு எனவும் அழைக்கப்படுகிறது.

 

நான் பார்த்த படங்கள் மிக குறைவு - சிறு வயதில் சென்ற ஊர்களோ இன்னமும் குறைவு !  .. .. 1975ல் ஹோகேனேக்கல் சென்று குளித்து, தர்மபுரியில் தங்கி - ஏதோ திரையரங்கில் பார்த்த படம் : நினைத்தை முடிப்பவன்" - MGR படம்.  கதாநாயகன் ஒரு சாதாரணன் ! - திருமண ஊர்வலத்தில் இசைக்கருவி வாசிப்பது மட்டுமே தெரிந்தவன்.  அவன் லட்சியமே, தங்கையின் திருமணச் செலவுகளுக்காகப் பணம் சேர்ப்பது - தன சொந்த ஊரை விட்டு,  பட்டணத்திற்கு வந்து நாட்கள் பலவாகியும் வேலை கிடைக்காமல் சுற்றியலைகிறான்.  

திரு எம்.எஸ். விஸ்வநாதன் இசையில் - திரு  TM சௌந்தர்ராஜன் இசையில் பட்டி தொட்டியெல்லாம் ஒலித்த பாடல் :  

பூ மழைத் தூவி வசந்தங்கள் வாழ்த்த - ஊர்வலம் நடக்கின்றது

எழில் பொங்கிடும் அன்பு தங்கையின் - நெற்றியில் குங்குமம் சிரிக்கின்றது

மங்கள  , குங்குமம் சிரிக்கின்றது 

 If you are wondering, what this is all about ?  - this morning saw a cow (calf)  in Triplicane wearing a conch-dollar, yes – a real white conch around its neck.

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
10.9.2023 

Madras Munro Statue

The equestrian statue of Thomas Munro , 1st Baronet, Major-General in the British Army and Governor of Madras from 1820 to 1827,  is a major landmark in Chennai city on the arterial Mount Road.   The bronze statue was  sculpted by Francis Chantrey in the United Kingdom in 1834 and shipped to Madras in 1839

 

A photo taken from moving MRTS as it crossed the road from Chintadripet – what amazes is on the R the gantry cranes of Port are seen and on the left High Court and old lighthouse too are seen  !!!

 
S Sampathkumar
9.9.2023 

Do you like Pigeon or Parrot !

Life is full of perceptions !  We see whatever we want to see in others.  Some are thought to be extremely compassionate and nice people while others are portrayed as angry, overwhelming and bad. 

உங்களுக்கு புறாவை பிடிக்குமா ! அழகான அமைதியான  பச்சை கிளியை பிடிக்குமா ?  - கேள்வியே ஒருதலை பட்சமானது ! - கேட்கும்போதே கிளியை அழகானது அமைதியானது என்று .. ..  

While many love Parrots for their beauty and assume that they are clam and good, often Pigeons are seen as pests !

 

Pigeons are also beautiful and  here is the parrot harshly attacking the docile pigeon.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
9.9.2023 

Remembering - martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan

Llanfairpwllgwyngyll,  is a large village and community on the island of Anglesey, Wales.  The original name of the medieval township, within whose boundaries the present-day village lies, was Pwllgwyngyll, meaning "the pool of the white hazels" 

The 12445 / 12446 Uttar Sampark Kranti Express connects New Delhi railway station to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station. The train runs daily via Jammu Tawi, Jalandhar Cantonment, Ludhiana, Ambala, Panipat and Udhampur, covering a distance of 655 km at an average speed of 57 km/h.  

The Shivalik Hills, are a mountain range of the outer Himalayas that stretches over about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) from the Indus River eastwards close to the Brahmaputra River, spanning the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The literal translation of "Sivalik" is 'tresses of Shiva'.  The district of Udhampur is located in the Shivalik range of Himalayas and the terrain is mostly mountainous. The upper reaches of the district experience snowfall in the winter season.   

Udhampur is a city - is in a relatively flatter part of the district at an elevation of 756 metres (2480 feet) and it rarely experiences any snowfall.  It is the headquarters of Udhampur District. Named after Raja Udham Singh, it serves as the district capital and the Northern Command headquarters of the Indian Army. A Forward Base Support Unit (FBSU) of the Indian Air Force is also stationed here.   

Udhampur railway station is situated in the  average elevation of the station is 660.054 metres (2,165.53 ft) above mean sea level. The rail distance between UHP and JAT is 53 km (33 mi). The Uttar Sampark Kranti Express train from New Delhi was the first train to run on this link in 2005.  The rail link to Katra was inaugurated and opened in 2014. Jammu Mail and Uttar Sampark Kranti Express have been extended to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station  from  2015. As of now, 39 trains halt at udhampur en route to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra railway station from major cities in India and vice versa.  

Pampore  is a historical town situated on the eastern side of the Jhelum River on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. It was known as Padmanpur in antiquity.  It is famous worldwide for its saffron and known as the Saffron town of Kashmir.   

Back in 2016   in a three-day battle between security forces and terrorists holed up in the EDI building ended with the death of two militants, the army announced.  Three army commandos, including two Captains, were killed  in the fierce gunfight with a group of terrorists holed up inside a government building on the outskirts of Srinagar, raising the toll to seven in the encounter.  The multi-storied building of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) building in Pampore caught fire as the encounter between army and the heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be 3-4 in number, continued for couple of days. Through the day, the terrorists kept on firing and throwing grenades on the security forces who surrounded the building.  

Army lost Captain Pawan Kumar, Captain Tushar Mahajan and jawan Om Prakash, all of the elite Para commando units, in the gunbattle. 

Now comes the news that Udhampur Railway Station is being named  after Captain Tushar Mahajan, an officer of 9 PARA (Special Forces of the Indian Army), who was killed while protecting other army personnel in a terror attack on JKEDI building in Pulwama in February 2016. 

This was informed by the Union Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh through a tweet on ‘X’, on Thursday. He thanked the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji  for acceding to the long pending request of family, friends, local people and the politicians on this account. Captain Mahajan, who hailed from Udhampur, had killed the terrorists  before laying down his life in the service of the motherland.  Singh further added that communication  to this effect was sent to the UT government to formally issue the required Gazette notification. 

Following it, ‘The Tushar Mahajan Trust’ thanked the Prime Minister, Singh and other BJP leaders for making it happen. Singh represents Udhampur-Doda-Kathua constituency in Lok Sabha.

Hail the martyr Captain Tushar Mahajan and all our army soldiers. 

In Apr 2019, the main Railway Station of Chennai – Central railway station  officially renamed "Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station.”  The name became the World second longest name for a Railway station after   Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch in Wales. 

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
8.9.2023 

White Rose ! - இனியவை கூறல் நன்று.

பூக்கள் அழகானவை.  மிக சில காலமே தாம் வாழும் போதும் நறுமணத்தையும் இன்ப உணர்வையையும் பரப்புகின்றன. வாழ்வு நிலையற்றது !  முகநூல் போன்ற தளங்கள் பொழுது போக்கவே !  - இங்கும் எங்கும் மன வெறுப்புகளை கொட்டி, வசைபாடி வாழாமல் இனியவை கூறல் நன்று.  ஒருவர் வாயிலிருந்தும் எழுத்து வடிவமாகவும்  வரும் சொல் அன்பு கலந்ததாகவும், வஞ்சனையற்றதாகவும், வாய்மையுடையதாகவும் இருக்க வேண்டும்.  பரபரப்புக்காக அர்த்தமற்ற, பிறரை வருத்தும் கடின சொற்கள் பேசுவோரை புறந்தள்ளுதல் நலம். 

செந்நாப்போதார் அறந்தகை திருவள்ளுவரின் வாய்மொழி :    

அல்லவை தேய அறம்பெருகும் நல்லவை

நாடி இனிய சொலின்.  

நன்மையானவைகளையே விரும்பி, இனிய சொற்களையும்,மட்டுமே கூறி வருவோர்க்கு  பாவங்கள் தேய்ந்து போகும் , அறம் வளர்ந்து பெருகும்; வாழ்க்கை இனிமையாக இருக்கும். 

 

உலகம் பயனுற இனிமையாக வாழ விழையும் சிரிப்பு சிந்தனையானின் இன்றைய படம்

 
ஸ்ரீனிவாசன் சம்பத்குமார்.
7.9.2023 

Mounted Police of Madras

பண்டைய போர்களில் முக்கிய பங்கு வகித்தது குதிரை படை.  குதிரை என்றதுமே பலருக்கும் ராஜா  தேசிங்கு போன்று அடங்காத குதிரையை அடக்கி  அதன் மீது சவாரி செய்யும் மன்னர்களின்  நினைவு எழும்.  வீர நாராயண ஏரிக்கரை மீது ஒரு வாலிப வீரன் குதிரை ஏறிப் பிரயாணம் செய்த தமிழகத்து வீர சரித்திரத்தில் புகழ்பெற்ற வாணர் குலத்தைச் சேர்ந்த வல்லவரையன் வந்தியத்தேவன்  கல்கியின் பொன்னியின் செல்வன்  முக்கிய கதாபாத்திரம்.. 

In Chennai, there is unique Mounted Police Force – that dates back to British period - In 1926 a Mounted branch of Madras City Police was formed with 15 horses exclusively patrolling the  city.

 

Remember that there used to be more than 1 ½ dozen horses – but now a days find only 6 of them at Maria beach – here is a photo taken at Marina beach  this evening with the force marching in perfect symmetry

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
6.9.2023 

SYMA honours Teachers of Growth

 Today is Teachers’ Day.  SYMA honoured all teachers at SYMA Growth with sweets and gift hampers.

 

Thanks to our glorious teachers for providing quality education to students from economically weaker sections, lighting their path and showing them the way for a bright future.

 

Together WE strive to make the Society better 

5.9.2023

Remembering the schools I studied, my teachers, and VO Chidambaram Pillai - Teachers' Day 2023

The first instance of  our loving Black !  - it is the white chalkpiece knowledge imparted on School black board ! – what a magnificent edifice this !!

 

Guru Vandana means “Reverence for the Teacher” – it is the thanksgiving from a student to a teacher, expressing  one’s  gratitude.   In every Society, Teachers are to be respected most.  In our culture, they are reverred highly.     

சுமார் 50 அல்லது 60  ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் – பள்ளிகளில் ஆங்கிலபிரிவில் படித்தவர் குறைவு.   முந்தையகாலங்களில் 'ஆசிரியர் - மாணவர்'  உறவு அன்பான பந்தமாக இருந்தது.

 

Aristotle  was a Greek philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, the founder of the Lyceum and the Peripatetic school of philosophy and Aristotelian tradition. Along with his teacher Plato, he has been called the "Father of Western Philosophy". His writings cover many subjects – including physics, biology, zoology, metaphysics, logic, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, theatre, music, rhetoric, psychology, linguistics, economics, politics and government.  

Education is the most important thing in life – it will give Worldly pleasures  and give pleasure to the world too; it will not diminish by giving; it will spread the fame of those possessing it; cannot be destroyed… there is no better medicine  than Education that can cure all ills.   Things were far different when we joined, studied and left … not these long queues, ordeal of admission, it was mostly of simple application filling and getting in – but when a seat is gotten with great difficulty, how many parents would visit the school, know the teacher of their son/daughter, ever interact with them. ….  Those days, the teacher was a learned, highly respected man – commanding wishes when he (or she) walked on the roads – and do you remember your favourite teacher ??    

5th Sept is a special day - …and those in Chennai – know well this road connecting Beach Road [Kamarajar Salai] from Gandhi statue to Gemini flyover [Anna Membalam] …… is Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, earlier known as Cathedral Road.   In India, today  5th Sept, is Teachers Day… in many countries, it is a special day appreciating the role of Teacher… but the World Teachers’ Day is distinctly different, for it is on Oct 5th. 

Do you remember the Names and can you recollect the faces of your teachers at your Elementary school and in Secondary school .... have you ever met any of them after coming out of school.  Can you recognise them and would you stop, spend time to pay reverence, if you are to have a chance meeting with them ?

 

Of the four mada veethis of Thiruvallikkeni, the farthest is Singarachari Street – one could not miss this old building opp to Punjab National Bank ~ a school, “ Samarao School” ~ an elementary school in existence for perhaps 100 years or so!  - I remembered my 5th standard teacher Mrs Bhagawathi and others.  I also recalled all my Masters at Hindu High School and at DG Vaishnav College … .. and those teachers of SYMA Growth, with whom we are associated for more than a decade now.

 

The plaque at the famous Red building reads – opened on 12.3.1898 – by Sir Arthur Elibank Havelock, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE –the then Governor of Madras whose career also extended to   Sierra Leone,  Natal,  Ceylon and  Tasmania.  The board at  famous Red Building at 149 Big Street, Triplicane, Chennai 600 005,  read : “Be Proud of Your School – Let your School be proud of you (by your deeds)”

 

A landmark by itself – an imposing structure - bricks and saffron coloured walls with Indo-sarsenic architecture has inspired many and created many worthy students.  Hindu High School was  founded in 1852 as Dravida Patasala for Tamil boys;  later amalgamated with The Hindu Andhra Balura Patasala for Telegu boys. The school was for long, considered as one of the best schools in the Madras Presidency and was once the feeder school to Presidency College, another institute of formidable repute of yore. The School boasts  of many  illustrious personalities  and has had great teachers shaping the destiny of hundreds of students.   Though there is so much of history, the unsavoury fact is – the no. of students are dwindling year by year and some rooms are kept locked for they are no longer required. !!!

 

Today, 5th Sept, should rekindle the memories of another great patriot who underwent untold sufferings at the hands of British…  - Vandanam Olaganathan Chidambaram Pillai ~ more famous as VOC or Kappolottiya thamizhan,  was born on 5th  Sept 1872. 

SYMA has an unsaturated desire for serving the Society. SYMA [Srinivas Youngmen’s Association]  has been in the field of Social service since 1977.  At SYMA, we realize that  Education can refine a person and ensure one’s success in life.   We at SYMA, feel strongly the primary responsibility  of improving the Society and helping the underprivileged.  6th July 2008 was indeed a very auspicious day ~ for on that day Mr. R Sekar, IPS, Commissioner of Police launched our Tuition Centre ‘Growth’  and a right beginning was made.

 

Paying tribute to teachers, We also record our respect to the teachers at our   Tuition centre  SYMA Growth, where every year we attempt to change to lives of more than100 poor children. …..  

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
5^th Sept. 2023

  

the drinking water in school (of our times)

Remember your school days…. [if you are 40+] ~ there used to be rusted iron pipes from the water tank……. Students would line before the water tank [very thought would make modern day youngsters and mothers scary] – there would be no tumblers or receptacles,  one would  open the tab / lift the nozzle, keep one’s hand in a manner that falling water would find its way to the mouth……none cared to check of its purity, taste, colour, odour and more…….. a few decades earlier, perhaps none would have imagined that water would be ‘crore industry – with multi-brands’ ruling the market…life has changed since !!

 

ஆட்டோகிராப் படத்தில் சேரன் ஒரு அற்புத பாடலை தந்தார்.  அதில் அவர் நினைவு கூறும் விஷயங்களில்  முக்கியம் பள்ளி நாட்கள்.   (எதிரில் சென்ற அல்லது எதிர் வீட்டில் இருந்த மாணவி ஞாபகம் வந்தால் நீங்களும் ஒரு சராசரி மாணவனே !)  :   

ஞாபகம் வருதே !   ஞாபகம் வருதே   !!

பொக்கிஷமாக நெஞ்சில் புதைந்த  நினைவுகள் எல்லாம் ஞாபகம் வருதே !  

முதன் முதலாக ஓட்டிய சைக்கிள்  !  முதல் வகுப்பெடுத்த மல்லிகா டீச்சர்

(உங்கள் பள்ளி ஆசிரியர் பெயர் ஞாபகம் உள்ளதா?) .. .. மற்றும் உங்கள் பள்ளியில் வரிசையில் நின்று  (அல்லது மற்றவர்களை புறம் தள்ளி) - கையை மடித்து, குஷாயை சற்றே  தூக்கி சில்லென்று தண்ணீர் பருகிய அனுபவம் ஞாபகம் உள்ளதா !  

None would have imagined that water would become a hot selling commodity commanding crores; nor that so many brands would vie to capture market share. From potable water to mineral water, as it was sold in the beginning……  mineral water actually, is water from a mineral spring containing various minerals such as salts and sulphur compounds.  

We have travelled a very long way in the recent couple of decades – from tap water to mineral water……….. now lot many of us fear of water contamination, apprehending that we are susceptible to some infection, if we drink water elsewhere……. Where has the immunity gone or has the water outside turned worser  ?  

Even in costly Hotels, before you order food, they try to sell the mineral water – is it not their duty [and included in the cost] to serve quality potable water ? – then why ask whether it is ordinary water of quality mineral water that one wants ??  

People walk and live with Mineral water… in bottles, cans and in every form. In its true form, Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Mineral water can be sparkling (with effervescence), or still (without effervescence).  So you derive more value if you consume the mineral water at its source often curatory.  There are some Tourist centres built around the mineral water sites of ancient times in Europe and elsewhere. 

What we buy is not actually ‘mineral water’ – but simply packaged water – and in that context the ‘amma water’ is a big hit.  Many (un)branded water products are not treated properly but simply packed and distributed.   Whilst no classification or control seemingly exists in our Country, in US the Food and Drug Admn classifies mineral water as water containing at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids, originating from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. No minerals may be added to this water. 

Bisleri was the first branded water introduced in Indian market by Bisleri Limited, a company of Italian origin that stormed the market way back in 1965 ! Almost 50 years ago, somebody thinking that water could be sold and marketed is really ingenuous !!   later Parle bought the Company and continued with Bisleri water.  It was first in glass bottles, then PVC nonreturnable and then to PET over the years.  Now, We have so many brands available in the market such as : Aquafina, Bailey, Bibo,  Bisleri,  Dew Drops,  Golden Eagle, Haywards, Himalayan, Just Born, Kingfisher,  Snow pure etc.,   Today, production and distribution of packaged water is a multi crore industry. 

Tomorrow is Teachers’ Day and remembering the school we studied as also thanni kuzhai !

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
4.9.2023
  

Green Beetle - பொன் வண்டு

முன்ன ஒரு காலத்துல மக்கள் தாங்கள் உடுத்திய துணிமணிகளை ! கல்லில் அடித்து அழுக்கு போக தோய்த்து வந்தனர்.  வாய்க்கால்கள், ஆறுகள், குளங்கள், கண்மாய், ஏரிகள், போன்ற நீர்நிலைகள்  அருகிலும், வீட்டு புழக்கடையில் ஒரு பெரிய அகலமான கல் இருக்கும்.  துணிகளை நன்றாக நனைத்து, சோப்பு போட்டு கல்லில் அடித்து துவைப்பார்கள் !!    அந்த காலங்களில்  ரேடியோவில் கேட்ட ஒரு விளம்பரம் - "பொன் வண்டு  பார் சோப்பு"  !!  பொன்வண்டு  பூச்சி தொகுதியில் (Class Insecta), புப்ரெஸ்டிடெ (Buprestidae) என்ற உயிரியல் குடும்பத்தில், ஸ்டேர்னோசெரா (Sternocera) என்ற பேரினத்தை சேர்ந்த வண்டு வகைகளாகும். இவற்றின் உடலின் மேற்புற ஓட்டுப்பகுதி உலோகத்தைப் போல் மின்னும் தன்மை கொண்டது

 

Nature teaches us many lessons, in many perspectives including  designing materials and inspiring  new applications or approaches.  One can read, understand the evolution of living things on how  they are adaptive, responsive to their surroundings, as living organisms  have evolved to solve a lot of these problems in materials complexity.  

 

Nature-inspired materials are materials that have some component that has been inspired or derived from living organisms, in their form, function, or design. The idea behind bio-inspired or nature-inspired materials is that living organisms and nature have had billions of years to evolve and test different materials and different forms and functions. We can benefit from that as scientists by looking at how nature has solved its problems and that can provide some potential solutions to our engineering and design challenges. That’s the motivation behind looking at nature!  

 

The Cotton Harlequin Bug is a member of the Jewel Bug family named for their bright metallic colouration.  Tectocoris diophthalmus, commonly known as the hibiscus harlequin bug or cotton harlequin bug, is the sole member of the genus Tectocoris.  It is a brightly coloured convex and rounded shield-shaped bug with a metallic sheen that grows to about 20 mm. Adult females are mostly orange and males are both blue and red or orange, while nymphs are typically metallic green and purple. The colours are quite variable, and experiments suggest that the variation in colour may reduce bird predation, especially on the immature stages.  This extreme level of variation is such that different taxonomists have, since 1781, described this species under different new names at least 16 times, some of these supernumerary names remaining in use until 2006, when it was finally confirmed that they were all colour forms of a single organism.  It is common in Eastern Australia, New Guinea and several Pacific Islands in habitats ranging from urban to agricultural and coastal areas.

Hibiscus harlequin bugs feed on many species of the family Malvaceae, as well as cultivated cotton. They will also feed on Illawarra flame tree flowers, grevillea and bottlebrush saplings.  They pierce the stems of young shoots and suck the sap. Females lay clusters of eggs around stems of usually the hibiscus plant and then guards them until they hatch.

Not intended to be any Science related post .. ..simple thoughts, collating of some articles after photographing this tiny insect – green to look at – has some blue dots running across with some crimson coating in legs! – a marvel of nature – this beetle, no a bug !!
 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
4.9.2023