An ode to a famous Hotel of Chennai !! - in Dr Radhakrishnan Salai !!

Among the most prominent landmarks of Chennai would be – Central Railway station, LIC Building, Kapaleeswarar temple, Marina beach and lighthouse – Dr Radhakrishnan Salai (named after our second  President of India) connects Gandhi beach to Gemini flyover (road earlier known as Edward Elliots Road) – No. 25 Dr Radhakrishnan Salai was a landmark building, which soon would be under the hammer !! – yes about to be demolished!

Chennai’s famous hotels a few days back were – Taj Coromandal, Hotel Chola, Connemara, Adyar Park .. .. the Connemara hotel nearer Spencer junction was the one where Cricket teams would stay in 1970s, 1980s.   read that the property of Taj Connemara was originally a house bought by John Binny from The Nawab of Arcot in 1799. The property was later bought by T. Somasundara Mudalyar and built as the Imperial Hotel in 1854 under the proprietorship of TriplicaneRathinaveluMudaliar, renamed Albany in 1886 when it was leased to two other Mudaliar brothers, and re-established as The Connemara in 1890, named after the then Madras Governor during 1881–1886, Robert Bourke, baron of Connemara, a rural area in County Galway in the west of Ireland, later became  a Spencer's hotel. In  1937the hotel was renovated to have air conditioned rooms with a princely  cost of a room on single occupancy at₹17.80.

Remember that in early 1980s, people used to talk that Coffee at this hotel was Rs.25/- !!!  - the President Hotel in Radhakrishnan Salai, Chennai 600004

It is a hotel that boasted of view of Marina beach and a rich history – which later had its name changed as ‘Clarion Hotel President’ – a luxury hotel enabling views of Marina, Kapaleeswarar temple and   scenic view of Chennai City.

Its website reads :  featuring the region’s most desirable fine cuisines served at our exquisite restaurants, full-service event space for personal and professional events and appealing wedding spaces, Clarion Hotel President offers an extraordinary experience that goes far beyond a good night’s sleep.Welcome to Clarion Hotel President—where nothing is overlooked but the Marina Beach.

Its history as read in its website makes a very interesting read:  President Hotel  was inaugurated by Matinee Idol and 3 times Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Dr. Padmashri. PuratchiThalaivar, MG  Ramachandran (MGR) in 1978. The Hotel had 45 air-conditioned (AC) Rooms with a tariff of Rs.25/- Tariff & 22 Non-A/C Rooms with a tariff of Rs. 20/-Helmed by the renowned Chef Mr.Mani Iyer from Kumbakonam, it served authentic vegetarian cuisine.An year later, it added marriage hall accommodating 1000 people and serving feast typically on banana leaves.  

In 1980, they opened   a Roof Top Restaurant on the sixth floor that served delectable North Indian cuisine. The Restaurant also treated the guests to a panoramic view of the Marina Beach.  By 1981, it was the  second tallest building in Chennai- just 2.2 meters shorter than the tallest Building in the City- The Regional Office of Life Insurance Corporation of India (Mountroad LIC Building). Well, now there are so many skyscrapers in the city especially in OMR dwarfing the LIC building.  The hotel building  got 4 star status in 1982.

Well all these are to be glories of the past ! – as it appears that the building would soon be demolished and a new residential complex coming up going by the name board put up in front of the hotel.  Sometime back there was news in ET that prominent Chennai hotelier Vikram Aggarwal is in advanced stages of acquiring  Clarion Hotel in Chennai in a deal estimated to be valued at approximately Rs 180 crore,  not sure who the owner is (does not matter to us in any way!)

So another landmark of the city falls down ! – may rise bigger but the connect could be missing !!

With regards – S Sampathkumar
9^th May 2024
 
PS: the first 2 photos taken by me this morning – rest 3 taken from the Hotel’s  website. 

Count the Cormorants !!

                                                             Count the Cormorants !!

 

The little cormorant (Microcarbo niger) is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds.  சிறிய நீர்க்காகம் ( கரண்டம், அர்க்கம்)  என்றழைக்கப்படும் பறவை தெற்காசியாவில் இனப்பெருக்கம் செய்கின்றது. ஏறக்குறைய 20 அங்குலம் (53 செ.மீ) நீளமுடையது; ஆண், பெண் பறவைகள் ஒரே மாதிரி இருக்கும். உடல் முழுவதும் கருப்பாக, ஒருவித பச்சை நிற மினுமினுப்புடன் காணப்படும். தொண்டைப்பை பகுதியைச் சுற்றி வெண்ணிறத் திட்டு இருக்கும்.

 

"Cormorant" is a contraction derived either directly from Latin corvus marinus, "sea raven", or through Brythonic Celtic. Cormoran is the Cornish name of the sea giant in the tale of Jack the Giant Killer. Indeed, "sea raven" or analogous terms were the usual terms for cormorants in Germanic languages until after the Middle Ages. The French explorer André Thévet commented in 1558: "the beak [is] similar to that of a cormorant or other corvid", which demonstrates that the erroneous belief that the birds were related to ravens lasted at least to the 16th century.   

With regards – S Sampathkumar
6^th May 2024

கொக்கரக் கொக்கரக்கோ சேவலே!

 

It was indeed hilarious to watch Vadivelu in a get up walking pretending wide chests !!  and he gets mauled by a Police cop !! 

கொக்கரக் கொக்கரக்கோ சேவலே!

கொந்தளிக்கும் நெஞ்சிலே, கொண்டிருக்கும் அன்பிலே,

அக்கறை காட்டினாத் தேவலே !!  கொக்கரக்கோ! கொக்கரக்கோ!!!  

 

It is common that one wakes up to  கொக்கரக்கோ sound of Cocks !  and to the Temple bells ringing sounds  .. .. The song lines and the body language of Vadivelu in ‘Kanthasamy movie’ evoked hilarious response.  This in fact is a song from the film ‘Pathi Bakthi’ released in 1958 – sung by TM Soundararajan and Jikki – lyrics of Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram, musical score by MS Viswanathan & Ramamurthi,  contained these lines too .. .. 

 
S. Sampathkumar
5.5.2024

 

Squirrel showing courtesy !!

 

Courtesy (from the word courteis, from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. 

A well mannered person would knock the door and ask ‘May I Come in’ – even when it is wide open !!

Bijon Setu massacre - 42 years on, Ananda Margis await justice in West Bengal

Immediately on the aftermath of Tsunami, SYMA volunteers were doing relief work at Cuddalore.  On that night we met 6 people clad in saffron – who had travelled all the way from Bengal.  When queried what they will do -  one of them said, anything that would bring some relief, be it providing chapatis, helping in construction or merely being with them at their hour of distress. To another Q how long would they stay – he retorted – no specific date, till date, we feel, we are of some use here !!  - Anand Margis ! (they were)

Bijon Setu is a bridge situated above Ballygunge Junction railway station connects EM Bypass through Kasba with Gariahat, in West Bengal.  The bridge is named after a Bengali engineer Bijon Basu of  Calcutta Improvement Trust. On 2 August 1974, while he was returning home from Santoshpur to Sealdah, a gang of robbers got on the train and looted passengers. Basu protested but the robbers stabbed him and threw him out from the running train beside Ballygunge railway station.  The bridge was built  in 1978

West Bengal has seen lot of violence of all kinds and there have been brutal massacres aimed at Hindus in particular.

Ānanda Mārga (lit. 'The Path of Bliss'), is a world-wide socio-spiritual organisation founded in Jamalpur, Munger, Bihar, India, in 1955 by Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar, known as Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. It is also the name of the philosophy and life-style propounded by Sarkar, described as a practical means of personal development and the transformation of society. It is established in more than 180 countries across the world. Its motto is Ātmamokśārthaṃ jagaddhitāya ca (Self-Realisation and Service to the Universe). Tantra yoga, as interpreted by Sarkar, serves as the foundation of Ananda Marga.  The basis of Ananda Marga practice is covered by a set of rules called the 'Sixteen Points' that guide the practitioner on both spiritual and social aspects. It consist of yoga asanas, mudras, bandhas, pranayama, self-massage and two specific dances, kaos'ikii and tandava.  

Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha (AMPS) have been fighting for justice for more than 42 years now, demanding stern action against those involved in the killing of its 17 monks and nuns.  On 30 April, 1982, 17 monks and nuns belonging to AMPS were burnt to death by CPM goons in broad daylight on Bijon Setu.

FIR was lodged against Somnath Chatterjee, Sachin Sen, Kanti Gangopdhyay among others. The Left Front government did not do anything and no one was arrested. On 30 April, 1982 some monks and nuns who had come to the city to attend a conference at AMPS headquarters at Tiljala, were accosted on Bijon Setu by the CPM goons. They were dragged out of their vehicles, doused in kerosene and set on fire. The CPM alleged that the monks and nuns were involved in child lifting.  After four decades of the Bijon Setu massacre, the rulers of West Bengal have not initiated any action against the killers.   Although the attacks were carried out in broad daylight, no arrests were ever made. After repeated calls for a formal judicial investigation, a single-member judicial commission was set up in 2012 to investigate the killings.

Violence on Hindus in Bengal is not new – remember Noakhali riots of 1946 when Hindus were targeted, years later in 1967, attack on Margis occurred at their Purulia Global headquarters were 5 of their members were killed allegedly by CPI M goons.  A couple of years later, Cooch Behar congregation of Anand Margis was attacked.  

Jyoti Basu, the chief minister in Bengal at the time of the murders, and his police force were accused of inaction,  decades later,  he formed the Deb Commission in response to the pressure. Ananda Margis had no faith in the commission because Kanti Ganguly and other prominent CPI(M) leaders were accused in this incident.  The National Human Rights Commission took up the investigation in 1996, but did not make much progress, allegedly due to interference from the state government.  In 1999, the Ananda Marga Pracharaka Samgha (AMPS) demanded a high-level judicial probe led by a working Supreme Court judge into the mass killing of Ananda Margis.  On 30 April 2004, Ananda Marga held the first rally in Calcutta commemorating the massacre without the need to acquire a court order for permission; their protests continues every year as justice still eludes !

After the Trinamool Congress came to power, a single-member judicial commission under the supervision of Amitabh Lala, a former judge of the Calcutta High Court, was formed in March 2012 to investigate the killings after repeated appeals for a formal judicial inquiry.  Jyoti Basu was to say – what can be done, such things do happen !.   Commies hated the  Ananda Margis because they opposed them ideologically and the reprisal was killings.  How sad !!  When Trinamul Congress government came to power in 2011, Justice Amitabh Lala Commission was and  filed its report in 2019 but still today, the report has not been released by the West Bengal government.

Homage to those who lost their lives in the violence and those who have been silenced by the goons.

With regards – S Sampathkumar.
3^rd May 2024. 

Crime poster ~ Police releasing e-fit of accused burglar ~~!!

A few days back, a  38 year old woman from Chennai lost her life in a blast in Bangalore.  Now it is reported that Investigators have zeroed in on some terror groups and  sketches of suspects have been drawn.  The ACP is quoted as saying that they would be matching the sketches with the suspect list.  Many a times, the Police would make posters of the suspects based on the sketches too – and a CCTV camera would make that job of providing a face to the suspect, lot easier.  For making a sketch, defined impression of traits would help – say the shape of the face, the cut of the hair, the colour of eyes, the chin, the way nose or ear looked, physical description including the height, shoulders and more. 

Researchers are identifying genes that give rise to a person's physical traits, such as facial structure, skin colour or even whether they are right- or left-handed. That could allow police to build a picture of what a criminal looks like not just from sometimes-fuzzy eyewitness accounts, but by analyzing DNA found at a crime scene. Forensic experts are increasingly relying on DNA as "a genetic eyewitness."  The push to predict physical features from genetic material is known as DNA forensic phenotyping.

Cinema often portrays things that are unlikely to happen or what normal persons would not do ~ but that is what tickles people into laughter.  Vadivelu in  Nagaram, a film directed by Sundar C ~ rocked as Style Pandi, a character indulging in thefts rocks.  This reportedly was based on the 1993 American movie Carlito's Way. In one scene, Vadivelu would enter an empty house for burgling the contents, when the lights gets switched on, there would be hundreds of police cops; later he would be taken in a waiting police vehicle – and cops would give extra blow for a poster. Yes, a poster – poster put up by his disciples,  hailing his 100th robbery – pasted everywhere in the town – and on the police vehicle too…….. 

Elsewhere in Derbyshire, Police  have  released 'e-fit' drawn by three-year-old - and somehow he's still at large  !!!  A three-year-old girl whose home was broken into while she slept upstairs has drawn a picture of a burglar to help police hunt him down.  Detectives told little Evelyn Bardgett, from Ilkeston, Derbyshire, her sketch 'would make a good e-fit' as they took statements from parents Stephen, 36 and Lucy, 31.

Cruel burglars used a spade from the garden shed to force open a kitchen window and get inside the home. They stole an iPad and Mr Bardgett's wallet. Evelyn drew the picture to help police catch burglars who broke into her house as she and her parents slept. Police confirmed the raid was one of five homes,  targetted by the same gang overnight between Monday and Tuesday in the past week.  Mr Bardgett, a self-employed floor layer, said: 'The worst thing is knowing that someone has been in your house and searching around while you were asleep upstairs.

It is reported that the culprits were there on the premises for at least two hours and scenes-of-crime officers and CID came too. Derbyshire Police said cash, jewellery, laptops and mountain bikes were stolen from other properties in the same area in the spate of burglaries between Monday night and Tuesday morning.

~ and Police are after the culprit, trying to pick up clues from the e-fit drawn by the 3 year old !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

2nd Feb 2015.

McDonald's last cheeseburger sold in Iceland in 2009 in museum

Norse religion refers to the religious traditions of the Norsemen prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, specifically during the Viking Age. It is a folk religion,  and after 1000 years – a temple, reportedly is coming up.  News reports suggest that Icelanders will soon be able to publicly worship at a shrine to Thor, Odin and Frigg with construction starting this month on the island’s first major temple to the Norse gods since the Viking age.

The McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald.  A McDonald's restaurant is operated by either a franchisee, an affiliate, or the actual corporation itself.  Recently, Mcdonald was in news due to a reported outrageous incident of pushing out a child in its Pune outlet. 

Mcdonalds, KFC and more global firms have entered India … this one is their closing down elsewhere. MailOnline reports of ‘burger and chips’ in National museum in Iceland.  Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland. Its latitude, at 64°08' N, makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state and a popular tourist destination. Reykjavík is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement in Iceland, which Ingólfur Arnarson is said to have established around AD 870.

It is reported that the  McDonald's meal has spent the last year on display in Iceland's national museum, after the final fast food outlet shut down in the country. Now, the salty snack has gone one step further in becoming a historic item, going on display in a hostel - complete with a webcam so fans can document the food as it decays.  It is the last McDonald's burger and fries sold in Iceland that is on display at the Bus Hostel in Reykjavik

The one displayed at Bus Hostel in Reykjavik is the last  purchased cheeseburger from the chain, which left Iceland in 2009 ~ and it's still in its original wrapper.  Iceland's economic crash in late 2008 ultimately led the global fast food chain to close their doors in the country. The last day that locals could pick up a McDonald's burger was October 31, 2009. One particularly forward-thinking man, Hjortur Smarason, went to McDonald's the day before to pick up one of the final offerings - not to eat, but to keep on his garage shelf.

~ and it is that last McDonald's burger sold in Iceland that is on display ! .. The property has also set up a livestream for those who can't make it to Reykjavik to watch it rot and decay from anywhere in the world.  It could be a slow process, however, as the livestream site warns that 'you will have to be patient to see any changes' in its appearance. 

Strange are the ways of people !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

4^th Feb 2015.

wrong payment by Insurers and extra recovery through Court !!

Often, Insurance Companies are portrayed in poor light in Tamil Cinema ~ many a times, people would talk of bribing people to have a property loss exaggerated and paid.  There have been scenes of people faking death to get paid under life insurance policies and a frail-looking Officer of the Company would come for verification and pay suitcase full of cash ! [in Cinema, the insurance payment is done in cash at the doorstep !!]

Away under US Code, there is special provision for recovery – it states that in addition to any other method of recovery provided by law, the Secretary concerned may authorize the recovery of any amount erroneously paid to a person by deduction from later payments to that person.  However, recovery of  an amount erroneously paid to a person is not required if, in the judgment of the Secretary concerned— there has been no fault by the person to whom the amount was erroneously paid; and recovery of such amount would be contrary to the purposes or against equity and good conscience.

Insurance bad faith is a legal term of art unique to the law of the United States that describes a tort claim that an insured person may have against an insurance company for its bad acts. Under the law of most jurisdictions in the United States, insurance companies owe a duty of good faith and fair dealing to the persons they insure.  If an insurance company violates that covenant, the insured person (or "policyholder") may sue the company on a tort claim in addition to a standard breach of contract claim.

Away in UK, two sisters were ecstatic when Insurance letter arrived informing of windfall settlement of  £110,000 insurance  after their  father's death - but were forced to pay it all back because it was the wrong man's money.

Elaine Briscoe and Sandy Millington were delighted when the six-figure cheque arrived after a three-year battle to track down the missing pension of Robert Gent. They immediately split £40,000 between his four grandchildren - as former grave-digger Mr Gent had wanted - and spent around £20,000 more.  The sisters had spent three years in vain trying to get the pension for their father after he retired at the age of 65 in 2008. They had still not managed to track it down by the time he died three years later but vowed to continue looking for it in his memory.

So they were overjoyed when Friends Life sent the cheque to their solicitors in October 2013; but  within a month their joy turned to horror when ‘Friends Life’ announced they had given them the pension belonging to another customer with the same name.  After spending much of the sum, the sisters were horrified to learn of the mistake and struggled to repay the total. They were recently forced to pay Friends Life £7,000 on top of the full amount paid back as the Insurance company threatened them with legal action. 

The devastated pair were forced to sell their father's house - which they planned to keep as an investment - to repay the money they had spent. They also had to borrow from friends and other relatives to make up the full amount of £108,895 and paid it all back within a year, by last October. Still,  Friends Life took them to court earlier this month and obtained an order to get even more from them - £6,000 in costs plus £1,000 in interest. The company admitted making an error but said they were forced to launch legal action because the executors told them the money had been distributed and would not be repaid and the parties could not settle the matter amicably.

Thus the botched Insurance payout cost the sisters an extra £7,000.  Going by the timeline, in Sept 2008, Robert Gent retired from grave-digging and while the sisters attempted to obtain father’s pension, he passed away in 2011.  Later in Oct 2013, Friendslife informed that they are owed £108,000 in their father's name. In Nov 13, after the amount was disbursed, Friendlife contacted the sisters informing that the payment was by mistake.  In Oct 14, the repayment is made after desperate borrowing and sale of house.  In Jan 15, the sisters are taken to Court and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs and £1,000 interest.

The sisters are quoted as saying  'We got quoted a point of law which says that no one should gain from a mistake, which we accept, but surely no one should have to pay for one either. The Company is quoted as saying that the significant overpayment was a result of human error !!

So, what is your say on this ?

With regards – S. Sampathkumar                                                                         4^th Feb 2015.

some music and .. .. a crazy !! marriage !!!

When Kondo decided to marry, he   started looking for wedding venues.  The first venue he had selected asked Kondo not to publicize the wedding online, fearing others would cancel their own weddings.  Ultimately, Kondo   arranged a formal wedding ceremony in Tokyo that cost 2 million yen. The marriage was attended by 39 people !! 

 

What is your favourite source of entertainment – how often do you listen to music .. .. the past few days at Thiruvallikkeni, Chithirai brahmothsavam gave an opportunity to listen to many Nadaswaram Vidwans rendering Thiyagaraja keerthanas and more .. .. a search on Sangeetha Kalanidhi Award led to finding few women who were crowned with the glory – the list starts with MS Subbulakshmi, ML Vasanthakumari, DK Pattammal and T. Brinda.   Vidushi T. Brinda  was from the   Veenai Dhanammal school of Carnatic Music. She was primarily a vocalist, although she also played the Veena.

In my school days, had heard of Western music and elites used to speak about troupes like ‘Abba’ and ‘Boney M’ !  ..  then in 1980s came the group ‘Osibisa’ – a  Ghanaian-English Afro rock band, founded in London in 1969 by four expatriate West African and three Caribbean musicians. One of their famous songs was ‘kilele!, kielele!!’ .. ..  I think, they performed and rocked loud at Nehru stadium. 

No post on Carnatic or Western music but a marriage related to a Musician!

Vocaloid is a singing voice synthesizer software product. Its signal processing part was developed through a joint research project between Yamaha Corporation and the Music Technology Group in Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.  The software was ultimately developed into the commercial product "Vocaloid" that was released in 2004.

The  wedding ceremony took place on Nov. , 2018, and was attended by 39 people,  specifically chosen because it spells "Miku" in Japanese, with "mi" meaning three and "ku" nine. The people who attended were mostly strangers and people who found out about the wedding on Twitter; while he invited his family and co-workers, they didn't attend.   The wedding was attended by two Japanese politicians: Minoru Oginu [ja], assembly member of Ōta, and Taro Yamada [ja], member of the House of Councilors.

The marriage talked about was that of Akihiko Kondo, who symbolically married the fictional character Hatsune Mike,  who is a voicaloid.  It is stated that at high school, Kondo had an interest in real women, but  was rejected by them; soon after, he decided he would not marry one. Later, Kondo was bullied at work and he took sick leave due to depression. During his leave, in 2007, Kondo discovered Hatsune Miku; this helped Kondo to return to the workplace. In 2017, he purchased a Gatebox device that allowed people to interact with holograms, including Hatsune Miku. This device further helped Kondo's decision to hold a wedding with the character. The marriage, which was unofficial, elicited mixed reactions from people.

Hatsune Miku was represented by a small stuffed toy  — one he had bought in Sept 2010 — wearing a hand-made white dress, while Kondo wore a pure white tuxedo. After exchange of rings,  Kondo also held leeks, Hatsune Miku's trademark, which served as the bouquet. Japanese law does not allow for marriage with fictional characters; and hence the marriage is not legally recognised.  Kondo went on to say  in interviews that he specifically married his own Hatsune Miku, and that others could also marry Hatsune Miku if they wish.

The reactions were obviously mixed -  some greeted them while others badly criticised.  He reportedly received some death threats too !  Since then, Kondo has given lectures about his relationship, including at the Kyoto University. He has since identified as a fictosexual — people that have romantic attraction to fictional characters. In 2023, Kondo founded the General Incorporated Association of Fictosexuality to help the public's understanding of the subject.  

Hatsune Miku, officially code-named CV01,  is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media and its official anthropomorphic mascot character, a 16-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's personification has been marketed as a virtual idol, and has performed at live virtual concerts onstage as an animated projection (rear-cast projection on a specially coated glass screen).  Miku uses Yamaha Corporation's Vocaloid 2, Vocaloid 3, and Vocaloid 4 singing synthesizing technologies, and Crypton Future Media's Piapro Studio, a standalone singing synthesizer editor.

The name of the character comes from merging the Japanese words for first (初, hatsu), sound (音, ne), and future (ミク, miku),[a] thus meaning "the first sound of the future",  which, along with her code name, refers to her position as the first of Crypton's "Character Vocal Series" (abbreviated "CV Series"), preceding Kagamine Rin/Len (code-named CV02) and Megurine Luka (code-named CV03). The number 01 can be seen on her left shoulder in official artwork.

Strange are the ways of people.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
2^nd May 2024.

  

ஏதோ மோகம் ஏதோ தாகம், ~ Jungle Fowl !

Photographed here is a not a simple Hen – but one taken in forest surrounding as we ascended Thirumala a few months ago !!

உங்களுக்கு பிடித்த பாடல் என்றவுடன் ராகதேவன் இளையராஜாவின் இந்த பாடல் உங்களுக்கு நினைவுக்கு வந்தால் உங்களுக்கு சுமார் 50 வயது இருக்கலாம், அதன் கதாநாயகியும் நினைவுக்கு வந்தால் உங்கள் சிறுவயது தாவணிக்கனவுகள் ஞாபகம் வரலாம்.  

ஏதோ மோகம் ஏதோ தாகம்,  நேத்து வரை நினைக்கலையே

ஆசை விதை முளைக்கலையே  .  .. சேதி என்ன வனக்கிளியே...

திரையுலகம் ஒரு கனவு தொழிற்சாலை என்றார் மேதை சுஜாதா. மின்னல் தாரகை என பலரும் ஆசைப்பட்ட சிறப்பு  சினிமா நடிகைகளின் வாழ்க்கை  மின்னல் பூச்சியாக மறைந்த கதைகள் பல உண்டு.

 இப்படத்தின் மூலம் பிரபலமான நடிகை விஜி உடல்நிலை மோசமாகி பல அறுவை சிகிச்சைகள் செய்து துன்பத்தில் இருந்து மீண்டு வந்திருந்தாலும், காதல் ஏமாற்றத்தில் உயிரையே மாய்த்துக் கொண்டாராம்.

கோழி கூவுது 1982ம் ஆண்டில் கங்கை அமரன் இயக்கத்தில் வெளியாகி பட்டிதொட்டியெல்லாம் பிரபலமானது.   பி. எஸ். நிவாஸ் ஒளிப்பதிவு,  பி. லெனின் படத் தொகுப்பு  செய்த இத்திரைப்படத்திற்கு இளையராஜா இசையமைத்திருந்தார். இப்படத்தில் பிரபு, சுரேஷ், சில்க் ஸ்மிதா, விஜி ஆகியோர் முக்கியக் கதாபாத்திரங்களில் நடித்திருந்தனர். இத்திரைப்படம், வீரபத்ருடு என தெலுங்கில் மறுஆக்கம் செய்யப்பட்டது.

Charles Darwin proposed that chickens descended from the red jungle fowl—a colorful tropical bird in the pheasant family–because the two look so much alike. But proving him right was never easy.  Five varieties of jungle fowl range from India to northern China, and small chicken bones are rare in fossil sites.

The gray junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii), also known as Sonnerat's junglefowl, is one of the wild ancestors of the domestic chicken together with the red junglefowl and other junglefowls.  The species epithet commemorates the French explorer Pierre Sonnerat. Local names include Komri in Rajasthan, Geera kur or Parda komri in Gondi, Jangli Murghi in Hindi, Raan kombdi in Marathi, Kattu Kozhi in Tamil and Malayalam, Kaadu koli in Kannada and Tella adavi kodi in Telugu.

In 2020, a study of 863 living chickens’ genomes confirmed that the jungle fowl Gallus gallus spaedicus subspecies was the ancestor of living chickens; chickens share more of their DNA with that subspecies than other types of jungle fowl. That in turn narrowed the site of domestication to Southeast Asia. Researchers have proposed fossils as early chickens dating back 8000 to 11,000 years ago in northern China and Pakistan. But genetics of living birds could not narrow the window for domestication, says geneticist  !!

With regards – S Sampathkumar

28.4.2024

  

Sri TES Raghavan is no more !!

Sad to share the news that Triplicane lost one of its famed sons – Thiru TES Raghavan [Thirumalai Echampadi Srinivasa Raghavan].  He was 94

 

The versatile scholar, Mr TES was a   Hindi Pundit,  who worked in Hindu High School  also.  His the Hindi translation of Thiruvalluvar''s ''Thirukkural'' won the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize 2020    

He was residing in Triplicane, was with his son at Bengaluru when he passed away peacefully today (25.4.2024) 

Sadagati to the departed and pray Emperuman to give strength to his son Mr Parthasarathi and his siblings to bear this colossal loss. Understand that obsequies will be performed tomorrow (ie., 26.4.2024)   Friday at around  11.00 AM at New 114 Old 138 Venkatrangam Pillai Street, Triplicane, Chennai 600 005. Contact 94441 68779/ 044 28442126/ 044 28442329

 
Respects to the departed soul
With regret – S Sampathkumar
25.4.2024

life is about efforts to attract !!

 

What is life about ! – if it were to be defined by a man close to his 60s!    Half of it was lost in trying to attract people, to showcase what one did not possess really and the rest lost in realizing that nothing worthwhile happened.  Not an advice to youth – simple, live your life in the you want, not the way you feel others like !! 

The beauty of the saree is determined by its ‘Pallu’  (the broad hem) – ask any Man, who accompanies his wife or sisters or – when buying a saree !!  - would you have observed many  ‘a good lookin model showing pallu in saree advts’ .. .. Tilakaratne Dilshan ?!? 

Flirting !  - might bring back some memories of your younger days !  In our school days,  rich possessed cycles and some had special skills – they would try riding up and down, thinking that the girl would get attracted by his driving skills !! – sometimes might fall down and become an object of ridicule ! 

Trying to attract is a trait common in humans right from the birth of first woman ! - everyone knows the feeling of walking into a room full of friendly faces, and although each person seems nice, open and willing to talk, only one face stands out from the crowd. There may be a lot of physically attractive people in the room, but you can't seem to take your eyes off of this one particular person.  .. .. or many of us would like to attract a stranger more than a known person, thereby attaching undue importance to one and trying to display all our good qualities to woe and attract ! Most people can tell if they're attracted to someone in the first 90 seconds after they meet. Some theories  suggests that women are naturally attracted to men who exude confidence and passion, and who seem to lead exciting lives.   

According to a Professor of Anthropology, We always want what we can't have. No post on fatal attractions or crushes that develop along line – here is a duck trying to woo its mate !

 
Thoughts of Aasami sirippu sinthanaiyaan !!
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
23.4.2024

 

Bleev Me !! ~ Bowlers too hog limelight in IPL 2024

IPL 2024 is becoming bowler’s death-knell with 300 threatening to be breached and teams have crossed 250 with ease !! yet two bowlers have garnered glory in today’s match between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians.

 

He would sadly remember that 52^nd match at Jaipur on 7^th May 2023.  Just when Rajasthan Royals thought they had collected two points by defending 214 and had started to celebrate, their last-ball wicket transformed into a no-ball from Sandeep Sharma (called belatedly by the third umpire), and Abdul Samad smoked a straight six off the free hit to get Sunrisers Hyderabad the four more runs they needed, sparking wild celebrations in the orange camp while the players and home fans in pink were left stunned. 

The diminutive Sandeep Sharma has grown the difficult way.  He has been plagued by injuries including a massive shoulder injury, has had to sit out, had indifferent two years, yet has been an unsung hero.   Largely in  T20, a bowler up for the fight is way more important than a bowler with the skill. 

He looks small but bowls well – and one is left wondering  if Sandeep would have played more than just the two T20Is he has for India about a decade ago,  had it not been for the presence of Bhuvneshwar KUmar. Now, there is no place for Bhuvneshwar himself in the India side. Sandeep Sharma – who, a swing bowler, probably a little too slow in the air or too early with the movement? A death bowler celebrating with one finger raised to the sky only to find out he has overstepped and then lose the match on the re-bowled last ball? 

Before you read further, today the celebrity was Yuzvendra Chahal.  He became the first bowler in IPL history  to reach the milestone of 200 wickets. Dwayne Bravo is second on the list of leading wicket-takers in the IPL with 183 scalps.  There are 2 with 200+ wickets in T20 - Danny Briggs (219) and Samit Patel (208) playing  in England's T20 Blast.

 

Sandeep Sharma  went unsold at auction for an year yet Rajasthan Royals had plans for him and drafted him – in a side where Trent Boult has the new ball 

Recall that back in July 2015 at Harare there were 7 debutants.   In that  1st T20, India beat Zimbabwe  convincingly by 54 runs.   Indian openers Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, followed by Uthappa all made 30s – Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan, Bhuvaneswar Kumar and Axar Patel bowled well.  The score in brief : India 178 for 5 (Uthappa 39*, Mpofu 3-33) beat Zimbabwe 124 for 7 (Axar 3-17) by 54 runs.  There were 7 debutants - :  STR Binny, KM Jadhav, MK Pandey, AR Patel and Sandeep Sharma (India); N Madziva and T Muzarabani (Zimbabwe) – some of them have been playing T20 for long courtesy the muddled IPL. 

Sandeep Sharma, 22,  at that time of his debut had already played 43 matches in the format - many of them for Kings XI Punjab. At International level, Chamu Chibhabha lifted his very first delivery over long-on, holding the pose after his shot. Hamilton Masakadza scooped his fourth delivery for a second six.  There have been 10  bowlers who have conceded a six off their first legitimate delivery in T20Is (at that time) and the list includes Muttiah Muralitharan. The other debutant Neville Madziva found it even tougher conceding 46. 

Today he gave a remarkable exhibition of swing bowling with figures of 4-0-18-5.  His victims of the day are :  Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma,  Tim David & Gerald Coetzee 

Interesting. 
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
22.4.2024 

Two abandoned kitten and ... .. some Samaritans

Do you like animals .. .. have any pets !  feed the stray ones regularly? Pets are a big part of life in many parts of the world, and a growing economy often means a growing pet population. Dogs and cats are the most popular pets.

Do we really see enough of good things and appreciate !  No post on having pets or treating them as menace ! – one on abandoned kitten ! .. .. more about the goodness of a shop keeper in Icehouse and another woman.  Even to those living in Triplicane,  Eagle footwear may not exactly ring a bell – this shop selling footwear, bags and repairing exists for decades.

Read that when  kittens are first born they are completely helpless. Their eyes are closed, their ears are folded, and they can’t stand, keep themselves warm or eat on their own. They rely on their mother  for everything!  A newborn kitten will have a low temperature of 95-97 degrees, which will go up to 100 degrees over the course of the first week. During this time it is critical to provide a gentle heat source to keep the kitten warm and stable. The kitten's environment should be between 85 and 90 degrees at this time.  Newborns do not have a gag reflex. For this reason, it is essential to feed very slowly and with extreme caution.

தெருக்களில் நாம் பல வித்தியாசமான காட்சிகளை காணலாம் (நம் கண்கள் திறந்து இருந்தால் !) .. .. முண்டாசு கவிஞன் மஹாகவி பாரதியார் முழங்கினார் :  - கேளடா ...மானிடவா .. என்று அவர்தம் வீட்டில் பஞ்சு வெள்ளை பூனை ஈன்ற குட்டிகளை பற்றி : 

சாம்பல் நிறத்தொரு குட்டி*  கரும் சாந்தின் நிறம் ஓரு குட்டி

பாம்பின் நிறமொரு குட்டி * வெள்ளை பாலின் நிறம் ஓரு குட்டி

 

**  **  **  **

மியாவ் மியாவ் பூனைக்குட்டி !  வீட்டை சுத்தும் பூனைக்குட்டி !!

அத்தான் மனது வெல்லக்கட்டி ! அவர் அழகை சொல்லடி செல்லக்கட்டி !!

குமுதம் 1961 ஆம் ஆண்டு வெளிவந்தது.  ஏ. சுப்பாராவ் இயக்கத்தில் வெளிவந்த இத்திரைப்படத்தில் எஸ். எஸ். ராஜேந்திரன், விஜயகுமாரி மற்றும் பலரும் நடித்திருந்தனர். இப்படத்திற்கு கே. வி. மகாதேவன் இசையமைத்திருந்தார். பல பாடல்கள் ஹிட்டானது.  எம். எஸ். இராஜேஸ்வரி  குரலில், மியாவ் மியாவ் பூனை குட்டி பாடல் பிரபலமானது.   இவர்தாம் - களத்தூர் கண்ணம்மா திரைப்படத்தில் அம்மாவும் நீயே அப்பாவும் நீயே பாடியவர்.    நாயகன் படத்து  - நான் சிரித்தால் தீபாவளி, பாடலிலும் இவர் குரல் ஒலிக்கும்.

Cats have been a cinema staple for more than a century, dating all the way back to the 1901 silent short film The Sick Kitten. Sometimes they're cute, and sometimes they're creepy, but a film is almost always more interesting with a feline element.  The Sick Kitten is a 1903 British short silent comedy film, directed by George Albert Smith, featuring two young children tending to a sick kitten.

Yesterday found these kitten in a small box and the owner trying to feed them with a syringe.  Then another lady waiting for bus peeped in and advised that they are better bottle fed!  - good natured people trying to care for abandoned little ones.  One feels very bad about the Society that we live in.  Someone had placed these two little ones,  presumably a day or two old in a plastic bag -  literally abandoned, separated from their mother, or may be mother had died or ran away or whatever. In that stage, the kittens would have died in a day or two – if they had managed to get out of the bag, could have been ran over by big vehicles on road.

Their luck, they were spotted by a man running a small shop near Ice house  bus stand – he was sad in seeing these juveniles.  He is Sahabdeen – Eagle footwear is the shop near Ice house bus stand / NKT Girls School.   Read that kittens after being born,  display primary altriciality and are fully dependent on their mothers for survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. After about two weeks, kittens develop quickly and begin to explore the world outside their nest. After a further three to four weeks, they begin to eat solid food and grow baby teeth.

Mr Deen and a woman by name  Mrs Latha took care of these abandoned pets, provided them safety with a carton box and some rags, first fed them with a syringe, now with a feeding bottle.  They have  successfully taken care of the 2 kitten  for a week or more – now when photographed inside the small box that had become their home, they had opened eyes but yet weak – hope they too live their lives

Feel happy in being a long standing customer of this store and appreciate the good act of this Samaritans.

With regards – S Sampathkumar
21.4.2024