Two-legged standing Squirrel - no effort Corn !!

Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents.  Squirrels are four-legged animals. Like all mammals, squirrels have four limbs (two forelegs and two hind legs) that they use for walking, running, climbing, and jumping. Their strong limbs and flexible ankles allow them to navigate trees and other surfaces effectively. In most squirrel species, the hind limbs are longer than the forelimbs, while all species have either four or five toes on each foot. 

மந்திரத்தால் மாங்காய் விழுமா !  நம் கண்கள் நம்மை ஏமாற்றுமா !! 

மந்திரத்தில் மாங்காய் விழாது.  அது  வெற்றியை அடைவதற்கான குறுக்கு வழி. எல்லா குறுக்கு வழிகளும் நேர் பாதையைவிட துன்பம் தரக்கூடியவைதான். நமது அற்புத சனாதன தர்மம் - ஒருவன் தன் கடமைகளை சிறப்பாக செய்தால் அதுவே சிறந்த ஆன்மீக முயற்சி என்கிறது. தியாகம், தியானம், தவம், பக்தி, யோகம்… இவ்வாறாக பல ஆன்மீக முறைகளை முன் வைக்கிறது. இவற்றில் அவரவர்க்கு பொருத்தமானதை அவரவர் எடுத்துக் கொள்ளலாம்.

 

இங்கே இந்த அணில் கண்மூடி - இரண்டு கால்களால் நின்று, வாய் திறந்ததும், தரையில் கிடந்த சோளம் தானாக சென்று - அதன் வாயில் அமர்ந்தது என்னே விந்தை. 

Sunday wisdom from someone who tries to specialize in doing  nothing !

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
29.6.2025 

Maruthani / மருதாணி . .. ... @ Kairavini Pushkarini Triplicane

 

One may not know - Lawsonia inermis, a flowering plant and the sole species of the genus Lawsonia. It is ‘Henna / Mehndi / Maruthani / மருதாணி .. .. we are used to hearing that common sparrows are not found, due to cellphone towers ! .. .. here is a henna shrub inside Kairavini thirukulam – and there were than 20 perched on it .. in the photo you can perhaps spot more than a handful !  (2019 photo)

skillful driving in a small lane !!

 

Driving is a great skill .. see the lorry in a small lane in Sowcarpet area – literally no place on left or right even for a pedestrian and the driver could still maneuver the big vehicle on that lane.  I would faint doing this even  on a two-wheeler  !!

மாதுளம் பூ (pomegranate)

 

Flower of Punica granatum - மாதுளம் பூ (pomegranate)

Night flight ~ photo shoot !!

It was around 8.15 pm – visibility was low – sky was dark – at a far distance, appeared an aeroplane .. .. could see some lights with eye but was not able to spot it on camera.

 

With some difficulty took a photo, then increased ISO manifold and took another – in a few minutes another one came along ! – not great photos but considering the darkness !! 

 

In South America, the daunting mountains and dangerous weather have hampered the operations of Trans-Andean European Air Mail, a 1930s-era airline. Charged with delivering a serum to stem an outbreak of infantile paralysis in Rio de Janeiro, Auguste Pellerin conquers his fears, but is reprimanded by the airline's stern director, A. Rivière for coming in late.  

Determined to make the night flight program work, Rivière sends pilot Jules Fabian and his wireless operator on another dangerous flight. The pair are caught in a torrential rain storm and when Madame Fabian comes to the headquarters, she realizes that her husband is overdue. The two airmen, flying blind over the ocean, run out of fuel and choose to jump, but drown. Rivière refuses to quit and orders a Brazilian pilot to take the mail to Rio, but the pilot's wife   pleads   him not to go. Despite the dangers, the night mail is delivered on time.  

The plot of - Night Flight (also known as Dark to Dawn),  a 1933 American pre-Code aviation drama film produced by David O. Selznick, distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Clarence Brown and starring John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Robert Montgomery and Myrna Loy.  The movei was  based on the 1931 novel of the same name, which won the Prix Femina the same year, by French writer and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Based on Saint-Exupéry's personal experiences while flying on South American mail routes, Night Flight recreated a 24-hour period of the operations of a fictional airline based on Aéropostale, Trans-Andean European Air Mail.  In 1942, Night Flight was withdrawn from circulation as a result of a legal dispute between MGM and Saint Exupéry. The film was unavailable for 69 years and could not be seen until 2011, when the legal obstacles were finally settled.

Interesting !

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
28.6.2025
  

sighting moonram Pirai

 

Moon has enamoured mankind from time immemorial.  It is always pleasant to look at the sky and sight Moon especially ‘Moonram pirai’ – the third day after New Moon.

 

Chandra Darshan is the observance of sighting the moon after the Amavasya (the new moon). In Hinduism Chandra Darshan or Moon Sighting holds immense religious significance. Devotees on this day worship Chandra Dev and offer special prayers. It is believed to be very auspicious to see the moon just after the Amavasya. 

ஒவ்வொரு அமாவாசைக்கு பிறகு வரும் மூன்றாவது நாள் மூன்றாம் பிறை.  அமாவாசைக்கு மறுநாள் சந்திரன் தெரியாது. ஆனால், மூன்றாம் நாளான துவிதியை திதியில் தெரியும் நிலவு அழகாகவும், பிரகாசமாகவும் இருக்கும். மூன்றாம் பிறையானது இரவு வருவதற்கு முன்னே 6.30 மணியளவில் தோன்றும் பிறையாகும். 

வானில் தோன்றும் மூன்றாம் பிறை நிலவைத் தரிசிப்பதையே, ‘பிறை காணுதல்’ என்று கூறுகின்றனர். பஞ்சாங்கத்திலும் மக்கள் மூன்றாம் பிறையை பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்பதற்காக சந்திர தரிசனம் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. மூன்றாம் பிறை   சந்திர தரிசனம் காண்பவர்களுக்கு ஞாபக சக்தி அதிகரிக்கும். மனக்குழப்பம் நீங்கும். கண் பார்வை தெளிவாகும்.

 

Today took couple of photos of Crescent moon in its waxing phase (One over the Rajagopuram of Sri Parthasarathi swami thirukkovil)  – though it is day 3 (Wednesday being Amavasai) – understand that today it is 4^th crescent and not Moondram pirai.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
27.6.2025

stubborn Donkey !!

 

When horses are scared they often will jump or bolt. When Donkeys are scared they will freeze and investigate whatever scared them, which has given them the reputation of being stubborn.

A Sea-gull

 

It was morning, and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a gentle sea. A mile from shore a fishing boat chummed the  water.  and  the word for Breakfast Flock flashed through  the  air,  till  a  crowd  of  a  thousand seagulls came to dodge and fight for bits of food. It was another busy day beginning.  Seagulls, as you know, never falter, never stall.  

Words - the starting lines of the famous “Jonathan Livingstone Seagull”     about a seagull who is trying to learn about flying, personal reflection, freedom, and self-realization.  

Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari.

Good morning message with a Seagull picture !

27.6.2025

Remembering that Spinner who debuted at Chepauk in Sept 1979

Unlikely you may identify this Indian spinner who took more than hundred Test wickets.  Remember Dec 6, 1980 – on that day - Intelsat V F-2, then named Intelsat 502, was successfully launched but back home we followed on radio the 3^rd match of  Benson & Hedges World Series Cup  !!

 

September 1979 was a month of significant events, including the Pioneer 11 spacecraft's visit to Saturn, the launch of the ESPN network, and a nuclear flash detection by a US satellite. Domestically, it was a time of political instability in India, with unrest and extremist violence in several states. 

Not sure whether to call a bespectacled spinner who made debut at ripe 32 lucky – in someways yes, considering the dominance of the famous quartet – Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivasan Venkatraghaven, though Venkat himself suffered.  It was an era when the great left arm spinners – Padmakar Shivalkar, Rajender Goel, Rajinder Singh Hans, B Vijayakrishna, S Vasudevan were unable to break into the National Team.   After him, so many left arm spinners have played for India - Dhiraj Parsanna,  Dilip Doshi, Raghuram Bhat, Maninder Singh, Ravi Shastri, WV Raman, Venkatapathi Raju, Sunil Joshi, Nilesh Kulkarni, Rahul Sanghvi, Murali Karthik, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadhav and quite a few more in Ranji circuit .. ... 

Looking back, this  bespectacled man debuted in the 1st Test of against Australia at this same venue,  Chepauk.  It was Test no. 855 played in Sept 1979.  Kim Hughes and Sunil Gavaskar were the Captains. Playing first Australia made 390, thanks to centuries by Alan Border [162] and Kim Hughes [100].  From 2 for 75, they had a 222 run partnership.  Kapil Dev bowled well taking 2 wickets; it was the debutant Dilip Doshi who stole the show taking 6 for 103 off his 43 overs.  India replied soundly making 425 ~ surprisingly no centuries but 50s by Gavaskar, Kirmani who came in as nightwatchman, Vengsarkar, Yashpal Sharma and 83 by Kapil Dev.  John Higgs, a leg spinner took 7 wickets.   Australians started their 2nd innings towards the end of the 4th day and ended up making 212/7 with half centuries by Hilditch and Border.  Venkatraghavan took 3 and Doshi got 2 wickets.  The match ended in a tame draw…… that was a 6 match series.   In the next test another good spinner, Shivlal Yadav debuted. 

Doshi is one of only four Test bowlers who  played their first Test after the age of thirty, yet went on to take more than 100 wickets, the other three being Clarrie Grimmett, Saeed Ajmal and Ryan Harris. ‘Spin Punch’ was his auto-biography. Doshi is probably one of the few cricketers who after retiring from the game chose an entirely different playing field.  He was the Managing Director of Entrack India, a firm that marketted Montblanc pens in India.  

 

Dilip Doshi, the former India left-arm spinner,  passed away on 23.6.2025 at  77, reportedly due to heart issues in London, where he was living for several decades.  The classical left arm spinner   took 114 Test wickets in 33 appearances, including six five-wicket hauls. He also picked up 22 wickets in 15 ODIs at an economy rate of 3.96. Doshi also played first-class cricket for Saurashtra, Bengal, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire. 

In modern Cricket, Doshi may never be picked for ODI or T20I considering his batting skills and more so, his slow movement and lack of throwing arm. He would gently lob the ball – in fact sending it in an arc with bowling style and batsmen would steal another single for the throw.  Yet he made his debut on 6.12.1980 at Gabba against New Zealand in Tri-series.

 

Interestingly alongside Doshi, - 4 other Indians too debuted – Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Sandeep Patil & Thirumalai Echampadi Srinivasan  India won that match by 66 runs.   

At Melbourne, Australia"s batsmen were stifled by a slow, uneven pitch on which the Indians, particularly Patil at medium pace and Doshi, bowled extremely well. Chasing 208, the Australians were given a promising start by Hughes and Dyson, who put on 60 from the first nineteen overs. India, on the other hand, having been put in, had begun disastrously. With half their overs used up they were 73 for five. But Man of the Match Patil, with a furious 64 off 67 balls, and Kirmani, with 48 not out from 53 balls, brought the innings to life.  

In domestic Cricket, Doshi made his first-class debut with Saurashtra, but played most of his Ranji Trophy cricket with Bengal. It was for Bengal that he achieved the remarkable figures of 6 wickets for 6 runs against Assam in 1974. He ended up with  318 wickets at an impressive average of 18.33. He also played first class cricket for Nottinghamshire and Warwickshire in the English midlands. Overall, his first class career had  898 wickets He was heavily influenced by West Indies legend Garfield Sobers at Nottinghamshire. Doshi made a quick and silent exit from international cricket in the 1980s as he did not agree with the way Indian cricket was being run at the time. Doshi also wrote a honest and compelling account of his cricketing days in a revealing autobiography Spin Punch. 

A story of a great spinner who got his chances very late yet proved his mettle.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
26.6.2025

  

India's stern stand at SCO Summit Shanghai !

 

India stands stern at  SCO Summit as it did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack 

The SCO Tianjin Summit 2025 is the 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), being  held in the autumn of 2025 in Tianjin, People's Republic of China. It is  the fifth time that China hosts the annual SCO summit.  

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defence organization of ten member states. It was established in 2001 by the People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In June 2017, it expanded to eight states, with India and Pakistan. Iran joined the group in July 2023, and Belarus in July 2024. Several countries are engaged as observers or dialogue partners. It is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 24% of the area of world (65% of Eurasia)[4] and 42% of the world population.   

The SCO is the successor to the Shanghai Five, formed in 1996 between China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.  In June 2001, the leaders of these nations and Uzbekistan met in Shanghai to announce a new organization with deeper political and economic cooperation. The SCO is governed by the Heads of State Council (HSC), its supreme decision-making body, which meets once a year. The organization also contains the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS). 

Today at Shanghai, sending a stern message to India's neighbours, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh refused to sign a joint statement at the SCO  meet because it did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 innocent lives and did not reflect India's strong position on terror. While skipping any mention of Pahalgam, the document mentioned Balochistan, tacitly accusing India of creating unrest there. Pahalgam's exclusion from the document appears to have been done at Pakistan's behest as its all-weather ally, China, holds the Chair now.

 

India has consistently trashed Pakistan's allegations about its involvement in Balochistan and said Islamabad must look within and stop backing terror instead of making wild allegations.  "India is not satisfied with the language of the joint document. There was no mention of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, there was mention of the incidents that happened in Pakistan, so India refused to sign the joint declaration, and there is no joint communique either," a Defence Ministry source said. 

Mr Singh is currently in China's Qingdao to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting.  Addressing the summit, the Defence Minister called upon SCO members to unite to eliminate terrorism for collective safety and security. He said the biggest challenges faced by the region are related to peace, security and trust deficit, with radicalisation, extremism and terrorism being the root cause of these problems. "Peace and prosperity cannot co-exist with terrorism and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of non-state actors and terror groups. Dealing with these challenges requires decisive action. It is imperative that those who sponsor, nurture and utilise terrorism for their narrow and selfish ends must bear the consequences. Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of policy and provide shelter to terrorists. There should be no place for such double standards. SCO should not hesitate to criticise such nations," Mr Singh, taking in a veiled swipe at Pakistan. 

Referring to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said India had exercised its right to defend against terrorism and pre-empt as well as deter further cross-border attacks. "During the Pahalgam terror attack, victims were shot after they were profiled on religious identity. The Resistance Front, a proxy of UN-designated terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) claimed responsibility for the attack. The pattern of Pahalgam attack matches with LeT's previous terror attacks in India. India's zero tolerance for terrorism was demonstrated through its actions. It includes our right to defend ourselves against terrorism. We have shown that epicentres of terrorism are no longer safe and we will not hesitate to target them," he said. He stressed the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of terror and to bring them to justice. He termed any and every act of terrorism as criminal and unjustifiable. SCO members, he said, must condemn this evil unequivocally. 

The Defence Minister's refusal to sign the joint statement reflects India's stern stand against terror now and falls in line with the global messaging in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. Eight delegations were sent abroad to articulate New Delhi's stand on terror and how it plans to tackle it going forward.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
26.6.2025

Remembering this day in History ! - dark Emergency and that greatest WC Win !!

June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 189 days remain until the end of the year.  There obviously is more in the history about this day ! 

Exactly  50 years ago, India suffered dark age with Govt making blatant and extensive use of its power of preventive detention. People were arrested and detained only on the apprehension that they may commit an offence.       According to Shah Commission, nearly 1,11,000 people were arrested under detention laws.  There were many reported incidents of torture and custodial deaths occurring ! and that of another clan who did not hold any official position at that time but exercising enormous control over the administration and interfering  in the functioning of the government.   On this day -  in 1975, the  then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared emergency across the country. The emergency was issued by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed under Article 352(1) of the Constitution and lasted 21 long months beginning 25th June 1975 and going on until 21st March 1977.  

The Battle of Vézeronce was fought on 25 June 524 AD near Vézeronce-Curtin (then Veseruntia), now in Isère, France, between the Franks led by King Chlodomer and the Burgundians commanded by King Godomar.  The battle was part of an expedition against the Burgundians initiated by the four sons and heirs of the Frankish king Clovis I:   

Today is : - ‘Dia da Independência Nacional’, (the Independence day) of Mozambique,  located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean,  Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and South Africa The capital and largest city is Maputo.   They got their independence on this day in 1975 from Portugal.   

The Mann Act, previously called the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, is a United States federal law, passed June 25,  named after Congressman James Robert Mann of Illinois. In its original form, the act made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose". Its primary stated intent was to address prostitution, immorality, and human trafficking, particularly where trafficking was for the purposes of prostitution.   

Michael Joseph Jackson  (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) the famous Singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist, dubbed the "King of Pop" died on this day in 2009.   

More than a century ago, on this day in 1906, Stanford White  an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century was murdered. White designed many houses for the wealthy, in addition to numerous civic, institutional and religious buildings. His temporary Washington Square Arch was so popular that he was commissioned to design a permanent one. White's design principles embodied the "American Renaissance". In 1906, White was murdered during a musical performance at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden. His killer, Harry Kendall Thaw, was a wealthy but mentally unstable heir of a coal and railroad fortune who had become obsessed by White's alleged drugging and rape of, and subsequent relationship with, the woman who was to become Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit, which had started when she was aged 16.   Thaw was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity. 

On this day in 1991 Martina Navratilova won her  record 100^th  singles match at Wimbledon, beating Elna Reinach of South Africa 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the 1st round. 

On this day in  1903, Eric Arthur Blair  known by his pen name George Orwell,  was born. As a writer, Orwell produced literary criticism and poetry, fiction and polemical journalism; and is best known for the allegorical novella Animal Farm (1945) and the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).  

 

For every Indian Cricket fan – today brings back the memory -   the iconic image of  Kapil Dev standing at the Lord’s balcony holding aloft the  Prudential World Cup.

 

On 25.6.1983, Indians were underdogs – they had never been in Finals.  English Press which wanted England to come to the finals wrote dismissively abouyt Indian team especially after their thrashing the home team in the Semis.  In trhe finals, the opponents were mighty West Indies who had rock solid batting and fearsome quartet of pace bowlers.  India had a worst start – Gavaskar struggling and getting out.  Krishnamachari Srikkanth entertained us – hooking, going down on his knees for a square cut but the team ended up at just 183.  That day Doordarshan provided live coverage with a couple of ‘breakdowns’ – towards the end, commentary went-off and they quickly added radio commentary to the visuals.  

It was Sri Azhagiya Singar Aani Brahmothsavam ~ those were the days, when people would at street corners stand in group listening to radio commentary.  Gordon Greenidge  was out to a big banana inswinger of Balwinder Sandhu – trying to leave the ball, but the ball kept coming in and clipping his stumps. Viv Richards strode in and took on the bowlers – Madanlal was the workhorse and every Indian supporter would remember that frozen moment.  Richards getting into the line,  flicking Madanlal over midwicket – Kapil Dev kept running back and took the catch with effortless ease – an exemplary effort – great anticipation, finest athleticism and classy fielding. It was really a combined effort as India defended the low target to emerge victorious.  Most of us thought Srikkanth’s pick and throw caught Bacchus short of the crease but those of days when TV replays would not be conclusive.

 

That win for sure, changed India’s fortune in Cricket World and the way the Team was treated globally.  

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.6.2025 

Dispel darkness ! ~ light lamp !!

 

‘dispel darkness – light lamp !! – means provide wisdom, ignorance will be gone.

Some got the message wrong and are carrying beautiful lamps to be lit !!

Chameleon

 

Chameleons mostly live in the rain forests; the colour of their skin helps them blend in with their habitats. Chameleons that hang out in plants are usually green.

~ the majestic buffalo - எருமை

 

~ the majestic buffalo - கழுநீர் மேய்ந்த கரும் தாள் எருமை

காதல் கசக்குதயா ! No love making here !!

 

காதல் கசக்குதயா  ! வர வர காதல் கசக்குதயா

மனம்தான் லவ் லவ்வுன்னு அடிக்கும் ! லபோன்னுதான் துடிக்கும்

தோத்து போனா குடிக்கும் !! பைத்தியம் புடிக்கும்

 

யாராரோ காதலிச்சு… யாராரோ காதலிச்சு உருப்படல.. ஒண்ணும் சரிப்படல..

வாழ்கையிலே என்றும் சுகப்படல…

காதலை படம் எடுத்தா ஓடுமுங்க.. தியேட்டரிலே ஜனம் கூடுமுங்க..

 

படம் : ஆண் பாவம்

பாடல் : காதல் கசக்குதயா

இசை : இளையராஜா

பாடலாசிரியர்: இளையராஜா

பாடியவர் : இளையராஜா

 

A big menace is ‘writing on the walls’ of Temples and other important places !!  Picture taken -  ages ago on 26.7.2008 during a visit to Kattumannar kovil .. ..

 

 

இங்கு இனி இரவில் காதல் செய்யக்கூடாது !!

 

loosely translated what is written on wall reads : 'from now on no love making here in nights !' - –that raises some Q including one is ‘love-making by day is acceptable’

 
not the right message to start the first day of the week ?  !!
 
regards – S Sampathkumar
23.6.2025

Take-off ...night flight to Venus

 

Take-off ...night flight to Venus

: - https://youtu.be/7uO1TMKe2Ow

Sea Gulls

 

19 sea gulls ! [AI will track how many of you  count them !]

Corona - what !?!?

 

Remember those dreadful days, when positive was negative !!

random photo taken at Koyambedu bus stand in Nov 2013  

Cat - watching !!!

 

Some drivers need no license !

Looking straight into eyes  ~  Cat Eye

Passenger travel in Chennai metropolis ~ Pallavan to Electric !!

Do you know or remember No. 1 route in 1970s & 1980s !!!  A very common scene in old Tamil movies – Heroine lands in the capital MadraS – Central railway station, Mount Road, LIC building, Red colour Pallavan Transport buses plying on not so busy arterial road !! 

 

Pallavas ruled Tamil land .. .. the  Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a portion of southern India. They gained prominence after the eclipse of the Satavahana dynasty.  They were a great force to reckon with  during the reign of Mahendravarma I (571 – 630 CE) and Narasimhavarma I (630 – 668 CE) and dominated the Telugu and northern parts of the Tamil region for about 600 years until the end of the 9^th   century. Throughout their reign they were in constant conflict with both Chalukyas of Badami in the north and the Tamil kingdoms of Chola and Pandyas.  Pallavas are most noted for their patronage of architecture, the finest example being the Shore Temples at  Mahabalipuram. 

Back home during 1981-84 – we relished going to DG Vaishnav College in Arumbakkam by Pallavan bus – 27G (27B was the regular) – and the genial conductor by name Mr. Ganesan.  It was a ride to remember starting Triplicane around 0825 and reaching Arumbakkam in an hour !.  Pallavan buses were initially Red in colour; later Green and much later Golden yellow; – incidentally  27G was Red Ashok Leyland bus ~ now  do you travel by city buses still or drive your way in the city traffic or prefer the autos ?  or when was the last time, you travelled in bus inside the city ? 

In the city of Chennai, presently buses are operated by the  Metropolitan Transport Corporation ~ the same Corporation was earlier known as PTC - Pallavan Transport Corporation.  The transport corporation was established on 1 January 1972 with a fleet strength of 1029 buses. The operational  jurisdiction  was restricted to  Chennai Metropolitan area only.    Pallavan Transport Corporation was split into two and a new Corporation, namely, Ambedkar Transport Corporation Ltd. started functioning in 1994.  In 1997, more changes saw, Pallavan Transport Corporation being  renamed as Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai Division –1), Ambedkar Transport Corporation  renamed as Metropolitan Transport Corporation (Chennai Division-II). In 2001, amalgamation took place and now it is MTC. 

Numbers were  confusing.  27 ran  from Anna Square to Anna Nagar; 27B from Annasquare to Arumbakkam, later -  Koyambedu bus terminus; 27D between Villivakkam and Foreshore Estate. Some had Suffixes to Numbers; some had prefixes while some had both !!!  21H; T51; M70S.   Previously the route guides in vernacular used to sell like hot cakes – not sure whether they are still existent in this e-age where everyone tries to make a google search !!

Understand that recently – four Private firms participated in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s tender to induct 600 low-floor electric buses, including 400 AC units, under Phase II of its fleet electrification initiative.  According to the State government’s eProcurement portal, bids were submitted by Hyderabad-based EVEY Trans, Eagle Construction, OHM Global Mobility, and Traveltime Mobility India. The technical bids opened on June 10 with the financial bids to be opened in the next stage. As per the Least Cost Selection method, the successful bidder will be chosen based on the lowest weighted average cost/km.  Earlier, MTC had awarded a similar contract to OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, for 625 electric buses, including 225 AC buses, also under the World Bank-supported initiative. The launch of this fleet is expected shortly.

 

This morning saw this bus near Vivekanandar Illam – Switch E bus – being checked for functional aspects including passenger friendliness. Switch Mobility, formerly known as Optare, is a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland that specializes in electric buses and light commercial vehicles. They offer a range of electric buses, including the EiV12 and E1 models, designed for urban transportation.  Think that each bus could cost a Crore or nearer.

Electric buses are not new in Public transport – have seen them in Bengaluru and more so, in Thirumala ghat route !!

 

If you remember that Q at the start !  - route no. 1 of Pallavan was – Triplicane OT (Open Terminus) to Royapuram Kal Mandapam.  I think presently route no. operates between Thiruvotriyur to Thiruvanmiyur without touching Triplicane.

 
Regards – S. Sampathkumar
20.6.2025

  

Karun Nair's 8 year hiatus and Sai Sudarshan debut at Leeds

 

Test no. 2587 got underway at Leeds an hour or so ago ! with England winning the Toss and putting India into bat.

 

The name derives from the old Brittonic *Lātēnses  composed of the Celtic root *lāt- "violent, boiling" and the borrowed Latin plural derivational suffix -ēnses, meaning "people of the fast-flowing river", in reference to the River Aire that flows through the city. 

The  initial first-class match was held here in 1899, against Kent.  Headingley spectators have witnessed some great feats, including two Test triple-centuries by Don Bradman in 1930 and 1934 and Sachin Tendulkar’s 30^th test century surpassing legendary Bradman.  

Headingley is a suburb of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road.  Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines.  Leeds developed as a mill town during the Industrial Revolution alongside other surrounding villages and towns in the West Riding of Yorkshire. It was also known for its flax industry, iron foundries, engineering and printing, as well as shopping.  Leeds proudly has Five Universities.    

Team India debuted in an ODI at Leeds on 13th July 1974 against England and played another two days later at the Oval – lost both the matches.   So in that match there were  11 debutants for India, in which scenario, the procedure is to allot the cap in alphabetical order – S. Abid Ali was no. 1; Bishan Bedi 2; Farokh Engineer 3; Sunil Manohar Gavaskar 4.  After getting thrashed in the inaugural match of Prudential World Cup 1975   which everyone would like to forget as India lost by 202 runs, Sunil Gavaskar crawled to 36* in 60 overs.  At  Leeds India won against East Africa   

Today,  debutant  Sai Sudharsan will bat at No. 3 while Karun Nair returns to international cricket after an eight-year absence. India have picked four seamers for the first Test, including the allrounder Shardul Thakur at No. 8, but it is their batters who will be put to the test on the first morning after Ben Stokes chose to bowl first.  The last six Tests at Headingley have been won by the team bowling first, which might explain Stokes’ decision despite the bright sunshine in Leeds. 

In last tour in 2021,  James Anderson cast a swing-bowling spell over the top order, reducing India to 21 for 3 in the 11th over, to immediately send the opposition into defense mode. Although Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane threatened, briefly, to rebuild, the supporting England seamers then came in and wiped out the last seven India wickets for 22 runs, to have them 78 all out - the third lowest total India have ever made after choosing to bat first. 

India first played at Lords in 1952 when Fred Trueman, a 21-year-old fast bowler with only two full seasons under his belt debuted  in front of his home crowd at Headingley. He went on to become the first bowler to take 300 test wickets.  In the 2^nd innings, at one stage, India was 0 – 4 with Pankay Roy out to Trueman, Datta Gaekwad to Bedser, MK Mantri, wicket-keeper sent up to protect out to Trueman and Vijay Manjrekar to Trueman – all out of nought !!  

 

In 1986 Kapil Devils did everything right – India winning by 279 runs.  in the first innings Kapil Dev, Madanlal, Roger Binny bowled England out for 102 with Roger Binny claiming 12-1-40-5. 

In 2002, India had a very convincing win by an innings and 46 runs.  Sanjay Bangar opened with Virender Sehwag and scored 68.  Rahul Dravid made 148, Sachin Tendulkar made 193 and Sourav Ganguly made 128 allowing Sourav to declare at 628/8. 

A tour to England has always been tough – and we look forward to India doing well in the 5 match Series.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
20.6.2025