remember that flavourful Pilsner dating back to 1857 !!

Picture of a beautiful bird in flight ! – some Qs as well !! 

For many of you – the name of this bird would bring memories of a beverage – you may not know that it dates back to 1857 !!!  - five of India’s prominent breweries came together, developed a flavourful Pilsner -  inspired by the classic European style, but lighter on the palate to refresh its consumers in the humid subcontinent. 

Back in September 8, 1935,  this man travelled to the State Capitol to pass a bill that would gerrymander the district of an opponent, Judge Benjamin Pavy, who had held his position for 28 years.  At 9:20 p.m., just after passage of the bill effectively removing Pavy, the judge's son-in-law, Carl Weiss,  fired a single shot with a handgun from four feet (1.2 m) away, striking in the torso.  The man’s  bodyguards, nicknamed the "Cossacks" or "skullcrushers",  fired at Weiss with their pistols, killing him. An autopsy found Weiss had been shot at least 60 times.  The victim ran down the stairs and was taken to hospital but died the next day.     

Are you an avid bird watcher – you may miss it on trees or elsewhere.  It slips in a flash, like a bullet plunges into the water and before you could realize, it is back perched on a tree, this time with a fish in its beak.  It is not simple dive – it is articulated manouvre mathematically perfect that Engineers, designers, Scientists would study to mimic the design and success !!   Nature, in its infinite creativity has perhaps made a living marvel.  It is the Kingfisher !!

 

மீன் கொத்திகள் (Kingfisher),   Alcedinidae குடும்பத்தை  சேர்ந்த பறவைகள்.  இப்பறவைகள் பிரகாசமான நிறத்தைக் கொண்டவை.  மீன் கொத்தி பறவை அல்லது மீன் குத்தி பறவை - எது சரி ?   குத்துதல்  என்றால் ஊடுருவல் - தைத்தல். மீன்குத்திக்கு வடமொழியில்  தைத்திரம் என்று பெயராம்.   

சிலருக்கு சினிமாவை விட பாடல்கள் பிடிக்கும் -  கதாநாயகனும்  கதாநாயகியும் மரங்களையும், இன்ன பிறவற்றையும் சுற்றி சுற்றி பல்வேறு வண்ண ஆடைகள் அணிந்து ஓடி விளையாடுவர்.  அவுட்டோர் லொக்கேஷனில் எடுக்கப்பட்டிருந்தால்  பறவையையோ, பூச்சியையோ, மரத்தையோ காண்பிப்பார்கள் - புறா, அன்னம், கிளி, போன்ற பறவைகள் செயற்கையாக பறக்க விட படும்.  நீர்நிலைகள் அருகாமையில் ஷூட்டிங் நடந்தால் பல சிறுசிறு பறவைகள் மிக அழகாக பறப்பதை காணலாம் (நீங்கள் கதாநாயகியையே உற்று பார்த்து கொண்டிராமல் இருந்தால்)

 

Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution: most species live in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but they can also be found in Europe and the Americas. They can be found in deep forests near calm ponds and small rivers. The family contains 118 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. All kingfishers have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with only small differences between the sexes.  They consume a wide range of prey, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. While kingfishers are usually thought to live near rivers and eat fish, many species live away from water and eat small invertebrates.   

Para 3 -  Huey Pierce Long Jr. (  1893 –   1935),  with nickname  "The Kingfish",  served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination in 1935. He  rose to national prominence during the Great Depression for his vocal criticism of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.    As the political leader of Louisiana, he commanded wide networks of supporters and often took forceful action.   Gerrymandering,   is the political manipulation of electoral district boundaries to advantage a party, group, or socioeconomic class within the constituency. 

Para 2 :  Kingfisher beer from the house of United Breweries Group, Bangalore,   was first introduced in 1857 and then relaunched in 1978 by Vijay Mallya. 

 

Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
23.9.2025