For sure these beautiful artwork at Mahabalipuram have been subject matter for thousands of Professional photographers.
Today
[29.4.2026] they attracted two top Triplicane temple photographers (a very hot
sunny day !!)
Hi - this is Srinivasan Sampathkumar from Triplicane. I have a passion for Marine Insurance, Cricket and Temples especially - Sri Parthasarathi swami thirukKoyil, Thiruvallikkeni. From Sept 2009, I am posting my thoughts in this blog; From July 2010, my postings on Temples & Tamil are on my other blog titled "Kairavini Karayinile " (www.tamil.sampspeak.in) Nothing gives the author more happiness than comments & feedbacks on posts ~ look forward to hearing your views !
For sure these beautiful artwork at Mahabalipuram have been subject matter for thousands of Professional photographers.
Today
[29.4.2026] they attracted two top Triplicane temple photographers (a very hot
sunny day !!)
Exit polls for the Tamil Nadu 2026 assembly
elections have just been released today, showing mixed projections. One of them -
gives Vijay’s TVK 98-120 seats; some - DMK+ 125-145 while couple give
majority to NDA+
With smaller sample sizes and newer ingredients
– not sure whether they will be way off the mark or !!!!!
Expectations ! - looking
heavenwards !!
Roses
are beautiful and are visualised in their unique
rose colour - there are others too.
Yellow roses are a symbol of friendship and caring. ... In fact, yellow roses
are one of the only roses that have no romantic meaning behind them.
What
a drama ! the match went past
midnight. LSG requiring 17 – Karthik Tyagi bowls two
chest high no balls !! Impact Himmat Singh out caught by Rinku – Mohammad Shami
slams a six off the last – and a Super over.
Then
came the anti-climax !!! m the Super Over - effectively four balls across both
innings. Sunil Narine bowled Nicholas Pooran first ball and had Aiden Markram
caught off the third, with Rishabh Pant managing a single in between. Earlier Rinku hit 83* - Mohsin Khan took a
fifer. 26.4.2026
Lotus
blooming - No political post this !!
*Lotus
blooming* at holy Ahobilam – more than 2 kilometers travel ascending the hill
is this holy pond near Bhargave Narasimhar thirukovil -
taken in 2021
A baby horse at
Triplicane !! நீ நடந்தால்
நடை அழகு !!!
திருவல்லிக்கேணி
திவ்யதேசத்தில் எம்பெருமான் திருவீதி வலத்தின் அழகுகளை பட்டியலிட்டு மாளாது. எம்பெருமான்
சாற்றுப்படி, நறுமண மாலைகள், திருவாபரணங்கள், திருக்குடைகள், வாகனங்கள், பட்டர் முதலான
கைங்கர்யபரர்கள், ஸ்ரீபாதம்தாங்கிகள், அருளிச்செயல் & நான்மறை வல்லார்கள், இன்னிசை
பல்வேறு கைங்கர்யங்கள் செய்வோர், அழகு கோலங்கள் .. மேலும், மேலும் – அந்நாள் 26.4.2024 சிறப்பு - ஒரு வாரமே ஆன அழகு
குட்டிக்குதிரை.
Not exactly a Baby horse !! A small horse is generally called a pony if it measures under 14.2 hands (approx. 58 inches or 147 cm) at maturity. While ponies are often, stockier with thicker coats, very small, refined horses are frequently referred to as miniature horses. A baby horse of any size is called a foal.
That way a Horse that is just a week old is a Foal !! More specifically, because it is still nursing from its mother, a one-week-old foal is also often referred to as a suckling. Based on the gender – A male foal (up to 1 year) is a Colt while a female is a Filly !!. At one week old, the foal is highly active, as healthy foals are capable of standing and running just hours after birth.
Some
interesting news on a Foal that had been sold for millions – whooping Rs.66
Crores approx !!! –
Legendary mare Winx's first surviving foal, that sold for a record Aus$10
million (US$7 million), was retired on veterinary advice without running a
race.
Quinceanera set a new global mark for a thoroughbred yearling when Australian Debbie Kepitis's Woppitt Bloodstock fended off interest from America, Japan and Europe to buy her in 2024. Quinceanera, named after the traditional Latin American celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, which marks her transition from childhood to womanhood, is the second foal of the legendary Winx, which won 25 group 1 races and 33 consecutive victories under the guidance of Waller. Her first foal, a filly by I Am Invincible, did not survive and her third, a colt by Snitzel, was to be sold at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale last month before it was withdrawn because of a setback from a paddock accident.
Sired by leading stallion Pierro, there were high hopes for the filly. But the three-year-old will now become a broodmare -- one kept specifically for breeding purposes. Woppitt Bloodstock said on social media the "tough decision" to retire her was made "following veterinary advice and in consultation with (trainer) Chris Waller". "Although disappointing, it's in her best interest to now begin her career as a broodmare," it added.
Winx was the world's top-rated turf horse ahead of her retirement in 2019 with an amazing four-year unbeaten streak, winning 33 races in a row including 25 Group 1 victories. She banked more than Aus$26 million (US $18.3 million) in prize money.
There innately is something wrong – some deliberate imbalance in IPL T20 between number of wickets and overs – could be the impact player, flatter pitches, bludgeoning bats, frenetic strategies – tall scores that once were considered sure wins in ODIs now becoming chaseable with - " match-losing hundred".
Yday there
were two - KL Rahul's 152 off 67 in Delhi & the
sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's 103 off
37. Sooryavanshi continues to add
records – this time a 36 ball 100
Today at the
halfway stage of IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT)
have an identical record: seven matches, three wins, four losses. .. .. and some will ask for sure – will MS
Dhoni make an appearance today ??
26.4.2026
How well do
we know our History ! – how much we know Cinema ! – would request your feedback
on this post !!!
Not many would have heard this Malayalam song nor remember MB Srinivasan, a famous music Director :
"ജാതി ഭേദം മതദ്വേഷം
ഏതുമില്ലാതെ
സർവ്വരും
സോദരത്വേന
വാഴുന്ന
മാതൃകാ സ്ഥാനമാണിത്"
(Jaathi
Bhedam Matha Dvesham Ethumillaathe Sarvvrum Sodharathwena Vaazhunna Maathruka
SthaanamaNithu)
: "Without any caste difference or
religious hatred, all live like brothers in this ideal place."
Kalpadukal (English: Footprints) Malayalam-language film, directed by K. S. Antony, starring Prem Nazir in the lead role hit the screens in 1962. The film received a certificate of merit at the National Film Awards. Renowned playback singer K. J. Yesudas sang this and was his first song. In Tamil, his first recorded song was in the film Bommai (1964)
In the French countryside near the Pyrenees, a baby donkey is adopted by young children—Jacques and his sisters—who live on a farm. They baptize the donkey, christening him Balthazar, along with Marie, Jacques's childhood sweetheart, whose father is the teacher at the small school next door.
Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar (transl. Look, the path is visible) is a 1960 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Nemai Ghosh. The film stars K. Vijayan and S. V. Subbaiah. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil along with Kalathur Kannamma. Its music director was : Manamadurai Balakrishnan Sreenivasan (1925 – 1988)
MBS produced many hits in
Malayalam films. His style of music involved only minimal orchestration and
were noted for their simple lucidity. He is the one who introduced the
legendary singer K. J. Yesudas to film industry. He was born to an orthodox
Tamil Brahmin family in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. He had his
schooling at P.S. High School, Chennai. During his college days at Madras
Presidency College, he was attracted to communist ideals and joined the Madras
Students Organisation. His acquaintance with Nemai Ghosh, a Bengali director,
paved his entry into films. His first film song was written to the words of
noted Tamil lyricist, Jayakanthan, for the Tamil film Paadhai Theriyudhu Paar.
He played a major part in the formation of Indian Peoples Theatre Association
(IPTA).
Moving away from Cinema to HISTORY - Sadly, Amritsar is the place when on 13th April 1919 hundreds of innocents were massacred by the British – the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, on the orders of Reginald Edward Harry Dyer. No event within living memory, can ever make so deep and painful an impression on the Indian subjects than the history or the very thought of massacre of innocents at Amritsar. The ruthless execution has no parallels and this Nation suffered economically more severely from the World war despite no direct participation. It was the cruel General Dyer who had earlier written a spirited account of his campaign against some nomad tribes on the frontier of South- East Persia and Baluchistan in 1916.
The gory massacre was to occur and make Baisakhi day April 13, 1919, a tragic day on that day, local residents in Amritsar decided to hold a meeting to discuss and protest against the confinement of Satya Pal and Saifuddin Kitchlew, (did we ever read anything about them in our history books which preached Gandhi got freedom without bloodshed and Nehru was a tall leader) two leaders fighting for Independence. People were also protesting implementation of the Rowlatt Act, which armed the British government with powers to detain any person without trial. It was no violent crowd – it had a mix of men, women and children, gathered in a park called the JallianwalaBagh, walled on all sides having a few small gates. It was to be a peaceful meeting of peasants and people and included pilgrims visiting the famous Golden temple.
The Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab on Baisakhi day, gathering was to protest against the arrest
of two tall political leaders of Punjab - Saifuddin
Kitchlew and Satyapal. They had shaken
the foundation of the British colonial rule in India. It was in 1919 that India
had emerged strongly in response to repeated attempts by the Britishers to
divide and rule the country particularly on the basis of religion.
As we read about Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, the latter writing letter to his daughter from prison and more – more freedom fighters were obliterated by the tricky historians who painted the version of their choice.
Satyapal was a physician and political leader in Punjab, British India, who was arrested along with Saifuddin Kitchlew in Apr 1919 few days before the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Satyapal was educated at Cambridge when he was known to Nehru. In 1915, during First WW he received a temporary King's Commission as a lieutenant in the Indian Medical Service, serving with distinction. Sooner he was to exit in 1916 and spearheaded the movement of non-cooperation against the British rule. He was married and was having a successful practice in the old part of the city of Amritsar.
On the orders of Governor of Punjab, Michael O’Dwyer the CID had kept close surveillance on Kitchlew and Satypal from mid-March 1919. Again, following the orders of O'Dwyer, they were summoned to Miles Irving, the Deputy Commissioner's house in the Civil Lines and were ordered to leave Amritsar and were taken away under military escort. As the news of the arrest spread, supporters began to gather near Irving's home and what initially appeared a peaceful attempt to make enquiries ended up in a violent clash. On 13 April 1919, protesting over the arrest, a meeting was called to take place at Jallianwala Bagh.
Thus both of them were not at the scene of Jallianwala Bagh at the time of massacre of innocents – months later in June 1919, at the trial of the 'Amritsar conspiracy case at Lahore', Satyapal was convicted with 14 others and sentenced to two years imprisonment.
Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew (15 January 1888 – 9 October 1963) was an Indian independence activist, barrister, politician and later a leader of the peace movement. He is most remembered for the protests in Punjab after the implementation of Rowlatt Act in March 1919, after which on 10 April, he and another leader Satyapal, were secretly sent to Dharamsala. A public protest rally against their arrest and that of Gandhi, on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, led to the infamous Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He was awarded the Stalin Peace Prize (now known as Lenin Peace Prize) in 1952.
Saifuddin Kitchlew was born on January 15, 1888 in Amritsar, in the Punjab Province of British India of the Kitchlew clan, to parents Azizuddin Kitchlew and Dan Bibi. His father owned a pashmina and saffron trading business and originally belonged to a Brahmin family of Baramulla, who had converted to Islam from Hinduism. His ancestor, Prakash Ram Kitchlew, had converted to Islam and his grandfather, Ahmed Jo migrated from Kashmir to Punjab in the mid-19th century after the Kashmir famine of 1871. Kitchlew obtained B.A. from Cambridge University, and a Ph.D. from a German university, before practising law in India.
Kitchlew was opposed to the Muslim League's demand for Pakistan and later in the 1940s became President of the Punjab Congress Committee. In 1947 he strongly opposed the acceptance of the Partition of India. He spoke out against it at public meetings across the country, and at the All India Congress Committee session that ultimately voted for the resolution. He called it a blatant "surrender of nationalism for communalism". Some years after partition and Independence, he left the Congress. He moved closer to the Communist Party of India. He was the founder president of the All-India Peace Council and remained President of 4th Congress of All-India Peace Council, held at Madras in 1954, besides remaining Vice President of the World Peace Council.
Kitchlew moved to Delhi after his house burnt down during the partition of India riots of 1947, spending the rest of his life working for closer political and diplomatic relations with the USSR. He received the Stalin Peace Prize in 1952. In 1951, a Government Act made him, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, life trustees of the Jallianwala Bagh National Memorial Trust.
He died on 9 October 1963, survived by a son, Toufique Kitchlew, who lives in a Lampur village on the outskirts of Delhi, and five daughters. While four of his daughters married men from Pakistan, one daughter, Zahida Kitchlew, was married to the South Indian music director M. B. Sreenivasan who worked mainly in Malayalam and Tamil film industries.
National integration and
patriotism were themes that always drove MBS and
he believed in using music to instill these into children. He founded the
Madras Youth Choir in 1970 and registered it in 1973. He composed songs of
Tagore, Subramanya Bharathi, Iqbal, Vallathol etc. that spoke of patriotism,
national integration, environment, social values etc. He explored, through
choral music, ways to bring a positive change in society. With just a simple harmonium and table as
instruments, he used the human voice to create the effect of an orchestra. He,
with the members of his Choir, went to the rural districts of Tamilnadu and
Kerala and sang to the people, trained children and youth groups thus spreading
mass singing movement in a big way. He was responsible for the AIR choral group
at Madras as well. MBS also acted in a Tamil movie, Agraharathil Kazhutai.
The link of Cinema to History is MBS was married to Zahida Kitchlew, a Kashmiri Muslim, who was the daughter of the freedom fighter Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew. They had a son named Kabir. None of them are still alive.
He was the architect of the Cine Musicians' Union in Madras and various Cine Technicians Unions in South India. He ensured timely payment of wages (spot-payment) for musicians and their wages were decided based on the person's skill and experience. He also helped in regularising their working hours. While he strove for the security and status of workers, he also reminded them of their responsibility in delivering the work. He believed in responsible union activity.
MBS who played the lead role of eccentric professor in John Abraham's "Agraharathil kazhuthai". According to some, some parts of this film was shot in Komutti bungalow in Triplicane.
M. B. Sreenivasan died
suddenly of a heart attack while conducting a choir in the Lakshadweep islands
on 9 March 1988. His body was later taken to his homeland, and was cremated
there. Zahida, his wife, outlived him for 14 years, dying in 2002. Kabir, who
suffered from advanced schizophrenia, died in 2009.
Renowned KJ Yesudas sang his first song –‘ Jaathi Bhedam Matha Dwesham’ in the movie Kalpadukal based on the life of Sree Narayana Guru, to the music of MB Sreenivasan. Au hasard Balthazar, a tragedy film directed by Robert Bresson was released in 1966. Believed to be inspired by a passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1868–69 novel The Idiot, the film follows a donkey as he is given to various owners, most of whom treat him callously. Agraharathil Kazhutai (transl. Donkey in the Brahmin village) was based on this movie.
Forget Cinema, forget
everything else … .. .. remember Indian freedom
struggle was gory – thousands were massacred in Amritsar and thousands of youth
fought and gave their lives for the freedom of this Country. British were not merciful nor was freedom
gotten without fight or bloodshed.
Jai Hind.
Regards –
S Sampathkumar
25.4.2026
Brilliant Optical Illusion !! – Animal or a skeleton !!
Never
trust what you see! Only.
From
one side a skeleton while a full animal from other side
- @ Paradox museuem Hyderabad
Quite interesting illusion !!! : https://youtu.be/VU3GudssQY4
Optical motion illusions— Even if the image/video is static or slowly changing, human brain can perceive movement or shimmering. The one here is a hybrid image / angle-dependent illusion, and it’s a really clever trick.
What you saw (skeleton from one side, full animal from another) happens because different visual information is encoded in the same image, and your brain “switches” between them depending on how you view it.
In effect there are two images blended together : a high-detail, sharp image (e.g., skeleton) & a blurred, low-detail image (e.g., full animal) both occupying the same space.
Human brain filters
detail based on viewing angle & distance.
When one stands in an angle – eyes pick up fine details (high spatial frequency) → you see the skeleton
When you shift slightly away or change angle: Your brain relies on coarse shapes (low spatial frequency) → you see the full animal.
Human brain subconsciously is constantly trying to answer: “What am I looking at?” It locks onto whichever interpretation is easier to recognize under current conditions. Your brain doesn’t average both images—it commits to one interpretation at a time.
So even a small
movement can flip making it a Skeleton or a full animal. Whatever be the Scientific explanation, it
was indeed a captivating and interesting sight !!
Life is
all about sharing !!
காக்கை
கரவா கரைந்துஉண்ணும் ஆக்கமும்
அன்ன
நீரார்க்கே உள.
(அதிகாரம்: சுற்றந்தழால் குறள் எண்:527):
காக்கை
(தனக்குக் கிடைத்ததை) மறைத்துவைக்காமல் சுற்றத்தைக் கூவி அழைத்து உண்ணும்; ஆக்கமும்
அத்தகைய இயல்பு உடையவர்க்கே உண்டு.
Education is most important in reforming any society !
~ and to
those who studied in convents .. ..this too is a school ..
.. the
quality of education is not determined by the infrastructure or the looks !
taken
at Poompuhar, near Mayavaram a few years ago !!
Be it scorching summer or otherwise – keep cool !!
Never be harsh to others in words, acts or thoughts !!!
Thiruvallikkeni has shrunk !! - not the area but the roads. Cattle freely roam, there are roadside shops – while there are many vehicles, some junk parked forever.
People seemingly lack civic sense !! - they buy cars but not the parking space. Many park their vehicles only on the road. The pedestrian road-user has to fight odds to walk on the road.
Tank Square
especially East Tank Sq Street around Kairavini thirukkulam is narrow – with one
side permanently taken by cars parked. This
morning, this car owner audaciously parked the vehicle on the other side –
thereby restricting the movement.
Swami Ramanujar
sarrumurai purappadu in palanquin had to carefully maneuver in the gap as the
owner parked without care for others and vanished.
Irritating and
frustrating attitude. Many house owners find vehicles parked right infront of
their gate, making it difficult to even come out leave alone taking their
vehicles out !! The road space becomes too restrictive and
becomes too challenging and difficult especially for periya vahana
purappadu. Time for action with
Chithirai brahmothsavam starting on 1st May 2026.
When will people
change !!
In the
mada veethi of Thiruvallikkeni - around
Covid days, these sisters used to roam freely – making their rounds in the late
evenings
Some were
frightened by their size and horn … but they were simple and friendly
.. ..
and a couple of years back – they vanished – imagining their fate would leave
one stone-hearted !!!
A
jewel of Thiruvallikkeni well known to all of us passed away this day !
“I have the
Street – A kutti Cricket Story’ of Ravichandran Ashwin !?! - .
The tall, Thiruman
sporting, ever smiling, friendly Dr TS Ramaswamy is no more !! He was just a boundary short of a
well-deserved century !! Born in a small village near Maduranthakam, Thinnalur
Sadagopan Ramaswamy was the eldest of eight children, and was deeply inclined
into spirituality right from his young days.
Overcoming financial constraints he completed law at Madras Law College
rising to become a very Senior lawyer respected
for his legal acumen and his friendly attitude towards one and all.
Living in Triplicane, was an active beach walker and a great human being - he endeared himself to all. He has promoted and has been part of many Socio religious groups including Probus Club, Thirumal Adiyar Kuzham and more. He did yeoman service to Srivaishnavism and has been a champion of Thennacharya Sampradhayam. In his early age, he has organized coaching camps and was instrumental in training some good cricketers that would include Sridharan Sriram, Subramaniam Badrinath and Ravichandran Ashwin. He has patronized many scholars and is always keen on doing something for the Society, especially in the field of education.
Age was not a
deterrent to his learning and in his 70s he completed a degree course in
Vaishnavism in University of Madras. His
Sadhabhishegam [81st Birthday] was celebrated at Triplicane in July 2011.
His sadhabhishegam saw – a
conglomeration of Saints, Scholars and others. Among the distinguished guests
were : His Holiness Srimath Paramahamsethyadhi Appan ParakAla EmbAr Jeeyar swamy of
Sriperumpudur; Thirukkovalur Jeeyar Swamigal; His Holiness Thavathiru Kunrakudi Ponnambala
Adigalar; Dr MA Venkatakrishnan, Head of
the Department of Vaishnavism, University of Madras; Hon’ble Thiru Justice V
Ramasubramanian, reverred Judge of High Court of Madras; Dr Chockalingam,
leading Cardiologist; Dr VV Ramanujam, Chemistry Professor and legendary
scholar in Sanskrit, U Ve Pillailokam Thalasayanathuraiyavar and many others.
Earlier, 27 days of discourse by eminent Vaishnavaite scholars had been arranged to mark this occasion. The discourses were rendered at Sri Nampillai Sannadhi at Peyalwar Kovil Street.
When the World was cowed down by Covid 19 – the Nonagenarian adapted to the technological model of fighting court cases over the Zoom. Remember that in his younger days, he was active in the court room fighting cases for Moopanar and the Congress.
Very recently too, a book written by him was released. He strongly supported the activities of Triplicane TAMBRAS and had been the guest of honour on many occasions.
In his passing away today, Triplicane has lost a jewel – a rare personality well versed in Sampradhayam as also in Law – lived as an example of humility and eruditeness.
In his book
- “I
have the Street – A kutti Cricket Story’ – Ravi Ashwin
has written about TS Ramaswamy,
owner of the club for which he played earlier and the encouragement and
monetary gifts that TSR showered on his wards and how Ashwin won Rs.500/- for
his excellent fielding in a tournament at Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru.
TSR, the gem
has attained Acharyan thiruvadi just a day before the sarrumurai vaibhavam of
Swami Emperumanar. I have known him well
and have spoken to him at length on more than a few occasions.
Reflection of traffic ! - Martyrs memorial fully illuminated and the golden flame "burning" against the night sky - banks of Hussain Sagar Lake, directly opposite the Telangana State Secretariat. : https://youtu.be/AFbTA5crn38
The Telangana Martyrs Memorial, [Amara Deepam or Amara Jyothi] is a prominent monument in Hyderabad dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives during the Telangana statehood movement. Shaped like a traditional earthen oil lamp (diya) with an eternal golden flame at the top, it symbolises hope and the immortality of the martyrs' souls.
It is claimed to be
the world's largest seamless stainless steel structure, featuring a highly
polished mirror finish made from over 4,500 steel plates.
தாவரவியலில் வண்டு தெரியாதவர்கள் கூட இருக்கலாம் !
வட்ட செயலாளர் வக்கீல் வண்டு முருகனை தெரியாத தமிழன் இருக்க முடியாது !
Cryptocephalus, a genus of leaf
beetle
What to
say when one meets a lazy Tiger : https://youtu.be/wFJIXxEsAV8
Repost of this day 2021 - நம்மிடையே எளிமையின் வடிவமாக வாழ்ந்து மறைந்த ஒரு நல்ல மனிதர் (Jewels of Triplicane)
Triplicane mourns the death of another good person. Mr P
Nagarajan who had been Ward Councillor multiple times excelled with his
sincerity, honesty and simplicity. The man in his mid 80s would walk his way,
wish people with a nice smile. During his tenure as a Councillor in Chennai
Corporation he did commendable work, helping people resolve civic issues.
He was a simple man who was associated with SEva Dal and
Congress since pre-Independence days - One liked by everyone.
He was one of the key persons behind ‘Friends
Association’ which actively put up arches on 4 sides leading to Sri
Parthasarathi Temple, the Geethacharyan tableau on the walls of Temple, playing
of Sreevishnu sahasranamam on the eastern arch and in bringing Thiruvallikkeni
Post office in North Tank Sq.
In his passing away this morning Triplicane is missing
another jewel known for his simplicity and good nature. Pray for strength to
his family to bear this loss. Deep condolences !!