Happy Independence Day ! remembering a great martyr born this day in 1900 !! ~ “Ami je dekhinu tarun balak unmad hoye chhute…”

 

The Nation celebrates its 80th Independence Day and it is time we remember our real heroes.  Today our Honble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji hoisted the Indian National flag at Red Fort.  

Two things that we read in History books that needs deletion from our memory !!   (distorted truths)  :  1. British who ruled us were – kind, clement and cared about their subjects 2. Freedom was obtained by only Gandhi & Nehru without shedding blood !!   Fact remains that British were cruel and have been waging wars killing millions; also scores of Countries too got their freedom (but there are no Nehrus in their  History!) .. .. freedom was not gotten easily, it was obtained by the gory bloodshed of thousands of our countrymen.

 

Sad, that most of them remain unsung, hidden from public memory with prejudiced History books mentioning Allahabad prison story and the letters !!  ….  Have you read /heard these lines of the very famous Indian Poet who gave us our National anthem … … and the occasion ??

“Bhagaban, tumi juge juge dut pathayecho bare bare Doyahin samsare…”

— “Lord, through the ages you have sent messengers again and again into this merciless world…”

And towards the end comes the devastating question:

“Tumi ki tader khoma koriyachho, tumi ki besechho bhalo?”

— “Have You forgiven them? Have You loved them?”

A great martyr born on 15 Aug 1900  .. .. but passed away young 31 !  Post graduate and LLB  shot down cruelly !!!!

Santosh Kumar Mitra  [15 August 1900 – 16 September 1931)  is the martyr whom our school History books never taught !!  Mitra was born o  in Kolkata, in a middle class Bengali Kayastha family. He passed matriculation from Hindu School, Kolkata in 1915 and became graduate from the University of Calcutta in 1919. During the period 1921–22, he completed his M.A and LL.B.  He participated in the Non-Cooperation Movement of the Indian National Congress leading to his imprisonment in 1921. After the suspension of the Non-Cooperation Movement, Santosh Mitra shifted to extremist activities in the struggle for Independence. In 1923, he got associated with lawyer Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, Barin Ghosh of Jugantar and Bipin Behari Ganguly.

On August 3, 1923,  there was attempted dacoity at  Shankharitola Post Office. The postmaster was killed, Barendra was caught while escaping and was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.   Mitra was charged with Shankharitola Murder Case and arrested in 1923  because of his association with Barendra Ghosh and other co-conspirators of this case. Similarly, he was also arrested in connection with the Second Alipore case of 1923. Both times, he was acquitted of all charges by the help of Jatindra Mohan Sengupta.

After his acquittal in the Shankharitola case, he was not simply allowed to walk free. The colonial government detained him under the Bengal Criminal Law Amendment legislation, essentially treating him as a dangerous revolutionary even without a successful criminal conviction. He remained in detention until 1927. In   1930 he was again imprisoned and eventually sent to Hijli Detention Camp where his brutal end came !! 

Three detention camps were created by the British — one at Buxaduar, one at Berhampur and the other at Hijli – where people were kept in harsh conditions. The detainees had many grievances and complaints against the jail administration but initially there was never any serious altercation. On September 15, 1931, three detainees — Nalin Das, Phani Das and Chintamani Das — escaped from the detention camp. The jail authorities were extremely enraged by this incident. On September 16, 1931, with prior approval from district authorities, the police surrounded the camp and some entered the premises. They started a deliberate altercation with the detainees and suddenly started firing on these defenseless men. For no reason, the alarm bell of the detention centre started off. Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeshwar Sengupta were shot. Mitra was shot in the abdomen while Sengupta was shot in the forehead. About 29 rounds of ammunition were fired.  Besides the death of these two, over 100 were injured, out of which 23 were seriously injured. The British government first tried to cover up the incident but failed to do so. Anandabazar Patrika came out with the news in detail and followed up with the story. Subhash Chandra Bose and J.M. Sengupta visited Hijli to bring back the dead bodies of Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeswar Sengupta. Many national leaders, including Rabindranath Tagore, raised strong protests against the British Raj over this incident.

In the beginning, the British government tried to blame the detainees saying that the firing was done by police for self-defense. Under severe public pressure, the government put up a judicial inquiry led by Justice S. C. Maulick and Drummond, I.C. S., District Magistrate. The commission condemned the behaviour of the sepoys.

The Detention Camp was closed in 1937 and was reopened in 1940. In 1942, it was closed for the final time and the detainees were transferred elsewhere. During World War II, it was occupied by the US Air Force.

The Hijli shootings caused a major public reaction in Bengal. A protest meeting was held in Calcutta on 26 September 1931, presided over by Rabindranath Tagore, who expressed his anguish in his poem Proshno.

By Roll of honour KC GHOSH - Roll of honour KC GHOSH, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=165980075

 Well   the Nation almost forgot its sons who died fighting for freedom !!   

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, started in 1951 is on the premises of Hijli. A part of the Hijli detention camp building is now named as Hijli Shaheed Bhavan. There  is a memorial plaque in the name of both Santosh Kumar Mitra and Tarakeswar Sengupta at the campus. Also there are small busts of them in the same premises. The main road inside the IIT Kharagpur Campus has been named after Santosh Mitra.

            Tagore's “প্রশ্ন” (Prashno / Proshno, “The Question”)  was written  following the Hijli firing and the wider anguish it caused. It was later published in Parishesh (1932) There is also a particularly striking passage in the poem:

“Ami je dekhinu tarun balak unmad hoye chhute…”

roughly: “I have seen young men, driven to desperation, hurl themselves against stone in agony…”  

Santosh Mitra Square now  is a public square and tourist attraction located in Bowbazar, Kolkata. It is a popular gathering place for various cultural and political events. The park is named after the Bengali freedom fighter Santosh Kumar Mitra. One of the events held here is Durga Puja, an annually held festival, for which the park is crowded during puja days

Decades after Independence – we kept reading about our clement British rulers – not how they looted but how they were kind to us !?! – not of the elite few who fought and sacrificed but our minds were ingrained with concept of ‘freedom gotten without bloodshed’ – that Britishers benevolently handed to us freedom !!  How sad, we forgot our real heroes!

Jai Hind. Bharat Mata ki Jai; long live our Nation and remembering all those who gave their blood and life for our freedom.

With respects and regards to all of them – S Sampathkumar
15.8.2026

Ace Shooter, Coach - Jaspal Rana - passes away at 49 !!!!

 

In general, Sports persons are fit and active for a longer span  .. .. BUT once a while we hear and grieve personalities dying younger !!  and one such is that of Jaspal Rana at 49 !

 

Jaspal Rana, the Asian Games gold medallist shooter who later guided Manu Bhaker to her historic double bronze-medal feat at the Paris Olympics as a coach, has died. He was  only  49. 

He won an Asian Games gold in 1994, and over the next decade, his cabinet would be brimming with medals. He couldn’t win an Olympic medal because his pet event, centre-fire pistol, wasn’t in the Olympics.  In the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Rana achieved a major milestone, winning three gold medals and a silver as a 30-year-old shooter competing in his fourth Asian Games, wherein he equaled the world record in 25 m Center Fire Pistol with 590 points.  

Jaspal Rana (1976 –2026)  won numerous medals in Shooting  at international competitions, including the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, and had been instrumental in shaping India's presence in shooting sports. He remains India’s most successful athlete in Commonwealth Games history, with a remarkable tally of 15 medals—9 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze—won across four editions of the Games: 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1994 and  Padma Shri in 1997 for his contributions to Indian shooting. Beyond his competitive career, he was also known for mentoring young shooters and contributing to the growth of shooting in India, for which he was awarded the Dronacharya Award in 2020. Rana had been credited with helping Manu Bhaker win double bronze medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Shooting is an interesting sport and in the   London Olympics 2012 , 11 Indian  shooters qualified -  Seven male and four female.   Vijay Kumar did the Nation proud by winning Silver and Gagan Narang silver.  In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Singh Bindra became the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.  Earlier, at Athens in 2004, Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won Silver.   Thus making the Sports more popular and widely followed in India. 

In 2012, Jaspal Rana was appointed chief coach for junior pistol shooters by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).   It was announced by NRAI advisor at that time that  Rana will be entitled to get a monthly salary of INR 50,000, with the other coaches getting INR 30,000.  Sethi was quoted as saying that "We are confident that Jaspal, with his experience, can help the junior shooters to take the next step. He has a great track record and should come in handy."   

 

The amount is no big when compared to what is gotten  in IPL yet Rana made it big as a coach in Shooting. Since 2018, pistol coach Jaspal Rana has been coaching Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker, though Bhaker and Rana briefly parted ways in 2021, but re-united in 2023 to prepare for the 2024 Olympics.   Rana also coached at the Jaspal Rana Institute of Education and Technology in Dehradun.   

Jaspal Rana was born in 1976 in a Garhwali family in Uttarakhand. His father Narayan Singh Rana is a 1971 war veteran who served in Indo-Tibetan Border Police and later became the first sports minister of Uttarakhand in 2000.   Jaspal has two siblings Sushma Singh (Rana) and Subhash Rana; both his siblings are also accomplished shooters. 

At just 18 years old, Rana was honored with the Arjuna Award in 1994, India's second-highest sporting accolade, acknowledging his early achievements in shooting.  By the age of 21, he was conferred the Padma Shri in 1997, India's fourth-highest civilian award, for his exceptional contributions to sports. Recognized for his excellence in coaching, Rana received the Dronacharya Award in 2020, India's highest honor for sports coaching.  Notably, he was awarded in the same year that his protégés, Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary, received the Arjuna Award.

 
Now he has breathed his last in age 49 !!  Sad !!!
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
13.6.2026

Grieving the passing away of GR Ravichandran

 

A couple of hours back, I received WA message that Mr GR Ravichandran attained Acharyan thiruvadi,   today, 17th May 2026, at 11:30 AM.

 

A man with smiling face and impeccable manners, generally clad in white and white, he  was an Advocate, Actor, Philanthropist  and a patron of Brahmin Association too.   As we could recall, he was on dais in the “Subhakruthu varusha Panchangam release function’ celebrated by Triplicane Brahmin Association on 3.4.2022.

For that function as he did in most other occasions, he used to come with his wife Mrs Padmini Ravichandran, another nice human being.  Mrs Padmini having been a native of Triplicane (resided in TP Koil Street) would come often to Sri Parthasarathi Swami temple for darshan of Emperuman especially purappadus.

 

This year too, he had come for Parabava varusha Panchanga release at Gangaikondan mandapam on 4.4.2026 but he was alone as Mrs Padmini had passed away an year to so earlier – that appeared to have deeply affected him.

 

At around 70 years of age, understand that he had some heart-related health issues and passed away in the morning.  Understand from his family that the final obsequies   will take place tomorrow, 18th May 2026, at his residence around 3pm.  

Residence Address:

​S2, Abhinav Apartments, 94 Gaudiya Mutt Road, (Opp Ponnusamy hotel)

Royapettah, Chennai 600 014.  

​In Grief:

​Hari Gomatam & Shyam Gomatam (Sons)  &  Family

​Contact: 9840344520 

Very sad to know his passing away – pray Emperuman to give strength to his family to bear this colossal loss.  

Om Shanthi 

Regards – S Sampathkumar

17.5.2026 – 16.00 hrs

PS :  Paid my last respects to the late Mr. Ravichandran at his residence this morning [18.5.2026].

 

 

Doyen of Triplicane Dr TS Ramaswamy Iyengar is no more !!

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.

 

With sadness  – S Sampathkumar
21.4.2026.
  

Remembering Triplicane (late) Mr Nagarajan

 

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 !!

former Test Cricketer - CD Gopinath is no more !!

In the melee of IPL 2026 – how much of Cricket do you follow, do you watch matches daily.  Did you follow Ranji trophy -2025-26 – Jammu & Kashmir made history winning their maiden Ranji title defeating eight times champions Karnataka in the 91^st edition of the Indian (once) premier tournament   

Sadly,  Tamil Nadu concluded the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season with a sixth-place finish in Elite Group A, failing to qualify for the knockout stages. After a difficult start that included an innings defeat to Jharkhand in their opening match, the team recorded its first victory of the season in the penultimate round by defeating Odisha.   

Long ago, when Test matches were telecast live in Doordarshan, there would be Commentators and one Expert Commentator !!      C: the ball has been hit to boundary and now the score is … .. .. – what do you think of that shot Sir ?  EC (Lala Amarnath, CD Gopinath .. … ) – it was a good shot, shot in length, went on backfoot, square cut for four ! –   

In the annals of Indian Cricket that Chennai test in Feb 1952 would remain a much remembered one.  India recorded their first victory defeating England by an innings and 8 runs. 

 

The sad news is :  Former India cricketer C.D. Gopinath passed away peacefully in Chennai today.  He was 96. Gopinath had been the last surviving member of India’s maiden Test win against England in 1952. He and his wife Comala, a former champion golfer, lived in Coonoor in the Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu. 

 

In that Test India made five changes from their previous side. Manjrekar, Nayudu, Shinde, Joshi and Adhikari stood down for Mushtaq Ali, Amarnath, Gopinath, Divecha and Sen. As originally chosen the side included Adhikari and omitted Umrigar, but a wrist injury due to a fall gave Umrigar another opportunity which he seized splendidly. Carr led England for the first time, Howard standing down with pleurisy, this being the one change from the Kanpur side. 

Born on March 1, 1930, Gopinath played eight Tests and 83 first-class matches for India and Madras. He made his Test debut against England at the Brabourne Stadium in 1951 and played his last match against Australia at Eden Gardens in 1960.  The right handed batsman scored 50* and 42 on his Test debut against the England cricket team in 1951–52, batting at No.8 in both innings.  He contributed a quick 35 in the final Test of that series when India recorded its first Test victory. 

He toured England in 1952 but could not shine much. At home he played Tests against Pakistan in 1952–53 and Australia in 1959–60, and toured Pakistan in 1954–55. He was chosen in the team to the West Indies in 1952–53 but turned down the invitation. Gopinath captained Madras from 1955–56 to 1962–63, as well as South Zone in the Duleep Trophy.  Later, he served as a national selector under Vijay Merchant and  as the chairman, and managed the 1979 tour to England. 

Tamil Nadu, then playing as Madras won Ranji Trophy for the 1st time in 1954-55.  They beat Holkar by 46 runs in the finals.  RB Alagannan was the Captain, Dl Chakravarthy (wk)- rest being S Balakrishna, M Suryanarayanan, AG Kripal Singh, CD Gopinath, MK Balakrishnan, J Ramakrishnan, BC Alva, AK Sarangapani & MK Murugesh.  Holkar put Madras in and Madras made 478 with CD Gopinath making 133.  Holkar were bowled out for 417.  Madras made 311 in its second innings with Kripal Singh scoring 91.   The victory margin was 46 runs. 

A right-handed batter, Gopinath featured in eight Tests for India in the 1950s and scored 242 runs with a highest score of 50 not out. In an accomplished First-Class career, Gopinath played 83 games for Madras and accumulated 4259 runs at a healthy average of 42.16, including nine centuries and 23 half-centuries.

 

Back in 22^nd Nov 2023, Kapil Dev had been invited for a book launch at Hotel Savera, CD Gopinath walked into the function hall – Kapil spoke very respectfully to him - @ 93 he walked steadily with pride.  Was fortunate to greet him, talk to him and took a couple of photos with him.

 

Rest in peace – CD Gopinath Sir

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
9.4.2026      

Tributes to AVM Saravanan Sir !!

உயர்ந்த மனிதன் - சிவந்த நிறம், தீர்க்கமான கண்கள், நெற்றியில் துலங்கும் குங்குமம்  கனிவுப்பார்வை, வெண்ணிற உடை, கட்டிய கைகள், சற்று குனிந்து உதிர்க்கும் நிதானமான அன்பு வார்த்தைகள் - இவை தாம் திரு ஏவிஎம் சரவணன் சார். 

இன்றைய காலை செய்தி மிகுந்த மன வருத்தத்தை அளிக்கிறது. இந்திய சினிமா உலகின் முதுபெரும் தயாரிப்பாளரான திரு ஏவிஎம் சரவணன் வயது மூப்பு காரணமாக காலமானார். அவருக்கு 86 வயது.. இறுதி மரியாதைக்காக திரு  ஏவிஎம் சரவணனின் உடல் ஏவிஎம் ஸ்டூடியோவில் உள்ள 3வது தளத்தில் இன்று காலை 7.30 மணி முதல் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.

 

Thiru AVM Saravanan Sir is no more.  Very sad to know - His passing comes just a day after his 86th birthday – after some age-related illness. 

Nandhakumar, a Tamil movie, directed by Keshav Rao Dhaibar hit the screens in 1938, produced by A. V. Meiyappan.  The  mythological film starred T. P. Rajalakshmi, C. V. V. Panthulu, and T. S. Rajalakshmi. T. R. Mahalingam and T. R. Ramachandran making  their cinematic debuts.  It was reported that  Dhaibar and Meiyappan were disappointed with a song sung by the actress who portrayed Devaki's mother hence they both came up with an innovative idea to replace the soundtrack with another voice.  Mrs  Lalitha Venkatraman, prominent Carnatic vocalist in Mumbai was brought in to do the playback singing thus earned her the credit of being the first playback singer of Tamil cinema and also became the first Tamil film to introduce playback singing 

AVM Productions  has been a great name in film industry, the  production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar. It is the oldest film studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi cinema. AVM has introduced numerous actors in Southern industries, some of the prominent actors are Superstar Sivaji Ganesan, Rajkumar, S. S. Rajendran, Vyjayanthimala, Kamal Haasan and many more. The AVM Studios besides the shooting floors, has recording, dubbing and a preview theatre. The complex also houses facilities for production and post production processing. 

The dawn of the talkie era (1931) inspired Meiyappan to start Saraswathi Sound Productions and he launched his maiden film venture, Alli Arjuna a Hindu mythology based film. The film was shot in Calcutta and proved a total flop as the one that followed named Ratnavali. At this point, an aspiring amateur actor and college graduate A. T. Krishnaswamy joined the unit as assistant director who was associated with Meiyappan for nearly a decade and wrote and directed the early AVM productions.   AVM made Nandakumar, Tamil version of a Marathi film launching it as a Pragati production.  

 

After Mr Meiyappan,  A.V.M. Saravanan, became the most well known  producer and managing force behind the iconic AVM Studios.    Saravanan Surya Mani more famously known as AVM Saravanan, was not simply a film producer, he was a great man, a great philanthropist. His production company - AVM Productions,  founded in 1945 by his father,   has been involved in hits such as Naanum Oru Penn, Samsaram Adhu Minsaram, Sivaji: The Boss, Vettaikaran, Minsara Kanavu, Leader and Ayan.   As a producer he won two Filmfare Awards South. He also served as the Sheriff of Madras in 1986.  Born in 1939, the producer took over his father AV Meiyappan's shoes along with his brother M Balasubramanian, and was involved in filmmaking since the late 1950's.  He had been under treatment for several months and breathed his last at 5.30 a.m. at his residence inside the AVM Studio premises in Chennai.  

Thiru Saravanan, the third son of legendary filmmaker A.V. Meiyappan Chettiar, took over the reins of AVM Productions in 1958 and went on to become one of the most influential figures in Tamil cinema.  Under his leadership, AVM produced several landmark films. Industry insiders often credit Saravanan for nurturing the early careers of superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, providing them with platforms that elevated them to national fame. Thiru M Saravanan is survived by his son MS Guhan, another producer. Guhan has twin daughters Aruna Guhan and Aparna Guhan. Aruna Guhan continues to share his legacy, along with AV Meiyappan's on her social media handles through various trivias. She is also a partner and Creative Director of AVM Productions.  

M Saravanan's mortal remains has been placed for public homage till 3:30 pm at AVM Studios, where friends, family, industry members, and well-wishers can pay their last respects.

 

Before Corona days, Thiru Saravanan was a regular early morning walker in Marina beach.  He would greet people with a smile and kindness.  We at SYMA have been recipient of his generosity over the years.  In our Educational Aid Program held on 4^th July 2010, Mr AVM Saravanan &  Mr TT Srinivasa Raghavan, MD, Sundaram Finance  were our Chief Guests. His foundation had been supporting SYMA with corpus fund of Rs.1,00,000/- for 8 years.  I have greeted and interacted with him many a times and would always remember as a great personality with golden heart.  

In his passing away – the State has lost a versatile genuine golden hearted personality.  We pray for sadgati to his atma.

 
With grief – S. Sampathkumar
Srinivas Youngmens’ Association [SYMA]
4.12.2025
  

some fatal injuries in Cricket

 

Today 25.11.2025, at  Guwahati, Stubbs attempted another slog sweep, was bowled and  Bavuma immediately signalled the declaration. Stubbs missed out  his century by six runs,   South Africa have set India a mammoth target of 549! Down under,   after the two day match at Perth, Gabba curator Dave Sandurski is set to prepare a pitch for the day-night second Ashes Test that will reward both batters and bowlers, just like in the recent Sheffield Shield clash.  This day 11 years before occurred the sad incident at Sydney !!  

Angus Mackay and Hugh McNally,  built the Star Hotel in 1885 – and the town came to be named after them.  Titled 'The Boy from Macksville', the documentary showcases Hughes' journey as a promising junior cricketer all the way to his entry into the Australian national team. Macksville is a small town on the Nambucca River in the Nambucca Valley, New South Wales, Australia.    It's one of those statistical quirks that, at the time of his death, Phillip Hughes had scored precisely the same number of Test runs – 1,535 – as another prodigiously talented NSW-born batter on the rise, Steven Smith. 

Hughes and Smith were both 25, though the former was just three days away from turning 26, and around six months older. On that fateful  25 November 2014, Hughes was hit in the neck by a bouncer from Sean Abbott, during a Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground, causing a vertebral artery dissection that led to a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The Australian team doctor, Peter Brukner, noted that only 100 such dissections had ever been reported, with "only one [prior] case reported as a result of a cricket ball". Hughes was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, where he underwent surgery, was placed into an induced coma, and was in intensive care in a critical condition.  He never regained consciousness, and died on 27 November 2014. He was just  25.  years old when he passed away after being struck by a bouncer during a Playing for South Australia against New South Wales at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Hughes was on 63 runs when a short-pitched delivery from Sean Abbott hit him on the neck. 

Hughes, played 26 Tests, 25 ODIs and one T20I for Australia, lost his life three days before his 26th birthday. 

Safety equipment in cricket have seen a generational shift in standards since Dennis Amiss wore a motorcycle helmet against the fearsome fast bowlers of 1970s, but the pioneering former England opener understands that rare fatalities such as the tragic death of Australian Phillip Hughes cannot be ruled out entirely. Amiss reshaped the game forever by wearing a rather heavy motorcycle helmet with a polycarbonate visor in the World Series Cricket staged between 1977 and 1979 in Australia. Some of the best fast bowlers of the time such as Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thompson, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Colin Croft and Imran Khan played in the WSC. 

When I faced Holding, I received 4 bouncers in an over and a beamer… the next over from him was the same – when he again said the beamer had slipped, I understood that this was a strategy to intimidate.  Lloyd fearing his future as Captain finding us 98 for no loss was desperate and utterly frustrated. ……………. The carnage ensued .. in the pavilion, there was none to attend to Anshuman Gaekwad.  Jamaican ticket authorities showed no regard for the seriousness of injury.  The whole thing was sickening.  Never have I seen such cold-blooded and indifferent behaviour of Cricket officials, and the spectators to put it mildly, were positively inhuman. – extracted from Sunil Gavaskar’s description of the carnage at Sabina Park. I have posted earlier on ‘worst injuries on Cricketing field’ - In his debut series, Sachin was injured and batted with blood and rose to eminence.  There are very many other stories but a very harsh  one was that of Contractor and the worst being that of Raman Lamba.  

Nariman Jamshedji "Nari" Contractor , the left handed opener born in Godhra,  had two ribs broken by Brian Statham at Lords in 1959.   Contractor led India to a series win against England in 1961-62 and captained the side to West Indies the same season. There, in the match against Barbados, he was struck at the back of the skull  by Griffith  and was unconscious for six days, requiring a blood transfusion; his life was saved but his international career was abruptly ended. 

As one could recall,   Ahmed Shehzad, the Pak opener was hit on the helmet by a bouncer by Corey Anderson on the 2nd day of 1st Test against NZ at Abu dhabi – he was diagnosed with a minor skull fracture. The injury caused Shehzad so much pain that he dropped his bat on to the stumps as he wheeled away and collapsed to the ground. He was dismissed hit wicket, after scoring a career-best 176, and walked off the field holding his jaw. 

Indians cannot forget  how Clive Lloyd unleashed a torrent of fast, dangerous, short-pitched bowling on India, sent half their top-order to the hospital and caused captain Bishan Singh Bedi to 'surrender' the match.  In that Series, after  a hammering in the Barbados Test, Bedi’s men bounced back hard in the next two matches in Port of Spain. Gavaskar made 156 in the drawn second Test, giving India a 161-run lead. With their confidence high, India created history in the third Test chasing a historic 403 thanks to hundreds from Gavaskar and Viswanath and Mohinder’s 85.    In that Jamaica Test, as Gavaskar describes – the Indian dressing room resembled ‘wounded soldiers’ room’.  Gaekwad remained unattended for a while as manager Umrigar had accompanied Vishwanath.  When Anshuman was transported, Brijesh Patel too accompanied with a mouth injury.   Gavaskar called it 'Barbarism in Kingston'.  First innings had to be declared at 306/6 ; in the 2nd Mohinder hit all  over the body made 60 – Indian innings ended at 97 with Kirmani not out and 5 batsmen (Gaekwad, Vishwanath, Patel, Bedi and Chandrasekhar – absent hurt) – actually it was not a declaration but surrender. 

At Chepauk in an isolated incident in  Jan 1979 Herbert Chang,  of Chinese origin, played his lonely test at Chepauk and was  left bleeding in the mouth by a Karsan Ghavri bouncer.   Sadly, Raman Lamba playing club cricket at Dhaka  was hit on the forehead by a full blooded pull by Mehrab Hossain off left arm spinner Saifullah Khan while fielding at forward short leg, without a helmet.   He suffered an internal hemorrhage and slipped into coma, eventually died after 3 days. 

Perhaps what Contractor or Lamba were not fortunate enough - with three ambulances and a medical helicopter on standby for the match, Hughes was treated on the field immediately and was then taken to the boundary for further aid. He was then transferred to a St. Vincent's Hospital nearby.      

Ben Hollioake was England’s golden boy in the late 1990s. Making his debut in 1997 at just 19, he dazzled with a flamboyant 63 against Australia in an ODI at Lord’s. His  life and career were tragically cut short in March 2002, when he died in a car crash in Perth at just 24 years old.  Ages ago, Chud Langton   promising left-arm paceman, he played a single Test for South Africa against Australia in 1939, lost his life in the battle front in WWII. A steady left-arm spinner and lower-order batsman, Manjural Islam Rana of Bangladesh,  became the youngest Test player to die when he passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2007 at just 22 years old.

 

Recently, a 17-year-old cricketer   tragically passed away   after he was struck by a cricket ball. Ben Austin was rushed to the hospital in a critical condition following the incident at Wally Tew Reserve in Ferntree Gully in Melbourne's southeast.  The young cricketer was batting in the nets when the incident took place. He was understood to be wearing a helmet 

Sad

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.11.2025

this day 2015 - missing KV Cheena

 

Sri Azhagiya Singar Aani brahmothsavam – day 9 purappadu

-this day – 2015 – missing KV Srinivasan (photo Cheena)