the legend - Diego Maradona, is no more !!

Heard of or remember - Bogdan Ganev Dochev (1935 – 2017) a Bulgarian football referee. He is known for having refereed two matches in the FIFA World Cup  !!

The 1986 FIFA World Cup, the 13th FIFA World Cup, was held in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. With European nations not allowed to host after the previous World Cup in Spain, Colombia had been originally chosen to host the competition by FIFA but, largely due to economic reasons, was not able to do so and officially resigned in 1982. Mexico was selected as the new host in May 1983, thus becoming the first country to host the World Cup more than once. It was won by Argentina (their second title, after winning in 1978). Argentina was captained by the 25-year old Diego Maradona, who played a large part in his team's success.   He carried the Nation’s dream and ensured its happening.

Diego Armando Maradona  is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time.  He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award.  Maradona's vision, passing, ball control and dribbling skills were combined with his small stature (1.65 m or 5 ft 5 in), which gave him a low centre of gravity allowing him to manoeuvre better than most other football players; he would often dribble past multiple opposing players on a run.   A precocious talent, Maradona was given the nickname "El Pibe de Oro" ("The Golden Boy"), a name that stuck with him throughout his career.   He preceded Sachin in wearing that jersey with 10  -  was the first player in football history to set the world record transfer fee twice, first when he transferred to Barcelona for a then-world record £5  million, and second, when he transferred to Napoli for another record fee £6.9  million. In his international career with Argentina, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 World Cup.    

Maradona became the coach of Argentina's national football team in November 2008. He was in charge of the team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa before leaving at the end of the tournament. He then coached Dubai-based club Al Wasl in the UAE Pro-League for the 2011–12 season. In 2017, Maradona became the coach of Fujairah before leaving at the end of the season.  In May 2018, Maradona was announced as the new chairman of Belarusian club Dynamo Brest  .. .. today he passed away, is the news !!

Besides his sporting glory, his life was ruined by   his addiction to cocaine took hold. In 1991, the year he left the club, he was banned for 15 months for drug violations. In 1994 he was thrown out of the World Cup in America after failing a drugs test, before retiring from football in 1997. In 1999 and 2000 he was taken to hospital suffering heart problems, the second time requiring a respirator to breathe. He has undergone two gastric bypass operations to control his weight and received treatment for alcohol abuse. Three week ago he was admitted to hospital for surgery on a blood clot in his brain, before being discharged to recover at home. It was there that he died on Wednesday. The Argentine news outlet Clarin broke the news on Wednesday afternoon UK time, describing the news of Maradona's passing as having a 'worldwide impact'.  The iconic former Argentinian footballer was driven away from the private Olivos Clinic just before 6pm on November 11 as hundreds of fans of photographers tried to get a glimpse of him.

                   In 2014, Maradona said of his drug use: 'I gave my opponents a big advantage. Do you know the player I could have been if I hadn't taken drugs?' In 1996, Maradona said publicly: 'I was, am and always will be a drug addict.'  Diego Maradona has died from a heart attack just days after turning 60.

Bogdan Ganev Dochev (1935 – 2017) is a Bulgarian football referee. He is known for having refereed two matches in the FIFA World Cup, Italia - Cameroon 1:1 in 1982 and Paraguay - Belgium 2:2 in 1986. Dochev was a linesman in the famous Brazil versus Italy match in 1982 and in the game between England and Argentina in 1986 in which the ‘Hand of God and Goal of the Century’  were scored by Diego Maradona.  On that day 22nd June 1986 – whole World watched Argentina play England  in the quarter-finals of the 1986 FIFA World Cup at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The game was held four years after the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, and was a key part in the already intense Argentina–England football rivalry. It was also a match which included two of the most famous goals in football history, both scored by Diego Maradona. The first goal, after 51 minutes, was to become known as the "Hand of God goal", which Maradona scored by using his hand. His second, four minutes after his first, saw him dribble past five England players, Beardsley, Reid, Butcher, Fenwick, Butcher (again), and finally goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and became known as the "Goal of the Century". Argentina won the game 2–1 and went on to win the 1986 World Cup with a victory over West Germany in the final match.  Maradona won the golden ball for player of the tournament whilst England's goalscorer on the day, Gary Lineker, won the golden boot for being the tournament's top scorer.

The soccer legend is no more !! – bye Diego Maradona

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

25.11.2020

  

animals in tinseldom ~ AWBI issues showcause notice to 'Eeswaran' !

In Victorian era Britain, Dr. John Dolittle is a Welsh veterinarian with the ability to communicate with animals. After his wife, Lily, dies at sea, Dolittle retreats from human society and only tends to animals. A boy, Tommy Stubbins, accidentally wounds Kevin the squirrel and is guided to Dolittle's help by Polynesia, a macaw. Queen Victoria summons Dolittle to cure her of a deadly sickness. He refuses until Poly persuades him that he must begin to reconnect with fellow humans.  .. … .. ..   Dolittle (also referred to as The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle) is a 2020 American fantasy adventure film directed by Stephen Gaghan, based on a story by Thomas Shepherd.  

When we were studying in School, came Sripriya, Sivakumar starrer “Aattukara Alamelu”  directed by R. Thyagarajan.  Being a movie produced by Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar for Dhandayudhapani Films, the goat had a great role in the film. The film was remade in Telugu as Pottelu Punnamma and in Hindi as Mera Rakshak.

In earlier days, Elephants and Bulls were featured repeatedly in Tamil films as the story be it mythological or village themes, mingled with life of animals.  Slowly mythological films faded, more specifically Animal Welfare movement came into fore doing propaganda on the perceived ill-treatment to animals in movies.  The film industry spoofed this concern. Now one would see statutory disclaimer – ‘no animals were used in film shooting or were harmed’.   In Kamal / Simran starrer ‘Pammal  Sambandham’ -  a group of women activists, led by the heroine would barge into the studio holding placards shouting that animals are tortured.  Kamal would be shown seated on a platform not directly touching the bull ~ there would be a couple of similar other scenes too.  Animal welfare has strangled so much that one can notice that recent films have a disclaimer that animals were not used / tortured and in mega Bahubali, the bull taming scene was a graphic affair. 

Elephants have been sought after in tinseldom. In  ‘Nalla Neram’, a MGR starrer  released in 1972, the storyline was around choice between love (his wife) and friendship (his loyal and devoted pet elephants). .. .. one of those elephants was Rathi, who lived a long live till 77.    She had shared tinseldom with MGR, Rajnikanth and Rajesh Khanna.  Rathi starred alongside MGR and Chief minister Jayalalithaa in 1971 released film - Neerum Nerupum, directed by P Neelakandan.   After a 6 year hiatus, Rathi starred in Rajnikant’s  ‘Annai Oru Alayam’ where Sripriya was the heroine.

The man who had made animals act so well was well respected in the cine circuit. He had risen from a much smaller level, playing small roles in films that were shot in Central Studios, Coimbatore, until he was roped in by Jupiter Pictures for villain role in the 1947 movie Rajakumari with then-a-relatively unknown lead actor M. G. Ramachandran with whom he formed a deep friendship. In the film Mohini (1948) there was a scene taken in forest, where MGR  rushes to rescue a family travelling in a bullock-cart from being robbed by a gang and the main robbers role was played by this man, as the main robber .. .. .. who ended up making films providing greater role for animals .. .. the man Chinnappa Devar.

Now read this interesting article in Indian Express .. .. the  Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has issued a show-cause notice to Madhav Media, a Tamil film production house, for using a computer generated snake (look-a-like of Indian cobra) without permission in the movie trailer and poster of "Eeswaran" starring Silambarasan, popularly known as Simbu. The notice was issued on November 16 by AWBI secretary SK Dutta and a copy has been forwarded to the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification.

The notice says, "It is brought to the knowledge of the Board that Eeswaran, a Tamil movie, has recently released its trailer and poster in which a computer generated snake (look-a-like Indian cobra) is being used without obtaining no objection certificate (NOC) from the Board." Dutta said in the movie poster and trailer, the snake was used as a medium of entertainment without obtaining any pre-shoot permission (PSP) or NOC from the board, which is a direct violation of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001. "Therefore, it is directed to you (Madhav Media) to immediately stop the circulation of trailer and poster without obtaining proper permissions and submit a written explanation within 7 days of receipt of this letter for releasing the said poster and trailer without obtaining NOC from the Board," the notice added.

In the trailer, actor Simbu was seen handling a cobra, which is claimed to be computer generated. Snakes are not allowed to be used as performing animals in movies and if the charges are proven, it would be a violation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. A formal complaint was lodged with the forest department by a Chennai-based animal rights activist and former member of the performing animals sub-committee after the show-cause notice was issued.

When contacted, Chennai forest ranger Clement Edison told The New Indian Express that the production house was yet to reply to the show-cause notice served. "They claimed that it was a computer generated graphic and said approvals were obtained. But we have asked for the relevant records. We have given them one week's time which will lapse by this weekend. Further course of action will be initiated appropriately."

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
21.11.2020. 

the celebrated coronation that occurred 216 years ago ~ and the arrest of Pontiff

This day, 216 years ago … occurred that celebrated coronation.

A curule seat is a design of chair noted for its uses in Ancient Rome and Europe through to the 20th century. Its status in early Rome as a symbol of political or military power carried over to other civilizations, as it was also used in this regard by kings in Europe, Napoleon, and others.

Sure, in our history books at school, we read about another Coronation – the Delhi Durbar.  On 22 March 1911, a royal proclamation announced that the Durbar would be held in December to commemorate the coronation in Britain a few months earlier of George V and Mary of Teck and allow their proclamation as Emperor and Empress of India. Practically every ruling prince and nobleman in India, plus thousands of landed gentry and other persons of note, attended to pay obeisance to their sovereigns.  The official ceremonies lasted from 7 to 16 December, with the Durbar itself occurring on Tuesday, 12 December. The royal couple arrived at Coronation Park in their Coronation robes, the King-Emperor wearing the Imperial Crown of India with eight arches, containing 6170 exquisitely cut diamonds, and covered with sapphires, emeralds and rubies, with a velvet and miniver cap all weighing 34 ounces (965 g). They received homage from the native princes – including one woman, the Begum of Bhopal – at the shamiana (ceremonial tent); controversy ensued when the Gaekwar of Baroda, Maharajah (Emperor) Sayajirao III, approached the royal couple without his jewellery on, and after a simple bow turned his back to them when leaving. His action was interpreted at the time as a sign of dissent to British rule.

The Delhi Durbar (meaning "Court of Delhi") was an Indian imperial-style mass assembly organized by the British at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the succession of an Emperor or Empress of India. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire. The 1911 Durbar was the only one that a sovereign, George V, attended.

The one – subject matter of today is the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the French that  took place on Sunday, December 2, 1804   at Notre-Dame de Paris in Paris. It marked "the instantiation of modern empire" and was a "transparently masterminded piece of modern propaganda".

The curule seat that was part of a set made for the reception of Napoleon by the corps legislatif after his coronation as emperor.  Napoleon wanted to establish the legitimacy of his imperial reign, with its new dynasty and new nobility. To this end, he designed a new coronation ceremony unlike that for the kings of France, which had emphasized the king's consecration (sacre) and anointment.   The ceremony was held in the great cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris in the presence of Pope Pius VII. Napoleon brought together various rites and customs, incorporating ceremonies of Carolingian tradition, the Ancien Régime and the French Revolution, all presented in sumptuous luxury. 

On May 18, 1804, the Sénat conservateur vested the Republican government of the French First Republic in an emperor, and preparations for a coronation followed. Napoleon's elevation to emperor was overwhelmingly approved by the French citizens in the French constitutional referendum of 1804. Among Napoleon's motivations for being crowned were to gain prestige in international royalist and Catholic circles and to lay the foundation for a future dynasty. 

When Pope Pius VII agreed to come to Paris to officiate at Napoleon's coronation, it was initially established that it would follow the coronation liturgy in the Roman Pontifical. However, after the Pope's arrival, Napoleon persuaded the papal delegation to allow the introduction of several French elements in the rite.  Not wanting to be an Old Regime monarch, Napoleon explained: "To be a king is to inherit old ideas and genealogy. I don't want to descend from anyone”. It is written that   Napoleon awoke at 8:00 a.m. to the sound of a cannonade and left the Tuileries at 11:00 a.m. in a white velvet vest with gold embroidery and diamond buttons, a crimson velvet tunic and a short crimson coat with satin lining, a wreath of laurel on his brow. The number of onlookers, as estimated by Wairy, was between four and five thousand, many of whom had held their places all night through intermittent showers that cleared in the morning.  Napoleon's and Joséphine's carriage was drawn by eight bay horses and escorted by grenadiers à cheval and gendarmes d'élite.

There were two orchestras with four choruses, numerous military bands playing heroic marches, and over three hundred musicians. The Emperor and Empress were both anointed on their heads and on both hands with chrism–the Emperor with the prayers. The coronation of Napoleon and Josephine also differed in this respect from the pattern observed in other Western coronation rites.

After the coronation the Emperor presented the imperial standards to each of his regiments. According to government tallies, the entire cost was over 8.5 million francs.. .. .. Pope Pius VII who officiated the coronation was placed under arrest in Italy in 1809  under Napoleon's orders,  and in 1812 the prisoner Pontiff was transferred to France, being held in the Palace of Fontainebleau.  In January 1813, Napoleon personally forced the Pope to sign a humiliating "Concordat of Fontainebleau" which was later repudiated by the Pontiff. The Pope was not released until 1814, when the Coalition invaded France.

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
2.12.2020. 

Kannankottai-Therovy Kandigai reservoir to be declared open by Home Minister Mr Amit Shah

நீர்இன்று அமையாது உலகெனின் யார்யார்க்கும்

வான்இன்று அமையாது ஒழுக்கு

திருவள்ளுவர் வாக்கு: (அதிகாரம்:வான் சிறப்பு குறள் எண்:20)

'நீர்இன்று அமையாது உலகெனின்' என்ற பகுதிக்கு நீரின்றி இவ்வுலக அமைப்பு இல்லை அதாவது நீர் இல்லாமல் உலகம் இயங்காது என்பது பொருள். 'அந்நீரோ, வானில்லாமல் இல்லை' என்ற பொருளில் குறளின் இரண்டாவது பகுதி உள்ளது. அப்பகுதிக்கு 'மழையில்லாமல் நீர் கிடைக்காது என்றால், தண்ணீருக்காக ஆற்றில் அணைகட்டி வாய்க்கால் வெட்டினாலும் சரி, மலைகளைக் குடைந்தும், அணைகள் போட்டும், கிணறு வெட்டியும், ஊற்றுநீர் தேடினாலும் சரி, இன்னும் பலவழிகளில், யார்யார் எப்படி முயன்றாலும் மழையில்லாவிட்டால் நீர் கிடைக்காது' என நீராதாரங்களில் நீரின் வரத்து மழையில்லாமல் உண்டாகாது.  நீர் என்பதற்கு குணம் என்று பொருள் கண்டு 'உலக அமைதிக்கு நீர்மை அதாவது குணம் வேண்டும்; மாந்தர் ஒழுக்கத்துக்கு ஊற்றாக மழை அமையும்' என இக்குறட்பொருளை விளக்குவார் திரு வி கல்யாணசுந்தரனார்.

 

Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides suitable conditions for many types of ecosystems, as well as water for hydroelectric power plants and crop irrigation.

Chennai has no perennial rivers and every year the water crisis looms large over its residents.  After long  nervous and excruciating wait for rains – this season  Nature decided to bless Chennai with good  of rains.  It has rained well .. .. and people are now happy.  The catchment areas of Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills and Chembarambakkam reservoirs received good rain in the past few days and the water storage levels are increasing rapidly. This means good tidings for the city’s core area residents as Metrowater may continue supply of piped water for another six months without exhausting its resources.. Chennai has fresh water reservoirs/lakes namely Poondi, Sholavaram, Red Hills, Chembarambakkam and Veeranam cater the daily needs of water for people of Chennai.

We have not heard of this small village in Thiruvallur district – “Thervaay Kandigai”   considered as the second largest village in Thiruvallur district and it is also considered that the village has more graduates than any other villages in Thiruvallur district. The village is about 50 km North of Chennai.  Michelin has built a tyre factory in Thervaay Kandigai.  A Thervaay Kandigai Industrial Park too  exists.

In Tamil Nadu after the hate speeches, Vel Yatra has generated great interest and the entourage of BJP President has seen massive crowds.    Tamil Nadu unit of the BJP &  the entire state machinery is gearing up to welcome Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah to Chennai today. During his visit, he is expected to inaugurate a few infrastructure projects in Tamil Nadu, including laying the foundation stones for the Phase 2 of Chennai Metro Rail and a flyover on Coimbatore-Avinashi road.  More importantly, Mr Amit Shah will also declare a new reservoir open in the outskirts of Chennai on Saturday. This reservoir, in Thervoy Kandigai,  will supply water exclusively for the needs of the residents of Chennai. This will  be the fifth major reservoir in the outskirts of Chennai, after Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam.

The Thervoy Kandigai reservoir has been constructed at a cost of Rs 380 crore and around 1,485 acres of land was acquired by the government for this project. The project was launched in 2013 and combines two lakes, Thervoy Kandigai and Kannankottai, in Thiruvallur district.      The project came to a standstill within a year of its launch due to land acquisition problems. The work resumed in 2018 and was expected to be completed in a year.  

The reservoir will serve the drinking water needs of the residents of Chennai and will store water from river Krishna. The reservoir will receive Krishna water from a 8.6 km-long canal that will draw water from the Kandaleru-Poondi canal. Thervoy Kandigai reservoir will have a storage capacity of 1 tmcft of water, when filled twice a year. It will be able to supply 66 million litres a day (MLD) of water to Chennai city. With this reservoir, the combined capacity of all the five reservoirs in the outskirts of Chennai will be at 11.75 tmcft. 

With the commissioning of the Kannankottai-Therovy Kandigai reservoir on Saturday, Chennai will get a dedicated reservoir for drinking water supply after a gap of 76 years.  The Satyamurti Sagar at Poondi, built across the Kosasthalaiyar during 1940-44 at a cost of Rs.65 lakh, had the distinction of being the only storage point formed for water supply to the city. It was named after Chennai Mayor S. Satyamurti (1939-40) in recognition of his efforts to get the dam project implemented amid the Second World War. On June 14, 1944, the then Governor of Madras Presidency, Arthur Hope, declared open the reservoir.

Located about 50 km from Chennai, the Kannankottai-Thervoy Kandigai reservoir, costing Rs.380 crore, will store the Krishna water. This has been made possible through an 8.6-km link canal, which will take off from the Kandaleru-Poondi canal.   Through two fillings, the new facility can store 1 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) in a year. It will facilitate the supply of 66 million litres a day (MLD) to the city. The reservoir will also supply water for irrigating 700 acres, according to an official release.

Good news for Chennai and Tamil Nadu ..  #TNWelcomesAmitShah

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
21.11.2020.
Pic credit : twitter.