Rufus - pigeons scare ... and the hawk eye technology

On the sporting arena – there is perhaps one common thing between French Open and Wimbledon and that is on ‘air’ ….. so everyday, in the mornings from 5am to 9 am – it is flown .. ? ~ at Rolandgarros – the most fiercest battle was not between players but was on air !!

‘have eyes like a hawk’ is a phrase – meaning that ‘the one’s who posses such eyes notice everything’

 …….. in Sports, ‘Hawk-Eye’ is a complex computer system used officially  in  cricket, tennis, soccer-  to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its statistically most likely path as a moving image. It is another matter that technology too drowns India sometimes….. In 2011 WC in a group match – Yuvraj  struck Bell plumb – Billy Bowden turned down the appeal.  Dhoni went in for review.  The TV replays showed that it was not a no ball, was in line of the stumps and would have struck the middle of the stumps.  Crowd roared and Bell started trudging back.  

He was only 17.  When everyone believed out, the third umpire after watching things on a slow motion ruled Bell not out taking umbrage under a 2.5M rule. !!!

Pigeons are commonly found on Temples – the walls of Sri Parthasarathi Swami Temple have them in large numbers. I have posted about thousands of pigeons turning out in the sands of Marina every morning for the feed that are offered by a group of people. Have been posting about Wimbledon – Lendl once remarked ‘grass is for cows’ ….  The grass seed on tennis courts is like caviar to pigeons; Pigeons have a very advanced olfactory navigation system so they can smell the grass from far away, and the Wimbledon roofs are the perfect roosting ground.

These powerful birds have four types of colour receptors in the eye which give birds the ability to perceive not only the visible range but also the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, and other adaptations allow for the detection of polarised light or magnetic fields ~ and they scare smaller birds, especially the pigeons … it is the hawk - a common name for some small to medium-sized diurnal birds of prey, widely distributed and varying greatly in size. Hawks have become a popular means of pigeon control – they don’t hurt them, but they do stop them from building nests in buildings. The birds were used at the Euro 2012 Championships and are often employed by residents of particularly well-heeled streets  ~ one such is employed at Wimbledon and also works at Westminster Abbey, where he was a constant presence in the run-up to last year’s royal wedding, as well as at various hospitals.

At Rolandgarros where there was battle for the number one spot between Nadal and Djokovic, there was avian problem.  Apparently so many pigeon droppings have been landing on the court  affecting play on the clay courts. Balls bounce differently off the slimy droppings and they are just plain gross to deal with. Officials were so fed up with the bird excrements that they tried to scare the birds away with noise over the loud speakers, but to no avail. Finally they decided to bring eight falcons to Roland Garros in hopes the predator birds will get rid of the pigeons. Falconer Ludwig Verschatse said his birds didn’t actually kill any pigeons, just scared them away from the stadium. New York had a similar problem with pigeon droppings in the subway earlier this year, and solved it by simply playing the sounds of predator birds around subway entrances.

"We're bringing one of the oldest art forms to an urban environment," says Imogen Davis, a falconer whose hawks guard Wimbledon as well as hospitals, landfills and a rugby stadium.  At Wimbledon, besides the names of Andy Murray, Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Wawrinka; Serena, Li Na, Simona Halep, Radwanska, Maria Sharapova – is Rufus.   He is not one who handles racket – it is a woodland hawk who prevents Wimbledon from being overrun by pigeons.  Rufus patrols the skies above Wimbledon from 5am to 9am every day, scaring off pigeons, which love to feast on the courts’ grass seeds.  According to his handler, Imogen Davis, “We use Rufus as a nonlethal deterrent, so he flies when he’s not hungry enough to eat the pigeons, but not full enough to ignore them either.”

Rufus the hawk was stolen in 2012 and it made big news – with best of the detectives put to trace – it was eventually returned to its owners.  

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

24^th June 2014.

landmarks of Chennai - 'flame thrower' at OMR (Rajiv Gandhi Salai)

In the sizzling summer of Chennai, the IT Corridor aka OMR (Rajiv Gandhi Salai) is perhaps one route which has most of the airconditoned buses in the metropolis of Chennai -  –  all of them enjoy good patronage, thanks to IT / ITES en route … buoyed the good patronage, there are more numbers … the bus staff are very courteous, some stop even away from bus stops on seeing commuter – generally only the gate near the driver is opened – as this ensures the cooling inside is preserved better.

For those in OMR and travelling on the road daily … do you know of Dashrath Patel, who was  awarded the Padma Shri in 1981 and Padma Bhushan posthumously in 2011 ?

The winding  Old Mahabalipuram Road (Rajiv Gandhi Salai)  starts near the Kasturibai Nagar Railway station -  the Madhya Kailash temple in Adyar in South Chennai – winds it way till Mahabalipuram – being the earliest route – it carries the name ‘Old Mahabalipuram Road’ – this is State highway-49A. From Madhya Kailash, some important stops include : Indira Nagar; Tidel Park (Thiruvanmiyur RS); SRP Tools; Kandanchavadi, Perungudi, Toll plaza; Thuraipakkam (DB Jain); PTC; Okkiyam; Karapakkam; Sholinganallur Jn, Semmanchery; Navalur; SIPCOT; HIET; Padur; Kelambakkam ….not sure whether Thiruporur which is on the same straightline is included in this. 

The corridor where some madly race in the jostling traffic alongside big plush buses; PTC buses; private vehicles; share autos and so many two wheelers (sadly one see / hears of nasty accidents frequently) – there are people changing lanes suddenly, riding on wrong lane, sudden turns unmindful of vehicles coming behind; big buses turning at will; people jumping over the median ….and more..

The corridor, an ambitious six-lane project with service lanes and landscaping, came in to being around 2005 – the 1^st phase being  20.1 km from Madhya Kailash junction  to Siruseri — it is ever expanding and already struggling to find space for the ever increasing no. of users.  The IT Corridor Project, was an initiative of Government of Tamil Nadu to develop the Corridor as a world-class facility and to promote a progressive and IT/ITES friendly image of Tamil Nadu. The project was handled by  TNRDC (Tamil Nadu Road Development Company)

Other than those working in Tidel Park and its vicinity, Tharamani and those walking for the Thiruvanmiyur Railway station, may not have noticed this somewhat obscure landmark – a public art specially created at a great cost meant to stand for global city – is the ‘flame thrower’ – a somewhat ungainly statue made of reinforced-cement-concrete  designed by Dashrath Patel.

A web search reveals that a  flamethrower is a mechanical incendiary device designed to project a long controllable stream of fire. They were first used during World War I, and widely used in World War II. Some flamethrowers project a stream of ignited flammable liquid; some project a long gas flame.  What has this design to do with Chennai or specifically with OMR or with IT Companies, I could not comprehend … and there is not much available in the web too.

There is another interesting statue, of which I will post shortly…

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

19^th June 2014.

length of 'Red carpet' irks Red Chinese Premier Li

Sometime ago, this news shocked people…. It was about the wanderlust of the then President Pratibha Patil costing  the public exchequer a whopping Rs 205 crore,  surpassing the record of all her predecessors. It was at a time when she had four months to go and a trip to South Africa on the anvil – since assuming office as Nation’s first woman President in July 2007, Patil undertook 12 foreign trips covering 22 countries across four continents. Foreign trips of Heads of the Nation are inevitable – they do good for the Nations too …   In the recent visit of Chinese Premier, Beijing registered a complaint with Downing St – can you imagine the reason ?

Li with David Cameroon

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is returning after a  six-day trip to Britain and Greece that infused fresh vigour into China's ties and cooperation with the two countries and with Europe as a whole. In Greece, Li met separately with Greek President Karolos Papoulias, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Parliament Speaker Evangelos Vasileios Meimarakis. He also addressed the China-Greece Maritime Cooperation Forum, expounding China's views on maritime affairs.

British and Chinese companies signed trade and investment deals worth some £14 billion ($23.8 billion) as Premier Li Keqiang continued a three-day visit to the U.K. to bolster business ties between the two nations. The 20-year agreement will see 1.5 million tons of LNG shipped to China each year from 2019, BP said in a statement. The contract with the U.K.’s second-largest energy producer shows China’s appetite hasn’t been sated by a $400 billion pipeline deal it made with Russia last month. Royal Dutch Shell Plc also signed a strategic alliance agreement. Deals from energy to finance totaling $30 billion  were announced, according to China’s embassy in London. For its part, Britain said it will make it easier for Chinese visitors to apply for visas. Home Secretary Theresa May announced easier forms for visa applicants from China and an agreement to allow travelers from China or India to come to the U.K. on an Irish visa.

Cameron visited China in December for the first time in three years, and was greeted with an editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper stating that Britain “is just an old European country apt for travel and study.” In 2012, he was told he had “seriously damaged” relations by meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

 Mr. Li, who arrived in London , began his official engagements with an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in her Windsor Castle residence. He then held talks with Prime Minister David Cameron and took part in the annual U.K.-China summit—a meeting of ministers from both countries, followed by a lunch with businesspeople. However, after receiving the plans for Mr Li’s arrival, Beijing registered a complaint with Downing St -because the red carpet being rolled out for the Chinese head of government at Heathrow airport was not up to scratch. A red carpet is traditionally used to mark the route taken by heads of state on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has in recent decades been extended to use by VIPs and celebrities at formal events.

the guard of honour for Mr Li

When the Chinese premier visited London this week he was greeted with an honour guard, a Downing Street reception and a meeting with the Queen. But one aspect of Li Keqiang’s welcome fell somewhat short in the eyes of Chinese officials – the red carpet rolled out for his arrival at Heathrow. After plans for Mr Li’s visit were shown to the Beijing government, aides complained that the carpet leading from the steps of his plane was not long enough. They saw a diagram of the arrangements at Heathrow and complained that the carpet was three metres too short,’ said one of the visit organisers. The objection was raised with Ed Llewellyn, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, but he is said to have told the Chinese official he had other things to worry about. Mr Li is said to have demanded to meet the Queen, who welcomed him to Windsor Castle, despite the fact that it is relatively unusual for her to receive world leaders who are not heads of state.

So, Chinese saw red because the carpet rolled out at Heathrow for Premier Li was 10ft too short……. China’s Foreign Ministry yesterday played down the diplomatic row over the length of the red carpet. The demanding requirement was perhaps surprising considering in December 2012 the current Chinese administration banned red carpets, welcome banners, floral arrangements and grand receptions for Chinese officials travelling domestically on official business.

In Aug 2012, in a ghastly fire accident in a coach of Tamilnadu Express near Nellore more than 30 lives were lost. Railway Minister Mukul Roy – had to visit the spot but did so very reluctantly.  More than 12 hours after the horrific train blaze, the Minister was still in Kolkatta citing poor connectivity to Nellore. From Nellore, he reached Chennai in a plush luxurious train coach.  The New Indian Express reported of the royal treatment that Union Railway Minister Mukul Roy received after he arrived from Nellore in a special “luxury” train.  It states that, the most important scene was played out when a worker brought a special doormat, which the guards claimed was made of wool, and placed it just beneath the door for the minister to step on as he exited the compartment.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

24^th June 2014.

the black Sunday Tsunami of Dec 2004 ~ as experienced and response of SYMA

The word is now a commoner …. Around 15 years ago – not many country knew its pronunciation nor its meaning … all that changed on that Black Sunday !! – perhaps it occurred earlier but known by that name – perhaps a similar thing only undid Dhanushkodi – and earlier in 1930s ….  It is ‘tsunami’ (from Japanese – a harbour wave) - a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, generally an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (including detonations of underwater nuclear devices), landslides, glacier calvings, meteorite impacts and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami.  Tsunami waves do not resemble normal sea waves, because their wavelength is far longer.

temblor effect - Marina - Express photo

Wave heights of tens of metres can be generated by large events. Although the impact of tsunamis is limited to coastal areas, their destructive power can be enormous and they can affect entire ocean basins; the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was among the deadliest natural disasters in human history with at least 290,000 people killed or missing in 14 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake. The resulting tsunami was given various names, including the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, South Asian tsunami, Indonesian tsunami, the Christmas tsunami and the Boxing Day tsunami. The earthquake was caused when the Indian Plate was subducted by the Burma Plate and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the coasts of most landmasses bordering the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people in fourteen countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters (100 ft) high. It was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.

Sunday morning usually begins lazily with levity. The residents of Chennai were woken up to a rude shock. It was literally earth shattering. Many did not really know. Some thought it was their own indisposition. At morning 6.28 am on 26^th Dec 2004, Chennai was hit by tremors. The tremor had its epicenter 257 km south east of Banda Aceh, Indonesia and measured 8.9 on the Richter scale making it the most powerful earthquake in the World in the last 40 years. The epicenter was actually 2028 km south east of Chennai; the worst was to follow.  The residents who assembled out of their homes, talked to each other and after a while everything was back to normal or so it appeared.

Srinivas Youngmens Association [SYMA] wedded to social service,  had organized collection of used clothes for Rajasthan cloth bank and  its volunteers - we were out in the streets campaigning. We had a rickshaw fitted with mike – blurring out recorded message and live appeal requesting local people to contribute Around 8.45 am, when were camping around Vasudevapuram, off Dr Besant Road,  there was commotion that sea water had entered inside. Out of sheer eagerness, we also rushed towards Vivekananda beach. The sight was incredible. What had happened in Marina? – we saw people running with fear – some were carrying TV, utensils and whatever they could – some were simply running with children on their head and shoulders…. Clearly fear had gripped the inmates of Ayodhya Nagar and other slums living in the vicinity of the beach.

One could see sheets of water on the Beach road – nearer Besant statue and Vivekanandar illam … remember Chennai shore has little elevation – the sands of Marina extend almost around 1 to 1.5 kilometers from sea to the road – then there is inner road made of thar – there is elevation again, as one reaches Kamarajar Salai aka Beach road – and it is this beach road where sea water was running !

It was a Sunday, the day after Christmas. Holiday-makers, picnicers, children, morning walkers, vendors, fisherfolk - , they were all there on the golden sands of the Marina Beach. The 3 km-long beach which is the longest in Asia and has the memorials of two former CM.s of TN, and various other structures, could accommodate all of them and more. Scores of boys had taken positions on their regular playing ground for a game of cricket. There were tourists on the shore, to feel the tickle of water and sand under their feet. Fishermen, who had returned at daybreak after a night at sea, were mending their nets. Fish vendors were building for the catch that had been sorted out. It was like any other Sunday on the Marina. Out of the calm blue sea, tiny waves inched towards the shores. Then, unbelievably, they rose in unison to form a giant wall of water, only to come crashing down on all those who thought the Marina was their home ground. In its furious fall, the water swept across the expanse of the beach and its walkways, and even crossed the Kamarajar Salai to enter buildings on the other side. The sea went back after making one more trip, at 10 a.m. but after swallowing people and dragging much of the beach sands back.

The gravity of the situation was not understood by the curious onlookers – in decades, we have never seen sea rushing so long – later pictures were to reveal how a car stationed near labour statue was violently cradled …… but as we waded in knee deep water – we were to hear some sad stories – a man was frantically searching for his son who was playing cricket …. then a group of people from nearby slums were anxiously carrying a woman who was not breathing – there were stories of dozen people drowned or seen unconscious – everyone was trying to do something – but mostly directionless, no clue of what had struck and not knowing what to do !!! – a group of us tried regulating the traffic.

Once back at home around 10.30 am – there was news of a tidal wave arising out of earthquake having struck in many coastal areas – there was so many footage showing vehicles and bigger objects being taken into the sea by the rough waves retreating.  At noon, all that remained of the Marina was knee-deep cesspools. Catamarans, fibreglass boats with outboard motors, cracked country boats, pushcarts and motorbikes, lay mangled. Cars parked on the service lane of the beach were lifted by the surging waters and thrown around; one car lay perched on a stone bench on what were once lawns.

Having not experienced such a thing, the reaction of the city was curious. They were descending in thousands towards the beach just to see what was happening. There was a surge of crowd at the waterways - the Adyar river and the Cooum which winds through the city. The rivers were flowing backwards. That was the first sign of the tsunami people living some distance from the beach noticed. The monster waves triggered by seismic activity introduced a new phenomenon, hitherto unknown to this part of the world. These tidal waves are called tsunami, a Japanese word meaning harbour waves. The Poseidon in all its fury lasted only a few minutes but the aftermath was ghastly. Tsunami reportedly had hit India earlier in 1941 and before that in 1881 in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, The sea water upsurge was reportedly recorded more times on the same day, but fortunately no fresh damage.

The city which realized the fury only much later, and after repeated TV footages and many news bulletins  started reacting. We at SYMA after the intial shock came to grips and around noon started collecting rice, foodgrains and vegetables. We used the same vehicle that we had put up for collection of clothes.  We went around first the mada veethis of Thiruvallikkeni and then extended our trip into smaller bylanes too.  First we bought few kgs of vegetables as the market was closing down – it was mostly brinjals and pumpkins. The kindhearted authorities of SHG Terapanth Bhavan permitted usage of the choultry and cooking started. Scores of volunteers assisted them, cutting vegetables,  and in other possible manner. A team of cooks (professionals and otherwise headed by Durai, a master cook) started the work….. initially, some hot water was boiled and in that tamarind was mixed – the available vegetables were put in them – an immediate attempt to make some sambar rice.

Triplicanites spontaneously  came out in larger numbers  providing succour. Lot of friendly associations like Seva Bharathi, Vivekananda Kendra, Sastha Samajam from Ambattur chipped in and together we were able to provide food for 15,000 and more.  The Ambattur Sastha Samaj had arranged for an Iyyappa Pooja – send of their people in pilgrimmage to Sabarimala and distribution of food on that occasion. They diverted the food that they were making. Our volunteers with so many others went to the affected areas and distributed food and water. The kitchen was busy late in the night also. I alongwith truck load of hot food reached out the banks of Coovum alongside Chintadripet – nearer Chitra theatre – there were (in those days) many slums – when the sea water flowed inwards – it carried heavy slush, entered their homes – hundreds were on the streets – awaiting eagerly for food – we had lorry load of cooked rice dish and the same was distributed.

Meantime, the Govt. authorities were doing great job. They had placed hundreds of people who had moved out from areas close to the sea and made arrangements for them at various Corporation school.  Chennai Corporation – the Zonal Office at Triplicane had wartime planning.  Mr AC Soundaiah heading the Zone was an expert planner – he knew where people had been placed and what exactly was the immediate need. We coordinated with  Corporation authorities and were fully assisted by the Inspector of Police of D3 PS- Mr. M.Chandrasekaran – the Govt machinery was in full swing, doing a great job. It was late in the night that the volunteers started feeling tired and thought of heading back to home.

Triplicane and most of other areas by then had developed mortal fear – many left the coastal zone to stay with their relatives. As you would have read by now – we were all talking about what happened in Marina and its vicinity – though much was shown in TV, the reality that Tsunami had wrecked havoc in coastal Tamilnadu was relatively not understood.  In fact, Chennai was least affected when compared to Cuddalore and Nagapattinam and globally to Sri Lanka and Indonesia. 

Next morning, when more was needed Sri Parthasarathy Swami Koil Devasthanam provided cooked food in large quantity. We lodged the provisions and other items collected by us with the Corporation Relief Centre at Chintadripet. We still had the burning urge to do something more, had rounds of discussions on possible ways in partaking in the relief operations.

That was unfolding of events on day 1 – on Sunday, 26^th Dec 2004 – more was to follow.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

The unfortunate event on Black Sunday claimed lives of many … SYMA was at the forefront; alongside many other Organisations and individuals did relief work at Chennai, later at Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Poompuhar.  This is depiction of our reaction on day 1 … as detailed in SYMA Bliss Jan 2005 issue – now posted on web here.