World Elephant day ~ Chirakkal Kalidasan

Somewhere saw that today is ‘International Elephants Day’ ~ Westerners create and celebrate days . .. for us things are different – our love for animals especially elephants is of a different class – Triplicanites loved temple elephant Azhwan.  There are legends about Elephants- movies, songs,  video albums, even statues, FB pages and more on - Guruvayur Kesavan,  Thiruvambadi Sivasundar, Thechikottukavu Ramachandran, Mangalamkunnu Karnan, Chirakkal Kalidasan, Puthupally kesavan, Pampadi Rajan , Thrikkadavoor SivaRaju, Mangalamkunnu Ayyappan. Cherupplassery Rajasekaran,  Cherupplassery Parthan, Paramekavu Sri Padmanabhan, Thiruvambady Chandrasekaran, Guruvayur Nandan, .. to name a few of the elite tuskers of Kerala !  -  Though may not be the rule – most Temple elephants in Tamilnadu are lonely ie., there would only one in the Temple and mostly they are females : Srirangam Andal, SriVilliputhur – Jayamalyatha; Sriperumpudur Kothai;  Thiruvanaikaval Akila, Madurai Meenakshi – Parvathi;  Thiruchendur Devayani;  Thiruvidaimaruthur Gomathi;  Nellaiyappar Ganthimathi;  Rameswaram Ramaletchumi;  Sivagangai Sornavalli; Thirukkurungudi Valli;   Azhwarthirunagari Adhinathar thirukovil – Adhi Nayaki; Thirukkolur – Kumudavalli; Irrattai Thiruppathi Lakshmi .. .. to name a few.

Elephants are not new to 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.

 

Sure you would have seen Bahubali.  Baahubali 2: The Conclusion -  directed by S. S. Rajamouli and written by his father K. V. Vijayendra Prasad starring  Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka,  Tamannaah, Ramya Krishna, was released in 2017.   The film is set in medieval India and follows the sibling rivalry between Amarendra Baahubali and Bhallaladeva; the latter conspires against the former and has him killed by Kattappa.  In part1, the film had an iconic moment when Shivdu scoops the giant shivlinga from the ground to place it under water and keep his mother away from suffering.   In the second part,  the drama unfolded with  Prabhas’s entrance where he fights with an elephant to protect Shivagami.    The scene was put in perspective of Baahubali’s immense strength and love for his mother.  Though it was all graphics, Rajamouli shot scenes of a famous elephants of Kerala.

Chirakkal is a census town in Kannur district in the state of Kerala, India. It is 7 km from Kannur town.  From the dense forests of Karnataka, Manniserry Hari, an elephant lover brought Kalidasan to Kerala. Within a limited time frame, this elephant became famous among the people with its unique physique. And with a height of 314 cm, it is even known as ‘junior thechikod’ with its stature that resembles Thechikottukavu Ramachandran,  Chirakkal Kalidasan is a legend.  It is Kalidasu that was part of the film ‘Bahubali 2’.   

On August 12, 2012, the inaugural World Elephant Day was launched to bring attention to the urgent plight of Asian and African elephants. The elephant is loved, revered and respected by people and cultures around the world, yet we balance on the brink of seeing the last of this magnificent creature.  Conceived by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark in 2011, the first international Elephant Day was celebrated on August 12, 2012. The aim of the day is to sensitise people about better treatment of captive elephants and against the illegal poaching and trade of the jumbos for ivory.

Given the latest incident of the death of the pregnant elephant in Kerala after allegedly consuming a cracker-stuffed fruit, death of elephants in some Indian states due to human-elephant conflicts, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar highlighted the measures to curb the same. The Vice President too pledged his support to ‘Haathi Hamara Saathi’. On the eve of World Elephant Day, Javadekar launched a beta version of the national portal on human-elephant conflict called ‘Surakhsya’. He also released a document on the best practices for ensuring the human-elephant coexistence. Sharing a video he tweeted, “India has nearly 60% of wild Asian elephants not just because of strong wildlife laws, but because we Indians revere, are more tolerant & affectionate towards animals.   

The song that goes with the lines "Indrapala padasheershamoo" casts the elephant, Kaalidasan, as the hero.  The video draws out the true allure of Kaalidasan and when combined with a melodious song and stunning visuals depicting the Kerala culture like Pooram, Theyyam; the near five-minute music video is a real treat for viewers. Jinodkumar Pillai and Vibin Vinayan presents a thrilling video on the famous elephant of Kerala. Elephant lovers are still  complaining for not featuring Kaalidasan's mahout Sharat (Mambi), reportedly he was  too shy to face the camera.   Kaalidasan has a popular Facebook page and fan clubs in Kerala.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra1s9rZxLzY

Even as we celebrate days and hail elephants, hundreds of them are dying elsewhere due to human greed for their tuskers and somewhat mysteriously in Botswana. Between May and July of this year, the remains of hundreds of elephants were discovered near the Okavango panhandle, in northwest Botswana. They were often found close to waterholes and distressing photographs showed they had crashed headfirst into the earth, indicating a sudden death. Other sickly elephants were emaciated, weak, and barely able to walk. Close to 400 of them have died.  Deliberate poisoning was initially suspected due to the ongoing conflict between farmers and elephants. However, this was later discounted as carrion feeders such as vultures were unaffected. Botswana is home to around 130,000 elephants, Africa's highest population of the animals, according to the BBC. Around 10,000 of those live in the grassy Okavango Delta, which floods seasonally.

There are Western and African countries where rich can hunt and kill elephants – they pay the Govt the requisite fee, given license to kill – armed with sophisticated weaponry, they track and kill elephants and then carry them home as trophies.  Understand that in  South Africa, the laws are basically, if one owns land, they owns the animals there too and hence hunting is common.    In the name of Game hunting – they call it sport, and kill unarmed animals with machine guns – this is no game, but savagery. PETA or anyother organization claiming to fight for animals, first should fight this organized brutal killing before raising any voice on elephants being tortured in India.

Before concluding there is a famous lie – that Mahakavi Subramanya Barathiyar was killed by Triplicane temple elephant.  Understand that somewhere in June 1921, frail Barathi who had been haunted and subjected to harsh treatments in jail was pushed by the elephant.  He did fell down, but survived – toured later, spoke at a conference in Karungalpalayam on July 31 and breathed his last on Sept. 12 (early morning of) 1921.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

12.8.2020.

Photos of Chirakkal Kalidasan taken from web /FB page.

interestingly Marine Insurance ~ yacht in transit !!

 In unprecedented Pandemic – people have remained at home (!) from Mar 24,2020 – and many are talking about economic imbalance – of not being to earn.  There is a different World out there – of uber rich who own pleasure boats and this post is on one such !

For economic reasons and for satisfying the demands – ‘goods are moved from one place to another’.  Goods in transit are insured under Marine Policies.  There are two divisions – Marine Hull and Marine Cargo.  Goods are cargo, while Ships, boats are Hull – but when a boat is transported in another Ship – the boat (the Hull) becomes the subject matter of Marine Cargo Insurance.  In Marine, there will be a Consignor and a Consignee and often the goods are sent through a Carrier – the Carriage operator [need not be owning the conveyance of carriage] charges freight and is obligated to deliver the goods at the intended destination.

A yacht  is a sail or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, so the term applies to such vessels that have a cabin with amenities that accommodate overnight use. To be termed a yacht, as opposed to a boat, such a pleasure vessel is likely to be at least 33 feet (10 m) in length and have been judged to have good aesthetic qualities.  There are some classifications su9ch as Commercial; Private; Pleasure – and then by its size and power.  Racing yachts are designed to emphasize performance over comfort.  Charter yachts are run as a business for profit. As of 2020 there were more than 15,000 yachts of sufficient size to require a professional crew.

Transportation, logistics, carriage, packing, documentation, liabilities of persons involved are complex.  When we entrust some goods to a Transporter  for delivery – we presume that they would safely deliver the same at intended destination failing which, you can hold them responsible for the loss or damage.  In reality,  things are not so simple !  ..  to start with there are Road Carriers, Rail Carriage, carriage by Sea (ship) and Air carriage.  If carriage is Port to Port Transport, the responsibility (if any) of the Carrier for loss or damage to the Goods occurring from the time when the Goods are loaded on board the Vessel at the Port of Loading until the time when the Goods are discharged from the Vessel at the Port of Discharge.   

The law of Carriage of goods governs the transportation of goods by land, sea, or air. The relevant law governs the rights, responsibilities, liabilities, and immunities of the carrier and of the persons employing the services of the carrier.   Until the development of railroads, the most prominent mode of transport was by water. The law governing carriage of goods by sea developed much earlier than that governing inland transportation. The sea laws of the island of Rhodes achieved such prominence that a part of them was carried, many centuries later, into the legislation of Justinian.  This duty of the carrier to deliver the goods safely was considered to exist without regard to obligations arising under any contract between the parties.

As an essential contractual undertaking of the carrier, delivery of goods gives rise to a series of related obligations and liabilities. According to the provisions in contracts of carriage of goods or the carriage laws, impliedly or expressly,   the obligations focus on the followings, inter alias: Firstly, a carrier shall deliver the goods safely; secondly, deliver at an agreed place, or in some special circumstances, at a proper place other than the agreed one; thirdly, deliver in time; fourthly, deliver with the proper mode; and, the last, deliver to the proper person.

Then there is ‘due diligence’; extent of liability (limited liability) and immunity of carriers.  One of the important provisions of COGSA [Carriage of Goods by Sea Act] is  “Neither the carrier nor the ship shall be liable for loss or damage arising or resulting from unseaworthiness unless caused by want of due diligence on the part of the carrier to make the ship seaworthy, and to secure that the ship is properly manned, equipped, and supplied.. .. …..   (partly reproduced)

Now with this lengthy background read this news article that appeared in MailOnline.  Italian billionaire Pier Luigi Laro Piana whose £30m superyacht sank after it fell off the back of a cargo freighter is suing the British transport firm for compensation. Pier Luigi is an heir to the high end clothing company Loro Piana, which was founded in 1924 by his grandfather Pietro.

The owner of a £30million  (Rs. 295 cr) super yacht is suing a British transport company for the loss of his vessel which fell off a cargo vessel and sank in a storm. Italian billionaire Pier Luigi Laro Piana commissioned Peters and May to transport his three-year-old yacht, My Song, between Antigua and Genoa. However, in May 2019, the yacht, which was being carried by the freighter Brattingsborg, was lost overboard in a storm around 40 miles from Menorca and sank.  Later, the huge yacht was spotted half submerged and drifting 40 miles from Menorca. According to The Times, Mr Piana is suing the the firm for the replacement value of yacht. However, the Southampton-based Peters and May deny responsibility.

Yacht on a ship (representational image)

According to court papers: 'The primary assessment is that the yacht's cradle - owned and provided by the yacht, warranted by the yacht for sea transport and assembled by the yacht's crew - collapsed during the voyage.'  Mr Piana's lawyers are seeking to have the case returned to an Italian court. He had previously told La Repubblica: 'For anyone who loves the sea, this boat is like a second home, and it is as if my home has burnt down.  'We decided to transport it on a cargo ship to be sure it wasn't damaged because you can never be sure of the weather.'   

The yacht was salvaged by a German firm but it was beyond economic repair as teh carbon fibre hull was holed in several places and the masts were broken off. Her owner had arranged for 'My Song' to take part in the 2019 Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta, where she was a returning winner. My Song is described as 'a wolf in sheep's clothing' - she has a 56-metre-high mast and under full sail can reach more than 30 knots.  'She was packed with cutting edge design and technology and also served as a comfortable cruising yacht.'

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

7.8.2020

Louvre museum opened this day, 227 years ago !

Madame Récamier, gracefully reclined on a meridienne with her head turned towards the viewer, is dressed in a white antique-style sleeveless dress and is barefoot. The room is empty except for the antique-style sofa, stool and candelabra. She is seen from some distance, so her face is quite small, but this is less a portrait of a person than of an ideal of feminine elegance. Madame Récamier (1777-1849), although then only twenty-three, was already one of the most admired women of her time. The daughter of a notary, she epitomized the social ascension of the new post-revolutionary elite. Her husband, older than her, had become one of the principal financial backers of the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte. .. one of the works on display !

Masks are compulsory, a one-way system is in place and numbers of visitors will be controlled.  There will also be a spaced queue to view Leonardo Da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa painting. Some 10 million people come to what is thought to be the world's most visited museum each year, the majority from abroad.   Museums around the world are struggling because of the coronavirus: New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is projecting $100 million in losses this year, and even France’s publicly funded Louvre has lost 40 million euros following a four-month closure.

Dan Brown is a great writer and packs so many illustrious things in each page – recently I was engrossed in his book ‘Origin’.  The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It follows "symbologist" Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ having been a companion to Mary Magdalene.

The title of the novel refers to the finding of the first murder victim in the Grand Gallery of the Louvre, naked and posed similar to Leonardo da Vinci's famous drawing, the Vitruvian Man, with a mathematical message written beside his body and a pentagram drawn on his chest in his own blood.  The book starts with -   Louvre Curator and Priory of Sion grand master Jacques Saunière  fatally shot one night at the museum by an albino Catholic monk named Silas, who is working on behalf of someone he knows only as the Teacher, who wishes to discover the location of the "keystone," an item crucial in the search for the Holy Grail.

 

The Louvre or the Louvre Museum   is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris, France. A central landmark of the city, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward). Approximately 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 72,735 square metres.  The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners.

The Louvre is a  central landmark in the city of Paris, France.  It is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement (district or ward).  The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces.  

 

                 At the end of Napoleon's First Italian Campaign in 1797, the Treaty of Campo Formio was signed with Count Philipp von Cobenzl of the Austrian Monarchy. This treaty not only marked the completion of Napoleon's conquest of Italy, but also the end of the first phases of the French Revolutionary Wars. Under this treaty, Italian cities were required to contribute pieces of art and patrimony to take part in Napoleon's "parades of booty" through Paris before being put into the Louvre Museum.  One of the most famous pieces taken under this program was the Horses of Saint Mark. The four antique bronze horses, which had adorned the basilica of San Marco in Venice after the sack of Constantinople in 1204, were brought to Paris to reside atop Napoleon's Arc du Carrousel in Paris in 1797. Several churches and palaces, including Saint Mark's Basilica, were looted by the French, which outraged the Italians and their artistic and cultural sensibilities.  Dominique Vivant Denon was Napoleon's art advisor, and accompanied him on the expedition to Egypt. Through his initiative, the Valley of the Kings in Egypt was discovered and studied extensively.

One of the most important discoveries made during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt was the Rosetta Stone. It was discovered in 1799, and eventually led to the ability to decipher ancient hieroglyphs. Although the Rosetta Stone was discovered by the French, it actually never made it to the Louvre Museum. It was seized by British Forces following the defeat of Napoleon in Egypt and the subsequent signing of the Treaty of Alexandria in 1801.  It is now on display at the British Museum.

 

After the French defeat at Waterloo, the works' former owners sought their return. The Louvre's administrators were loath to comply and hid many works in their private collections. In response, foreign states sent emissaries to London to seek help, and many pieces were returned, even some that had been restored by the Louvre.

The Louvre is owned by the French government; however, since the 1990s it has become more independent.  Since 2003, the museum has been required to generate funds for projects. By 2006, government funds had dipped from 75 percent of the total budget to 62 percent. Every year, the Louvre now raises as much as it gets from the state, about €122 million. The government pays for operating costs (salaries, safety and maintenance), while the rest – new wings, refurbishments, acquisitions – is up to the museum to finance.  The Louvre employs a staff of 2,000 led by Director Jean-Luc Martinez, who reports to the French Ministry of Culture and Communications.  

On the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death, the Louvre held the largest ever single exhibit of his work, from 24 Oct 2019 to 24 Feb 2020. The event included over a hundred items: paintings, drawings and notebooks.  The whole world knows the Louvre/  Several hypotheses exist as to the origin of the Louvre, but none is unanimous.

– The first hypothesis would come from Latin. The Louvre used to be Lupara in this language, more precisely “Turris lupara”. Off the root word lupanar comes from “lupus”, which means wolf. Well before the museum, there would be here a forest, land of wolves …

– The second hypothesis has Saxon origins, spoken in Northern Gaul as a result of Germanic migrations. In this language, lauer or lower mean watchtower, what was the Louvre in the 9th century during the various seats in Paris by the Vikings.

– The third hypothesis is French, and dates from the origins of the current Louvre, when Philippe-Auguste decided to build a fortress around the capital in 1190. The dungeon located along the Seine, later transformed into a royal residence, is a gigantic work, from the verb ouvrer. The work, or the work as they say today, would have given its name to the castle. 

Interesting ~ this museum opened this day 227 years ago ! 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

10.8.2020

the rock of Gibraltar

Risk, uncertainty and protection ~ Insurance key words and an Insurer getting attracted to this photo is obvious.  An advertisement of The Prudential Insurance Co of America illustration showing  steam-powered ship sailing past the rock, labelled  "The Prudential has the Strength of Gibraltar" published by Keppler & Schwarzmann, in Feb 1909. [pic credit : Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C]

Have heard of this phrase ‘ you are rock of Gibraltar ‘ a metaphor meaning the solidity and strength that a rock can provide.  The rock of Gibraltar  was known to the ancient Greeks as one of the two Pillars of Hercules. According to Greek mythology adopted by the Etruscans and Romans, when Hercules had to perform twelve labours, one of them (the tenth) was to fetch the Cattle of Geryon of the far West and bring them to Eurystheus; this marked the westward extent of his travels. A lost passage of Pindar quoted by Strabo was the earliest traceable reference in this context: "the pillars which Pindar calls the 'gates of Gades' when he asserts that they are the farthermost limits reached by Heracles”. 

The Rock of Gibraltar, also known as the Rock, is a monolithic limestone promontory located in the territory of Gibraltar, near the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. It is 426 m (1,398 ft) high. Most of the Rock's upper area is covered by a nature reserve, which is home to around 300 Barbary macaques. These macaques, as well as a labyrinthine network of tunnels, attract many tourists each year. Gibraltar is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Britain took control of Gibraltar on this day in 1704 after Spain surrendered, and “the Rock” subsequently became a British colony and a symbol of British naval strength.

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula,  bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to over 32,000 people, primarily Gibraltarians.  In 1704, Anglo-Dutch forces captured Gibraltar from Spain during the War of the Spanish Succession on behalf of the Habsburg claim to the Spanish throne. The territory was ceded to Great Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. During the Napoleonic Wars and World War II it was an important base for the Royal Navy as it controlled the entrance and exit to the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar, which is only 14.3 km (8.9 mi) wide at this naval choke point. It remains strategically important, with half the world's seaborne trade passing through the strait.  Today Gibraltar's economy is based largely on tourism, online gambling, financial services and bunkering.

The sovereignty of Gibraltar is a point of contention in Anglo-Spanish relations because Spain asserts a claim to the territory. Gibraltarians rejected proposals for Spanish sovereignty in a 1967 referendum and, in a 2002 referendum, the idea of shared sovereignty was also rejected.  It is in news again !

Downing Street hit out at Spain amid claims that Madrid lobbied US politicians to back joint-control of Gibraltar. Several current and former members of Congress said they were approached by the Spanish embassy in Washington after backing the British Overseas Territory's sovereignty. The campaign lasted between 2014 and 2019 and involved the suggestion that Gibraltar citizens be given dual Spanish nationality and Madrid would get a say in its political system, the Daily Telegraph reported.  UK  Prime minister's official spokesman said: 'The people of Gibraltar have repeatedly and overwhelmingly expressed their wish to remain under British sovereignty and we will respect their wishes. 'We will never enter into arrangements under which the people of Gibraltar would pass under the sovereignty of another state against their wishes.  Furthermore the UK will not enter into any process of sovereignty negotiations with which Gibraltar is not content. 'We will continue to take whatever action is necessary to safeguard Gibraltar, its people and its economy including maintaining a well-functioning Gibraltar-Spain border.'

Britain and Spain, Nato allies, have clashed repeatedly  in recent years over the tiny enclave at the mouth of the Mediterranean. Its position has been thrown into even sharper focus since the Brexit vote, because of its sometimes frictious land border with Spain.  Citizens of The Rock, which overwhelmingly backed Remain at the 2016 referendum, have consistently pledged their allegiance to Britain, including in several referendums on the subject.

For centuries there were colonies and people were subjugated – things have changed and yet some Countries wish to dominate over others. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

6.8.2020.