Lanka loses 2nd Test too at Galle ... what caused interruption on day 3 ??

At Galle, in the First test -  Dom Bess and Jack Leach's combined match haul of 14 for 307 ensured an emphatic win for the visitors even as Lankans were roasted for their poor performance in the 1^st innings.  Now in the Second test also at Galle, Sri Lanka secured themselves a useful 37-run lead on first innings early on the fourth day.  Jack Leach was the last man out for England, lbw to Dilruwan Perera for 1 on the 11th ball of the morning, having added five runs with James Anderson, whose reverse sweep to the boundary off Lasith Embuldeniya left him not out on 4.

BUT the day went horribly wrong for Lankans as they were bundled out for 126 with spinner - Lasith Embuldeniya  becoming the top scorer with 40.  On an enthralling day when 15 wickets fell, England's frontline spinners came to the fore and opener Dom Sibley scored an unbeaten half-century to help defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets with a day to spare and win the series 2-0.  Lasith Embuldeniya followed his 7 for 137 in the first innings with 3 for 73 to take 10 for the match - not to mention top-scoring in Sri Lanka's second innings - but it was not enough as Sibley, in need of runs, played exactly the innings that was required of him: patient, productive and at times fortunate.  Going into the final session on day four, the tourists still needed 118 runs and they got there via an unbroken 75-run partnership between Sibley and Jos Buttler, who followed his 55 in the first innings, where he played a fine supporting role as Joe Root scored his wonderful 186, with 46 not out. Sibley hit the winning run to end unbeaten on 56. 

After long time, Test Cricket is to return to Chepauk in Feb 2021 with England set to play 2 tests here but .. .. .. there would be no spectators !  .. have seen that in earlier times, during matches, Chepauk turns a virtual fortress … spectators would be  body-frisked and there would be so many items which are not allowed – and that includes whistles, banners, sticks, water bottles, cigarettes  and more.  In olden days, they used to check only cool drink bottles [of colas] checking whether they are mixed with alcohol… for IPL matches, even a water bottle was not allowed ~ one had to buy things at extraordinary rates…. Long ago, fans would run on to the ground to greet their stars when they hit a century – now you have high fences and watchguards… some of the stands are protected with net too… !!   

Interruptions in a Cricket match can arise due to host of reasons – ranging from – wet spots, bees swarming, ball getting out of shape, players injury, rain, bad light and even lightning ....  spectator running into the file (streaking included !) – and animal invasion too.....(this post is on one such intriguing animal interruption !) .. at Chepauk – have seen dogs running helter-skelter – entire stadium would laugh when the marker could not catch the stray dog – with play suspended briefly.  I had posted on a strange incident in Nov 2012 when England toured India and were playing a match for acclamitising  - the stoppage was due to simian invasion - a langur monkey,  running across the pitch, hampering the game and making its way off being attracted  by another female monkey on the boundary edge.

 

In 2014, a spectator smuggled a pig into the first day of the Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England; and was in news as he was charged with  animal cruelty. Security guards spotted the pig wrapped in a towel and being carried in a baby harness  !! A 33-year-old Australian man was arrested and charged and made to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court. More than the carriage, it appears to be all about cruelty to the animal as according to  spokesperson of  Brisbane chapter of the Royal Society the pig was "really stressed out and dehydrated." The incident was a reprise of the 1982-83 Ashes Test at the Gabba where a group of vets brought in an anaesthetised pig that had "Beefy", for Ian Botham, written on one side and "Eddie", for Hemmings, on the other and let it on to the pitch.

This is one is not all that serious – as ICC posted a tweet stating “ICC is reviewing reports that Sri Lanka used an extra fielder against England in Galle” !!

During the third day of the second Test of the ongoing England’s tour of Sri Lanka in Galle, a monitor lizard became the centre of attraction after it was spotted near the boundary rope.  It all happened in the 64th over of the English innings when a cameraman witnessed the dangerous reptile making its presence felt on the ground at the Galle International Stadium. While there was no untoward incident due to the monitor lizard, it ended up alluring hilarious reactions across social media platforms.

Monitor lizards (உடும்பு)  are large lizards in the genus Varanus. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but are now found also in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recognized.  They have  have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs.   While most monitor lizards are carnivorous, eating eggs, smaller reptiles, fish, birds, insects, and small mammals, some also eat fruit and vegetation, depending on where they live.  It is believed that their grasp is so strong that they were used in earlier times for invading forts and climbing hills !! 

உடும்பு என்பது பல்லி வகையைச் சேர்ந்த பேரினம் ஆகும். இவை பொதுவாகப் பெரிய ஊர்வன உயிரினங்களாகும், எனினும் 20 சென்டிமீட்டரளவில் நீளம் கொண்டுள்ள இனங்களும் உண்டு. இவை நீண்ட கழுத்து, வலுமிக்க வால் மற்றும் நகங்கள் மேலும் நன்கு வளர்ந்த மூட்டுகள் ஆகியவற்றைக் கொண்டுள்ளன.  

Ever seen ‘Udumbu’ at arm’s length.. .. .. Monitor lizard, touted for its unrelenting grip is the common name of several large lizard species, comprising the genus Varanus. About 30 years ago, in Triplicane, in the morning around 09.00 am, I stood close to the shop entrance, as my friend opened his Watch repair shop in TP Kovil Street.  He hastily retreated from part open door, then before I could realize, a solid black 2 to 3 footer jumped and went into hiding inside the shop’s Name  board.  Later it was revealed that the man had bought Udumbu [for obvious reasons !] and had tied it to the leg of a wooden stool, planning everything for the next day…. In the night, the lizard had shrunk itself with ease, loosened the grip, got freed and was perhaps was waiting for the door to open ! 

With regards – S.Sampathkumar
25.1.2021
  

stuntsman Remy Julienne of Bond Movies fame is no more !

Charlie Croker, upon his release from prison, meets up with the widow of his friend and fellow thief Roger Beckermann, who has been killed by the Mafia in an Italian Alpine tunnel while driving a Lamborghini Miura. Mrs Beckermann gives Croker her husband's plans for the robbery that attracted the hostile attention of his killers, which details a way to steal $4 million in gold in the city of Turin and escape to Switzerland.  .. … .. plot of 1969 movie ‘The Italian Job’    written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson.  Could not find the name of  Remy Julienne – though he figured in the movie prominently !! 

 

In every climax, it would invariably happen ! ~ the hero would perform something impossible, an auto chase, burning car, fast train, jumping from air and more – hero would leap into villain’s vehicle.  Fans would rejoice – would keep discussing that no other hero could fight so well – most know that most of the risk was undertaken by some lesser mortal whose name may not even figure in the cast; worser still, would remain uncared for if involved in an accident and got injured. Certainly not an exhaustive list –   may not be readily recognizable – some of the names, I have heard - Dhilip Subbarayan; Super Subbarayan; Stunt Silva; Kanal Kannan ; Jaguar Thangam; rocky Rajesh; Vikram Dharma, Peter Hein .. .. .. and .. .. ..

Long ago, waiting in an hospital, closer to nighttime, a van arrived and out in the stretcher was a youngman with bleeding injuries all over – some stuntman who had performed breaking a glass door, flying through it !   overheard that the hero in the movie, when a scene of kicking on the face was to be filmed, lifted his foot shortly, asked the camera man to take a shot from a pit ! 

Life perhaps has never been easy for those stunt performers – right from the early days of movie making to modernised methods of date. In India, they are generally uncared for and do not even get proper insurance protection – as this is one excluded risk.  Still, most performers do not have a choice – it is not attitude, but often driven by the only way they know to earn money.  Attitudes to risk are source of income and yet it may not be proportionate or paying all the time.  These are the men who put their lives for the original hero to get applause and rise to greater heights.  They do not get any awards ! – but ensure that the ones for whom they double-up earn millions !! 

A few years ago, in a tragic turn of events, two Kannada actors died after a movie stunt went horribly wrong at Tippagondanahalli Lake in Bengaluru.The actors were filming the stunts for an upcoming film ‘Masti Gudi,’ which stars Duniya Vijay in the lead role. While filming the scene, Vijay and the two actors, Anil and Uday, jumped into the lake from a helicopter. While the lead actor swam ashore, the other two didn’t surface for a long time, post which a search party was immediately dispatched. While a team of expert swimmers tried to recover the two actors, they could not retrieve anything. A safety harness was provided to the lead actor but none were provided to the other two.   

Last year or so, the Tamil cinema industry woke up to the tragic news of three people, on the sets of the Kamal Haasan-starrer Indian 2, being crushed to death after a crane fell on them. Assistant director Krishna, art assistant Chandran and production assistant Madhu were killed in the mishap that occurred at 10 pm on Wednesday. Nine others, who were injured while working on the Shankar directorial, were rushed to a private hospital in Poonamallee.  While the news came as a shock to many, important questions were raised on the responsibility of production houses — in this case, Lyca Productions — towards their employees; the responsibility of the film Directors and that of the Heroes for whom great risks are taken.  Also there are many unanswered Qs  about the way in which Kollywood deals with accidents and mishaps that take place on film sets.

No post on accidents but on stuntmen .. .. one of the world's leading stuntmen, Remy Julienne, who worked on six James Bond films as well as the 1969 classic 'The Italian Job', has died from Covid-19 aged 90, friends and family said on Friday. A veteran of more than 1,400 films and TV commercials as an actor or stunt coordinator, Julienne had been in intensive care in a hospital in his home town of Montargis in central France since early January.

Veteran stunt driver Remy Julienne,  worked on six James Bond movies and was involved in more than 1,400 movies and TV commercials since the 1960s.  One of his most memorable stunts - which made his name in the industry - was this jump across and alleyway between two buildings in the Italian Job. He also arranged this amazing stunt on the 1981 James Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. A French motocross champion, he began his film career in 1964 when he doubled for French actor Jean Marais in the film 'Fantomas', in which he was required to ride a motorbike. 'They needed someone who was very controlled,' he said of this experience. 'It ended up being me. It was the start of a huge adventure.' His career saw him fly over Venice dangling from a rope-ladder suspended from a helicopter, being hit in the face with a pumpkin while riding a motorbike and countless car crashes.

He doubled for some of the world's most famous actors, including Sean Connery and Roger Moore, as well top French names including Yves Montand, Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo. Both as an actor and a director of stunt sequences, which became the focus of his later career, Julienne won praise from some of the biggest names in cinema for his precision and creativity. A believer in real action rather than special effects, Julienne worked constantly to minimise the risks he took during his shoots, but he badly injured himself early in his career while filming on a Colombian production in Germany. His career low point came during filming for the French film 'Taxi 2' in 1999, which he was overseeing, when a cameraman was killed by a car that missed its landing spot after a jump. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in 2007 and handed an 18-month suspended jail sentence, which was later reduced on appeal to six months and an order to pay damages of €60,000 to the victim's family.

Julienne also helped police with crime reconstructions. In 2000, he mounted a reconstruction of the death of a British student, Isabel Peake, to try to establish how the young woman was pushed from a Paris-bound train. Julienne said the work 'was very much like cinema work, only here we are fortunate enough to be using dummies, which takes a certain amount of pressure off us'.

RIP Julienne 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
24.1.2021 

Chennai city gets 2 new parks ... 'Senkanthal park' enraptures with its name and content !!

For the visitor from a village, Chennai might bemuse .. with its choking traffic, Central Railway Station, Fort St George, tall buildings, bustling EMU trains, neat Metro trains and .. .. more n more of complexes, malls and the like – the city has no good rivers nor green space ! .. .. for the early morning walkers – there are some parks and then – there is Marina beach !! – the good news is Chennai’s greenspace has been further augmented by two new (big) parks !!

Flowers have occupied a great space in Sangam literature. குறிஞ்சிப்பாட்டு, எனும் நூலில் - தோழியும், தலைவியும் அருவியில் நீராடி பல்வகை மலர்களைப் பறித்துப் பாறையில் குவித்து வைத்ததாக குறிப்பிடப்பட்டுள்ளது. குறிஞ்சிப்பாட்டில்   மகளிர் கொய்து  விளையாடியதாக 99 மலர்களின் பெயர்கள் தொகுத்துக் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளன. இந்த எண்ணிக்கை அறிஞர்களின் பார்வையில் 103 வரை நீள்கிறது.  அவை யாவை தெரியுமா ??

One may not have watched the Vijayakanth starrer ‘Auto Raja’ of 1982 – but sure would have heard this song sung by Illayaraja himself along with S Janaki, composed by Pulamaipithan. It was as attractive in a jingle for a music video of Saravana Stores too.    The film was a remake of the 1980 Kannada movie of the same name.

சங்கத்தில் பாடாத கவிதை உன்  அங்கத்தில் யார் தந்தது

சந்தத்தில் மாறாத நடையோடு என்  முன்னே யார் வந்தது. .. …

கை என்றே செங்காந்தள் மலரை, நீ சொன்னால் நான் நம்பவோ?

கால் என்றே செவ்வாழை இலைகளை நீ சொன்னால் நான் நம்பி விடவோ

 

இதற்குமேல் சினிமா பாடல் இங்கே கிடையாது .. .. .. செங்காந்தள் அல்லது காந்தள்  என்பது ஒரு காந்தள் பேரினத்தைச் சேர்ந்த தாவரமாகும்.  கார்த்திகைத் திங்களில் முகிழ்விடும் இம்மலர்க் கொடி இலங்கை, இந்தியா, சீனா, மலாக்கா தீபகற்பம், அயனமண்டல ஆபிரிக்கா முதலான பகுதிகளிலும் காணப்படும். இது வேலிகளிலும், பாதையோரங்களிலும், காட்டோரங்களிலும் படர்ந்து நிமிர்ந்து அழகிய விரல்கள் போலவும், சுடர்கள் போலவும் காட்சியளிக்கும். அனைத்துப் பகுதிகளும் கோல்சிசினே (colchicine) எனும் அல்கலோயட்கள் நிறைந்தது. அதனால் இவற்றை உட்கொண்டால் மரணம் சம்பவிக்கும் வாய்ப்புள்ளது. குறிப்பாக இதன் வேர் மிகுந்த நச்சுத் தன்மை கொண்டது. இதன் இலை மற்றும் தண்டு நம்மேல் பட்டால் தோலில் அரிப்பு உண்டாகும். இது கார்த்திகைபூ என்றும் அறியப்படுகிறது. பண்டைய அரச காலம் முதலே இது அங்கீகார மலராக இருந்துள்ளது. மன்னர்கள் போருக்கு செல்லும் போது காந்தள் மலர் மாலைகளை அணிந்து கொண்டதாக சங்ககால வரலாறு கூறுகிறது.  

The good news is Chennai city got two horticulture parks on Friday 22.1.2021. In Washermenpet, century-old agricultural tools and an imported borewell equipment used to cater to the city’s water requirement will welcome visitors at the Heritage Garden. While in Gopalapuram, around 34,000 varieties of palms, ornamental plants and trees dot the Senganthal Poonga. Both the parks were inaugurated by Chief minister Mr. Edappadi K Palaniswami. The 3.8-acre site where the Heritage Garden has come up was not in use for long, said agriculture secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi.  Mr Bedi said the borewell was used in the 1920s and has been restored to its original condition. It, along with other agricultural tools, is on display in the indoor gardens. The facilities will be garden-cum-museums, the official said. The open garden has around thousand varieties of ornamental and flowering plants, and palm trees.

Senganthal Poonga has been created over an area of 6.83 acres inside the horticultural society premises. The garden can be accessed from Avvai Shanmugam Salai, closer to the Mountroad side.  This park will act as a recreation centre as well as an educational centre for students and botanists, Bedi said. Some of the rare and endangered plants and medicinal herbs have been planted and raised in this park, he said.

Senkanthan is – ‘Gloriosa superba’,  a species of flowering plant in the family Colchicaceae. Common names include flame lily, climbing lily, creeping lily, glory lily, gloriosa lily, tiger claw, and fire lily.  This species is a perennial herb growing from a fleshy rhizome. It is scandent, climbing using modified leaf-tip tendrils, the stem reaching 4 m (13 ft) long. The leaves are mainly alternately arranged, but they may be opposite, as well.  They are generally bright red to orange at maturity, sometimes with yellowish bases.  

Most of you would know that  Senganthal (Gloriosa superba), is the State flower of Tamil Nadu.  The Horticulture Department has created a new spacious park in the land it retrieved from the private Horticultural Society after a legal battle in the Supreme Court.   The new horticultural park is named after the State flower. The 6.3 acre park with a shell-shaped entrance on Avvai Shanmugam Salai has a self-contained waterbody, where rainwater can be collected. It also has solar panels to run the motors.

Before concluding, it is also the  National flower of Zimbabwe.  It is stated that  Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a flame lily diamond brooch as a gift from Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia as it was then) when she visited as crown princess in 1947.

The entry fee for adult visitor is Rs.20/- per person and for Cameras it is Rs.50/-  The park is open from 9 am to 5 pm and also has monthly pass system with with access is allowed from 6 am to 9 am.  The park is certain to become a hit with Chennaites with its large space and variety of trees, shrubs and flowers.   Do visit it early.  Here are some photos of the newly inaugurated ‘Senkanthal Poonga’ taken by me today.

 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
23.1.2021. 

Test Cricket returns to Chepauk !! .......... sans spectators

Can you identify this Cricketer, who shot to glory in a Chepauk test ? – post on England’s tour of India.

Making debut, playing for the Nation is a great dream – that way both T Natarajan and Washington Sundar have achieved greatness as they debuted in the Gabba test which would be remembered for posterity for that famous win (Test and the Series).  While Washington is a Chennaite - Natarajan, grew up in Chinnappampatti, a village about 370kms away from Chennai, cricket was escapism from poverty.  Every cricket fan would be familiar with his backstory by now. Natarajan and his protégé G Periyaswamy, who is playing for Tamil Nadu in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, would hop into share autos to the neighbouring towns and villages, yorking oppositions !

In late 1970s Indians had not exactly learnt the art of playing ODI and for the WC – Abid Ali was pulled up from nowhere to open.  When India were to tour Down under in 1980-81, talk was about the lean aggressor Krishnamachari Srikkanth.  Remember a huge team of ours had pooled money to buy tickets and watch the Deodhar Trophy match between West Zone and South Zone  at Chepauk (a premier one day match – a rarity those days).  West had always been a strong team having the likes of Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Sandip Patil, Ghulam Parkar and more.

Almost the whole crowd had come to watch Srikkanth succeeding and getting selected for the tour down under.    In the first few overs, when Cheeka was denied the strike, the crowds were even heckling Thirumalai Echambadi Srinivasan, a stylish batsman.  Things were to change later – all of us saw an innings of a life time – a brilliant 129 by TE carting all the bowlers with disdain and with great cricketing strokes.  He was powerful on leg and caressed shots on the off.  It was a total of around 270 + which in those days was a match winning one.  TE was indeed selected for the 1981 Tour.   On 6th Dec 1980 at Melbourne half of Indian side were new faces with Kirti Azad, Binny, Dilip Doshi, Sandip Patil and TE making their debuts.  TE opened with Sunny and outsurvived him against the likes of Dennis Lilllee, Lenny Pascoe, Graf and Lawson. He scored only 6.    Patil made 64, India mustered  208 and could bowl the mighty Aussies all out for 142.   His next chance came on 10th Jan 1981 against New zealand when he scored 4 getting out to Jeremy Coney this time.   On a juicy track, Richard Hadlee went wicketless but Indians were  totalled poor 112.  Sadly, TE was denied opportunities !

Both the South African and Australian Test squads will quarantine ahead of their yet-to-be-confirmed three-Test series in March, in what will be the strictest bio-secure bubble yet in South Africa. Unlike for the England and Sri Lanka series, where training could begin after the squads had taken their first Covid-19 tests - though social interaction was not allowed until after the third test - for the Australia series, players on both sides will be confined to their rooms for a longer period of time. For that reason, South Africa's Test squad will leave Pakistan on February 9 to begin their quarantine period at home. A separate squad will play the three T20Is in Pakistan on February 11, 13, and 14 in what CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith sees as an inevitable consequence of the times and something member boards will have to work together to ensure the cricket calendar is as unaffected as possible.

Chepauk has hosted matches since 1934 !  .. the first of that was Test no. 232, a 4 day Test  .. .. there was a time when Pongal Tests were so famous ! .. .. now Chepauk would host 2 Tests against England b u t .. ..  the  prospect of them being played behind closed doors has grown stronger after the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association informed its members that no crowds would be allowed at the MA Chidambaram stadium. The TNCA took the decision despite the Indian government recently ruling that outdoor sport could be conducted with spectators at 50% capacity. Chennai will host the first two matches of the four-Test series with the first Test scheduled to be held from February 5 to 9 and the second from February 13 to 17. Both teams will then travel to Ahmedabad for the last two Tests, to be played at Motera stadium. The third Test, to be played under lights, is scheduled from February 24 to 28 and final Test from March 4 to 8.

England's tour of India, which also includes five T20Is (to be played in Ahmedabad) and three ODIs (in Pune), is the first international cricket that India will host since the sport went on a global hiatus last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  On January 20 the TNCA secretary R Ramaswamy sent a circular to the association's members saying the decision to bar crowds was taken in unison with the BCCI as a "preventive measure". "In view of the prevailing Covid pandemic, BCCI has decided not to take any kind of risk with the safety of the players during the forthcoming India-England Test series," Ramaswamy said. "As per BCCI directive, the first two Test matches will take place behind closed doors (No Spectators/Guests/Sub-Committee Members) as a preventive measure." 

Despite the TNCA decision, a senior official at the Gujarat Cricket Association, which runs the Motera ground, remained optimistic of having some section of the ground open to crowds. In 2020 the refurbished Motera was inaugurated by former US president Donald Trump. With a capacity of 110,000 Motera is the biggest-capacity ground in world cricket. The GCA official said that subject to the permission of both the Indian and Gujarat state governments, if not half, at least tickets could be sold to fill the stadium to at least 20-30% capacity. Both squads are scheduled to land in Chennai by January 27 and will straightaway enter a biosecure bubble, which has become the norm in all cricket. After an initial three-day quarantine, teams would start their training while undergoing regular testing.

In Dec 2016  - Not many would have fancied Karun Nair (the man at the start)  –   – he had failed in the 1st two tests … at close of play on day 3 Karun Nair was unbeaten on  somewhat ordinary 71 off 136 balls but next day was to add  232 more in 245 balls.. the triple coming much faster as Kohli declared immediately on his reaching the great landmark.  Nair rocked on to the backfoot and thumped Adil Rashid’s delivery of the 191st over  to  become only the third player in Test history to turn his maiden hundred into a triple.   Thanks to Karun Nair’s triple century, India amassed 759 for seven – their highest ever Test score.  Earlier KL Rahul missed out his double ton by a solitary run.   

With all that glory – Karun Nair  is only 29 years of age now.  He has played 6 tests making 374 runs with 303* as highest.  His scores read :  4; 13; 303*; 26 & 0; 23; and 5.  He last played against Australia in Dharamsala in Test no. 2258 in Mar 2017.  Will he get another chance to bat for the Nation ?? 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
22.01.2021