Madras University - Marina Campus - foundation laid by Governor in 1935 !

An interesting Q asked on 11^th Feb 1931 in UK – still relevant here too ..   Lord Erskine  asked the Minister of Transport whether he has now any evidence as to what percentage of motorists were not insured against third-party risks prior to the coming into force of the Road Traffic Act?  The Minister Herbert Morrison defensively answered in negative !! 

Shri Banwarilal Purohit is the 14^th Governor of Tamil Nadu. Earlier he had served as Governor of Assam; and had been a   Member of Parliament from the Nagpur (Lok Sabha constituency) three times .. .. .. ever heard of a Governor – Lord Erskine.

Andrew Cogan was the first agent of the English East India Company to rule Madras. He was the chief of the Masulipatnam factory when Madras was purchased from Peda Venkata Raya.  Madras was elevated to a Presidency in 1684 and remained so until   1785 when new rules and regulations brought by the Pitt's India Act. Elihu Yale took charge on 8 August 1684 as the First President of Madras.  In 1746, Dupleix's deputy, La Bordannais laid siege to Madras and captured the city. For the next three years, Madras remained under French Governors, until 1749, when Madras was handed to the British as per the Treaty of Aix-la-Chappele.  

George Macartney, 1st Earl Macartney  often remembered for his observation following Britain's success in the Seven Years War and subsequent territorial expansion at the Treaty of Paris that Britain now controlled "a vast Empire, on which the sun never sets", was Governor of the British West Indies and  Grenada before assuming office as Governor of Madras from  1781 to 1785. During his tenure as governor, renovation and strengthening of the walls of Fort St. George was commenced after the siege by Thomas Lally, and completed in 1783.   

University of Madras needs no introduction.  Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and premier universities in India. 

The first ever demand for higher education in Madras Presidency was given in a public address to Lord John Elphinstone, Governor of Madras, signed by 70,000 residents when the Governor in Council was contemplating "some effective and liberal measures for the establishment of an improved system of national education." The University Board was constituted in  1840; and was a precursor of the present Presidency College, Chennai. University of Madras, organized on the model of the University of London, was incorporated on 5 September 1857 by an Act of the Legislative Council of India.  The university is spread over six campuses, viz., Chepauk, Marina, Guindy, Taramani, Chetput and Maduravoyal. The Chepauk campus of the university houses the VC's secretariat, central library, centenary auditorium and the historic Senate House. The Senate House, the University's first building, inaugurated in the year 1879, is a masterpiece of Robert Fellowes Chisholm, an architect of the 19th century, who blended the Indo-Saracenic style with Byzantine and European architectural features. The university renovated the Senate House in 2006.

taken in 2015 and taken today !

The Marina Campus, a couple of decades ago was referred as the University Examination hall.  Now it houses the Oriental Research Institute, that  first began its researches in Tamil in 1914. In 1927, a separate Tamil Department was established in the Institute. It is a landmark building at Marina, on beach Road nearer the eastern arch leading to Sri Parthasarathi Swami temple and is in fact before the Thiruvallikkeni MRTS station. It has a plaque commemorating the laying of foundation stone on 20^th  March 1935 by Lord Erskine, the then Governor of Madras.

John Francis Ashley Erskine, Lord Erskine GCSI, GCIE (1895 – 1953) was a British soldier, Conservative Party politician and administrator who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Weston-super-Mare and Brighton. Erskine  served as the Governor of Madras Presidency from 1934 to 1940. John Erskine married Lady Marjorie Hervey, the elder daughter of the 4th Marquess of Bristol, on 2 December 1919 and had four sons.

Erskine had his education at Eton and Oxford University. On graduation, Erskine served in the British army and rose to become a major before entering politics.  With an interest in politics and an allegiance to the Conservative Party, Erskine was appointed Assistant Private Secretary to Viscount Long in 1920 and his political career continued steadily.  After the 1931 general election, Erskine was named as an unpaid Assistant Government whip in Nov 1931 that  effectively silenced Erskine in the Chamber of the House of Commons due to the tradition that Whips do not make speeches. Previously Erskine had been an effective and confident speaker who had taken a close interest in the affairs of India (although he admitted never to having visited it). He followed the 'Round Table Conferences' of the early 1930s closely. Erskine's public support for native rule in India counted against him with Winston Churchill who had led the opposition to the Government of India Act 1935.

In 1934, Erskine succeeded George Frederick Stanley as the Governor of Madras Presidency and served from 1934 to 1940. Erskine was a supporter of the Justice Party and wanted the party to capture power in the Presidency during the 1937 elections. However, to his disappointment, the Indian National Congress won by a huge margin. Despite being the majority party in the Assembly and the Council, the Congress refused to form the government. Their objections stemmed from the special powers given to the Governor by the Government of India Act of 1935. Erskine decided to form an interim provisional Government with non-members and opposition members of the Legislative Assembly. Erskine formed the interim Government with Kurma Venkata Reddy Naidu of the Justice Party as premier on 1 April 1937.

It appears that he strongly dangled in local politics trying to make his way. Erskine was also a regular visitor to the Nilgiri Hills;  he gave Kothagiri town the sobriquet, "Princess among Hill Stations”.  When Congress Ministry resigned in Oct 1939 over the outbreak of Second World War,  Erskine declared an emergency and took over the reins of the administration. Rajagopalachari and other ministers were arrested as per Defence of India Act rules.  With no hope of continuing a political career, and finding that representing the seat was very expensive, Erskine resigned his seat and went to live in his house at Ickworth near Bury St Edmunds.

Active in voluntary work locally, Erskine was appointed President of the Navy League. A major operation in the early 1950s damaged his health, and he died in 1953 during the lifetime of his father. 

With regards – S.Sampathkumar
1^st July 2021 

India vaccinates more than 32.85 crores - UK honours vaccinologists at Wimbledon 2021

 

Covid 19 has thrown life out of gears – at least from Mar 2020 (at least 15 months) people have been living in fear .. .. yet, there is always hope !  .. .. In India, monday's Covid-19 tally was slightly lower than the previous day's, when the country reported 50,040 fresh infections and 1258 new deaths.

The Nation and Govt must be appreciated for the way vaccination has been done. Most of us never imagined going to Primary Health Centres, and when we did, we were surprised at the neatness and the smart way, our Health-workers inoculated us. Just for a second imagine – an inefficient corrupt Govt at the centre – vaccine jabs would have been available only to rich and powerful and that too at a premium price.  Most of us would have been happy standing without voicing a mutter, infront of some big Corporate hospitals paying Rs.10000 or more for a jab ! ~ now, we have seen campaigns, administration of vaccines at PHCs and literally at doorsteps, street corners – yet some are complaining still !!

India began the last  week with a record, by administering over 8.6 million doses of vaccine on a single day, an impressive feat even from a global perspective.  If we look at the CoWin data, on average, 60 lakh Indians were vaccinated after the blockbuster show on June 21^st, the daily average too is very impressive.   India’s cumulative vaccination coverage exceeds 32.85 crores, more than 8.95 crores vaccine doses administered in the age group 18-44, so far.  The aggregate easily wallops the total population of some popular countries. !! Good citizens will appreciate the fact that vaccination was given free, and was made available without much hassle !!

Miles away, in UK – after World Test Championship – Wimbledon 2021 is underway.  Their country man Jack Draper was cheered on to Centre Court and roared off it. In between he caused sufficient discomfort to arguably the great male player in history that it seems a rather safe bet that he’ll be back. Not many teenage wild cards are able to work Novak Djokovic like he did, and fewer still succeed in dropping him on his backside across the course of an entire set.

It was  a stirring performance on the opening day of Wimbledon from the talented 19-year-old. It ultimately ended in defeat for the lad from Surrey, with sets two, three and four being won by the 19-time Slam champion for the loss of five games. And yet it was the first, won 6-4 in 37 minutes, that will lock Draper in the memory and reinforce the idea that he is the best of the emerging British players.  To Djokovic, Draper was the walkover that became a stone in the shoe. Not much more than that, of course, and his gear changes between the first and second set was quite predictable, but it was a challenge that needed a bit of beating nonetheless. The 34-year-old top seed will now move on in his quest to win a 20th Slam to match Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and as the five-time champion here he is a heavy favourite to defend the title he won in 2019.

Draper was getting a few roars in patriotic pity, and then a few more of greater substance when he escaped for 1-1, but there was no whiff of what was about to unfold in the very next game.  

In heartwarming scenes this afternoon at Wimbledon, Dame Sarah appeared overcome with emotion as the crowd stood and applauded her incredible feat. A British vaccinologist and Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University, the 58-year-old mother of triplets previously led the development and testing of a universal flu vaccine. Her work on the Covid-19 vaccine earned her a spot on The Times' 'Science Power List' in May 2020 but she remained humble, telling the Independent: 'I'm trained for it – I'm the mother of triplets. If you get four hours a night with triplets, you're doing very well. I've been through this.'  Among the applauding crowds were the Duke of Kent, Romeo Beckham and former British racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart.  Indeed a thoughtful gesture !  

Hannah Ingram-Moore, daughter of veteran fundraiser Captain Sir Tom Moore who raised over £32 million for the NHS during the pandemic, also received a round of applause. Ms Ingram-Moore smiled widely and waved as her father's name received cheers. Announcers paid tribute to the 'important work' done by keyworkers before the first game on Centre Court between defending champion Novak Djokovic and 19-year-old Jack Draper from the UK.  Medical professionals who helped develop the coronavirus vaccine were given a standing ovation on Centre Court ahead of the first match there at Wimbledon. In order to say thank you, the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis Club) has provided 100 daily Centre and No.1 Court tickets to various groups ranging from the NHS to Transport For London... and other inspirational individuals, all in recognition of the service they have provided to those in their communities throughout the pandemic,' the organisation said on its website.

The competition's chief executive, Sally Bolton, has said there will be a 'familiar feel' at the championship following a 'level of uncertainty' caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Ms Bolton said she was feeling 'excitement' that the famous tennis tournament was starting, adding that 'we can talk about tennis and not talk about Covid'.

Sarah Gilbert, British vaccinologist and Professor of Vaccinology at Oxford University has  more than 25 years experience in the field and has previously led the development and testing of a universal flu vaccine, which underwent clinical trials in 2011. Professor Gilbert is not just busy at work, she's got her hands full at home too, being the mother of triplets. Born in April 1962, she attended Kettering High School, before attending the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, where she studied Biological Science and later University of Hull for her doctoral degree. She was made Professor at the Oxford-based Jenner Trust in 2010 and started work on research for a universal flu vaccine, which underwent clinical trials in 2011. The 58-year-old's work this year on the Covid-19 vaccine has earned her a spot on The Times' 'Science Power List' in May 2020.

Nations like UK are always at the forefront honouring their heroes and we need to emulate such great measures. 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28^th June 2021.

another one from Ranchi ~ this time Archer Deepika Kumari, making Nation proud

If you have recognized her immediately,  great… that is Deepika Kumari, archer.  She won gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth games in the women's individual recurve event. Kumari qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she competed in the Women's Individual and Women's team events, finishing in eighth place in the latter.  She was conferred with Arjuna Award and this is the photo of her receiving the award from Mr Pranab Mukherjee. 

At just 27 years of age, Deepika Kumari has made India and women everywhere proud with her astounding achievements in the field of archery. The champion just won a gold medal at the Archery World Cup in Paris, proving how well-prepared she is for the Tokyo Olympics.

It is a game with we need to get associated emotionally and historically – all our Ithihasa puranas hail those possessing this skill as great people ~ it is archery….

When we were young – the heroes were Sunil Gavaskar, Viswanath, Bedi, Chandra, Venkat, later Gavaskar, Kapil Dev,  Krish Srikkanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag … and those who followed Cricket spoke names of Rick McCosker, Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappel, Rodney Marsh, Greenidge, Viv Richards, Lloyd, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft, Marshall .. ..  ~ in short Cricket, the game, the players were the main topics of discussion .. now we followed Virat Kohli’s men in blue in World Test Championship.  Most of us could recognize players like Chetan Sakariya.

Just as additional info :  It is a 20 member strong squad that is touring England now with a host of support staff.  Ravi Shastri is the Head coach; Vikram Rathour (Batting coach); Bharat Arun (Bowling); Ramakrishnan Sridhar (Fielding); Physio-   Nitin Patel,   Yogesh Parmar; Strength and Conditioning coach: Nick Webb and Soham Desai         - then there are Throwdown specialists:   Raghavindraa &  Dayanand Garani.  Since they are right handers - BCCI, for the first time, hired an additional hand during the 2018 Asia Cup in Dubai. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Seneviratne has played two first-class matches. The idea behind hiring Seneviratne was to get good preparation against several left-arm fast bowlers. Added is Video analyst:  Hari Prasad Mohan and Massage therapists:  Arun Kanade &  Rajeev Kumar

The third and last stage of the 2021 Hyundai Archery World Cup took  place in the French capital of Paris. Charlety Stadium is the venue for all phases of the event, including finals, and attendance is expected to be high given that it’s the last major international ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The World Cup Stage 3 in Paris has seen a stellar performance by star archer Deepika Kumari. She pulled off a hat-trick of gold medals. This has really raised hopes that she will score a win in Tokyo too, which will put her in the rarest club in this country of more than a billion people. Only five Indian women – Karnam Malleswari, Mary Kom, Sakshi Malik, Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu – have ever won an Olympic medal.

Star Indian archer Deepika Kumari on Monday regained the number one position in the global rankings following her hat-trick of gold medals at the World Cup Stage 3 here. The 27-year-old from Ranchi, who had achieved the top spot for the first time in 2012, on Sunday claimed gold medals in three recurve events -- women's individual, team and mixed pair.

"This is going to take Deepika to the number one spot in the world rankings on Monday," World Archery had tweeted on its official handle after Deepika's gold rush.Deepika first combined with Ankita Bhakat and Komalika Bari to notch up the women's recurve team gold with a comfortable win over Mexico. She then paired up with husband Atanu Das and the couple from a 0-2 deficit to down the Netherland's Sjef van den Berg and Gabriela Schloesser 5-3 for the gold medal. The Ranchi archer then blanked 17th ranked Russian Elena Osipova 6-0 to cap a perfect three out of three in the recurve women's section, her fourth individual World Cup gold medal.

Overall, she has nine gold, 12 silver and seven bronze medals in the World Cup. "This is the first time I've won all three medals in a World Cup. I'm really happy but at the same time, I've to continue improving as we have some very, very important competitions lined up," Deepika had told PTI after her triumphs.

There are many different kinds of bow shapes. However, most fall into three main categories: straight, recurve and compound. Straight and recurve are considered traditional bows. In archery, the shape of the bow is usually taken to be the view from the side.  A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is strung. By definition, the difference between recurve and other bows is that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is strung.  The reason for the name “recurve” comes from the shape of the bow’s frame. The tips of a recurve bow curve out towards the target, which give the bow more power when pulled back. Large recurve bows, depending on the draw, can fire several hundred yards at an arc. However, his also means that a recurve with a larger frame is harder to pull the string back. The required effort to draw an arrow and hold it in place while aiming depends entirely on the size of the bow.  Compound bows are the modern cousin of the recurve, and have become very popular in recent decades, both for hunting and shooting. Compounds use a pulley system that takes strain off of the bow and provides slack for the archer, making it easier to shoot with accuracy.

Ranchi, Jharkhand has given India MS Dhoni too – but perhaps Deepika has had to face more hurdles.  Sharing a home with her uncle and aunt, Deepika and her family did not even have fans or cupboards in their home, and fights about money were frequent. Due to the absence of a bathroom, they would bathe in a nearby stream, which landed Deepika in the hospital with boils from the unhygienic water. A myriad of problems related to her living conditions plagued Deepika’s life in her early days. Talking about how her family’s condition motivated her to get away from home, she said, “Maine socha, main chali jaaoongi ghar se bahar toh kam-se-kam ek ka burden kam ho jayega.” Today, her parents have built a house with the money she has earned.

When she finally went to the 2016 Rio Olympics, she went without a nutritionist or physical trainer. Instead, she was accompanied by government officials and a cook, and these officials travelled business class while the sportspeople sat in economy, nursing their tired muscles in cramped seats as they prepared to represent India.  

Great Deepikakumari has sailed over all the hurdles – we heartily appreciate and celebrate her efforts, wishing her all the very best in Olympics. A Gold medal !! 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28^th June 2021. 

Audi ! .. ... combustion !! ............ ......... and more !!!

It was after India’s glory on 25^th June 1983 winning the Prudential World Cup- India played exceptionally good cricket downunder in Benson & Hedges 1985 – beating Pakistan, England, Australia, New Zealand (in Semis) and Pakistan again in the finals.  Krishnamachari Srikkanth gave great starts hitting bowlers around the park, yet it was Ravi Shastri who was the Champion of Champions – and was awarded an ‘Audi 100’ sedan car.   I first heard of that car only then – having seen Ambassadors, Fiats, Standard 10,  Chevrolets, Morris, Plymouths .. .. !!

During our school days, we read about ‘Engines’ (did not comprehend them fully though) – it was about combustion – about how petrol could change to energy that drove the vehicles .. .. and we read about 2 stroke and 4 stroke.  1980s were days of  Hamara Bajaj, Vijay, Lamby scooters, Jawa/Yezdi, Rajdoot, Bullet motor cycles – all had two stroke – engines that completed a   power cycle with two strokes of the piston during only one crankshaft revolution.  The Four-Stroke   engine is an internal combustion engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft.

Combustion is the scientific word for burning. In a combustion reaction, a substance reacts with oxygen from the air. Combustion reactions happen at high temperatures, and transfer energy to the surroundings as light and heat. This is why you see flames when things burn.  Combustion, or burning, is a high-temperature exothermic redox chemical reaction between a fuel (the reductant) and an oxidant, usually atmospheric oxygen, that produces oxidized, often gaseous products, in a mixture termed as smoke. Combustion does not always result in fire, because a flame is only visible when substances undergoing combustion vapourise, but when it does, a flame is a characteristic indicator of the reaction. While the activation energy must be overcome to initiate combustion (e.g., using a lit match to light a fire), the heat from a flame may provide enough energy to make the reaction self-sustaining.  

An internal combustion engine (ICE) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine. The force is applied typically to pistons, turbine blades, a rotor, or a nozzle. This force moves the component over a distance, transforming chemical energy into useful work. This replaced the external combustion engine for applications where weight or size of the engine is important. 

You are reading all these because it would become a thing of the past in a few more years !  .. .. .. Bosses at German car firm Audi have confirmed plans to phase-out petrol and diesel models, with a deadline of 2026 set for the release of its final vehicles with an internal combustion engine. After that date the brand will cease development of fossil-fuelled cars and redirect attention to pure electrification. By 2033, Audi says it will no longer offer petrol and diesel-engined models into its European showrooms - though it will continue to sell them in China.

Audi became the latest in a host of car makers to outline their intentions to do away with the internal combustion engine over the course of the next decade, following the likes of Fiat, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo, as well as exotic brands including Bentley and Lamborghini.  Like many rival manufacturers, Audi's goal is to be net-zero carbon by 2050 - the same carbon-neutrality target set by parent group VW.

Part of this process will see the end of development of internal combustion engines come in five years' time. From 2026 there will be no investment into evolving its petrol and diesel offering and all models removed from sale some seven years later. But while there won't be any new engines coming to market, Audi says it will continue to build its existing fossil-fuelled powertrains for China, as the market is expected to continue growing after 2033. For Europe, the schedule for winding-down availability of petrol and diesel models begins with immediate effect, as the German car maker plans to launch 'more than 20' electric 'e-tron'-badged vehicles before 2025. Its latest electric car, the e-tron GT, has received rave reviews and is, despite a high starting price of £79,900, experiencing high demand. Already due to launch next year is the large Q6 e-tron SUV, while an electrified version of the A6 luxury saloon is also due in 2023.  

Speaking at the Climate Neutrality Foundation conference on Wednesday, CEO Markus Duesmann said: 'Audi is ready to make its decisive and powerful move into the electric age. 'Through our innovative strength, we offer individuals sustainable and carbon-neutral mobility options.' Commenting on the proposed ban on sales of new petrol and diesel passenger cars in different countries - with the UK setting a deadline of 2030 - Duesmann added: 'I don't believe in the success of bans. I believe in the success of technology and innovation.'  Audi believes that the exact timing of the combustion engine's discontinuation will 'ultimately be decided by customers and legislation' combined.  

'With this roadmap, we are creating the clarity necessary to make a decisive and powerful transition to the electric age. We're sending the signal that Audi is ready,' the Audi boss continued.  And in something of a two-finger salute to law makers, Duesmann added: 'Audi’s last internal combustion engine will be the best we've ever built.'

Interesting !

 

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
23^rd June 2021.