Gentleman - Intelligent Offie Srinivasan Venkataraghavan turns 75

He had the looks of a winner and had uncanny resemblance of the genius writer Sujatha – the suave Offie Srinivasan Venkatraghavan turns 75 this day.   .. .. admire him standing with other Captains in World Cup 1979 before which he was given a rousing party at kulakkarai of Thiruvallikkeni.  Wishing him good health and continued happiness. 

Remember adoring him and watching him in Dec 1976   Test at Chepauk, at a time when Bishansingh Bedi was the captain.  Glenn Turner was the Captain for the visitors, Sir Richard Hadlee was not that famous but we spoke about Peter Petheric who had taken a hat-trick in his debut test, including the wicket of Javed Miandad.  It was Test no. 787 – a 6 day match between 26th Nov to 2nd Dec 1976.    On the first day, no play was possible due to rain and 29th Nov was the scheduled rest day.  That match is well remembered for the good performance by gentleman and most intelligent - Srinivasan Venkatraghavan.

Indians were off to a bad start as Sunil Gavaskar and Anshuman Gaekwad were out with only 3 on board, both out to big burly Lance Cairns.  From 181/7  India went on to make 298 thanks to a fluent 64 by Venkat who hit 4 boundaries and a six off Petherick.   Gundappa Vishwanath made 87 like the many good innings he had played at Chepauk and Kirmani made 44. 

The tall suave, good looking offie, reverred as very shrewd and intelligent cricketer Srinivasaraghavan Venkatraghavan bore striking resemblance to the great legendary writer Sujatha.  Venkat revelled as a player and later as very respected Umpire.  Sadly, he did not get the right breaks and the matches he played were interspersed so much and he played at a time when India had famous spinners – Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna.

Would like to forget that test at Jalandhar in Sept 1983, when Anshuman Gaekwad grinded and roasted the Paki attack for a slow 201 off 436 balls – and alas, that turned out to be the last International match our Venkat played – far cry from that sensational debut against New Zealand in 1965.

At Delhi in Mar 1965 – India had an easy win because of a great performance by a young off-spinner – a tall lad from Chennai.  Venkat in the first innings had figures of 51.1-26.72-8 and 61.2-30-80-4 in the second.  At the same place, against  the Clive Lloyds West Indies in 1974-75, he had the ignominy of playing the 1st Test Bangalore taking 4 & 2 [off the 6 that were to fall]; captaining India in the 2nd Test at Delhi which was lost by an innings; Venkat made the scapegoat, dropped, humiliated and made  the 12th man in the very next match at Calcutta.  In that Delhi Test, Viv Richards went on to make an unbeaten 192 helped by a poor umpiring decision, which could have changed the fortunes of that Test and the way Venkat was to be treated.   Again after the disastrous 1979 England tour, he was unceremoniously dropped.  He did make a comeback in 1983 when India toured Windies under Kapil dev.   He played 57 Tests and made 748 runs in 76 innings.  He also played 15 one dayers.  He took 156 test wickets with best bowling of 12 for 152 at Delhi against NZ in his debut series.  His bowling was one of the factors that made India realize their 1^st overseas series win in 1971 – at Port of Spain when Sunil Gavaskar debuted, he took a 5 for.  Venkat took 29 wickets on that tour.

He was a remarkable close-in fielder which was realized most in 1974 tour of England.  He played English league turning up for Derbyshire.  Venkat captained Tamil Nadu and was known to be a strict disciplinarian, setting personal examples.    He revelled and is respected as a  player, captain, manager, administrator, selector, columnist, expert television commentator, match referee and umpire.  Have heard him speak on a couple of occasion and have admired his language skills too.  

In an illustrious career stretching over 18 playing years, he led India in 5 Tests and more importantly in the Inaugural and the second edition ODI World Cups.  He is known to be a deep thinker and a very passionate lover of the game able to analyse and bring out the nuances of the game to the fore.  Known to be candid and outrightly frank in his views, he was not afraid in putting things in their proper perspective. 

At a time when slow motion TV replays & other technologies were throwing Umpiring blunders in light, his judgment was most respected and he won the admiration of  players, fellow umpires and administrators alike.   Venkat's temper became almost as famous as his playing ability, as he simply expected the same level of commitment and sincerity from players of younger generation.

New Zealanders will remember him not only for that innings at Chepauk but more for the dream performance a decade earlier in 1965 at Delhi enabling an Indian win.   

A man with his caliber should have shone much higher, but there are always things in life, where you can find rewards not matching talent.  Venkat will also be remembered for being a fit Cricketer, who never missed the matches at any level and a strict disciplinarian, enforcing it on the team too.

I would ever remember that trip from Mumbai on Apr 5, 2011 ~ on that day I spotted my favourite Srinivasan Venkatraghavan at the airport, mustered some courage in talking to him,  upon getting into aircraft -  pleaded for a photo with him – he readily obliged much to my glee ! .. ..

with regards – S. Sampathkumar

21.4.2020.

Covid, Covidiots and people reaction

If wealth could be measured in compassion and kindness, tribal villagers of Dangapal village in Odisha would have been one of the wealthiest. Not to be left behind in strengthening India’s fight against corona, every household of this village has contributed to #PMCARES Fund.

In the coming years, when the coronavirus is, hopefully, history, researchers may be able to assess the huge contribution made by ‘Covidiots’ to the spread of the pandemic. The reference is not merely to the World Health Organisation that was slow to alert the world because it was wary of offending China. Much after the threat from Covid-19 was realised, some Covidiots stepped in to worsen the situation. In India, the contribution of the ‘one source’ convention in Delhi’s Nizamuddin to aggravating the problem nationally has provoked outrage and even had a political fallout. In Jaipur’s Ramganj locality, a Covidiot who ignored the protocol after returning from Oman is said to have infected 232 people. In the coming days, the misdeeds of many more Covidiots are likely to surface.

Covid has affected every field, every country and has exposed people too.  In Europe, the repercussions of football being placed on hold until further notice is being felt across the pyramid, including by those supposedly flush with cash in the coffers. Some clubs face going out of business, many players fear losing their livelihoods, not to mention the support staff behind the scenes, from physios to press officers.  Arch rivals, Manchester United and Manchester City are putting aside their footballing rivalry and joining hands in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic which has brought the whole world to a standstill.  The legendary football clubs are going to donate 50,000 pounds each to help food banks in Greater Manchester meet increased demand from vulnerable people, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

India is supreme – there are always good people response.  IT czar Azim Premji committed Rs. 1000 crore ($134 million) through his philanthropic arm, the Azim Premji Foundation. In a release on Wednesday, the company said that the foundation’s 1,600 employees will work together with the government and healthcare workers. The money will be used for humanitarian aid and for beefing up healthcare support targeted at containment and treatment of the disease. Mukesh Ambani  contributed Rs. 500 crore ($67 million) to the prime minister’s fund; Rs. 5 crores ($660,000) for the relief fund of the chief minister of Maharashtra, Ambani's home state, and an equal amount for the relief fund of the chief minister of Gujarat state, where Reliance's biggest refinery complex is located. This follows a slew of measures announced by Ambani that range from setting up a 100-bed COVID unit in Mumbai to providing free meals across multiple cities to a daily production of 100,000 masks by Reliance.

Ratan Tata, who chairs India’s oldest philanthropic outfit, Tata Trusts, the biggest shareholder of the group's holding firm, Tata Sons, has earmarked Rs. 500 crore ($67 million) towards tackling the pandemic. This sum is said to include covering the costs of protective gear, ventilators, testing kits; the establishment of modular treatment centers and training for healthcare workers. Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran pledged an additional Rs. 1000 crore ($134 million) to support activities in collaboration with Tata Trusts. He said that the Tata Group is getting ready to manufacture ventilators soon.

Privately held Mankind Pharma, whose founder Ramesh Juneja and his family figure among India's richest, has promised Rs. 51 crore ($7 million) toward relief activities.  .. the list is really long .. .. Apart from Bollywood celebs, Indian sports fraternity also joined the race to raise funds to fight the coronavirus menace. Among the cricketers, batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. India's richest sporting body, the BCCI, pledged a donation of Rs 51 crore to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund in country's fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Suresh Raina donated Rs 52 lakh to combat the deadly coronavirus.  Star India batsman Rohit Sharma has donated Rs 80 lakhs.

While all that is positive – the newsitem in Times of India, Chennai edition today is disgusting to say the least : ‘2 lawyers donate Re 1 for lockdown relief’ - Bar Council To Give Them ‘Certificate Of Appreciation’.. .. .. How low can someone stoop to belittle people’s collective effort to fight the fallout of coronavirus? Ask two lawyers of the Madras high court. They ‘donated’ Re1(Rupee One Only) to the lockdown relief fund of the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. Two other advocates have ‘donated’ Rs10 (Rupees 10 only) each.

These princely sums were transferred to the council’s bank account through e-transfer mode. The council, which has mobilised more than ₹60 lakh so far, has now decided to acknowledge these ‘donations’ and issue a certificate to these ‘star donors’ appreciating their ‘spirit of giving.’ It has already published the ‘donations’ along with the bank transfer details on its website. Vice-chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI) and senior advocate S Prabakaran said details of all the four lawyers have been traced, and they would be given the certificate in appreciation of their attitude towards the lockdown relief fund.

Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry started the fund collection drive in response to calls from different sections of the legal fraternity highlighting the pitiable economic condition of hundreds of lawyers across the state due to the lockdown. Justice S M Subramaniam kicked off the campaign by donating ₹2.5 lakh to the fund. Several top lawyers have donated up to ₹5 lakh each. Of the 216 donors, two have given Re 1 each and two others have donated ₹10 each, Prabakaran said, adding that while one person has transferred ₹101, another two people have sent ₹200 each. Others have donated ₹500 and more.

It’s like making a mockery of the exercise, said R C Paul Kanagaraj, Bar Council member. The former president of Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA), who first requested the council to float a cash relief scheme for indigent lawyers and then filed a writ petition in the Madras high court, condemned the ₹1 ‘donation’. “Donation is a voluntary act. One may or may not agree with Good Samaritan initiatives. One may or may not make any contribution. But it is not fair to humiliate the very initiative by donating paltry sums and making a mockery of the exercise,” Paul Kanagaraj said.  Since the lockdown came into force, several representations were given to government and the bar council by lawyers, and cases, including one filed by senior advocate A E Chelliah, demanded relief ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000. Bowing to the pressure, the council floated the fund with Justice Subramaniam’s contribution.

Away from the melee the pic at the start is that Mrs Shanti Devi Gusaini of Chamoli Garhwal. She gave 1 lakh rupees in #PMCaresFund to fight #Kovid_19. Her husband had served in indian army.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

19.4.2020.

Social distancing - Chinese advice on how to sit in Office when you are back to work !

The bowling attack may be good –  be it bowlers swinging wild or spinners turning crazy – you need a good slip cordon – slip fielding is an art.    Fielding in the slips is quite strenuous. Bending at the knees when the bowler starts his run up and staying still in the process needs a lot of strength and muscle endurance to withstand fatigue. For the slip fielder, standing in the slips for 90 overs – 540 deliveries – in a day can be quite tiresome and the fielder may lose concentration due to fatigue, which can prove costly for his team. Hence a relaxed stance that puts less strain on mind and body is required.  .. .. .. more importantly, the fielder should not be standing too close to the other ie., both should not be diving for the same catch !

Our childhood offered myriad opportunities of bliss and friendships – if you were the fortunate one to study in the same school, the bonding perhaps could be more. Do your remember your classmates and friends who were intimate to you say 30 or 40 years ago !

At Hindu High School when I studied +2 (we have a WA group of this classmates) – each bench would sit 5 – it was N Ravichandran, S Vijayaraghavan (unfortunately no more), Myself, MVR Raman & SP Soundararajan.  At DG Vaishnav – one had no opportunity of selecting bench-mates, but had to sit according to their Roll Nos – mine was 1247 – so I sat with 45, 46, 47 & 48. 

One could develop friendship at so many places – it was the street that one lived, the street or friend’s home(s) most visited, beach cricket, Hindi class, Divyaprabandha class, Typewriting, Shorthand classes, the institutions that one worked.  My first employment was with R Subbaraman & Co (Sole Agents of Cutfast Bonded Abrasives) – a small office cum godown [I learnt what was coated and bonded abrasive !) – then when you work in bigger Organisation, it is more fragmented of Kamala Arcade Branch, DO 3, Do2 @ Lotus Court, DO Kakinada and its branches, Ro and ,.. .. .. then 2 private Insurance Company experiences have made me richer with lot of friends (that some trusted friends could misbehave is a different painful chapter altogether)

My previous Company provided lunch and people would mostly frequent in groups for lunch and occupy tables together – again lunch would provide a good opportunity to dine and speak to colleagues with whom you have greater bonding. Life had been beautifully spent with people whom we knew, we liked and for whom the liking kept growing as there were more and more time of togetherness. 

Forget playing Cricket or slip-catching – Covid-19 has turned the World upside down – no more the friendly handshakes or tight hugs – people are advised to keep distance, say Namasthe with folded hands.  Social distancing, also called “physical distancing,” means keeping space between yourself and other people outside – best advice is to stay at least 6 feet (2 meters) from other people; not to gather in groups and keep away from crowded places, avoid mass gatherings !   In addition to everyday steps to prevent COVID-19, keeping space between you and others is one of the best tools.  This is because, COVID-19 spreads mainly among people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) for a prolonged period. Spread happens when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, and droplets from their mouth or nose are launched into the air and land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The droplets can also be inhaled into the lungs.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the Deputy Commissioners to constitute monitoring cells which will be exclusively mandated to inspect the social distancing norms including health and hygiene protocols of the workers engaged in the tea gardens.  Considering the importance of tea in the economic health of the state as well as in the country, though some tea gardens were allowed to resume their functioning with minimum work force, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal stressed on  adequate social distancing norms for the tea gardens in the changing socio-economic landscape emanated in the aftermath of the novel coronavirus outbreak in the state.

Unless a vaccine against the novel coronavirus is found, social distancing measures may continue for a year in Australia, the country's premier said on Friday. Scott Morrison underlined that there was no guarantee that a coronavirus vaccine will be developed, the daily Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A new study by Harvard University suggests some form of social distancing may be needed intermittently well into 2022, in the absence of vaccines, to prevent frequent coronavirus outbreaks.  After looking at computer simulations of how the virus may spread over the next five years, based on data of two beta-coronaviruses in US, the researchers concluded that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes covid-19 in humans, is unlikely to behave like its closest cousin, SARS-CoV-1, and won’t be eradicated by intensive public health measures after causing a brief pandemic.

With all this read this interesting ! report in MailOnline which states that employees should sit next to a colleague,   'they dislike the most' to keep social distancing when they return to work after the coronavirus lockdown, a medical expert has suggested.

Zhang Wenhong, head of the COVID-19 expert team in Shanghai, said on Wednesday that office workers should sit next to people they don't get along with to avoid chatting as a way to prevent the spread of the virus.  It comes as people in China have slowly returned to work and their normal lives after cities across the country eased travel restrictions. The former epicentre Wuhan, where the outbreak began, lifted its 76-day lockdown on April 8. But officials fear that the spike of 'imported cases' from inbound travellers and regional outbreaks could spoil the country's progress to post-virus recovery.

Zhang Wenhong, head of the COVID-19 expert team in Shanghai,  made the remarks while attending a video conference with Europe-based Chinese companies and overseas students on Wednesday. The meeting was held to discuss the current epidemic in Europe and answer questions about personal protection against the bug, according to the press. Mr Zhang said that the pandemic, which has infected over two million people globally, is unlikely to end within a short period of time. It would become a common practice for people to keep social distancing after they return to work. He advised office workers to 'listen more and talk less' during work meetings to reduce the risk of spreading the contagion.

The chief medic from the Huashan Hospital, Zhang Wenhong, also recommended people to ‘avoid doing mediocre work so that the boss wouldn’t talk to you’.  'Or you can find people you dislike the most to sit with,' Mr Zhang added. 'You would only chat with people you're friendly with, you know what I mean? 'You see this person that you've never spoken to since you came into the company, try to sit next to them. 'You leave straight after the meeting, run as fast as you can,' said the doctor. Mr Zhang continued: 'When you do an amazing job, the boss would think 'there is no point talking to you since you've finished all of the work'.  The 51-year-old medic has gained tens of millions of followers on social media for his down-to-earth style of speech during the coronavirus outbreak, according to the press. Chinese web users even dubbed him as 'Dad Zhang'.

It sounds more comical than any sound medical advice though ! - Officials in China in affected Province said many fatal cases were 'mistakenly reported' or missed entirely in an admission that comes amid growing global doubts about Chinese transparency.  Covid has for sure changed the way people have been living and socializing !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

17.4.2020.

the great humourist born 131 years ago ! ~ life was melancholic !!

Most likely you would identify the person described .. .. almost 100 years ago, he  married for the second time. Mirroring the circumstances of his first union, Lita Grey was a teenage actress, originally set to star in the film, whose surprise announcement of pregnancy forced him  into marriage. She was 16 and he was 35, meaning this person  could have been charged with statutory rape under California law.  He therefore arranged a discreet marriage in Mexico in  1924.   It turned out to be another unhappy marriage, a bitter divorce followed, in which Grey's application – accusing him  of infidelity, abuse, and of harbouring "perverted sexual desires" – was leaked to the press.  Eager to end the case without further scandal, this person’s  lawyers agreed to a cash settlement of $600,000 – the largest awarded by American courts at that time.  .. ..  and this famous person was born on 16.4.1889 !! 

For sure, you have been at home obeying the instructions of the Govt – while most other Countries too have order lockdown arising out of Covid-19 outbreak – and some perceive that nature has claimed the space rightfully, at least for a while.  There are many  showcasing how animals are roaming freely on the streets.   Paris residents were in for a wonderful surprise when they witnessed a full-grown zebra running freely through the streets. Further, to add more fun to the scene, two horses joined it in the race and started galloping across the roads, taking the spectators by surprise.  Reportedly, the trio escaped from a circus in the town of Ormesson-sur-Marne and made its way to the neighbouring town of Chamoigny-sur-Marne on the outskirts of the French capital.  The animals escaped from a circus after the gate of their enclosure was left open by accident. Referring to this, the circus owner claimed that the animals were trained and that they didn’t wander far from the circus. He added that the animals were just roaming in the neighbourhood, and that they were brought back to the circus after 15 minutes.

The reference to ‘Circus’ could have lead you easily ~ as we have been seeing the clips of that famous act of Chaplin in running around in Circus, entering the cage of Lion, the gate getting accidentally locked and his hilarious attempts in getting out unharmed – though one risk after another chases him !  .. 

The Circus is a 1928 silent film written, produced, and directed by Charlie Chaplin. The film stars Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George Davis and Henry Bergman. The ringmaster of an impoverished circus hires Chaplin's Little Tramp as a clown, but discovers that he can only be funny unintentionally. The production of the film  reportedly was the most difficult experience in Chaplin's career. Numerous problems and delays occurred, including a studio fire, the death of Chaplin's mother, as well as Chaplin's bitter divorce from his second wife Lita Grey, and the Internal Revenue Service's claims of Chaplin's owed back taxes, all of which culminated in filming being stalled for eight months.  Despite all that, Circus was the seventh highest grossing silent film in cinema history taking in more than $3.8 million in 1928.

At a circus midway, the penniless and hungry Tramp (Chaplin) is mistaken for a condemnable pickpocket and chased by both the police and the real crook (the latter having stashed a stolen wallet and watch in the Tramp's pocket to avoid detection). Running away, the Tramp stumbles into the middle of a performance and unknowingly becomes the hit of the show. The ringmaster/proprietor of the struggling circus gives him a tryout the next day, but the Tramp fails miserably. However, when the property men quit because they have not been paid, he gets hired on the spot to take their place. Once again, he inadvertently creates comic mayhem during a show. The Tramp befriends Merna (Kennedy), a horse rider who is treated badly by her ringmaster stepfather. She later informs the Tramp that he is the star of the show, forcing the ringmaster to pay him accordingly. With the circus thriving because of him, the Tramp also is able to secure better treatment for Merna.

After overhearing a fortune teller inform Merna that she sees "love and marriage with a dark, handsome man who is near you now", the overjoyed Tramp buys a ring from another clown. Alas for him, she meets Rex (Crocker), the newly hired tightrope walker.  (smelling some Tamil movie here !) When the traveling circus leaves, the Tramp remains behind : he prefers to fade to allow them to be happy. Melancholic, he picks himself up and starts walking jauntily away.

The man who made every one laugh – found his life not so happy and laughworthy. Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin KBE (1889 –1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, "The Tramp", and is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the film industry. His career spanned more than 75 years, from childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both adulation and controversy.

Chaplin's childhood in London was one of poverty and hardship, as his father was absent and his mother struggled financially, and he was sent to a workhouse twice before the age of nine.  In 1919, Chaplin co-founded the distribution company United Artists, which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was The Kid (1921), followed by A Woman of Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928). He initially refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) without dialogue. He became increasingly political, and his first sound film was The Great Dictator (1940), which satirised Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were a decade marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He was accused of communist sympathies, and some members of the press and public found his involvement in a paternity suit, and marriages to much younger women, scandalous. An FBI investigation was opened, and Chaplin was forced to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland.

Interesting !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

17.4.2020.