Pigeons love ! - Wise men say ! - Only fools, rush in !!

City dwellers often see pigeons as an eyesore and a nuisance. The more nature-inclined regard them as marvels of natural history and urban adaptation. Descended from birds bred by European hobbyists, Columba livia now nest on building ledges rather than their ancestral cliffs.  

 

Wise men say !  -  Only fools, only fools rush in

Oh, but I, but I, I can't help falling in love with you,  Shall I stay?

Would it be, would it be a sin?

If I can't help falling in love with you 

Ever fell in love or felt being loved !  - is that only essentially a mental perception ? .. is love just  essential biology,  evolutionarily ancient.  What about animal / birds love !?!  Oxytocin and vasopressin, the hormones most closely associated with mammalian bonding, have the near-identical avian analogues of mesotocin and vasotocin, which shape the interactions of zebra finch couples. 

Pigeons like people they know and trust—and especially people who feed them. They  recognize human faces, and their expressions of affection even suggest that they can feel emotional love. 

Throughout history, pigeons, bred by humans to live on rooftops or backyard lofts, have flown hundreds of miles to find their way home. People have raised pigeons to race them, like thoroughbreds, paying thousands of dollars for a bird. Some say these creatures are able to use the Earth’s gravitational pull to find their way back to where they belong. Others say they use the direction of the sun or the smell of the air to navigate. 

Whatever the reason for their keen sense of direction, pigeons have formed a strong bond with the humans who keep them, and in some cases have become part of the family.  Ask their keepers – they would say in one voice – Pigeons love humans ! 

Animal consciousness tends to be most appreciated in a select class of animals: big-brained creatures like great apes or whales, or domestic companions like cats and dogs not on these birds. As a class, birds receive comparatively  get little attention. And when they do, it tends to focus on intelligence, on easily quantifiable feats of problem-solving and cognition, rather than emotion. Most anyone who follows science knows about brainy crows using tools and high-level reasoning. But avian love remains beyond the pale.

 

Pigeons show affection to humans in a wide variety of ways such as flapping their wings, cooing, cuddling, and even sleeping next to humans. While they aren’t as affectionate as some other pets are, pigeons are still capable of showing affection in their own little way. 

Here is Pigeon flapping and falling in love with Boominathan of Triplicane, who keeps some of them in Triplicane kulakkarai. 

 

The lines at the start are from the 1961 album ‘Blue Hawaii’ of Elvis Presley, this song titled - "Can't Help Falling in Love" written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. The melody is based on "Plaisir d'amour",  a popular French love song composed in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini.  

 
Interesting !
 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
31.5.2023 

strategic planning! - reaction during tense moments !!

எதையுமே பிளான் பண்ணி பண்ணனும் - சொன்னது அறிஞர் வடிவேலு !  - குடவாசல் சிகாமணி LIC கட்டிடத்தை வாங்கின கதை தெரியுமா ?  இதோ இங்கே அவர் தமது ஊருக்கு கொண்டு செல்ல ஏற்பாடு பண்ணிட்டார் !! 

In African jungle every morning  antlers get up and start running – almost around the same time Cheetahs also start .. .. and fastest of the Cheetah has to runfaster than the slowest of the deer and for its life the slowest of the deer has to outrun the fastest predator !!  - every morning most of us get up to start the day’s work and wind up late in the night but our story is not as difficult as that of the deer !!  

TO Succeed in life we need direction and organizational goals without which every step would become meaningless wander in a forest.  Strategic planning is a process in which an organization's leaders define their vision for the future and identify their organization's goals and objectives. The process includes establishing the sequence in which those goals should be realized so that the organization can reach its stated vision. 

Strategic  planning typically represents mid- to long-term goals.  Strategic planning is the art of creating specific  strategies, implementing them, and evaluating the results of executing the plan, in regard to   overall long-term goals or desires. It is a concept that focuses on integrating various departments   within a company to accomplish its strategic goals. The term strategic planning is essentially synonymous with strategic management.  

Any savvy business person knows that success today does not guarantee success tomorrow. As such, it is important for managers to evaluate the performance of a chosen strategy after the implementation phase. .. .. and at ground level every  executive, the actual worker ant  knows that somehow the plan has to succeed. It is very scary, because it forces them to confront a future they can only guess at. Worse, actually choosing a strategy entails making decisions that explicitly cut off possibilities and options. An executive may well fear that getting those decisions wrong will wreck his or her career.  A plan going wrong – axe falls immediately on the ground level executive.  

The natural reaction is to make the challenge less daunting by turning it into a problem that can be solved with tried and tested tools. Mercurial MS Dhoni had his plans, trusted his lieutenant Sir Jadeja, remained extremely calm during those tense moments -  super charged Hardik Pandiya found everything going according to script – especially the first 4 balls of final over, but perhaps his indulgence with Mohit Sharma saw the result go awry.  To his credit, immediately he was seen supporting the bowler rather than getting angry.  Leaders stand tall !!

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
31.5.2023 

'Eaten alive' of Discovery channel - Rosolie was to be eaten by Anaconda !!

Anacondas are imposing creatures, easily being the heaviest snake in the world. They can reach around 550lbs (227kgs), which is well over twice the average human weight.  They captured the attention of global audience more after the film ‘Anaconda’  adventure-horror film, directed by Luis Llosa, starring Jennifer Lopez released in 1997.  The film centered  on a film crew for National Geographic who have been taken hostage by a snake hunter who is going after the world's largest giant anaconda, which is discovered in the Amazon Rainforest.

Anacondas  are not venomous, but are still extremely effective hunters. They hunt their prey - usually wild pigs, tapirs, caimans and fish, but sometimes even jaguars - using sight and heat sensors.   Their backward-facing teeth makes it difficult for creatures they hunt to escape. They strike in the blink of an eye and once an animal is in its grip it will coil around it until it's suffocated or crushed to death.  Discovery Channel had been pushing a special called ‘Eaten Alive’ which featured  27-year-old naturalist Paul Rosolie, who wore a “snake proof suit” and planned to live through getting swallowed by a 20-foot-long anaconda.   Eaten Alive is a nature documentary special which aired on Discovery Channel on December 7, 2014. The special focused on an expedition by wildlife author and conservationist Paul Rosolie to locate a green anaconda named "Chumana", which he believed to be the world's longest, in a remote location of the Amazon rainforest . The special was also purportedly to feature Rosolie being "eaten" by an anaconda, protected by a suit designed specifically for this purpose.

Though Rosolie stated that the special was intended to draw attention to wildlife conservation and the destruction of the Amazon, the special was condemned prior to its premiere by critics and the animal rights group PETA as an inhumane publicity stunt oriented towards shock value, resulting in calls for Discovery Channel to pull the special. Discovery went through great lengths to design a suit that would protect the man against the snake’s fangs, compression, and stomach acid, they appeared to overlook one tiny detail: Rosolie didn’t look at all like something a giant anaconda might want to eat. Indeed, when the crew finally found the chosen snake, it really wasn’t interested in trying to eat a human dressed up like the Tinman.

In fact, when Rosolie first made contact with the snake, it was afraid and tried to escape. What to do when you’ve hyped up a show this much and the star isn’t interested? Rather than making the decision to call the whole thing off, Rosolie decided to provoke the animal instead. Only then did the snake attack, biting and squeezing the armoured intruder. However, it appears that Rosolie wasn’t quite prepared for the reality of being constricted by an anaconda, and called in the crew to rescue him. The only way for Rosolie to have gotten out of the snake’s stomach would have been for the crew to kill the snake and cut him out.

The American naturalist who filmed himself getting eaten by an anaconda for a highly-anticipated television event spoke out about what inspired him to take part in the risky stunt.  Rosolie donned a special suit to let a 25-foot 400-pound snake eat him in a dangerous performance set to air on Discovery Channel.  From there, Rosolie put on a special suit made of carbon fiber designed to protect against both the snake's deadly grip and digestive acids. The suit also packed a three-hour supply of oxygen, communication devices and several cameras. Before going through with the effort, Rosolie also swallowed a pill that transmitted his vitals to his team.

Overall, it was stated that Rosolie was so confident in the suit's design that he was more worried about the snake's safety than his own.  Rosolie, a New Jersey native who first visited the Amazon at age 18, spent 60 days hiking through the rain forest in Peru with a team of about a dozen people searching for the right anaconda to take part in the stunt. In the process, the team also started the first scientific study of anacondas in the wild, taking down the weight, length and sex of each snake they came across. They also took samples of their skin to test for mercury, a by-product of the gold-mining industry which is encroaching on the creature's habitat.  They  finally tracked down a female green anaconda that Rosolie first spotted in 2008.  He says it took 12 people fighting in water above their heads to catch the 25-foot 400-500 pound anaconda, adding that herpetologists were on site to make sure the snake was in good health throughout its short captivity.  In order to attract the snakes's attention, Rosolie doused himself in pigs blood and imitated movements of the anaconda's typical prey.

Some people think the constriction of an anaconda serves to break bones or soften an animal for eating; the real purpose is to suffocate the animal by restricting its breath – eventually, it came a cropper, for the anaconda was not interested in eating a human ! ~ and perhaps the human being too was not quite prepared for the reality.  It wasn’t scientific in nature at all, and didn’t seek to benefit anyone except Discovery’s bottom line and Rosolie’s reputation.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

17^th Feb 2015.

News courtesy : National Geographic; NYpost and Daily Mail. Though pictures are available – do not deem it fit to post nauseating photos !

CSK soars ! - MSD steers - IPL 2023

என் மன  வானில் சிறகை அடிக்கும் வண்ண பறவைகளே !!

 

There are Captains who let off steam like pressure cooker – then there is MSD who makes people whistle

 

They said – Ruturaj is strokeless wonder, Conway is no replacement for Faf, Dube is not meeting the ball at all; Stokes will play but not bowl;  Dhoni has lost reflex; why pick up those close to retirement like Ajiknya & Rayudu;  Jaddu is flash in the pan – then the most inexperienced attack – Akash singh , Subanshu Senapati, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh,  Theekshana, Pathirana, Prashant Solanki, Tushar Deshpande – all unknown stock who cannot defend 300 !!

 

In walked Ambati Rayudu to collect IPL 2023 – MSD consoled ex CSK Mohit Sharma who bowled that last over !!

 

IPL is all about CSK and Dhoni’s shrewdness winning  - well done MSD

 
30.5.2023 

IPL Finals 2023 - Sai Sudarshan - who ??

 

Sai Sudarshan – what an explosive innings !!  96 from 47 balls !!

Sad to miss out a century in the finals !!!!

.. .. and Ashwin sighted him so early !!

IPL Finals 2023

 

Anything below 240 is chaseable !!😢 IPL 2023 Update @ 8p.m

 

-then there is lightning magic MSD 💐💐💐 – few seconds later.

 

IPL 2023 finals @ 8pm

Parrot home at Thiruvallikkeni

Parrot home at Thiruvallikkeni  

 

Come feed the little birds, show them you care

And you'll be glad if you do.

Their young ones are hungry,

Their nests are so bare;

All it takes is tuppence from you."

 

வானம் நீல நிறமா ! அல்லது பச்சை நிறமா !  என்ற சந்தேகம் திருவல்லிக்கேணி ஸ்ரீபார்த்தசாரதி கோவிலுக்கு வருபவர்களுக்கு வரலாம்.

 

கிளி சித்தாசிடே குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்த பறவை. இவற்றுள் சுமார் 86 இனங்களைச் சார்ந்த 372 வகைகள் உள்ளன. இவை சிறப்பியல்பான வளைந்த சொண்டைக் (அலகு) கொண்டன. ஆஸ்திரேலியாவிலும், தென் அமெரிக்காவிலுமே மிக அதிக வகையிலான கிளிகள் உள்ளன. தமிழ்நாட்டில் பொதுவாக காணப்படுவது சிவப்பு வளைய கிளியாகும் (Rose Ringed parakeet). 

திருவல்லிக்கேணியில் வைணவம் வளர்க்கும் வீடு 7 தெற்கு மாடவீதி - 'கீதாச்சார்யன்' என பெயரிடப்பட்ட இந்த வீடு முது முனைவர் உ வே வேங்கடகிருஷ்ணன் சுவாமி வீடு.  இந்த இல்லத்தின் மாடியில் அழகாக தேங்காய் கொட்டாங்கச்சிகளில் அரிசி, தானியங்கள் போடுவதால் தினமும் காலையிலும் மாலையிலும் ஏராளமான கிளிகள் பறந்து வந்து, அமர்ந்து, நிதானமாக உண்டு களிக்கின்றன. 

பச்சைக்கிளி  என்றால் தமிழில் - பச்சை நிறக் கிளியையும் வெட்டுக்கிளியையும் குறிக்கும்.  உலகம் சுற்றும் வாலிபனின் MGRக்காக  TM சௌந்தரராஜன் பாடிய இந்த பாடல் நிச்சயம் ஞாபகம் வரும். 

 

பச்சை கிளி முத்து சரம்; முல்லை கோடி யாரோ,

பாவை என்னும் தேரில் வரும் தேவன் மகள் நீயோ..

 

 

One might start yondering about their dream girl moving away from these beautiful parrots !

The song at the starts is -  "Feed the Birds" is a song written by the Sherman Brothers (Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman) and featured in the 1964 motion picture Mary Poppins. The song speaks of an old beggar woman (the "Bird Woman") who sits on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral, selling bags of breadcrumbs to passers-by for two pence a bag  so that they can feed the many pigeons which surround the old woman. The scene is reminiscent of the real-life seed vendors of Trafalgar Square who began selling birdseed to passers-by shortly after its public opening in 1844.

 

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, using painted London background scenes.

 
Interesting !
 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
29.5.2023 

Great escape at Marseille - when Karl Marx grandson defended Savarkar

This film was released in 1996 and when I saw it on First day of its release in Kakinada, the theatre was not exactly crowded.  It was a film set in British India in the year 1915. The story is about a young doctor, Govardhan Menon (Mohanlal), wrongly accused of bombing a train carrying 55 people including British officials.  He is sentenced to serve punishment in  cellular jail at Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The film moved me – I was choked with emotions and tears.

the tiny cell room where Veer Savarkar was cruelly confined for 10+ years !

More than a century and decade back, (on 8^th July 1910)  a British ship docked in the French port  of Marseille. A fugitive from the ship jumped into the water and swam to the French dock.  British took custody of him.  It caused International furore and was reported to International Court of Justice – Arbitration between two Nations – Great Britain and France; the hotly debated issue being that of Sovereignty of the State.

Another case, another time, of what we did not study in school books of Indian History .. .. a case between Britain and France – the man – Vinayak Damodhar Savarkar aka Veer Savarkar. 

As described in Court papers, this  case arose as the result of the escape of Savarkar, a Hindoo, who was being transported from England to India for trial on a charge of abetment of murder, and who at Marseilles on July 8, 1910, escaped to the shore from the Morea, a British merchant vessel, which was carrying him. While being pursued by Indian policemen from the vessel, he was captured by a French police officer, who returned him to the Morea, which sailed with the fugitive on board on the following day. Subsequently, France demanded the restitution of the fugitive on the ground that his delivery to the British officers on board the vessel was contrary to the rules of international law, and, upon Great Britain's refusal to comply, the questions of law and fact involved were, by a compromise!!  signed October 25, 1910,2 submitted to the arbitration of a tribunal composed of the following members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration: August M. F. Beernaert of Belgium, Earl of Desart of England, Louis Renault of France, Gregors Gram of Norway and A. F. de Savornin Lohman of Holland. The sessions began February 14, 1911, and ended February 17, 1911, the decision being rendered February 24, 1911.

France demanded the restitution of the fugitive on the ground that his delivery to the British officers on board the vessel was contrary to the rules of international law, but this was not a full case trial as it was a compromise of convenience in the arbitration panel.  Not a single line of exaggeration – one can find the details in the 14 paged document available on web :  https://legal.un.org/riaa/cases/vol_XI/243-255.pdf

It perhaps is one of the many lies of the colonial invaders.  The British Govt on record maintained that Savarkar was caught by a French soldier and handed over to them.   Veer Savarkar after days of undue harsh treatment, transported in inhumane condition to be tried in Indian land  was caught by Amarsinh Pardeshi and A. Siddiqui-two British policemen of Indian origin-who were on board guarding him, a short while after he swam ashore.  The ship by name ‘Morea’   had docked at Marseilles when Savarkar guarded by constables entered the small toilet and escaped through a very small hole – sensing his escape, he was chased on a boat, yet managed to swim ashore.    He was apprehended by French police man on shore who was made to believe that the fugitive had caused some crime on the vessel and hence was being chased.  As a person who had committed no crime on French soil and caught by French police he ought not have been handed over ! 

By the lack of language, the French man was duped and the Morea sailed the very next day with its precious cargo – Veer Savarkar, as captive.  This affair  was discussed at the highest levels of state. The French envoy in London set forth his government’s view that “As the prisoner had reached French soil…questions of international law were involved." In other words, the moment Savarkar set foot, it was argued, on the sovereign territory of France, his British-Indian keepers no longer enjoyed legal rights over him—and certainly not the right to apprehend, seize, and cart him back to a foreign vessel. Since Savarkar was already out of hand, the request of the French government was simple: until the matter was settled as per law between the two nations, the prisoner should not be tried for the charges that had provoked his arrest in London in the first place.

It was a brilliantly planned escape by the great freedom fighter who had  informed Paris-based revolutionaries Madam Bhikaji Cama and Shyamji Krishna Verma of his plan of escape and asked them to be ready with a car on shore. Cama and Verma reached  few minutes later and this delay changed the course of History and the destiny of Savarkar.    

There is another International sensation – grandson of Karl Marx defended Savarkar in the case.   Jean-Laurent-Frederick Longuet (1876–1938), a French socialist, politician, journalist and lawyer, not only stood in the International Court of Justice in The Hague to defend Savarkar, but also praised him for his bravery, patriotism and intellect. Marx’s grandson was born to Charles and Jenny Longuet, Karl Marx’s daughter, in London. The family had later moved to France, where Jean Longuet worked as a journalist and got trained as a lawyer. He was also the founder-editor of French newspaper Le Populaire and was a prominent socialist leader in France.

The film mentioned at the start - ‘Kaalapani’ shows the sufferings of hundreds of Indian prisoners in the cellular jail – the  extremely inhumane conditions faced by the prisoners in the jail are accurately depicted. Alex Draper plays the sadistic jailor David Berry, who is of Irish descent, while John Kolvenbach plays the kind-hearted English doctor, Len Hutton. Annu Kapoor plays the role of Veer Savarkar who is incarcerated and tries his best to keep the spirit of the prisoners going despite unbelievable torture. Tabu plays Mohanlal's lover who keeps waiting for him to come back.

Most prisoners of the dark cruel  Cellular Jail were independence activists. Some famous inmates of the Cellular Jail were Diwan Singh Kalepani, Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, Yogendra Shukla, Batukeshwar Dutt, Maulana Ahmadullah, Babarao Savarkar, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Sachindra Nath Sanyal, Bhai Parmanand, Shadan Chandra Chatterjee, Sohan Singh, Subodh Roy, Vaman Rao Joshi and Nand Gopal.  Several revolutionaries tried in the Alipore Case (1908) such as Barindra Kumar Ghose, Upendra Nath Banerjee, Birendra Chandra Sen too were lodged there. It is written that though Savarkar brothers Babarao and Vinayak were lodged there for two years at the same time, they would not know of each other’s presence.  

Freedom was obtained by the great sacrifices, blood and martyrdom of many revolutionaries like Veer Savarkar – the fresh air that we breathe is because of their sacrifices.  Bow to them, remember and thank them eternally.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
29.5.2023 

Rocket SCience !

 ராக்கெட் எப்படி பறக்கும் !!  ப்ரஹ்மானந்தம் கேள்வி ?

 

You might have heard the phrase “It is not rocket science” tossed around!. When someone says “It’s not rocket science,” what they really mean is that something is not so difficult. Rocket scientists are brilliant people, but rocket science is based on concepts that we understand.

 

Rocket propulsion is defined as ‘the  force that is used by the rocket to take off from the ground and into the atmosphere’.

 

Thrust is the force which moves any aircraft through the air. Thrust is generated by the propulsion system of the aircraft. Different propulsion systems develop thrust in different ways, but all thrust is generated through some application of Newton's third law of motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In any propulsion system, a working fluid is accelerated by the system and the reaction to this acceleration produces a force on the system. A general derivation of the thrust equation shows that the amount of thrust generated depends on the mass flow through the engine and the exit velocity of the gas.

 

During and following World War II, there were a number of rocket- powered aircraft built to explore high speed flight.

 

One need not know rocket Science, just see and enjoy life with little things that gives us happiness.  Happy morning

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
27.5.2023

 

Best wishes to Bobby S Giridharan on his birthday

Today, May 26 – he turns 67 – a man of wisdom beyond age. One day, he threw a challenge to friends – ‘ask me anything about any actor / actresses including the name(s) of their dogs’ – I can answer.  Such is his power of remembering even trivial things.  He is  fondly called Bobby (after Bobby Simpson revealing his one sided support for Australian Cricket team) 

It is his  humane approach more than his knowledge that makes him stand apart.  Fortunate to know him since 1985, first saw him at a Cricket ground in Oriental inter-office tournament which turned fiery ! 

In 1989, following amended Motor Vehicles Act 1988 – Motor Tariff underwent a sea change – from NCB – Malus too was introduced.  Oriental Insurance conducted a seminar for its officers and Underwriters at Hotel Pandiyan, handled entirely by the genius who lucidly explained all the concepts, took the Qs and ensured that everyone were able to understand the changes in Tariff clear. 

His vocabulary and command over English language is commendable. His knowledge in insurance is exceptional; his teaching skills exemplary as would be vouched by 100s of +2 Insurance students who benefitted.  In Office, he shone in Motor and TP claims where he took settlements to a newer level with humanity writ large in compensations.  He was equally well versed in Property insurances as well. 

He should have reached much higher posts - Sad that his career had some difficult torrid times brought about by some vested interests – today he lives in His Empire, loved and respected by thousands in Insurance field.  He has helped many people reaching out to people requiring any support. 

He was so much for Sports that during his tenure Oriental Madras RO  had some good Sports recruits in Cricket and became a power in PSU Cricket.  In 1999 OIC conducted National Athletics Meet in Chennai and his planning was immaculate.  The games were conducted at Nehru stadium with International Ms Shiny Wilson inaugurating, overseen by International referees.  Every aspect of the meet including stay of the participants in a Star hotel was meticulously arranged and conducted by a small team handpicked by him (yours truly was his spokesperson !!) 

For sure, there is much more to say !  -  fortunate to have been associated with him for a brief tenure at OIC – long live Sri Srinivasan Giridharan Sir !  He showed that knowledge is not to be feared but to the spread to everyone in the manner that they can understand !! 

May our Emperuman bless you with a long healthy life, bereft of any problem to ensure that you live happily with your family.

 

A picture of him speaking on a podium would have been apt – yet these two taken during the Athletic meet are posted here.  May 26^th is Giri’s birthday.

 
One of your many fans – S. Sampathkumar
26.5.2023 

the cruel ways of Colonists & Churches - National Sorry Day

On field fracas are not new !  .. .. players do let off the steam .. .. a fake Naveen-ul-Haq account on twitter posted apology to Virat Kohli. Fans fell for the series of tweets and retweeted them thinking it was indeed the LSG pacer who was saying sorry to RCB batter… ..  in pic Ben Stokes apologizing after that incident in World Cup

There's something very powerful about receiving or giving a heartfelt, genuine apology. Bad apologies, on the other hand, can be disastrous and lead to more hurt. Apologising is hard because people  don’t want to feel bad about themselves.  We try to have a positive image of ourselves, and our need to protect that can make sincerely apologising quite hard. Showing, not just saying, that you regret what you have done is an important part of apologising.

 

Inglis will return to Perth after the first Ashes Test starting on June 16 and his place will be taken up before the second Test at Lord's by 30-year-old Queensland gloveman Peirson, who has 65 first-class games to his credit.  Alex Carey is Australia’s first-choice keeper for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India and the five Ashes Tests and Inglis has been selected as his back-up.

No Cricket post but something on apology and Australia !!

Following the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales. A camp was set up and the Union Flag raised at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, on 26 January 1788,  a date which later became Australia's national day.   The British claim extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement.  On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved  - After the 1907 Imperial Conference, Australia and several other self-governing British settler colonies were given the status of self-governing "dominions" within the British Empire. 

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.  The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world.  Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia.  

.. .. ..and the colonisers were not exactly merciful, they were merchants who fleeced every Nation of their riches and also engaged in promotion Christianity by every possible means .. .. cruelly,  they removed children from original settlers and the  removed children were, in most cases, placed into institutional facilities operated by religious or charitable organisations. A significant number, particularly females, were "fostered" out. Children taken to such institutions were trained to be assimilated to Anglo-Australian culture. Policies included punishment for speaking their local Indigenous languages. The intention was to educate them for a different future and to prevent their being socialised in Aboriginal cultures. The boys were generally trained as agricultural labourers and the girls as domestic servants; these were the chief occupations of many Europeans at the time in the largely rural areas outside cities.  A common aspect of the removals was the failure by these institutions to keep records of the actual parentage of the child, or such details as the date or place of birth.  

The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments. The removals of those referred to as "half-caste" children were conducted in the period between approximately 1905 and 1967,  although in some places mixed-race children were still being taken into the 1970s. Official government estimates are that in certain regions between one in ten and one in three Indigenous Australian children were forcibly taken from their families and communities between 1910 and 1970.

The Aboriginal Protection Act 1869  included the earliest legislation to authorise child removal from Aboriginal parents. The Central Board for the Protection of Aborigines had been advocating such powers since 1860. Passage of the Act gave the colony of Victoria a wide suite of powers over Aboriginal and "half-caste" persons, including the forcible removal of children, especially "at-risk" girls.  As a result of such legislation, states arranged widespread removal of (primarily) mixed-race children from their Aboriginal mothers.  Policemen or other agents of the state (some designated as "Aboriginal Protection Officers") were given the power to locate and transfer babies and children of mixed descent from their mothers, families, and communities into institutions for care. In these Australian states and territories, institutions (both government and missionary) for half-caste children were established in the early decades of the 20th century to care for and to educate the mixed-race children taken from their families – can there by more cruelty to people !!

National Sorry Day or the National Day of Healing is an annual event held   in Australia on 26 May, commemorating the Stolen Generations. It is part of the ongoing efforts towards reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The first National Sorry Day was held on the one-year anniversary of the 1997 Bringing Them Home report. It examined the government practices and policies which led to the Stolen Generations and recommended support and reparations to the Indigenous population. While Prime Minister John Howard refused to apologise, his successor Kevin Rudd issued a formal apology in 2008 on behalf of the federal government. National Sorry Day has also inspired many public acts of solidarity and in support of reconciliation.

In 2005, the National Sorry Day Committee renamed the day the National Day of Healing, with the motion tabled in Parliament by Senator Aden Ridgeway. In his words: "the day will focus on the healing needed throughout Australian society if we are to achieve reconciliation".  

Sad, sad state of affairs – of the cruel, inhuman treatment meted to humanity by so called kind educated dignified people – the Europeans.

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
26^th May 2023. 

Harsha kept pecking on MSD's retirement !!

I have been a great fan of MS Dhoni – not only  for his game, his helicopter shots, quickfire stumpings, leadership qualities, Cricketing acumen, success at DRS, handling team, mentoring youngsters … .. and his measured talking at post-match shows – praising the team when winning, speaking about process and taking the blame when losing – a great Management guru.  It was irritating and more than a bit painful to hear Harsha Bhogle again and again broach on the same subject ! – when he would call it a day !!

It is the famous cliché situation – all other teams fighting for the right to play the wise and old CSK in the finals !

Retirements are  normal; We have seen so many in our lives with the passage of time…… it is a process where a person stops employment / work completely.  We are not speaking about anything forced but the natural retirement upon person reaching the prescribed age limit of 58 or 60….  In some ways, it is a happy event that somebody can take rest peacefully and perhaps devote his time and attention to religious or social activity ~ not required to work any longer……not all are fortunate..  retirement is  an emotional event for everyone and it is more emotional for the retiree.    

The first price of popularity is that one is hounded quite often of ‘retirement’……… the great genius writer Sujatha in his heydays was confronted in a student’s forum with the Q  : Sir, when will you stop writing ? Pat came the reply – ‘in the night ~ when I feel too sleepy’………… ~ one need not be guided by the Q and can have one’s own way !! The Genius Little Master  SAchin Tendulkar was haunted with the Q of his retirement .. .. and so many critics have been speaking in many tones about  the retirement of the mercurial Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The mercurial MSD surprised everyone on 30.12.2014 – the boxing test had just been drawn and Dhoni was 24* - 4 overs left with 4 wickets in hand – MSD made no mention during the customary Captain’s press conference at the end of the match.  Then a BCCI release stated that MSD had resigned citing the strain of playing all formats. We thought that 2020 will see MSD striking it rich in IPL and turn for India in T20 WC 2020 – but Covid-19  changed lives.

No.  ‘199’ gained so much of attraction – it was a test match at Eden Gardens – Rohit Sharma fresh from the euphoria of a double ton in ODI got his Test cap from Sachin, after having played 108 ODIs – getting the nod over Ajinkya Rahana.  Alongside also debuted Mohammed Shami preferred over Ishant.  The badshah of Cricket – Sachin Tendulkar decided to retire – the swansong was to be  at Wankhede  on his 200^th test and there were talks that the Series itself was arranged  to allow him select his retirement at his home ground.

ஓய்வு உடலுக்கும் மனதுக்கும் தேவையானது. ஒருகட்டத்தில் உடலின் உருக்கமான வேண்டுகோளை ஒவ்வொருவரும் உணர்வர். ஒய்வு எடுக்கும் சமயம் அதி முக்கியம் - இது அதீதமாக தூங்குவதல்ல.    ஒருவனை அழிக்கும் அவனுக்கும் அவனது குடும்பத்திற்கும் நாட்டிற்கும்,  அலுவகத்திற்கும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் நான்கு குணங்களை திருவள்ளுவர் கூறுகிறார்:

நெடுநீர் மறவி மடி துயில் நான்கும்

கெடுநீரார் காமக் கலன்.

நீண்டஅழுகை, மறந்துவிடுவது, சோம்பல், அதிகபட்ச உறக்கம் இவை நான்கும் அழிவை விரும்புபவர்களின் ஆயதங்கள் என்கிறார் செந்நாப்போதார்.  நாம் கூறும் ஒய்வு இதல்ல.  ஓய்வு என்பது தொடர்ச்சியான செயலில் இருந்து  விடுபடுவது.  மாற்றுச்செயலில் ஈடுபடுவதும் கூட ஓய்வுதான். மனதுக்கும், உடலுக்கும்  ஓய்வு தேவை, புத்துணர்ச்சிஅளிக்கிறது.  ஒய்விற்குப் பின் செய்யும் செயல்கள் அதிகபலனை அளிக்கிறது. உலகில் ஓய்விற்காக தொடங்கப்பட்ட பலதுறைகள் இப்பொழுது பெரும்வளர்ச்சி பெற்றுள்ளன -  சுற்றுலா, கேளிக்கை அரங்கம், சினிமா, நாடகம், தொலைக்காட்சி, இசை, நடனம், உடற்பயிற்சி, உணவுவிடுதிகள் மற்றும் பல  மக்களுக்குப் பலவிதமான ஓய்வெடுக்கும் வாய்ப்புகளை உருவாக்கித் தர வல்லன. எனினும்,   மனதிற்கான ஓய்வு தேவை  வெளிப்படையாக தெரிவதில்லை. இதனால் பலர் மனதிற்கான ஓய்வுத் தேவையை சரியாக நெறிப்படுத்துவது இல்லை.அனுதினமும் புதியபுதிய நிகழ்வுகளால், மனம் ஓய்வின்றி செயல்படுகிறது.  

The daddy’s army Chennai Super Kings reached their tenth Indian Premier League final on Tuesday night, defeating defending champions Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier in Chennai. The Hardik Pandya-led side, that had finished at the top of the table, has chance to have another  shot at reaching the final,  will meet the winners of the eliminator game between Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants – winners of which will challenge CSK.

In the post match show, Harsha Bhogle even before appreciating the spectacular performance, tried to gloat over the fact that this is MSD’s final appearance in Chennai – yes 2023 season is drawing to a close and there are only 2 matches left !  Speculations have been rife on whether Dhoni will return to the great brand again in 2024 edition.  

Though Harsha kept repeating Dhoni had his way, he  didn't confirm on his return, but insisted that he has ample time to take a decision on his CSK career.  "Frankly, it takes a heavy toll. I have been out of home for literally four months," Dhoni said  - "I will always come to CSK. I have been out of home from January, been practicing since March, so we will see," he added. "January 31 was when I got out of the house, finished my work, and started practicing from 2nd or 3rd of March. It takes a lot, but I have ample time to decide. I have 8-9 months to decide. Why take that headache now. I have ample time to decide. The auction is in December," the 41-year-old said.

Simply – will cross the bridge when it comes, when worry now !   CSK's bowling coach Dwayne Bravo, however,  seemingly confirmed that Dhoni would return as player in the next edition. In the post-match interview with broadcasters Star Sports, when anchor Mayanti Langer asked Bravo on whether Dhoni will be seen in the coveted yellow jersey, Bravo said, “100 percent.”  Especially, with the Impact Player rule. It will keep prolonging his career,” Bravo said, much to the delight of Matthew Hayden and Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who were standing next to Bravo during the interview.

“He bats really deep. I think the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, (Shivam) Dube... these guys make a huge difference. You don't require much from MS. But he has the ability to keep his calm when the team is under pressure,” Bravo further said.

Kapil, the greatest all-rounder for India played  131 Test matches,  scored 5248 runs in 184 innings at an average of 31.05 with 8 hundreds and 27 half-centuries. In 131 tests, he took 434 wickets at 29.64 with 23 five-wicket hauls and best bowling figures of 9 for 83 against the West Indies.  In One dayers (always remember WC 1983) he scored 3783 runs (175* highest) and took 253 wickets in 221 innings.

On that day at Faridabad  Oct 17, 1994 to be pecise – Kapil Dev was not given the new ball – Manoj Prabhakar, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Rajesh Chauhan bowled 10 overs each – while Sachin bowled 5.  It was sad and sickening and even made me cry when Kapil walked from deep square leg to bowl another over but  was unceremoniously sent back by the Captain Azharuddin.  Kapil in his normal self having completed 5 overs walked towards the Umpire, but the ball was sort of snatched by the Captain. For me in someways, Cricket was never the same thereafter ! – exceptional wrong treatment of a Senior on his retirement.

Yet, retirements are but common and do happen – me too have started counting the months !!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar
25.5.2023