Air Show at Marina - prelude !!

 

Wow  - what a moment !!

 

The Indian Air Force will celebrate its 92^nd  Raising Day in Chennai on October 8, 2024, showcasing 64 aircraft from various categories. The event will highlight India's growing air power and military readiness. 

This year, the theme is 'Bharatiya Vayusena: Saksham, Sashakt aur Aatmnirbhar' (Indian Air Force: Capable, Strong, and Self-reliant), highlighting the force's commitment to national security, self-reliance, and modernisation. 

The celebrations will feature a spectacular flypast over Marina Beach, showcasing 64 aircraft from various categories, reflecting India's growing air power and military readiness. Aircraft such as the Su-30, MiG-29, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), Chetak, Dakota, and Jaguars will be on display. The Navy's anti-submarine warfare aircraft, the P8I, will also make an appearance, while the Army’s Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk4 will join the aerial showcase. 

The IAF's display of air prowess at Marina Beach, from 11 am to 1 pm on October 6, will be open to the public for free. The main dais will be set up in front of Vivekananda House, but the public is welcome to use the entire Marina stretch to view the aerial feast. The aircraft will fly from the lighthouse side toward the Indian Naval Station (INS) Adyar.  

For sure, it is going to be a special day and the prelude of two mighty aircrafts flying over Marina / Triplicane was such a joyous moment. 

Salute our armed forces – Jai Hind
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
28.9.2024 @ 2.40 pm.

 

 

A Black & White Pigeon !! ~ அமைதி புறாவே, அமைதி புறாவே ! அழைக்கின்றேன்

 

அமைதி புறாவே, அமைதி புறாவே ! அழைக்கின்றேன் உன்னை

நிம்மதியே நிம்மதியே; நான் நேசிக்கின்றேன் உன்னை

 

காலங்களாலே தென்றல் வருக  ! புயலே வர வேண்டாம்

மேகங்களாலே மழையே வருக !  வெள்ளம் வர வேண்டாம்

வீடுகள் தோறும் ஒளியே வருக ! இருளே வர வேண்டாம்

நாடுகள் தோறும் உறவே வருக !  பகையே வர வேண்டாம்

 

A middle-aged farm woman walks through her village and gazes down a country road. A voiceover reveals that her son was killed in the war and buried in a foreign land. On the Eastern Front, nineteen-year-old  Alyosha Skvortsov (Vladimir Ivashov) single-handedly destroys two attacking German tanks, more out of self-preservation than bravery. His commanding general wants to give him a decoration, but Alyosha asks instead for a leave to see his mother and to repair the leaking roof of their home. He is given six days. 

Ballad of a Soldier   is a 1959 Soviet war romance film directed by Grigory Chukhray and starring Vladimir Ivashov and Zhanna Prokhorenko. Set during World War II, Ballad of a Soldier is not primarily a war film. It recounts, within the context of the turmoil of war, various kinds of love: the romantic love of a young couple, the committed love of a married couple, and a mother's love of her child, as a Red Army soldier tries to make it home during a leave, meeting several civilians on his way and falling in love.   

பறப்பன - பறவைகள் !!  பறவைகள் அழகானவை !!  தமிழ் சினிமாவில் காதலன் காதலி சந்திக்கும் சீனில், கிளி, புறா, மயில் இன்ன பிற பறக்கும்.  நாயகிகள்  பறவைகளை ஆசையாக வளர்க்கும் அன்புள்ளம் கொண்டவர்கள் -  மாரி  போன்ற சில சினிமாக்களில் கதாநாயகன் புறா, சேவல்,   மற்ற பறவைகளை வளர்ப்பார்.  நாயகனுக்கும் நாயகிக்கும் இடையே தூதுவிடும் வேலையை பறவைகள் செய்யும்.   

Doves, typically domestic pigeons white in plumage, are used in many settings as symbols of peace, freedom, or love.  It is a white bird of   Columbidae family symbolic of beauty, goodness, peace and more.  Pigeons are attractive !  - from distance they look black and strong grey. Variable in color, but most birds are bluish gray with two black bands on the wing and a black tip to the tail. There are pure white birds too – this one was different  - white in patches  !!    - a  white pigeon  symbolizes  pure of heart.

In early ages of kingdoms, Pigeons were used to carry messages for people. The ancient Greeks used pigeons to share the results of the Olympic Games with people who were far away.  The ancient Celts believed pigeons carried messages from the spirit world. Thus, pigeons had this quality in common with raven meaning: the Celts viewed them as oracle birds. Notably, a white pigeon was viewed as carrying messages from angels.

The song at the start sung by P Susheela to the music of legend KV Mahadevan, lyrics of Kaviyarasu Kannadasan is from 1966 Tamil movie ‘Thaaye Unakkaga’  directed by P. Pullayya and written by Kannadasan.  Interestingly, it was a  remake of the 1959 Russian film Ballad of a Soldier.

This one was not full grey nor full white – but half-white !! (believe me! This is a colour photo of a black & white pigeon)  with frosty white splotches on its wings and over body. Unusual genetic mutations can eliminate color in a bird's feathers—in patches, or even across its entire body.  In some species, white is albinism though it is not so, in doves and pigeons.

பறந்த புறா திரும்பி வரலாம் –

கடந்து சென்ற காலமும், ஆத்திரத்தில் விட்ட வார்த்தைகளும் திரும்பி வாரா!

 

ஆசாமி சிரிப்பு சிந்தனையாளனின் இன்றைய முத்து  !!  

 
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
28.9.2024 

 

White Rose ! Gardenia Jasminoides !? - சோலைப் பூவில் மாலைத் தென்றல் பாடும் நேரம்

ரோஜா  கவிஞர்களின் பூ !  சந்திரனுக்கே சவால் விடும் அளவு காதலுடன் சம்பந்தம் உள்ள பூ !!.   பூ வாடிவிடும்  சந்திரன் பிறையாக தேயும் ஆனால் காதல் என்றும் பூத்து வளர் பிறையாகும் என ஒரு கவிஞன் (வேறு யார் ??) எழுதியுள்ளான். 

சோலைப் பூவில் மாலைத்  தென்றல் பாடும் நேரம்..

ஆசை கொண்ட நெஞ்சம் ரெண்டும் ஆடும் காலம்..

 

மேகத்துக்குள் மின்னல் போலே நின்றாயே..

மின்னல் தேடும் தாழம் பூவாய் நானும் வந்தேனே..

 

கள்ளில் இல்லா இன்பம் உந்தன்  சொல்லில் இங்கே கண்டேனே..

 

Father James is a priest. Parisutham is a multimillionaire and head of the town, Peter   is the son of coffin maker Savaerimuthu -an angry young man. Peter's sister Mary  and Parisutham's son Johnny are in love. Mary becomes pregnant and at that time Johnny has to leave the country for few days on business, so she asks the Father James' help to arrange her marriage;  Peter's girlfriend Lakshmi, overhears part of a conversation between Father James and Mary on her pregnancy and misunderstands that the Father and Mary were involved in a taboo relationship,  .. .. .. !!

I thought it to be a beautiful White Rose that bosomed in my terrace garden  but google images puts it to be Gardenia Jasminoides – whatever it be – a Rose by any other name smells so fragrant and looks so beautiful !! 

Gardenia jasminoides, commonly known as gardenia and cape jasmine, is an evergreen flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is native to parts of South-East Asia. They have a rounded habit with very dense branches with opposite leaves that are lanceolate-oblong, leathery or gathered in groups on the same node and by a dark green, shiny and slightly waxy surface and prominent veins. With its shiny green leaves and heavily fragrant white summer flowers, it is widely used in gardens in warm temperate and subtropical climates.  

German-Dutch botanist Georg Rumphius had seen Gardenia jasminoides on the island of Amboina (Ambon), noting in his Herbarium Amboinense around 1700 that it was a "delightful ornament" called catsjopiri or catsjopiring in Malay. He reported that it had been imported there from Batavia (Jakarta).  Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus recognized the value of Rumphius' work and assigned his student Olaf Stickman to study it. Stickman's dissertation was printed in 1754. He subsequently described the species as Varneria augusta. English naturalist John Ellis described Gardenia jasminoides in 1761,  having realised on dissecting the flower that it was not closely related to jasmine and warranted a new genus. He had initially proposed Warneria after the original plant's owner in England. However, Warner declined to have it named for him and so Ellis chose Gardenia to honour Scottish naturalist Alexander Garden.  Linnaeus gave it the name Gardenia florida in 1762 in the second edition of his Species Plantarum !!

The song at the start and storyline  is of Tamil movie “Vellai Roja” (White Rose) released in 1983  directed by A. Jagannathan,  a musical hit with score by Illayaraja.  It featured Sivaji, Ambika, Calcutta Viswanathan, Ambika, Radha, Prabu and Silk Smitha.  It was a remake of the Malayalam film Post Mortem which was remade in Telugu in 1984 as S.P. Bhayankar, in Kannada in 1988 as Dharmathma and in Hindi in 1993 as Tahqiqaat.   This song was sung by SP Balasubramaniam and S Janaki – to the tune of Isaignani Ilayaraja.

Interesting !

With regards – S Sampathkumar

27.9.2024

 

  

Salute the REAL HEROES of the Nation - Col. Narendra KUmar

We  adore Cine heroes, Cricketers, politicians but do not know much about our History and the real Heroes who guard our Nation.  Students must only be reading about the real heroes in Text books ! and the real history, struggle of the Nation including colonial oppression and how we got freedom.  Ever heard of Narendra Kumar ?

 

Earlier it was known as  Purig ~   the  Suru River,  a 185 kilometres (115 mi) long river, that originates from the Panzella glacier enriches it – it is the place in news and apt to be remembered by the entire Nation especially on – 26th July !  For those who feel Chennai is cold in December – life is far far different ! . .. its  landscape is mountainous, rugged, and high, the minimum elevation being some 8,000 feet (2,440 metres). The climate is cold and dry, with scanty precipitation that falls mainly as snow in winter. One locality, Dras (Drass), is reputed to be one of the world’s coldest permanently inhabited places, with winter temperatures falling to as low as −40 °F (−40 °C) or colder. Vegetation, mainly grasses and shrubs, is largely confined to river valleys at lower elevations, as the higher places are rocky and largely barren.  It is Kargil. 

The Siachen Glacier became a bone of contention following a vague demarcation of territories in the Karachi Agreement of July 1949 which did not exactly specify who had authority over the Siachen Glacier area. Indian interpretation was that Pakistan territory extended only to about the Saltoro Ridge, where the territorial line's route after the last demarcated Point NJ9842 was "thence north to the glaciers." Both Nations claimed the barren heights and the Siachen Glacier 

Colonel Narendra[a] Kumar, PVSM, KC, AVSM, FRGS (1933 –  2020) was a soldier par excellence and mountaineer. He is known for his expeditions across various mountain ranges such as the Himalayas and Karakorams, and respective subranges such as the Pir Panjals and Saltoro Mountains.  His reconnaissance efforts on the Siachen glacier were key to the Indian Army's reclamation of the forward posts of the glacier in Operation Meghdoot in 1984. He was the deputy leader of the first successful Indian Mount Everest expedition in 1965. 

Siachen Base Camp, 12,000 feet above sea level at Partapur, is a base camp of 102 Infantry Brigade (Siachen brigade) of XIV Corps of Indian Army which protects 110 km long Actual Ground Position Line (AGPL) with at least 108 forward military outposts and artillery observation posts in the disputed region of Siachen Glacier in Ladakh Union Territory of India. It is approximately 6 hours drive north from the town of Leh via one of the highest vehicle-accessible passes in the world, Khardung La at 17,582 feet. Bana Top (20,500 ft) is the highest post in the region, which requires 80 km and 20 day trek for troops. Pahalwan Post (about 20,000 ft) and posts near Indira Col (about 19,000 ft) are other high posts.  

Kumar Post or Kumar Base, named after the Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar, serves as the battalion head quarter located 60 km from the Siachen base towards Indira Col.  The base has helipads, a memorial for martyrs, medical unit etc and it is connected by a motorable road. India has significant tactical advantage as it occupies most of the higher peaks on the Saltoro Mountain Range in the western sector of Siachen and Pakistan Army hold posts only at lower heights of western slopes of the spurs of the Saltoro ridge. For the military operation, to ferry two people and their supplies, a minimum of 2–4 helicopter trips are required.    

Colonel Narendra Bull Kumar took expeditions to the Siachen area in 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1984 to scale Sia Kangri (24,350 feet) and Indira Col and Saltoro Kangri-I (25,400 feet), and skied to Bilafond La, Sia La and Turkistan La.  Operation Meghdoot was the codename for the Indian Armed Forces operation to take full control of the Siachen Glacier in Ladakh. Executed on the morning of 13 April 1984 in the highest battlefield in the world, Meghdoot was the first military offensive of its kind. This operation preempted Pakistan's Operation Ababeel and was a success, resulting in Indian forces gaining control of the Siachen Glacier in its entirety.  

Currently, the Indian Army remains the first and only army in the world to have deployed tanks and other heavy ordnance at altitudes well over 5,000 meters. Up to ten infantry battalions each of the Indian Army and Pakistan Army are actively deployed at high altitudes of up to 6,400 meters throughout the region due to the present Siachen conflict.  

Narendra   Kumar was born in Rawalpindi, British India on 8 December 1933, in a Punjabi Hindu family.  He had three brothers and two sisters; he and his brothers joined the Indian Army. In 1947, he took part in the World Scout Jamboree to Paris at the age of 13, representing the then state of Punjab. He returned to a partitioned India. Most Muslims on his ship were de-boarded in Karachi while everyone else landed in Bombay. His parents had moved to Shimla after the partition of India. 

For his distinguished services, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, and the Arjuna Award, in 1965, for the first Indian Everest Expedition of 1965. He remains the only Colonel to have received the Param Vishisht Seva Medal. He also received the Army's Kirti Chakra and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.  In 2010, he was presented the MacGregor Medal, by the United Service Institution of India, for his military reconnaissance and exploration efforts of remote Indian areas between 1978 and 1981. Kumar was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. 

The Indian Army's Siachen Battalion HQ in the Siachen Glacier is named as "Kumar Base" in his honour; the base is also a logistics forwarding post 

In 2004, the then President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam visited the base camp and spoke : Today I have visited Kumar, and the Siachen Battle School in Base Camp-1. When I was flying from Thoise to Kumar and back, I was witnessing the challenge of snowy terrain with fast winds. Now I am with you. Your Brigade has a tremendous responsibility for defending the Siachen Sector, in varied seasons under heavy snow fall and against incessant gun firings some times. Now I know the guns are silent. The 75 kms long, 2 to 4 kms wide Siachen glacier is of extreme geo-strategic importance where our Indira Pol meets POK and Aksai Chin.   A strong mind and physique is an asset for national security and provides leadership to high altitude battle. 

Nation realizes that you are encountering not one adversary but two. One across the border and the other the inhospitable nature. We recognize that you are fighting a battle at the highest altitude in the world. It is the duty of the nation to ensure your welfare and happiness and the happiness of your families at all times.  

 

On 26^th Sept 2024, our respected President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu visited Siachen Base Camp today and paid tributes at the Siachen War Memorial, which is a symbol of the sacrifice of soldiers and officers who have been martyred since the Indian Army began Operation Meghdoot on the Siachen Glacier on April 13, 1984. The President said that since the commencement of Operation Meghdoot in April 1984, the brave soldiers and officers of the Indian Armed Forces have ensured the security of this region. They face severe weather conditions. In difficult situations like heavy snowfall and minus 50 degrees temperature, they remain deployed at their front with full devotion and vigilance. They present extraordinary examples of sacrifice and tolerance in protecting the motherland. She told soldiers that all Indians are aware of their sacrifice and bravery and we respect them.

 

Salute our armed forces, special regards to those at Siachen and remember that great soldier - Colonel Narendra "Bull" Kumar
 
Regards to Indian Army – Jai Jawan
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
27.9.2024
  

Running - fast - forelegs or hindlegs !!!

The great game of Cricket is all about ‘runs and wickets !’ .. .. fundamental Q – ever read the definition of a ‘run in Cricket’ ? According to ICC rules – the  score shall be reckoned by runs. A run is scored

18.1.1 so often as the batsmen, at any time while the ball is in play, have crossed and made good their ground from end to end.

18.1.2 when a boundary or a Six is scored.

18.1.3 when Penalty runs are awarded.

 

How old are you ? – if you are middle-aged ! – the Q is not how fast you can run ! what one consciously may not know is one who has not ran for the past 5 years or so, would find it extremely difficult to run even for 50M distance! – try that !!  In the animal kingdom, running is different – the  speed can mean the difference between life and death. Predators use their speed to overtake and overpower their prey, while animals with few other defenses rely on speed to avoid becoming dinner.  That way deer has to run faster than the fastest of its chasing predator be it lion, tiger, wolf, hyena, or whatever – the predator has to run faster than the slowest of its prey !! 

Most animals have four legs and run on all four – whether their forelegs or hindlegs run faster ?  -   read something on  the mechanism of coordination of stepping in the fore and hind legs of quadrupeds,   The forelimbs and hindlimbs each consist of a series of bones, meeting the trunk of the body at the pectoral (forelimb) or pelvic (hindlimb) girdle. The pectoral girdle of most mammals consists of a shoulder blade (scapula) and in many, a clavicle.  The scapula lies alongside the rib cage and spine. It is connected to those structures by muscles and ligaments rather than being immovably fused to them. The clavicle, if it is present, runs from the region of the articulation between scapula and forelimb to the anterior part of the sternum. 

Capable of going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than three seconds, the cheetah is considered the fastest land animal, though it is able to maintain such speeds only for short distances. Lions are also quite fast when hunting prey, with a top speed of about 50 miles per hour. However, the common prey of African big cats can be pretty speedy as well. The springbok, for example, can reach 55 miles per hour when pursued, and the blue wildebeest has been clocked at 50 miles per hour. 

Some terrestrial animals are built for achieving extremely high speeds, such as the cheetah, pronghorn, race horse and greyhound, while humans can train to achieve high sprint speeds. There is no single determinant of maximum running speed: however, certain factors stand out.  These factors include: Muscle moment arms, foot morphology, muscle architecture, and muscle fiber type. Each factor contributes to the ground reaction force (GRF) and foot contact time of which the changes to increase maximal speed are not well understood across all species. 

GRF is a common variant which is studied in running gait. It has been shown in humans that as velocity increases, there is a linear increase in the vertical GRF. The GRF during running exceeds the body weight and therefore the extra force must be applied by the body.  Foot contact time, or stance time, is the time that the foot is in contact with the ground.   

"Cheetahs are muscular," researchers  points out. "People look at cheetahs in a zoo and see a sort of two-dimensional coat rack, but a wild cheetah doesn't look like that. A wild cheetah has quite a bit of muscle on it. They're much more substantial than a greyhound. They've got big legs, big shoulders, lots of powerful muscles – that's an important part of being an athletic animal." These strong muscles are supported by other useful anatomical features that allow them to move forward from the ground very quickly, as well as turning. 

When it comes to running, one may not have thought Hippos in their list.  A pair of evolutionary biomechanics specialists at the University of London's, Royal Veterinary College, has found that when hippos run at full speed, all four of their feet are regularly in the air.  The hippopotamus has earned a reputation as being one of the most dangerous animals in the world to humans. They are known to attack when provoked and to give chase when the need arises. They are also very large, with males averaging 1,500 kg and females 1,300 kg. For such a large animal, they also run surprisingly fast—some have been clocked at speeds up to 30 km/hr.

 

Running is good exercise – so I watch Athletics and Nat Geo regularly – Good morning  pic post of aasami Sirippu Sinthanaiyan.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
26.9.2024

 

  

Groundsman honoured at Lords !!

India trounced Bangladesh at Chepauk – Ravichandran Ashwin bagged player of the match.  This is more of a post on groundsmen in Cricket and an Octogenarian receiving award at Lords Cricket ground

 

Do you know that Tamil Nadu last won Ranji trophy on 30^th Mar 1988 – it was the second time in Ranji history.  Do you know the opponents and some details of the match – and who captained the side ?  

On that day Tamil Nadu led by S Vasudevan trounced Railways by an innings and 144 runs.  UR Radhakrishnan (30) & VB Chandrasekhar (89) opened; followed by PC Prakash (50); M Senthilnathan (21); V Sivaramakrishnan (94); Robin Singh (131); L Sivaramakrishnan (101); Barat Arun (39); D Girish (wk) 55; S Vasudevan 30 & M Venkataramana 45 – all out for 709 !!!   

 

Two groundsmen at a Derbyshire cricket club were felicitated  lifetime awards for their decades of service.Mickleover Cricket Club's Mike Kettle, 80 and Alan Hancock, 81, received  the Cricket World Magazine's Groundcare Lifetime Achievement award on 9 September, at Lord's Cricket Ground. 

Michael Keith Kettle (born 1944) is a former English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Northamptonshire from 1963 to 1970. Kettle was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, but moved with his father to Southern Rhodesia in 1953. He was spotted by Northamptonshire at the age of 16, while playing a trial match for them whilst on holiday in England. In 1962 he returned from Africa to join the county side at the age of 18. He remained with Northamptonshire until 1970, playing 88 first-class matches.

 

Kettle appeared in 88 first-class matches for Northamptonshire as a left-arm medium-pace bowler and useful tail-end batsman between 1963 and 1970.  He took 2 for 30 and 5 for 58 when Northamptonshire beat the touring West Indians in 1966.  In that match  he took the wicket of Garfield Sobers in both innings (for 45 runs in the first innings and 4 in the second) !!! 

After retiring from playing, Kettle became a cricket coach at Repton School in Derbyshire and also became an umpire. In later life he became a groundskeeper at Mickleover Cricket Club and on 9 September 2024 received Cricket World Magazine's Groundcare Lifetime Achievement award at Lord's Cricket Ground.  He and fellow winner Alan Hancock worked over two seasons to improve the club's square, which had been left in a very poor condition. 

Back home at the famous MA Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk, the all important nets is named after ‘Muthu’.  Mr Muthu was a well known groundsman at BS nets and his son M Santhosh Kumar, studied in Hindu High School and played Ranji Trophy as an off spinner.   He worked in Indian Overseas Bank and had represented Railways earlier and Tamil Nadu later in Ranji.

 

He was a member of the  South Zone Squad against Kim Hughes Australia in 1979 but Shivlal Yadav was picked in the playing X1 and went on to make his debut in the 2^nd test.  The presence of legendary Off spinners Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivasan Venkatraghavan and others like V Ramnarayan, later Shivlal Yadav denied him the opportunities to make it big.

 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
25.9.2024

 

  

the call of Cow - First Cow n more !! ~ அம்மா அழகே உலகின் ஒளியே !

Welcome to my picture post ! – a close-up of a Cow at Marina beach .. .. calling loudly – ‘mmaaaa!’ (amma) and is that teary eyed – or simply moist !!!

 

Sakthi  an orphan,  lives singing devotional hymns for the temple idol. He becomes blind in an accident. Ponni gleefully hears  him singing at the temple and falls in love with him.   Ponni's mother Vadivukarasi wants her to marry Radharavi, her relation who had come from Singapore. Ponni is not willing to marry Radharavi.  Yet another love story !  - guess which film !! 

Cows communicate with each other using a range of sounds, such as mooing, lowing, and bellowing. They use these sounds to let other cows know where they are, call them to come closer, or express frustration, fear, or other emotions. Cows may make a low, grumbling noise when they are hungry and looking for food.

 

அம்மா அழகே உலகின் ஒளியே !  என் சங்கீதம் உன் கீதமே

உனை நான் அழைத்தால்  -  விழியில் மழையே

 

ஆகாயம் என் பாட்டில் அசைகின்றது;  என் சங்கீதம் பொய் என்று யார் சொன்னது

கனவுகளே வழிவிடுங்கள்; கலைமகளை வரவிடுங்கள்; மலரில் உறங்கும் பூங்காற்று

அதனை எழுப்பும் என் பாட்டு;  .. . …  ஓடும் நிலாவே ஓளி தீபம் ஏற்று

 

Lovely song from movie Kadhal Oviyam, released in 1982, directed by Barathiraja, starring Kannan (his only major appearance); heroine Radha.  This song of Isaignani Illayaraja was sung by SP Balasubramaniam.  The film was a musical hit but bombed at box office, with critics calling it   the "biggest disappointment of the year" and criticised the plot as an unsuccessful amalgamation of Siri Siri Muvva (1976) and Sankarabharanam (1980).   

Miles away,  First Cow as an American  directed by Kelly Reichardt, from a screenplay by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond based on Raymond's 2004 novel The Half-Life. It starred John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shepherd and had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in Aug, 2019.  It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.  It won Best Film at the 2020 New York Film Critics Circle Awards,  and was named one of the ten best films of 2020 by the National Board of Review.

 

There was some interesting comments on whether ‘last cow’ could have been more appropriate   than “First Cow”. The  prized cow named Evie in the film is more than a companion. The cow had lost her mate as well as her calf, both died during her journey to Oregon. This made her the only cow in the territory.  

 
Interesting !
 
With regards – S Sampathkumar
24.9.2024 

Sleep well and earn !! ~ தூங்காதே தம்பி… தூங்காதே…நீயும் சோம்பேறி

 

When do you hit bed daily ~ how long and how well do you sleep !! ~ it is around 2 pm now – and would you like to have a short nap !    For sure a cosy bed like this gives a comfortable sleep, then there are some who can literally sleep on any floor !!

 

This song of Pattukkottai KalyanaSundaram from MGR starrer    “Nadodi Mannan” [literally – the vagabond King]  released in 1958 was a great hit and used to blare loudly. The film was re-released several times.   K. Ramnath was appointed to direct this movie, but upon his suddden demise in 1956, MGR took up the direction as well. According to some reports the completed movie ran for around 5 hours; in between, many Editors changed and finally  the film  ran more than 3.5 hours. Music Director N. S. Balakrishnan was appointed to compose music and made three songs. Then S. M. Subbaiah Naidu stepped in and completed the remaining songs and composed the background score as well. 

The song titled “தூங்காதே தம்பி… தூங்காதே…” is primarily an advice of not to sleep at wanton places and to be alert.  It says, those who sleep mindlessly will earn the sobriquet of ‘lazy / idle persons’ and lists out what and all those who slept at the decisive hour missed in life….true words of advice indeed.

 

தூங்காதே தம்பி… தூங்காதே…நீயும் சோம்பேறி என்ற பெயர் வாங்காதே!!

நல்ல பொழுதையெல்லாம் தூங்கி கெடுத்தவர்கள்;

நாட்டை கெடுத்ததுடன் தானும் கெட்டார் !

சிலர் அல்லும் பகலும் தெரு கல்லாய் இருந்துவிட்டு

அதிர்ஷ்டம் இல்லையென்று அலட்டிக் கொண்டார்.

விழித்துக்கொண்டோர் எல்லாம் பிழைத்துக் கொண்டார்…

உன்போல் குறட்டைவிட்டோர் எல்லாம் கோட்டை விட்டார்

 

 

Some of us  try to sleep as little as possible. There are so many things that seem more interesting or important than getting a few more hours of sleep, but just as exercise and nutrition are essential for optimal health and happiness, so is sleep. The quality of your sleep directly affects the quality of your waking life, including your mental sharpness, productivity, emotional balance, creativity, physical vitality, and even your weight. Sleep isn’t exactly a time when your body and brain shut off. 

Sleep is a vital biological process that plays a crucial role in maintaining physical and mental health. It allows the body to rest, repair, and restore itself, impacting various functions including memory, mood, and immune response. Afternoon naps can be a beneficial practice for many individuals, but their effectiveness largely depends on timing and duration.   A short nap can improve mood, boost alertness, and enhance cognitive performance.   Napping has been linked to improved memory retention and learning capabilities.   For those who are sleep-deprived, a brief nap can help mitigate the effects of sleep loss, making it easier to remain alert and safe, particularly for drivers or those operating machinery.  The ideal time to take a nap is in the early afternoon, typically between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., coinciding with a natural dip in energy levels known as the "post-lunch dip". 

While one cannot dream of sleeping while at work, there seemingly is one who is paying for sleeping – a Company called Wakefit that runs a programme - ‘Sleep Champion’ in Wakefit’  unique sleep internship program. 

Saishwari Patil, an investment banker from Bengaluru, won Rs 9 lakh for prioritising sleep in Wakefit's sleep internship program. Participants were tasked with adhering to strict sleep schedules while gaining insights into sleep science and improving their overall rest quality.S aishwari, an investment banker from Bengaluru, has turned her dreams of catching up on sleep into a lucrative reality. She  won the ‘Sleep Champion’ title in Bangalore-based start-up Wakefit’s third season of its sleep internship program. She was one of the 12 ’sleep interns’ of the program — designed for individuals who prioritise sleep but often find their lives interfering — requiring participants to sleep diligently for at least eight to nine hours every night. 

The sleep internship, designed for individuals who struggle to get enough rest, requires participants to sleep at least eight to nine hours each night. Saishwari was one of twelve selected "sleep interns," each provided with a premium mattress and a contactless sleep tracker to monitor their sleep patterns. Interns also attended workshops led by experienced sleep mentors to enhance their sleep habits. The selection process for the internship involved multiple steps. Initially, applications were screened to create a shortlist, followed by a video resume round where candidates expressed their passion for sleep. Finalists then underwent personal interviews to evaluate their enthusiasm for improving their sleep quality. 

Perhaps from today, many of us would practice sleeping !  and apply for internship, irrespective of age !!  - Are you ready ??  - it is AN time to take a nap !!  -   yours friendly aasami sirippu sinthanaiyaan.

 

With regards – S Sampathkumar
24.9.2024