Green fields ~ Dusi Mamandur village

How often do you visit villages ? – or when did you visit a village last ! – and how long was your stay there, few minutes, hours, days  ?? 

கிராமங்கள் புகைப்படத்தில், சினிமாவிலும் பார்க்க மிக மிக ரம்மியமாக அழகாக இருக்கும்.  நேரில் நிஜத்தில் சில நாட்கள் அங்கே வாழ்வது வித்தியாசமாக இருக்கலாம். 

எங்கள் பள்ளி நாட்களில் MGR படங்கள் நின்று விட்டன.  வயதான சிவாஜி நடித்துக்கொண்டு இருந்தார்.  கமலும் ரஜினியும் போட்டி போட்டுக்கொண்டு இருந்தனர்.  பாரதிராஜா கிராம கதைகள் என சில காதல் கதைகள் சொன்னார். கூடவே மகேந்திரன், பாலு மஹேந்திரா என சிலர் கிராமங்களை அழகாக காட்டினார்.   கிராமத்து மனோபாவம் கொண்டரசிகர்கள் ஏக்கத்தில் தவித்த சமயத்தில்  டவுசருடன் ராமராஜன் அசலான கிராமத்தவனாக வந்து  மக்கள் நாயகன் அந்தஸ்தைபெற்றார். கங்கை அமரன் இயக்கத்தில், இசைஞானி இளையராஜா பாடல்கள் பட்டி தொட்டியெல்லாம் ஒலித்தன.  நம்ம ஊரு  நல்ல ஊரு எங்க ஊரு பாட்டுக்காரன், , செண்பகமே செண்பகமே, கரகாட்டக்காரன்,  போன்ற படங்களின் தொடர் வெற்றி அவரை திரையுலகில்  உச்சத்திற்கு கொண்டு சென்றது.  

சுஜாதாவின் பற்பல அற்புத கதைகளில், சற்று அதிகம் அறியப்படாதது !!  "சின்னக்குயிலி",  தன் அப்பாவின் உயில் படி அவர் பிறந்து வளர்ந்த கிராமமான சின்னகுயிலிக்கு சில நல்ல காரியங்களை செய்ய வருகிறார் சிங்கப்பூரில் செட்டிலான மாணிக்கம். கிராமக் குழந்தைகளுக்கு இலவசக் கல்வி, கிராமத்தினருக்கு இலவச மருத்துவமனை என்ற திட்டத்தோடு வரும் அவருக்கு சில குறுக்கீடுகள், அதை தாண்டி அவர் கட்டிய பள்ளியினால் ஏற்படும் நெருக்கடிகள், இதற்க்கு நடுவில் அந்த கிராமத்திலிருக்கும் சிறுவயது பெண்ணான, படிக்கும் ஆர்வமுடைய தேவநாயகியை கட்டாயப்படுத்தி அவளது தந்தை திருமணம் செய்து கொடுத்ததை எதிர்த்து அவளை காப்பாற்றப் போராடுவது என்று .. ..  ஒரு நல்ல சமுதாயத்திற்கு முன்னேற்றத் தேவையான கல்வி, மருத்துவம், வேலைவாய்ப்பு என பல விஷயங்கள்  பின்னாளில் சங்கரின் பிரம்மாண்டமான ரஜினிகாந்த் படம்  'சிவாஜியில்' பார்த்து இருப்பீர்கள்.  . கிராம தத்தெடுப்பு என்பதை 'பிரின்ஸ்' மகேஷ் பாபு போன்றவர்கள் செய்வதை பார்த்து இருப்பீர்கள்.  இவற்றிற்கு பல வருஷங்கள் முன்பே வருடங்களுக்கு முன்பே 'இந்த சின்னக்குயிலி' நாவலின் மூலமாக சொல்லியிருக்கிறார் சுஜாதா. 

 

A picture of the agricultural fields taken at my native village – Dusi Mamandur,  Vembakkam block, Thiruvannamalai Dist, Pincode 632317.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
13.11.2024 

Bats coming in flying !!

 

 

Fruit bats zooming in !!  @  Triplicane 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMmBHNZapEg

Do few things right ! to be successful - feat of a veteran Cricketer

According to Warren Buffet, principles of life and investing often parallel each other.  He says ‘you only have to do a very few things right in your life so long as you don’t do too many things wrong”!!  Can you identify this good looking Cricketer ?

 

One should feel sorry for today’s children – for often they are pressurised into doing or becoming whatever their parents wanted to achieve [but never achieved perhaps] in life.  Cricket is a religion in India – and after IPL success story – there is big money.  Many parents want their ward to do well in studies – still more parents want their wards to learn arts and sports and put them in camps.  City grounds are abuzz with children whose parents aspire making their son become a Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma (some of them may not be aware of the likes of  Bedi, Chandra, Venkat Raghavan, Wadekar,  Gavaskar, Kapil Dev !!). 

Before the advent of   T20 & IPL, cricketers rose from domestic tournaments – premier amongst them being the Ranji Trophy [named after Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji (Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, also known as "Ranji"] – the domestic first class cricket championship  played between different State sides.   This competition was launched in 1934 – though most of the teams represent States (Tamilnadu, Andhra, Kerala, Haryana, Rajasthan etc.,) there are teams like Mumbai, Baroda, Hyderabad, Delhi and then there is the Railways and Services.  For long Ranji trophy matches were followed keenly and scores in those matches captured greater attention.  

Not many would have followed the Elite Group C match at Thumbar ecently between Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.   Kerala won by an innings and 117 runs – the man of the match was a Veteran !!!!! 

This Cricketer was born in Dec 1986 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.  His father was a professional swimmer who was employed in Bhilai Steel Plant.  He took up toe swimming but was allergic, so he was pushed to Cricket – he was initially aspired to becoming a fast bowling allrounder but ended up an off-spinner.  He represented Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh before turning up for Kerala.  Besides his batting prowess, he has been highly successful – and ended up the highest wicket taker in 2022-23 season too claiming 50 wickets in 7 matches.   

At Thumba, couple of days back, Kerala beat UP  with a bonus point to consolidate their second spot in Group C. It's their second win in four games, orchestrated by that man, Jalaj Saxena.  Though it was written in all media, he did not get the limelight or fanfare of becoming   the first player in Ranji history to achieve the double of 6000 runs and 400 wickets during the course of his 29th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket that skittled Uttar Pradesh for 162 in the first innings. Then Kerala opened up a 233-run lead before Jalaj got stuck right in, picking up six wickets - his 30th five-for - as UP have been shot out for 116 on the final day in Thumba. 

It has all along been an inspirational story of Jalaj Saxena now achieving the massive feat of 6000 runs and 400 wickets in Ranji.  Sadly, he has never don Indian colours in any form of International Cricket.  Now at 37, he is more of a veteran, who would fade in a couple or more of seasons adding some more wickets and runs !!  

Saxena was four wickets short of the 400 mark when he entered the match against Uttar Pradesh and started off by claiming the wicket of Aryan Juyal (23 off 57) and then dismissed Madhav Kaushik (13 off 58), Siddharth Yadav (19 off 25) and Rana (25 off 46) to achieve the feat. The 37-year-old became the 13th player to claim 400 wickets in the Ranji Trophy, and it seems like he is in no mood to stop considering his current form, as he has already claimed a couple of five-wicket hauls this season.  Nine times Jalaj has taken 10 wickets or more in a match in FC. 

He has been part of many IPL teams without big success.  He was with MI in 2013 & 2014 seasons, RCB in 2015; then bought by the Delhi Capitals in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League but  was released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the 2020 IPL auction. In Feb 2021, Saxena was bought by the Punjab Kings & made his IPL debut for Punjab against Delhi Capitals. 

 

The 400 club has 13 ! : ironically its topper Rajinder Goel, never played for India.  Here is that elite list :  637 – Rajinder Goel; 530 – S Venkataraghavan; 479 – Sunil Joshi; 442 – R Vinay Kumar; 441 – Narendra Hirwani; 437 – Bhagwat Chandrasekhar; 418 – VV Kumar; 416 – Shahbaz Nadeem; 409 – Pankaj Singh; 405 – Sairaj Bahutule; 403 – Bishan Singh Bedi; 401 – Utpal Chatterjee; 401* -Jalaj Saxena.  

the top 5 run-amassers in Ranji history thus far are :  Wasim Jaffer 12038; Amol Mazumdar 9202; Devendra Singh Bundela 9201; Paras Dogra 9143 & Yashpal Singh 8700.  .. and 4 of them never played for India.

 
regards – S Sampathkumar
11.11.2024   

temple tank at Pillaiyarpatti

 

Serene evening setting  at the temple tank of Sri Karpaga Vinayagar @ Pillaiyarpatti.

random smile & happiness

 

The elated  feeling one gets, when greeted by an unknown person

 

Native village (Dusi Mamanduru) happiness !!

Cinema jingle - girl bathing in river - Thula snanam photo

 

Thula snanam is considered very sacred.  Had the fortune of bathing early morning (before 5 am) in Thiru Cauvery in holy Thiruvarangam – this is no post on my bath but a bathing that I photographed !! – yes that of my dreamgirl ! (keep your mind clean and read !!)

 

ஸ்நானம் எனும் நீராடல் உடல் தூய்மைக்காக மட்டுமல்ல புறக்கண்களுக்குப் புரிபடாத ஆன்ம தூய்மைக்காகவும் !! புண்ணியத் தலங்களுக்குச் செல்லும்போது தவறாமல், அங்குள்ள புண்ணிய நதி, கிணறு, குளம் ஆகியவற்றில் புனித நீராடுவது அவசியம். 

 ஐப்பசி மாதம் (துலா மாசம் என அழைக்கப்படுகிறது) -  புனித திருக் காவிரியில் ஒருநாள் நீராடினால் கூட கங்கையில் நீராடிய புண்ணியம் கிடைக்குமாம்.  மூன்றரைக்கோடி தீர்த்தங்கள் துலா மாதத்தில் காவிரியில் வந்து சேருவதால், இதில் நீராடுவதன் மூலம், அழகு, ஆயுள், ஆரோக்கியம், செல்வம், கல்வி, வலிமை, மாங்கல்ய பாக்கியம். புத்திர பாக்கியம் முதலியவைகிட்டும். தீராத நோயைத் தீர்க்கவல்லது இந்த புண்ணிய நீராடல். வாழ்க்கையில் துன்பங்கள் நீங்கி இன்பங்கள் பெருக துலா நீராடல் அவசியம் என்று கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. 

For us, Thiruvarangam is everything – it houses the most sacred divyadesam -  Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side.  The Kollidam (referred to as Coleroon in Colonial English) is the northern distributary of the Cauvery. 

Pambar Falls in Kodaikanal is an idyllic waterfall located in the middle of lush greenery. Located far away from the clutter and clamour of the cities, Pambar Falls offers a perfect getaway spot to let your senses wander in the soothing comfort of nature and get a much-needed reset. Formed as a result of the community water reservoir overflowing southwards to join the Vaigai River in its course, the zigzagging stream dances over a series of rock formations, making an absolutely beautiful cascading waterfall, giving it the name Grand Cascade.  

Moving away which is favourite brand of Soap and which actress you like most ! – in good olden days, when there would be stream of advertisements before the start of film in a theatre, there was this famous jingle, loved by all – ‘‘La, lalala, la, la, la’. 

Yes, that of ‘Liril’   now manufactured by Hindustan Unilever in India.  If there is one thing that has been consistent with commercials for Hindustan Lever’s Liril soap, it has been its jingle. Think Liril and the next thing that comes rushing to mind is its trademark  tune and the   visual of a girl frolicking under a waterfall.  The Liril Girl, conceived in 1974 by ad agency  was  an audio-visual treat. 

Read that  Vanraj Bhatia was asked to compose a music track for the audio-visual presentation and he composed a twenty-minute track. The background music had the sounds of Sitar and Tabla blended with western music.  The track, Laa lalala laa lalala laaa laalaalaa was sung by Preeti Sagar. The man behind the advt,  Surendranath happened was impressed bhy  Karen Lunel.  All the commercials were shot at  kodaikanal falls.  After a decade, Anjali Jathar replaced Lunel. Then Sonali Mehta, Pooja Batra, Priety Zinta, Deepika Padukone, Tara Sharma, Anabelle, (a Brazilian model), and Amyra Dastur were seen in commercials.  

 

As I was travelling back on Tejas Express, as the train was crossing river Kollidam, saw at a distance, the charming temple elephant Andal bathing in river.  (it could be Lakshmi or Akila too)  - but to me, it was my dream girl enjoying bath in holy river.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
9.11.2024.    

Welcome to Trichy Jn. Railway station

 

Dedicated to Triplicanites, who live with cattle on streets - now greeted at Trichy Junction Railway  station

 

Came for an enquiry – hence no platform ticket !!

7 little brownies !!

 

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” -  American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions was released by RKO Radio Pictures in 1937. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it was directed by a team of sequence directors, including Perce Pearce, William Cottrell, Larry Morey, Wilfred Jackson, and Ben Sharpsteen. It is the first animated feature film produced in the United States and the first cel animated feature film.

 

Here are 7 little brownies captured in not so good light !!

6.11.2024

know the speed of rocket !!

 

Enjoyed interview scene in Vaalu – Brahmanandam asking Simbu -  ‘rocket entha speedla pogum !’   

-  Sarnnnnu !!

 

Same Q to Santhanam -  rocket vittathillai sir, chinna vayasula irunthe rockettnna bayam sir !!

May I come in ! ? ! ~ seeing the other side !!

Excuse me !  can I come in ? – the cow seemingly is asking ?? – can you image the full picture ?  Heard of heliography, which translates as “sun drawing.”

 

Do you remember watching Test matches on Doordarshan ?  in that Pongal test of Jan 1975 (telecast live) – two fast bowlers (a luxury of those days) – Karsan Ghavri & Madanlal opened the attack. Ghavri scalped Roy Fredricks – the fact that they bowled 8 overs in between them in the 1^st innings and 4 in the 2^nd essay is not the subject matter of this post !! 

We watched Madanlal running in, jump and deliver while Karsan Ghavri ran away from us to deliver.  In the first we saw WI batters back while in the second their face !  - yes, those days, there was a single camera broadcasting the test match and .. .. .. DD was paying for that ! 

As a means of visual communication and expression, photography has distinct aesthetic capabilities. But what we see may not be the full picture (no reference to full frame here!) – you are seeing the subject from the eyes of a photographer.  Here is a Cow seeking entry to Pradhan house in Triplicane ? 

The history of the camera and their evolution is so interesting as today’s cameras are much different from what used to be fairly crude looking instruments. It has been dominated by modern inventions like digital single lens reflex cameras which are the improved versions of its more traditional single lens reflex siblings, digital point and shoot cameras which you can carry conveniently in your pocket, and even smartphone cameras which come as almost standard feature of every good mobile instrument. 

Long long ago, humans tried recording image of objects   through the action of light, or related radiation, on a light-sensitive material. The word, derived from the Greek photos (“light”) and graphein (“to draw”), was first used in the 1830s. 

The forerunner of the camera was the camera obscura, a dark chamber or room with a hole (later a lens) in one wall, through which images of objects outside the room were projected on the opposite wall. The principle was probably known to ancient Greeks such as Aristotle more than 2,000 years ago. Late in the 16th century, the Italian scientist and writer Giambattista della Porta demonstrated and described in detail the use of a camera obscura with a lens.

In 1727 the German professor of anatomy Johann Heinrich Schulze proved that the darkening of silver salts, a phenomenon known since the 16th century and possibly earlier, was caused by light and not heat. He demonstrated the fact by using sunlight to record words on the salts, but he made no attempt to preserve the images permanently. His discovery, in combination with the camera obscura, provided the basic technology necessary for photography. It was not until the early 19th century, however, that photography actually came into being. 

Nicéphore Niépce, an amateur inventor living near Chalon-sur-Saône, a city 189 miles (304 km) southeast of Paris, was interested in lithography, a process in which drawings are copied or drawn by hand onto lithographic stone and then printed in ink. Not artistically trained, Niépce devised a method by which light could draw the pictures he needed. He oiled an engraving to make it transparent and then placed it on a plate coated with a light-sensitive solution of bitumen of Judea (a type of asphalt) and lavender oil and exposed the setup to sunlight. After a few hours, the solution under the light areas of the engraving hardened, while that under the dark areas remained soft and could be washed away, leaving a permanent, accurate copy of the engraving. Calling the process heliography (“sun drawing”), Niépce succeeded from 1822 onward in copying oiled engravings onto lithographic stone, glass, and zinc and from 1826 onto pewter plates. 

Life has changed a lot, and now-a-days, every one of us carry a Camera (embedded in a smart phone), mostly forget objects and shoot selfies.  Here is the other side of Cow entry – the man in frame, MA Narasimhan of Triplicane, who loves Cows, Sparrows, Crows, and people.  Animals and birds come searching for him.  Other day saw a Crow just pulling one end of veshti drawing his attention and taking food from him.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
6.11.2024 

Swami Manavala Mamunigal Uthsavam & the new horse Ranga !!

Triplicanites are ecstatic.   Swami Manavala Mamunigal uthsavam is being celebrated grandly.  Today is day 8 of the Uthsavam – it was Yanai (Elephant – silver one at that) vahana purappadu at Thiruvallikkeni.

 

In 1912, a bay Irish Hunter is born in Devon, England. At an auction, farmer Ted Narracott outbids his landlord Lyons for the colt, to the dismay of his wife Rose, because the family needs a working horse that can plough the field, not an Irish Hunter. Their son Albert, accompanied by his best friend Andrew, names the colt Joey, and teaches him to come when he imitates an owl's call. The pair form a close bond. Against all odds, the horse and boy plough a rocky field, which lets them grow turnips and thus saving the family's farm. 

Rose shows Albert his father's medals, including a Distinguished Conduct Medal, from the Second Boer War, and gives him Ted's regimental pennant, confiding in Albert that his father carries physical and mental scars from the war. In 1914, as war with Germany is declared, heavy rain ruins the family's crops, forcing Ted to sell Joey to the army. Albert is heartbroken and tries to stop the sale, to no avail. Captain James Nicholls sees Albert's attachment to the horse and promises to look after Joey. Albert tries to enlist but is too young, and before the company departs, he ties the pennant to Joey's bridle and promises Joey he will find him !!! 

Other than my self-professed love for elephants, the horse that used to go in front in the Temple procession at Thiruvallikkeni was also a hit...  there have been horses at the temple, mostly white majestic ones – have heard from the erstwhile keeper Velayudham that it was a colt retired from racing !

 

Horse  is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus. It is an odd-toed ungulate mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. Humans domesticated horses and needed them to perform a variety of duties.  There is an extensive, specialized vocabulary used to describe equine-related concepts, covering everything from anatomy to life stages, size, colors,markings, breeds, locomotion, and behavior. One type of horse-powered work was the hauling of heavy loads, plowing fields, and other tasks that required pulling ability.

 

The horse (Equus ferus caballus) has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years.  Horses' anatomy enables them to make use of speed to escape predators and they have a well-developed sense of balance and a strong fight-or-flight response.  Horses have significant place in history, especially battles and formation of kingdoms.  North America is home to more horses than any other continent — over 19 million, according to some estimates. For most of human history, however, the Americas had no horses at all.   Archaeological evidence indicates that the genus Equus, which includes horses, donkeys, and zebras, evolved in the western hemisphere between 4 and 4.5 million years ago before spreading to Eurasia, only to disappear during a megafauna extinction event at the end of the Pleistocene. 

 

The storyline in 2^nd para is that of ‘War Horse’ – a Steven Spielberg movie released in 2011.  It is based on Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel of the same name and its 2007 stage adaptation. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup, Jeremy Irvine (in his feature film debut), David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch. Set before and during World War I, its plot follows Joey, a bay Irish Hunter horse raised by British teenager Albert as he is bought by the British Army, leading him to encounter various people throughout Europe, in the midst of the war and its tragedies.  Michael Morpurgo wrote the 1982 children's novel War Horse after meeting World War I veterans in the Devon village of Iddesleigh where he lived.  Morpurgo researched the subject further and learned that a million horses died on the British side; he extrapolated an overall figure of 10 million horse deaths on all sides.  Of the million horses that were sent abroad from the UK, only 62,000 returned, the rest dying in the war or slaughtered in France for meat.  Sad story, indeed, while Europeans, especially UK teaches the rest of World compassion.

 

Today a new white horse walked majestically in front of the goshti during Mamunigal purappadu.  Kudai Raja has named it Ranga – and Ranga on debut was slightly nervous walking amidst the din and the moving vehicles of Triplicane – here are some photos of the new horse and Raja.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
3.11.2024 

the beautiful looking - Psidium guajava

Appearances are deceptive and presentation is all the more important.  The fruit commonly found on every street vendor is delicious and packed with nutrients; low in calories, loaded with fibre and is an excellent healthy diet !!  - the name came from Taino !! 

 

Taíno is an extinct Arawakan language that was spoken by the Taíno people of the Caribbean. At the time of Spanish contact, it was the most common language throughout the Caribbean. Classic Taíno (Taíno proper) was the native language of the Taíno tribes living in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, the Turks and Caicos Islands, most of Hispaniola, and eastern Cuba.   

The fruit  -  “Guava”  a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions.  The common guava Psidium guajava (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family (Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America.  The term guava appears to have been in use since the mid-16th century. The name derived from the Taíno, language. Archaeological sites in Peru yielded evidence of guava cultivation as early as 2500 BC. 

Some evidence suggests that guava can improve blood sugar control. Many scientists believe that the high levels of antioxidants and vitamins in guava leaves may help protect your heart from damage by free radicals. The higher levels of potassium and soluble fiber in guavas are also thought to contribute to improved heart health. Additionally, guava leaf extract has been linked to lower blood pressure, a decrease in “bad” LDL cholesterol, and a rise in “good” HDL cholesterol. Since high blood pressure and high levels of LDL cholesterol are linked to higher risks of heart disease and stroke, taking guava leaf extract could lead to valuable benefits. Guavas are an excellent source of dietary fiber. Therefore, eating more guavas may aid healthy bowel movements and prevent constipation. Low levels of vitamin C are linked to an increased risk of infections and illness. Guavas are a fantastic way to get this nutrient, as they’re one of the richest food sources of vitamin C.  

However, not everyone should eat guava on an empty stomach, especially those with sensitive stomachs. In a first of its kind effort aimed at giving a fillip to guava cultivation in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government is trying out the Espalier technique in the guava orchards of the Prayagraj region.  After a study by agricultural scientists, the implementation of this special technique as part of a new project has been started with the cooperation of Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Research Council and Central Institute of Subtropical Horticulture (CISH), Lucknow, informed officials of the state horticulture department.  

Espaliering is the technique of growing a woody plant on a plane using the plant’s trunk and limbs to form a pattern against walls, fences or other structures. The practice of espaliering dates to ancient times when it was first used to grow fruit-bearing vines and trees in small spaces—inside castle courtyards or along crowded Medieval streets etc.  Prayagraj region is known for ‘Allahabadi’ Sebia and Surkha varieties of guavas loved for their distinct colour, aroma and taste that not only makes it popular throughout the country but are now increasingly also starting to have demand from foreign countries like Oman, England and Dubai too.  

Uttar Pradesh leads the eight major guava-producing states of the country which between then produce 75% of the fruit every year. The state produces the maximum 21.78% of the guavas followed by Madhya Pradesh (17.20%), Bihar (9.62%), Andhra Pradesh (7.42%), Haryana (6%), West Bengal (4.51%) and Chhattisgarh (4.14%). In fiscal year 2023, volume of guava produced in India is estimated to have amounted to 5.59 million metric tonnes.

 
Interesting !
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
3.11.2024

 

  

Deepavali lights !

 

Rishab Pant wagon wheel !?   ~  Deepavali lights !!!

Bheem Singh Beta Goorgaa Raam.. 'Night-watchman !!"

 

Dheemtha nakadheem mera naam.. Bheem Singh Beta Goorgaa Raam..

Kya Maangtha Hai Bolo Jee..    Bhaaiyon beheno Namasthey Jee...

 

Believe Me !  -  a Tamil song only !!  Sivaraman, unable to find a good job, joins a colony as a security guard, identifying himself as Ramsingh. Geetha lives in the colony with her daughter. Geetha's husband works abroad. A police officer Rajagopal comes to the colony along with his daughter Latha. Latha is  Sivaraman's ex-lover.   

Subject matter of the post is “Night-Watchman”.   In 1977 Indian Team lead by Bishan singh Bedi toured Australia – all the five tests produced results.  First two won by hosts,  India came back strongly in the next two at Melbourne and Sydney and lost the close fought 5^th test at Adelaide. 

In Dec 1977, it was the 2nd Test at  Perth.  Scorecard reads :   India 402 & 330/9d;   Australia (T:339) 394 & 342/8.  Australia won by 2 wickets.  It was a  pulsating finish, arrived at with 22 balls remaining,  a fitting climax to a match in which fortunes fluctuated with almost every session. Both sides approached the match with commendable enterprise - 1,468 runs were scored, the  Australian victory was largely owed to their veteran captain, Bobby Simpson. Coming in at 65 for three in the first innings, and that only after a brief rest following a long stint in the field, Simpson rallied Australia with a dogged 176, lasting six hours forty-one minutes.  The match also belonged to a leg-spinner – made his debut at 32, played only 4 tests, all against India in the same Series.

 

In Cricket – who is the Night watchman and is there real need ?  it is a paradox when an inferior batter walks in, trying to protect the better batsman, in an adverse condition especially with fading lights or when the day is drawing close !!  How do analysts expect a lesser equipped batter to come out and play those few balls or couple of overs – a sacrificial goat !!

 

If the nightwatchman gets out  immediately, it further exposes the incumbent batter and what would be expected of him, the next day, to hang around, or try and score some quick runs ?    In 2014 against India, the Australian side protected wicket-keeper Brad Haddin by sending out Nathan Lyon with half an hour to play. Lyon only lasted 4 overs, forcing Haddin to the crease to face a handful of overs and being dismissed on what became the final ball of the day.  The concept of a nightwatchman in cricket is an enigma. 

One cannot fault the idea itself !  Test cricket is the rare sport where an adjournment in the evening followed by resumption the next day is woven into its fabric. The  nightwatchman is as much part of Test cricket as white clothing, the follow-on, a new ball after 80 overs, and so on. Nightwatchmen have existed right from the first Test onwards. The Australians under Steve Waugh attempted for a while to change this. A top-order batsman was expected to bat whatever the time of the day, and it worked.   

Not to get confused, it is not about batsman (rather non-batsman) getting promoted and sent higher up in the order – to stall, do pinch hitting or whatever -  ‘Nightwatchman’  though no definition exists, is one who comes at the top of order (rarely opened too !!) when the match is about to close for the day, try and ensure that the star batsman does not get exposed to adverse conditions.   

 

The decision of Rohit Sharma (& Team management) to send Mohammad Siraj as nightwatchman was leaving a pigeon amidst cats ! – mind-boggling decision.  Ravi Shastri and Simon Doull, who were on commentary at that time, criticized it outright.   Siraj, got out on the very first ball that he faced, he also burnt a review as he decided to refer the on-field 'out' verdict.  It was rank foolish on the part of Siraj and Gill to have taken the review as it was wrong on all 3.   Former Team India head coach Shastri did not mince his words, and criticised Siraj for wasting a DRS.  Doull, who was on air, echoed Shastri's thoughts and said, "Not necessarily has to be a lower order batter or a bowler that bats a little bit. He is there to protect the batter but also to survive in these type of conditions. Ashwin, I totally agree. Quite astounding." Siraj comes as nightwatchman to protect Virat Kohli.

 

In the 18th over, Ajaz Patel first sent Yashasvi Jaiswal back to pavilion and to the surprise of all – it was not  Virat Kohli but Siraj, disguised as a nightwatchman. On the third ball of the 18th over, Siraj was adjudged leg before wicket. The ball which was tossed up, hit him on the pads as he failed to read the line perfectly. Michael Gough did not hesitate before raising his finger. Siraj, after deliberating with Shubman Gill, opted for a review, but to no avail, as the replays showed the on-field was bang on. He walked back without opening his account. Kohli failed to get going, as he was run-out before stumps on Day 1. 

Nightwatchman’s  sole job will be to prevent further losses before stumps. The rationale seems to be that using a top-order batsman will place him in a no-win situation; he cannot achieve much in the short time available, but if he gets out the team’s fortunes are set back further.  Looking at Test history, it appears that, in spite of its popularity, the nightwatchman tactic has never really been evaluated or proven – perhaps the working average of nightwatchman is lesser than 15 and % of outs too higher !! 

If the idea is to protect Star batter, and if the nightwatchman rabbit gets out first ball, would the Captain think to send another nightwatchman or the regular batter walk out ?   In Colombo in  2015,  India had secured a lead of just over 100 runs after tea on the third day. Around half an hour's play remained. Cheteshwar Pujara, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane batted in their usual positions and were dismissed. India finished the day at 21 for 3.   

If the idea of sending in a nightwatchman is to protect a top batsman from an unplayable ball, sure it will not work out. An unplayable ball can be bowled at 2 mins close, 2 mins after the start in the morning or at any point of time and a lesser technique batter would never handle that with ease.  If a top batsman is expected to have problems, how can a less skilled batsman be expected to handle difficult bowling conditions?  - if and when he survives, what should he do next morning.  Does he continue batting the way he batted the previous day - blocking out balls? If so, he might be depriving the better batsman of strike. A better option might be to score quickly, but is he capable of such a transition in batting approach? What about rotation of strike?

 

Great established batters like : Mark Waugh, Mike Atherton, Desmond Haynes, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mike Hussey, Mohammad Azharuddin, Krish Srikkanth, Damien Martyn – could not score  a double-century in their careers - a landmark achieved by  bowler, nightwatchman  Jason Gillespie.  At Chattogram on 17^th Apr 2006, Gillespie walked in as night watchman and remained unbeaten at 28; at day 3 close, he was 102*, added 320 runs with Michael Hussey – while team waited for Hussey’s double, he got out at 182, Jason completed his double century when declaration was effected.   Though this was an innings under no pressure, against an average bowling attack, the sheer size of the innings played as a nightwatchman makes it one of the great batting achievements. Gillespie's ten-hour tenure of 425 balls  was epic yet he may not have happy memories of that. Despite taking 3 for 11 in the first innings and winning the player of the match award, he never played in Tests again !  - what an irony !! 

Our image of Ishant Sharma is a bunny, yet he played 12 innings as a nightwatchman and faced close to 350 balls says one Statistics.  In that Perth test (see 3^rd para) in  the second innings, India held a commanding position, with Gavaskar (127) and Mohinder Amarnath (100) staging a record second-wicket partnership of 193. After Amarnath was fourth out at 283, five more wickets went down in seventy-five minutes for only 47 runs.   Bedi declared because he did not want to risk injury to himself or Chandrasekhar.  Bedi took five wickets in  each innings. 

In that test on day 4 when Dyson was out to Bedi,  legspinning allrounder  playing only his 2^nd test walked as nightwatchman – took the score to 172, got out having made 105 !!    He ended up playing 4 tests only. 

The song at the start is from ‘Annanagar Mudhal Theru’ a comedy   directed by Balu Anand starring -  Sathyaraj, Ambika, Radha; a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film Gandhinagar 2nd Street

 

Regards – S Sampathkumar

2.11.2024

robbers flee with 13 crore gold at Krishnagiri ~ how safe is Locker !!!

How do you protect your jewellery and valuables ? Do you have a locker in any bank ? Have you taken any insurance policy covering your valuables ? – if you have a locker facility in a Bank, have you ever read the terms and conditions, especially, the banker’s  liability, if any and if you have a Policy – the terms and conditions of coverage, the policy exclusions and the like !! .. rich keep their jewellery and valuables in lockers and pay for it – some pledge their gold and jewellery and take loan from the bank, paying interest.

In far-flung Krishnagiri, there was a big robbery reportedly worthy Rs. 13 crore gold.   Going by TOI reports, the CCTV footage showed 3 men inside.   It is stated that robbers  got away with close to 48kg of gold worth about  Rs.13.5 crore after they broke into a nationalized bank in Kundarapalli in Krishnagiri district. The branch, located some 20km from Krishnagiri caters to the rural populace of Gundarapalli bordering Andhra Pradesh.  Preliminary investigations suggest that there were three burglars who entered the Bank of Baroda branch through the back door of an abandoned house that shared a wall with the bank. They took advantage of an open door in the building to gain access to the bank, said police.

The heist came to light on Saturday morning when the bank opened the bank around 9.45am. He found the door of the locker room broken open. He called the police and senior bank officials immediately.  After stock-taking operations, it was revealed that loss could be  little more than 6,000 sovereigns of gold (approximately 48kg).  The bank serves around 100 villages in the district and most customers are daily wage labourers and ex-servicemen who had taken loans against jewellery from the bank. “The burglars entered the bank premises easily as the branch did not have any security guards,“ said an officer. Now the village is worrying about the compensation that they might get.  One of them is quoted as saying that she had obtained a loan of Rs.1.5 lakh by pledging 40 sovereigns of gold jewellery.  Similar is the tale of many others, who are daily-wage earners. 

A few of the customers had kept jewellery in the bank lockers for safekeeping. “My husband is an alcoholic and would sell any jewellery I kept at home. So I hired a locker. Now they have been burgled and my daughter’s wedding is in a couple of weeks,” said a 48 year old agricultural labourer from Thippampalli village. Another who saved little by little with her wage from  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee stated that she had lost all her savings.

Reports suggest that the robbery was not the first in the branch.  “A few months ago, a gold appraiser stole 100 sovereigns of gold from the lockers and replaced it with duplicate jewels. The issue came to light when one of the customers tried to sell his jewels,” said a bank official on condition of anonymity. More than robbers fleeting away with close to 48kg of gold worth – the lurking fear on adequacy of compensation is the talk of the villages.   It is reported that agitated public, who had mortgaged their jewellery with the bank gathered around the branch, even as the police cordoned off the area. Security lapses were evident in the bank that had been servicing the area for over two decades, police sources said. There was no night guard in the bank, and of the five CCTV cameras, two cameras were dysfunctional. One of the cameras along with a dysfunctional sound alarm was placed right at the entrance of the bank. Except for the entrance of the bank that was secured by a sliding shutter, the rear entries were feeble wooden doors and were broken by the burglars.

A higher official of the Bank is quoted as saying that the compensation for the jewellery stolen in the weekend heist will be based on the bank guidelines and master policy. “There are no ifs and buts in this case. Every single person will be compensated,” However, it is unclear if the remediation will be based on the current market value.  Generally, the gross weight value on the date of burglary will be considered, says another senior official with the bank.  Outside the robbed bank, those who had lost their jewels were, however, assured that their loss will be compensated on market value, deducting the loan amount along with the interest as on date of settlement.

Later, there was some calm after the bank put up a notice listing the mortgage accounts that were still intact in the other safe. Five accounts were closed after the owners took back the mortgaged jewellery on payment of the loan amount. 

If it is not mortgaged jewellery, there is no way, the bank could make out as to what was lost from the lockers, if they had been breached.  As per the RBI policy: “The bank will, in no way, be responsible/liable for the contents kept in the locker by the hirer. In case of theft, burglary or similar unforeseen events, action will be initiated as per law.” The RBI has also earlier stated that even if the banks do not know about the contents of the locker, they should take necessary steps to protect the contents in the locker.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

29^th Jan 2015.