Nature has its wonders !
.. .. there are so many species – all surviving with some green
cover. Here is one found on a sangu
pushpam (Clitoria Ternatea)
Hymenoptera is a large order of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. Over 150,000 living species of Hymenoptera have been described, in addition to over 2,000 extinct ones.
Regards - S Sampathkumar
6.4.2025
In a
meeting of people, there was cacophony – everyone was shouting their thoughts
!! then there was this school, in Unison
and harmony !!
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I realized a bit late that – ‘do you like fish’ can have different meaning depending on the person to whom it is posed ! Are you attracted to ‘fish’ as pets ? – have you raised aquarium at home ?? – it is stated that smaller fish have shorter lives. Some have less than a year ! It is so enchanting looking at fish swimming whether in a pond or in an aquarium. Fish keeping is a popular hobby which sure would provide one lot of mental peace and tranquility.
In a pond – where water is clean and there is no disturbance, one could observe large school of fish moving in unison, in so well coordinated pattern, moving together as if under radio control, performing movements both simple and complicated. Schools turn, contract, expand, even part and come back together all without missing a beat. When a Cormorant or some other predatory bird lands in the water, the fish contract and then billow in fractions of a second, changing shape and pattern. This split-second teamwork isn't just entrancing—it's a matter of survival for the fish. Swimming together helps them evade hungry predators, spot rich feeding areas, find mates, and even makes swimming easier by letting them slip through the water using less energy. Scientists are so fascinated by how fish work together that they're using their findings to unlock mysteries beyond the ocean—from how our brains work to how crowds of people make decisions together.
Fishes swim by using their streamlined bodies and fins to move through the water, with the tail fin providing the primary thrust and other fins aiding in steering and stability. Fish primarily propel themselves through water by contracting muscles on either side of their bodies, generating waves of flexion that travel from head to tail.
Schooling saves the fish energy — lots of energy. Sometimes they move slowly and gracefully. Other times, they will dart quickly in one direction, then another. How do hundreds of fish move together as fluidly as dancers, knowing when to turn or react to danger in an instant? Fish have a superpower for sensing their underwater world: a line of special cells along their bodies that feel pressure changes, called the lateral line. Fish use their lateral line to maintain the perfect distance from their neighbours -- a “sweet spot” where they can sense each other’s movements without bumping into one another. This spacing allows them to conserve energy through a behavioral rule, “vortex phase matching,” which lets them ride the water swirls created by nearby fish, similar to how geese fly in formation or cyclists draft behind one another in races to reduce drag.
For most
people, day starts with a steaming hot tumbler of Coffee ! - cannot imagine those days, when one had to
wait for the cow to be milked in front of their houses or days of 1970s when
Triplicane (and every other area) would stand in queue at Aavin milk booth for
milk, rush home to boil and have coffee!
Well the subject matter of the post, transcends to more than a century back !! – on how Coffee status was sought to be displaced but ! !! !!! - no, the competitor was not TEA !!
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world, with two billion cups drunk worldwide every day. [authenticity no known!] South Indian coffee (a.k.a filter coffee) is a milk coffee (perfect example of South Indians' affinity for dairy products) – a great mixture of decoction and milk added with sugar, primarily from coffee beans and chicory. In recent past, on every highway in Tamilnadu, shops calling themselves - original Kumbakonam filter coffee shops have mushroomed. In South Indian culture, the visitor to a House is welcomed and offered coffee in a big tumbler. It is an energizer !
All coffee comes from
the coffee tree (genus Coffea). The tree’s cherries are picked and processed to
gain access to the tiny seeds they contain, which are called green coffee
beans. These green coffee beans are then roasted before being ready for
consumption and are called whole coffee beans.
Before being brewed however, whole coffee beans are ground into smaller
particles to extract as much flavour as possible. This is easily accomplished using a variety of tools
including electric coffee grinders, blenders, mortar and pestles, or food
processors – there were handwound grinders in early days. After being ground in
one of these devices, whole coffee beans are referred to as ‘ground coffee’.
Back in
1895 a powder substitute for coffee was advertised and marketed to be a
healthier alternative than Coffee. It
was called ‘Postum” - a drink
first made by C. W. Post in 1895. It is a powder substitute for coffee that is
mixed with water. The ingredients are wheat bran, wheat, molasses, and corn
dextrin. Postum quickly became popular, making Post wealthy. The aggressive
advertising, with the slogan "There's a
Reason", warned against the alleged dangers of coffee and caffeine,
and promoted the benefits of Postum. When imitations appeared, the company
introduced a cheaper drink called Monk's Brew that was identical to Postum, but
discontinued it after competitors left the market. Instant Postum appeared in
1911. A 1912 advertisement for Instant Postum is the earliest known use of
the word "instant" to refer to a processed food that can be prepared
immediately.
Caffeine is a natural chemical with stimulant effects. It is found in coffee, tea, cola, cocoa, guarana, yerba mate, and over 60 other products. Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system, heart, muscles, and the centers that control blood pressure. Caffeine can raise blood pressure, but might not have this effect in people who use it all the time. Caffeine can also act like a "water pill" that increases urine flow.
Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class and is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness promoting), ergogenic (physical performance-enhancing), or nootropic (cognitive-enhancing) properties. Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine alkaloid, and is chemically related to the adenine and guanine bases of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). It is found in the seeds, fruits, nuts, or leaves of a number of plants native to Africa, East Asia and South America and helps to protect them against herbivores and from competition by preventing the germination of nearby seeds, as well as encouraging consumption by select animals such as honey bees. The best-known source of caffeine is the coffee bean, the seed of the Coffea plant.
People tend to drink beverages containing caffeine to relieve or prevent drowsiness and to improve cognitive performance. To make these drinks, caffeine is extracted by steeping the plant product in water, a process called infusion. In 2020, almost 10 million tonnes of coffee beans were consumed globally.
Though
it did not entirely succeed, the powdered roasted grain beverage ‘Postum’ was
quite popular for more than a couple of
decades. Its founder CS Post marketed it to be a health substitute. Post Cereal Company eventually became General
Foods, then merged to Kraft Foods Inc. in 1990. Eliza's Quest Foods now owns
the trademark rights and secret recipe of Postum.
"Health
First—Happiness Follows, POSTUM instead of coffee, 'There's a Reason.'" This was the slogan that sold C. W. Post’s non-caffeinated
cereal beverage. Flamboyant advertising by the company promoted
drinking Postum to avoid “heart disease, rheumatism, blindness, cowardliness
and diminished mental capacity.” During World War II, Postum became a popular
alternative to coffee, which was rationed. In 1929, Postum Cereal Company
became General Foods. Eventually the company was absorbed by Kraft and in 2007,
Kraft retired the Postum brand beverage. Eliza’s Food Quest, in 2013 managed to
acquire the brand and the secret recipe for Postum, returning it to most
grocery shelves.
Perhaps
such advertisements never reached India and other parts of World ruled by
Coffee as the hot beverage continues to be the addictive that millions drink,
first in the morning and repeat N no. of times during the day !!
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I am a
Coffee lover & addict – what about you ? ! ?
De muribus tintinnabulum feli appendere volentibus
Every morning there is a new problem and some evenings there are solutions – one need to think and find way out of problems rather than be bogged down and the solutions needs to be practical and implementable.
Long long ago, in trying to escape from the killer cats and be alive – the Mice Council decided to put a bell on a cat's neck to alert them of its presence. While everyone appreciated it as a grand idea – they were unable to find a mouse brave and capabale enough to actually attach the bell to the cat.
One of the earliest versions of the story appears as a parable critical of the clergy in Odo of Cheriton's Parabolae. It was written around 1200, and later translated into Welsh, French and Spanish. Odo of Cheriton was an English preacher and fabulist who spent a considerable time studying in Paris and then lecturing in the south of France and in northern Spain. In the following century, the Italian author Laurentius Abstemius made of the fable a Latin cautionary tale titled De muribus tintinnabulum feli appendere volentibus (The mice who wanted to bell the cat) in 1499. A more popular version in Latin verse was written by Gabriele Faerno and printed posthumously in his Fabulae centum ex antiquis auctoribus delectae (100 delightful fables from ancient authors, Rome 1564).
The
phrase "who will bell the cat?" is an idiom that asks who will be
brave enough to undertake a risky or dangerous task, often one that others are
unwilling to do. It originates from a fable about mice who want to put a bell
on a cat's neck to warn them of its approach, but no one is willing to actually
do it.
Il buono,
il brutto, il cattivo - what
?!? How good looking are you
? - and are you fully convinced that
‘looks’ determine one’s character. To
most of us – Parrots are attractive and beautiful !! There is always this Q - “Is
attractiveness “good” or is unattractiveness “bad. There are times, days, phases in life when One feels that they
are not at their best, experience
negative thoughts. That is not being
Ugly – one can always find ways to cope
with these negative thoughts and embrace
positivity. It will lead to finding happiness and fulfillment as one overcomes
negative self-talk.
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Looks
have lot to do with clothing ! – apparels and the style of dressing. Western-style
clothing is a mainstay in menswear. From open-collared shirts and double denim
get-ups to straight-cut leather trousers, top designer brands such as MSGM,
Ralph Lauren and Gucci make regular nods to the mood. The reason is simple:
it’s cool. And that’s in part thanks to the work of one of western style’s key
proponents: Clint Eastwood.
The perception of "good" and "ugly" is subjective and influenced by personal preferences, cultural norms, and societal beauty standards, with no objective measure of beauty or ugliness. Beauty is not an absolute concept; it is subjective !! what one person finds attractive, another might not.
In
1862, in the American Southwest during the American Civil War, three
bounty-hunters ambush Mexican bandit Tuco Ramirez, who shoots them and escapes.
Elsewhere, mercenary "Angel Eyes" interrogates former Confederate
soldier Stevens for the alias of Jackson, a soldier who stole a cache of
Confederate gold. Stevens gives the name "Bill Carson", offers Angel
Eyes a bribe and then draws his pistol. Angel Eyes kills him and, intrigued
about the gold, kills his own employer. Tuco is rescued from more
bounty-hunters by an unnamed drifter whom he nicknames "Blondie".
Blondie delivers Tuco to a sheriff and collects his $2,000 (equivalent to
$60,000 in 2024) bounty. As Tuco is about to be hanged, Blondie severs the
noose by shooting it and sets him free. The two escape and split the bounty.
They repeat the process in other towns until Blondie grows weary of Tuco's
complaints and leaves him stranded in the desert.
Bent on revenge, and after one failed attempt with his gang, Tuco catches up with Blondie and force-marches him across the desert until he collapses from dehydration.
The Good,
the Bad and the Ugly (Italian: Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo, literally
"The good, the ugly, the bad") is a 1966 Italian epic Western film
directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood as "the Good",
Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad", and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly". Its
screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni, and Leone based
on a story by Vincenzoni and Leone. The
film is known for Leone's use of long shots and close-up cinematography, as
well as his distinctive use of violence, tension, and highly stylised
gunfights. The plot revolves around three gunslingers competing to find a
fortune in a buried cache of Confederate gold amid the violent chaos of the
American Civil War (specifically the Battle of Glorieta Pass of the New Mexico
Campaign in 1862) while participating in many battles, confrontations, and
duels along the way. The Good, the Bad
and the Ugly was marketed as the third and final installment in the Dollars
Trilogy
All
along – it is observed and believed that
attractive people are preferred
over, as there is supposition that they possess more positive traits and
characteristics than, unattractive people. This of
course is a stereotype. However Scientific
researches have revealed why some people
are good looking while others turn out ugly.
A study puts it that some people have less efficient 'repair kits'
in their DNA.
Charles Darwin's theories of evolution say attractive females should select the more attractive males and good genes should spread through the population over time to the point where males all become equally good-looking. The fact that all men aren't hunks is used by opponents of evolution as an argument that Darwin's theories are fundamentally flawed. A research explains why the human race isn't uniformly gorgeous. According to a Professor, : "It's much easier to think of it in terms of peacocks. "You have a system in peacocks where males go around looking attractive and those that have the biggest and best tails get the most attractive females. "Evolution would suggest that over time all peacocks would look the same because those good genes would spread through the population. "But that doesn't happen and instead you get generation after generation with big tails and short tails, the choice doesn't disappear. It could be because mutations can occur anywhere in an animal's genetic make-up, some will affect the DNA repair kit possessed by all cells. As a result, some individuals have less efficient repair kits, resulting in greater variation in their DNA as damage goes unrepaired.
Situationist
International proposes that leisure does not evolve from free time, and
free-time is an illusory concept that is rarely fully "free";
economic and social forces appropriate free time from the individual and sell
it back to them as the commodity known as "leisure". .. .. why to be
so complicated - simply idle and relax !!
When
goals are important, walls are no barriers !
When
it comes to love-making, nothing is insurmountable !!
மின்னல்
ஒளியென கண்ணைப் பறித்திடும்
அழகோ தேவதையோ !! ~ மாஞ்சோலைக் கிளிதானோ !!
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எவ்வளவு பிரயாணங்கள் செய்தாலும் அலுக்காதது இரயில் பயணம் .. .. .. உங்கள் மனதில் ஏதாவது இரயில் பயணம் உடனடியாக வருடுகிறதா ? 40 வருஷங்கள் கடந்து போனாலும், இரயிலை பார்த்தால் முணுமுணுக்கும் பாடல் இளயராஜா இசையில் - 'கிழக்கே போகும் ரயில்'. இயக்குநர் பாரதிராஜா இயக்கிய இரண்டாவது திரைப்படம் "கிழக்கே போகும் ரயில்". இத்திரைப்படத்தில் சுதாகர், எம்.ஆர். ராதிகா, விஜயன், காந்திமதி, ஜனகராஜ், கவுண்டமணி மற்றும் பலர் நடித்திருந்தனர். வணிக ரீதியாக வெற்றியடைந்த இப்படம், திரையரங்குகளில் ஒரு வருடம் வரை ஓடியது.
அஃறிணைப் பொருட்களைத் தூது செல்ல ஏவுவது போல அமையும் இலக்கியம் தூது இலக்கியம் எனப்படுகிறது. பல தூதுக்களில் தலைவன் தலைவியரிடையே பிரிவு ஏற்படும்போது ஒருவர் தனது பிரிவுத்துயரை மற்றவருக்கு அறிவிக்கும்படி அஃறிணைப் பொருட்களைத் தூது செல்ல ஏவுவது போல அமைகின்றன. இவ்வாறு தூது அனுப்பும் உத்தி நற்றிணை போன்ற சங்கப் பாடல்களிலும், பின்னர் வந்த இலக்கியங்களிலும் கூடக் காணப்பட்டவை.
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கிராமத்தில் வந்து நிற்கும் இரயிலில் இருந்து இறங்குகிறார் பாஞ்சாலி. அம்மாவின் மரணத்துக்குப் பிறகு அக்கா கருத்தம்மாவே கதியென்று இந்தக் கிராமத்துக்கு வருகிறாள். அங்கே பாட்டுக்கார பரஞ்சோதியைப் பார்க்கிறாள். பாஞ்சாலியை அவளின் அக்கா புருஷன் பார்க்கிறான். அவள் மீது ஆசை கொள்கிறான். பாட்டே கதியென்று கிடக்கும் பரஞ்சோதிக்கு வேலையில் நாட்டமில்லை. அப்படியே வேலை செய்தாலும் கவிதையிலும் கற்பனையிலுமாக மூழ்கிவிடுகிறான். சோளக்காட்டுக் காவலுக்குப் போனவன், பாட்டுப்பாடி, சோளத்தையெல்லாம் திருடக் கொடுக்கிறான்.
கிராமியச் சூழலில் பெருமளவில் வெளிப்புறப் படப்பிடிப்பாகவே தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட இப்படத்தில் ராதிகா அறிமுகமானார். இசைஞானி இளையராஜா இசையில் முத்துராமலிங்கம் வரிகளில், ஜெயச்சந்திரன் குரலில், சலங்கை ஒலி பாடல் முழுவதும் கிளுகிளுக்க புல்லாங்குழலும் வயலின்களும் ராசாவின் கற்பனை வளத்தோடு ஆட்சி செய்யும் பாடல். கர்நாடக இசையில் அமைந்த ‘மாஞ்சோலைக் கிளிதானோ’பாடல். ஜெயசந்திரனுக்குப் பெரும் புகழை பெற்றுத் தந்தது. 1978-ல் தமிழக அரசின் தங்கப்பதக்கம் பெற்ற பாடல் இது.
மாஞ்சோலைக் கிளிதானோ மான்தானோ
வேப்பந்தோப்புக் குயிலும் நீதானோ
இவள் ஆவாரம் பூதானோ நடை தேர்தானோ...
சலங்கைகள் தரும்இசை தேன்தானோ....
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Not Barathiraja’s mancholai kili – but the parrots that come
to my terrace
Chennai
is reeling under hot weather ~ people are cursing .. .. they are running with
plastic pots for water ! - Chennai has only 3 weathers – “hot, hotter and
hottest” - the city lies near the thermal equator and is also coastal, which
prevents extreme variation in seasonal temperature.
~
.. .. .. people enjoying at Soma Sundaram ground in T Nagar, Chennai 17 – in our young days, we used to
play at Marina beach – but would not allow our children to venture out in the
hot Sun now !
31.3.2019
'பாரெல்லாம்
புகழ்ந்திடும் ஓர் சாரதி ~ அவன் பார்த்தனுக்கு தேரோட்டும் சாரதி"; "வந்து
நின்றான் கண்ணன், வந்து நின்றான்"; "பள்ளிக்கட்டு சபரிமலைக்கு - கல்லும்
முள்ளும் காலுக்கு மெத்தை"
~
these and many more – all devout people would stand mesmerized to hear the
divine voice of Singer K Veeramani. Thiru Veeramani and Thiru Somu were so
famous. Veeramani Raju & Mani grew in Triplicane and there have been so
many days of togetherness. Felt so so happy in being with the divine Singer
Thiru Veeramani Raju who with such a fame, still remains simple – perhaps his
success is ‘he sings only devotional songs’ ,.. what a gifted voice – happy in
being with you anna ****
31.3.2019
Soaring
high !! உயரப் பறந்தாலும்! - ரஜினி சொன்ன கழுகு காக்கை கதை !!
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Muthuvel Pandian is a
retired police officer living in Tamil Nadu with his family. Muthuvel's son,
ACP Arjun, is investigating Varman, an eccentric gangster operating from his
base of operations in Arakkonam, who smuggles idols of gods and sells them to buyers
overseas. While getting close to nabbing Varman, Arjun suddenly goes missing,
and the police department covers this up by spreading word that he may have
committed suicide due to the stress of the job.
The storyline of
Rajinikanth starrer ‘Jailer’ released in 2023, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar and produced by
Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. An ageing
star no longer garners the same attraction and now a days, lot is done to
promote the movies. The film's first
look poster was released in Aug 2022 – then a behind-the-scenes video that documented the
film's production was released, then they made viral the utterly ghastly video featuring Tamanna Bhatia
சமீப காலங்களில் - ஒவ்வொரு
முறை அவரது படம் வெளிவரும் முன்னரும் பரபரப்பு ஏற்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. இப்படத்திற்கு, தமன்னாவின் நடன பாடல். முகம் சுளிக்க வைக்கும் ஆபாச உடல் நெளிவுகள் என
குறை சொல்லவேண்டிய பாடல் ! ரஜினி படம் என்பதால்
பட்டி தொட்டி எங்கும் மீண்டும் மீண்டும் ஒலித்தது, அல்லது ஒலிக்க வைக்கப்பட்டது. பலவருடங்கள் முன்னர் . நீங்கள் கேட்டவை என்ற படத்தில் 'அடியே
மனம் நில்லுன்னா நிக்காதடி' என சில்க்
ஸ்மிதா ஆடியதை அந்நாள் பத்திரிகையாளர்கள் எவ்வாறு சிலாகித்தனர் !! இன்று !?!?
வா
நு காவாலைய்யா… நு காவலீ… ரா ரா ரா ரா…
ஜெயிலர் படத்தின் ஆடியோ
வெளியீட்டு விழாவில் கதாநாயகர் ரஜினிகாந்த் அவர்கள் குட்டி கதை ஒன்று சொன்னார்.
காட்டில் பெரிய மிருகங்கள் எப்பவும் சின்ன மிருகங்களை தொல்லை செய்து கொண்டிருக்கும்.
உதாரணத்திற்கு, காகம் எப்பவும் கழுகை சீண்டிக்கொண்டே இருக்கும். ஆனால், கழுகு எப்பவும்
அமைதியாக தான் இருக்கும். கழுகு பறக்கும் போது தான் அதை பார்த்து காக்கவும் உயரமா பறக்க
நினைக்கும். ஆனால், காக்காவால் அது முடியாது.
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இது சினிமா பதிவல்ல !! - இங்கே காண்பதும்
கழுகல்ல ! - இது கரும்பருந்து (black kite, Milvus migrans) அல்லது ஊர்ப் பருந்து !!
பருந்து, பறவை வகுப்பைச் சேர்ந்த ஒரு ஊனுண்ணி ஆகும். இவற்றிற்கு நீண்ட சிறகுகளும்
பலம் குறைந்த கால்களும் அமைந்திருக்கும். இவ்வகுப்பில் உள்ள இனப்பறவைகள் பெரும்பாலும்
உயிரற்ற விலங்குகளையே உணவாக்கிக் கொள்கின்றன.
There are many – Hawks, Vultures, Falcons,
Eagles and more .. .. perhaps ‘black kite’ is
what we call as பருந்து. The
black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family
Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to
be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations
have experienced dramatic declines or fluctuations. The black kite was
described by the French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in his
Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux in 1770.
For urban wildlife, adaptability is the key to survival. On
one end, several animals are now accustomed to cityscapes and can derive their
needs from the urban environment. However, the ever-growing, dynamic cities
have also brought unpleasant challenges that need urgent redressal. Black
Kites have become urban city dwellers and are well settled in building tops,
tree tops and the like. Spread across Europe, Africa, Australia and
Asia, this highly opportunistic bird owes its diverse range to a flexible diet,
and the ability to thrive in both natural and concrete jungles. They find their
vantage points on the tops of trees and towers.
Once active hunters,
Indian black kites have increasingly taken to scavenging carrion and
ready-to-eat scraps. A large number of them hover over garbage dumps. Expanding urban
settlements have resulted in the decline of their original prey base, thereby
modifying the diet of black kites. While
they are said to soar high in the sky – it is not easy - black
kites impressively soar up to high altitudes, such extreme heights also
render them vulnerable to the sun during tropical summers. They frequently
collapse from heatstrokes while making a descent in search of prey and water
sources !!
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Here are some photos of
the black kite taken at Triplicane TP Koil Street this morning.
With
regards – S. Sampathkumar
31.3.2025
Even a fallen twig has some value !! - Parents (Pigeon here) procure with so much
difficulty, some material to construct a home for delivery, and undergo
hardships in upbringing.
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Life is not easy for everyone ! for some it is a struggle at
every step !!
30/3/2o25
என்னது ! ... சூயஸ் சானல் மறுபடி திறந்துட்டாங்களா
!! - அந்த கப்பலை தள்ளி ஓட செய்துட்டாங்களா ??
there
are 3 seen - one who reads print media, one who perhaps is looking at social
media and another super dreamer who can blame everything and has fears in his
mind - even on midday not awake to the reality.
30.3.2021
It's summer and .. it is Cricketing time !!
Soma
Sundaram Grounds T Nagar 29.3.2018
ஒரு மைனா மைனா
குருவி மனசார பாடுது ; மாயங்கள் காட்டுது.. ..
common mynah
(Acridotheres tristis),
once there was aplenty .. .. now nothing in sight !!
IPL
is great entertainment and keeps throwing newer stars !! yesterday at Chepauk, Royal Challengers
Bengaluru (RCB) ended their Chennai jinx in style, beating Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) there got the first time since the first IPL - by a whopping 50 runs,
CSK's biggest defeat at home. Thousands who
had gathered went home with a remorse melancholy.
I have been watching Cricket for more than 50 years now – it is
not simply IPL/ T20I, ODI, Test – but First division league matches, Buchi Babu
trophy, Ranji, Duleep, Irani, Syed Mushtaq Ali, matches against visiting
teams, un-official tests, MJ Gopalan
trophy, beach Cricket and some office matches including Blue Star. Cricket
is not all about Sixers ! – there were times when an entire Series would have less
than handful of Sixers hit. I am not going to lament on a single loss of
CSK – in Cricket such things happen. CSK
has won many titles, have lost many matches as well. Yet,
the way the match was played by CSK, the meek surrender, going down without a
fight and .. .. the crowds waiting for one thing !! hurt a Cricket Connoisseur.
Know the story of King Arthur ? According to legends, King Arthur was a king of Britain, a beyond life folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. The legendary Arthur developed as a figure of international interest largely through the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth's fanciful and imaginative 12th-century Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) as Geoffrey depicted Arthur as a king of Britain who defeated the Saxons and established a vast empire.
People
believed that Aruthr was never defeated, never died !! - sleeping somewhere remote, is a central motif
connected to the Arthurian legends. In
the very famous poem of Alfred Lord Tennyson- "Morte d'Arthur" - a third-person narrator tells the story of
the dying King Arthur, after the final battle, where all but one of the Knights
of the Round Table are killed. Arthur, mortally wounded, is borne by the last
surviving knight, Sir Bedivere, to a ruined chapel near a lake.
Arthur
tells Bedivere there will never be another place as great as Camelot. Arthur says he is so badly wounded that he will not
last till the morning, so he asks Bedivere to take his sword, Excalibur, throw
it into the middle of the lake, and watch what happens. (Years before, Arthur
had obtained the sword from a white silk-clad arm holding it out of a lake.)
Bedivere doesn't want to leave Arthur alone, but he obeys.
One stanza of Tennyson's Poem would read :
"The
old order changeth, yielding place to new,
And
God fulfils Himself in many ways,
Lest
one good custom should corrupt the world.
MSD is not a name, it is an emotion !! – MS Dhoni is a true legend. A phenomenal rise from a rural place, cemented himself and led India with fame in all formats and .. .. .. retired so suddenly with people – why now !
In present IPL, couple days back Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad Lakanwal, who was not born when MSD made his ODI debut –was delighted as he beat Suryakumar Yadav and saw MSD effecting a lightning stumping. Yesterday, Phil Salt understood how silly it is for within a fraction MSD made a fast handed stumping. Salt had just lifted his toes, front foot was on the line as he missed a drive off a length ball angling way on top of fifth stump. Dhoni didn't move his knees, which is when his superpower is unleashed. The time between the ball being caught and swooshed onto the stumps - remarkable reflexes and Salt - who probably didn't lift his foot even a centimetre - was out !! Dhoni magic !!
Yesterday CSK lost, RCB ended their Chennai jinx in style, beating CKS, first time since the first IPL - by a whopping 50 runs. CSK's biggest defeat at home was not hurting but the intent was missing and CSK threw the towel much much before. The contest was so dead that more than half of CSK's chase was all about finding out if and when MS Dhoni would bat. He eventually did so at No. 9, only for the second time in his career.
We
need teams to fight it out – one can lose by 50 or even 100 runs but not the
way CSK did yesterday. MSD might have hit a couple of huge ones but no team can
afford to have a wicket-keeper walking into bat at 9 and play out when the
match is all over, and only the difference in loss is being counted !!
Dhoni did not tease his fans by batting after Jadeja, Ashwin and everyone – he made them cry. For once the blade coming down in an arc and sending the ball parabolic over the boundary long and high off Krunal Pandya – not once but twice was not relished.
King
MSD – you are remembered for your batting exploits, quick work behind the
stumps, your Cricketing acumen, your astute leadership. This is no Cinema where fans wait for climax !! If your presence is not meaningful for the
time, may be Vansh Bedi plays, loss of CSK may not hurt as bad !!
