"Sampath Speaking" - the thoughts of an Insurer from Thiruvallikkeni

Battle of Grunters at Melbourne

2012-01-27T13:43:00.002+05:30

It is quipped that if you are to watch the finals, you would better press the mute button first. The Australian Women’s Finals is touted as ‘battle of grunters”

At Adelaide, Michael Clarke set up an improbable 500 as the target for the struggling Indians and there is little to write about. At Melbourne, the Tournament is heading for a close finish. If you can recall last year it was Novak Djokovic, Kim Clijsters, Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan – who won the title in Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and Mens Doubles last year.

The finalists in the woman are spotted and it was reported that she has been practising her victory dance moves, just in case. She has not dropped a set yet and has dropped only 12 games so far in the tournament. She is as mindful as anyone of what lies ahead and if she were to win, she is like to unveil a few dance moves - that is Victoria Azarenka, the girl from

Belarus

who is to meet Russian beauty Maria Sharpova in the ‘battle of grunters”. Sharapova will play her sixth Grand Slam final, Azarenka her first.

There are repots that decibel counters set up at Melbourne Park this week have measured Azarenka's wail at 91.4, while Sharapova is understood to have reached 98. At her peak, the Russian has been recorded at an ear-splitting 105.

If you are wondering what this all about, ‘grunting’ in tennis refers to the loud noise, sometimes described as "shrieking" or "screaming", made by some players during their strokes. It is prominent in women's tennis but also exists in men's tennis. Monica Seles and Jimmy Connors are often credited with starting the "grunt" in tennis in the female and male games respectively. The other practitioners of the art includes Serenas, Sharpova, Dementieva, Azarenka, Nadal and Djokovic.

Azarenka was the first to reach the Finals defeating 11^th seed Kim Clijsters reaching her first career Grand Slam final. Sharapova, the 2008 champion, joined Azarenka in the final after a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over No. 2 seed Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic. It was a baseline battle that didn’t necessarily have the contrast in styles that will make for compelling tennis.

Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer and would play the winner of rematch of last year’s finals – Novak Djokovic playing Andy Murray. The folks have been friends for more than 14 years now and have played head on each other not many a times. In their 10 grandslam matches, Nadal has won 8 times and won in four sets covering the baseline with incredible speed and hitting forehand winners from almost impossible angles. They have played more times and have won 26 majors between them.

Grunters or tigerperches are fishes in the family Terapontidae. They are found in shallow coastal waters in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific, where they live in saltwater, brackish and freshwater habitats. When caught, grunters make the characteristic grunting sounds that give them their name.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

Manipur goes to Polls on 28th Jan 2012

2012-01-26T05:00:00.000+05:30

In the biggest democracy – 5 states are to go to polls. In

India

, we have a quasi Federal Government – elected officials at the National, State and local levels – the Head of the Govt., the Prime Minister as also the Chief Minister gets elected by the Majority party. Soon, we will have new Chief Ministers (or the earlier ones with new mandate) in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttrakhand and Uttar Pradesh

There are lots of comments on the EC order of suitably covering the statues of elephants and statues of Ms Mayawati constructed in public places at government expenses. The Model Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates envisages providing a level playing field for all political parties and candidates at an election. There are instructions that images & photos of CM / PM / Ministers etc., are not to be displayed in Govt building and premises as that could potentially disturb the level playing field. Though one tends to ask whether other things – say cycles would be so covered ? It remains a fact that these statues of elephants are not symbolic of the mammoth mammals of genre – Elephas & Loxodonta but are sought to depict the election symbol of BSP – erected in public places incurring huge expenditure. The EC has clarified that continued display at public places would be violative of the spirit of the Model Code.

India

has such wide and culture that people at one State may not fully understand the traits of another State. Manipur, in North Eastern India has Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by Nagaland, Mizoram, Assam and borders Burma to the east. There are many ethnic groups and Manipuri (Meiteilon) is the lingua franca of the State. Earlier foreigners entering Manipur were required to possess Restricted Area Permit, which has been relaxed now. Manipur has river basins and good water resources. The Manipur river basin has eight major rivers: the Manipur, Imphal, Iril, Nambul, Sekmai, Chakpi, Thoubal and Khuga. All these rivers originate from the surrounding hills. Besides the other religions practiced, Gaudiya Vaishnavism is also predominant. It is a religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

In the 2007 Elections, INC won 30 of the 60 seats. For the first time, the 62-year old Election Commission has ordered the photographing of all voters of Manipur on January 28, when the State goes to the polls, in order to prevent rigging and impersonation. Manipur has an electorate of 16,77,270 spread over 60 constituencies. The Polling is to take place on Jan 28, 2012 and a total of 279 candidates are in the fray. The main parties who have put up candidates in the polls are Congress (60), Trinamool Congress (48), Manipur State Congress Party (31), CPI (24), NCP (22), BJP (19) and Manipur People's Party (14) among others.

As the State goes to Poll – it appears that there is no dearth of money at Manipur as seen from the assets declared by various contestants. It is reported that a total of 33 millionaires are in the fray. Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh’s assets jumped to a whopping 1,079 percent from Rs 6 lakhs in 2007 to Rs 71 lakhs this year. Still, there are feelings that this does not appropriately reflect his wealth as he is said to possess properties in places like Goa, Bangalore and Gurgaon. Congressman and the state’s Information and Tourism Minister TN Haokip has made the biggest leap during his recent five-year stint. His property jumped from a paltry Rs 29.7 lakh to a whopping Rs 9.77 crore in 2012.

Trinamool Congress’s Khagda Bahadur claims to be penniless.

There are further reports that the two main contenders for Khurai Assembly seat are the same and the only difference is they have switched sides this time. Nothing uncommon in the volatile politics of Manipur but will it bring a change of fortune? Here, there is a straight fight between sitting MLA N Bijoy Singh of ruling Congress and Ningthoujam Bihari Singh of opposition Manipur State Congress Party (MSCP). The bitter political rivals have swapped sides. Meantime, the statement of Union home secretary RK Singh, that Indian insurgent groups based in the neighbouring country were planning to create disturbances in the coming elections in Manipur, is a matter of grave concern. The home secretary raised the issue at the 17th national level meeting between the two countries at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar. To trace the recipients of arms smuggled into India, Singh requested Myanmar to share interrogation reports of arms smugglers arrested by Myanmar security forces.

It is the responsibility of the Govt to suppress such forces and ensure a free and fair polling, which only will do good to the Nation.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Third Q Monetary Policy of RBI

2012-01-25T11:44:00.000+05:30

Economics is difficult to understand and strange are the ways of the Press when it comes to publishing it in their own perspective ! The Third quarter Monetary Policy of Reserve Bank of India is being hotly debated upon. Though I do not understand it in is depth, we for sure know that it is to impact us in the months to come, especially on the financial side.

Monetary policy is the process by which the monetary authority of a country controls the supply of money, often targeting a rate of interestfor the purpose of promoting economic growth and stability. In India, it is done by Reserve Bank of India. The official goals usually include relatively stable prices and low unemployment. Monetary theory provides insight into how to craft optimal monetary policy. It could be by increasing the total supply of money or constricting other things.

You know this condition as also the term – but perhaps may not relate them with ease. In Economics, Inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, the annualized percentage change in a general price index (normally the Consumer Price Index) over time. To put it simply ““inflation means that your money won’t buy as much today as you could yesterday. ”

RBI wanted the Govt to deregulate diesel prices in order to contain the trade deficit, which is expected to widen to $160 billion during the current fiscal. The petrol prices are market-linked, the government decides the rates of LPG, kerosene and diesel, which usually results in a large budgetary expenditure on subsidies. Largely the response for the 3^rd Quarter review of Monetary policy appears to be not so welcome. As RBI wants to put is, the Annual Policy for 2011-12 is set in conditions significantly different from those a year ago. Last year’s policy was made in an environment of incipient domestic recovery and uncertainty about the state of the global economy. While signs of inflation were visible, they were driven primarily by food items. Nonetheless, there was a clear risk of food price pressures spilling over into more generalised inflation, as the recovery consolidated and domestic resource utilisation rose to levels which stretched capacities. Throughout last year, the goal of monetary policy was to nurture the recovery in the face of persistent global uncertainty, while trying to contain the spill-over of supply side inflation.

This suggests growth will slow down even more if investment activity, that has already slowed significantly , stays depressed. The signs are ominous. Corporate investment in new projects fell sharply on a sequential basis during the second quarter of 2011-12 . The resultant impact on growth could have been mitigated had government stepped in with higher capital spending. The Govt. would struggle as there is likely to be a mounting revenue deficit and constrain the capacity for capital spending.

First Post reports that 79 is the number of times the RBI mentions “inflation” in the press release and in contrast, “growth” is mentioned 68 times (10 times in reference to global, not local, growth). – this is sought to be exhibited as a clue on where the focus of RBI lies !!

In his statement, RBI Governor D Subbarao acknowledged that declining food prices are a seasonal trend and unlikely to last. The sharp decline in food prices in the past few weeks could be attributed to sharp declines in onion, potato and vegetable prices, which account for less than 3 percent of the WPI. Fuel inflation came in at a high 14.9 percent in December. Currently, oil marketing companies have refrained from hiking fuel prices because of upcoming state assembly elections and the prices could be hiked immediately after the elections. When the government’s fiscal deficit (the gap between government revenues and expenditure) widens, it has to resort to borrowings from the capital markets, which reduces the level of funds for the private sector and increases the cost of capital as well.

The expectation of RBI is fall in inflation to 7% by March from the 7.47$ present and there may not be much easing of monetary policy. The reduction in CRR by 50 bps to 5.5% is not greatly welcomed though; the Repo and Reverse Repo remain unchanged. The interpretation of the monetary policy is sought to be represented as no reining of inflation but squeezing of demand which could be painful for the growth.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Australian Open - (Women Singles) - Semi finalists spotted

2012-01-25T11:42:00.002+05:30

At Adelaide, Australians amassed runs and pushed India to the brink – now another defeat threat looms large and India will have to score 400+ to avoid a follow-on and an Innings defeat. If only the famed batting line up battles at least once, we should be through – remember the batting line up has remained unchanged despite the reverses and there is some gloom lit large.

At Melbourne, the Australian Open is on and the Semi line up in women is set-up, somewhat not on expected lines. Kim Clijsters battled through searing heat and an ongoing ankle injury to reach the semi-finals with a 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win over Dane Caroline Wozniacki. She meets Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who fought back to defeat Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (0-7) 6-0 6-2. one cannot hazard any guess on whether the injury torn Clijsters would last through, though she is displaying fine form.

On the other half, there were not many surprises as Second seed Petra Kvitova and fourth seed Maria Sharapova have reached their appointed positions. The dream run of Ekaterina Makarova ended with Maria Sharapova defeating her in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 this morning. The unseeded Makarova, had earlier bundled out an erratic Serena Williams in straight sets on Monday. Kvitova meanwhile defeated 24-year-old opponent Sara Errani, ranked No.48- it was a battle of contrasting heights as Errani, only 164cm herself, played the 182cm opponent Petra Kvitova.

In the QF earlier Kim Clijsters sent packing the top seed Caroline Wozniacki. Third seed Victoria Azarenka has broken through the brick wall that is Agnieszka Radwanska to progress to the semifinals of a major for just the second time in her career. Azarenka fought back from a set behind after getting whitewashed in the tiebreak to dominate the next two sets, running away with a 6-7(0) 6-2 6-0 win.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Serena sent packing by little known Makarova

2012-01-24T12:55:00.001+05:30

One may not readily recognize her seeing this photo.

She is - Ekaterina Valeryevna Makarova 23 years of age with career ranking of 56 recently. She is creating waves in Australian Open - In the 2nd round she defeated #25 seed Kaia Kanepi 6-4, 6-2. In the 3rd round she defeated #7 seed Vera Zvonareva 7-6 (7), 6-1. In the Round of 16 she achieved the biggest win of her career when she defeated #12 seed and 13-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the first Grand Slam Quarterfinal of her career where she will face #4 seed and former champion Maria Sharapova.

So Russians are destroying Americans, at least in Australia !! - It was a straight set defeat handed over to the flamboyant Serena Williams. The five-time Australian Open champion was expected to make light work of Russia's Makarova but found herself on the wrong end of an upset as the heat seemed to sap her energy. Williams had won her last 17 matches at Melbourne Park, lasting losing to Jelena Jankovic in 2008, but couldn't get going and made 37 unforced errors on her way to a disappointing defeat.

The 56th-ranked Makarova will now face compatriot Maria Sharapova in her first Grand Slam quarter-final and admitted she was happy just to have got the better of Williams. Williams came into the tournament with a badly-injured left ankle that forced her to pull out of a warmup tournament in Brisbane two weeks ago. On Monday, she appeared to be moving well, but made 37 unforced errors and had her service broken while trying to stay in the match.

In the Men’s section, Japanese Kei Nishikori notched another mark by becoming the first Japanese man to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open since the Open Era began in 1968 with an exhausting 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 victory over former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

the Adelaide Oval - Will India salvage some pride ?

2012-01-24T10:14:00.002+05:30

Heard of Cameroon and its star player Roger Milla ? As India kept losing – it is 7 tests in a row Overseas now, one thought there could be a major shake up. Here is something interesting on what teams do to get the winning streak away from practicing, strategizing and et al. Read my earlier post on this : http://sampspeak.blogspot.com/2012/01/cameroon-relies-on-juju-what-will.html

Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide is a coastal city situated on the eastern shores of Gulf St Vincent. Port Adelaide is a suburb of Adelaide lying about 14 kilometres northwest of the City of Adelaide. It lies within the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and is the main port for the city of Adelaide. The city was founded in 1836 and was planned as the capital for British province in Australia; named after Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen. Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen (Adelaide Amelia Louise Theresa Caroline; 1792 – 1849) was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Going by our practice, we should be organizing rallies for changing the name of this place in to some local sounding name, if this were to be in India. Adelaide is noted for its many festivals and sporting events, its food, wine and culture, its long beachfronts, and its large defence and manufacturing sectors. It ranks highly in terms of liveability, being listed in the Top 10 of The Economist's World's Most Liveable Cities index in 2010.

One thing that flummoxes me often is why the cricket grounds are not of uniform size and shape ? The Adelaide Oval is one of cricket's most picturesque Test venues. The ground opened in 1873 amid bitter local disputes over boundaries and money. In 1884-85 it staged its first Test. . In 1932-33, the Bodyline affair reached its nadir at The Oval when Bill Woodfull and Bert Oldfield were struck, and on the third day mounted police patrolled to keep the 50, 962 spectators in order. The ground is a true oval, which makes straight sixes a rarity but ones square of the wicket more common.

This morning Australia won the toss in supposedly batsman-friendly Adelaide Oval pitch. India plays almost the same team – Ashwin coming in for Vinay kumar and Saha made to play for the banned Dhoni. For a change, Australians are 98/3 at lunch. Yes they have lost 3 wickets and two of them to Ashwin. For Aussie, the offspinner Nathan Lyon who was part of groundstaff att he venue last summer is playing; Mitchell Starc was named 12th man.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

Cameroon relies on juju - What will restore Indian glory ?

2012-01-24T10:12:00.001+05:30

The last time he played at Adelaide, Virender Sehwag was on a roll – much water has flowed since. India surrendered meekly at Perth and not many heads are going to roll – Dhoni is out by force and not by any choice. Prasanna Wriddhiman Saha will fill his boot – but whether he will allow the commentator to pronounce him fully remains to be seen ! Loss after loss – more humiliation, folding without fight – what will make the dressing room come out of feel good factor – there are Managers, Coaches and more out there – the main problem appears to be players also returning too soon rather than be out in the middle. Vice-captain Virender Sehwag,whose position in the team itself has become debatable is going to lead in the Final Test – more than a bit confused on what would be his role. Will it be assertive, hard grind, raising the morale or salvaging pride by playing out for a draw at least.

A couple of days back, there was a report on whether a section is too harsh on VVS Laxman – no doubt he had played some good knocks but should anybody be allowed to take their place for granted and that should apply to all Sehwag, Gambhir, Dravid, Sachin, Laxman, Kohli, Dhoni and anyone else – if one fails in 4 innings, he should not be a certainty in the next test. Some may tend to ask whether Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Manoj Tiwari or somebody else would have done better – for sure if they had performed similarly, they would not have played at Perth and no questions of Adelaide !

A legend need not be as big as the other….. in 1990 FIFA at Italy, there was a player from a lesser known country who caught eveybody’s attention by the goal scored and the jiggle after that – that was Roger Milla. Albert Roger Mooh Miller, played for Cameroon as a striker and soon became a major star – he achieved this stardom at 38 years of age by which most would have retired. Against Columbia he scored a goal from far helping Cameroon to reach Quarter Finals. His trademark celebration was that of running to corner flag and dance.

Cameroon

, officially the Republic of Cameroon is a country in west Central Africa; bordered by Nigeria, Chad, Congo and more. The country is called "Africa in miniature" for its geological and cultural diversity. Football spellbinds the Nation and they are Africa’s most successful side, having qualified for FIFA World Cup six times. They have also won four Africa Cup of Nations titles.

Football fans over there are gearing up for the African Cup of Nations, held every two years. There is an interesting BBC report on the continued use of supposedly magic charms by players and officials in Cameroon. In Cameroon, football is favourite sport attracting huge crowds. It is not the game, the players, the goal alone – behind the scenes marabouts - or juju men - also claim credit. Armed, they say, with supernatural powers, these witchdoctors prepare charms that they believe will help propel teams to victory and confuse opponents.

There are a number of ways that football charms can be administered. Palm oil, popularly known in Cameroon as manyanga, could be rubbed on the ankles or kola nuts, another charm, could be given to players to eat. In other cases, the players may be asked to jump over a bonfire before the game. Or players may be nicked in the ankles with a razor blade and black powder rubbed into the wounds. Then they would be given rules such as not shaking hands with anybody before the encounter or entering the field by walking backwards. In the past even more extreme practices were undertaken in the name of football success. It was very common to hear that players of a team had gone camping in a graveyard the night before an important game.

The objective was to harness some invisible force from the departed. The juju man would assure the players not to panic if they heard a noise or felt a touch in the dark as this could be the "ghost" filling their boots with supernatural powers. While many believe that such witchcraft is dying out, the Menchum Voice newspaper in Cameroon recently reported on the practice at a local football cup final. Michel Zoah,

Cameroon

's minister of sport and physical education, faced questions from members of parliament about the dismal performance of the national side, nicknamed the Indomitable Lions, at

South Africa

's World Cup in 2010. The report also recalls that during one of

Cameroon

's local cup finals in 1975, the goalkeeper of Aigles of Nkongsamba came onto the pitch with a live eagle. A traditional healer was quoted as stating ‘European players take drugs to improve their performance. We Africans do not have access to drugs. We've got a third eye and traditional concoctions that scientific tests cannot detect”. It could take more than magic charms to restore

Cameroon

football to its former glory.

And perhaps it requires something of such a magic charm to make the present Indian Team regain its lost glory

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Ranji Update – Adelaide Expectation and Empty prattle.

2012-01-23T11:25:00.003+05:30

With the Indian reverses down under, I thought of following my own State’s fortune in the premier domestic tournament – the Ranji Trophy.

TN had many favourable factors – it has a mature leader; many star performers, Mukund, Vijay, Badri, Dinesh Karthik, Balaji have all played for the Nation and they were playing at their home turf against an opponents where the notable names were Akash Chopra and Kanitkar – an easy prey of an opposition one thought and a golden opportunity to repeat what was achieved way back in 1987-88 by S. Vasudevan.

Who calls India poor country ? There are waiting crowds at Gold shops; people keep buying at malls; airports are busy, share market sees huge volumes of trade - the prize money for the Ranji Elite winner is a whopping 2 crore – even the losing Semi finalists get 50 lakhs each !!

The whole of the first day, TN could not dislodge a single batsman as Akash Chopra and little known Vineet Saxena grounded to dust – the second day was marginally better – two wickets fell as Rajasthan moved ahead at snail’s pace. Vineet Saxena remained unconquered for the second successive day as he completed his double ton. People started criticizing the approach of Rajasthan telling that their batting lacked stroke play and positivity and that they were hell bent upon simple staying on an unthreatening dead pitch. It was only patience as only 15 runs were scored in the first hour. Eventually they were all out for 621.

It appears that the rule for the Ranji finals is that it the team’s first innings is incomplete, the winner will be decided on the run rate, provided the team batting second had played at least 30 overs – this seemed probable at least in the minds of Tamil Nadu supporters.

Incidentally, the 1981-82 final between Delhi and Karnataka, played in Delhi, was extended to the sixth day, to enable the hosts to gain a first-innings lead. GR Viswanath, the Karnataka captain, elected to bat, a decision that proved appropriate as the visitors went on to amass 705. In reply Delhi could not gain the lead even at the end of the final day's play. But in an unprecedented move, play was extended to the sixth day, and a little before tea, Delhi, under Mohinder Amarnath, scored 707 for 8. By virtue of their first-innings lead, Delhi emerged winners on March 29, 1982, the extra day.

All that went up as things were totally different when it was TN’s turn to bat. On the same day, when Rajasthan scored that massive score, TN lost 3 wickets – those 3 who had played for India in recent past. Dinesh Karthik offered some resistance but his century was not good enough as the visitors gained a massive 326 run first innings lead. Hrishikesh Kanitkar did not enforce the follow on and the last day's play is only a formality before the presentation ceremony begins.

Down under the National Team would battle it out at Adelaide Oval tomorrow (Jan 24) trying to save another whitewash threat that is looming large. It is less than a month since we started our campaign at Melbourne on Boxing day and the circle of ignominy is complete. Now there are catcalls for dropping the famed middle order. Tomorrow there will be no Dhoni but stand-in skipper Virender Sehwag whose place itself is other questionable. The first task would be play the Test to its full 5 days. Prasanna Wriddhiman Saha is now talked about a quality gloveman – he has got his place in the absence of Dhoni Ashwin is certain to come back in the place of Vinaykumar who was thrashed all over the park. Ponting is 81 short of 13000 runs in Test cricket.

There are some reports in newspapers attributed to Gambhir – his calling for "rank turners" to be prepared in

India

for visiting teams - nothing would prevent the host in playing to their strengths and this has happened before. But that would never be a solace for the poor performances continuously on tours. More then losing the present bunch has played it so badly that they are not entering the 4^th day of the match and we have faltered against the not-so-fearsome attacks. It is only the frustration that is flowing out. There was another statement of Gambhir stating that he puts a lot of premium on his side doing well here — more than even the elusive 100th international hundred of Sachin Tendulkar. This needs not be overstated at all as the National and Team’s interest should any day be a priority that any individual milestones and 100^th 100 is in fact no milestone at all – as it combines 2 different forms of cricket, conveniently ignoring the 3^rd format, as Sachin played only 1 in that.

It is time when Indian players make statement only with their performance putting back their dismal displays and vowing to play with dedication. Runs scored, wickets taken and the result of the match would be the only indicators and no amount of rhetoric by anyone takes us anywhere !!!

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Remembering Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose

2012-01-23T10:36:00.003+05:30

Dear (s) - Today is 23^rd January – a day of National importance !

Give Me Blood! I Promise You Freedom!! – thundered this Great man who valiantly fought the British. He made a call the Indians stating that ‘British are engaged in a worldwide struggle and in the course of

this struggle they have suffered defeat after defeat on so many fronts. The enemy having been thus considerably weakened, our fight for liberty has become very much easier than it was five years ago. Such a rare and Godgiven opportunity comes once in a century. That is why we have sworn to fully utilise this opportunity for liberating our motherland from the British yoke.’ - thus started his speech at the rally of Indians in Burma, July 4, 1944.

Today after 63 years of Independence the politicians have changed totally – they are extraordinary now.. there are no rules that apply to them. The society has changed too. A common man apprehended by police for a petty crime suffers and his family is looked down but the same Society no longer treats as outcasts those who have harmed the society or its constituent people. They are not ostracized, they do not live with any stigma but instead only consolidate their position in their parties and become stronger. Are the political parties alone to be blamed for this conjecture ? Can we take a vow in life that we will never have any links nor show any respect to the corrupt politicians ? There is clamour within the party to assign bigger roles for those who come out prison on bail ! – is jail record a badge of honour ? It is reported that the prime accused in Commonwealth Games scandal who was released on bail has been offered take back his job as the chief of the Indian Olympic Association.

This is a Nation where thousands of people suffered brutally at the hands of British. There was the Jalianwalabagh. There were hundreds of other incidents too – one such involved the man who was born at Chennimalai. Kumaraswamy Mudaliar was hardly 28 when he led a march against the colonial Govt on 11^th Jan 1932. He died of injuries of police assault – for he was carrying the Indian Nationalists flag which had been banned by the British – he is better known as Tirupur Kumaran and Kodi Katha Kumaran.

Those who participated in such moments and who were arrested incarcerated underwent untold sufferings…. These days there are reports of everything from cell phone to choice delicacies available inside the prison and yet these unscrupulous elements get more recognition in a civil society.

The ones in the first para were the famous words of one of the greatest sons of Mahan Bharat - Subhas Chandra Bose – whose birth anniversary falls today.

Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi. Bose believed that Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of nonviolence would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, and advocated violent resistance. Interestingly, he was conferred with Bharat Ratna but the award was subsequently withdrawn.The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards though this provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been ten posthumous awards, including the award to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992, which was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality, the only case of an award being withdrawn. It was withdrawn in response to a Supreme Court of India directive following a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Court against the “posthumous” nature of the award. The Award Committee could not give conclusive evidence of Bose’s death and thus it invalidated the “posthumous” award.

Remembering the great leader Nethaji..

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Remembering the bravest of all – Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose

2012-01-23T07:04:00.004+05:30

Remembering the bravest of all – Nethaji Subash Chandra Bose

[A message circulated to my friends on 23^rd Jan 2008 and posted on my blog now !]

Dear (s)

Give Me Blood! I Promise You Freedom!! The British are engaged in a worldwide struggle and in the course of this struggle they have suffered defeat after defeat on so many fronts. The enemy having been thus considerably weakened, our fight for liberty has become very much easier than it was five years ago. Such a rare and God-given opportunity comes once in a century. That is why we have sworn to fully utilise this opportunity for liberating our motherland from the British yoke. The first phase of our campaign is over. Our victorious troops, fighting side by side with Nipponese troops, have pushed back the enemy and are now fighting bravely on the sacred soil of our dear motherland.

Gird up your loins for the task that now lies ahead. I had asked you for men, money and materials. I have got them in generous measure. Now I demand more of you. Men, money and materials cannot by themselves bring victory or freedom. We must have the motive-power that will inspire us to brave deeds and heroic exploits.

It will be a fatal mistake for you to wish to live and see

India

free simply because victory is now within reach. No one here should have the desire to live to enjoy freedom. A long fight is still in front of us. We should have but one desire today- the desire to die so that India may live- the desire to face a martyr's death, so that the path to freedom may be paved with the martyr's blood.

Friend's! my comrades in the War of Liberation! Today I demand of you one thing, above all. I demand of you blood. It is blood alone that can avenge the blood that the enemy has spilt. It is blood alone that can pay the price of freedom. Give me blood and I promise you freedom.

Excerpts of speech addressed at a rally of Indians in Burma, July 4, 1944. There are very famous words of one of the greatest sons of MAHA BHARAT. Yes, it is Subhas Chandra Bose – whose birth anniversary falls today.Subhas Chandra Bose, (Bengali: সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু, (January 23, 1897 – presumably August 18, 1945 [although this is disputed], very popularly known as Netaji (lit. "Respected Leader"), was one of the most prominent and highly respected leaders of the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj.

Bose was elected president of the Indian National Congress for two consecutive terms but resigned from the post following ideological conflicts with Mahatma Gandhi. Bose believed that Mahatma Gandhi's tactics of non-violence would never be sufficient to secure India's independence, and advocated violent resistance. He established a separate political party, the All India Forward Bloc and continued to call for the full and immediate independence of India from British rule. He was imprisoned by the British authorities eleven times. His stance did not change with the outbreak of the second world war, which he saw as an opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. At the outset of the war, he fled India and travelled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India. With Japanese assistance he re-organised and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from Malaya, Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces. With Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, regrouped and led the Indian National Army to battle against the allies in Imphal & Burma during the World War II

His political views and the alliances he made with Nazi and other militarist regimes opposed to the British Empire have been the cause of arguments among historians and politicians, with some accusing him of Fascist sympathies and of Quislingist actions, while most others in India largely sympathetic towards his inculcation of realpolitik as a manifesto that guided his social and political choices. He is believed to have died on 18 August 1945 in a plane crash over Taiwan. However, contradictory evidence exists regarding his death in the accident.

Interestingly, do you know that he was conferred with Bharat Ratna but the award was subsequently withdrawn. Unlike knights, holders of the Bharat Ratna carry no special title nor any other honorifics, but they do have a place in the Indian order of precedence. The award was established by the first President of India, Rajendra Prasad, on January 2, 1954. The honour has been awarded to forty persons, a list which includes two non-Indians and a naturalized Indian citizen.

The order was established by Dr Rajendra Prasad, President of India, on January 2, 1954. The original statutes of January 1954 did not make allowance for posthumous awards though this provision was added in the January 1955 statute. Subsequently, there have been ten posthumous awards, including the award to Subhash Chandra Bose in 1992, which was later withdrawn due to a legal technicality, the only case of an award being withdrawn. It was withdrawn in response to a Supreme Court of

India

directive following a Public Interest Litigation filed in the Court against the “posthumous” nature of the award. The Award Committee could not give conclusive evidence of Bose’s death and thus it invalidated the “posthumous” award.

A Nation loving Citizen - S Sampathkumar

Netaji statue at Marina beach

Tamil Nadu in tatters at Chepauk

2012-01-21T20:35:00.002+05:30

Tamilnadu had the home advantage and had senior players – a win was almost on the cards. When Rajasthan played, they played too slowly at snail’s pace frustrating everyone, mostly the spectators – it seemed they were intent on making the match dead and the pitch appeared lifeless.

Rajasthan has a relatively inexperienced and ordinary bowling attack. Rituraj Rajeev Singh has played 3 matches but has taken 22 wickets and his two today virtually sealed Tamilnadu’s fate. On the same dead track where Rajasthan grounded TN to dust, TN batsmen were all at sea to Pankaj and Rajeev Singh.

In the post-tea session, Murali Vijay and Abhinav Mukund both of whom have played for India opened and the first over of Pankaj Singh was eventless. In the second Rituraj struck with a good length delivery trapping Mukund for a duck. In the 7^th over Pankaj Singh had S Badrinath for 6. In the 10^th Murali Vijay also walked back caught behind of RR Singh again.

Now at 65 for 3, the result is almost certain. Rajasthan have retained the Ranji Trophy this year………………. Hats Off to an Ordinary team who believed in themselves.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

the dull drudgery of Ranji Finals - TN Vs Rajasthan

2012-01-21T14:52:00.001+05:30

Not many would be following the present finals of Ranji Trophy between Tamilnadu and Rajasthan played at Chepauk, which has become a great disadvertisement for cricket. Played to empty stands, even when there is no entry fee – the premier tournament has driven people away. This is no statement on the dull drudgery of Rajasthan inching way to 404 in 180 overs. Nothing wrong with them – simply they want to ensure that they do not lose and if Tamilnadu is not capable of taking more than 2 wickets, they cannot be blamed. But the blame would lie squarely on the Board, the persons incharge of Cricket administration at Various club levels, ex-players involved with the team, the managers and host of other officials – who are all making money bleeding the game to its desperation.

Vineet Saxena and Akash Chopra cross

Pic courtesy : www.cricinfo.com

Ranji is the Premier annual tournament having 15 teams in the Elite division and 12 teams in plate division. Elites are divided into 2 groups and matches are played on round robin league. The top 3 teams qualify for knock out. Plate is 2 group of 6 teams each. 6 teams from Elite and 2 teams from Plate play the Knock out leading to the Finals. Only the Finals is 5 day affair of 6 hours of play each day. Teams consists of 15 Players accompanied by a Physio and Trainer apart from the Coach and Manager

And do you know the Prize money at stake …………. Imagine… even your wildest of the imaginations could be way off the mark. [source BCCI : http://www.bcci.tv/bcci/bccitv/community/guidelines/domesticrule ] Drink a cup of water. The losing Semi finalists get 50 lakhs each; the losing Finalist gets 1 crore and the Winner takes a purse of 2 Crore !!!!!!!!!!! The winner of Duleep trophy get 15 lakhs; Irani 10 lakhs. Senior Womens One day trophy winner gets 3 lakhs !!

For ages, it is becoming an unwritten rule that Toss is the most vital. You win the toss, bat first without hesitation, amass runs mostly by staying put, wear down the opponent and mostly win by First innings lead. My memory takes back to the finals in 1981/82 at Delhi in March 1982 – a 5 day match. Karnataka played first. Roger Michael H Binny scored 115; Brijesh Patel 124, stylish Sudhakar Rao 71, Kirmani 116, Ranjit Kanwilkar 116 – as they were all out after 255 overs making 705.

Ranjit Kanwilkar, an all-rounder was only 21 and was considered to be an exciting prospect. Years later he was among the many dead in an accident when coaches fell into lake Ashtamudi Kayal in July 1988. Island Express was running between Bangalore and Kanyakumari. Delhi bowling was in the hands of Madanlal, Mohinder Amarnath, Maninder (who went for 204 runs), Shukla and Kirti Azad. Chasing 706 is certainly daunting though Delhi had other plans. Raman Lamba scored 36, Gursharan Singh made 101; Surinder Amarnath fell cheaply. Kirti Azad, Surinder Khanna, Madanlal all made useful runs – Mohinder was rock steady and made 185. At one stage Delhi were 589 for 8 - 116 short………. Shulka made an unbeaten 69 and Rajesh Peter made 67 in an unbroken stand as Delhi took the lead. Hapless Binny, Khanvilkar, Vijaykrishna, Raghuram Bhat all went for 100 + As there was no rule for unfinished match, the match went into the sixth day enabling the hosts to gain first innings lead and mercifully stopped at that.

At Chepauk at end of day 2, Vineet Saxena remained unconquered for the second successive day as he notched his career-best score and became the 21st batsman to score a double-century in a Ranji Trophy final, breaking the drought after fourteen years. There has been some criticism on the Team on their 2+ per over run rate but it was patience which subdued performance on these 2 days. Chopra could not complete his century and only 15 runs were scored in the first hour. TN cannot criticize the opposition but only blame themselves for the poor bowling, absence of any strategy and surrendering meekly.

Understand that the Rules state that in the event of incomplete first innings, the winner will be decided on the run rate, provided the team batting second plays at least 30 overs.

As I post this now, Rajasthan were finally all out for 621 with J Kaushik (3), Aushik Srinivas (4), Sunny Gupta (3) taking wickets. Aushik Srinivas gave 192 in 85 overs while Balaji and Yo Mahesh went wicketless. Now what will Tamilnadu do and what will be their game plan ?

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group F : [11th & 12th Standards]

2012-01-20T13:07:00.001+05:30

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 : Drawing Competition : Group F : [11^th & 12^th Standards]

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec
1	A.SIVANANTHAM	Dr. G.M.T.T.V.Hr. Sec. School	XI	A
2	M.SATHYA	Dr. G.M.T.T.V.Hr. Sec. School	XI	A
3	G.R.NARAYANA VENKATA KRISHNA	Dr. G.M.T.T.V.Hr. Sec. School	XI	A

Special Prize Winners

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec
1	V.ANUSHA	D.A.V Matric	XI
2	R.SHANTHINI	C.Kalyanam Hr. Sec. School	XI	A
3	M.SHARATH KUMAR	Hindu Hr. Sec. School	XI
4	S.A.SHEIK SULTAN	Hindu Hr. Sec. School	XI
5	E.GOPINATH	Hindu Hr. Sec. School	XI

SYMA thanks all the participants. Prize Distribution will be held at Mylapore Fine Arts Academy on 29th Jan 2012.

With regards - Secretary.

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group E : [9th & 10th Standards]

2012-01-20T13:06:00.002+05:30

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 : Drawing Competition :
Group E : [9^th & 10^th Standards]



S No	Student's Name		School	Std	Sec
1	M. MARUDHUPANI		Dr. G.M.T.T.V.Hr. Sec. School	IX	C
2	K. DEEBAK		DAV Boys Sr. Sec. School	IX	A
3	K. FATHIMA GANI		P.C.K.G.G.Hr. Sec. School	IX	A

Special Prize Winners

S No		Student's Name	School	Std	Sec
1		S. DURGADEVI	Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Sr. Sec. Sch	IX	A
2		B.THAMEEM ANSARI	CSI Kellet Hr. Sec. School	X	A
3		J, LAKSHMI PRIYA	N.K.T.N.G.Hr. Sec School	IX	A
4		A.KALAI SELVAM	Dr. G.M.T.T.V.Hr. Sec. School	IX	C
5		K. SANJAY	S.D.C.Vivekananda School	IX

SYMA thanks all the participants. The Prizes will be distributed at our Function on 29th Jan 2012 at Mylapore Fine Arts, Madras 600 004.

With regards - Secretary.

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group D : [6th, 7th & 8th Standards]

2012-01-20T13:05:00.007+05:30

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 :

Drawing Competition :

Group D : [6^th, 7^th & 8th Standards]

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	M.MANIKUMARAN	Zion Matric. Hr. Sec. School	VII	F	9940341977
2	S.VIGNESH	S.R.D.F.Viveka Vidhyalaya	VII	F	9444343708
3	R.M.KAVEYASHRI	Goodshephed convent	VI	C	9840175645, 9003260613

Special Prize Winners

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	T.I.JAITHRAA KRISHNAN	D.A.V Boys Sr. Sec School	VI	G
2	K.R.ROHIT	S.B.O.A School & Jr. College	VIII
3	A.DEENADHAYALAN	Dr. G.M.T.T.V. Hr. Sec School	VI	A	9840407736
4	S.SUSHAN	Dr. G.M.T.T.V. Hr. Sec School	VII	A	9840407736
5	P.DILIP	Dr. G.M.T.T.V. Hr. Sec School	VIII	B	9840407736
6	P.DINESH	Dr. G.M.T.T.V. Hr. Sec School	VI	B	9840407736
7	K.MUTHUKUMARASWAMI	St. Thomas Mat. Hr. Sec School	VIII	A	9444678181
8	G.LAVANYA	Hindu Colony Chellamal Vidhyalaya	VI	B	9940448869
9	P.HEMA	Kolaperumal Chetti Vaishnava Sr. Sec.School	VII	B	9150905872
10	R.REETHIKA	D.A.V.Girls Sr.Sec School	VI	E	8428230001

SYMA is thankful to Dr Balasubramaniani, Head Master, Correspondents and staff for providing us this Venue and extending all cooperation.

SYMA is thankful to all the participants and parents for their cooperation.

The Prizes will be distributed at our function to be held at Mylapore Fine Arts Academy, Oliver Road, Chennai 600 004 at 0630 pm on Sunday, the 29th Jan 2012.

With regards - Secretary

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group C : [3rd, 4th & 5th Standards]

2012-01-20T13:05:00.003+05:30

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 : Drawing Competition :

Group C : [3^rd, 4^th & 5^th Standards] ::: Results

We promised to place the Winner's list on our site by 05:00 pm - here it is now @ 04.00 pm itself.

The Prizes will be distributed at our Function to be held at Mylapore Fine Arts Academy, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004 on Sunday, the 29th Jan 2012 @ 06.30 hrs.

Wishing you to see you all there - Welcome you All...

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	N. NIDHIL KUMAR	Maharishi Vidya Mandir	V	E	9381085557
2	T.I. INMOZHI	Chennai Public School	III	E	9940079393
3	ROSHNI K.R	S.B.O.A School & Jr. College	IV	Q	9894564285

Special Prize Winners

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	AKSHITH	D.A.V Boys	III	C	9884079284
2	A.V.DIVYA	Rosary Mat. Hr. Sec. School	V		9444635523
3	R.MADHUMITA	P.S.B.B Sr. Sec School	IV		9176651522
4	ANCHAL JAIN	Sindhi Model Sr. Sec. School	III	B	9840161444
5	S.MANIKANDAN	D.A.V Boys	V	C	9444942103
6	G.ABINAYA SARASWATHI	D.A.V. Sr. Sec. School	III
7	N.NAGAKOUSHIKA	S.D.V.Vidhyalaya	V	A	9962329661
8	B.NITHYASHRI	Rosary Mat. Hr. Sec. School	V	C	9840928281
9	G.VASANTH	Gill Aadharsh	IV	F	9444116949
10	M.SNEHA	Jawahar Vidhyalaya	V	A	9444452294

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group B : [1st and 2nd Standard]

2012-01-20T13:04:00.004+05:30

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group B : [1st and 2nd Standard]

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 :

Drawing Competition :

Group B : [1^st and 2^nd Standard]

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	K.S.SHRINIKESH	S.B.O.A School & Jr. College	II	D	9884601424
2	TAMANA A. MAKHIJA	Sindhi Modern Sr. Sec. School	I	A	9840222589
3	S.MARIA JOSHNA	Rosary Mat. Hr. Sec School	II

Special Prize Winners

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	P.HAYAGRIVE	Hindu Sr. Sec. School	II	D	9382344546
2	J.SAMYUKHTA	P.S.Sr. Sec. School	I	C	9790903734
3	J.VIVEK	Sri Sivaswamy Kalalaya	I	A	9841504599
4	G.MOHIT	Chennai Public School	II		9840234650
5	C.S.BHARGAV RAJ	Montford Academy	II	A	9884239292
6	I.H.DAAHLIYA	Rosary Mat.	II
7	K.V.SWETHA	D.A.V	II	B	9380652351
8	N.M.POOJ	D.A.V	II		9750974060
9	N.SRIVIDYA ALAGAMMAI	D.A.V	I	C	9965521406
10	B.MEERA JASMIN	Gill Aadarsh	II	F	8939000020, 8939999457

SYMA is thankful to all the participants and parents for their cooperation.

The Prizes will be distributed at our function to be held at Mylapore Fine Arts Academy, Oliver Road, Chennai 600 004 at 0630 pm on Sunday, the 29th Jan 2012.

With regards - Secretary.

Results of SYMA Child Fest : Group A : [L Kg – Ukg]

2012-01-20T13:03:00.003+05:30

Gold Winner – SYMA Child Fest 2011- 12 :

Drawing Competition : Group A (Lkg & Ukg)

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	N.M. SHRIJAA	D.A.V	UKG	H	9750975060
2	S.PRANAV	D.A.V Nursery School			28131706, 28112950
3	J.CHARUMATHI	D.A.V Nursery School	UKG	E

Special Prize Winners

S No	Student's Name	School	Std	Sec	Telephone No.
1	V.MADHUMITHA		LKG	B	9952095904
2	M.AKSHAYASHRI		UKG	E	9566233122
3	K.PRAJNYA	D.A.V	UKG	J	9444678042
4	G.DHEERAJ REDDY	D.A.V	UKG	H	9841055555
5	P.NETHRA	D.A.V	UKG	C	9003083020
6	L.N.ARAVIND KRISHNA	Hindu colony Chellamal Vidhyalaya	UKG	B	9962357709
7	P.S.ASHVITA	D.A.V	UKG		9884079284
8	P.GAYATHRI		UKG	A	9677040758
9	S.PRIYANKA	D.A.V Nursery School			9962565540
10	S.SANJEEV	Little Flower Convent	UKG		9790745267

SYMA is thankful to all the participants and parents for their cooperation.

The Prizes will be distributed at our function to be held at Mylapore Fine Arts Academy, Oliver Road, Chennai 600 004 at 0630 pm on Sunday, the 29th Jan 2012.

With regards - Secretary.

Dancing Nataraja at Rijks Museum - is full bronze....... !!!!!

2012-01-20T11:55:00.003+05:30

There are reports abuzz of Nataraja idol in a Amsterdam Museum - Rijks Museum - it is reported that X-ray results showed that the statue is entirely made up of bronze which has surprised people

Would that make One happier in any way ? Do read my post in my other blog : http://samptamilspeak.blogspot.com/2012/01/dancing-nataraja-at-rijks-museum-is.html

Regards -
S. Sampathkumar.

Akash Chopra & Vineet Saxena spoil TN party - Ranji Finals

2012-01-20T10:12:00.002+05:30

Tamilnadu fans were hoping a lot – understand that there are no tickets – perhaps total reflection of the way Ranji Trophy is being viewed. Tamilnadu and Rajasthan retained the same teams that played in the Semi Finals. Rajasthan won the toss and in walked Akash Chopra with little known Vineet Saxena.

The first ball was clipped by Akash Chopra for a 4; 3^rd flicked for another;4^th a no ball batsman rotate strike and now it 4^th driven to long off for 4 by Saxena; 6^th ball batsmen ran three and Ranji Finals starts with a 17 run over. That was no indication of the grind that was to follow. Akash Chopra is a compact batsman with good technique – played in 10 tests – 19 innings scoring 437 runs with 2 fifties. He was gritty and never threw his wicket. Incidentally, he played against only 2 countries – New Zealand at home and Australia at home and in Australia in 2003-04. It was a day when TN bowlers were made to sweat totally. Chopra played 273 balls and Saxena 269 – Chopra is 86 n.0 and Saxena completing a century is 120 n.o. In 90 overs Rajasthan made 221 at 2.45 runs per over but importantly have not a single wicket the whole day. Balaji, Kaushik, Yo Mahesh, Aushik Srinvas, Sunny Gupta all bowled and even A Mukund and Vasudevadas chipped with no result.

So from the Semis at Rohtak where the cumulative total was 2 short of 400 – a very different scenario at Chepauk with so many runs scored albeit slowly. Perhaps Rajasthan was primarily determined to occupy and frustrate and accomplished it so well ending up with assuring score. Rajasthan have mastered the art of slow batting torture and this season alone, in the four of the nine previous matches, they scored 450-plus totals in the first innings to gain the upper hand. After the first over, Balaji bowled another six overs that included five maidens. Rajasthan reached lunch 89 for 0 without fuss.

May be for the first time, you have a Yorkshire Umpire PJ Hartley standing in alongside VA Kulkarni. Hartley, has officiated in six ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals, and is here in umpire exchange programme between the BCCI and the ECB.

So it certainly is not the way TN would have wanted but lack of strategy perhaps was clearly showing. Elsewhere at a neutral venue, at Dubai International Cricket stadium, Pakistan won the 1^st Test by 10 wickets. England were bowled out for 160 in the 2^nd innings as Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman shared the spoils.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Cruise Costa Concordia - Insurer's nightmare !!

2012-01-19T18:38:00.002+05:30

The sinking of Cruise Costa Concordia is cause of International concern and Insurance industry fears that this is one of the biggest losses underwritten in Marine portfolio as the estimates range from $600m-$800m. Of these, a major portion of liability of course would of the Hull Insurers. There are some reports that the deductible is a high $30 million and there is third-party personal injury liability insurance with a deductible of approximately $10 million for this incident.

Costa Concordia is a Concordia-class cruise ship owned and operated by Costa Cruises. She was built at Fincantieri's Sestri Ponente yards in Italy. The name Concordia was intended to express the wish for continuing harmony, unity and peace between European nations. Costa Concordia entered service in July 2006 and was the largest ship to be built in

Italy

, at 114,500 tons. The Cruise had year-round sailings in the Mediterranean, is the only vessel afloat to have both main pools covered by retractable glass roofs - more a floating resort than a traditional cruise vessel. Costa Concordia was indeed a huge ship described in its website as a 'real floating temple of fun that will amaze you’. Costa Concordia has 1,500 staterooms; 505 have private balconies and 55 with direct access to Samsara Spa; 58 suites with private balconies and 12 with direct access to spa. Costa Concordia has one of the world's largest wellness centers at sea, the Samsara Spa.

14^th Jan 12 was agog with news of the Cruise ship having developed major electrical fault two hours after leaving port – there were close to 4200 on board including passengers and crew, the vessel was listing and more than 4000 were rescued. Reports of that date stated that Coastguards were immediately dispatched to the scene near the island of Giglio, off the Tuscan coast, as terrified passengers were ordered to put on life vests and man life boats as the 290 metre luxury floating palace began to list heavily to one side. It was reported that after efforts that the liner was listing at an angle of 20 degrees but it was not in danger of sinking. Besides lifeboats, five other ships that were in the area and a helicopter were used in the operation to ensure that all passengers and crew were safely evacuated.

Photo of listed vessel from dailymail.co.uk

Some of the passengers were quoted as saying that they heard a loud noise indicating agrounding but the Captain reportedly announced that there had been an electrical fault but it seemed very strange as the ship almost immediately began to list to one side. Three people were confirmed dead as there were scenes of panic after the vessel hit a sandbar. Investigators will now look into every aspect of this accident, but one of the key elements they will examine will be the electrical systems. Modern ships tend to use electrical generators to drive the engines, so a power cut can leave the captain unable to steer away from danger. Human error could also be a factor, and there will also be concern at the speed which the ship listed on to its side. Some are blaming the Captain of the vessel.

The total losses will ultimately depend on the liability claims that are filed on behalf of those who were injured and killed in the crash. As of Jan. 18, 11 people had been declared dead and 20 more were still missing. While property claims get settled faster, liability claims could take longer time. A report has it that the lead insurers for the ship are XL Group, Assicurazioni Generali and RSA Insurance Group plc. But because most marine policies are written by syndicates of different companies and protection & indemnity clubs, the risk is not retained by any single entity but gets fragmented – ‘spreading the risk’ with a larger group.

Newspaper reports states that Genoa Carabinieri scuba divers have conclusively proven the hull damage was caused by impact on Le Scole reef at 42°21′20″N 10°55′50″E, which had been earlier widely reported as being the impact point. Also underwater at that point were found two strips of steel shorn from the ship’s hull, indicating a violent impact. Dutch salvage firm Smit International have been contracted for salvage and to remove the vessel's 500,000 gallons of fuel. Smit said that the procedure would take two to four weeks.[52] Poor weather conditions may cause a spill as the ship is jolted by waves.

It will not simple be – Ship hull value, which Industry feels would end up as a Constructive Total loss (CTL); liability to passengers / crew but removal of wreck which also could cause sizable loss feared to be around $100 million.

The website of Costa Cruises states that “it is contacting all guests on the Cruise at the time of the tragic accident to make sure they have returned home and are well, and to confirm that they will receive a refund for the cruise and all material expenses relating to it. Costa Crociere also reiterates that it is in contact with its guests and all consumer protection associations to determine indemnity for the hardship endured, with the support of the tour operator association of each country. Costa Cruises confirms both the constant commitment and care it devotes every day to safety and its dedication to relations with the guests who represent the company’s most important asset, as they have done for more than sixty years. Costa Cruises would like once again to express its great sadness over the victims and its support for their families.”

Tail piece :

There are Heroes and Villains. The Coast Guard Captain who furiously ordered the skipper of the Costa Concordia to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations is hailed while the Captain is vilified and branded as a coward for fleeing in the face of adversity. He reportedly is now under house arrest, accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

Italian investigators are probing the mystery of a young Moldovan woman who was reportedly on the bridge of the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it smashed into rocks off the coast of Giglio island, forcing the evacuation of its 4,200 passengers and crew. She has been identified as a 25-year-old blonde, who had been invited onto the bridge as the cruise liner sailed perilously close to Giglio, in what was apparently a ‘salute’ to an old friend of the captain’s and a favour to the ship’s head waiter, whose family were from the island. Italian judicial authorities, reportedly are investigating the accident and the captain’s conduct, and want to interview the lady also as she might be able to shed more light on the occurrence. Adding to the mystery, she was reportedly not on the official list of passengers and crews.

Here is a 17th Jan 12 - photo (courtesy BBC.co.uk) showing satellite image of the vessel

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

Strong Earthquake hits South Island of New Zealand

2012-01-19T13:30:00.001+05:30

The land of Maori – an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Islandand the South Island) and numerous smaller islands known as New Zealand is a calm place and generally does not attract much of International attention. – but hits headlines due to Earthquakes

The quake known variously as Tremor / temblor etc., is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time. Earthquakes are measured using observations from seismometers. The moment magnitude is the most common scale on which earthquakes larger than approximately 5 are reported for the entire globe. The more numerous earthquakes smaller than magnitude 5 reported by national seismological observatories are measured mostly on the local magnitude scale, also referred to as the Richter scale.

Today [19^th Jan 2011] a few hours ago, a strong earthquake has struck off the coast of New Zealand's South Island; there are no reports of damage or injuries and no tsunami warning has been issued. An earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted the South Island of New Zealand at 0649 GMT today 126 miles (203 kilometers) west of New Zealand's southernmost city, Invercargill, at a depth of 11 miles (18 kilometers) says reports.

Earthquakes in New Zealand occur as the country forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is geologically active. About 20,000 earthquakes, most of them minor, are recorded each year. About 200 of these are strong enough to be felt. As a result, New Zealand has very stringent building regulations. The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area where large numbers of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km (25,000 mi) horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

Last year [Feb 2011] at Christchurch, there was a devastating earthquake with a magnitude 6.3 struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand's South Island at 12:51 pm on Tuesday, 22 February 2011 local time (23:51 21 February UTC. The earthquake caused widespread damage across Christchurch, especially in the central city and eastern suburbs, with damage exacerbated by buildings and infrastructure already being weakened by the 4 September 2010 earthquake and its aftershocks. In total, 181 people were killed in the earthquake, making the earthquake the second-deadliest natural disaster recorded in New Zealand (after the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake).

New Zealand

reportedly is one the Countries with very high insurance penetration. The total cost of rebuilding to insurers is estimated to be around NZ$20–30 billion, making it by far New Zealand's costliest natural disaster. Quoting Global reinsurer Swiss Re, reports suggest that Insurers look likely to foot 80 per cent of the $20 billion price tag put on the Christchurch earthquakes. That brings to light the fact of the key role played by Insurers in post-disaster financing. The Swiss Re research shows the insurance sector will only cover up to 17 per cent of Japan's March earthquake last year, while a February quake Chile will have about 27 per cent of the US$30 billion in economic losses covered. Worldwide seismic events between 2010 and 2011 caused economic losses of about US$276 billion and highly earthquake-prone countries remain underinsured, Swiss Re said.

While a loss is bad to everybody, higher insurance penetration is more spreading of losses – a good concept in Insurance

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.