Monthly Archives: May 2012

Hidden 100: Fish fry and frothy waters

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

AN OUTING ON THE RIVER With a coracle ride and fried fish fresh from the morning’s catch  Photo: M. Periasamy / The Hindu

Enjoy a coracle ride down the Bhavani as mango and coconut groves pass you by, says Akila Kannadasan

“Do you want it fried crisp or tender?” asks Chinna Rani as she flips sizzling slices of fish in the kadai. Seated in a temporary shanty facing the frothy waters of Kodiveri, we see children, men, and women young and old splashing about, unmindful of the afternoon sun. Chinna Rani transfers the fish onto a plate and hands it to us. “Ten days ago there was a lot of water in the anaicut. There’s bound to be more in a few days,” she informs us.

There are several such temporary enclosures in Kodiveri where local women sell fish caught in the waters. Tourists head here straight after a bath to feast on the spicy fish. A plate of rice with fish curry costs just Rs. 20!

Kodiveri anaicut channels water from Bhavani Sagar dam into two canals to irrigate agricultural fields. It is said to be built by a Mysore king in the 17th Century. There are two different worlds on either sides of the anaicut in Kodiveri. On one side, the water is still as far as the eye can see. There are mango and coconut groves along the banks. Coracles with tourists float by lazily and you can even catch sight of a pond heron or two.

On the other side, it is utter chaos. It’s here that tourists make merry — they wade about in the foaming waters that gush forth from the rock surface. Little boys in shorts play in the water; a young couple walks in gingerly holding hands; a mother calls out to her son who walks too close to the current; a man floats on his back, eyes half-closed; women in saris squeal as they hit the water — one is holding a baby in her arms.

An entourage from a nearby village is gathered on the banks for a ritual. A select few will carry pots of water from Kodiveri for Karupparayan, their deity. The party walks off with the pots balanced on their heads, led by a group of men who play the thappu, a traditional percussion instrument. It’s a practice that’s being followed for many years at the start of the yearly temple festival. Kodiveri’s waters serve as the theertham to a lot of temples nearby.

We decide to try the coracle ride — it’s the main attraction at Kodiveri. For Rs. 30 per head, the boatman will take you as far as the mango groves at the far side. Manickam, a fisherman, takes us on a coracle he built himself with 10 others! “It’s made entirely of bamboo. There are two sacks around it, held together by tar so that water doesn’t come inside,” he explains. Manickam skilfully manoeuvres the coracle against the current. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years,” he says, as he negotiates a branch that sticks out from an ageing athitree at the edge of the water.

“Shall I make it go round and round?” he asks, towards the end of the ride. We nod, unsure of what he meant. He propels the oar backwards forcefully — the coracle describes a small circle. He repeats the movement in the same direction, and then it begins. The coracle wheels around in the water like a carousel. We scream in excitement. A passenger asks him to stop. But Manickam doesn’t seem to be listening.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home>  Life & Style> Travel / by Akila Kannadasan / May 31st, 2012

Anmol Lassiwale ki anmol lassi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Chennai:

“Jab jab garmi ne mara hai, Anmol chaanch aur lassi ne sanwara hai (Whenever the heat is killing, Anmol buttermilk and lassi come to the rescue),” says Dinesh Soni, 42, proprietor of Anmol Mohit Patiala Lassi located at 343, Mint Street. It is the heat of Chennai that prompted him to start this business twenty years ago. Situated in a narrow lane and with a blend of North Indian culture, the stall sets a perfect ambiance for the passerby to enjoy his drink of lassi. The area around the stall is busy, crowded and congested. Dinesh, 6ft 6 is tall and known as the khali of Sowcarpet, is a dynamic person who attracts customers.

He is ready to serve his customers with chilled lassi from 9 in the morning till 7 in the evening. Customers are crowded around him, waiting for their chilled glasses of lassi, as he deftly serves them. Ask him what is special about his lassi and he laughs loudly, saying that even he doesn’t know. Before starting this business, he was a professional wrestler in Pushkar, Rajasthan, his native place. He also makes Mohit Shampoos and hair oil for all kinds of hair problems, sold with a guarantee of money back if the customer is not satisfied within four months of use. In Chennai it is as though summer never ends, so his business does well through the year. Anmol Lassi is popular among Chennaiites, north Indians and south Indians alike. He has many regular customers who have been frequenting his shop since it opened. Among them is Sub-Inspector Christhuthanam who says, “The lassi tastes great and is the best in the city.” Shoppers and office goers are among his prime customers.

The rates are on the high side with at `60 for a giant steel tumbler and `30 for a regular one. He uses purified packaged water, which justifies the rates. The milk used to make the lassi is brought from a nearby village. He has two helpers to clean the tumblers and do other work.

Dinesh was born and brought up in Chennai and is fluent in Tamil. From a Marwari family of goldsmiths, he chose to deviate from the family business and is the only one to have stepped into this line. Even if his son pursues engineering, he will look after the lassi business. He feels at home in Chennai but makes sure to visit his native place once a year. He lives in Sowcarpet with his family and is well known among the people around. He has such charisma that once you see him you will not forget him.

Customers are like god to him; he knows them by their names and greets them when they arrive at his shop. The man is full of energy and enthusiasm and has a personal bond with customers.

There is never a dull moment as they sip their tasty glass of lassi, as he entertains them with his talk. People come from far off parts of the city to have Anmol Lassi. Buttermilk is a very fast moving item in Chennai. Many people have requested him to open branches in other parts of the city but he says he is too busy and may not be able to manage the branches. He is happy and content to serve the people of Sowcarpet.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / Home> South> Southern News> Chennai / The New Indian Express / by Anjali M Pillay, Bhavna C. Uchil, V Padmini

Ex-Army doctor, going strong at 95

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Leaders, Science & Technologies

Chennai:

A board outside an apartment building in Adyar announces free counselling for cancer patients. Inside the comfortably furnished room, Brigadier Dr C R Suryanarayan sits, ready to receive anyone who might need help.

Dr Suryanarayan was one of the pioneers of radiation treatment in India, having started the first Radiation Medicine Centre in the Military Hospital at Delhi in 1957, as Chief Medical Officer. For his contribution to the field of chemotherapy in cancer treatment, he was recently given a lifetime achievement award by the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University. He has spent the last few years travelling around the world, delivering lectures on a wide range of topics. Closer home, he provides free counselling for those suffering from cancer. His interest in the field of cancer treatment probably stems from the fact that he is the nephew of Muthulakshmi Reddy, founder of the Cancer institute.

At 95 the doctor is a sprightly person who keeps up to date with the latest technology. Turning on his laptop, he says, “When I started out, we had no conveniences like computers. Everything was handwritten and recorded meticulously.” He now has scanned copies of his correspondence with stalwarts in many fields including Annie Besant, Otto Werberger and Sir Bernard Russell, all of which he holds close to his heart. “I was a junior researcher, but they still found time and were kind enough to read my work and write to me,” he says with a smile.

An alumnus of Presidency College (1935-1937) and Madras Medical College (1937-1942), he did his postgraduate training in radiation medicine, nuclear medicine and cancer chemotherapy in the United Kingdom. He was honorary consultant in nuclear medicine, cancer chemotherapy at the Southern Railway Hospital in Perambur, Chennai. Dr Suryanarayan talks about his experience in the wars he served in – World War II, Middle East, Indo-Pak, Indo-China and Bangladesh wars. “In 1943, at short notice I was asked to report to Colaba at Mumbai. We boarded the Ascanis, which was sailing to an undisclosed location. It turned out to be Basra. On the way we were chased by German submarines but managed to make it,” he says.

Recounting his experience of treating people for viral ulcers and conducting de-lousing camps for immigrants, the doctor says, “We went to Cancun, Mosul, Syria, Jordan, Tel-Aviv and Tehran; each place had its own charm and beauty in spite of the war. The oases waters were too precious to dirty so we used to wash our faces with beer.”

In 1946 he was back to India, and posted at Ayodhya to deal with a cholera epidemic. Alone and in charge of treating hundreds of people of different faiths, the doctor says the first thing he wanted there was harmony. “I set up pictures of all the gods in a small hall where the sick were gathered and I asked them to pray. That was the day I found that such unity could exist between people of varied beliefs,” he says.

Dr Suryanarayan has also undergone paratrooper training. “I did not like it very much,” he confides, adding that he never did jump out of a plane after his training was over. He still leads an active life and says, “Even now I am ready to speak to any group of students. They need to be well informed about the world.”

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com /  Home> South> Southern News> Chennai / by Susanna Myrtle Lazarus / The New Indian Express / May 29th, 2012

Madonna likes to work with AR.Rahman

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, World Opinion

Madonna, the world’s one of the popular singers told recently in NY Daily news that she is desperate to work with Oscar Winner AR.Rahman. “I would like to work with him when the opportunity comes and things work out. Only then we will be able to decide on the music.”

She said that she want to perform in India, if she gets a chance.

However, AR Rahman soon after Madonna’s statements tweeted, “Anytime… You are welcome, Madonna ji…”

source: http://www.24by7news.com / Home> Entertainment / May 22nd, 2012

Narain Karthikeyan qualifies 23rd for Monaco Grand Prix

Sports

Monaco (Monte Carlo):

Indian F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan qualified 23rd for the Monaco GP, round six of the 2012 FIA Formula 1 Championship.

The blue-riband event of the series sees drivers take to the narrow streets of the Principality through the weekend. It was looking good for the HRT F1 driver as the opening practice session on Thursday saw him complete 26 laps, finishing ahead of the two Marussia drivers and his teammate Pedro De La Rosa.

“There were a few off-track excursions, but this is normal in Monaco when you are trying to find the limit”, he revealed.

The second Thursday practice was rained out, resulting in very little running.
This meant the one-hour final practice session was a busy effort, with the Indian completing 19 laps in final preparation for qualifying.

“It was looking good for qualifying, we had got a fair amount of running and since the circuit isn’t aero-dependent, we were closer to the cars ahead of us”, he said.

The start of the qualifying session was interrupted due to an incident which brought out the red flag.

But once the track cleared, it was back to business and after 8 laps Karthikeyan was able to post a 1:19.310, good enough for 23rd on the grid for tomorrow’s race.

However, the Indian revealed later that all didn’t go to plan.

“We both had three runs, and I was ahead of him after the first two runs on new tires when we both put on new set of super soft tyres for each outing.”

“However, when I expected the third set of new tires my engineer strangely called it off!  This meant I wasn’t able to improve a lot whereas Pedro went almost a second quicker.

“I wouldn’t have done that lap though, but I would have been closer.So I need to discuss this with the team.”

However, he remains optimistic for the race tomorrow, considering the weather forecast which predicts a chance of rain.

“It was supposed to rain during qualifying today but it didn’t. So hope we get some showers tomorrow as it will give us a chance to do something more than usual”, he concluded.

source: http://www.indiansportsnews.com / Home> Top Stories / Saturday, May 26th, 2012

Urbanised Mint Street loses heritage sheen

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence

The Government Central Press, where the mint had existed, is the oldest surviving heritage building on Mint Street. — DC

It is known as the hub for wholesales, retailers, importers and exporters of all kinds of goodies, naturally attracting people for the variety of commodities and affordable prices.

This highly congested Mint Street, which got its name in 1840s when the British East India Company established its coin making facility, nurtures multi-lingual and multi-ethnic groups now.

The din, the crisscrossing rickshaws and vehicles, the crush of people are the quintessential elements of this oldest major street in Chennai.

The street runs from north to south through George Town. Though it sports an ultra modern look, the rapid urbanisation is making the street gradually lose its heritage value.

Some of the old structures are being pulled down and are getting replaced with modern buildings. The street also accommodates residential apartments.

The Company’s mint, which later became the Government Press and is still functioning; is an endangered heritage building. Initially many Telugus dominated this stretch and gradually it became the home for Gujaratis.

People from the Saurashtra region, associated with the cloth trade moved in as early as in 1740s. As pawn brokers and money lenders, Marwaris too joined the list of settlers here.

It was here that the historic Tondaimandalam Tuluva Vellalar (TTV) School, (1854), which is the home to one of the earliest music sabhas – the Tondaimandalam Sabha and the Hindu Theological School (1889) were established.

It also saw the first performance of Harikatha by a woman when in 1909, C. Saraswathi Bai, gave the first public performance of Harikatha, much against the stiff opposition to her taking the stage.

The old Post Office, a combination of classical Greek and Indo Saracenic architecture, Ekambareshwarr temple, Sree Chandraprabhu Maharaj Juna Jain temple, Sri Chandra Prabhu Jain Naya Mandir, Sree Gujarati Swetamber Murti Pujak Jain Sangh, Kandhaswamy temple, Renuka Parameswari temple besides a mosque and a church are found here.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Channels> Cities> Chennai / by J.V. Siva Prasanna Kumar / DC, Chennai / May 27th, 2012

Lighting up the lives of those in need

Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Science & Technologies

Dedicated to serving On International Nurse’s Day, several nurses were presented with lifetime achievement awards — Photo: R. Ragu / The Hindu

C.N. Janaki, in her nurse’s uniform and starched white cap that keeps wispy white hair neatly in place, has a quick smile that forms deep dimples in her cheeks. The matron is 70 years old and has 49 years of experience as a nurse at the Cancer Institute in Adyar.

NO REGRETS

Ms. Janaki lost her parents when she was 11, and her brother sent her to Avvai Home, a residential facility for orphans in Adyar. In 1964, after training as a nurse, she joined the Cancer Institute and has never looked back.

She barely recognises cancer as a dreaded disease. Unlike in the older days, thing are different now, she says. Ms. Janaki has remained single, devoted to her work. And what has she learnt from her experience? “That I have come this far is an achievement. I have done well in life. As for work, in the early years it was difficult. Now so many new techniques have come to make our job easy,” she said.

ACCOLADES RECEIVED

 

Ms. Janaki was one of the nurses in the State, chosen by the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, for this year’s lifetime achievement award, presented on International Nurse’s Day, which fell on May 12.

V. Renuka Devi, 54, also a recipient of the award graduated as a nurse from the Madras Medical College and has around 34 years of experience. Her daughter is in college and her husband is a lawyer practising in the Madras High Court. She enjoys her work at the hospital. “I have seen a lot of children come for treatment. What hurts me most is when I hear that someone has died despite treatment,” she says. It is difficult for her to hear of a child’s death. “When patients are treated and then they die, I am very upset,” she said.

Jeeva’s persona would put any patient at ease. An able leader, she organises International Nurse’s Day programmes at the institute.

‘MAKE A COMMITMENT’

According to Dr. V. Shanta, chairman, Cancer Institute, it was Ms. Jeeva who introduced the concept at the institute two years ago. On Saturday, she paid tributes to the nurses and urged them to rededicate themselves and to “make a commitment to do the job well”.

Jeeva travelled and worked abroad before she chose to come to the Cancer Institute. Her rich experience has helped her develop professionally, she said.

Perhaps the best motivation comes from forgotten achievements. T.G. Sagar, director of the Institute, recalled that it was a nurse in the early twentieth century, Mary Joseph, who first identified a malignant nodule, which later came to be known the Sister Mary Joseph nodule after her.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by R. Sujatha / Chennai, May 20th, 2012

IICPT urges industry to look at high pressure processing for food safety

Science & Technologies, Uncategorized

Indian Institute of Crop Processing Technology (IICPT), Thanjavur, is now calling for the need to look at high pressure processing for food safety.

Food safety is the responsibility of the growers, manufacturers and processors and food handlers. The supply to consumers is in different forms such as fresh, preserved and processed products of plant, animal and marine origin.

During the past two decades, numerous researches on food preservation using emerging technologies have been developed. Since these processing techniques have little or no new thermal effects on food, they are commonly referred to as non-thermal preservation technologies. Among these emerging technologies, the most promising ones for food application are high-pressure processing and use of pulsed electric fields. Although the fact that high pressure kills microorganisms and preserved food in the early 19th century, its commercial benefit became available to the food processing industry in a decade ago, stated officials at IICPT.

The concept of high pressure treatment of foods involves subjecting food materials to pressures as high as 9,000 times the atmospheric pressure. It is uniformly applied throughout a food material independent of its mass and time, they added.

Typically, the pressurisation time for foods is independent of the quality of food placed in the pressure vessel, The presence of air in the food increases the pressurisation time, since air is more compressible than water.

According to IICPT, in contrast to the thermal treatment, high pressure processing does not break the ‘covalent bonds’ in food, and thus helps to preserve the flavour. The effect of high pressure on enzymes is largely due to the nature of the proteins.

In fact, the first commercial production of high pressure processed jam was carried out in Japan in 1992, which was well received by consumers. Since then a diverse range of foods, including fruit juices, vegetables, milk, yoghurt, cheese, fish, pork, beef, ice cream, Japanese unrefined rice wine and rice cakes containing herbs are processed using this technology, stated IICPT.

The non-availability of suitable equipment burdened early application of high pressure. There has also been considerable progress made in equipment design which has ensured global recognition of the potential for such technology in food processing. Moreover, high pressure technology can supplement conventional thermal processing for reducing microbial load or substitute the use of chemical preservatives. The advantage of high pressure technology includes that it enables, food processing at ambient temperature or even lower temperature. Causes of microbial death leads to improvements in overall quality of foods and it can be used to create ingredients with novel functional properties.

The food technologists globally recommend high pressure processing to prevent hazardous micro-organisms like E Coli, Salmonella and Vibrio. Presently the food industry is interested in eliminating the harmful organisms.

IICT officials’ said that High pressure processing was not likely to replace traditional methods. However, they observed that high capital expenditure could limit the application initially but this could be offset by lowering the cost expenses of lower operating costs if efficient energy systems were used.

source: http://www.fnbnews.com / Home> Top News / by Nandita Vijay, Bengaluru / Saturday, May 19th, 2012

The ice cream man

Business & Economy, Leaders, Uncategorized

 BUILDING DREAMS: R.G. Chandramogan. Photo: R. Ragu

From push carts to parlours, R.G. Chandramogan has built his ice cream empire bar by bar. Priyadarshini Paitandy meets the man behind Arun and Ibaco

Juggling an ice cream in one hand and a notebook and pen in another isn’t the easiest thing to do, especially when you have to take down notes between mouthfuls of waffle cone. This is what I do when I meet R.G. Chandramogan at his office and start a conversation over an Arun ice cream as he traces the journey and growth of his company Hatsun Agro Products.

When Chandramogan was a school boy he would unfailingly put aside money for ice cream. Thirty-seven paise would be saved for an ice lolly and even though flavours weren’t many except vanilla, pineapple and strawberry, that was enough to bring a blissful smile to his lips.

Little did he know then that two decades down the line he would have an ice cream empire of his own. Surely, this is how Charlie must have felt when he inherited the chocolate factory. But in Chandramogan’s case he built it right from scratch, brick by brick or rather bar by bar.

“With a limited capital of Rs.13,000 I had to start something. So I started Arun ice cream in 1970. I was 21 then,” says Chandramogan. The factory was just an unassuming little place in Tondiarpet where three or four people worked and manually produced about 20 litres of ice cream per day. Ten paise candy was their first variety of ice cream and it was sold through push carts. Today of course it’s a different story. The automatic equipment produces 50,000 litres to 75,000 litres of ice cream per day.

Like most success stories that are laced with phases of initial struggle, his story too saw him plough through early hardships in the business. “We struggled a lot in the first 10 years. The top three players then were Dasaprakash, Joy and Kwality. They were financially ahead and had a bigger market. I lacked knowledge about marketing. I am not a graduate. So while I was struggling I did a course in marketing management, export management and personal management from Sabari College. In the first year our turnover was Rs.1,15,000. From 1981 we started growing and in 1991 Arun recorded a turnover of Rs. 3 crore,” he says.

Chandramogan began catering to ships, messes, colleges. Slowly he branched out to Pondicherry, Madurai, Sivakasi and Kumbakonam where his ice creams were a novelty and the other brands hadn’t yet tapped these markets.

While frozen dessert lovers were lapping up whatever came from the stables of Arun, Chandramogan busied himself with another venture — the dairy business. In 1995 he started Arokya milk. “We were procuring milk for our ice creams and so this idea came about. Today Arokya sees an annual turnover of Rs. 1,300 crores. We also manufacture butter, milk powder, ghee and curd. We are associated with 3,50,000 farmers and buy milk from 8,000 villages. We operate from nine different factories and our people travel 4,20,000 km to collect and distribute milk,” he adds. Hatsun dairy products are available across the country.

Hatsun has its dairy plants in Kanchipuram, Palacode, Salem, Madurai, Belgaum, Honnali. As for its ice cream, apart from Tamil Nadu they also have a plant in Seychelles. How does Arun sell in Seychelles, a market for other popular international ice cream brands? “We have a 70 per cent share of ice cream market in Seychelles. In Brunei we have a distributor who buys and sells our ice creams and there we are among the top four brands,” says the seasoned entrepreneur.

In 2012, Hatsun started yet another ice cream brand, Ibaco. This is the posh cousin of Arun ice cream and is based on the ice cream-by-scoop model. “Arun is a factory finished product and comes in cones, cups and sticks. As for Ibaco, it’s the scoop variety. You walk into an Ibaco parlour, choose the flavour and get it dressed with toppings. As of now Ibaco is available in Chennai, Bengaluru and Delhi. By next year I’ll be taking it to Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata,” says Chandramogan.

But the launch of a new brand in no way means that Arun has been ignored. This season Arun’s got quite a few new flavours to pep up its range. There’s Berry Storm, Vanilla with Chocolate Fudge, Lemon Bar, Cream and Cookies among others. With myriad options available his favourite still remains the classic Arun chocolate cone. “Earlier I used to eat an ice cream every day. Now I try out ice creams when I travel to get a taste of competing brands,” he smiles.

After a day of cream, dairy and deals, how does he unwind? “I go to the gym, read books. Earlier I used to play badminton. I was a fan of the game and would go to watch Prakash Padukone play at tournaments. I even like watching tennis especially when Roger Federer plays. I am going to London to watch him play in November.” Who knows maybe the Swiss player could be roped in as the brand ambassador for Hatsun? Now that’s a thought!

***

Hatsun produces 18 lakh to 20 lakh litres of milk per day. Twelve lakh litres are used up for milk and milk products. Sixty thousand litres are used for ice cream. The remaining is used for ghee and skimmed milk.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / Life & Style> MetroPlus / by PriyaDarshini Paitandy / Chennai, May 17th, 2012

Young soldier confident of bagging medal at London Olympic Games

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports

Udhagamandalam:

Ooty’s Olympic dreams may very well be fulfilled by a young soldier from the Madras Regimental Centre (MRC) at Wellington in the Nilgiris who has qualified for the London Olympic Games.

Twenty-two-year-old Sepoy K T Irfan is the third Indian walker to qualify for the Games when he finished 19th in the World Race Walking Cup at Saransk in Russia on May 12, covering 20km in 1:22:09 hours. The ‘A’ standard in the 20km walk event for the Olympics is 1:22:30 hours.

Since his enrolment in the army, Irfan has been working hard and his perseverance paid off in 2011 when he won the national championship in the 20km walk held in Kolkata and Patiala. He participated in various state and national events, setting records on two occasions in Cochin and Patiala.

“The soldier has made his regiment, the Indian Army and the entire nation proud. Through hard work, unparalleled focus and devotion, he has qualified for the Olympics,” said Brigadier S S Jadhav, VSM, commandant of MRC.

Irfan hails from a modest family in Kizhuparamba village in Malapuram district in Kerala. He chose to join the Madras regiment as a sepoy in 2010 and completed his training period of one year in 2011. At the regiment centre he had been given special one-on-one training.

Irfan has won more than a dozen awards including TN State Athletics Championship in 2010, Kerala State Athletics Meet award in 2010, Inter State Athletic Championship held in Bangalore in June 2011 and Open National Athletics Championship held in Kolkata and Patiala in 2011.

He returned from Russia just a couple of days ago and is training at the National Institute of Sports/ Olympic squad in Patiala. “My ambition is to excel in sports at the international level. I have got this far only because of MRC and I am grateful to the regiment. I was given special care and individual training which has enabled me to qualify for the London Olympic Games,” he said.

“Irfan’s achievement will motivate youngsters to join the army. He is the third soldier from MRC to enter the Olympic Games,” said Jadhav.

Famous footballer M Thangaraj, ‘dribbler par excellence,’ a native of Ooty serving at the MRC, played for the Madras Province. In 1948 he was selected for the Indian Olympic Team. He could not make the trip to England though. In 1953, as a member of the touring Indian team, he played in the USSR and Romania.

In 1981, Subedhar Major, I Ibrahim, attached to 9 Madras unit of the MRC, won the bronze medal in the 100 and 400 meters race in the Olympic Games. Ibrahim retired from service a few years ago.

Olympic dreams

Famous footballer M Thangaraj, ‘dribbler par excellence,’ a native of Ooty serving at the MRC, played for the Madras Province. In 1948 he was selected for the Indian Olympic Team.

In 1981, Subedhar Major, I Ibrahim, attached to 9 Madras unit of the MRC, won the bronze medal in the 100 and 400 meters race in the Olympic Games.

Quote

My ambition is to excel in sports at the international level. I have got this far only because of MRC and I am grateful to the regiment. I was given special care and individual training which has enabled me to qualify for the London Olympic Games — Sepoy K T Irfan, athlete

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Coimbatore / by Shanthi Thiagarajan / TNN / May 17th, 2012