Category Archives: Sports

This government school in Kurichi leads the way in empowering girls

November 29, 2018Education, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sportsadmin

The school offers training in various disciplines like fencing, judo and taekwondo.

Coimbatore :

While the Ministry of Human Resource Development has only now started to give importance to martial arts training for girl students as part of its self-defence programme, this government higher secondary school in Kurichi has been a pioneer in the field with seven of its students getting ready to participate in a State-level meet to be held soon.

Even its first year of training, as many as 120 of its 147 students participated in the divisional meet concluded in the city; 91 of them managed to bag medals too. The school offers training in various disciplines like fencing, judo and taekwondo.

At a time when most government schools in the city and rural areas alike concentrated on conventional games like kabaddi, volleyball and football, this schools took the initiative to introduce martial arts with the help of its physical education teachers P Sivaprakasham and N Nisar. This training was then extended to the school’s girl students in the form of self-defence lessons. Teachers wanted them equipped to handle any situation they might face. After being briefed about the different forms of martial arts, many girls volunteered to be trained in fencing; they also managed to win a few medals, he recalls.

Five girls — S Swetha, D Mercy, R Ranjani, of class XI, and Rajeshwari (class X) and K Logeshwari (class IX) — have been qualified to participate in the State-level event to be held soon in Kankeyam
of Tirupur district. The girls, on their part, are happy to have overcome all odds to make a mark in the sport. Though their mothers were hesitant to allow them to be trained in martial arts, all parents are now happy that their girls have managed to achieve so much. Now, they eagerly inquire about fencing practice before asking about academics, narrates Swetha.

Headmistress N Shanthi cannot appreciate the effort more. The teacher’s job is not just to improve the students’ skills in academics; they should also identify their talents and put them on the path of development. She also remarks that such training has increased attendance among students. A year ago, only 50 per cent of students were willing to attend classes; this has increased to 95 per cent, she claims.

While the school might have its reasons to introduce martial arts to its students, the motivations for single mother M Gowri are quite simple. Raising her two girls — M Praveena and M Durgadevi — on her own, after the demise of her husband, she wanted them to be fiercely independent.

When the school announced self-defence lessons, she was more than happy to sign them up for it. True to spirit, the girls managed to bag a silver medal in karate and Praveena has a bronze in fencing to add to it. It was the mother’s aspiration that pushed them to their best, Praveena declares.

The school allows students to excel in swimming too. Four boys — T Akash, V Mahadevan, M Muthukathiravan, S Logeshwaran (all class VIII students) — were identified after teachers saw them
swimming in the Kurichi lake, located adjacent to the school.

All these boys had not had formal training before. Akash learnt to swim in the Kuruchi lake, for Mahadevan it was a check dam near Madukkarai and Muthukathiravan and Logeshwaran had the good local old wells.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by Prabhakar T / Express News Service / November 29th, 2018

Watch: This Madurai antique bike collector has a unique selection

November 28, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Records, All, Sportsadmin

source: http://www.youtube.com / The Hindu

S Jeyanth Kumar feels like a warrior when he rides the 1942 model bikes BSA WM20 and the Triumph 3HW.

“Both of these beauties were bought by a Bengaluru-based biker at a military disposal and the machines have seen the war field during World War II.

I bought them from him for ₹5 lakhs each a few years ago. Now, their antique value is double that.

But, I don’t plan to part with them,” says Kumar, who rode a 1964 model Royal Enfield Bullet to college.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Lifestyle> Motoring / by The Hindu Net Desk / November 28th, 2018

Vintage Anand blitzes his way to glory

November 15, 2018Records, All, Sportsadmin

Winning moves: Viswanathan Anand showcased his prowess on Wednesday to best the rapid champion Hikaru Nakamura for the blitz crown.

The Indian legend turns it on to trump favourite Nakamura in the tie-break

For Viswanathan Anand, the moment of triumph in the Tata Steel blitz chess took a while coming.

In a tense environment, filled with suspense and intrigue inside a packed Satyajit Ray Auditorium here, when Anand overpowered hot favourite Hikaru Nakamura, the wait was truly worth it.

It was the kind of day Anand never had in his long, illustrious career. Trailing Nakamura by 1.5 points at the half-way stage, Anand won six games and drew three to force a two-game tie-break with the favourite. Saving his best for the last, Anand prevailed 1.5-0.5 to emerge a worthy champion.

In a reduced time-format of three minutes plus two-second increment for every move made, Anand won in 55 moves in a perfect finish with white pieces. In the next, playing black, Anand defended superbly and eventually drew in 72 moves to seal the title.

Magical moment

“This is very special, considering I have not done well in the blitz format this year. I am happy to show something special for the Kolkata crowd. I was disappointed that I could not do for the crowd in Chennai (in the 2013 World championship match). But today, I feel, I played some very good games. What happened was something magical,” said the reigning World blitz bronze-medallist.

Anand, who expectedly drew his last round with Aronian, owed the playoff to R. Praggnanandhaa who came out undefeated against Nakamura for the second time in 24 hours. Showing precise defensive skills in testing positions, the 13-year-old forced a ‘stalemate’ in 72 moves, that too, with black pieces, much to the joy those expecting a playoff for the title.

Anand, whose six victims included the other four Indians, also owed it to Hari for slowing down Nakamura’s march. Before fading out, Hari avenged the second-round defeat while Praggnanandhaa, exceeded all expectations by holding the top seed in both their games.

Anand, whose reputation as a ‘lightning kid’ is still fresh in memory, reproduced the magic on what coincidently, was ‘Children’s Day’.

Taking off

He opened the day by stopping Wesley So and gained the momentum by beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. After a drawing with Sergey Karjakin, Anand repeated his hat-trick of wins over compatriots Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Vidit Gujarati and Praggnanandhaa.

At this point, Anand and Nakamura shared the lead, with Aronian trailing by half a point. What followed was Anand’s draw with joint leader Nakamura, a result that helped Aronian rejoin the leaders, at 10.5 points, following a resounding victory over Mamedyarov.

Aronian, third overnight, made his charge by winning three of the first four rounds and enjoyed a half-point lead at nine points after 13 rounds. His victims included Vidit, Praggnanandhaa and Hari. After a draw with Ganguly kept him back, he was back in the lead after beating Mamedyarov.

Unlike Anand and Aronian, who shared the lead following an unbeaten streak, Nakamura lost to Hari in the 11th round and then drew with Aronian and So before getting past Mamedyarov and Karjakin.

Young Praggnanandhaa found the going much tougher than he did on Tuesday. After a draw with Hari, the 13-year-old suffered six straight losses, a sequence he snapped by checkmating Ganguly in 97 moves.

The results (Indians unless stated):

(18th round): Hikaru Nakamura (USA) drew with R. Praggnanandhaa; Levon Aronian (Arm) drew with Viswanathan Anand; P. Hari Krishna lost to Vidit Gujarati; Wesley So (USA) drew with Sergey Karjakin (Rus) ; Surya Shekhar Ganguly lost to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze) (17th round): Anand bt Hari; Vidit lost to Nakamura; Karjakin drew with Aronian; Mamedyarov lost to So; Praggnanadhaa bt Ganguly; (16th round): Nakamura drew with Anand; Aronian bt Mamedyarov; Hari lost to Karjakin; Praggnanandhaa lost to Vidit; Ganguly bt So; (15th round): Anand bt Praggnanandhaa; Karjakin lost to Nakamura; Mamedyarov drew with Hari; So drew with Aronian; Vidit drew with Ganguly; (14th round); Vidit lost to Anand; Nakamura bt Mamedyarov; Hari bt So; Ganguly drew with Aronian; Praggnanandhaa lost to Karjakin; (13th round): Anand bt Ganguly; So drew with Nakamura; Aronian bt Hari; Mamedyarov bt Praggnanandhaa; Karjakin lost to Vidit; (12th round): Anand drew with Karjakin; Nakamura drew with Aronian; Ganguly bt Hari; Vidit lost to Mamedyarov; Praggnanandhaa lost to So; (11th round): Mamedyarov lost to Anand; Hari bt Nakamura; Aronian bt Praggnanandhaa; So drew with Vidit; Karjakin drew with Ganguly; (10th round): Anand bt So; Ganguly lost to Nakamura; Praggnanandhaa drew with Hari; Vidit lost to Aronian; Karjakin drew with Mamedyarov.

Final standings: 1-2 Anand and Nakamura (12.5 points), 3. Aronian (12), 4. So (10), 5-7. Mamedyarov, Hari, Vidit (8 each), 8. Karjakin (7.5), 9. Ganguly (6), 10. Praggnanandhaa (5.5).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Rakesh Rai / Kolkata – November 14th, 2018

Sports scribe Sudarsan passes away

October 31, 2018Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sportsadmin

S. Sudarsan, Senior Assistant Editor (Sports) of The Hindu, passed away here on Tuesday morning. He was 43 and is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Sudarsan, who joined The Hindu Sports Desk in 2001, was a meticulous sub-editor with an eye for detail. A keen sportsman, who played cricket, tennis and football regularly, Sudarsan was a driving force behind many special football and tennis features in the sports pages of The Hindu. He had covered La Liga and Bundesliga for the newspaper.

An active member of the Tamil Nadu Sports Journalists Association (TNSJA), Sudarsan had led the South Zone cricket team to victory in the J.K. Bose tournament in Thiruvananthapuram last year. The Sports Journalists’ Federation of India and TNSJA condoled the demise of Sudarsan.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – October 30th, 2018

The ability to work wonders

October 7, 2018Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

The Swarga Foundation Calendar features some inspiring women from across the country

“People with disabilities face a lot of stigma. This project aims to create an awareness on disabilities”, said Swarnalatha J, managing trustee of Swarga Foundation at the launch of its annual calendar, ‘I’m Special’ at The Residency Towers. The theme for this edition is Women of Substance with 12 women from various fields.

The calendar is the result of eight months of work. “We started in February. We short listed the people and did the photo shoot. The photographs are taken by Anand Daga, a film maker from our city. I am also a model in it”, said Swarnalatha, who has Multiple Sclerosis. After an introduction about the foundation there was a Bhratanatyam performance by Prerana Sahane and a vocal performance by Divya Bijur and Swarnalatha. Santhalinga Marudasala Adikalar, Perur Adheenam Pontiff and Balchand Bothra, Chairman of Mahaveer’s launched the calender.

One of models, Gauri Shekhar Gadgil, is a swimmer and actor from Pune. She has Down Syndrome. A doctor advised her to swim and she went on to win a silver medal at the 2007 Special Olympics held at Shanghai, China. She also won a bronze and two silver medals at The Asia Pacific Swimming Competition organised by The Down’s Syndrome Association in 2012. Gauri has also acted in a Marathi movie, Yellow directed by Mahesh Limaye, for which she received a special mention in the 61st National Film Awards. In 2017 she was awarded with the Role Model National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Divya Bijur is a physiotherapist based in Mumbai who is visually challenged “I am blind from my birth. I learnt physiotherapy from the Sikkim Manipal University and started my own Physiotherapy clinic, Vasai eight years ago. My patients were initially sceptical, but things have changed now. I have a lot of patients who believe in me. My life is good,” said Divya.

Ashla Rani MP from Trivandrum was 28 when she met with a train accident that left her a quadriplegic. “I was working in the software industry and my life changed in an instant. I couldn’t move my fingers or my legs. I also lost control of my bladder and bowel. I now type with my knuckles. I also joined the NGO Pallium India that provides palliative care. This accident has changed my entire perspective towards life. I am a lot more positive now,” said Ashla.

Madhavi Latha has polio. “I am from a rural village in Telagana. I studied hard and got a job in a bank where I worked for 15 years. I started to ride a scooter and a car at the age of 27. This was very empowering for me. In 2007, my muscles started to weaken and I was diagnosed with Scoliosis. Later, I learnt to swim. In 2011, I won three gold in swimming at the National Paralympic Swimming Companionship held at Kolhapur and started the Paralympic Swimming Association of Tamil Nadu. I started to play wheel chair basketball in 2014 and started the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India. We have 500 players across the country, says Madhavi who is also the vice-president of an MNC in Chennai.

Preethi Srinivasan was a state level cricketer and swimmer before she met an accident. She took a fall on the beach at Puducherry that left her paralysed. “It took me an year to come in terms with my condition. I understood how society views a person with disability. In 2013, I started Soulfree to support people with spinal injury. We train medical technicians, conduct awareness programmes, and provide financial support to patients who want to start their own business. My goal is to have an inclusive self sustainable village for people with disabilities in our country.” She received the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise in 2017.

Prerana Sahane from Pune is a hearing impaired Bharatanatyam dancer and artist. Her dance teacher Shumita Mahajan said, “She lost her hearing following a paralysis attack when she was six-months-old. She came to me to learn Bharatanatyam when she was seven. Prerana performs across the country and has received the Role Model Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in 2015.”

Calender women

The others featured are Rajalakshmi SJ, Mrunmaiy Abroal, Ketna L Mehta (Paraplegia), Sujatha Burla (Quadriplegia) and Malvika Iyer (Bilateral Amputee)

Info you can use

The calender costs ₹ 300 and is availabel at Jini & Jony, Brookefield Mall and Swarga Foundation, Nanjundapuram Road

Available in desktop and wall hanging options and can be customised with logos

Proceeds will be used to set up a physiotherapy clinic

8870955111 for details

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Life & Style / by Susan Joe Philip / October 02nd, 2018

Three students to take part in Minifootball World Cup

September 26, 2018Education, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Praveen Iveen (left) and Ravi Chandran Rahul, who will represent India in the Minifootball World Cup-2018 at Prague, Czech Republic. | Photo Credit: M_Sathyamoorthy

Three students from the Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam have been selected to take part in the Under 21-Minifootball World Cup – 2018, to be held in Prague, the Czech Republic, between October 4 and October 7.

After an intensive selection process, Praveen Iveen, Ravi Chandran Rahul and Ajith Kumar, have been chosen to represent India.

Sponsors sought

The Government Arts College professors congratulated the students, and also called for sponsors to help them travel to the Czech Republic to take part in the tournament.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Coimbatore / by Staff Reporter / Udhagamandalam – September 26th, 2018

Sail on, silver girl: A chat with chess champion K Priyanka

July 15, 2018Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Heading to the big league K Priyanka hopes to be a Grandmaster soon

K Priyanka makes Coimbatore proud as she wins the silver at the recent Commonwealth Chess Championship

“I am thrilled to have won the silver. It means so much to me but it could have been better,” says K Priyanka, who won the silver in the Under-18 category of the recent Commonwealth Chess Championship. The Std XI student of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, RS Puram, values this medal highly as she has been waging a battle with finances to make a leap to the big stage.

The under-18 silver in the championship in Delhi has brought her smiles back. Priyanka participated in both the Open and the Under-18 category. In fact, she was quite comfortable in the Open class, which had a strong field. The 16-year-old made life difficult for higher-rated stars such as Grand Master S Kidambi and WGM Mary Ann Gomes. At one stage, she seemed to be heading for the gold but slipped towards the end. The difference was just half a point but that was enough to keep her from the top spot. Tejaswini Sagar of Ahmedabad won the Gold.

“I felt really bad because I missed a huge opportunity. I hope to turn it around the next time,” she said. It would usually take her a few days to recover from a loss, but this time Priyanka got back on her feet faster. “It hurts but what’s the point in carrying it in your head? It will only weigh on me further.”

Delhi’s Leela Ambience Convention Hotel has been a lucky venue for Priyanka. It was around the same time last year that she pocketed the under-16 title. And Coimbatore rejoiced in her success. The Coimbatore District Chess Association (CDCA) celebrated her achievement in a grand manner, as they had been waiting for two decades for a champion.

Priyanka now wants to realise her big dream of becoming a Grand Master, for which she will have to win at many international tournaments. Not an easy task for this young girl, considering her financial situation. Before the Commonwealth championship, Priyanka had half a dozen international tournaments on her radar but had to miss a few because of lack of money. She worked hard with her current coach GM Vishnu Prasanna from Chennai on her game. While it has been tough to balance between academics and the game, chess is her life, she declares.

Her father was her greatest support but he passed away and that spelt trouble for the family as well as for Priyanka. She had been forging ahead but struggled to come to terms with losing her father. It took her two years to come back to the game and she says the credit for that goes to her mother K Maruthambal, uncle KV Sridhar and many well-wishers.

Priyanka built up her confidence and is now back at her best. The silver has come as a shot in the arm as her next stop is the GM tournament in Abu Dhabi in early August. She is quite positive about her chances and hopes that she will get some financial support to help her realise that dream.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Rayan Rozario / July 13th, 2018

A strong maiden impression by Ahura

July 10, 2018Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sportsadmin

Here we go: The Ahura Racing team members strike a happy pose.

Ahura Racing women handled their machines with aplomb

The Ahura Racing women took everybody by storm with their steely show in the LGB Formula 4 class of the JK Tyre championship here on Sunday.

In their maiden outing, the ‘Women in Red’ handled their machines with aplomb to earn a big applause from the crowd.

They showed good speed and a strong race sense but the big boys of racing had them trailing right through. It was still a great show considering the fact that they had minimal track experience.

The girls were thrilled as well. “I was really nervous at the start but that was only for a while,” said Coimbatore’s K.S. Megaa, who clocked the fastest timing among the girls on all three days. “We drove on the wet as well for the first time and now have started to believe that we can do even better,” she added.

Lea Daran said that she had lots of fun. “The feeling was great. I was a bit more cautious on the first day but mixed it up with some aggression today. The passing was a lot easy as well.”

“We are getting better with each passing day and don’t be surprised if we beat the boys. We will beat them for sure with some proper planning and training,” said actor Manisha Kelkar.

“Motorsport in a real big community and I was happy to be a part of it. I liked the way they helped each one of us. It was like being in one big family,” said Hansuja, the youngest in the team.

“We could feel the adrenalin rush in us. It was a unique experience that we will remember for our life time,” said Dr. Ritika Oberoi.

“I had done two wheeler events before but this one was awesome. I wanted to do for some time but I never knew it will come this soon,” Priyamvada Saradhi said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by Rayan Rozario / Coimbatore – July 08th, 2018

I’ve never thought of my synthetic limbs as an obstacle, says motor racer Chetan Korada

July 9, 2018Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Chennai boy Chetan Korada, perhaps the world’s only motor car racer with synthetic limbs, is ready to step abroad

This is going to be Chetan Korada’s biggest year yet; a year that will see him go international.

“It will be exciting,” he says, rubbing his hands in glee, “I’ll be racing on international tracks at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain, which are very different from the ones here in India.”

Korada is not your usual motor racer; the 31-year-old is probably the world’s only motor car racer with synthetic limbs who holds the distinction of winning several series and championships. “I’ve never thought of it as an obstacle. It was never on my mind,” he says, walking up the stairs of his Kilpauk residence and posing for a photograph.

Growing up in the city, sport was always on Korada’s mind. He did dabble in other sports, but realised that racing was his calling a decade ago when he took out an LGB 1300 for a spin.

“Before I sat in the car, my heart was thumping with excitement,” he recalls about that day, “I had prosthetic legs and didn’t know if they would fit. But when I stepped into the vehicle, I could settle in smoothly.” That day remains memorable for Korada, even as his racing career — that includes outings in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship, MMS Mini Enduro and the Spring Karting series — enters its 10th year.

Today, Korada looks back at his early childhood as years of determination: ones in which he proved that he was no different from the rest of his friends.

At a very early age, he had to undergo bi-lateral amputation because of his congenital limb deformity, but his inclination towards cars — fuelled by encouragement from his mother and teachers — nudged him to lead a life on the fast lane.

In his initial years in sport, he took great inspiration from Italian Formula One Driver, and paracyclist, Alex Zanardi. “I kept telling myself: if he can do it, I could too. He was a role model.”

Closer home, Korada was following the racing exploits of actor Ajith, who also has a keen interest in the sport.

“I used to like his movies, but when I saw him on the race track in 2007, it was so inspiring…,” he trails off, excited to talk about his favourite star.

He also focussed a lot on his fitness, with Ramji Srinivasan of the city-based QLP Sports helping him out a lot in recent times.

“The folks there know my body better than me,” he says, “Racing demands a lot of physical and mental toughness.”

Korada did look at other careers when he was younger — dabbling in a bit of DJing thanks to his liking for music — but once a racing career looked feasible, he didn’t take a step back.

With such an expensive career, funds might be an issue, but thankfully, he has QNet supporting him on that front. Currently, his sights are set on international racing glory, for which he attended a course with the Formula Masters Testing Programme in Malaysia recently.

“I can’t wait to race on those tracks,” he grins.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society / by Srinivasa Ramanujam / July 09th, 2018

“Sister Is My Inspiration”: Second Youngest Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa

June 28, 2018Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports, World Opinionadmin

Praggnanandhaa missed out on becoming the youngest ever by three months with Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine holding the record of being the youngest Grandmaster in the world at 12 years, 7 months

Chennai :

Chennai’s 12-year-old Praggnanandhaa who has brought laurels to the country after becoming the world’s second youngest chess grandmaster got a rousing reception in the city. A student of Velammal School, Praggnanandhaa was felicitated at the airport by his teachers and classmates.

“I am very happy. I started playing when I was three years old. My sister is my inspiration,” said Praggnanandhaa whose sister is an international women’s champion in chess.

Coming from a middle class family in Chennai’s Mugapair, Praggnanandhaa did not have a very easy ride. The family struggled financially till the boy got a sponsor in 2015.

His mother said, “He is a small boy. It was difficult to manage his tour abroad. I used encourage him, especially when he was defeated. Till he got a sponsor, I struggled a lot financially.”

“We never forced him to join the game. It is a joyous moment for all of us. We are proud of him,” Praggnanandhaa father Ramesh Babu told ANI.

“We didn’t expect anything. We left in god’s grace and his natural gift,” he added.

Legendary Viswanathan Anand lauded Praggnanandhaa’s feat and he will be meeting the young achiever soon.

___________________________

Vishwanathan Anand

Praggnanandhaa won his first Grand Master norm at the World Junior Championships in Tarvisio in November 2017. He achieved his second norm by winning the Herkalion Fischer Memorial Grand Master Norm tournament in Greece in April earlier this year.

He missed out on becoming the youngest ever by three months with Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine holding the record of being the youngest Grandmaster in the world at 12 years, 7 months – a feat achieved in 2002.

(With Inputs From ANI)

source: http://www.ndtv.com / NDTV / Home> Tamil Nadu> Section / by Richa Taneja (with inputs from ANI) / June 27th, 2018

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