Jerome powers to victory

Records, All, Sports
Waltzing to victory: Jerome Kumar Savarimuthu of the Army Yachting Node, Mumbai, who won all three races in the RS:X class on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna
Waltzing to victory: Jerome Kumar Savarimuthu of the Army Yachting Node, Mumbai, who won all three races in the RS:X class on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna

His coach optimistic about medal prospects at next year’s Asian Games

Just as the wind gusted, Jerome Kumar Savarimuthu too did, pumping up the pace. It averaged 10 knots in the opening race, climbed to 15 by the second and soared to 18 by the third. The 26-year-old rarely let down his dagger board, preferring power to precision, surging to victory in all three RS:X races of the Hyderabad Sailing Week senior multi-class regatta at Hussain Sagar on Tuesday.

“Speed can make up for other mistakes in a race,” Jerome said. “It gives you room to remain ahead of the fleet and chart the course forward,” he added.

On Tuesday, Jerome’s coach at the Army Yachting Node (AYN), Mumbai was a content man. “Coming to wind shift reading, tacking, gybing or rounding the marks, he’s by far the best in the fleet,” said D.P. Chennaiah. So was he optimistic about his ward’s medal prospects at next year’s Asian Games.

Interestingly, Jerome trailed in the opening leg of the first race, compatriot Ebad Ali completing the beat first. On the second upwind leg, he overtook Ali and Arjun Reddy on the third. Arjun capsized in the next race’s second beat, which Jerome made the most of to zoom ahead and remain in front till the hooter.

On song

By the third race, Jerome was on song. With the winds strong, he pulled up the centre board and rounded the first windward on a single tack.

Riding the strong drafts that persisted, the boom, foot strap and harness were in perfect harmony as he crossed the finish line a clear 100 metres ahead of his nearest rival.

The results (provisional):

RS:X: Race I: 1. Jerome Kumar, 2. K. Arjun Reddy, 3. Ebad Ali (all AYN); II: 1. Jerome, 2. Ebad Ali, 3. Manpreet Singh (AYN); III: 1. Jerome, 2. Manpreet, 3. Arjun.

Laser Standard: I: 1. Vir Menon (RMYC), 2. Harpreet Singh (AYN), 3. Ramesh Kumar (AYN), II: 1. Mujahid Khan, 2. Harpreet, 3. Kundhan Upadhyay (all AYN); III: 1. Mohit Saini, 2. Mujahid, 3. Ramesh.

Laser Radial: I: 1. Harpreet Singh, 2. Sharif Khan (both AYN), 3. Deelip Kumar (EMESA); II: 1. Harpreet, 2. Deelip, 3. G. Bhaskar Rao (AYN); III: 1. Harpreet, 2. Abhimanyu Panwar (RMYC), 3. Avinash Yadav (INWTC, Mumbai).

Laser 4.7: I: 1. M. Koteshwara Rao (Trishna SC), 2. Vivin Vinil (INWTC, Mumbai), 3. Mahesh Balachander (TNSA); II: 1. Ram Milan Yadav (NSS), 2. Ashish S. Roy (Trishna), 3. Vivin; III: 1. Vivin, 2. Ananya Chouhan (EMESA), 3. Koteshwara.

Finn: 1. Naveen Kumar, 2. Prabhit Bala, 3. Swatantra Singh (AYN); II: 1. Swatantra, 2. Sukhvir, 3. Vivek (all AYN); III: 1. Naveen, 2. Prabhit, 3. Vivek.

Helm name first, crew next: 470: I: 1. Ayaz Shaikh & Shubham Patel (AYN), 2. Virender Singh & Sudhanshu Shekhar (INWTC), 3. Atul Lande & Mahesh Yadav (AYN); II: 1. Ayaz & Shubham, 2. Virender & Sudhanshu, 3. Praveen Kumar & Ravindra Kumar Sharma (INWTC, Mumbai); III: 1. Ayaz & Shubham, 2. Virender & Sudhanshu, 3. Prabin & Vijay Singh (AYN).

Hobie 16: I: 1. Kamlesh Kumar Patel & U.B. Rawankar (AYN), 2. Kaushal Kumar Yadav & Girish (AWSA), 3. Pawan Kumar & Nitin (AYN); II: 1. Kaushal & Girish, 2. Pawan & Nitin, 3. Kamlesh & Rawankar; III: 1. Kaushal & Girish, 2. Kamlesh & Rawankar, 3. Pawan & Nitin.

Enterprise: I: Satish Kumar & Rahul M. Nair (AYN), 2. E. Hemant Kumar & Amit Arvind Shinde, 3. Manoj Kumar & Swardeen (both CESC); II: 1. Satish & Rahul, 2. Ashish Patel & Nagen Behera (EMESA), 3. Rajwant Singh & Mukhtiar Singh (CESC); III: 1. Satish & Rahul, 2. Ashish & Nagen, 3. Rajwant & Mukhtiar.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Other Sports / by A. Joseph Anthony / Hyderabad – July 04th, 2017

Many firsts for MGR happened in Madurai

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

It is appropriate that his birth centenary celebration begins in the city which still has a strong bond to him

N. Arumugam, Madurai Corporation employee, performs puja at Bharatha Ratna Ponmanachemmal MGR Amma Tirukoil at Anuppanadi in Madurai. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK
N. Arumugam, Madurai Corporation employee, performs puja at Bharatha Ratna Ponmanachemmal MGR Amma Tirukoil at Anuppanadi in Madurai. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK

N. Arumugam, a Madurai Corporation employee, rushes to a nearby shop to buy camphor and agarbathi as he sees people visiting Bharatha Ratna Ponmanachemmal MGR Amma Tirukoil (MGR Temple) in East Anuppanadi. He performs daily puja and aarthi to the idol of MGR, modelled on the ‘Murugan’ form he took in Thani Piravi. He takes care of the ‘first temple’ for MGR constructed by Nagarajan, a local AIADMK functionary, with public support in 1988. Arumugam is one among the many die-hard MGR fans who keep the legend alive in Madurai.

Twenty nine years after his death, memories of the 1960s and the 70s are relived by people past their prime in theatres where MGR’s films are released. The extended MGR family assembles in front of the theatre for the first show. Eighty-five-year-old Backiam of Sappanikoil Street is perhaps the oldest fan to visit theatres.

Another fan, Mariappan of Villapuram, a physically challenged person, uses a tricycle to move around. Coordinating all of them is M. Tamilnesan of Anna Nagar, an ‘MGR devotee.’ An incredible fan following for a 100-year-old legend is not a surprise in Madurai. This is the city that gave MGR many of his firsts, on and off screen.

Though born in Hantana, Kandy, Sri Lanka, on January 17, 1917, Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran’s entry into Madurai Original Boys Company, following in the footsteps of his elder brother M.G. Chakrapani at the age of six, is the first chapter in the never-ending story of his association with the city. On his centenary, Madurai can eminently claim to replace ‘Marudur’ in the three magic letters.

It was Madurai Veeran, released on April 13, 1956, that created the record for a Tamil movie crossing 100 days in 40 theatres. It ran for 200 days, crossing silver jubilee, the longest for an MGR film at that time, in Chinthamani Theatre. Twenty one of his films released in this theatre ran for over 100 days.

A grand function was organised at Tamukkam on October 26, 1958, to celebrate the success of Nadodi Mannan. His first fan club, which later became the bedrock of AIADMK, was started in Madurai. His last film was Maduraiyai Meetta Sundarapandian. It was T. M. Soundararajan of Madurai who lent his ‘bronze voice’ to MGR in all his famous songs. MGR organised a mega conference of his fans associations in Madurai in 1986 in which the famous picture of Jayalalithaa presenting him a silver sceptre was shot.

On the political front, the genesis of MGR’s ouster from the parent party and subsequent launch of the ADMK can be traced to the August 1972 Madurai district unit conference of the DMK, writes B. Thirumalai in his book, Madurai Arasiyal. Since his request to allow Jayalalithaa to perform a dance drama at the meet was turned down, MGR went round the city with her, hogging public attention, in an open vehicle. The crowd started to disperse after hearing him at the conference, though the star speaker, M. Karunanidhi, was yet to get his turn. This meet sowed the seeds of discord between the two leaders.

When he was actually expelled from the DMK, there was unrest in Madurai and some schools had to be closed from November 15, 1972, to January 8, 1973, recalls Mr. Thirumalai.

The ‘first flag’ of MGR’s would-be party was hoisted at Jhansi Rani Park. When MGR visited Madurai after floating the ADMK on October 17, 1972, his train took 10 hours to reach the city from Dindigul. The first victory certificate for his new party and symbol (Two Leaves), which came in the 1973 Lok Sabha by-election to Dindigul constituency, was handed over to the winner, K. Maya Thevar, at the Madurai Collector’s office.

He announced the formation of World Tamil Sangam at Madurai World Tamil Conference in 1981. It came into existence in 2016. In acknowledgement of people’s love for him, MGR chose to contest all the Assembly elections from 1977 from south Tamil Nadu – Aruppukottai (1977), Madurai West (1980) and Andipatti (1984). It is only appropriate that the celebration of his birth centenary begins here on June 30.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Tamil Nadu / by S. Annamalai / Madurai – June 30th, 2017