Slum footballers vow to 'rise like phoenix'
Published Date: 26-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 25: IT was all over within a few minutes for Suresh, an acclaimed footballer from Vyasarpadi slums, when his settlement was ravaged in a fire accident a few days ago.
He had represented Nethaji Sports Club and Central Excise teams in several tournaments and won laurels. The fire licked everything including his house and now, Suresh and his four brothers even do not have another pair of dress to wear or a roof over their head.
(Nearly 40 huts and property worth a few lakhs were destroyed in a fire in Vyasarpadi in North Chennai on Monday.) "What can I do if an employer, before whom I gave an interview a few days ago, asks me to produce original certificates for confirming my job there?" wondered an inconsolable Suresh.
Not only Suresh but other aspiring footballers from the slum, groomed by the local Slum Children Sports Talent and Education Development Society (SCSTEDS), are in a state of shock. Their recently arrived stocks of 250 footballs, 125 pair of boots and colourful jerseys from Jalandhar turned into ashes in the mishap.
SCSTEDS's president N Umapathy, said if not for the fire mishap the aspiring footballers were dreaming of 'Vision 2014', a mission in which the slum-based club was aiming at sending at least one among them to represent India.Himself a club footballer, Umapathy was anguished at the way a large number of youngsters in his slum were taking to bad habits. Just to change their mindset he formed SCSTEDS in 2000.
What had begun as a move for attitudinal change soon evolved into a full passion and now, over 250 slum children, as young as seven-year-olds, attend daily coaching sessions. "Though we have lost everything, and the budding footballers are demoralised, we have not lost our hope and we will rise like a phoenix from ashes very soon," Umapathy said.
He also assured that his club's plan to organise a school-level football matches by July-end still stands.
Meanwhile, after a gap of two days, Umapathy arranged two new footballs and children started rolling it just to forget the pain of loss.
The slum children may lost everything to the flames, but their faith to overcome the crisis tells the die-hard attitude of locals.
Eom.Saravanan
Published Date: 26-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 25: IT was all over within a few minutes for Suresh, an acclaimed footballer from Vyasarpadi slums, when his settlement was ravaged in a fire accident a few days ago.
He had represented Nethaji Sports Club and Central Excise teams in several tournaments and won laurels. The fire licked everything including his house and now, Suresh and his four brothers even do not have another pair of dress to wear or a roof over their head.
(Nearly 40 huts and property worth a few lakhs were destroyed in a fire in Vyasarpadi in North Chennai on Monday.) "What can I do if an employer, before whom I gave an interview a few days ago, asks me to produce original certificates for confirming my job there?" wondered an inconsolable Suresh.
Not only Suresh but other aspiring footballers from the slum, groomed by the local Slum Children Sports Talent and Education Development Society (SCSTEDS), are in a state of shock. Their recently arrived stocks of 250 footballs, 125 pair of boots and colourful jerseys from Jalandhar turned into ashes in the mishap.
SCSTEDS's president N Umapathy, said if not for the fire mishap the aspiring footballers were dreaming of 'Vision 2014', a mission in which the slum-based club was aiming at sending at least one among them to represent India.Himself a club footballer, Umapathy was anguished at the way a large number of youngsters in his slum were taking to bad habits. Just to change their mindset he formed SCSTEDS in 2000.
What had begun as a move for attitudinal change soon evolved into a full passion and now, over 250 slum children, as young as seven-year-olds, attend daily coaching sessions. "Though we have lost everything, and the budding footballers are demoralised, we have not lost our hope and we will rise like a phoenix from ashes very soon," Umapathy said.
He also assured that his club's plan to organise a school-level football matches by July-end still stands.
Meanwhile, after a gap of two days, Umapathy arranged two new footballs and children started rolling it just to forget the pain of loss.
The slum children may lost everything to the flames, but their faith to overcome the crisis tells the die-hard attitude of locals.
Eom.Saravanan
Published Date: 24-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 23: FOUR days after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi shot off a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna seeking immediate intervention on the issue related to a ship on a mercy mission to Lanka - but anchored in international waters off Chennai Port for the past few days - there has been any progress on the ground.
On Friday last, soon after reports that MV Captain Ali was anchored off Chennai and waiting for a positive response from the Indian government for unloading the relief material since Colombo turned away the ship from its sea territory claiming that it was hired by the LTTE, hectic activities began in Tamil Nadu political circles.
Chief Minister Karunanidhi deputed his Higher Education Minister Ponmudy with a detailed letter to meet Krishna in New Delhi personally. Ponmudy met Krishna in Delhi on Friday evening and urged him to persuade Lanka to allow unloading of the relief materials sent by Tamils in Europe through the ship.
By late Friday, there were reports from New Delhi that Krishna had assured speedy action on TN request. Four days have gone now, but there is no forward movement in the matter.
According to a shipping agent, the ship was asked to move into deep sea on Monday, perhaps to keep the media at bay. Confirming the development, a senior official of Chennai Port Trust said: "We did not get any request from anyone including its local agents for any help and the ship is now in high seas."
Meanwhile, VCK chief and MP Thol Thirumavalavan criticised New Delhi's apathy towards the ship and condemned the Central government's indirect move to force the ship out of the Indian Ocean.
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 23: FOUR days after the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi shot off a letter to Union External Affairs Minister S M Krishna seeking immediate intervention on the issue related to a ship on a mercy mission to Lanka - but anchored in international waters off Chennai Port for the past few days - there has been any progress on the ground.
On Friday last, soon after reports that MV Captain Ali was anchored off Chennai and waiting for a positive response from the Indian government for unloading the relief material since Colombo turned away the ship from its sea territory claiming that it was hired by the LTTE, hectic activities began in Tamil Nadu political circles.
Chief Minister Karunanidhi deputed his Higher Education Minister Ponmudy with a detailed letter to meet Krishna in New Delhi personally. Ponmudy met Krishna in Delhi on Friday evening and urged him to persuade Lanka to allow unloading of the relief materials sent by Tamils in Europe through the ship.
By late Friday, there were reports from New Delhi that Krishna had assured speedy action on TN request. Four days have gone now, but there is no forward movement in the matter.
According to a shipping agent, the ship was asked to move into deep sea on Monday, perhaps to keep the media at bay. Confirming the development, a senior official of Chennai Port Trust said: "We did not get any request from anyone including its local agents for any help and the ship is now in high seas."
Meanwhile, VCK chief and MP Thol Thirumavalavan criticised New Delhi's apathy towards the ship and condemned the Central government's indirect move to force the ship out of the Indian Ocean.
Published Date: 20-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
Published Date: 20-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
Published Date: 20-June-2009
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
G Saravanan
Chennai, June 19: THE health condition of 13 crew members of the mercy mission ship, MV Captain Ali, anchored in the international waters outside Chennai, is fast deteriorating and two of them fell sick as the stock of fresh water in the ship went down to alarming levels.
According to Agni Subramaniam, executive director of Manitham and coordinator of things in the city for the ship, said, "Of the 13 crew in the ship, two people, one from Iceland and another from Syria, fell sick and they wanted to return to their country for treatment via Chennai."
Both the people who fell sick on board were members of ex-Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM). He also said that the freshwater reserve in the ship has gone down to alarming levels and if they were not given immediate supplies, there is a strong possibility that every one in the ship would fall sick.
A c c o rding to an emailed reply to Express from Vanni Mercy Mission headquarters in London, Arjunan Ethirveerasingam, co-ordinator of the mission, said that since Sri Lanka government refused to allow the ship to unload the relief materials (cargo) in Colombo, the ship is currently awaiting permission to unload the same in Chennai Port after due permission.
The ship is currently anchored at 18 nautical miles from Chennai coast (location GPS coordinates: 13 06n 80 19e) and awaiting permission from the Chennai Port authority to enter Chennai Port and discharge (unload) its humanitarian cargo for distribution to refugees living in the state. The ship with loads of relief materials gathered from different parts of the European nations set sail on May 7 from Fos-Sur- Mer, France, on the second leg of the "Mercy Mission to Vanni". Captain Ali is carrying approximately 884 metric
tons of food, medicine and other essential humanitarian relief items destined for the 330,000 Tamil civilians in the Vanni area of Northern Sri Lanka displaced by the war. The "Mercy Mission to Vanni" began the first leg of its journey from the Port of Ipswich, UK, on April 20.,
அன்று என் நண்பர்கள்
காதலித்த போது
நானும் காதலிக்கவில்லையே
என்று கவலைப்பட்டேன்.
காதலிக்கலாம் என்று
தோன்றியது காதலித்தேன்
சந்தோசப்பட்டேன்
காதல் சிறகடித்து
சிட்டுகளாய் பறந்தோம்
இன்றுதான்
நினைக்கிறேன் - நான்
அவசரப்பட்டுவிட்டேன்
என்று - நம்
பிரிவும் என்
காதலைப்போல்
அவசரப்பட்டு விட்டது...
அன்று காதலித்துப்பார்
உன்னைசுற்றி ஒளிவட்டம்
தோன்றும்............ தோன்றியது.
இன்று - என்னை
இருள் வட்டமிடுகின்றது.
காதலித்தால்
கவிதை வரும்......
கவிதை வருகிறது
என் காதலின்
சோககதை சுமந்து.......
இன்று - நீ
என்னை மறந்து
விடலாம் - நம்
காதல் கதைகளை
நாம்காதலித்த போது
நமக்கு குடை
பிடித்தஅந்த
மரங்கள்தான்
மறந்து விடுமா
இன்று என்னை
அரவணைக்கின்றன.....
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