A Toast to Hockey - It’s time to bully off!

a toast to

anglos in the wind SEPT – NOV ’09 7

Dear Friends,

As we all know, Hockey has been a truly Anglo-Indian sport, and for the last one hundred years or more, Anglo-Indians have excelled at the game, playing it at all levels, taking it to great heights as witnessed in the golden era of the Olympics (during 1928-1956 when India won six successive gold medals) and sealing for all time India’s stature in the game. Not only this, our players have also helped fashion the game in Australia, even representing their country of adoption on the world stage. Who can forget the 1960 Rome Olympics when Leslie Claudius of India (as captain) and Kevin Carton of Australia (as vice captain),

both Anglo-Indians, led opposing teams in the semi-finals?

To pay a signal tribute to these sterling ambassadors of our Community, Anglos In The Wind proposes to devote the March 2010 Issue to the men and women who have given their lives to the game, and whose contribution to field hockey have for the most part remained unsung. We therefore solicit our readers, especially those hockey enthusiasts, both players and admirers of the game, to send in their suggestions, articles, profiles (of players, coaches or patrons), archival material or anecdotes that would help highlight different facets of this Anglo-Indian touch to the game. As the exercise promises to be a challenging one, we have enlisted the services of Mr. Richard O’Connor (Madras), Mr. Noel Thomas (Vizag) and Mr. Keith Flory (Delhi) to help in the sifting, sorting and editing of content.

Anglos In The Wind also proposes to conduct an Anglo-Indian Hockey Tournament on the 8th and 9th of January 2010 in Chennai, and those Anglo-Indian teams (in India or abroad) wishing to take part in the competition may contact us at the address/contact details given below. We intend keeping the composition of at least two teams open for those  players from Australia, the UK, Canada, New Zealand or elsewhere who may come down to India during the Christmas/New Year season and would like to participate in the competition. Players shall be provided food and basic accommodation for the two days, and further, participating teams shall not be charged registration fees. Details of the tourney are being worked out, and the emerging schedules shall be published in the Christmas issue of AITW. Needless to say, the event shall be signed off with a Grand Hockey Ball (dinner-cumdance) on the 9th evening.

Both the tournament and the Hockey Special issue of Anglos In The Wind would naturally involve expenditure related to hiring of the stadium, boarding and lodging, medical facilities, prizes, mementoes, printing and publicity, etc. The Grand Hockey Ball

at the finale would also add to the bill, and AITW would gladly welcome sponsorships or advertisements from benefactors and well-wishers of the game so as to help us make this Toast to Anglo-Indian Hockey an affair to remember.

In Anglo-Indian fellowship…

 Anglos In The Wind

A-77, ‘Book Nook’, 3rd Avenue,

Anna Nagar East, Chennai – 600 102.

Phone: +91 44 4208 0058

E-mail: aitw@hotmail.com

The Hindu - Monday, Oct 12, 2009 - MADRAS MISCELLANY – A Hockey Revival by S. MUTHIAH

I was delighted to hear the other day that in an attempt to revive Anglo-Indian interest in hockey - once, the

community was the mainstay of the game in India - Harry MacLure, that livewire editor of that very readable

journal that reaches out to an international Anglo-Indian audience, Anglos in the Wind, is organising an

Anglo- Indian Hockey Tournament in Madras on January 9th and 10th. Anglo-Indian teams from all over

India and from Anglo-Indian communities in the U.K., Australia and North America are expected to

participate in it.

That bit of welcome news took me back to the heyday of Anglo-Indian hockey in Madras when it pushed

from its pedestal the Madras Cricket Club, the initiators of the game in the city some time before 1896 when

there is to be found the first recorded teams of the Club. In July 1901, the Club sponsored the first

tournament in South India. In 1911, the Club organised a tournament for schools - and this is what led to

Anglo-Indian hockey taking off. By 1920, when the MCC conducted the Madras Hockey Tournament, a

record 16 teams participated including the Anglo-Indian Sports Club (AISC), the M&SM Rifles, the YMCA

(Perambur), the Telegraphs Recreation Club, the Christ Church Men's Guild and the City Police, all

virtually 100 per cent Anglo-Indian teams.

From the mid-1920s till the mid-1950s, the Anglo-Indians dominated Madras hockey. A joint European-

Anglo-Indian team in 1925 had eight Anglo-Indian players: J. Francke in goal, A. Ealing and O. Xavier

halves, and E. Skipp, B. Lewins, N.S. Tremenheere, R. Nailer (better remembered for his cricket) and H.

Gardiner, all representing either the Anglo-Indian Sports Club or M&SM, except for Lewins who played for

Madras Medical College. It was the AISC that took the lead in campaigning for a Madras Hockey

Association when the Indian Hockey Federation was founded in 1925, but its efforts failed over the next few

years and it was those of others that led to the Association being founded in 1931. By that time, the

Telegraphs Recreation Club had begun to dominate Madras Hockey and was becoming a force to reckon

with on the national scene, with players like Francke, Blankley and Gilbert.

That was a time that many in Madras thought that players like Francke, Cullen, Blankley, Gilbert, Webber,

Richtor, Scanlon, Timms, Starr and Cleur, Anglo- Indians all, should have been in the running for All-India

berths. Cullen, in fact, was chosen for the team to the 1936 Olympics. He was an automatic choice for halfback

but played as centre half when Pinniger, described at the time as the “world’s greatest centre half”,

was unable to go to Berlin. Richtor at full-back and Cleur, a half back, did get berths in representative teams

but Starr of the M&SM never did. Sir Robert Denniston of Best’s, who for over forty years was associated

with Madras Hockey as player, outstanding umpire, administrator and writer, once said, “If Starr lived in any

other province other than Madras, (he) would have played for India.”

By the 1950s, Anglo-Indian participation in the game had virtually vanished though Jimmy Carr of the

Railways was on the fringe of All-India selection and, today, Adam Sinclair is.

Madras women’s hockey too in the 1930s and 1940s was dominated by Anglo-Indian players whose

Shamrocks and Sea Gulls were the outstanding teams. It would be great if Anglos In The Wind’s efforts

come January help revive the game in the community, whose numbers now appear to be stabilising after

the migratory rush of the 1950s-1970s.

 'India in the Park' is a key event as part of the National Multicultural Festival in Canberra.  The open air concert will be staged at the Glebe Park in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) on Saturday, 7 February 2009, the first day of a 10 day Festival.  'India in the Park' is co-hosted by the ACT Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) attached to the ACT Government and the High Commission of India for the benefit of members of the general community.  On the day, there will be widespread performances by other Multicultural Communities as well, as part of this Festival.  The celebrations will stretch from Garema Place along City Walk to Glebe Park.  There will be over 130 Multicultural food stalls with sale of wine and beer as well.

 The Anglo-Indian sector of the 10 hour programme will span for about 2^1/2 hours.  Artistes who have confirmed their participation are: Leading guitarist -Tommy Smith (Melbourne), the Man with the Golden Voice - Pat Thomas (Sydney), Foremost Saxophonist/Trumpeter and Keyboard - Craig Dickinson (Sydney), Star vocalist and ABC Radio songster - Alana Ray (Canberra), the lass with the enchanting voice - Lisa Jacob (Sydney) and more.  Admission is free to one and all.  Precise time (in the evening) will be confirmed later.  The A-I Association in Canberra will have special invited dignitaries to the A-I segment.  Every household in the ACT will receive notification by the OMA of 'India in the Park'. 

 Discounted hostel-like accommodation is available at the Canberra University Village, Belconnen for $55 per person per room with single bed.

Absolutely Amazing!!!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?
And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this....
101%
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?  What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions: If:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close,
and Attitude will get you there,
It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

It's up to you if you share this with your friends & loved ones

Bihar & Orissa Official Representative  Alfred George deRozario, Ex-MLA says :–

Every association must have a focused objective or mission.  The main concerns of our association are three fold.

A]        Our Culture And Language.

B]        The Education Of Our Children.

C]        The Welfare Of Our Senior Citizens.

It is through the association that we can preserve the culture of our community.  By not being involved in the association we are weakening our own cultural ties and togetherness.

IDENTITY :

We need our association in order to give ourselves an IDENTITY and a FEELING OF ONENESS.  Even if any of us feel we do not require an identity then that is our personal decision.

LOYALTY :

An important factor for any Association or Organisation to survive and to fulfill its objectives is Loyalty.  If we lack loyalty, our Association will not be able to project a strong and united community.

Another important factor is discipline.  We cannot have a successful Organisation without discipline.  Discipline cannot be enforced by rule of the iron fist.  It is something that comes from within one’s self and acceptance of rules to guide the Organisation.

An Association has to enforce discipline and members must have the inbuilt discipline of their own, after all, it is our Association and we make the Association.  We are responsible for its success or failure.

During the past year, 2004-05, our Branch of the Association has made tremendous progress in achieving it’s targets :

A}        Keeping the community together and projecting its oneness.

B}        Completing various activities outlined for the year.

The achievement of the goals of this branch has been so outstanding, of-course with the cooperation of the Office Bearers and you members of the Association, that it projected itself as a strong and vibrant one.  This was taken note of by The All-India Anglo-Indian Association at the AGM held in October 2004 at Delhi.  It did come as a great surprise that our branch was given due recognition among all other branches present there and we were awarded the Derozio Award for projecting the community.  To add to this achievement, the Review Star Award was presented to Mr. Rudolph Mawer of our branch for his regular contribution of articles to the Review.    This recognition brought profound joy to us at the big gathering and indeed it has positively encouraged us to continue to work relentlessly in future to keep up that image.  It was indeed a moment of pride in the History of our Branch Association.

Before presenting the award Mr. Barry O’Brien had this to say of the Danapur Br –

          The branch that hosts the best quiz, conducts quality debates and  successful painting competitions.  The only branch that has it’s own website – www.aiadanapur.org and circulates it’s own newsletter “OUR VOICE”.  The branch that gets the Anglo-Indians and the Anglo-Indian Association the maximum newspaper space by projecting the work done by Anglo-Indians and the Association.  The Danapur Branch is the winner of the inaugural Derozio Award for projecting the community.

Quote -  “O God of the Impossible,

              Where we no hope can see,

              Grant us the faith that still believes

              All possible through thee.”             Unquote

In other words it means “The impossible is Possible.”  In fact this prayer has given me confidence in all seemingly impossible situations.

Thank you.

 President of India DR. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam 's Speech in Hyderabad
 

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA
AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'


Why is the media here so negative?
Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so ma ny amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan , he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self-driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I
was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried a m ong other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? We want foreign T. Vs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology.

Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance? I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture,when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India . For her, you and I will have to build this developed India . You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation. Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance.

Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it?
Take a person on his way to Singapore . Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs. 60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU come back to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or
a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity... In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai . YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah . YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds ( Rs.650) a month to, 'see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else.'YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop,'Jaanta hai main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost.' YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and NewZealand .
Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo ? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston ??? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will t h row papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be thesame here in India ?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay , Mr.Tinaikar , had a point to make. 'Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place,' he said. 'And
then the same people turn around to criticize and blame theauthorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job.Same in Japan . Will the Indian citizen do that here?' He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility.
We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do e v erything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.
We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and  toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity.                                                                  
This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to          the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child! and others, we make loud drawing room
protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? 'It's the  whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my  sons' rights to a dowry.' So who's going to change the system?
What does a sy s tem consist of ? Very conveniently for us it consists of our           neighbours, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr.Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a  majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.  Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their  glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England . When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out            to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing J. F. Kennedy 's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

'ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA
AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY'

Lets do what India needs from us.

Thank you,

Dr. Abdul Kalaam