Our Readers Write

Keep at it, MMM

This is with reference to your article in Madras Musings, November 16th titled On bed. As a septuagenarian I would like to put in a few words.

Many of us above 60 go through Youtube videos only at night and mostly when in bed.So it is only natural to doze off after a while.

This is a natural process. If you notice the hundreds of Youtube videos trying to induce sleep they rely on sound therapy like chanting, sound of waves, rain falling on lakes and so on.

I listen to upanyasams on Ramayana and Mahabharata by eminent scholars. I used to fall asleep midway and I felt guilty about it. I cleared my doubts with a well known upanyasakar Sri Dushyanth Sridar.

He reassured me saying at least the first half would have been assimilated by my brain and the latter half would envelope the room with good vibrations.

To reassure me, he further stated that even during his discourses he can see people nodding off towards the latter half.

So please do not make any change in your present format. Making it Short and Snappy would lessen the content. We regulars now feel we are gaining some knowledge from your well researched and interesting videos. Since falling asleep is beyond our control we promise to see the latter half the next day or night.

Prema Raman
88 Harrington Road
Chetput, Chennai 600 031

Railway Museum – the reality

This is with reference to your article in Madras Musings, October 16th titled The Chennai Rail Museum at ICF.

I need to let the public know that the high expectations with which we take our children and grand children are not met in the way the museum is maintained currently.

I was there with my grand children a few weeks back.

I am aghast at the maintenance of the engines and the coaches. If you are not careful, the kids can fall down through the floors of engines and the steel sheets which are jutting out can harm our children.

The working model complex is not working. The engine model does not exist and it has been taken for repair I was told. In fact this is one of the most exciting features for the children and that it is not in operation is a sad state of affairs and this is not told to the public as we enter the museum.

The toy train which is another highlight is operated only once instead of the two trips earlier. The parks are well maintained and the children enjoy.

The steps and the floors of the engine models need to be set right, so that children do not fall down through the holes.

During my visit I was concerned about the safety of our children, who visit the Museum.

I would want a response from the management on the issues raised, and I would be glad to talk to Hansel to explain these issues. It is clear that there is a lack of checking on the part of ICF.

Suresh Kumar
giftsuresh53@gmail.com

The Corporation Stadium

This is just to write in appreciation of your column on “the forgotten corporation stadium” in the latest issue of Musings. It may be forgotten for others but certainly not for me and it brought back a lot of memories. For one thing the first test match I saw was at the venue in January 1961.

Thereafter I saw every Test till 1965 after which the venue for Tests was shifted to Chepauk. Then from 1968 for over a quarter of a century, I covered a lot of football for the newspapers I worked with, besides the Rene Frank International Hockey Tournament, the brainchild of MAM Ramaswami in Dec 75 – Jan 76, the Nehru Gold Cup football tournament in January 1993 after the old stadium gave way to the new and the opening ceremony of the SAF Games in December 1995.

I notice you have also been kind enough to quote me on Nadkarni’s feat at the venue. The one little error that has crept in is that it wasn’t the 1961-62 Test (which India won to notch up her first series win over England) but the Test against the same opponents two years later when Nadkarni sent down 21 successive maidens (not just maidens) on his way to mesmeric figures of 32-27-5-0. That was the match in which Barrington and Bolus bored the spectators to death. Just for the record.

Partab Ramchand
partabramchand@yahoo.com

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