the club elite oar speak · blue beauty now sits snug in my garage; my clear favorite among the 8...

Oar speakBo at Cl u B Ne w s IN Ho u s e Ma g a z I N e | Ja N u a ry 2018

The

Club Elite

68

1416

18

PresidentMr. K.K. Arun Krishnan

Immediate Past PresidentMr. M.R. Ravindra

Captain of BoatsMr. James Joseph

Honorary SecretaryMr. Farid A. Husain

Honorary TreasurerMr. C.A. Theagarajan

MIC - House & New ProjectsMr. Pravin Aiana

MIC - Corporate Affairs & Employee RelationsMr. S.N. Eisenhower

MIC - SportsMr. S. Srinivasan

MIC - Bar & CateringMr. D. Krishnan

MIC - EntertainmentMr. S. Sriram

MBC Management Committee & Portfolios 2017- 19

President’s Note

A Vintage Ananth

May I Please, My Lord!

Grand Buffet

AkkaravadisalRecipe

Naresh Vassudhev

C. S. Ananth

K.K. ArunKrishnan

R. V. Rajan

Sridevi Balasubramanian

Publisher: Rays Publications Pvt. Ltd.

MADRAS BOAT CLUBNo. 2. 3rd Avenue, R.A. Puram, Chennai - 600 028

2435 3190 / 2435 4751/ 2433 [email protected]@[email protected]. Anban - 9840175947Farid A HusainKL Thadani, Sumana Narayanan,Manikandan N., Divya Reddy

Contact NosWebsite

General EmailChambers

Party BookingGeneral ManagerManaging Editor

Editorial Team

::::::::

Cover: The broken bridge at the Adyar Estuary

4 | Club ElitE | January 2018

January 2018 | Club ElitE | 5

Editor’s NoteDear Members,

In the last issue, we had appealed for your inputs to make the magazine a genuine house magazine. I am happy to say that there has been a good response and this new look Oarspeak carries some interesting articles from members.

Of course we could do with more and to this end we would urge you to send in anything you can share with your fellow members from your profession, work, hobbies or social life! Even good humour is welcome. Any information on rowing from anywhere would be great too. The only taboo would be politics or religion though showing places of worship as a cultural interest would be fine.

Your suggestions on the content to improve the magazine would be welcome. We will endeavour to provide you with as much advance information about Club events to come as possible to enable you to plan for them.

Looking forward to receiving loads of material and spotting the talent amongst the members!

You may even win a prize at the end of the year!

You may forward your matter to Sumana or the undersigned at [email protected]

Warm Regards,Ted Thadani

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be produced in the electronic, print or other media, in whole or part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However they can accept no responsibility for errors and omissions. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited material. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and the publisher cannot take responsibility for those.


President’s NoteDear Members,

Four months have gone by since this committee has taken over and therefore it is time to glance at the report card.

On the Rowing front, we congratulate Captain James Joseph and his team for winning the Millennium Trophy. At the ARAE-FEARA Regatta, MBC lost the Hoogly Cup by a solitary point. Congratulations Rohit and Siddharth for winning the Venables Bowl and to all other members of the Madras Boat Club team for a creditable performance.

The Club has acquired thirteen sleek racing craft, imported from Kanghua Boats. The response to avail of the opportunity for ‘Sponsored Naming of the Boats has been fair, with all single sculls having been taken.

The functioning of the Office and administration has been smooth, thanks to tireless efforts of the Hon. Secretary Farid Hussain. The assistance of the General Manager, s commendable.

Our finances are being admirably handled by the Hon. Treasurer C. A. Theagarajan, who spends long hours at the Club Office, despite the pressures of his professional schedule; observing due diligence on all financial transaction. The Club’s finances do require to be shored up to meet the expenditure which is planned in the forthcoming months and thereby satisfy the expectations of you, the members of the Club.

Bar and catering continue to enjoy your patronage. The MICBar and Catering D. Krishnan, must be commended for his efforts to satisfy the palettes of our discerning members. He is striving to upgrade the menu, facilities and general upkeep of his domain.

The legal affairs of the club are being ably handled by the MICCorporate Affairs and Legal Eisenhower Swaminathan.

The Swimming Pool, gymnasium, and chambers have their loyal following amongst our members. Kudos to MICSports and Chambers S. Srinivasan

for ensuring the upkeep of the facilities which are aging. Change rooms and showers need to be renovated and this need is being addressed by the MIC House in coordination with the MIC Sports.

Our MIC House Pravin Aiana has onerous task of renovating the Men’s Changing Rooms, the Showers and Toilets attached to the Swimming Pool, all the bathrooms of the chambers, the utilities and the Children’s Play Area. If this were not enough, all new facilities being planned in conformity to the guidelines of the Master Plan; come under his realm. We are fortunate to have a dedicated professional heading this portfolio.

MICEntertainment and EDP S. Sriram had organized well attended and equally well appreciated Diwali Night and Christmas Carols events. Congratulations to MBC’s Quiz team, headed by the MIC Entertainment for winning the Madras Gymkhana Club’s Inter Club Quiz tournament.

The News Year’s Eve party did draw adverse remarks for which I as President apologize and affirm that lessons have been learnt and that we the committee shall strive to live up to your expectations.

In order to know your views, we shall be holding an Open House on Sunday the 4th of February 2018 at 10 am. We look forward to your participation.The staff, stewards, bearers, and lascars of the club continue to be a source of strength to our institution. and their own welfare. Their dedication is acknowledged with thanks.

K. K. Arun Krishnan


S.No. EVENT MBC CREW PoSITIoN

1 Men's Scull - Macklin Trophy Philip James Silver

2 Men's Coxless Pair - Venables BowlRohit Ravindra/ Siddharth Sunil

Gold

3 Men's Coxed Fours - Willingon Trophy

Philip James/ Saketh Reddy/ Sharan Sanjay/ Darshan Choudhry/ Sanjay Gandhi (cox)

Silver

Rohit Ravindra/ Siddharth Sunil/ Siddharth Yadav/ Tushar Bansal/ Anirudh Sanjeev (cox)

Bronze

4 Women's Coxless Pair Adithi/ Sangavi Silver

5 Women's Coxed FoursRanjana/ Sumana/Sitara Husain/Charu Shila/ Anirudh Sanjeev (cox)

4th place

6 Under 15 Boys Single Scull Devanathan Silver

7 Under 15 Boys Double Scull Devanathan/ Jadon Moses Gold

8 Under 14 Boys Single Scull Jadon Moses Silver

9 FEARA Masters Women Single Scull Sumana Narayanan Gold

10 FEARA Masters Women Double Scull Kamini Mathai/ Vishnupriya Silver

11FEARA Super Masters Women Double Scull

Kamini Mathai/ Vishnupriya Silver

12FEARA Super Masters Men's Single Scull

G.V. Subba Rao Silver

13FEARA Super Masters Men's Coxless Pair

Siva Kumar Shankar/ KK Arun Krishnan

Silver

14FEARA Super Masters Men's Double Scull

Siva Kumar Shankar/ KK Arun Krishnan

Silver

15 FEARA Super Masters Men's Coxed Fours

Siva Kumar Shankar/ GV Subba Rao/ K Kalyansundaram/ S Karthik/ Sanjay Gandhi (cox)

Silver


Old is not gold - it’s priceless, especially if it’s got four

wheels, an engine and was made more than half a

century ago. This describes my passion. When I was

in college, I remember seeing a 1930 Austin Burnham

being driven every morning on the Raj Bhavan Road. I

dreamt of owning this beauty someday.

Fiat Rally car-part

of Ananth’s collection

Before my attention was drawn to these

oldies, I had no interest whatsoever in cars

of any kind. In my chemical engineering, I

had omitted chapters related to Automobile

engineering

While working for a multinational in

Bombay in the 1970s, the company asked

me to participate in the company car rally

and race team. I signed up on a whim and it

was my co-driver, Nagaraj, who introduced

me to the astonishing world of cars. It was

then I learnt all about cars, because I had no

choice.

But my singular passion had to wait a long

time until I retired as CEO from in the UCAL

Group in 2004. .By then we had moved to

our new spacious home in Neelankarai. My

son and I and my son began buying vintage

cars. But those were the days when for a few

thousands one could buy a beauty.

FORCED TO LEARN THE AUTOMOBILE

A Vintage

Ananth


A few decades after I had left college, I saw an ad for an Austin that was up for sale. I couldn’t believe it when I saw the car. It was the same Austin that I had seen during my college days. The owner was reluctant to sell to an unknown person. A few moments later, it turned out that his niece was the wife of a Round Tabler whom I knew. This blue beauty now sits snug in my garage; my clear favorite among the 8 vintage cars in my family collection. The 1930 Austin was really a silver anniversary gift to my 51% Rani.

COLLEGE LOVE

1930 Austin BurnhamWhere the romance began

The second car to join the collection was this 1928 Essex Super Six. This car was originally owned by one Ranganatha Mudaliar; a family well known those days in Purusawalkam. Later it was bought by the only German family then to have a radio shop in Chennai - the Schomburgs. I picked her up and had her restored to 100% original condition. Essex cars were considered the fast cars of the twenties and therefore were often used in American bank robberies.

ADDING TO THE HAREM1928 Super Six-A stunning show winner

By then the itch had begun. I was hungry for more. A few more cars were purchased. Notable among these is the 1936 Fiat 500. This car was once owned by a MBC member, Mr.Ajit Sokhi. It then passed to another collector and from there it was purchased by me. The car was a mere shell with a frozen engine and transmission. Most of the items like seats, glasses, headlamps, handles, and instruments were missing. When I went to see the car to buy it, I was greeted by a snake which was living inside!

She was painstakingly restored to perfection by my team. She has also been a show winner. Incidentally, this model of the Fiat was one of the first people’s cars to be made. She could accommodate a couple and two small kids. It was a frugal and low cost design car.

1936 Fiat 500-Topolino

10 | Club ElitE | January 2018 Club Pages Continues on Page no -14

Y e s t e r y e a r C a r s o f M a d r a sMadras like other major Indian cities had a beautiful collection of

historic cars. The most important were the Rolls Royce owned by the Late Dr. Rangachari and the Rolls Royce owned by the Vuputtur family (member of MBC).

There were 2 Buicks owned by late Mr. S.S. Vasan. There were Bentleys and Jaguars owned by the Late Ethiraj and a Cadillac owned by a Chettiar family. My

own grandfather had an 1925 Auburn. Chevrolet impalas were a favorite with cine actors. Late thespian Sivaji Ganesan’s Plymouth is still there with the family, albeit with a wrong heart - a diesel engine. AV Meiyappa Chettiar’s Vauxhall is still with the family. Unfortunately most of these priceless cars were scrapped, barring the

Vuputtur Rolls which is in Mumbai with a collector.

C.S.Ananth LA003

C.S.Ananth is a B. Tech in Chemical Engineering, an acclaimed automobile restorer and an international judge of historic cars. His company, TEAM CSA

is acclaimed to be one of the best restorers of Historic Vehicles in India. He is the first Indian to be co-opted as an advisor to the Legislation Commission of FIVA

(International Federation of Historic vehicles).

The jazziest car in the collection is the 1966 MGB. This was brought back by Arjun when he returned from USA. This is a British sports car of the sixties with disc brakes and twin carburetors. It is a very fast car, having covered Pondy to Mahabs in about 90 minutes. But the city of Chennai does not like this car because the speed breakers everywhere scrape the bottom of the car.

As mentioned earlier, cars in the late nineties and early 2000s were not expensive to buy. Hence buying a car was not an issue. But the restoration was an issue as there was and is a shortage of skilled workmen who understand and know to work on these cars. After retirement, I decided to form a team to restore some of the cars. It so happened that at that time I also became the founder President of the Madras Heritage Motoring Club. Winning prizes at the Madras Heritage Motoring Club catapulted me into the limelight and friends began to ask me to restore their cars. Soon enough, I launched my company, Team CSA and that was in 2007 January. In the past decade, Team CSA has restored close to 70 cars.

“ “1966 MGB-Sports car


Protagoras was a Greek Sophist who lived around 475 – 415 BCE. It was customary for philosophers to practice law in that era. Protagoras was highly respected for his keen legal sagacity. Many students of law aspired to study under him.

One such student was Euathlus. Euathlus aspired to be a lawyer and was steadfast in his goal of studying law under the tutelage of Protagoras. Euathlus was a brilliant student but could not afford to pay the fees that Protagoras would demand. Nevertheless, he muscled up some courage to approach Protagoras and attended the court when it was in session one day when Protagoras was present. He waited patiently for Protagoras to finish his arguments before the Honorable Judge and approached him with a stoic and humble demeanor.

“Sir”, he addressed Protagoras. “I am Euathlus, a student aspiring to study law under your able guidance and tutelage. Would you be pleased to take me under your tutelage? Here Sir. I beg to present my credentials.”

Protagoras, a middle-aged man with a big build, large forehead, grey curly hair, deeply set eyes, with a preoccupied air. He was usually attired in an off-white chiton over which was draped his peplos made from the finest quality linen with a million pleats fastened by a Golden Tack.

Taking the scroll from Eualthus with his left hand, he let it roll down and read with interest Euathlus’ academic achievements. His gaze then slowly fell upon Euathlus, a handsome young man of twenty-two, sharp nosed, square at the jaw, straight black hair flowing up to his shoulder, well built, sparkling blue eyes, wearing a white chiton with a simple but heavy himation draped over it passing under his left arm and secured at his right shoulder with a brass tack accentuating his biceps. He seemed a young lad with a keen sense and a sharp wit eager to receive the nod in confirmation.

Protagoras paused awhile, which to Euathlus was like a century, and then he said with in his baritone voice, “I will be delighted to take you under my tutelage but you will have to pay me

May I please, My Lord!

A series of articles on topics of current interest related to LAW.

My first article for the year is a story that dates back to 475 - 415 BCE and revolves around a very interesting problem in logic. This story is very popular in legal circles and has perplexed many a law student.

Protagoras Paradox


for my services”. Euathlus was keen. It was his desire that he wanted it fulfilled. He looked up at Protagoras with respect and humility and said, “I will Sir, but I have no means to pay you during the course of learning. I will of course pay you when I take up practice and win my first case”. To his utter surprise, Protagoras agreed. “That’s a fair deal. Let’s start early tomorrow”, said Protagoras. Thus started Euathlus tryst with Legis (law).

As expected Euathlus was a keen student. He completed his tutelage poste haste. Protagoras awaited his dues, which never came forth from Euathlus although quite some time had passed. Euathlus did not take up the practice of law, and every time Protagoras made his demands for his dues, Euathlus would push the date saying he has not taken up any cases yet. Protagoras was impatient and would not spare a drachma that should otherwise come his way. He decided to take the matter to court. Both Protagoras and Euathlus decided that they would argue their respective cases themselves.

The court convened and both Protagoras and Euathlus were present in the hall that was otherwise packed. Murmurs stopped and silence prevailed when the honorable judge took the presiding chair.

Protagoras, the Petitioner, stood first and proceeded to address the Judge who seemed quite amused by the case before him. “Protagoras a seasoned lawyer versus a lawyer who has never set foot in the courtroom? How will this go?” – he thought to himself.

Protagoras was already standing with his hands gripping his chiton rearing to go. “May I please, My Lord” he began. The judge nodded in confirmation. Euathlus was seated listening with focused attention.

“My Lord”, Protagoras roared, “If I win this case as per the court of law, Euathlus has to pay me his dues. And if I should lose, My Lord, Euathlus would win his first case, thereby making it imminent that he pays. So, either way Euathlus will have to pay me My Lord. I rest my case”.

The echo faded, the din of voices subsided. People shuffled and the Judge leaned forward with a wry smile in appreciation of the brilliance of the lawyer practicing in his court. “That was truly an open and shut case”, he pondered. By now Euathlus was already up. He stood facing the judge. His hands gripping his himation lightly without disturbing its pleats. There was an eerie silence. It was not expected that Euathlus would stand to make his counter. In fact, as soon as Protagoras finished his submissions even the Judge thought that the case was closed in his favour. Such was the equity that Protagoras commanded.

Then with deliberation, poise, and grandeur unheard in that court thus far, Euathlus said, “My Lord, If I win this case as per the court of law, I do not have to pay my respectful teacher Protagoras. And If I should lose, My Lord, I would not have won my first case and hence will not be liable to pay Protagoras. So, either way I do not have to pay Protagoras My Lord. I rest my case”.

The judge was so dazed that he forgot to bring his wooden mallet down on his table while signaling that the case stood adjourned for orders, which until today is still being debated in all Law Schools.

I leave you with this Paradox until the next issue where I will discuss with you on a topic of current interest.

Best wishes for a wonderful 2018.

Naresh VassudhevRN 003

After retiring from the corporate world, Naresh is practicing as an Advocate in Chennai


I recently saw an advertisement for a `Grand Buffet Lunch` with over 100 mouth watering dishes from a 4-star hotel and another news item in the Times of India which talked about how `Grand Buffet Meal Deals` by hotels are contributing to wastage of food. It set me thinking.

Do you know that the Grand Buffet Lunches, offered on Sundays, at an irresistible low price by many Star Hotels consist of left over items of the week before? These are pulled out from the deep freezer, reheated, or served cold depending on the dish. This secret was revealed to me by the General Manager of a star hotel in Pune, whose advertising business I was handling. He also told me that whatever was left over after the Grand Buffet Lunch was consigned to the waste bin. I understand that this practice still persists in many hotels.

Even the mind boggling number of dishes in an abundant `all-you-can-eat` buffet served by hotels on special occasions or at Society weddings contribute substantially to the wastage of food. According to the TOI report, “..the guests ate less than half of the food put out on such occasions. Besides stringent Food Safety regulations allow only 10 to 15% of the leftover food to be donated or repurposed resulting in wastage of food. The sizeable waste generated by coffee, juices and other liquids add to the conundrum”.

A few weeks ago I was at a wedding in the family of a well-known businessman. The ‘Who`s Who’ of Chennai were in attendance. The buffet dinner consisted of over 75 items classified into North Indian, South Indian , Chinese and Continental besides separate counters for chaats and salads. The dessert section alone featured 14 varieties. It was mind boggling. The very sight of such a variety filled up my stomach. Though there were a few youngsters and gluttons in the crowd who were having a field day, my own guess is that most of the guests would not have picked up more than 15 items.

Gr

a n d B u f fe

t


Gr

a n d

In some of the typical South Indian weddings where `Elai Sappadu` (meals served on banana leaves) is served, I find the habit of serving items even before the guests are seated abhorrent. Apart from the food becoming cold, it does not give the guest an opportunity to refuse items which he doesn't like. Resulting in a huge quantity of leftover food on the banana leaf at the end of every `Pandhi`. What a waste of food in a country where millions still don`t

get one square meal a day; not to mention the steep environmental price. Think about all the

resources used (water, energy, etc) to grow, harvest, cook, transport, and store food.

A solution to this problem has been attempted by a community in North

India. They have banned their community members from serving more than a certain number of items at weddings and other festive occasions. Those who break the rule are punished. I am told in Germany, guests who order more than what they need in restaurants and waste food are penalized.

Will it help if the government introduces a law restricting people from serving more than a certain number of items at marriages? More than any law what will work is self-discipline. I remember a well-known educationist who served only

a tasty biryani with a side dish and a dessert for dinner at the wedding

reception of his daughter.

At a personal level, I do not take more than what I can eat on my plate. I believe

wasting food at home or on social occasions is criminal!

R.V.Rajan (LR-33)

R.V. Rajan is a Veteran Adman & Rural Marketing specialist who has

turned writer/author post retirement. Apart from being a columnist and blogger, he

has published 8 books in 8 years.

B u f fe

t

Andal was a God’s child, adopted by and brought up in a priest’s home. Once she was of a marriageable age, well obviously there was pressure on her to get married. She, however, was

adamant that if she was to marry, it would only be to the Lord Vishnu. So she started her penance and wrote hymns and praises in the name of Lord Vishnu. During the month of Marghazi

(December 15 to Jan 14) she sang, each day, a Thiruvapavai and on the 27th day, two days before her divine union with Lord Vishnu, she cooked this dish called Akkaravadisal and offered it to god.

Akkaravadisal Akkaravadisal is a sweet dish served as prasadam at Vishnu temples.

The dish is said to have been invented by the saint Andal.

Method

1. Clean the rice and moong dal and dry roast them in a tava. In a heavy bottom vessel add milk and 1 cup water and bring it to boil.

2. While this is boiling, slowly add the dry roasted rice and dal and stir continuously. If you prefer, you can, pressure cook it so that is soft and mushy.

3. Meanwhile remove impurities from the jaggery and make it into a thick syrup.

4. Mix the cooked rice and dal into the jaggery syrup, add salt and let it thicken.5. Heat the ghee and add the chopped mixed nuts. Crush the cardamom.6. Pour ghee with nuts, cardamom to the rice and give it a good stir. 7. Switch off the gas, add edible camphor and saffron diluted in milk. 8. Akkaravadisal is ready for serving.

A finance professional who moonlights as a chef. Her forte is South Indian cuisine. She conducts food festivals in top hotels in the country, trains chefs in authentic South Indian food, hosts a food show on Pudhuyugam TV. Visit her FB page Shribala's Kitchen, or catch her on Instagram @shri_bala or Twitter @_shribala

Ingredients

1. Raw Rice 1 cup2. Moong dal - 1/4 cup3. Full Cream Milk - 3 cups4. Jaggery - 1 cup - if normal 3/4 cup if pakku jaggery5. Desi Ghee - 1/2 cup6. Cashew - 10 nos7. Badam - 5nos, raisins optional 8. Elachi - 2 pods9. Edible Camphor - 1 pinch (very essential)10. Salt pinch11. Saffron - few strands

Sridevi Balasubramanian PUC 559

Shri Bala’s Kitchen


the club elite oar speak · blue beauty now sits snug in my garage; my clear favorite among the 8...

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