Ice princess is hot – but why the cold shoulder from the ministry?

Malaysia’s little ice princess is on a hot streak in eastern Europe. Sadly, the reception at home has been cool, even icy.

Sree Abiraame, the nine-year-old Malaysian girl making waves in figure skating on ice, has just taken part in competitions in Lithuania and Estonia, both countries with plenty of snow.

And she has wowed the locals, finishing second in her first international meet – the Narva Cup in Estonia on Oct 30-31 – and third in the Tomas Cup in Lithuania on Nov 13.

Then came the icing on the cake – she was the champion in the Tallinn Trophy in Estonia on Nov 21. She came out tops despite a fall after she slipped. That goes to show how good the rest of her performance was.

It’s no mean feat. All three competitions involved local athletes who have pretty much-seen ice outside their homes all their lives – and all are being groomed for bigger things.

It’s even more impressive considering that, only in August, Sree Abiraame, who is training in Latvia, and her mother were both down with Covid-19.

It takes a special kind of steel to bounce back and achieve what she did – and while there is much ado about her success in news portals and social media, there is a deafening silence from where it matters most.

 What has the youth and sport ministry have to say about her success? Where is the applause from the government?

Why the silence? There seems to be little or no appreciation of this Malaysian “Cool Runner”.

Instead of people rushing forward with accolades, there have been snide remarks.

According to her father B Chendran Balakrishnan, there have been those who have brushed off these two Cub tournaments in eastern Europe as “small tournaments” and Sree Abiraame as “too young” to be groomed for the big time.

That’s certainly not true. It is tournaments like these that can get them going. And there is no such thing as being too young. Girls competing against her have been training since they were very young, alongside top skaters and some great coaches.

The Malaysian girl, who will turn 10 on Dec 19, has set her eyes on the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in South Korea and then the 2026 Winter Olympics in the Italian cities of Milan and Cortina.

She could be our own Tara Lipinski, the 1998 winter Olympics champion and 1997 world champion figure skater. Lipinski started out as a child prodigy when she was just three – and went on to make a huge mark in the world of ice skating.

Sree Abiraame also started when she was three, albeit as a tot who loved to be on the rink at the IOI City Mall in Putrajaya. But she got to where she is with far less than her peers, in terms of outings on ice, top-class rivals, coaches – and even money.

FMT first brought up her plight in December last year – her father had dipped into his EPF savings and sold a house and a car to pay for her training. FMT readers and many on social media came to the family’s aid and the money was raised to keep her going.

Even the then sports minister, Reezal Merican Naina Merican, had promised to look into the family’s plight.

However, with the upheavals in the political scene, he is now a housing and local government minister and we have a new sports minister in Ahmad Faizal Azumu. The help, though, has not been forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the little princess is fast becoming a Cinderella after midnight. The money her father raised from supportive Malaysians is dwindling.

“She had to wear the same vest and outfit for all three competitions while others had new ones for each,” says Chendren, saying it was too expensive to get new outfits each time.

Still, they need to get new outfits because the old ones become loose and are not conducive for tournaments after a few competitions.

Travelling from country to country and hotel charges for Sree Abiraame, her parents and her coach are also eating into their funds.

Even before the Tomas Cup, she had to get out of the country to train: children under 12 were not allowed to enter ice rinks in Latvia because of Covid-19 restrictions. They also had 8pm-5am curfews.

“We had to travel to Estonia to train and stayed there until Nov 11 before coming back to Riga in Latvia for a day and then travel to Lithuania for the competition. It was amazing that she still finished third,” said the father.

He is hoping that the sports ministry will have another look at his daughter’s case now that she has proven herself by getting on the podium on all three international competitions that she has featured in.

He hopes that even if the government does not help, some multi-national companies could help sponsor his child. “If we can get a few such MNCs to help, no one party has to come up with a huge sum,” he said.

Who knows, those MNCs could get their day at the Olympics, with their brands on the outfit of the little girl.

After all, that frail-looking lass, who wore the same green outfit in all the three tournaments in east Europe, has the heart of a Hulk.

 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.

Source:https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2021/11/30/ice-princess-is-hot-but-why-the-cold-shoulder-from-the-ministry/

Maszlee wants society to share teachers' success stories

Education Minister Maszlee Malik wants society to share stories of the successes of teachers they know to inspire other educators.

Referring to the character of a firm headmistress Geeta Rani (above) in the Tamil film Raatchasi (female demon) from India, he believed there were many Geeta Rani in the country.

“We want to give our appreciation to these superheroines. There are many more of these unsung heroes. We urge parents or students who know of a great principal, headmasters or teachers to share about them with the Education Ministry,” he said.

He said this after attending a special screening of Raatchasi together with the publisher and director of the film at a shopping complex in Puchong today. The screening was also attended by over 100 teachers, headmasters and district education officers in the Klang Valley.

Raatchasi, directed by S Gowthamraj is about a firm and brave headmistress. The character Geeta Rani played by actress Jyotika faces a myriad of challenges in bringing changes at a weak school with lazy teachers.

Her firmness eventually brought success when all the pupils performed excellently in sports and important examinations with the aid of teachers, parents and the local community.

Maszlee said the aspiration of Geeta Rani could be applied in the national education scenario such as turning a school not only into a medium to educate but also as something belonging to society and returning it to society.

“Similarly too, we saw Geeta eating together with her pupils. I also encourage our teachers to do this, especially when we will be starting the free breakfast programme for pupils from next year,” he said.

Earlier, the Raatchasi film production from India was reported to have expressed their appreciation to Maszlee over his support for the film.

The company addressed a two-page letter to Maszlee, who praised the storyline in the film in the effort to develop the national education system.

In fact, Jyotika also expressed her appreciation to Maszlee through her husband’s Twitter account.

Source - Bernama

Maszlee sees Tamil film 'Raatchasi' as interpreting his aspirations

Education Minister Maszlee Malik describes the Tamil film Raatchasi as having portrayed the policies and changes that were being made for implementation in the country's education.

He said the film had interpreted his aspirations, which included the Free Breakfast Programme initiative to see the teachers being able to sit down and have meals with the students.

Maszlee said the film had an extraordinary storyline and proper character played by the main actress, Jyothika.

“Unlike watching the film as the education minister, I reflected every chapter to the situation in our country.

“Geetha Rani plays the character of a great superhero. She proves to us that major changes are not something impossible,” Maszlee said on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram entries yesterday, after watching the film with his officers a day earlier.

Raatchasi, directed by Sy Gowthamraj, shows Jyothika going through the challenges of being a stern headmistress wanting to improve the situation at the dilapidated school run by the government.

Maszlee said the film touched on student failures where the character Geetha had succeeded in getting everyone involved in resolving the issue on student failures, including the police.

“This is what we are trying to do. We want to ensure that enforcement is being carried out on all angles so that there will no longer be any more student failures,” he said.

He also shared the character of Geetha meeting all the parents and forming a Parents and Community Association to ensure that parents were actively involved in their children's education.

Maszlee said making education a collective vision of everyone was his biggest aspiration as he was confident that education was capable of becoming the objective of the local community. In fact, education would improve their living standards.

He also called on everyone, including all teachers, parents and students, to watch the film.

Lately, the film went viral among social media users, especially Malay netizens, because they were attracted to the storyline.

Source- Bernama

An open letter to my fans - from Lee Chong Wei

To all my family, friends and fans. To every one of you who have been a part of my life, thank you. A real big sincere thank you.

Months ago, all of you knew I had cancer. I fought it. And I thought I fought it well. I thought I could try one more time.

I am just someone who loves to play badminton. Someone who loves my country. I feared of retiring with regrets. 

I was scared of not delivering that elusive Olympic gold for Malaysia. So when I was cleared of cancer, I took up my racquet and trained once again.

After a few days of light training, I wanted to get clearance from my doctor to heighten my training intensity, then I was dealt a major blow. 

From that scan, the doctor shook his head and said I might face the risk of recurrence if I continue to train. Mew Choo crumbled crying. She feared I might be stubborn and continue to pursue my dream.

I was at a loss. I thought “How am I supposed to hang up my racket after nearly twenty years of competitive badminton?

“How about my Olympic dreams?”

At home, I kept myself occupied with my two sons, Kingston and Terrence. I bathed them, I fed them, I taught them badminton. I spent time with them. Most importantly, I really watched them grew up.

Then it struck me to finally make up my mind. 

I shouldn’t be so selfish. I have played for myself, I have played for my country. This time, I want to play the role of a father, for a long long time. 

I want to see them grow up to be proper men, to get married, to have kids. I want to take care of my wife when she is old too.

So yes, I have made my decision to quit. 

I’m sorry that I couldn’t make it to Tokyo this time around. And I’m sorry I didn’t deliver an Olympic gold. But I know I’ve no regrets as I’ve tried my best. My very best.

I hope my name Lee Chong Wei has inspired you all one way or another, same like the way you guys inspired me. Without my family, my teammates, my coaches, and my supporters, I won’t achieve anything.

To my fellow badminton players like Lin Dan, Taufik Hidayat, Peter Gade Christensen and Lee Hyun-Il. Yup, my time is up. Thank you for the great battles we had. 

As amazing as it is, I think our era should be coming to an end now. Kento Momota, Viktor Axelsen, Shi Yuqi and Lee Zii Jia, do hold the fort well. Make the world realise badminton is the best sport on earth.

To fellow Malaysian shuttlers, don’t give up the dream. Please remember there are actually thousands of Malaysians praying for your success. 

Train harder every day. Always beat yesterday’s training records. 

Also, a sportsman's life is short. Don’t end with regrets. 

There is actually a young five-year-old Ali, Muthu or Ah Meng idolising you, making you their Malaysian superhero. Don’t disappoint them. Play for the flag, play for Negaraku.

I had no regrets. When I started playing badminton, all I wanted to do was to represent Malaysia. And I believed I did it with pride and honour.

Well. I’m done. Thank you very much to all of you.

Lee Chong Wei signing out.

Source: This open letter was first published on his Facebook page

PM Modi stuns opposition with 'massive' election win

Prime Minister Narendra Modi swept to a huge election victory on Thursday, on course to increase his majority and give his party the mandate to pursue business-friendly policies that put Hindus first and take a hard line on national security. 

Official data from the Election Commission showed Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead in 298 of the 542 seats available, up from the 282 it won in 2014 and more than the 272 seats needed for a majority in the Lok Sabha.

That would give it the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. The main opposition Congress Party was ahead in 52 seats, figures showed.

Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, a senior BJP leader, said on Twitter the BJP had won a “massive victory”, while Amarinder Singh, a senior Congress leader, said the party had “lost the battle” for power.

India’s allies, including Sri Lanka and Israel, congratulated Modi. 

The mood was upbeat at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, with party workers setting off firecrackers and cheering as TV channels reported the margin of victory.

“It’s a huge mandate for positive politics and the policies of Narendra Modi,” said GVL Narasimha Rao, a BJP spokesman. “It’s a huge win for India. We are humbled by the magnificence of this victory.”

Congress leaders were sombre. 

“It’s not in our favour at all,” said Salman Soz, a Congress spokesman. “We need to wait for the full results, but right now it doesn’t look good.”

The NDA’s predicted margin of victory, at 348 seats to 85 for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, according to TV channel NDTV, is much larger than surveys indicated in the run-up to the vote, when most polls showed it would be the largest alliance, but would fall short of an overall majority. 

Final results are due by Thursday evening. 

Security swing

Modi was under pressure when he began campaigning, losing three state elections in December amid rising anger over farm prices and unemployment. 

However, campaigning shifted towards India’s relationship with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan after a suicide car bomb killed 40 Indian police in the contested Kashmir region in February, to the benefit of the right-wing BJP, analysts said.

Members of his party now want him to take a harder line on national security, as well as build a controversial temple on the site of a mosque that was demolished by a Hindu mob in Ayodhya in 1992.

“I want Modi to finish terrorism from Kashmir (and) make Pakistan bite the dust again and again,” Shekhar Chahal, a BJP worker from New Delhi said on Thursday. “I am confident Modi will also make the temple in Ayodhya.”

Long-time foe Pakistan has signalled a willingness to open peace talks with India, but in a possible warning, it announced that it has conducted a training launch of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile, which it said is capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons at a range of up to 1,500 miles.

The BJP has also capitalised on the star power of Modi, a frenetic campaigner, as well as superior financial resources. 

It outspent Congress by six times on Facebook and Google advertising, data showed, and by as much as 20 times overall, sources told Reuters this month.

The poor showing from Congress, which has failed to make inroads against Modi despite widespread voter dissatisfaction, will lead to questions over the leadership of Rahul Gandhi (above), a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty whose father, grandmother and great grandfather all served as prime minister.

Gandhi trailed the BJP candidate in the Amethi constituency that his family has held almost continuously for the last four decades.

“The Congress party has not been able to improve at all,” said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi.

“One big story is the emerging challenge for the Congress to remain a national alternative to the BJP. That now is under question.” 

Battle of Bengal

The BJP performed strongly in several states where it has previously struggled, including in West Bengal, where it targeted the Trinamool Congress, a powerful regional party in campaigning that often turned violent.

The BJP was leading in 17 of 42 seats in the state, which sends the third largest number of lawmakers to parliament, significantly better than the two it won in 2014, Election Commission data showed.

“The party is heading for a stunning victory in West Bengal,” said Jayprakash Majumdar, a BJP vice president in the state. 

Indian stocks surged to historic highs as Modi headed for victory. The broad Nifty index rose as much as 2 percent, continuing a strong run after exit polls showing a Modi victory were released on Sunday.

The rupee headed towards 69.20 to the dollar, up from the 69.67 close on Wednesday, while the yield on the 10-year bond dropped 3 bps to 7.23 percent.

“For global investors, political stability and continuity is an important factor while taking a view on investing in any country,” said R Sivakumar, head of fixed income at Axis Mutual Fund in Mumbai. “This will keep India on the radar of global equity investors.” 

Source - Reuters

பதினெட்டாம்படி கருப்பசாமி வரலாறு

மதுரை அழகர் கோவிலை காவல் காத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் மிக சக்தி வாய்ந்த தெய்வமாக இங்கு வீற்றிருப்பது 18ம்படி கருப்பண்ணசாமி கோவில் . இப்பகுதியை சேர்ந்த மக்கள் இந்த கருப்பசாமி மேல் மிகுந்த பக்தி கொண்டு மிகவும் பயபக்தியுடன் வணங்கி வருகின்றனர். அநியாயங்கள் செய்தால் கருப்பசாமி கேட்பார் என இந்த கருப்பசாமிக்கு பயமும் பக்தியும் அதிகம்.

கோவில் வரலாறு: வளம் மிக்க கேரள தேசத்தை ஆட்சி செய்து வந்த அரசன் ஒருவன் ,ஒருமுறை பாண்டிய நாட்டில் உள்ள திருமாலிருஞ்சோலை என்னும் திவ்விய தேசமான அழகர்கோவில் வந்தான் பள்ளிகொண்ட ,அழகே உருவான கள்ளழகரை தரிசித்தான் . அழகரின் அழகை கண்ட அந்த அரசன் அதை உருவேற்றி சக்தியேற்றி தம் தேசமான கேரளாவுக்கு கொண்டு செல்ல திட்டம் தீட்டினான் . நாடு திரும்பிய அரசன் ,மந்திர ,தந்திரங்களில் நன்கு தேர்ச்சி பெற்ற 18 கேரள மந்திரவாதிகளை தேர்வு செய்து அழகரின் சக்தியை எடுத்து அழகரை கேரளம் தூக்கி வரும்படி கட்டளையிட்டான்.

பதினெட்டு மந்திரவாதிகளும் மன்னனின் கட்டளையை நிறைவேற்ற அழகர்மலை வருவதற்கு ஆயத்தமானார்கள் . பதினெட்டு மந்திரவாதிகளுக்கு காவலாக மலையாள தேசத்தின் காவல் தெய்வமான கருப்பும் வெள்ளை குதிரை மீதேறி அவர்கள் முன்னே சென்றது. காவல் தெய்வத்தின் பின்னே இவர்கள் அழகர்மலை நோக்கி புறப்பட்டனர்.

அனைவரும் அழகர் மலையை அடைந்தனர். அழகர் மலையை அடைந்த காவல் தெய்வம் ,அழகரின் அழகில் மயங்கி தன்னை மறந்து நின்றது . அழகரின் அழகிய தங்க ஆபரணங்களை கண்ட 18 மந்திரவாதிகளும் தன்னுடன் வந்த காவல் தெய்வத்தை மறந்து ,ஆபரணங்களையும் அழகரையும் தூக்கி செல்லும் எண்ணம் கொண்டு கருவறை நோக்கி சென்றனர்.

இவர்களின் கெட்ட நோக்கத்தை கண்ட அடியார் ஒருவர் ,ஊரில் உள்ள மக்களிடம் சொல்ல ,மக்கள் அனைவரும் திரண்டு வந்து ,அந்த 18 பேரையும் கொன்று ,களிமண்ணால் படிகள் செய்து ,படிக்கு ஒருவராக பதினெட்டு படிகளிலும் பதினெட்டு பேரையும் புதைத்தனர் .

தன்னிடம் மயங்கி நின்ற காவல் தெய்வத்திற்கு கருணை புரிய இறைவன் கருணை கொண்டார் . காவல் தெய்வம் கருப்பசாமிக்கு காட்சி தந்து, அருள் புரிந்து ,வரம் தந்து ,"என்னையும் மலையையும் காவல் புரிந்து வருவாய் என அருள் புரிந்தார் ".காவல் தெய்வமான கருப்பசாமி இம்மலையில் தங்கி இருந்து அழகர் மலையை இன்று வரை காத்து வருவதாக நம்பிக்கை உள்ளது.

காடு வீடெல்லாம் முன்னோடியாய் காவல் புரிந்து மக்களை காப்பாய் என இறைவன் கட்டளையிட்டார் . 18 பேருடன் வந்த தெய்வமாதலால் ,பதினெட்டு படிகளின் மீது நின்று காவல் தெய்வமாய் காட்சி தந்தார் . ஒருநாள் கோவில் பட்டர் கனவில் தோன்றிய கருப்பசாமி ,திருமால் பள்ளிகொண்ட திருவாயிலையும் மலையையும் காப்பேன் ,திருமாலின் அர்த்த ஜாம பூஜை பிரசாதங்களை தனக்கு படைக்குமாறு வேண்ட அன்று முதல் அழகருக்கு படைக்கப்படும் அர்த்த ஜாம பூஜை பிரசாதங்கள் பதினெட்டாம் படி கருப்பசாமிக்கு படைக்கப் படுகிறது .

ஒருசமயம் பெரியாழ்வாருடன் இத்தலத்திற்கு விஜயம் செய்த ஆண்டாள் பதினெட்டு படிகளை கண்டு வியந்ததாக கர்ண பரம்பரை செய்தியாக கூறப்படும் கதை தெரிவிக்கிறது. ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் அழகர்மலை கோவில் பூட்டபட்டதும் ,கதவின் சாவி பதினெட்டாம் படி கருப்பசாமியின் முன்பு வைத்துவிட்டு செல்வர். மறுநாள் காலை கோவில் திறக்கும் முன் ,பட்டர் கருப்பசாமியிடம் பெற்று கதவை திறக்கும் சம்பிரதாயம் இன்று வரை நடைபெற்று வருகிறது .

சித்திரை திருவிழாவிற்கு அழகர் ,மதுரைக்கு புறப்படும்போதும் ,மதுரையிலிருந்து கோவிலுக்கு திரும்பும்போதும் அழகர் அணிந்த நகைகள் எண்ணப்பட்டு ,அந்த பட்டியல் பதினெட்டாம் படி கருப்பசாமி முன்பு படித்து காட்டப்படும் .கோவில் நகைகளை காவல் தெய்வம் கருப்பசாமியே பாதுகாத்து வருகிறார் என்பது பல காலமாக தொடர்ந்து வரும் நம்பிக்கை.

இன்று வரை இந்த நடைமுறை வழக்கத்தில் உள்ளது . கள்ளழகருக்கு காவல் புரியும் கருப்பணசாமியை மக்கள் தங்கள் குல தெய்வமாக கொண்டு வழிபட்டு வருகின்றனர் .இன்றும் பதினெட்டாம் படி கருப்பசாமி முன் பல வழக்குகள் தீர்க்கப்பட்டு வருகின்றன. கருப்பசாமியிடம் முறையிட்டால் நிச்சயம் நியாயம் கிடைக்கும் என்பது மக்கள் கொண்டுள்ள அசைக்க முடியாத நம்பிக்கை.

அழகர் கோவிலில் காவல் தெய்வமாக நின்ற கருப்பசாமி ,பின்னாளில் மதுரையை ஆண்ட பாண்டிய மன்னர்களுக்கு காவல் தெய்வமாக இருந்து வந்தார்.

Downed Indian pilot is a hit on Indian social media

A downed Indian fighter pilot, who was attacked by a mob and then paraded on video by Pakistan's army, has become a social media sensation and a hero in his homeland amid a spiralling crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

With Pakistani villagers and soldiers filming his capture and captivity on Wednesday in clips that have since gone viral on social media, the pilot, identified by Islamabad as Indian Wing Commander Abhi Nandan, has fast emerged as the human face of the dangerous flare-up between the arch-foes.

India has not confirmed the pilot's identity. Indian media have given his name as Abhinandan Varthaman.

The pilot and the Indian Air Force (IAF) are at the heart of the crisis between two countries who have conducted air strikes on each other's territory in the last two days. The United States and China have appealed for restraint.

The airman's treatment at the hands of Pakistani troops drew both condemnation and praise, while at his house in southern India supporters gathered to record messages of solidarity.

In one video posted on social media, a Pakistani soldier, ankle-deep in a stream of water in the disputed Kashmir region, can be seen shielding the pilot from angry villagers and shouting "Enough" as they pummel his bloodied face and strike blows against his limp body.

In another video, posted on Twitter by Pakistan's information ministry, the pilot is blindfolded and can be heard saying, "I've got hurt and I would request some water." He then reveals his name and rank before politely fending off questions from soldiers by saying: "I'm not supposed to tell you that."