Seek Knowledge-Happy Deepavali

May the light be upon you

It's Deepavali, and due to COVID-19, our freedom to celebrate this festival of lights is restricted to contain the spread of the pathogen. Your movement can be restricted, but not your brain. In challenging times like these, the brain works wonders, unfortunately not in a positive sense, but negative: fear. You are living in fear of contracting the virus, your livelihood, your children's future, political stability, etc.

Out of fear of this uncertain time, you hope to find answers to the many questions that impinge on your mind now. Fear only breeds fear, and it further darkens your journey in life. What it needs is a light that will give you the silver lining that will obliterate this darkness. And this light is none other than "Knowledge" as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "The antidote to fear is knowledge."

Knowledge has a beginning but no end. And it is never complete as we humans keep on evolving to find ways to live a healthy and prosperous life. To put it simply, knowledge is a journey and not a destination. In essence, good and bad are part of knowledge, and it depends on how you apply it in your life.

For my dear and wise friend, the Late Mr. V.M Chandran, knowledge gained from life is for the betterment of "mankind" and not to exploit "mankind." He was an avid reader and had excellent observation skills. His belief was when you are blessed with knowledge, be the light that will light up others' lives. A man that shares the wisdom of great sages: Gaining Knowledge is the first step to wisdom. Sharing is the first step to humanity.

Every festivity has its meaning that we can apply in our life. Deepavali, the festival of lights, symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. When you encapsulate all these, it comes down to one: Knowledge. "The first end of life is knowledge; the second end of life is happiness. Knowledge and happiness lead to freedom": the wise words of Swami Vivekananda.

Be Safe. Take Care

 

Thank You

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a Safe Raya-Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

This year Hari Raya celebration will be different from previous years. We need to comply with the Movement Control Order(MCO). No interstate travel and only 20 people are allowed in one house. Stay Safe!

There will be less fun for kids as they will miss their balik kampung journey and their relatives and friends in the kampung. They will remember this year for the rest of their lives and will share it with their future generations.

For the grandparents or parents in kampung they will certainly miss their children and grandchildren. Hari Raya is one of the times of the year where they can spend their precious time with their loved ones. All is not lost as with the invention of modern technology i.e smartphone, Facetime, Facebook, etc you can still celebrate Raya virtually.

Wishing all Muslims a Selamat Hari Raya celebration. May you and your family be blessed with wisdom, prosperity, joy, and good health.

Take Care.




Thank You

VM Chandran-A True Friend by Syed Akhbar Ali

Mr VM Chandran,Tuan Haji Baharuddin Dato Mokhsen and Mr Woo Choon Chow

Well it is certainty not easy to write something like this.Our human psyche is more tuned to accept the passing of elders who have advanced in age.But when our peers leave us there has to be more deliberateness in accepting it.

I want to say that Mr VM Chandran was a nice man.He was a good person.In the local parlance he always had a "niat yang baik" or good intentions.

Having known him almost 22 years and having spent hours at a stretch with him discussing everything from business,family,politics,government,country,
society,economics,the Americans,Indians,Japanese and everything else under the sun I came to understand him well.

In the adage 'reading maketh a full man" seeks a good example that would be Mr Chandran. He was well read therefore knowledgeable.Conversations were easy and enlightening because there was always a reference to facts and information that had been properly written somewhere.Aristotle who was a student of Plato became a teacher to Alexander the Great.Alexander and Aristotle discussed that they could not implement Athenian democracy in all societies.Each society had to find its own level.

The intense reading habit also helped at work where Mr Chandran carefully read every single document and contract that came before him.'We must read'he would say.'We must know the details'.Do not let others tell you what is in the document.Hence Mr Chandran could navigate through a diverse portfolio of businesses.

His vast reading habit even made him well versed about health care issues which did benefit many people who had need of advise on health care.Mr Chandran even wrote a series of useful articles about private health care which I carried in my blog.The articles elicited much discussion and comment and perhaps effected some reaction upon the private medical health sector.

By nature he was kind unto many people,especially those who needed help.He really went out of his way to help people.Passing is finality.It is a reminder to cherish the time that we have.Mr Chandran would have agreed.And laughed about it too.

A Tribute To Mr. V.M.Chandran-The Man With A Golden Heart

 Madam Yasotha Selvarajah and her soulmate Mr.V.M.Chandran 

My friend, Mr.V.M.Chandran, was not born on a bed of roses but he turned his life into a beautiful rose. The fragrance from this rose pervaded and touched many lives during his lifetime. A simple man that is shy of power, position, title, and fame but a great man in his own way.

Chandran's life journey began in darkness. When he was barely two years old and not aware of the world around him, his father passed away, leaving him and his three-year-old sister, Malar in the hands of his mother. Life was challenging and there was a time the family stayed in a room on the first floor of a shop lot in Seremban. His mom a woman of strong will power brought up the family single-handedly.

His mother was an inspiration for Chandran to succeed in his life. With perseverance and determination to achieve his academic dreams, he completed his tertiary education at King George V(KGV), Seremban and went on to become a qualified Chartered Accountant and Lawyer. 

From an early age, Chandran's household name among family and friends was "Gandhi."He was truly a "Gandhian" in spirit. With open arms he will lend a hand, to encourage someone and even counsel them in the time of need. He never made a fuss about meeting and helping anyone.

He was a man with extensive knowledge and wisdom in a large number of fields. Walter Lippman the American writer once spoke of men who plant trees that other men will sit under. My friend was such a man.

Chandran went on to tie the knot with his beautiful sweetheart, Yasotha Selvarajah and the couple were blessed with five handsome boys-Vishven, Srishti, Rahulan, Govind, and Jairaj. Together, with love, care, and attention the couple educated their children to become leaders in their individual fields.

Education is a topic close to Chandran. He shared with me that education alone is not enough and emphasized that virtues are equally important to shape a person. His philosophy was knowledge gain from education is to benefit mankind and not to exploit mankind.

Despite his busy schedule, he always found the time to call or visit his friends and former teachers from KGV in Seremban. And since I had moved to Seremban from KL we will meet occasionally for lunch and then proceed for tea. I cherished this get-together and always looked forward to our next meeting. 

In fact, we were supposed to catch up on Jan 22, which sadly didn't materialize with the passing of Chandran on the 20th of Jan.

During the many years I knew this beautiful man, he never once placed his family second and made it clear that family mattered most. He will apprise me of the academic progress of his sons when they were in the UK with his wife and later when they began their career.

And without fail every year when Jan 25 arrived, my friend will murmur to me; "Enbaraj, today is Yasotha's birthday." Chandran's love for Yasotha is immeasurable." Truly both of them were born to be soulmates.

The last 18 months of his life, I must say, was the most challenging time indeed. He was undergoing treatments at the hospital. But this didn't deter him from living his life to the fullest. He did what he always love to do: visiting family, friends, teachers from KGV, and his yearly pilgrimage to Sri Venkateswara Temple in Thirupati.

His greatest joy was in spending time with his beloved grandson Jayce chandran, Srishti's son. Whenever I spoke to him on the phone I can hear the sound of Jay playing in the background.

Recently when I met Chandran at his home, he was playing with his grandson with his eyes gleaming with joy. There is a saying that eyes are the windows to the soul and what I saw in my friend's eyes is like a sort of freedom that is best described by our very own poet in her Whatsapp status, that is, There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask, "what if I fall?"Oh but darling, what if you fly! This beautiful poet is none other than Chandran's soulmate, Yasotha Selvarajah.

When I saw my friend for the last time resting in peace, my heart quivered for a second as if a part of me had left me. I was trembling for a moment. Then after regaining my composure, I thanked the Great Lord for giving us this man with the golden heart, and please take good care of him.

The beautiful Rose might have left us but its fragrance will live eternally in our memories.

I will truly miss you, my beloved friend and brother.

Thank You.

Edited by my niece Sasmiita Segar.

Puisi Yang Cukup Bermakna Untuk Coach Dharma-Untuk Coach Luar Biasa

Bagi pihak keluarga,saya ingin ucapkan ribuan terimakasih kepada penulis puisi ini. Puisi yang cukup bermakna untuk adik saya,Dharma.

Kejayaan adik saya adalah hasil sokongan dan dorongan yang diberikan oleh Majlis Sukan Negara(MSN) dan Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia.

Saya berpendapat ilmu kejurulatihan yang ada pada adik saya lebih baik digunakan untuk membimbing jurulatih-jurulatih hoki di sekolah-sekolah sukan di Malaysia.

Dengan adanya jurulatih-jurulatih yang berilmu di tahap pembangunan saya yakin Malaysia dapat capai prestasi yang baik di peringkat dunia.

Di Malaysia kita ada ramai pemain-pemain muda yang cukup berbakat untuk di bentuk jadi pemain taraf dunia.

Ada satu peribahasa yang cukup bermakna yang penulis gemar gunakan:"Kalau nak lenturkan buluh,biarlah dari rebungnya."

Saya berharap Kementerian Belia dan Sukan, Majlis Sukan Negara, Persekutuan Hoki Malaysia dan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia dapat mempertimbangankan cadangan saya.

Terimakasih

                                       -----------------------------------
Untuk Coach Luar Biasa

Insan ini bukan sebarangan,
Dalam berjuta mungkin seorang,
Sudah terbukti merentas zaman,
Jasa tercurah bukan kepalang.

Insan ini tak kenal penat,
Seawal fajar sudah tercegat;
Sudah disaksikan padang keramat,
Tak pernah henti perah keringat.

Insan ini hatinya mulia,
Memimpin pasukan julang negara;
Banyak kali menjadi juara,
Yang tidak nampak jelaslah buta.

Insan ini hatinya cerah,
Sekecil perkara habis dibedah;
Supaya selesai semua masalah,
Seluruh pasukan dapat faedah.

Insan ini cintakan watan,
Tidak memilih untuk berkawan;
Sekecil2 jurulatih di lapangan,
Kami dibantu tak tagih ganjaran.

Di Gelang Patah pernah bertandang,
Bukan mencari pari semilang;
Tapi membantu di atas padang,
Sekolah kecil juara disandang.

Insan ini permata kita,
Usah dibiar berlalu duka;
Lupakah kita segala jasa,
Juara Asia dan ke-4 dunia?

Terima Kasih Tuan Dharma,
Jasa Tuan takkan dilupa;
Kami memandang penuh mulia,
'Kita langgar!" azimat sentiasa!

Tulisan;
Yang pernah jadi coach hoki kampungan

An Arrogant Man Is A Weak Man! by Maninderjit Singh

It's people like Mike that gives us hope in Malaysian hockey. He takes the time and trouble to elucidate his views concerning Malaysian hockey tirelessly. I'm sharing his latest article on the current affairs of Malaysian hockey for you to peruse.

Recently Mike apprised me that Malaysian hockey needs at least 10 years to prepare a formidable team to qualify for the Olympics. Frankly, in my view, the decisions that are being made now are in fact destroying the development of the game.

For now, I will give you one example as to the decision not to renew the contract of the coaches upon reaching its term. It was legally right but was it morally right when the coaches were informed that their contracts would not be renewed just a few weeks before the National Hockey League.

Whatever decisions we make now will have an impact on the future of the game.

Thank You.
                                    .................................

Mike's views are as below:

Don't confuse confidence with arrogance. Arrogance is being full of yourself, feeling you're always right, and believing your accomplishments or abilities make you better than other people. 

After failing 5 years miserably and lost a ticket to Olympic, and given another term till next Olympic cycle is like a death crop awaiting for final funeral rites. The decay of the game smells immensely throughout the country.

Just because you command votes, it doesn't mean that 32million people are happy with the progress and ongoings. Day by Day, the public perception & support is deteriorating badly & sports lovers' anger & frustration is increasing enormously. The boiling point is coming close...

After Congress, the quality of Bearers is at the lowest ever due to dirty political maneuver & en-bloc withdrawal of high profile personalities & former internationals who were honest & had the passion to save the game. It will be a nonfunctional Board that has a more "carelessness mindset" than corporate values & low standard of understanding the depth of the game (most are a school or state players). The current Board lacks modern knowledge & comes without any success profile in their achievements & lack in implementation methodology. Therefore, it will be stagnant progress without any deliveries until next Olympic.

People often believe arrogance is excessive confidence, but it's really a lack of confidence. By removing many former international from the outfit & not considering others to help out will haunt your decision & there will be a price to be paid. Time will tell & you're giving yourself more rope to be hanged. 

People like Tai Beng Hai, Yahya Atan, Stephen, Logan Raj, K Enbaraj, Lim Chiow Chuan, Nor Saiful, Mohd Dharma, Mohd Madzil, S Vellapan, Iman Gobinathan, Saliza & Kerpal Singh are removed or decided not to continue & terminated without any valid reasons. Honor former international with respect & not just throwing them away without any reasonable reasons. There are many potential & credible Coaches like Sarjit Singh, Arul Selvaraj, Eugene Lee, Nor Azlan Bakar, Fairuz Ramli, Kelvinder, Selvaraju, Kaliswaran & many more that are not called in to support the game. More so, personalities like Ow Soon Koi, Yoges, Maheswari, Ramakrishnan, Lum Sau Fong, MA Sambu, Keevan Raj, Baljit,  Collin Sta Maria, R Shanker, S Kuhan and many more who are capable international out there that could contribute well towards the game but been ignored. Mantra - without Former Internationals, you will never succeed! 

Even top officials including TO/Umpires are sidelined & ignored. They've served the Nation with pride at the highest level (Olympics) & were dedicated to the sports. Arrogant people are insecure, and often repel others. Sad state of affairs.

Other Top Nations are having a busy schedule like playing in Pro League & preparing for Olympic. But here, the custodian is busy with politicking & still unsettled after Congress. The gap is getting wider between the top teams & us at the international level. Full of arrogance without knowing the real facts & how to manage the game at its best. 

Where is your lackadaisical Post-mortem report & blueprint? Little bird said that most players were not happy with the Foreign Coach. And you're caught in catch 22 situation. You have failed big time & more to come as the signs are already showing...

Arrogance is an unhealthy ego in sports that need repair. If you feel you & your team could not contribute progressively & lack the ideas to save the game, its an easy solution - just step down and call for a fresh election, with that we could get the right person in the right position who embodies excellent & at least there will light at the end of the tunnel rather than darkness.

To all the Affiliates who sold your souls, well done & keep it up. You have lost your check & balance rights. You were supposed to be the heartbeat of the Organisation but rather succumb and bow down to unqualified bearers who are directionless. Even at your backyard, you have failed but showing your supremacy at the National level is just finding a needle in a haystack. You have lost it due to a Tour!

Time to buck up or pack your bags up...

By Maninderjit Singh (Mike)
Former international
12th February 2020

Pivotal Role Of Coaches-Loughborough University

"It is important to educate athletes and coaches at all levels of participation in the vital role effective coach-athlete relationships can ultimately play in their success and satisfaction." 

Researchers from Loughborough University have highlighted a good quality relationship between coaches and their athletes in ensuring world-class performance and increasing successful and satisfying participation in sport at all levels.

This ongoing research program-carried out by a team of researchers from the School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences and led by Dr. Sophia Jowett, alongside national and international collaborators-emphasizes that the coach-athlete relationship is not an "add-on" or by-product of sport, but the foundation of sport.

Dr. Jowett and her research team have developed the world's first and only theoretical model to explain the content and quality of the coach-athlete relationship. This model is known as 3+1Cs: Closeness, Commitment,
Complementarity,and Co-orientation.

The 3 + 1Cs model and its accompanied psychometric measures have enabled them to systematically explore the links between the quality of the coach-athlete relationship(i.e. 3 + 1Cs) and important factors such as performance, satisfaction, motivation, passion, confidence, physical self-concept across different level of sport participation ranging from elite to grassroots sport.

Dr. Sophia Jowett said the team's research shows that relationship developed between coaches and athletes is a fundamental medium that can make the journey to achieving great success less arduous and more fulfilling.

We have heard the best athletes in the world vouched how grateful they were of their coaches' effort and belief in them. Their statements not only underline their appreciation, respect, and commitment to their coaches but also reflects the importance of this coach-athlete relationship.

Dr. Jowett said now is the time to incorporate this accumulated knowledge and understanding around coach-athlete relationships into coach education programmes, as well as into sport policy development that aims to support the developing athlete and coach or promote the interest of sport at all level

While our research is ongoing, we now have more research findings than ever before to show how pivotal the quality of the coach-athlete relationship is for athletes and coaches'experience of sport, Dr.Jowet emphasized.


Thank You.