Looking Back

When the Emden Came!

THE FIRST World War was brought to Indian shores by the German ship EMDEN, which sneaked into the Bay of Bengal on August 30, 1914, less than a month after Britain had entered the war against Germany.
The Emden began to attack cargo ships plying between Calcutta and Colombo, and within six days from 9th to 14th September, captured two ships and sank six others.
The British sent an armoured cruiser after it. The Emden lay low for a few days and then on the night of 22nd September struck at Madras. Its target this time was not ships but the giant oil storage tanks in the city, within sight of the shore.
The Emden fired 125 rounds at the tanks, setting two of them ablaze and damaging at least three others, and then sailed away before the shore batteries of Fort William could be brought into operation.
The bombardment and the explosions terrified the populace and caused a panic such as never before been witnessed in the city.
The Emden continued to attack merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean for more than a month after the daring raid on Madras, successfully evading British warships. But her luck finally ran out on 9th November when she unexpectedly encountered the Australian cruiser, ‘Sydney’. The Emden was bested in the gun battle that followed and ran aground.
In the 72 days that had elapsed since she had first slipped into the Bay of Bengal, the Emden had captured six ships and sunk seventeen, two of them warships — and left a lasting impression on the minds of the citizens of Madras who for decades afterwards used the Emden as a bogeyman. Recalcitrant children were brought into line with the ominous warning: “Beware, the Emden will come!”

Soaring Skywards
If it's Sankranti, then it must be the season for kite flying! The man in the picture is not flying a kite - it's more like the kite is flying the man! This is the newest extreme adventure activity called kite jumping. It is the latest addition to other kite traction sports like kite surfing, kite skating, kite boarding and kite buggying. The kite used for these sports is known as a power kite because it is large and can pull people attached to it for long distances and at great heights and speeds. The strings are attached to a harness, which the kiter wears, or the kiter holds a bar or handles. Power kites are used to skim over water, ice, snow or land.
Kite jumping is the most dangerous form of power kiting. In kite jumping, the pilot uses a very large kite to lift himself off the ground for brief periods of time (in jumps). Kite jumping has to be done over soft ground and the route should be clear of obstacles like power lines, vehicles and people. Jumpers often sustain fractures or severe head and neck injuries because they cannot control the kite and end up falling hard.
A kitesurfer uses a special surfboard to launch himself onto the waves. He is also attached through a harness to a power kite. Once the kite catches the wind, the surfer skims over the waves, pulled by the kite. Though the time he remains airborne is short, an expert kitesurfer can perform backflips, 6-metre-high leaps, twists and turns. The bigger the kite, the more lift he gets. The sport lives up to its 'extreme' tag. People are seriously injured when they become tangled up in the lines or end up being dragged across the beach for several miles.
Indulging in any kite sport is a costly affair. Power kites used on land are relatively cheaper than those used on water. A land kite costs between Rs.4600 and Rs.23,000. A buggy and kite can cost about Rs.39,000 and a kite for surfing costs about Rs.80,000.

Festive Fare

In Karnataka, during Makar Sankranti, pieces of sugarcane, amongst other eatables, are exchanged between friends and relatives. This exchange is symbolic of the sweetness that they hope to have in all their dealings with each other.
As per mythology, on the day of Pongal, Lord Sundareshwar descended upon the Madurai temple in Tamil Nadu. He performed a miracle by infusing life in a stone elephant and feeding sugarcane to it. on the occasion of Pongal, sticks of sugarcane are offered to the Sun god seeking happiness in life.

Guddi

© 2008 Amrita Bharati, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

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