GAMESMANSHIP OF ANGELO DUNDEE, TRAINER OF CASIIUS CLAY

Cassius Clay had been exiled from boxing for four years.

His rebellion against the establishment, sparked when he opposed the Vietnam draft with the stinging barb, "I ain't got no quarrel with 'em Vietcong," had kindled it.

Prior to the rustication, he had two fights with Henry Cooper, the British Champion. The first was in 1963. Henry had been famous for his dreaded left hook (hammer). 

Cassius Clay was a braggard. He had backed his claims with heavy punches. And it had floored the opponents with blinding speed. 

Clay went to London to garner points to face the reigning champion, the scary Sonny Liston.

The fight is remembered for trainer Angelo Dundee's gamesmanship. It saved the day for Clay and kept him in business for future.

It would have been another story if the fight had turned out differently.

Clay had mocked Cooper like he did to all. He predicted to end it in five rounds.

But Henry's left hook had put Clay on the backside in the fourth round. He later revealed, "It made me feel as if I had gone back and visited all my ancestors in Africa."

It was akin to a knock out..

But a small split in the seam of one glove that  Angelo Dundee, his trainer,  had seen before the fight, but refrained presciently for an emergency, was then put to good use. 

As Clay "slumped on his stool like a sack of potatoes," Dundee stuck his finger in the split and made it bigger. He requested the referee for a change of gloves.

It earned Clay precious seconds to return to his senses.

He recovered to batter Cooper.

A year later, Clay shocked the world, defeating Liston twice.

He embraced Islam.

Muhammed Ali, formerly Cassius Clay, became the most famous man on earth

Subodh Ghildiyal writes in The Times of India 12thNovember2026

FARAKKA BARRAGE, KOLKATA, ABHIJIT BANERJEE

 

Kolkata was a river port. In the 18th and 19th century, it grew rich in agricultural exports - jute, cotton, indigo and opium. It was a thriving market for indentured labourers. 

Kolkata was, for long moment, the wealthiest city in Asia. It had been India's capital.

The Kolkata port went into a slow decline because,

1. The Trade in the commodities became a less important part of world trade.

2. The rise of industrial substitutes for jute, indigo etc.

3. India stopped selling opium

To make matters worse, there was the gradual silting of the Hooghly river. It was difficult for larger ships to go upriver.

Kolkata, with its jute and cotton industry, had become a transportation hub where railways brought commodities to be put on ships. As the port was not doing well, it declined. 

Investment had slowed down because globally there was less and less appetite for smoke-stack industries right inside people's living quarters. Industries and jobs started moving out. The quick influx of refugees after the partition of India had made the city less livable. 

Though there were discussions on the necessity for the revival of the city, the planners were looking for the revival of the port. But it could not take off due to pure geography - lower Bengal was as flat as flat can be. There was no force in the water to clear away the silt. 

The policy makers pinned their hopes on the Farakka barrage that would divert water from the Padma into the Hooghly to flush out the silt. The Faarakka barrage was universally celebrated. It came with a railway bridge. It brought the mountains and momos of Darjeeling close. But the barrage could not perform what was perceived. The debris of the failed venture remain. Bangladesh still resents the fact that we grabbed "their' water.  

Farakka was too far away. And nobody had accounted for the growth in the size of cargo ships.

The Port died.

Abhijit Banerjee, the Nobel laureate, writes in The Times of India of 6th November 2026.. 

FATHER WRITES TO SON

 

Dearest Son,

I am going to my suggestion that you ought to start writing on your travels and on the opening of 20 or more of your organisation's offices. 

It's just the beginning.

You can also reminisce on your entry into the organisation and the struggle to survive. 

Without passion or emotion.

Your extensive reading has already equipped you with style.

Why I suggest this is because end of the month you'll be completing three months'  honeymoon period of your total freedom from the organisation.

You have already done two things.

Taken up the responsibility of overseeing your son's studies.

Taken up looking after your health.

But if you don't go for creative work you'd become jaded, because the grey matter needs nurturing. And consistent refurbishment. 

The meaning is you have to challenge yourself to get the best out of you, and you have to keep on refining yourself and your capabilities.

You are brilliant. The brilliance should not be allowed to wither. You have to learn, unlearn and learn.

In the modern times if you have to stay relevant, you have to strive hard to reinvent yourself every moment of your life.

Please wake up and march ahead.

Love

Papa

THE 2016 TODDLER

 

THE TWIN FLOWERS STOOD THERE

 

WHITE ROSE

 

AT SHEIKH ZAYED GRAND MOSQUE ABU DHABI