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Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Karnataka Police Bandmaster's journey of persistence
Anthony Sober Karnataka Police Karnataka State Police Karnataka Police Brass Band This medal is not just for me, it's for every early morning rehearsal, every late-night duty, every note played in the name of service – Anthony Sober, Bandmaster of the Karnataka State Police Band Chief Minister's Medal In the uniformed world of the, where duty often overshadows individual stories, the life of Anthony Sober A is one such story that stands out, a journey not just of discipline and service, but of passion, transformation, and on June 1, 1967, Anthony Sober joined the City Armed Reserve Police Headquarters in Bengaluru on September 6, 1991, through the sports quota. A talented footballer, he quickly became a star player for the Karnataka State Police Football Team, representing the force from 1992 to 1995 in South Zone and All India tournaments. His performances brought home trophies, certificates, and pride for the department. But it was in 1998 that his journey took a turn, one that would shape the rest of his a deep curiosity for music, Sober joined theas a bugler. What began as a side interest soon became a calling. In just a short span, he mastered the bugle and then moved on to the trumpet, becoming known for his sharp technique and heartfelt performances. 'Music gave me a different kind of discipline,' he Republic Day and Independence Day parades to the grand celebrations of Mysuru Dasara, Sober's trumpet has echoed across ceremonial grounds, touching hearts with soulful renditions like 'Abide With Me'. His dedication to detail made him the preferred choice for high-profile events, including those at the Raj Bhavan, where he performed for top dignitaries, including former Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj, who personally appreciated his addition to his musical duties, Sober served in critical assignments, from VIP escorts to prisoner and cash duties, often during high-alert deployments. His sincerity, sharp turnout, and composed presence made him a dependable face in every at 59, Anthony Sober serves as the Bandmaster of the Karnataka State Police Band, a role that reflects his years of quiet commitment and musical mastery. Still playing the bugle and trumpet with the same passion that began over two decades ago, he also mentors young band members, keeping tradition April 2, 2025, his extraordinary journey was formally recognised with the, awarded for his exceptional contribution to the force. 'This medal is not just for me, it's for every early morning rehearsal, every late-night duty, every note played in the name of service,' he life today is a harmony of sportsmanship, discipline, and soulful music, a reminder that behind every shining medal lies a rhythm of struggle, growth, and heart.
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The FA Cup final, an occasion full of historic traditions and unusual quirks
This season's FA Cup campaign concludes on Saturday when Manchester City take on Crystal Palace in the final at Wembley. There will be no celebrities having a pre-match kickabout, at least one of the teams might be wearing jeans and the King is unlikely to hand over the trophy. But there will be a pre-match hymn, royalty will play a role, at least one side will be suited and booted and, at the end of the game, both sets of players will climb a flight of stairs to receive medals. Advertisement It is all part of the quirky, showpiece occasion which was first held at the Kennington Oval in 1872 and has been staged at Wembley — with a few exceptions — for more than a century. 'The FA Cup stretches back to the 1870s as a Victorian event, then it became more of a social event for ex-public school teams, and by the First World War it had become a mass, popular event at the Crystal Palace but it was still quite informal,' says Dr Alexander Jackson, curator at the National Football Museum. 'It changed when it went to Wembley in 1923.' In the past 102 years, traditions and rituals have become as big a part of FA Cup final day as the football. Here are just a few… A hymn written by a dying Anglican cleric in the 1800s might not scream 'pre-match razzmatazz', but the pre-kick-off rendition of Abide With Me has become a staple of the build-up to FA Cup finals. It was not always the case. The traditional song dropped out of the cup-final routine in the 1970s and 80s as fan culture evolved and it was considered outdated. But this century it has been reintroduced with a modern twist, often performed by operatic singers around 15 minutes before kick-off. The tradition began almost 100 years ago as part of a bigger push for 'community singing'. In his book, The Cup: A Pictorial Celebration of the World's Greatest Football Tournament, the author and journalist Richard Whitehead wrote: 'It was first sung in 1927 before the Arsenal-Cardiff City final. Some accounts suggest that it was introduced at the initiative of TP (Thomas) Ratcliff, who conducted the pre-match community singing. 'Other versions claim FA secretary Frederick Wall wrote to Buckingham Palace to ask what King George V might like to hear. He replied that 'Abide With Me' was a favourite of his and Queen Mary. 'In the post-war cup finals in particular, there was a fervour in the rendering of the hymn which made it an occasion in itself,' wrote Wall's successor Stanley Rous. 'Even so, Rous decided to drop it in 1959 but the decision was met with howls of protest and he had to backtrack.' After Abide with Me has been sung and the teams have walked onto the pitch, Wembley will reverberate to fans from both sides singing God Save the King, the national anthem and a reminder of the historic links between the FA Cup final and Britain's Royal family. The ties were not so close from the beginning. 'King George V was the first monarch to attend the FA Cup final, in 1914, and it was dubbed 'the Royal cup final',' says Dr Jackson. Advertisement 'Through the 1900s, we started to see Royals attend other football matches and I think the Prince of Wales went to either an FA Cup final or an England international. 'George V himself went to an Army vs Navy game in his role as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. 'He was encouraged to go to the 1914 cup final by a friend and a confidant, Lord Derby, who was an aristocrat with quite a skill for understanding how to popularise and keep the monarchy in the public eye in a positive way. 'From the 1870s until 1913, it was aristocrats or members of the FA who were the guests of honour. 'From 1914 until the 1970s, it was predominantly the monarch who was guest of honour and who presented the trophy with a few exceptions, such as when the monarch was overseas or ill. For instance, in 1952, the cup was presented to Newcastle United by Sir Winston Churchill.' In more recent times, William, Prince of Wales, a fan of Aston Villa and the Football Association president, has become a cup final regular. In the more homogenised world of 21st-century football, pre-match entertainment at a cup final might feel very similar to the high-profile fixtures of the Premier League. In the past, though, it was very different. In the 1980s — often regarded as one of the golden eras of the cup final — while standard league games often passed with almost no additional entertainment, cup-final day at Wembley was different. On the pitch before the main match, teams of fans of celebrities sometimes played out their own contest, and from 1971 to 1977 supporters from the competing teams took part in a special edition of the BBC show It's a Knockout. It all began in the 1920s with the more traditional ritual of community singing. 'They had this repertoire of different songs which culminated in Abide With Me,' Dr Jackson says. Advertisement 'This was the inter-war period and there were concerns about social cohesion in terms of communism and socialism and the depression years were coming, with the economic impact on Britain. 'So community singing was an idea to try to bring people together and they started off by using a lot of old wartime songs, trying to hark back to that togetherness of the war years. 'They handed out song sheets, there were conductors and they had bands and some of them were picked up on early radio broadcasts with the idea being that people at home could get involved.' One of this year's finalists, Manchester City, caused something of a stir in the past two seasons when they arrived at Wembley in casual clothing — trousers and branded cup-final T-shirts in 2023, jeans and club polo shirts a year later. Last year's winners, Manchester United, by contrast, arrived at the stadium in tailored Paul Smith suits, upholding a tradition dating back many years that teams who reach the final get measured up in advance for matching, smart attire. It is a tradition that Crystal Palace will stick with this weekend with the manager, Oliver Glasner, also confirming that he will swap his customary casual garb for a suit at Wembley. A post shared by APSLEY | BESPOKE LONDON TAILOR (@apsleybespoke) 'Into the 1950s, players would have been turning up in suits automatically for all games and the club blazer would have been standard dress, reflecting wider society,' says Dr Jackson. 'That's what men wore — trousers, a jacket, a shirt and a tie. Men's casual wear hadn't really developed massively. 'By the 60s and 70s, men's fashion was changing, becoming more casual, but to a certain degree, once you start having more TV coverage, making sure everyone was well dressed was probably about clubs starting to think about their image from a media point of view. 'And then players wearing their suits, walking around the pitch before the game, then going back inside and getting changed into their match kit became part of the ritual of the FA Cup final.' It does not always go well, however. In 1996, Liverpool turned up in cream Armani suits, were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United, and were forever tarnished, probably unfairly, by a suggestion that they took fashion more seriously than football. Most cup finals now end with players receiving the trophy on the pitch, usually on a specially-erected podium that allows perfect branding opportunities. But in the FA Cup, dragging weary limbs up the steps to the Royal Box to collect medals and silverware has become a staple part of the day. That changed from 2001 to 2006 when, with Wembley being redeveloped, the final moved to Cardiff, where the then Millennium Stadium did not allow for a walk through the stands and up to the second tier. Advertisement But at Wembley, the tradition is upheld. It is not unique — Copa del Rey winners Barcelona and runners-up Real Madrid climbed the steps at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville last month — and other finals played at Wembley, including the Carabao Cup and the EFL play-offs, have followed the same pattern. But it is unusual. 'You can see footage from 1914, when Tommy Boyle of Burnley becomes the first man to be presented with the cup by a reigning monarch, and he goes up to the VIP area where the King and the dignitaries are,' says Dr Jackson. 'So we know it was the same at the Crystal Palace. 'I think the idea was that the players rose up to them as opposed to bringing the VIPs down to ground level. 'And in the 1900s, people would flock across the pitch at the end of the game, so there would be mini pitch invasions — of an orderly nature — where everyone would walk across the pitch to get closer and watch that presentation of the trophy to the players.'
Herald Sun
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Herald Sun
Royall: Booing during an Anzac Day service just ain't the Australian way
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News. There are some special sounds that define Melbourne, that are part of our city's DNA. The roar of the crowd for the opening bounce at the MCG, the steaming of an espresso coffee at Pellegrini's, the ding-ding of trams. Another is not a sound at all. It's the hushed solemnity of the Anzac Day Dawn Service. Every April 25, the ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance is a beautiful, poignant event that brings a tear to your eye. I lose it every time at the hymn Abide With Me. But as we now know, this year's service was marred by idiots. Just a few, a small minority among 50,000 Melburnians who had risen early to honour all who have served this great nation. They first took exception to the welcome to country by Bunurong Elder Mark Brown. MC Justin Smith acknowledged Indigenous including those who had served in uniform. 'We're here for the Australians,' one man shouted in reply. Even Governor Margaret Gardner's Anzac Day address was greeted with abuse at the mention of acknowledging traditional landowners. Most people — the decent ones there — were simply stunned at the brazen, unashamed vitriol. And didn't want to start a shouting match and further escalate the disturbance. But in a small act of defiance, one woman called out 'always was, always will be' to a modicum of applause. If you have an issue with Indigenous Australians and welcomes and acknowledgments, this was never the forum for it. One of the main offenders of all this nonsense it seems was a known neo-Nazi – I won't dignify him by mentioning his name – who also screamed 'you're a traitor' at an ex-serviceman. His young acolytes, for whom the process of evolution seemed to have bypassed, joined in the insults. Oinking at police and shouting 'hail Ned Kelly' and 'death to the police'. Even I was called a traitor. Dunno why. One was even wearing a poppy. Go figure. Normally, I'd say that I support anyone standing up for what they believe in. But these are neo-Nazis. We have laws to deal with this sort of extremism. We are lucky to live in a civilised society where shouting abuse during a solemn remembrance just ain't the way. To quote a great Australian proverb: 'You dickhead.' 'Emotion in the air': PM, Dutton's powerful Anzac Day messages Ian Royall Reporter and Opinion Editor Ian Royall is a general news reporter and opinion editor for the Herald Sun, with more than three decades' experience in journalism, home and abroad. Covers MotoGP too.
Telegraph
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Chilli-eating contests and pork pie wreaths: the eccentric new funeral trends
The report also found that music choices are changing, with the classic hymn Abide With Me this year being replaced by Frank Sinatra's My Way as the most-played funeral song. The classic hymns Amazing Grace, written by the reformed 18th century slave trader John Newton, and All Things Bright and Beautiful are the only other religious songs in the top 10. Other non-religious songs that prove popular include AC/DC's Highway to Hell and Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell. Elsewhere, more than a third of under-35s now say they would like a 'themed' element included in their own funeral, more than twice the figure for the total population – at 15 per cent. It now costs an average of £9,797 to send a loved one off, up from £9,658 in 2023, according to the report. Mark Screeton, chief executive of SunLife, said: 'According to our report, more than half of us would like our own funeral to have a 'personal' element, including bright clothing instead of black, or a theme reflecting our likes and interests. 'But when it comes to it, most people don't tell their loved ones of these wishes. In fact, 18 per cent of funeral organisers have absolutely no idea about any of their loved ones' preferences – not even whether they wanted a burial or a cremation.'
