Latest news with #Solly
India.com
a day ago
- Sport
- India.com
Meet man, friend of Sunil Gavaskar, helped out Tendulkar by..., benefactor of Indian cricketers like Vengsarkar, Manjrekar, Kaif
Suleman 'Solly' Adam and his family walked for four days through the Thar Desert, sweltering with the sun on their heads and hot sand. Solly, just 7, held his mother's hand, his 4-year-old sister on his father's shoulders. They were handcuffed during the journey. They were later released near the newly marked border and told to leave for Pakistan. This was in 1952. It was the story of Solly's family being picked up from a village in Gujarat after Partition and sent to Pakistan. Though perplexed about where they were going, Solly was worried about whether he would ever be able to play his favourite sport cricket again. After a difficult childhood, teenage Solly boarded a ship to England with just £3. Hardly anyone would have imagined that he would go on to own several houses, petrol pumps, supermarkets and never miss a chance to play cricket. A homeless boy would provide shelter to countless visitors, mostly players playing club cricket in Yorkshire. Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan would be his close friends. Solly, who is 80 years old, told the Indian Express, I truly believe that difficult roads often lead to beautiful places and cricket has taught me many lessons of life. Solly has many guests at his house these days. Sunil Gavaskar arrived at his house two days before the first Test of the India vs England 5 match series. This Indian legend has visited his house many times before. 'Solly' was very excited during the phone conversation. Solly says, 'Sunil told me that I am here and we will meet during the Test match. I am very happy.' There is another reason why this meeting is special. This is the first Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy series. It was Solly who convinced both Yorkshire and Sachin Tendulkar to sign a contract in 1992, resulting in the Indian legend becoming the first overseas player to call Headingley home. Solly said, 'The moment I got to know, I reached out to the Yorkshire club. I asked them why don't you sign an Indian or a Pakistani? I argued that Yorkshire has a large number of Asian immigrants, so they can consider Tendulkar or Javed Miandad.' This was the time when the great Don Bradman said that watching Tendulkar bat reminds him of his own batting. In two to three hours, Solly convinced the Yorkshire management. Solly says, 'They chose Tendulkar, but there was a problem.' Away from the outside world, Yorkshire officials did not know how to reach Sachin Tendulkar. Solly told them to leave it to him. When Sachin Tendulkar was playing club cricket in England, Solly had hosted him. He had also attended Solly's son's wedding. When Yorkshire's offer came, Tendulkar was in Australia (in the middle of the Test series). When Solly called, Tendulkar, who was already troubled by international and domestic commitments, could not believe it. Now Solly can talk. His ever-growing business empire was thanks to his talent as a deal-maker. Solly says, 'I told him that he is young and can do it. Later I asked my friend Sunil (Gavaskar) to talk to Tendulkar. Sunil had benefited from playing for Somerset. Eventually Tendulkar was persuaded and history was made.' After reaching Leeds, Sollybhai's residence will be Tendulkar's second home, where hot Indian food is always ready in the dining room. Ever since Solly was an active club cricketer, his house has been open to Indian and Pakistani cricketers. Generations of Indian cricketers like Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Chandrakant Pandit, Sanjay Manjrekar, Abhay Kuruvilla, Sairaj Bahutule, Mohammad Kaif, Wasim Jaffer have enjoyed his hospitality.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
The incredible Solly bhai story: Gavaskar's friend, got Tendulkar to Yorkshire and benefactor to hundreds of Indian cricketers in England
For four straight days, Suleman 'Solly' Adam and his family walked through the Thar desert. Scorching sun over their heads, roasting sand under their feet. Solly, just 7, held his mother's hand. His sister, 4, was perched on his father's shoulders. This was 1952 and Solly's post-partition horror story was about his family getting picked by the police from a village in Gujarat, handcuffed through the journey, released near the newly-marked border and asked to find their way to Pakistan. Puzzled over where they were headed, Solly was worried if he would be able to play his favourite sport — cricket — ever again. After a tough childhood, a teenager Solly, boarded a ship to England with just three pounds on him. With time, the family that braved the draining desert heat would settle in the land of lush green meadows, incessant rains and a scenic countryside. They would own several homes, petrol pumps, super markets and never missed a chance to play cricket. The boy, once homeless, would end up providing accommodation to countless visitors, mostly players in Yorkshire to play club cricket. Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan would be his close friends. 'I truly believe that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations and cricket has taught me a number of life lessons,' Solly, now 80, tells The Indian Express as he details his eventful life-story — one that took him from his birthplace Simlat in Gujarat to Pakistan's Karachi and now Leeds in Yorkshire. Solly has guests these days. Two days before the opening India-England Test, Gavaskar is at his home. The legend has been to this address many times before but Solly sounds excited on the phone, his voice getting drowned by the lively chatter of a family gathering in the background. 'Sunil has told me 'I am here and we will be meeting through the Test'. I am very pleased,' Solly says. There is another reason for this being special. It happens to be the inaugural Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy series. Solly and Sachin Tendulkar go back a long way. It was he who convinced both Yorkshire and Tendulkar to sign a deal in 1992 that resulted in the Indian great becoming the first-ever foreigner to call Headingley his home. Solly vividly recalls the drama that went into Tendulkar making history at Yorkshire. It started with Solly getting to know that Yorkshire had signed the Australian pacer Craig McDermott as its first overseas player. A few days later, he heard on the telly that McDermott was injured. Solly, always the enterprising businessman, sniffed an opportunity. 'The minute I came to know, I ran to the Yorkshire club. I asked them, 'Why don't you sign an Indian or Pakistani? I argued that since Yorkshire has this large Asian diaspora, they could consider Tendulkar or Javed Miandad. That was the time the great Don Bradman had said that watching Tendulkar bat reminded him of his own batting. After two to three hours, they were convinced, they opted for Tendulkar,' says Solly. But, there was a problem. The Yorkshire officials, insulated from the outside world, had no clue about how to reach Tendulkar. Pat came the reply: 'That you leave it to me'. Solly had hosted Tendulkar when he played club cricket in England. He was also a special attendee at Solly's son's wedding. When the Yorkshire offer came up, Tendulkar was in Australia, in the middle of a Test series. When Solly called, Tendulkar, stretched by the demands of international and domestic engagements, wasn't sure. Now, Solly can talk. His ever-expanding business empire was because of his talent as a deal-maker. 'I told him that he was young and he could do it. Later I asked my friend Sunil (Gavaskar) to talk to Tendulkar. While playing for Somerset, Sunil had benefited. Finally, Tendulkar was convinced and history was made,' Solly says. Once in Leeds, Sollybhai's residence would be Tendulkar's second home, where the dining room would always have piping-hot Indian meals. Since the time Solly was an active club cricketer, the doors of his house were open for cricketers from India and Pakistan. Generations of Indian cricketers from Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Chandrakant Pandit, Sanjay Manjrekar, Abey Kuruvilla, Sairaj Bahutule, Mohammad Kaif, Wasim Jaffer have savoured his hospitality. Conservative estimates by his cricketer friends put the count of players he has hosted at home to over 400 through the years. Not just stay and meals, Sollybhai would also arrange part-time jobs for players so that they could earn on non-match days. Many would work at his petrol pump and super markets. 'At one point, there were 9 cricketers in the Indian team who had benefited from the English stint I had arranged for them. I was not an agent, I was someone who wanted to help cricketers,' he said. The players recognized this and they saw Sollybhai as their benefactor, well-wisher and also their Man Friday. And that is why Gavaskar had called Solly when faced with a desperate situation during a tour to England. The two had become friends by a simple Solly gesture. He offered the Little Master a samosa during an England tour. 'During those days, between Test matches the touring team would play against county sides. So in one such tour game, they lost to Yorkshire. The manager of the team was very angry and he said no to wives staying in the team hotel or traveling in the coach,' recalls Solly. 'That was the time, they used to get three pounds as daily allowance, if they booked a hotel room for their spouse it was going to cost them a pound. So Sunil called me and said, 'There's any chance the cricketers' wives can stay at your place? I said 'yeah, no problem'.' It was the struggles in Solly's early life and the help he received from unexpected quarters that made him assist those in trouble. At the start of his new life in England, Solly would be a daily wager at a factory. His job was to wipe oil from machines. A habit of saving, saw him buy a taxi and from there he graduated to becoming a motor mechanic. A slice of luck and financial help from friends and family resulted in him owning a petrol station and it was this that changed his life. 'Those days the petrol station in England would be open from 8 am to 6 pm. We started doing it from 7 am to 10 pm. We also worked 7 days a week that no one did and we were open on Christmas day and Boxing Day too. Word spread soon, we had vehicles queuing. I made a lot of money and that changed my life,' he says. His children now settled, a retired Solly can be found at his sports shop. He is still eager to help the needy and to narrate cricket yarns to anyone who lends an ear. Solly has seen it all but he still gets excited about his buddy Sunil in the commentary box calling an upcoming game where a young Indian will captain in his first Test for a Trophy named after another of his close friends, Tendulkar.
The Spinoff
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Phantom of The Opera, taonga pūoro and the NZ origins of a classic silent film
100 years ago, a New Zealander was the first person to bring The Phantom of The Opera to the screen. Lyric Waiwiri-Smith attends a centennial screening of the iconic silent film with a special musical accompaniment. On the roof of the Palais Garnier, in a film reel drenched in blue, Christine Daaé (Mary Philbin) and Raoul de Chagney (Norman Kerry) grasp each other without ever sharing a kiss (it was the 1920s, after all). They've just witnessed the Phantom (Lon Chaney) terrify the crowds of the Bal-de-Masque, fled through the labyrinthe opera house and are plotting their escape – until whistling of a taonga pūoro welcomes the image of the Phantom, clinging to a statue of Apollo, his head thrown back in agony and arms desperately reaching towards his object of obsession. The 1925 adaptation (happy centennial!) of Gaston Leroux's tragic-romance, The Phantom of The Opera is a classic of the silent film genre, campy in its theatrical excess and both hilarious and haunting in its subtle, archaic horror which leans on the simple thrills of a darkened dungeon and the deformed face of the Phantom. It's a story most well-known as an Andrew Lloyd-Webber musical, so if the 'silent' part freaks you out, rest assured that most reissues of this original film actually do include sound. But if you want a truly immersive experience, you should hope there's a good community of film buffs and some pretty talented musicians in your neighbourhood. On Monday and Tuesday night, the Wellington Film Society hosted a screening of the film alongside a live musical accompaniment composed by Pōneke's Ruby Solly (Kāi Tahu, Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe), Seth Boy and Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (Ngāti Porou) – a perfect blending of two artistic mediums which brought the magic and mayhem of the Phantom's opera house to The Embassy theatre. In the absence of sound, the appeal of The Phantom of The Opera leans heavily on beautiful wide shots of dancers floating through the Palais Garnier, title-cards with old-timey words like 'ere' (the best being: 'feast your eyes, glut your soul on my accursed ugliness!') and exaggerated physical performances, but namely Chaney, whose grotesque but most of all dramatic Phantom still endures. So, when you finally do bring sound into the equation, it's able to expand all of these aspects and more. Solly, Best and Schaverien-Kaa's composition flowed so well in tandem with the film that, if you closed your eyes, you'd think all of the pieces were built together from the beginning. The music moved with ease, underscoring the comedic moments with musical punchlines, to something operatic, then haunting. And at the end of the ballet scene which opens the film, as the actors sitting in the Palais Garnier applauded, so did we – it was nice to have a moment to appreciate the ability of three people to create really transcendental music. And because it's their composition, Solly, Best and Schaverien-Kaa were able to take some creative liberties with storytelling through their music. When Carlotta (Virginia Pearson) took the opera stage to perform as Marguerite, Solly missed her notes and skipped over beats, letting a terrible vibrato echo around the theatre (I must note that when she vocalised along with Christine, Solly sounded so beautiful alongside the cello she was playing that, for a few minutes, I couldn't believe she was doing both things at once). When Christine discovers the Phantom playing 'Don Juan Triumphant', he's not the skilled composer you see in Andre Lloyd Webber's production – it was a great insinuation that maybe the Phantom was just a fraud, a nobody trapped in the dungeons forever. But the best part of it all was the use of taonga pūoro. The whistles that drifted through the theatre spelled the entrance of the Phantom and his no-good hijinks, or set the scene for the cold, eerie dungeons. It felt really special to have this instrument embedded into the composition, and it was also a good reminder of Aotearoa's connection to the film. The whole thing is obviously all very French, but the film's director Rupert Julian is a New Zealander. He was born in Whangaroa as Percy Hayes (later changing his name when he became a touring actor), lived in Whangārei and Auckland, worked as a barber on Karangahape Road and fought in the Boer War before being convinced to join the stage, and eventually make the move to Hollywood. The Phantom of The Opera is undoubtedly Julian's most iconic contribution to film, but it's his leading man – Lon 'the man of a thousand faces' Chaney – who supposedly led the brunt of the film's creative work. Julian was famously pompous and difficult to work with, and often crew members sided with Chaney, whose director often refused to speak with him – instead, the film's cinematographer Charles Van Engler acted as the go-between messenger for the two divas. It was a strange outcome as Julian, after receiving the script, declared: 'Lon Chaney, or it can't be done!' Julian's magnum opus became Universal's longest project at the time – while many films were able to be shot in two weeks, Julian spent six months in pre-production, and eleven in production, working with a cast and crew of hundreds. Delays would be caused by Julian continuously reshooting Philbin's scenes, and the use of experimental Technicolour – you can see those beautiful splashes of colour seep through in the Bal-de-Masque scene. So, describing it as a New Zealand film would probably be a stretch of the imagination as long as the Seine. But it was nice to step into a version of the film that felt like it could only be enjoyed in Aotearoa.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
North Carolina mother fighting against teen vaping with new bill
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) — Charlene Zorn describes her stepson Solomon 'Solly' Wynn as a happy kid. Growing up in Wilmington, he was always active. 'He loved to play sports, go to the gym with his dad, ride his bike, eat pizza and hamburgers. He was on his freshman football team. He had all the normal ambitions that a kid had,' said Zorn. But in 2023, Zorn's life changed. 'He got sick. We thought it was a cold or respiratory infection,' said Zorn. 'About six weeks later, they sent him to the Nunnelee Pediatric Clinic, and he immediately diagnosed him with popcorn lungs.' She said the doctor told her it was due to vaping. On June 13, Zorn said Solly had just gotten off the phone with his dad, Al. 'Al got home from work 20 minutes later and found Solomon unconscious on the floor, non-responsive, had to call 911,' said Zorn. 'By the time we got to the hospital there was no signs of any brain activity. He was on a ventilator. His heart was beating—but only because the ventilator was doing it for him.' Not long after, Solly passed away. 'I don't want anyone to feel like my family felt,' Zorn said. 'Al, Solomon's biological mother and I had to stand there and listen to doctors tell us that our child was dead, that a machine was keeping him alive. We had to stand there and with some of our other children as we took him off life support.' Solly was 15 years old. Federal law, which retailers in North Carolina must follow, sets the minimum age to purchase tobacco products at 21, but state law still lists 18. That's why Charlene and others are advocating Solly's Law, a bill currently working its way through the state set to do two things, require a tobacco retail sales permit for businesses and align with federal law about the age to purchase. 'We know that children, virtually everyone who starts using a vapor product or an ignited cigarette, starts before the age of 21 and we realize we've got an epidemic in North Carolina,' said Peg O'Connell with the North Carolina Alliance for Health. She points to a 2022 survey from the organization. It notes one in eight high school students in North Carolina currently use a tobacco about three students in every classroom. Jake Petersen, a school resource officer at Eastern Alamance High School, told CBS 17 he often sees vapes on his campus. 'Kids congregating in the bathrooms, they're passing around the vapes right there in the open and they're smoking between classes and taking a break during classes to go smoke,' said Petersen. Some Wake County students say they see vaping too. Amruta Issac and Uma Kuncha work with the Poe Center for Health Education to teach their peers about the effects of vaping. 'We don't really see it very often in our school, but when I do go out in public spaces like malls or concerts with my friends, I do see it quite often,' said Issac. Kuncha says, unlike Issac, she often sees vapes at her school. 'We see vaping, and vapes, a pretty decent amount whether it's in the hands of my classmates and people's personal belongings or even in the halls, but overall, I do notice not as much out in the open. I would say most students disregard the vape free policy,' said Kuncha. As for Solly's Law, Zorn is said she hopes to see more support for the bill. 'I don't want anyone to go through what we went through. It's completely preventable,' she said. 'It shouldn't be happening, and we need every lawmaker in the state to get behind the bill. It needs to not be a political issue. It needs to be about saving our children's lives.' There has been no movement of Solly's Law in the state legislature since March. Chances that lawmakers will take action on it in this session are slim, but there is still a chance it could be added to the state budget as it does include an appropriation. Solly's stepmother says she and other advocates of the bill will keep fighting until more is done to prevent teenagers from vaping. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Windsor auto shop owner gifts comedian Jay Leno with likeness sculpted from car scraps
Leno was in Windsor for a performance at Caesar's Windsor A Windsor, Ont., auto shop owner who uses car parts to build statues of celebrities delivered his sculpture of Jay Leno to the comedian himself on Thursday. The former Tonight Show host was in Windsor to perform at Caesar's Windsor. "It was just so incredible to be able to do this," said Peter Solly, who owns MacDonald's Auto Repair and Maintenance Shop. "It was just over the top. I'm on cloud nine for sure." Solly began building the life-sized statues around 20 years ago and estimates he's built between 400 and 500. His subjects include real people like Taylor Swift and Gordie Howe and fictional characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and the Incredible Hulk. Artist Glenn Hawkes paints the faces on the statues. Solly built the Leno sculpture more than a year ago but had had little success in getting it to him until now, he said. "I tried and tried and tried to get a hold of him through the media and through his business," Solly said. "But lo and behold, I knew someone who knew someone who knew … him, and they got me in." The intermediary was a friend of Solly's who knew a Michigan car museum owner who was friends with Leno, he said. "So they called Jay Leno. We sent the pictures to him, and he said, 'Hey look, I love it. This is great.' So then she let him call me on my cell." The statue will reside at the museum for a period of time before the owners forward it to Leno in California, Solly said. The sculpture of Leno sports the blue jeans and jean shirt Leno typically wears on his automotive-themed TV show Jay Leno's Garage. Leno was wearing the same outfit when he met Solly on Thursday night. "He walked in the room, said 'Hey Pete! How ya' doin,'" Solly said of Leno. "So I shook his hand, and then we walked up to the sculpture, and he couldn't believe he finally got to see it. And we took a bunch of pictures, and it was great." It wasn't the first time Solly had met the comedian, he sad; he previously encountered him around 30 years ago in Las Vegas when Leno's limo pulled up outside Caesar's Palace. Leno shook hands with Solly and his friends and spoke with them briefly, he recalled. "And then 30 years later, I finally get to meet him," he said. "It's awesome. It was just fantastic."
