Ergo August 14

A BYTE OF LIFE

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The XL weekend special

Vol. 2

No. 159

Mary’s 30 children There are those who only talk about animal welfare and then there are those like Mary Page 02

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

All ye kids Planet Yumm is hosting its Kids Carnival from August 15 to 17 at its Elliots Beach outlet in Besant Nagar. The three days are filled with a magic show, games, dance and painting competition for those little ones. And there are lots of prizes to be won.

Let the games begin The ETA Star Corporate Sports Olympiad is here to test your sporting skills

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igh work pressure and stressful jobs have taken toil of people working in a corporate environment. Join the second edition of the ETA Star Corporate Sports Olympiad in association with RMP Infotech. This is your chance to put your sports skills to test and be part of all the fun, excitement and competition. This years edition has seen participation from over 30 prominent corporate houses of Chennai including Cognizant, Ajuba Solutions, GAVS, TVS Logistics, Syntel, Congruent Infotech, CLRI, Shell, HP, Adventnet, Isoft, Kumaran Systems, Lanson Toyota, ICICI Prudential, Precision Informatics, NDTV, Ford Technology, Optimus, Thinksoft, MMC Infotech, Kotak Securities, Vaishnav Automation, ETA Group, FSS, Mahindra, Intelenet, Keane, TNT, Paypal and FL Smidth. The Olympiad would cover a variety of disciplines, which include Cricket, Football, Volley Ball, Basket Ball, Swimming, Track & Field, Tennis, Golf, Bowling, Karting, Snooker, Table Tennis, Badminton, Carrom, Chess and Darts. The event would be open to both men and women in most of the categories. The event would be spread over 2 month’s period, starting from August 30. Most of the games would be played on a weekend basis. The venues for these events would be the best of places available including Stadiums, Clubs, Indoor and Outdoor tracks and exclusive gaming locations. Ergo is the official media partner for this event. For further details on the event participation & sponsorship you can contact F5Ventures.com @ 9840 220 110, 93823 14839, 9840 27 3090 or mail us at [email protected] ■

Mary of the thirty cats This courageous Tsunami survivor stays afloat so she can make a difference

Mary cares for over thirty animals, some of whom are severely handicapped or recovering from birth control surgery

Mary and Lawrence with their pet cats at their home at Foreshore Estate in Chennai on Tuesday. PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

SRIYA NARAYANAN AND S.S. KUMAR

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e follow Mary, expecting her to stop at an apartment complex where we can sit and discuss her welfare work. Minutes pass. Flats and bungalows disappear. She leads us to a narrow, dingy lane where there’s a row of ramshackle houses. We climb the stairs and are greeted by a home that’s bare in every sense of the word- no furniture, electronic appliances or even a dining table. The walls are plastered with pictures of Jesus Christ and there’s an old-style stove that she points to when she says “our house caught fire because of that thing”. “I don’t want publicity. Just refer to me as Mary”, she says. She cares for over thirty animals, some of whom are severely handicapped or recovering from birth control surgery. “My children”, she calls affectionately as

fifteen cats climb on her shoulder and lap. One that was severely abused before she rescued it lost the use of both hind legs and lost control of its bladder. She breaks down as she holds up the cat for us to see. It wears a diaper and snuggles up to her as she tells it to pose for a photograph. She tearfully recounts the day she was neck deep in water when the tsunami struck. “My cats warned us by coming to us and screaming, but we didn’t understand what they were trying to communicate. My husband and I were stranded, starving and terrified. A black cat kept mewing at us from outside and watched over us until the water receded. He came to live with us after that. I’ve always believed that Karuppa was our saviour”. Mary has no help and personally sweeps, cleans, cares for the cats, cooks and tries to earn a living by taking tuitions for children of low-income households. “So-

meday, this house will break down on my head”, she says, glancing at the dilapidated ceiling. “I don’t mind if a brick falls on me but not on my children”. If you’d like to lend her a muchneeded helping hand, route your donations (that are tax-exempt) through the Cattitude [email protected]. Please mention that the funds need to be sent to Mary of the Thirty Cats. Mary can be reached at 93807 90170

ERGO PETS’ PICK OF THE WEEK Syed from Wipro Technologies is among the people who offered to adopt homeless animals featured in this column on Aug 7. Thank you, Syed, for giving one of them a better life.

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Hot hot, chilli hot Take a trip down Andhra Pradesh with this food festival

When: The buffet lunch and dinner is open till August 17 Where: The Checkers, 30, Mount Road, Littlemount, Before AG Church, Saidapet Reservations: Call 4399 4399

well with every dish.

Sweets unlimited! Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth but are a hardcore Andhrite, we promise the desserts are a real treat. As Chef Faninder, an Andhraite settled in Chennai, says that one of the highlights of the food festival are the array of traditional sweets he has prepared and brought for the occasion. “These days every village has a bakery and old favourites like poo chutalu, sunnunda and chilakalu have almost been forgotten,” he says. Chilakalu, especially, were sent in huge bindis(pots) when the daughter-in-law was going to her in-laws place. We request you to resist your temptation for all those pastries and modern sweets, which are also LIFFY THOMAS

Rural repast

[email protected]

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thatched roof, with an array of dishes burning slowly on earthen pots; dupattas (as curtains) with rangoli designs done in white paint, adding dashes of colour and walls lined with cinema posters of Tollywood stars. I don’t know if a traditional Andhra household can recreate the same atmosphere, but the restaurant at The Checkers does look pretty. To add to all this is the Telugu numbers from the 60’s and 70’s promising to treat you with the Andhra spread. This food festival promise to be a trip down memory lane for all those Andhraites settled in Namma Chennai or those craving for some forgotten dishes from the state.

2 days, 2 plays August 16th and 17th is a treat every theatre lover. The Evam’s Odd couple is being staged at the Music Academy on August 16th at 3.30pm and 7.30 pm. Tickets are available at Landmark and ticketnew.com, you can also call 98402 22363 or 98406 12333. Let’s do it, a comedy play directed/acted by Shubha Khote will also feature Bhavna Balsavar and Ashish Roy will take centre stage at Music Academy on August 17th at 7 pm. For details call 90032 06539/ 90032 06538/430 54840

I start off with the piping hot pesarattu, which is slightly coarse in its texture; true to its taste. This is served with alum (ginger) chutney. The vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are clearly demarcated and there is plenty to choose from. Bangala dumpa venkkai korra (potato and brinjal fry), chemadumpa pulusu and pappu chinthakoora (dal cooked in tamarind juice), all cooked in the traditional style – oily, spicy, sour – are a great way to start the main course. Mamidikkai pacchi royalu (prawns cooked in raw mango) is one of the favourite non-veg pick of Chef Faninder Adabala, which you must try. Kodi pulao (chicken biryani) finely cooked in Basmati rice goes

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

part of the dessert spread, and try sweets like arisalu, sunnunda and poothrekalu – you rarely get to taste them. In all the Andhra food festival promises to be a perfect Independence Day treat. Someone owes me one! ■

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

STOCKTRACK

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

15093.12

4529.05

-119.01

-23.20

SENSEX

NIFTY

Live and let live Several HCL employees take pride in being organ donors

January 2008, across all HCL facilities in the country. S Samson, Deputy General Manager, HR, HCL Financial Services, is the vertical head of the Council, under whom there are six regional heads across the country. The objective of the council is to improve the quality of life of people through education (tutorial), welfare, social service, public safety, rural development and community improvement, Samson said.

V.HARIPRIYA [email protected]

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eath is just the beginning of another life, say the Upanishads. Several HCL employees will only agree. Around 300 employees of the company have enrolled themselves for organ donation thanks to an initiative of its Community Service Council (CSC). The council has spread the word about the benefits of organ donation in the company’s 21 facilities spread across namma Chennai. The donors have pledged that in the event of natural death or being declared brain dead, their eyes, liver, kidney and pancreas can be harvested to give life to those who suffer from organ failure. G. Rahul, a software engineer, is one such proud donor: “We are not taking back anything after death. I will be of use to nine others after my death. It is indeed a matter of pride for me. I was not aware of the concept till I saw the NGO Mohan Foundation’s campaign. I came to know about the multi-organ donation and its use. There is no word to express my satisfaction when I signed up. I share the happiness with my parents. They have also signed up for

Blood donation The first initiative for the Council in Chennai was a blood donation camp. About 1,300 units of blood were donated across the 21 facilities in January. It also adopted Annambedu, a village near Nemelicheri in Thiruvallur district, in April. Apart from providing basic amenities there, HCL also decided to donate some of its old computers to the students of the village. ■ organ donation,” he adds. Janani Suryakumar, Technical Writer, HCL, echoed similar views. She is happy that some one else will see the world through her eyes. “This really gives a meaning to our lives. Usually whatever we do is for the

welfare of ourselves, our relatives and friends. I may not know the person who will use my eyes but still I am happy, as I do this without any expectations. It gives joy” A representative from the Mohan Foundation, with whom HCL had tied-up for multi-organ do-

nation, said HCL is the first major corporate house in the city to take such an initiative. The organ donation initiative was headed by Ravi Kishore, group project manager, who also heads the regional CSC. The Council was launched in

CSR Dossier will be a regular feature in Ergo, detailing the activities companies do as a part of their corporate social responsibility outreach. If you wish to highlight something that your company does, mail us at [email protected] and also contact [email protected].

Satyam goes steady with recruitment To recruit around 15,000 candidates this year

S.V. Krishnan, Global Head, Human Resources, Satyam Computers.

ERGO CORRESPONDENT

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rom changing its tagline from ‘What Business demand’ to ‘Business Transformation. Together,’ Satyam Computer Services Ltd. seems to be very keen to focus on its two new areas - innovation and leadership. At an informal meeting with journalists in Namma Chennai on Tuesday, S.V. Krishnan, Global Head, Human Resources, Satyam Computers, answered queries on global slow down and its recruitment initiatives. Clarifying that there has been no slow down in hiring freshers, Krishnan said, “This year we are looking at taking 12,000 to 15,000candidates, with freshers contributing 40 to 45 per cent.” About 6,500 probable candidates have been given offer letters so far. “Last year, too, we had recruited almost the same number,” he said.

PHOTO: BIJOY GHOSH

Lowest attrition

Taking pride in the fact that Satyam has seen the lowest attrition rate in the last nine quarters, Krishnan said that it was because they have identified 2000odd life cycles to keep employees happy. “Last year the attrition rate stood at around 12.92 per cent, now we stand at around 12 per cent.” If getting good hands is one of the biggest challenges faced by companies, then retaining is a lot more difficult. “We have less than 1 per cent of the people who break the bond period to leave the organisation,” said Krishnan. So, what are the retention strategies for a freshers who completes his/her bond period? “As an organisation we have to elevate ourselves, so after every six months employee are offered a lump sum amount. This is only one among the many initiatives,” he said. He also added that as a growing industry Satyam cannot rule out layoffs, if the need arose. ■

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Enjoy the special performance by the Nochikuppam sea fishing community, facilitated by the storytelling Institute and hosted by Eric Miller at 7 p.m. on August 18 at Vanilla Children Place, Mylapore.

US $ Pound Euro 100 Yen

42.67 80.92 63.71 39.24

SOURCE: RBI

The Sea Story

To the land of olives and wine Courtyard Marriott launches food fest to give gourmets an authentic Italian experience gourmet is delighted.

RINI MUKKATH [email protected]

Italy on a platter

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ou might giggle at the outlandish accent of Chef Francisco Miguel; his cadence has the scrumptious taste of Italy. Walk into Rhapsody at the Courtyard in Marriott Hotel, Francisco is waiting there to give you an authentic and unique Italian experience.

Rustic notes His mother taught him cooking. Even the menu echoes the rustic elements of their country and the Lambretta on the cover will slowly carry you to the land of olives and wine. “We want the food fest to be like taking a journey through Italy and people must enjoy something that is skilfully made yet is simple and fresh in nature,” Francisco says. Olive oil and cheese are the main ingredients. Italian cooking is known for its healthy balance, the excellent basic ingredients being simply cooked, retaining their original goodness and freshness. Though simple, the dishes are rich with varied flavours and inventiveness in preparation that even the most demanding

Francisco and his team will Where: Rhapsody, serve everything from delectable Courtyard Marriott ocean-tinged Tuna Carpaccio When: Till and Tuscan style lamb rack to August 20, 2008, the Venetian Risotto and Masevenings carponata Pizza at the Contact: food fare. 044-66764499 For a deep Italian feel, taste the Fritto Misto which is perfect for any sea food lover. Squid, shrimps and fish are marinated and pan fried and served with a leafy cold salad. If you are a lover of pizza then try the chicken salami served with herbs and a crisp base. Vegetarians are left with lesser choices, but solid ones. Example the pasta stuffed with cheese and served on pumpkin sauce. For a sweet ending to the meal, taste Francisco’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream truffle with amarena cherries called Tartufo.

Not so spicy Unlike Indians, Italians do not use much of spices. “Biriyani is my favourite Indian dish. It’s so complex and the spices just blend like a symphony,” the Chef sums up. ■

TRULY ITALIAN: Chef Francisco Miguel at the food fest in ’Rhapsody’. PHOTOS: R.RAVINDRAN

Jazz it up Sharik Hasan trio to perform at Alliance Francaise ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

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or all those jazz enthusiasts in town, The Jazz Club at the Alliance Francaise is all set to organise their second concert. What’s more, the next month will see a number of related workshops on jazz, including the commencing of percussions and drums classes. To kick start this month-long celebration of the music genre, The Sharik Hasan Trio will be coming to town. In July and August of 2008, Sharik who has been touring India with his trio,

including Adrian D’Souza came to discover jazz when he (drums) and Karl Peters (bass), attended the prestigious Oberwill be performing original lin Conservatory of Music, after which he moved to Paris, playcompositions in the city. ing various concerts in The trio surprisingly and around Paris. was formed only at The experience of the beginning of Event: Jazz playing in India this tour. Sharik concert has been positive says, “We met at Timings: 7 p.m, for Sharik. “The Hyderabad, August 14 response to jazz where we had Venue: Alliance really depends on our first concert. Francaise exposure, and I But we hit it off Contact: 28279803/ have never played in because of the 28271477 Chennai before, but energy, and mainly so far, in the years I have the spontaneity of realtime performance.” Sharik, played in India, I liked playing who studied at the Longy in Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune and School of Music in Boston, Bangalore the best,” he says. ■

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

Dog meat off the menu China has ordered dog meat to be removed from the menu at its 112 Official Olympic restaurants so as not to offend foreign visitors.

UK July claimant count posts biggest rise since 1992

Couple have ‘Star Wars’ themed wedding solemnized by Yoda!

The number of Britons claiming jobless benefits rose in July by the largest amount since 1992 and average earnings in the three months to June rose by the weakest amount in five years. The Office for National Statistics said the claimant count rose for a sixth consecutive month by 20,100, after an upwardly revised increase of 20,000 in June. That was the biggest jump since December 1992 and above forecasts for a 17,500 rise.

Brit couple Rebecca D’Madeiros and Bill Duda are so obsessed with Star Wars that they had their wedding themed on the blockbuster. The couple tied the knot in their backyard in Portland, Oregon in June this year. The two, who are 36-yearsold and ardent fans of the sci-fi movie, requested their friends and family members to dress up as characters from the films for the wedding, which both had spent months planning. “Rebecca and I are massive fans of the films and when were planning the wedding we thought why not Star Wars?,” the Telegraph quoted Duda, a schoolteacher as saying. The bride and groom were dressed as the characters Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar and they were led out of their house and into the garden by a line of Imperial Stomtroopers.

Reuters

Schoolboy takes ‘spiderman’ exit from 25th-floor window A Hong Kong teenager climbed from the window of this 25th-floor flat and scrambled down the drainpipe into the kitchen of neighbour below, police said on Wednesday. Emergency crews were called on Tuesday afternoon after the 15-year-old was caught by the neighbour as he climbed through her window on the floor below. Police said the teenager, who suffered from hyperactivity, was in the care of his brother when he made his spiderman exit. His brother was not aware he had left until he was informed by police. The case is the second in recent weeks in which children have climbed out of high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. In June, a eight-year-old girl and her six-year-old brother tried to climb down the drainpipe from their 34th-floor flat while their mother was asleep and their flat locked.

ANI

Sarkozy to host Dalai Lama in December French President Nicolas Sarkozy will host the Dalai Lama along with other Nobel peace prize laureates in Paris on December 10, a French minister said on Wednesday. “The president of the republic will receive all Nobel peace prize winners, including the Dalai Lama, in Paris on December 10,” Roger Karoutchi, secretary of state for relations with parliament, said in a statement.

DPA

AFP

Top ten architectural wonders

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ydney Opera House and Paris’s Eiffel Tower are among the top ten ‘Modern Architectural Wonders Of The World Tourists Must Visit’. The iconic Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro was also included in the table compiled by Halifax Travel Insurance, reports the Daily Express. ‘The Palm’ - a man-made island of luxury properties being created off the coast of Dubai -appeared on the list too. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco also made it the top ten. ■ ANI

The top 10 Modern Architectural Wonders of the World Tourists Must Visit’: ■ Sydney Opera House, ■ Eiffel Tower, Paris, ■ Christ the Redeemer statue, ■ Rio de Janeiro, ■ The Palm, Dubai, ■ Golden Gate Bridge, ■ San Francisco, ■ Petronas Twin Towers, ■ Kuala Lumpur, ■ The Kremlin, ■ Moscow, ■ Ground Zero, ■ New York, ■ CN Tower, ■ Toronto, ■ The Atomium, ■ Brussels

Sydney Opera House

Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Palm, Dubai

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

WEBSITES OF THE DAY

This day, that year

Calculate how many seconds you have been alive www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp Trace your family history with the Church of Latter Day Saints’ genealogy records www.familysearch.org/eng/ default.asp

In August 14, 1893 France became the first country to introduce motor vehicle registration plates.

“TAKES WAY MORE THAN A COLD TO STOP ME” When asked about his entry into the rowing scene, the 6’ 3” tall youngster ahul Baliga is an engineerexplains “My very first passion was basing student. He aspires to ketball. But since I didn’t have a coach, become an engineer and I had to let go of the sport. My dad had a settle down in a well recmembership in the Madras Boat Club ognised company. So, what and I used to go there to use the gym. I else? This dashing 21-year-old decided to try out sculling once and imis also 2008’s National Rowing mediately fell in love with it”. Champion. Talking about how he met his coach Rowing has always been a brought a smile to his face. “I never had sport that was limited to the a coach for basketball. I learnt all that I Indian Army and not many did from local matches that happened civilians have taken it up seat the T.Nagar ground and NBA, both riously. For twenty years, the instances where I was just an observer. national championship for But when I started rowing, I heard that rowing has been held by the an Asian silver medalist was coaching army, and 2008 has only been people at the boat club. I felt I would be the second time they in good hands and wanted to were defeated. The give it a shot. And he’s first ever time was been with me since back in 1988, when then.” for the first time He talks about his Rahul Baliga, the army had to hand regular workout over its glory to James regime and his diet National Rowing Joseph, who is now “I row for about Champion, talks Rahul’s coach. 20-24 kms every“I was actually seday from 5:30 a.m. about rowing, lected for the 2006 I also row in the Asian Games national evening for a coubasketball and training camp but ple of hours. My did not make it to diet pretty much his future the final squad. consists of healthy This threw me off food like dhal or sukka course and I took a chapathi and not much of break from rowing for a junk food. I am at my fittest now few months. and training at a higher level”. Then I decided to try even But when Rahul is asked about his harder and trained night and future plans, he is uncertain. “I have day and won the National finished my engineering and looking Championship. For years it for a company that would sponsor my has always been the army sport also. that has ruled the sport. I cannot take up rowing as a full-time And to think I am the career otherwise. There are no sponsors second person to beat and the money is too less.” them at a national On the lighter side, when Rahul is championship and the asked about the cold he had caught that first ever person who prevented him from practice that beat them is my coach is morning, he laughs “You should know amazing”, says Rahul, that it takes way more than a cold to flashing a smile. stop me”. ■ ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY

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Rahul Baliga

PHOTO : R. RAVINDRAN

08 SPORT

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

Federer Phelps’ fan Federer said he appreciated the effort and sacrifices which have gone into the 23-year-old’s march to a record 11 Olympic golds, more than any other athlete in history.

Mighty Phelps most successful Olympian Yeah, yeah … we know we are overdoing the Phelps coverage. But the man leaves us with little choice Who’s saying what? “In order to avoid problems and show myself naked I put the training suit under the other suit because the swimsuit can sometimes break very easily.” Italy’s first Olympic swimming champion Federica Pellegrini on how she preserved her modesty at the Water Cube while winning the 200 metres freestyle in a world record time.

“Some of my best friends in Toronto are of Chinese origin.” Spanish basketball star Jose Calderon, who plays in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors, insists no offence was meant after the national side posed for an advertisement while making slit-eyed gestures, a move that would have done little for the morale of the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid team in Beijing.

“The reason why little Yang was not chosen to appear was because we wanted to project the right image, we were thinking about what was best for the nation.” Chen Qigang, the general music designer of the Olympic opening ceremony, explains why a nineyear-old girl who starred at the event was miming and only put on stage because the real singer was not considered attractive enough.

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merican swimmer Michael Phelps became the most successful Olympian of all time by winning two more Beijing gold medals on Wednesday to take his career tally to an unprecedented 11 victories. The mighty Phelps overtook an elite group including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis who had won nine golds by breaking his own world record in the men’s 200 metres butterfly. Phelps brushed off a problem with his goggles that left them full of water. “Under the circumstances, it’s not a bad result,” he told reporters. An hour later, the 23-year-old was back in the pool with his American team mates to win the men’s 200 freestyle relay, knocking over four seconds off the previous world best. It was his fifth gold from these Games adding to six in Athens in 2004.

“We thought it was going to be really difficult and people were very nervous for the first few days ... but once we realised the police were not going to touch us, everyone flooded in.” An American tout outside one of the Olympic venues explains that scalping in Beijing is proving much easier than expected.

“What do weightlifters look like? You still have some girls who say ’I don’t want to look like ’that’.’ But you don’t have to be like ’that’.” British weightlifter, and PE teacher Michaela Breeze, on breaking down stereotyped images of her sport.

“At the end, I really couldn’t see. I was looking for the ’T’ on the bottom of the pool. It got to the point where I was counting strokes and hoping I would hit the wall just about right. It was a malfunction; there was nothing I could do.” US Olympic swim star Michael Phelps explains how he won the record-breaking 10th gold medal of his career, in the 200 metres butterfly, with his eyes closed.

“They were giving him points for anything but when I was hitting him they were not giving me points.” British bantamweight Joe Murray hits out at the judges after losing to China’s Gu Yu in the last 32 of the Olympic boxing tournament. AFP

AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS-XAVIER MARIT

Phelps is now within reach of Spitz’s record of seven golds at one Games. With each of his Beijing golds coming in record times he is also tracking Spitz’s achievement of winning each of the 1972 titles in world best times. The day’s dry land highlight came when China took advantage of stumbles at key moments by the U.S. to win one of the Games’ showpiece events, the women’s team artistic gymnastics. Alicia Sacramone, the senior team member, stumbled off the beam after fluffing her mount and then fell flat on her back during her floor exercise. Shell-shocked at her disastrous mistakes, she hurried down the stairs and collapsed in tears. It was the first victory in the event for the Chinese women. An astonishing six world records were broken in the Water

Cube pool, taking the tally for the Games to 16 in four days. France’s Alain Bernard briefly took Eamon Sullivan’s world record in the 100 freestyle semi-finals but the Australian recaptured it less than five minutes later. Italy’s Federica Pellegrini broke the women’s 200 freestyle record to take gold and ease the pain of losing in her favourite race, the 400 freestyle. Australia’s Stephanie Rice won her second gold in record time in the 200 individual medley. Phelps’s triumphs pushed him ahead of Lewis, Spitz, “Flying Finn” distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina on nine golds. Latynina and fellow Soviet gymnast Nikolai Andrianov hold the record for the most career medals of any colour, with 18 for women and 15 for men. Reuters

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Mums juggle duties Trying to be a mother and a champion Olympian simultaneously is a tough task, but the Beijing Games has its fair share of mums juggling their duties. Some of the better-known include British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe, American tennis star Lindsay Davenport, and Japan’s seven-time world judo champion Ryoko Tani. But there are plenty more changing nappies one minute and training the next.

INDIAN EXPRESS

CHUGS ON

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heir impeccable on-court camaraderie betrayed no signs of a stormy past as Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi on Wednesday inched closer to their first joint Olympic medal by reaching the quarterfinals of the men’s doubles event. The seventh seeded Indians played compact tennis to defeat Marcelo Melo and Andre Sa of Brazil 6-4, 6-2 in just over an hour. In the quarterfinals, they will take on the winners of the second round match that pits fourth seeded Swiss pair of Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka against the mercurial Russian duo of Dmitry Tursunov and Mikhail Youzhny. Paes and Bhupathi were in perfect sync and they combined well to negate the Brazilians. Breaking Sa early in the third game put them ahead and the duo subsequently did not relax their grip over the proceedings as they sealed the first set without much ado. At a time when games tend to go with the serve, squandering break points is a luxury that a pair can hardly afford and Paes and Bhupathi put themselves right in the driver’s seat by breaking Melo in the first game of the second set. ■

Paes-Bhupathi enter quarters, beat Brazil duo, may soon run into Fed-Ex

Dream run ends 18-year-old Saina Nehwal AFP

“I

made a lot of mistakes and erred in judging the shuttle. In the third game, I was dog tired,” Saina lamented at the end of her quarterfinal loss to Indonesian ‘giant-killer’ Maria Kristin Yulianti. Nehwal, 18, was looking to become the first Indian woman to reach the Olympic semifinal in badminton when she won a cliffhanger first game but frittered away an eight-point lead in the decider to go down against Indonesia’s unseeded surprise package Maria Kristin Yulianti 28-26, 14-21, 21-15. The first game saw an intense battle between Saina and Maria, who came to the Olympics with the tag of a giant killer having beaten defending champion Zhang Ning of China in Indonesian Open earlier this year, with the Indonesian surging ahead before Saina won seven points on the trot to snatch regain the lead back and eventually the game. The toil, however, took a toll on Saina’s verve and the Indian looked slightly jaded in the second game, allowing Maria to claw her way back into the game and score seven points in a row to take a lead, which the Indonesian never lost. Asked what went wrong in the third game, Saina said, “I could not read the drift once I changed sides. On many occasions, I expected her shuttle to land outside and left it only to see it land inside. I just could not read that. Asked if the eight-point lead in the decider made her complacent, Saina said, “Not at all. In fact I was not thinking about winning at all. I was just playing my game. Even at match points you cannot take it for granted. “I’m both happy and sad to have come this far and still lose a match despite dominating it. It was my match and I should have won it,” she said. Her opponent too felt Saina probably exhausted herself in the first two games and hence could not maintain the tempo. “She was attacking all the time. So I had to be patient. Towards the end, it looked like she was rushing her shots,” the Indonesian said.

10 FLICK

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

Dazzling VFX Over 100 visual effects(VFX) specialists from Prasad EFX have executed more than 425 VFX shots for Vishal- starrer Satyam. The work was supervised by famous Hollywood visual effects director Craig Muma.

Photo: S.S. Kumar

No gain without pain. I am sure this proverb goes more with my story behind developing the six-pack. For over a period of eight months I had to sacrifice a whole lot of things to shape my body.

Vishal and things big and small THE ACTOR ON SATYAM, RUMOURS AND FIRST LOVES atyam will depict actor Vishal as an assistant commissioner. With the film slated for release on August 14, we bring to you an exclusive chat with the actor.

S

(Laughs) It bloomed when I was doing my Visual Communication at Loyola College. I fell in love with my classmate. It was love at first sight. I used to do many things to impress her.

You have been romantically linked with Reema Sen, Priyamani, Nayanthara and now Trisha. Your comment?

One of your classmates is today’s leading director.

Love is something divine and I am so vexed with the media for linking me up with these people for no reason. All of them are my close friends and we have been sharing a good rapport.

First love

Yes! It is director Vishnuvardhan. Sitting together on the last bench, we used to kill time chatting. His wife Anu was our classmate and Vishnuvardhan and Anu fell in love.

What’s so special about Satyam?

It’s an unusual cop story. There are several films centring on a cop bumping off the baddies, but this has been narrated in an entirely different way. A lot of commercial elements – comedy, romance, emotions, sentiments, action, glamour and more – are sure to win the hearts of audiences.

Take on director A. Rajashekar Rajashekar, much before kickstarting his venture into films, worked as journalist for India Today. As a journalist, he went through experiences with real people and their stories. He holds

the credit for being the first person to interview forest brigand Veerappan. He stepped into the visual media making documentaries for BBC and NGC. His insatiable passion for filmmaking attracted director Suresh Krishna and he worked along with him as associate director for the films Alavandhan, Baba and Raghavendra in Telugu.

lot of things to shape my body.

How was the experience of working with Nayanthara? I would say she is the best professional and has cooperated in each and every aspect of the film. Of course, she is a good friend of mine and what makes us so sad are the prevailing rumours.

Forthcoming projects You seem to be rocking with your six-pack. No gain without pain. I am sure this proverb goes more with my story behind developing the sixpack. For over a period of eight months I had to sacrifice a whole

I will be donning dual roles in my next film, which is yet to be titled. Also, I plan to direct a film in the next few years. If Satyam makes it big, we will be taking up a sequel. ■ Richard Mahesh

11

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Clooney in Al-Qaeda-based film George Clooney is set to star in an upcoming film based on Al-Qaeda, according to reports. The actor will appear in The Challenge, after his production company, Smokehouse, bought the rights to the book.

I

f you haven’t planned anything this weekend, there are more than a couple of movies waiting to entertain you on the big screen. Starting with Satyam, the Tamil film starring Vishal and Nayantara opens today across movie halls. Vishal plays the supercop in the film produced by brother Vikram Krishna. Some bad news for all those who wanted to see Vishal and Nayantara sizzle in that steamy number. Among the cuts given by the censors, we hear that “Chellame, Chellame…” has been trimmed.

Cine City

Bollywood namaste After Love Story 2050, Priyanka Chopra is hoping to see Lady Luck smile on her, at least with God Tussi Great Ho. The film also stars Salman Khan, who comes after a long hiatus. It also stars Amitabh Bachchan and is remake of the Hollywood flick, Bruce Almighty. Finally, Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone translate their real-life romance on screen with Bachna Ae Haseeno. Also starring in the film are Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba (remember her in Dus Kahaniyaan, Hey Babyy). The film is directed by Siddharth Anand, who has movies like Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum to his credit (never mind they did not do too well at the box office).

Sarvam: Title change likely Following the grand success of Billa, director Vishnuvardhan launched the shooting of his next film, Sarvam, featuring Arya and Trisha in the lead roles. But right from day one the crew had to encounter many mishaps, including some fatal ones. So, in a bid to bring the situation under control, the director is approaching astrologers and numerologists. He is even considering a title change. Vishnuvardhan is no loner; almost all celebrities in the film industry are addicted to superstitious stuff and numerology. .

Movies awaited It is disappointment for all those who were waiting to catch the Chennai 600028 team again in Saroja. Though the movie was initially slated to release on August 15, we hear that it has been postponed by more than a week. Sources tell us that most movies have been running houseful at the multiplexes and thus the delay. Also awaited eagerly is late director Jeeva’s Dham Dhoom, which should also release in a week’s time. Happy movie time for now! Ergo Correspondent

Paris sued P

aris Hilton didn’t do enough pledging for a 2006 sorority comedy, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday. Worldwide Entertainment Group Inc filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Miami, alleging the 27-year-old model-actress-heiress owes USD 75,000 in damages for not fulfilling promotional obligations. Hilton entered into an agreement in 2004 for the production and distribution of the movie National Lampoon’s Pledge This!, according to the lawsuit. Hilton starred in the film and received credit as an executive producer. The Miami-based concern said it paid Hilton and her company, Paris Hilton Entertainment Inc, USD 1 million for “Hilton’s acting services” and for “reasonable promotion and publicity” for the movie, which was released in 2006 and featured Hilton as the president of an exclusive sorority. While most famous for her tabloid exploits and reality TV series The Simple Life, Hilton has appeared in the films Bottoms Up, The Hottie & the Nottie and House of Wax. She’s slated to next appear in the movie musical Repo: The Genetic Opera and the tentatively titled MTV reality series Paris Hilton’s My New BFF. Phone calls and e-mails to Hilton’s manager, Jason Moore, were not immediately returned yesterday. ■ PTI

Who will produce Marmayogi? Speculations are that Pyramid Saimira Group, which earlier agreed to produce Marmayogi with Rs. 150 crore, has backed off. It seems the producers have calculated that the film wouldn’t be too favourable for them in terms of profit. But now, Soundarya Rajinikanth is thinking of producing the film. She had earlier joined hands with Warner Bros for producing big projects, including those of Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar and Mahesh Babu. Kamal Haasan is said to have mailed the script to Warner Bros for their consideration. www.cinesnacks.com

.

12 SCAN

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

Mummy, I don’t like the script! According to tv.com, Rachel Weisz chose not to reprise her role as Evelyn in The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor as she did not like the script.

PICK OFOF THETHE DAY DAY - Friday PICK

UTV Movies

STAR ONE

FILMY

HBO

Jodhaa Akbar - 2 pm

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge IV – 9 pm

Lakshya

– 3 pm Terrorists have occupied a few key peaks to serve as attack points. Karan is given the responsibility to capture an important peak and he knows that this is a great chance to serve his country.

Stuart Little 2 – 7-30 pm

Jodhaa Akbar is a sixteenth century love story about a marriage of alliance that gave birth to true love between a great Mughal Emperor, Akbar and a Rajput princess, Jodhaa.

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge IV is a Reality stand-up comedy show. Judges are Shatrughan Sinha and Navjot Singh

More charming episodes in the life of dapper mouse Stuart Little in this delightful sequel. There’s a new baby in the house, and Stuart is feeling a little left out. So he’s pleased when he gets a new friend in the form of injured bird Margalo.

PICK OF THE DAY - Saturday

MAX

STAR GOLD

STAR MOVIES

ZEE STUDIO

Tom Dick and Harry – 12 am

Dil Maange More – 5 pm Nikhil has a perfect life until his lady goes off to chase her ambition. Nikhil is stuck between the woman he loves, the woman who is a friend and the woman who loves him. What will he do?

Rock Balboa – 11-30 pm After a virtual boxing match declares Rocky Balboa the victor over current champion Mason "The Line" Dixon, the legendary fighter’s passion and spirit are reignited.

101 Dalmatians - 8-15 pm Live-action version of the Disney classic, featuring the dastardly fashion designer Cruella De Vil who, having chanced upon a litter of cute dalmation puppies, decides that their skins will complete her exotic new coat.

SONY

STAR WORLD

HBO

PIX

Jab We Met

Desperate Housewives – 11 pm This is the show’s first Halloween episode. Edie Britt’s biggest fear comes true when Carlos walks out on their relationship. Susan finds Mike’s father - who was supposedly dead.

The Hunted

Tears of the Sun – 10 pm

Happy Singh lives in Jassi Villa with his wife, Jassi, and a young son. He has rented his rooms to Tom, who is deaf; and Harry who is dumb & Dick, who is blind. The three find out about an attractive girl next door, Celina, and each does his best to make her his sweetheart.

PICK OF THE DAY - Sunday

– 8 pm Aditya Kashyap gets even more depressed after attending the marriage of the girl he loves the most. Feeling ashamed to face the world, he walks out and boards a train in the night.

– 11 pm In the green woods of Silver Falls, Oregon, Aaron Hallam, a trained assassin AWOL from the Special Forces, keeps his own brand of wildlife vigil. After Hallam brutally slew four deer hunters in the area, FBI Special Agent turns to Bonham.

Navy SEAL Lieutenant A.K. Waters and his elite squadron of tactical specialists are forced to choose between their duty and their humanity.

13

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Sclaffing When playing golf, scraping the club along the grass before hitting the ball is called sclaffing.

Greetings August 14 Hi Priya, Sowmya, Manju, Sivaranjani, Abirami, Lavanya, Saranya J, Saranja R, Sangeetha, Narmadha, Jasmine, Jubi ben, Kalpana, Anitha, Iswariya, Kowsi, Vinnarasi, Surya, Gayathri, Saranya A, Subbu etc… Happy Raksha Bandhan to all my sisters. If any name is missing in this list means, please forgive me, I won’t forget you. Yours lovingly, Murugan S Hexaware Technologies

Hi Nitin, Wish you many more happy returns of this day. May all your dreams come true. Wish you all success in life. Best Regards, Venkat,Pradeepa, Sathiya, Rajkiran and TSS team Patni Computer Systems Ltd

Dear Archana, We wish you many many happy returns of the day. May the almighty shower his richest blessings on you today and always. Enjoy the day to max and have fun. Teamies(ATTSWLUP n ATTUPEC) Infosys Technologies limited.

Dear Raja, Shabnam & Vel Wishing you all many more happy returns of this day (in advance) May God bless you with health, wealth & prosperity in your life. Wishes from your loving LOGISAIR friends, Wipro Technologies.

Dear Harika, When we need a helping hand You’ve always been there for us with kind words and hugs You’re someone we count on And someone we care Wishing you many happy returns of the day. With love Guru, Praneeth, Usha, Deepthi, Madhavi, Sabreen, Kishore, Naresh, TCS

Hi Santhosh, Wish you many more happy returns of the day. May God bless you with health, happiness and wealth. May all your desires come true on this

Dine by the Sea

wonderful day. Happy birthday da!! With love, Ram (Wipro), Malini(TCS)

August 15 Dear Sanal Dev, Advance B’Day wishes. May all your wish come true. God bless you with Health, Wealth,and Prosperity. With Luv, Rashtrapathy & your Team, HCL Tech, Chennai.

Dear Archana(Kannamma), Many many more happy returns of the day dear. Have a blasting B’day. Enjoy your day with loads and loads of fun. With Luv, Wal-mart Testing Team CTS

Dear Shalini On this special day we wish you a very happy birthday.May it bring you with loads of joy. Have a great year ahead! Regards CAT Team Birlasoft

August 16 Hi Mams Wish you many more happy returns of day best. Wishes Vijayakumar Caparo Engineering india Pvt Ltd

August 17 Hi Vidhya, Wish you many more happy returns of the day. May GOD bless you and your dreams come true with your efforts. Regards, Deepak SAVARIMUTHU Cognizant Technology Solutions India Pvt Ltd

Dear Neelam, A prayer: To bless your way A wish To lighten ur moments A cheer. To perfect your day .A greeting to say a very very Happy Birthday God bless u Hearty wishes from, Joyce and Vinodhini Tata Consultancy Services Ltd

Hello Gang, Send your greetings to [email protected], with the word ‘greeting’ and the preferred date of publication in the subject line. Example: “greeting: August 20”. This will help us organise the column. Also, those who want to dedicate greetings, please send your full name, company name and contact number for verification. Cheers, Team Ergo

In the tranquil and scenic settings of Seagull, the all day diner at the Fisherman’s Cove enjoy the spirit of freedom with lavish Indian spread with magnificent view of the pool and surrounded greenery. Where: Seagull, Fisherman’s Cove, Covelong Beach, ECR When: Aug 15 Contact:6741 3333

One Billion Eyes - The Demonic and The Divine Films on the subject of Gods, Goddesses, rituals, festivals, pilgrimages, as well as the occult, major religions of the world and tribal & aboriginal religions will be screened. This will also include films on beliefs about spirit possession, sorcery, witchcraft and the evil eye, supernatural affliction and its treatment, exorcism, or healing ceremonies, medical anthropology, religious practices and Indian ethno-medicine. There will also be an exhibition of photographs by V. Karthik on the theme of the Demoniac and the Divine. When: 15th to 21st August Where: Gallery of the Alliance Francaise, College Road.

Hindustan Meri Jaan The Park Hotel has a collection of interesting entertainment and food till the 16th of August.LIFE JEE LE AT THE PARK Stay at The Park at an unbelievable rate, in the lap of luxury. This will include complimentary breakfast and lunch at 601, our all hours dining with a host of entertaining chefs in the background. Leave it to us to pamper you at Aura, our spa – voted as amongst the 50 most exotic spas of the world. CHAK LE AT 601 Biryani & Kebabs with Chef Abhishek Basu. Relish the flavors of India with our juicy succulent kebabs and delicious authentic biryani.For dinner only. AISH KAR LE AT AURA Special offer on our rejuvenating and refreshing treatments for absolute freedom. JHOOM LE AT PASHA Wednesday, 13th DJ Piyush from Hyderabad with desi and bollywood mixes Thursday, 14th DJ Nezze with commercial beats Friday, 15th DJ Manny & Ajmal with freedom house 8:30pm onwards. For more details: call 4267 6000

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

Learn to knit Hitler A designer has sparked controversy by publishing a set of knitting patterns featuring former dictator Adolf Hitler. Rachael Matthews’ new book has designs for a dozen dictators, and features a photo of Hitler doing a Nazi salute on the cover. She has dubbed her Hitler doll ’Knitler’.

sudoku

Lakshmanan Vijayakumar L of Hexaware Technologies clicked this photo during a visit to Peeble Beach, California. His office colleague sent us the photo to plan a surprise on Lakshmanan and says that photography is not one of his hobbies. Hobby or not, the photo sure looks good!

KAKURO So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit. E-mail: [email protected]

TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan Illustrator: R. Venugopal Technical Support: V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar Head of Advertising: Sriya Narayanan [email protected]

Head of Circulation: RA. Babu Vijay [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002 mail your feedback to [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Call our Advertisement Manager at 2857 6695. email: [email protected] Website: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

15

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Sleep-talking

Word’s worth

A Chinese woman discovered her husband was cheating on her after he revealed the address of his secret lover while sleeping. When she visited the address she was stunned to see her husband with another lady.

"Sanguinolency" (sang-gwin-uh-lun-see) an obsolete word meaning ’addiction to bloodshed.’ Thankfully, most of the sanguinolent these days can satisfy their jones for gore with videogames and movies. From a Latin word meaning ’blood.’

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 Today your focus remains on career progress. You will be highly practical and may take right decisions right in time. You will work harder and may also expect others to work hard. Your love life may be sidelined while you are too involved in work.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 Luck is in your favour in general. You may be working on new projects. Important meetings related to work or with people living abroad are possible. You will enjoy good family life today. You will receive moral support from your life partner.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 Ganesha does not find you in a good mood. At office, you would not be able to finish desired work in given time. Ensure that you don’t cross deadlines! In love life, you will neither have good time nor tough time, so it’s an average day for you.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 Today you might have to take a back-seat at office. This is just time being change, you will be back in power soon but today, stars are not favouring you. You will be dedicated to your partner. Umnarried? It’s time to think about marriage very seriously.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 You can be overloaded with work at office. There are chances of cold arguments with superiors. Maintain cordial relations, advises Ganesha. In case of love you may not be carried away by emotions but may use your intelligence and act accordingly.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

There is a lot of scope of doing some R and D today. You will love your job more than usual and may take interest in company’s progress. Emotional bond with your beloved may strengthen up today. Love life and work both are in perfect harmony.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 Your prime responsibilities may be sidelined and you may be dealing with mundane tasks. Keep up with routine practice. Your love life may become dry if you don’t exchange sweet words with partner. In short, handle everything with utmost care.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Tasks that you have not been able to finish till now may be finished today. Deal with activities that need to be done quickly. You may need to put in more effort to please your beloved. As long you don’t try to dominate, everything will be okay in love life.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 Today you may need to control your speech. Office work may become more demanding. In love life, you should act more emotionally to make your partner feel about your concern. Even if you have to pretend a bit there should not be any problem.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 This is ‘power day’ for you. You will be able to set higher goals and start working in this direction. While your career front is in full swing, domestic life may also be in perfect balance. You may be in good humour with your beloved one or spouse.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 You may put in lot of effort to solve problems at work but if you shoot one, another will appear immediately. It’s a day to deal with problems at office. You may not be able to dominate your partner. Keep low profile at office and home.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 Your efforts are likely to yield positive results today. Ganesha finds you receiving gains at office. Other people may give you due importance and you will gather more respect. You may not have any complaints about any area of life today. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Thursday, August 14, 2008

No issue on Aug 15 Ergo will not have an edition on August 15 on account of Independence Day. So we will catch up on Monday, after the extended weekend. Cheers. Editor

MY INDIA, MY DREAM Clean Earth

Readers tell us the positive changes they like to see in the country

Graduate to politics

Golden rule

For a clean and green Earth I think it is very essential to impose rules. Awareness programmes should be conducted by college students / working people across the country. Fine or one-day imprisonment should be imposed on law breakers (No matter, who they are).

Politics must also be treated like another job. Politicians should be graduates with no criminal cases pending against them, with prior experience in serving community and a retirement age of 58. There should be an appraisal process every year, which will be headed by a panel of ex-Supreme Court judges. If the performance is unsatisfactory, the panel must sack the politician and replace him with a better eligible one. This will reduce corruption; bring in fresh young blood with new ideas, views /perspectives.

Since the day my Class I teacher taught us “If you pick up a paper from the ground and put it in the dustbin,God will write your name in the Golden book”, I never threw even a chocolate paper or bus ticket on the roads.I always put them in my pocket and only empty them in the dustbin. I try to tell this to people I know.

Poornima, Test Analyst, Infosys Technologies Limited

Karthikeyan P

Reservation on Total Family Income

A 2020 dream If I could change one thing about our country, it will be ensuring quality education reaches one and all. From politics to day-to-day work, people have some myths. This is because they don’t realise the importance and value of work they do. A good curriculum giving enough reasoning ability and clarity should help to realise our 2020 dream.

The caste reservation should be taken to the next stage. That could be by allocating reservation on the basis of the Total Family Income (The grand total income of all the employed members in the family). This can be calculated as part of census process (ration card or voters list

Indhumathi P, Tata Consultancy Services

Roti, kapada aur makaan We really need to eradicate poverty. The rich should come forward to help the less fortunate. Let the well-to-do adopt a village or sponsor a child’s education. Illiteracy is the root cause of major issues, so the government should do something more. Thaiyal, Lead Engineer, HCL Technologies

Women power A women’s feeling should be better respected by all means. It is not only the duty of men, but the duty of women, too. Let’s salute our nation and our great leaders who sacrificed their life. Charu Prakash and Roger Prakash, Satyam

Attention Indians Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy In tune with our country’s progress, cleanliness has not been given the attention it deserves. People are busy with their careers and don’t have time to use the dust bin near them. If every Indian gets a little more attentive then our country will be a much better place. Chris, Infosys Technologies Limited

verification). Student Reservation = Income of Father + Income of Mother + (Income of unmarried brother or sister) The advantage of this will be: easy calculation of tax, fighting caste-based issues and offering scholarships. Karmugelan Anbazhagan, Wipro

My rules Pay your taxes regularly. Stop giving money to beggars, they tend to beg more. Don’t waste resources or any kind of energy. Sweta R, Hexaware

Give every sport its due Dwelling on any achievement does not help achieve more. India needs to focus more on sports. Most of the international players are the creamy society. While the Sport Authority of India faces the funding issue, it is unethical to award the already awarded cricketers. Shalini, HCL

Manjula

Mera Bharat Mahan We always look up to countries like the US to set trends. Though we need to learn certain things from them, it doesn’t mean that we do not bend ourselves in front of them. Let’s be proud to be an Indian. Srivaishnavi, HCL Technology, Navalur

A prayer for cleanliness I wish to promote a clean city. By this I mean requesting the government to pass an act to stop spitting, throwing wastes or urinating on public places. Though penalising will help in one way, it should be felt by every individual. Keeping the city clean will automatically reflect on a clean and tidy nation. A clean country, free from diseases, along with conscientious application of science and technology will surely glorify Hindustan! Padmaadevi Krishnamoorthy, Wipro, Sholinganalur

Let’s teach others Let us put a full stop to the rote system of education. Instead, let us make them more creative and practical. This can be done if the industry interacts with schools. Karkuzhali V, HCL technologies Ltd.