Ergo December 9

A BYTE OF LIFE

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Oye Bubbly! It’s time to uncork the bubbly as Ergo completes its first year on Wednesday. Send in your feedback on what Ergo has meant to you over the past year to [email protected]. And don’t miss our anniversary special. After all, it is too good to be free. FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 2

No. 234

WHAT WOMEN WANT

» PAGE 03

Chepauk buzzing A

ll eyes were on veteran Rahul Dravid as the Indian team held their first practice session at the M. A. Chidambaram stadium in Chennai on Monday evening for the upcoming two-match Test series against England. Amidst tight security and commandos patrolling the boundary line, the stadium took a fortress look as an out of sorts Dravid had session at the net under the watchful eyes of coach Gary Kirsten. Of late Dravid, mainstay of the Indian batting over the last decade at least in Test version had had a

slump of form, intensifying calls for his axing. But with another senior middle-order batsman Sourav Ganguly out of the picture, the team management can hardly do without Dravid’s service and all expect “The Wall” to comeback strongly against the visitors. The Test starts Thursday. ■

Indian players during their practice session at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Swing de France The Alliance Francaise is hosting an evening of Swing Jazz with Le Petit Orchestre Swing de France on December 9 at 7.30 p.m. at AFM Auditorium. Contact 2827 9803/ 2827 1477

Spiritually speaking Get the richness of spirituality by enrolling in one of these centres

Art of Living Contact Gomati/Anusha at 4207 3322 Website:www.artoflivingtn.org

Isha Foundation Contact: 2484 2424 If you have a specific query, you could email [email protected] Website: www.ishafoundation.org

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Contact Mrs. Mohana at 24456199 or Ram Mohan Das at 93457 08000 Website: www.iskon.com

Sri Ramakrishna Mutt Contact: 2462 1110 Website: www.sriramakrishna.org

The Theosophical Society, Adyar Contact: 2491 2474 Website: http://www.ts-adyar.org

THE RED RIBBON CAUSE World AIDS Day (December 1), World Disability Day (December 3), International Volunteer Day (December 5) …our young volunteers at different corporates made sure they did their bit. Read from the few who sent us their experiences:

Pulli Raajavukku… About 25 volunteers from the general awareness team of Mphasis visited Chinna Neelangarai, a village near Neelangarai, on December 4. The awareness programme included a street play and distribution of red ribbon to spread awareness on AIDS. The street play Pulli Raajavukku AIDS Varuma, scripted by the volunteers, was a crowd puller. It was well received by the villagers. The volunteers also educated the villagers on the precautionary measures they need to know to prevent the disease, and social inclusiveness of AIDS patients. Dr. P.Arun Prasad, Assistant Manager- HR, Mphasis

Red Ribbon campaign The volunteers of Satyam Foundation, the CSR initiative of Satyam Computers, visited Shelter Home on December 6, as part of the activities of Red Ribbon Club. The company claims to be the pioneer in starting the Red Ribbon Club in association with Tamil Nadu State Aids Control Society (TNSACS), to spread awareness on HIV/ AIDS. Volunteers distributed clothes, toys and stationery to the children of the home. Overall it was a memorable day for all. Gejoy Kuriakose, president, Satyam Red Ribbon Club

The volunteers from Mphasis spreading AIDS awareness at the Chinna Neelangarai village in Chennai

The volunteers of Satyam Foundation along with the children of Shelter Home in Chennai

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Techies invited SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network) is inviting project managers, Information Security Professionals, Delivery Heads and Quality Professionals for a session on ’Challenges in Info Security Practices at IT Organisations’. The session would be held at Aricent, adjacent to Virtusa / AIG /IBM, Thiru- Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, at 6 p.m. today. For registration contact Major Chandra Sekharan - 98410 14969 or visit www.spinchennai.org

WHAT WOMEN WANT Creating a barrier-free environment for women will break corporate India’s glass ceiling. And some companies know that all too well

Women want a work environment free of biases.

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three-month break from work – pre and post-maternity – was more than enough for Priya Rajesh to resume her duties as principal consultant with the leading IT firm she is employed with. Thanks to the day care centre, counselling programmes, flexible work hours, sabbatical system on offer and doctor on call, to name a few, the transition from pre-natal stage to taking up various leadership roles at work has been smooth. “I knew I could come back and yet be flexible,” she says.

Women-friendly Priya represents the changing

PHOTO: G.R.N. SOMASHEKAR

face of corporate India – women who are not ready to lose out on their capabilities with a long break, yet striking a balance between family commitments and professional responsibilities. Or, take for example one of the many gender inclusivity initiatives at Chennai-based Ajuba Solutions. It has an anti sexual harassment policy in place, where serious disciplinary action is taken against offenders. Interestingly, its intranet ‘TOUCH’ has an HR tracker where grievances can be reported anonymously, in case the employee chooses to do so.

No discrimination, please In gender inclusion, whether it is creating sensitivity at the work place or offering a set of support systems or implementing structured policies, corporate India is increasingly creating genderneutral initiatives, thus helping aspiring women leaders reach the

Two years ago there were only 4—5 companies following gender diversity programmes in India; today there are around 80 firms

corner suites. “Two years ago there were only four to five companies following gender diversity programmes in India; today there are around 80 firms,” says Sangeeta Gupta, vicepresident, NASSCOM. “Gender inclusivity is more than a CSR initiative for companies.” NASSCOM’s annual Gender Inclusivity Award, instituted for the second year, was one step in that direction. It had 27 companies, comprising IT majors as well as small and medium firms, sending in nominations with the best practices they have implemented. Infosys walked away with the

award for the second consecutive year. But what was more interesting was how companies like Hyderabad-based ADP Pvt. Ltd. and Chennai-based Focus Infotech are following inclusivity practices. While the former has customised programmes to suit the Indian environment, the latter has women at the helm in the office.

Best practices Talking about some of Infosys’ recent initiatives, Srimathi Shivshanker cites examples of nursing stations and parenting networks creating a culture of inclusion. “During the course of materni-

ty, we allow women to work from home. Also, our parenting network, conducted every month, orients both the spouses and even their extended family on parenthood,” says the principal diversity officer with Infosys, Chennai. If Infosys has a women employee strength of 32.4 per cent (as of March 2008), Ajuba, which bagged the Corporate Award for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity as ‘Best Emerging Company’, has more reasons to rejoice. Shankar Narasimhan, director – HR, Ajuba Solutions explains: “We currently have a 46 per cent women population. This is a significant achievement for any organisation and especially for one that is operating in the BPO space in a predominantly conservative city like Chennai, given the various myths attached to this industry in terms of night shift working, safety for women, etc.” Way to go! ■

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Obama ’prank’ call The Miami congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen had to apologise profusely after hanging up on Presidentelect Barack Obama after assuming his calls were a prank. Obama called to congratulate her on her reelection but she assumed it was a radio station prank.

Since the time of the hourglass

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

V. LOKPRIA

T

ime alone remembers P.ORR & Sons as a company that began with the business of selling ice for four annas a pound. Started in 1849 by a Brit named Peter Orr, P.ORR & Sons is today a multi-brand retail business with outlets across the state dealing in wrist watches, alarm time pieces, wall clocks, time recorders and grandfather clocks for more than 158 years.

The beginning Scotsman Peter Orr, a watchmaker, and Alexander, his brother, landed in Madras in 1843. The two landed jobs at George Gordon & Co., a watch company which dated back to 1792. Gordon retired in 1849 and passed the business to the Orrs. James and Robert, Peter Orr’s sons and also watchmakers trained in Switzerland, joined

their father in the 1850s and, in 1863, became partners. The firm now came to be known as P. ORR & Sons. Peter Orr returned to England in 1866. Following James’ death in 1869, Robert moved P.ORR & Sons to the building on Anna Salai in 1873. The tower clock atop the building was connected to the Madras Observatory and corrected hourly. Robert Orr’s nephew, Edward Orr, joined the company in 1888 and become Managing Director after a decade. Following his death in 1913, the partnership became a private limited company.

After Independence After Independence, the face of the business changed substantially with the ban on imports, which left very little options as far as watches and branded jewellery was concerned. From owner-directors’

hands, P.ORR & Sons passed into the Amalgamations Group and then, in 1967, Karumuthu Thiagaraja Chettiar, doyen of the textile industry, took over.

Motto P.ORR & Sons continues to stick to its age-old motto of “Customer Loyalty through Brand Choice”, while adapting modern trends in retailing. “The ability to satisfy all categories of customers is the biggest challenge,” says P.V. Subramaniam, the Chief Executive Officer of P.ORR & Sons. Apart from watches, P.ORR & Sons also deals with sales and service of survey instruments, including the latest automatic

equipments. The company has serviced virtually every brand that has ever told time. “Selling genuine products at the right price with excellent service facility is our USP,” explains Subramaniam. The company aims to convert their showroom to a one-stop shop where one gets everything related to watches. They are also planning to branch out of Chennai by opening 5 to 6 outlets in other parts of Tamil Nadu. With such a long history of keeping time, P.ORR & SONS has acquired an enviable reputation of quality, trust and reliability, which few can match. The next time you want a madeto-order carved wooden grandfather clock, you know were to head to. ■

05

Websites of the day If you think you have the worst job in the world, cheer yourself up at, http:// www.worst-jobs.com/ Feeling tipsy? Take the drunk-o-meter at, http://www.turnpike.net/~mirsky/drunk/test1.html

The coconut peeler A

ndres Gardin, 60, popularly known as ‘Coconut-peeler’, ‘Wari-Wari’ or ‘Mister T’, from Panama, has demanded his right to enter the Guinness Book of Records for having peeled 500 coconuts with his teeth in under six hours. He performed the feat on September 13 in a street in the center of the Panamian capital. "Previously I had already peeled 100 coconuts with my teeth in a day and had succeeded. But that day was the first time I tried to peel 500,” he recalled to AFP. However, the record has not been registered with the Guinness because Gardin did not have enough money to record this feat. "Despite a number of rich people in Panama, no one came forward with the U.S. dollars," said Gardin, who lives with 10 relatives in a humble home in Rio Alejandro in the Atlantic city of Colon, 100 km north of the capital. He wonders that by the time he has the $ 1,000 to summon the judges that Guinness requires the record "will not be 500, but that peeling 1,000 coconuts." The Panamanian said he had the ability to peel coconuts since childhood, when his dad thought he had died after a coconut fell on his head. However, "my father woke up with rage and grabbed the coconut with his teeth and peeled it and threw it away. I was 11 years old then and when I saw it I wondered what kind of teeth my dad had and if I could also do the same." Gardin, who claims to have three kidneys, can also drag a car with his teeth and even lift a man weighing 100 kilograms.■ AFP

My father woke up with rage and grabbed the coconut with his teeth, peeled it and threw it away. I was 11 years old then and when I saw it I wondered what kind of teeth my dad had and if I could also do the same

US $ Pound Euro 100 Yen

49.22 73.03 63.14 52.99

SOURCE: RBI

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Shredded jackpot A U.K. trash collector who found shredded GBP10 and GBP20 ($6 and $13) notes has been told he can exchange them for new ones if he can piece the bits together. Graham Hill discovered an estimated $6,805 discarded in two bin bags.

Streisand, President Bush share awkward smooch

Cambodia cuts military budget after IMF concern Cambodia’s government has slashed its proposed military budget for 2009 after the International Monetary Fund questioned the big increase it had announced, officials said on Monday. In a parliamentary debate on next year’s budget, the government proposed military spending of just $160 million for next year, way below the $500 million it had earmarked earlier after a border clash with Thailand in October. “Before, we planned to divert resources to defence and security, but once we announced the plan, there was some criticism from donors," said Cheam Yeap, head of the National Assembly’s finance commission. Reuters

British PM beaten with belt for bunking class British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has revealed that he was once beaten at school with a forked leather belt for skipping the class to watch a football match. Brown admitted his beating in an interview with Sir Alan Sugar, the presenter of BBC’s ‘The Apprentice’. Brown said he was beaten after the Headmaster of Kirkcaldy High school discovered that some boys planned to sneak off to watch Scotland play in a 1966 World cup qualifier. Brown said he was punished with the fearsome-looking ’Lochgelly Tawse’, a two or three-forked leather belt that was traditionally made in the town of Lochgelly near the Browns’ home in Fife. PTI

Iran tells Obama to drop ’carrot and stick’ in nuclear row

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inger Barbra Streisand got an awkward kiss on the cheek from the President, and yes, she gave him a smooch back. Streisand, a vocal critic of President George W Bush, was a guest on Sunday at the White House just before one of Washington’s few A-list events: the Kennedy Centre Honors. “Art transcends politics this weekend,” the longtime Democrat said beforehand. Still, she said it would have been “lovely” if she could have received the award while President-elect Barack Obama was in office. The singer and actress was a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with actor Morgan Freeman, country singer George Jones, dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who. The honors recognise individuals who helped define American culture through the performing arts, part of the living memorial to President John F Kennedy. The hug and kiss between Bush and Babs who has previously said

Streisand, a vocal critic of President George W Bush, was a guest on Sunday at the White House just before one of Washington’s few A-list events: the Kennedy Centre Honors Bush’s election wins in 2000 and 2004 were stolen was replayed later on video at a Kennedy Center gala. The crowd couldn’t help but laugh. Queen Latifah opened the tribute to Streisand, saying she “threw out the rule book” to chart her own career. ‘She took to the stage like butter on a bagel,” Latifah added in a video tribute. Idina Menzel from Broadway’s ‘Rent’ and ‘Wicked’ sang “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Streisand’s 1964 musical ‘Funny Girl.’ She mixed in some new lyrics ‘Hey there, Ms Streisand, I am your biggest fan.” ■ PTI

Iran told US president-elect Barack Obama to abandon a “carrot and stick” approach to Tehran’s nuclear drive and to interact with the Islamic republic when he takes office next month. In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Obama vowed “tough but direct diplomacy” with Iran, offering incentives along with the threat of tougher sanctions over its atomic programme. “The carrot and stick approach has proven to be useless. It is an unacceptable and virtually failed policy,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi said. AFP

Rudd asks Australians to go on a Christmas spending spree Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has appealed to Australian citizens to go on a Christmas spending spree as the government plans to dole out bonuses to stave off recession in the country. Around two million families and four million pensioners who are receiving these payments deserve some financial help in the middle of a global recession Rudd said adding “My message to families and pensioners receiving these payments is that they should spend the money to help make ends meet. By spending, these pensioners will help inject billions of dollars into the economy supporting jobs, businesses and the entire Australian economy.” PTI

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Lost and found

This day, that year

A woman has been reunited with a gold ring she lost 35 years ago when it slipped through the floorboards of a chapel. Carys Williams begged contractors demolishing the building to look for the piece - and they found it after two hours of searching through soil.

It was on December 9, 1992 that the separation of the prince and princess of Wales was announced.

Combat corruption thru YouTube C

hiefs of several leading international Assembly in 2003, was launched by the companies launched a call on You- World Economic Forum, which said vidTube on Monday, asking for the public eo answers with anti-corruption ideas to submit ideas on how to combat cor- would be shown at the upcoming annual ruption. conference at Davos next month. Executives appearing on the video As part of the campaign, the WEF also streaming Website - including Alan released its annual corruption survey of Boeckmann of the Fluor Corporation, companies who voluntary sign up for rePeter Bakker of the Dutch delivery com- view and agree to adhere to clean busipany TNT and Samuel DiPiazza, CEO of ness practices. PricewaterhouseCoopThe report said that all ers - said over 1 trillion companies, from several dollars were lost annual- Chiefs of several continents, who had leading ly to corruption. joined the survey had imThey said, in a short international plemented anti-corrupclip just over a minute in tion programmes, up from length, that bribes hin- companies 90 percent one year ago, dered workers’ ability to launched a call on and that more business get jobs and patients’ acwere screening their partcess to basic medical YouTube, asking ners before starting to for the public to care. work with them. The initiative ahead of submit ideas on The WEF said governTuesday’s International ments needed to give inAnti-Corruption Day, an how to combat centives to companies to event started by the corruption tackle corruption. ■ DPA United Nations’ General

Playtime

Girl loses hearing in passionate kiss

A

n excessively passionate kiss has rendered a young Chinese girl partially deaf. The 20-something girl from Zhuhai in southern China’s Guangdong Province was brought to hospital completely deaf in her left ear soon after her eardrum was ruptured in the painful pucker, which has been dubbed as the ‘kiss of deaf’ by the local media. “The woman’s hearing would likely return to normal after about two months,” an ear specialist from Zhuhai Second

People’s Hospital, the China Daily quoted Dr Li as saying. “The inner ear is connected to the mouth through a tube, whose chief function is to equalize the pressure between the two,” Li said. “In this case, the kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear,” he added. Although, kissing is normally safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution. ■ PTI

쒀 An Afghan boy rides on a swing during the first day of Eid al-Adha in Kabul on Monday. AFP PHOTO

08 SPORT

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Jeev soars to career ranking Jeev Milkha Singh continues to touch dizzy heights and the on-song Indian leapfrogged to a career best 36th in the latest Official World Golf Rankings following his emotional triumph in the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup. Besides the Golf Nippon Series JT Cup, Jeev’s other triumphs this season include Singapore Open, Nagashima Shigeo Invitational Sega Sammy Cup and Bank of Austria Open.

Liu Xiang’s surgery a success China’s star hurdler Liu Xiang has successfully undergone surgery in a US hospital on the foot injury that forced him out of the Beijing Olympics, state media reported on Monday. The nearly threehour operation took place Friday at the Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Centre in Houston, Texas, according to reports posted on the official website of Chinese Athletic Association. “We felt he did very well though the surgery,” surgeon Tom Clanton, who has also treated Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming, was quoted as saying in the English-language China Daily. “His prognosis for running in the future is quite good.” Clanton said Liu was expected to fully recover after four calcium deposits were successfully removed from his right Achilles tendon. Liu’s coach Sun Haiping said the 25year-old former world champion will be on crutches for a few weeks during the observation and recuperation periods. “After the surgery Liu will need a couple of months in the United States to recover while a full recovery will take half a year,” Sun said in a report posted on the Chinese Athletic Association’s site. Liu was a strong favourite to defend his Olympic gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the August Beijing Games, but he dramatically pulled out after limping through the start of his first heat. AFP

Watson returns to Australian squad All-rounder Shane Watson was on Monday recalled in Australia’s 12-man squad for next week’s first Test against South Africa, which included off-spinner Jason Krejza as well subject to his fitness. “Shane Watson is back into the 12 and one of the main reasons he wasn’t in the 12 for Adelaide was that we wanted to take the opportunity for him to play for Queensland,” National Selection Panel Chairman Andrew Hilditch said. On Krejza’s inclusion, Hilditch said: “He’s been picked subject to fitness but all reports suggest he’ll be fit and will resume cricket for Tasmania this week. Jason richly deserves to be back in the Test squad following his debut in India.”

Squad Ricky Ponting (C), Michael Clarke (vc), Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Andrew Symonds and Shane Watson. PTI

European battle Chelsea and Roma face Euro fright night

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helsea and Roma, packed with superstars but dogged by European inconsistency, face a potential Champions League fright night on Tuesday as the group stages of the moneyspinning tournament come to an end. Roma top Group A with nine points ahead of their final group match at home to French side Bordeaux, who are two points behind and still in contention for a place in the last 16. Chelsea, last year’s runners-up and second behind Roma on eight points, tackle Romanian minnows Cluj and should progress although they go into the Stamford Bridge

game with rumours of splits in the squad. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari failed to appear for the post-match news conference after Saturday’s 2-0 win at Bolton leaving assistant Ray Wilkins to deny that senior players like skipper John Terry and Frank Lampard were unhappy with the Brazilian’s training methods.

Scholari confident Scolari refuses to believe Chelsea will slip up against the Romanians who have no chance of progressing. A victory will ensure Chelsea qualify, although they would still make the knockout round if they do not win and Bordeaux fail to

pick up three points in Rome.

One more to go The only other spot in the last 16 still up for grabs is in Group B. Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan, who have already qualified, travel to rockbottom Werder Bremen while unfashionable Anorthosis Famagusta aim to make history by becoming the first Cypriot side in the knockout round. They go to riot-torn Athens to face Panathinaikos needing to beat the Greeks to qualify but they will be without experienced Brazilian midfielder Savio who has a knee injury. ■ AFP

09

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

‘‘

Because we are playing in a rebel competition (ICL), we don’t fall under the Cricket Australia or ICC banner, which is a concern. If an Australian team was going, they would be getting a lot more security than our unsanctioned league. Perhaps we have to consider ourselves tourists and take that sort of advice. Indian Cricket League’s Jimmy Maher, who plays for Hyderabad Heroes

Punch dialogue India’s first and only boxer to win an Olympic medal on his career-changing fight

Vijender Kumar at the Olympics prize distribution ceremony PHOTO: AFP

Vijender Kumar outboxes Ecuador’s Carlos Gongora (right) during their 2008 Olympic Games middleweight (75 kg) quarterfinal boxing bout in Beijing. PHOTO: AFP

F

rom throwing punches at a dusty gym in an obscure village in Haryana, Vijender Kumar achieved something so remarkable that he sometimes blinks twice before the enormity of an Olympic bronze sinks in. Since the late 1990s, Indian boxing had taken an upward swing and players like Dingko Singh and Ali Quamar did the country proud by winning medals at the Asian Games and Commonwealth and other international meets. But an Olympic medal was always elusive. Vijender’s first tryst at the Summer Games in Athens in 2004 was disappointing as he was knocked out in the first round. And although his form before the Games in Beijing held much promise, there was still doubt as Indians are always known to have chocked at the biggest stage. The boxers were no different. With fellow boxers Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar falling flat at the quarterfinals level, it was left to Vijender to break the myth. “All of us expected Akhil to win; he was at his peak. It was a big disappointment and there was pressure on me. But we were very united as a team and all were egging me to go out and give my best. So there was also some added pressure,” Vijender recalls. However, taking on Carlos Gongora of Ecuador in the last eight, the Indian boxer had a perfect bout downing his opponent 9-4. “I had a chat with myself just before entering the ring and I felt a lot more confident. I told my coach ‘Don’t worry. I will pull this one’. We had already discussed a plan and I knew I just had to stick to it,” he recalls. Vijender was right on top from the word go and took the first round 2-0 and the second 2-1. “The first two rounds had set the match as I had the lead. Carlos was left with no option but to come after me,” Vijender says. “I just had to keep my composure and continue evading. I just tried to stay away from his punches in the last round and the bout was won.” ■ Close(D) Encounters is a weekly column that talks about few of India’s greatest sporting moments

10 FLICK

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Most-loved villains Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie have emerged as top picks of fans to play Batman villains in the follow-up to Dark Knight. Contactmusic.com reports, fans want to see The Riddler and Harley Quinn in the next Batman film and they want Depp and Jolie to play them, according to a new online survey.

Dino Morea is often seen with Lara Dutta these days and admits he enjoys her company, but the actor is quick to state there is nothing more to it. “As for being seen with Lara, she’s great company. I enjoy being with her. We do go out together,” says Dino, who was seen in recent releases Karz and Heroes.Excerpts: SUBHASH K. JHA

Y

ou seem to have gone into hiding?

More on Morea

Why do you say that? Professional and personal aspects of my life have been written about. I did cameos in Karz and Heroes and I wanted people to write about it. But the press finds other things in my life more interesting.

You mean your friendship with Lara Dutta? Yeah, that too. I wish the media would have written about my excitement about working with an entirely new team in Heroes. Mithunda (Chakraborty) played my father. As for Karz, it’s a guest appearance. My role lasted for four minutes. And I did it for TSeries and they promised me lengthier roles in future.

Hah! Promises. Remember how you were cheated in Aap Ki Khatir? Yeah. That was a good role to begin with. But in the publicity they short-changed me. That wasn’t in good taste. I’m happy with Karz. I’m now turning producer and I’d like my relationship with T-Series to go further. We’re in talks for more films and production tie-ups. Then we’ll announce the cast. My director, Pravesh Kumar, has a wishlist of actors.

And your brothers? My elder brother Niki is running the cafe chain Crepe Station. He isn’t into movies at all. But my younger brother Santino is assisting Karan Johar on his next, I Am Khan. He wanted to act, but now he enjoys being behind the camera. Then

Santino will join my production house. All three of us live together in my house. And since none of us is married, it’s like a bachelors’ pad.

How special is Lara? She’s very special.

More special than your other female friends? Ha ha. Stop comparing women. That’s bad manners.

You’re known to be quite a womaniser. Suddenly we see you in only one woman’s company? Womaniser? That’s completely untrue. I’m just very friendly by nature. And even when I’m having lunch with a friend it’s misconstrued as a romantic liaison. As for being seen with Lara, she’s great company. I enjoy being with her. We do go out together.

Lara and you make a great pair. When do we see you together on screen? I don’t deny we make a good pair together. It’s up to producers and directors to cast us together.

Will she be in your first production? It’s entirely up to my director. But, yes, Lara is in my wishlist. I am right now working on my career. I know I’m stepping into a new phase. I’m being very careful about the work I choose. I haven’t accepted a script in the last year-and-a-half. I wanted to be sure about the script and banner. I’m very excited about Sanjay Gupta’s Acid Factory. It was really fun shooting with Manoj Bajpai, Danny Denzongpa, Aftab Shivdasani and Fardeen Khan. We had a blast. I might be doing another film with him. ■ IANS

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Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A star gets her star in Hollywood Cate Blanchett on Saturday accepted the role of an Oscar-winner honoured with her own star on Hollywood’s old-school Walk of Fame. The new name on star number 2,376, Blanchett was joined for the ceremony by directors Steven Spielberg, with whom she worked on the fourth instalment of Indiana Jones, and David Fincher, whose The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opens this month starring Blanchett and Brad Pitt.

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ylie Minogue, the pint-sized Australian pop princess, will be paid USD 1 million to perform on the soundtrack of an upcoming Bollywood movie, according to reports. Minogue had agreed to lend her voice to the film Blue, and will travel to India next month to record the song. She would probably also make a music video. Minogue, who has undergone a series of reinventions from television soap opera actress to bubblegum pop star to disco diva, was not the first choice for music director A.R. Rahman, the report said. Madonna had not responded because she was going through a bitter divorce, while that R&B star Rihanna had wanted too much money. Blue is a big-budget movie about a sunken treasure ship, said to have been inspired by the Hollywood production The Deep. It is due for release next year and stars Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Laura Dutta. At a cost of about USD 28 million, it was close to being the most expensive Bollywood movie ever made. Minogue, who recently recovered from breast cancer, has been nominated for a Grammy award for the fifth time in the Best Dance Album category. ■

Cine City

AFP

Arya inks deal with Ilayaraja Actor Arya, who recently floated his production house, For The People, to encourage young innovative filmmakers, has roped in maestro Ilayaraja to score music for all the films produced by him under the banner. We hear that Ilayaraja accepted the offer only after many days of Arya’s pleading. It is said that Arya took this decision after listening to the music scored by Ilayaraja for Bala’s Naan Kadavul.

The sleepwalker

Kylie in Bollywood

Sameera Reddy, the shy and sexy girl of Gowtham Menon’s Vaaranam Aayiram, is reportedly a somnambulist. According to Sameera’s neighbour, huge grills have been erected all around her house to avoid mishaps. At present, the actress is quite happy with the success of Vaaranam Aayiram. She is now pairing up with Ajith Kumar for director Saran’s next film, Asal. www.cinesnacks.com

12

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Monday’s Query: If you get a chance to act in a film, with whom would you like to act and why?

■ I would like to act with Rajni in Sultan the Warrior

■ With the one and only T.R. Does it need any reason?

■ Namita. I will be very happy, if I will get a chance to be with her

Gowrisankar M, Ramco Systems

■ With the brilliant dancer Indian cinema has ever produced, the one and only, Madhuri Dixit Vijayachakravarathy, Infosys

■ Surya because of his sincerity and dedication to work Shri - Wipro Technologies, Meenakshi Mohan - TCS

■ With Johnny Depp & Keria Knightley in a movie like the Pirates of the Caribbean. Because I’m fond of that movie and those characters R.Viswanathan, Hexaware

■ Sam Anderson, more stylish than Superstar in Tamil cinema. And for his gorgeous smile Karthik - Aspire Systems, Sofiya Ambrose Wipro Technologies

■ I would like to act with Kamal Hassan, to get some management tips Premganesh - Wipro Technologies, Sundar Narayan - Polaris

■ Deepika Padukone. Because she is beautiful and possesses very good acting skills Vignesh C, Cognizant

■ I would like to act with Tom Hanks in the movie Angels and Demons, because I want to see the beauty of Rome, Vatican and especially the Illuminati lair Vivek, Perot Systems

■ Sylvester Stallone, because I admire his physical fitness a lot Hariprasad T, Wipro Technologies

■ Sneha Ullal of Lucky fame. She is the most cutest with simple looks and girl next door image Senthil Arjunan, Calsoft Ltd

■Sharukh because he is perfect gentleman Manimozhi, Sify Technologies

Arunshankar Perot Systems

■ Parvathi, the heroine of the film "Poo". I worshiped her performance in that film and would like to watch her on the set as and when she performs Kamesh, VDSI

Oviya Vijay - RR Donnelley, Kannan - Sify Technologies Ltd

■ I would like to act with Aishwarya Rai to admire her beauty Manonmani Kesav, HCL Tech

■ Nadhiya, just to know the secret of still remaining bubbly, attractive and young

Balamurugan Gubendran has nominated his team as partners in crime. This pic was clicked at Solayur Dam.

Nithya, Wipro

■ I would like to act in a movie with Amitabh Bachchan Lavenya Ramakrishnan, Wipro

■ I would like to act along with Anushka as I am the great fan of her Sankar R, Systems International Ltd

■ George Clooney in Oceans14 and with Brad Pitt in Troy. Amazing actors, no words to describe them Jo, Hexaware

■ I would act with Ajith. I can dance better than Ajith. Audience will appreciate me while both of us in the screen (while dancing) Seeniprabhu TCS, Priyaa JS Sutherland

■ I will go for Mani Ratnam’s home production, Shankar’s direction starring me and Aamir Khan in lead role, because I am mad about Aamir’s stunning performances, if budget permits, then will include Kamal Hassan for an item song

Rathin of TCS has nominated his friends as partners in crime. This pic was clicked at V.G.P

Nisha J (CD US) TCS

Today’s Query: If you have a free pass to heaven with whom you would like to go and why? Sridher, Web Design Specialist Perot Systems

R.Unnikannan of Wipro has nominated his team as partners in crime. This pic was clicked at Valparai.

13

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Shamini of Allsec has been nominated a Office Angel by Sreejith. Shamini is a caring and hard working person. She is a down 2 earth person and a good motivator. She is a kind of a girl who never lets people down. She indeed is a guardian angel.

■ Dear DEVI (KARVANDU), Wish U Many More Happy Returns Of The Day As this time we learn from you, the dedication you have towards the job, we wish you Good Health, Happiness, Love, Cheer, Laughs, Good times and many more Success this year and in years to come. With Love, Deepa Mirpuri,(IBM),Selvi, Lakshmi, Kavitha Mirpuri And Ravi (First Source)

■ Dear Revs, On this Beautiful occasion, we wish you all success through your life. Let the Joy of happiness shower on you throughout the Year,,,,.. Happy Birthday Dear… With Love, Akhilla,Anbu,Krupa,Sangu,Janani,Sowmi, Vani,Vidhya,Sofi,Udaya,Koushik,Elvis ,Vaishu and Sri

■ Hei Ranga, You are so special to be remembered on your birthday… And may your good times multiply from this day Wish you a many many happy returns of the day… May HE bless you with health and prosperity in your life. Ever loving wishes from Team – GIT, Cognizant, Chennai

. ■ Hi Mr. & Mrs. Sandeep, Best wishes to you both on your anniversary, May the love that you share last your lifetime through, as you make a wonderful pair. Happy Wedding anniversary!!!

JayaChitra of Datamark Prodapt doodled this.

With Warm Wishes, DATAMARK Prodaptians

■ Hi Prashanth, Wishing you all the very best in your future endeavors. Wishing all success and happiness to be yours. Regards, Deepika

■ Dear Rekha, Only very few ppl give the gift of peace and tranquility to every life they touch upon. They are always who they really are...They are blessedly reliable,dependably good,predictably pleasant,loved and treasured by all who know them... U are one of those ppl...Wish u very happy birthday!Let all ur dreams come true

oorar pillayae ooty valathal............ thaan pillayae kodaikanal valarkkum.

Cheers,TCS(friends), Ur IBM friend. Manomani Kesav, HCL

Naaikku naalu kaal irukkalaam. Aana adhala LOCAL call, STD call, ISD call, even MISSED call kooda panna mudiyaathu! Which Liquid Becomes Solid While Heating. Think Idly Mavu Saravanan Vaithiyanat, HCL

■ Dear Balaji Wish you Happy Birthday."Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time." I wish you happiness and joy in lifeAnd many more birthdays to bring you delight." With lot of Love.Balaji Deepa

■ Hi Varna (Varnikaa)

Wishing you a Many more happy returns of the day. Make Your life so colorful as you are..... as your name varnaaaaa...... as your dance...... (Bharatanatyam) also achieve your height in bharatanatyam..... our warmest wishes... Enjoy each day of your life..... Sharan, Deepa, Aravind

■ Dear Dinesh, It has been very glad to hear that finally u got a task to do,for which u r much awaiting for the last 9 months(6 months in bench,3 months in the Project). The patience and willingness u showed during this period needs to appreciated. The time has come to prove ur ability. All the best for ur success. With Luv Sekar

■ Dear Subha Sheryl Many more happy returns of the day. May God shower you with happiness, success, knowledge,health, wealth and peace. With lots of Love and Prayers from your Dad. Deepak Mathews

■ Dear Karthika, Wish you a many more happy returns of the day. May God bless your future with lots of surprises. Keep Rocking!! With Love, Krithika, Lawrence, Luxmi, Manikandan, Manivannan, Merlin, Rajesh, Rekha, Rohini, Samundeeswari, Sankar, Sathish, Sudha, Suganthi, Vidhya, Vijay Balusamy and Vimal Team TCS.

■ Dear Arun Babu & Dhanya, We Wish You A Very Happy Wedding Day......We wish you both to "ROCK" for ever!!!!!!!!! CHEERS!!!!!!!!!! Wishes from- Team Kevin & Srini-Praveen kumar, Vinoth, Sai, Sereena, Prakash, Rafia, Sushma& Greshome

■ Dear Vibash kumar, Many more Happy Returns Of the Day.....may All your Dreams may come true in the coming year...May God bless u!!!!!!!!! cheers!!!! With Luv, Batch 247 & 248-praveen kumar, Imran, Ravikanth, Subhasri & hariharanAllsec Technologies

■ Dear Jasmine, Wish you a happy Birthday. As you are in your final weeks of pregnancy period, wishing you a safe and a normal delivery as well. With lot’s of Love, D. Jude, Infosys

■ Dear Sourav, Happy Happy Birthday!! Have a cheerful life!! God Bless U!

Hearty Wishes Gang 17th December 2007 oracle batch Wipro Technologies

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Giant leap for bearkind Two teddy bears were sent into space on a weather balloon that floated more than 18 miles (29 kilometres) above the Earth.

sudoku

Gulzar Begum of Infosys clicked this picture in Mussorie Hills. Hobbies: Listening to music and shopping

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]

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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

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Cheeseburger attack

Word’s worth

A U.S. man has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend - by shoving a cheeseburger in her face. The couple were arguing in their car when Vincent Gonzalez, 22, rammed the burger in his partner’s face.

"Pampination" (pam-pi-nay-shuhn) the trimming of vines. From a Latin word meaning ’vine-shoot.’

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 Your focus can be divided in two parts today – in the earlier part it is dedicated to work, and in the later part it will be on fiscal gains. Concentration at work will be better in the second part of the day. Lovers may spend some time with each other.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 You may achieve your targets only after lunch time. Ganesha further suggests that you should attend important meetings only after lunch time; thus you will be able to impress others in a more effective way. Couples will have a gala time with each other.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 You may kick start the day with double speed to meet the deadlines. However, some person might put you off post lunch. Ganesha suggests you control your emotions today, but only till evening. Grace of Ganesha will smile on you today evening.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 Ganesha thinks that you will be spending a lot of time to solve a critical technical error. This will get sorted only after an entire day’s effort. Married or love life will be smooth as butter provided inflexibility is avoided.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 If you want to save yourself from the jealous eyes of your colleagues, try maintaining a low profile at work. The evenings will be tension free and you will be able spend a wonderful time with your family. In love life, try to maintain compromising attitude.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

Your hard work will surely be awarded at work but make sure that you don’t over exert and harm your health. You will spend the evening over a romantic dinner table or you lovers might go for a movie.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 The day is not very favourable for you. Try not to confront anyone at your office today. Personal life too, faces a threat of stress. You might lose your temper on your beloved for no strong reason. Ganesha suggests you to remain cool.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 The long list of pending work might get done by the end of this day. Ganesha feels this is a favourable day for technical work. Specifically for developing codes or installing new softwares. You will enjoy the evening with your beloved.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 You might feel restless in the morning. Ganesha advises you to take up only one thing at a time, so that you don’t mess up. Proper planning is always advisable. On the love front, you may become more responsible and caring, notes Ganesha.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Even if the first part of the day might seem tough, the later part will be in your favour. Shedule important meetings post lunch. Only such meetings will be fruitful for you. Love life is full of charm as expression of love will take a new avatar.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 Attention seeking colleagues might disrupt your attention at work. You might have to meet a few demands on the domestic front which will make the family happy. You are in a romantic mood but a cold response from lover might blow the fire off.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 The first half of the day indicates your active participation and taking up initiatives at office. Just maintain your focus on work and all will be well, advises Ganesha. Today is a favourable day for expressing your love to your beloved. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Tuesday, December 9, 2008

ONE LOOK IS ALL IT TAKES

News and newsmakers in pictures

Singer Kylie Minogue performs on stage at the Vector Arena on Monday in Auckland, New Zealand. GETTY IMAGES

Quote of the day

‘‘

Please have some discipline. I am shouting and you are also shouting. Who can speak in this atmosphere?

Japanese pop singer Kumi Koda sings her new song “stay with me” during a press conference of Japan’s second largest mobile operator KDDI in Tokyo on Monday. AFP PHOTO

Adorned with Christmas lights, a tramway shines on the Sunday night in a street of the center of Milan. AFP PHOTO

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, as the loud chatter of an army of journalists prevented her from addressing them after the Congress’ stunning victory in the assembly elections.