Ergo February 17

A BYTE OF LIFE

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

09 LAXMIPATHI BALAJI All set for the New Zealand series FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 3

10 Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Delhi-6 is not an autobiography

No. 30

PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

FLORIST’S FILM TRYST

He once helped Shalini throw a surprise party for Ajith. While for Rajinikanth’s daughter’s wedding, he wove a story in marigold. If it’s flowers in a Tamil film or a celebrity household, Sarangan has to be there. » PAGE 03

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Brush with fame ‘Young Picassos – Art with a Heart’ – an exhibition-cum-sale of paintings of participants who took part in The Hindu Young World painting competition – will be on display till February 22. Visit Apparao Galleries #7, Wallace Gardens, 3rd Street, Nungambakkam, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Club rules Furnished guest houses, plethora of events, like-minded people to socialise with and a horde lot of other activities to keep you out of boredom. These city clubs should be a good place where the entire family can unwind. However, a majority of them will need an existing member to forward your details.

Woman stabbed, one-sided love suspected

Madras Gymkhana Club Its posh lounge with an old world charm makes this place tick even today. A number of sporting events are conducted for members. Contact Mr. Jagan at 2536 8160

Presidency Club The club was formed in 1929 and is one of the premier club’s of Chennai. A health club, sports facilities and a host of other features make this special. To become a member an existing members needs to forward your name and details. Contact them at 2822 6881

Cosmopolitan Club The club was started in 1873 and is located on Anna Salai. Residential facilities for members and guests are among the many features the club houses. Contact general manager at 2852 5004

Madras Cricket Club If you are a sports buff, not only cricket, then the club welcomes you to be part of its different sporting activities. Contact 2852 3976

An unidentified youth killed a 23-year-old on Sunday afternoon inside a supermarket in Royapuram where she was employed

ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

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n a shocking incident on Sunday afternoon at a supermarket in Royapuram, an unidentified man stabbed a young woman employee and fled. The victim died on the way to hospital. Police suspect an unreciprocated love interest to have sparked the attack. The victim, identified as G. Ananthi (23) of Sharma Nagar in MKB Nagar, was employed as a salesgirl in a supermarket in Royapuram. Around 3.30 p.m. on Sunday, a man believed to be in his mid 20s walked into the supermarket where Ananthi was on duty. Police said the youth guided

Ananthi to a corner in the shop and the two had a heated argument. Suddenly, the youngster took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed her and ran out of the supermarket. Following an alarm raised by Ananthi’s co-

nthi’s recent engagement to a man is known to have sparked tension between her and her male friend from the same area who was interested in her romantically

workers, neighbouring shopkeepers came in and rushed an injured Ananthi to Government Stanley Medical College Hospital. Doctors at the hospital pronounced her ‘dead on arrival’, police added. Royapuram police have registered a case of murder and an investigation is underway. Reliable police sources reveal that Ananthi’s recent engagement to a man is known to have sparked tension between her and her male friend from the same area who was interested in her romantically. However, police have questioned the victims’ colleagues and friends and a breakthrough is expected in the next 24 hours.

03

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Attention Project Managers SPIN (Software Process Improvement Network), Chennai, is conducting a knowledge sharing session on software processes and project management related areas on February 20. The topic of discussion would be ’Effective Lean Management in Software Delivery’. For details visit www.spinchennai.org or get in touch with Major Chandra Sekharan @ 98410 14969. The target audience for this session could be Project Managers, Delivery Managers/ Heads, Process Improvement / Quality Professionals.

Sarangan of the Kollywood flowers Kannan en Kadhalan to Sakalakalaavallavan to New… If it’s flowers in a Tamil film, Sarangan is the man responsible V. HARIPRIYA [email protected]

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e it a dream song or a wedding scene, the first call from any art director’s office reaches Sarangan. More than 40 years into the business, this florist is still the favourite of many directors and producers in the Tamil film industry. With a jasmine garden inherited from his father, this experienced entrepreneur’s entry into tinsel town was nothing but prudence. “My father owned a jasmine garden in Poonamallee and he used to supply flowers to vendors in Chennai. Later, when I ventured into business, I thought of doing something creative rather than just selling flowers and my craze for movies landed me in Kollywood,” says this florist, who is a well-known figure for people frequenting Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore. Getting in touch with art directors was not that difficult for S. Sarangan, as he was already supplying flowers to most of them. So apart from supplying flowers, he asked art directors to give him a chance to decorate the sets based on the designs drafted by them. The first movie for which Sarangan did the floral decoration was MGR’s Kannan en Kadhalan. With a rough sketch from the art directors, Sarangan and his team gave life to the set with colourful flowers. To his surprise, orders poured in. In fact, there were times when this florist-turneddecorator handled most of the movies that released. Some of the famous films which Sarangan has worked on are Sakala Kala Vallavan, Rajadhi Raja (the ‘Maama un ponna koodu’ song set), Thoongathey Thambi Thoongathey, May Maatham, Ejaman, Kadhalar Dhinam, New, Roja Koottam and A Aa E Ee. He has worked with many art directors, including Chalam and Thotta Tharani.

Sarangan at his flower mart in Mylapore. After winning the trust of cine personalities, Sarangan was even called to decorate their real-life wedding venues. To name a few, Sarangan has decorated homes and wedding halls during the wedding ceremonies of actor Chiranjeevi, the AVM family and that of Dhanush and Aishwarya. He also does decorations for people outside the film fraternity. “Once Shalini planned to throw a surprise birthday party for actor Ajith Kumar and we were asked to deck up a spooky set in Taj Coromandel. We made a scary setting with lots of skeletons, each carrying a red rose in its hands, and the work was wellappreciated,” recalls Sarangan, who has studied only up to class IV.

PHOTO : R. RAVINDRAN

Thriving in this business is not easy as flowers are a perishable commodity, says this florist, adding that there have been situations where he had to arrange for flowers during the off-season. “Customers order flowers three months in advance and fix the price. In case of a price hike during those three months, we have to bear the loss as our prime motto is customer satisfaction,” says Sarangan, who was honoured with the title ‘Maamalar Chakravarthi’(King of Flowers) by saint Kirupanandawarriar. Asked him about his future plans and Sarangan says there is no limit to creativity. “Till I have the strength to work, I want to create wonders with flowers.” ■

A still from AVM productions A Aa E Ee. The flower decoration in this song was done by Sarangan and team

04 TECHNORAMA

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Technorama Snippets sourced from T3 magazine of Infomedia18 Group

Pocket rocket

Robo-antics

Sony wows with its new VAIO P Sony unveiled its new lifestyle laptop, the Vaio P. At roughly the size of a business envelope, this is as small as a laptop can get. But don’t be fooled by this diminutive package, for it packs a punch. With an Intel Atom processor, 2GB RAM and a 60GB hard drive, it runs Windows Vista comfortably and also uses Linux for ‘Instant Start’ mode. A small mouse pointer nestles between the full-sized keyboard. Connectivity includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (Draft N) and a dongle that offers VGA and Ethernet, readily snapping on to the dinky power adapter.

WowWee, the kickass robotic toymaker brings to life yet another creature, the Rovio. This three-wheeled contraption can move in any direction and find its way around the house using an indoor GPS system. A WiFi-enabled webcam become your eyes, allowing you to see whatever Rovio is seeing from anywhere in the world. It can even be controlled using a cellphone. Isn’t it the perfect home surveillance tool? TBC, www.meetrovio.com

Rs 49,990 onwards, www.sony.co.in

Feeling blu already? Handy light Sammy’s little 2-inch handheld projector packs enough juice to display into as big as a 50-inch viewing area, without compromising picture quality. The MBP200 pico beamer also features a microSD card slot, a 3.5mm jack, and a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD screen for previews, and is compatible with all formats. TBC, www.samsung.com

The HT-BD7200, a funky home theatre system from Samsung comes with an ultra-thin wall mountable Blu-ray player and a 2.1 audio setup. It’s finished in a redaccented design, and includes an iPod dock. It can also stream from an A2DP Bluetooth device. How cool is that? TBC, www.samsung.com

05

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 Hello Backpackers, Keep it up! For the last couple of weeks, we have been getting some really different articles. This is one platform for you to explore the writer in you through short and interesting travelogues, which you explored with your team or family. Do send us your articles and photographs to [email protected]

Backpackers

A dinner at LEIDSEKADE An onsite to Amsterdam, which was special for more reasons than one

Sriram, Ramanan, Joji, Raja, Bernard, Kumar and Ram

I wished my mother ‘Happy Easter’ from the top of Eiffel Tower – one Easter I will not forget BERNARD KATHIRAVAN

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hall we start, guys?” Jose said. He and Marc were getting ready for dinner at our home. It was our 60th day in Amsterdam and spring was beginning to chase the winter winds out. We started walking through the lanes and canals. “Just 10 days more in Amsterdam. You must be counting the days,” Jose smiled. In fact, we were! We were five of us who landed at the Schiphol Airport in February. It was my first onsite trip. We had no clue how our experience would be. Nevertheless, friendly faces awaited us at Rokin.

Beauty in bliss We were thrilled when we checked into our apartment at

Leidsekade. It was a beautiful place by the canal with boats streaming through all day. As peaceful as it was, one would love to sit for minutes together to gaze through the open windows – when the sun is warm, of course – and enjoy the scenic view. We started cooking, while our guests started sipping the strawberry juice. “Take your own time, guys. Marc wants to have spicy Indian food,” said Jose. Marc is the UI designer, as ebullient as the colours on his monitor. ‘Need directions: Contact MapMan Marc’. That was what we used to do. Be it Holland, Paris or any other country, Marc would be there with the maps in his hands, showing clear directions and instructions. “Did you like Holland?” they asked. Five days of work would fly

in a jiffy and then we were under the open sky for the two blissful days. A five-minute walk from our doorstep would take us to the Vondel Park, a place where beauty speaks its language. Winter had not yet ended completely and the trees were pretty bare. But still, it was awesome. We had also been to Holland countryside along Volendam, which was dotted with Dutch-style houses. It was a pretty sight to see the sea birds chasing the boat over the sea when we were on-board the Marken Islands. We also stopped at the traditional windmill site of Holland, Zaanse Schans, as well as witnessed the magical smile of Mona Lisa when we toured Paris during the Easter weekend. I wished my mother ’Happy Easter’ from the top of Eiffel Tower – one Easter I will not forget. Feast day

Our dinner was ready. We prepared steamed rice, sambar, rasam, fried potato and pepper egg curry, making sure that it was not too spicy. Marc was a great chef and we had to be careful with our cooking, too. “Good!” Jose acclaimed, “My mother prepared some similar dhal and potatoes a few days ago. And if your food reminds me of my mother’s cooking, it is really special.” That was the best remark one could get for the food. I was very happy. Choco cake was later served as dessert. By 9 p.m. they retreated. They bid farewell and it was

time for us to go to bed. The clock was ticking and I sat at the reading table, browsing for places to go during the weekend. The Amsterdam Excursions and Tours brochure, on one of the pages, had a few pictures with red lights. I smiled to myself and flipped the pages. It was quite hypothetical. After all, Amsterdam had many other colours and more gorgeous colours that one could and that I would really love to experience. ■ (The writer works with MindTree and his hobbies include singing, writing and photography)

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

DNA doughnut Police in Indiana quickly traced a thief who stole instruments from a church hall - by analysing the DNA he left behind on a half-eaten doughnut.

Dan Brown to release next book Author Dan Brown has finished writing his book The Solomon Key, which will be his first release since the author shot to international fame with his bestseller, The Da Vinci Code. The news was revealed by director Ron Howard who turned Brown’s book into the 2006 box office hit, The Da Vinci Code. reported New York Daily News. . The upcoming book is proof of the author’s standing fascination for cults and occult practices, as it delves into the mysterious world of the Freemasons. PTI

Tech tycoon is richest Russian Technology tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov is Russia’s richest man with a fortune of 14.10 billion dollars (11.0 billion euros), closely followed by Chelsea football club owner Roman Abramovich, a report said on Monday. However aluminium magnate Oleg Deripaska, who last year was Russia’s richest man, has been hit hard by the economic crisis and now barely makes the top 10, the report in the weekly magazine Finans said. The report, which showed that the economic crisis had cut the number of Russian billionaires in half, comes as Russia’s super rich battle to pay off debts built up before the slowdown struck last year. Prokhorov – seen by many as Russia’s most eligible bachelor and famous for leading a lavish and athletic lifestyle – owns the Onexim Company, which is an investment fund for technology and mining projects. He profited in 2008 by selling 25 percent of the world’s largest palladium and nickel producer Norilsk Nickel to Deripaska in April, well before the global crisis struck and asset prices shrunk. “Thanks to his successful exit from Norilsk Nickel just before the economic collapse, Prokhorov has earned himself the reputation of a guru,” the magazine said. Deripaska’s UC Rusal aluminum company owes three billion dollars in debt to Prokhorov. AFP

Blackberry looking for 3,000 recruits The maker of Blackberry phone handsets, Canada’s Research In Motion, said on Monday it was recruiting 3,000 new workers to keep pace with demand despite the global economic crisis. “We have grown our employees’ base by 50 percent in 2008. And we’re still hiring and we plan to keep hiring. We have growth in our business,” co-chief executive Jim Balsillie told AFP. “We hired about 4,000 people in 2008, currently we have 3,000 open jobs. We’re still hiring a lot.” The optimism at Research in Motion contrasts with other makers of handsets such as Nokia, the world’s biggest, which announced 1,200 job cuts late last year. Japanese-Swedish group Sony-Ericsson has said it plans to slash 2,000 positions. “We’re still seeing a wonderful momentum in Blackberry. We shipped our 50 millionth Blackberry two weeks ago,” Balsillie added. AFP

Military-style boot camps for teen criminals in New Zealand Hardcore teenage criminals in New Zealand will be sent to military-style boot camps under a new law announced by the centre-right government Monday. The camps will take the “most dangerous and recidivist young offenders” aged 14-16 whose persistent offending indicates they are heading for the adult court system, said the Minister of Youth Affairs Paula Bennett. About 40 teenagers would be sent to a boot camp in the first year. DPA

Kareena, Sreesanth voted PETA’s sexiest vegetarians

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ollywood actress Kareena Kapoor and cricket star S. Sreesanth have been crowned the winners of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ (PETA) annual Sexiest Vegetarians Alive poll. The online contest was conducted by petaDishoom, PETA India’s youth arm. Kareena captured the female title for the second year in succession, while fast bowler Sreesanth beat out fellow vegetarian cricket stars Ishant

Sharma and Anil Kumble to win the title. Kareena and Sreesanth narrowly edged out 2007 winner R. Madhavan, model and doctor Aditi Gowitrikar, Pentagram vocalist Vishal Dadlani, and singer Kailash Kher, among others. Other top contenders include Olympic Bronze Medallist Sushil Kumar, actors Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson, Hansika Motwani, Mallika Sherawat, Mahima Chaudhary and Rajneesh Duggal, musicians Sir

Paul McCartney and Moby and designers Anita Dongre and Hemant Trevedi. “When you look at the dozens of gorgeous celebrities in this year’s poll, there are no bones about it - a vegetarian diet makes you beautiful inside and out”, said Anuradha Sawhney of PETA India. “After all, going vegetarian is the best thing you can do for the animals, the earth and your health,” Sawhney added. ■ IANS

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Websites of the day

Caught you!

Hire a professional dwarf for the day: http://www.theminiman.co.uk/ Are these pets adorable or just plain ugly? You decide: http://www.sugarloot.com/photoentry/274775003

A teenage female thief got the shock of her life when she stole a 72-year-old’s handbag - after the victim turned out to be a former 100 meter sprint champion and caught up with the girl with great ease.

Coming soon: Love pill

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cientists, who compare development to hopping into a bus and then getting off two stops later, say that falling in love is merely a chemical reaction in the human brain. So, a love pill may be invented soon to trigger this chemical reaction to make people in love. And then there could be an anti-love pill to make people fall out of love. According to an American neuro-scientist, researchers may soon find the right kind of chemical mixture to help people fall in and out of love. Researcher Larry Young of Atlanta’s Emory University School of Medicine told a television network that researchers may soon be able to show that emotions such as love are directly triggered by biochemical events in the human brain. He said his research into prairie voles - which are short-tailed, mouse-like animals found in the prairies (fertile plains) of the US and Canada - has shown that sexual bonding can be triggered and blocked by the addition or subtraction of certain chemicals to the brain. “(The voles) are monogamous. That is, they form a lifelong bond with a partner. We have been studying the chemistry behind that,” he said. But when Young injected the chemical (hormone) oxytocin into

Soon, it will be possible to fall in and out of love at whim – or at the pop of a pill

Hong Kong population tops seven million

IANS

Munching on

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Hong Kong has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, with less than one baby born for every woman of child-bearing age

the brain of a female prairie vole, she quickly abandoned her monogamy and fell for the nearest male. When the chemical hormone to her brain was stopped, her bonding with the new mate was over. Said Young: “The hormone interacts with the reward and reinforcement system driven by the neurotransmitter dopamine - the same circuitry that drugs such as nicotine, cocaine and heroine act on in humans to produce euphoria and addiction.” The happy news, said Young, is that his research has shown that “there is an overlap between the brain areas involved in vole bonding and those associated with human love”. “What’s more, the chemical oxytocin, which was observed to trigger bonding in voles, also changes human behaviour. “People who inhale oxytocin become more trusting ... They engage in more eye contact ... (It) tunes them into the social world. Dopamine gives us a reward, so you feel good.” Creating a cocktail of these two chemicals (oxytocin and dopamine) in the form of a love pill could create an attraction between two people, he said. But if attraction could be chemically induced, he added, the opposite was also possible in the form of antilove pills. “You could block those chemicals when you’re around this person. All drugs are just mimicking or blocking our own natural brain chemistry,” Young said. He said these chemical cocktails could help countless couples who spend huge amounts of money on marital therapy in future. ■

he population of Hong Kong, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, rose 0.8 percent in 2008 to 7.01 million, official figures showed Monday. The net increase in the southern Chinese territory’s population was 56,100, made up of a natural increase through births and deaths of 37,400 and a net increase of 18,700 from new residents, mainly from mainland China, the Census and Statistics Department said. The population has grown by 211,200 in the past five years. Hong Kong has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, with less than one baby born for every woman of child-bearing age. Officials fear the underlying trend downwards will put pressure on a shrinking workforce to support the growing number of elderly. In 2007, Hong Kong’s chief executive Donald Tsang tried to use tax incentives to encourage couples to have more babies, including higher child allowances and a one-off tax rebate upon the birth of a baby. AFP

쑸 Chimpanzees munch on leek at Tokyo’s Tama Zoo on Monday. The zoo started to give welsh onions to chimpanzees four years ago to help the primates stay healthy in winter and to avoid catching colds, according to Japanese traditional medicine. AFP PHOTO / YOSHIKAZU TSUNO

08 SPORT

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

ING opts out of F1 sponsorship Dutch financial services company ING announced on Monday that it would no longer sponsor Formula One team Renault citing the need to cut costs. “In light of the recently announced cost-reduction programme, ING confirmed not to renew the three-year sponsorship (2007-2009) contract with Renault F1 and to end its presence in F1 beyond the 2009 season,” the company said in a statement.

Sania moves up Sania Mirza’s sizzling run at the Pattaya Open, where she made the title clash, has propelled her back to the top 100 as she jumped 39 places to be at 87 in the latest WTA rankings issued on Monday. The semi-final appearance in the doubles competition at the same event also helped Sania gain seven places and she is now 63 in the doubles ranking. Sania’s ranking had plummeted to 126 as she spent almost half the 2008 season out of courts due to a wrist injury. In the ATP rankings, appearance in the doubles final at the SAP Open in the United States helped Rohan Bopanna gain seven places and he now stands at 78. However, the same result for Leander Paes at the World Tennis tournament did no help improve his current ranking of seven. Mahesh Bhupathi, who did not play last week, remained stationary at number five. PTI

PHOTO: R. RAGU

09

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

‘‘ ‘I always told

If we look at those on the plane to South Africa, four have never played a Test, two have played only one and just four have played more than Mitchell Johnson’s 18: (Michael) Clarke, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich and myself. That creates extra responsibility for us four. As senior players, we must stand up and lead from the front to show the younger players the way.

myself never to give up’ A

fter making a comeback in the one-day side in Sri Lanka, 27-year-old ‘Smiling Assassin’ Laxmipathi Balaji is ready to take the flight to New Zealand for the three-match Test series. In an interview, Balaji talks about his comeback, highly successful domestic season and also his stint with the IPL for Chennai Super Kings, where he became the first bowler to claim a hat trick. So after making a comeback in the One-day side, you are back in the Test side as well? I am happy that the hard work I have put in all these years to come back didn’t go waste. I kept my mind open for this selection. Now when I am in the squad, I and grateful to the selectors for showing faith in me. I have always enjoyed playing the game and have to keep enjoying it. New Zealand pitches will suit my bowling and am confident of doing well. You played your first international match after a long time. How was the feeling of coming back to the international stage? It feels great to be back in the India squad. I have worked hard the entire season for this day. Coincidentally my last international match was also in Sri Lanka. Making a reselection was the best thing I could have done in my playing career. It was something I have been waiting for the last three years. It was a long wait but I made steady progress. It was a culmination of hard work and perseverance. A lot has changed in the dressing room in the last three years with new faces coming in. Was it easy or difficult to adjust with the new bunch of players? I feel this is much better bunch I have ever played with. But I was no stranger to them. At times I have played with and against them in domestic tournaments. What makes the dressing room special is the never say die attitude. The team is winning every match and that shows the morale in the dressing room. There is a healthy competition in the team so it was never difficult to adjust with them. India now has a good pace battery. So how do you see the competition? It is good for the team and the results are also coming. I feel India has now the best bowling attack in the world cricket. We have bowlers with

variety and have the ability to pick wickets in all kind of tracks. I am enjoying the competition and it will take the best out of me. How difficult was the comeback? It was the toughest phase in my life. When I was not bowling it was difficult but once I started bowling things seemed to get going. The injured back almost crippled me and I missed out two seasons after the back surgery. The last three years had been tough, but I always told myself never to give up. First I started working on fitness, strengthening back muscles. Then I remodelled my bowling action and everything fell in place since late 2006. How much has the remodelled action helped you? After my back surgery the old action couldn’t take the workload. So I remodelled my action to suit my body. Now I am comfortable with this action. It didn’t affect my performance and bowled well in the Ranji Trophy matches as well. Who has been the biggest motivation for you during the recovery phase? It was a tough call for me, when I underwent the surgery in London. But it was my fitness trainer Ramji Srinivasan and coach W.V. Raman who helped me to come back in shape. WV was the biggest motivation for me as he took the pressure off me. I started bowling in October 2007 and played my first first-class match in March 2008. And then in April the IPL happened. In the IPL, you became the first bowler to get a hat-trick. How was the IPL experience? It was a big step forward for me. I am grateful to Chennai Super Kings. They believed in me and gave me the platform to prove myself again. I just kept on giving my best and everything fell in place. In the IPL I had a clear thought process. I had to bowl four overs with full intensity and maintained that all through out the tournament. Has IPL changed Indian cricket forever? It is the best thing that could have happened to Indian cricket. Imagine overseas players are coming and playing here for Indian teams. It has given a great platform to domestic players and also for players like me to make a comeback. Waiting eagerly for the second edition of the IPL. Trans World Features

Ricky Ponting

Isinbayeva sets new world record Russia’s athletics icon Yelena Isinbayeva set a new indoor world pole vault record of five metres at the annual Bubka memorial tournament in Donetsk on Sunday. The 26-year-old beat her previous record of 4.95m, which she achieved in Donetsk last year, and it was the sixth time in as many years that she has set a new world record indoors in Donetsk. Two-time Olympic champion Isinbayeva was trailing Brazilian Fabian Murer, who set a new South American record with a 4.81m vault, but managed to clear the 4.86m mark in her next attempt to assure herself top place. Her next two attempts at 4.96m were unsuccessful, but on her third try she managed to clear 4.97m to set a new world record. “It was just superstition,” she said. “We decided for 4.97 instead of wasting another attempt on an unlucky number.” She then ordered the five-metre mark, which she managed to clear on her second attempt. Isinbayeva said that her pre-meet game plan was to add two world records to her already bulging collection. “We had in mind to first do 4.96 and then five metres,” she said. AFP

10 FLICK

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Most Stylish Man in America Singer Justin Timberlake has been named the Most Stylish Man in America by men’s magazine GQ. Second on the list is New York-based deejay and producer Mark Ronson. Photographer Alexi Lubomirski earned the No. 3 spot.

‘Delhi-6 is not an autobiography at all’ Delhi-6 releases this Friday. And coming from the director of Rang de Basanti, the film is eagerly awaited. An interview with Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra:

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ilmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra dismisses rumours that his much-awaited Delhi-6 is an onscreen autobiographical adaptation but admits he has used some fond memories of his childhood and youth in the movie. “Delhi-6 is not an autobiography at all. I’ve just delved into my childhood memories and my youth in the film. I’ve only used what I observed when I was growing up in the backdrop. It’s more of the colour of that life that has been used in the background than anything else,” says Mehra. “It’s the story of an Indianorigin American boy Roshan Mehra who comes to India to drop his ailing grandmother... like taking a fish back to water. It

is the journey of this man and his search for his roots,” he says. Releasing Friday, Delhi-6 has been written by Mehra along with Prasoon Joshi and Kamlesh Pandey. It stars Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor, Om Puri, Gulshan Grover, Atul Kulkarni, Divya Dutta and a dove that serves as the romantic leitmotif in the plot. Superstar Amitabh Bachchan also makes a guest appearance. Talking about the symbolic meaning behind the film’s unusual title, Mehra says: “Delhi-6 is a microcosm of India. It symbolises all the small towns of the country where the heart of a city resides and the walled city of Delhi is an attempt to represent that.”

Though the film is woven around Delhi-6, which is the PIN code for the walled city of Delhi, what stands out in the movie’s poster is the presence of the Statue of Liberty in Chandni Chowk. “The Statue of Liberty will mean a lot to the people when they watch the movie as it has multiple symbolisms. India today is a melting pot of cultures, religions and castes and now is also finding its place in the global arena. Thus, the Statue of Liberty would signify that and also the land from where this boy (Roshan) comes from,” Mehra explains. The 45-year-old director says he had the “time of his life” while shooting the film. “Every day was an anecdote for us. Basically, we shot with a

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra

lot of chaos but with balance and that’s what personifies India. That is the basic energy of the film. We recreated Delhi in Sambhar (Rajasthan) and about 75 percent of the film is shot there, and the rest in Chandni Chowk,” he reveals. A major part of the film was shot in Rajasthan because he did not want to disturb the people living in Chandni Chowk, says Mehra. “Except for capturing some aspects of the walled Delhi, we couldn’t have shot the whole film in that part of Delhi. Otherwise, we would have disturbed the life out there.” Mehra made his directorial debut with box office dud Aks in 2001 before carving a niche for himself with Rang De Basanti in 2006.

Asked about the long breaks between his projects, he said: “That’s because of multiple reasons. Cinema is very personal for me. I need time to unwind before I can recharge my batteries. I need time to express myself and that takes a lot of time. I write, produce and direct. While production takes close to Rs.500 million in a film, getting the screenplay and the cast right, pre-production and then to post-produce – it all takes a lot of time.” Now bogged down with promotional work for Delhi-6 and interviews, Mehra says he is “thinking of a diving holiday ride” once the film releases. “I can only see an emeraldblue sea right now where I can soak myself in the sun.” ■

A still from Delhi-6

Except for capturing some aspects of the walled Delhi, we couldn’t have shot the whole film in that part of Delhi

IANS

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Amchi Mumbai Shah Rukh Khan has opted to undergo a shoulder surgery in Mumbai on Monday to avoid the sort of criticism that came his way after he chose to be operated on by doctors in London for a back problem in 2003, says a friend of the actor. “When he got his back surgery done in London there was criticism about his lack of faith in Indian doctors. Shah Rukh feels that some of the finest doctors in the world are in Mumbai and so he sees no need to go to the West for treatment,” King Khan’s friend said on condition of anonymity. I am sick and tired of people exploiting the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal propaganda. I would like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation, and a simple ‘Thank you’ would have sufficed

Cine City

Oscar night drama in store

Jayam Ravi to tie the knot

F

rom winners sobbing uncontrollably to shocking political outbursts, bizarre snubs and streakers, the Oscars have seen it all, and Sunday’s Academy Awards will likely provide fresh drama of its own. Organisers of Hollywood’s biggest night are white-knuckled as they brace for more tales of the unexpected that could anger viewers or throw the finely-calibrated global telecast off schedule. But the raw emotion and the unscripted moments of what remains a tightly choreographed extravaganza are also what makes Oscars night memorable. With a global television audience in the billions, the temptation to use the event as a platform for political statements has proved irresistible throughout the years. Taking a swipe at critics who say Hollywood is out of touch, Oscar-winner George Clooney in 2006 noted that moviemakers had crusaded for civil rights and against AIDS long before the issues became popular. “I’m proud to be out of touch,” Clooney said. As statements go, it was on the mild side. Three years earlier, boos rang out around the auditorium when maverick filmmaker Michael Moore launched a vitriolic attack on US President George W. Bush for waging war in Iraq. But Moore was only following the tradition of turning the winners’ podium into a pulpit. Arguably the most famous example came in 1973, when a woman calling herself Sacheen Littlefeather stood before the stunned audience to collect Marlon Brando’s best actor Oscar for The Godfather. Littlefeather promptly refused to collect the award on Brando’s behalf to protest the movie industry’s treatment of Native Americans. Four years later, Vanessa Redgrave drew gasps and boos from the Oscars faithful when she thanked the Academy for honouring her in Julia despite “the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums.” In the same awards ceremony, Oscars presenter Paddy Chayefsky chastised her to much applause: “I am sick and tired of people exploiting the Academy Awards for the propagation of their own personal propaganda. I would like to suggest to Miss Redgrave that her winning an Academy Award is not a pivotal moment in history, does not require a proclamation, and a simple ‘Thank you’ would have sufficed.” Sometimes, the choice of awards recipients can stoke controversy. The decision to grant director Elia Kazan a lifetime achievement award in 1999 divided the glitterati, with dozens of stars refusing to rise or applaud, in protest at the filmmaker’s decision to co-operate with the authorities during the 1950s communist witch-hunts. Politics aside, Oscars night has been littered with memorable one-offs. In 1974, a naked man invaded the stage as actor David Niven was hosting the show, prompting him to quip: “The only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping ... and showing his shortcomings.” More recently, in 2003, actor Adrien Brody stunned viewers and superstar Halle Berry by kissing her passionately on the lips as she presented his best actor statuette, creating an Oscars signature moment. Italian Roberto Benigni made a stir in 1999 when he euphorically leapt onto a chair and jumped from one seat to the next when he won the best foreign film Oscar for Life Is Beautiful. ■ AFP

Actor Jayam Ravi, the eligible bachelor of Kollywood, has finally been hooked. The actor will be tying the knot with his love interest Aarthi, daughter of noted television producer Sujatha Vijayakumar, soon. Aarthi is an MBA graduate from UK. It was said that Ravi’s father Mohan was against the actor’s love affair initially. Now, with the support of his family, the marriage will be held after the star finishes shooting for the last schedule of his upcoming movie, Peranmai.

KB back to stage After staying away from stage plays for over 30 years, veteran director K. Balachander is reentering the dais with a play titled Pournami. The play featuring actors Delhi Ganesh, Fathima Babu and Renuka will be inaugurated on April 18 in Chennai. KB’s popular plays Server Sundaram, Naanal, Ethir Neechal, Neer Kumizhi, Navagraham and Major Chandrakanth were later made into films that became runaway hits.

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ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Monday’s Question: In which Tamil film would you like to see Angelina Jolie as the heroine? ■ Enthiran: the Robot.

Ram, Perot Systems

■ Remake of "Karagaattakkaaran"! But not as heroine. Kovai Sarala’s role. Mukund (SCB Scope International), Ganesh, Sasidaran, Vignesh, Guru, Deepan.N (TCS), Janani (CTS)

■ Aval oru thodarkathai, Sujatha role. K.B.Santosh, TCS

■ Jolie and Chiyan in Kandasamy. Mohan Kumar, TCS

■ Bombay. It’s a rather challenging one. Rekha, Uma, Shiv, Accenture

■ Villu, the terror

Vinothkumar, CSPL

Mukesh Kumar from TCS has nominated his team as Partners in Crime. This photo was taken in their office premises.

■ Vijayakanth and Angelina in Virudhagiri. Sivaprakasam.G, Birlasoft

■ Selvaraghavan’s Aayirathil Oruvan. Suresh.R, TCS

■ Paruthiveeran.

Aravindhan (Cognizant), Murali Krishna (Accenture), Anandhi, Mahi, Sangu (Wipro), Kavi (Infosys)

■ Padaiappa - Neelambari character Vimprash, Patni Computers

■ Kovilpatti Veeralakshmi

Jegan, Kannan, Rak, TCS

■ Pithamagan, Laila’s role DelliBabu, Selvaraj, TCS

■ Gajini (Asin’s role) because an angel can only play a role of an angel Brahan, TCS

■ In Billa, Nayan’s role will perfectly match her. Pradeep Maran, Yuvraj, Saravanan (TCS), Suresh Kumar (HCL), Mohan Kumar (Allsec), Karthikeyan (Infosys), Josh (Caliberpoint)

■ Star In any of director Perarasu’s movie.

Prathap Selvan of Business Development Meet has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime.

Sebanto, Cognizant

■ In Vijay’s mass movie Vetaikaran. It will be great to see this pair on the screen. Dhilip RR, Cognizant

■ ‘Subramaniyapuram’ ■ ‘Kakka Kakka’

T.V.Seshwanth, Ramco Systems Senthil, Wipro

■ 16 Vayatheneley in the role of mayulu (Sridevi), because she can pair with both the legends of Kollywood Vijay, Seenivasan, Technip

Today’s Query: Can’t imagine your life without a very special friend? Thank him/her during this Friendship Week...

Umasree Raghunath from Hewlett-Packard has nominated her team as Partners in Crime. This photo was clicked during a team outing for a cricket match.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Nishchal Pandey from HP has been nominated as Office Angel by Umasree Raghunath. Nishchal is a dynamic go-getter, who is passionate about the work he does, has got a twinkle in his eyes when it comes to challenging tasks and is a very cooperative team member. He is highly regarded as the best colleague and a good friend to all of us and is very kind, compatible and a pleasure to work with.

Belated wishes

■ Dear Siva,

■ Dear Prakash, Happy Happy Birthday!! God Bless U!Let this year bring more n more cheers into your life! Wish u long life n gr8 future:)

Wish you a belated Happy Birthday. May this birthday bring you Good Health, Friendship, Wealth and Happiness. We wish you that whatever you want most in life it come to you more than he way you imagined!!!!!!!! You are not spl only on this day but your our ever green Heroooooooooooo.

Fondly Amirtha

■ Dear Deepa Venugopal, What a joy it is to send these Birthday greetings to someone like you; May life shower on you special happiness and grant you all the things you desire. You turn not older with years but newer everyday :-) MAY YOU LIVE ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE. Belated Birthday Wishes!!! With Loads of Love, Kavitha CL Tata Consultancy Services

■ Dear Madhu Chakkravarthi, May this day be the beginning of another special year. May god will shower all his blessing on you. Many more happy return of the day.

Art featured in this column will receive gift coupons from Fruit Shop on Greams Road. Send in your addresses so that we can post the coupons.

Vikram & Team TCS

B.Parthiban of Sundaram Business Services Ltd. doodled this.

■ Dear Baaji, Happy Birthday to You & May God Bless you. May this day be the beginning of another special year. Let this birthday bring you lot of joy and happiness in your life! A Warm Birthday Wishes from All of us! I wish all your dreams will soon come true!! Regards, Bhavani Ananthan. Team Beacon. HCL Technologies Ltd

■ Dear DeepaRani, Wish you many more happy returns of the day! May the coming years bring lots of happiness and cherish in your life. Best Wishes, Shobi, Krithi, Arul, Aarthi

1. Doctor : Naan pudhusha oru nursing home kattalam-nu irukkaen. Doctor’s Wife : Veettula naan oruthi irukkum bodhu unga hospital-la ulla nurse-kku veedu katti thara poreengalaa? 2 . Man-1 : Vaithu vali operation-ku oru patient vandharae, yenna aanaru? Man-2 : Doctor fees-i kaettadhum avarukku nenju vali vandhuduchu.... Mohamed Yusufdeen HCL

■ Hi Karthi, Wishing u many more happy returns of the DAY!!! Let all ur wishes cum true and hav a Successful year ahead!! Happy Birthday…… With Luv, Meena, Deepa.. Wipro Technologies.

With Luv. South West HUB . Mphasis an EDS company

■ Dear KADALAI Kannan (BOONGU TEAM), Wish u a many more happy returns of the day. May this birthday be the best and bring u a lots of joy, happiness and wealth in ur life... Wishes from Aathi, Azhagiri, Sreenath, Mani, Srikanth, Suresh M, Venkat, Sathish and TCS Siruseri. Azhagiri Viswanathan Tata Consultancy Services

Today’s wishes ■ Dear Ram, Loving thoughts of you make a beautiful difference to my days..! Sweetheart...you are very special to me..! Belated Valentines day..Dear... Sakthi

■ Dear Salahudeen, Happy Birthday to You & May God Bless you! May this day be the beginning of another special year! Let this birthday bring you a lot of joy and happiness in your life! A warm birthday wished from all of us! I wish all your dreams will soon come true! Regards, Shehanaz, Nasreen, Fathima, Ismail Software Engineer Thirdware Solutions Pvt Ltd.

■ Dear Ranjani (Ranju), We Wish u avery Happy Birthday.May God Bless u.Have a Delightful day. Best Wishes iRonicz SpidersTeam Tata Consultancy Services, iNautix, fidelity Chennai & Mumbai Musigma,NSN, Tata Elexi, vEMC-Bangalore Juno,Deshaw, Commvault-Hydrabad

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Meerkat madness A woman looking out on her garden in Wales wasn’t too shocked when she spotted a furry creature in the undergrowth - until she realised it was an African Meerkat.

sudoku

Love is still in the air. Belated Valentine’s Day. Clicked by Gowrisankar N. of Ramco Systems. Thanks to the stupenduous response to its promotion, Kantilal Diamonds has decided to extend its gift vouchers for the column for two more weeks. From now, winners are requested to collect their gift vouchers directly from Ergo office on Sunday afternoons between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

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TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

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KAKURO

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Nail nightmare

Word’s worth

The woman with the longest fingernails in the world - measuring in at 33 inches (83cms) - has lost them in a car accident. Lee Redmond of Lake City, Utah, had been growing her fingernails since 1979 only to have them break-off when she was involved in a car accident.

“Jiffle” (jif-uhl) to fidget or shuffle. This is just one of several words that can mean ‘fidget’ and end in -le, including figgle, fissle, nestle, sessle, tiddle, and trifle.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 The day may begin at a very dull note and you may be feeling unenthusiastic when you enter office. However, as the day progresses, you may start feeling charged up.Day may end at a positive note. This includes a good news from your beloved one.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 At the beginning of the day, you may find many adverse circumstances hampering your progress. While in the second half, you will be more targeted and focussed.You will spend a wonderful time in the company of your spouse or beloved.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 You may feel like heading in wrong direction in your routine work when the day starts. However, as the day progresses, you will find the right direction to move on. If there are any confusions related to work, they may be sorted out.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 At the beginning of the day, you may remain very sentimental and emotionally attached.In the second half of the day, you may be less sentimental and more practical in your approach. Love life may be kept aside for the day.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 In the first half of the day, you can be little inflexible in your views. However, in the later half of the day, you may change your views and will be more motivating and mood to inspire someone or even take responsibility of a project.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

Ganesha doesn’t find you in mood to take up challenges or difficult tasks. Day may pass smoothly, without much of hassle. At the end of the day, you may spend quite time with family members. You may share philosophical views with your beloved.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 You may be in search of success on the career front, be it a small challenge or a big target. You will be able to accomplish everything only in the second part of the day. Love life may remain full of grace and encouraging dialogues.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 You will remain optimistic and determined throughout the day. In first half of the day, you may seek other’s attention. As soon as office is over, you may rush to meet your beloved with a surprise, feels Ganesha.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 At the beginning of the day, you may feel that you are slogging for some project or work, endlessly. However, you will be able to look at things with a different angle after the noon time. Love life may see a positive turning point.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Even if the day begins very positively, later you may realise that you were working in a wrong direction. Ganesha’s foresight says that you might have to depend a bit on others, like it or not. You may wish to spend quality time with someone specia.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 You will be working very hard till the noon time but then you will just be concerned about gains that you are likely to get out of the hard work. Practice patience at workplace.Time may be spent with group of friends or in company of beloved.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 You are sensitive and touchy throughout the day but in first part, you may be more emotional about domestic matters or issues. If you keep all tensions aside, compose yourself and just throw your entire being in work, it will surely repay good dividends. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

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ERGO Tuesday, February 17, 2009