Ergo July 31

A BYTE OF LIFE

Friday, July 31, 2009

07 MITHALI RAJ on her career so far and future plans FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 3

No. 144

Far, yet so near August 2 is Friendship Day. Ergo scans the world of virtual friends in the age of Twitter and Facebook. Plus, readers have their say. » PAGE 04

PHOTO : AFP

Wish and it shall come true Movin Stilz creative director talks about the special effects and his journey with the much-talked about Vikram-starrer Kanthasaamy

» PAGE 05

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

For adoption

Namma Chennai

Danny is a 4-year-old male Labrador cross who is healthy, playful and affectionate. He has been neutered and is up for adoption. Call Praveen at 9884144161

Shop

Ties that bind Sale

Block by block The Contemporary Window presents an exhibition-cumsale of hand block printed, hand woven silk cotton, and salwar suits. The collections are designed by the mother-son duo from Varna-Tasara Design Studio. The sale is on from August 1 to 5 at The Contemporary Window, H137/2, 2nd Avenue, Opposite Spencers Supermarket, Besant Nagar. Ph no.: 044-24462800

Movie

Spine-chilling thrillers When was the last time you jumped up your seat watching a thriller movie? A five-day film festival ‘Experience Thrillers’ promises to give you five days of spine-chilling thrillers from across the world. The movies to be screened are: The Orphanage (August 5), The Page Turner (August 6), Crossed Tracks (August 7), King of the Hill (August 8) and Shiver (August 9). The films will be screened at Alliance Francaise of Madras.

Rediff.com has created a userfriendly section http:// rakhi.rediff.com where a range of exclusive designer rakhis can be shopped. Check-out zardosi rakhis to diamond-studded rakhis, which can be clubbed with mithais or pooja thali. The rakhis are priced from Rs. 101.

Workshop

Money, money, money Who doesn’t love money? Now, learn how to make money attending this workshop. Speaker and author of the bestseller ‘I Love Money’, Suresh Padmanabhan, is organising a talk on ‘Discovering the deepest secrets of money, prosperity and wealth creation’. Drop in at Nahar Hall, Desabandhu Plaza, 47, Whites Road on August 1. For details call 9841438486.

Rejuvenate Music

Morning raaga This month’s Sundaram Finance Sunday Kutcheri in the Park will feature 13-year-old V. Akshara from Kuwait. The young Carnatic singer will perform without the mike and speakers at 6.30 a.m. If you would like to perform, sign up for the audition by calling 9444040748.

Go Thai Restore the radiance of your skin with this ancient Thai herbal scrub of Thai clay, galangal, turmeric and bergamot. This gentle scrub promises to refresh, stimulate and tighten your skin. The 90-minute treatment costs Rs. 2500. For bookings call Prana - Thai Concept Spa at 67411000 (extn 7300).

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Friday, July 31, 2009

: e s a e l p T R E L A p o t s t ’ n Do e r a t s and

Kala Balasundaram, a senior delivery manager with HP, started this NGO so that passers-by do their bit for helping accident victims

MONISHA MOHANDAS [email protected]

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ward to help an accident victim,” says Kala. “When we conducted a survey in this regard, we found that the hassle of running behind police and hospital authorities stopped them.” These accidents need not be on road. “It can happen anywhere – at your house, industries, institutions, etc. And we train public on how to handle each of them,” says Kala, who played an active role in starting the Burn Ward Unit at Kilpauk Medical College.

ave you stopped and stared seeing an accident victim on the road wondering if you should reach out for help? The legalities of running behind the cops and doctors generally make one think twice. But, the least one can do is offer some first-aid. Before that make sure you learn some lessons from ALERT. Amenity Lifeline Emergency Response Team, or Orienting with ALERT ALERT, is an NGO started in 2006 by Kala BalasundaAnyone can help a victim but an ALERT trained ram, Senior Delivery Manager with Hewlett-Packard. person makes the difference. “We help by preventing Kala and her team of volunteers train “focus the condition from getting worse,” says groups” comprising educational instiS. Balaji, volunteer. tutions, corporates and drivers on WE HELP BY The NGO currently has 20 core how to lend help to any accident vicPREVENTING members, with a number of floating tim. volunteers around the city. ALERT has The volunteers, along with a group THE CONDITION also signed a MoU with the Indian of expert doctors and trained profesMedical Association (IMA) to train sionals, are involved in training citi- FROM GETTING volunteers. “The training costs nothing zens. The three-hour programme held WORSE and there is a lot to be gained,” adds weekly covers first-aid topics, basic Kala. ALERT has successfully trained life-support techniques and cardio more than 10,000 people in the city and the numbers pulmonary resuscitation. It also orients one to avail are growing. ■ of the ‘108’ emergency service. Lawmakers and poIf you would like to get trained, drop in an email to lice are also invited to these weekly meeting to [email protected] or call ALERT at 98843 18848. cate public in facing them in times of distress. Visit them at www.alert-wecare.org “I always wondered why people never come for-

ALERT volunteers’ training in progress

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Big Story

Virtual people, real friends Long-distance friendships that cut across cultural barriers are blossoming on social networks R. PREETHI [email protected]

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he first thing that Denise Mckenney from U.S.A. wanted to do on November 27 2008 was to log on to her favourite site and send a message to a friend in India. “I’ve been thinking of you and all those in India the whole day. I hope you’re safe and okay. I’m praying for all of you.” Nearly 8,000 miles and nine hours away, Kalathmika in Chennai is greeted by a flurry of concerned messages, including Denise’s. Despite the tense moments that she along with million other Indians across the country had to go through, she was able to smile. Thanks to her online friends, who know nothing or care about the Mumbai attacks but are willing to help, even if it is through a virtual hug. Making friends online is still an alien concept to many. And promoting them from virtual to real

friends is scary to many others. “I was scared initially. How can I make friends with random strangers? But now I’m so happy that I have friends from across the world.” Kalathmika affirms. Thanks to pre-conceived notions, like the Internet is just an endless repository of potential serial killers, many people are yet to find out the actual truth. That the Internet is also full of like-minded engaging people. For the first time in history we’re lucky enough to choose friends not by location or luck, but pinpoint perfect friends by rounding up people with amazingly similar interests, matching politics, senses of humour and passionate feelings about the tiniest hobbies. For Pradeep, online friends seem to be much closer than his real college friends. “By making friends online, you’re simply speeding through the whole process, bypassing shyness and getting rid of the social awkwardness that comes with trying to make a friend out of a stranger. For people like me, who

are shy and a little socially awkward, moving a conversation from the Net to a coffee shop is a much more normal and hassle-free process.” Although the Internet has stretched the boundaries of friendship, it has created a lot of exciting possibilities to compensate the traditions it may have ended. Making online friends is a great way to know more about different cultures and happenings across the world. For instance, the Lunar New Year, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa take a whole new deal of importance on your list because you have a very dear friend celebrating it. At the end of the day, the very thought that you have someone to whom you can rant on about anything is a very invigorating prospect. It is strange at first. People you’ve never met before are the first to wish a ‘Happy Birthday’. But even if they’re strange, you wouldn’t want to trade them for anything. Kalathmika sums it up best. “These are friends whom you playfully promise to meet some day soon and secretly make a note to yourself that you will. These are friends who despite everything have stayed with you, despite never seeing you.” ■

Ergo readers write on their experience with friends on social networking sites Annoyingly funny

Mistaken identity!

A pretty picture of your true self or a fake one is enough to catch the eyes of the wanderers on these social networking sites. Boom comes the request, “Do you wanna friendship wid me?” Arghhhhh! Countless ‘NO’ to ignore these friendship requests doesn’t work and you eventually add the person to your list, reluctantly and wondering if the person is real or unreal. Nevertheless, you are so overwhelmed when everyone on your friends’ list makes a sincere effort to scrap a wish on your birthday. Nothing wrong in saying these are “Annoyingly Funny”.

An unknown and mistaken identity opened the doors of friendship. I was lucky to find one of my best pals a year ago. To what I was before and to what I am today I owe it to this buddy. It all started with a mistaken identity and the friendship grew with mails and daily SMSes. Today I have a shoulder to share my joys and sorrows. There’s never been a day where we missed making a call. Thanks a lot, Raji.

Anita Clementina, Cognizant

Senthil, Wipro

Fraanship request When I first heard about Orkut, I was hesitant about joining it as Internet security issues

always haunted me. But my curiosity got over my fear to take a look at how it works. And in no time I got in touch with so many of my school friends, most of whom I lost touch. The long wait for my joining date thanks to recession got me to explore Facebook, too. I got active with two-three communities, this after carefully monitoring the people who post in these forums. I have even met some of these online friends, though I was nervous initially. One such friend whom I got is Ramya. She is also a twin like me and we have so many common hobbies. She has been there for me during my tough times. Even if we don’t talk dai-

ly or meet regularly, we know what’s happening in each other’s lives and are always there for each other. I also know of a couple of friends where the friendship has changed life partners. But, it’s very rare that you meet nice people through these sites. There are people who’ll irritate by scrapping you or sending friendship requests (actually its fraanship request!!). Personally for me, Orkut has been a great source of communication between me and my friends. B. Soundarya, Cognizant

I am social Read on to know how each of

the social networking sites have added spice to my life Linkedin.com – It’s here where I get good consulting/ insights on business and work free of cost Twitter – It’s the formula to become popular Blog – A writers land for sure Orkut – This is mainly for those I know on a personal level. It’s also where people (girls) encounter “can we be friends” scraps – the only bug in orkut Facebook – A cool applications to play with Digg – Get all the bizarre information you want to see/ hear is available. Girish Mahadevan

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Wish and it shall come true Vikram’s female getup and other highlights in Susi Ganesan’s Kanthasaamy are the talk of K Town. It is not just makeup that has done the magic also the special effects by Movin Stilz. Harish, creative director of the company, throws light on the special visual effects and his journey through Kanthasaamy

Harish Vijayakumar, Creative director, and Sanjana Rajendran, technical head of Movin Stilz. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

DEEPA VENKATRAMAN

How did Kanthasaamy come your way? After doing the visual effects for Kamal Haasan’s Dasavathaaram, we got the lead for this movie but it was a challenge as it came from a big banner. Director Susi briefed us for one piece of visual effects work. It took us two months to complete this particular requirement and finally he was convinced with the output and of the fact that visual effects (VFX) are an effective alternative.

What unique visual effects have you incorporated in the movie?

The movie is based on a superhero story and this could not have been done without VFX. It was an integral part of the story. There are a lot of fantasy elements, surreal scenes and plenty of green screen shots, which helped us achieve the final look. Around 1,500 shots of VFX, much more than an average movie (which has about 200-300 VFX shots), have been used.

What were the challenges faced? We had to create a scene of a cornfield located near an IT park. This was quite difficult to accomplish realistically as there were day and night scenes. So we had to add 3D buildings in the background in addition to the real buildings and recreate them for the night scene as well. For the first time, we made a male actor feminine, in a sequence where Vikram appears dressed as a woman. It took us a while figuring out how to do it but it was not an impossible task. We used skin-grafting techniques by using heroine Shriya’s skin to soften his face. We also toned down his muscles and made him slimmer by around 20 per cent.

Quite a few different techniques were used to get the required effect. Like any other movie, there were last-minute changes, new requirements by the team to be delivered in short deadlines. But the whole team headed by my wife Sanjana, technical head of the company, handled it brilliantly.

How was it working with the Kanthasaamy crew? Initially, there was a lot of confusion about certain scenes where the scenes were shot in multiple locations and had to be assembled into one seamless scene. But Susi had a clear vision and this helped us a lot. Be it balloon lights for the night shoots or

AROUND 1,500 SHOTS OF VFX, MUCH MORE THAN AN AVERAGE MOVIE (WHICH HAS ABOUT 200-300 VFX SHOTS), HAVE BEEN USED

STEADY CLIMB Set up in 2007 First claim to fame was Dasavathaaram Upcoming project is Vijay Prabhakar’s Thasai Innaithee Chudinam and Nandhini Arts’ Nee Inru Naan Illai and few others Talks are on of tying up with a television company

even massive green screens at the corn field in Theni, the production team comprising art director Thota Tharani, director of photography Ekambaram and producer Kalai Puli Thanu discussed with us each shot and also supported us with all the requirements with regards to VFX.

Your views on the current scenario of the visual effects industry in Kollywood… Filmmakers have started to recognise the potential of visual effects and are open to exploring it. Extensive usage of visual effects can also reduce the budget of a movie. ■

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Sharapova advances

Sport

Maria Sharapova rolled over fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-2 in the second round of the US$ 700,000 Bank of the West Classic on Wednesday. Former world number one Sharapova needed just over an hour to beat current world number 10 Petrova.

Saina diagnosed with chickenpox Chicken pox has rendered Saina Nehwal doubtful for next month’s World Badminton Championship even though the ace shuttler remains hopeful of competing in the highprofile event at her home town Hyderabad. Saina, who won the Arjuna Award on Wednesday, has been suffering from mild fever since Saturday and it was diagnosed with chicken pox on Wednesfay and advised complete bed rest for the next few days. “I have been suffering from fever since Saturday but then I saw some pockmarks appearing on the skin. Initially I thought it must be pimples or boils but in the last couple of days some more pockmarks developed and I had this itchy feeling,” Saina said from Hyderabad. “So we decided to see the doctor, who confirmed that I have chicken pox. I have been advised complete rest for the next 4-5 days and then we’ll see how it goes,” she added. PTI

False start for India Indian hockey team began their Europe tour on a losing note, suffering a 1-3 defeat against England in the rain-soaked opening encounter of the three-match Test series. After an opening ceremony that included the Lord Mayor of Birmingham meeting the two teams, the match got off amid torrential rain late on Wednesday night and England got off to a perfect start with a goal inside 60 seconds when Ben Hawes’ effort went in off Ajitesh Roy’s stick. Two minutes later England earned their first of 10 penalty corners but Ashley Jackson’s effort was well charged down by the first runner Vikram Pillay. India recovered soon and responded in kind, earning their first penalty corner six minutes later. Gurwinder Singh Chandi’s pass found its way to Dhananjay Mahadik, courtesy V.S. Vinaya’s dummy, and the Indian army man flicked it powerfully across James Fair and inside the post to equalise. England took the lead again in the 18th minute after setting the foundations from their fourth penalty corner. At the fag end, Richard Smith made sure of an English victory when he smashed home from beyond the penalty spot off a corner rebound in the 68th minute. The second Test will be played on Friday at the University of Birmingham. PTI

Target practice After a lacklustre draw in their first practice game in Barcelona, Indians come good in the second ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

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brace from lanky Abhishek Yadav gave the visiting Indian team their first win on Spanish soil late Wednesday night. The Indians, who are out on a month-long exposure trip to Barcelona, won their second practice game, downing local fourth division side AE Prat 2-0. The Indians came out in full throttle and the makeshift forward pairing of skipper Baichung Bhutia and Sushil Singh showed some urgency and combined well to create problems in the rival defence. The duo produced a few half chances with Bhutia even testing the keeper with a longranger a quarter of an hour into the match. Throwing in a surprise of his own and much to the relief of the players the referee called for a water break in the 22nd minute. The match was played in four quarters instead of the usual two halves, a necessity considering the heat wave Barcelona is facing this year. The hosts looked a little more energised after the mini-break and came close to scoring the opener 10 minutes to the interval. The Indians were lucky to scramble out from a goalmouth raid and both sides went into the break on a deadlock. Like the first game, Indian coach Bob Houghton went in with a new setup of players for the second session, replacing his whole team except goalie Subrata Paul. Govin Singh and Jagpreet

Singh got their first feel of match play on this tour and looked at ease combining well with Mehrajuddin Wadoo in midfield. The reserves were actually a step or two ahead of their regular counterparts – Syed Rahim Nabi and Yadav looked lethal upfront with a steady burst of pace. Senior internationals Renedy Singh and Dipak Mandal too combined well down the left flank and most of India’s attacks generated from that side. Showing a tendency to hold on to the ball and playing short passes, a departure from the long-ball tactics of the last game, the visitors dominated possession for most part of the last 45 minutes. “We were playing too many long and aerial passes during the first game. And the big bodied and taller Spaniards were easily dealing with it.

Abhishek Yadav PHOTO: S. PATRONOBISH

These guys have a huge height advantage over our boys and we have to account for that,” coach Houghton said. They were paid for their hard work in the 60th minute when R. Mohanraj’s long clearance was picked up by Nabi, who played it to Renedy, and the veteran midfielder’s cross was headed in by Yadav to give India the lead. Eleven minutes later, on the other side of another mini-break, the former Mumbai FC forward, who is yet to find a club, doubled his and India’s tally when he headed in a Mondal cross. India played out the rest of the game in a relatively easier tempo. Still, Yadav came close to scoring his hattrick way into the five minutes of injury-time. But he narrowly missed the flight of a Govin centre again from the left in the 94th minute. ■

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Friday, July 31, 2009

‘‘

Irfan is talented but he never had the class of Kapil or Akram. All the comparisons early on meant he was playing under immense pressure. That wrecked his bowling and confidence. Many have started doubting his abilities and fitness now but they should have thought earlier if he was capable of being all he was touted to be. The intention in keeping him out of the probables list is to give him a jolt. Maninder Singh

No rife, no catfight Mithali Raj on the rumoured friction with skipper Jhulan Goswami, secret behind her footwork, and T20 AYON SENGUPTA [email protected]

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lmost as dominating and with every possible batting record under her belt, Mithali Raj is correctly called the Sachin Tendulkar of women’s cricket. A comparison she admits to enjoy a lot. “I know about the title and it is an honour. But it puts up added pressure too,” she says. “I understand that every time I go out to bat they expect me to score. Sometimes I fail to overcome the pressure. But again, I have always given my 100 per cent on the field.” Like Tendulkar, she too basked in the limelight very early in her career, scoring a mammoth 214 against England during the second Test in Taunton in 2002 when she was just 19. At the time it was the highest Test score by a batswoman

(Kiran Baluch later scored 242 against West Indies in March 2004) and even now she proudly occupies the second spot. “I didn’t even think I was good enough to hit a century. A double was just a dream and I think that changed my career,” the trained Bharatanatyam dancer says. A lesson or two from her classical foray in her early years might well have helped her become a classic bat for which she is known world over. “At least, I am nimble on my feet. Maybe all that dancing during childhood has something to do with it,” she acknowledges. Mithali matured on to become the mainstay of Indian batting along with former skipper Anjum Chopra, whom she succeeded briefly before handing over the reigns to present incumbent Jhulan Goswami. At just 26 she is one of the senior-most in a relatively young team and has taken over

the mantle well. “Most of the girls are very young and it’s our job to guide them through. The three of us are the unofficial think-tank and fortunately we get along well contrary to all the running rumours,” Mithali clarifies. Media glare hasn’t even spared this form of the game and rumours were rife with a tiff between her and Jhulan during the just-concluded T20 World Cup. It was said that Mithali was not too pleased batting lower down the order and was keen on opening the innings but was not given a chance by the skipper. “In T20s you have to innovate and at times your best players should be promoted up to get the maximum time,” she says. “But we are playing it only off late and will take time to get our strategies right.” But she is quick to recognise the sudden adulation the women’s game is getting because of the simultaneous running of both the

men’s and women’s game during the last T20 World Cup in England. “Playing the semi-finals as a curtain raiser for the men’s game was a huge experience. We have hardly seen packed grounds before and the game was telecast live everywhere,” Mithali recalls. “I wish we had qualified for the final. Would have played at Lord’s then.” The Indian Railways employee has her focus set on the next T20 championships in the West Indies and feels the team should play more of the shorter version of the game to adapt quickly. “I think the best way for women’s cricket to go forward is adopt T20 readily. Test matches in our circle are far inbetween and One-Dayers are getting out of sync,” she says. “A few more T20s will keep us in good shape and our first trip to the Caribbean isles may turn out to be a memorable one.” ■

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Portfolio

Highest c Antonio Marras for Kenzo Dries Van Noten

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy

Christian Lacroix

Emporio Armani

Jean-Paul Gaultier

Prada

John Richmond

Louis Vuitton

Formal shorts These singularly dominated the 2009-2010 Spring/Summer menswear fashion weeks in Milan and Paris. While shorts are no new invention, this season saw a more formal twist, paired as they were with suits, blazers, collared shirts and jackets.

The las season h seen seve promine trends emergin and re emerging from on shoulde gowns t red-carp pantsuit the mon sleeve, croppe pants, m skirts an nude as t new blac Ergo pic out thre trends th look set carry ov to nex season

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy

Trophy jackets

Bling is in, as far as jackets are concerned. The seas house of Givenchy, with Armani, Christian Lacroix a

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Friday, July 31, 2009

common denominators

st has eral ent s ng g– neer to pet ts, no , d midi nd the ck. cks ee hat to ver xt n.

Christian Lacroix

Koushik Ghosh and Priti Bansal

Giorgio Armani Prive

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel

Alexis Mabille

D&G

Lefranc.Ferrant

Giorgio Armani

son’s best trophy jackets came from the and Dolce & Gabbana not far behind.

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy

Monochrome The monochrome trend isn’t fading off yet. Black and white remained Armani Compiledfavourite by ShaliniatShah. Prive, Chanel, Lacroix, Lefranc.Ferrant, Alexis Mabille and Josep Font. PHOTOS: AFP

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Flick

RAKHI KA SWAYAMVAR NDTV Imagine head sees no obstacle to the item girl’s wedding

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amir Nair, CEO of NDTV Imagine, says that the police complaint filed against item girl Rakhi Sawant and five others linked to the reality show “Rakhi Ka Swayamvar” for infringement of copyright won’t affect the live telecast of the wedding Sunday. “We’re telecasting the marriage deferred - live (minutes after actual shooting) and we don’t anticipate any trouble. This guy from Jaipur (Gaurav Tiwari) filed a case against us in a district court. They passed an order against him. Then he moved to the high court. His case was dismissed from there,” Nair said.

“Now he has filed a criminal case against us. Our legal team is looking into it as we speak. Strange that the case has gone from civil to criminal. This guy runs a portal and claims he owns the word ‘swayamvar’. It’s like me claiming I own the word Ramayan or Mahabharat. There’s shadi-com. So we can’t do soap with the word shaadi?” The show “Rakhi Ka Swayamvar”, through which Rakhi decided to find her life partner, is on its last leg now. She will be tying the knot with her chosen groom Sunday in the presence of family, friends as well as officials from the channel. ■ IANS

Brad Pitt adds bike to his collection

Megan Fox wants to date a geek

Hollywood star Brad Pitt, who has a penchant for motorbikes and has a huge collection of them, has added another to his fleet. The new entrant is a heavily customised Chrome bike sporting a metal seat, reported dailymail.co.uk. Pitt’s collection includes a Ducati Desmosedici RR, a Monster 696 and a selection of Harley-Davidsons. ■

After dating a fire fighter and actors, model-turnedactress Megan Fox is looking forward to date a geek. The 23-year-old revealed that she is scared of being single after splitting from her fiancé Brian Austin Green and now wants to get into a relationship with a nerdy guy, reported dailystar.co.uk. “They are more appreciative of what you do,” she said. Earlier she was linked to David Gallagher and before joining Hollywood she was dating Ben Leahy, a fire fighter.

IANS

IANS

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Friday, July 31, 2009

Shiantology! Shia LaBeouf is no longer a Hollywood actor - he has become God! The actor’s fans have started a fictional religion called ‘Shiantology’. And the crazy followers of the Transformers star have accepted him as the Messiah of the religion. They have even set up a website with mock-up pictures of Shia as Jesus Christ, the Sun reports

MJ’s last moments Cine City

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ichael Jackson’s chef has shed light on the events that took place in the late singer’s LA home during his last moments. Kai Chase, the pop legend’s professional chef has spoken about Dr. Conrad Murray’s activities at the house, who is apparently emerging as a prime suspect in the investigation. She claimed that she almost everyday saw the doctor come downstairs carrying oxygen tanks from the icon’s room, but on the unfortunate day he did not and she “thought maybe Mr. Jackson is sleeping late.” “I started preparing the lunch and then I looked at my cell phone and it was noon. About 12:05 or 12:10 Dr. Murray runs down the steps and screams, ‘Go get Prince!’ He’s screaming very loud,” the Telegraph quoted her as telling in an interview. She narrated: “I run into the den where the kids are playing. Prince (Jackson’s oldest son) runs to meet Dr Murray and from that point on you could feel the energy in the house change. “I walked into the hall and I saw the children there. The daughter was crying. I saw paramedics running up the stairs. We were all praying, ‘Help Mr Jackson be OK.’ Then everyone was very quiet.” The use of oxygen tanks by the personal physician and its purpose did not make sense to her as she claimed she saw no sign that Jackson was on drugs or was in failing health. The facts could be incriminating for Murray whose house and office have been raided by drugs enforcement agents. The late King of Pop reportedly wanted Chase to travel with him to London for his O2 concert. In fact she said his 12-yearold son, Prince Michael II, personally made the request to her. She recalled: “Prince said, ‘Daddy wants me to tell you he wants you to go to London with us’,” I said, “Tell your daddy that I’m pleased and honoured.” ■ ANI

Chef Kai Chase sheds light on the events that took place in the late singer’s LA home

Rahman’s son turns singer Chennai Mozart A.R. Rahman’s son Alim enters Hollywood by crooning a song for the flick Couples Retreat. Alim completed his recording last week. The film, touted to be a romantic comedy, is Rahman’s first complete Hollywood venture. It is said that Rahman’s children have lent their voice for the chorus sections of a few songs, most notably ‘Dhinam Dhinam Deepavali’ in Varalaaru.

The late King of Pop reportedly wanted Chase to travel with him to London for his O2 concert

Tragedy strikes Raavan team again Director Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus Raavan has already been delayed over a couple of months due to some unfortunate incidents, one being the director himself being hospitalised following a heart attack. Now what we hear is that a wild elephant entered the shooting spot in Chalakudy, Kerala, and trampled a team member. The entire team, including Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, have been camping there for a couple of weeks.

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ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Lolith from CSS Corp has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was taken during the 7th anniversary celebrations of their project at GRT Temple bay, Mahabalipuram.

Deepa from HCL Technologies has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Pookkkot lake at Wayanad in Kerala.

Gowrisankar from Perot Systems has nominated his team members as Partners in Crime. This picture was taken in munnar during their team outing,

Rajasekar from Sutherland Global Services has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked during their team outing in Munnar.

Devi Kandasamy from HOV Services has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. This picture was clicked at Manimuthar Falls at Tirunelveli.

Umadevi P. from TCS group has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. The picture was clicked during their Kodaikanal Trip.

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Friday, July 31, 2009

■ Dear Gopinath, Tis is 2 wish u a vry happy birthday!May God bless u in all ur endeavours! Tons of wishes! Vijay of Honeywell Automation India Ltd, Kilpauk has been nominated as Office Angel by his colleagues. Vijay is an over sincere and proficient person. Though people run away when he starts his speech, his words make sense sometimes. He deserves to be an office angel because of his loyalty, sincerity, dignity and chivalry.

Friends, New Age Software & Solutions.

■ Hey Ashy If there’s something that u’re dreaming of then may it all come true, HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Wishing u all the great things in life, Keep Rocking DUDe!! LoL. ! Pooja ■ Atmeeya Mitra Malatesha nige, "Janma Dinada Hardika Shubhashayagalu" Nimma ella kanasugalu nanasagali.. :) Nimma Jeevana Swati... Muttinante Holeyali..

Snehapoorva Guru, Sunil, Uday, Chakki, Gururaja, Raghu, Pradeep

■ Dear Divya, Best wishes for a happy married life !! Have a blissful life ahead, Don’t forget to give us the treat. God bless u always! Regards, Santo ■ Dear Manikandan … I wish u a long and healthy life with lots of happiness forever with god’s grace, May this spl day be filled with sweet memories.....:) With cheers J, Krish, Joe, Pallu , mom and dad

■ Happy 61st Birthday Dad (A.C.Vasudevan)! I find myself wondering. Did I give u ur due. For all tat u’ve done 4me Did I evr thank u? If I hav forgotten, I’m thanking u nw.I hop u know how much you’re lovd. Happy Birthday, Dad. Love Gayathri. V Hexaware ■ Dear Hari, Many more Happy Returns of the Day! You are a wonderful and fun loving person to be with. Have a blessed year dear spiky!

Sreekanth P.S. of Wipro Technologies doodled this. He has dedicated this doodle to his grandmother who passed away on July 31 last year. This was her favourite of all that Sreekanth drew.

■ Dear SMA Krish and friends wish u a long and healthy life with lots of happiness forever. May this spl day be filled with sweet memories with our warm wishes!!! Best wishes frm , Krish, shaffi, sashi, sanju, mahe, mani, mom and dad

■ Dear Devasena, May u hav all the joy ur heart can hold, All the smiles a day can bring, All the blessings a life can unfold, May u hav Gods best in everything. Happy Birth. With Loads of wishes, Container Centralen Team, TCS

n tons of wishes to u !your friends n wellwishers.

By PORTAL Team Members.

Sivakami, Selvam, Senthil. TCS - Siruseri

Belated Wishes

■ Poo Akka, ivlo naal apdiyae velaila romba busy a iruka maari nadichadhu podhum.inaikavadhu naanga koopta odanae respond panunga vera onnum illa happy birthday solla dhan:) with kgs of love kandupudinga..

Mohamed Yusufdeen J HCL Technologies Ltd

Your’s lovingly Manjunath, Rajkumar, Kathir, Bala, Rajesh (TCS) Ragavan (CTS) Arun (Chola DBS) Varun (cisco) Pathi(Microsoft) Mathan(Planetsoft) Bhoo, Ram

■ Dear Ganesh Many More Happy Returns of the Day GANESH S. May God bless u with good health and future". With Love, Pratheesh. H,

■ Hi Lalitha, How do u expect us to remember your birthday, when u never look any older? Happy Birthday Dear. May you blessed with a wonderful year ahead! Cheers, KK, Viji, Manju,

3.Man-1: Yedha vachu andha pair-i lovers illa-nnu solrae? Man-2: Andha pair-i naan yendha park / beach / cinema theatre-layum paarthadhillayae...

Best wishes, Navanee, Ravi, Madhi, Suresh, CTS

■ Dear Physcie (RajaGuru) Growing old is like being increasingly penalized for a crime u have nt committed. Inside every older person is a younger person - wondering what the hell happened to u. Happy Birthday:)

With tons of love Loky, Prabhu, Antony, Ravikanth, Joseph, Lima, Hema, James, Barry, Annie, Lydi, Vandy, Sreeni, Leena & all your dear Allsec friends

■ Dear MuthuKumaran Ardhanary, Many More happy returns of the day. We r wishing u a very happy birthday. Njoi the Birthday with ur family!!! Happy Birthday

2.Man-1: Makkal yellorum paarkura padam, aanaa T.V. channel, cinema theatre-la podadha padam, adhu yenna? Man-2: Kalapadam...

from HCL Teradyne Team & Sam Jasper S 2

■ Hi Ramah, U greeted all of us through ergo. But on ur birthday (Aug 2), v will not be getting printed version of our ergo. So Advance Birthday Wishes! Happy Birthday:)

■ Dear Srimathi, Wat a joy it is to send these Birthday greetings to someone like u; May life shower on u special happiness and grant u all de things u desire. May u Live All Days ofur Life. Happy Birthday!

■ Dear Sravani, Many happy returns of the day. May god bless u. All the best for everythin in ur life.n days be filled wit rainbow colours of joy. tons

1.Man-1: Namma thalaivar yaen jump panni practice pannuraaru? Man-2: Arasiyal katchi-la saera poradhukku-dhaan...

understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. B’Day Wishes

■ Hi, May god smile upon ur face and gift you with everything that ur heart desires now & always! HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAVITHRA

By, UBH team, Cognizant Technology Solutions

■ Dear Gayathiri, Sorry for not wishing for ur birthday at right time. Happy Birthday da. Wish u all success and keep smiling always. Take care my dear friend. By, Kalaichelvan Patni Comp

Advance Wishes Dear Pushparaj, And the peace of God, which passeth all

Wishes, Container Centralen, TCS

Ganesan R, Leo, Rosario, Devi and Lakshman. Technosoft Global Services Pvt., Ltd.

■ Dear Lavanya and Lokesh The meeting of 2 personalities is like the contact of 2 chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed. U hd the action so called Love and it resulted in the reaction so called marriage. Adv Happy Married Life!!! Best wishes from a Musketeers

(Santhosh,Vignesh,Vengatesh)-TCS

■ Hi Siva Shyam Kumar mogili, Advance Heartfull & Cheerfull wishes for your Birth Day. May god bless u and ur dreams come true.

Team - Billing Cable & Wireless. Wipro

■ Hi SivaGuru, I wish u a sweet and wonderful birthday! May each day to come make you feel happy than B4. U are my best friend in the world

Thanks, Ammbiga Ponnusamy UST Global

■ Dear Bacchu, Beauty of togetherness is two of the most commonly used words when brought together elicit feelings which are so rare. Such is the beauty of togetherness. Happy Birthday Crocodile Tata Consultancy Services

■ Dear Rajesh, Iniya pirandha naal vaazhthukkal da:) May this special day be filled with sweet memories, fun and excitement. Have a colorful life ahead:) Enjoyyyy!

Urs, Mani, Viji, Saras & Maha Infosys

14

ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

Traffic Jam

Trick to avoid church In an attempt to avoid going to church, a seven-year-old boy stole a car and led police on chase that ended when the child parked the car in a driveway and ran inside a home.

sudoku

VIjay Kumar Sukhlecha from 3i-infotech has shot this picture in Udaipur, Rajasthan using Sony cybershot w-95 camera.

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

TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan Illustrator: R. Venugopal Technical Support: V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES: Contact: 2857 5757 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.goergo.in Head of Circulation: M.G.M. Sharief [email protected]

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

FAX 2857 6691

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

KAKURO

15

Friday, July 31, 2009

Diver saved by whale A diver was rescued by a beluga whale after suffering from leg cramps. The whale reached the bottom of the aquarium and pushed the diver to the top.

Word’s worth Quaestuary(kwess-choo-err-ee) an adjective meaning ‘money making.’ Look for this word to show up in spam email any minute now.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 You may be very assertive today, says Ganesha. Because of your boosted self-esteem today you may behave a little differently with others. However, you are suggested to be as polite and as easygoing as possible with your superiors.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 Others can be jealous of your progress on the professional front. This includes everyone starting from a friend to relative or even your colleague. It’s not your day so better to refrain from arguments with others.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 It may be a demanding day at work front, feels Ganesha. You may be dealing with some complex issues but as your technical mind is highly active today, you will be able to demystify and find resolution to persistent problems.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 You may be very resourceful today, hence everyone around you may seek your help and guidelines. Knowledge and in-depth understanding of the subject is your power today. Ganesha suggests you to use it to your benefit.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 You would be in a mood to discuss ’bottom lines’ with whomsoever you interact today, but sometimes it doesn’t work that way. At work, you might have to indulge into discussions and contemplations in order to find solutions to some issues.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

You may enter office with a mood to finish off a major part of your job as quickly as possible. Ganesha finds you inclined towards research based activities. You may be in a mood to do something radically different.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 Money matters will be ruling your mind so while putting in lot of effort at workplace, you may constantly compare efforts and gains. You are advised to avoid harsh speech while talking to others at office and even at home.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Ganesha foresees you dealing with everything very confidently. If you are head of technical department, you may feel very much responsible than usual. Your concern for technical issues may be high but you will be able to solve all the problems.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 ’There is no point in running after a mirage’, this is what you may feel today. Ganesha finds you becoming extra sensitive about things that you are unable to solve or handle. It’s a stressful day on the whole.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 You may be in a mood to knit every aspect related to your work very carefully. In personal life, you might have to allow some tolerance as expectation for perfection may lead to differences between you and your partner, warns Ganesha.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 People holding similar designation as yours may be jealous of you. Alternatively, you may have differences with them. You may need to control your temperament in order to maintain good inter-personal relations at office.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 It is a favourable day for you so you are likely to take everything very easy. Desire to do something creative and extra-ordinary will be very high. You may not be willing to take risks and may desire to play as safe as possible. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16

ERGO Friday, July 31, 2009

250th Issue

100th Issue

1st Issue

I

n less than a few hours, our last print edition goes to print. And the single most difficult decision to take at this point is what story to run and what to retain for the online edition. It feels as if the best way to work, and if I philosophise a bit and extend it to life as well, is to treat each day as your last. (That by the way is no way inspired by that Nickelback song on your best friend’s advice.) I had decided to do away with feeling soppy and writing emotional stuff about all the struggles we faced to put this tabloid together. Not because I can’t sound soppy – ask my friends, they know I can be a real drama queen – but the fact remains that we have had a lot of fun in putting it together. An overtly emotional farewell to the print product will only be unfair to the memories of the fun we had in putting it together. We started our print run on December 10, 2007. But the core team has been involved with the product from the days it was on the drawing board. The brainstorming sessions and the chatter on how Ergo should shape up consumed a good three months at least before we hit the ground running. Unlike the efforts involved in running online operations that we will concentrate upon hereafter, launching the print product was a more elaborate exercise because of all the cogs and levers involved. It was a blessing that we had on board young yet experienced journalists who had an idea on what would work and what would not. There were 10 of us at the time of our launch – Vijay Parthasarathy (the then deputy editor), C.Divya Meenakshi, Petlee Peter, Abirami Muthukrishnan, Shalini Shah, Liffy Thomas, R.Ravindran (photographer), Mithra Suresh and Ayon Sengupta. Nidhi Thomas joined us in February,

and S.Sreejith, V.Haripriya and Francis Barclay in March. Photographer S.S.Kumar on loan from The Hindu.Through the first year of running, we had the best numbers in terms of contributors.Ergo also benefited considerably through contributions from our student reporters: Anusha Parthasarathy, Monisha Mohandas, Vipasha Sinha, Nandhini Ramkumar, V.Lokpria, Rini Mukkath, S.Madhumita, Archana Thiagarajan, Swetha Ganesan, K.Malathi and Tharini Viswanath. We also had a freelance contributor in Deepa Venkatraman and our two industry ‘insiders’ – Uturn cartoonist Arun and Roadster columnist Vikram Sunderraj – who contributed regularly to keep the tabloid abuzz. While the responsibility of producing the content and packaging the product fell on the full-time and part-time journalists, designing it was the responsibility of our Senior Deputy Chief Designer J. Prem Kumar and Deputy Chief Designer R.Ravi Kannan. It involved extensive preparation of templates and design guides. A special mention here for Ravi Kannan to have come up with close to 50 mastheads for Ergo. We eventually zeroed in on the current masthead because the advertising and marketing team felt that the blue and red combination was sure to garner the attention – it was like combining the best of the world of the colas.The design of the tabloid was further boosted by regular contributions from two young designers – S.Kannan Sundar and Prathap Kumar. Our illustrator R.Venugopal came up caricatures that brought the pages to life. On the technical side, we were supported by V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy, N. Ravichandran and E. Baskar. While it is going to be impossible to make a mention of nearly every person who has been

involved with the birth and growth of Ergo, it is my duty to thank all those at The Hindu’s press facility at Maraimalai Nagar and many others from the circulation department, who toiled through the night to ensure that the tabloid reached you. A big thank you for Shankaranna for all the lemon tea that kept us warm while we warmed the chairs. As we step into the purely online world, most of my team members are heading off to roles in other departments of The Hindu and its supplements. Do keep an eye open for all of them who kept you informed and entertained over the past year and a half. Some of the columns – First Innings, Made in Chennai, Window Shopper, Too Good for Critics – will continue online. We are also working on some brand new content that should augur well with the online audience. We are also working on the finishing touches for a site revamp that must improve the online experience considerably. We have been flooded with requests to continue with our reader contribution columns – partners in crime, clickpick, doodle corner and mokkai of the day – on the website too. The ambition is to make www.goergo.in a true web 2.0 offering. Follow the developments on our twitter feed – www.twitter.com/goergo. Send us your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]. It has been great fun knowing you all. Ergo, our association will continue. Karthik Subramanian Editor Ergo contact: [email protected]