Ergo June 22

A BYTE OF LIFE

Monday, June 22, 2009

08 SAINA MAKES HISTORY Wins Indonesian Open Super Series FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 3

No. 115

Seniors turn netizens Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan takes computer education to the seniors. And they are loving it. Deepa Venkatraman reports

PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

» PAGE 3

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Music Day sale Planet M is celebrating World Music Day (June 21) with a sale at all its stores. Shop three Sony CDs at Rs. 199, get 50 per cent discount on select big DVDs and buy ‘2 and get 1 free’ on Virgin music, movie CDs and VCDs. The sale is on till July 31. Planet M stores are at Anna Nagar, Mylapore and Nungambakkam.

Pigs: Not our job The police control room recently received a call mentioning that a number of pigs are roaming at a locality in Adyar. The cop on the receiving end told the caller ‘it’s not the job of police to catch pigs’ and disconnected the call. In a few hours the cop got a ‘big dose’ from his seniors as the caller was the relative of a big moustache IPS officer.

Back to collection mode Some corrupt policemen in T. Nagar limit are a happy lot after their deputy commissioner, known for his honest ways, was transferred last week. The khakis are back to ‘collection mode’ in the pocket, which is well-known as a profitable area for cops.

Tough senior, terrified juniors A senior police officer often addressed as the king of south Chennai police zone went out of control when his juniors under perform or don’t obey orders. The officer’s style of punishment is to thrash the indisciplined khaki. There have been incidents where the officers chased his subordinates to punish them.

Behind the b’day bash A leading Kollywood hero, whose birthday is coming soon, is said to be ready to float a new political party and is only waiting for the word from the ruling party. Reliable sources say there is plan to induct the actor into the party. Reason: his presence would weaken a politically upcoming senior actor.

Taking inspiration: Actor Kamal Hassan and French scriptwriter Jean-Claude Carrie`re in Chennai. PHOTO: S.S .KUMAR

Kamal to direct a short film Of the 30 short films on Chennai, one would be directed by the actor himself, while the rest would be directed by some of the established directors.

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ctor Kamal Hassan has successfully directed three feature films (Chachi 420, Hey Ram and Virumaandi), but that does not deter him from directing a short film. The film is on namma Chennai and is his way to encourage youngsters into the industry. The project is the outcome of the International Screenwriter’s workshop conducted by Hassan recently in the city. Plans are on to direct 30 short films on various aspects of Chen-

nai, out of which one film would be directed by the actor himself. Revealing this at a press meet on Friday at Prasad Labs, Kamal Hassan said that the project will be funded by Prasad Labs. The scripts for the 30 short films will be selected from the over 250 participants of the workshop. They would be handpicked by actor Hassan and director of L.V. Prasad Film and TV Academy V. Hariharan. Along with Kamal Hassan, some of the established directors

are also expected to direct the films. The project would be launched next year. The project was flagged off by legendary French script writer Jean-Claude Carrie`re, who penned the script for Kamal Hassan’s Marudhanayagam, an incomplete project. “The 30 short films will be a treasure about Chennai for the future generations,” actor Kamal Hassan said, adding that he got the inspiration from Carrie`re. ■ Ergo Correspondent

03

Monday, June 22, 2009

Go pamper yourself Nature B, a beauty salon and spa, is offering around 65 per cent discount on all its treatments and packages. The offer is on for the next four days. The salon is at Velachery and Chinna Neelangarai. For details call 2449 5553/ 22551668.

Senior citizens become netizens Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has started free computer classes for senior citizens DEEPA VENKATRAMAN [email protected]

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ndirani Sreenivasan (67) can listen to online music and read newspapers. T. Natarajan (75) can type out letters in MS word and send emails to his grandchildren. Lalita Venugopal (61) can pay bills online. They come with their little note pads and computer manuals, start their class with a prayer and then move on to typing on the keyboard. This sounds like a computer class but it is different in its own kind. They are 60-year-old-plus individuals who have a burning desire to be technically sound and computer literate. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Gandhi Institute of Computer Education and Information Technology located at T. Nagar and Mylapore started a three-month computer course for the senior citizens for free in May. K.N. Ramaswamy, additional director of BVB, Chennai commenting on the response says, “This project is to commemorate our golden jubilee. We initially wanted to enrol only 50 senior citizens for the first session but we got hundreds of applications. Hence we restricted the number to 156. And the rest of them are in the waiting list for the next batch.”

The basics

No age limit to learn: Senior citizens at the computer training centre in Mylapore.

PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

As of now, there are three timings—10 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. – and the duration of the class is for two hours. One staff member supervises five students at a time for 20 minutes and then they continue to practice their lessons on their respective computers. “The three-month module highlights basic computer fundamentals such as various parts of the computer, MS word, Excel functions, internet usage – general

surfing, emailing and stock broking, Microsoft photo editor, use of calculator in the computer, windows media player,” says Praveen Kumar, course coordinator. One could see some curious minds figuring out the keyboard slowly while a few others who were adept at typewriting seemed to be more at ease. But the one common string was that they were all learning to use the computer for the first time in their lives.

Knowledge, a click away Mandavali resident, K. S. Jayaraman (71), a retired marketing professional, missed the opportunity to learn computer in his office days. Jayaraman, who has invested in several shares in the stock market, says: “I am able to arrange all my shares in excel and save it in the hard disk at home. The computer manual is very useful and easy to comprehend with each function explained step by step in simple language.” Most of them said they had joined the course just to learn the new-age internet applications. Seventy-one-year-old T. Gajaraj, a diploma holder in electrical engineering, is currently trying to create a design for electrical equipment revolving around kinematics. He says, “I can surf a lot on kinematics online and get knowledge of various designs. This will help me a lot in my project.” There is a test conducted at the end of one month to gauge their understanding of what was taught. All of them are all praise of the staff members who teach them with lot of patience. Uma Maheshwari one of the teachers says, “It is a different experience – just like teaching children. The senior citizens are very punctual and sincere compared to college students. In the online objective test, they have fared very well.” ■

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Numbers that matter Gold: Rs. 1350 per gram Silver: Rs. 23,600 per kilogram Sensex closing: 14521.89 (June 19) Nifty closing: 4274.05 (June 19) Dollar: Rs. 48.0103 per USD (The rates given above are as on June 20)

Quiz A: State Bank of Pathankot B: UTI Bank C: SBI Bank D: Grindlays Bank 2. NFO stands for: A: Nationalised Financial Organisations B: New Fixed Deposits C: New Fund Offer D: Nano Fund offers Send your answers to [email protected] or SMS your answers to 92813 98889. For example if you choose A as the answer to question 1 and B as the answer to question 2 type it as 1A2B and send it. Winner will be chosen by lucky draw from all correct answers.

Answers for last week’s quiz: Equity Linked Savings Scheme Capitalisation

News you can use Guaranteed returns from Bajaj Allianz Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has launched Investplus, a Life Insurance product that guarantees a specific return on the investment. It is a traditional insurance plan in which the investor is made aware of a guaranteed minimum investment right at the beginning of the year and also a guaranteed maturity value at the end of the term.

New life plan Future Generalli India Life Insurance Company has launched Future Anand, a life insurance plan which is a combination of endowment and whole life plan. The plan assures Guaranteed Additions at the rate of 3.5 per cent of sum assured per annum compounding at the end of each of the first five policy years and compounded reversionary bonuses thereafter.

Fixed deposit from Mahindra Mahindra and Mahindra Financial Services launched a three-year cumulative fixed deposit giving returns at the rate of 10 per cent. This interest is considerably higher than what most banks and financial institutions are offering. The FD also has been given a good credit rating and this backed by the brand of the Mahindras makes this a good investment opportunity.

Is it housing boom? DIVYA DARSHINI [email protected]

The price fall in the housing loan industry might be over and one can expect a rise in real estate prices soon, say industry officials

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op CEOs in the housing loan industry have indicated that the property prices are expected to go up soon. Reason: There seems to be an increase in demand for houses. This is besides other economic indicators. During the past few months property prices were showing stagnation and in many cases a downward trend mainly due to drop in demand for housing. This forced builders to lower the price and focus on economically priced projects. In fact, it looked as if the demand for expensive or luxurious properties would not go up for a long time. But, that doesn’t seem to be the trend. The demand for housing is slowly but surely coming back and there seems to be renewed activity in the housing domain.

Why is demand rising 1. People probably feel more secure and comfortable to see a stable government at the centre.

2. The liquidity situation is improving and the cash flow in the market seems to be getting better. 3. There is also a strong indication that interest rates on loans will continue to drop. This is again an incentive for investors to borrow and spend on their dream house.

What’s happening Business move by corporates in the housing finance domain also indicate an upcoming price hike. LIC Housing Finance has witnessed a 40 per cent rise in the number of loan applications compared to last year. The TATA Group re-launched the TATA Capital Housing Finance Ltd, which had stopped its housing finance business about six years ago.

What should I do as an investor? If you are a prospective buyer and have been waiting for prices to fall further, it’s time you start talking to loan companies. Any chance of further price drop seems minimal. ■

05

Monday, June 22, 2009

The business plan in theatre Theatre entertains, educates and inspires, though it is not commercially viable a business in India for many. Contenders of the British Council’s Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur ‘09 speak about how entrepreneurial spirit can be injected into theatre and the difference they are making through their venture

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ne just cannot label theatre as commercially not viable. It is the practitioners who have given it that status and if anything must change, it is the practitioner. Theatre doers must look at their art forms as products that people will pay to watch. Right now, it is playing on both the extremes – there is one big chunk of practitioners who are convinced that they will never make any money and hence do something else for a living and do theatre as a part-time activity. They do it as though they are doing a favour to the art by practicing it. They compromise on everything in their production. I do experimental theatre, the kind which the world believes has no audience and the kind that is not supposed to make money. I have not compromised on the art form and my plays stick to the aesthetics of theatre. My company is different from the groups for this reason. Theatre practioners must market their product commercially. They should be smart enough to find ways to compete with a Shahrukh movie, with the daily soaps and reality shows, they should pull the audience into the theatre. A theatre entrepreneur is someone who will bring in a change in the market and make the audience understand theatre as an art form and make them pay up. Pawan Kumar was doing his BE in telecom but quit after two years to take theatre full time. He runs ACTor Productions out of Bangalore, which is into producing plays, hosting theatre festivals and conducting theatre workshops. It also provides theatre based sessions for corporates as part of their training programme.

Website: pawantheactor.com

o infuse an entrepreneurial edge to contemporary arts and make it a selfsustaining profession Sapphire trains its dancers as wholesome artistes. They also acquire the skill of training others in their chosen focus areas; this could be improvisation work, floor work, text body work, etc. This helps them organise workshops in schools, colleges and corporates, thus instilling more confidence and getting them attached full-time to arts. Sapphire organises INTERFACE (INTERnational Festival of Alternative and Contemporary Expressions) every two years, where we invite artistes from across the world to perform, hold workshops, and participate in seminars and forums. The festival began in 2002 and has completed four successful editions. Our contemporary dance company has formed a collective with foreign choreographers and dancers which travels to various cities in India, to residencies and performs contemporary works. This helps in engaging these foreign artistes with collaborations, performances and residency workshops. We also work with NGOs on issues like HIV, campus initiatives through our outfit InArtSync, and lot of inter-arts exchanges and discussions. Paramita Saha did her Masters in English Literature from Jadavpur University Kolkata. She is a contemporary dancer and currently the co-director of Sapphire Creations, an experimental dance company based in Kolkata.

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here are 20,000 parameters that come to effect in theatre. It is not just a creative expression but a long-term, financially viable and self-sustained business. If today Evam draws an audience of 30,000 people from Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad (the three cities where we often stage shows) and perform 50 -55 shows a year (multiple shows in each city), it is because we have a sound business plan. Our approach towards the audience is very different. We have a strong orientation with regard to attracting audience as well as on the financial aspect of theatre. Art does not require support. If art is good and there is audience, it is self-sustaining in itself. In 2003, we were dependent by around 75 per cent on support and sponsor from corporates. Now, it is only 15 – 20 per cent that makes up for our sponsorship. All this is largely because we have created a brand for ourselves. We have also invested in advertisements. The difficult in theatre is you must deliver values back to people. Sunil Vishnu did his Post Graduation from MICA and is the co-founder of Evam, a house of theatre and story telling in Chennai. He was recently chosen as the India finalist for Young Performing Arts Entrepreneur ’09.

As told to Liffy Thomas (This weekly column celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship)

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Fly swatting is Obamination! Animal rights activists have lashed at the U.S. President Barack Obama - after he was photographed swatting away a rogue fly during a TV interview.

Beyonce faces $1 mn lawsuit Singer-actress Beyonce Knowles has been threatened with a 666,600 pound ($1 million) lawsuit after pulling out of a New York nightclub show. The Crazy in Love hitmaker was set to perform at the Big Apple’s M2 on Saturday after the establishment’s owner Joey Morrissey agreed to pay her 133,300 pounds for the performance. However, the pop star suddenly axed the appearance, with her representatives claiming she was too busy preparing for her North American tour, reported femalefirst.co.uk. Morrissey is now threatening to file a lawsuit against Beyonce over the cancellation. IANS

Lightning-struck girl saved by iPod A teenage girl, who was sheltering from a storm beneath a tree, survived a devastating lightning strike after her iPod, which was round her neck, diverted the 300,000-volt surge that hit her. Sophie Frost, 14, received just minor burns and singed hair as the bolt zipped through the headphone wire hanging from her school uniform, scorching her clothes but missing all her vital organs. She was rushed to a specialist burns unit, where doctors said that they were confident she would make a full recovery and that too without even a scar. “I don’t remember a thing about what happened, but from what everyone tells me it’s a miracle I’m still here,” the Sun quoted Sophie as saying. “Everybody’s said the iPod must have diverted the lightning away from my body, which probably saved my life. I’ve got a few burns, but it’s all healing OK,” she said.

Thief abandons bid to forklift ATM It was no speedy smash-and-grab when a thief, dressed like a Formula One driver, failed in his attempt to break open a Malaysian cash machine with a forklift, reports said on Sunday. Closed-circuit television footage caught the helmetwearing, white jumpsuit-clad thief in the act as he used the forklift to ram the cash machine booth for 10 minutes, district police chief Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar told the Star daily. The cash machine was located at a petrol station, which was closed during the early morning robbery attempt, he said. “However, as soon as the alarm went off, the man panicked and left the forklift which was stuck in the panel” of the cash dispenser, Zainal told the daily. AFP

Bo’s official portrait unveiled The White House has unveiled President Barack Obama’s pet dog Bo’s official portrait. And besides that a baseball card has been revealed in his name. Bo, who is also called ’the first dog’ because of his ownership status, is a Portuguese water dog. The card shows him sitting politely on the South Lawn of the White House, his pink tongue showing a bit, reports The Politico. Now, for more amusement, the card also has statistical information of the lucky pooch.

ANI

ANI

Squeeze it like Ronaldo C

ristiano Ronaldo’s penchant for supertight shorts has created a new market for retailers that could soon dwarf the football star’s 80-million-pound transfer to Real Madrid. Department stores group Debenhams said sales of skimpy shorts leapt over 117 percent in the last week, after Ronaldo was photographed sporting his skin-tight style on holiday in the United States. “His sense of style has moved men’s

shorts into an entirely new ball game,” said Paul Baldwin, Debenhams’ director of buying for menswear. “We believe that demand for super tight shorts is about to become a worldwide phenomenon - and the value of the market will dwarf the fee paid for the player by Real Madrid.” Premier League champions Manchester United last week accepted a world record bid for the 24-year-old striker from Spain’s Real Madrid.

Debenhams warned the copycat craze could put more flesh on show this summer than many people might feel comfortable with. “We’ve already had many instances of young men squeezing themselves into shorts, which are clearly several sizes too small for them, just to create the maximum ’Cristiano effect’,” Baldwin said. ■ Reuters

07

Monday, June 22, 2009

Websites of the day

Road rage in Romania

Adopt a monkey: www.monkeyworld.co.uk/topic.php?TopicID=12+Template=standard Make the perfect sushi: www.eatsushi.com/demos.asp

A Romanian driver had a serious case of road rage when he leapt out of his car to bite a pedestrian in the stomach.

Couple floats into zero gravity nuptial Bridegroom Fulmor admitted he had trouble lining up his lips for the wedding kiss

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he bride wore white and earrings resembling tiny planets, the groom a tuxedo and cuff links shaped like spacecraft, and the wedding party attended in blue jump suits. New York City couple Erin Finnegan and Noah Fulmor floated into matrimony thousands of feet above the Gulf of Mexico in what organisers said was the world’s first weightless wedding held in zero gravity conditions. The couple exchanged wedding vows and rings - with some difficulty - and fumbled their kiss flying weightless inside the padded fuselage of a specially modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft, G-Force One, operated by Zero Gravity Corp, or ZERO-G, a company offering weightless flight experiences. “It was weirder than I expected. ... I’ve been to a lot of boring weddings, so I wanted to do something different,” said Finnegan. Inside the 90-foot-long (27metre) padded “floating zone,” the ceremony was accomplished

Erin Finnegan (R) and Noah Fulmor show off the dress, designed by Japanese designer Eri Matsui, that Finnegan is to wear for the couple’s "weightless wedding". PHOTO: AFP

Will recession hit Buffett’s lunch?

with a lot of bumping and fumbling, as bride and groom, guests and witnesses alike tried to coordinate their movements in a microgravity environment. Officiating at the ceremony was Richard Garriott, a secondgeneration U.S. space traveller, and ZERO-G co-founder, who is also a registered notary. “The physics of the first kiss were off. I could feel where I was going, I knew where I needed to be, but it was hard to reconcile the differences,” he told reporters. “Noah knocked into my nose and I thought it would bleed,” Finnegan said. The couple didn’t drop the ring - but there was momentary confusion when someone else’s wedding band floated off a finger and into the wedding group, before it was rescued. “I’ve waited my whole life for this ... what I remember most was the feeling of weightlessness, both physically and emotionally,” Fulmor said. ■

Solo surfer

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arren Buffett is again raising money for charity by auctioning a chance to dine with him, though it remains to be seen if the global recession keeps the winning bid below last year’s record $2.11 million. The world’s second-richest person is auctioning lunch for a 10th straight year to benefit the Glide Foundation, a non-profit in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district that offers housing, job training, health and child care, and meals for the poor. Last year, Zhao Danyang, who runs Hong Kong-based Pureheart China Growth Investment Fund, had the winning bid, which was more than three times the previous record $650,100. “I would hope the same event is going to happen, but I’m not sure it’s going to,” the Rev. Cecil Williams, who founded Glide and leads its affiliated church, said.

“But it is a good time for people to engage in compassion.” As in recent years, the auction winner and up to seven friends may dine with Buffett at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse in New York. Buffett began donating lunches after his first wife Susan introduced him to Glide. Susan Buffett died in 2004. This year’s auction will be held on eBay Inc’s website from June 21-26. The starting bid is $25,000. Previous auctions have raised more than $4 million. ■ Reuters

쒀 A dog surfs during the 4th Annual Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition in Imperial Beach, California. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

Reuters

08 SPORT

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

India to host 2010 Men’s World Cup The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Sunday that India will host the 2010 Men’s Hockey World Cup after “internal problems” surrounding the sport were resolved. India had been told it could lose the event if the two separate bodies that run men and women’s hockey in the country did not form a single entity, as stipulated by FIH rules.

On cloud nine

Bolt plans sprint double

Saina becomes first Indian to win Super Series

Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt plans to compete in both the 100 and 200 metres at next week’s Jamaican world championship trials, his agent said on Saturday. “His aim is to qualify for the world championship team in these events and the 4x100 metres relay,” Ricky Simms said. Bolt set world records in all three at last year’s Beijing Olympics. The Jamaican trials run from Friday through to Sunday (June 26-28) in Kingston. “Based on his training next week coach (Glen) Mills will instruct him how hard to run through the rounds and in the various races,” Simms said. “After this he comes back to Europe for (meetings in) Lausanne, Paris and London.” Reuters

Phelps clocks personal best US swimming star Michael Phelps won the 100m butterfly in a sizzling 50.48sec, flirting with the world record as he continued his 2009 World Championship build-up at the Canada Cup. Phelps, who won an unprecedented eight Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Games last August, was just eight-hundredths outside the world record of 50.40 held by compatriot Ian Crocker. He also improved on his personal best time of 50.58sec, set in winning gold at Beijing. “I’m really happy,” Phelps said on Saturday. “I had no idea.” Christopher Brady was a distant second in 52.48sec and Joe Bartoch was third in 53.58. The 100m fly was one of eight events won by Phelps in Beijing – the only one in which he didn’t set a world record. “It was pretty much exactly the same race as Beijing – I was out a tenth slower,” Phelps said. “I just need to get a little bit more rest leading up to nationals and hopefully take it out a little bit quicker.” Bartoch, who was on Canada’s Olympic team last year, said he knew during the race that something special was happening. AFP

Saina Nehwal celebrates with the tricolour after beating China’s Wang Lin at the women’s single final of the Indonesia Open badminton championship at Istora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

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ce woman shuttler Saina Nehwal on Sunday scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win a Super Series tournament after she clinched the Indonesian Open title with a stunning victory over higher ranked Chinese Lin Wang in Jakarta. Saina clinched her maiden Super Series title beating Wang 1221, 21-18, 21-9 in an edge-of-theseat thriller that lasted 49 minutes. Her triumph is the best ever performance by any Indian woman and at par with All England Championship titles won by Prakash Padukone and her current coach Pullela Gopichand. In the thrilling final, world number eight Saina came from behind to outsmart world number three Wang and avenge her

last week’s Singapore Open Super Series loss to the same rival. Saina took time to get into the groove as she struggled to gauge the gameplan of Wang in the first game. Wang opened a 4-9 lead and rode on her smashes and better net play o pocket the first game as Saina was left to do the catch up act. But the Indian ace rallied her way back in the second game. Saina levelled the score at 5-5 and then moved together with her Chinese rival till 17-17 before surging ahead to pocket the second game 21-18. In the decider, Saina was in her attacking best besides displaying better nerves in crucial moments. After moving neck and neck till 7-7, Saina went berserk by engaging her rival in soft dribble and

net play to widen the gap at 15-9 before reeling off six straight points to seal her place in history. Hailing Saina’s victory as an important milestone in Indian badminton, Badminton Association of India announced a cash prize of Rs. two lakh as recognition of her feat. “It is a big moment in Indian badminton. We are proud of her achievement. We are announcing a cash reward of Rs two lakhs as an acknowledgment of Saina’s hard work and achievement,” BAI president V K Verma said. “It is a moment to cherish for Indian sports. Saina has put up a lot of hard work but I will also want to thank the Sports Ministry for their support and financial help,” he added. ■ PTI

09

Monday, June 22, 2009

‘‘

India has given me some life changing moment’s right from 1986 when I played my first match on Indian soil. I have memories of some unforgettable matches in India and meeting Mother Teresa here was a mesmerising experience which changed my outlook about a lot of things.

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ania Mizra will once again lead the charge in ladies singles while men’s doubles event will have plenty of Indian interest as four players, including debutant Somdev Dev Varman, will be seen in action at the Wimbledon, starting in London from Monday. After a spectacular start to the season, Sania has been struggling but by reaching the semifinal of the run-up event Aegon Classic, the Hyderabadi looks in good shape for the grass court Grand Slam. She will meet Germany’s world number 51 Anna-Lena Groenefeld in her opening match and can run into Olympic gold medal winner and world number four Elena Dementieva of Russia in the pre-quarters. But to reach there she will have to put on her best performance as she has never moved beyond second round in Wimbledon. Curiosity is growing for the action in the men’s doubles event after Somdev and Prakash Amritraj qualified with their respective partners to join seniors Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi. For Somdev it is a dream come true but a daunting task awaits him as he straight away runs into multiple

Steve Waugh

Grand Slam winners Bhupathi and Mark Knowles. He has the penchant to pull off upsets and surprises but to do an encore here, Somdev and his South African partner Kevin Anderson have to produce something special. Whatever be the result, it would be early exit for at least one Indian player. Prakash has returned to the Grand Slam events after a gap of almost five years and with Aisam-ulHaq Qureshi any success would be a bonus keeping in mind the formidable teams in fray. They have an arduous task at hand as they will open their campaign against 16th seed Stephen Huss of Australia and Briton Ross Hutchins. After annexing the French Open title, confident Paes and Lukas Dlouhy are going to be hungry for more success. They lock horns against Americans James Blake and Mardy Fish. In the ladies’ doubles Sania and her Taipei partner Chia-Jung Chuang, seeded 15th, will take on American unseeded pair of Jill Craybas and Carly Gullickson. They have won one title this season and are expected to reach later stages of the event. ■ PTI

INDIAN STARS IN BRITISH GREENS Four Indians in action in Wimbledon men’s doubles

10 FLICK

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Jolie wants to follow footsteps of Audrey Hepburn Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie says she wants to follow in the footsteps of late British actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn. The Tomb Raider actress, who is raising six children with superstar partner Brad Pitt, admits that she hopes to someday be able to help as many people as the Breakfast at Tiffany’s star, reports China Daily.

The actress, who has a pronounced British accent, has been practising her Hindi constantly with friends as well as in her dubbing, so much so that she almost lost her voice.

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atrina Kaif is having a tough time dubbing for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, especially with director Raj Kumar Santoshi known to be very particular about his actor’s diction. The actress, who has a pronounced British accent, has been practising her Hindi constantly with friends as well as in her dubbing, so much so that she almost lost her voice. For Katrina dubbing is the most difficult part of the acting process. After all, she was initially dubbed by professional artists. She finally won the right to speak on screen in her own voice. Co-star Ranbir Kapoor has a lot of colloquial Hindi to speak in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani and Santoshi has personally been supervising the dubbing. But Ranbir is a very skilled dialogue deliverer. And getting the rustic colloquialism right is a cakewalk for him. Not so for Katrina. She finds the dubbing the most challenging thing she has ever done. “I don’t have any colloquial lines like Ranbir. I play this Catholic Bandra girl who’s very dramatic. She’s funny to others. But not to herself. So when I cry I have to cry real tears but make sure they come across as funny. First of all the lines are not comic in the dubbing theatre. So I’ve to recreate the laughter on the sets in a studio without knowing if I am being funny enough,” Katrina says. For Katrina it’s excruciating. “I don’t know whether I’m getting it right or not. I’m doing the dubbing under supervision. But this is the most difficult film I’ve dubbed for.” Now that she’s almost finished dubbing she plans to re-do the portions Santoshi isn’t satisfied with. A bigger challenge now awaits Katrina. In Prakash Jha’s Rajneeti, where she plays a politician, she must recreate all the rhetorics that she mouthed on stage in front of thousands of spectators. “The speeches I made have been taped. Now I have to listen to them, get the accent, tone and voice quality right, and dub in a studio. Easier said than done. IANS

“I don’t know whether I’m getting it right or not. I’m doing the dubbing under supervision. But Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is the most difficult film I’ve dubbed for"

11

Monday, June 22, 2009

PETA slams Victoria Beckham

Space geek

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has slammed former Spice girl Victoria Beckham for supporting a fashion chain that uses crocodile skin in its products. The singer-turned-designer, who is regularly seen with a Hermes handbag on her arm, has been urged to give up the luxury brand, reports contactmusic.com

Actor Tom Hanks says he can put his hand into moving particle accelerator!

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om Hanks has revealed he is such a space geek that he is willing to put his hand into a particle accelerator, also known as atom smasher. The actor along with Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard appeared at CERN, the particle physics laboratory in Switzerland, for the promotion of their new film Angels and Demons. The Apollo 13 star was asked if he would like to roll up his sleeves and crash some hadrons together to which he replied: “I will stick my hand into the particle accelerator when it starts. I’m willing to sacrifice my hand,” reports

New Scientist. Hanks, who apparently wanted to be an astronaut, was also asked if films such as Apollo 13 and Angels and Demons helped boost scientific understanding among young people. He said: “Don’t discount the ability of a movie to make something mundane look cool. There are kids out there who, after they see this movie, will go into their science class and say: “Is this anything like that particle accelerator they showed in Angels and Demons?” The teacher will roll their eyes and say: “Yes, in fact it is very much like that.” ANI

Anniversary special photo shoot The Beckhams have reportedly roped in Bryan Adams to snap up their intimate portraits for an anniversary special. David and Victoria, along with their sons, will pose for the rocker-turnedphotographer next month as part of their celebrations for their tenth anniversary. They’re going to pose for some romantic photos, just the two of them, and then have a big family photo with their three boys," the News of the World quoted a source as saying. “They want to unveil the photos in front of everyone on their big night on July 4. It will be a very special present and something they will have forever.” ANI

Madge ‘flies Mercy straight to Kabbalah meeting’ Madonna’s new adopted daughter Mercy was reportedly flown 6,000 miles from Malawi to meet her new family in London and taken straight to a Kabbalah meeting. The three-year-old was allegedly whisked to the Kabbalah centre for her first lesson in the controversial Jewish mysticism within hours of arriving. Little Mercy along with her new mum and siblings Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight and David, three, was said to have spent an hour at the meeting before heading for the Queen of Pop’s 15-million pound home in Mayfair. And the reported move to deny Mercy the chance to settle into her new life immediately after her arrival has sparked criticism. ANI

12

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Friday’s Query: Remember the pocket money which your dad used to give during your college days. Share with us the excuses you gave your dad to get more money from him. ■ Got more money by saying viva and workshop Balaji, Ajuba

■ Used to loot lot of money in the name of buying books Meenakshi Mohan TCS, MV.Santhoshkumar, Uma Ganesh.S.S. Allsec

Arun Kumar from Tata Consultancy Services has nominated his school friends as Partners in Crime. This picture was taken during their trip to Kodaikanal.

■ Senior’s farewell Pradeep Sankaran Allsec

■ Library fee Saravana STI Software Solutions, Nasurudeen Allsec

■ I stayed in hostel, every month I use to add 500 Rs extra on the hostel bill. Also in the beginning of the semester I used to ask 4000 Rs for text books and purchased not even one Somasekhar, Sutherland

■ I have my project work expenses D.Aravind Pandian Sutherland, Lavanya Steria

■ Have to take Xerox Umamaheswari, Cognizant

■ Have to give treat to the seniors who ragged me yesterday Bala Spryance

Kavitha from Infosys Technologies Ltd has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime.

■ Got money for robotic club membership and used money for night show movies Raghav, TCS

■ Have to pay exam fees Sharique IBM, Deena Wipro

■ Avar enga kodutharu. Self help is best help. Looting from his pocket Saranya.M, Cognizant

Today’s Query: Which cine actor would you like to nominate as Indian cricket team’s coach for the next T20 World Cup and why?

Balasubramanian M. of Thirdware Solutions has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Yercaud garden.

13

Monday, June 22, 2009

Dinesh from Visteon has been nominated as Office Angel by his friend Partheeban. Dinesh is the coolest guy I have ever seen. It’s always fun to be with him. He is a sweet and fantastic friend. You can easily come out of depressed state at any situation when he is with you. He has such numerous qualities in him which boosts many of us.

■ Dear Lalli A friend is someone who shares unconditionally. Someone to laugh and to cry with. Someone to lean on, through both the good and the bad times. A friend is what you are to us. U mean a lot to us. We wish ur life to be filed with lots of fun and joy. Janmadina Suhakankshalu. Happy Birthday PILLI.

■ Dear Diana (SALES), On Your Birthday We Wish u Much Pleasure and joy, We hope all ur dreams come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, And ur birthday be perfect for u! Many More Happy Returns of the Day.HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Have a pleasent and rocking year ahead Cheers!

With love, Minni Juliet

Wishes from, Pravee kumar, Vibash, Imran, Ravikanth, Hari & Subhasri-BATCH-248(Allsec)

■ Dearest Satish, On this wonderful day I would like to wish U with all my heart & soul. Many more happy returns of the day. Wishing that everyday of Urs will be Happy… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

With lots of lov, Beautiful Girls&Beyjaar Boys

■ Dear Sathish, It’s another day 4 u. God picked another petals on your flower, wishing your flowers may bloom for year. Let the god decorate each golden ray of the sun reaching u with wishes of success, happiness and prosperity 4 u, wish you a super duper happy birthday.

Regards, DSU Team Infosys BPO Limited Cybernet Slashsupport(CSSCorp)

■ Dear Dinesh A true friend is hard to find, Someone who is always kind. Words of advice; freely share, Helping hand, always spare. Someone always on my mind. Listens, cares, and understands, Hardships; mutually withstands. A true friend is hard to find, Someone like u! Let us remind. Birthday greetings, from our heart, This celebration, we must start.

From Friends - Annie and Tamil, CSS Corp

■ Hi Rudhra May this special day be filled with sweet memories and happy hours. Wishing you all the fun and excitement that only birthdays can bring!

With Cheers, Human Resources, Coastal Training Technologies India (P) Ltd, Chennai

■ Hi Chandrasekar, “Infinity to the Power of Infinity” birthday wishes to u. Also I wish u to “Improve awareness in DataBase Maintenance” in DBA at IBM to this coming up years.

Cheers, All u’r friends

1)Producer: Padathoda perai kaetale Students ellarum adhiranum. Appidi oru padam title Sollunga. Director: "TODAY SEMESTER,TOMMORROW RESULT",nu vainga sir. 2)Busla seat irundhum ninnukite vandhean...En theriyuma? "Seatla ellarum ukkanthu irunthanga" N.Deepan, TCS, Siruseri.

Hearty Wishes from BAAIS-DIT Team Verizon Data Services India.

With Lots n Lots of Love Rams, Renu, Rags, Nppu, Ashee, Rajee..and Chennai Friends

■ Hi Satish, All of US are joining to say Tons and Tons of Birthday wishes to U!Today is a day of celebration not just 4 U but for us too. Hope it adds some special pleasure, To the hours of Ur day. To know U are being thought of, In the very warmest way, And when Ur birthday is over, Hope U will remember too. Let the drums roll and horns toot, May God’s blessings be with u all through the Life.

Rajesh Krishnamoorthy from Infosys Technologies Ltd, Sholinganallur doodled this.

best, we hope you celebrate it with lot of zest. For today though you are a year older,Store away your many wishes,until you feel bolder. So let the drums roll and horns toot, now make a wish for a lot of loot. Hop your birthday cake is as sweet as you. God Bless you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

■ Dear Rajan (Bruce Lee) Wish you many more happy returns of the day macha, Nee said mathiriya ergo la Birthday wish pannite, please Macha now achi treat give da.”

Your MCA friends, Rajesh, Nanda, Rizi, Viji, Siva, Swami

■ Hi Arun (Puthiya Sakaaptham), Today is your day and you’re wished the

Belated Wishes ■ Hi Srikrishnan(Sri) There are various meanings to the word BOSS. But MY BOSS - U proved to be nothing close to the meaning of that word and having u as my BOSS - the only other meanings which i can associate u with the word BOSS is friend, mentor, guide, associate, colleague, leader, Motivator, inspiration, creative, task master, achiever, success and more! Happy BIRTHDAY!! Dont BLAST but HAVE A BLAST!!:-) Wishes from BT- GL Team.

■ Dear Naveena Many More Happy Returns of the day. May all your dreams come true and this be another fantastic year for you

With lots of love DCMS Team (FSS Tidel park)

■ Dear Jillu, It feels so vibrant for us to wish you on this exuberant occasion, a happy Birthday. May the almighty shower you all His blessings on this wonderful occasion. We all wish you all the very best on your new role in our team and wish you all success in all of your endeavors.

With love,Chithi, Saths,Pokiri, Anil,Ganny,GCal

■ Dear Suja, Wish you a great birthday!! It’s my pleasure to have you with me. May ur days be filled with happiness in abundance! Wishing u "Many more happy returns of the day” dear SUJA. Have a wonderful year ahead!

Urs, Anitha

■ Dear Abbu, Happy b’day to you .. May u live long more years and all your wishes come true.

Luv, Subbu & Kutta

■ Hi Dear Sensitive Santosh, One day sky was crying. I asked him y r u crying. He told me I hav lost my beautiful star. It was a day when u were born. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Wish u many more happy returns of the day. May all ur heart’s desire be fulfilled this yr. Wishing u good luck for ur future endeavours. May god bless u machi. Take care…

With lots of lov, D52 batch mates, Allsec Technologies

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

Thief nicks 88 knickers Puerto Rican police have arrested a man after he stole 88 pieces of underwear from his neighbour’s laundry line.

sudoku

N.Dhanaraj from PSI Data Systems shot this picture using his Canon SX100 IS camera. Hobby: Photography

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15

Monday, June 22, 2009

Lost and found

Word’s worth

A 54-year-old man is convinced he is a boy who disappeared in 1955 - after he noticed a resemblance to the child’s missing person photos.

Bibesy (bib-uh-see) an obsolete or perhaps completely invented word from Nathan Bailey’s Universal Etymological Dictionary of 1731 meaning ‘a too earnest desire after drink.’ It is taken from a Latin word of Plautus, bibesia, meaning ‘the land of drinks’ or ‘the drink-land.’

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 You will be so confident of your abilities and so sure of your decisions that you may not pay heed to what others say; avoid being so rash, says Ganesha. Do you have plans to rejig your office? Then don’t wait for tomorrow. Take life as it comes.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 With your ’Yes I can’ attitude, you’ll outperform others in office today. As a result, your boss is going to be one happy person today. You may pen letters, poems or passionate love notes, exalting the virtues of your beloved, à la Romeo.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 Ganesha says misusing power may go against you. So, you may have juniors working under you, but that doesn’t mean you boss around needlessly. Keep a tight rein on your temper! How your love life is will depend on what happens during the day.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 Rein in your impulsive nature, or you’ll be an emotional wreck today. What’s more, you may also go wrong in everything you do if you lose your temper. You don’t want to face awkward moments, do you? Things may not go well in your love life.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 With emotions running high, unresolved issues may come to the fore. It’s all tears and heart break today. So brace yourself for the worse! As far as professional life is concerned, it’s a great day to finish off important projects.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

You will be on cloud nine. With all the positive energy you exude, you shall be like a reservoir from which others too will take inspiration. Don’t go solo today, Ganesha says it’s best if you work in a team.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 Life in not a bed of roses! The road to relationship bliss may seem tortuous today. Only perseverance can do what passion cannot. The ball is in your court — choose between lust and love! Expect the unexpected at the professional front.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Get that sinking feeling? It’s all because of today’s astral configuration. Avoid being in a sour mood or a pessimistic frame of mind, advises Ganesha. Focus on your actions instead of thinking too much about the outcome.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 It’s a great day for you! This is a terrific day to start a new project that’s been close to your heart for a long time. You have the drive and courage to make your vision a reality, feels Ganesha, and you should make the most of it.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Your fancy may take a flight and creativity will peak today. Ganesha feels that this may benefit the activities you are doing. However, your emotions will cloud your reasoning. Ganesha advises you to take one thing at a time.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 You will have to work hard to realise both tangible and other worldly dreams. So, come out of your day dream! Chalk out routine and adhere to it. When it comes to love life, a romantic and sumptuous candlelit dinner awaits you in the evening.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 Sensex may be dipping but don’t let the word ‘share’ scare you. Ganesha feels that you should share your feelings more often to stay emotionally balanced. You are a very good listener, compliments Ganesha, but be vocal about your feelings. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Monday, June 22, 2009

French “Patrouille de France" Alpha jets perform during the 48th International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget airport, near Paris. PHOTO: AFP

A model displays creations by Pakistani designers during a fashion show in Lahore. PHOTO: AFP

A 21-year-old male sealion Rook tries to wear sunglasses as he will observe a solar eclipse on July 22 at the Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP

A cliff-diver jumps from a 26-metre high crane into the waters of the Rotterdam harbour during the Cliff Dive Series 2009. PHOTO: AFP