Ergo March 17

A BYTE OF LIFE

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

02 M.S. LAVANYA The rare lady saxophonist FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 3

05 REGIONAL SEARCH An IAS officer posted in UP comes up with a search engine chhotugoogle.com

No. 50

Mission

Resurrection? India, twice Asian Games champions in the 1950s, were a force in continental competitions until the end of the amateur era are now looking to muscle through the next competition in 2011. But an ambitious plan envisaged by their foreign coach may fall flat because of financial constraints.

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Made In Chennai Catering to customers for the last six decades, Ratna cafe is a landmark joint in Chennai. The hot idli sambar of the restaurant is still a favourite with many.

» Page 03

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Photo contest Chennaimoms.com is organising a ‘Funny Photo Online Contest’. The contest requires moms to send pictures, which are “funny face or funny dress”, with a caption or comment posted to each picture. Visit www.chennaimoms.com to know more details.

Lavanya’s last laugh A female saxophone player in the Carnatic music field in the country, and making it big, is unheard of. Those who called it impossible, however, ate humble pie ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY

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porting a traditional yellow salwar with a hint of makeup and a million-dollar smile, India’s only lady saxophone player seemed, to me, like a demure Carnatic vocalist who was about to run to a concert. I discovered how right I was, only later. M.S. Lavanya, 27, began her career as a saxophone player 13 years ago as a student of saxophone legend Kadri Gopalnath. Between numerous phone calls about concert dates and train tickets, she talks passionately about her father, her guru and her first love; the saxophone. Oh ... I almost forgot... she consented for the interview half hour before a concert! “My father is a mridangam player and used to accompany Padmasree Kalaimamani Dr. Kadri Gopalnath in his concerts. I tagged along with them to a few and fell in love with the saxophone’s sounds. I was also greatly inspired by the legend himself. One day, I walked up to my dad and asked him if I could learn the instrument. He immediately approached Dr. Kadri Gopalnath, who later became my guru,” she recalls. Though a Carnatic saxophone player, she did not begin her musical journey as one. “I was a singer once”, she laughs, turning a tad pink, adding, “Saxophone concerts now take up most of my time. But, I’ve started brushing up my singing again under the guidance of Srimushnam V. Raja Rao.” Lavanya sticks out like a sore thumb in the saxophone arena, being the only woman in a world dominated by men. But she brushes it off nonchalantly and continues talking with a smile that seems to be a part of her charming personality. “Saxophone is a hard instrument to play. You need a lot of physical energy to sustain a note and it’s pretty difficult to control. When I began playing, friends and relatives jeered and taunted me saying a woman can never make it big. But now, I’m having the last laugh.” With 500-odd concerts and counting, it is no wonder she is in high spirits. The spirit gets higher when I mention her tryst with Kollywood. “I’ve been approached many times but haven’t had the time. Just once, I played a bit for Sivaji and had the most amazing experience – meeting A.R. Rahman. I was so taken aback by the fact that he called me. I spent the entire day worried and nervous. But he’s such an amazing person and made me feel at home. After the recording, he complimented me saying I am talented and must foray into western music. He even mentioned this to ace drummer Sivamani who congratulated me personally. It was

an unforgettable moment.” As she lists out major awards she has received – Rajyotsava Young Talent award, Padmabharathi, Yuva Kala Bharathi and K.S. Mahadevan Critic’s award to name a few – I am taken aback by the sudden change in mood and the scepticism in her eyes as I ask her how difficult it was to get there. “I come from a poor family. When I first came to Chennai, I lived in a hostel. Sometimes, I couldn’t even afford to pay my hostel bills and felt like packing my bags home. And, in the hostel, I was never allowed to practise in my room. I had to go to the terrace from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. everyday and practise in the hot sun because that was the only time they would give me. There were times when I felt so demotivated that I just wanted to quit. But something drove me on. I saw my parents’ sacrifice. How my mother kept encouraging me to play all day long. She is no more now. And that pushed me on... to reach my goal.” The momentary melancholy lapses and her smile is back with a bang when I ask her about her critics. “I have two. My father and my guru. My guru is a thorough professional and expects nothing less than perfection. This has made him my best critic. My father, too, is never satisfied with whatever I do. He keeps pushing me harder to make me a better performer.” She finishes the interview with a blush and giggle and excuses herself to attend a call as a saxophone tune begins to play on her phone. “My father is happy with my success. And like I said, he is never satisfied and keeps asking me to aim higher. But when I visit home, the good thing is, I am always his naughty little daughter.” ■ PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

03

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Take me home Snowy is a female Pomeranian and is just over one year old. She’s friendly and enjoys the company of people. If you’d like to be her new owner, call AWPT at 22781381 or 99629-68265.

The sambar’s just the same Ratna Café in Triplicane has people pouring in for a taste of the coffee and idli sambar that their grandparents loved and enjoyed

“Ratna Café is a brand in itself. And I was particular that I would retain the name that brought in customers,” Gupta reveals. “Even though there is no parking space in front of the hotel, we still have customers who park their vehicles on Bells Road, near Kalaivaanar Arangam or Clock Tower to hire an auto to the restaurant.”

Branching out From one hotel in Triplicane, Gupta expanded it to six outlets – of which four function now. “We prepare 15, 000 litres of sambar everyday at Triplicane, where we have the central kitchen. The day starts at 3.30 a.m. for our staff as we open at 4.30 a.m. at Central Station. Thanks to chef Kaliaperumal, sambar still tastes the same.” According to Gupta, the secret of the preparation is the use of quality raw materials and purified water. “We never compromise on raw materials. Nowhere in Chennai will you see hotels using small onions for sambar and we avoid using garlic, because of which Brahmins prefer the food we serve. The dhania (coriander) is sourced from Rajasthan.”

V. HARIPRIYA [email protected]

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or around six decades now, a visit to Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Temple in Triplicane is not complete without a cup of coffee at Ratna Café. Started in 1948 by Triloknath Gupta, a native of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, Ratna Café is a landmark joint in namma Chennai. Despite hailing from North India, Gupta had the prudence to work wonders with idli sambar, the favourite breakfast of South Indians. Hiring chefs and masters locally, he started selling food that is synonymous with your home food. This attracted the conservative Tamils of Triplicane, who found the food clean and tasty. As Triplicane was also the ‘Bachelors’ Paradise’ with a number of mansions, customers poured in. So with one branch Gupta tasted success till 2002. But, due to his deteriorating health conditions he later sold the café to his nephew, Rajendra Gupta.

Power shift Rajendra Gupta, who was born and brought up in Chennai, was also into the hotel business when he acquired Ratna Café in December 2002. Owner of Picnic Hotel near Central Railway Station, Gupta retained the original name of the café.

Customer is king Rajendra Gupta at Ratna Cafe in Triplicane.

PHOTOS: R.RAGU

Chef Kaliaperumal preparing the sambar

Timeline 1948 Triloknath Gupta opens Ratna Café in Triplicane 2002 Rajendra Gupta buys Ratna Café from his uncle 2005 Opens first branch in T. Nagar 2006 The Velachery branch opens 2007 A new branch at Central Railway Station opens 2008 Opens at RMZ Millienium, Perungudi

Ratna Café, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, values customer satisfaction more than anything. “We treat all customers equally.” Though there are suggestions that the interior of the restaurant needs a change, Gupta has a reason behind not doing up the place. “A few years ago we replaced the wooden tables and chairs with granite. But some of our customers were not that happy. They requested us to retain at least two sets of wooden chairs and tables, since they were in use since their grandparents’ times. The satisfaction they get when they sit on antique chairs is wordless and we had to heed to their request.” Gupta has plans to open 10 more outlets in Chennai within two years. “Very soon you can expect one more outlet in T. Nagar. Also, we are planning to shift the kitchen to OMR and make it a state-of-the-art kind.” ■ (Made in Chennai is a column that showcases the evolution of home-grown businesses that began when the city was Madras)

04 TECHNORAMA

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

‘‘

I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them Isaac Asimov

Snippets sourced from T3 magazine of Infomedia18 Group

Tune in The Samsung LA22A480 is no ordinary LCD TV. A first of its kind, it allows you to tune into FM stations with a click. How? Smarty pants, it’s called innovation. It has a 30-channel memory and a five band graphic equaliser. To save power, the screen switches off in the FM mode – neat! Go get yours.

BEAST UNLEASHED

Rs 18,500, www.samsung.com/in

LENOVO’S NEW SMOLDERING LAPTOP

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ake way for Leno’s new bouncer, the ThinkPad W700 Workstation. Designed for the creative crew, this think tank is chock-a-block with features that will make you swoon. There’s a built-in digitiser which can be mapped to the entire screen – a boon for animators and designers. For photographers, the built in colour calibrator comes handy. Hardware specs include a quad core processor, upto 8GB RAM, Quadro mobile graphics, hard drives in RAID 0/1, 7-in-1 card reader, fingerprint reader, Blu-ray burner … hold on, let us catch our breath! Rs 1,49,000, www.lenovo.com/in

PURE BLISS The good thing about mobile phones is that they can replace iPods nicely. The bad part: the sound quality. Now how about an all-in-one device that’s a Bluetooth Speaker + Speakerphone + lighter than Bell’s tripod? Logitech’s Pure-Fi Mobile speaker system, for example. Rs 10,995, www.logitech.com

Dream Dram It’s 40 YO, one of the elitist’s single malt, distilled in Dalmore’s traditional drammaking process and matured in oak casks for the smoky cigar flavour: behold Dalmore, the King of Scotch that promises to bring the flavours of the bygone era back. And with a price tag like this, sip don’t gulp, we suggest. Rs 2,95,000, www.theubgroup.com

LOGITECH PURE-FI Fitted with dual 2inch drivers and two mics - one to pick up vocal nuances, the other to cancel unwanted background noise – this slate-box puts back the ahhh into listening. There are dedicated buttons for call answer/end and an auxillary input means you can pair an MP3 player too.

05

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Audiophile Alert! Sony has introduced new noise-cancelling headphones. Its new MDR-NC7 seems perfect for commute. Convenient to use, foldable and with a swivel action, it has a battery life of 50 hours. The best part: its price at Rs. 4,490.

An IAS officer, currently under deputation in UP, combines Google’s Transliteration and Search APIs to come up with a regional search engine www.chhotugoogle.com

IAS officer Ranvir Prasad creator, chhotugoogle.com

ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

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he World Wide Web is not a friendly place for regional languages. The search engine worms mostly scan only English documents, and it makes hosting documents in regional languages a near pointless exercise sometimes. No less than an IAS officer has now come up with an innovative portal to address the challenge that is vernacular document search. Ranvir Prasad, who had earlier served as the district collector of Thiruvallur district and

who is currently posted as the district magistrate in Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, has come up with a website that would help search for Hindi documents in Unicode and Kruti Dev fonts; and Tamil documents in Unicode and Bamini fonts. The portal is curiously named ‘chottugoogle’ and combines effectively Google’s Transliteration and Search Engine APIs and throws up a myriad of possibilities for searching in Hindi and Tamil languages. In an email interview with Ergo, Mr.Prasad said: “You do not need to know how to type in these scripts. The site has been developed using Google APIs and font converter javascripts. Good thing is that it is easy to add support for any other font based on feedback. I have put together this website during my free time mainly to bring out in open a large number of webpages in Tamil and Hindi which were hidden from public view as they were not reflected in earlier searches.” Though there are some sites where one can search in Tamil and Hindi, Mr.Prasad points out that one could not search in fonts like Bamini (Tamil) and KrutiDev (Hindi). “This was a great handicap as there were several sites which would have documents in these fonts. For example, in Uttar Pradesh Government, where I am

posted right now, most of the documents on Government sites are in Kruti Dev 010 font and there was no method to search for any term in those documents.” “Now I can search using chhotugoogle.com, for example, documents about Revenue Manual when I type ‘rajasv mainual’. This would be useful for common public mostly as information under RTI, BPL list etc. was in these fonts. I could find many sites on Hindi Literature and Tamil literature about which I was not aware of earlier using chhotugoogle.com.”

The inspiration for starting the website came from Mr.Prasad’s wife, who is also an IAS officer in UP cadre. “She is from Tamil Nadu and she is learning … well, has learnt … Hindi and Administrative Hindi. She felt that if there was a search portal for searching Hindi documents on Government websites, it would be useful for one and all. Then I read about Google APIs for search and transliteration and some javascripts for conversion of fonts and I could assemble the site. My sister provided inputs and suggestions and also bought the domain for me.”

As for the name chhotugoogle.com, the young IAS officer just hopes Google would not find any problem with it. “I thought it would be easy to remember. Currently the site has feature for search only. Interesting addition would be dierctory of good websites in Hindi/Tamil. I am planning to add more languages and fonts based on the feedback. I am planning to add a typepad with spell check and also dictionaries.” ■ Mr.Ranvir Prasad welcomes feedback on the site. Log on to www.chottugoogle.com and send your feedback.

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Ye olde book A Cambridge academic has uncovered what is believed to be the world’s oldest joke book – from the third century.

Cops called in as crowds overwhelm IT fair More than 700,000 Singaporeans looking for recessionbusting bargains swamped an electronics fair over the weekend, forcing organisers to call in the police to maintain order. Officers were deployed at an underground link to the venue of the IT Show 2009 from a train station to ‘manage the crowd’, a spokesman for the Singapore Police Force said. “It was really crowded and packed... (but) it was worth going because the items were going for rock-bottom prices,” a visitor said. . AFP

Gandhi snaps in poll campaign irk Indians The use of Mahatma Gandhi’s photos by the ruling ANC party in election campaign has created a furore among the India-origin people here in Durban. The posters are part of the strategy being pursued by the African National Congress to get people of Indian-origin to vote for it in the forthcoming general election on April 22. A woman caller to an election talk show on the national broadcaster, SABC’s Lotus FM radio said Gandhi was being used to get Indian people to vote for the ANC. “I would like to know whether this is morally and ethically right?,” she queried. A political analyst on the show, Professor Karthy Govender, responded that he did not think it was appropriate for anyone to use Gandhi’s name without the permission of the family.

The shuttle Discovery blasted off on a mission to outfit the International Space Station with a final pair of solar wings ahead of the arrival in a few weeks of an expanded space crew. The spacecraft launched from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Just over eight minutes later, the shuttle entered orbit and was soaring at 28,000 kilometres per hour. The journey was expected to take two days to reach the ISS, where the seven-member crew was to deliver and install the fourth and final pair of solar wings on the orbiting ISS. Mike Leinbach, launch director for the mission, said the lift-off was picture perfect. “I have seen a lot of launches and this was the most visually beautiful,” he told reporters. “It was just spectacular. When the orbiter and the tank, booster got up in the sun light it was just gorgeous.” AFP

2 Sri Lankan players still in hospital Two Sri Lankan cricket players remain hospitalised in Colombo, two weeks after the squad was attacked by militant gunmen in Pakistan, the team’s doctor said on Monday. Thilan Samaraweera, who had a bullet removed from his left thigh, and Ajantha Mendis, who had shrapnel extracted from his head and back, are being treated at a private hospital, Geethanjana Mendis said. “Samaraweera and Mendis need a little bit more attention and we are hopeful we can discharge them within a few days,” the doctor said.

PTI

AFP

Film premiere goes solar A new film warning of the devastating effects of climate change was screened in London in what organisers said was the world’s first solar-powered premiere. Oscar-nominated British actor Pete Postlethwaite stars in The Age of Stupid, which was shown in a solar cinema tent in Leicester Square and beamed to more than 70 cinemas nationwide via a live satellite link. The event’s organisers said they hoped up to 16,000 people would watch the premiere but discouraged anyone from flying to London to see it.

Discovery lifts off

Postlethwaite turned up in a solar car to the premiere, which was also attended by actress Gillian Anderson, designer Vivienne Westwood on a bicycle and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband. In the film, Postlethwaite plays an old man living alone in a devastated 2055, looking back on archive footage of 2008 and asking why no one acted to stop climate change. The Age of Stupid, which opens here on March 20, took 3.5 years to make and had a budget of just USD 630,000 dollars provided by 228 individual investors. ■ AFP

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Websites of the day

Chocolate power

Want to know what Paris Hilton is wearing this Autumn? Check out the latest Hollywood fashions: http://www.lastarstyle.co.uk/ Treat a sore throat: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/sorethroat.htm

A Devon woman who eats 30 bars of chocolate a week has just celebrated her 100th birthday.

Riding the recession the Daniel way H

is goal was to get a job and his tactic was a road trip through all 50 US states in 50 weeks that landed the unemployed economics major with, yes, 50 jobs. The work ranged from rodeos to archaeology and even a stint keeping jobseekers of the illegal sort out of the country. After failing 40 interviews in a row, University of Southern California graduate Daniel Seddiqui, 26, got creative and launched a mission to cross every US state in as many weeks, rolling up his sleeves in each one with some kind of employment. “I went through hell almost. I invested so much time and effort in my university and yet I did not get anything. It was pretty frustrating. Then I was persistent enough to land 50 jobs in 50 states,” he said. “It’s kind of helping me decide what I want to do with my life.” “Dan is probably one of the most adaptable people I’ve ever met, said Randy Cruse, business manager at the Boilermakers Lo-

50 jobs in 50 weeks: US man’s economic odyssey This handout photo shows Daniel Seddiqui working as a co-pilot in Fargo, North Dakota. AFP PHOTO

cal 83 union in Kansas City, Missouri. “He was quick, smart. He’s enjoyed it and the guys enjoyed having him,” he said after Seddiqui trained with them in January. Seddiqui has already worked as a logger in Medford, Oregon, a

New Zealand judge on Monday approved the serving of court documents through the social networking website Facebook on a man being sued over his business dealings. High Court associate justice David Glendall approved the serving of legal papers on Craig Axe, who is alleged to have taken 241,000 dollars

chanic in Dearborn, Michigan. “This is my 25th state, I’m halfway there and I’ve seen a lot of different things,” he said, describing how one man had pulled out a gun in the auto repair shop just outside Detroit. Seddiqui

Dreaming About Me?

Court serves papers via Facebook

A

border patrol agent in Tucson, Arizona and an archeologist in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Most employers have paid him or offered to hire him full-time. Halfway through his mission on week 25, he was working as an auto me-

launched his driving tour in September 2008 in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he worked at a Mormon humanitarian centre. He then headed to Colorado, where he took on a hydrologist job, before donning cowboy gear to be a rodeo announcer in South Dakota. Seddiqui set up most of the jobs in advance and found places to stay on the road, most often with his employer or a co-worker. “I’ve stayed with all kinds of people, from cowboys to Indians to Arabs to rednecks to just about everybody,” he said. Seddiqui, who said he wants to make a documentary and write a book about his journey, had a sound piece of advice for students struggling to launch their careers. “I recommend to network and travel. Be willing to try anything. Nowadays, you can’t be too picky, especially if you are a new grad,” he said. “It’s going to be hard; you are not going to get your dream job on the first day. Step out of your comfort zone.” ■

from his family’s market garden company account. Axe was believed to be in Britain but had been corresponding by email and was known to have a site on Facebook, the court in Wellington was told. Daniel Vincent, the lawyer for the family company who requested the use of Facebook, said there had been difficulties serving the papers, informing Axe that he is being sued, by conventional methods. He told the New Zealand Press Association after the hearing he believed it was first time a court in this country had allowed papers to be served through Facebook. The idea came from a case in Australia in December, when Facebook was used to serve a court order after a couple defaulted on a home loan. ■ AFP

쒀 A Saint Bernard dog called ‘Zuma’ watches a fully-grown miniature horse called ‘Willow’ at the “Woofstock 90210" pet show in Beverly Hills. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON

AFP

08 SPORT

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Plot to oust dictator Moves to oust embattled Asian Football Confederation president Mohammed bin Hammam are gaining momentum with his key challenger insisting support for his “autocratic” rule is rapidly waning. Bahrain’s Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Al Khalifa will pit himself against Bin Hammam for his FIFA executive committee seat on May 8 after several recent moves by the Qatari upset powerful factions of the regional football body.

HAMILTON READY FOR STERNEST TEST Lewis Hamilton has come a long way in his 24 years, from a humble English housing estate to a Swiss mansion, a pop-star girlfriend and an MBE from the Queen. He is the youngest champion in Formula One history, its first black winner and a multi-millionaire who splits opinion both inside and outside the paddock. Now Hamilton is braced for what could be his most bruising battle as he defends the title he won by just a point in 2008’s rain-drenched, knife-edge Brazilian finale. “You can’t live in the past. I don’t say ‘I am world champion’, I say ‘I want to be world champion’,”said Hamilton. His F1 debut in 2007 in Australia saw him finish third, quickly followed by runner-up positions in Malaysia, Bahrain, Spain and Monaco. He won his first Grand Prix in Montreal after a flawless drive and followed it up a week later at the famed Indianapolis track. However, his lack of experience eventually saw him squander a 13-point lead in the championship to lose the 2007 title by a point to Kimi Raikkonen.

Mission r

National football coach Bob Houghton’s plan for AYON SENGUPTA [email protected]

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n ambitious project to get Indian football back on its feet at the international level may have at last hit a roadblock after running in unusually clear tracks from sometime. National coach Bob Houghton has envisaged a plan that will keep the country’s top 25 professionals out of contract with any club sides for two years. The project, which has already drawn flak from club owners, managers

and former players, has reached a stumbling block related to sponsorship. The AIFF, which was always in the doldrums at the management level, is now without a head since its ever-serving president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi is still in coma after suffering a stroke late last year and is yet to take a final call on it. One AIFF source says: “Financially, the project seems Herculean. We need at least Rs. 40 crore for the players’ salary, accommodation and other costs. And we are not sure in the current

financial situation if we can arrange such money.” Interestingly, other developing soccer nations had run with success similar programmes, like the US before hosting the 1994 World Cup, South Korea before the 2002 Cup and Mexico in 1986. The 25-odd players would directly be under contract to the All-India Football Federation and train together in preparation for the Asian Cup in Doha in June 2011. The players would be paid their contract amounts equivalent to what they would have

AFP

NADAL BREEZES INTO THIRD ROUND World number one Rafael Nadal breezed past qualifier Michael Berrer and into the third round of the Indian Wells Masters series. Nadal downed Berrer 6-2, 6-1 in just 67 minutes to join defending champion Novak Djokovic in the third round. Djokovic, seeded third in the 4.5 milliondollar tournament behind Nadal and Roger Federer, defeated 54th-ranked Argentinian Martin Vasallo Arguello 7-5, 6-4. The Serbian, who claimed his first title of 2009 at Dubai two weeks ago, went up an early break in each set only to surrender his serve before breaking Vasallo Arguello again. He closed out the match on his second match point, when the Argentinian sent a service return long. Djokovic next faces German veteran Tommy Haas, who downed compatriot Rainer Schuettler 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4. Nadal booked a meeting with Russian Dmitry Tursunov, a 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 6-3 winner over American qualifier Michael Russell. AFP

National coach Bob Houghton trains with his ward Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi. PHOTO: SHANKER CHA

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

‘‘ resurrection? In 2007 I supported the West Indies (to win) due to the fact that, as a team, we may have been short in Test cricket but very good over a shorter game and twenty20 was a version of the game, with players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo, I thought we would love. But then Bangladesh came and beat us and we didn’t win a match so that shows how difficult it is to predict. A team like India or Pakistan, accustomed to good batting tracks, flat tracks and capable of being very innovative could be the ones to walk away with the trophy.

Brian Lara

r Asian Cup 2011, although ambitious, might be too farfetched to implement earned at the club levels and will only be available for national duty. AIFF vice-president Subrata Dutta, part of the committee deliberating on the project, says: “We had a meeting and have drawn some tentative plans. We have put those on paper and it would be handed over to our acting president (Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel). A final call will be taken after he goes through it.” According to sources, the AIFF top brass is serious about the project and is already in talks with a

ds at the

AKRAVARTY

few of the corporate houses for lead and associate sponsorship deals. Top on the list is telecommunications giant Airtel, which had earlier entered into a Rs. 100 crore deal for AIFF’s proposed academy in Goa. However, the talks have not been fruitful so far. Houghton’s plan says the players will live and train together and play at least 30 international matches prior to the competition. But if there are takers for the plan, there are many more detractors. Mohun Bagan secretary Anjan Mitra, taking a dig at the

federation, says: “The AIFF doesn’t even have the capacity to nurture five players and they are talking about 25. What about the clubs, their supporters? Without the top 25 national players the domestic league will lose its sheen.” The clubs are united in their stand and officials of defending I-League champions Dempo also walk the same line. “I-League was structured as a professional setup to put football back in its rightful place and now if we take all the top players away, the whole pur-

pose is nullified. It’s a backward step,” the official says. Former skipper Chuni Goswami, though, sees the logic behind the plan; he fails to understand the need to spend so much money on players who are almost past their prime. “Bhaichung (Bhutia), Deepak (Mandal) and Mahesh Gawli are all good players but at the most they will last another two or three years. And after spending crores if we are knocked out in the first round the whole money goes waste,” he says. “On the other hand, if we invest on

under-19 players, there is hope for the future even if we fail at the Asian Cup.” National captain Bhutia tacitly supports Houghton’s project and says: “Even Guss Hiddink did the same with the South Korean side in 2002 and they had great success. (They reached the semi-finals of the World Cup). I have only heard about it from newspaper reports and it won’t be right for me to make sweeping statements about it. But if handled in a proper way it can help immensely.” ■

10 FLICK

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Tees saal baad ‘Little Zizou’ puts Parsis in comic spotlight after 30 years

ROBIN BANSAL

B

ollywood provided a hilarious take on Parsis with the 1978 film Khatta Meetha, which starred Ashok Kumar and Pearl Padamsee. Thirty years later, Sooni Taraporewala’s Little Zizou is another humorous insight into the community, taking digs at their stereotypical oddities. Khaata Meetha highlighted the biggest dilemma among Parsis – their problem with inter-caste marriage. An offspring from such a union is considered to be a nonParsi, resulting in their fast dwindling numbers, which is pegged at about 100,000 now in India. But Little Zizou talks about religious fundamentalism and reform, while putting the spotlight on traits unique to the community. One did have Basu Chatterjee’s Baaton Baaton Mein (1979), but that was more focussed on rela-

tionships. Since then all movies on Parsis have brushed aside the comic punch to portray the community’s angst with grim dramas like Pestonjee (1988), Percy (1990), 1947: Earth (1998) and Being Cyrus (2005). “Thematically, Parsis in films have been a more modest and serious vein with only two films, Khatta Meetha and Baaton Baaton Mein, being made on a lighter note than the handful of the rest. While the former is remembered for its comic genius, the latter was a mixed-affair in terms of comic touches,” says noted film historian Gautam Kaul.

Baton Baton Mein

Photographer-writer Taraporewala, who made her directorial debut with Little Zizou after writing Mira Nair’s acclaimed films like Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala, has woven together every possible trait of the community. For example, Parsis’ habit of boasting about every little achievement is lucidly shown in Little Zizou. This includes the presence of a Zubin Mehta portrait in every Parsi house and the oft-repeated talk about Indira Gandhi being married to a Parsi. “Zubin Mehta collectively belongs to every Parsi mother – he is “apro” or “our” Zubin. A love for and deep knowledge of Western classical music is a very Parsi trait. Many people in Mumbai have an experience of their Parsi neighbours blasting classical music and I used that in the opening

Khatta Meetha

Being Cyrus

of Little Zizou along with apro Zubin’s portrait on the wall,” says Taraporewala. “Indira Gandhi was married to a Parsi (Feroze Gandhi) and many in the community thought it was lucky for her that he had the ‘Gandhi’ surname, as most people thought she was related to the Mahatma and had no clue that this was not so. I brought this up in a humorous way to link it

with the character of Khodaiji (one of the characters) whose name literally means ‘god’ but who in reality is nothing of the sort and capitalises on his fortunate name, just as Mrs. Gandhi sometimes did,” she explains. Both Kaul and Taraporewala point out that there have been numerous instances where Parsis have been typecast for small appearances in Bollywood movies. “There have been movies over the years that have typecast the community by depicting a Parsi character in comic situations in trademark attire for a Parsi resemblance,” says Kaul. “The stock Parsi man in his white dugli and black pheta and the woman in her gara sari – this is what some of us (Parsis) wear to weddings but in Bollywood films all Parsis have to be dressed like this even if they are standing at the bus stop waiting for a bus,” remarks Taraporewala. National Award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua says, “It’s very unfortunate that our audience has been spoiled over the years and they are not mature enough to accept such films. Take Khatta Meetha for example and now Little Zizou – these films are brilliant attempts at bringing back the elbowed out culture of their communities.” ■ IANS

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Manisha rejects cameo role Actress Manisha Koirala was overjoyed when she was offered a role by actor-turned-director Amol Palekar in his new film. But later she refused to accept the role as it turned out to be just a cameo.

Rourke on a roll

Cine City

Mickey Rourke to play Russian villain in ‘Iron Man 2’

A

ctor Mickey Rourke has bagged yet another good role as the Russian villain in Iron Man 2, after being nominated for an Oscar for his work in The Wrestler. A report published by the website deadlinehollywooddaily.com says that the producers had earlier offered Rourke just 250,000 dollars for this role. However, they significantly increased the money offer after Rourke’s agent, David Unger, played hardball. According to the New York Post, Rourke was also being considered for a villainous role in Sony’s Spider-Man 4. Rourke has also been offered a role by Sylvester Stallone in the fifth Rambo film. He will reportedly play the baddie in the flick, which is due to be filmed later this year. The actor will also start filming Stallone’s new thriller, The Expendables, alongside Ben Kingsley, Sandra Bullock, Jet Li, Jason Statham and Forest Whitaker. ■

Ayan for April release Actor Suriya’s upcoming flick, Ayan, would hit the theatres soon. Sources predict that the movie might release on April 3. Said to be a love story, the movie is directed by K.V. Anand, who earlier made Srikanth, Prithviraj and Gopika starrer Kana Kandaien. Suriya and Tamannah pair up for the first time in Ayan. The music scored by Harris Jeyaraj is already topping the charts.

ANI

Who dumped who? J

ennifer Aniston is angry and is telling friends that she dumped singer John Mayer. However, media reports say Mayer was the one who dumped her. The 40-year-old Aniston and the 32-year-old rocker broke up after she returned to the US from Britain after promoting her new movie Marley and Me, reports thesun.co.uk. A source said: “Aniston started considering dumping Mayer after he apparently went cold after the Oscars.” Her friends reveal that Aniston felt angry and used. A source said: “They had a great time at the Oscars, but he seemed to go cold right after. It’s humiliating.” ■ IANS

Busy bee Director Vikram K. Kumar is a happy man these days. His latest movie, Yaavarum Nalam, has reaped good collections at the box office. Even the Hindi version, 13B, has generated positive vibes. 13B was released in the US in 10 theatres and made a collection of $1,752 so far. Though the director has received plenty of offers from Bollywood, he is keen on doing a Tamil film next.

12

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Monday’s Query: The Pussycat Dolls are working with A.R. Rahman on a ‘Jai Ho’ remix. What is your favourite remixed song till date and why?

Vivek Srinivasan from HCL has nominated his friends. The picture was clicked at Mamalla Resort in ECR.

Thottal poo malarum. Because it is much better than the original, and Hariharan and Harini lend freshness to the song that makes it very appealing Ahalya (TCS)

Ponmagal vandhaal from Azhagiya Thamizh Magan. Because of Illayathalapathy’s excellent dance and acting. No one can beat him. Kuppusamy Nattudurai (CSS), Shebin Benjamin (Allsec)

A.R.Rahman’s thottal poo malarum from New. Unlike other music directors he did not emulate the same old tone. Came up with a new tone and it was a massive hit, which created a trend for remixes. Deena (Wipro), Ganesh Kumar (Technip)

Mitwa - revisited from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy. They remixed their own tune of the same movie. It was a good classicalwestern fusion

Premi Moses from Cognizant Performance Testing CoE sent us this picture. The picture was clicked for the Testing Annual Event called ’Nakshatra’, where the members walked the ramp.

Mukund SCB (Scope International)

Margo margo margayi. A very nice song wonderfully remixed in the ragam kanada of the famous “alaipayuthey” song Padma Gopal (Cognizant)

En aasai mythiliye (Manmadhan) Pradeep (Mphasis)

Western suprapaatham by Rahman because it’s trendy Hashim (Allsec)

Inji eduppalagha because I like the female voice Yuvaraj (Technip)

Remix of Vande Mataram is my favourite. Whenever listening to this my eyes drop a couple of tears for my mother India Saranya.M (Cognizant)

Today’s query: One extra-curricular activity companies must add to their agenda

Vijay from Accenture has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. The picture was shot before a hotel in ECR.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Jagan Mohan K. V. N. of Sella Synergy India has been nominated as Office Angel by M. Ilayaraja. Jagan Mohan is kind, cool-headed and fun-loving person. He is a great motivator of our team. He handles any issues with ease. He is a positive thinker and team builder.

■ Dear Rajkumar (Gun), Wishing you a Happy Birthday. I hope all your dreams and wishes come true. Not just a year older, but a year better. Here’s to another year of experience. A simple celebration, a gathering of friends; here’s wishing you great happiness, a joy that never ends. A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. Jesi, Christo, Rajesh, Hari, Murali, Srini, Kani, Chinpapa, Cheattu, Suresh, Senthil, Samy, Jeni

■ Dear Shailu, When god made you he was having a good day! You are so special to us, we all respect you and get inspired by you. Your dedication is great. You mean so much to us. Many many happy returns of the day. May you live 100 more years.

Always with you, Hari & Siri

■ Dear Buhari, Wishing you belated birthday wishes!! May all your dreams come true!! God bless you!!

Friends, New Age Software and Solutions, Ashok Nagar

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

Narayanan L.R. of Williams Lea India, Tidel Park doodle this picture of ’Father of the Nation’.

■ Hi Vani (Immigration team, CTS) Congrats!! You have won again! You have proved to this world that your words will reach greater heights. You have shown me how a woman can be so powerful, caring and an affectionate friend. Above all I still admire your goodness. Keep rocking. Almighty god and your best friend (that’s me) are always with you. Wish you all success in your future Endeavour’s. I wanna you see more of your success… TATA

Regards Shankar Nagappan

■ My dear Sweet Gayathri, Pappu wishes you many more happy returns of the day. You’re my most precious wealth I have ever earned. I wish you a peaceful and happy life. I thank god for blessing me with such a loving and caring girl like you.

With lots of luv, Urs, Birahadish, Wipro Technologies

Man-1: Do you know my friend is a very good fast bowler? Man-2: Really? Man-1: Yes, while we play cricket in the first ground, he will be running from the second ground to bowl and the wicket keeper will be standing in the third ground with fear. -----------------------Man-1: Yesterday we couldn’t touch your friend bowling with our bat? Man-2: Has he bowled excellently? Man-1: No, he has bowled only wide balls, then how could we touch with bat? Mohamed Yusufdeen J, HCL Technologies

■ Dear Shamee, Wish you a many more happy returns of the day. Each year of your birthday reminds us that we really want to say we are very much glad we know you. We think of you each day. We hope you enjoy your birthday. All the pleasures it has in store. And because we appreciate you. We hope you have many more!

Cheers SDP TEAM & Friends

■ Hi Anil, Glad congratulations and heartfelt wishes Wish you Happy Married life. Best Regards, D.Yaseen Taj, Cognizant Technology Solutions

■ Dear Balaji, I’m wishing you another year of laughter, joy and fun. Surprises, love and happiness and when your birthday’s done, I hope you feel deep in your heart As your birthdays come and go How very much you mean to me More than you can know

Aparna S, Tata Consultancy Services

■ Dear RJ Balaji Wish u happy birthday. Kodiyil pookkum malarai vida oru nodiyil pookkum punnagai than azhagu So always keep smiling. Happy birthday.

Regards, Balaji Perumal Tata Consultancy Services

■ Akka, Wish you many more happy returns of the day.

With love, Tharuthala Thambi

■ My dear Fathima Mariam, Making happy birthday wishes, is a pleasant thing to do, especially when the birthday is yours, and the wishes are for you. From Morning till night, May your birthday be bright, And nicer than ever before. And as years come and go, May your happiness grow, and your dreams come true. Happy Birthday My Dear Fathima!!!

Regards Shehanaz, Nasreen, Ismail Thirdware Solutions Pvt Ltd

Belated messages ■ Like the sweet music from the flute of Kannan, Your warm and friendly nature can be matched by none, You remove darkness from our life by lighting the lamp of knowledge, You make us feel precious & rare like 24ct gold, How much you mean to us in a words it can never be told, May god fill with joy & happiness your every single day, Team DEPOSITS wishes you a very Happy Birthday. Vijay Vaidyanathan, Accenture

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Coffin catastrophe A Croatian motorist who crashed through an undertakers’ window woke up to find himself in an open coffin.

sudoku

Anything for that catch! Sent by Sivakumar Sriramulu of TCS

Preference this month is being given to photographs that talk about ‘happiness’, which you need to tell us in a line or two. Please do not repeat any of your previous pictures and also make sure that the photograph is people-oriented. Happiness is not always a smile, so put on your thinking caps and keep clicking! Winners can collect their gift vouchers on Sundays, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Ergo office

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

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

KAKURO

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Trusty cuppa

Word’s worth

A psychologist says tea and coffee really do taste better from your favourite cup or mug.

“Deglutition” (dee-gloo-tish-uhn) the action of swallowing. The verb, even rarer than the noun, is deglute. It could be brought back into fashion with a new figurative sense: “You can’t expect me to deglute that excuse! What a feat of deglutition that would be.”

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 Try to move out somewhat today. You’ve got to take action soon. It’s one of those days when you’re at your best in constant motion, so make sure you’re as busy as you can possibly be. Ganesha suggests you to be quick but make right decisions.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 You’re brimming with anger over some recent injustice and need to do whatever you can to make it right. See if you can get your friends to rally behind a new way of doing things. Ganesha is with you in every right step you take.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 There’s no need to take much of anything seriously today. You’ve got plenty going on, but it’s just the kind of day in which you can take a break and just enjoy the superficial pleasures of life. So go ahead and enjoy, says Ganesha.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 When shopping today, go for quality over price. You need the very best! Ingredients for baking, tech gadgets and even your morning coffee are all part of the program and you want what you deserve. Ganesha says go ahead and have a great day.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 You have the ability to think out of the box and today your creative ideas are going to make a great impact on your colleagues and friends. Be the centre of attraction and enjoy says Ganesha.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

You thrive on activity, but today brings almost too much for you to handle! It’s one of those days when you wish you were still in bed every few hours or so, but you can handle it all with a smile. A calm and wonderful day for you.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 You can see the big picture today, probably better than most of the people around you, so speak out and lead the way toward the next big thing. It’s easy for you to make a difference. You have that quality in you, Ganesha wishes all the very best.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Your sense of power is making life a lot more interesting and you ought to be able to get your friends to see that things are working out for all of you. A little more time to tip the balance is all you need. Wait and watch, suggests Ganesha.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 Say something that feels a little risky and see how it goes. You are more likely than ever to get yourself some good feedback if you try a little harder. People want to see you push the envelope. Give it a push, says Ganesha.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 The warmth and goodwill you generate today will benefit you now and even later. Those living away from home and family will return after successful sojourn. Pack your suitcase and get ready, says Ganesha.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 Try not to get too worked up over your latest relationship glitch. These things happen and today’s is just a sign that things are working normally. So spend some quality time with your loved ones and clear all the misunderstandings, suggests Ganesha.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 You need to slow down and cut back your schedule just a bit. Things are getting a little out of hand! Say no a few times just to practice, so you can say it and mean it when the time is right, says Ganesha. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Actor Mary-Kate Olsen attends The Metropolitan Opera’s 125th Anniversary Gala at The Metropolitan Opera House, Lincoln Center on Sunday in New York City. AFP PHOTO

Japan’s government-sponsored research laboratory AIST unveils the new humanoid robot ’HRP-4C’. It is 158 cm tall and weighs 43 kg and is able to make human face-like motions. The HRP-4C, called Cybernetic Human, has 42 actuators and several sensors on its body and will debut at a fashion show in Tokyo later this month. AFP PHOTO

This handout photograph released by Tourism New Zealand on Monday shows Indian cricketers (L-R) Harbhajan Singh, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan walking on the edge of the Auckland Sky Tower in Auckland on Saturday. The cricketers performed a sky walk atop the 192-metre Auckland Sky Tower, the tallest man-made structure in the Southern Hemisphere. AFP PHOTO