Ergo March 26

A BYTE OF LIFE

Thursday, March 26, 2009

FOUR LEGS GOOD Niranjan Amarnath and his awareness drive

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OFFICE RIDE

Log Out riding campaign by Royal Enfield could make your office outing memorable FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 3

No. 57

Batting for YOUNGISTAN Ergo kick-starts its Election 2009 run with coverage of Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Puducherry » PAGE 05

PHOTO: V.GANESAN

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

Stay with us for a cause Marriott has introduced a special packaged called ‘Stay with us for a cause’. Customers can stay in Marriott, Hyderabad for a special cost of Rs. 2999 to support a social programme. The collection would be donated to Marriot Home, Chennai to support the less fortunate.

In the summer time W

hich category do you fall into? You enjoy music and prefer a singing session than listening to songs. You do not want to worry about instruments, but want to learn to sing well. You do not want to get too deep into music theory, but want to sing. You have talented children and need a course to learn and perform. Wondering what best to do for the summer! If you fall into any of those categories or all of the above, the ‘Summer of Love II’ is back. The Unwind Centre will once again present the summer workshop to celebrate the joy of singing. Season II will see two streams – songs from Disney hits and Hollywood classics. Disney classics is aimed at young teens (7 to 14 years) who love their animated movies and musicals. This course will take them through popular songs from ‘Wizard of Oz’, ‘Little Mermaid’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Lion King’, ‘Alladin’, ‘Cars’ and more. The children will be given basic vocal training, taught the songs and groomed for the performance. Hollywood hits is for adults (18 - 60 years) who cannot get over their infatuation over great songs from musicals like ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘Sound of Music’, ‘Grease’, ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Fiddler on the roof’ and many more. The workshop is on from April 15 to 28 and will be held at Unwind Center (Anna Nagar and Adyar0. For information call 99410 05949/6537 9572. Or email [email protected] or visit www.unwindcenter.com

A messenger of compassion Niranjan Amarnath’s goal is to spread the message about a humane lifestyle as far and wide as possible SRIYA NARAYANAN [email protected]

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e’s done it all – from staging protests on busy main roads to undercover investigations into cruelties of the dairy industry. PETA featured him as their Star Street Team Member on their website and he’s been hailed as Hero of the Week by The Hindu Metro Plus. Niranjan was no ordinary teenager. As a 17year-old, he converted to vegetarianism after looking at some online research about slaughter methods. Though there was an adjustment period, he came across many alternatives to meat and now passes on this information to anyone who wants to make the switch seamlessly. “Check out GoVeg.com,” he says. “Help the environment by preventing global warming. The more meat we eat, the more grains are wasted. These grains could be used to feed the hungry. It also saves natural resources and is great for health.”

Awareness drive Niranjan’s message is never preachy and instead focuses on creating awareness, with faith that a change in behaviour will follow. Having had an interest in animal welfare since childhood, he logged on to PETA’s website for children and was touched by their message. “We take advantage of animals because they can’t speak,” says Niranjan who is particularly interested in alternatives to leather shoes and clothes. “Non-leather stuff is so easy to come by. Ask for the brand Baggit or for canvas, denim, Rexene, artificial leather or jute.” He recommends www.CaringConsumer.com for an exhaustive, updated downloadable list of companies that do and don’t test on animals, so people can get to know what’s cruelty-free in their cosmetics cupboard with just one click. He’s quite used to getting text messages from friends and teachers who are out shopping. “I make sure they go for the cruelty-free option,” he says with a smile. Animal welfare requires him to be relentless and he recalls moments when he was ridiculed. “During the KFC protest, some people laughed at the idea of chicken torture and asked if I was doing it for publici-

ty,” he reveals. “I told them all we’re asking for is that laws be followed. Don’t chop off their beaks, for example. For a fast food chain like KFC, one billion birds suffer from the moment they hatch till they’re served in buckets. They should be killed humanely.” His resourcefulness (he has networked with dozens of activists who support his cause) has reshaped attitudes and given people practical suggestions that help them lead kinder lifestyles. As the 22-year-old HRD Psychology Student at Madras University puts it, “I’ve educated myself and now I’d like to educate others too.”■ For free literature on animal welfare, write to [email protected] PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO

03

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Camel camaraderie Elliot’s Beach has new visitors – two camels who’ve traded Rajasthan’s desert for Chennai’s beaches

Laala and Sheena are the newest and most popular visitors on Elliot’s Beach. Photos:

R. RAVINDRAN

and Kerala,” says Bikke Borse, who is new to Chennai. The camel ride, which is available from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., costs Rs. 20 for children and Rs. 50 for adults. “If it is kids, we take two or three together, but in case of adults it’s strictly one person at a time,” says Arvind Pawan in chaste Tamil. Ask him how he learnt Tamil, and he says, “I was in Cuddalore for some days.”

V. HARIPRIYA [email protected]

L

aala and Sheena love the evenings. The two stroll on Elliot’s Beach for hours together. The 10-year-old and eight-year-old are just waiting for the summer vacation to start. All the way from Rajasthan, these camels are the latest attractions on the beach. Bored of walking on the sand dunes of the desert, the animals have come to test the waters in namma Chennai along with their owners Govind Pawan, his brother Arvind Pawan and Bikke Borse.

Long wait The brothers are awaiting the summer vacation as they hope to make good business with the holiday crowd. With the meagre amount they collect now they have to look after themselves as well as the camels. “We need Rs.200 per day to buy fodder for the camels. Now we just stay on the roadsides. We hope to shift to a house once business picks up,” say these brothers, who have permission to stay on the beach only until the summer vacation gets over. ■

In search of livelihood Extreme drought in Rajasthan, the largest state of India, had forced many men to leave their native land in search of livelihood. “We came as a group from Rajasthan. As there is no use staying together, we split into groups down South. Our cousins are there in Bangalore, Cuddalore

“If it is kids, we take two or three together, but in case of adults it’s strictly one person at a time"

04 VILLAGE

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

Chopstick challenge A chopstick lodged in a kung-fu master’s stomach during a training stunt 20 years ago has finally been removed.

Microsoft’s WorldWide Telescope to focus on Mars

Google search gets smarter

Microsoft and NASA announced an alliance to focus the software giant’s virtual WorldWide Telescope on space agency images of Mars and other celestial bodies. NASA and Microsoft will jointly develop a system to make highresolution images and scientific data from Mars, the moon and elsewhere in the cosmos available for people to “explore” online at worldwidetelescope.org. “Making NASA’s scientific and astronomical data more accessible to the public is a high priority for NASA,” said the US space agency’s science mission directorate associate administrator Ed Weiler on Tuesday. AFP

Taiwan woman steps closer to Australia’s dream job Taiwan’s Clare Wang was on Wednesday destined to join 10 others in the running for the highly paid dream job of caretaker on a paradise island in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. When voting for the wildcard entry closed, the Taipei-based interpreter had garnered 151,637 votes almost three times the tally of her nearest rival. The 10 other contestants picked by Tourism Australia to audition for the six-month stint on Hamilton Island will be announced on April 2. Wang is almost certain to make up a shortlist of 11 from which the final selection will be made. Like 34,633 others, Wang submitted a 60-second video-clip application. It was selected for the Top 50 and people were invited to vote one of those applications to join the 10 picked by Queensland Tourism. DPA

Google has rolled out two new improvements to its popular Internet search service which its engineers said will help guide users more effectively to the information they need. “Starting today, we’re deploying a new technology that can better understand associations and concepts related to your search,’’ Google’s search quality team technical lead Ori Allon and snippets team engineer Ken Wilder wrote in a posting on the company’s blog. The technology can offer users more conceptually related search terms at the bottom of the search results page. Another improvement is the addition of longer ‘‘snippets’’, or lines of text describing the search results. Users making a complicated search query with more than three words will now get longer snippet, in which the number of lines is increased to provide more information and show more of the words in the search query, the engineers said. Xinhua

YouTube confirms website blocked in China YouTube confirmed on Tuesday that its website was being blocked in China, although the California firm offered no explanation for why Chinese authorities had barred access to the popular video-sharing service. "YouTube has been blocked in China since yesterday," company spokesman Scott Rubin said. "We do not know the reason for the blockage, and we’re working as quickly as possible to restore access to our users in China." AFP

20,000£ bet to seduce Beckham

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n what may come as a shock to Victoria Beckham, a group of girls in Milan have run a 20,000 pound bet to see who is the first one to seduce football heartthrob David Beckham. Beckham, who is in the city playing for AC Milan, was recently in news for being the cen-

tre of attraction at a high-profile charity event where he was surrounded by Italian socialites. Meanwhile, Beckham’s wife Victoria is busy bringing up the couple’s three young sons in Los Angeles. Beckham is not aware of the bet, Daily Mail online reported quoting Grazia

magazine. “There is a group of about 20 girls who hang around the Milan nightclubs and bars where the Italian players go to relax. They have decided that the top prize is now David Beckham,” a source told the magazine. ■ PTI

05

Thursday, March 26, 2009

SRK, Preity for Congress

Pollster 2009

Congress has said actors Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta will canvass for the party in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

49 DAYS TO GO...

Says he has set a twoyear timeline to usher in youngsters into the Congress party. First step would be to make them contest the local body elections

PHOTO: V. GANESAN

Rahul bats for youngistan

AYON SENGUPTA [email protected]

R

ahul Gandhi has promised to usher in a new era of leadership into the Congress Party by infusing in fresh blood. He has set a two-year timeline for the mass enrolment of youngsters into the party and has promised a stage by stage development of leadership, targeting first the local body polls. At the end of a whirlwind tour of

seaside towns of Karaikal and Puducherry on Wednesday, where he interacted with youth and women’s self help groups, the Youth Congress President and AICC general secretary outlined his plans for youngistan. His opening comments, combined with his readymade smile and arresting suave, left many stumped: “I am here to build up a youth base and also primarily because it’s a lovely town.” Setting

Teaching farmers what to ask of campaigning politicians

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xperts from various fields have come together in Uttar Pradesh and launched an awareness drive for farmers so that they can question the politicians seeking their votes ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Under the banner of the Kisan Jagriti

Manch (KJM) that works in co-ordination with the National Alliance for Framers’ Association (NAFA), professionals from different fields have joined hands for the drive. “The main objective of our drive is to enable farmers to ask questions from politicians about issues related to agriculture,” Sudhir Kumar, a professor in Lucknow University associated with KJM said. “We are making farmers aware about issues related to irrigation, crop insurance, minimum support price and others so that they can directly question the politicians on such topics and cast their precious votes judiciously,” he said. “We have plans to cover the rural areas of western Uttar Pradesh first and later we will carry the drive in others parts of the State,” said Kumar. ■ IANS

aside the media frenzy over his possible candidature as a future Prime Minister, he said: “I want to open up politics for the youngsters and I see my role in making the process more democratic and open. I enjoy my work, it’s gratifying and I want to continue in this field in the near future.” Batting for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been hit hard by the comments especially from the BJP front over the past day, Gandhi said: “Being a weak Prime Minister, he has achieved a lot. He didn’t buckle to terrorists or did not do Kandahar. He kept the country growing faster than ever before, signed a strategic deal showing grit and determination. As a young leader of the Congress I had the personal pleasure of working closely with him. And I support him to the hilt.” Elaborating his plans for the Indian youth, he said that the process to usher in youngsters have already taken shape in Punjab and was also in progress in Gujarat and the next step of his youth bandwagon would be Puducherry. “Our youth campaign in Punjab has led to an increase in our membership base from 30,000 to 300,000. And we have also identified five young candidates who will contest the Lok

Sabha elections in Punjab,” he said. “We have a two-year timeline to have a more youthful, concerned leadership. But I feel the process has to be gradual. They should first fight the local body election, then Assembly gradually graduating to Lok Sabha. Only in exceptional cases can you directly field a young candidate for Lok Sabha elections.” However, the young leader refused to be drawn into a political discourse over the comments of his much-younger cousin Varun Gandhi and said: “It’s his personal opinion and I have a different viewpoint. I have been taught that anger and hatred makes you blind. Even I get angry but I try to get it out of my system as quickly as possible.” He also shot down a question to compare L.K.Advani with Manmohan Singh. “I have interacted with our Prime Minister and would like to comment about him only.” He added that Mr.Advani was a very senior leader and he did not want to comment about him. Refusing to wear the garb of a psephologist despite repeated cajoling from the journalists, he said: “I am optimistic but the elections are just two months away. The results will be out and let us wait for that.” ■

Ready for the fight

쒀 Manmohan Singh and L.K. Advani don’t see eye-to-eye, at least during election time. But those in the poll business are having a ball designing masks of political leaders and posing as them, in Bangalore. PHOTO: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH

06 SPORT

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

Anand loses sole lead World champion Viswanathan Anand played out two draws with Bulgarian world number one Veselin Topalov in the ninth-round to surrender his sole lead in the Amber blindfold and rapid chess tournament in France. Magnus Carlsen of Norway and Levon Aronian of Armenia caught the Indian in lead with an identical 1.5-0.5 victory over Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine and Alexander Morozevich of Russia respectively.

Multiple captains for KKR Sourav Ganguly will no longer be the ‘fixed’ skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders as the team has decided to rotate captaincy in the second season of the Indian Premier League starting on April 18 in South Africa. KKR coach John Buchanan said the decision to have multiple captains has nothing to do with Ganguly’s performance or fitness and denied any rift in the team. “The decision has got nothing to do with Sourav’s performance. Chris Gayle (West Indies), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) and Ganguly will all captain KKR. There will be a nominated captain for each game,” he said. “He is the coach, he has views. My goal is to score runs and take wickets,” responded the former Indian captain when asked whether he was disappointed with the KKR’s move. Even before Ganguly could finish his response, Buchanan intervened to say “He is the King of Kolkata.” PTI

New challenges for

Hamilton

Clijsters plans comeback Former world number one Kim Clijsters will reveal her 2009 plans on Thursday and US Open organisers said they would be happy to offer her a wildcard if she announces a return to the tour. The 25-year-old Belgian will ‘unveil her plans for the 2009 season’ at the tennis centre in her home town of Bree north of Brussels where she has been training in recent weeks, a statement issued on her behalf said. The former US Open champion announced last week that she would compete in the World Team Tennis event in the United States later this year and in a special event at Wimbledon in May, alongside Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman. US Open tournament director Jim Curley sent her a note asking if she was interested in any involvement at the Open, ranging from an exhibition up to taking a wildcard, spokesman Chris Widmaier said. “Nothing official has happened yet as far as a wildcard for the US Open,” Widmaier said. Reuters

Vettori feels the heat The multiple duties of a captain and an allrounder have begun to wear down Daniel Vettori, who said the workload is a challenge as he gears up to save New Zealand from a humiliating series defeat against India in the second Test starting on Thursday. “Physically I am fine. Mentally, it is always the tough thing. The workload of being a captain and an all-rounder can sometimes challenge you. While enjoying a lot of responsibility, you need that little break sometimes,” Vettori said. “In a lot of ways, not being a captain in the IPL side will give me that opportunity to go back and play. Once we get ready for that T20 World Cup again, it will be pretty exciting. But I am not saying I am not excited about this (captaincy) challenge as well,” added Vettori. PTI

Lewis says he will do his best anyway in a race that will start later than ever and finish in the twilight

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ormula One champion Lewis Hamilton is ready to race his heart out in Sunday’s Australian seasonopener, even if his McLaren proves no match for the Brawn of fellow-Briton Jenson Button. Hamilton made a winning start in Australia last year while Button, who scored points in only one of his 18 races for now-departed Honda in 2008, was not even remotely in the reckoning. Formula One has undergone a revolution since then, with new regulations levelling the playing field and testing times suggesting that Melbourne could see a sensational shake-up on the starting grid. While McLaren have said their car is still too slow to be a winner, Button’s Mercedes-powered

Brawn GP team have been a revelation since they emerged from the remains of Honda. Rival team boss Frank Williams has already described the Brawn as ‘absurdly superior,’ while others such as Renault’s Flavio Briatore have questioned its legality and threatened a protest. “If I’m not able to start the Australian Grand Prix from the front of the grid, I’ll still race my heart out,” the 24-year-old said. “At the moment, this year’s car is a little behind the rest in terms of development but I’m absolutely confident we will get stronger and grow as the year progresses.”

Brawn Quick Pre-season testing can be misleading but the consensus is that the Brawn, a car Honda spent a year and half in developing, is genuinely quick. “They must have had a very difficult time over the winter but it’s great to see them come through and with what is looking like a great car,” said Hamilton. “Jenson and Rubens (Barrichello) deserve that because they are great drivers.” While the focus may be on the contrasting fortunes of the two Britons, Barrichello is also a strong contender for what would be his first win since 2004, when he was at Ferrari. The Brazilian has a better record than Button in Melbourne, starting on pole in 2002 and finishing runner-up on three occasions. Compatriot Felipe Massa, who lost out by a single point to Hamilton last November, will be another favourite at Albert Park as will Ferrari team mate and 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen.

07

Thursday, March 26, 2009

‘‘

With women’s professional tennis more popular than ever, the Tour in the strongest business position in its history and a fantastic senior management team in place now is the right time for me to embrace a new challenge consistent with my family and personal goals, and leave room for the next generation of Tour leadership to take on new responsibilities. Larry Scott, WTA chairman

“I’m 100 percent ready, perfectly in shape and I think that this also applies to the team,” Massa said on the Ferrari website. “We made some mistakes last year and we’ve been working hard all winter long to improve where we weren’t perfect.” Ferrari, with McLaren, are likely to be in a minority of teams using the new KERS energy recovery system that gives drivers an extra boost of power at the push of a button. BMW-Sauber looks like real contenders with Renault, Toyota and Williams not far behind. The true test will only come on Sunday, however. “There are 10 guys who can win this race I think, easily,” Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber told reporters. “It’s probably the most open first race we’ve ever had. “You would expect McLaren maybe to have done a bit more... but apart from that, we all know they are more than capable of turning up in Melbourne and spanking everyone.” ■ Reuters

08 ROADSTER

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

First flying car Arguably the world’s first flying car took its first test flight at 7:40 a.m on March 5, a milestone in a project started four years ago by MIT students. The winged car taxied down a runway in Plattsburgh, N.Y., took off, flew for 37 seconds and landed further down the runway.

PHOTO COURTESY: ROYAL ENFIELD

Ride with your colleagues PETLEE PETER [email protected]

H

ow about a team riding exercise that could also be a team-building exercise for all you IT guys slogging those five days a week? Renowned Indian motorcyclemaker Royal Enfield has floated their ‘Log Out’ campaign specially designed for corporates. As the name suggests, the campaign gives the office-goer a chance to bailout on bikes with his or her colleagues to a pre-discussed destination, mainly on weekends. Interestingly, Royal Enfield will

provide five brand new Royal Enfield Thunderbird Twinspark cruisers to participants of Log Out. The rest of the office team can ride on their own motorcycles, irrespective of whether they are RE bikes or not. Thoroughly a team-building event, the Log Out campaign was kick-started in 2005 among IT firms in Bangalore. Following a good response because of proving an ideal weekend getaway, RE took the campaign to companies in other metros like New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Now, in its second phase, Log Out is all set to enthral the IT em-

ployees of Chennai. Kanwardeep Singh Dhaliwal, Assistant Manager, Product Management Group, Royal Enfield, says the ride is organised for one company at a time. “Following talks with the HR managers or employees of the concerned company, we plan the riding destination and even make sure the participants get a good deal at resorts and other places of stay during the trip,” he says. The participants only have to pay for their food, fuel and stay. Kanwardeep adds that if the turnout for the event is more than 40 from a firm, RE has mechanics,

riding experts, backup vehicles and even a doctor to accompany the riding staffers. Log Out, usually organised on weekends or two or more consecutive holidays, starts from the office premises of the employees participating. Camping in the night, which is often filled with games and other recreational activities, could make the riding expedition a memorable office outing. For more details on Log Out, log on to http://www.royalenfield.com/community/Logout.aspx or call Kanwardeep Singh Dhaliwal at 91761 12870. ■

09

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Performance cycling TI Cycles of India announced its entry into the performance bicycles segment following a partnership with international bicycle manufacturers Bianchi and Cannondale. Cycling enthusiasts can soon avail world-class performance bicycles ranging from Rs. 17,500 to Rs. 2 lakh at Track and Trail showrooms in Bangalore and Delhi.

“Following talks with the HR managers or employees of the concerned company, we plan the riding destination and even make sure the participants get a good deal at resorts and other places of stay during the trip”

How to Log Out with your office buddies: • HR executives or even employees can contact the Royal Enfield representative or register on the website to ride on a Log Out campaign. • The ride is organised for only one company at a time. • RE provides five Thunderbird Twinspark motorcycles for participants, while others can ride on any bike of their choice. Non-riders can even follow the riding group in a bus, van or cab. • All riders must wear a helmet, shoes (strictly no sandals) and preferably a jacket. • An outing of two days or more days, Log Out mostly has night camping and other recreational activities. • In case of more than 40 riders from a company, RE will have mechanics, riding experts, backup vehicles and a doctor accompanying the group.

Nano will dent used car, twowheeler markets: experts

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he launch of Nano, the world’s cheapest car from Tata Motors, has created a new segment in the auto industry that will affect the used car and two-wheeler markets “significantly,” experts said. Tata Motors Monday launched the Nano commercially, more than a year after it unveiled the Rs.100,000 car at an auto expo in Delhi. The car will be available for booking between April 9-25 with delivery starting in July at a booking price of Rs.2,999. Experts feel the used car market and the two-wheeler business will be subject to attrition, with the Nano bridging the gap for first-time buyers. “It’s likely to affect the used car business by 10-12 percent with immediate effect. It might also push down the price by an equal percentage for second-hand vehicles,” said auto analyst Murad Ali Baid. Abdul Majeed, principal automobile consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the impact of Nano on the used car market will be “significant”. “The car has created a new segment, which will significantly affect the second-hand car market, while the two-wheeler market will also suffer,” he said. Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata has declared on several occasions that he first thought of introducing an affordable car when he saw a family of four travelling on a two-wheeler. “We had never conceived the Nano as the cheapest car but as a vehicle to enable Indian families own an affordable, all-weather mode of transportation,” Tata said at Monday’s press briefing during the vehicle launch. However, even after Monday’s “interim launch”, many consumers may still have to wait to own the car. Tata will manufacture about 60,000-70,000 vehicles in the first phase until its new facility in Sanand in Gujarat becomes operational by the year-end, which will take the number to around 500,000. “We are aware that the demand is most likely to outstrip supply in the near term, because this is an interim launch, until the Sanand facility becomes fully operational,” Tata said. He admitted that a long waiting period could dissuade prospective buyers. Majeed shared the same view: “The biggest challenge for Tata will be to make higher numbers available as soon as possible.” Arguing that the Gujarat facility would take some time to come up, Majeed said: “The small numbers being rolled out of Tata’s Pantnagar plant (in Uttarakhand) will not suffice.” Dilip Chenoy, president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), however, said since the number of cars immediately available in the market was limited, it would not affect the used car business and two-wheeler market. “The car has created a new segment in itself. But the initial numbers are too little to have any impact on any other segment,” he said. IANS

10 FLICK

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

Lindsay crashes her car...again

A garland for Garland Anne Hathaway tapped to play legendary Judy Garland

A

ctor Anne Hathaway has been tapped to play singer Judy Garland on both stage and screen, US media reported on Tuesday. The 26-year-old actor has signed a contract with movie giant The Weinstein Company to give life to Garland, who played the legendary Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939). The project is based on Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland, a biography by Gerald Clarke. “You get an enhanced perspective of Judy Garland through this book and we feel Anne can really put her own stamp on that,” Weinstein vice-president of production and development Ben Famiglietti told Variety. Details of the project, including whether the theatre or film production would come first, were not released. Hathaway, known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada and The Princess Diaries, was nominated for best actress at the Oscars this year for her role in Rachel Getting Married. During the Oscars ceremony in February, she sang and danced a brief Andalusian musical piece with Australian actor Hugh Jackman. ■

You get an enhanced perspective of Judy Garland through this book (Get Happy: The Life of Judy Garland) and we feel Anne can really put her own stamp on that

Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan has crashed her car for the third time in less than three weeks. The Mean Girls star banged her brand new Maserati car in a Subaru vehicle, damaging the left front bumper of the luxury sportscar, reports The Daily Express.

David Letterman married secretly

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ate-night TV comic David Letterman has quietly married his long-time girlfriend, telling audience members of his The Late Show on Monday that he almost missed the ceremony because his truck was stuck in mud. Letterman (61) and Regina Lasko tied the knot during a courthouse ceremony near their Montana ranch last Thursday. The couple, who have been dating since 1986, were accompanied by their 5year-old son, Harry. Letterman acknowledged he never thought he’d tie the knot. “I had avoided getting married pretty good for, like, 23 years,” he said during The Late Show taping, “and I ... secretly felt that men who were married admired me, like I was the last of the real gunslingers.” Lasko is a former The Late Show staffer. ■ Agencies

Goody’s mum, hubby plan ‘perfect send-off’

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ate Brit celebrity Jade Goody’s mom Jackiey and widower Jack Tweed have been working on the final plans of the Big Brother star’s funeral so as to give her the “perfect send-off”. The plans for the funeral had been made by Goody after she came to know that she would not survive the cervical cancer she was suffering from. As per the plan, a cortege of 21 cars will follow the coffin from her home in Upshire, Essex, to St. John the Baptist in Buckhurst Hill on April 4. The service will begin with Jade’s favourite hymn, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and her best friend, bridesmaid and Living TV producer Kate Jackson, will give a reading calling for family and friends to celebrate Jade’s life. Goody and Tweed’s favourite song, Last Request, by Paulo Nutini, will play at the end of the service. “Jade gave Jackiey and Jack a detailed list of things to do,” the Sun quoted a family friend as saying. Plasma screens will be put up outside the church to broadcast the ceremony to fans. ■ ANI

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Thursday, March 26, 2009

Freida Pinto to star in Israeli film Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto has been roped in to star in Oscar winner Julian Schnabel’s new film ‘Miral’. The film is an adaptation of ItaloPalestinian Rula Jebreal’s book about Hind Husseini, who founded an orphanage in Jerusalem in the wake of the 1948 partition of Palestine and the creation of the state of Israel, reports Variety.

Cash-conscious

Olga B

ond girl Olga Kurylenko admits that her poverty-stricken upbringing has made her very cash-conscious. The Quantum of Solace star says the hardships she endured as a child have taught her the value of money. Kurylenko says she would always be careful with her finances – and refuses to waste money on frivolous items she doesn’t need. This means that there’s one celebrity trend the former Ukranian model would never follow – collecting shoes. “I refused to go to school because my shoes had no soles. My mother insisted that I go, so I took a needle and thread and stitched the shoes so that my toes wouldn’t poke out at the end,” Contactmusic quoted her, as saying. “By the time I got to school the stitches had come out and my feet were on show. It was very upsetting. But those experiences taught me a lot about money. It’s not important in my life. I don’t really think about it at all. Because I grew up with nothing I have no extravagances. I don’t want hundreds of shoes – just a few pairs that don’t need stitching up,” she adds. ■ ANI

I don’t want hundreds of shoes – just a few pairs that don’t need stitching up

‘Best Ever James Bond Character’

Padmapriya in Bollywood period film After earning much acclaim doing varied characters in Malayalam and Tamil films, actor Padmapriya is set to enter Hindi cinema in Chandan Arora’s Striker. “It is a period movie set in the Mumbai of the 1990s. The movie is based on a carom board striker. It has Siddharth of Boys and Rang De Basanti fame playing the main protagonist and I play a bar owner,” said Padmapriya. Padmapriya, made her debut with Seenu Vasanthi Lakshmi (2003), a Telugu film. It was shot at her “convenience” and during the Christmas vacation. “I never intended to make a career in films but after the movie was released, offers started pouring in,” she recalled. Way to go! PTI

The Spy Who Loved Me.

J

aws has been voted the ‘Best Ever James Bond Character’ in a new poll. The metal-mouthed villain, who was portrayed in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker by Richard Keil, topped the survey of 4,900 film fans, reports Contactmusic. Jaws beat Q, the Head of Research and Development for British Intelligence – originally played by Desmond Llewellyn and in later films by John Cleese – into second place. Third in the poll – which excluded James Bond himself – was Harold Sakata’s Odd Job, the baddie from Goldfinger, followed by secret service chief M, who has been played by both Bernard Lee and Dame Judi Dench. Rounding off the top five was

Genelia fights out

Miss Moneypenny, M’s personal assistant who was played by Lois Maxwell in 14 movies, Caroline Bliss in two of the spy adventures and Samantha Bond in four. The survey was conducted by

HMV.com and social networking site getcloser.com to mark the DVD and Blu-ray release of the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. ■ ANI

Genelia D’ Souza seems to be on a new high. No, she’s not excited about playing bubbly or the tom boy character Genelia has won rave reviews, but for some action-packed roles. The actor, it seems, has a line of projects lined up in Telugu and Kannada. In Telugu, she is currently shooting for Saireksha Parinayam while in Hindi she is cast with John Abraham in Hook Ya Crook.

12

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

CAPTION ME!

Thilipan from Hexaware has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime.

Hardik Upadhyay from TCS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime.This pic was clicked in Kodaikanal.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind on seeing this photograph? Get creative and coin an interesting caption to explain this picture. SMS the caption to 90940 13535.

Riyaz Ahmed from RR Donnelley has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime.

13

Thursday, March 26, 2009

■ Hi Lukeson Happy advance B’Day.

Best Wishes & Regards from your friends and team mates, AdventNet

Lipensa

■ Hi Lavan ( Puppu), Many mre happy returns of the day. You are more special to me and you deserve the best in life. Let your life be filled with joy and happiness and all you need more. I hope everybody in your life bring joy and peace as you do for others. Let the almighty pour rains of wishes for your bright tomorrow. I wish you for your great Birthday. May God bless you.

With Love Meena N, CSS Group

■ Hi sister, Happy birthday to my favourite sister Aish. We are sisters by chance, friends by choice. A sister is a little piece of childhood that can’t ever be lost. Thanks for being there for me through the years. A sister is a friend for life. I’m so grateful that I have you as a sister.

Regards, Chandru, Nandhini, Fathima, Alex, Dinesh

■ Dear Saran, Wish you a happy happy birthday. May all your dreams (nightmares) come true this year. Wish you all success little Babu. Best Wishes from Zoho Creator and AU Team Hi Anbu, Wish You Many More Happy Returns of the Day Saran Anna. Let your Dreams become true. Have a beautiful and joyful year ahead Anna.

Enniya pirthanal naal valthugal anna.

■ Hi Loritha, Many many happy returns of the day May this year filled with happiness and joy. Enjoy your Birthday

From User Experience Friends, MindTree

■ Hi Dear Shanmuhapriya, All of us are joining in to say, that may the year which your birthday bring all the special things That mean the most to you!

With love Ilango, Rajagopal, George, Priyanka, Hema, Vimala

■ Dear Arun, Congrats on your University Rank. Happy 4 U. Wish U all success and may the almighty be with you

Best Regards, Lakshmi Kanth, Ghohila, Sharmila and Hemamalini, TCSers, Siruseri

■ Hey Tamojit, Hope lovely surprises are coming your way To make your birthday a wonderful day May brooks and trees and singing hills Join in the chorus too, And every gentle wind that blows Send happiness to you. May this birthday be just the beginning of a year filled with happy memories, wonderful moments and shining dreams. Today take time for you,

■ Train stops at a station A man asked a Sardar, “Which station is this?” Sardar looks through the window and says, “I think it’s a Railway Station.” ■ Doctor to Sardar: You have 206 bones in your body. Sardar: Don’t say it aloud!!! Doctor: Why? Sardar: My dog is outside. If it hears this, I’m finished. N. Deepan, LTSB,TCS, Siruseri.

And enjoy every little thing you do! On this very special day we as a team wish you lots of happiness and joy that’s been lined up this whole year. Have loads of fun! Don’t miss someone at least today

Heartfelt warmest from your family Bringing you happy tears Memories like a rainbow Beautiful as they are bright May these memories stay with you Wishes from, Prabhu, Glory HCL Technologies Ltd.

Best Wishes, Sankar, Ibrahim, Kiruthiga & Angeline, Excelacom Technologies

■ Dear one, To the sweetest girl In all of the land May your birthday Be happy and grand You are a friend That truly shines Bright as a star In the darkest of times Knowing you’re my friend Makes me so proud You would stand out In any crowd My thoughts are with you And warm wishes too Because it’s so wonderful To have a friend like you You’re a thoughtful person With a loving heart Your kindness for others Is only a part Always know that in my heart You have a special place I hope to see you soon I miss your smiling face I don’t know what I’d do If we ever lost touch Because you are someone I need so much Wishing you a birthday Filled with simple delights A day filled with sunshine Making it wonderfully bright Laughter in the air Making music in your ears

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.

Reena Davis of ABN Amro took around three hours to doodle this. A little long …she says as a lot of fiishing touches had to be given.

Belated ■ Hi Gavin Rozario, May this birthday be just the beginning of a year filled with happy memories, wonderful moments and shining dreams! With Cheers, Nainar, Coastal Training Technologies India (P) Ltd, Chennai

■ Hai Guna (Thala), Many more happy returns of this special day... Let all success comes through your way…Keep rocking :) Regards, Hari, Ameen, Balaji, Adi, Thiyagu, Sudhakar, venkat, ramesh, Mohan, Jegan, Krishna, Gobu.. matrum palar (Nittany)

■ Hi ThiruGrafe, Nee vaangi kodutha LASSI-kkagavo illa nee thara poora TREATukaagavo sollromnu nenaikatha machi, "Nee 100 vayasu nalla irukanum..." iruppae? illa naangathan vituruvoma…. Unna pathi Fulla ezuthannumnu asapottam. Ana unnala enga projectla vantha classcast exceptionum, null pointer exceptionum... Humm.. mudiyala.. "Eniya PiranthaNaal Nal Vaazhthukkal" nu mattum than solla vaikuthu.. Unnala Paathikapatta Makkal in SSIL

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

Man’s best friend A three foot, eight inches woman who got lost while walking in Snowdonia was saved by her pet chihuahua.

sudoku

Palaniappan P. of Infosys saw these girls share class notes, outside their school -a little before their government elementary school could close for the day. A natural picture that speaks a lot, we say! Hobbies: Photography, travelling 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

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

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

FAX 2857 6691

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

KAKURO

15

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Superhero fighter

Word’s worth

A firefighter donned a Spiderman costume to coax a frightened 11-year-old boy from a balcony in Thailand.

“Javanais” (zhah-vah-nay) a French slang, like pig Latin, in which av or va is introduced after each syllable or word.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 If you will begin any project today, it will surely reach to desired end in due course of time, without any hassle. On the personal front, you may shower your lover with sweet and soothing words, which in turn will provide you with care from the other end.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 You will be very firm in your decisions but ensure that others, specifically your superiors do not take this as your reluctance and inflexibility. Day favours technically complicated work, as your ability to find solutions is at best.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 Today, you may work very hard to achieve a specific target but unfortunately you may not be able to finish it. There can be some technical problems concerning virus or hard disk or even disk space related issue.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 You may have investigative mind today so it will help you solve technical quests very easily. If you have to talk to authorities, this is the right day. On the personal front, you may remain highly emotional.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 Today you may be very determined and firm so may not waste single minute behind chatting and messaging, but may just keep your head in work. There can be positive change in your work profile. You will enjoy the company of your beloved one.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

This is a favourable day for counting things in percentages, like which project has reached to which level or how many percentages are done and how much is left. You will remain practical regarding work.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 You may be put in charge of organizing conferences today. So you will remain busy through out the day. By the end of the day you may be tired and may just want silent company of your partner or beloved but may not wish to discuss anything.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 The day indicates mental pressure so you may be paying too much attention to your work. Your analytical abilities are good today hence you may finish work in time, with some hindrances. In relationship you may be adjusting and loving.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 You may be confused about one or the other matter today. Generally you finish off work in time but today you may require more time to think over various technical solutions. In love life, you may be submissive and will not show any reluctance.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 If you want to discuss any important issue at office, you are advised to reorganize it. Day is favourable for inclusion of team member. In personal relationships, you may be very tender and cool, Ganesha says.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 You may have important meetings or meetings with larger groups today. Technical work may need to be handled carefully. In personal life, the case is reversed, ensure that there is no issue created because of your carelessness.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 You may be thinking about some technical stuff which might be bothering you since long. Day doesn’t favour permanent solutions but you can surely fix the problem for now. Day favours love affairs so if you want to propose go ahead. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Thursday, March 26, 2009

All smiles: James Vasanthan

M. Balamuralikrishna releases the audio of Pasanga at Sathyam Cinemas on Wednesday. Also seen are actor Kamal Haasan, music director James Vasanthan, directors Sasi Kumar, Pandiraj and Ameer. PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Listen to my advice: The legends share a thought

SECOND INNINGS V. HARIPRIYA [email protected]

I

t was dream come true for James Vasanthan, the music composer who gave the most downloaded song of the year – ‘kangal irandaal’ from Subramanipuram. Balamuralikrishna, a legend in the music world, has sung a song for Vasanthan’s next flick, Pasanga. And the happiness became double-fold when the first audio CD of the album was received by actor Kamal Hassan.

The audio and trailer launch of Pasanga, produced by director M. Sasi Kumar and directed by debutante director Pandiraj, was held at Sathyam Cinemas on Wednesday. Pasanga is touted to be a full-fledged children’s film, with six children playing prominent roles. Also in the cast are newcomer Vimal and actor Vega, who was last seen in Saroja. The guests for the launch function included Balamuralikrishna, Kamal Hassan, director Ameer, Tamil Film Producers Council

president Ramanarayanan and lyricists Thamarai and Yugabarathi. Balamuralikrishna was all smiles in his white kurta with golden embroidery. He revealed how he had second thoughts when Sasi Kumar and James Vasanthan approached him, because off late he has not been singing for films. “But now I think it was good that I sang this song. It made me feel like a balan (kid).” James Vasanthan should now be known as a music creator

Pasanga is James Vasanthan’s second film as music composer. The audio launch of the children’s film saw one legendary musician, one popular actor and a much-awestruck Ameer since he has done commendable songs, he added. Kamal Hassan said he was happy with the team’s effort to take on a children’s film. “This healthy trend should be encouraged. Children’s films should have hundred per cent content for the age group. Do not direct movies under the family drama genre with sizzling scenes that cannot be watched by a family. If you want to make such movies, rather brand them as ‘adult only movies.’”

Director Ameer seemed completely awed by Hassan. “I never learnt cinema in any college. Whatever I know about cinema is by watching Kamal’s films. I can openly say that Paruthiveeran had tints of Thevarmagan and Virumaandi. Similarly, Subramaniapuram had traces of Sathya. Off late, no one in Tamil cinema is making a movie without the influence of Kamal Hasaan or his movies.” Pasanga will hit theatres this May. ■