Ergo November 28

A BYTE OF LIFE

Friday, November 28, 2008

A

PRAYER FOR

FREE CIRCULATION

MUMBAI

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Vol. 2

No. 227

KAT’S IN NEWS For delivering one box office dud, Yuvvaraaj, after six back-to-back hits.

OF 08 DAY THE JACKET As temperatures go down, even slightly, it’s time to layer up. A look at the latest jacket trends.

» PAGE 04 & 05

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Night out

Namma Chennai

DJ Shaan will continue to add music to the theme-a-night party at OPM in The Accord Metropolitan. Mumbai Masala is the theme for Friday and Club House on Saturday.

Debate

Booked on Friday

Offer

The great exchange Tata Indicom has some exciting offers in store. Prepaid subscribers can upgrade their old handset with Huawei C2905 or Motorola W210 or Samsung Raaga handset. This apart, if the subscriber gets a new connection he/she enjoys multiple post purchase benefits. From the date of purchase till he finishes six months, the subscriber gets Rs. 100 talk time to make calls to any mobile network. Likewise for the subscriber who completes 12 and 15 months.

‘Are our kids reading enough?’. Join Shoba Vishwanath, author and publisher, on a panel discussion with your children. Did we love books only because we were pre-historic and lived before the era of TV, computers, play stations and internet? Join the debate. When: November 28; 6.30 p.m. Where: Crossword, T. Nagar

Food

Musical theatre

Dosas unlimited

A wonderful time See a dark, bitter-sweet tale of George, a savings and loan manager who struggles against a greedy banker and his own self-doubting nature in a small town. Mellow Circle will stage “It is a Wonderful Life” – a 1946 production and a film made by director Frank Capra this weekend. Proceeds will go toward Prathyasha, Mellow Circle’s home of hope for HIV affected children. Donor passes are available at Landmark, Music World, Pro Musicals and Odyssey. When: November 28, 29 and 30; 6.30 p.m. Where: The Museum Theatre For door delivery of tickets contact 2822 6619 or 2827 2870.

‘101 Dosa varieties’ is the new promotion at Olives. Different varieties in rice flour, corn flour, wheat flour and ragi are the main specialities of the dosa festival. In addition to the dosa varieties, coconut chuttney, sambar, thakkali chuttney and other dishes should add spice to your food. When: Till December 7; 3 p.m. - 6.30 p.m. Where: Olives, Deccan Plaza For reservations call 6677 3333

Television

The Simpsons

Getaway

Pamper yourself Treat yourself to a day off and go relax and rejuvenate in Trident Spa and Fitness Centre. The package is priced at Rs. 11, 450 for two persons, which includes buffet lunch for two, Thai massage, access to swimming pool, etc. When: Till March 2009 Where: Trident Hotel Call toll free 1- 800 11 2122 or visit www.tridenthotels.com for more details

Watch the Simpson family save the world from a catastrophe. ‘The Simpsons Movie’ is based on the long-running TV series and should keep you entertained this weekend. When: November 29; 9 p.m. Where: Star Movies

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Hear this A city-based Madras ENT Research Foundation on Thursday introduced a ’fully implantable hearing device’ named "Envoy Esteem" for the hearing impaired. The device uses eardrum as a natural microphone by picking up sounds and thereby using the body’s natural anatomy to reduce the background noise. PTI

The record-breaker

He owns the country’s largest collection of 78 rpm records, was India’s first food critic, and can tell you anything on cinema between 1900 and 1970 ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY

PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

I

nside a small lane off Haddows Road lives a bespectacled old man in his late seventies, whose two-floored mansion is dedicated to his enviably vast collection of gramophone records, books, videos and cassettes. V.A.K. Ranga Rao is a journalist, music scholar, dancer, and fine arts and cinema critic. To complement his passion, he has been collecting 78 rpm records for over half a century and has managed to collect a massive 42,000 of them, when last counted. He is now the owner of the largest record collection in the country. And it continues to grow. Ranga Rao did not complete his under graduation, though he pursued one at Pachaiyappa’s College. But his command over the English language is quite apparent when one listens to him talk and skim through the various books he has helped improve through scrutiny. His book, Triveni, which encompasses translations of Annamayya’s Telugu poems in English, is due for release on December 8 this year. When did his love for cinema begin? He laughs. “When I was three years old, I could recognise a song from a particular record and point to it the next time. I watched my first movie when I was five years old. I grew up with cinema and over a period of time it became a part of my life. It’s the exposure that I got from that early an age. Any question about cinema from the 1900 – 1970 and I have the answer to it.” This descendant of a royal family from Andhra started collecting

gramophone records as he felt there was a need for them to be preserved. His oldest record dates back to 1904. His records contain various elements, including speeches of famous leaders, music from around the globe, plays and advertisement jingles and are a huge collection in over 40 national and international languages. “The manufacture of 78 rpm records was discontinued in 1973. Till then, I was buying it in the market. After ’73, I started scouting second-hand stores to

get records. Besides Bring any know exactly. I grew up this, people know that I with records and cannot collect records and book to me point out a specific year when they find some on Indian as to when I started colthey send it across. them.” cinema and lecting Over a period of time, I Apart from his mascame to realise there I’ll find sive record collection, was no one collecting factual Ranga Rao also has an these records in this unbelievable collection elaborate a manner,” errors in it of books on various tophe recalls. ics; mainly cinema, art, When did he start collecting dance, music, astronomy, botathese records? He dismisses the ny, history and catering. In fact, question with a wave, saying, he was India’s first food critic and “When did you start speaking ran a column in the Madras Mail your mother tongue? You do not called ‘Night Spots’ three decades

ago. “I have some 300 books on Indian show business and another 300 on foreign show business. These books on foreign show business are very rare and cannot be found anywhere else in the city. I am told only Kamal Hassan and K. Balachander have these books, apart from me.” The critic that he is, he is very much open to criticism himself. But his meticulousness has made him intolerable to factual errors. “Bring any book to me on Indian cinema and I’ll find factual errors in it,” he exclaims. ■

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Big Story

Show your solidarity to friends in Mumbai through email to [email protected] with the subjectline: "Mumbai, we are with you." We will feature them in our Monday edition.

Citizen Watch

As gun-totting terrorist lay a siege over their city, some of Mumbai’s bloggers and twitterers were netcasting to the world what was happening. KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAN [email protected]

“25 gun shots in 30s! a navy copter on the top and loud whistle thats what I am hearing from my room” inukumar Ranganathan’s tweet on Thursday evening (4:23 p.m. to be precise) was as important as any news wire feed for scores of people who decided to ‘follow’ his twitter account (http://twitter.com/Vinu). The Mumbai blogger (vinu.wordpress.com) was one among the many citizen journalists, who kept at it through the bloody night and day, providing some insights into the ground situation in Mumbai. His photostream on Flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/vinu/) featuring 112 photographs from terror-struck Mumbai on Wednesday night had received more than 2.75 lakh views and he had already spoken to CNN International. Ergo has already requested an interview and hope to do that once the chaos subsides. Where repeated loops of same visuals made for pretty flat television news viewing, the new media offered new insights on ground realities in Mumbai. The social particularly – twitter, flickr and youtube – was buzzing with activity. Another blogger who captured international attention was Amit Varma, whose India Uncut Blog (http://www.indiauncut.com), regularly ranks among the top blogs in the country. In his post ‘A night in Mumbai,’ Varma narrates just how close he was to terrorist strikes after he decided to go out

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for dinner with his friends. “First we tried Indigo Deli, which is a couple of hundred metres from the Taj. We were told there would be a 25-minute wait. So we headed to All Stir Fry, the restaurant in the Gordon House Hotel in a lane down from there. They told us we’d have to wait 20 minutes. We stepped out again, and as we did so, we heard gunshots, and saw people running towards us from the left side. Varma thanks the hotel employees for offering him and his friend safety. “One of the hotel employees rushed out and told us to get back in. “There must have been an encounter,” he said. “Get back in, you’ll be safe inside.” We followed

From Amitabh Bachchan’s blog Mumbai under terrorist attack!! Several locations bombed and terrorists firing all over the city. Major hotels under siege. Taj Hotel battle going on inside the hotel. Multiple action on. Army called out. Over 60 reported killed and 120 injured. 7 of the police killed. Terrible! Terrible situation! http://bigb.bigadda.com/

him in. We waited in the loungebar upstairs for a while. The big screen there was showing cricket. India won. Then someone changed the channel.” “That’s when we realised that this was much more than a random police encounter, or a couple of gunshots. We heard that terrorists with AK-47s had opened fire outside Leopold’s, the pub

down the road. We heard there was firing elsewhere in the city as well, including in the Taj. We watched transfixed, and as the apparent scale of the incidents grew, we realised we couldn’t go home.”

Varma eventually reached home safely and wondered if things will remain the same. Citizen journalists were also quick to put up a page on ‘Deccan Mujahideen’ on the wikipedia. ■

Mumbai Help to the fore Mumbai Help, the city’s best known group blog (url – mumbaihelp.blogspot.com) that previously helped the city’s residents in distress at times of floods and previous terror attacks once again came to the rescue of many. In an attempt to help people communicate, they offered to send local SMSs to internet users who found it difficult to reach their near and dear ones in the city.

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Friday, November 28, 2008

CITY UNDER SIEGE Eyewitnesses tell their story, while Mumbaikers muse on the aftermath Shantaram’s Bombay I grew up in sleepy suburban Vashi, approximately 30 kilometres from the scene of the current crisis. My life got significantly more hectic when I joined St. Xavier’s College in South Mumbai. For three years, to get to college from VT station every morning, I would cut across Madam Cama Hospital. Much of my time in that period was spent outside college, hanging out at joints like Leopold café in Colaba (subsequently made popular in the novel, Shantaram), Metro cinema and Taj Mahal Hotel. When I called my mother last night to make sure my family was okay, she said she was more shaken up by the fact that I had spent so much time walking around these places. Now that I think about it, it strikes me as incredible that something like this should have happened. It’s hard to make sense of any violence, but events such as these seem even more surreal because my Bombay was once the safest city in the country. I suppose this is no longer my Bombay; it’s Shantaram’s Bombay. Here in the U.S., popular commentators are obsessing over what these attacks mean – are these terrorists trying to send a message to Barack Obama? I believe this view is incredibly shortsighted, and fairly typical of the American media. They feel the need to relate this incident to 9/11; that appears to be their only reference point. Vijay Parthasarathy, a Mumbai resident who is pursuing a doctorate degree at University of Austin, Texas

‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘

When the terrorists stormed the building, he and a group of people rushed into the kitchen, Chamberlain told Sky News, adding that one of the wa0,,, iters was shot in the arm. “They were talking about Britons and Americans specifically. They shot people completely unnecessarily. The group of about 30-40 people then marched up like sheep by a young guy with a sub-machine gun, who was about 22-23. My Indian friend told me ‘don’t be a hero’ and tell him you’re Italian and that kind of stuff’. British national Alex Chamberlain, who works for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in Mumbai, was in a restaurant at the Oberoi hotel when he heard gunfire, and barely managed to escape

I saw one man on foot carrying a machine gun-type of weapon – which I then saw him firing from and I saw people hitting the floor, people right next to me. Member of European Parliament Sajjad Karim

We had literally just ordered (at Leopold) and then it seemed like firecrackers – people were screaming.

Australian student David Coker who was grazed by a bullet, while his girlfriend Katie Anstee was shot in the leg, with the bullet breaking her femur and exiting through the front of her thigh

As I stepped into the bathroom you could hear machine-gun fire start up in the lobby.

Australian TV actress, Brooke Satchwell, former star of soap opera Neighbours , was inside the ground-floor toilets when the attack happened. She was trapped inside the Taj Hotel, hid herself in a two-by-three metre cupboard for an hour to escape death.

The morning after As the casualties increased in number, so did my concern for the coming day. At around 2:30 in the morning, I saw that none of the flats around my building was sleeping. Wondering whether the city would finally come to a halt, I went to bed. The morning after, giving my apprehensions a rest, I got out into the open and was welcomed by cars zooming past me, autos with their familiar sounds, and the buses, as crowded as ever. It was as if the night before didn’t exist, as if there was no hostage situation less that 30 kms away from where we were. The people’s countenances, however, did tell you a grim story. There was a marked absence of police vehicles across the suburban area, as most of them were stationed in the city side. The roads were much emptier than before, but that was not to say that they were desolate. Shops in general were going about with their usual businesses, but some of the smaller ones remained closed. There were also fewer taxis in sight as the roads were generally filled with autos and private vehicles. “There were rumours throughout the night,” said the man driving the auto I was travelling in. “They said there were blasts at Andheri station and also in Borivoli, but I went to Andheri in the morning and everything was normal,” he added. Schools and colleges remained closed, but it was work as usual for the others in Mumbai, except the places towards the city, where there was a curfew on. I don’t know whether it’s the spirit or lack of choice, but Mumbai has always managed to stay alive and withstand every terrible ordeal that it has had to endure over the past decade. The people have, perhaps, accepted terrorism as a part of their life and realised that staying indoors wouldn’t help anybody’s cause. I reached office to see a very long queue, which was there to donate blood to the hospitals for emergency, and I quietly joined in. Neelanjan Dasgupta, employee, L&T, Mumbai

Mumbai is currently in a state of confusion. Everybody is wondering who has done this, why the government has failed and how terrorists came in a boat to leave the city in a state of shock. But, life has to go on. This morning we had to cancel our shoot as people had to come from different areas, but then it is going to be a normal day. In south Mumbai, local people have already started volunteering or helping the police in whatever little way they can. Venugopal Thakker runs a production company

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Sport

Chinese footballer sentenced to death A former star player in China’s top football league has been sentenced to death for murdering a man over a gambling debt, state press reported on Thursday. Wen Junwu, formerly with the now defunct Guangdong Apollo Football Club based in southern Guangzhou city, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve on Wednesday for killing Li Jiahao, the China Daily said. The reprieve likely means that Wen’s death sentence will be commuted to life in prison after two years.

England go home early E

ngland on Thursday abandoned their one-day series in India following the deadly attacks in Mumbai, leaving the subsequent Test series also in doubt. “They are packing their bags, they are going home,” a source said from Cuttack where England played the fifth of the seven-match one-day series on Wednesday night. England will skip the last two games of the series in Guwahati and New Delhi, the source said

India calls off T20 Champions League The inaugural six-million dollar Twenty20 Champions League has been called off because of the deadly attacks in Mumbai, organisers said on Thursday. The tournament, featuring the top eight Twenty20 domestic teams from Australia, South Africa, India, England and Pakistan, was due to be held from December 3-10 in Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. “We held consultations among all the stakeholders including the founding members, the participating teams and members of the Governing Council after the unfortunate terrorist attacks in Mumbai on Wednesday night,” League chairman Lalit Modi said in a statement. “It was agreed that in the best interests of all concerned, the inaugural edition of the Champions League should be postponed. We very strongly condemn this dastardly and heinous criminal act of a few which has resulted in the loss of precious lives and injury to hundreds. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and we are with them in their hour of grief.” Modi did not say when the tournament will be played. The teams taking part were Victoria and Western Australia (Australia), Dolphins and Titans (South Africa), Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals (India), Middlesex (England) and Sialkot Stallions (Pakistan). The South African, Australia and English boards had earlier raised concerns about safety and had cancelled the departure of their state sides. Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne who had reached Singapore on his way to Mumbai had also expressed his concerns. AFP

after the team management met Indian cricket board secretary N. Srinivasan in Cuttack on Thursday morning. The matches held only academic interest with India leading 5-0 in the series. According to reports Kevin Pietersen’s men has decided to fly home.

In doubt It was not clear if England would return for the two-Test series scheduled to start in Ahmedabad on December 11. Both

teams were due to stay at the luxury Taj Mahal Hotel, where a major attack took place, for the second Test in Mumbai from December 19. Cricinfo said the Indian cricket board was hopeful the Test series would go ahead. “At this point of time, it is difficult to go ahead with the one-day tour, but we expect England to take a call on the Test tour only later after it re-evaluates the security situation,” the website quoted unnamed sources as saying. However, others said England may not return for the Tests. England’s High Performance squad, which is currently training in Bangalore, was awaiting guidance from the British government on the future of its own tour. The squad, which includes former captain Michael Vaughan and current Test stars Monty Panesar and Andrew Strauss, was scheduled to reach Mumbai on December 3 to play a practice game. “We continue to be guided by the British foreign office and await further guidance,” an England team spokesman was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. The cancellation of England’s tour comes as the Indian government is debating whether to send a cricket team to strife-torn Pakistan in January for a Test series. AFP

Tests in doubt after England abandon India tour

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Academy for golf teachers Backed by golf’s world rules and development body, The R&A, the Indian Golf Union (IGU) has set up a first-ofits-kind National Academy (NGAI) for golf teachers in South Asia in Chandigarh. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews or the R&A, which organises the Open Championship and is in charge of the game’s development in Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific and The Americas (outside the USA and Mexico), has pumped in 150,000 pounds into the project.

Top guns sail through F

ormer European champions Liverpool and Inter Milan sealed their berths in the Champions League last 16 but last season’s finalists Chelsea still have work to do after a 1-1 draw at Girondins Bordeaux on Wednesday. Inter advanced from Group B despite a surprise 0-1 home defeat to Panathinaikos that left their manager Jose Mourinho fuming while victory put the Greek side in an excellent position to progress to the knockout stage. “Panathinaikos’s win is absolutely deserved,” Mourinho told reporters. “People say they were lucky but I don’t agree. After that performance we don’t deserve to go through and we must be angry with ourselves.” The Italian champions were left on eight points after Jose Sarriegi struck in the 69th minute to lift Panathinaikos into second place on seven and they need only a draw from their final match at home to Cypriots Anorthosis Famagusta, who have six. Inter missed several good chances to take the lead but Panathinaikos also had their moments as Simao twice came close to making it 2-0 late in the game. Champions League debutants Anorthosis will be kicking themselves after squandering a 2-0 lead against Werder Bremen as they now head to Athens needing a win to leapfrog Panathinaikos into the runnersup spot. Nikos Nikolau and Savio put the Cypriots in the driving seat before Werder, who have four points and can only salvage a UEFA Cup spot, hit back through Diego and Hugo Almeida.

Slack defending Last season’s finalists Chelsea did themselves no favours with a 1-1 draw at Bordeaux in Group A, which means they are still not assured of avoiding an early exit from Europe’s premier club competition. They looked home and dry after Nicolas Anelka fired them ahead on the hour with a clinical finish but slack defending from a corner allowed Alou Diarra to head in a late equaliser. Chel-

Liverpool, Inter and Atletico through to last 16

sea were under pressure in the dying minutes after Frank Lampard was sent off for a second bookable offence but held on. AS Roma won 3-1 at CFR Cluj thanks to a Matteo Brighi brace and a third by Francesco Totti to go top of the group on nine points; ahead of Chelsea who have eight and Bordeaux on seven. “We started the group really badly but today we Barcelona’s Lionel showed that we Messi (left) celebrates deserve to be the with teammates after leaders,” Brighi scoring against said, before addSporting during their ing: “We were Champions League happy to get group C match at two quick goals Alvalade Stadium in to set us on the Lisbon. PHOTO: AFP way to victory.” All three sides can go through while Cluj, who made a bright start with four points from their opening two games, are out of Europe after three successive defeats.

Attacking quality In Group D, five time winners Liverpool sealed their passage with a 1-0 home win over Olympique Marseille after captain Steven Gerrard scored his fifth goal in this season’s competition. “We know Gerrard is an offensive midfielder with a very good attacking quality and can score goals. We are pleased with him,” Liverpool coach Rafa Benitez told reporters. Liverpool were joined in the last 16 by Atletico Madrid, who beat PSV Eindhoven 2-1 in an empty Calderon as they served a one-match crowd ban in their home game against Marseille. Barcelona, the 2006 winners, sealed top spot in Group B after a 5-2 away drubbing of also qualified Sporting while Jadson hit a hat-trick for Shakhtar Donetsk who clinched a place in the UEFA Cup last 32 with a 5-0 home rout of Basel. Early goals from Thierry Henry and Gerrard Pique sent Barca on their way while Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkic were also on target for the Catalan side either side of a Marco Caneira own-goal. ■ Reuters

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Mango

gner Zac ve and desi Natalie Lo Posen

Ed Hardy

Jacket juggernaut T

WEATHER THE CHILL WITH THE SEASON’S NEW JACKETS

Esprit

Mango

he weather’s cooling down and late evenings one can sense a perceptible chill even in a place like Chennai. Even if one chooses to wrinkle one’s nose at someone calling Chennai jacket-worthy (the rain jacket being an exception), airconditioned environs offer many an opportunity to flaunt one. We bring to you our favourite jackets, right from the red carpets in New York to those in the stores of Chennai. At the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi, designer duo Shantanu and Nikhil presented their own exaggerated version of the snorkel parka, that military jacket which was invented in USA in the ‘50s that let nothing but the wearer’s frostbite-reddened face be seen. The pea jacket, the long belowthe-waist jacket with a large collar, has seen several variations. What was once crafted out of coarse wool to keep sailors warm has now seen variations like the 7/8 coat and the trench coat. Mango’s collection as part of the Toronto Fashion Week had enough and more of both. We love the satin magenta trenchstyle jacket. Nagara’s kimono-sleeved jackets as part of Elle Bangkok Fashion 2008 were smart yet

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Portfolio BULLETIN

antanu Nikhil & Sh

t

In this picture taken at Paris Hotel des Monnaies (The French Mint), a gold coin worth 5,900 euros (7,440 US dollars) representing French legend designer Gabrielle ’Coco’ Chanel (18831971) is unveiled. French Culture Minister Christine Albanel and German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld were invited by the CEO of ’Monnaie de Paris’ Christophe Beaux to present the 10,000 copies first mint collection series specially designed by Lagerfeld. AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS GUILLOT

traditional chic. At the opening party of Mobile Art: Chanel Contemporary Art Container in New York last week, Natalie Love and designer Zac Posen made for a rather attractive picture, the former in a quilted poncho-like creation, the latter in a golden sport jacket paired with silver muffler. Similarly, Rosamund Pike, the actress who played the chilly Miss Frost in Die Another Day, looked quite the stunner in a blue velvet bolero at the British Fashion Awards, while Jade and Elizabeth Jagger were biker chic personified at the same event. If you’re in college, you’ll probably have your own letterman jacket, with your college name or initials inscribed on it. Sportswear brands like Nike, Reebok, Adidas and Puma have a good range of ball jackets, those easy-to-wear-easy-to-discard zipper jackets. Christian Audigier, through his Ed Hardy line, has made the ball jacket a part of high-street prêt. Chennai, too, saw some activity, with the launch of Esprit’s Fall/Holiday 2008/09 collection at its flagship store on Khader Nawaz Khan Road recently. Besides, brands like United Colors of Benetton (check out the corduroy jackets here) and Tommy Hilfiger, too, have their fall collections on mannequins.■

Matthew Williamson for H&M Swedish fashion giant H&M said British celebrity designer Matthew Williamson would create its next guest collection. H&M’s tradition of bringing in guest designers has been a big hit for the group, which is contending with a tough environment for retailers. Williamson will start with a women’s range at some stores on April 23, followed by men’s and women’s summer clothes to be offered from all H&M outlets from mid-May. H&M said Williamson started on the London fashion scene in 1997 with a collection modelled by Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Jade Jagger. Celebrities such as Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Gwyneth Paltrow regularly wear his clothes. Past H&M launches – including those by Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney – have generated frenzied scenes as shoppers sought to buy chic designs at cut-rate prices. AFP

Nagara

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Flick

Sandhya’s dream Actress Sandhya who has had a successful run in Tamil Cinema has a big dream which she wants to fulfill- to own a palatial bungalow in Chennai.

I’ve proved all my critics

wrong F

ive years into Bollywood, Britain-born actress Katrina Kaif is proud that she could prove wrong all those people who wrote her off during her initial days in the industry. She is one of the few actresses who can boast of giving six hits in a row. “When I started, people were not only writing me off for my strong British accent, there were many others who tried to prevent me from making it till here,” Katrina told IANS in an interview here. “They didn’t do so in an aggressive or excessive manner, but they used to say things like ’I don’t know...’ and ’I’m not sure...’ that would suggest a not-so-positive approach towards me. But I proved myself ultimately. “I always try and push myself to exceed expectations. I use this ideology in a positive way,” she explained. Katrina was emphatic when she spoke of her belief in destiny. “The great thing about life is that you never know what can happen and there’s no limitation to it. Someone can tell you that you can never be this and never be that. It’s not true. Anyone can be what he wants to be and destiny plays a major part in it. God has of course been very kind to me. I believe that everyone should try and live their dreams, follow them and they might just come true someday, Katrina said. From her disastrous debut with Boom in 2003 to five hits in a row in 2007, the 24-yearold has not only worked hard on her acting skills, she has also shown a marked improve-

ment in her Hindi dialogue delivery. Commenting on her improved accent, Katrina - born of a Kashmiri father and a British mother – said, “Interacting with various people on and off the sets and doing some eight Hindi movies, dealing with Hindi scripts, practising dialogue delivery ... I think that in itself has taught me and helped me improve my accent.” Katrina is in the news nowadays for having delivered one box office dud Yuvvraaj after delivering six back-to-back hits including Namastey London, Apne, Partner, Welcome, Race and Singh Is Kinng. After so many hits, she was tagged as a lucky mascot for producers by trade pundits, but the actress is not pleased with the ‘lucky’ label. “Lucky mascot doesn’t make any sense. It is such an illogical statement. A successful film is a combination of a good director, good music, intelligent script, good timing, destiny, everybody’s efforts and audience’s reaction. There isn’t a reason or an explanation that you can tag a person as lucky,” she remarked. As of now, Katrina has a number of films in her kitty. She is doing two films with Ranbir Kapoor including Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani by Rajkumar Santoshi. She is also working with Prakash Jha on his multi-starrer Rajniti. These apart, she has one comedy film in hand and a two-film deal each with UTV and TV 18 respectively. ■ IANS

From her disastrous debut with Boom in 2003 to five hits in a row in 2007, the 24-year-old has not only worked hard on her acting skills, she has also shown a marked improvement in her Hindi dialogue delivery.

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Friday, November 28, 2008

The Super spy

Big budget

When Daniel Craig first heard from the Bond producers that he had got the part of the super spy, he was in a store buying dishwashing tablets. After the call, he dropped them and bought a bottle of vodka instead.

If internet buzz is to be believed, director Shankar has used three BMW cars each costing more than 3.5 Crores during the filming of Endhiran. www.cinesnacks.com

Cine City

Gautham-Rahman combination to continue

Kidman ipod doesn’t have husband’s songs

O

scar winning Australian actress Nicole Kidman has many artistes on her ipod list but her husband’s music is conspicuously missing. iTunes released Kidman’s playlist, reports tmz.com. Some artistes on the playlist include John Mayer and The Kings of Leon. There are also some older bands like Crowded House and Midnight Oil. But her husband Keith Urban’s songs are missing. Kidman and Urban got married a few years back. Kidman at one time was married to superstar Tom Cruise. ■

While the rift between Harris and Gautham is well known in the film industry, now Gautham has struck a deal with A.R.Rahman for his next Telugu flick produced by the UTV Motion Pictures with Mahesh Babu in the lead. Sources from Kollywood hint that Gautham’s association with Rahman will continue in his future projects too. Rahman is also scoring for Gautham’s Chennayil Oru Mazhaikaalam, which is reportedly 60 per cent complete.

IANS

Campbell sparks engagement rumours B

ritish supermodel Naomi Campbell has ignited rumours that she got engaged when she sported a huge ring on her finger. According to thesun.co.uk, the 38-year-old supermodel wore the ring when she went out with her Russian boyfriend Vladimir Doronin. Campbell had met Doronin in May and has reportedly even bought a wedding dress. Doronin is a property dealer and was reportedly showing Campbell off to his friends. A witness said, “She was very pointedly looking at her ring and admiring it.” The two were spotted together at a magazine bash in Moscow. ■ IANS

Malavika,becomes a mom Actress Malavika, who has acted in a number of films including Nan Avan illai and Chandramukhi, delivered a baby boy on Tuesday evening in Mumbai. The actress married Sumesh Menon, a businessman in Mumbai, about two years ago. According to sources, both the mother and child are doing well at the Leelavati Hospital in Mumbai.

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Thursday’s Question: If vada-pav is brand Mumbai, we feel sambaridly should be brand Chennai. Come up with a tag line that will sell it. ■ ’Don’t eat nonsense and become silly come to nama singara Chennai and have the super sambhar idly.’ Rakshita Sreenivasan, Wipro

■ Tamil Nadu’s sambar idli. Healthy food that boosts intelligent people Vimprash, Patni Computers

■ Sambar-Idly. Mumbai’s envy, Chennai’s pride. Nataraj, Changepond Tech

■ Kanna rajini na stylelu ..... Satyaraj na lollu..... Vijay na Villu.... aana sambar idly na athu Chennai mattum than. Rajeshkumar.P, TCS

■ East or west sambar-idly is the best. Subhasis, Sify Technology

■ Should name it as "Sarath sambar with hot Namitha idly for breakfast." Murali, Ramtech

Today’s Query: What would you do if you were invisible for a day?

G.Vaidhyanathan from Financial Technologies has been nominated as Office Angel by Ramalakshmi from HCL. G.Vaidhyanathan is a very jovial and helpful person. He never loses his temper come any situation. He is dedicated towards his work.

Hemalatha Loganathan of RR Donnelley has nominated his team as Partners in Crime.

If a Flower is empty what do you call it? Caali-Flower. Siva Nath

Lecturer: Nadakura semesterla nee 90% vanganum... Student: No sir 100% vanguven. Lecturer: joke adikkadha. Student: Yaru da first joke adichadhu Lecturer:?? Senthil Arjunan, Calsoft

A sardar waves his hand at the sky…..guess What he was trying to do? He was trying to get TATA SKY No No azhakoodadhu (don’t cry)!

Lavanya of California Software has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked during Onam celebrations in their office.

Regards, Rajkumar.S HCL Technologies

Ramya Sajeev of HCL doodled this.

1. Pongalukku Governmentla leaveu kudupanga... Ana Idly Dosaikku kudupangala?! 2. 7 Paramparaikkku ukkanthu saapida paisa irunthalum... fast food kadaile ninnukittu dhaan saapidanum! 3. Thooka marundhu sappitta thookam varum... Anaa...Irumal marundhu sappitta irumal varathu! (Enna kodumai saaar idhu) By, Rajee, Coastal Training Technologies

Selvakumar from Satyam Computers has nominated his team as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Queensland.

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Friday, November 28, 2008

■ Dear Nithya Wish you many more happy returns of the day. May god bless you with all love and affection... With Love...Senthil, TF-Bangalore.

■ 6 Projects crashed! The cause for it is Arijit (IBM, Bangalore) fallen in love, so the projects handled by him is unstable. Save Arijit by giving tips!!! Abhishek Tripathi, IBM,Bangalore

■ Dear Karthik, Many More Happy Returns of the day. May all your wishes come true. I hope that you have the best birthday and I hope that the candles on your cake go out with your first puff for then your wish will come sparkling true! Vasanthi, Accenture Services Privated Ltd.

■ Hello Appa Wish you many more happy returns on this wonderful.Njoy your b’day!! need your support for ever.. Divya, IBM Bangalore

■ Dear Viju Many Many Happy Returns of the Day :-) Today at least keep all ur mokkai ’s away [:P] Wishes frm, "IgNiTe GaNgStErS" TCS

■ Dear Kendly Parvez Ahmed Advance heartly wishes for your birthday.! Let our friendship continue forever!!! Congratulations for your successful completion of M.Com, Kaiff Parvez, CGSL

■ Snippet Singam Balaji Wishing you a Advanced Happy & Wonderful Married Life. US Snippet Team. CGSL.

■ Hi RockStar (Sundaresan) Avance Joyeux anniversaire ! "If there’s something that you’re dreaming of then may it all come true, because you deserve it all...HAPPY BIRTHDAY" Have a Wonderful Year Ahead. Sunny Smiles, Lavanya, Senthil, Vallabhee, Wipro-Moto Gang

■ Dear Karthik Many Many Happy Returns of the day & Happy B’day to you karthik.....May God showers his blessings on you and heavy downfall of love,cheers & greetings from all around u.Have fun Regards, Gajendra Reddy.C, AdventNet Inc

■ Dear Virgil We wish that all your dreamz come true. May God bless you abundantly, and fulfill your Wedding dreamz too… may this year brings you a lot of Happy &

prosperous moment in life with your fiancé LakshmiJ Happy Birthday!! Cheers, Athena AR Quality Team, Perot systems

■ Dear Prem Anand We just want to say, Happy Birthday To you, my dear friend You have always been there for us And our friendship will never end. By Colleagues From Wipro Technologies

■ Dear Vijay I wish you Bon Voyage for your journey to U.S. Have a wonderful experience, Challenging and Sucessful environment over there. Best Wishes from Vidhya

■ Dear Dr.Madhumitha Wishing you a very happy day and joyful time.... Urs, Vimal Prashanth Patni Computers.

■ Hi Thousif Bakra Ivg Wishing u in advance of ur stepping into 23rd of your life, may god bless u with all love and affection. Advance wishes from ur PARVEZ ICWAI, jafer CA, Saif Dhila, Thofiq IATA, Heatly wishes, Kendly Parvez Ahmed, Uspd- Cgsl

■ Dear better half (Deepthi) My advanced birthday wishes to you, I wish you a many happy returns of the day, May God bless you and our family with health, wealth and prosperity in your life. Yours lovingly, K. Chander, Actavis Pharma Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd.

■ Dear MURALI Wish you many more happy returns of the day. May this year brings you a lot of Happy and prosperous moments in your life. By Selva, Ranjith, Sudhakar and Sekar, RR Donnelley

■ Hey Y.Ram Happy birthday... And wishing you a happy married life. Mohamed Siddiq, Deepak, Prasad, Mokkai Guna, Kasam, Mangar, Anandhan Sharmila, Chiku MS, LE LE LE Panner, Kora Shankar, THY and Kanchi Guys.

■ Hi Sampath Wish You Many More Happy Returns of the day...Wishing you success and may all your dreams come true.. :-) OE Conversion,L3,Wipro ■ Dear D. Umamaheswari(Pharmex) Wish u Many more Happy returns of the day.May this year brings u a lot of Happy & prosperous moments in your lifeWish u a very Special day!!!

D.Deepalakshmi

■ Dear Mani Wish u many more happy returns of the day!!! Let all ur dreams come true. May god bless u forever... With luv, Jaya and Mohana, Hexaware

■ Hi Maida Maidavin Pugalaaram!!! ’Depart in white pilllar All in all Alagurajave, Work illati maidava iruppaan,Work vanduta summa kotthu parottava mariduvaanla” “Chappathikku thevai white maida Namma departku thevai Balaji maida” Advance Birthday Wishes!!!! Cheers ,12 Bees ,Hexaware Technologies

■ Dearest Bhavu (Bgjmpv) This is...A Lovely Message, For a Lovely Person, From Lovely Friends, For a Lovely Reason, At a Lovely Time, In a Lovely Style, To wish u... A Lovely Birthday :-) Hope this birthday brings you all the joy under the sun... With loads of love... bGJMPV :-) Ganesh, Janani, Manasi, Prashant, Vishnu, Wipro

■ Hi Nathaniel David Dayashankar Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. We wish you a very happy birthday . With Lots of love, Jayanthi ,Sushmita, Lakshmi, Priyanka and Manju..., Wipro Technologies

■ Hi Vijay R Days are special, Birthdays are so special. Enjoy your birthday! Many more happy returns of the day. With Warm Wishes, T&Q Team, DPIBPL

■ My dear Priya If I could catch a rainbow, I would do it just for you, And share with you its beauty. On the days you’re feeling blue, If I could build a mountain, You could call your very own, A place to find serenity, A place to be alone, if I could take your troubles I would toss them in the sea, But all these things I’m finding, are impossible for me I cannot build a mountain, Or catch a rainbow fair, But let me be what I know best, A friend who’s always there for u. Advanced birthday wishes to my dear buddy, Your birthday makes this day all the more special and beautiful. With lots of luv, Rohini S, TCS.

■ Hi Selvam Our advanced wishes for your Birthday on November 30th. May god bless you abundantly with good health,career and everything that you wish. (Intha varushathula

irunthu konjam ’surusuruppa’ irunga) . Hearty wishes, Ethe, Hema,Meena TCS

■ Dear Sugi & Mathan "It takes real luck to find that ’special someone’ who’s the perfect match for you and Now that you ’ve found out yours".On your Engagement....Loads of Joy & Happiness may fill your hearts! Let your new life be Happy & Fruitful!! Our Warm Wishes for your lifetime joy & togetherness!!! Congratulations for your Wonderful Tomorrow!!!!:-) With Love & Wishes, Rainbow Gals....Gayathri(Wipro), Shalini (Wipro), Mano(CTS), Preethi(TCS), Suji (TCS), Suja(AMD), Mizpah(Lect. Vels), Latha(Lect.), Kanmani(Infosys), Indu, Rajam(Lect.), Jeba.

■ Dear RamKumar (Infy) Engalathu iniya pirantha nal vazthukkal. Indru Pol Endrum nee Santhoshamai Vazha ellam valla iraivanai prarthikkirom. Wid luv, Imran,Selva,JJ ,Bala , Vijay and All Eternals

■ Dear Saurabh Chhajed Happy Happy Birthday re...We wish u a very fabulous future ahead!!God Bless u! Remember us always as we do!!!:) Yours Gang 17thDecember2008 oracle,Wipro

■ Dear Sandeep Wish you many more happy returns of the day …Happy Birthday We have booked a table for our team in Rain Tree at 7pm– Come with your credit card Best Wishes, Ca7 Team Ford-satyam team

■ Name>>Nandini Company >>inautix Wishes>>Many more happy returns of the day .May the forthcoming year be filled with joy and happiness and let your dreams come true . Sent by>>Satishkumar

■ Hi Erummmmmmaaaaaade, Fn always has U in it. Grow up Kiddo!!! Wherez da party?? Namma T2 villa party... Hoping for a party 2nyte :) Happy B’day in Advance... With tons of hugs n kisses, T2 Gurlz…. (Ex-T2 included)

■ Dear R.K.Deeptee Shivaanee Happy Birthday to you da Wishes from Umapathy Family

With Luv $ Best Wishes,D.Nallathambi,

___

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Websites of the day

Traffic Jam

Get your daily dose of Sudoku here: http://www.sudoku.org.uk/ Learn facts about the Guinness World Records here: http:// www.guinnessworldrecords.com/

sudoku

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

Dhinesh AD of TCS clicked this picture in Ooty. Hobbies: Photography and biking

KAKURO

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Friday, November 28, 2008

Expensive book

Word’s worth

A handmade velvet-and marble-bound book worth more than US$ 100,000 depicting the life and work of Michelangelo has arrived at the New York Public Library, fresh from publication in Italy.

"Jau Dewin" (jaw-duh-win) a term of reproach, of obscure origin, from the late 1300s. No matter what the origin, we can always use another term of reproach.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 You will be dutiful and sincere more than usual today. It is a favourable day for posting your resume to other companies. You may wish to spend time with your friends. Alternatively, you may take your partner to a nice public place like theatre.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 Your mixing nature will help you gather good credit from others at office. You will get your work done very tactfully. In personal life, you may be more possessive about your partner. Ensure that there is no ‘conflict of power’ between you and anyone else.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 You may be more compulsive in your behaviour with others. Unwillingly you might have to agree with what others say. In love life, you may try to attain more clarity. Intimacy between you and your partner may increase in the later part of the day.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 At office, you may experience lot of stressfeels Ganesha. Others may be more demanding and your day may be spent in meeting their expectations. In relationships, you could be more forgiving so your partner may not have any complaints for you.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 Ganesha finds this to be active day for you. You may wonder when the day started and when it got over. You will find the work becoming more demanding. Lovers may need to show care and concern towards partner to make feel good.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

It is perfect day to deal with mundane activities like arranging your desk and also for important works like planning the trip or reshuffling work schedule. In personal life, you may enjoy nice recreational activity in the company of your partner or beloved.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 While you are at work, domestic responsibilities may keep drawing your attention. Ganesha suggests you to try and manage this carefully. Today you may not be in a mood to work for long hours, but may wish rush home to relax as soon as the day is over.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Your sincerity at work may speak volumes for you today. At home, you may not have any major issue to deal with. Ganesha feels that you may have interesting discussions with your family members which will enrich your and their general knowledge.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 You may stick to your work and try to meet all your targets or deadlines. Because you are wise enough to handle work intelligently and in time, you will meet your targets by the end of the day. Later you may take interest in matters related to occult.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 You may feel drained if you work for longer hours, however, you can be very vigorous in your thoughts. Others at office may feel a bit pressurised with your demands. In personal life, you may demand more attention from your partner, feels Ganesha.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 To sort out minor issues, you may need to put in greater efforts at office. You may feel that ’nothing is working in your favour’ but towards end of the day, stars are turning in your favour. Love life may brighten up and blossom in the evening.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 Ganesha finds you receiving lot of credit and appreciation for your work. Superiors may remain happier with you which will make you feel more secured and happy. Personal relationships may reach to better level of understanding. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

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ERGO Friday, November 28, 2008

Real skull used in Hamlet

!

A late Shakespeare fan’s dying wish has come true after his skull was used by actor David Tennant as a prop in a stage production of Hamlet. Concert pianist Andre Tchaikowsky left his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company after dying from cancer in 1982.

Churches find ‘chocolate Jesus’ tasteless Germany’s churches criticised a businessman on Tuesday for selling thousands of Jesus chocolates. Frank Oynhausen set up his ‘Sweet Lord’ chocolate Jesus-making business saying he wanted to restore some traditional religious values to Christmas in Germany. Reuters

Italian party to pay for babies named after Mussolini An Italian right-wing party is offering US$ 1,930 to parents who name their babies after wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini or his wife Rachele, saying their names are under threat. The MSIFiamma Tricolore party, the descendant of Mussolini’s fascist party, said the initiative in the poor, southern region of Basilicata was meant to keep alive names “at risk of extinction” and pay tribute to the movement’s roots. Reuters

Stable light ‘to make atomic clocks smaller’ Scientists have come up with a new design which they claim can be used to make the world’s most precise clock as small as a wristwatch. Cesium atomic clocks are used to define the basic unit of time – the second – to coordinate and synchronise global timekeeping, GPS navigation systems, computers on the Internet and scientific equipment. But these devices, known as fountain clocks, are very large and technically very complex. Now, an international team has claimed that a new class of atomic clocks of at least equivalent accuracy could be made much smaller and simpler just by trapping aluminium, gallium, cesium or rubidium atoms in a lattice of laser light operated at a specific ‘magic’ wavelength. According to the researchers from Nevada University in the US and the University of New South Wales in Australia, the relative compactness of the new design would be of benefit in many scientific and general applications, and could also offer better control over errors in existing fountain clocks. PTI