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APRIL 15, 2012 HYDERABAD

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BEE GEESSINGER ROBININ COMA

Bee Gees poplegend Robin

Gibb went into acoma last night,raising fears he hasonly days to live.The 62-year-old'sfamily is under-stood to be at hisbedside.

She looks forwardto being with

satisfied mothers andgurgling babies every

day of her work life.Paediatrician Dr Kiran

Krishnamurti tells us what her

profession meansto her.

PG 10 PG 22

SPREADING THE JOY OF BIRTH

KNOWWHERE TO

GO THISSUMMER

A group of Dalit students has allegedly organised a ‘beef fest’ to defy what they called the ‘Brahminical diktat on food culture’.

NOAH’S ARK OURONLY HOPE?

Time is running out for our beautiful blue planet, say worldleaders. However, the sad fact is that the world governments

are yet to agree on a common agenda for saving it.

REPORT ON PG 3

Is trouble cooking in OU?

PG 16&17

PG 13

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 44767777,Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973CINEMAS

Marriott and Convention Centre ishosting a Goan food festival.Where: Hyderabad Marriott

and Convention Centre, Tank Bund

When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards

Contact: (040) 2752 2999

IPL specialTruffles Cafe is offering a great wayto catch the live telecast of IPL sea-son 5. Head to Truffles Cafe for IPLspecial mocktails, beverages andstarters and various other delights.Where: Truffles Cafe,

Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36When: Ongoing,

8am onwardsContact: (040) 2355 0105

Crepes and wafflesLover of waffles and crepes? Deli9is offering a crepe and waffle festi-val. Taste a variety of waffles suchas fruit waffle and the classic waffleor a variety of exotic crepes such ascaramel apple. The festival is onfrom April 7-April 21.Where: Delhi 9, Banjara Hills,

Rd No 1When: Ongoing,

8am to 8pmContact: (040) 6550 6662

Mexican film festivalWorld cinema? Head to Annapurna

Storytelling with puppetsA storytelling workshop with pup-pets is being organised by Oxfordbookstore. The workshop aims touse puppets to recreate Indian sto-ries set in urban and a semi-urbanlandscape.Where: Oxford Bookstore,

The Park,Rajbhavan Road

When: April 15, 5pmContact: 91601 48444

Play timeNishumbita Ballet and Theatregroup will stage SureshChandragupt’s Home Work andKhader Khan’s Eshwar Allah TeroNaam at the Ravindra Bharati.Where: Ravindra Bharati,

SaifabadWhen: April 15,

10am onwardsContact: (040) 2323 1245

Hard rock and gamesThe IPL T20 games are on. Head toHard Rock Cafe to enjoy somematches, great food and interestingdrinks all through the IPL season.Where: Hard Rock Cafe,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 1When: Ongoing,

4pm-8pmContact: (040) 4476 7900

Taj Mahal Ka TenderIf Shah Jahan was to build the TajMahal today it would be quite aherculean task. The play Taj MahalKa Tender adapted and directed byNagaraj Pejjai deals with such a sit-uation wherein Shah Jahan is outto build the Taj Mahal but getsstuck between corruption andbureaucracy.Where: Nift campus MadhapurWhen: April 15, 7.30pmContact: (040) 2311 0841

Mood for MediterraneanFrom April 13 to April 22, TheDeccan Pavillion at ITC Kakatiya isoffering a Mediterranean dishes.Lunch buffet is priced at `1,049,and dinner costs `1,149.Where: ITC Kakatiya,

BegumpetWhen: Ongoing, 11am-7pmContact: (040) 2340 0132

Taste of BengalNobo Borsho feast will be held atVerandah and Aish from April 13-April 15. Sample the best of Eastand West Bengal by The ParkKolkata’s chef. An a-la- carte menuis available at Verandah and aninteresting Thaali at Aish.Where: The Park,

Rajbhavan RoadWhen: Ongoing (April13-15)Contact: (040) 2345 6789

Goan food festivalThe Momo Cafe at Hyderabad

and Kurries.Where: ITC Kakatiya, BegumpetWhen: April 8 Contact: (040) 2340 0132

Go SplashSplash lounge is the perfectleisure destination for you tounwind. There is also great music,martinis and aperitifs.Where: The Westin, Mindspace,

MadhapurWhen: Monday - Friday,

5pm - 10.30pmWeekends,8am - 10.30pm

Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Water coloursIconart is hosting Aquarelle as apart of it’s Buy Art initiative.Where: Iconart Gallery,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 12When: Ongoing,

11.30 am onwardsContact: 98499 6879

Asian barbequeThe Square, Novotel, Madhapurplays host to an Asian barbeque.Sample grilled specialities fromaround the world.Where: The Square, Novotel,

MadhapurWhen: Every Saturday,

7pm onwardsContact: (040) 6682 4422

Studios Preview Theatre f.or aMexican film festival.Where: Annapurna Studios

Preview Theatre,Banjara Hills, Rd No1

When: April 14-15, 5.30pm onwards

Contact: (040) 4914 1234

Every Rupee countsSyn at Taj Deccan is offering inter-esting meal options. The conceptbehind Calorie for a Rupee is toenjoy a great meal priced accordingto it’s calorie count.Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill,

Taj Deccan,Banjara Hills, Rd No 1

When: Ongoing,12 pm to 3.30pm

Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Being ’together’Together, an exhibition of paintingsby Shravan Kumar GK will be ondisplay from April 6 onwards.Where: Iconart Gallery,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 12When: OngoingContact: 98499 6879

The great Sunday brunchITC Kakatiya offers The GrandSunday Brunch. Great food is thebest way to spend your Sunday.You can choose from the brunchesat Deccan Pavilion, Dakshin, Kebabs

CITY 2SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

SUN AND SILHOUETTESM ANIL KUMAR

CITY 3SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

This Akshaya Tritya (April 24) invest ingold coins from India Post and get

a flat six per cent off on the price ofgold. The gold coins are available in

denominations of 0.5 gram, 1 gram, 5grams, 8 grams, 10 grams, 20 gram and 50gram of 24 carat with 99.99 per cent purity,

post master general AP said. Akshaya Trityais considered auspicious for buying gold

and jewellery.

Gold coins from POs

Awidow, P Devamma, was raped andmurdered by some unidentified per-sons on Friday night in the Taranagar

locality under Chandanagar police stationlimits. The body of Devamma, 42, wasfound in the bushes. She was working asmaid and lived at Shivajinagar with her sonP Ramesh. Her husband P Sekhar died in2007. Nobody has been arrested in thecase yet. Investigations are on.

Woman raped, murdered

SNeela, 20, unable to bear the tortureof her husband is alleged to havecommitted suicide by jumping into a

well in Katedhan area under RajendraNagar police station limits on Tuesday. Her body was fished out yesterday. Herhusband, S. Bhakar, is said to be analcoholic and used to beat her upregularly. Neighbours say that there were

frequent quarrels between thecouple off late.

Wife jumps into well, dead

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Osmania University,famous for its aca-demic excellencealong with politicalstirs, is once again

in the news. This time on rightto food habit. A group of Dalitstudents under the stewardshipof Sudarshan Bala Boina, apolitical science PhD student,has organised a ‘beef fest’ todefy what they termed imposing

on all the ‘Brahminical diktat onfood culture.’

The protest feast is supposed-ly organised in the OU boys’ hos-tel, NRS hostel today evening.

The trouble, Postnoon hears,comes from the fact that some2000 students, including Dalitstudents from JNU Delhi, andsome other universities are alsosaid to be participating. Thisspells trouble.

“We want to correct the‘dirty’ image associated withbeef. This is spread by the

Bhraminical culture. We want afood democracy,” said SudarshanBala Boina, a political sciencePhD scholar founder of themovement.

On the other hand, someright wing student organisationsare all set to counter the ‘mis-chief.’ They have posted bills allover the campus which read, ‘tosave the Indian culture chaloNRS hostel’. It says men who arebehind the movement are fakescholars and they have a politi-cal agenda which the genuine

students must defeat. Few of the key points in the

bills and pamphlets distributedare: in the name of Dalit culturethey are spreading poison. It’s aplan to defame Indian culture.All those who partake in thefeast are culprits themselves.

The ABVP, a leading studentunion, says that it has no link tothe beef controversy. “We havenothing to do with the beef festi-val but I am sure common manand Hindu students will revolt,”says Ram Krishna, ABVP

national executive member.The university management

decided to remain tight-lippedon the issue. The police depart-ment is on a high alert. Policehave taken precautions, it islearnt. “It’s an internal affair. Asfar as we know the universityhas not given any permission sothey are doing it outside. We areobserving the movement from adistance and if there is any ten-sion we will take an action,” saidP Ashok, Station House Officer,Osmania University.

Trouble cooks in OU today

Postnoon Newsfeedback@postnoon.com

On police record he is untraceable.He carries the tag of a dozenpolice cases. But Osmania

University student leader KrishankManne lives on campus and he got hisbook released yesterday in the presenceof a galaxy of leaders.

Aptly named, Do but don’t die” thebook detailed about his struggle for Tand urges youths not to commit suicidebut fight for their rights. Among otherspresent were former PCC chief KKeshava Rao, TRS politburo memberErrolla Sreenu, film director Shankar,

Zahid Ali Khan, editor of an Urdu daily,OU professor Ghanta Chakrapani, andballadeer Gaddar.

Krishank in his capacity as thespokesperson for the OU JAC wasinvolved in a lot of police cases includ-ing one under Section 307 (attempt tomurder). Another charge is his allegedinvolvement in damaging statues in theCity. However, his unsavoury past took abackseat at the book release functionwhere he was lauded for his leadershipand speakers held him aloft as a rolemodel for the students of OsmaniaUniversity. Many wonder at the lawkeepers who change nomenclature ofpeople with ease.

The trouble comes from the fact that some 2,000 students, including Dalit stu-dents from JNU Delhi and some other universities are also participating.

N SHIVA KUMAR

City author is a‘case’ study

TRS politburo member Errolla Sreenu, Krishank Manne, OU vice chancellor S Satyanarayana,and former PCC chief K Keshava Rao at the book launch.

4SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

CITY

U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

August has a perniciouseffect on the kundli of APpolitics. All the govern-

ments right from NTR to KiranKumar faced crisis of one kindor another in August. It allstarted from the time when theformer chief minister NTRama Rao was dethroned byNadendla Bhaskar Rao, the

then finance minister whoruled as CM for one month.NTR was ousted on August 15in 1984.

Later Chandrababu Naidustaged a bloodless coup onAugust 23 in 1995, anddethroned NTR for the secondtime and came to power.

Again, the CBI includedYSR’s name in the FIR inAugust 2011.

On August 21, 2011 some

ministers threatened to resignfrom Kiran Cabinet when theCBI conducted raids on JaganMohan Reddy. There was anagriculture crisis in August2002 when several farmers com-mitted suicides.

Now, YSRC spokespersonAmbati Rambabu is confidentthat they will win all the 18seats in the by-polls and byAugust the stage will be set fora coup against Kiran sarkar.

Boosting the YSRC moraleis the astro-forecast. MuluguRamalingeswara Vara Prasad,a leading astrologer says, theCM’s stars are bright but thestars of the government andthe State stars are weak. Hesaid, “there could be somepolitical crisis in August.”

But Kiran camp dismissesthis. They say there is no alter-native to Kiran and stars or nostars, he will stay.

Many of Kiran’s detractorsenjoy telling a tale of Augustcoup in wait. “After YSRC winsall the 18 seats, there will be apolitical earthquake of 10Richter scale,” declares Ambatiwith a visible pleasure.

But L Rajgopal, MP fromVijayawada, has an antidote toAugust woes. He says theTelangana issue will be sortedout in August and the State willhave a smooth sail ever after.

People in Miyapur are agitat-ed after a man the policepicked up yesterday died in

custody within hours. Reddy, 37,was running a mobile shop inNellore. He was picked up fromNellore yesterday by sub-inspec-tor of police Sita Ramaiah for‘questioning.’

Deputy commissioner ofpolice Madhapur, Youganandsaid, the deceased was involvedin many extortion cases. Reddyis charged with harassing a flourmill businessman NagarjunaRao of Miyapur. He is said tohave wrested `25 lakh from Raoinitially and `15 lakh subse-quently.

Reddy is reported to havecomplained of chest pain lastnight. He was shifted to Gayatrihospital which declared ‘broughtdead.’ This morning many resi-dents came to the police stationaccusing the SI of doing third-degree method on the man thatled to his death. The dead, theyargued, was healthy. How comehe suddenly died?

Faced with acute short-age of water, Moha -mmed Osman in Panja -gutta requisitioned awater tanker from HM -

W S&SB. His request was regis-tered on April 4 on the ‘Dial-a-Tanker’ hotline (token number4555 and pin number 7762), anda text message was sent to himon his cellphone confirming hisrequest and assured him thetank will be serving him in 10hours. Ten days have passedand Osman is yet to see thesign of the tanker!

Narrating similar experi-ence is Sunita Singh, a residentof Road Number 14 in BanjaraHills. On April 2, she called fora tanker. It was only on April 8that a tanker delivered water,that too after severalreminders. This happened toher not once but many times.

Indira C, living in an apart-ment in Anand Rao Colony, reg-istered a tanker on April 12 onbehalf of her apartment’s sec-retary. Besides this, in sheerdesperation, other residents toocalled the hotline and regis-tered for a tanker so that atleast one of them would surelybe delivered on time. Se v eralfrantic pleas followed, bo th bythe secretary of the apartmentsand residents. The tank er camea week after booking.

Enquiries revealed that sev-eral people have similar experi-ence. According to the WaterBoard’s norms, a tanker oncerequisitioned is to be deliveredwithin 10 hours.

The water supply is mini-mal and with water taking daysto come, residents are forced tobuy water from private watersuppliers. Taking advantage ofthe situation, the privatetankers are making a harvestcharging `2500 to `4500 perdelivery! The advantage is that

it is delivered within a fewhours of making a call. Theregular water tanker suppliedby the Hyderabad Metro WaterSupply and Sewerage Board(HMWS&SB) is just `400, butthe waiting period is phenome-nally long.

Osman, who went to HMW -S& SB office in Somajiguda tofind out the status of the tan -ker, alleged that many of thetankers were being sent to theministers’ homes in adjoiningareas. “I was made to wait fortwo hours by the manager, andeven then I did not get a tanker.It was like being taken on wildgoose chase,” he recalled.

A resident at Marredpally,who wished not to be identified,said that in desperate times, hehas had to buy private tankers.“My monthly budget went hay-wire. But it is better than wait-ing for days for the HMWS&SBtanker,” he said.

“When we are provided wa -ter properly, there won’t be a

ne ed to buy any tanker, publicor private. There is an imbalan -ce of water supply. Wh ile someareas have water overflowing,there are others th at have amajor scarcity,” she said urgingthe water tankers to be provid-ed faster by the HMWSSB.

A source at HMWS&SBrevealed that this summer,there are close to 5,000 watertanker pending requests.

When contacted, D SundaraRam Reddy, director in-charge(technical), HMWS&SB, bru -shed aside the complaints. “Un -

less it is a commercial require-ment, we don’t take so muchtime for domestic supply, andcertainly not four to five daysto deliver the water tanker. Wehave 527 water tankers for thispurpose, apart from 136 tankersespecially for slum areas, eachmaking eight trips each. Wedeliver about 4,000 watertankers every day,” he said.

When asked why the fre-quency of water tankers is notincreased to cater to the grow-ing needs, Sundara said theBoard’s objective is to providewater through pipe lines. “If westart providing a lot of waterthrough tankers, we will not beserving our purpose,” he said.

However, he did not denyabout giving priorities to min-isters. “They are VIPs and weneed to push their requests tothe top. There is nothing thatwe can do,” he said. But as anafterthought, the official saidthis did not mean the Boardignored general requisition.

August Kranti of Andhra Pradesh

OSAMA SALMAN

salman.o@postnoon.com

You’re in waterqueue, please wait!

Miyapurman dies in custody

Ascuffle between two drunk-en police constables at apublic place led to filing of

a case in Nacharam police sta-tion limits on Saturday.

Ayub, who is working asdriver of LB Nagar DCP (Traffic)was allegedly attacked by apolice constable PrabhakarReddy. Reddy is working asMobile Patrol vehicle driver ofthe same station. Both Reddyand Ayub were drinking withthe police constables ofMalkajgiri police station atNoma Kalyana Vedika inMallapur. Reddy had an alterca-tion with Ayub. Fracas devel-oped into a fisticuff. In a fit ofrage, Reddy is said to haveabused and attacked Ayub.Others in the party had report-edly tried to pacify the two butin vain. Later, Ayub, injured inthe quarrel,lodged a complaintagainst Reddy in Nacharampolice station. Inspector hassummoned the two and witness-es to find out how it all began.

Cop injures‘glassmate’

SRINIVAS SETTY

OSMAN, WHO WENT TOHMW S& SB OFFICE INSOMAJIGUDA TO FINDOUT THE STATUS OFTHE TAN KER, ALLEGEDTHAT MANY OF THEMWERE BEING SENT TOMINISTERS’ HOMES.

FOCUS 5SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

An international team ofscientists led by theBritish Antarctic Survey(BAS) found 595,000

birds, far beyond previous esti-mates of 270,000 to 350,000,according to the study onThursday in the open-accessjournal PLoS ONE. It is nowthought that the satellite map-ping approach can provide a wayto monitor the long-term healthof the emperor population. Thistechnique employs the techniquethat locates individual colonies,by searching for big brownpatches of guano on the whiteice. High resolution imagery isthen used to work out the num-ber of birds present.

"We are delighted to be ableto locate and identify such alarge number of emperor pen-guins," said lead author and BASgeographer Peter Fretwell andadded, "If we want to under-stand whether emperor pen-

guins are endangered by climatechange, we have to know firsthow many birds there are cur-rently and have a methodologyto monitor them year on year.This is the first comprehensivecensus of a species taken fromspace." He also told BBC, "Thisstudy gives us that baseline pop-ulation, which is quite surpris-ing because it's twice as many aswe thought, but it also gives usthe ability to follow theirprogress to see if that popula-tion is changing over time.”

Emperor penguins are thelargest kind of penguin, stand-ing up to four feet (1.2 meters)tall. They cannot fly but areknown for their revolving groupgatherings to stay warm on theice in wind chill conditions of -76°F (-60°C). The males also tendto their partner's egg while thefemale goes off to hunt for fishand krill. The emperor breeds inthe coldest environment of anybird species on Earth

Satellite imagery clearlyshowed the penguins' black andwhite colours in contrast to theice, and researchers were able tocount 44 colonies along theAntarctic coast, seven of whichwere previously unknown.Scientists have been worriedthat global warming may resultin ice-melting, particularly innorthern Antarctica, that could

endanger the penguins' habitat.The new method for tracking

their numbers may help withefforts to monitor the species,said co-author Phil Trathan, alsofrom the BAS.

"Current research suggeststhat emperor penguin colonieswill be seriously affected by cli-mate change," he said. "An accu-rate continent-wide census thatcan be easily repeated on a regu-lar basis will help us monitormore accurately the impacts offuture change on this iconicspecies." Co-author MichelleLaRue from the University ofMinnesota said the technique

should enable other species to bemore accurately counted, too.

"The implications of thisstudy are far-reaching: we nowhave a cost-effective way to applyour methods to other poorlyunderstood species in theAntarctic, to strengthen on-going field research, and to pro-vide accurate information forinternational conservationefforts." Collaborators on thestudy also included the ScrippsInstitution of Oceanography andthe Australian AntarcticDivision, with additional fund-ing from the US NationalScience Foundation.

On the trail of the emperorAntarctica boasts almost twice as many emperor penguins as previously thought, researchers

have discovered using satellite mapping technology to count the iceberg-huddling birds

SCIENTISTS HAVE BEENWORRIED THAT GLOBALWARMING MAY RESULT INICE-MELTING, PARTICU-LARLY IN NORTHERNANTARCTICA, THATCOULD ENDANGER THEPENGUINS' HABITAT

NATION 6SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

PATNA: With only about 2,000 Gangeticriver dolphins left in India, down from tens

of thousands just a few decades ago, theBihar government is planning to set up

Asia’s first research centre to strengthenconservation efforts to save the endan-

gered mammal. An official in the chief min-ister’s office said the Gangetic dolphin

research centre would be set up in Patna,where dozens of dolphins can be seen.

Asia’s first research centreNEW DELHI: Often looked upon as apanacea for many ills, the popular neemtree is under attack from a new voraciouspest that is found to devour the leaves ofthe wonder tree, say scientists. The pesthas been identified as ‘Cleora Coronaria’belonging to a family of moths and previ-ously known as a minor pest of the neemtree, referred to as ‘Arishta’ or reliever ofsickness in ancient Sanskrit texts.

Neem tree under attackBHUBANESWAR: Maoists in Odishahave set a Wednesday deadline for thegovernment to meet their demands inexchange for the release of ruling BijuJanata Dal (BJD) legislator Jhina Hikakawhom they have held captive for over 20days. A Maoist leader who calls herselfAruna said in a statement sent to somelocal reporters Sunday that the governmenthas to 29 prisoners in Balipeta village ofKoraput district April 18.

Maoists set new deadline

NEW DELHI: Voting begantoday (Sunday) morning forelections to Delhi’s newly-formed three civic bodies thatis witnessing a tough fightbetween the incumbentBharatiya Janata Party (BJP)and the Congress.

People queued up outside11,543 booths across the capitalto vote for elections of the tri-furcated MunicipalCorporation of Delhi.

Over one crore voters areexpected to exercise their fran-chise to decide the fate of 2,423candidates for 272 seats.

While the corporations ofnorth and south have 104 wardseach, the east Delhi corporationhas 64.

A total of 30,000 armedpolice personnel have beendeployed at the booths toensure free and fair elections.

The BJP, which rules the

corporation, had swept the 2007elections in the then unifiedMCD with 168 seats.

While Sunday’s electionwill see a straight contest

between the Congress and theBJP, though parties like theSamajwadi Party have alsofielded candidates.

The polling will end at5.30pm.

For the first time, 50 percent seats (136) have beenreserved for women candidates.

Interestingly, the capital isalso for the first time witness-ing the participation ofeunuchs as contestants in thepolls.

With Delhi assembly elec-tions due in end-2013, theresults will have significantimpact on the morale of theparties.

The votes will be countedon Tuesday. IANS

NEW DELHI: The Centre hasinformed the Supreme Courtthat it has decided to restrict Hajpilgrimage at government sub-sidy to Muslims only as a “oncein a lifetime” affair as againstthe existing policy of “once infive years”.

In an affidavit filed beforethe apex court, the governmentsaid the new guidelines havebeen framed to ensure that pri-ority is given to those applicantswho have never performed Haj.

“This is a major changeintroduced for the first time.Restrict the number of pilgrim-ages to a Haj applicant throughHCOI (Haj Committee of India)to ‘once in a lifetime’ as againstthe existing ‘once in five years’.This will ensure that the Hajiwill benefit from governmentsubsidy only once in his/her life-time. It will also ensure that pri-ority is given to those applicantswho have never performed Haj,”the Centre said.

The government, however,refrained from disclosing theamount of subsidy beingincurred by it for 2012 saying,“The exact figure in respect ofthe travel subsidy to the pil-grims going through HajCommittee of India for 2012 willbe known after the Hajis com-pleted their Haj journey andreturn to India.”

According to the govern-ment, priority will be given tothose who are in the 70 plus cate-gory and those who had unsuc-cessfully applied thrice earlierfor the subsidy. The Centre’s affi-davit comes in the backdrop ofcertain searching questionsraised by the apex court.

NEW DELHI: It took over threedecades for a former FoodCorporation of India employeeto win a legal battle over with-holding of his two pay hikes bythe public sector company oncharges of indiscipline.

Senior Civil Judge Ajay Goelruled the case in the favour offormer FCI official N P Singh inMarch this year, holding as ille-gal the PSU’s March 17, 1987order on his pay cut.

“In view of findings, instantsuit is decreed with cost infavour of plaintiff (Singh) andagainst FCI and inquiry reportis declared illegal and is setaside and the FCI is restrainedfrom giving effect to order datedMarch 17, 87,” said the court,which was assigned the case inMarch, 2009.

“The FCI is directed torelease and refund the amount ofincrements of the plaintiff with-

held by FCI on the basis of orderdated March 17, 1987,” the judgeadded.

A Patiala-resident, Singhworked as an grade II assistantwith the FCI headquarters atDelhi in 1981 when a complaintwas filed against him by his col-league, accusing him of tamper-ing the office records relating tohis provident fund and lackingintegrity.

The complaint also accused

him of using “hot words”against the colleague.

After a departmental probe,the FCI on March 17, 1987 heldSingh guilty of resorting toindiscipline and penalised himby withholding two incrementsof his pay.

Singh challenged it in 1988 ina court on which the verdict hascome now.

The allegations were deniedby Singh contending that the PF

record in question was never inhis custody and the penalty wasimposed on him in a “stereotypemanner” without any proof.

He also contended that onthe allegation of exchange of“hot words” it was not provedwho started the altercation.

The court after examining 12witnesses agreed with Singh’scontentions and quashed the1987 order against him.

PTI

SC: Haj doleonly once ina lifetime

Man wins 30-year legal battle

RECORD SKILL DISPLAYRohanKokane, aGuinnessWorld Recordholder for thefarthest dis-tance cov-ered limboskating undercars, showshis skills inHubli onSaturday. PTI

Cong, BJP clash forCapital’s civic bodies

7SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

WORLD

UNITED NATIONS: A small advance group of UNmonitors is preparing to go to Syria to oversee the cease-fire, hours after the Security Council voted for itsdeployment. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said hewould make firm proposals in days for a larger group ofabout 250 people. The mission comes as a BBC reportersays the ceasefire appears in danger of collapsing insome parts of Syria. Activists said at least 20 peoplewere killed as violence flared on Saturday in Homs andat a funeral in Aleppo. The US ambassador to the UN,Susan Rice, condemned the bloodshed saying it raises"renewed doubts about the sincerity of the regime'scommitment to the ceasefire". She said the resolutionwas an important opportunity to stop the bloodshed.

Iran, world powersset for in-depth talks ISTANBUL: Iran and world powers agreed in talks hereto hold a more in-depth meeting in Baghdad next monthwhere, Western nations warned Tehran, much must bedone to ease fears that it is seeking nuclear arms. EU for-eign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there had been"constructive and useful" talks in Istanbul on Saturdaywith Iranian chief negotiator Saeed Jalili but cautionedthat the meeting in Iraq on May 23 must "take us forwardin a very concrete way." Echoing her, the US and otherWestern nations stressed the need for the next round ofdiscussions to get to the core of the almost decade-oldstandoff over Tehran's nuclear programme. The Istanbultalks involved the so-called P5+1 grouping — the US,Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany — and Iran.

SYDNEY: A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake struckoff the coast of the South Pacific island of Vanuatu onSunday, but there was no tsunami warning. Therewere no immediate reports of casualties or damageeither. The quake struck at a relatively shallow depthof eight kilometres, around 150 kilometres south eastof the capital Port Vila. Vanuatu lies on the so-called"Pacific Ring of Fire", a zone of frequent seismic activ-ity caused by friction between shifting tectonic plates.The earthquake hit shortly after 9am (around 2200GMT Saturday), USGS said. Pacific Tsunami WarningCenter issued an information bulletin but no alert,saying "a destructive Pacific-wide tsunami is notexpected and there is no tsunami threat to Hawaii".

6.5-strong quakerattles Vanuatu

UN monitorsprepare for Syria

FABRICATION

CLASSIFIEDS

EDUCATION

PESHAWAR: Some 384 prisonersincluding militants escaped early onSunday from a jail in northwesternPakistan after an attack by insurgentsarmed with guns, grenades and rock-ets. More than 150 heavily-armedIslamist militants stormed the centralprison outside Bannu bordering thelawless tribal regions where Talibanand Al-Qaeda linked militants operate.

400 escape Pak jailPYONGYANG: North Korean leaderKim Jong-Un delivered his first everpublic speech on Sunday at a majormilitary parade in Pyongyang to mark100 years since the birth of the coun-try's founder Kim Il-Sung. The com-memorations came just two days aftera satellite launch timed to mark thecentenary fizzled out embarrassinglywhen the rocket exploded.

Kim gives first speech KHARTOUM: South Sudan hasaccused Sudan of launching furtherbombing raids on its territory andagainst its forces. The governor ofUnity state says several people werekilled in its capital Bentiu when aplane dropped bombs on a market.South Sudan also says its troopscame under air attack in the oil-pro-ducing Heglig region.

Sudan tensions rise

TEXAS: A severestorm threatens tobring tornadoes to avast swathe of theMidwestern US, fore-casters are warning.States ranging fromTexas to Minnesotahave been put on alert.

US Midwestput on tornado watch

CAIRO: Egypt's election commis-sion said on Saturday that ex-spychief Omar Suleiman, MuslimBrotherhood candidate Khairat al-Shater and Salafist politicianHazem Abu Ismail are among 10candidates barred from runningfor president.

Commission official TarekAbul Atta told AFP that Suleimanhad been disqualified because hefailed to get endorsements from 15provinces as per law.

Shater, who was released fromprison in March last year, has beenbarred because of a law that statesthat candidates can only run inelections six years after beingreleased or pardoned, Abul Attasaid.

Shater had been in jail oncharges of terrorism and moneylaundering during the regime offormer president Hosni Mubarakwho was forced out of power lastyear by massive street protests.

Abu Ismail is out of the racebecause his mother holds anothernationality, violating election ruleswhich state that all candidates,their parents and their wives musthave only Egyptian citizenship.

Last week an Egyptian courthad cleared the way for Abu Ismailto join the race after ruling thathis mother was not a US citizen.

Others who have been disquali-fied include Ayman Nur, whocaught the world's attention whenhe challenged Mubarak in 2005presidential elections.

Nur was imprisoned shortlyafter those elections and releasedon health grounds in 2009. He was

banned under the same rule as theMuslim Brotherhood's Shater.

Although the decision wasexpected by some it threatens tocreate an upheaval on the politicalscene, less than six weeks from theelection which is due to take placeMay 23 and 24.

A source close to Suleiman,cited by the state-run MENA newsagency, said the former spy chiefplans to contest the decision andintends to provide the necessarydocuments to show that his candi-dacy is valid.

The Muslim Brotherhood —which last week announced a sec-ond candidate, Mohammed Morsi,in case the first one was disquali-fied, said it too will appeal the com-

mission's decision, MENA report-ed.

"This is a political decision,"Muslim Brotherhood lawyerAbdelmonein Abdel Maqsud said.

A Brotherhood member, SobhiSaleh, said on state television:"The legal battle is not over."

Abu Ismail also hit back: "Theywant to play a game. This is a vio-lation of Egyptian law and the con-stitution," he told the Islamist tele-vision station, Hikma.

Earlier the electoral commis-sion issued a statement saying 10of the 23 candidates vying forEgypt's top job had been disquali-fied "because they do not fill one ormore of the required conditions."They were not named.

But the disqualified candidateshave 48 hours to appeal the deci-sion.

A total of 23 candidates hadregistered for Egypt's first presi-dential election since a popularuprising toppled Mubarak lastyear.

The remaining candidatesinclude former Arab League chiefAmr Mussa, who also served asMubarak's foreign minister for 10years.

Other candidates still in therace also include formerBrotherhood member AbdelMoneim Abul Fotouh andMubarak's last Prime Minister,Ahmed Shafiq.

Egypt's Islamist-dominated par-liament on Thursday approved abill that would ban members ofMubarak's regime from standingfor public office, but it needs thesupport of the ruling SupremeCouncil of the Armed Forces tobecome law.

Saturday's decision came a dayafter thousands of Islamists ralliedin the streets of Cairo against ex-regime candidates, namely ex-spychief Suleiman, Mussa — who alsoserved as foreign minister — andShafiq.

Liberal and secular groups alsodo not wish to see the return ofMubarak-era figures, but theystayed away from Friday's protest.

They have instead called ademonstration on April 20 todenounce what they see as Islamistmonopolisation of political life inthe country since the revolt. AFP

Military bars 10 key Egypt candidates

Thousands of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist movement supporterstake part in a demonstration in Tahrir Square in Cairo. AFP/KHALED DESOUKI

Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to us comments, sugges-tions, viewpoint or just about any-thing to feedback@postnoon.comor #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa,Road No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033 oreven by way of a call on040-4067 2222.

COMMENT 8SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

The world over, handmade things aremore expensive that those made mymachines. Sadly, that is not the case

with produce of India. As a consequence,artisans who slog over these fine products,end up with very little returns in terms ofmoney to show for their toil. If we showcaseworks of such kind, like you did yesterday,things hopefully will change for them.

Priya MurthyNampally

Giving art its due

While I love your coverage of cars, Ihave a serious complaint too. Ihave been contemplating buying a

car for a while now. There are so manybrands to choose from that it is very confus-ing. It would help if instead of all the timefeaturing premium cars, you come down toearth and give the commoner an insightinto keeping in mind things that will helpthem buy an affordable car. Sagheer Pasha

Krishna Nagar

Profile low-end cars Fail the devil

EDITORIALS

EDITORIALS

HAJ RULINGendorses justice

The Supreme Court hascome out with an exemplary rul-

ing when it said a person canavail of government’s haj sub-sidy only once in his/ her life-

time. With the number ofrequests for haj subsidies

increasing, the apex court’sdirective couldn’t have come ata better time. Islam prescribes

the pilgrimage to Mecca shouldbe done at least once in a life-time and there is no wrong in

the government subsidising theotherwise prohibitively expen-sive trip. Repeat visits can bemade at their own expense.

When the same people avail ofthe dole repeatedly, several oth-ers who are in real need of statesupport for their spiritual quest

are denied it. Justice is anessential component of any reli-

gion without any exception.Equity should be considered

when government gives subsi-dies like this because the finan-

cially needy have no othermeans to seek spiritual solace.

The next step should be reduc-ing and simplifying the paper-

work for haj so that the pilgrimsare not exploited by travel

agents or quacks who promisethem hassle-free passage to the

holy land.

WHY WE LOVE...Dinesh Trivedi

Former railway minister andTrinamool MP Dinesh Trivedi is

again in the news for some can-did speak that is sure to ruffle

his criticism-allergic party chief.Condemning the attack on the

professor who uploaded car-toons of Didi on Facebook,

Trivedi said such lampooning isan essential element of democ-

racy. So he has indirectlyslammed Mamata’s intolerance

of all and sundry critical andunderlined that the populist

leader borders on dictatorship.Now, that’s some candid talk.

After the number of cases of dirtyingreligious places, we are faced with anew nuisance; someone has dam-

aged the statue of Dr Ambedkar that tooon the day of his anniversary. It is obviousthat vested interests are behind all this. Letus go one up on them. Let us remain calmwith all this. They will give up on this whenthrough our inaction, their objectives fail.

Suhasini JohnWest Marredpally

Justice R Subhash Reddywhile admitting a writpetition by KothaKarthik, a techie, hasordered the authorities to

probe the numerous calls (said tobe a little too many, of which 166were made late during thenights) between January 1 andMarch 20, 2012 by superinten-dent of police Shyam Sundar inconnection with a dowry harass-ment case under Section 498Afiled by Yadlapalli Gopipriyaagainst her husband Karthik.Karthik’s family wants thealleged clandestine relationshipbetween the SP and Gopipriya tobe brought out in the open.Details of the calls made, withtelephone numbers and talk time

have been submitted to thecourt.

In response, Gopipriya’sfather has offered an explanationthat it was he who made the callsfrom his son’s phone as the fami-ly received threatening calls;Gopipriya has denied allega-tions, made by her estrangedhusband, of a romantic affairbetween her and the SP.

Even if we do accept that thecalls, which are supposed to be582 in number, were made in con-nection with the dowry harass-ment case, what fails logic is theother revelation that 1,944 mes-sages were exchanged betweenthe two parties. The odd times ofthe calls also raises doubts aboutthe motive of these calls.

While accepting the SP’simage of a hot-headed straight-forward officer, if one were toeven take the view that theplight of the victim moved himin his official capacity to lendsuccour in the form of upliftingher morale and giving her

courage, it could have been donein a more acceptable manner.Police officers are not trainedcounsellors, so it would haveserved the purpose better if thekind SP had referred the matterto a trained counsellor ratherthan attempted it himself.

It is not unknown for policein their position of authority toexploit the vulnerabilities ofthose who seek their protectionfor personal favours. The haplessand hopeless victim is forced bycircumstances to clutch at evenchimeras to get justice.

The issue here is notwhether the two are morallywrong or right, it is about thekeeper of the law going to theextreme of favouring one personin such a way that the ends ofjustice become manipulated. It isthe responsibility of law-enforce-ment authorities to be impartial,unbiased and transparent. Witha finger of doubt pointingtowards the SP, evidence collect-ed by the police becomes suspect

in the court of law. To thatextent the victim becomes aloser.

On the part of the SP, heshould know that this kind ofunusual contact with a com-plainant would not go unnoticedand is also not the usual inves-tigative practice adopted or per-mitted in such cases. The allegedrelationship of the SP andGopipriya, however, does notabsolve the husband; if it isproved that he is guilty of thecrime that he has been accusedof. An internal investigationwithin the police departmentshould clear the cloud of doubtaround the case now and shouldbe able to sift out the true factsso that the ends of justice aremet. Also, it would serve thepolice department well, if, aspart of their personnel trainingthey are sensitised on dealingwith such situations sagaciously.

The writer works forPostnoon.

From the HipSYED SHOAIB

Counselling is betterleft to the pros

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

Billionaire investor George Soros hascalled on Germany to contribute

more to help save the euro,according to an interview published in theweekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag. "The

Germans should decide if they want theeuro or not. If so, they have to carry out

financial transfers. If not, they should leavethe eurozone," said Soros, also a major phi-

lanthropist and author.

‘Germany must do more’

The IMF welcomed a decision byChina's central bank on Saturday towiden the yuan's trading band against

the dollar in a major step towards looseningcurrency controls. The yuan is currentlyallowed to trade 0.5 per cent on either sideof a midpoint price set by the central bankevery trading day. The new rules will comeinto effect on Monday and allow yuan tofluctuate by up to 1.0 per cent either side.

Yuan trading band widened

Despite an unprecedented challengefrom two developing-world candi-dates, Washington's 66-year lock on

the presidency will almost certainly remainintact when directors meet on Monday tofill the post. Even after one of the chal-lengers dropped out on Friday to push hissupport to the other — Nigerian financeminister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala — they won'tbe able to overcome US-EU backing for theUS nominee, Jim Yong Kim, analysts say.

US pick likely to head WB

BUSINESS 9

The demand fundamentalsof the India story are nowfocused around all citiesthat have sufficient eco-

nomic activity, be it industrial,service sector-driven or incen-tive-driven programmes by theState government.

In Gujarat, which has seenconsiderable industrialprogress, the key cities ofAhmedabad, Surat andVadodara come readily to mind.Baddi in Himachal Pradesh andPantnagar and Rudrapur inUttaranchal attracted a lot ofresidential developers that metwith success, thanks to proactiveGovernment policies.

In the South, Coimbatore,Vizag and Kochi emerged, eitherthanks to a large investor seg-ment or as the outcome of suffi-cient economic activity. Towardsthe West, Pune, Nasik andNagpur are noteworthy in thiscontext. In all cases, developerspositioned their developmentclose to industrial hubs, target-ing a totally different price seg-ment and making the most of it.

WHAT WENT WRONG?That said every developer

was inspired to create a nationalfootprint six to seven years ago.While this was a worthy ambi-tion, it was poorly conceived as aplan since many of them did notfactor in State government-levelregulatory challenges such aslocal municipal laws. They alsodid not consider that they maynot have had the requisite finan-cial resources, organisationaldepth and knowledge of thelocal markets to manage andexecute projects in Tier II andTier III cities. Nor had theyaccurately gauged the demandfundamentals of these locations.

Such developers proceeded toenter into land acquisition ontheir own equity and werecaught short-footed, not realis-

ing that the property cycles werethen at their peak, and thatthere was bound to be a correc-tion — if not a fall.

THE DAWN OF REASONMajor players are now going

to re-align their positions vis-à-vis unexplored territories. Thereis now a very clear realisationthat it is extremely difficult tobecome a genuine pan-Indiaplayer in every geography andreal estate segment. Moreover,developers today have woken upto the fact that there is only lim-ited capital available to realestate players today — capitalthat is earmarked for residentialprojects, construction fundingagainst achieved leases andsigned contracts, or for citiesdisplaying sufficient demandeven in subdued market condi-tions.

In the current context, itmakes sense for developers to re-strategise and focus on theircore geographies. For example,if a certain developer isextremely accomplished as a res-

idential player in the South, hav-ing high credibility and suffi-cient brand recall in this region,such a company would ask itselfhow wise it is to experiment inthe North or the West, andwhether it would not make moresense to expand in the South.

Likewise, developers accom-plished in IT projects would nowconcentrate on geographies thatfeature a healthy IT component,and avoid branching out intocities that lack a sufficient vol-ume of such activity. Such devel-opers would see the virtue offocusing on IT-centric citiessuch as Bangalore, Hyderabad,Chennai, Mumbai, Gurgaon andPune, and re-think on plans toinvest in cities that lackInformation technology activity.

THE EDGE OF THE LOCALDEVELOPER

Tier II and Tier III cities stillrepresent a great story, especial-ly in terms of affordable hous-ing for industrial work-forces.However, this story may nolonger be suitable for some of

the larger developers. These are locations where

the strength of regional playerswill come into play.

There is at least one strongdeveloper in every region. Thesebrands have demonstrated thatthey understand their geogra-phies better than any playerswho arrive from the outside toexperiment on the Tier II / TierIII story.

The success of these localdevelopers will inspire largerdevelopers from beyond aregion’s borders after the funda-mentals of that area’s demandare captured sufficiently and themarkets are sanitised in termsof municipal and financial mar-ket stabilisation.

In the next one to two years,developers will have realignedtheir business strategies suffi-ciently to leverage the potentialof Tier II / III cities that havesufficient market drivers or arewitnessing considerable investoractivity (such as Kochi, Surat,Mohali and Chandigarh).

THE LONG-TERM VIEWWhen it comes to long-term

property investment, there isdefinitely no reason to look onlyat the metros. India has the high-est rate urbanisation among theBRIC nations.

About 854 million people willlive in Indian cities by 2050 —that is more or less the com-bined population of present-dayUSA, Brazil, Russia, Japan andGermany. In the coming decade,India will add 95 million peopleto its already dense urban fabric,nearly one-fourth of its currenturban population.

India needs more cities, andthe ones which are growing nowwill grow exponentially in timesto come. Among the ones thatbear watching by long-termproperty investors are Ahmeda -bad, Surat, Vadodara, Kochi,Coimbatore, Thiruvanantha -puram, Jaipur, Jodhpur,Vishakapatnam, Vijayawada,Chandigarh and Ludhiana.

The author is CEO Business), Jones Lang LaSalle India

Realty CheckSANJAY DUTT

Tier II/III real estate story:Then and now

HARDCASTLE MCCORMICK

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201210INTERVIEW

Dr Kiran Krishnamurti isone of the reasons whytaking your child to aspecialist is no longer a

harrowing experience. Modest and unassuming, the

pediatrician with more than twodecades of practice to her credit,she knows just what it takes tohave happy, gurgling babiesaround.

From a time of limitedawareness about specialised dis-ciplines like child healthcare, tonow, when awareness has con-siderably increased, DrKrishnamurti has seen it allthrough the eyes of her patients.“I have been fond of kids from avery young age. Yes, tackling

children’s illnesses can be verychallenging and that probablydrew me to this field apart fromthe fact that during my time thiswas a coveted branch ofmedicine and rather difficult toget admission into,” she says.

Yet, Dr Krishnamurti saysthe turning point of her careeras a doctor was when she wastraining in a community hospi-tal in Mumbai, with patientsfrom the most marginalised sec-tions of society, “When, as a reg-istrar of pediatrics, I sat at mydesk in my ward in the evening,I found myself surrounded bysnot-dripping, unkempt littlepatients on my lap, hangingfrom my shoulders, or juststanding around me…I lovedevery moment of it. Thisaffirmed my faith in my choiceof specialisation,” she says witha smile.

Today, several very impor-

tant people owe DrKrishnamurti for the health oftheir offspring.

Dr Krishnamurti remem-bers all her patients fondly. Onememory she has is of an 800gmbaby born to a couple after 15years of being married. “Thiswas almost 25 years ago whenneonatal care in the private sec-tor was still in its very nascentstages, and I would visit thebaby at least three times a dayfor almost two months and thenI sent her home healthy and herparents ecstatic. She is now themother of a two year old boywho is also my patient,” the doc-tor says happily.

Has a lot changedfor Hyderabad’s babies withthe corporatisation of the medi-cal field? Dr. Krishnamurtiadmits that the change has beenhuge. “Corporatisation has madeavailable to us highly advanced

radiological and pathologicalinvestigations. Critical andintensive care are no longer onlyfor the privileged few. Specialists and super specialists from everyconceivable field are now avail-able under one roof, which

makes it convenient, especiallyfor people with multisystem dis-orders. Corporatisation hasmade organised research in the private sector possible andthis body of data is priceless ifused appropriately,” says the doctor while saying thatthough there are demerits, thebabies of Hyderabad have quitea healthy future to look forwardtoo! Truly humanitarian, DrKrishnamurti believes like atrue pediatrician, in the joy ofbirth.

She quotes John Donne toget her message across:

No man is an island, entire ofitself,

Every man is a piece of thecontinent.

Any man’s death diminishesme because I am involved inmankind, And therefore neverask for whom the bell tolls-

It tolls for thee.

Spreadingthe joy of birth

I have been fond ofkids from a very youngage. Yes, tackling chil-dren’s illnesses can bechallenging and thatprobably drew me tothis field apart fromthe fact that during mytime this was a verycoveted branch andrather difficult to getadmission into

feedback@postnoon.com

JAIWANTIKADUTTA DHUPKAR

She looks forward to being with satisfied mothers and gurgling babies every day of her work life.A pediatrician Dr Kiran Krishnamurti tells us about what her profession means to her

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201211INSIGHT

Picture panoramaFrom protests in

Bahrain to explosions in Mexico,sporting events in theWhite House and inEngland — a quick

glimpse at the happenings around

the world

AFP /HANDOUT/US NAVY/ KAROLINA A. MARTINEZ

AFP/ ARIF ALI

AFP/ STR

AFP/ ANDREW YATES

AFP/ HECTOR GUERRERO

AFP/ DIBYANGSHU SARKARAFP/ BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI

A Bahraini Shiite Muslim boy sits on the sidewalk wearing a gasmask during clashes with riot police after a demonstration inthe village of Belad al-Qadeem, south of Manama, on April 12.

Liverpool's English forward Andy Carroll (L) scores his team'sthird goal past Blackburn Rovers' English goalkeeper PaulRobinson during the English Premier League football matchbetween Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool at Ewood Park.

A firefighter stands amid the disaster caused by an oil pipelineexplosion in San Isidro Mazatepec, 30 km from Guadalajaracity, Jalisco State, Mexico on April 12.

Hindu devotees throw holy flammable powder to a fire as theyperform rituals to celebrate the Gajan Festival in Kolkata onApril 12, 2012. The festival falls on the last day of the Bengalicalendar which also coincides with the birth of Lord Shiva

US President Barack Obama does pushups during a basketballshooting drill during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the SouthLawn of the White House on April 9 in Washington, DC.

Sailors of Team Artemis Racing get on their boat after it cap-sised during the first Fleet Race of the America's Cup WorldSeries (ACWS) off Naples. The ACWS series allows teams andtheir sailors to prepare for the Louis Vuitton Cup.

A lightning is pictured over Lahore City during a thunder storm that was followed by heavy rain on April 13.

AFP/ MARIO LAPORTA

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) transits throughthe Arabian Sea on April 5. The United States is keeping the pressure on Iranwith the presence of two aircraft carriers close to the Gulf region ahead of theresumption of nuclear talks with Tehran this week.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201212ART AND CULTURE

Vaijayanthi Karifeedback@postnoon.com

While cubism confusedpeople tremendously,since it deviated dras-

tically from the classical prin-ciples of art, a few cubist-inspired American artistsdeveloped a less radical ver-sion of it. The Precisionists asthey were called, created arepresentational system in

tune with their times. Artists like Charles Demut

and Georgia O'Keeffe took spe-cial interest in the architec-ture of industrial buildings.Their pictures completelylacked the presence ofhumans or nature. The visuallanguage that they developedcontained realism and geomet-ric simplicity. Their mainthemes were inclusive ofindustrialization and mod-

ernisation of the Americanlandscape.

But Demut and CharlesSheeler considered themselvesstrictly American and avoidedany European influence ontheir work. The range ofabstraction in the movementdiffers from the work of oneartists to another. Precisionistworks act as foretellers for theappreciation of Pop Art.

As it dealt only with pure

form, precisionism graduallymoved towards Abstraction.To this day it continues to beone of the most importantinfluences on the early 20thcentury art.

George Ault, RalstonCrawford, Preston Dickinsonand Morton Schamberg are afew of the other contemporaryprecisionists who came to beassociated with the movement.

“Lost in societal complexi-ty, swept away by pop-ulistic measures, per-

petually running after neverattainable dangling carrots…Wesometimes portray a very amus-ing picture of ourselves. Are wethe same individuals who carrycertain biological genes that aresupposedly unchangeable or arewe the obvious results of thechoices we made as we evolved?”This is what Ramakanth’s newexhibition at Muse Art Gallerytitled The Choices We Made seemto proclaim. The gallery will beshowcasing a series of 35 paint-ings by him. This is his third

solo exhibition. The paintingsfollow contemporary norms witha greater emphasis on idea andlesser dependence on craft.

Last year Kalakriti Galleryhad hosted his second solo exhi-bition of paintings titled TheLoneliness of the Long DistanceRunner and Other Works, need-less to say the exhibition wasvery well received.

Ramakanth is a firm believerof concept driven art, where theidea is to throw light on the con-cept behind the art, where moreattention is given to the toolsand techniques used in the pro-cess of making the art. One look

at his paintings and one cansee a post modernist themerunning through them. Apartfrom painting, Ramakanth isa well-known advertising andbranding professional head-ing RBC Worldwide andRamakanth advertising. Hisinterests are not limited tothe canvas alone.

He is also the foundermember of Ananda Priya —a foundation for arts andlearning. The institutionaims to an institution thataims to provide the commu-nity the opportunity to enjoyaccess to Indian classicalmusic, dance and contempo-rary painting.

DENVER: A Denver artist has created a portrait of Florida shooting suspect George Zimmerman using more than

12,000 Skittles — the candy that 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was carrying when Zimmerman fatally shot him. The 3-by-4-foot por-trait was done by 31-year-old Andy Bell, an art student about to

graduate from Metropolitan State College in Denver. The candiesare glued to plywood and varnished. The portrait is hanging at

RedLine Gallery in Denver. Bell titled it “Fear Itself.” He tells TheDenver Post he’s not judging Zimmerman but commenting on the

divided opinions about the case.

Zimmerman portrait with Skittles

The Cuban artist collective Los Carpinteros isshowing three large-scale installations at

Buenos Aires’s Faena Arts Centre in May. Theyhave created a new site-specific sculptureespecially for the arts centre’s 700 sq ft “SalaMolinos” exhibition space and are alsoinstalling two earlier works—a Piper Comanchesingle-prop plane pierced by arrows and asprawling shantytown neighbourhood builtentirely from corrugated cardboard.

Argentina’s new art district

An international artist unveiled a new workat Auckland Art Gallery - blowing up bal-

loons and popping them. The performanceart was called The Ability to Blow ThemselvesUp and launched a three month exhibitioncalled Made Active exploring the idea ofaction through painting, sculpture, installationand performance art. Made Active runs until15 July and includes 25 exhibitors, seven ofwhich will contribute live performances onweekends throughout this period.

Art with a bang

ART

FOR

DUM

MIE

S

A visual language that developed contained realism and geometric simplicity.Art of Cubist-Realists

The exhibition opened atThe Muse -Art Gallery at

Hyderabad Marriott Hotel andconvention center on Saturday,April 14 at 6.30 pm. The exhi-bition will be on till May 14.

The choices we made

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201213ENVIRONMENT

The study, published on March 22 inthe journal Zootaxa, describes a

new species of suckermouth armouredcatfish, Cordylancistrus santarosensis, on

the basis of five specimens collected inthe trans-Andean Río Santa Rosa

(Gulf of Guayaquil drainage) near thesouthern coast of Ecuador. C santarosen-sis measures up to 71 mm in length, haswide and depressed head and rounded

snout.

Remarkable catfish found

Earth's average global temperature hasincreased by about 1.4 degrees

Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) since 1880, according to Nasa's Goddard Institute forSpace Studies. Two-thirds of that warminghas happened since 1975. As more icemelts under glaciers and ice sheets—par-ticularly in Greenland and Antarctica—thewater lubricates the ice masses, sendingthem to sea, and eventual breakup, at afaster rate.

More icebergs than before?

T he northern region of Gujarat State inwestern India (map) is semi-arid and

prone to droughts, receiving almost all ofits rain during the monsoon seasonbetween June and September. But for thepast three decades, many crop and dairyfarms have remained green — even dur-ing the dry season. That's because farmers have invested in wells andpumps, using massive amounts of elec-tricity to extract water from deep aquifers.

Gujarat’s green scene

The meeting in Rio deJaneiro next month ofsub-national govern-ments on biodiversitydecade will have Indian

representative Dr R Hampaiah,chairman of AP biodiversityboard attending it. The UN haddeclared 2011-2020 as the biodi-versity decade for the world tochalk out a time-bound plan toarrest the decimation of biologi-cal diversity that spells doom forthe planet’s ecosystem.

Time is running out fast, sayworld leaders, for saving thisbeautiful blue planet, the onlyhome for millions. However, thesad fact is that the world govern-ments have not yet agreed on acommon agenda for implementa-tion. Technology and humanintervention have been provinga mighty challenge to MotherNature and her system.

The Rio meeting togetherwith the June climate changeRio+20, again, in Rio in Junewill set the tone for the crucialCBD-COP 11 being slated forOctober 1 to October 19 inHyderabad, India.

Governmental representa-tives from 193 countries areexpected to participate and thisone is billed as the largest worldgathering in India afterIndependence. A galaxy of worldleaders and some 12,000 peopleare going to be in the city for thelongest meeting that has evertaken place in India.

Dr Hampaiah said therewould be nearly 430 sub-commit-tee meetings of which 50 are tobe solely centred on India.India, used to be one of the fewrich biodiversity nations but ithas been losing its status fast

thanks to the wanton destruc-tion of forests, conversion ofmarsh lands and agriculturefields for construction and busi-ness purposes, unchecked pollu-tion, and over population.Alternative energy, water crisis,pollution and loss of forests arethe chief perils confrontingIndia, and the world at large.“There are enough problems forthe country to discuss,” admit-

ted Hampaiah. He is expected tobrief the world gathering at Rioabout the agenda being set forthe Hyderabad gala meeting.But, technocrats and scientiststhe world over agree on onething: Humanity’s future is to bedecided by how fast it shifts to aclean, green alternative energy.

While the State BiodiversityBoard is all prepared with deta -iled agenda, the GHMC, the hostand the State Government arestill looking towards New Delhifor funds. The GHMC has howev-er taken an initiative seeking co -rporate participation. “Let us dowhatever by our own,” reasonedMayor Mohd Majid Hussain.

The world meeting willbe rare opportunity forHyderabad to promote tourismand business at a global level,it is pointed out.

Noah’s Ark our only hope?Time is running out for our beautiful blue planet, say world leaders. However, the sad fact

is that the world governments are yet to agree on a common agenda for saving it

Magnitude of Hyderabadworld CBDn Countries expected

to represent - 190

n Heads of State 13

n Participants in all 12,000

n Number of days in all 19

n Total sub-committee meetings 450

COUNTDOWN TO 11TH CBD

In the future, coastalcities no more?

According to theIntergovernmental Panel on

Climate Change(IPCC) the sealevels have seen a rise of 6.7inches in the last century, and ifthe alarming rate of globalwarming continues, the seawater levels may rise up to 22inches by 2100. This will meanthat island like Maldives andTuvalu and low-lying areas likeBangladesh will go underwater,and important cities likeMumbai, Shanghai and Floridawill become vulnerable to thewater grave like the legendarycity of Atlantis. Many morecoastal towns such as Vizag,Kochi, Kolkata will go downunder sea.

pksurendran@gmail.comPK SURENDRAN

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201214FOOD

He was only 14 when he first startedas a Commis in a restaurantcalled Arco De Gavi in Verona

which would later crown him as headchef and purchasing manager. When hewas barely 6-years-old, he developed aninterest for cooking. His grandparentsplayed a major role in furthering thisinterest. “My grandparents ran arestaurant in Verona, so I used to tagalong with them to the restaurant. Istarted observing my grandmothercook and helped her in whatever way Icould,” explains Matteo.

Matteo is only 21 and we wonder ifhe is too young for this responsibilty?“Age does not matter when it comes tobecoming a leader, but my efforts wereto match the people I work with beforesetting my own expectations. Being aleader doesn't necessarily need age butthe right attitude with skills and that iswhat I srongly believe in.”

A good chef is defined by hisability to create new dishes. But a lot oftimes, different cultures have a majorinfluence on your cooking and forMatteo, it was no different.“Travellingdefinitely has helped me understand dif-ferent cultures better. With contrastingfood preferences between Kuwait andChina, I did learn a lot which helpednurture my existing skills to adapt tothe local authentic food habits,” saysMatteo whose only hurdle was the lan-guage barrier.

Extremely jovial, his good interper-sonal skills puts one at ease instantly.When he isn't at work, he prefers cook-ing for himself and his friends. “I can-not think beyond cooking,”he says witha smile.

ChefMagnifico!

Having made its mark in the culinarylandscapes of Mumbai, Delhi,

Bangalore and Kolkata, the Italian fine din-ing restaurant Spaghetti Kitchen has now

opened in Pune's upmarket locality,Amanora Park Town. The restaurant's USP is

Italian flavours, handcrafted by BillMarchetti, celebrity chef. It is one of the

chains owned by Pan India Food SolutionsPvt. Ltd.

Spaghetti kitchen in Pune

CS Aerotherm, the baking technologycompany, has introduced two value-

added products called the Cookie FillingMachine and Rusk Toast Automatic PanningMachine. The former which is sourced fromSandore, Italy, can handle 100 kg of cookiefilling in one hour. The latter is a rusk bak-ing technology which provides the much-needed crispness to the final product.

The cookie maker

The Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) hasannounced that its golden jubilee cele-

brations will be held during its upcomingnational conference in Hyderabad betweenNovember 29 and December 1, 2012. Theconference will be hosted at the NationalInstitute of Nutrition(NIN). The theme forthis year's conference is “Indian diets andhealth: In retrospect and prospect.”

Dietary golden jubilee

SANA MIRZA

sana.m@postnoon.com

Park Hyatt bringsItaly to the City

The problem withItalian food is thateveryone thinks theycan cook it, and sure

many might give it the rightold college try, but few canmaster the intricate flavourswith their blanket of fresh-ness, and Kandinsky colour.

When the Park Hyatt decided to put itsstamp on Hyderabad’s crowd-ed gastronomic landscape,Italian was not on their mind.But an alignment of circum-stances forced their hand,and in all honesty, the city isbetter for it.

Tres Forni is more thanjust another faux-Tuscan out-let dishing up pasta on thewrong side of al dente; it’smore than just a pizzeria withaspirations beyond their sta-tion; and above all it avoidsthe ‘Indianess’ that is so oftenused to massacre Europeancuisine. Tres Forni is Italianto its core. Ignore the Chinesechandelier that looms abovethe restaurant like a guestwho’s turned up for a black-tie do only to find he’s arrivedsans trousers, and you will betransported. Maybe not to theGenoese coast, from wherethe 21-year-old Matteo hails,but somewhere really close.

Pizza features heavily onTres Forni’s menu, as itshould considering the namemeans ‘three ovens’ inItalian. But this is properpizza, with crust as thin as aninefficient criminal’s alibi,and toppings that drip, ratherthan ooze like thickly mixedcement. This is pizza as itwas meant to be.

The Pizza al Prosciuttoraises the delicate slivers ofmeat on to a pedestal. Themozzarella bows before its

salty essence, and the rest ofthe dish is merely to serve itsmeaty master. The vegetarianoption embraces the best ofItalian cuisine: fresh, flavour-ful and light. The red pep-pers, and sun-kissed toma-toes, dance lightly; no trudg-ing here.

The Tortelli di Carne ConFonduta di Parmigiano(Ravioli stuffed with slow-cooked meat and parmesanfondue) may be a mouthful topronounce, but is as enticingas the dessert station onepasses as you enter therestaurant. Another dish thatstars in Tres Forni’s constel-

lation is the Petto di Pollo aiPorcini e Tartufo (Chickenbreast and a porcini sauce).Trust us, you will never referto a porcini as a mere pennybun again.

And after you’ve suc-cumbed to the delicioussubterfuge that epitomisesa well-cooked Italian meal,

the dessert options are myri-ad, and thankfully, lightenough for you to enjoy itwithout feeling like a Romansenator after a particularlylarge feast.

There’s much to likeabout Tres Forni; from itsearthy, yet elegant décor (werefuse to acknowledge thatchandelier) to a chef who’s ontop of his game. But the realstar of the show, the instiga-tor of la dolce vita is the food.There may be many Italianrestaurants in Hyderabad,but few can lay claim to thetitle of Augustus. Tres Fornicertainly can.

feedback@postnoon.comANDREW JOSEF

Led from the front by chef Grandi who commands an efficient army infull view of a salivating gallery, Tres Forni is Italian to its core

Name: Tres Forni

Place: Park Hyatt,Banjara Hills

Meal for two: `1,700

Just 21, Chef MatteoGrandi confesses his lovefor food and admits thereis nothing beyond cooking

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201215FOOD

An Epicurean delightGoan cuisine might be synonymous with sea food, but there’s lotmore to it than just fish and prawns. We find more about Goan

delights at the Goan Food Festival at Marriott

If you have never tastedGoan food, we bet that youhave never come acrossanything like the Vindaloo

or Chorizo. It’s the perfectexample of the Portuguese’sinfluence on Goan cuisine.Tasting the Goan delicacies ina landlocked place likeHyderabad immediatelytransports you to the coastalregions of the West. As webegan our meal with a Goanspecial drink Kokum Sar,Chef Susheel informs, “Goancuisine doesn’t have a lot ofvariety and it’s not richeither. We don’t generally usecream or too much butter inthe food.” As a result, most ofthe dishes taste sour andspicy due to vinegar and chill-ies and Goans use a lot ofcoconut in their gravy aswell. “Portuguese introduced

vinegar into Goan cuisineand most of the dishes likePork Vindaloo and Goan Fishcurry are very spicy," Susheeladds.

For starters, we wereserved Rawa fried fish andRas Omelette, a popular streetfood made by rolling chickengravy in an omelette alongwith onions and tomatoes andit’s served along with pav. Themain course consists of fourdifferent vegetarian disheslike Tambdi Bhaji, WatanaRoss, Tomato Saar andPapeyachi bhaji and moreoptions to choose from if youlike sea food. ChickenSukhem and Fish Ambotikwere two such dishes whichcaught our attention. We aretold that apart from fish,Goan cuisine also has a richvariety of pork and beef. Thefirst bite of Pork Vindaloohits you so hard that you endup experiencing a completelynew taste altogether. It isquite spicy and has a smokyflavour and goes best withGoan brown rice. This easily

was the best dish on the buf-fet and left us gasping formore. There’s also LambVindaloo, Chicken Cadrealand Chicken Xacuti if you arelooking for more variety inyour main course. Before youmove on to the desserts, don’tforget to try the Lamb

Sukhem and prawn balchaoon the menu.

The Portuguese have livedin Goa long enough to leavetheir own stamp on the cui-sine and you can taste it inalmost every non-vegetariandish. There are handful ofdesserts which are quiteunique to Goa. Bebinca, afamous Christian dessert, is afoodie’s delight, especially ifyou have a sweet tooth.Traditionally, Bebinca has 16layers which is made withghee, coconut milk, flour, jag-gery and lots of eggs. It’sextremely rich and sweetenough to make you crave formore. Another such dessert isDodol which is also madewith coconut milk, rice flourand jaggery extracted frompalm trees.

For a Hyderabadi, who’squite used to the dum biryanior Andhra cuisine, this Goanfood festival offers a uniqueexperience. If only one couldhave Fenny along with allthose tangy and spicy dishes!

Noor’s KitchenNOOR JAFRI

Aab Shola

This salt and sugary,homemade prepara-tion, is very refreshingand healthy, than theother carbonated andscarlet beverages. Itcan quench your thirstand prevent from sunstroke.

CHEF’S NOTE:

ContactNoorJafri@NoorKitchen.com

203 Krishna Apartments,

Road No. 4, Banjara hills

+91-9441282318

Ingredients1. Raw mangoes (kairees) - 4 to 6

2. Sugar - 250 to 300 gms.

3. Salt - 1 tsp

4. Freshly made jeera (cumin) powder- 1tsp

5. Fresh mint leaves (finely chopped) - a pinch

6. Water - 1 litre

Procedure1. 1. Pressure cook raw mangoes, with

water for about 10 minutes.

2. Remove the skin and squeeze thepulp, in the water and strain it.

3. Add sugar and other spices, andmake a thick syrup.

4. Bottle it and keep it in the fridge, itcan last two-three days.

5. Serve with crushed ice, and thewater for required consistency anda dash of freshly chopped mint(pudina) leaves.

A refreshing drink forsummer. Made withraw mango

HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

Name: Goan Food Festival Place: Momo Cafe,

Courtyard byMarriott

Date : April 6 - 22Timings : 6.30 pm -11 pmPrice : `950 (all inclusive)Phone : 040 - 27521250

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201218HISTORY

April 141828 - The first edition of Noah Webster’s dic-tionary was published under the nameAmerican Dictionary of the English Language.

April 141912 - The Atlantic passenger liner RMS Titanic, on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and began to sink. 1,517people lost their lives and more than 700 survived.

April 171875 - The game “snooker” was invent-ed by Sir Neville Chamberlain.

April 171985 - The US Postal Service unveiled itsnew 22-cent, “LOVE” stamp.

April 141865 - US President Abraham Lincoln diedfrom injuries inflicted by John Wilkes Booth.

April 151983 - Tokyo Disneyland opened.

April 162007 - In Blacksburg, VA, a student killed 33

people at Virginia Tech before killing himself.

April 151705 - Queen Anne of Englandknighted Isaac Newton.

April 181923 - Yankee Stadium opened in the Bronx,NY. The Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 4-1. John Phillip Sousa’s band played theNational Anthem.

April 181956 - Actress Grace Kelly and Prince Rainierof Monaco were married. The religious cere-mony took place April 19.

April 191897 - The first annual Boston Marathon washeld. It was the first of its kind in the US

April 201989 - Scientist announced the successfultesting of high-definition TV.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201219SPOTLIGHT

The Telugu film, Tuneega Tuneega’s logo launch tookplace at the Aros Pub in Hi-tech city

Actor Aksha was asked to inaugurate the AakruthiHair Transplant Centre at Madhapur

Gayatri Reddy, Sarita, Gurupriya & MadhaviKaruna, Sheetal & a friend

A groovyb’day

Babi KhushbooCharul Rajini & Sirisha Gurupriya

Sumana, Lavanya & Swathi

Logo LaunchHair Raising

Actor Aksha seen cutting the ribbon Ramanaidu unveiling the poster of the film Sumanth Ashwin

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Sheetal Narang turned a year wiser as she celebrated her birthday at Altitude in Marriott. We

wish you an awesome year ahead!

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

CINEMA 20 T-TOWN TWEETIES

@tashu_02A very gudmorning to uall.....have a lovely n fun filledsunday :-)

@sundeepkishanDevudu eni vishayalalo entha

kashta petina oka adiripoye fam-ily ichi kapedesedu..thanks

Devuda.. #lovemyfamily

@taapseeY d hell is delhi so cold in midapril! Weather god seems 2bup2 somethng really weird!

@shraddhadas43Up for the day! Off to bangalore

and then mumbai..with 4 hrs ofsleep I still feel fresh! Morning

my tweeps!

@ThisIsDSPOn the way to the airport to goto TIRUPATI with"GabbarSingh" team on a chart-ed flight to launch the 1stsong.!! See u guys in Tirupati..!!

@bsoumya26Hearin of thunders n lightening

in hyd...odd thing @ tstime...nature's fury!

@me_sushanthLoudest, longest thunder nlightening sounds I've everheard in my life! So the horrorsound effects in films are not soexaggerated aft all

@shrutihaasanGreat day at work and now

ready to zzz super kicked aboutGS audio launch tomorrow !!

See you guys soon!! Xoxo

Harish Shankar, thedirector of GabbarSingh, is all praises

for Shruti Haasan, who'splaying the lead role in thefilm along with PawanKalyan. Ever since thefilm went on floors, HarishShankar has been con-stantly updating PawanKalyan's fans about thefilm's progress and nowthat the film is nearingcompletion, he going gagaabout the film's star cast."Shruthi Haasan isRockinggggg in the char-acter of" Bhagya Laxmi"thx to her for giving theBest for the movie; (sic),"Harish Shankar posted onTwitter. Shruti Haasan isplaying the role of a vil-lage belle in GabbarSingh, which is a remakeof Dabangg. Recently, sheimpressed the critics andaudience alike inAishwarya Dhanush's 3and Gabbar Singh mightjust be another feather inher cap. The film's audiowill be launched latertoday at Shilpakala Vedikain a high profile event. Theaudio promos have alreadybecome a sensation andthe buzz is that GabbarSingh has enough fire inits belly to become a block-buster this summer. DeviSri Prasad has composedthe music.

HarishShankaris allpraisesfor ShrutiHaasanAllu Sirish, youngest son of ace producer Allu

Arvind, will soon make his acting debut.Initially, he had decided to act in the Tamil

remake of 100% Love and now we hear that he hasbagged the lead role in Radhamohan's upcoming bilin-gual film Gauravam. Earlier, Naga Chaitanya was sup-posed to play the lead role in Gauravam; however,grapevine has it that Radhamohan has approachedAllu Sirish for the film and he has reportedly signedthe dotted line. While there have been no officialannouncements so far about Allu Sirish's projects,Radhamohan is apparently in talks with Amala Paulfor Gauravam. In the past, Allu Sirish worked as anexecutive producer for Ghajini which was producedby Geetha Arts.

The first teaser of Ajith's upcoming film Billa 2was unveiled a couple of days ago and it hasbecome a huge hit on the internet. Ajith's recent

film Mankatha was dubbed in Telugu as Gambler;however, it failed to recreate the magic at the boxoffice unlike its Tamil version. All that might changewith Billa 2, which is a prequel to his earlier filmBilla, if the buzz about the film is anything to go by.The producers Chakri Tholeti, who had earlier direct-ed Kamal Haasan, Venkatesh starrer Eenadu, isdirecting the film. Currently, the film is being shot inHyderabad. Parvathy Omanakuttan and BrunaAbdullah are playing the lead roles in this film. Thefilm traces Billa's past and how he became a dreadeddon. Most part of the film was shot in Hyderabad, Goaand Georgia.

Billa 2's first look isa hit on the web

Double whammy forAllu Sirish

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

CINEMA 21 B-TOWN TWEETIES

@MallikaLAHanging with @Bode82277207at Soho house LA,luv her:)http://pic.twitter.com/mDrmaSiF

@SrBachchanT 713 - A great fight back by

Pune Warriors IPL cricket at theirnew Stadium, against twice

Champions Chennai

@FarOutAkhtarMet @YUVSTRONG12 yesterday.So inspired by how he's takenthis episode in his stride. He's atrue fighter. Rock On Yuvi!!

@AnupamPkherThank you for loving my chat on

Movers & Shakers. Thank youalso for liking my performance

in PRANAYAM

@bipsluvurselfExtremely crazy day been up for-ever,I feel!Night shoot wrappednw n in 2 hrs flying toDelhi!Packing sucks!

@iHrithikExpecting d world 2 treat u fair

just bcos u are good 2 everyoneis exactly like expecting a lion

not 2 attack u bcos u r a vegie.

@imarshadwarsiHad an awesome pre B'dayparty for my little Zene, by theway she wants to fire myDirectors coz they make mework so much.

@udaychopraI don't believe in Chicken

Biryani...there is no suchthing...if your not putting mut-ton then don't call it Biryani!!!

Veejay-turned-actor AyushmannKhurrana, who has been busypromoting his debut Bollywoodmovie Vicky Donor, says asking

questions as an anchor was a far morecomfortable experience than being on the

other side of the microphone."Asking questions is still easy. I have been

there and done that, but this is a new territoryand a new zone. I am still learning," said the 27-year-old.

"I think I was used to asking questions,introducing people. That is by far more com-fortable. I think you need to be more intelligentthan that when you answer questions," addedAyushmann, who has been interacting a lotwith journalists across the country to spread aword about his movie.

Vicky Donor is a film about sperm donation.It marks actor John Abraham's debut as a pro-ducer and is set for release on April 20. It alsofeatures Yami Gautam and Annu Kapoor. IANS

The industry is abuzz withnews that Rani Mukerji hasgiven the nod for Tigmanshu

Dhulia's next, a biopic on nautchgirl Begum Samru. But the film-maker says he is unaware, andthat the actress is yet to say "yes"to the project. "I have indeedapproached Rani. I don't know(that she has said yes). I came toknow through the papers. Ranihas not called me, and neithersaid yes for the film," said Dhulia.

While the industry feels thatDhulia is now approaching onlyestablished stars post the successof Irrfan-starrer Paan SinghTomar, he clarified: "Iapproached Rani before Paan

Singh Tomar."The movie will be Dhulia's

second biopic after Paan SinghTomar, which narrated the storyof the athlete-turned-army man-turned-dacoit. But the film onBegum Samru was written muchearlier, he said, and added: "It'san old story. I had written thisscript four to five years back."Dhulia is certain that he willmake the film on Begum Samru,but says he is tweaking his origi-nal script these days. "I have fin-ished the script. But since I hadwritten the script long back, I ammaking changes in it now," headded.

IANS

Irrfan wants to play Dhyan Chand

After winning accolades for his rolein Paan Singh Tomar, Irrfan Khanis now keen to essay the role of

Indian hockey genius Dhyan Chand in abiopic based on the legend's life. “It hasbeen one of my dreams to do a role onDhyan Chand. It seems I have grown tooold to play this role. But if I get a chanceto do I will definitely play the role ofDhyan Chand in a film. Dhyan Chand'sstory is amazing and he had made thecountry very proud," Irrfan told reportersat the DVD launch of his film, PaanSingh Tomar.

Recently Shahrukh Khan had

revealed that he has been approached toplay the role of the hockey player.Dhyan Chand, who is considered to beone of the greatest players of all time, ismost remembered for his goal-scoringfeats and for his three Olympic goldmedals (1928, 1932, and 1936) in fieldhockey while India was dominant in thesport.

"Filmmakers have realised that audi-ence want to see original cinema... filmsthat have an identity. They want to seethose films whose roots are based here.This section of audience has awakenedthe film industry" he said. PTI

Anchoring better thananswering questions

Is Rani star inBegum Samru?

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

CINEMA 22

Singer Lady Gaga has been opposed todieting, but she is on a diet herself

these days, and seems to be strug-gling with it. “Just killed back-to-backspin classes. Eating a salad dreaming

of a cheese burger #PopSingersDontEat#IwasBornThisWay," tweeted Gaga, reports

people.com. The singer caused a stir when

she tweeted the message to her 22.7 millionfollowers. The message drew criticism fromtwitterati, and even by the National EatingDisorders Association. A tweet directed to

Gaga from the association read: "Huh? Thisis the same person who

recently implored girls to stop dieting?" IANS

Lady Gaga eating salad,

dreaming burger

Lionel Richie owes some money to Uncle Sam. The 62-year-old music legend has a $1.1 million debt to the

Feds, according to IRS documents obtained by E!News. The hefty sum is leftover from unpaid income

taxes in 2010. In addition, Richie has been slappedwith a lien, meaning the federal government

has the right to seize his assets if he doesn't pay up in a timely manner.

Fortunately, with new projects inthe works it seems the All

Night Long croonershould be able toscrounge up thecash to put this

financial matterbehind him.

Lionel Richie owes IRS $1.1million in unpaid taxes

Bee Gees pop legend Robin Gibbwas in a coma last night, amidfears he has only days to live.

The 62-year-old's family areunderstood to be at his bedside, The

Sun reports. A friend said: "Ourprayers are with Robin. He has kept

so positive and always believed hecould beat this. "If there is anyone

you would put money on pullingthrough such a dire situation, it

would be Robin because he is a fight-er. But this is a battle he will struggleto win." Gibb has been battling colon

and liver cancer and was recently hos-pitalised with pneumonia. He was

forced to pull out of a performance atthe Royal Philharmonic's premiere

performance of The Titanic Requiemin London on April 10, because he was

so ill.

BeeGees

singerRobin in

coma

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

CINEMA 23

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CINEMA 25

James Cameron has spoken about the films thathe would like to see re-released in 3D, singlingout The Godfather as one he would particularly

favour. The 3D version of the director’s Titanic iscurrently on release, and topped the UK Easter boxoffice. Speaking to The Huffington Post about 3D,Cameron said: “Conversion has a place and it’s aplace for films we know and love - Star Wars, Jaws; Iwould love to see The Godfather in 3D. “But it has tobe done by the filmmaker. It has to be done by thedirector because there are so many creative choicesthat have to be made and it has to be done right. Andthe studio’s got to be willing to spend the money todo it right.”

Discussing which other films of his own might besuitable for conversion, he remarked: “I thinkTerminator 2 would rock in 3D. But Aliens — becauseof the claustrophobia — might be a little toointense.” The director also commented on KateWinslet’s recent statement that Titanic’s theme song,Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On, makes her feellike throwing up.

Cameron said: “All I could think was Celine isgoing to be p*ssed.”

James Cameronwants to see

The Godfatherin 3DMorgan Freeman

would like tomake some-

thing perfectly clear: Hedoes not plan to marry his

step-granddaughter. In fact,according to the

Shawshank Redemptionactor, the two of them

aren’t even dating. For thepast several years, reports

in the tabloid press and blo-gosphere have alleged thatFreeman, 74, has been car-

rying on a romantic rela-tionship with his great-granddaughter E’Dena

Hines and was planning to make her his wife.“The recent reports of any pending marriage or

romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatoryfabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell

papers,” Freeman stated. “What is even morealarming is that these fabrica-tions are now being picked up

by the legitimate press as well.”“These stories about me and

my grandfather are notonly untrue, they are also veryhurtful to me and my family,”

Hines added.

Morgan Freemanrefutes marriage

rumours

Actress Jennifer Aniston has praised heractor boyfriend Justin Theroux forbeing a good human and also described

him as her protector. The 43-year-old has beendating Theroux for almost a year now. “He’s aprotector, for sure. He’s just a good humanbeing, and so funny,” femalefist.co.uk quotedAniston as saying. Aniston and Therouxfeature together in comedy filmWanderlust. They play a couple who turnstheir back on their hectic New York lives tolive in a hippy commune. IANS

Justin is myprotector:Aniston

Beyonce writesopen letter to

Michelle Obama

Pop diva Beyonce has penned an openletter to the US First Lady

Michelle Obama to express heradmiration and respect for her. The let-ter, which has been scanned and post-

ed on Beyonce’s website, describesMichelle as “the ultimate example of a truly strong African

American woman". “She is a caring mother, she is a lovingwife, while at the same time, she is the FIRST LADY!!!!

“No matter the pressure and the stress of beingunder the microscope -— she’s humble, loving and

sincere. She builds and nurtures her family,while also looking out for so many millions in

so many ways. Michelle, thank you for everysingle thing that you do for us — I am proud to

have my daughter grow up in a world where she haspeople like you, to look up to,” Beyonce wrote in her

letter. The singer recently gave birth to a girl named,Blue Ivy Carter. PTI

CHAI TIME 26SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

ACROSS1 Made mention of6 Like chiffon11 Kipling's homeland16 Pipe up21 Meter reading22 Self-confidence23 Props24 Venomous black snake25 Pythias' friend26 Threw a tantrum27 Cocoon dweller28 More aloof29 Barely scrape by30 Dark meat option32 Bride's portion34 Quarry36 Dream-state clue37 Mystery writer —

Paretsky39 Loos or Ekberg41 Pepper grinders43 Daisy type45 Suit material47 Fishlike49 Squelch51 Eerie laughs54 Eddy55 — mater56 Could hear — — drop60 Says yes61 — up?62 Creek64 Literary compilation65 Taken by the wind66 Ward off67 Trey toppers68 Survey findings70 Place (abbr)71 Posh hotel lobby73 Spunk74 Lizard with a fringe75 Pasture moms77 Future flower78 Clearheaded79 River bed80 Trudges82 Underway83 Limerick starter84 She saves the day87 Poker pair88 Darth's daughter89 Courtesy env93 Oval-nest builder94 Glittering, as an eye95 Country squires97 Wedding rental98 Sri —99 Golfer's purchase100 Language units101 Split to join103 Mountain curve104 Crunchy106 Pita treats107 Shop tool108 Ooze out110 Cartoon shrieks111 Tall and lanky112 Hazelnut113 Net or river115 Swiss capital116 Overhead honkers117 ‘Love — Number 9’120 Nerdy guy122 Column order124 Hoop's place128 PFC mail drop129 1860s initials

131 Irritate133 Sectors135 Louis who said ‘L'etat

c'est moi’136 Truce result138 Could happen140 More or less142 Jack up144 Fire chief's suspicion145 — -de-lis146 Vicar's residence147 Henry VIII was one148 Starbucks order149 Lighthearted150 War-horse151 Player's rep

DOWN1 Art-class models2 Major Japanese port3 Gentler4 It's easily deflated5 Slight progress6 Water sources 7 Submarine8 Two cubed9 WNW opposite10 Funny Foxx11 Rancour (2 wds)12 Almost13 Ms Hannah

14 Mdse bill15 ASAP16 Cough-drop duo17 Felt boot18 Qatar rulers19 Red as — —20 Cause-and-effect law31 Furry hoppers33 Bradley and Sharif35 Sir — Newton38 Lopsided40 Teeming (with)42 Plaza44 Gleeful shout46 ‘Maria --’48 Metropolis50 Samovars51 Dish alternative52 Luminous53 ‘Time in a Bottle’

singer54 Landscaping plant55 Stonehenge worshiper57 Joyous outburst58 Pointless59 Twangy, as a voice61 Laments62 Confine (2 wds)63 Snert's master66 Goody-goody67 Adjust a lens

69 Old Norse poems72 Steak cut (hyph)73 Hot and humid74 ‘-- — You Knocking’76 Scare badly78 Advances, as money79 Vouchers81 Soft purple82 Onion-flavoured roll83 Looks after84 Donut centers85 Backspace on a PC86 Dentist's request87 Brown seaweeds88 Director Mervyn —90 Make amends91 Fabulous92 Wield, as authority94 Lay by the pool95 Overindulged96 Cheers99 Well, in Grenoble100 Keenan or Ed102 Price tag105 Bridle straps106 Renowned recluse107 Fragment109 Tire pressure meas111 NASA splashdown112 Faked out114 When mammals

became dominant115 Heston Oscar-winner

(hyph)116 Ptarmigan117 Of the Vatican118 Diva's performance119 Clink glasses121 Gamble123 Atmospheric layer125 Rust or patina

126 Prairie roamer127 Turn inside out130 Like many radios132 Root crop134 Tijuana Ms137 Bunkhouse item139 Percent ending141 Cave denizen143 31-day mo

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

CHAI TIME 27SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

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TAROT READ

Five of Swords – Th -e re are too many pe -o ple trying to get apiece of the pie andit bothers you thatyou cannot even bailout right now. Don’tlet your guard down.

Knight of Wands –You’re feeling youth-ful, adventurous andready to take on theworld with your newand creative ideas.Romance is in the air.An old flame returns.

Queen of Pentacles –Take up a hobby, su -ch as painting or gar-dening, to achievegreater work-life bal-ance. You need totake your mind off allthe serious work.

ARIESGood news on the cards. Benefits like-ly through blood relatives. Artists willreceive unexpected financial inflow.Mother's health will improve. You willconcentrate on purchase of a house.

CANCER

LIBRAObstacles in getting govt work donewill be resolved. Your well-wishers whoseek your growth will visit and makeyou cheerful. Businessmen have brightchances to go into another venture.

CAPRICORNFinancial and moral support from fath -er likely. Some friends might have dif-ferences with you. Minor obstacleslikely in the purchase of house or land.Relatives and neighbours upset you.

TAURUSYour children will feel happy as youmake arrangements for their securedfuture. Employees may be transferredwith a promotion. Businessmen will seea good profit in their new venture.

LEOThere might be minor misunderstand-ing amongst maternal relatives. Becareful and avoid such a situation. Sonmay be gifted with a government job.You might get him married too.

SCORPIOMarriage talks will end favourably.Some will undertake a pilgrimage.Employees might face minor hurdles atwork. Businessmen need to be cautiousas partners might misunderstand them.

AQUARIUSSome have a bright chance to buy ahouse. Renovation of present residen -ce likely. Expenses need to be keptunder control. One of the blood rela-tives might settle abroad.

GEMINIGood events to take place at home.Sports persons have bright chances tocreate a world record. Businessmenwill see good profits. Politicians will beentrusted with new responsibilities.

VIRGOEnemies will be inactive and hence youwill maintain your march ahead. Thoseto get married may finalise their mar-riage within their close circle itself. Politi -c i ans will earn confidence of superiors.

SAGITTARIUSHealth problems will be over. Thoughthere are no financial problems, becareful while carrying out financialtransactions. Obstacles faced for sell-ing old property will be resolved.

PISCESYou will be benefitted even throughenemies. Those longing for a femalebaby will be blessed with one. Familybusiness will prosper well. Some havebright chances to get a good job.

For B

ette

r or f

or W

orse

Ink

pen

Two of Pentacles –Work-life balancewill put you in adif f i cult spot andyou’ll have to maketough decisions.It’s possible if youkeep an open mind.

King of Cups – Yo -u’re deliberately bei -ng put in a positionwhere you need tomake tough decisio -ns. You cannot esca -pe. Un d e r stand anddecide carefully.

The Tower – Bigchanges are on theway. It may be relat-ed to the job andmay even bringabout changes inyour living situation.Keen an open mind.

Six of Pentacles –Finances are in focus.You need to manageyour money better.Help is at hand. Youneed to ask for it andyou’ll get the rightadvice.

Three of Swords –Some loss or disap-pointment is possible.Heartbreak is po ssi -ble. Something thatyou hoped for maynot be panning outas you had planned.

The World – Theworld is at your feetand all your plansare working perfectly.If there are anyminor glitches, youhave it in you tomanage them.

Four of Pentacles –The financial stabilityis making it seemwo r th it despite thelack of challenge inyour current po sition.You’ll stick on des -pite the boredom.

Seven of Swords –There’s some secre-cy and conspiracyinvolved in a project.You’re not beingtold the entire truthand that is hinderingyour ability to judge.

The Moon – Payattention to whatyour mother is saying.She may seem con-fused and may notbe making sense. Butthere are subtle mes-sages that help you.

STAR POWER SUMAA TEKURtarotreadhyd@gmail.com

THIRUVAIKUMARthiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in

040-27177230 / 9949870449

Financially a comfortable situation like-ly. You will fulfill the commitmentsgiven without fail. All work undertakenby you complete successfully. Ancestralproperty is expected to come to you.

Date 16-4-2012 Date 16-4-2012

Abicycle can't stand on itsown because it is two-tired.

A boiled egg in the morning ishard to beat.A chicken crossing the road ispoultry in motion.A grenade thrown into akitchen in France would resultin Linoleum Blownapart.A lot of money is tainted. Ittaint yours and it taint mine.Bakers trade bread recipes on aknead to know basis.In democracy it's your vote thatcounts. In feudalism it's yourcount that votes.Reading whilst sunbathingmakes you well-red.

Show me a piano falling downa mineshaft and I'll show you A-flat minor.The man who fell into an uphol-stery machine is fully recovered.The short fortune teller whoescaped from prison was asmall medium at large.Those who get too big for theirbritches will be exposed in theend.What's the definition of a will?(It's a dead giveaway).When a clock is hungry it goesback four seconds.When an actress saw her firststrands of gray hair she thoughtshe'd dye.

The best of puns

Vol: 1, No 273 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by himat Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

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As per Hindu panchang

CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

SAGITTARIUSSCORPIOLIBRA

CANCER

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI

LEO VIRGO

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201228WACKY WORLD

Capela dos Ossos, or the Chapel ofBones, is a structure with interiors

covered completely in human bones –sounds like the stuff that scary houses

are made of, right? Located next to theChurch of St. Francis in the medieval

Portuguese town of Evora it is actually aplace of worship. The 16th century

chapel is a large room that has beenadorned with the bones of over

5,000 monks.

Bone Chapel of Portugal

Coromoto, an ice cream shop in Merida,Venezuela, is probably the closest you

can ever get to Bertie Botts Every FlavourBeans from Harry Potter’s wizarding world.The place sells ice creams of virtually everyflavour you can think of. You’re sure tocome across a few strange flavours likeonion, chili, mushrooms, wine and even gar-lic. The ones you’d probably never want totry are egg, sardines-in-brandy and maca-roni-and-cheese flavoured ice creams.

Coromoto’s 900 Flavors

Travis Nicolaysen doesn't hide that he'srunning from police. Sometimes he even

pops up on Facebook to provide updatesand ask friends where he might crash forthe night. The day after the Facebookexchange, police issued a statement askingfor information leading to Nicolaysen'sarrest. The 26-year-old hasn't checked inwith his parole officer since January and iswanted for assaulting his girlfriend inMarch.

FB stat update on the run

A masterpiecedrawn in chalkRustam Valeev, 20-year-old street artist from

Sterlitamak, Russia, uses simple pieces of whitechalk. With this he creates incredibly detailed por-

traits right on the pavement of his home city. Rustampractices his skills on rough pavement. Although hisstreet art hasn’t been featured by any importantWestern media outlets, his beautiful portraits have goneviral on some of the most popular sites in Russia.

Man has over 20,000bird memorabilia

It all started when Lawrence Cobbold was 9 –years-old,when he purchased a picture of a bird . At 38, hishouse is filled to the brim with bird ornaments. His

place is so full of bird memorabilia that he has to washup, do his laundry and have his meals at his parents’house. In the past 25 years or so, Lawrence has managedto collect over 20,000 ornaments related to birds. Histreasures could all be worth about £40,000 ($63,000)according to his own estimation.

Frozen foam foryour beerClever folks at Japanese brewing giant Kirin have

figured out how to create frozen foam and dispenseit on top of a beer like a person filling a cone with

soft-serve ice cream. The beer is said to have a creamiertaste and texture due to the frozen foam than regularbeer in an icy mug. As the foam melts, it won’t dilute thebeer with water as regular ice cubes would because thefoam itself is, of course, beer.

AFP / ANDREY SMIRN

A municipal worker washes the upper part of the 70-meter high monument of Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, at the Gagarin Square in Moscow, on April 11, 2012. Russia celebrated theAviation and Cosmonautics Day today which happens to be the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin making the first manned space flight in 1961.

RAIN OVER ME

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 201229

METRE 6S162 10Faf duPlessis(CSK)

98HIGHESTSCORE

BESTBOWLER 5-164S347 23Ajinkya

Rahane(RR)

RavindraJadeja(CSK)

PLAYER OF THE DAYJESSE RYDER: The Pune Warriors’player rattled the opponents bowlingwhen PWI took on Chennai SuperKings on Saturday. to help his teamto victory over CSK with seven wick-ets in hand.

Losing wickets at regular inter-vals, it seemed like the PuneWarriors would find it a little diffi-cult to reach the coast but Ryderalong with his Australian teammateSteven Smith guided their team tovictory.

The 27-year-old player scored a quick-fire 73 which came of just56 balls. His superb innings saw him smash seven fours and a six.Although he kept losing partners at the other end, yet he main-tained his composure hitting boundaries regularly to keep therequired rate under check.

Rahul Dravid has taken a bit of cue from Shane Warne's leader-ship quality and says Rajasthan Royals could beat any side on agiven day, including a strong Royal Challengers Bangalore,

with whom they lock horns in an Indian Premier League matchtoday.

"I noticed Warnie keeping things simple and giving players,especially youngsters to express their views in last IPL. I am doinga bit the same this year. "We don't over complicate things, neitherhave long meetings and practice sessions. We do things with inten-sity," the Rajasthan skipper told reporters at the pre-match pressconference. Dravid went on to say that he believed his team couldbeat any side on a given day as it did in first two games. "We havelot of potential to surprise lot of teams," he added. Even the twogames which RR lost were quite close, Dravid said, adding, "It is notthat we have been completely out-classed." Looking to perform bet-ter, Dravid said to be competitive in this tournament, RR shouldstart winning games away from home. "We know we are a tough toteam play at home. We haven't had a great record away. We want toimprove upon it. It is quite a young squad so there are chances welose on away pitches," he said. PTI

AjinkyaRahane

(RR)

WALL CONFIDENT OF RR

When Kolkata KnightRiders take on Kings XIPunjab at Eden Gardens,

both teams will be brimming withconfidence. The Knights arebuoyed that they beat theRajasthan Royals while the Kingsare bucked up that they broke thedark horse of this edition of theIPL, Pune Warriors, who are atopthe point table.

Both teams beat their oppo-nents in their last matches byrestricting them to low totals andchasing it. Surely one need notexpect anything different in theteams’ tactics this time, too.

And if this be their gameplan, then Kolkata has a sliver ofan advantage, for their bowlingseems stronger.

It was the fine performance ofthe spin triumvirate comprisingShakib Al Hassan, Sunil Narineand Yusuf Pathan that shook theRoyals and bundled them out for131. If these three click again,then we are in for some serioustreat of spin bowling. Especially

Shakib, for he says the EdenGarden is like his home groundand he knows this pitch like thepalm of his hand.

As for the Kings, they will beriding on the excellent form ofShaun Marsh and DimitriMascarenhas. Shaun played bril-liantly. Not only did he steady theship, with his 64 from 54 ball heensured that she made it to thedock; ample fireworks for the fanstoo in the form of seven fours anda six.

It’s a remarkable comebackfor a player who was out for seven

in his last match. This suddenrise to form of Shaun is some-thing that bodes well for theKings. And if Mascarenhas fireslike he did against the Warriors,then the Kings’ burdens are fur-ther lessened.

This man of Sri Lankandescent could be detrimental withthe bat, too. He holds the recordof scoring for England againstIndia; 30 runs off an over ofYuvraj Singh, who bowls spin, inan ODI at the Oval in London.Spinners of the Knights, bewarned.

Kings look to rein in Knights

KKR VS KXIP AT 4PM ON SET MAX

Kings XI Punjab’s Praveen Kumar (R) celebrates with teammateHarmeet Singh after taking a wicket against Pune Warriors India in theformer’s previous clash in Pune on April 8. AFP/PUNIT PARANJPE

Faf duPlessis (CSK)157 runs

Munaf Patel(MI) 10wickets

It was even-steven, butour execution wasn't good,

we have struggled in thefirst six and the last few

overs. Just wanted to checkwho wanted to bowl, askedYoMi [Yo Mahesh] whetherhe wanted to bowl and helooked positive, so threw

him the ball. That is how youlearn.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni,CSK Captain

BRIEF SCORES: PWI VS CSK

CSK 155/5 IN 20 OVERS

(RAVINDRA JADEJA 44,RAHUL SHARMA 2/16)LOST TO PWI 156/3 IN19.2 OVERS (JESSE RYDER

73, YO MAHESH 1/22)

P W L T PT NRPWI 4 3 1 0 6 0.491MI 4 3 1 0 6 0.361DD 3 2 1 0 4 0.82KKR 4 2 2 0 4 0.305RR 4 2 2 0 4 0.183CSK 5 2 3 0 4 -0.108RCB 3 1 2 0 2 -0.417KXIP 3 1 2 0 2 -0.583DC 2 0 2 0 0 -1.95P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie;NR-net run rate; PT-points

The number of balls takenby PWI’s Steven Smith to

score his 44 against CSK. Hisquick-fire innings saw himsmash four fours and three

sixes.

22

Losing two back to backmatches, both RoyalChallengers Bangalore and

Rajasthan Royals now face anuphill task when they meeteach other today in Bengaluru.While RCB lost their last clashto Chennai Super Kings,Rajasthan went down fightingthe Kolkata Knight Riders.

RCB put up a brilliantshow when they played CSK.

Batting first, the Challengersposted a formidable 205 butsome lackluster bowling sawthem lose the thriller.

Meanwhile, Rajasthanseemed to have lost their waywhen they took on KKR.Posting just 131 on the board,RR failed to defend the targetas sloppy fielding saw them digtheir own grave.

Both the teams started thetournament on a winning note,but now seem to have lost theirmomentum. While RCB boastsof big players in their side, theRoyals, though considered tobe one of the underdogs, canstill resist the Challengersattacks.

ROYALS TO CLASHIN BENGALURU

RR vs RCBat 8pm onSet Max

rajesh.r@postnoon.comRAJESH RAVINDRAN

G APARNA SAI

feedback@postnoon.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

SPORTS 30

KUALA LUMPUR: LouisOosthuizen clung to a one-shot lead after three roundsof the rain-affectedMaybank Malaysian OpenSunday as he eyed immedi-ate atonement for last week’sUS Masters heartbreak.

The South African, com-pleting his last seven holesafter repeated showers onSaturday, bogeyed the 13thbut birdied the par-four 16thfor a 69 and 13-under-par 203,keeping his nose ahead ofStephen Gallacher.

Scotland’s Gallacher,starting the day a shot backfrom Oosthuizen, brieflysnatched the lead with a pairof birdies but he dropped ashot on the 17th and remainsalone in second at theEuropean and Asian Tourevent.

Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello, Ricardo Gonzalez of

Argentina and England’sDanny Willett were two backat 11 under par, with India’sJyoti Randhawa and DavidLipsky of the United Stateson 10 under.

Former world numberMartin Kaymer was five offthe lead on eight under par,and first-round leader and2011 Masters championCharl Schwartzel shot 70 togo seven under.

Six-time European Tourwinner Alvaro Quiros wasthree under while NewZealand major-winnerMichael Campbell, search-ing for his first win since2005, was two under.

One week ago atAugusta, Oosthuizen cameagonisingly close to winninghis second major but he lostout on the second play-offhole to free-hittingAmerican Bubba Watson.

When tails wag,miracles occur

The number of genuine tailenders has diminished though cricket has turnedinto a thoroughly professional affair.

Twelfth Man

It needed a twist in the tail forAustralia to script a great vic-tory against the West Indies inthe first Test in Bridgetown,

Barbados.A fighting partnership of 77

for the last wicket betweenNathan Lyon and Ryan Harrisgot Australia past the 400 markbefore Michael Clarke took thebrave decision to declare theinnings 43 runs behind.

It paid off as the West Indiescollapsed and the Australianssuccessfully chased the target of191 in fading light.

The last wicket partnershiponce again put into focus thevalue of tailenders with the bat.

Coaches have now beendemanding that their nine, tenand jack put in a bit of practicewith the bat too.

In the not so distant past, thelower order meant that theopposing openers would alreadybe loosening up for their turnwith the bat.

A few swings with the batwith more misses than hits typi-fied the tailender. They providedcomic relief to the tenseness ofTest matches.

Back in the sixties and sev-enties, India’s ace spin bowlersBishen Singh Bedi and BhagwatChandrasekhar were among theworst of the lot.

However, Bedi did improvehis batting in the latter stages ofhis career and actually swunghis way to a maiden fifty againstNew Zealand which included afew sixes.

Chandrasekhar had apolio affected hand which madebatting difficult. To his credit,he did get to a top score of 22 in80 innings which included23 ducks.

England had Bob Willis who

once forgot to bring his bat tothe crease. Willis played onlyshot amongst forward prods – asort of circular drive whichsometimes connected. Willis toomanaged a half century morethrough optimism than ability.

Phil Tufnell was anotherwho always pushed forwardregardless of the merit of theball.

He did occasionally providestiff resistance merely by frus-trating the bowler.

Then there was DevonMalcolm who exited the creaseas fast as his bowling.

Monty Panesar carries theflag now for England. His battingseems to be improving though.

Glenn McGrath always wona lot of ‘Ooh Ah’ when he cameinto bat. He is second on the listof zeros. But McGrath got a littlebetter in the winter of his careerand managed to score 61 in aTest against New Zealand.

Courtney Walsh provided alot of entertainment when hecame into bat if he did last a fewballs. He holds the record for themost number of zeros – 43.Walsh did get a few runs once ina while and managed 30 as hishighest score.

Danny Morrison of NewZealand had 24 ducks to hisname.

But in his last Test he added106 for the tenth wicket with

Nathan Astle to save the match.His contribution was just 14.

The biggest current day rab-bit must be the Kiwi batsmanChris Martin. In 98 innings, hehas scored 119 runs at average2.42. This includes 33 ducks andputs him fourth on the list.

The number of genuinetailenders has diminishedthough a cricket has turned intoa thoroughly professional affair.

Even if they can’t bat much,tailenders can still produce theperfect forward defensivethrown in with a few drives ifthe coach’s directives areadhered to. That’s what Lyon didto win a Test match for his coun-try.

Twelfth ManBABU KALYANPUR

Louisleads inKL, butbarely

Martin Kaymer wasfive off the lead oneight under par, andfirst-round leaderand 2011 Masterschampion CharlSchwartzel shot 70to go seven under.

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

SPORTS 31

KINGSTON: Double sprintworld record-holder Usain Boltmade a triumphant start to his2012 season under rainy condi-tions on Saturday, joking theweather would prepare him forthe 2012 London Olympics.

At the UTech Classic inKingston, Bolt anchored theRacers 4x100 relay to victory in aseason’s world-best 37.82 sec-onds, defeating an MVP clubrelay with Asafa Powell andBritain’s Dwayne Chambers thatran in 38.27 seconds.

“I am always a bit nervousbefore my first race but I gotthrough it OK and that’s good,”Bolt said. “I’m always wonderingif I’m still fast, even if I’m doingwell in training, so it is alwaysgood to come out here and run.”

Bolt’s relay teammates werereigning world 100-meter cham-pion Yohan Blake, MarioForsythe and Kimmari Roach.

Bolt said he wanted to runthe 200 meters on Friday butpoor weather forced him not tocompete.

Saying the rain did not affecthis performance, Bolt said heknows he might face similarweather during pre-Olympicevents in Europe this season.

“This is what we are accus-tomed to in Europe and I wentout there and executed,” Boltsaid.

Bolt brushed off health wor-ries, saying he was fit “thoughnot as smooth as I want” anddownplayed anxiety over the latestart to the season, saying it wascoach Glen Mills decision aboutwhen he would run.

“It’s all about the coach,’ Boltsaid. “He decides when andwhere I run. It’s always up tohim.”

Bolt throws downOlympic gauntlet

LIVERPOOL: England: Thegruelling Grand National cameunder renewed fire on Sundayafter the “unacceptable” deathof two horses at the notoriousBecher’s Brook fence promptedpassionate calls for a radicalsafety review.

Cheltenham Gold Cup win-ner Synchronised andAccording to Pete were both putdown after falling at Becher’sBrook, taking the total of fatali-ties at this year’s three-dayAintree meeting to three.

Two horses also died in the2011 Grand National, leadingofficials at the course to modifythe daunting Becher’s chal-lenge.

“The death of two horses atthe Grand National, bringingthe total to three at the Aintreemeeting, is totally unaccept-able,” Gavin Grant, the chiefexecutive of the Royal Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals (RSPCA) told the BBC.

“In its current format, therisks to horses are not appro-priate and we want an urgentexamination of the GrandNational, including a numberof fences such as Becher’sBrook, where horses are contin-uing to die despite safetyimprovements.”

Other animal welfare cam-paigners blasted Saturday’srace as “the worst kind of mob

entertainment”.“The Grand National is a

disgusting and shameful specta-cle masquerading as sport,”said Andrew Tyler, the directorof Animal Aid.

“For anyone who genuinelycares about horses watchingthis race was an utterlydepressing and melancholyexperience.”

Synchronised had already

shown signs of distress beforethe race started when the nine-year-old unseated veteran jock-ey Tony McCoy.

The horse broke away andit was several minutes beforeanimal and jockey were reunit-ed, delaying the start of therace by 10 minutes.

In a damage-limitation exer-cise, Aintree owners, as well asthe British Horseracing

Authority (BHA), moved to con-front the gathering storm.

Tim Morris, the director ofequine science and welfare forthe BHA, said: “In both casesthe horse incurred a fracture tothe leg and the humane optionwas to put the injured horsesdown.”

He added: “We will examineclosely the circumstanceswhich led to both incidents.”

ROME: All weekend football inItaly has been called off follow-ing the death of Livorno mid-fielder Piermario Morosini(right, on stretcher) onSaturday, the Italian FootballFederation said.

The 25-year-old, on loan fromSerie A side Udinese, collapsedon the pitch during a seconddivision game at Pescara andwas later pronounced dead inhospital.

Morosini’s death comes justunder a month after BoltonWanderers midfielder FabriceMuamba suffered a cardiacarrest during his side’s FA Cupquarter-final match with

Tottenham, prompting calls formore stringent medical checkson footballers. The ItalianFootball Federation generalmanager Antonello Valentiniresponded to Saturday’s tragedyby suspending all remainingweekend football, starting withthe Serie A match between ACMilan and Genoa. The matchhad been due to kick-off at 1600GMT. Fans already at the SanSiro stadium responded to thatannouncement largely withapplause, although some jeered.

Italian Olympic Committeepresident Giovanni Petruccilater invited all Italian sportsfederations to observe a minute’s

silence in memory of Morosini.Morosini suffered a suspect-

ed heart attack during the firsthalf of the match. He collapsedsuddenly and was treated on thepitch before being taken away byambulance to the Civile SantoSpirito hospital in Pescara. Buthe was later pronounced dead.

The player had been con-scious when put in the ambu-lance. “He looked me in the eyeswhen he entered the vehicle,”Pescara chief executive DaniloIannascoli told Sky television.“Morosini fell, he tried to getback up but fell again. Ourmasseur realised what was hap-pening.”

Gold Cup winner put down at Aintree

Italian football off as player dies

SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2012

SPORTS 32

MADRID: First, CristianoRonaldo (above) broke his ownmark of last season by scoring inthe 3-1 come-from-behind victoryover Sporting Gijon.

Later Saturday, Messigrabbed a brace as Barcelonaalso hit back from a goal down todefeat Levante 2-1 as the champi-ons stayed four points behindReal with the mouthwatering,season-defining El Clasico tocome next weekend.

On a night of landmarks,Real’s third goal was their 107thof La Liga this season.

It puts them level with JohnToshack’s Real Madrid team of

the 1989-90 season with JoseMourinho’s side still with fivematches to play.

“The records come as a resultof the work of all the playerswho have given so much anddeserve to be champions,” saidReal assistant coach AitorKaranka.

“For those who say that JoseMourinho is a defensive coachthen you just need to look atthese statistics.”

Levante went ahead againstBarcelona from a 23rd-minutepenalty converted by JoseBarkero.

But Messi then hit a second

half brace with his second goal,from the penalty spot after a foulby Pedro Botelho on JuanCuenca, drawing him level withhis great Portuguese rivalRonaldo on 41 league goals.

“This result is important inlifting us for the upcomingmatch in London and then theMadrid game,” said Barca coachPep Guardiola with his side fac-ing Chelsea in the ChampionsLeague semi-final on Wednesday.

“Now we are going to thinkabout the Chelsea match. Wehave won the last three titles butif they win this time then thatwill be that.”

Derek Davis

NORWICH: Manchester City managerRoberto Mancini shrugged off suggestionsthat had Carlos Tevez (below) been avail-able all season they would have won thePremier League already.

City moved within two points of lead-ers Manchester United with an emphatic 6-1 win over Norwich City at Carrow Roadwith Tevez hitting a hat-trick.

It was the Argentine striker’s fourthgoal in two games and many fans feel thathad Tevez not gone on a self-imposed exile,Manchester City would now be champions.

“Tevez was out for six months and it isonly in the last month that we have comeoff the top,” said Mancini.

“Tevez is not the only player who hasbeen out. We have also been withoutAguero for two games, Vincent Kompanywas out for a month with injury andLescott too for four weeks. The team didwell without Carlos for six months.”

Aguero grabbed two goals and AdamJohnson made it six to keep the title racealive although Mancini insists United willnot be caught.

The ‘41’ clubCristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi took their La Liga goals tally

this season to a record-breaking 41 each on Saturday.

Mancini silenced

Isner faces MonacoHOUSTON: US second seedJohn Isner outlasted Spanishthird seed Feliciano Lopez 6-7(5/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 on Saturdayto reach the final of the$442,500 ATP US Men’s ClayCourt Championship.

As a result, the power-serving American ensured hewill rise from 10th to ninth inthe ATP rankings on Monday,passing Mardy Fish to becomethe top-rated US player in theworld.

“That has been one of mygoals for a long, long time,”Isner said. “I’m so happy toaccomplish it.”

Isner, who sparked a USsemi-final Davis Cup triumphon French clay to book a semi-final date with Spain inSeptember, will seek his

fourth career title in Sunday’sfinal against Argentina’sfourth-seeded Juan Monaco,who beat US qualifier MichaelRussell 5-7, 6-1, 6-4 in the othersemi-final.

“It’s going to be difficultfor me,” Monaco said. “I willhave to be ready with myreturns.”

Isner has held serve in 44consecutive games at the onlyATP clay-court event in hishomeland, although he waspressed for the first two setsby the Spaniard.

“I knew going into thismatch it was going to betough,” Isner said. “I alwaysfind myself playing my bestwhen my back is against thewall and tonight was no differ-ent.”