postnoon e-paper for 17 march 2012

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3 KILLED, 2 HURT INROAD MISHAP

Three people fell prey to a road accidentearly this morning. A group of artisans

from Bellary were travelling in a hired SUV.Near Peddashahpur village under

Shamshabad police station limits, the driverfelt drowsy and lost control. The vehicle

rammed into an RTC bus, killing Sri Laxmi,35, Ramakrishna, 32 and driver Basha, 28,

on the spot while two others sustained injuries.

CLOONEY ARRESTED

Actor George Clooney andhis father were arrested

on Friday, along with otherprotesters, outside the Suda -nese embassy in Washington.The arrest came a day afterhe had met Presi dent Obamawith concerns about the troubled region.

NARROW ESCAPE FORTRAIN PASSENGERS

Passengers of Venkatadri expresshad a providential escape today at

the Kacheguda railway station. The trainwas at the platform when another train,which was getting its engine changed,rammed it from the rear. Two bogieswere damaged but nobody wasinjured, said South Central RailwaySuperintendent of Police M Kanta Rao.An inquiry has been launched.

WATER WARA man immolates himself after a brawl over

water — tough times ahead as mercury soars

REPORT ON PG 4

PG 7

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

exhibition presents art workby Karunakaran and SatheeshKanna. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara

Hills, Rd No 12When: Ongoing,

11am onwardsContact: 98499 6879

Wraps and rollsRolls — boring did you say? Headto Promenade at Ameerpet for awide variety of rolls,such as seafood rolls and grilled chicken rollsfor the non-vegetarians and cab-bage roll and stir fried vegetablewrap, for the vegetarians.Where: The Promenade,

AmeerpetWhen: OngoingContact: (040) 6678 8888

Thaali festivalSpice Junxion is offering a variety offavourites from different regionssuch as Rayalseema and Telangana.The unique aspect of the thaali isthat it represents the traditionalhome-style cooking.Where: Spice Junxion,Banjara

Hills,Rd No 1When: OngoingContact: (040) 6666 3939

Musical eveningCatch an evening of Jazz, Blues,Pop and Rock by artistes such asShakila, Sarosh, Sukanya, Sanchita,

Cotton and silk melaBring out your shopping bags.Lepakshi Cotton and Silk Mela is onat Kalinga Cultural Centre. Choosefrom a variety of cotton and silksarees and dress materials.Where: Kalinga Cultural Centre,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 12.When: Ongoing, 11am onwardsContact: (040) 2330 3889

Photo exhibitionA photo exhibition titled Milestoneis on at Iconart Gallery. The exhibi-tion which is being held till March19. The photographs by 16 pho-tographers are based on theHimalayas.Where: Iconart, Banjara Hills,

Rd No 12When: Ongoing,

11am onwardsContact: 98499 68797

Bengali food festivalA Bengali food festival is being heldat Firdaus, Taj Krishna. Sample avariety of Bengali delicacies.Where: Firdaus, Taj Krishna,

Banjara Hills, Rd No1When: Ongoing,

11.30am onwardsContact: (040) 6666 2323

Unique buffetYellow Chilli is offering a lunch buf-fet which is truly different. TheBuffet which costs `199 (Mondayto-Friday) and `249 (Saturday andSunday). The dinner buffet costs`299 and `349.Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara

Hills, Rd No 12When: OngoingContact: (040) 23383838

Acting workshopSamahaara — an acting and danc-ing workshop is being held to helpyou hone your acting skills. Theworkshop focusses on a variety oftopics such as understanding thebasics of stage acting and characteranalysis, stage geography etc.Where: The Actor’s studio,

MadhapurWhen: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pmContact: 98854 04784

Tradition and innovationAn exhibition showcases 58 designswhich are a combination of tradi-tion and innovation.Where: Salarjung Museum,

Afzal GunjWhen: Ongoing,

10am onwardsContact: (040) 2452 3211

Temple ArtA painting exhibition titled,Temple Town is on display atIconart Art Gallery. The

Temporal is being held.Where: Shrishti Art Gallery,

Jubilee Hills,Rd No15

When: Ongoing, 11am onwards

Contact: (040) 2354 0023

New worksNew works by artists Laxma Goudand Ramesh Gorjala will be dis-played at Gallery Space.Where: Gallery Space, Banjara

Hills, Rd No 12When: Ongoing,


Water coloursIconart is hosting Aquarelle as apart of it’s Buy Art initiative. It fea-tures water colour paintings.Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara

Hills, Rd No 12When: March 20 onwards,

11.30 amContact: 98499 6879

Reflection of womenAiana — Reflection of Women,a painting exhibition is beingconducted at Kala Bhavan,Saifabad. The exhibition is byBhavana and Sindoor.Where: Kala Bhavan/ ICCR Art

Gallery, SaifabadWhen: Ongoing,


George Hull, Ujjal and Joe Kosteron Saturday, March 17.Where: Lamakaan,

Banjara Hills,Rd No 1

When: March 17Contact: 96427 31329

Asian barbequeThe Square, Novotel, Madhapurplays host to an Asianbarbeque.Sample grilled specialitiesfrom around the world — fromlebanon to Japanese to even SouthIndian.Where: The Square, Novotel,

MadhapurWhen: Ongoing,

7pm onwardsContact: (040) 6682 4422

Go SplashSplash lounge is the perfect leisuredestination for you to unwind.During the evenings, there is greatmusic, martinis and aperitifs.Where: The Westin, Mindspace,

MadhapurWhen: Monday - Friday,

5pm - 10.30pmWeekends,8am - 10.30pm

Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Sacred WomenOn the occasion of Shrishti ArtGallery’s 10th anniversary an exhibi-tion called Women-Sacred and the

PAGE TWO 2

PICTURE-WORTHY!

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

N SHIVA KUMAR

CITY 3

The Election Commission has setup 660 polling booths in seven

assembly segments wherebypolls will be held tomorrow. More

than 5,000 police are posted inMahbubnagar district alone. About

25,000 voting machines were in place.A ban on sending bulk SMS for thenext 48 hours and sale of liquor has

been imposed till voting ends.

All set for the bypolls

In a shocking incident, scores ofmobile phones and Ganja sachetswere found in the Cherlapally Central

prison during a surprise inspection bythe jail authorities on Saturday morn-ing. Prisoners are usually deniedaccess to phones, let alone narcotics.The authorities are interrogatinginmates and have launched a thoroughsearch of the premises.

Ganja seized from prison

Amother and daughter were runover by a train at Duvvada rail-way station in Visakhapatnam

this morning. The incident is said tohave occured when the mother andher daughter were trying to cross therailway line. Unfortunately, the duo didnot notice the Simhadri Expresshurtling down the track and it ran overthem. They both died on the spot.

Mother and daughter killed


Campaign over, bettingtakes over. In the sevenAssembly constituencieswhere byelections have

been conducted, betting is on fullswing which knowledgeable cir-cles put it not less than `100Crore.

But the betting this time isless on winning or losing butmore on victory margin of firsttwo leading parties, say Congressand TDP or TRS and TDP. This

becomes trickier because win-ning margin is pure number thatgoes with luck rather thanthoughtful consideration but bet-ting on a candidate’s victory waseasier and simpler.

Six out of the seven seats thathave gone for elections are inTelangana region and there is nolet up in the enthusiasm as far asputting money on betting is con-cerned. Betting is heavy inKovvur where margin of YSRparty candidate is the punter’sdelight. Pollsters believe thatYSRC candidate NallapureddyPrasanna Kumar Reddy’s victoryis a foregone conclusion but withwhat margin he would carve outis the question put to test. Youcould predict a margin, if the

actual come below it you lose themoney, if it is true or if it is morethan what you forecast you windouble the sum.

Betting in the Elections hasalways been a big game inAndhra Pradesh. There wereinstances where people lost vasttracts of agriculture lands bet-ting for Congress or TDP.

Mahabubnagar is a tough bet-

ting point. Here, the betting isheavy on the TRS margin. Somepunters have invested on the BJPwinning also. Some others calcu-late that since votes are likely tobe split between the BJP andTRS, the Congress may win.Those putting money on theCongress are offered a premium`2 for 1.

It is not money alone. Manywho do not have hard cash andyet want to bet can put at staketheir plots, animals, houses, bul-locks. Reports say those encour-aging betting are political enthu-siasts and pawn brokers.

Pawn brokers at Mahabub-nagar constituency are encourag-ing the betting for Congress asthey are offering a high stake and

here major chances are that thepunter will lose. Even at Kovvur,TDP is being equally favoured bythe punters irrespective of themargin, there are hopes that theTDP could be a surprise element.But in all other places the TRS isthe first choice while the TDP isthe second and the Congress thethird. Intelligence reports to thegovernment are said to have indi-cated that the Congress does nothave much to hope for.

Now, having little hope ofemerging winner in the game,the Congress seems to be concen-trating on match fixing. The lead-ers from the respective castegroups are lured over night withhuge promises to tilt the supportfor Congress in the last minute.

U SRINIVAS

[email protected]

Dispirited Congress in match fixing nowPOST THE CAMPAIGNS,BETTING HAS BEGUN ONNOT WHICH PARTY WILLWIN BUT BY HOW MUCHMARGIN THEY WILL WIN.

4CITYSATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

Telugu wikipedia hits 50,000 mark

Almost six years afterWikipedia users wereallowed to post and edit

articles in Telugu, the wikipediacommunity has crossed a majormilestone. Telugu has becomethe third indic language afterHindi and Marathi to have morethan 50,000 articles.Interestingly, Telugu was thefirst indic language to integratea typing solution in Wikipedia.While it’s certainly a matter ofpride for the Wikipedia commu-nity, there are several concerns

which the WikimediaFoundation is trying to address.“When we launched TeluguWikipedia, there was a phenom-enal response from the people. In2006, we crossed 10,000 articlesand by 2007 the number of arti-cles crossed 30,000. However, thecommunity has been slightlyinactive over the past few yearsbecause it took us almost fiveyears to cross the 50,000 articlesbarrier,” says Noopur Raval,Consultant-Communication,WMF-India Programs, adding,“It’s a problem which Wikipediais facing across the world. A lotof old editors aren’t so activethese days.”

To address this problem,Wikimedia Foundation hasbegun conducting several pro-

grammes across the country toreach out to more people toencourage them to write andedit content in English and otherindic languages. One such pro-gramme is being held at ISBHyderabad today. “Anyone canpost on Wikipedia and that’s themessage we want to drivehome,” Noopur adds.

Wikipedia has more than 21million articles in 284 languages,out of which 3.8 million are inEnglish alone. It’s interesting tonote that English, which is thesecond most spoken language inthe world constitutes less than20 per cent of the entire contenton the website. Is that one of themain reasons behind the drive togive a push to indic languages?

“Although English is widely

spoken around the world, westill speak our regional lan-guages at home. In countries likeGermany, people don’t even lookat English Wiki for any informa-tion. There’s a need to documentknowledge on various issues andthe best way to spread knowl-edge is by writing about issuesin regional languages,” Noopursays.

The type of content whichgoes on Wikipedia pagesdepends a lot on who’s editingthem. “Right from the begin-ning, we have had more youngmen onboard. So, you’ll see thatarticles on sports, technologyand politics are better editedthan other topics. Honestly, wewould like to have more womenonboard,” Noopur informs.

Water problems contin-ue to scar the lives ofpeople in Hyderabad.Venkat Raju, a resi-

dent of RTC Colony Moula Ali,committed suicide by settinghimself on fire after beingdenied an extra bucket of water.Raju who worked as a toweroperator for the Reliance groupwas irked by the desperate needfor water, a little more than thestipulated share of 10 bucketsthat every household gets, anddecided to claim a little more.On March 6, he carried a drumwhich other water-seekersobjected to. It led to a quarreland violence in which he wasbeaten black and blue. In theheat of the moment, VenkatRaju who is said to have had acouple of pegs, went home,poured kerosene on himself andset himself ablaze. He wasadmitted to Gandhi hospitalwith serious burn injuries,where he died a few days later.

This shocking incidentbrings to light, the plight andmisery of the City’s suburbanresidents, for whom water sup-ply has become a painful episodefraught with violence.

“Raju was a gentleman. Hewould never get into fights,” saidS Vinoda, Raju’s wife. “I cannotyet believe that he could takesuch an extreme step. I was notat home when it happened.

There has been no compensationso far nor do we expect any jus-tice,” she said. While VenkatRaju’s case is a grim statistic ofhow neighbours and relativescan turn upon each other fortheir most basic essentials, resi-dents believe that their issuesare far from being resolved.

Vinoda’s family sustains nowwith her lowly job at theKushaiguda printing presswhere she works as a helper. Herneighbours say that fights andbrawls are a common sight whena water tanker appears onceevery 10 days in the locality.

Anjamma, a housewife andVinoda’s neighbour said, “All the

wells in this area have dried up.The bores that people havedrilled have failed to bring upwater. There is just mud left atthe bottom of the wells and thebores. We have a total of 12 wellsjust in this particular street andnot one of them has any water.We have filed umpteen com-plaints in the last five years butthere has been no responsewhatsoever.”

Where does the water tankerappear from every 10 days? “Ourcolony leader Ayub brings in awater tanker every week for thislocality. Water supply once aweek explains why people fightmindlessly for every bucket.

This locality has gotten used tofights over water and some ofthem are very violent,” saidRavinder a barber who had beenliving in the area for 15 years.

“There has not been one sin-gle step taken for solving thisissue. Furthermore, a lot of thewater tanks in this area havebeen covered up or demolishedto make way for constructinghouses. None of the authoritieshere are of any help,” he said.

Water supply in this area islimited to the private watertanker that appears at the behestof the local authority, a certainAyub who happens to be the ex-councillor of the Moula Ali area.This tanker appears once inevery 10 days that leaves most ofthe residents wanting for more.As things are expected to geteven more serious this summer,the residents of Moula ali willonly have to wait and hope forbetter times.

However, the local corpora-tor of the area, Bharati RajGoud appeared unfazed andblindly optimistic about the situ-ation. “We have held a meetingwith the HMWS&SB. All ofMoula Ali has been categorisedinto four key areas, especiallythose that receive water once aweek and we will be concentrat-ing on these areas with the helpof linesmen who will try and laywater connections for these fourareas,” she said. “I was not pre-sent here while the Venkat Rajuissue had happened as we wereon a study tour project in NorthIndia. However, I shall look intothe matter and make sure ade-quate measures are taken toserve the people of this area.”

Liquid trouble stares CityA man taking his life after a brawl for a bucket of water in Moula Ali is a grim reminder of what is in store

for the City. Mindless exploitation of groundwater and killing of water bodies have led the situation to this pass. War for water is a near possibility now

Venkat Raju

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

[email protected]

[email protected] KUMAR

Telugu has become the third indic language to have more than 50,000 articles on Wikipedia. However, there are plenty of challenges which Wikimedia Foundation wants to address

M ANIL KUMAR

FOCUS 5SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

Ratna Pathak Shah’spassion for theatre is palpa-ble. She puts it in perspec-

tive saying, “I have grown upbackstage and my mother DinaPathak and my aunt ShantaGandhi have had a lot of influ-ence on me. Theatre was a fami-ly pre-occupation right from mychildhood.”

She’s in Hyderabad today tostage a play named Ismat Apa KeNaam. Directed by Naseeruddin

Shah, the play is based on IsmatChugtai’s writings. So far, theplay has been staged more than350 times across India and othercountries.

“There’s a great intimacy inthe way Ismat writes and itsounds like she’s narrating toyou the story,” explains Ratna.“Initially, we were quite skepti-cal because we didn’t know ifpeople will understand it. It’snot even a conventional playbecause there’s only one actoron stage who narrates the story.It’s been 11 years now and theplay has become a big hit withthe audience.”

We ask her about herhusband Shah's influence onher life and if his presence has

made a huge difference to herlife. “Of course. I consider himas one of my gurus apart fromSatyadev Dubey,” Ratna says.“Having seen his work fromclose quarters, his work has hada great influence on me. It’sgreat that everyone in my familyis an actor.”

While her romance with the-atre has been going on for years,she also dabbles with acting inTV serials and films. She is alsovery much involved in socialwork. “ I am part of an educa-tional NGO named Avehi Abacusproject,” she reveals. “We workwith over 900 municipal schoolsin Mumbai and we focus ondeveloping children’s skills ofthinking and analysing. In our

schools, children are not encour-aged to think and learn which isquite sad.”

Ratna is all praise foryoung writers, who she thinksare a lot more confident thanthose of her generation whenthey were young.

“Back in our time, therewere a handful of people likeMohan Rakesh, Sarath Joshi,Nirmal Varma, Girish Karnadand Tendulkar who would write,but now there are so manyyoung writers who write playsin English, Hindi, Marathi andother languages,” she points out.

Ratna says that most of theplays aren’t great, but she isquick to add that “the importantthing is that they are not afraid

of taking risks”.“Today, writers are well-edu-

cated and they approach lifewith a lot more confidence,” shesays. “Moreover, younger actorsact better on stage and theymake lesser mistakes which weused to make.” What about theaudience? “They have alwaysrisen to the occasion. A placelike Prithvi Theatre in Mumbaiis always full. In fact, the biggestproblem in Mumbai is thatthere’s a dearth of venues tostage plays.” However, Ratnasays the most important thing istelling the story. “Even if thereare no sets or interactions withthe audience, if you can tell agood story, it’ll reach out to awider audience,” she signs off.

A goodstory is all

you needRatna Pathak Shahconfesses that the

theatre scene today isbustling, thanks toyoung writers who

are a lot more confi-dent than her genera-

tion. In a conversa-tion with Postnoon

she talks more abouther work, Ismat

Chugtai andbeing Naseeruddin

Shah’s wife

[email protected] KUMAR

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

NATION 6BATHINDA: National Disaster

Response Force (NDRF) organisinga mock drill at the Bathinda

Railways Station on Friday for theawareness of passengers on how toreact in the event of a railways acci-

dent. A spate of accidents in therecent past have brought to the

fore the need for enhanced safetymeasure in the railways.

To cope with accidents


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Mohit Dubey

LUCKNOW: Haunted bythe spectre of a repeat ofhooliganism that marredthe 2004–2007 tenure ofthe Samajwadi Party gov-ernment, Uttar PradeshChief Minister AkhileshYadav on Friday issuedfresh guidelines withregard to putting up ofhoardings and use ofparty flags on vehiclesand asked them toremain within the‘Lakshman rekha’.

According to the dik-tat, the chief ministerhas put a blanket ban onputting up of hoardings— congratulatory andotherwise in the statecapital. Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, the city presi-dent of the SamajwadiParty (SP) said he “haddirect orders fromAkhilesh Yadav to crackdown on any such partyworker” who used theparty symbol on flags,buntings, banners andhoardings.

“Such hoardings we

know are being put up byshady elements, mafiasand land grabbers and wehave passed on instruc-tions to the LucknowMunicipal Corporationofficials to remove suchhoardings and penalisethem as per the law,” aclose aide of the chiefminister told IANS.

The missive from thechief minister also bansputting up of cut-outs,posters and distributionof pamphlets with hispicture or that of theparty national presidentMulayam Singh Yadav.

Fighting hard theimage of the ‘return ofhooliganism’, a chargelevelled by former chiefminister Mayawati,Akhilesh Yadav alsoissued late night instruc-tions to police officials totake action against allpeople who flaunt theparty flag on their fourwheelers and breakingtraffic norms and “act inan unlawful manner”.Only a day ago, partyworkers supporting anMLA had tried to runover their SUV on a con-stable at Aminabad.

The chief ministerhas directed the partyoffice bearers to ensurethat the party flags areonly put up on vehicles ofmembers of the nationalexecutive of the party,members of the stateexecutive, Member ofParliament (MPs), formerMPs, MLAs, MLCs andformer MLAs and MLCs.To party functionaries,Akhilesh Yadav made itclear that no indisciplinewould be tolerated.

Azera Rahman

CHANDIPUR (ODISHA): Haveyou seen the sea disappear in frontof your eyes? A unique phe-nomenon rarely seen anywhereelse, the sea recedes by as much asfive kilometres every day on theChandipur beach in eastern India,not just enthralling the onlookerbut also offering an opportunity toliterally walk into the sea.

One of nature’s many won-ders, the sea recedes massivelyfrom the beach during ebb andreturns to fill the emptiness dur-ing high tide. This hide-and-seekof the sea comes to play twice aday and seeing the sea disappearand then return is an unforget-table experience.

Chandipur lies around 200kmfrom state capital Bhubaneswar.From here, one can either take thetrain to Balasore, the closest townat a distance of 10km, and then

travel by road, or take the entirejourney by road on NationalHighway 5. One can be assured ofa good journey thanks to the greenscenery that follows you through-out and good roads.

Adding to the peaceful ambi-ence are the swaying casuarinatrees and the solitary sand dunes,with the constant hum of thewaves as they rise and fall gently.

Considering its uniqueness,the beach supports a varied rangeof biodiversity. It’s not rare to thusfind a horseshoe crab or red crabcrawling beside you.

While it’s still not very wellknown among tourists who flockto its cousin beaches of Puri, orthe temple destination of Konark,local tourists often visitChandipur.

“The best time to visitChandipur is winter, and mosttourists come during this time,”Dasarath, a coconut seller said.

Where the sea disappears

Actress founddead at inlaws’KISHTWAR, (J&K): Anactress allegedlycommitted suicideby hanging herselfat her inlaws’ housein Kishtwar districtof Jammu and Kash -mir and police arres -ted her husband, histwo brothers andparents. 22-year-oldSuman Rathore, whohad married eightmonths ago, wasfound hanging onFriday. PTI

GHAZIABAD: Police have arrestedthree youths in connection with thegang rape of a 23-year-old girl in amoving car in Noida.

The girl, who had been living withher relatives in Vijay Nagar area here,was allegedly gang raped in a movingcar by a neighbour and his threefriends on March 13 while she was trav-elling to Gurgaon in search of a job.

3 arrested for gang rape

Akhilesh setsnew directives

NEW DELHI: Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee and Jammuand Kashmir Chief MinisterOmar Abdullah today (Saturday)cancelled their participation atthe India Today Conclave that isto be attended by controversialauthor Salman Rushdie.

The organisers did not citeany reason for the cancellation,but their dropping out is said tobe over the participation ofRushdie. Mukherjee, who was toappear at the conclave a dayafter his budget presentation,regretted his inability to attend,apparently because of pressurefrom his constituency, Jangipur,in West Bengal that has a largeMuslim population.

Rushdie is in the capital forthe concluding session of thetwo-day annual conclave. OnFriday, Rushdie’s literary ses-sion was postponed to Saturdayafter Pakistani opposition leaderImran Khan dropped out, osten-sibly over Rushdie.

Rushdie’s participation atthe two-day conclave that startedon Friday at a five-star hotelhere comes two months after hehad to cancel his visit to theJaipur Literature Festival. IANS

NowPranab,Omardrop out

7WORLD

Before being killed Al-Qaeda chiefOsama bin Laden had orderedfor organising special cells in

Afghanistan and Pakistan to attack theaircraft of US President Barack Obamaand General David Petraeus, the USmedia reported. The plot was discov-ered in documents taken fromOsama’s compound by US forces onMay 2, 2011, the night he was killed.

Plot to kill Obama

The co-head of a viral online cam-paign to hunt down Ugandan warcriminal Joseph Kony has been

hospitalised after being found semi-naked in the street, masturbating,police said on Friday. The head ofInvisible Children, said Jason Russellwas receiving medical care for“exhaustion, dehydration, and malnu-trition.”

Jason Russel hospitalised

Indian American student Dharun Ravi,who wasaccused of spying on his gay roommate, facesup to 10 years in jail and deportation to India

after a New Jersey jury found him guilty on allcharges. Sentencing was set for May 21 afterthe jury Friday named Dharun Ravi, a formerRutgers New Jersey State University student,guilty on all counts including invasion of privacyand the more severe charges of bias intimida-tion.

Indian student found guilty


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Actor George Clooney and hisfather were arrested on Friday,along with other protesters, out-

side the Sudanese embassy inWashington, DC, according to theAssociated Press. The arrest came aday after he had met President Obamawith concerns about the troubledregion.

The protesters accused SudanesePresident Omar al-Bashir of provokinga humanitarian crisis and blocking aidfrom entering the Nuba Mountains, aborder region near South Sudan, said

the AP.Democratic Republican Jim Moran

of Virginia and NAACP President BenJealous were also among those arrest-ed. Clooney met with President BarackObama on Thursday to discuss Sudan,said CNN . The Senate ForeignRelations Committee also heardClooney’s testimony earlier this weekabout violence in the Nuba Mountains.

The Washington Post reported thatClooney and the gathered activists,congressmen, and religious leadersspoke of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.

Moments before his arrest, Clooneysaid: “We are here really to ask twovery simple questions. The first ques-tion is something immediate — andimmediately we need humanitarianaid to be allowed into the Sudan beforeit becomes the worst humanitarian cri-sis in the world.”

The second was “for the govern-ment in Khartoum to stop randomlykilling its own innocent men, womenand children. Stop raping them andstop starving them. That’s all we ask,”according to CNN.

Clooney and the group ofprotesters stepped onto the embassy’sgrounds and were given three warn-ings that they should leave or facearrest. After the third warning theylined up and were arrested onMassachusetts Avenue and taken awayin handcuffs.

Clooney had just returned from atrip to Sudan two days prior and hasbeen involved with The EnoughProject, a human rights advocacygroup. GLOBAL POST

WASHINGTON: The US soldierwho allegedly shot and killed 16civilians in Afghanistan wasidentified on Friday, and a pic-ture emerged of a decorated vet-eran who saw tough battles andplenty of death in Iraq.

US Army Staff SergeantRobert Bales had served threecombat tours in Iraq, and was onhis first deployment toAfghanistan.

US media identified Bales,38, as the alleged shooter, and aUS official speaking on conditionof anonymity told AFP thereports were “correct.”

Bales allegedly left his basein the southern province ofKandahar before sunriseSunday, entered an Afghan vil-lage and opened fire, killing

men, women and children. Theincident has plunged US-Afghanrelations into the deepest crisissince the 2001 US-led invasion.

The US military has not offi-cially released the soldier’sname, nor charged him with acrime yet.

On Friday Bales was enroute from Kuwait to the US mil-itary prison at FortLeavenworth, Kansas, his civil-ian lawyer John Henry Brownetold US media.

Several websites containingpictures and stories about Bales,including a 2009 Department ofDefense page, were taken downby the time his identity wasrevealed on Friday, but some ver-sions of the webpages could stillbe accessed.

According to a cached onlinearticle, dated February 2009,from the official US army home-page, Bales participated in oneof the bloodiest clashes of theIraq war.

In the 15-hour engagement,according to the US army arti-cle, 250 fighters were killed, allenemy and Bales said he wasproud his unit “discriminatedbetween the bad guys and thenoncombatants and then after-ward we ended up helping thepeople that three or four hoursbefore were trying to kill us.

“I think that’s the real differ-ence between being an Americanas opposed to being a bad guy,someone who puts his family inharm’s way like that,” Balessaid. AFPA file image of Robert Bales (left). AFP

Actor and activist George Clooney is hand-cuffed by a member of the US SecretService Uniform Divison. AFP

Clooney held forembassy protest

Afghan massacre shooter identified

Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to us comments, sugges-tions, viewpoint or just about any-thing to [email protected] #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa,Road No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033 oreven by way of a call on4067 2222.

COMMENT 8

Ilook forward to reading yourWomen's pages every weekend.Some of your columns are really

interesting. This is one of the bestafternoon newspapers I have laid myhands on in a long time really. Yourpaper is reflective of the changing faceof my sleepy Hyderabad.

Ajit SethiMadhuranagar

Changing face of our city

Ihave read umpteen articles onEinstein and I just can't get enoughof the mad genius. And your article

was interesting. It was interesting tosee how they brought alive Einstein inpopular culture. Much has been dis-puted about his belief in god, and ofcourse the debate will continue.

Ramya KHimayatnagar

Einstein rocks We stand corrected

EDITORIALS

EDITORIALS

The union budget hasjust been presented. Anumber of thoughtswere running in mymind as I watched

Pranabda make the budgetspeech on Friday. How muchmoney will I be able to save thisyear? How much more is thegovernment going to take fromme this time? Will I be happierfiling my returns this financialyear? I didn’t get a clear answerto the last of these questions.But it set me thinking on anoth-er path altogether — are spiri-tuality and money connected atall?

The common perception isthat money and spirituality areconflicting goals. An averagehuman cannot achieve one

while pursuing the other. If hefocusses all his energies on theouter material world and tryingto make this physical world acomfortable one, it means thathe will not be able to give thesame amount of time and atten-tion to his spiritual needs.

Most often, we end upchoosing what’s more urgentand important to us. It’s moreimportant to have a securehome; it’s more important to beable to assure our families threemeals a day; it’s more impor-tant to insure our loved onesagainst danger and disease. We,therefore, focus a lot of ourtime on these goals. On theother hand, this means that weare left with little time for morespiritual goals. Going down thespiritual path becomes more ofa hobby then. We can argue; canan empty stomach allow themind to meditate peacefully?Absolutely not. But this iswhere balance comes into play.

Balance is about making

enough for our needs, not ourgreed. Balance is about sharingwhat we have — not as a way toassuage guilt stemming fromhow we’ve made that money butas a way to genuinely (andmethodically) improve the livesof others around us. Balance isalso about striking the rightnotes when it comes to hittingupon what’s important to us inthe long term versus what’surgent to us in the short term.Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and,closer home, NR NarayanaMurthy, Azim Premji and RatanTata have achieved this balance.

It all boils down to the valuewe place on the differentaspects of life. A couple ofyears ago I was visiting theTibetan refugee settlements inBylakuppe near Mysore. I foundyoung Llamas sitting on stonebenches by a pond silentlywatching the ripples in thewater. I asked them about theirinterest in Facebook — some-thing their urban counterparts

would spend many hours a dayon — and they said it didn’thold their interest all thatmuch. Not just this, the materi-al aspects of life was low ontheir list of priorities. To them,losing that inner peace willmake them feel a sense of deeploss.

While watching the budgetcoverage on TV on Friday, I sawmany finance experts speakabout money with high passionand energy. These are peoplewho have spent a large part oftheir lives studying how tobuild an empire and make mo -ney. To them, losing money willmake them feel a sense of loss.

What we value in life mostis what it eventually boils downto. As social beings, the biggestchallenge would be to strikethat perfect balance among thedifferent spheres of life. Then,money and spirituality may notseem like two opposing values.

(The writer is a Bangalore-based commentator)

UP RETURNS TO goondaraj?

India’s most populous statehas chosen to give the boot to

Mayawati after they realised thatthere was no relief from crimeand corruption as long as she

was in power. Even expelling 26‘tainted’ ministers during her

tenure could not stop the publicfrom giving the Samajwadi Party

a resounding mandate in therecently concluded elections.

The SP chose to make AkhileshYadav the Chief Minister, and

not his father, after it correctlyread the people’s desire for achange. The highly-educated,

tech-savvy MP who talked aboutdevelopment was seen as a

refreshing change from the poli-tics of caste and community thestate had witnessed for the past

several decades. However, theyoung CM’s decision to include

Raghuraj Pratap Singh, betterknown as Raja Bhaiya, in the

ministry has raised doubts abouthis intentions. The MLA has mul-tiple criminal cases against him,

which include multiple countsunder the anti-terror law POTA –

repealed in 2004. One mainaspect of the previous term of

SP-rule in Uttar Pradesh was thereign of lawlessness unleashedby politically connected goons.Though the new CM dismissescharges against Raja Bhaiya as

‘politically motivated’, only timewill prove if he lives up to the

expectations of the electorate.

WHY WE LOVE...neutral forms

Britain is planning to intro-duce forms for official businesswhich will use neutral languagesections seeking personal data.

Terms such as ‘husband’ and‘wife’ will be replaced by

‘spouse’ and partner — in amove that will make these formsmore friendly towards minorities

like gays, single parents and transgenders. The

proposal is a move in the rightdirection. Inclusiveness

is the way.

Soul CurrySUMAA TEKUR

It is with deep regret that we bring toyour notice a printer’s devil that wentinto our front page of yesterday

(Postnoon dated Mar 16). It shouldhave been `50,000 tax exemption forretail investors under Rajiv GandhiEquity Scheme and not `50,000 croretax exemption for retail investorsunder Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme.Sorry!

The spiritual rupee

ROBERT


COMMENT 9

Sadism of our bureaucra-cy is legion. But it is notblind sadism, it is dis-criminate in nature. Itvery well knows where it

hurts, and so, it winks at whalesand snaps up mackerels.

The bureaucracy that helpswily politicians amass wealthbeyond avarice and issues GOsat midnight is the same thatdenies a paltry compensation ofRs50, 000 to the next of kin of anunfortunate victim of a buildingcollapse. Mohd Safiulla Khanhad done no wrong as far as wecan see except that he happenedto be vending near the MondaMarket building under demoli-tion when the building camecrashing down like a bolt fromthe blue. He was 30 years oldwith a wife and a six-month-olddaughter to provide for. He camefrom Dharbanga of Bihar.

Khan died after sufferinguntold pain for many hours. Notonly Khan, three others, all poorvendors or daily-wage earnersdied in the tragedy. Of the fourkilled, two were from outside the

City, Safiulla from Bihar andSrinivas from Warangal.

The collector announcedRs50, 000 from the Apadbandhuscheme, while the mayor orderedRs1 lakh each to the dependantsof those dead. The dependants ofthe killed submitted the papersto both revenue authorities andGHMC. His brother ZafarullaKhan helped the family inputting up claims for the com-pensation and the revenue offi-cials first accepted it.Afterwards, they asked him togo through the e-seva, then theydemanded the identify proof ofthe man and his residentialproof. He pleaded with them say-ing the family have the voter IDand bank account, all back homein Bihar. But, now, that will notsuffice. Thus after severalattempts Zafarulla spurt out,“we will give up the money.” Butthe family after reconsideringthat they couldn’t afford to let goeven Rs50, 000, they are all, as Iwrite this, travelling to theirnative village to collect the IDproof. The other outsider vic-tim’s kin, Srinivas, too has notreceived the compensation yet.Bureaucratic rigmarole has gen-erated enough troubles for himtoo.

Don’t tell the officials that

the Apadbandhu scheme ismeant for giving quick relief tothe victims or their kin of man-made accidents.

On another plane, let us seehow much cruelty we do to apoor fellow being. When the newowners of the erstwhile Punjabihotel in Monda Market weredemolishing the massive build-ing in a brazen way with no safe-ty measures around, the bureau-cracy that now puts forth lameexcuses for not paying the com-pensation were nowhere to beseen asking why the contractorwas doing such a perilous job inan extremely congested market.

The victims’ relatives say themayor had played square tothem. He asked the GHMC offi-cials to pay the amount immedi-ately, but the officialdom too hasits own constraint. It has to getthe revenue department’s co-operation, which it is not gettingand in the process it is the fairname of the mayor that is get-ting tarnished. As always, thereare good faces in the ossifiedbureaucracy too. Listen to one ofthem, “I don't think there is anyrule that prevents a victim of anaccident that took place in thejurisdiction of a particular dis-trict, from receiving the aid. TheApadbandhu scheme is meant

for helping poor victims," saidGHMC Assistant Town PlanningOfficer Philips.

Distribution of aid to vic-tims or their relatives of naturaltragedies or manmade disastersdo not require too many docu-ments. In fact, the applicationform of the Apadbandhuscheme, for instance, does notask for voter ID. The bare detailsit asks for is as below.

Documents to be enclosed: (a) Death certificate (b) FIR (c) Report of post mortem/

panchanama The particulars furnished

above by me are true and correctto the best of my knowledge. Theparticulars furnished by me, iffound false, I will be responsible

for legal action.Why then play around with a

hapless family of a sad victim?As usual, we have only ques-

tions and no answers. Learnedpeople have pointed out that thebane of our system is not thelack of laws but a surfeit of lawsthat give enough scope forbureaucracy and legal practi-tioners to play a cat-and-mousegame with the common man.

This, while provide liveli-hood to millions of legal practi-tioners and the go-between, itbinds ordinary people in knots.“Corruption is at the root ofevery evil today,” observed for-mer CVC chief N Vittal. Hecouldn’t be truer. We only haveto browse through the “I paid abribe” web link to know how rot-ten our system has become. Abreak from it is possible once weaccept this first: each one of usis guilty of encouraging bribery.What can I do about it? It startswith first person singular: I.Tailend: The only way to outwitthe smart bureaucracy is to bestreet-smart. Years ago such acrafty man (obviously in collu-sion with the bank officials) gota sizeable loan after hypothecat-ing the Patna railway station!Ha, ha, he laughed at the judgewhen asked why he did it.

Hard talkPK SURENDRAN

Urban sketchesVISWAPRASAD RAJU

Playing cat-and-mousewith sad victims; our style

The US is finding itself caughtbetween the rock and hard placein Afghanistan. The ground sce-

nario has undergone a sea changesince cheering Afghans welcomed theNato and Northern Alliance troops toKabul. Today the liberators are facingpublic anger as civilian casualtiesmount from the operations of theinternational troops.

Adding to the woes of the US-ledforces are culturally insensitive behav -iour of the coalition troops — the lat-est one involving burning of Korans ata US base that triggered a wave of vio-lent protests that claimed 50 lives. TheUS government apologised and tried topacify the local anger.

Even before the dust settled overthe issue, a heavily armed US soldierleft his base in the wee hours andgunned down 16 civilians, including

women and children, in the nearby vil-lage. The soldier, now identified asStaff Sergeant Robert Bales was on hisfirst tour of duty in Afghanistan andarrived in December. He had servedthree tours in Iraq with a combinedduration of about three years.

The public outrage over the mas-sacre by the US soldier has been somuch that Afghan President HamidKarzai has asked the foreign troops tostay off villages and has demanded theISAF handover security to Afghanforces in 2013 instead of 2014 as wasagreed earlier.

The post-9/11 wars have taken aheavy toll on the mental health of theserving soldiers. With multiple dutytours, sometimes exceeding a year, inextremely hostile environments putstremendous pressure on the youngmen. And at times something snaps.The result is deranged behaviourdevoid of any humane emotions and itis usually the civilians of the local pop-ulation who are at the receiving end.

As long as the blood of innocentsfeed the parched terrain, there will beno easy exit for the Americans.

PerceptionsARUN K PHILIP

Innocents’ bloodwill bog down US

THE VICTIMS’ RELATIVESSAY THE MAYOR HADPLAYED SQUARE TO THEM.HE ASKED THE GHMCOFFICIALS TO PAY THEAMOUNT IMMEDIATELY,BUT THE OFFICIALDOMTOO HAS ITS OWNCONSTRAINT.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012M

etro

dre

ams

All the visitors having valid ticketsshould park the vehicles at theHyderabad Public School or at

Hockey Grounds/ Anand Theatre /Gymkhana Grounds. The visitors will

be ferried from parking places to theBegumpet Airport in the shuttle buseskept at parking places. Visitors withouttickets can purchase the tickets at HPS,

Gymkhana and Hockey Grounds.

Traffic and parking

Calling the Indian budget "mea-sured but without game-chang-ing reforms,” a US-India trade

group has expressed the hope that thegovernment would deliver on foreigninvestor friendly key reforms duringthe budget session. "Several policyannouncements in the Budget, espe-cially in taxation-raised concerns," saidthe US-India Business Council (USIBC).

US Cos seek more reforms

Maharashtra AirportDevelopment (MADC), a nodalagency of the government of

Maharashtra, is offering investmentopportunities in multi-modal interna-tional passenger and cargo hub airport(MIHAN) SEZ at Nagpur. MADC is alsoin talks with a major company todevelop a second MRO facility. It isalso developing nine other airports.

MADC offers SEZ projects

BUSINESS 10SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

Postnoon [email protected]

Dassault Aviations, the Frenchbusiness aircrafts manufacturinggiant, is confident about the

Indian market. India would be a majorcontributor in business aircraft salesespecially in the long term, says VadimFeldzer, communication manager in anexclusive interview with Postnoon.What is the growth rate of the company?

The short term growth in 2012would be at a steady pace. The businessaviation worldwide was seriously hit bythe global recession in 2008. The compa-ny had 203 bookings in 2007 and only 92in 2008. It has come to minus 98 (includ-ing cancellations) in 2009 and minus 6in 2010.

However, even with the unsteadi-ness of the orders, the company hasmaintained consistency in deliveringaround 70 aircrafts since 2007, and didnot layoff even in crisis.

How are the business aircraft salesaround the world?

Prior to 2003, two-thirds of the busi-ness aircraft sales came from USA.Things have changed now. The world’sbusiness aviation does not depend onUSA any more with the growth of Asia-Pacific, Brazil and Latin Americanmarkets.What are the current trends andcustomer expectations when itcomes to purchasing aircrafts?

The demand is continuing for largecabin business aircrafts and is the onlysegment that is less impacted by the cri-sis. The turbo propeller market wasseriously hit during the recession.Customers are now asking for 12-14seats in the long cabin aircrafts.

The other factor that is leading thesales is the fuel efficiency. We are tryingto exploit the trends in the market withFalcon 200S for the fuel efficient cus-tomers. There are 1500 engineers con-ducting research on the Falcon SMS,which is still in the manufacturing

stage and is due to hit the market in2014.What is the share of different segment in the sales?

About 80 per cent of the purchaseshave come from corporate and chartercompanies segment and about 10 percent each from the government and private-owned segments.How many large cabin business air-crafts have you delivered in India?

We have delivered 20 aircrafts andare still to deliver another 10 in the nextthree years. The company has a 50 percent share in large cabin aircrafts inthe country.How do you foresee the business inIndia?

We have invested huge capital inbuilding up after-sales service partner-ing with Air Works in the country, andalso put a spare parts inventory inMumbai and Chennai. There is also atechnical office in Mumbai. This showsthe confidence we have in the Indianmarket.

When you have a car, it has to be ser-viced, tuned and conditioned. Thesame goes for an aircraft. It is not as

simple as a maintaining a car and there is amassive demand for these services in theaviation sector and business is booming.

In layman’s terms, maintaining an air-craft starts with line maintenance, where abrief aircraft check is made. Once the partsthat need to be repaired or renewed are iden-tified, work is done immediately. This hap-pens before every take-off.

Then there are much bigger areas thatneed to be looked into; such as componentsthat need to be changed. The lifetime of air-craft parts depends on the flying hours.Though they may not necessarily be dam-aged, they still have to be replaced. Checkingthe engine for wear and tear and damage isalso very important.

Sometimes, the aircraft structure ischecked to see if there are damages, especial-ly if the airplane is over 20 years old. The air-craft manufacturer suggests maintenancetimetables. But it’s no easy task. With a high-ly regulated aviation industry, only a handfulof experts can take on this job. LufthansaTechnik, one of the biggest players in themarket, is well set in India. They maintainthe Jet Airways fleet. Wolfgang Harti, salesmanager (Sub-Continent India), LufthansaTechnik ,said, “We have teams of 30 and haveour own warehouse in Bangalore. We supplyIndia and Sri Lanka. The aviation business isgrowing and Lufthansa is taking a big shareof it. In our Hamburg Innovation Centre, wealways come up with innovations to betteraircraft maintenance.”

Some of the new technologies thatLufthansa Technik has introduced in air-craft maintenance are washing the enginefrom the inside. The technology is called‘Cyclean’.

The business of maintaining commercialaircraft is booming, but is maintaining com-pany-owned or privately-owned aircraftequally buoyant? Air Works, a leading gener-al aircraft maintenance company, says thatthe market is as good as ever. “Aircraft main-tenance is not time bound. The general air-craft market has been steady. In India, air-craft maintenance is fairly new,” opinedDhiraj Chhabra, associate vice-president(marketing), Air Works.

Deccan Charters limited, the secondbiggest maintenance company in India,maintains a fleet of 55. “There is stiff compe-tition in the market. There are about 800 air-crafts in India and that is significant,” saidSanjay Saihgal, VP business development,Deccan Charters. But all said and doneSanjay opines that innovation happens most-ly at the aircraft manufacturer level.

[email protected] SALMAN

We have confidencein the Indian market

A spanner intime saves theaircraft

11BUSINESS

MC21: Fora betterjourney


When one hearsthe nameHindustanAeronauticsLimited (HAL)

the first thing that comes to themind are the military aircraft

that are on display duringIndependence Day andRepublic Day parades. Fewknow about the rapid inroadsthe State-owned aircraft devel-opment company is planning tocut into the civil aviation sectorwith its light utility helicopter(LUH).

The company has so farsupplied 140 helicopters to thearmed forces, and paramilitaryforces such as the BorderSecurity Force, is seriously

looking to exploit the marketopportunities in the domesticcivil aviation market.

The LUH, which is at adesign stage, is estimated to bepriced about `25 crore — 25 percent cheaper than the importedcounterparts in the same cate-gory. The whole range of aftersales services support is avail-able within the country with-out any hassles.

LUH is a single turbo shiftengine can easily handle high

attitude missions up to 6.5kmwith night flying capacity. Thehelicopter can carry eight peo-ple that include two pilots canbe utilised for aerial reconnais-sance, area surveillance, VIPtransport and for medical air-lifting purposes.

Indian defence forces havealready ordered 197 helicopters,and the first helicopter wouldbe delivered in December 2015.The chopper will be made withcomposite material and willhave an empty weight of 1,910kg, said HAL deputy generalmanager A Ramamoorthy.

The helicopter can be cus-tomised according to the needsof the customer as it is indige-nously manufactured. The skid-landing version helicopter canbe modified to a wheel version.

“Indian civil aviation sectorwill definitely grow along withthe economy of the country. Weare confident that every districtheadquarter will have an air-port in 10 years. Helicopterswould be more affordable to thepublic for tourism and this willfurther boost the civil aviationsector,” he said.

HAL has clocked 10 per centgrowth since inception does notwant to reveal further details ofthe order book. However, thecompany has enough to manu-facture and to deliver for next15 years.

HAL eyes civilian biz


The IRKUT’s vice president forsales and marketing KirillBudaev invited the media to

experience the company’s upcomingaircraft MC21. The mock aircraftbuilt into the company's chalet at theIndian Aviation 2012, gave a glimpseinto what customers can expect onceit comes into full production.

The company claims the single-aisle aircraft to be more comfortableand spacious than its contempo-raries. When a flight attendant gets atray to serve you, or when a fellowpassenger stands up to walk to therestroom, there is enough space tomove around, thanks to the wideraisle. The windows are also bigger.

A new addition is the hand bag-gage storage. In most airlines, onlytwo small pieces can fit and the stor-age opens from downside-up. But inMC21, the overhead bin opens upsidedown and has enough room to storemore than two bags. “This gives thepassengers the advantage of carry-ing their luggage into the aircraftrather than checking it in. They cansave on weight as well. We give awide scope for interior options andthe cabin layout” said Kirill. Model Shadana Singh poses in front of a Beechcraft Hawker 4000 on display at the Indian Aviation 2012. N SHIVA KUMAR

MODEL DISPLAY


One of the innovations thatcaught our eye at theIndian Aviation 2012 was

a GPS by Garmin. No, this isn’tan ordinary GPS. On the con-trary, it’s a super device! Obvi-ously being on display at the avi-ation show, it had to be an air-craft GPS. But there is morethan you can imagine.

The Aera 500 is a portableGPS that you can use as even ifyou aren’t a pilot. Yes, you readit right! Featuring crisp 4.3-inchQVGA wide-format displays withmenu-driven tap-and-drag userinterface, the versatile “dualboot” model lets you transitseamlessly from runways toroadways with the best inAviation and Automotive mov-ing-map navigation.

The Aera series offers a fullrange of smart, easy-to-use guid-ance solutions for `50,000.

[email protected] RAJU K

Cool guideto the skiesand roads

12TECHNOLOGY

Retina screens are beautiful! But dan-gerous. It is something very similar to

the events that take placein Inception. The applica-tion pixelates yourstuff,and makes it look likethat photo up above.

PXLIt’s Tetris. Do we need topaint you a picture? Bricksfall down, you rotate them tofit it, you make lines, thelines disappear. Russianmusic plays in the back-ground. Play online andspend some good 'ol per-sonal time.

news.nationalgeographic.com/news

National Geographic has a ter-rific section on the site that'sdedicated to daily nature

and science news and headlines.The superb images and outstand-ing writing make the site a greatplace to spend time.

GAME REVIEWWEBSITE OF THE WEEKTETRIS

APP OF THE WEEK


March madnessSilent Hill: DownpourConsole: PS3Developer: KonamiSilent Hill: Downpour is a cele-bration of gaming's most notori-ous ghost town. It taps into themadness and surrealism thathas made this series legendary.Developer Vatra Games has notshied away from making somestark changes to this Americannightmare. Some fit well into theSilent Hill formula, while othersare a little off the mark.

Microsoft FlightConsole: PCDeveloper: MicrosoftThis revival of the famous flightsimulation series drops thedreaded ‘S’ word from its title inan attempt to draw in thosescared off by the rather somberreputation of its exacting fore-bears. Diehard simmers won'tlike the changes, but MicrosoftFlight is a success in its ownright.

IncobotoConsole: iPadDeveloper: FluttermindInco is alone. He is the solebeing to occupy a universebathed in darkness. Spheres ofspectacular contraptions circlehis home planet; all of them arethe last remnants of a societylong extinct. Inco knows nothingof humankind's fate. He simplywatches the world spin bythrough the eyes of a telescope,powerless to escape the solitude.

NexuizConsole :X360

Developer :IllFonicOne drawback of speedy arenashooter Nexuiz is trying to pro-nounce its name, which seems

like it's supposed to be some-thing like ‘Nexus’. Developer

Illfonic has done a great job ofresurrecting the classic crazi-

ness of run-and-gun multiplayerfirst-person shooter games.

Innovation may be in short sup-ply, but pure speed and excite-

ment are not. This $10 Xbox Livegame soars.

I Am AliveConsole :X360Developer :UbisoftYour city is in ruins. Some peo-ple travel in wolfish packs,scrounging on the weak to feedtheir insatiable desires. Othershuddle with their loved ones,thankful just to survive anotherday. How will you react in thisbleak world? I Am Alive effec-tively conveys the broken stateof society when devastation hitsand no police force exists to keeporder. There is no good or badhere, just alive or dead.

Wargame: EuropeanEscalation

Console : PCDeveloper: Eugen Systems

If the best wargames and bestreal-time strategy games were

selectively bred over several gen-erations, the result would be

Wargame: European Escalation,an "easy to learn yet difficult tomaster" wargame that plays out

in real time. In addition, it letsyou zoom out the camera far

beyond the normal confines ofRTS games. Eugen Systems has

managed to craft both a greatwargame and an entertainingRTS in one exhilarating pack-

age.

Mass Effect 3Console: PCDeveloper: Electronic ArtsSacrifice. It's Mass Effect 3’smajor theme, and rightly so.After all, the reapers were com-ing — it was only a matter oftime. And now, those sentientspace vessels are here, and withthem, a galaxy's worth ofdestruction. Mass Effect 3 bringsthe sound and the fury, but thesearen't meaningless shows oflaser fire and alien devastation.The series has earned its rightto showcase such destruction bydrawing us close to its charac-ters and teaching us of its uni-verse.

Binary DomainConsole: PS3

Developer: SegaWhat if you lived in a world

where robots were as prevalentas humans? What if the gap nar-rowed to the point where humanand humanlike robot were indis-

tinguishable to the naked eye?The soldiers in Binary Domain

have dedicated themselves topreventing such a world. Binary

Domain reveals intriguing ele-ments that boost its appeal.

We bring you thebest videogames

released thismonth

Street Fighter X TekkenConsole: X360

Developer: CapcomCapcom loves crossovers. With

Street Fighter X Tekken, thestylish cast of Tekken fighters is

next in line to go blow for blowwith Ryu and company. But this

is just one of the many surpriseswaiting in this complex fighter.

With a host of new mechanicsand modes, Street Fighter X

Tekken has a lot to offer.

JourneyConsole: PS3

Developer: ThatGameCompany In simplest terms, Journey is athird-person, sporadically two-player adventure in which you

travel through a desert towardsa mountain. By the alchemy ofdeveloper thatgamecompany's

skill and vision, it is alsounique, exciting, mysterious,

and utterly lovely, with mes-merising landscapes and stir-

ring music. Silent Hill: Downpour

JOURNEY

Finding a match

Pet owners are flockingto the 2012 ShanghaiPet Fair in the hopes

of finding their dogs orcats a partner. With photos

of cute pets posted on the huge white-board, this year's Pet Fair - from March 16

to 18 - is a popular matchmaking haunt.

13ANIMAL KINGDOM

Cashew, a 14-year-old yellow Lab,

is blind anddeaf. It's best friend is

Libby, 7, a seeing-eye cat.Libby steers Cashew away from obsta-

cles and leads it to its food.Libby istruly Cashew's best friend.

True friends

Known for their loose-jointed, shuffling

gait and massive,short-faced head, the

Bulldog is known to beequable, resolute and dignified. A

medium-sized dog, they are not yourtypical lap dog, but would like to be!

CATS AND DOGSThe Animal Care Clinic

040-2335 2474Pet’s World Dog Clinic

98856 46259Blue Cross of Hyderabad

040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523

Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535,93463 05890

Bluplus Pet Clinic040-2712 1739, 2716 2636

Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350Claws & Paws 98662 82772All Creatures AnimalsClinic 040-2773 0885BIRDSGovt Veterinary Hospital040-2331 9656, 2753 5755Bird Watcher’s Society040-2355 6166Friends of Birds9391048315SNAKESFriends of Snakes8374233366

Bulldog

ALhasa Apso calledElizabeth on March 11 wonthe Best in Show award atBritain's Crufts festival, the

world's largest annual dog show.Elizabeth, from Coventry, centralEngland, earlier won the Best Utilitycategory before being crownedchampion ahead of 21,000 otherdogs at the NEC arena in Birming -ham, central England. "I can'tbelieve it," said Margaret

Anderson, the winning breeder."I'm sure som e body's going topinch me in a minute and I'll wakeup and it'll all be a dream," sheadded. "It hasn't sunk in at all. I'llgo home and probably burst outcrying." Anderson described thewinning dog as "very easy goingand laid back". The sh ow, which isorganised by The Ken nel Club, cel-ebrates its 121st anniversary thisyear. AFP

Queen Elizabeth crowned

PET NEWS IMPORTANT NUMBERS

AFP


A standard poodle walksinto the ring

A chinese crested dog gets a treatfrom its owner

Adalmatian

looks atits owner

writing

A Bedlington Terrier awaits itschance

Irishwolfhoundwaiting forthe show tobegin

YorkshireTerrier looks

around

ItalianGreyhoundsenter theshow

Lhasa Apso Elizabeth

A rather hairy Sheepdog

14BOOKS

Title: I never knew it was you Author: KalpanaSwaminathanPublisher: Penguin BooksIndiaSita, detective Lalli’s niece

runs into former classmate Anais atMumbai airport. A few days later, Anaisherself turns up dead in the slimy MithiRiver. Lalli must find answers, fast, if sheis to prevent more deaths.

Title: The Lucky One Author: Nicholas SparksPublisher: Grand CentralPublishingThe story revolves around aUS Marine named Logan

Thibault who finds a photograph of asmiling young woman half-buried in thesands of Iraq during his third tour of duty.It becomes a lucky charm for Thibault,who then finds the woman in the photo.

Title: The Sweetest Thing Author: Barbara FreethyPublisher: Avon BooksAlex Carrigan liked fast cars,fast women and fast deals-then a tough talking teenager

arrived on his doorstep claiming she washis long-lost-daughter, and his meddlinggrandfather decided to move in.Suddenly, Alex has to face the family henever expected.

Title: Fifty Shades of Grey Author: EL JamesPublisher: The Writer'sCoffee ShopAnastasia Steele is drafted tointerview the successfulyoung entrepreneur Christian

Grey for her campus magazine, she findshim attractive, enigmatic and intimidating.Convinced their meeting went badly, shetries to put Grey out of her mind — untilhe turns up where she works part-time.

SHORT READS

His stories live in thedeepest crevices ofyour mind... crouchingbehind your deepestfears are his charac-

ters. He was once called “a writ-er of fairly engaging and prepos-terous claptrap" in a New YorkTimes review. Today StephenKing is known as the 'King ofhorror fiction'.

Compared with his 800-pagelong books like Carrie and It, hislatest offering 11. 22.63 is abreeze in which King gives timetravel a try. This is not the firsttime that King is tackling thepossibility of altering the courseof history. The first was withDead Zone (1979).

As the title suggests, 11. 22.63

revolves around the assassina-tion of president John F.Kennedy. The protagonist, JakeEpping, a divorced high-schoolteacher, enters a time bubble toemerge in the America ofSeptember 1958. His aim is tostop Lee Oswald in Dallas fromassassinating president John F.Kennedy on 11.22.63.

Time passes normally in 1958but regardless of the fact, thetraveller from 2011 will only begone for two minutes. But in theAmerica of the past, Jake learnssomething that the novel subtlyconveys throughout: the past isobstinate and does not want to

be changed.King has done his research

pretty well and succeedsin bringing to his readers thesimple pleasures of 1950s: thecars, games, root beer, cheapgasoline, cheap food and trustingneighbours. He also shows usthe dark side of that time —racism, pollution and the churchbombings.

The first half of the novel,set in Derry, is redolent ofanother work of King's — It.

One cannot escape the paral-lels drawn between BarackObama and JFK in the latterpart of the book set in Jodie,

Texas, and then in Dallas.Both charmed the youth and

are charismatic speakers andleaders. They were also men whoinspire true hate in their rivals.And once the fear of changetakes over, there is always a manwith a gun in the end.

This is a completely captivat-ing book. King ensures that thereader is with Jake every bit ofthe journey, living his life. Thestory stays with you long afteryou finish with it and this iswhat makes King a master storyteller.

Books available at Walden

Arun Koshy [email protected]

Someone is organising jail-breaks, sabotages and assas-sinations in the process of

organising an army of highlyskilled and ruthless fightersfrom across the globe. Soon theworld finds itself staring at aman-made disaster of globalscale as a forgotten Soviet ColdWar weapon is being primed. Asthe Army of Thieves proves tobe ineffective in countering con-ventional responses, the govern-ment is forced to look for alter-natives.

In the snowscape of theArctic, a battle-scarred marineCaptain Shane M Schofield, call-sign Scarecrow, and his threecomrades-in-arms are assignedto a team testing weapons andmilitary gadgets for perfor-mance in extreme climatic con-ditions. As a desperate adminis-tration runs short of options toprevent a global catastrophe,Scarecrow and his motley creware roped in as the back-up ifthe designated strike team failsto thwart the terrorists’ plans.

As disaster strikes, the mis-sion becomes a test for theteams’ skills and an acid test for

integrity as the dark secrets,which they assumed to havelocked away and forgotten, cometo haunt them. How the teamgoes about their world-savingmission in the face of a hostileterrain, mysterious yet powerfulenemy and hard choices keepsyou glued.

The first half of the book isnothing short of a brilliant nar-rative. There is a seamless tran-sition from scenes separated bythousands of miles. The militaryjargon is kept at optimum leveland the brief descriptions ofhigh-end technologies are keptsimple enough for the grasp of

an average reader. The sequenceof action is spelled out in a tightsequence and more surprises aresprung at every module.

However, in the second half,the script moves at a sluggishpace and looks more like a trainof thought stopped in the tracksand was revived to finish the

journey to its conclusion. Somedaredevil stunts and actionsequences make you wonder ifthis is one of those books whichdoes an overkill of the hero’sskills. Despite surviving multi-ple ordeals and showing com-mendable resilience throughout,the hero pales before the sheergenius of the villain.

The overstretched storylineand the patchy detailing to keepit intriguing take the sting out ofan otherwise brilliant plot.

NameScarecrow and the Army of Thieves

AuthorMathew Reilly

Pages400

PublisherOrion publishing group


Stop, pause, rewind and play

Mission Arctic EscapeMatthew Reilly, the teller of tall tales is back in action with Scarecrow and

the Army of Thieves. Read to see what fun he has to offer

Name11.22.63Author

Stephen KingPages

733Publisher

Hachette India

FLEME VARKEY

[email protected]

The watershed moment —what ifOswald had not killed JF Kennedy?

What would have then been thefuture of America? Stephen King

answers these questions and more

15BOOKS

You have dedicated all your lifeto writing about Indian cinema.What keeps you going?I think once you start working inone area, it’s very difficult toswitch and apply the sameenergy all over again. Hindi cin-ema has such a rich history so itwas a challenge to find newways of writing about it or doc-umenting it. I have spent mostof my time researching onsome filmmakers of the 1950s,so their talent has driven myenergy.

Your books have become animportant part of introduction to

Indian cinema in severalEuropean universities. Do youthink the notion that Indianfilms are all about song anddance will ever change?The problem isn’t with themusic. In fact, many find themusical numbers as the mostoriginal aspect of the Indianfilm. The critics in the Westhowever aren’t in general keenon the music. You can see it hasdisappeared from Hollywoodproductions, only rarely does amusical do well. I don’t thinkfilm critics will see Indian cine-ma differently. We must alsonot forget that film critics there

follow the work of one or twointernational directors ratherthan say write about the wholeof Iranian cinema or Korean cin-ema. In that context, great film-makers like Satyajit Ray, RitwikGhatak, and even Guru Dutt,Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoorand Bimal Roy are appreciated.University students are youngand they like the recent filmstoo. If they sign up for a courseon Indian cinema they have toopen to the music as well.

Is there a particular reason whyyou chose to write the dialoguesof classics like Devdas and

Mother India in the form of abook?I have tried to write books, andmake documentaries about thehistory makers of Hindi cinema,to chronicle the lives of artistswho have had, or will have along term impact. As far as thedialogue books are concerned,I think the dialogue of the1950s is excellent and the bookform allows you to strip awaythe rest of the film, and con-centrate on the words. Also,the idea of presenting a fourlanguage format was very newand appealing; these books arepresented in Urdu, Devnagiri,Romanised Urdu, and also havean English translation. They aregreat teaching tools for lan-guage and cinema, and so theyhave found their way into inter-national universities whereHindi and Urdu are taught.

Having interacted with quite afew filmmakers, actors andartistes, did it surprise you thatthey were so vulnerable? It is interesting to know thatpeople who seem to have it allin life, have dark thoughts andbleak days. Being a celebrityisn’t enough to steer clear oftroubles. In fact, people whoare surrounded by people canbe lonely and vulnerable too.So I wasn’t very surprised, buthumbled that they trusted meto reveal their feelings.

What do you think about the lat-est trends in Indian cinema? Hasmaking money become the prior-ity?I think money has become thepriority. I suppose no onemakes films not to makemoney, but if box office successis the only aim, it’s a dangerousaim because you can easily slipinto formula, thinking if thatfilm worked, then another oneon the same lines might. Thebiggest problem is the limitednumbers of subjects tackled infilms. And that has a negativeimpact on creativity. Also cine-ma has become far too depen-dent on a handful of stars. Asthe talent pool in Indian film issmall, that again reduces thepotential for originality.

Walden best in fiction

n Secret of theNagas by AmishTripati

n Can LoveHappen Twice byRavinder Singh

n Revolution 2020by Chetan Bhaga

n Incredible Bankerby RaviSubramanian

n Zero Day by David Baldacci

Walden’s best in non-fiction

n Steve Jobs byWalter Isaacson

n Thinking fast andslow by DanielKahneman

n Journey byBrandon Bays

n Great by Choiceby Collins andHansen

n Best Thing AboutYou is YOU by Anupam Kher

New York Times best in fiction

n Lone Wolf by JodiPicoult

n Victims byJonathanKellerman

n Kill Shot, byVince Flynn

n Celebrity indeath by JDRobb

n Private Games byJames Patterson

New York Times best in non-fiction

n American Sniper byChris Kyle

n Killing Lincoln, byBill O’Reilly andMartin Dugard

n Steve Jobs byWalter Issacson

n The Power ofHabit by CharlsDuhigg

n BecomingChina’s Bitch by Peter D. Kiernan

Nasreen MunniKabir has spent

most part of herlife juggling

between makingdocumentaries

and writingabout Indian

cinema. Havingwritten about

great artists likeLata Mangeshkarand AR Rahman,she tells Hemanth

Kumar that it’sthe talent offilmmakers

which keeps hergoing

Confessions of a writer

WHAT’S SELLING


Books written so far :nBollywood : The Indian

Cinema Story

nTalking Songs : JavedAkhtar in conversationwith Nasreen Munni Kabir

nLata Mangeshkar... In herown voice

nGuru Dutt : A life in cinema

nA R Rahman : The Spiritof Music

nThe Dialogue of Devdas

nThe Dialogue of the film‘Mother India’

PETER CHAPPELL

18WOMEN

BRAVEHEART WOMEN:Braveheart Women consid-

ers itself a social networkingsite for women but it's so

much more than that. Here iswhere professional womengather and form groups to

inspire, encourage andempower. http://

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WOMEN'S eNEWS: Thiswebsite covers a lot of ground.

It includes news pertaining towomen both broadly and withfocus. Easy to navigate drop-down links detail everything

from the arts and history to pol-itics and education to health

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SHE TAKES ON THEWORLD:

Canadian NatalieMacNeil who is an award-

winning entrepreneur is thebrainchild of this compre-hensive blog. It is a must-

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shetakesontheworld.net

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

All About EveINDIRA ATLURI

No wordsjust thoughts

There is so much talkinghappening from the minuteI step out of the house —

from the wary watchman to thebossy boss. But the kind of com-munication that takes placewithout the talking is whatamuses me — the kind that inpopular parlance is called non-verbal communication. And foryour convenience let’s call itNVC. And here go a few of myNVCs :

Apartment watchman: Ah,here she comes again – wonderwhy she wears those torn den-ims. Perhaps, she doesn’t earntoo much. No point being nice toher, there will be no substantialDiwali gifts from her anyway.

Receptionist at the super-market: ‘Lady seems to be rich –look at all the stuff she canafford’! (No wonder, I love goingto the supermarket even beforemy ration has run out).

The ladies and gentlemenwalking in the park sizing meup, as I jog — Ayyo, what is shedoing here I say? This place isnot for ‘drumsticks’, but ‘bottlegourds’!

Traffic Police: Kya attitudedikhati hai. Someday, I am prettysure to challan her — after all, awoman and a driver at that —how far is she from breakingrules eh?

Boss (the bossy one): She issmiling as she doesn’t knowwhat’s in store for her – doubleload of work for this week…chuckle chuckle…. after allwho’s the boss, eh?

Colleague: I hope my articlecomes out better than hers.(Come on guys, we don’t need toplay a cat and mouse game here)

Co-trainee in the Gym:Man does she look hot in thoseblue tracks of hers (accompa-nied with a slurping sound (let’scount that as verbal communica-tion).

Like this is not enough, final-ly when I go home seeking soli-tude, I think I can hear my fishscream at me, “You can’t be this late everyday! Nowmove , and bring us our food!”

And I am thinking —was it ver-bal or non-verbal. Ah well,another day just got over….well,almost!

Riding for the rush

Ihad only read about ridersand my imagination fairlysketched out the exact pic-ture. They rode customised

power bikes wearing person-alised helmets and blackleather jackets, the wind blow-ing through their hair, the roadahead, simply a reflection intheir Ray Bans. Riders havealways, through books, beentermed as rebellious. More likethe hippies. Rather distant andin a league of their own.

But when you first meetSheetal Iyer, she puts to rest allthese baseless notions. Laidback, simple and quite friendly,23-year-old Sheetal talks abouther journey as a female rider inthe more conventional maledominated setting.

She kick-started her ridingjourney at the tender age of 16,perfecting her skills on friends’bikes, whatever she could layher hands on it could have beeneither a Pulsar or an Avenger.Her first real bike, however,was a Royal Enfield, aMachismo 350, which took herthree years to convince hermum to buy.

Sheetal’s tryst into the rid-ing world happened by chance.With a bachelors in MassCommunication andJournalism from St.FrancisCollege, Sheetal was research-ing for a story on biking clubsas part of an assignment. Toget ahead with her story, shemet up with members of thebiking community who eggedher on to join the club. Withoutfurther hesitation, Sheetaldecided to throw herself intothe danger zone.

She credits it all, much toohumbly, to her father, and con-siders him to be her biggestsource of inspiration. “Back inthe day when my father was aracer in Chennai, he alwayswanted me to be out and aboutwith him rather than in thekitchen. We used to dismantle abike and then put it backtogether.”

A female biker in a maledominated zone, was it easy fit-ting in? “Unlike other girls, Ilove dirt! I have been ridingsince 2007 with the HighwayNawabs Motorcycling Club.When you are a part of theseclubs, you are given the oppor-tunity to learn from your ownexperiences as well as others.The biker meets is a good plat-form to meet people from differ-ent fields. These riders are fromwell-to-do families having a 9-5job. Some of them even havekids! Fortunately, I got to learna lot while riding with theseguys,” she says.

Her first long enduranceride was to the North East.“Back in September, 2011, Iwent on a 10 day trip to Ladakhalong with the Biker KneesAssociation of India. We wereabout 10 ladies and the trip wassponsored by Royal Enfield in

association with UTV Bindaas.Getting sponsored for the tripwas easy as our USP was thenumber of ladies in the group,”winks Sheetal

She goes on to add,“Thegovernor of ArunachalPradesh himself rode with ustill his constituency’s borderand even hosted dinner for usthat night.”

Riding is a dangeroushobby but if you possess thepassion to ride, then there is nostopping you admits Sheetal.“My fascination with naturemakes the ride all the moreinteresting and I love being onthe highway. I hate monotonyso it’s more of a passionate get-away for me. Everyone loves totravel. Those who do probablywill end up taking the bus butyou will find me piling up on abike for it.”

Endurance rides requirehours of mental preparationbecause the body needs to getused to harsh temperatures. Inorder to keep fit, Sheetal doesmartial arts. “I have been doingmartial arts for a whole yearnow and I also do jukaado. Itnot only keeps you fit but thenit also helps you defend your-self in times of need. You neverknow what the highways hide,”she says.

A self-declared sportsenthusiast, Sheetal loves watch-ing cricket and used to playbasketball in college.

Sheetal also used to be partof a local band calledAlteregoz. “I love to sing butunfortunately the band went onto take a backseat because Iwas working and riding as well.My mother always insisted thatI work on my singing than takeup riding, but she never dis-couraged me from it either,”confesses Sheetal.

This year Sheetal has a lotmore plans that just riding. “Iplan to do my masters in jour-nalism so I have been dedicat-ing my time to filling up appli-cation forms,” she informs.

Nothing comes in the wayof passion, be it education orwork. Sheetal admits that she isjust starting and has a long wayto go and strongly believes thatshe will well be riding into hergreying years.

SANA MIRZA

[email protected]

Riding is something that runs in her veins, but it is truly her fascinationwith nature, that calls out to her says Sheetal Iyer


THE CV

First job: Was into eventmanagement

Motto: Never rush for theride, always ride for therush

Inspiration: Dad andMother Nature

Last movie seen : Don2

Last book read: Eat, Pray,Love

Signature:

Threeprincesses

19SPOTLIGHT

Indonesian Ambassador LtGen (retd) Andi M Ghalibwith the Confederation ofIndian Industry,(AP) mem-bers at Taj Krishna.

Eighteen cars were deliveredin one day from PrideHonda at Madhapur recent-ly. Seen in the picture is theCEO GRajesh Kumar.


Winners of the Indian Princess 2012 beauty contest,Ana Chowdhry, Nikita Sharma and Bobby Layalstrike a pose at the Golconda Hotel on Friday.

Getting theparty started

Guests arrive at Fusion 9, BanjaraHills to wish RJ Raj Jamalpur on his

birthday on Friday.

Parul & Sameer

Harish Radhika, Indraja, Raj & Pooja

Siddharth & Anandi

Ashwin

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

A moment ofgreat pride

Pure bonhomie

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Harish Chandra Prasad Leonard

AndiGhalib

20RELATIONSHIPS

Iam 21. I study in a reputedcollege in the city. There isa young professor of mine,

whom I have developed a likingfor. I never made it evident, but

of late, I have begun to noticethat he also notices me. He is 30

and he invited me to out for coffee with him. What

should I do?

Dear college kid, I am surprised why you are writing to me on this.You should be overjoyed that the fly has comeinto your web itself, instead of you having tocoax it. Having to think of this let’s hope he doesnot have any ideas in his head. Professors are avery tricky lot, take my advice steer clear of them.Or else you might just land up with some gradeslower, in case he doesn’t get what he wants fromyou.

Married heart surgery patients arefar less likely than singlepatients to die in the first three

months after their operation, a newstudy finds.The survival rate was morethan three times as high for marriedpatients as for single patients threemonths after surgery, the researchersreport in the March issue of the Journalof Health and Social Behavior.

I AM ALL EARS FOR YOUR HEART

Single & Loving it

MARIE CLAIRE

Loving thesingle life


“I’m single because Iwas born that way.”These lines by Mae

West couldn’t be more appro-priate. We come into thisworld alone and we leave itthe same way, so why is it wespend so much of our time inbetween desperately trying tofind a soulmate to walkthrough it ? Are we too afraidas individuals that we’re notenough to leave a footprint ofour own or is it just that weare conditioned by society tobelieve that our lives aren’twhole unless we have some-one to complete us?

Admittedly, life is a wholelot more fun when we havepeople to share it with but aswith everything, too much ofa good thing becomes a bore.Eat the same food or listen tothe same song every day andsoon enough you’re going tobe bored. We are a greedy andvoracious race and variety isthe spice of life, so why arewe so indoctrinated with thethought that we should shareour lives with only that onespecial person?

Living the single life does-n’t have to mean never beingin a relationship or spendinglong lonely nights at homewith nothing but the televi-sion for company. It simplymeans living the life we wantto live with who we choose tobe with at the time and takingtime out for ourselves whenwe need to, without beingheld accountable to someoneelse. Selfish? Yes, but so what?Being selfish is intrinsicallyhuman so we may as wellembrace it.

My adult life in a nut-shell: I got married, had achild and got divorced. Beenthere, done that, wrote thebook, bought the t-shirt andnow still young enough toreally enjoy single life. By nomeans a ‘traditional’ way ofdoing things but if I had it allto do again I wouldn’t changea thing. No, not even thechoice of husband, because ifI’d met a better man I mightnot have divorced him andthen I would never know howmuch fun living the single lifecan be!

Medicines: check; pack-aged food: check;snacks: check; traveltickets: check; umbrel-

las: check.No, it’s not my mother’s

checklist to help me keep mythings in place; it belongs to abunch of 60-70 year-olds, who forthe eighth time are set to go dis-covering India.

This time their destination isOrissa. With old age comes a sec-ond childhood. This group ofveterans seem determined thatthey are going to enjoy it to thefull.

Everyone in the group isrelated to each other and go back,a very long way back. Whenthey were kids, they used tomeet up at their grandmother’sin Kakinada every summer vaca-tion.

“We cherish those goodmemories when we had noresponsibilities and we livedevery moment as though it wereour last,” says Vishnu Priya.

Little did she know that 50years later she would be camp-ing all over India with the samebunch of cousins who believethat their bond of friendship isstronger than the ties of blood.

The moment these livewiresare back from a trip, they are

already planning the next one.Like teenagers, they are con-stantly glued to their cell phonesupdating each other about theirdaily activities or discussingideas about their next trip.

The travel bug bit themwhen a member of the gang,Raja Lakshmi, a senior professorin one of the leading colleges inTirupathi, proposed a reunion —a trip to the south in 2009. Thenthey were a gang of six. Nowthey are 10-member strong.

Age and diseases that comewith that are some of the hur-dles these travel lovers face.Some are diabetic, some havehigh blood pressure, but theysurge ahead, taking everythingin their stride.

Loosing eye glasses and cellphones is also a problem, butnothing compared to getting lostthemselves.

“When we go shopping eachone goes their own way andthat’s how the whole hide andseek game begins. During thelast trip, one of my cousins gotdown at some railway station

just to buy coffee, leaving therest of us worried, and thenwhen the train was just about toleave the station, in she ambledwith two cups of filter coffee inher hands,” says Kusuma K.

But the biggest challenge isreassuring their family that theyare fine during trips. At times,they do fall ill. “While travellingwe feel so energised and a newoutlook develops towards life.However, sometimes we fall illand then it's terrible,” saysBhagawathi P.

But the experience makes upfor all the trouble. The purity ofthe Ganges, the beauty ofKanyakumari, the mysticism ofIndore, the colours ofVrindavan, the charm ofGokarna, the bustle of Delhi,they have taken in all, discover-ing new things at these placesand about themselves. Just like what Mark Twain said,they are forever willing toexplore, dream and discover.

[email protected] KOKA

Twenty years fromnow you will be

more disappointedby the things you

didn’t do than by theones you did.

So throw off thebowlines, sail away

from the safe harbor.Catch the trade

winds in your sails.Explore. Dream.

Discover.- Mark Twain

Many rivers to cross

CINEMA 21 T-TOWN TWEETIES

@LakshmiManchuI bow down to man who alw -ays bring this country toge t -h er in joy de barring religioncaste and creed. @sa chin_rttu god ho...

@richyrichaFinally got home after 30 hrs

of travel. No better feelingthan stepping into my car w

mom n crashing to bed wmy dear fluffy :)

@RanaDaggubatiA series of superb events inBangalore come to an end.Now headed back home.Looking fwd to cming backand wrking in Blr real soon.

@prakashraajOn the sets of DABAANG 2.

Nice to see Arbazz n histeam charged up. And itsalways a joy to bond with

Salman bhai.

@shrutihaasanThankyou to the powers thatbe for giving us RyanGosling :) and hot chocolatewith mini marshmallows ;)

@shraddhadas43Work work work work work...work is on my mind... soooomuch to do... independence

gives me the biggest high!

@actressanjjanaaSachin fever is bac, d legendof cricket becomes d god ofd season,we lov u n u makeIndia proud of ur being,nobody can condemn success.

@me_sushanthLove Sachin! Would want

him to score a 100 every ga -me... But the 100th, wouldun doubtedly give a cricket

hi gh if its against Pak.


An insipid battle for love

Directed by ThiruKrishnamoorthy, Khiladiis the dubbed version of a

Tamil film titled, TheeradhaVilaiyattu Pillai. The film starsVishal, Sarah Jane Dias,Tanushree Dutta and NeetuChandra in lead roles. The plotrevolves around a young manwho wants the best of every-thing in his life and one fine dayhe decides to make three womenfall in love with him and selectthe best among them. YuvanShankar Raja has scored themusic and the film boasts ofsome peppy tracks.

Nuvva Nena starts on a promising note; however, it ends up being quiterepetitive which diminishes the prospect of enjoying this film thoroughlyHemanth [email protected]

Nuvva Nena is about twoguys trying their best toimpress a girl and thebickering that follows

takes off the sheen from theexcitement which the filmpromises in the beginning.Directed by Narayana, the filmhas Allari Naresh, Sharwanandand Shriya Saran in lead roles.There have been quite a lot oftriangular love stories in thepast, but the USP of this film is

that the girl is unaware of thebattle between the two guys.

Allari Naresh stars asAvinash, who poses as an NRI toimpress Nandini (Shriya). She'sa doctor by profession and one

fine day she meets Anand(Sharwanand) who's afraid ofeverything. Soon, Anand recov-ers from his trauma and falls inlove with Nandini. WhileAvinash and Anand lock hornsover Nandini, Aaku Bhai(Brahmanandam) also falls inlove with her. Whom doesNandini choose in the end formsthe rest of the story.

Allari Naresh, Sharwanandand Shriya Saran have done adecent job and the comedy trackbetween Brahmanandam andKovai Sarala is hilarious. Ali too

pitches in with some fine gagsevery now and then. Apart fromthe endless fights between Ana -nd and Avinash, what really kno -cks out the film is the screenplay.It gets quite predictable towardsthe end and honestly, most ofthese twists and turns have beenused so many times in Telugufilms that they don't come as abig surprise. Music by Bheemsis disappointing. Nuvva Nenahas good dose of humour and ifnot for the fine performances ofits lead actors, this would havecompletely fallen flat.

Movie : Nuvva NenaCast : Allari Naresh,

Sharwanand,Shriya Saran

Director : NarayanaRating :

ALSO IN THEATRES

A storyabout younglove

RGV has found a lookalike ofAjmal Kasab for his upcom-

ing film The Attacks of 26/11. Sa -njeev Jaiswal, a theatre artisthas been selected after a thorou -gh screening process. "It's one ofthe biggest and most importantprojects I have ever worked on. Ifyou take into consideration thecalamity and its aftermath, Ithink the terrorists attacks inMumbai on 26/11 are far moreterrifying that 9/11. I would liketo think all the police officialswho have helped me while I wasdoing my research on the film.The Attacks of 26/11 is beingmade on a budget of `40 croreand the characters are going tospeak Urdu, Marathi, Hindi andEnglish to bring in more authen-ticity to the film," RGV said. Thefilm's principal shooting hasalready begun and the film willfeature new actors.

RGV findsKasab'slookalike!

CINEMA 22SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES@rampalarjunPhew!!! Love u Sachin, trulyremarkable well deserved,thank you for making us en -joy every one of those Tons.Sooooo happppppyyyyyy.

@FarOutAkhtarBaby Falak. RIP. We

should all be ashamed to bepart of a society in which

violence like this is nolonger uncommon.

@MadhuriDixit1Check out my websiteblogzine for an exclusivevideo from MadameTussaud's unveiling! Enjoy!Xoxo M.

@DuttaLaraAt 5.30 am when ur

fridge th rows you oranges,make or ange juice!

Good practice for whenthe limes come!:-)...

@RGVzoominA friends real funny msg... Iheard tht ur first day of26/11 was shot at sea... I wasthinking all films go on floorand yours went to sea.

@realprietyzintaGoodmorning folks ! Back

frm the gym & ready 4 abusy day ahead ! Thanx 4

entertaining me with urchoice of film roles :-)

@NeilNMukeshInteresting day with work.Met a couple of people.Now lets wait and watchhow this progresses.

@akshaykumarSalute to the man who

never gave up in spite of allthe criticism. Finally he did

it. #Sachincreateshistory in world…

John, Prachito dance ona Sridevisong

Actor Emraan Hashmi, whowill play an investigative

journalist in Rush, sayshe finds a journalist’s life verytough. The film was started by

Shamin Desai but it could not becompleted due to his sudden

death. Later his wife Priyankacompleted his directorial debut.“I was blown away by Shamin's

script. It's a film I'm very excitedabout and something I've never

done before. I found a journal-ist's life tough. I play an inves-

tigative crime journo in a newschannel,” Hashmi, 32, said in a

statement. The film is being pro-duced and distributed by Percept

Picture Company. Also starringNeha Dhupia and SagarikaGhatge, Rush is scheduled

to release in the second halfof 2012. IANS

Emraan findsjournalist'slife tough

Anurag Kashyapbelieves that film-makers have beenreduced to mere

caterers because it is thestudios that decide theproduct. “Instead ofbeing filmmakers, wehave become caterers. Itis already decided by the

studios what we shouldbe doing. Some of usstand up and fight againstit,” the 39-year-old said onThursday at a FICCIFRAMES session.Kashyap, who has direct-ed films like Dev D andproduced the internation-ally acclaimed Udaan,

says he created his ownproduction house —Phantom — to enjoy cre-ative freedom. “On a larg-er scale, from the timeyou are writing the scriptthat is what is happeningwhen you are dealingwith a studio. The wholeidea why we formed

Phantom was to keep thatwith us, where we decidewhat we want to make,who to make it with andhow to go about it,” saidthe filmmaker who is run-ning the productionhouse with VikramadityaMotwane and VkashBahl. IANS

For studios, filmmakers aremere caterers: Kashyap

John Abraham and his leading lady PrachiDesai will be seen doing an item numberon Sridevi's Na jaane kahan se aayi haiin their upcoming film I Me Aur Main.“Na jaane kahan se aayi hai as an item

number at that time also. We have decided togo for a duet version forI Me Aur Main,” T-Series head-honchoBhushan Kumar said.“The song will be pic-turised with John andPrachi Desai. We arealso trying to rope inSunidhi Chauhan tosing the female ver-sion,” he added.Directed by Kapil

Sharma, I Me Aur Main also featuresChitrangada Singh and Zarina Wahab.T-Series has the music rights of theproject and it was Kumar's idea torevive the song. He said: “This is oneof my personal favourite songs. I amsure it will hit the chartbusters.”

IANS


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Actress andsinger Je -n nifer Lo -

p ez has blamed an inter-net hacker for spreading

rumours suggesting she isto wed her new dancer

boyfriend. Gossips spreadwhen a post on Roberto

Cavalli’s Twitter.com pagesuggested Lopez had

asked the fashion design-er to make a wedding

dress for her upcomingmarriage to Casper

Smart. The message read,“Today, Jennifer Lopez.

Call me (sic)... She ask me.To create a special dress.

For her next wedding!Which colour... Do youadvise me?” However,

Lopez confirmed thewedding rumour is nottrue. “Here’s the truthnow: Roberto Cavalli’s

Twitter account washacked. The rumour isnot true,” she wrote on

the website. IANS

Lopezblamesweddingrumourson hacker


A bone chilling storyA major flip in the coin for the boy wizard, the movie

packs the right amount of thrill and chills

Based on Susan Hill’s1982 novel, DanielRadcliffe stars asArthur Kipps in this

creepy, haunted-house thrillercomplete with gloomy weath-er, dark shadows and creak-ing doors. An estate lawyer byprofession, he travels to asmall English town to put abid on an eccentric client’sremote country estate, the EelMarsh House. While the

whole town seems to keepKipps at a distance, onlyDaily (Ciaran Hinds)befriends him. His mentally

disturbed wife dines withdogs after the tragic death oftheir son a few years back.The story seems to be welladapted from the book withthe woman in black appear-ing in windows in unkemptgrounds and dark rooms. Ithas the right amount ofthrills and chills without themuch added gore and blood.Radcliffe looks convincingbut it might get a bit too bor-

ing looking at his stubble facefor long periods. He still has along way to go. The gloomycinematography works welladding to the eeriness of theplot as well as MarcoBeltrami’s score adds to thetension.The short lyric nar-rated as part of the trailergets you curious enough towatch the movie and our ver-dict is you should.

SANA MIRZA

Movie: The Woman in BlackCast: Daniel Radcliffe, CiaranHinds, Janet McTeer, LizWhite,Shaun DooleyDirected by: James WatkinsRating:

Zoe Saldana and Megan Foxwill star in Swindle. The

pair are also signed on toproduce Paramount Pictures’

newly acquired heist movie,reports Deadline. Saldana andFox will team with Moneyballproducer Michael De Luca on

the film, which is based onEnzo Mileti and Scott Wilson’s

spec script. Fox stars in thenewly-released Friends with

Kids and will appear in SachaBaron Cohen’s forthcoming

comedy The Dictator. Saldana iscurrently shooting JJ Abrams’sStar Trek 2 and was announced

this week to appear with CliveOwen and Mila Kunis in crime

drama Blood Ties. The storylinefor the film is being kept under

wraps. Swindle came aboutthrough Fox and Saldana’s

desire to work together.

Paltrow loves beesOscar-winning actress

Gwyneth Paltrowadmits she loves smallblack and yellow bees andthat she has even under-gone bee venom therapy tohelp rid her of an injury.“This has been happeningto be lately in regards to,well, bees. I was recentlygiven bee venom therapyfor an old injury and it dis-appeared. I was recom-mended bee pollen, rawhoney for various purpos-es. So far these recommen-dations have worked forme,” wrote the actress inher Goop newsletter. The

actor has been doingresearch about the benefitsof by-products created bythe insect, reports contact-music.com.

“I started to researchand found some very inter-esting facts, products andrecipes,” said the actress.Gwyneth says her otherpassion is room furnish-ings. “A few weeks ago, Itook a quick trip to Parisfor the biannual Maisonand Objet trade show thatspecialises in home goodsand furniture. I am slightlyobsessed with interiordesign,” she wrote. IANS

Saldana, Foxteam up for

Swindle

CHAI TIME 26SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

How to Play KakuroKakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is alsosuitably different. The key question: “How do you play Kakuro?”, wellhere are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike insudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cellslike in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the darkcells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In akakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of thedigits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells - called a run - any of the numbers1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be usedonce.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly:In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle,

you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14.This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and soon...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this isdone through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as youwork out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limitthe valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two - it contains two numbers, 30and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of thenumber 11.

KAKUROACROSS1 Hair line5 Poetic foot9 Cowboy boot feature13 Filled cookie14 Juicy pear15 Superboy’s sweet-

heart Lang16 What an also-ran

may get?18 Part of the eye19 Granola grain20 Belfry resident21 Garden walkway22 Literary sisters Emily

and Anne26 “You’ve got a ____

nerve ...”28 Didn’t linger29 Letters with “mes-

senger” or “transfer”31 Like many diet prod-

ucts34 ___ grabs (available)36 Relevant, to lawyers38 More than displea-

sure39 Abbr. after many a

general’s name40 They may be current

or foreign42 U.S. gun lobby43 “A Christmas Carol”

comment44 Adhered (to)45 Birds or fruit47 Acoustic term49 Televise51 Jazz great Brubeck52 “Dear ____ Madam

...”54 Spent time at Betty

Ford’s56 One of the four

Gospels58 A day in Spain?60 Feel sick61 Potent pints62 Small kitchen appli-

ance67 Hardly healthy-look-

ing68 TV group featuring

Mr. T69 Celsius freezing

point of water70 Report-card blemish-

es71 Hint to an unexciting

speaker72 “Thanks ___ so

much!”

DOWN

1 “The Gold-Bug”author

2 “Woof” alternative3 ___ Speed Wagon

(old vehicle)4 Rogers Centre locale5 Schubert’s “Fantasia

___ Minor”6 “This looks like ___ for

Superman!”7 Point of a fable8 Certain garment work-

er9 Don, as a sweater10 What Halloween lips

are made of11 Inventory item12 Allergy reaction,

sometimes14 Second photo in a

testimonial ad17 Scarf down22 Book jacket bits23 Already-aired TV

show24 Readily available, as

parts

25 A big mess27 Russian city or oblast30 Site of Churchill’s

1943 Turkey confer-ence

32 Get there33 Made one’s hair

stand on end?35 It’s kept on track,

hopefully37 Far from flexi-ble41 Path of a

crestingriver

46 Put on apedestal

48 Gets thesuds out

50 Coin of the___

53 Cowboy’scalf catcher

55 Even-steven situ-ation

56 Mocking

comment57 Count ___ (Lemony

Snicket villain)59 Cruise film, “____

Good Men”63 Summer air circulator64 Gun, as an engine65 Miner’s vein contents66 “Neither rain ___

sleet ...”

SCRI

BBLI

NG P

AD

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

QUICK CROSSWORD

You got to becareful if youdon’t know

where you’regoing, becauseyou might not

get there.

SOLU

TIO

N O

N P

AG

E 3

2

SUDOKU THOUGHT OFTHE DAY

– Yogi Berra

CHAI TIME 27SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo VirgoKnight of Cups

Work – Find solutionsto work related prob-

lems more intuitivelyrather than going by thebook. You’d be surprisedat how well they’ll work.Romance – You achieve adeeper, stronger connec-tion with your partner.Singles are likely to meetsomeone at a workshop orclass. Health – Pamperyourself. A body massageand a day at the spa maydo what no shrink or doc-tor can do for you. Money– Lottery wins and sur-prise inflow of money willmake you happy. Highreturns from an invest-ment will take you by surprise. Tarot message– You develop a deepunderstanding of the connection between howyou perceive life and what ultimately happens to you.

Ace of Cups

Work – You’re swamp -ed with work but are

able to manage mostly be -ca use of your ability tomulti-task. Ask seniorsfor help if you need it.Romance – Singles willlikely meet someone inter-esting, at a book store oran art show. You hit it offbut refrain from commit-ting. Health – You’re ingood shape though you’renot doing much to main-tain yourself. Start thegym routine or simply aone-hour walk everyday.Money – Stop worryingbecause you’ve got every-thing in control. Some ad -ditional income through afreelance job pumps upyour bank balance. Tarotmessage – You go withthe flow and everythingclicks just right. You don’tquestion anything and dis-cover a synchronicity.

King of Cups

Work – You want cre-ative satisfaction from

your work, and have beenworking toward that goal fora long time. Self-employ-ment is your ultimate goal.Romance – You’re in a flirta-tious mood. You live in themoment and go by your gutfeel. Don’t expect greatunder standing from apotential partner. Health –You need to unwind. Maybe a good idea to get a mas-sage or simply take a day offto sit and read by yourself.You need me-time. Money –Money flow is good, andthis is what is keeping youon your toes at your office.Tighten your purse stringssome more. Tarot message –You are emotional and aretrying very hard to get intouch with your inner feel-ings. Keep at it, and you willknow yourself better.

The Star

Work – If you havebeen unhappy in a

current team, expect newwindows of opportunityto come up. A new open-ing will work its magic.Romance – A newromance wings its wayinto your life and you feelthe freshness of innocentlove. Enjoy the time.Health – You benefit fromalternative therapies likeeating right, massages,meditation, etc. You findthat magical mind-bodyconnection and are able toutilise it well. Money –Don’t close your mind to apotentially profitable fina -n cial venture. Just becau -se it is new or you don’tknow of it doesn’t meanit’s not good. Tarot mes-sage – You reverberatewi th energy. You are link -ed to a higher plane andmake deeper connection.

Six of Cups

Work – Your memoryplays a crucial role in

how a certain job turnsout. You will have to relyheavily on what youremember for a project totake off. Romance – Youare likely to bump into anold flame. Old memoriesare stirred, and you wantto be left alone with yourthoughts. Health – Arecurring health problem,like a migraine or a sorethroat, is back to slow youdown. Take rest and drinklots of healthy fluids.Money – Smart invest-ments you made at thebeginning of your careeror your first job may needreviewing. They may nolonger be serving your pur-pose. Tarot message – Youneed to stay stable in theebb and flow of life. Don’tget perturbed by events orpeople.

Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Ace of Wands

Work – You’ve beenchosen for a coveted

assignment at the office,one that requires you to becreative and think differ-ently. Romance – A newrelationship enters yourlife or you find a freshspark in an existing rela-tionship. Go with the flow.Health – You may considerstarting a new health regi-men, veering towards thealternative therapies. Itworks well for you. Money– A new job opportunitypresents itself giving youthe options to choose from.It may even be a freelanceopportunity through whichto increase your finances.Tarot message – Youprobably perceive theworld around you differ-ently, which is making youaccept situations morereadily than before.

Eight of Pentacles

Work – Your bosstrusts you with a new

job and although you havelittle experience in it, youdo extremely well.Romance – It’s the smallthings that matter in arelationship. Bring yourpartner flowers, cook forthem or woo them again ifit improves your chemistry.Health – You’re feelingslightly off balance giventhe demands of everyother area of life. Youhaven’t been paying atten-tion to your health. Money– Your loan is approved oryou are able to arrange thefinances you needed tostart a dream project. Now,there’s no looking back.Tarot message – Live inthe moment and enjoywhat you do. Your choices will not feel like a burden.

King of Swords

Work –Your sharpintellect helps you

solve a work problem. Youalso avoid being pushed tothe corner by competitors.Romance – Love, to you, isall about being practicaland making a comfortablelife. No harm in indulgingin flowers and chocolatessometimes. Health – Youneed to pay attention toyour health. Working toohard and not relaxingenough is taking a toll.Take a weekend break.Money – You go by thebook and stick to the rules.Think creatively to makethe most of the moneyyou’re making. Tarot message – By plac-ing too much emphasisonly on the mind, you’reignoring the heart’s desire.You need to strike that bal-ance, and do it well.

Three of Wands

Work – Team work isimportant. It will

help you see your job innew light. Lend a patientear to your coworkers andconsider their ideas, too.Romance – Put your bestfoot forward at a party.You’re likely to meet some-one interesting. The attrac-tion is immediate. Health– You feel energetic. Yourblood pressure is in controland your diet also is show-ing the expected results.Money – You start makingprofits from a creative ven-ture, which you didn’texpect will be so success-ful. Your investments havebeen wise. Tarot message– Dream. Plan. Then makeit happen. You’ve been on alucky phase where thingsclick and everything goesright.

Five of Swords

Work – Don’t get into aconfrontation with

any of your coworkers orclients with regard to animportant project.Romance – You may haveto iron out some differ-ences or misunderstand-ings. Communicate clearlyand all will be well. Health– Take extra care of yourhealth. Do not overindulgein food and drink.Everything in moderationis good for you. Money –There may be some confu-sion over some moneywhich you think is due toyou. Go over the detailsagain before you pick afight. Tarot message –Being in the middle of aconfusing conflict situationmay be unavoidable. Keepa low profile and continueto work.

Eight of Wands

Work – You may need toblow your trumpet

about the amount of workyou do. In the age ofFacebook, an introvert maylose out at times. Romance– You meet someone inter-esting at a museum or bookshop and spend time togeth-er. All doubts about it notworking out will be cleared.Health – Your body’s ingreat shape but you mayneed to work on keepingyour mind healthy, too.Take up meditation or anyde-stressing activity. Money– Finances are looking goodand your forethought andplanning have paid off. Awindfall is also expected.Tarot message – Going bythe happiness in your lifeand how everything’s goingright, you turn from a skep-tic to a believer.

Three of Pentacles

Work – There’s muchlearning to do on the

job. New processes andsystems, or differentexpectations from yourboss unnerves you.Romance – You may sus-pect your spouse of hav-ing an affair. Don’t let thesuspicion get to you.You’re likely to find out itwas nothing after all.Health – You may need apersonal trainer to helpunderstand the nuances ofyour exercise regimen.Hire an instructor. Money– Finances are looking ingood shape. You’veaccounted for everythingwhile budgeting for themonth. Wait to see yourmoney grow. Tarot mes-sage – Don’t be afraid toask for help when you’redoing something the firsttime round. You’d be sur-prised at the help you get.

Vol: 1, No 244 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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SUMAA [email protected] Date 18-3-2012

KNOW YOURCOUNTRY

THE SATURDAY QUIZ 28

1. Pyongyang is the capital ofwhich country.

2. Which instrument is used formeasuring wind speed?

3. Which is the national flowerof Ireland?

4. Which is the only country inthe world to have a nationaldog?

5. What physicist’s last words

were not understoodbecause his nurse did notspeak German?

6. What type of creature wasthe star of the film Jaws?

7. Where in America was theworld’s biggest rock festivalstaged?

8. Which monarch said, “Thething that impresses me

most about America is theway parents obey their chil-dren?”

9. What inscription on U.S.coins did TheodoreRoosevelt try in vain to haveremoved?

10. Which nation has thelongest school year?

11. What Scandinavian country

are you in if you’re vaca-tioning in Hell?

12. Which Australian cricketerannounced his retirementin February this year ?

13. Which footballer was awarded the 2011 FIFABallon d’Or?

14. IC chips used in computersare usually made of what?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

SPORT GYAAN

1Who was sacked asthe Bowling Coach ofIndian Cricket Team inFebruary this year?

2Which team defeatedIndian women’s hock-ey team in the finalmatch of LondonOlympic qualifiers?

3Which squash playerretained the men’scrown in the SeniorNational SquashChampionship inChennai in December2011?

4Which country defeat-ed Spain 1-0 to clinchthe Champions Tro -phy title for the fourthconsecutive time inDecember 2011?

5Which Indian compa-ny on 16 February2012 withdrew itsdecision to quash allits ties with the BCCI?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUTTHE WORLD OFSPORTS

FAMOUS SPOUSES

1Marie Curie was a Polish physi-cist and chemist, famous for herresearch on radioactivity. Herhusband was also a physicistand shared her Nobel Prizewith her Who is he?

2She is an Indian social activistand retired IPS officer. She wasthe first woman IPS officer. Sheis married to social activist BrijBedi. Who is she?

3He is better known as KhiladiKumar. His real name is RajeevBhatia. He married actressTwinkle Khanna. He has twochildren. Who is he?

IDENTIFY THESE FAMOUSBETTER HALVES

WHO AM I?I am smart, I am fast, I amfunny and I am always onestep ahead. Some call me sar-castic, arrogant and at timesdisrespectful, but in reality, Iam just a cool guy whochomps away on a carrot. Iam a great favourite with kids.I am not malicious by nature,

but I can be nastywhen my aggres-sors (such as ElmerFudd) give me nochoice. Who am I?

Answers1.North Korea 2.Anemometer 3.Shamrock4.Netherlands 5.Albert Einstein 6.Shark 7.Woodstock 8.Edward VIII 9.In God We Trust10.Japan 11.Norway 12.Ricky Ponting 13.Lionel Messi 14. Silicon

Answers1.Eric Simons 2.South Africa 3.SauravGhoshal 4.Australia 5.Sahara Group

Answers1. Pierre Curie 2. Kiran Bedi 3. Akshay Kumar

1On account of its numerous tem-ples, which city is also known asthe ‘Cathedral City of India’ ?

2 Which Indian state was originallyknown as the North East FrontierAgency (NEFA) ?

3Which coastal town in Gujarat isworld famous for its ship-break-ing industry ?

4Which Ramon Magsaysay Awardwinner, popularly known asWater Man, founded an NGOcalled ‘Tarun Bharat Sangh’ nearAlwar in Rajasthan to work onwatershed projects & rain-waterharvesting ?

5Yakshagana, literally meaningcelestial music, is a populardance drama of which Indianstate ?

Answers1. Bhuvaneshwar (Odisha) 2. ArunachalPradesh 3. Alang 4. Rajendra Singh 5.Karnataka

Answer : Bugs Bunny


with SantoshGhule

Who will jointhis damselin a song?

IDENTIFY THESE TALL BUILDINGSAnswers1. Empire State Building 2. Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower 3.Taipei 101 4. Marina Torch

PICTUREPUZZLE 6

Answer for5:The womanwas sittingbetween the trees

SPORTS 29SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012

CALIFORNIA: World No. 2Rafael Nadal and world No. 3Roger Federer set up their firstsemi-final clash at the IndianWells ATP Masters with con-trasting victories over Argen -tinian opponents on Friday.

Nadal, who is chasing hisfirst title of 2012, survived anopening set scare en route to a 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 win over DavidNalbandian in their quarter-final match.

Swiss star Federer had amuch easier time, rolling to a 6-3, 6-2 win over a frustrated Juan

Martin del Potro in the jointWTA/ATP tournament in theCalifornia desert.

Federer and Nadal have met27 times previously with Nadalhaving won 18, including four ofthe last five.

“We played 27 times. It willbe the first time here at IndianWells,” Nadal said. “Tomorrow Ihave a fantastic match to enjoyand to try to play aggressive.”

Added Federer, “I have hadsome great matches with him allaround the world by now.”

But this will be the first time

16-time grand slam winnerFederer and reigning FrenchOpen champ Nadal will meet onthe hardcourts of Indian Wells.

World number one NovakDjokovic will face AmericanJohn Isner in the other semi-final on Friday.

Nadal, who hit three aces,clinched the victory in the 10thgame of the final set Fridaywhen Nalbandian’s runningbackhand went wide.

Nalbandian’s momentumcarried him forward and healmost crashed into his chair.

Azarenka,Sharapova

to meet intitle round

CALIFORNIA: World No. 1 Vict -oria Azarenka reached the Indi -an Wells final Friday, beating ris-ing German star Angelique Ker -ber 6-4, 6-3 to extend her season-long match win streak to 22-0.

Reigning Australian Openchampion Azarenka has threetitles already this year and hasnow reached the final of her lastsix tournaments.

“I am so excited because thisis the first time for me to be inthe final. I love to play here,”Azarenka said.

Azarenka’s win streak is thelongest on the WTA Tour since1997, when Martina Hingis won37 in a row. Serena Williams hada 21-match win streak in 2003.

Azarenka pulled out of lastyear’s Indian Wells tournamentafter getting injured during herquarter-final match againstCaroline Wozniacki.

She suffered the hip injuryjust 10 minutes into the matchon the second point of the thirdgame while stretching to try andreturn a shot.

Friday’s night match on cen-tre court was played in coolerand windy conditions as fore-casters are predicting rain show-ers on Saturday when the menare scheduled to play their semi-finals. “It made it a little moreinteresting,” Azarenka said ofthe wind. “A little adversity anda challenge for us.”

Azarenka, who won 70 per-cent of her first-serve points,needed 88 minutes to beatKerber. She broke Kerber’s servein the final game of the matchand on match point Azarenkahammered a cross-court fore-hand that Kerber returned long.

Kerber had five doublefaults, held her serve just fourtimes and was broken six timesin the match.

“I had some chances,”Kerber said. “I didn’t get it done.But she’s a great player and sheplays very good in thesemoments.

“I did everything I couldtoday. But she was better.”

The 22-year-old from Belaruswill now face Maria Sharapova,the winner of the other semi-final. Sharapova advanced to thefinal when 15th seeded Serb AnaIvanovic retired from their semi-final with a hip injury.

Sharapova was leading 6-4, 0-1 when Ivanovic decided shecouldn’t continue.

Nadal,Fedex toclash in

semis

I am so excitedbecause this is the firsttime for me to be in thefinal. I love to play here

Victoria Azarenka

The New York Knicks, and JeremyLin, continued to thrive underinterim coach Mike Woodson

Friday with a 115-100 NBA victory overthe Indiana Pacers. It was the Knicks’

second victory since the departure thisweek of coach Mike D’Antoni, a move

that many predicted would spell theend of “Linsanity”that has gripped the

fancy of the world.

Knicks outplay Pacers

Vernon Philander produced thebest figures of his remarkablecareer for South Africa to wrap

up the second Test against NewZealand by nine wickets inside threedays on Saturday. The tourists neededjust 20 overs to reach the 101-run tar-get in Hamilton, after New Zealand’ssecond innings crumbled and wererestricted to 168.

Philander crushes Kiwis

Olympic great Ian Thorpe suf-fered major setbacks in his bidto make the Australian team for

the London Olympics at the selectiontrials in Adelaide on Friday. Thorpe, onthe comeback trail after five years outof the pool, bombed out on qualifyingfor Saturday’s 200-metre freestyle finalwhen he slumped to the 12th fastesttime in the semi-finals.

Thorpe suffers setback

AFP/ ROBYN BECK

Nadal with Ben Stiller after hismatch against David Nalbandian.

CITY’S REACTIONS


Back on a wintry morningin 1988, a young lad of 15went out for to bat forMumbai against Gujarat

and stroked his way to an exact100.

Twenty-four years later,Sachin Tendulkar has becomethe first player to get to a hun-dred centuries in internationalcricket. And own probably everyrecord in the book.

Yes, statistics will alwaysmark him as the greatest bats-man in the world. But what ismore important is the the joy hebrought to millions of cricketlovers in over two decades ofsheer brilliance.

He always meant a lot to peo-ple all over the world. If Indiaplays, then anyone from a facto-ry worker or a chairman of acompany would ask – how muchdid Tendulkar get?

Even housewives and chil-dren would drop whatever theywere doing to watch the greatman play, whether they knew thegame or not.

So what makes Tendulkar

tick? The sheer volume of runswere there but what was morepleasing was how he got them.

He was not a stylist likeMohammed Azharuddin or VVSLaxman. It was his aura of asystemic destroyer of all kindsof bowling which madeTendulkar a stand-out.

A straight drive or a shotthrough the covers and pointarea had a stamp which wasunmistakably his own.

And he scored quickly withtotal domination. At his peak, hewas never afraid to hit the ballfor maximum.

There were a few detractorsthough. Statistics-mad Indiaalways came up with somethingillogical.

A few critics said that he hadnot led India to victory oftenenough.

Someone will point out thatthough Tendulkar scored hislandmark hundred againstBangladesh in the Asia Cup,India lost the match.

That’s crazy when you con-sider somebody with over 15,000runs in Test cricket and 18,000 inone-day cricket. If he did notscore, would India have even gotto striking distance, let alonewin?

The signs of greatness werethere since the early teens.Tendulkar’s massive 664-run

partnership with Vinod Kambliin a Harris Shield match in 1988had put him in the limelight.

His Test debut, aged 16, inPakistan may have been unpro-ductive in terms of runs. But theway he took the short stuff fromthe Pakistan bowlers unflinch-ingly on his body was revealing.

The sight of Tendulkar bat-ting with blood pouring out fromhis nose is still etched in manyminds. The boy was manenough.

Once he cranked up the runmachine, the world began tonotice. Grudgingly at first,because may of the strongerteams believed that their starplayer was the best.

He peaked from 1994 to 2002.Then came a period when self-doubt crept in. The aerial shotswere now in the cold storage.

Then Indian coach GregChappell did not help matters

much. He asked Tendulkar tobat down the order in the one-dayers when the player hadscored heavily while opening.There were allegations galoretoo.

That was the lowest point inthe great man’s career.Tendulkar chose the tour ofBangladesh to emerge from theshadow. And he never lookedback.

He was particularly produc-tive at the the end of the lastdecade, stroking freely thoughnot as quickly as before.

The burden of getting to theremarkable landmark seemed toweigh on him since the start ofthe Australian tour last year.

He looked India’s best bats-man during the disastrous tour.But he began to choke a bitwhen he passed the half-centurymark. He lost form in the tri-nation one-day series and thehundred was getting elusive.

Fans were losing patience.The retirement of Rahul Dravidalso added pressure onTendulkar.

Now that the burden of the100th hundred is over, Tendulkarmust forget all inhibitions andenjoy the game once more.

But the curtain call may notbe too far now. But it is hopedthat he continues at least foranother year.

PRAGYAN OJHACricketerIt’s a proud moment for everyIndian. The whole nation hasbeen waiting for this. He hasproved why he is called theGod of cricket. It’s doubtful ifanyone else will cross this mile-stone.

VIJAY MOHANRAJFormer cricketerI wish it had come earlier,especially against theAustralians. I don’t think heshould call it a day. If the coun-try needs him, he must carryon till the youngsters are capa-ble to hold the fort.

D. HARIKAChess playerI am glad that Sachin made itfinally. He has been an inspira-tion to me as a sportsperson. Idon’t think just because somepeople say that his time hascome he should quit. Only hehas the right to do that.

VICTOR AMALRAJFormer footballerIt’s a big honour. People havebeen waiting for this. I don’tthink he should quit now.Maybe this is a good time tosay bye. But he can continueas he still has the stuff.

Twelfth ManBABU KALYANPUR

A TON OF JOYYES, STATISTICS WILLALWAYS MARK HIM ASTHE GREATEST BATSMANIN THE WORLD. BUTWHAT IS MORE IMPOR-TANT IS THE THE JOY HEBROUGHT TO MILLIONSOF CRICKET LOVERS

MELBOURNE: McLaren’sLewis Hamilton clocked thefastest time in the third and finalpractice for Sunday’s season-opening Australian Grand Prixin Melbourne, but there wastrouble for Sebastian Vettel.

The 27-year-old Englishmanproduced his best lap in the finalseconds of a welcome dry ses-sion run in warm conditions atthe Albert Park circuit, wherehe outstripped Lotus’s rookieFrenchman Romain Grosjean.

Grosjean was second fastestahead of local hero MarkWebber of Red Bull and BritonJenson Button in the secondMcLaren.

German Nico Rosberg wasfifth, ahead of his Mercedesteam-mate and compatriotMichael Schumacher. Another

German, defending doublechampion Vettel of Red Bull,was back in a disappointing sev-enth.

Both Vettel and Schumacherspun off the circuit in the clos-ing stages of the hour-long ses-sion, beaching their cars in grav-el traps.

McLaren team chief MartinWhitmarsh said: “It’s nice to befastest, again, but really it doesnot mean anything. It looks tightand very close. We think we arecompetitive, but so are Mercedesand Red Bull, and maybe Lotustoo.”

Venezuelan PastorMaldonado of Williams waseighth ahead of Mexican SergioPerez of Sauber, with Australia’ssecond entrant Daniel Ricciardotaking 10th for Toro Rosso.

Returning 2007 championFinn Kimi Raikkonen was 12thin the second Lotus, two-timechampion Fernando Alonso wasagain off the pace in his Ferrari,as was team-mate Felipe Massa,down in 18th.

On a bright, dry and sunnyday at Albert Park, with the airtemperature rising to 23 degreesCelsius and the track tempera-ture at 34 degrees, there wasnone of the capricious weather,or the humidity, of the previousfew days.

Rosberg was the first man toclock a competitive time and ini-tially he topped the lists beforeHamilton and then Schumacheroverhauled his effort.

The German then swept backto the top with a lap in 1:25.929after 35 minutes of the hour,

shortly before Vettel lost control— and the rear end of his car —at turn six. His Red Bull was leftin the gravel and out of actionfor the rest of the session.

Earlier, Felipe Massa hadsupplied the first spin of the dayand Bruno Senna had recoveredafter running off the circuit atturn five.

Vettel’s embarrassment waseased somewhat whenSchumacher went off at turnnine, the entry to the Clark chi-cane, just seconds afterGrosjean, on his Albert Parkdebut, clocked the then fastestlap with 1:25.758.

It was a dazzling effort by thewinner of last year’s GP2 title,but not quite good enough asHamilton responded in the finalseconds to top the lists.


MELBOURNE: Fan powermay lead to a ban on theugly new “stepped noses” onthis year’s Formula Onecars, the sport’s ruling bodyhas conceded.

International MotoringFederation (FIA) technicalchief Charlie Whiting saidthat he will raise the matteras soon as he can — hopingto remove them for nextyear.

“Everybody would like

to see something that looksnicer,” said Whiting. “So ofcourse I will raise the ques-tion at the next meeting ofthe Technical WorkingGroup.”

He agreed that there hadbeen a critical reaction frommany F1 fans complainingat the new look of the cars,made as part of a way forteams to conform to newsafety regulations.

“In 2014 the rules will beentirely different and therewill be much, much lowernoses so that problem willdisappear that year, I imag-ine,” Whiting toldautosport.com.

He added that there mayhave been more appetite tochange the noses sooner hadthey realised just howwidespread the new stylewould be.

“At that point, I don’tthink anyone outside of thevery small group of design-ers that were creating thecars knew what they mightlook like,” he said.

“It was pointed out thatthere could be a bit of a stepthere, as it was put, butfrankly it didn’t seemimportant for us to get excit-ed about.

“Hopefully we canresolve the situation, but bythe time we do that maybeeveryone will have got usedto what we have got.”

AFP

‘Steppednoses’may go

McLaren-Mecedes drivers Lewis Hamilton of Britain slides his car through a corner during the first practice session for Formula One’s Australian Grand Prix inMelbourne on Friday. The opening race of the 2012 season will be held at the 5.3km Albert Park road circuit on March 18. AFP/WILLIAM WEST

Hamilton fastest in final practice

THERE HAD BEEN ACRITICAL REACTIONFROM MANY F1 FANSCOMPLAINING AT THENEW LOOK OF THECARS.


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Boggle HILL CLIFF BLUFF VALLEY RAVINE

LONDON: Roberto DiMatteo insists Chelsea arereaping the rewards of hisbold decision to embracethe player power thatforced Andre Villas-Boasout of Stamford Bridge.

Di Matteo took over asChelsea’s interim managerafter Villas-Boas wassacked following a brief,miserable reign scarred byconstant rumours that hewas engaged in a powerstruggle with John Terry,Frank Lampard, AshleyCole and Didier Drogba.

Villas-Boas oftendropped Lampard andcaused a major stir whenhe also axed MichaelEssien and Cole for theChampions League last 16first leg defeat to Napoli.

But in the end theyoung Portuguese coachcouldn’t win his battlewith the cabal of agingstars who have developedsignificant influence withowner RomanAbramovich.

With Di Matteo only in

charge until the end of theseason, there was alreadyspeculation that Terry andcompany had stepped intothe power vacuum andwere effectively runningthe team.

That impression wasstrengthened when televi-sion pictures showedTerry standing just behindDi Matteo on the touchlineand appearing to urgeEssien to drop back intodefence duringWednesday’s 4-1Champions League tri-umph over Napoli.

But Di Matteo, whowill look to extend his 100percent record as Bluesmanager when Chelseahost Championship clubLeicester in the FA Cupquarter-finals on Sunday,is adamant the likes ofTerry rightly have aninput into how the team isrun.”I’ve had a long play-ing career myself at thehighest level,” the formerChelsea midfielder said.

AFP

Roberto Di Matteo cele-brates with Fernando Torres.

AFP/GLYN KIRK

Matteo swears by‘player power’

Kuyt saysReds gotplenty ofpotentialLIVERPOOL: DirkKuyt insistsLiverpool still haveplenty of unfulfilledpotential as they pre-pare to step up theirquest for a cup dou-ble with an FA Cupquarter-final againstStoke.

Kenny Dalglish’sside ended a six-yearwait for a trophywhen they beatChampionship sideCardiff in theLeague Cup final onpenalties last month.

Despite their cupsuccess, the Reds are10 points adrift offourth-placedArsenal and are fac-ing the prospect of athird consecutiveyear outside theChampions League.

AFP

postnoon e-paper for 17 march 2012

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