Ergo September 15

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Monday, September 15, 2008A BYTE OF LIFE

FIRST INNINGSTeenfrage and the agony uncles

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 178

MAMMA MIA!

A review

1105

Young Saina Nehwalbrushed aside herOlympics disappointmentto win the ChineseTaipei Open Grand PrixGold Championship

Page 08


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ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008NAMMA CHENNAI02

Poor driverAn officer connected to the CMs office andhis driver was recently heading home in thenight when they were intercepted by someinebriated law college students. Anargument between the two partiessnowballed into the studentsroughing up the driver. Theofficer called the police whorushed in and detained thethree students. Next morning,a group of lawyers and lawstudents thronged the policestation where the threestudents were detained. Acompromise was struck betweenthe officer and a well-known lawyerwho was representing the students. When

both parties left after greeting andapologising, no one bothered about thepoor driver who was left sulking with ablack eye.

Tit-for-tatA former MP from Coimbatore, well-knownfor his fraudulent land dealings, hadrecently sent a gang to take over a house inNungambakkam belonging to abusinessman. When a police complaint waslodged in this regard and a senior IPSofficer took stern action, the politician hadsent a group of lawyers to lodge a falsecomplaint against the IPS officer.

Investigations onThe owners of Saravana Stores surrenderedin the court in connection with the firemishap at their vessel store on RanganathanStreet that claimed the life of twoemployees. Police took the accused undercustody and are investigating. Reliablesources say that interesting inside details ontheir property, insurances and employeesworking conditions could come to light.

Educational kits distributedMembers of the Sanjivini Bharat Vikash Pratisthan, set up by youth from tIT, Management and other sectors, visited the Kaakkum Karangal orphanain West Mambalam this Sunday. Chief guest Dr. Rohit of PeraderaniyaUniversity, Sri Lanka, distributed educational kits among the students.

(Clockwise from right) Actor Suriyaat St. Ebbas Higher SecondarySchool for the My TVS HeritageCar Rally organised by MadrasHeritage Motoring Club in Chennaion Sunday; and the participants.PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Blast from the past


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Monday, September 15, 2008

Imagine the French dancingballet to Kuchipudi music.This was what happened atMelange of Dances, held at

Alliance Francaise on Friday.

Performed by Maia Bouthors,Koka Vijayalakshmi, HaleemShaik, the idea behind the showwas to also promote racial andreligious tolerance.

The show began with a wel-come dance by Kuchipudidancers Haleem and Vijaya-lakshmi. The dancers said thattheir first half represented clas-sicial themes, such as the lat-ters solo performancedepicting Goddess Durga.Maias solo followed soon after,the theme being religious andabout Mary crying for Christfollowing His crucifixion.

The second part of the showhighlighted not a fusion but amelange with both schools ofdance borrowing styles from

Kuchipudi and Ballet to create anew, vigorous form where they

were mimicking each otherssteps without changing the ba-sic movements.

While the Kuchipudi dancers

were in their traditional attire,Maia wanted to emphasise thatit was not traditional Ballet thatshe performed. Since I wantedto integrate Kuchipudi into mysteps, I chose contemporary

Ballet wherethe movements

are not so rigidand do notneed the pointeshoes. So I candance bare-foot. She alsoexplained thatthe show wasmeant to alsohighlight thatdance is meantto be fun, andnot restrictedby rules. Vi-

jayalakshmiadded, Andthat is why wehave threedancers ofthree differentreligions.

A ballerina and two Kuchipudi dancers come together

MITHRA [email protected]

(From left) Koka Vijayalakshmi, Maia Bouthors and Haleem Shaik PHOTOS: S. THANTHONI

Dance sans

barriers

Robbers used chilli powderto rob Rs. 5 lakh from a

Burma Bazar shopkeeper onSaturday night.

According to Esplanade po-lice, the victim was one Ab-

dullah (32), who had gone toKasi Chetti Street on Saturdaynight to collect a sum of Rs. 5lakh in cash from his shop-owners friend. While return-ing on his bike at around 11

p.m., Abdullah was intercept-ed by four unidentified menon two motorcycles on NorthKottaval Road. A pillion onone of the motorcycles threwchilli powder on Abdullahsface, knocking him downfrom his bike. The gang thenfled with his bike, along with

the cash kept inside it. Abdullah was taken to an

eye hospital for check-up. Hethen lodged a complaint withthe Esplanade police. Policeare investigating.

ERGO [email protected]

Man attacked withchilli powder, robbed

I chosecontemporaryBallet where themovements arenot so rigid anddo not need thepointe shoes

Before themelange, Maiaperforms a solo


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ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008KALEIDOSCOPE04

R.Swetha of Hexaware writes about the unique Onam festivities at her company

Mahabali andhis escorts werenothing but ahuge bundle ofbindaas,

dancing around;and evenplaying soccer

Bend it like Mahabali

The entire 9th floor facility ofSundaram Infotech Solutions

Ltd., (SISL) wore a festive look onFriday evening.

Over 70% of the employeesturned up for work in traditionalKerala dress.

The floor was decorated withtraditional pookolam.

As part of its Onam Celebra-tions, Sundaram Infotech orga-nized a series of events at itsfacility. R. Sudhakar from the

Marketing team was chosen asMr. Kerala for his traditional Ker-ala dress as well as for his specialspeech on the significance ofOnam, rendered in a very hu-

mourous way. Ms. Monica Jee-van, of Technology team wasawarded the Ms. Kerala title.

Over 15 teams comprising of 3employees each participated inthe Onam Pookolam contest.Each team was given a 4ft by 4ftspace and 90 minutes to decoratethe square with the traditionalPookolam in an innovative andcreative way.

Mr. Paramesh Krishnaier, Exec-utive Director, Sundaram Fi-nance Ltd., was the Chief Gueston the occasion and gave awaythe prizes.

Sundaram Infotech celebrates Onam with style

ERGO [email protected]

CrowningMs. and Mr.Kerala

R.Sudhakar frommarketing team wascrowned Mr. Keralawhile Ms.MonicaJeevan of thetechnology team

was Ms.Kerala

Onam the carnival of Kerala is the remi-niscence of the Golden rule of King Ma-habali who ruled Gods Own Countrylong, long ago.

Hexaware Technologies (Ambattur and Si-ruseri campus) celebrated the return of theMighty king, who remains the symbol ofsacrifice.

The festive fever started when a mailfrom Admin hit the inbox of all

Chennai employees asking themto come in ethnic wear forOnam celebrations on theOnam Eve.

That day came to an end just like any other day for allthe employees except for a fewvolunteers, who secretly heldmeetings on arrangements to bedone to surprise all the em-ployees. We came to know that fewof them stayed well past midnight to fin-ish the decorations and were in the respectivecampus before the outbreak of dusk.

On the day of Onam, when we came intothe campus, we were all pepped up by thebright colourful Pookolam, Kuththuvizhakuarrangements decorating our reception area.

The entire corporate ambiance was vibrat-

ing with the true flavors of Kerala.Employees were dressed up in traditionalKerala attires girls looking all pretty in Ivory-Gold sarees and Guys with Silk veshtis, kurtasand shirts.

The Legend of Onam and its celebrations was explained to the entire campus through

speakers. The incredible heritage of ADevo Bhava Guest is God was in airthe entire campus rose to give a warm come to King Mahabali escorted by two (ployees disguised as) cute tigers and a hun

The Mighty Mahabali visited every cuband bestowed all with warm wishes of pperity and happiness.

Accompanying him were girls loads of traditional Kerala spec

ties including Upperi (BanChips). Mahabali and his escwere nothing but a huge bu

of bindaas, dancing aroplaying soccer (Rings a huh! Bent it like ) and po

with all the employees.Half the day melted in

these events and lunch timeeven more fulfilling with the

thentic Kerala Sadhya with pulinjThe highlight of this entire event wa

handicraft stalls put up at Siruseri camDealers involving Stone/Wood/Metal Sctures and paintings from Mahapalipu

were invited to sell Ganesha, Elephants, IdOnam Sarees and Veshtis and other Gift cles. It was a no-crown, no-bargain shopaffair.

The day ended up with the announcemof Miss. & Mr. Well dressed awards in bothcampuses.

Swetha thanks Vinitha Thangam (Siruand Reshma V R (Ambattur) for their inpu

the article. We thank Swetha for being suregular contrib

Prithvi vs PrithviThis Onam was a big disappointment for the Mammotty-Mohanlal fans as no superstar film was scheduled to releaseduring Onam. Two films were released for Onam andPrithviraj is the hero in both. One is Thalappavdirected byMadhupal and the other is Thirakatha directed by Ranjith.


5/16


When my first boyfriendditched me, when I re-peated a year in the sameclass, when dad and

mom fought on the day of my ex-am... Teenage years are thatphase when issues small or bigcan get to you and remain a per-manent scar. Many face it, somewrite about it, while some decideto make a difference in whateverlittle way.

Three school friends fromS.B.O.A., Anna Nagar, who haveexperienced similar anxieties intheir teenage days, are out withan online platform, www.teenfra-ge.com, offering help and reme-

dy. Teenfrage is the start-up ledby Edwin Solomon (senior asso-ciate, Cognizant Technology So-

lutions), Vishnu Charan (anentrepreneur who runs a schoolin Chennai) and Shankar J. (MSgraduate).

At first sight you might dismissthem as too young Agony Un-cles for an age group whichneeds a more professional ap-proach to confide in their prob-

lems, but the trio claim they haveexperienced every phase of ateenager, and have more reasons

to tap students with their onlinenetwork.

Online comfort zoneA majority of schools in Chen-

nai do not have counsellors, while 24-hour helpline numbersare least approachable, says

Vishnu, who holds a Manage-ment degree from Symbiosis In-stitute of Management, Pune.We may not be professionalcounsellors but then we donthesitate to seek help from expertsif the queries are out of ourpurview.

Its more than a year since the website was launched, thoughthey have not marketed it aggres-sively, and now they have morereasons to get active. Teenfrage

(frage is a German word mean-ing talking) is one among the 72start-ups short-listed for the Ta-

ta-NEN Hottest Start-ups of the Year award. The biggestachievement of ours in the lastone year is that we are gettingmore questions, more hits andmore referrals, says Edwin, whosowed the seeds for the start-upbefore roping in his friends. To-day its biggest competitors arecolumns in magazines and onlineportals, but they position their

website as a one-stop-solutionfor teenagers.

Marketing lessons An initial investment of Rs. 1

lakh was pooled in from theirpersonal savings to start the ven-ture. The three recall those initialdays when they had to promotethe site among youngsters, when

they stood outside schools dbuting pamphlets to studenthat was their early lesson in m

keting, then designing the wsite was equally difficult. Wethe website designed by a yoteam of designers and we snights making sure each andery section/tab appealed totarget group, says Edwin.

Teenfrage is in the procesforming a company. Meanwthey are also planning to lauit in a commercial way soon,line advertisements being main source of revenue. hope to make profits in a ytime and also get VC fundinscale this model further,

Vishnu. (If you are an entrepreneur

a successful business mod

know one, write to

firstinnings@goerg

Teenfrage is an online medium to help teenagers find solutions to their worries

Edwin and Vishnu of Teenfrage. PHOTO : R.RAVINDRAN.

Hello, agony uncle!

In a MinuteCompany: TeenfrageStarted: 2007Founders: Edwin, Vishnu,ShankarFocus Area: OnlinecounsellingKnow Me Better:

www.teenfrage.com

Websites of the dayStuck for a pet namewww.bowwow.com.auConquer your fears:www.vernoncoleman.com/facefear

US $ 45.77

Pound 80.67

Euro 64.20

100 Yen 42.62 SOURCE:RBI


6/16

ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008VILLAGE06

StingrayA stingray never actually sees the foodas it eats, since its eyes are on top of itshead and its mouth and nostrils are onthe bottom.

Australian libertarian losesappealAn Australian civil libertarian who has spent over ayear in jail for refusing to register her car on Friday losta Supreme Court appeal against a sentence she arguesruns contrary to Bible-codified common law. LosalinaRainima will be released on Sunday but the likelihoodis that she will again offend and be back behind barsbecause of her view that all living things are givengraces - the birds fly, the fish swim, the kangaroo hops- and Ive been given the graces to drive. Rainima isone of 3,000 members of the United People MovementAgainst Road Taxes (UPMART), which claims to protecthuman rights through Bible-codified common law.

DPA

Prison horror party condemnedThe British government expressed outrage on Friday ata horror-themed party staged by lifers in a notoriouswomen prison in London with participants dripping inblood in ghoulish costumes. The tabloid Sunnewspapers published front page photographs of theparty which it said took place in Londons notoriousHolloway prison last year, involving some 30 womenserving life terms for murder. The paper said the bash,which outraged prison staff, had cost 500 pounds andincluded a budget for fake blood. It showed womendressed in a variety of Halloween-style outfits,including vampires and devils daubed with fake bloodand bare plastic fangs. Justice Secretary Jack Strawordered an immediate ban on such parties and similarevents which he said were completely unacceptable.

DPA

Police chief condemned for LadencostumeA senior British policeman is in trouble after he dressedas Osama bin Laden at a carnival days before theseventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.Chief Superintendent Colin Terry, who has trainedpolice in Afghanistan, was photographed wearing a binLaden mask, robes and traditional Arab scarf. He worethe costume at a carnival on Saturday. Devon andCornwall police said in a statement it took the incidentvery seriously and had referred Terry to theIndependent Police Complaints Commission. Whilst webelieve his actions were misguided rather thanmalicious, they were clearly inappropriate, it said.

Reuters

Horses forced to wear nappies inEngland!Horses at a popular seaside resort in Blackpool,England, are being forced to wear nappies following anew regulation to help clean up the streets. Theregulation was passed in June after complaints aboutthe high levels of smelly and unsightly mess left in thehorses wake. Officials at Blackpool Council made it acondition of the operators license that all horsesshould be fitted with the nappies, or dung catchers,which were designed by the RSPCA. Failing to complywith the new regulation, some operators have beenwarned that they may lose their licences if they do notmend their ways.

ANI

Prince Charles, the heir tothe British throne, is said tobe secretly hatching a plotto make his wife Camilla

the queen.The Prince of Wales has held

top-level meetings with his mainadvisers, constitutional expertsand even religious leaders to se-cure Camilla the Royal title shes

desperate for, the News of theWorld reported.

According to a senior RoyalHousehold source, Camilla is de-termined to have the top titleeven though it is widely knownshe dislikes public duties.

Make no mistake, this is veryimportant to the Prince and theDuchess.

Clarence House has previouslyindicated that when the Prince ofWales becomes king, Camilla in-tends to be known as PrincessConsort.

But that is not set in stone farfrom it. The Prince and Duchessdo not want her status under-

mined when he is the sovereign. And both believe the matter willbe resolved in their favour.

Remember the Prince onceauthorised a leak that he had nointention of marrying Mrs ParkerBowles. But everyone knew thetruth he had every intention ofgetting what he wanted, the Brit-ish tabloid quoted the source as

saying.In fact, the plan is a U-turn on

what Prince Charles officially an-nounced when he married his di-vorced long-term lover three

years ago.The British Monarch herself is

worried that making Camilla thequeen will harm the Royal family.

But the source said: Charles ismindful of the Queens views. Buthe knows in his own mind thathis wife should be queen when heascends to the throne. Charlesthinks time is a great healer andthey will both be crowned at

Westminster Abbey. PTI

Prince Charles is secretly hatching a plot to

make Camilla the queen

WILL CAMILLABE THE QUEEN?


7/16


Upcoming auctions in New

York will put a multi-mil-lion-dollar stamp on Asiasart explosion, a far cry

from the recent past when trea-sures fell in to tourists hands fora song.

Sales by rivals Christies andSothebys both next week and inDecember feature everythingfrom delicate and ancient Chi-nese vases to boundary-breaking,contemporary installations. Nextweek, Christies expects to get

400,000-500,000 dollars (283,000-353,000 euros) or more.

I think hopefully it will go forabout 700,000 dollars (495,000euros), said Christies Korea spe-cialist Heakyum Kim.

A work by Subodh Gupta is list-ed for auction at Christies onTuesday at 600,000 to 800,000dollars (424,000-565,000 euros). Itconsists of a large heart-shapedframe crammed with shiny stain-less steel cups and pots.

Yamini Mehta, at Christies,said Indias art scene is explod-ing.

So are the prices. An even lesstraditional installation is Eye ofthe Storm by Chinas Yang Jie-

chang, which Sothebys is auc-tioning Wednesday at anestimated 400,000 to 600,000 dol-lars (283,000-424,000 euros).

For that money, the buyer will

get a large, real tangle of deadtree branches and a painting of aChinese forest behind.

Sothebys also offers top Indianartist Tyeb Mehtas Falling figure

with Bird, a nightmarish paint-ing estimated at one to 1.5 mil-lion dollars (707,000 to a millioneuros).

But the biggest winner next

week is likely to be the so-far uni-dentified owner of Figures in aLandscape.

Chinese ceramics, one of themost recognizable and celebrat-

ed Asian art forms, will be oustrength in the upcoming tions.

Christies hopes to raise 228 million dollars (15-20 mieuros) from ceramics and

nese classical paintings in York on Wednesday next and in Hong Kong in Decem

Bronze figure of Shiva Nataraja of Chola Period, stainless steel utensils sculpture by Indian artist Subodh Gupta and Falling Figuwith Bird a painting by Indian artist Tyeb Mehta AFP PHOTOS

Bronze figure of Shiva Nataraja of Chola Period and a stainless steelutensils sculpture by Indian artist Subodh Gupta are part of ChristiesAsian Art Week auction

Stars of Asian art shine at NY auctions

Republican vice presidentialcandidate Sarah Palins envi-ronmental credentials have beenattacked in an online computergame called PolarPalin.

Players of the game have tohelp a polar bear navigate its wayacross Alaska to blow up oil wells,all the while avoiding the States

Governor Palin.The game features Palin in her

campaign tank. This game isfunny, but it has a very seriousmessage, the Telegraph quotedsaid Sadia Chishti, managing di-

rector of T-Enterprise, the Scot-tish company behind the game,as saying.

The US recently classified the Alaskan polar bear as a threat-ened species. It is predicted thatthe population of bears could bereduced by two-thirds by the year2050. Yet the state of Alaska, ledby Sarah Palin, is going to sue thegovernment to reverse the deci-sion. They are worried it will holdback oil and gas developments,she added.

Those playing the game, avail-able at www.t-enterprise.co.uk/polarpalin, are urged to help thepolar bears fight back by usingdynamite to blow up the oil

wells. ANI

Polar bears declare war

on Sarah Palin!

Jai Ganesh

Devotees with the Ganesh idols at a procession for immersion, to mark the end ofthe 10 days long Ganesh festival, in Mumbai on Sunday. PTI PHOTO

Town prints moneyAn historic market town in England has coup with a novel way of beating the countcredit crunch- the townsfolk in Lewes,England have begun printing their owncurrency.

This day, that yearIt was September 15, 1984 that Princess Diana andPrince Charles celebrated the birth of second child,blue-eyed baby boy, Prince Henry Charles Albert David.Prince Harry weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces at birth. Heis third in line to succeed to the British throne.


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ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008SPORT08

Munaf to play for BarodaMedium pacer Munaf Patel is likely to playfor Baroda during the forthcoming Ranjiseason, a source in the Baroda CricketAssociation (BCA) said on Sunday. Patel,who has been playing for Maharashtra Ranjiteam, has expressed his desire to play forBaroda, sources said. Inclusion of thespeedster, who recently toured Sri Lanka,would be beneficial for the Baroda team,he said, adding that pitches here supportpacers. Although left-arm paceman IrfanPathan plays for Baroda, he would not beavailable if selected for the national team,the source said, adding that Patel could fillPathans void. Asked what if Patel too is

selected in the Indian team, he said it wasunlikely that both Pathan and Patel wouldfind place in the national side. The sourceinformed that the chances of roping ininternational players likeAndrew Flintoff, Lasith Malinga,Dilhara Fernando, FarvezMaharoof and mystery spinnerAjantha Mendis in the Barodaside this year is highly unlikely.The BCA had been in touch withthe agents of these players andawaiting their reply, he said,adding their first choice would be to playfor their national side. From this season, theIndian Cricket Board has permitted toinclude one international player in the Ranjiteams.

PTI

Bangladesh playersto join ICLAt least 14 leading Bangladeshcricketers, including formercaptain Habibul Bashar, are set tojoin the rebel Indian CricketLeague (ICL), according to a localmedia report on Sunday. The36-year-old Bashar confirmedthat he had been in discussionswith the ICL but not signed acontract yet. I can say onlyabout myself that I have got theproposal from the ICL and amtalking with them. But nothing has yet beenfinalised, he said. Bashar is Bangladeshsmost successful captain, having led them to

their maiden Test win and to 29 One-DayInternational victories. He is also thecountrys leading test run scorer with 3026.Bashar, Mohammad Rafique, Alok Kapali,Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Nazim Uddin,Farhad Reza, Dhiman Ghosh, Manjurul Islam,Tapash Baishya, Mohammad Sharif,Mosharraf Hossain, Mahbubul Karim andGolam Mabud were identified by the Dhaka-based Bengali national daily Prothom Alo asthe players linked with the ICL. All, apartfrom Karim and Mabud, have representedBangladesh in tests or One-DayInternationals. Kapali, Reza and Dhimanwere in the Bangladesh squad that played athree-match one-day series against Australiaearlier this month.

Reuters

In defenceJamaicas Asafa Powell leapt to the defence of compatriot ansprint sensation Usain Bolt after ex-Olympic champion Carl Lquestioned Bolts performances in Beijing. After Bolt won thgold medals and set three world records in Beijing, Lewis saianyone who did not question the sudden improvements in tchampions performances was a fool.

Australia will be counting on their pace at-tack, not spin, to beat India in their four-test series that begins next month, chair-man of selectors Andrew Hilditch said on

Friday. Australia named the uncapped DougBollinger and Peter Siddle in their 15-man squad

to provide back-up to the front line trio of BrettLee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson for theseries. Itll depend on conditions, they are spin-ner friendly, but when we won there last time (in2004) we won because of our quick bowlers and

we think itll be the same this time, Hilditch toldreporters in Adelaide on Friday. Selectors alsoincluded uncapped legspinner Bryce McGain,

who could make his Test debut at the age of 36,and offspinner Jason Krejza in the squad to re-place the now retired Stuart MacGill. All-roun-der Andrew Symonds, dropped from the side forthe one-day series with Bangladesh in Darwinearlier this month after he missed a team meet-ing and went fishing instead, was not included.Hilditch had said earlier in a statement that Sy-monds would not be considered again until thenational selection panel were satisfied he wascommitted to playing for the team.

Welfare

The 33-year-old, who was almost sent homefrom the 2005 Ashes tour of England when heturned up for a match still under the influence ofalcohol, has been replaced by fellow all-rounderShane Watson. You miss Andrew Symonds, hesa great player, but this is just the way it is at themoment, said Hilditch. At the moment its allabout Andrews welfare and that process willtake as long as it takes. Captain Ricky Ponting(wrist) and opening batsman Matthew Hayden(Achilles tendon) have been included after theyreturned home injured from the tour of WestIndies. Ponting had surgery while Hayden un-derwent an extensive rehabilitation programme,

with both missing the recent one-day series inDarwin. The first test begins in Bangalore onOctober 9, followed by matches in Mohali (Octo-ber 17-21), Delhi (October 29- November 2) and

in Nagpur (November 5-9). Hilditch said the series was becoming as important to Australia asthe Ashes series with England. Its an iconicseries, I dont know what the players would sayabout which is more important, we always traditionally say the Ashes and that will always be up

there, but this is really up there for the players,he said. Weve only won there once in 30 yearsso thisll be a real test for this team and wevepicked it to specifically try to win this series.

Reuter

Aussies to rely on pace


9/16

A

ce Indian woman shuttler Saina Nehwaldid the country proud by winning the Chi-nese Taipei Open Grand Prix Gold

Championship in a closely fought battleon Sunday.Saina who reached the quarter-finals at

the Beijing Olympics beat Li Ya LydiaCheah of Malaysia 21-8, 21-19. Earlier inthe semi-final, Saina defeated Pia Zeha-diah Bernadet of Indonesia in a one-sided match on Saturday. Saina be-came the only Indian woman to reachtwo GP finals by registering a thump-ing 21-7, 21-11 victory over her In-donesian rival. The young Indianplayed an attacking game and gaveher opposition no chance to fightback in both the sets. Happy

with her performance, Sainasaid: It feels great to win atournament again. I have to

win more and compete with the best

players regularly to improve my game.Winning against quality opposition givesyou immense confidence.

Speaking about her opponent, theHyderabad girl said: Though she is atactician, I know that she is a very slowmover on the court. Moreover, she ap-peared tired and that helped me tosurge ahead in the first game. Iplanned well for this match and de-cided that attack is the best optionagainst a stubborn rival. EarlierSaina had won the PhilippinesGrand Prix in 2006.

PTI

DOWNS LI YA

LYDIA CHEAH

OF MALAYSIA

IN THE FINAL


Australia to conduct security reviewCricket Australia (CA) officials will review security arrangements of India ahead of their four-Test tourfollowing a series of bombings in New Delhi on Saturday. It is standard practice to do an inspectionbefore a tour but with this particular tragic incident overnight, we will be doing a highly intensivesecurity assessment, CA public affairs manager Peter Young said.

Saina wins title

AFP


10/16

ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008FLICK10

Audiences at the 33rd TorontoInternational Film Festival

picked Briton Danny BoylesSlumdog Millionaire for this

years best picture, organisers saidon Saturday.

The film follows a poor boys riseto fortune as an unlikely contestanton an Indian version of the hit televi-sion game show, Who Wants to be a

Millionaire, with the life in Mum-bais slums as a backdrop.

Boyle (Shallow Grave, 1994, andTrainspotting, 1996) cast London-born actor Dev Patel as the orphanJamal, who is just one question awayfrom winning a whopping 20 millionrupees when he is arrested on suspi-cion of cheating.

Originally, Boyle said he hadhoped for an all-Bollywood cast, but

that failed because the local Indianactors didnt look enough like los-ers for the main role of poor Jamal.

Its a great underdog story, heexplained. In Bollywood if you wantto be a young actor breaking into thesystem, you have to go to the gym forsix hours a day to bulk up. I needed avery average-looking guy.

Anil Kapoor, appearing in his firstEnglish-language role, and newcom-er Freida Pinto also star in the filmscripted by Simon Beaufoy (The Full

Monty) and inspired by Vikas Swa-rups novel Q & A.

The Cadillac Peoples Choice Award is voted on by Festivalaudiences, and comes witha 15,000 dollar prize. The

Toronto film festivaldoes not award ju-ry prizes.

AFP

Film chosen forthis years bestpictureaward at

Torontofestival

Slumdog Millionairestrikes gold

Harry Potter to Hari PuttarThe makers of Bollywood film Hari Puttar, which is facing a lawsuit fromHollywood studio Warner Bros, said on Sunday its release had been delayeThe Hollywood studio, which owns the rights to the Harry Potter movies, taken the Indian producers to court over the films title, saying it soundssimilar to the name of their young wizard hero.

Oprah Winfrey topslist of most generousstars

Shes been named as the highest-paid TV celebrity and one of theworlds most powerful women, butAmerican talk-show host OprahWinfrey is also a big giver, toppinga list of the 30 most generouscelebrities for the second yearrunning. The second annual list,compiled by The Giving Back Fund,a group that seeks to encouragephilanthropy, put Oprah in the topslot with The Oprah WinfreyFoundation and Oprahs AngelNetwork spending $50.2 million in2007 on education, health care, andadvocacy for women and childrenworldwide.

Reuters

Sticky & Sweet turns

sour for fans

Enraged fans have slammed Madonnasperformance at Londons Wembley Arena,branding her sell-out show disappointing.Fans accused the 50-year-old Queen of Pop ofletting her fans down with a dodgy sound systemand lip-synching. Many people from the packed74,000-seat venue claimed that they could not hearher vocals and there were others who left the showin between, insisting that one can easily tell whenMadonna was singing live because there were somany wrong notes.It was when Madge started the Sticky & Sweet gigmore than half an hour late that the crowd startedgetting annoyed. Many people, who paid 65 poundseach for tickets, had to miss their last trains backhome because of the delay.However, it looked like Madges star guests,Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Penlope Cruz andBlack Eyed Peas singer Fergie, had a good time.A spokesman for Madonna refused to comment onthe fans complaints.

ANI


11/16


There is an element of pure

joy associated with thesongs of ABBA. Andthough one might grow to

deny it and even associate themusic with being queer, there isno denying the sheer brillianceof the songs which is why I hadso much of a blast watching

Mamma Mia!, the cinema adap-tation of the musical featuringthe Swedish pop phenomenonschartbusters.

Hollywoods rediscovery ofmusicals continue this year withthis self-confessed feel-goodmovie of the year. The story issimple and just a ruse to get thesongs flowing bride-to-beSophie (played by Amand Sey-fried) discovers her motherDonna Sheridans (MerylStreep) diary just ahead of her

wedding and invites the threemen Sam Carmicheal (PierceBrosnan), Bill Anderson (StellanSkarsgard) and Harry Bright(Colin Firth) one of whomcould possibly be her father.

And put in the mix two of Don-nas eccentric-as-it-can-getfriends, Rosie (played delight-fully by Julie Walters) and Tanya(Christine Baranski), and youhave the perfect recipe for

dance and song routine.The story is filled with predi-

cable yet delightful twists andturns. We all know that MerylStreep is a great actor, possiblyone of the greatest ever. With

Mamma Mia!, she proves thatshe has a great singing voice,

too. It is hard to look at Pierce asanyone other than James Bond.He excels as Donnas ex-flameand the chemistry between theactors sparkles. He reportedly isa huge fan of Meryl Streep and

took the part without even wor-rying about the script but hey

whats to worry, what can go wrong when you are singingand dancing to ABBA alongsideMeryl Streep. He just aboutmanages to hold his ownagainst Streep, which is a com-

pliment because you seldomfind actors can hold a candle to

her.The real surprise package of

the movie though are the eccen-tric geniuses Julie Walters,Christine Baranski, StellanSkarsgard and, last but not the

least, Sir Darcy himself, ColinFirth. They bring to life the original 70s hedonists, carefree andall. Though all of them are reallygood, I was personally blownover by Julie Walters.

For a good decade from 1972to 1982, ABBA created musicathat was utterly magical. Andthen they broke up and hav

even vowed never to composmusic together. If you are an

ABBA fan or, for that matte just looking for some mindlessutter pure joy, go for Mamm

Mia!

Encore!

Look whos rude to Simon CowellPopstar Cheryl Cole has reportedly blasted fellow X Factor

judge Simon Cowell, saying: You are doing my head in.The tiff took place when Cowell termed one of Coles favouritecontestants as sub-standard.

ANI

Long wait for ABBAmuseumA new museum devoted to the popsupergroup ABBA will not open asplanned next year, although organiserssay the project will definitely still goahead. We hereby announce the sadnews that it wont be possible to open theABBA museum in Stockholm in 2009,wrote Ewa Wigenheim-Westman and UlfWestman on the ABBA museum website.

Reuters

KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAN

[email protected]


12/16

ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008SCAN12

PICK OF THE DAY

Zee Caf

The Tonight Show withJay Leno 11 pmEmmy Award winning American late

night talk show hosted by Jay Leno.Format of the show has an openingmonologue by Jay Leno followed bycomedy routines, interviews andperformances.

Zoom

Planet Bollywood 9 pmAn hour-long daily show thatdelivers everything from breaking

entertainment news to star-studdedevents, discussions with specialguests to monthly reviews and lotsmore.

Sony Pix

Drugstore Cowboy 10 pmA group of drug users in the 1970shelp finance their habit by robbing

drug stores. Matt Dillons characteris very superstitious and eventuallyhis luck runs out. .

Zee Cinema

Hera Pheri 8-30 pmThree men each having moneyproblems dream of making it big.

One evening a cross-connection ontheir phone lets them in on akidnapping scheme that they figureleads them to the big bucks andtrouble.

Poi Solla Porum has released and it will alwaysremain special not only because it is my firstfilm but also because of the fun I had and thefriends I made.

But one incident that I want to put down in thisdiary is a scene we shot. I had to come running toattend a phone call in that scene. Director Vijayhad the iPhone and we all thought it would be agreat idea to use it as the prop for the scene. Action!I went running to pick the call as per cue and it sohappened that the phone really started ringing.

I seriously did not know how to operate theiPhone as I had never used it before. I pressedsome button and the call got activated. I startedspeaking my dialogues as I was apprehensiveabout disrupting the shot. The caller at the otherend wanted to speak to Vijay and it so happenedthat the name I refer to in the dialogue was also

Vijay. I couldnt manage afterone point and we had to cut.We went in for a second take.

I came running to pick the calland I did it in such a hurry thatit slipped from my hand. I wasdumbstruck, good thing some-one from the set with good re-flexes caught it. Vijay then

walked up to me and startedlaughing. He took back hisphone, removed the batteriesand then gave it to me saying, Idont want anything to happento my phone. The entire set was already laughingby then. I really miss the fun we had during theshoots.

As told to Nandhini Ramkumar PHOTO:S.S.

KUMAR

While You Were SleepingSandra Bullocks role in the romanticcomedy hit While You Were Sleeping(1995) was originally offered to DemiMoore, but Moores salary demandswere out of reach.

Dear Diary BIG FM BALAJI

Poi Solla Porum willremain special not onlybecause it is my firstfilm but also becauseof the fun I had andthe friends I made


13/16


1.The record for the longest period withoutsleep is 18 days, 21 hours, 40 minutesduring a rocking chair marathon.

2.The natural alarm clock which enablessome people to wake up more or lesswhen they want to is caused by a burst of thestress hormone adrenocorticotropin.Researchers say this reflects an unconsciousanticipation of the stress of waking up.

3.Anything less than five minutes to fallasleep at night means youre sleepdeprived. The ideal is between 10 and 15

minutes, meaning youre still tired enough sleep deeply, but not so exhausted you feelsleepy by day.

4.Humans sleep on average around threehours less than other primates like chimrhesus monkeys, squirrel monkeys andbaboons, all of whom sleep for 10 hours.

5.Certain types of eye movements duringREM sleep correspond to specificmovements in dreams, suggesting at leastpart of the dreaming process is analogous t

watching a film

TOP 5 SLUMBER FACTS

A variety of Steaks and mashes are on an offer apart from regulAl a carte menu at Seagull. Feast on a variety of dishes like SteaTampiquena, Peppery Martini Steak, Calypso chicken steak anmore for lunch and dinner.

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Titan announced the launch ofthe Titan WWF collection, aunique range of watches inspiredby some of Indias endangeredspecies like the Tiger, Indian Rhi-no, Gangetic River Dolphin, theRed Panda, Whale Shark and Ol-iver Ridley Turtle

Where: available at World of Ti-tan show rooms and multi brandoutlets.

Price: Rs.3000 Rs. 3800

Boy splashes dads cashA five-year-old boy went on a US$ 1,11,000shopping spree after finding a fortune in cash inhis dads safe. The boy took a gang of friends toa shopping mall and blew the lot on clothes,toys, bicycles, sweets, computers and games.

Greetings

Dear Deepigha Sri,Whether you are veryyoung or very old, lifeis filled with wonderand surprises. HappyBirthday. May thisbirthday bring youlifes real gifts, goodhealth, friendship, andlove. -

Hearty wishes from all

Nokia COACH Team, TataConsultancy Services.

Hey Roshan,If theres somethingthat youre dreamingof??? Then may it allcome true, because youdeserve it all...HAPPYBIRTHDAY yaar. Have ablast

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Dear Mr Ananth,Like to follow yourfootsteps ..And be likeyou some day ..Wish

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Technologies Limited

Dear Anand (CTS)The Rainmaker, Decideto be happy today, tolive with what is yours- your family, yourbusiness, your job. Bekind, cheerful,agreeable, responsive,caring andunderstanding, be yourbest, dress your best,talk softly, look for the

bright side of things.May Your Day BeBlessed As Special As

You...Hearty Birthday Wishes

from amma & akka.

Dear Lakshmi Reddy,We wish you belatedbirthday wishes and agreat year ahead.

From BI&A (Unisys),

Hexaware Technologies(HT-5)

Hi MOM & DAD,Wishing you a manymore happy returns ofthis 26th WeddingAnniversary day. Weneed your blessings ma& pa.

Loving sons, V.

Arivazhagan Wipro

Technologies, V. Hariram

Hi Srividhya andShobana,Hearty belatedBirthday wishes toboth of you. On thisspecial day May allyour dreams come true

and the finest things inlife always come yourway.

Regards,Lotus NotesTeam,CSS Corp Pvt Ltd.

Dear Mom (Kumari) nDad (Vengat),When two hearts unite(marriage), the road isshort, the burden islight. Hope u havelightened your burden.We wish you awonderful Belatedwedding Anniversary.With Love,

Your lovingdaughtersChittu n Pattu

(Anbarasi_V)InfosysTechnologies Limited.

Mcity.

If you have anything interesting or informative that canbe featured in these columns, mail us [email protected]. Please send the release mentioningwhere and when the event is happening, along withthe contact details.

What, when, where

Landmark invites all book lovers amusic enthusiasts for the greLandmark sale. Indias leadiBooks and Music retail chain has anounced a bumper sale of upto 50off on books, music CDs, movietoys, gifts and more.

Where: all Landmark outletsWhen: till Sep 28

LANDMARKSALE

send your greeting messages to

[email protected]


14/16

ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008TRAFFIC JAM14

TEAMEditor: Karthik [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem KumarDy Chief Designer: R. Ravi KannanIllustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. GurumurthyN. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

Head of Advertising:Sriya [email protected]

Head of Circulation:M.G.M. Sharief

[email protected]

SNAIL MAIL

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

FAX 2857 6691

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIESCall ourAdvertisement Managerat 2857 6695.email: [email protected]: www.goergo.in

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

sudoku

KAKURO

23,000 burgersA man who loves Big Macs has eaten23,000 in 36 years and has kept everyreceipt to prove it. Don Gorske, fromEngland, adores the MacDonalds mealand hit the 23,000 milestone last month.

So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had theplatform? Mail us your best work and well publish it in this space, with credit.E-mail: [email protected]

R.Guhanath

from PatniComputersclicked thisphoto fromatop of theterrace of hisoffice. Hishobbiesincludepainting,photography,music and

playing carom.Email:[email protected]


15/16

Monday, September15, 2008

B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

At office you might have to sort out petty issuesTechnical stuff might not interest you but insteadyou will be more inclined towards creative jobs.Love relationships might require adjustments. Leato let go and things will be perfectly smooth.

Rare indeed, but you might resort to short cutsachieve desired goals. Ganesha finds you takingkeen interest in activities other than your primeresponsibilities. You will be in a commandingposition on the love front.

Ganesha feels today is the best day to deal with

data entry and important communications. Youmight feel a bit confused about how to handle ywork but a personal introspection can take care that. You will be brimming with emotions today

Follow your instincts today. It is the best day forcreative tasks. Just like an artist, you will be mocreative than practical today. You may chill out wnear and dear ones but since you are in a creatmood, your expression of love may be dramatic.

You might not be able to meet the deadlines anthis may cause frustration. But you will try toovercome the frustration. To add it up, superiorsmight pressurise you. You will have a gala timewith your beloved in the evening, foresees Gane

You might feel completely opposite to your usuaintellectual and logical self. Just follow the trend

and you will be able to solve your problems.Ganesha advises you to maintain your composurTry to meet your lovers demands, selflessly.

You dedication towards your work will be at peatoday. You colleagues will appreciate your work.However, the day might wear you out and youmight want to spend a quiet evening with yourlover. You will be pampered by your beloved.

Ganesha feels you will be innovative today. Newprojects begun today may achieve rapid progressOn the relationship front you may be very intensand may express possessiveness. Ganesha adviseyou against over-emoting in case of love matters

Ganesha feels you are a sincere professional whrequires a personal space. Today some domesticresponsibilities might keep demanding attention.

You may get irritated but watch your temper. Yomight spend the evening trying to please belove

You might feel like jumping to the next level ofwork schedule now. Do it only after completing tasks at the present level. With your beloved youwill have a nice discussion about feelings anddedication in personal and professional life.

You are an intelligent planner who likes to worka planned position. However, today you might hto work in a given environment. It might seem la challenging day but you will handle it successfLove life will be sweeter than honey.

The Grace of Ganesha will bring a positive chanin your personality. You will feel emotionallyattached to your organisation. Hence, you mightprove helpful in sorting out problems of others.Your helpful will reflect in your family life as we

Words worth"Nazar" (naz-ahr) in India, apresent made to a superior by aninferior, especially one made uponbeing introduced.

Teenage languageParents can now learn how to understand their teenage children-thanks to a new online dictionary. The charity Parentline Plus setup www.gotateenager.org.uk to help mums and dads stay in touchwith their kids. Parents can learn new words including blud forfriend, butters for ugly or phat for cool.


16/16

ERGO Monday, September 15, 2008!16

Car and the boarhunter

An Austrian hunter tried toshoot down a parked car,mistaking it for a wild boarlate Friday near Schmiedrait,in eastern Austria, thenational news agency APAreported.The 67-year-old man said hehad briefly dozed off in hiswatchtower some 80 metres(262 feet) from where the carwas parked, and upon wakingup, thought the vehicle was

wild game and shot at it.Blood alcohol tests revealedthe hunter was notintoxicated, local policereported.The 19-year-old driver, whohad parked his car on a forestpath after breaking down onthe main road, was standingnear the vehicle with hisbrother, when it was shot at.The bullet went through thecar but nobody was injured inthe incident. The hunter wasto be cited for causingpotential bodily harm.

AFP

Two heads andtwice the appetiteA two-headed tortoise has leftaquarium staff stunned aftertaking advantage of hisdisability to consume twice asmuch food as his siblings.The unusual case of aMediterranean spur-thighedtortoise, born two months agoin an incubator, made theheadlines in various papers onFriday. Workers at the WaterWorld aquatic farm at Wuweitown in Anhui, eastern China,were shocked to discover theunusual creature after they

ordered a shipment of babytortoises from a local farm.Initially they were worried thatthe tiny 0.6oz (17g) mutantreptile would not survive, but itsoon began to overtake itsbrothers and sisters in size.We got it two weeks ago andits growing fast, probablybecause it can eat twice as fastas the others. It was mixedamong many other tortoisesand we only discovered it thisweek, Telegraph quotedWater World spokesman JimmyHu, as saying.Its very rare to see a tortoisewith two heads. We plan tokeep it and raise it carefully forf h H dd d

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Ergo September 15