Apple said MountainLion includes a newMessages applica-

tion, whichreplaces

iChat and allows auser to send unlimit-

ed messages, pho-tos and video to

other Appleproducts.

The Russianshave drilleddown to LakeVostok inAntarctica andtaken samplesfrom the lastpristine regionon the planet.

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

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MICHAEL GOLDFARBon Anthony Shadid

The finest foreigncorrespondent of this

troubled era in theMiddle East dies onassignment for NewYork Times in Syria.

The founder of www.kid-loo.com, says that his oneand only inspiration is histhree-year-old son Ashrit.

BHASKARA LAKSHMIon pro bono workThe Chairperson ofthe AP Federation ofWomen Lawyers ta lks about her pas-sion for the law andquest for perfection.

PRASHANT GOWRIRAJUon his son and toys

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Government wants to have its cakeand eat it too, bemoan liquor merchants.

They fill the State coffers but are haranguedby the ACB. Liquor merchants offer to

return their licenses and ask the government to run the business itself.

REPORT ON PG 4

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770,Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973CINEMAS

The Indian MosaicAn exhibition of paintings titled‘The Indian Mosaic’ will be on dis-play at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart, Banjara HillsWhen: Ongoing, 6.30pmContact: 98499 68797

A suitable lunchSyn presents three lunch offersto su it your needs. There is a lunchfor th ose in a hurry, a lunch forthe cal or ie conscious and a lunch for tho se who are planning areunion with pals.Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills When: Everyday, 12pm onwardsContact: (040) 6666 3939

Martini ‘n musicEnjoy winter evenings with martinisand crooner Kelly. A perfect mix fora perfect evening!Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Every eveningContact: (040) 6666 232

City in picturesA pictorial essay depicting the cityof Hyderabad between the years of

Get my food-ProntoIn a hurry? Head to Prego atWestin. It offers quick 45-minutelunch stop over options.Where: The Westin, Madhapur When: Every day, 12pm onwardsContact: (040) 6767 6767

Dance FiestaSoorya festival, an exotic feast ofKerala’s various dance forms is on.40 artists from all over the countrywill participate in the event.Where: NSKK High School,

FerozegudaWhen: February 16, 6pmContact: 9010403034

Death MetalHead to ‘Pearl 2012’, BITS-Pilani’sannual college fest. Belgian deathmetal band Thurisaz is performinglive on February 18. The festival ison till February 19, 2012. Log ontowww.bits-pearl.org for more detailsabout the fest.Where: BITS-Pilani campusWhen: February 18, 6pm

Group exhibitionMuse Art Gallery will play hostto a group exhibition titled ‘AnArtful Art’. It is a contemporarypainting exhibition by a group of26 artists. Where: Muse Art Gallery,

Tank BundWhen: Ongong, 11amContact: 93964 44424

Music festDay two of the Sawai GandharvaBhimsen Joshi Festival features aBharatanatym recital by AlarmelValli, Padmashri Ustad ShahidParvez (Sitar Recital) with Pt.KumarBose (tabla). Pt Ajay Chakraborty(Hindustani vocal) with Pt KumarBose (tabla) and Ajay Joglekar (har-monium).Where: Chowmahalla Palace When: Ongoing, 8pmContact: (040) 2452 2032

Saturday Night LiveA treat for the lovers of Italianfood.Head to Via Milano for italianfood and romantic music.Where: Via Milano, Jubilee HillsWhen: February 18, 8pmContact: (040) 64556677

Cognac and CigarThe Seasons Bar opens upagain as a Cigar and Cognaclounge with a wide selection ofcognac, rare whiskies, single maltsand cigars.Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara HillsWhen: Ongoing, 7pmContact: (040) 6666 2323

Eat in the darkHave you ever wondered how itfeels to eat in the dark? Come andexperience this. Pay `499 to enjoya 4-course meal worth `1,000 at Dialogue in the Dark.Where: Dialogue in the Dark,

Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pmContact: (040) 6460 3341

Aladdin and his lampAlladin and the lamp of magic, alive musical play is being staged atRabindra Bharthi. Where: Ravindra Bharthi,

SaifabadWhen: Ongoing, 4pmContact: (040) 2323 3672

Nizami celebrationHead to Jewel of Nizam at Masabtank for a Nizami treat. As it get’sset to celebrate it’s first anniversary,sample on various cuisines fromaround the country.Where: Jewel of Nizam,

Masab TankWhen: Ongoing, 11.30 am Contact: (040) 66110130

International pizzafestivalPizza lovers this is the news foryou! News Cafe is host to theInternational Pizza Festival.Get ataste of pizza’s with a variety oftoppings from around the world. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall,

Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pmContact: (040) 6460 3341

Lunch specialsNautanki Galli offers its expansivelunch buffet. Head to NautankiGalli for an interesting lunchoptions.Where: Nautanki Galli,

Madhapur When: Every day, 12.30pm

onwardsContact: 78930 10000

FelicityThe annual cultural, technical andcultural fest of IIIT-H festival is on.The event is an interesting bag ofevents.Where: IIIT-H campus,

GachibowliWhen: OngoingContact: (040) 2300 1967

1975 and 2011 is on display atSalarjung Museum.Where: Salarjung MuseumWhen: Ongoing, 10amContact: (040) 2457 6443

Acting workshopSamhaara- an acting and dancingworkshop is being held. The work-shop focusses on learning thebasics of stage acting, characteranalysis, stage and rehearsal terms,movement, stage geography, stagebehaviour and improvisation. Where: The Actor’s studio,

MadhapurWhen: Ongoing, 7pm tp 9pmContact: 9885404784

PAGE TWO 2SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

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CITY 3SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

TDP Chief Chandrababu Naidu has urgedPrime Minister Manmohan Singh to

rescind the orders issued by the Unionhome ministry, vesting all-encompassing

and sweeping powers in the proposedNational Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)

in the Intelligence Bureau. In a letter toManmohan Singh, Naidu has stated the

order was utter violation of the federal spir-it of the Constitution.

Babu urges NCTC review

Twice married and twice abandoned byhis wives, 45-year-old Venkat Reddy who

lived in KPHB phase III Kukatpally, commit-ted suicide in his flat on Friday, police said.After his first wife left him, Venkat marriedShayala and she too left home six monthsago after developing differences with him,and she did not return. Dejected, Venkatput a noose around his neck in his flat andcommitted suicide, the KPHB police toldPostnoon.

Dejected man kills self

An intermediate student, Shalini, 17,allegedly committed suicide in her

home in Ameerpet by setting herself ablazeafter her father Santosh Singh scolded herfor talking on mobile phone for two hours.He pulled her up but the girl is said to havefelt deeply hurt and poured kerosene onher clothes and put a match. She was shift-ed to Gandhi Hospital where she died ofburns on Friday.

Teenager kills herself

The State government does notseem to be serious about address-ing the drinking water woes ofresidents of the GHMC. The fresh

allocations to drinking water supplyclearly evidenced that the government isnot keen on the Krishna water Phase-3project.

Hyderabad Metro Water Supply andSewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which isresponsible for supply of drinkingwater and maintenance of sewerage sys-tem in GHMC, is unable to meet thegrowing demands of over 7.5 million ofresidents of the corporation.

The board urged the government toallocate a total of `500 crore for taking

up these projects. But the governmentallocated `400 crore for Godavari drink-ing water supply project, putting theKrishna Phase-3 on the backburner witha meagre allocation of a niggardly `30crore.

The water board is plagued bymany problems and has been consistent-ly failing in meeting its targets likeimplementing new projects within thestipulated deadline for want of fundsand other bureaucratic delays.

Keeping in view the demands ofgrowing population, the board hasundertaken several major drinkingwater supply projects to source waterfrom Krishna and Godavari rivers aboutfew years ago.

While Godavari project was startedfour years ago in 2008, the KrishnaPhase-3 is yet to commence. The totalcost of Godavari project is `3,375 croreand Krishna Phase-3 is `1,680 crores.The Godavari project was divided intothree phases. The state government hadannounced that they would complete thefirst phase of Godavari project before2011, but they could only complete 52-kmpipeline out of a total of 186 km in fouryears.

Recently, the water board succeededin procuring loan of `1,000 crore fromHudco for this project. It is now the turnof the government to allot its share offunds to complete this project. The offi-cials are saying that if the funds areprovided on time, they would completethis project within 16 months.

Speaking to Postnoon, water board’sengineer-in-chief and director (projects)M. Satyanarayana said “Well, both theseprojects are very important to us. Weare focusing on both of them. Amongthese project, we can’t complete KrishnaPhase-3 project in 16 months,” he said.

The government has not allocatedany funds for laying new pipeline or toimplement drainage master plan on theoutskirts of the City. This would surelydelay the progress.

GHMC parchedby fund drought n 1,100 pending projects

Apart from major projects, a total of 1,100 pro-jects relating to water supply in GHMC and otherareas are pending with the board. Many of thesepending works include installation of water pipelines in various localities. Managing director ofWater Board Adhar Sinha, in the recent DistrictReview Committee (DRC) meetings, had assuredpublic representatives that these projects wouldbe completed by the end of March this year.

n Decreasing water levelsThe Water Board has five reservoirs from which itsupplies drinking water to over 8 million peopledaily. These reservoirs are Osman Sagar, HimayatSagar, Singur, Majira and Akkampally (KrishnaWater). The summer heat is already having itseffects on these. The water level in these reser-voirs is depleting each passing day.

Total length - 186 kmTotal cost - `3,375 croresAmount spent so far - `1,000 crore(approx)Work completed - 52kmExpected amount of water benefit - 11 TMC of water

Godavari ProjectCost- Rs 1,670 croresExpected benefit - 5TMC of water

Krishna Phase-3

The government has allocated `400 crore for theGodavari project and a meagre `30 crore for

Krishna Phase-3

ahmed.m@postnoon.comMd INKESHAF AHMED

Pipeline burstsA pipeline of the water board broke onthe Punjagutta flyover when a heavy vehi-cle passed over it this morning. This hasresulted in leakage of water which spilledover on the flyover and inundated theentire stretch. Water board officials andtraffic police reached the spot to takenecessary steps.

4SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CITY

Anubha K. Singhanubha k@postnoon.com

Liquor shops flaunting divinenames has evoked the ire ofmany who see it as a repug-

nant practice.Names like Tulja Bhavani

liquor shops, Vaishno Mataliquor shops, Ganessh liquorshops, Mahalakshmi Wines areunwarranted and should be dis-pensed with, they say.

In a country people starttheir day invoking the name oftheir favourite deity, it shouldnot be allowed. Though no defi-nite law exists in the State to

prevent naming liquor shopsdivine names, Goa is one Statethat has, it is pointed out.

“God’s name should be asso-ciated with good things. A bar isnot a positive thing. Giving itgod’s name can hurt the feelingsof devotees. I don’t know itslegalities but it should not beallowed. The chances of unholythings happening in bars withholy names are high” said,Narendar Reddy, who himselfowns a liquor shop namedLiquor Bank.

But a liquor shop ownercounters this. “When a clothshop merchant or any other

shopkeeper can use god’s nameto bring luck and wealth in theirbusiness why can’t we? Even webelieve and have faith in godthere is nothing wrong in open-ing a shop in god’s name. Afterall, I am not offering liquor togod,” said, Laxman Nath, Owner,Tulja Bhavani Wine Shop atNampally.

“We are not doing any ille-gal work. We go through a lot ofpaperwork to get license for ourshops such as completing allpaperwork, choosing what kindof store you want to set up (fran-chise, self-owned, or part ofanother store,) acquire a list of

licensed liquor suppliers, andsetting up security measures foryour shop. Rig Veda, the firstamong the four compendiums ofwisdom from the earliest civili-sation of India, pays homage toSoma, liquor that was appreciat-ed highly by the gods” saidLaxman Nath.

Kanaka Durga temple headpriest, Acharya Ravi Guptaquestioned the wisdom of theexcise department officials ingiving licenses to open liquorshops in the name of god andhurting religious sensibilities ofpeople and causing inconve-nience to public. “It is common

to find at least one shop on everycorner or by-lane in City namedafter gods, goddesses and saints.Some of these shops have devel-oped a lot of goodwill and abrand image under a particularname. The excise departmentneeds to be stringent in issuinglicense to shops which hurt reli-gious sentiments” he added.

Several others expressed thesimilar sentiments. They wouldnot buy the argument ofPuranas referring to Soma Raswhich they say is seasoned fruitjuices like grave wine, not alco-hol-rich rum, brandy andwhisky.

The continued disruption ofthe Assembly sessions by the

Opposition has provided the rul-ing Congress with a rare chanceto get the motion of thanks tothe governor passed virtuallywithout a discussion yesterday.

Perhaps, it is an unprece-dented instance when only twoCongressmen — the chief whipand an MLA — spoke on themotion and the chief whip him-self deemed to have replied tothe House which is the chiefminister’s prerogative.

The curious developmentwas after the TDP and BJPwalked out in protest against therejection of their adjournmentmotions and the TRS was sus-pended for creating a ruckus forthe fourth day. Suspending thequestion hour, the chief whip GVenkat Ramana Reddy with theChair’s consent, swiftly took upthe discussion on the motion ofthanks to governor moved onTuesday. He tongue-lashed theOpposition for giving up achance to raise people’s prob-lems through the debate.

Reddy reeled out variouswelfare schemes the governmenthas taken up and their benefits.“This government, not the TDP,was the savior of the farmers,SCs, STs and students,” he said.Earlier, Loksatta’s lone memberJayaprakash Narayan who wasallowed to speak but was cutshort termed it a “wasted oppor-tunity”. And, Congress memberand whip Dronamraju Srinivasdemanded that another memberfrom the treasury benches beallowed to speak. Congress mem-ber Rajesh Kumar spoke. Heused his time to shower encomi-ums on the Chief Minister forvarious schemes.

What surprised many wasthe fact that the CM who custom-arily answers to the debatebefore the motion is put to votedid not reply. Instead, the chiefwhip moved the motion andreplied too! Immediately after,the budget was taken up. AGENCY

Cheers! In the name of god

1…2…3,motionpassed!

Liquor dealers have come out in the openquestioning the government’s ‘doublegame’ of extracting the maximum rev-

enue and officials’ furtive game of seeking‘favours,’ and on the other, unleashing theAnti-Corruption Bureau on them. “We aregoing to surrender our over-rated licensesto the Excise Minister,” said the AP WineDealers Association leader D VenkateshwarRao.

Rao said the shops can’t sell on MRPand survive. The government is getting`20,000 crore from liquor business and some6500 shops in the State are shelling outmore than they earn. How long will this goon?

The recent ACB raids are ignoring thefact that the shop owners have to spendquite a lot other than license fee. But he

found fault with the present auction systemwhich make wine merchants spend hugesums which are not easily recoverable. It’strue in desperate circumstances they sellliquor for double the price but officials andpoliticians can not absolve of the blame,

Rao argued.This excise year the government’s rev-

enue target was around `20,000 crore and sofar, it has got around 18000 crore. TheGovernment is getting around `4000 croreas license fee per year from the dealers. Thedealers are due to the tune of around `600crore by February 20. They are trying toavoid this. Rao said the government cantake over the shop and run if it thinks itcan.

Liquor merchants bottleit under pressure

FactsRevenue from liquor `20,000 CroreShops in AP 650Shops suffering loss 100

Having shelled out a fortune for over-priced licenses, hounded by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and disowned by political patrons, liquor traders finally snap.

High Court moved fordetails of ACB raidsPostnoon News

Miffed with the Government’s tardiness inresponding to his RTI request on infor-

mation regarding the ACB raids on liquorsyndicates, a lawyer has moved the AP HighCourt seeking judicial orders to ask theGovernment and DGP to oblige with theinformation.

The petitioner PV Krishnaiah, a lawyer,has said that he had filed the RTI onFebruary 13 and as per the Act the informa-tion was to be received within 48 hours. Butso far he hadn’t heard from the respondents.The petitioner said the raids and manydetails had appeared in the media and manybigwigs have been named. The Governmentis to be directed to file the report with theinformation on the people involved in thesyndicate.

U SRINIVAS

srinivas.u@postnoon.com

FOCUS 5SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

98% is covered by a sheet of ice an averageof 6,000 feet thick (over 1 mile) 90% of all the

world's ice 70% of the world's supplyof fresh water 15 million years

covered with ice3 miles is maximum icethickness (15,670 feet)Ice facts

This land is my landWhile no nation owns Antarctica as a whole, portions of it have certainly been

claimed yet none of the declarations are universally recognised. Throughoutthe early part of the 20th century, seven nations sent expeditions and

announced territorial claims to various parts of the continent, several of whichoverlapped each other. These assertions are only recognised among those

declarative countries and are hotly contested. These nations include:

What lies beneathAs the ice melts, so do the friendly ties. Despitethe mile-thick sheet of ice blanketing the conti-

nent, demand for petroleum and natural gas hasspurred curiosity in what's beneath the surface.

The potential looms large for prospectingnations causing some to fight over land, includ-

ing the continental ice shelfs — areas not explic-itly banned by the 1961 treaty. If Antarcticaopens for mineral and oil exploration, the

treaty's consultative parties have already begunworking on plans on proceeding.

Gambling with the futureDue to its pristine majesty, there is an increasingtourist interest in the area. 30,000 tourists visitAntarctica and that number is increasing eachyear. Currently, tourism is confined to a fewcruise ship trips along the continental shelves.But things are changing fast. Plans have beenproposed to expand development with a hoteland even a casino. Increased human impactmeans more pollution and threats to this rareenvironment.

Things are heating upThe Antarctic Peninsula is warming up at a rate10x faster than the global average, dramatically repre-sented by the 2002 break-up of the Larsen B ice shelf.The average annual temperature has increased 5.4oF inthe past 50 years. If all ice on Antarctica melted, sea lev-els would rise 200ft. The world's largest cities are locat-ed near coastlines with increasing population.Approximately half of the world's population, 3.5 billionpeople, currently live in this global flood zone.

Troubled watersAll species are being fished heavily and their depletion

is affecting the natural food chain. Non-targeted fish accidentallycaught in the process are killed as well. Habitat is being destroyed

by fishing gear and netting methods. In the late1960s the Soviet Union targeted two fish species andhauled in 400,000 tons in just one season. That was

followed by a decline in fish stocks. More than 40 years later, thespecies have still not recovered.

WHY YOU SHOULD CAREABOUT ANTARCTICA

It stretches more than 5.3 million square miles. It's freezing col, inhospitable, and devoid of any native residents. Why then is the southern-most continent at the centre of so much attention? Take a look at why Antarctica is so important and why it deserves your attention too

TheIceman cometh

New Zealand France Norway Australia Argentina Chile United Kingdom

Wind:Windiest place onearth (Mawson station) =154 mph wind gusts

Population: There are no per-manent residents but there areroughly 4,000 scientists in thesummer thinning out to 100during the winter.

Paleontology: During theMesozoic era, 65–250 millionyears ago, Antarctica support-ed a diverse population ofdinosaurs and plant life.

Area:1.4 times the sizeof the United States(5,339,543 square miles)

Exploration: TheSouth Pole was firstreached in 1911.

Hazards: Besi desthe bitter co ld, su -nburns and snow-blindness are serio -us hum an health ri -sks as the snow'ssu rface reflects al m -ost all of the ult ra vi -olet light hitting it.

Discovery: Antarcticawas imagined by theancient Greeks but notseen with human eyesuntil 1820.

Geology: 500 mil-lion years ago theAntarctic was atEarth's equator. Asthe continental pl -ates drifted, Anta -rctica slowly movedto the south pole.

Climate:The driest continenton the on earth. It receives lessthan 2 inches of precipitationper year and is classified as afrozen desert.

Animals:Although home toendangered species like pen-guins, seals, and whales,Antarctica has no native landmammals.

Temperature:Lowest recordedtemperature on earth (Vostok sta-tion) = -128.6oF

Who owns Antarctica?It stretches 5.4 million squaremiles, it's freezing, inhospitable,and devoid of any native residents.Why, then, is the southernmostcontinent at the centre of suchcontentious wrangling? Argentina,the UK, Norway and France haveall staked claim to the continent atsome point.

Profile of the frost-boundcontinentRoughly 1.5 times the size of theUnited States

Although home to animals includ-ing penguins and whales, there areno native land mammals

Receives less than 2 inches ofrain per year the driest continenton earth

Winter temperatures can drop toas low as — 20OFSummer has only reached a maxi-mum of 58OFSea levels could rise 200 feetworldwide if the ice here melts

98% covered bya thick sheet of

ice at least amile deep

70% ofworld’s sup-ply of freshwater

=

The Russians have drilled down to Lake Vostok in Antarctica and taken samplesfrom the last pristine region on the planet. It’s time to visit a frozen wonderland

NATION 6SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

ROME: Italy offered to send diplo-mats to India to help resolve a crisissparked by the alleged killing of twoIndian fishermen by Italian naval offi-cers, as prosecutors opened anenquiry.The Indian ambassador toRome held talks at the Italian foreignministry to calm the row which beganafter guards on an Italian oil tankeropened fire on an Indian boat.

Italy opens enquiry PATNA: Thirty-six people werearrested on Friday for leaking theSecondary Teachers Eligibility Test(STET) question papers in Bihar, offi-cials said. The question papers forthe entrance test were leaked in overhalf a dozen districts in the State.Police have arrested 18 people inNalanda, 14 in Jamui and four inSupaul districts.

STET paper leakedMEERUT: A community panchayatin an Uttar Pradesh district hasexcommunicated four brothers whomurdered a youth visiting their sisterand ordered them to leave the town,police said on Friday. A fine wasslapped on their two accomplices.Citing the complaint filed by fatherof the murdered youth, police saidthat the panchayat was held inSardhana town Thursday.

Village bars killers

FABRICATION

CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

Pak 26/11team to visiton Mar 12ISLAMABAD: APakistani judicialcommission willvisit India on March12 as part of theprobe into the 2008Mumbai terrorattacks, InteriorMinister RehmanMalik said on Friday.

Malik made theremarks during ameeting withPakistan’s HighCommissioner toIndia, Shahid Malik.

The minister wasbriefed by the envoyon the judicial com-mission’s visit toIndia, officials said.

The ministersaid the commissionwould visit India onMarch 12 and direct-ed the HighCommissioner toinform Indianauthorities.

At a hearing onTuesday, the anti-ter-rorism court con-ducting the trial ofthe 7 suspects askedthe prosecutionlawyers to present afresh notificationabout the commis-sion’s visit. On theother hand, officialsources told that thePakistani side hadsought new dates forthe commission’svisit but a decisionwas yet to be made.

NEW DELHI: The old orderchangeth, yielding place to thenew... Alfred Tennyson’s immortalwords are playing out again in thedusty heartlands of Uttar Pradeshwhere three sons are preparing tocarry on their political legacies.For Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadavand Jayant Chaudhary, out toprove they are worthy inheritors,this could well be a make-or-breakelection.

Rahul Gandhi is son ofCongress chief Sonia Gandhi andthe late Rajiv Gandhi, a fifth gen-eration leader of the Nehru-Gandhi family; Akhilesh Yadav isson of Samajwadi Party (SP) chiefMulayam Singh Yadav; JayantChaudhary is son of union minis-ter and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD)chief Ajit Singh.

There’s plenty in common. Allthree are leading their party'scampaign, all are MPs from UttarPradesh and are cutting theirteeth in this election for power inIndia's most populous state cur-rently ruled by Mayawati'sBahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

Congress has tied up with theRLD to take on the BSP, SP andBharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inthe gruelling polls, spanning 403assembly seats and being held

over seven phases betweenFebruary 8 and March 3.

Is this a continuation of dynas-tic politics, a sign of India'sunchanging feudal times or a signof a resurgent youth willing togive up all to herald change?

The opinions are sharp anddivided. Chaudhary, who is mainlycampaigning in western UttarPradesh where his party is con-testing most of its 47 seats, saidhis role in the campaign shouldnot be seen as sign of generationaltransition.

“I don't think it is reflection ofgenerational transition. Ajit Singhis president... Yes, I have a fairdeal of responsibility,” Chaudhary,who unlike Rahul Gandhi andAkhilesh Yadav is contesting the

assembly election from Mathurasaid.

Chaudhary, whose grandfatherCharan Singh was a former primeminister, has been raising issuesof land acquisition, corruptionand injustice to farmers. He saidthe fact that young leaders frompolitical dynasities were playing arole in the election reflected “thesentiment on the ground as well”.

Rahul Gandhi, has a lot ridingon the outcome of the election in astate where the Congress has beenout of power for almost 22 yearsand now has only 22 seats in theassembly. He has set a hectic pacefor himself, addressing over 100rallies, visiting villages, interact-ing with farmers and Dalit intheir homes.

For Akhilesh Yadav, the elec-toral challenge is equally dauntingwith the SP seen as the naturalgainer of an anti-incumbency sen-timent. Relatively low profile, hehas been steadfast in his campaignat the grassroots level. Thoughdecisions in the SP are still takenby his father, he is credited withreshaping the party's thinking bygoing beyond caste mobilisation.

The BJP was scathing and saidit was not relying on dynasty todeliver votes. “Their campaign isdynastic, ours is dynamic,”Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.

SP MP Mohan Singh did notagree. “Where is the harm if theyare sons of leaders. They aregoing through the struggle,”Mohan Singh said.

Congress leader ShakeelAhmed said it was natural for par-ties to give prominence to youngleaders as majority of country’spopulation comprised peoplebelow the age of 35.

Political analysts added thatdynastic politics was not specificto a few states and young leadersleading the poll effort was ahealthy trend. Now to March 6,when the votes will be countedand the effectiveness of the triowill be known to all. IANS

Young brigade leadsdynasty charge in UP

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Republican Party of Indiaalliance on Friday came uptrumps in elections to theMumbai and Thane munici-pal corporations, while RajThackeray’s MaharashtraNavnirman Sena (MNS) didbetter than expected, mark-ing its presence at severalplaces.

Though the Shiv Sena-ledalliance fell short of themagic figure in both theBMC and TMC, it is widelyexpected to retain power withthe help of rebels and inde-pendents.

As per the latest figures,in Mumbai, the alliance

bagged 107 seats, followed bythe Congress-NationalistCongress Party (NCP) cominga distant second with 64 seats,the MNS with 28, and inde-pendents and others bagging28 seats of the 227 seats in thehouse. In Thane, it bagged 61seats, followed by Congress-NCP with 52 seats, MNS 7 andindependents and otherssecured 10 seats of the 130-strong house.

The need to ask for MNSsupport may not immediatelyarise, though Shiv Senasupremo Bal Thackerayrecently expressed willing-ness to ally with hisestranged nephew if the situ-ation so warranted.

Sena-BJP alliancetriumphs in polls

GACHIBOWLI TO VAT-TINAGULAPALLY ORRFACING HOUSINGPLOTS FOR SALE. NEARMICROSOFT,WIPRO,ICICI,INFOTECH,KOKAPET IT SEZ .CONTACT - 9989354333

Ace tennis player Leander Paes walks the ramp with a rescued girl from Delhi’s RedLight area during a special show ‘You Can Free Us’ at Wills Lifestyle India FashionWeek in New Delhi on Friday. PTI/VIJAY VERMA

ACE WITH GRACE

7SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

WORLD

US attack on Iran likely: OfficialsWASHINGTON: Officials inkey parts of the Obama adminis-tration are increasingly con-vinced that sanctions will notdeter Tehran from pursuing itsnuclear programme, and believethat the US will be left with nooption but to launch an attackon Iran or watch Israel do so, theGuardian reported.

The report stated that thepresident has made clear in pub-lic, and in private to Israel, thathe is determined to give suffi-cient time for recent measures,such as the financial blockadeand the looming European oilembargo, to bite deeper intoIran’s already battered economybefore retreating from its princi-pal strategy to pressure Tehran.“The White House wants to see

sanctions work. This is not theBush White House. It does notneed another conflict,” an offi-cial knowledgeable on MiddleEast policy told the Guardian.“Its problem is that the guys inTehran are behaving like sanc-tions don’t matter, like theireconomy isn’t collapsing, likeIsrael isn’t going to do anything.Sanctions are all we’ve got tothrow at the problem. If they failthen it’s hard to see how wedon’t move to the ‘in extremis’option.”

The newspaper reported thatthe White House has said repeat-edly that all options are on thetable, including the use of forceto stop Iran obtaining a nuclearweapon, but that for now theemphasis is firmly on diplomacy

and sanctions.But long-held doubts among

US officials about whether theIranians can be enticed orcajoled into serious negotiationshave been reinforced by recentevents.

“We don’t see a way forward,"said one official in the report.“The record shows that there isnothing to work with." PresidentAhmadinejad’s claim this weekthat Iran loaded its first domesti-cally-made fuel rod into a nucle-ar reactor, and Iran’s threat tocut oil supplies to six Europeancountries, were read as furtherevidence that Tehran remainsdefiantly committed to its nucle-ar programme. That view wasstrengthened by the latestIranian offer to negotiate withthe UN security council in a let-ter that appeared to contain nosignificant new concessions.

According to the report ifObama were to conclude thatthere is no choice but to attackIran, he is unlikely to order it

before the presidential electionin November unless there is anurgent reason to do so. The ques-tion is whether the Israelis willhold back that long.

Earlier this month, the USdefence secretary, Leon Panetta,told the Washington Post that hethought the window for anIsraeli attack on Iran is betweenApril and June.

But other official analystsworking on Iran have identifiedwhat one described as a “sweetspot", where the mix of diploma-cy, political timetables and prac-tical issues come together to sug-gest that if Israel launches aunilateral assault it is more like-ly in September or October,although they describe that as a“best guess".

BERLIN: German Chancellor AngelaMerkel vowed Friday to find a cross-partycandidate after Germany’s presidentresigned over a corruption probe, dealingher a blow as she battles to lead Europeout of its debt crisis. Merkel announcedtalks with major political parties to find aconsensus candidate to replace politicalally Christian Wulff, who earlier steppeddown after prosecutors had sought the lift-ing of his legal immunity.

Merkel to find replacementWASHINGTON: A terror suspect has beenarrested near the US Capitol as part of ananti-terrorism investigation, the FBI said ina statement.The suspect was carryingexplosives that had been deactivated byofficers, Xinhua quoted the FBI as sayingFriday. The suspect was planning a suicideattack on the Capitol with explosives hereceived from undercover officers, whom hethought was associate of Al-Qaeda, CNNreported.

Terror suspect held in US LONDON: Britain’s newspapers were abuzzonSaturday over Rupert Murdoch’sannouncement that he is to launch aSunday version of his top-selling Britishtabloid The Sun. The 2.5 million-circulationSun carried the front-page message,“Coming soon: The Sun every Sunday.”Several rivals showed the media tycoonbeaming and brandishing a copy of TheSun as he was chauffered towards the scan-dal-hit tabloid’s offices on Friday .

‘Sun on Sunday’ announced

6 Months`̀ 199/-

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040 - 4067 2222subscription-cir@postnoon.com

Warsaw — I woke up this morn-ing to the news that AnthonyShadid has died — apparently

of an asthma attack — while on assign-ment in Syria. Whether you knew hisby-line or not the loss is incalculable.

I can speak in absolutes about thequality of his work. No one reportedthe Middle East with greater clarity andnuance than Shadid. No one brought

the humanity of the people of theregion, people who live in a perpetualstate of stress even when they are liv-ing in the comparative comfort ofBeirut and Tel Aviv, to the wider worldwith a surer touch than Anthony.

He could have coasted on his onegreat advantage - fluency in Arabic tobeat other reporters to the story. He didnot. He used it as a foundation to servereaders and help colleagues. When I leftIraq after the overthrow of Saddam, asizeable part of my heart was leftbehind with new friends who werestruggling to make the country a betterplace. Amid the constant shifts in thechaotic post-war era, Anthony’s dis-patches were the ones I relied on to giveme the complete picture of what washappening around the country.

American reporters are trained tobe objective. It is an ideal to aspire to,more than an achievable goal. We arehuman beings and those of us whocover conflicts have our emotions chal-lenged every day. The desire to bear wit-ness and to make readers and listenersfeel what we feel is overwhelming.Anthony, who saw more terrible thingsthan most, managed to stay closer to theideal than any one.

That’s what makes his reporting thebest and that is why in years to come, itwill truly be seen as the first draft ofhistory. GLOBAL POST

Anthony Shadid: thebest of his generation

Iranian President MahmoudAhmadinejad AFP/AAMIR QURESHI

In memoriamMICHAEL GOLDFARB

The finest foreign correspondent of this troubledera in the Middle East dies on assignment in Syria.

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

COMMENT 8SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

West Bengal Chief Minister’s com-ment’s on the morality of the rapecase victim were shocking. Without

a proper enquiry it is wrong to place blameon either. With her awkward commentsnearly every second day on every possibleissue (which sometimes doesn’t even con-cern her), this statement shouldn’t come asa surprise.

Smitha PBegumpet

Irresponsible comments

Iloved the coverage of abused wife getsback to her husband. Somewhere it didn’tfeel so wrong what the women did to her

husband. May be there should be a lawthat says if take revenge exactly the wayyou were treated (not less, not more) than itshould be allowed. I pity these women whosuffered, before and after what she did, andshe gets no peace or solace of any kind.

Sheila Johnson, Hakimpet

Abused wife’s revenge Women’s health issues

EDITORIALS

EDITORIALS

There’s something aboutNew Delhi. Besides theIndia Gate and the RedFort, the greedy shop-

ping experiences and gastro-nomic delights, there is some-thing else: Prized Arrogance(PA). So, what is it about thecapital city of India with its PAthat awes and repels us in equalmeasure? For some, it is thelewd Punjabi aggression. Forothers, it is the scary tales ofabusing women. For me, it isthe fascinating greenery amidstwhich No.10 Racecourse Roadturns its nose at the ghettoes ofPurani Dilli (Old Delhi). Formany of my southern friends,Delhi is about the so-calledprima donnas of South-Ex, whomay very well become totallyirrelevant once they open theirmouths to speak. Evidence ofover-confidence without sub-stance, perhaps – or simply, PAat its best!

Yet, PA or not, in winter, if

you happen to be in Delhi, youare likely to be charmed. Thecrisp cold air is complementedby smartly turned out Delhitesin their leather jackets, kneehigh boots and woolen berets.Very European! While you aredwelling on that pretty picture,throw in a driver who doublesup as a tour guide, giving a run-ning commentary in Hindi. But,despite everything, the PAnever really leaves the scene –and you can’t really ignore it.

Imagine this: We are return-ing to the hotel after a long dayof meetings. The luxurioushomeliness of The Lalit atConnaught Place beckons. Allwe’d like to do is really eat andsleep – and prepare for anotherlong day of more meetings.Wazir Singh, our reluctant driv-er, is quiet in keeping with ourenergy levels. As we halt a fewmeters short of one of the traf-fic junctions, one of the manycars itching to get going, awhite Maruti Swift on our leftside wakes up. The car dooropens, and a tall, fair, handsomeman with spiky hair decides tostep out. No harm done really,except his car’s door blatantlybangs against ours. As if foreffect, he tests how far the door

can open again, banging our caragain, before he steps out.

Outraged, my colleaguedemands to know why the manwas behaving this way. WazirSingh gives the door-banger anequally outraged look, butremains mute. I chip in softly,saying the man was indeedshameless and must be told tobehave, and also possibly taughtnot to step out between trafficlanes. Wazir Singh still remainssilent. The door-banger lights acigarette which he takes out ofthe boot of the Swift, and thenhe readies to hop back againinto his car. While getting in, heopens his car door again, wideand hard, banging againagainst our car. Wazir Singhapparently has had enough thistime, so he rolls down the win-

dow pane and says to the man:“Please watch out for the door.”

The man is now as outragedas my colleague was. He says,“Who asked you to park so closeto my car?” Wazir Singh rollsup the window. The signal turnsgreen and we drive off. Ofcourse, we are stunned. We allknow that Delhi by definition isarrogant, suffers from a superi-ority complex, and is a seat ofpolitical intrigue. But this was apriceless display of PA – prizedarrogance that is now in theDNA of the city, running likecheap alcohol in the blood-stream of its people, forcingimmigrants to adopt thehaughty tone and confronta-tional stance so that they blendin with the residents. Delhi’sBelly is full of its own self –including its woes of inhospital-ity, lack of emotional intelli-gence and disregard forwomen’s safety. Is there nohope, then? Probably not in thenext decade, unless aggressorsare not allowed to drive and PAis banned. So, next time you arein Delhi, and it is not even win-ter, you have only one option:Ignore the scenery and be on‘high alert’. Oh yes, and leaveyour ego behind at home.

TERROR IS NOT AState-alone affair

Mamata Banerjee is leadingthe dissenting voices from non-UPA States against the NationalCounter Terrorism Centre citing

infringement on State’s rights.The NCTC, a brainchild of home

minister P Chidambaram, hasbeen set up as a hub for anti-

terror activities of security agen-cies. The powerful Central agen-

cy derives powers from theUnlawful Activities (Prevention)Act (UAPA) that allows Centralgovernment agencies to make

arrests or searches in terror-related cases. The agency willkeep State police in the loop

but need not seek permissionfrom their governments before

launching any operation. Thishas been the primary bone of

contention for the BJP and oth-ers who oppose interference

with law and order, which isessentially a State subject.

However, what they are missingis that bullets and bombs of ter-

rorists don’t discriminatebetween ruling and Opposition

or State and Centre. Mamataand her federalism choir mustsee the larger picture and putnational interests above short-

term applauds for tough talkand obstructionism.

WHY WE LOVE...Dereck Chisora

It takes a brave man to fightVitali Klitschko. But British boxer

Dereck Chisora showed theworld the sheer bulk of cajones

when he slapped Klitschko atthe pre-bout weigh-in. Vitali,

was stunned and reacted ratherlike an elephant awoken from a

deep slumber only to realise therat that nipped him had fled.

And although Dereck’s trainer,Don Charles, said Chisora’s

actions were “unacceptable”, itwill be Vitali’s words that will

haunt Dereck as he steps intothe ring later today: “You’re

f#$%^d now, Dereck, you arereally f#$%^d.”

Quirky side upARPITA BHAWAL

Iread Postnoon almost daily and I have tocongratulate your team on the excellentwork. I religiously read the health page

because it is very informing. The health sec-tion has covered a many issues. The doc-tor’s column has been very useful as thequeries are what I can relate to. I have asuggestion to make. Can you pleaseinclude a doctor’s column every day, exclu-sively for women’s queries. Nadia Safar

Hakimpet

NEXT TIME YOU ARE INDELHI, AND IT IS NOTEVEN WINTER, YOUHAVE ONLY ONEOPTION: IGNORE THESCENERY AND BE ON‘HIGH ALERT’.

FLUKEBOX

Delhi’s Belly

COMMENT 9SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Pros and cons meanadvantages and short-comings. Thus pro stoodas an antonym of con.Sometime ago, I found a

very interesting comment on theFacebook that drew a hugeresponse. It went viral very faston web.

The comment was:‘Con’gress is the opposite of‘pro’gress. Not that all others areparagons of virtue, but how truethe statement is. Like Eve beingcreated from Adam, almost allpolitical parties in India werethe Congress’ offspring. If not,some of their leaders wouldhave been Congressmen at somepoint in time or the other. The party has been an aerie of many a political destitute too.

For now, the topic I wouldlike to dwell at length is surelythe chaotic way the partymessed up everything in the lasttwo-and-half years in the Stateand proved politically incorrectevery time. To its utter discomfi-ture, there is hardly any saviour

to salvage its sagging morale inthe State, thanks to the carpetbombing by the helmsmen tar-geting one another within theparty.

The list of delicate issuesthat exposed the slipshoddinessof the party and its governmentis too long to cut short.Whenever a mass leader had tobe replaced for whatever rea-sons, the Congress fails to find a point man though it never has suffered from a dearth of leaders.

Selection of K Rosaiah to bethe chief minister, as if he wasthe Hobson’s choice, under pecu-liar circumstances alludes to theuncanny knack of the Congressleadership. But the move didn’taugur well for the party.

Wittingly or unwittingly,Rosaiah got entangled in theAmeerpet land allotments case.The initial breather from theACB court remained short-livedand his own trusted lieutenantCVSK Sarma (principal secre-tary to the chief minister inRosaiah’s regime) raised a point-er at his former boss during acourt deposition.

N Kiran Kumar Reddy, whowas an archetypal nowhere manin the State polity, emerged thedark horse. While it is too con-

temporary to analyse theinternecine feud between thechief minister, his deputyDamodar C Rajanarsimha, andAPCC president BotsaSatyanarayana, one more addi-tion to the bedlam isChiranjeevi, whose aspirationstouch upon the horizons of alltop offices.

It proved to be a pipe dreamfor the megastar to become thechief minister. Since he failed tobootstrap himself with his tinyformation, Praja Rajyam, andcatapult into the seat of power,he wants the Congress high command to condescend on him and handhold him to walk the bumpy political road ahead.

Chirnajeevi is now being

perceived as a panacea, at leastby the chief minister, for allproblems. Chiranjeevi is being offered his pound ofproverbial flesh in everythingunasked.

He had his say even in theappointing information commis-sioners that’s muddled in contro-versies now, leave alone Cabinetposts and other crumbs thrownas baits to keep his flock glued to the chief minister’s camp.

While Kiran Kumar Reddywent to the extent of telling thematinee idol that theirs wouldbe a deadly combination asChiru could bring the criticalmass to the table and Kirancould add a dash of politics to itand continue their winningstreak. This model is for nowhypothetical, though.

Egging the clownish ShankerRao to contain the overambi-tious YS Jaganmohan Reddyworked wonders, but somewherein the back of the minds of theparty mandarins it is lurking ifthe party had gone too far onthis issue.

For the names that reverber-ated like hymns in the corridorsof power during the YSR regimeare not figuring even as 100th orthe millionth accused in the

Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) cases slapped againstJagan and his cronies. Some peo-ple after whom buildings werechristened in Emaar’s BoulderValley are nowhere to be seen asat least witnesses. This is surelycasting its shadow on the pro-bity of the probe.

Darting and ducking andfinally dithering on the issue ofthrowing out the legislatorsloyal to Jagan exposed the weak-ness of the Congress beyond anyreasonable doubt. Any explana-tion that it was a deliberate actof buying time is just a ploy tocover up the weakness and noth-ing else.

And now the party is sloshedin the kick of the liquor casesunearthed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau. What start-ed as a game of political one-upmanship between the chiefminister and the APCC chiefhas reached its crescendo expos-ing everyone cutting acrossparty lines and numerousbureaucrats are caught in theACB’s dragnet.

The government estimated`10,820 crore, 20 per cent morethan last year’s `9,014 crore,through excise revenue, while ithad already killed the goose lay-ing the golden eggs.

PolyTricksA SAYE SEKHAR

Urban sketchesVISWAPRASAD RAJU

‘Con’gress antonym of‘pro’gress

Union law minister SalmanKhurshid and the Unionminister for steel Beni

Prasad Verma have promisedreservation for Muslims andenhanced reservation to back-ward classes as a promise oftheir party in their campaignsfor the Assembly elections inUttar Pradesh. The debatablepoints are whether the minori-ties are in need of such favoursand the timing of the promises.

Social justice to the disad-vantaged sections of the societyis a constitutional obligation forachieving the broad goal of ajust and equitable society. Ifsome sections of the society arelagging behind, it becomesmandatory to make support pro-visions for them to integratethem into the mainstream.Reservation in jobs and educa-tion is one model of affirmative

action to achieve this constitu-tional mandate.

The Sachar Committeereport has clearly brought outthe urgent need for redress ofthe backwardness of theMuslims as it is a national prob-lem. Muslims are 150-millionstrong; therefore the SacharCommittee report reiterates thatit is not a Muslim problem but anational problem. No countrycan progress if such a largechunk of its population remainsbackward. Muslims face highlevels of poverty and are onlyslightly better off than SCs.Their employment in govern-ment jobs is extremely low at alllevels and in no state does theirrepresentation in governmentdepartments match their popula-tion. Their participation in polit-ical processes and governancetoo is marginal. To redress thisproblem the Sachar Committeerecommended that the govern-ment make a targeted effort tointroduce affirmative actionsuch as reservations in jobs andeducation as well as politicalprocesses so that Muslims bene-fit as did the SCs.

The Sachar report was sub-mitted to the prime minister inNovember 2006. Why has therebeen silence across all politicalparties on it till now? It is onlyon the eve of an election thatthis loud clamour for affirmativeaction is being trumpeted, chal-lenging the establishment andmocking it to take action againstthem. If the political establish-ment was serious about theplight of the Muslims, it wouldhave made effort to implementthe Sachar Report’s recommen-dations in right earnest themoment it was released. Itsintention would have been there for all to see and therewould have been no reason to scream hoarsely just on the eve of an election. Instead it became just that, a REPORT.

What is needed is firm com-mitment to their promisesrather than theatrical gesturesof daring the ElectionCommission that is a constitu-tional body and a pillar tostrengthen democracy the func-tioning of which we as Indiansare rightly proud.

Heritage

KIRAN KUMAR WENT TOTHE EXTENT OF TELLINGTHE MATINEE IDOL THATTH EIRS WO ULD BE ADEADLY COMBINATION ASCHIRU COULD BRING THECRITICAL MASS TO THETABLE AND HE COULDADD A DASH OF POLITICS

From the hipSYED SHOAIB

To be or not to be

Log onto PrashantGowriraju atwww.kidloo.com, and seethrough his success inmultiple hues. Who

inspired this 30-year-old to getinto the business he chose?

It’s not often that successfulbusinessmen attribute their suc-cess to their children, especiallywhen the kids are all of justthree years. Prashant Gowriraju,30, founder of www.kidloo.com,an online toy-store, says that hisone and only inspiration was histhree-year-old son, Ashrit.

Nothing has and nothing candeter this gutsy man with gritand determination. His fatherfailed in his grocery businessand his mother discouraged himfrom getting into any business.But it was his passion that kepthim going and voila, Kidloo wasborn.

Prashant, graduated fromIIFM, Bangalore, and foundedthe online web store with a mea-gre `30 lakh that he borrowedfrom friends and business com-munity a year ago. The brandhas made rapid strides, and cur-rently, there are more than 6,000

toys from over 100 internationalbrands, including NationalGeographic and Disney availablefor sale on the click of a mouseat his website. The toy-storemanages about 100 transactionsa day, which is most impressiveby any standard.

“There are a lot of emotionsattached to sale of toys. Kidloo’saim is to give parents an appro-priate toy and enhance the cus-tomer experience. “That is theexperience which I couldn’t getwhile buying toy for my son. Ihave visited 750 toy stores acrossIndia to learn and understandthe business. Their sales aregood, but almost 95 per cent ofthem are unable to guide theparents in buying the right toy,”said Prashanth, founder andchief executive officer ofHoorayy Technologies.

He is confident that onlinestores can offer better buyingexperience by giving detaileddescriptions about the toys,brand history and usage videos.The toy can be classified by age,gender and price, and the cus-tomer can filter the choice injust a few seconds, which isalmost impossible in the tradi-tional way of buying toys.

Talking about e-commercepotential, he says that thegrowth has already started, andhow. Flipkart, the online mega-

store, is getting a turnover of `50crore and its competitor, LetsBuy, has a turnover of `150 crorea year. It is very hard to generatethat kind of revenues withbricks and mortar businesses,he says. The Internet penetra-tion is growing at 15 per centevery year and will soon hit the11-crore mark in India.

Almost 70 per cent of thecustomers choose to buy toysusing cash on delivery (COD).The credit card, debit card andonline banking take the rest 30per cent. There are five per centof the people who do not receivethe order for COD deliveries,because of not being present athome or they bought a toy fromsomewhere else already. Thereturn is negligible with theshare of revenues COD is gener-ating, he says.

The turnover of the storereached a crore of rupees in thelast one year and the gross mar-gins are 22-25 per cent. However,the company wants to expandthe product portfolio by 25,000toys in next two months andaiming for 250 transactions aday in six months. It is enhanc-ing its warehouse capabilitiesand logistics to reach this target.

It also has plans to raise $ 6million through venture capital-ist for expansion. According toPrashant, he gets inspired by

FlipKart and Amazon websites.On a personal front,

Prashant likes a succulentHyderabadi Biryani and any-thing spicy that will tickle histaste buds. His wardrobeincludes Arrow and LouisPhilippe, or anything in , whichhe loves wearing over a JovanMusk perfume, an accessorizingwith a Tommy Hilfiger watch.

His love for gadget is evi-dent. Prashant says he loves tospend a lot on gadgets and onlylast month, he bought himself aSamsung Galaxy S2. He alsolikes Apple products, especiallythe iPod and Mac computer.

He loves holidaying inPondicherry for the weather andless crowd. He drives a HyundaiAccent, and loves going for longdrives with his wife, Deepika,and son. Ashrit plays games onPrashant’s phone.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Silicon Image, a leading provider of wirelessand wired high definition connectivity

solutions, recently opened its newresearch and development (R&D) center in

Hyderabad. “The technology innovation andgrowth occurring in Hyderabad made the location

a natural fit for Silicon Image’s expanding R&Dportfolio,” said Rashid Osmani, vice president of

worldwide engineering at Silicon Image, Inc.The R&D centre has 80 employees currently.

Silicon Image’s R&D centre

Bombay Stock Exchange closed 137points up, paring some of its intra-daygains, on Friday for the weekend.

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex)opened at 18,331.2 points, closed at18,291.32 points (provisional), 137.33 pointsor 0.76 per cent up from its previous closeat 18,153.99 points. The National StockExchange also closed higher at 5,568.35points, up 46.4 points.

Sensex 137 points up

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport(RGIA) has been adjudged the thirdbest airport in the world in the 5-15

million passengers per annum category inAirport Service Quality by CouncilInternational.

The airport, was ranked ahead of globalcontenders like Abu Dhabi, Adelaide,Geneva, Cape Town, Hamburg and LondonLuton Airports. It scored 4.44 in 2009, 4.51in ‘10 and 4.57 in ‘11 on a scale of 1 to 5.

RGIA 3rd best in world

BUSINESS 10

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

Toy story too

Name: Prashant GowrirajuFather’s name: Satya MoorthyDOB: 25-09-1981Education: n Schooling from St. Claire’s

Convent Schooln Degree from Vivekananda

Collegen MBA from IFIM, BangaloreWork experience:n Business manager- Inspire

Software SolutionsJanuary 2000- December 2003

n Process Executive- InfosysTechnologiesJanuary 2004- May 2005

n Manager- Appnomic SystemsMay 2005- August 2006

n Sales Manager- Monster.comDecember 2006- August 2007

n Founder- Kidloo.comLanguages known:English, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada,Malyalam, Tamil and Punjabi.

THE CV

Prashant Gowriraju, 30, founder of www.kidloo.com, an online toy-store, says thathis one and only inspiration was his three-year-old son, Ashrit

There are a lot ofemotions attached tosale of toys. Kidloo’saim is to give parentsan appropriate toy andenhance the customerexperience.

Prashant Gowriraju

K PRUDHVI RAJU

CE

CIL

E G

RA

AT

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Mitsubishi is launching a new generation of its

Outlander crossover inboth 2wd and 4wd forms. The current car isalso sold as the Citroen C-Crosser. There’ll

be a choice of 2.0-litre petrol engine or 2.2-litre diesel, plus a new six-speed automatic

gearbox and the option of stop/start. Thenew Outlander also gets a powered tail-

gate and dual zone air conditioning. It willgo on sale in late summer.

Outlander crosses over

Chevrolet will launch an estate versionof its Cruze saloon and hatchback atthe Geneva show next month. Estate

versions of hatches are not usually longerbut the Cruze is 168mm longer than the hatchback and 81mm longer than thesaloon. The important number is the loadspace which, seats folded, is 1,500 litres.There’s only one engine choice, a 1.7-litrediesel with 130bhp and emissions of119g/km.

Estate Cruze set for launch

American company NuanceCommunications, which developedsome of the voice technology used

in Apple's Siri software, is working withFord and General Motors to enablemotorists to use conversational commands.The key is an algorithm that enables thecomputer to determine the speaker'sintent. If a US motorist asks: "Is it raining inMiami?" Siri assumes the questioner wantsa weather report.

Siri gets a set of wheels

11MOTORING

MICHAEL J KNEEBONE (President, Iron Butt Association) Vinu SV is one of the early pioneers of long-distance motorcycle riding in India. Along the wayto earning two certified Iron Butt rides of over 1,600km in one day, he has inspired many ridersto head for the open road and explore India. Vinu represented all that is good inthis wonderful world of motorcycling. He has set an example for all of us to follow."

Vinu SV

The Bun Burner, alike mySaddle Soar in April 2011,was a ride sparked by myunruly impulse. At 9pm, I

was in a coffee shop, dunkingblack coffee and painting mydream of a better future on thedark canvas of the blank spacearound me. At 10.45pm, I was atthe entrance of NH7 inShamshabad, filling my bike’stank with petrol and my mindwith determination.

I was scared. I had notplanned this. My hands weretrembling, and I wasn’t sure ifthey would be able to grip thehandle bar continuously for thenext 36 hours. But I had no ideahow long it would take me tobring myself back to where Iwas — the beginning of a sur-vival ride that takes much morethan confidence and skill toattempt.

I started the ride at 11pm.After about a couple of hundredkilometres, the reality that I hadto hit 2,500km in 36 hours start-ed sinking in. The temperaturedropped and my R15 just refusedto go beyond 125kmph. But Ireached Bengaluru in less thansix hours. Next I was 1,250kmdown in Kanyakumari, done in15 hours, which means I was leftwith 21 hours for the next 1,250.Looked easy then, but it was farfrom that.

I knew the ride back wasgoing to be much more challeng-ing because I would have tocross Bengaluru during peaktraffic hours. Sadly, that was notthe only thing. My wrists startedaching and swelling badly. I hadbeen diagnosed with a cervicalspine dislocation after mySaddle Sore ride. I had to dis-tract myself from the pain, butthere was absolutely nothing Icould do. I was exhausted and

close to giving up but I toldmyself that I was on anendurance ride and the chal-lenge had just begun.

I finally reached Bengaluru.I rode for more than 20 hours,with just fuel stops and a coupleof tea breaks of not more than10 minutes each.

As expected, there was a lotof traffic in the city, but I had noother way out. A while later, Iexperienced a sting in my lefteye. I guess a bug decided tounleash its fury upon me and

crash landed straight into myeye. I started searching forwater. I was just 650 km from thefinishing point, Hyderabad . Atabout 1 am, I found a medicalstore in the outskirts, but nowater. A while later, I startedhallucinating. I saw peoplecrossing the road and city streetsignals on the highway; thezebra stripes started transform-ing into animals that pounced onme from all directions. Then, Iheard voices. An imaginary pil-lion was trying to plant ideas in

my head. He said I should stopnow or I will die. For a moment,I was convinced. Maybe my sub-conscious was telling my con-scious exactly what it wanted tohear. But I kept going.

At 8.30 am, I reached the fuelstation in Shamshabad where Istarted the ride about 33 hoursago. I had about three hours leftand 100 more kilometres tocover. A few of my friends werewaiting for me at the finishingpoint. That gave me the energyto ride. I finished the BunBurner with 90 minutes to spare.Made my last swipe at the SBIATM in Chegunta and brokedown. This ride made me atough rider. A rider who’ll keepriding, sponsor or no sponsor. Arider who’d love to leave theimpressions of immortality onhighways instead of autographsin teenage slam books. I amMadmax and I am not goingdown.

Gone, but not forgotten

ARMAAN SHAIKH(Moderator Highway Nawabs Royal Rider Enfield Group, Hyderabad)

He did what hardcore riders across the world on their autobahns and expressways atop their1000+cc bikes did, on his 150cc Yamaha in Indian road conditions. India and Hyderabad is proudof such a young achiever. He has showed us that with a desire to succeed, nothing is impossible.

Vinu, even now you have raced way ahead of us. Heartfelt condolences to your family.

Vinu SV, who wasa regular

contributor to ourMotorcycle

Diaries column,was

tragically killedin an accident

this week. With aprofound sadness,

we publish thecolumn he wrote

before his untimely death

“This ride made me a tough rider.A rider who’d love to leave theimpressions of immortality on

highways instead of autographs inteenage slam books. I am Madmax

and I am not going down.”

Glenn Chapman

Apple released a pre-view version of its

new Macintoshoperating systemon Thursday, bri -

ng ing some features of the iPadto the personal computer. The

Cupertino, California-based com pany said the updated oper-

ating system, called Mou ntainLion, will be available to Mac -

intosh developers immediatelyand Mac owners can upgrade to

the new software in late summer.Apple said Mountain Lion

includes a new Messages appli-cation which replaces iChat andallows a user to send unlimited

messages, photos and video froma Mac to another Mac or a device

running iOS software such asthe iPad or iPhone.

It also includes integrationwith Twitter allowing users tosign in and tweet directly fromSafari, Photo Booth and third-

party applications.Game Center allows for live

multiplayer games to be playedacross iPhone, iPad or iPod

Touch devices while withAirPlay Mirroring, a Mac user

can wirelessly send video from aMac to an HDTV using Apple TV.

Mountain Lion is the firstMac operating system built with

the Internet ‘cloud’ in mind,Apple said.

“More than 100 millionusers have iCloud accounts,

and Mountain Lion makes iteasier than ever to set up

iCloud and access docume -nts across your devices,” it

said. Mountain Lionentices users into iCloud,which Apple chief exec-

utive Tim Cook thisweek described as one

of the “profoundchanges” people will one

day talk about with theirgrandchildren.

“If you dial back 10 to 12years, Steve (Jobs) announced a

strategy for Apple that positionsthe Mac or PC at the hub of ev -

eryone’s life,” Cook said Tuesdayat a Goldman Sachs technology

conference in San Francisco.“iCloud turns that on its

head,” he said. “It recognisesthat, across that decade, you and

I live off multiple devices.”A new security feature called

Gatekeeper protects Macsagainst malicious software by

giving users control over whatapplications can be installed and

downloaded, Apple said.Co ok, in an interview with

The Wall Street Journal, said thenew Macintosh operating systemtakes advantage of features pop-

ular on the iPad and iPhone.

“We see that people are inlove with a lot of apps and func-tionality here," Cook said of theiPhone. “Anywhere where thatmakes sense, we are going tomove that over to Mac.”

Apple sold a record 5.2 mil-lion Macs last quarter.

In a nod to the boomingChina market, Mountain Lionboasts features tailored forChinese users, giving them theoption of using Baidu search inthe Safari browser or uploadingvideo directly to China websitesYouku or Tudou.

Sales of Macintosh comput-ers in China more than doubledlast year, Cook said. “Not on abig base, but 100 per cent is still

good,” he said. “China is a bigfocus for us.”

Macintosh computershave benefited from a“halo effect” that startedwith the success of cul-

ture-changing iPod play-ers introduced in 2001 and

which has continued withiPhones and iPads, accord-

ing to Cook.“The world changed for us

in many ways when the iPhonelaunched,” Cook said, explain-

ing that the hit smartphonesbrought the California companyto the attention of millions ofpeople around the world who“had never met Apple.”

“You can definitely see a syn-ergistic effect of these prod-ucts,” he said. The iPad is eatinginto desktop computer sales inwhat late Apple co-founder SteveJobs branded the “post-PC era”but is taking a bigger bite out ofsales of machines powered byMicrosoft’s Windows software,according to Cook.

“I do believe the iPad is can-nibalising some Mac, but it iscannibalising more WindowsPC,” Cook said at the conference.

“The way we see cannibalisa-tion is we prefer to do it ratherthan have somebody else do it,"he said. “It doesn’t mean the PCis going to die; I think the Maccan still grow.”

AFP

Lion’s roar

Apple has released apreview of its next

update for the Macoperating system, dubbed

Mountain Lion. Therevamped OS mirrors sev-

eral features of the flagshipiPhone and iPad, includinga new messaging app and

Twitter integration.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201212TECHNOLOGY

Airbing wirelessly syncsyour iTunes library toyour Android device.

You just download a PC orMac client and an Androidapp. There’s no new mediamanager: You just keepingusing iTunes. Free.

Airbind for Android THE GOODn A complex and deeply rewarding sys-

tem of international diplomacyn Building personal relationships in an

engrossing endeavourn Open-ended structure lets you pursue

your own goalsn Well designed and easy navigable

menus

THE BADn Manoeuvring large

armies can be awkwardn Lackluster tutorials

www.igluski.com

With vast snowfalls in recentweeks, ski conditions this win-ter in many European resorts

are so far proving to be the best in liv-ing memory. So if you want to getaway to the slopes, how should youbook a break? One starting point defi-nitely worth considering is Igluski.

VIDEOGAME REVIEWWEBSITE OF THE WEEK CRUSADER KINGS IIAPP OF THE WEEK

Apple movesmountains,

releases a lionApple said Mountain Lion includes

a new Messages application, which replacesiChat and allows a user to send unlimited

messages, photos and video toother Apple products

iPad 3 in March

Apple will launch the third version of theiPad on March 7, at an event in SanFrancisco, according to a number of

reports online. The reports also that the devicewill have a ‘retina’ screen — with four times as many pixels as the current model — andcould include 4G connectivity for US high-speed networks.

The way we see canni-balisation is we preferto do it rather thanhave somebody elsedo it. It doesn’t meanthe PC is going to die; Ithink the Mac can stillgrow.

Tim Cook

WILLEM SERNÉ

Rabbits are small but agileanimals, and move prettyfast, keeping pace withthem outdoors would

require some effort on your part.Rabbits are one of the most easy-to-maintain animals; however,there are some dos and don’tsyou must keep in mind whiletaking care of rabbits. One ofthe most common questionsbefore getting a rabbit is its foodhabits, veterinarian DrSridharan Passupeletti says,“Rabbits love to have a variety intheir food. But some of the must-haves in their diet are vegeta-bles, broccoli, carrot, spinach,and cauli flower. Hay is alsosomething that rabbits love; how-ever, it’s important to ensure thatthe grass is dried appropriatelyand does not have fungus or isrotten as that can infect the rab-bit.” He adds, “Always ensureyou wash the vegetables thor-oughly before you feed your rab-bit. Also, give fresh water to therabbit in small quantities at leasttwice a day.”

Having said that, rabbits can-not eat any and everything youput in front of it, Manisha Kunta

Reddy, a rabbit lover and ownerof 12 rabbits, says, “Chocolate islike poison for rabbits; they fallill and sometimes may even die.For that matter, anything withsugar or fat must be avoided. Youcould treat them with naturalsweet things like strawberries,bananas, pineapple, etc. Al so, donot give them fruits like cu stardapple or any seeded fruit as theycannot digest them.”

So, is there a cleanliness rou-tine of any kind that must be fol-lowed for pet rabbits? DrFauzuddin Sarjung, says,“Rabbits do not like water, so giv-ing them a bath once in three tofour days or once a week in sum-mer is a good idea for theirhygiene as they tend to get dirtypretty soon, especially if theircoat is white. Also clipping theirnails is important, as their nailscurl inwards when they grow toomuch, which can cause great dis-comfort and will also hampertheir regular habit of digging.”Dr Sarjung also advises thatwhen clipping rabbits’ nails, oneneeds a little bit of care as youcan end up hurting them. “If youhave accidentally done it, then

wipe off the blood with cottonand use either talcum powder orflour to prevent bleeding,” headds.

A lot of rabbit owners mightsay that these pets do not showmuch affection and often do notrecognise their owners. To thisDr Sridharan says, “There is amisconception that rabbits donot respond to love and care andcannot be petted. That’s not trueas they are one of the most affec-tionate animals you would haveever known. Rabbits usually willpaw at you softly till you givethem attention or will nudge youwith their nose if they are not inthe mood to be petted or spokento.” He says, adding, “When rabbits are happy they tend to be jumpy and excited and willmove faster to and fro. However,ensure that you do not pull histail, or fiddle too much with theears as they don’t like beingteased.”

A word of caution: It is betterto get your rabbits neutered afterthey produce their first litter,unless you want your house fullof jumpy rabbits. Do take goodcare of these delicate darlings.

Two days of fierce com-petition came to a

dramatic conclusion,as the canines of the 136th

Westminster Kennel ClubDog Show took the stage for

the final day of judging. Malachy thePekingese won the top spot, earning the

ultimate title — Best in Show.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201213ANIMAL KINGDOM

After several mini-strokes Gary

Rosheisen triedto teach his cat, Tommy,

how to call 911. One morn-ing Rosheisen fell ill. He

couldn’t reach the phone. Police, whoarrived soon after, said they received a 911

call from the apartment. It was Tommy.

Tommy

Alano Español, some-times called the

Spanish Bulldog inEnglish, is a very large

breed of dog of the moloss-er dog type, originating inSpain. The breed is best known for its for-

mer use during Spanish bullfights.Thebreed is very sociable with other dogs.

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

Alano Español

Raising a pet is like raising achild and I am sure all petowners will agree. One day

after work, my friend and Idecided to scout around for newroommates for me and oursearch led us to an ‘animal mar-ket’ in Charminar. At the secondshop I visited, I spotted two ofthe most adorable rabbits I’dever seen. As soon as I pickedup one of them, words of cau-tion from friends came floodingback — “They smell awful”, Theyeat a lot”, “They poop a lot”. Ihesitated for a few seconds butwhen the little fur ball looked atme with red eyes, I was floored.

All the way back home, weheard excited squeals from kids,mothers and even from a trafficpoliceman and I spent the nightlooking at my new pets and fuss-

ing over them. The rabbits havebeen christened Jelly and Belly— the female does nothing buteat, hence Belly, and the malecowers in fright at every sound,hence Jelly. Both Jelly and Bellylove feasting on carrots, cucum-ber peels, lettuce, cabbageleaves and their favourite methi.Fortunately, the rabbits are litter-trained and I don’t have to worryabout a dirty house. What makesthem adorable are their binkies(rabbit jumps). When they’rehungry they give me a gentle nipand run to the refrigerator themoment they see me. Now whenI go home from a tiring day atwork, I have two cute rabbitswaiting for their next meal andme. FLEME VARKEY

Bunny hop springs eternalFurry, cuddly, with red eyes and long ears, an adorable pet. Make a guess? Yes,

we are talking about rabbits. Here’s a guide to raising wabbits

PET NEWS IMPORTANT NUMBERS

JOHN VIAU

Rabbits are environmentfriendly, becausen You can use their droppings in a

composite collection and use itto fertilise your garden

n Rabbits can be great papershredders, since their teethgrow constantly, and they needsomething to nibble on, theycan happily shred your wastepaper

n Rabbits are happy playing inyour apartment, so you don’thave to take them for a walk ora park, saving fuel, emissionsand money

How to make yourrabbit happy

n Make him different cardboardhouses so he feels the adven-ture of travelling through a vari-ety of holes

n Treat them with a sweet food atleast once a week

n Pat them as often as possiblen Give them something to nibble

on all the time, you could buyrabbit nibble toys from yournearest pet store

SHIBA MINAI

shiba.m@postnoon.com

RaisingJelly andBelly

Malachy top dog

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201214BOOKS

Title: Enemies: A History of the FBIAuthor: Tim WeinerISBN: 978-1400067480 Publisher: Random House.Enemies is the first definitive histo-ry of the FBI’s secret intelligenceoperations, from an author whose

work on the Pentagon and the CIA won him thePulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.Enemies is the story of how presidents haveused the FBI as the most formidable intelligenceforce in American history.

Title: Book of Sith Secrets fromthe Dark Side Author: Daniel WallaceISBN: 978-1612182612 Publisher: 47North.The Sith have existed in thegalaxy for centuries, lurking, wait-

ing for their chance to seize control. As variousSith Lords emerged and rose to power, theyrecorded their thoughts, exploits, and plots.When they fell, their knowledge vanished withthem forever. Or so it seemed...

Title: The Snow Child Author: Eowyn IveyISBN: 978-0316175678 Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books. On the surface it’s the story of achildless pioneer couple runningfrom their East Coast lives,

attempting to reconnect with each other; butit’s also the story of the spring of hope thatbubbles out of the slow realisation of love for asurrogate child, of the ties between man andnature.

Title: The World America MadeAuthor: Robert KaganISBN: 978-0307961310 Publisher: Knopf.What would the world look like ifAmerica were to reduce its role asa global leader in order to focus

all its energies on solving its problems athome? And is America really in decline?Robert Kagan, paints a vivid, alarming pictureof what the world might look like if the UnitedStates were truly to let its influence wane.

SHORT READS

Padmini Cpadmini.c@postnoon.com

Publishers in every part ofthe world are on a urgentquest. Vintage epics that

have been long forgotten orburied in the sands of time arebeing forcibly brought back tolife. Series, otherwise knownonly among a cult are now beingpeddled, bookstore to bookstore.The new Harry Potter and thenew Twilight must be found. Ortheir race must face extinction.

It is in this light that serieslike Percy Jackson, Narnia,Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel ofTime have soared to unprece-dented heights in their populari-ty. Movies and television fran-chises, particularly, have grantedthem a new lease of life. And,the latest in the young-adult/fan-tasy fiction craze that's makingthe rounds is Suzanne's Collin'sHunger Games. With the moviereleasing in March, the 2008 trilogy is back on the bookshelves. Hunger Games is a dif-ferent kind of fantasy. Set in apost-apocalyptic future, NorthAmerica is now Panem, a terri-tory divided into 12 districts,ruled by a tyrannical govern-ment from a metropolis calledthe Capitol. Every year, the gov-ernment holds the Hunger

Games as a reminder of andpunishment for the rogue upris-ing a few decade ago.

At the beginning of thebook, Collins lays out the rulesof the Hunger Games. Each ofthe 12 districts must elect onegirl and one boy between theages of 12 to 18 called tributes, toparticipate. The 24 tributes willbe imprisoned in a vast outdoorarena that could hold anything

from a burning desert to afrozen wasteland. Over a periodof several weeks, the competi-tors fight to the death. The lasttribute standing wins.

Sixteen-year-old KatnissEverdeen, from District 12, vol-unteers for the 74th annualHunger Games in place of heryounger sister, Primrose. Alsoselected from the same district isPeeta Mellark, a baker's son

whom Katniss knows as the boywho once saved her and her fam-ily from starving. They mustfight others to survive, but alsoagainst their own baser instinctsin order to keep their humanityalive. Nothing more can be saidwithout giving away the plot butsuffice to say that how the 'star-crossed lovers' Katniss and Peetawill survive when only one ofthem must live makes for the

crux of the story. To her credit, the plot is well

laid-out and decently placed.Each of the characters isthoughtfully scripted, even real-istic to a fault. Bottom line isthat it makes for an entertainingread, especially for young adults.

Postnoon News

In Rahul Da Cunha’s PuneHighway, three friends areholed up in a hotel trying to

come to terms with a terribleaccident involving anotherfriend. While each of them feelsguilty for what had happened,they are afraid to take up themoral responsibility. In thebeginning, it seems as if theplay has no direction as thecharacters talk about their livesmore than what should be done

to save their friends. But RahulDa Cunha connects the dotsextremely well and the playturns out to be a good characterstudy of what people end updoing under pressure. PuneHighway is also the best of thethree plays in the book

Ganesh Kamatham’s Crab isabout a guy named Zamiel whodoesn’t know what he wants inlife. He loves climbing moun-tains, going on treks, eventhough he doesn’t earn much.His girlfriend Jojo is vexed withhis ways but can’t help thinkingabout him all the time becausehe has become a part of her.

Except for few instanceswhere Zamiel talks about why he

loves climbing and the emotion-al conflicts of other characterslike Jojo and Rocky, Crab doesn’tlive up to the promise it showsin the initial few pages.

Farhad Shorabjee’s HardPlaces is an interesting playabout how people end up draw-ing lines between them, which

become impregnable walls withtime. Aziz and Saira make a des-perate attempt to rescue theirmother who’s on the other sideof the border.

But as they speak, theirdarkest stories tumble out andin the final moments of theirlives, Aziz understands the sacri-fices his mother had to make fortheir safety. The dialogue issharp and Farhad Shorabjeebrings alive the boundariesbetween people in this bitter-sweet tale.

Although the stories are dif-ferent, they deal with the chaosin our day-to-day lives and ques-tions the way we perceive lifeitself.

Survival of the fittest With Hunger Games among the most awaited movies of the year, we take a look at the book that

suddenly seems to be on everyone's reading list

Understanding life amidst chaosName

Sight Lines – Three contemporaryIndian Plays

AuthorRage Theatre Productions

Pages256

PublisherHachette

NameHunger Games

AuthorSuzanne Collins

Pages384

PublisherScholastic Press

Sight Lines, a collectionof three plays throwslight on how people

behave when they gothrough testing times

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201215BOOKS

Postnoon newsfeedback@postnoon.com

Ben HurConsidered “the most influentialChristian book of the nineteenthcentury”, it was the best-sellingAmerican novel from the time ofits publication in 1880 until Gonewith the Wind in 1936. LewWallace had subtitled it Ben Hur— A tale of the Christ. Set inJerusalem at the height of theRoman empire, it tells the tale ofa wealthy Jewish merchant andhis journey from a life of privi-lege, to slavery, and ultimately toa spiritual awakening. Themovie adaptation by WilliamWyler set an Oscar record, thefilm swept 11 of the 12 categoriesin which it was nominated,including Best Picture, BestDirector and Best Actor(Charlton Heston).

The Godfather Several books have benefitedfrom the vision of directors andscreenwriters who saw new pos-sibilities in them. The Godfatheris one of them. It details thestory of a fictitious Sicilianmafia family based in New YorkCity headed by Don VitoCorleone, who became synony-mous with the Italian Mafia. Thefilms on this book have nowachieved cult status. No best listis complete without them. Had itnot been for the vision ofFrancis Ford Coppola, this large-ly forgotten book of novelistMario Puzo would have failed tomake it to any list. TheGodfather Part II won sixOscars, and became the firstsequel to win the AcademyAward for Best Picture.

The Lord of the Rings —The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings by JRRTolkien became the most popu-lar work in 20th century litera-ture. So much so that WH Auden

has been quoted in The NewYork Times as saying it was a‘masterpiece of the genre’. But itwas Peter Jackson’s fantasy-adventure film trilogy thatbrought Tolkien’s book to life.Tolkien’s books were filmed in

three parts: The Hobbit and TheLord of the Rings: The TwoTowers were the first two install-ments of the LOTR trilogy andThe Return of the King, the thirdand most famous films of alltime. The last installment won11 Academy Awards includingBest Picture and Best AdaptedScreenplay.

Gone With The WindIt was the most popular novel ofits time and won MargretMitchell the Pulitzer Prize in1937. While director VictorFleming’s Gone with the Windscooped up 10 Oscars. Vivien

Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia deHavilland and Leslie Howardplayed their characters to thehilt. The story is about theAmerican Civil War and a naivewoman Scarlett O’Hara who sur-vives the hardships of the warand is forced to take chargewhen the going gets tough.

One Flew Over aCuckoo’s NestA tale of the individual againsta subversive authority, a tale,which had a resounding rele-vance in America in the ‘30s.Ken Keasey’s novel is set in an

Oregon asylum; the narrativeserves as a study of the institu-tional process and the humanmind, as well as a celebration ofhumanistic principles. Timemagazine included the novel inits 100 Best English-languageNovels from 1923 to 2005 list. Thestory deals with the protagonistMcMurphy who upon an engi-neered arrival at a mental insti-tution, rallies the patientstogether to take on the oppres-sive Nurse Ratched, a womanmore a dictator than a nurse.Directed by Miloš Forman the1975 American drama filmpicked up five Oscars.

Walden best in fiction

n The Litigators byJohn Grisham

n Incredible Bankerby RaviSubramanian

n Time Of My Life byCecelia Ahern

n Bali & The OceanOf Milk by NilanjanP Choudhary

n Ruler Of The Worldby Alex Rutherford

Walden best in non-fiction

n Jewel In The Lotusby Sri M

n You Can Create AnExceptional Life byLouise Hay &Cheryl R

n TCS Story by SRamadorai

n Non Stop India byMark Tully

n 3rd Alternative byStephen R Covey

New York Times best in fiction

n Home Front by KristinHannah

n Private: #1 suspect,by James Pattersonand Maxine Paetro

n Taken, by RobertCrais

n Defending Jacobby William Landay

n Death comes toPemberley, by P DJames

New York Times best in non-fiction

n American Sniper, by ChrisKyle with ScottMcEwen and JimDeFelice

n Ameritopia, byMark R Levin

n Steve Jobs, byWalter Isaacson

n Killing Lincoln, byBill O’Reilly andMartin Dugard

n Quiet, by SusanCain

Six of the nine nominations for Best Picture this year are adaptations. This onlygoes on to highlight the influence of literature on directors. Today we take a look at some

of the best Oscar-winning movies and their source of inspiration

Throwing the book at movies

WHAT’S SELLING

Other notable movies onthe list nSchindler’s List

nThe Bridge on the River Kwai

nA Beautiful Mind

nHow to kill a Mockingbird

nForest Gump

NASSER

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201218SPOTLIGHT

Osama Salmansalman.o@postnoon.com

True to its theme, ‘Reclaim, Redefine,Revive’, the fest is a refreshingchange from the usual inter-college

events.Beating the classroom blues, Day 1

started on a high note with the Futsalcompetition. Teams from various collegesplayed one on one — a tweaked version offootball, where five players from eachteam battled it out, and here the goalpostwas the size of a hockey goalpost.

Students gathered to cheer theirteams, shouting in support and both com-petitiveness and sportsmanship were ondisplay.

Continuing in the same strain, theface-painting competitions began. Tenteams participated in the event. MFHussain would have been a happy manseeing such creativity. Some of the stu-dents had painted on their faces, Joker,Batman, Lord Krishna, an elephant, fireand ice, and the journey of love.

Other equally enticing events for theday were Zombie Zone, a computer gam-ing competition, Riders of the Storm, arock band competition and Telewise, atelevision serial-based quiz. Apart fromthis there were other events too. The dayended with a scintillating performanceby Aagman, who rocked the house withtheir music. Day 1 was an interestingbunch of things, neatly packaged andnicely presented.

Day 2 and 3 are only going to get bet-ter, say students. Seeing Day 1, we defi-nitely believe them!

Shrinivas Joshi

Pandit Kumar Bose Pandit Sajan Mishra

A royal performance

Pandit Rajan Mishra

Redefining FunIt is one of the biggest college fests in the city,

and the line-up of events is promising. The InternationalInstitute of International Technology’s annual fest,

Felicity 2012, is back, and how

Rajesh Ravindranrajesh.r@postnoon.com

The night could nothave been better,

except for a slightdampener. Music

lovers who had come for theSawai Gandharva Bharat

Ratna Bhimsen Joshi MusicFestival had to wait a bit, but

the wait was worth it.Renditions by Pandit

Shrinivas Joshi, and Pt Rajanand Pt Sajan Mishra and PtKumar Bose accompanyingthe latter duo on the tabla,

before the incandescent dur-bar hall of the Chowmahalla

Palace… it was sublime. Evennature seemed generous:

there was a slow cool breezethat blew all through the

night. Shrinivas Joshi startedthe concert with Karim Naam

Tero set in the Miya Malharraga, a huge hit in the

Mughal courts centuries ago.Was it to recreate the feel of a

royal court performance?“Yes, you may say that,” he

said with a smile. “Also, thiswas one of my father’s

favourites.”

N SHIVA KUMAR

N SHIVA KUMAR

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201219SPOTLIGHT

Sudeshna Kokasudeshna. k@postnoon.com

Pearl 2012, the annual fest of BirlaInstitute of Science and Technology,a national level cultural and techni-cal fest is back, bigger and better

this year. Day 1 saw a lot of events likeeconomics aptitude test and physics gim-micks. Students from city engineering col-leges came primarily for the music-basedevents like Indiana Tones and Jhankaar.

Tollywood music director, KM RadhaKrishnan, who was one of the judges atthe event, was all praise for the young-sters’ knowledge of music and the profes-sionalism with which the organisers con-ducted the event. However, in the eveningthe euphoria had to be seen to be believed,when star singer Benny Dayal took thestage. The whole campus was out thereenjoying the experience. But this was notthe end. The main party began post 11 atthe Prom Night. For this event, studentscame not only from the city but also fromother states.

MUSICAL GALA

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Sana Mirzasana.m@postnoon.com

The National Institute of FashionTechnology had its annual fest,“Spectrum 2012” which kick-start-

ed with an evening of cultural eventsthat painted a beautiful picture of thecultural solidarity in India.

The theme for this year’s Spectrum2012 was ‘360 degrees of knowledge’.

Nimisha Misra, a student at NIFT and a member of the core organ-ising committee explained, “360 degreesof knowledge means the entire processof educating a person and making hima respectable man. It comes a full circle.”

Putting together a show withoutglitches takes effort, immense dedica-tion and time. This year too the organis-ers have tried to put together a greatshow.

NIFT students will be seen showcas-ing some of their best novel and artisticdesigns made from recycled garments attonight’s fashion show.

DESIGNED TO BE COOL

True to its name, the fest includes a spectrum ofexciting activities such as Ad mad, art to wear, cari-catures and also face painting. The fashion show

this year is based on materials made of waste andunconventional materials. Spectrum aims to be a festwhich apart from the variety of creative activities forms acommon ground for students to bond and enjoy them-selves with a jukebox to provide them with all day enter-tainment. The event has been promoted by Manepallyjewellers and co-ordinated by Dreamz Infinite along withBlackberry, Pepsi, Talex, Postnoon, Neerus, Green Gold,My Home Hub, SBI, Beam Fiber and GandourChocolates.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201220RELATIONSHIPS

Iam 28 and in love with a 20-year-old girl. My friends tease me say-ing it will be a Saif-Kareena pair.But I am too scared to talk to the

girl. She is my neighbour and oftencomes to me to clear her doubts inaccountancy? How do I talk to her?

Will I scare her?

G Saurav Secunderabad

Dear scared man, What all are you teaching her in the name of accounts? Instead ofthe book of numbers you want to draw her attention to the book oflove. Tell me my man, are you auditioning for some role in a scarymovie? Scare her! the poor kid will be worried like hell. What did youexpect that she would jump into your lap and say how long she toohas been stealing glances at you while you teach. Anyway she allowsherself to be taught by a dolt like you, I doubt how intelligent she willbe. So the problem does not lie in her being scared but in you beinga wimp. Muster some courage and talk to her and if you get a redsignal, it's time you looked for someone closer to your age.

People may think that online dating isonly for the young, but individuals overthe age of 60 are the fastest growing

demographic in online dating. Researchersalso found the language of seniors' onlineads was different when describing them-selves and what they were looking for in arelationship, one researcher explained.Terms such as ‘young at heart’ and ‘active’were used to show physical fitness and goodhealth. Source: Science Daily

60I AM ALL EARS

Loud & Proud

SHWETA PAI

Diversity atworkplace

Men think womenwant money, a bighouse, fame, glitterand gloss, travel andpretty pictures. Whatwomen actually wantis a man who is a goodfather, husband,provider and friend; aman who respects herand gains her love. Hedoesn’t need to buy itwith gifts and money.

MADIHA ALI What alot of men don’t under-stand is that we,women give a lot tothem but do expectsomething in return,but men take that asus constantly demand-ing attention. Men alsoassume and expectwomen to understandtheir feelings withoutreally communicating.

SALONI ANTHONYMen are such babies.They want to be pam-pered, fed and takencare of all the time.It’s all a carpet ofroses at the beginningof the relationshipwhen they are court-ing the girl but it slow-ly dies down as theyget comfortable in therelationship while onthe other hand, theyexpect their woman tostill be the same as shewas the first time theymet.

Women think men just wantsex all the time. We do love

sex, yes, but we also lovehaving a decent conversa-

tion. It does rock our world.To be honest, we don't know

what women want andwomen expect us to know

what they want. If we knewall of that, then being in a

relationship would be abreeze.

KISHORE KUMAR For awoman, a relationship is all

about how she is made tofeel around the guy and howhe makes her feel about her-self. For a man it’s the samebut he too expects his spaceonce in a while and woman

don’t seem to understandthat. They think when a manasks for space, he is bored ofher, which isn’t true and try-

ing to make them under-stand that repeatedly

is tiring.

DAVID MASILAMANI Thereare no different things that

women and men want. Theyboth want respect, affection,

sensitivity, love and timewith each other. Issues

arise because the needsmore often than notrarely happen at thesame time. The rela-

tionship needs tobe fine-tuned. Oneis a nurturer and

the other is ahunter-gather-

er. Synergycomes about

throughunderstand-

ing.

He says...ANOOP PAMU

She Says…FIRDOUS ABDUL MAJEED

That men and women are on differentwavelengths when it comes to under-standing each other is not new. A rela-tionship may even end as a result of

misunderstanding. Here aresome examples

How can we ever talk? Ramya has worked in the

same corporate for overfive years now and is still inthe closet at her workplace.When her colleagues ask herabout her weekend and teaseher mercilessly about the guyin her life, she joins in thefun and tells them that she isnot dating anyone yet. Shequickly tries to change thetopic for the fear of beingouted as a lesbian. She hasled this dual life for reallylong now and she manages tokeep her sexual identity wellhidden behind her calm exte-rior. Recently, Mingle(Mission for Indian Gay &Lesbian Empowerment) con-ducted a survey in India,which showed that employeesthat are out of the closet tendto perform better in theirwork and are more successfulin their careers. Ramya is notone among the 400-oddrespondents from the 17 topcompanies to answer the sur-vey. Unfortunately, her com-pany does not believe in hav-ing a diversity policy. But, atseveral multinational corpo-rations things are quite dif-ferent. Not only have theyadopted diversity policiesfrom their parent companies,they are also striving hard tosensitise employees on LGBTrights. Employees spend over10 hours at their workplaceand more often than not theyend up interacting more withtheir colleagues than theirfriends or family during aweekday.

The results of the surveyby Mingle, clearly shows thatemployees who are out of thecloset trust their employersmore and are also likely toperform better at work. Manyrespondents also indicatedthat one of the reasons theywork at their chosen work-place was because of thediversity policy.

By being inclusive, corpo-rates are showing how liberalthey are towards theiremployees. They are taking astand by saying that theyjudge you by your perfor-mance and your capabilityand not by your race, genderor sexual orientation.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 201221WOMEN

Beauty BeanConcerned with

women’s magazines’obsession with weightloss and body image,

Beauty Bean is devotedto inner beauty — with-

out dieting tips andtricks. DIY beauty regi-

mens take the cake.

Smitten KitchenNew Yorker Deb brings

us mouthwateringrecipes and just-as-deli-

cious photographs.Want to make your own

ricotta? It’s possible —this site has turned

many a Forbes Womaninto a foodie.

WomeneticsA networking plat-

form for profes-sional women thatfeatures daily con-

tent on businessand personal relationships.

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

All About EveINDIRA ATLURI

A goodword calledsex

It’s 7.30pm on a balmyevening that we find our-selves in a tastefullydesigned lounge, waiting tomeet the busy lawyer. The

walls are filled with frames ofinspirational quotes andplaques. Wall-to-wall cabinetsare filled with neatly stackedleather-bound volumes of law.The only sound comes from thebusily typing clerks on oneside. Half-an-hour or so passesbefore the lady herself arrivesand ushers us into her officewith a profuse apology. “I’mreally sorry. It’s very hectic. Wehave family visiting. Whateverbe said, managing family andwork is not easy,” she says smil-ing, but displays no signs offatigue despite the late hour.

But then Bhaskara Lakshmiis no ordinary woman. She tookup law back at a time whenthere were few faces of the fair-

er sex in the profession. Andsince, she has earned herselfthe reputation of being a bril-liant advocate with over thirtyyears of experience. In addi-tion, she served as thePresident of All IndiaFederation of Women Lawyerslast year and is also the currentchairperson of the APFederation of Women Lawyers.

She credits it all to herfather, whom she considers herbiggest source of inspiration.“My father was a district judgewith a very broad outlook. Hewanted me to be an advocate inthe High Court. So it was a nat-ural progression.” But how wasit entering a male world? “ByGod’s grace, I didn’t face anydiffidence. But yeah, womenwere not easily accepted. Therewas an initial reluctance. Butonce you have proved yourpotential, they realised womenare as good as men, if not bet-ter. Today, there are no moredoubts. Women have alreadyproved themselves,” quipsLakshmi.

Law is a good profession

but can get quite difficult forwomen to handle, Lakshmiwarns. “This profession takesup pretty much all your time.It’s more time consuming thaneven a doctor’s. For an advo-cate, it involves taking up acase, thinking, drafting, filingit, investigating and finallyarguing the case. So it’s defi-nitely not easy. Fortunately, I’vehad a very supportive husbandand children.”

But that said, Lakshmiwouldn’t trade her professionfor anything else. The joy thatshe gets out of her work is forall to see. It’s no wonder then,that her work is her life. “It’snot just arguing for the sake ofargument. It’s the investiga-tion. The satisfaction you getwhen you can prove a legalpoint is amazing. But to giverelief to my clients who are inreal distress is the mostrewarding part of my job.”

A perfectionist to the core,Bhaskara Lakshmi is truly aninspiration.

PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

THE CV

First Job: Secretary of AP Bar

Association (‘93–’94)

Motto: God has given me

energy, so I should use it to

help God’s creations

Inspiration: My mother and

father

Last book read: Complete

works of Vivekananda

Last movie watched:Chandramukhi

A SUDHEER REDDY

Advocating perfection

Not long ago, anything to dowith the word sex (yes thatprohibited three-letter-

word SEX) was as much a tabooas was the mention ofVoldermort in the Harry Pottermovies. And then came the littlecity of hope, love, honey andmoney — a city that we call theHitech City. Suddenly, the era ofdarkness seemed to have ended— and life for women never look -ed cooler... or let me say, sexier.

I have had the privilege ofworking with men who loved dis-playing their machismo in pub-lic. Apart from the regular officebanter, it was alright for him totalk about how sexy a certaincolleague looked, how he fanciedher, or what colour made her afew degrees hotter etc, etc. Therule for us women was unspo-ken, unwritten and different ofcourse. After all, what kind of awoman is she who talks sex, oradmires another man in public?Well, that is the kind that I fancywriting about. By no means am Iadvocating a ruthless display ofsexual fantasies like some mendo, but I believe that it is timenow that the men accepted thechanging times as much as theyaccept the changing time-zonesat office.

It is not the end ofmankind... in this case wom-ankind, if we were to admire amale counterpart, or use theword sex in our daily parlance. Itis by no means a reflection ofour personalities, or a proposi-tion we are dying to make. It isjust a sign of a free-spiritedwoman who believes that theman she is talking to is ascivilised as herself. Accept itdear men, that sex is not apatented word, and we have noproblems using it as much asyou do. Sex, sex, sex, sex — nowhow many times was that?

She may beChairperson of

the AP Federationof Women

Lawyers andAdvocate on

Recordfor the AP High

Court butBhaskara Lakshmi

is a practicingadvocate

with a passion forpro bono work

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CINEMA 22 T-TOWN TWEETIES

@PriyaWajAnandAbsolutely L.O.V.E.D. #KSYPerfectly Casted..Congratulations to all involved.‘Come FAL(i)L in Love’ in aTheater near You!

@trishtrashersI’m burnt/roasted/fried and 5

shades darker than my skintone...Can sum1 explain this

heat in Pollachi that too inFeb..Phew!!!

@Actor_SiddharthI haven’t seen so many collegestudents under theatre roofs in along time...the ovations areoverwhelming...blessed!!!

@prakashraajDHONI into 2nd week. Great

reviews. But Wonder why it hasnot picked up well in the the-aters!! Fingers crossed. Hope

things will be fine!!!

@sneha_ullalWent to my fav restaurant#China1..Stuffed..can’t walk orlie down..shhhhhhew.☺

@sundeepkishanHearing awesome things about

BigBro @Actor_Siddharth s#LoveFailure..loved the short

film,can’t wait 2 watch the fea-ture..Go Fail in Love :)

@shraddhadas43Guest of honour at Sophia col-lege today showcasing theTvashtar fashion show inMumbai....

@RanaDaggubati)“@IAmShradha: People demand

freedom of speech as a com-pensation for the freedom of

thought which they seldom use -Soren Kierkegaard”

Puri Jagannadh’s new film Devudu ChesinaManushulu, starring Ravi Teja and Ileana

in lead roles was launched on Friday inHyderabad. Puri Jagannadh, Ravi Teja, VV

Vinayak, Bhogavalli Prasad, Shyam K Naidu,Raghu Kunche and Bandla Ganesh attended the

movie launch. Bhogavalli Prasad is producingthe film and Reliance Entertainment is present-

ing the film. “It’s my fifth film with PuriJagannadh and I hope our combination repeats

the success of my past films,” Ravi Teja said.Talking about the film, Puri Jagannadh said,

“The film’s titles will begin rolling after a mes-sage ‘Watch this film after completely believing

that God exists’. It’s a complete entertainer.”The film’s regular shooting will begin from

March 2 onwards. Raghu Kunche will compose the music.

Veteran director K Vishwanath is to be felic-itated in a grand ceremony to be held in

Vizag on the occasion of Maha Shivaratrion Monday. T Subbirami Reddy is organising

the event and K Vishwanath will reportedly bebestowed with a title — Viswa Vikyatha

Darshaka Sarva Bouma. Brahmanandam,Ramanaidu, Bhanupriya, and

Shankarabharanam Tulasi and other celebritieswould be attending the function. K Vishwanathhas already been awarded the Padma Shri andRaghupathi Venkaiah awards for his outstand-

ing contribution to cinema. His films likeShankarabharanam, Swathi Muthyam, Sagara

Sangamam are still rated among the finest filmsever made in Telugu.

Ravi Teja-PuriJagannadh film

launched

K Vishwananth tobe honoured

Love Failure, starringSiddharth and AmalaPaul is a charming

love story where the protag-

onist struggles to under-stand why he failed inlove. Directed by BalajiMohan, the film is a fantas-tic character study aboutpeople in love and the con-fusion that prevails overwhat the other personexpects in a relationship.

Siddharth stars as Arun

who can’t understandthe reason why he brokeup with Parvathy(Amala Paul). As heexplains how his relation-ship with Paaru evolved, weare told that he couldn’tunderstand her impulsive-ness. There’s a funny sub-plot about two of Arun’sfriends trying to find lovewith disastrous results.

This is a love storyunlike most other love sto-ries we have seen in recentyears. In a way, the filmasks an inexplicable ques-tion —What do women real-ly want? And this is thequestion, which Arun keepsasking himself hoping tofind an answer.

Balaji Mohan drawsa lot of inspiration from

Woody Allen’s style offilmmaking where charac-ters are directly interactingwith the audience. Itmakes us part of the protag-onist’s confusion and kudosto the first-time directorwhose screenplay is one ofthe biggest strengths ofthe film.

The dialogues, especial-ly the conversations arebrilliantly written and thecasting is near-perfect.Siddharth and Amala Paulare terrific in their rolesand other supporting actorslike Suresh, Surekha Vaniand those who play Sid -dharth’s friends are amaz-ing throughout the film.

Nirav Shah’s cinematog-raphy is top-notch andThaman’s music is alsopeppy for a change.

So does the film reallyoffer a reason behind whywomen are so impulsive orwhy do lovers quarrel a lot?Not really. But this film is aslice-of-life drama aboutreal people who can’t findanswers.

Two big thumbs up forLove Failure. If you havefallen in love, this couldvery well be your own story.

Movie: Love FailureCast: Siddharth, Amala PaulDirector: Balaji MohanRating:

hemanth.k@postnoon.comHEMANTH KUMAR

Two thumbs up forLove Failure

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CINEMA 23

` 150 sq. cm

For Further DetailsPlease

Contact

Abhinay 9989399972

Nandlal 9951467988

Ravi Chander8106039919

DISPLAYA

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CINEMA 24

Justin Bieberpromises

new single very soon

Justin Bieber has reassured fansthat his new single is coming“very soon”. The singer was

responding to his followers’ ques-tions on Twitter when he confirmedthe news, but refused to post any of

the song’s lyrics. Bieber tweetedthat his new single is coming “very

very very soon. #newmusic”,adding: “in studio finishing thissingle. would write some of my

lyrics here but don’t want anymorepeople stealing them for songs. this

be mine. Lol (sic).”

Cuba Gooding Jr:‘Dad asked TomCruise if he was gay’

Cuba Gooding Jr has recalled thehorrifying moment his fatherasked Tom Cruise if he was gay

on the set of Jerry Maguire. The 44-year-old, who won an Oscar for his rolein the 1996 comedy drama, claimed dur-ing an appearance on The GrahamNorton Show that he “nearly fainted”when his dad made the gaffe. “He gaveTom a hug and said, ‘I love you man.Now seriously, are you gay or not?’” heexplained. “I almost fainted. Andthought, please Lord, let me disappear.Tom just laughed and said ‘no’.”Gooding also said that he is stillpestered to repeat his famous JerryMaguire catchphrase “show me themoney” over 15 years later. “I doesn’t goaway. I get it all the time,” he said.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CINEMA 25 B-TOWN TWEETIES

@NeilNMukeshThe weird thing about music isthat it can be created in anymood. When ur happy or sad! :)and it sounds just so beautifulboth ways !

@RiteishdAbsolutely proud of my brother

AMIT DESHMUKH (MLA) asCONGRESS sweeps the LATUR

Zilla Parishad elections.

@imarshadwarsiSpent the day riding my bike forHai Rabba shoot... Now shoot-ing all night n will be zippingthrough traffic in a BMW car...

@SrBachchanT 657 - The doctors have gone

home, the family is asleep inadjoining room and the nightnurses and sisters are a joy to

be with ...

@udaychopraEating yummy Eggs Benedicttoday..but no muffin, no ham, nohollandaise sauce, no eggyolk...ok fine! I'm just eatingscrambled egg whites!!

@iamsrkSaw kids taking exams... Even in

the larger context Ithought..."the examined life is

no picnic",,,like a bacteria on amicroscope plate

@kjohar25I wish there was botox to fixageing relationships...I wishthere was surgery to "lift" sag-ging emotions...or an antibioticfor heartache...

@DuttaLaraWoken up to a great morning

with my kid. Feels like someonegave me the key to a secret bliss

club that no one told meabout!:-)

Truelove's

longingEkk Deewana Tha has a slow screenplay

and much is lost in translation

Prateik plays Sachin, anengineering graduate,who's dreams are not intune with his family back-

ground. An old-school romantic,he believes inall things first— like love atfirst sight, firstkiss, etc. AmyJackson playsJessie, his beau-tiful neighbour,who dutifullysets off for workevery day incrisply drapedsaris. On the other hand,Sachin's career remains stag-nant as he tries to get a break asa filmmaker, so his daily to-do-list is titled, ‘How to keep run-ning into Jessie everywhere’.

Not the first-of-its-kind lovestories, director GauthamMenon who previously made thefilm in Tamil and Telugu, hastried to bring in the essence thatwas present in the original butfails to do so. Parts of the filmhave been shot in Kerala andtransform the romantic dramainto a visual treat.

The music composed by ARRahman is simply soothing.This is Prateik's second film as

lead but he doeshave a long wayto go before heis in the sameleague as theKapoors or theKhans. AmyJackson is pret-ty to look at,which is why itwas wrong tohave digitally

altered her skin tone to makeher look like a South-Indian. Thetwo lacked the much-neededchemistry. If you have seen theTamil version, this one can begiven a miss.

Movie:Ek Deewana Tha

Cast: Prateik, Amy Jackson,

Directed by:Gautham Menon

Rating:

Javed-Rahman combinationbest, says Shabana AzmiActress and social activist

Shabana Azmi feels that when itcomes to music, the combination ofher lyricist husband Javed Akhtarand composer AR Rahman isunbeatable. “I personally feel thattoday the combination of Javed and

Rahman is the best,” the 61-year-oldsaid. “The songs of Ekk DeewanaTha have been penned by JavedAkhtar while the Oscar winningRahman has composed the music forthe film.

IANS

SANA MIRZA

sana.m@postnoon.com

CHAI TIME 26SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 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 Former "Hannah

Montana" star Miley6 Magic wand feature,

often10 ___ mater14 Stir from slumber15 Attack code word at

Pearl Harbor16 Beast hunted by a

pigsticker17 Ford's predecessor in

197318 "Family" film of 198920 "Family" film of 199922 Acts theatrical23 NASA's Grissom24 Book by Noah

Webster (Abbr.)25 President ___ (acting

head)29 Hourly pay30 Emmy winner Ruby33 Name on many jeans'

labels34 "Family" film of 193837 Ills39 Flightless bird40 Breadmaker's raw

material41 "Family" film of 195844 Ready, willing and

___45 "Get the message?"46 Big water pipe47 Woman hoping for a

knight in shiningarmor

49 Political campaignammunition

50 Brooks of "BlazingSaddles"

51 Like some tales54 Short musical piece59 "Family" film of 199261 Harder to find62 "If all ___ fails ..."63 Its flag features a

beehive64 "Family" film of 198365 Draft choices66 Yankees' crosstown

rivals67 Reaches from end to

end

DOWN1 Hermit or horseshoe,

e.g.2 Cartoon bear3 Ladder crosspiece4 "New to you," in car

salesman-speak

5 Raw material for EdNorton?

6 Small earrings7 Broadway award8 Curved line9 North Carolina city10 Chief monk11 Clod12 Chemical used for

riot control13 Sacred chests19 Moderated a variety

show21 Kind of luck24 Single piece of infor-

mation25 Courtroom state-

ments26 Musical stage pro-

duction27 Like a shepherd's

charges28 Pinball machine no-

no29 Creation of Genesis

2:2230 Gives a thrashing

31 Presidential Seal sym-bol

32 Lucy's partner inhijinks

35 Send in, as payment36 Lead a nomadic life38 "Thick as thieves,"

e.g.42 It vibrates at a rock

concert43 Unspoiled

paradise48 Emergency

notifiers49 Lavishes

affection(on)

50 Butterflyrelatives

51 Betweenports

52 Aquaticlung

53 Oh, to bein ancientRome!

54 Jazzy vocal-

izing55 Ground crew's rollout56 "___ La Douce"57 Gas in advertising

lights58 Venus de Milo knock-

offs?60 Made it through

crunch time?

SCRI

BBLI

NG P

AD

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

QUICK CROSSWORD

Never forgetthat it is thespirit withwhich you

endow yourwork that

makes it usefulor futile.

SOLU

TIO

N O

N P

AG

E 3

2

SUDOKU THOUGHT OFTHE DAY

– Adelaide Hasse

CHAI TIME 27SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo VirgoThe Tower

Work – Your boss mayask you to work on a

new project. You may beuncomfortable working onit since it’s a new area.Romance – You and yourpartner need to develop adeeper understanding ofeach other. Spend timetogether to make this hap-pen. Health – Alternativehealing techniques maycome to your rescuewhere regular medicationmay be failing. Take a second opinion. Money – Rejig yourfinance portfolio as perthe stock market situa-tion. Take fewer risks but ensure you’re avoiding losses. Tarot message – A lot of action and change is on the cards. Keep anopen mind and accept all that is happeningaround you.

Four of Cups

Work – A new joboffer will set you

thinking although youmay not be in the mood toshift jobs just yet. Acounter offer will confuseyou further. Take time todecide. Romance – Don’tbe in a hurry to make acommitment yet. Checkout more potential part-ners. Those committedwill be on a journey ofdiscovery. Health – Achronic health problemmay need a new outlookin order to heal. Considernew medicines and thera-pies you may not haveconsidered before. Money– Finances are in controlbut double check thatyour returns are worthlocking your money inthese places. Tarot mes-sage – Don’t lock yourselfinto a corner and thinkyou have no options.

Justice

Work – A project youhave been eyeing falls

in your lap. You have waitedfor a long time for this. Now,go ahead and work magicwith it. Romance –Heartbreak is round the cor-ner. Don’t take life so seri-ously that you begin to losethe thrill of its spontaneity.Take it in your stride. Health – How you havetaken care of your health is how the results will show. Diet and exerciseneed more attention.Money – Inflow and outflow of money can becontrolled if you managedyour finances better bymaking notes. Tarot message – This is akarmic time and you areonly getting what is yours.Don’t cry over what was per-haps not yours.

Nine of Wands

Work – One last test isleft before you get

the successful results ofyour hard work. The trickis to stay patient and con-tinue working. Romance– You and your significantother have settled into avery comfortable relation-ship. You understand eachother instinctively. Health– Consider getting on adifferent health regimen –something that suits yourbody type better. Whatyou’re on now may not begiving you the best resul -ts. Money – You get oppo -r tunities to make someextra money through free-lance projects. The moneyis good and you feel confi-dent about your finances,too. Tarot message – Bepatient. One last testremains before you reachyour goals. Don’t jump the gun.

Ace of Pentacles

Work – New ideas,opportunities and the

birth of new projects willkeep you intellectuallystimulated. The money isgood, too. So you feel confi-dent about your choices.Romance – You and yoursignificant other find excit-ing and passionate ways todiscover each other. Yourlove only grows with eachpassing day. Health – Youmay be worried aboutsomething connected withyour job. This anxiety isshowing on your health. Dostop worrying and startworking. Money –Finances are in excellentshape. You have everythingorganized and your savingsare also exceeding yourexpectation. Tarot mes-sage – This is the perfectmeeting of the mind andheart. The intellect andemotions are well balanced.

Libra Scorpio Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

The Hanged Man

Work – The job is giv-ing you focus and

making you understandthe importance of disci-pline and being centred.Romance – You and yourpartner connect at a deeperlevel. You grow with eachother as you explore theinner spiritual worldtogether. Health – You dis-cover newer, alternativemethods of healing. Youfind out more about otherforms of meditation, reikiand some different de-stress methods. Money –Finances are in place. Youhave enough for all yourneeds. This is not your pri-ority right now either.Tarot message – This is atime to focus on spiritualawareness. You are in themood to discover moreabout a higher plane. Thetiming is just right.

Four of Swords

Work – You need stabil-ity at the work place,

and this cannot happen ifyou are tempted to joinevery job that comes yourway. Romance – Singleswill find stability througha fairly new romantic part-ner, who will bring out thebest in them. You discovernew worlds with eachother. Health – Keep a reg-ular time to exercise everyday. Eat at the same timeevery day. Money – Makesure to lock a basic per-centage of your savings soyou don’t risk much in themarket. Finances are sta-ble. Tarot message –Although the physical andmaterial aspects of yourlife are taken care of, youneed to do something aboutkeeping your mind busyand sharp.

Knight of Pentacles

Work – Money is yourmain focus and you

bargain and work everysingle day just so yourappraisals will reflect thehard work and, therefore,the raise. Romance – Youweigh romance also interms of how much youspend to show your lovedone you care. Learn to sep-arate the material from theemotional. Health – You’reyoung and adventurousand may get into new exer-cise routines in enthusi-asm. Make sure your adve -n tures are all done underexpert supervision. Money– Finances are good. Bankbalance is looking fine andyou have enough for allneeds. Tarot message –You charge ahead with thepracticality and ambitionof a young go-getter. Don’ttrample on others’ feelings.

Six of Swords

Work – Foreign con-tacts are in focus. You

will get only good news.Someone is likely to tellyour boss they’re impres -sed with your work.Romance – Singles willlikely meet someone on along-distance flight. Or youwill connect with someoneat a conference or seminar.Health – There are manyoptions to better yourhealth. You need to choosefrom any of the new onesthat you haven’t tried.Explore the new. Money –A new job offer will bequite irresistible. Thoughit will be different, themonies will be pretty good.Tarot message – A tripoverseas is in the pipeline.It may open up more oppor-tunities for you. You mayget a new job offer, some-thing totally different.

Judgement

Work – After a longwait, you will be

given a project to work onthat will inspire you. Bepatient and when it comesto you, don’t feel cockyabout it. Romance – Atroubled relationship maynot be worth holding on to.Let go. If it’s yours it willcome back. Health – Youneed to make some drasticchanges to your lifestyleand get into a healthierregimen. You will begin tofeel good about you.Money – Review yourfinance portfolio andremove policies that havematured. Re-invest themwisely. Try some new poli-cies. Tarot message –Times are going good. Howwell you maintain yourdignity at this time willdetermine how furtherahead you move.

Queen of Pentacles

Work – You’re gettingpaid handsomely for

your job. But if the job isnot satisfying you and giv-ing you a sense of achieve-ment at the end of the day,then is it worth it?Romance – Love is in theair. You and your significantother discover many joystogether and your relation-ship matures. Health – Geta diet consultant and con-trol your food intake. If youpay a dietitian, you’re morelikely to listen. Money – You are shrewdwhen it comes to money.You’ve saved enough for arainy day. Don’t be afraid totake some risks. Tarotmessage – Your prioritiesare changing now and youfeel torn between twophilosophies. Choose wisely.

The World

Work – You may beasked to step up in

an unfamiliar area, orcover for someone. Don’treject a new opportunityhowever uncomfortableyou may be. Romance –Singles are likely to meetsomeone attractive. Thechemistry is immediate,powerful and passionate.Those committed will findbliss. Health – Health islooking good. Your dietand exercise regimen isdo ing wonders to your in -ner and outer beauty. Mo -n ey – Consult a good taxadvisor and do not get sti -n gy in selecting one. Youneed good investment ide -as and someone in the kn -ow of the market fluctua-tions would help best. Ta -rot message – You havethe world at your feet, do -n’t be scared to move for-ward with your own ideas.

Vol: 1, No 216 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 TEKURtarotreadhyd@gmail.com Date 19-2-2012

KNOW YOURCOUNTRY

THE SATURDAY QUIZ 28SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

1. Which is the coldest place onEarth?

2. Which socialist writer’s lastwords were, “Last words arefor fools who haven’t saidenough”?

3. What’s the name of the birdthat the cartoon cat Sylvesterchases in vain?

4. Where was the second atom

bomb dropped?5. What is the colour of an

Oscar?6. Which leader died on St

Helena?7. If you had pogonophobia

what would you be afraid of?8. What is a young one of a

rabbit called?

9. Who was Stan Laurel’s part-ner?

10. Which part of the humanbody contains the mostgold?

11. Whose autobiography wasThe Long Walk toFreedom?

12. Consumption is the formername of which disease?

13. Who declared at the UScustoms, “nothing but mygenius”?

14. Transylvania, also known asDracula’s home, is locatedin which country?

15. If you want to visit the coun-try with the most churchesper square mile, where doyou go?

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

MOVIE GURU

1Of all the gin joints inall the towns in all theworld, she walks intomine.

2Show me the money!

3Houston, we have aproblem.

4Keep your friendsclose, but your ene-mies closer

5Nobody puts Baby ina corner.

6 My mama alwayssaid, 'Life was like abox of chocolates;you never know whatyou're gonna get’.

7Frankly my dear, Idon't give a damn!

IDENTIFY FROMWHICH FILM THESEDIALOGUES WERETAKEN?

FAMOUS SPOUSES

1He is a master of words and hiswife is the face of parallel cine-ma. His children Farhan andZoya have made a great namefor themselves in the industry.His wife’s name is ShabanaAzmi. Who is he?

2She was for long consideredthe other woman in what wasportrayed as a fairytale royalwedding. She is married toPrince Charles and was at onetime the most disliked personin Britain. Who is she?

3American actor, rapper, come-dian and now a father of twinsNick Cannon in April 2007 mar-ried this bootylicious singer.She has won five GrammyAwards, and is famed for herfive-octave vocal range, andsignature use of the whistleregister. Who is she?

IDENTIFY THE FAMOUSBETTER HALVES

WHO AM I?I am the 11th chief ministerof my state. I am also thefirst woman to hold office.My followers and well-wish-ers call me Didi.The Railwaysportfoliohas beenheld byme twice.Who am I?

with SantoshGhule

Find the girlreading abook

Answers1. Verkoyansk in Siberia 2. Karl Marx 3.Tweety Pie 4. Nagasaki 5. Gold 6. NapoleonBonaparte 7. Beards 8. Kit or kitten 9. OliverHardy 10. Toenails 11. Nelson Mandela 12.Tuberculosis 13. Oscar Wilde 14. Romania15. Jamaica

Answers1. Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) 2.Cuba Gooding Junior (Jerry Mcguire)3. Tom Hanks (Apollo 13) 4. Al Pacino(The Godfather part 2) 5. PatrickSwayze (Dirty Dancing) 6. Tom Hanks(Forest Gump) 7. Clark Gable (Gonewith the Wind)

Answers1. Javed Akhtar 2. Camilla Parker Bowles3. Mariah Carey

1 Where was president Giani ZailSingh when the then prime min-ister Indira Gandhi was assassi-nated on October 31, 1984?

2 Who raised the IndianAmbulance Corp during theBoer War?

3 What is the electoral symbol ofthe Bahujan Samaj Party?

4 In which Union Territory of Indiawould you come across the‘Interview Island’, ‘LandfallIsland’ and ‘Barren Island’?

5 The novel Q & A, on whicheight Oscar award-winning filmSlumdog Millionaire (2008) isbased, was authored by whichIndian civil servant?

Answers1. Yemen 2. Mahatma Gandhi 3. Elephant 4.Andaman and Nicobar Islands 5. Vikas Swarup

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR STARS?Answers 1. Zayed Khan 2. Sonali Bendre 3. Nandita Das 4. Irrfan Khan

PICTUREPUZZLE

AnswerMamata BanerjeeAnswerThewater made up forthe foetus and thetree trunk, themother.

Brazil’s World Cup runneth over

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

SPORTS 29

Phil Mickelson maintained a one-shotlead after two rounds of the US

PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open onFriday, buoyed by a dramatic eagle fromthe fairway that helped offset some less

impressive play. "I probably didn't play thegreatest today, but I was able to kind of sal-

vage a good round," said Mickelson, whocarded a one-under par 70 at RivieraCountry Club for a six-under total of

136.

Phil gets one-shot lead

The Australian Olympic Committee onSaturday blamed a lack of funding forthe nation's poor medal prospects at

this year's London Games. With just fivemonths until the sporting extravaganza, theAOC chef de mission Nick Green saidAustralia was lagging in its bid for a top-five overall finish. Australia might field itssmallest Olympic squad in 20 years if themen's football and volleyball teams did notqualify, the AOC said.

Oz says it’s cash-strapped

Defending champion Milos Raonic ofCanada advanced to the semi-finalsof the $531,000 ATP San Jose Open

on Friday by defeating South African sixthseed Kevin Anderson 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). Thirdseed Raonic fired 16 aces and never faceda break point in booking himself into aSaturday matchup against American RyanHarrison, who earlier ousted BulgarianDimitar Kutrovsky 6-1, 6-4 at the indoorhardcourt tournament.

Raonic in San Jose Semis

As Brazil gears up forthe 2014 soccer WorldCup and 2016Olympics, governmentministers have

become fond of proclaiming howthe tournaments will boost eco-nomic development.

Yet a growing number ofvoices are raising concerns thatthe world’s two largest sportingevents could actually exacerbatesocial divisions in a countryalready among the most unequalon the planet.

Complaints include extrava-gant spending on the stadiums,the compulsory eviction of thou-sands of poor residents and cost-ly ticketing that will excludelarge numbers of local fans fromthe World Cup in what is widelyviewed as the world’s most soc-cer-mad nation.

“Who is the public that isbeing benefited?” askedChristopher Gaffney, anAmerican visiting professor atFluminense Federal University’sPostgraduate Architecture andUrban Planning Program, who

is studying Brazil’s preparationfor both events.

Sports minister Aldo Rebelosaid the overall benefits forBrazil justify any drawbacks.

“This is our huge and neces-sary opportunity to upgrade ourengineering skills on construc-tion and our telecommunica-tions technology, as well as toput Brazil back on the map,” hehas said.

The authorities in Brazilalso cite the estimated 3.4 mil-lion tourists expected to visitBrazil during the six-week tour-nament, when it kicks off inJune 2014, as a major boon.

Yet Gaffney and other criticssay that Brazil should be spend-ing its money on social projects,not multimillion-dollar facilities.

One of Gaffney’s main criti-cisms: Brazil’s decision to usesome of the priciest cutting-edgetechnology available for the 12stadiums that will host theWorld Cup. Currently the bill forbuilding or renovating thosefacilities has been put at $4 bil-lion, up from the original esti-mate of $3 billion.

Many of those venues willhave solar-powered roofs andretractable seats. In addition tothat technology having to beimported to Brazil and fittedwith foreign labor, it will requireannual maintenance costing

around 10 percent of the pur-chase price.

“In a decade, you will havepaid for each stadium twiceover,” Gaffney told GlobalPost.Instead, he argues, Brazil shouldhave chosen to host the event insimpler structures in keepingwith Brazil’s social reality,where the average monthlyincome is $680 — and where mil-lions make do on a fraction ofthat amount.

In Sao Paulo, roughly $280million of public money hasbeen spent upgrading the stadi-um of soccer team Corinthians,one of the venues for the WorldCup.

“That money could havebeen invested in homes, schoolsor universities,” Tita Reis, amember of Sao Paulo’s People’sCommittee for the World Cup, aneighborhood protest group, toldBrazilian newspaper O Globo.

Meanwhile, there have beenserious concerns about the lackof progress in readying the facil-ities for the tournament, a factsome critics believe wasinevitable in a country wrackedby corruption and opaquebureaucracy.

There have even been sug-gestions that one city, Natal, isso behind schedule that it mayhave to be dropped as a venuewith less than 18 months to go to

the World Cup. But a series offorced removals of residentsfrom poor neighborhoods acrossBrazil, to make way for stadiumexpansions, new roads and pub-lic transport, has also sparkedheated debate.

So far, just in Rio — host tothe Olympics as well as the loca-tion of the legendary Maracanastadium, which will stage theWorld Cup final — an estimated15,000 have already been movedfrom their homes.

Alexandre Mendes, a formerhead of housing rights at the Rio

state public defender’s office,told the Associated Press: “Manyof these removals did notrespect principles and rightsconsidered basic in local andinternational law.”

With soccer akin to a nation-al religion in Brazil, one criti-cism of the World Cup that hasparticularly roiled the public isthe high price of tickets.

Of the three million ticketsavailable, just one million willbe sold, often for well over $100each, on the local market. Theremainder will be divided upbetween FIFA and national soc-cer associations around theworld.

FIFA has authorized 300,000to be sold in Brazil for $25 eachand another 100,000 have beenreserved for underprivilegedgroups such as indigenous peo-ples and those in extreme pover-ty programs.

Brazilian soccer legendRomario, a World Cup winner in1994 and now a Socialist con-gressman and persistent critic ofwhat he regards as FIFA’selitism, says that’s not enough.

“The Brazilian pensionerwill not have the financialmeans to afford this outlay andwill therefore be excluded fromthe World Cup,” he recentlynoted in one typical Tweet onthe subject. GLOBAL POST

Fuss-ballSIMEON TEGEL

Critics blow the whistle on costly venue revamps and high ticket prices in one of the most unequal countries in the world

This is ouropportunity toupgrade ourengineering skills andour telecomtechnology, as well asto put Brazil back onthe map.

Aldo Rebelo,Brazil Sports Minister

AFP/EVARISTO SA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

SPORTS 30

Ukrainian WBC World Champion Vitali Klitschko is slapped by British boxer Dereck Chisora (right) during the officialweigh in Munich, southern Germany, on Friday. WBC World Champion Vitali Klitschko and his challenger DereckChisora will fight during the WBC World Heavyweight Championship in the Olympic hall in Munich on Saturday.

Fight beforethe fight

British challenger Dereck Chisora slapped Ukrainian champi-on Vitali Klitschko during Friday’s weigh-in ahead of their

WBC heavyweight title fight in Munich on SaturdayDUBAI: The 16-year-old is astar attraction in the first-everdisabled series betweenPakistan and England here,hoping his experiences willhelp him further defy anyodds stacked against him.

“I want to be an inspira-tion for all disabled people,”Flynn told AFP. “Cricket hastold me how to defy disabilityand it’s a learning expriencefor me as to how deal withlife.”

Although Pakistan wonboth the Twenty20 interna-tionals and the first of threeone-day matches played inDubai, Flynn said winning orlosing was not important.

“It is the will of thesecricketers which matters andit is an amazing experiencefor players on both sides andfor all those who watched usplay,” said Flynn.

Flynn had always wantedto play for England but at 14he was diagnosed with bonecancer.

“That was a difficult peri-od,” said Flynn, who as a childwas a fan of Lancashire andEngland star Andrew Flintoff.“I had always followedFreddie and wanted to be agood player for England.”

Besides playing cricket,Flynn is also involved in char-ity work.

Flynn has a tale to tell

England disabled cricketer Callom Flynn plays a shot during a T20match against Pakistan at the ICC Global Cricket Academy (ICC GCA) inDubai Sports City. AFP

BERLIN: During the customaryface-off for the cameras, Chisoraslapped Klitschko’s left cheek andunleashed a barrage of insults atthe Ukrainian, sparking a brawlinvolving security personnel.

“I’ll sort that out in the ring,”said Klitschko, who kept his coolwhile his opponent hastily left thescene.

“Maybe he had too muchadrenaline,” said fight promoterFrank Warren. Chisora has a his-tory of pre-fight antagonism, hav-ing kissed his opponent CarlBaker on the lips prior to a titlebout in 2010 that almost sparked afight before the bell for the firstround had even sounded. "Maybe

he had too much adrenaline," saidfight promoter Frank Warren.

Chisora has a history of pre-fight antagonism, having kissedhis opponent Carl Baker on thelips prior to a title bout in 2010that almost sparked a fight before

the bell for the first round hadeven sounded.

In Germany, the Zimbabwe-born London native has assailedKlitschko with verbal barbs, pre-dicting a furious assault on theUkrainian culminating in aneighth-round knockout.

Klitschko, 41 and the elderbrother of IBF and WBO champi-on Wladimir, has a record of 43victories — 40 inside the distance— and only two defeats.

His 28-year-old adversary has15 victories and two defeats, themost recent of which came onpoints against Finland's RobertHellenius in a European titlefight in early December.

Since beating bone cancer, England’s CallumFlynn has made it his mission to inspire others engaged in life-or-death battles

CHISORA HAS A HISTORYOF PRE-FIGHT ANTAGO-NISM, HAVING KISSED HISOPPONENT CARL BAKERON THE LIPS PRIOR TO ATITLE BOUT IN 2010.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

SPORTS 31

NEW YORK: Jeremy Linsparked a fourth-quarter come-back but the New York Knickscould not extend their magical“Lin-sanity” seven-game NBAwin streak, losing to the NewOrleans Hornets 89-85 on Friday.

The Knicks had been on amagical run since bench-warmer Lin, cut by two clubsbefore the season, was calledupon with two starters missingand answered with the mostpoints of any player in his firstfive starts since 1976.

Lin finished with 26 points,

matching Amare Stoudemire forthe game-high total, and con-tributed five assists and foursteals, but in the end, he foundout that you can’t Lin them all.

But Lin also made nineturnovers, matching the most byany NBA player in a game thisseason. He made eight turnoversin the first half when theHornets seized command.

Lin, who scored 16 points inthe second half and made onlyone turnover after half-time,went 8-of-18 shooting from thefield, 2-of-5 from 3-point range,

and made 8-of-10 free throws.Trevor Ariza scored 25

points and Italy’s MarcoBelinelli added 17 to lead theHornets, who rose to 7-23 by win-ning their third game in a rowby holding off a late charge byLin and Amare Stoudemire inthe final minutes.

But the buzz around thegame was focused upon Lin, the23-year-old point guard who isthe first US-born NBA player ofTaiwanese and Chinese heritage.His parents are from Taiwanwhile a maternal grandmother

is from China.Lin’s fortnight of amazing

moments, including severalhigh-scoring efforts, a last-sec-ond 3-pointer to beat Torontoand 13 assists to help seven play-ers reach double figures in aromp over Sacramento, capturedthe world’s attention.

And while the win streak hasended, there is no cure in sight“Lin-sanity” as Knicks fans sawtheir team rise from a mediocrealso-ran to a formidable force,knocking off the Los AngelesLakers during their win streak.

Great Britain’s Jess Varnish (R) is congratulated by the crowd as she celebrates after winning the Women’s Team Sprint Final with her partnerVictoria Pendleton at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games, at the Velodrome in the Olympic Park inLondon on February 17, 2012. The British pair won the gold medal winning in a world-record time of 54.955 seconds. AFP / ADRIAN DENNIS

KEEPING THE FLAG FLYING TRACK WORLD CUP

Knicks’ magic run ends

Jordan’sstill thegreatest

Jeremy Lin sparked a fourth-quarter comeback but the New York Knicks could not extendtheir magical seven-game NBA win streak, losing to the New Orleans Hornets 89-85

NEW YORK: Retired NBA leg-end Michael Jordan was hailed asthe greatest player in basketballhistory by two potential rivals tothe throne on Friday as he cele-brated his 49th birthday.

As the NBA currently salutesJeremy Lin, the first US-bornNBA player of Taiwanese andChinese heritage who has gonefrom bench-warmer to star forthe New York Knicks, Jordan’slegendary career was recalled byother icons.

LeBron James, the MiamiHeat star still searching for hisfirst title after two losing trips tothe NBA Finals, posted a Twittermessage calling Jordan TheG.O.A.T., for Greatest of All Time.

“Happy B-day to the person Iidolized and wanna to be just likeas a kid playing the game of bas-ketball Michael Jordan.#TheG.O.A.T.” James tweeted.

Magic Johnson, the formerLos Angeles Lakers star who nowserves as a television commenta-tor, praised Jordan in commentsfor ESPN.

“His will to win was higherthan everyone else’s,” Johnsonsaid of Jordan. “His talent levelwas higher than everyone else’sand then he was the ultimatecompetitor. He wanted to winmore than anybody else I’ve everfaced in my life.

Michael Jordan, happy birth-day — you know you were theworld’s greatest.”

AFP

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

SPORTS 32

SOLUTIONS

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Boggle DRESS PARKA PANTS SKIRT GLOVE

LONDON: The inquest into Arsenal’sChampions League humiliation in Milanwas uncomfortable for Arsene Wengerand there will be more of the same ifthey exit the FA Cup at the hands ofSunderland on Saturday.

Wenger’s side head to the Stadium ofLight for the fifth-round tie knowing thecompetition now represents their lastrealistic chance of silverware this sea-son.

The manager made no attempt to dis-guise his shock and disappointment athis side’s performance in losing 4-0 to ACMilan and conceded that they have littlechance of recovering the daunting deficitin the second leg.

That increases the pressure on themeeting with Martin O’Neill’s team asthe Gunners attempt to end their seven-year trophy drought.

Criticism of Wenger has grownsteadily over the course of the season,with some Arsenal supporters voicingtheir frustration at the manager’s appar-ent unwillingness to pursue higher pro-file — and more expensive — targets inthe transfer market.

Now the manager must attempt torevive his squad’s morale ahead of theSunderland game if he is to avoid anoth-er crushing defeat.

“A big disappointment like that hasconsequences on your belief,” saidWenger. “We have a lot of work toregroup and not a lot of time to preparefor Saturday’s game. We need to showsomething completely different onSaturday. “It is a good opportunity to

show we have character and mentalstrength and that we can respond aftersuch a shocking defeat.”

Centre-back Thomas Vermaelenmaintained the theme, and said: “It’salways good when you have a disappoint-ing evening when you have another gamequite quick. That’s good for us and wehave to focus on that.

“That’s why you are a professional.What happened there is behind us and wehave to learn from that. The most impor-tant thing is to be mentally strong andfocus on the next game. We have to pre-pare for that and have a good result there.

“We have to forget what happenedand just keep going on to the next game.”

A miserable night for Arsenal wasmade worse by an injury to centre-backLaurent Koscielny, who was forced out ofthe game in the first half and joins PerMertesacker on the sidelines.

Mertesacker is out with an ankleinjury and Wenger must decide whetherto switch Alex Song to the back four orrecall out-of-favour Sebastien Squillaci.

Last chancefor Gunners

Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny looks on as AC MIlan’s Robinho (unseen) scores.

LONDON: Tottenham manager HarryRedknapp claims he has had one team onhis mind all week — and it hasn’t beenEngland. Redknapp is the overwhelmingfavourite to succeed Fabio Capello asEngland manager ahead of the 2012European championships.

But he claims he is yet to hear fromthe FA, English football’s governing body,about the post - and the thought of lead-ing his country has not entered his head.

And the team that has occupied histhoughts all week as he enjoyed a four-day break in Dubai has been Stevenage,Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round opponents,rather than the national side.

“I have not spoken to anybody aboutit. I have not discussed the job with any-body,” Redknapp said. “Last week I sawthat a number of managers had ruledthemselves out, but they hadn’t evenbeen ruled in.

“I am not going to rule myself out butI have never been ruled in either. No onehas never mentioned it to me. Never. Ihave just been thinking about Stevenageon Sunday. It will be a tough game for us.

“(Coaches) Joe (Jordan) and Clive

(Allen) went to watch them the othernight and they came back and said it willbe a real hard cup tie. So that’s all I havebeen thinking about — picking a teamthat will get a result at Stevenage.”

Tottenham are currently occupyingthird place in the Premier League, sevenpoints off leaders Manchester City and10 above fourth-placed Arsenal. “I have ajob to do here,” Redknapp added. “Myfocus has to be on trying to getTottenham as high as I can in the table.”

Harry eyes honour

It is a good opportunity toshow we have characterand mental strength andthat we can respond aftersuch a shocking defeat.

Arsene Wenger