A BYTE OF LIFE Tuesday, September 23, 2008

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 184

Meet the billiards champ who does

not mind burning the dancefloor
» PAGE 04
PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN

Imsai Arasan, the MLA?

“I ’m going to contest against Vijayakanth in the
elections as an independent candidate and defeat
him in his own constituency,” comedy actor Vadivelu
has thundered in the wake of the attack on his house
on Sunday. Police have filed a case and charged
DMDK leader and actor Vijayakanth and 30 of his
partymen.
Speaking to mediapersons
outside the Saidapet Court
on Monday morning, the
comedian asserted that
‘captain’ had instigated the
Sunday’s attack. “I refused
to act in two of
Vijayakanth’s movies that
had a few politically-tainted
dialogues that I had to
mouth,” Vadivelu pointed
out as the reason behind
Vijayakanth’s grudge. “I
have more clout than him.”
The comedy actor was at
the Saidapet court to
appear in a case involving
him and 13 DMDK
functionaries over a confrontation between two
parties on September 12, 2007 over the partymen’s
cars being parked outside Vadivelu’s office. Although
Vadivelu appeared, the 13 accused failed to turn up
and a non-bailable warrant has been issued against
them by the court.
Meanwhile Tamil actor and DMDK founder
Vijayakanth, in a press met in city said that the cases
against him and his functionaries were false. He
added that Vadivelu was being provoked by his
“political opponents”. ■
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Indulge
Ecstasy has introduced Chocolabs – a collection of desserts made
with valrhona chocolate, each with varying additions of cocoa.
Chocolabs are available at Ecstacy, Sathyam Cinemas and Maison
des Gourmet, Cenotaph Road.

ergo Faith Healer fails

MOBILE The Irish play was performed by notable stage actors,
who delivered with little panache
909401 3535
MITHRA SURESH fort put in, and the actors do ad-
Monday’s query [email protected] mit to mere eight weeks of
preparation, he brought out a fair

F
aith Healer certainly is a test portrayal of Frank Hardy. When
Coolest cost-cutting measure of endurance. The play, di- he says with deliberation, ‘I al-
Don’t have a girl friend.... :-) rected by Mithran Devane- ways knew when nothing was go-
Rageeth sen was staged over the ing to happen,’ regarding the
Come to office only on salary day so that we can weekend at Sivagami Pethachi accidental nature of faith healing,
reduce transportation cost auditorium, to a not-so-receptive P.C delivers that line with a twin-
9841663820 audience. In kle in his eye. And of course, it
Cut the salaries of my boss and his boss’ The play can only fact, some helps that the actor speaks and
9884370475 walked out. sounds like Sean Connery.
Let us break the coffee vending machine be recommended Faith Healer, The weakest link was Tehzeeb
Poornima, Hexaware to the discerning written by Katari as Grace, whose burst of
Follow my simple slogan: Optimum utilisation of Brian Friel is a hysteria at the end of her piece
minimum manpower and resources to the theatre celebrated was almost laughable. She man-
maximum productivity and result. enthusiast. Or at award-winning aged to build up little sympathy
Vaidya, CSS CORP least, read a play, but did regarding Frank’s treatment to-
Pay employees the Zimbabwean currency not work purely wards Grace. Karthik Srinivasan’s
9841592811 synopsis of the because of the Teddy was the only energetic
Drink one bear instead of two play before you weighty socio- character on stage, but any ex-
Sridhar - Ch 88 geographical pression that showed was purely
Use slate and chalk instead of pen and markers watch it. references. The P.C. Ramakrishna in Faith the immense concentration he
9841592811 play is a series Healer PHOTO: N. SRIDHARAN was obviously putting in to get-
Automate all computers (including my boss’) to of monologues, in four parts, per- ting the Cockney accent right,
boot at 10 a.m. and shut at 6 p.m. and put them formed by the faith healer Frank land. All three speak about the which according to a friend,
in stand-by mode for a one-hour lunch break and Hardy (P.C. Ramakrishna), his same places and specific inci- sounded Australian.
two 15-min tea breaks, thus saving power and wife Grace (Tehzeeb Katari) and dents. The brilliance in the script The play, which will be staged
happy work hours! And strictly no power to PCs his manager Teddy (Karthik Sri- lies in their shifting narratives, in Pondicherry next, can only be
on holidays. nivasan /TMK). Each of the which leads the audience to ask: recommended to the discerning
9003028708 monologues are perspectives of What really happened? theatre enthusiast. Or at least,
Design a company without meeting rooms the trio’s travels across Wales and P.C. Ramakrishna is a reliable read a synopsis of the play before
Vinu Vipin Scotland, and their return to Ire- actor to watch. With very little ef- you watch it. ■
Remove the top-level management people, so no
high salaries
9884127481
Supply one cloth handkerchief to all while
entering office premises and remove all face and
hand paper towels
9884903100
Just three working days a week will help
Pradeep, Changepond Tech
Don’t come to office. Power is saved
automatically, right!
Annapoorani M, TCS
Mall-O-Meter Parson Complex
Pay & Use
Looking for cheap CDs? World
or
You pay, we reimburse
Shopping Prince Plaza, next cinema, latest blockbusters run-
ning in theatre (English, Hindi,
Conditions apply*
Vimal Varghese, TCS
complexes and to Ashoka Hotel, Tamil, Malayalam or Telugu) or a
good collection of songs are up
Give VPN access to everyone and make them
work from home thereby saving the charges on
their specialities Egmore for grabs in these shops. Make
power, transportation and food. Welcome to the bangle mela! sure you bargain to get a good
Nataraj The shops here stock bangles of deal.
different sizes and hues, sure to
Ergo Pick behold you. Not a great place to
bargain, but you are sure to find
Mugambika
Terminate all top management. The junior and
middle-management can handle everything. Their
Twin Towers, accessories to match any dress.
Complex, CP
huge take home can be saved for the entity.
Rajesh Prabhu
Egmore Ispahani Centre, Ramaswami Road
Cisons Complex and Fountain
Today’s Query Plaza are two shopping complex-
es where you could find some of
Nungambakkam This is for all you girls. A good
number of small boutiques are
The most meaningless sentence uttered at the best tailors in the city. They With Cool Nature, Sweet Cha- housed in this complex where
project meetings stitch anything and everything riot, Coffee Day and Marrybrown you are sure to find the latest
SMSes to 909401 3535 are charged only as standard for any age group. And with Cot- all in one complex what more can style and designs. And if you are
SMSes. ton Street just a stone throw foodies ask for. A great place to tired shopping, there are beauty
away, these are very accessible. hangout with friends. parlours to pamper you!
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
03
Cognizant
leads at
half-way
mark
I t is close to the half-way
mark of the ETA Star Cor-
porate Sports Olympiad
2008 and Cognizant is neck
and shoulders above the
rest in the number of gold
medals won.
The fourth weekend saw
participants from Aspire
Systems, VDSI and Cogni-
zant bag the honours in the
Badminton Men’s Singles,
Badminton Women’s Sin-
gles, Snooker Men’s Sin-
gles and Pool Women’s
Singles events. The wee-
kend also saw the league
stage games in cricket and
football.
Sai Sankar Kunapareddi
of Aspire Systems bagged
the gold in the Badminton
Men’s Singles, while Mad-
hu Velayutham. N of VDSI
won the silver and Jayara-
man of Ajuba Solutions
and Thirumurgan M of
VDSI shared the bronze.
S.Vedhashree of VDSI

At the end of the

fourth week, the
top three gold
medal winning
companies are:
Cognizant – 10
Gold medals; Ford
Technology – 5
Golds; and VDSI –
3 Golds

bagged the Badminton

Women Singles gold, while
Abitha Padmanabhan of
Cognizant bagged silver
and Sathya Rajavel of Pay-
pal and CH.Swati of Che-
moil got the bronze
medals.
In the snooker Men’s
Singles, Aaron Pinto of
Cognizant won the gold,
Gopinath.K of Syntel the
silver and Tyron V.Rayen
the bronze.
In the Pool Women Sin-
gles, Sangeetha Krishnan
of VDSI bagged the gold,
Shanti.V of RMP Infotec
the silver and Deepa PS of
Keane the bronze medal.
At the end of the fourth
week, the top three medal
tally is thus: Cognizant – 10
Golds, 4 Silvers and 4
Bronzes; Ford Technology
– 5 Gold, 1 Silver and 2
Bronzes; and VDSI – 3
Golds, 7 Silver and 8
Bronze medals. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Reality show managers!

TAKE THE CUE

Billiards champ Pankaj Advani, who was in Namma Chennai, speaks about his dancing skills and more
VIPASHA SINHA the IBSF World Billiards Cham- winning both the points and State Billiards Association. There channelise my nervousness to
pionship in both formats, Pankaj timed formats at the IBSF World he was recognised by his coach, perform better”

“I
am a trained break danc- is on a career high. Be it the point Billiards Championships twice Arvind Savur, a former national Pankaj strongly advocates the
er. As of now, self-pro- or the time format, he equally en- At the age of 10, Pankaj was in- snooker player. entry of snooker in Olympics but
claimed but if I am called joys both. “Both the formats are a troduced to snooker by his elder In 2000, he played his first in- also believes that competition-
in for any TV reality contrast to each other but each brother Shree in a parlor in the ternational match and now has 5 wise World Championships offer
show, I would love to showcase one has its own importance. neighbourhood where he used to world titles to his credit. “I was more challenge.
my dancing skills”, says World Time format is a longer version, play. Eventually he gained inter- just 15 when I played my first In- The introvert kid from Banga-
Billiards Champion Pankaj more like test cricket and purists est in the game. For serious train- ternational match in England, at lore now stands confident as the
Advani. generally advocate this format ing, he later joined Karnataka that point of time; I was too best cueist of the country. When
The 23-year-old cueist also en- whereas point is more like 20-20 young to understand anything. asked about his biggest compet-
joys watching Hrithik Roshan and cricket, which is sharper and When I was younger, there had itor, he smiles: “On that green ta-
Shahid Kapoor dance on screen. shorter,” explains the Khel Ratna been times when I cried after los- ble, you are your biggest
Who knows, some day Pankaj recipient, adding: “I have to ex- “On that green ing a match but as I grew stronger competitor”.
could be one of the sportsmen- plain billiards in terms of cricket table, you are mentally and in my game as well” Moving with the flow, Pankaj
turned dancers on a reality show. to make it easy to understand for smiles Pankaj “but, even today I lives for the moment and as far as
On a professional note the common masses.” your biggest have butterflies in my stomach his future plans are concerned he
After winning against the best He is the first and only player to competitor” before any game. I would be lying would like to continue playing his
players from across the world in have achieved a grand double of if I say I don’t, its just that now I natural game. ■
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
05
Websites of the day
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(Clockwise) Ashok Leyland’s first Titan double-decker exports were to Dhaka in Bangaladesh in 1975 where several of them are still running; In the Austin
A40 body mounting shop of Ashok Motors, in 1949 and Leyland’s longest connection in India has been with Bombay’s most recognised symbol, BEST.

Where there’s a wheel

THERE’S A WAY
R
emember hanging on the foot- Later, in 1950, the company acquired Those were the days he found that during power shortages
board of the bus or sitting on the the rights to manufacture Leyland veh- the workers worked with no fans, and
roof of the MTC bus celebrating icles in India. Thus, the name of the * Old-timers recall the hands-on very little light, trying to save electricity,
‘Bus Day’? Or, from a distance, company was changed to Ashok Ley- training Ashok Leyland emphasises on. while the staff was going back to plush
seeing rows of trucks transport heavy land in 1955 – heralding another mil- The staff had to spend three to four offices with air-conditioners. The next
goods. One pioneer in the automobile estone. months in each place and it was old- day, “We suffered like the workers did.
sector was Ashok Leyland, which re- Historian S. Muthiah recalls the com- fashioned British training which was But I noticed that one of the senior
cently celebrated its Diamond Jubilee. pany’s strong British connection since imparted in each of the places. managers had decided to ignore my in-
From a humble start by assembling its origin and a unique record of paying * R.J. Hancock, Managing Director of struction (to turn off the air-condition-
Austin cars and trucks to manufactur- dividends. Ashok Leyland (1973-76), “recalls how ing). The next day there was a big hole
ing larger utility vehicles, the company in the wall where his air-conditioner
has come a long way. We cannot tell the used to be.”
complete story of its journey in one ar- * A. Ramaswami Mudaliar, first
ticle, but it’s a milestone to cherish. QUIZ TIME Chairman of Ashok Leyland (1955 – 72)
Here are some nuggets of information 1. Which year did India get used to call for an almanac (panchan-
about an old player in the ‘Detroit of its first car? gam) at the end of every meeting to
South Asia’. choose an auspicious day for the next
2. Name the factory which Board meeting. All this rather amused
Birth of a sector built India’s first steam car. the British directors, but they soon be-
Raghunandan Saran was the founder 3. This company was incor- gan to appreciate the Indian mindset
of Ashok Motors Ltd. and the name porated in Madras in 1948. on matters of faith and they participa-
‘Ashok’ was named after his son. The Name the company. ted enthusiastically.
company, incorporated in September 4. This Chennai-based com- * S.G. Subramanian, then one of the
1948, was established in a fishing village pany started as a transport two sales engineers who needed to only
of Ennore, just north of Madras, where company and was the second sit at their desks to find orders pouring
it acquired 124 acres of land from C. main dealer of Ashok Leyland. in, remembers test driving a rail-bus
Narayanaswami Pillai. Name this group. between Mambakam and Tambaram
Varalakshmi Devi, one of the oldest with a horzionatl 680 underfloor engine
5. Expand B.E.S.T. (we are
shareholders and daughter of Naraya- powering it. It worked well but the rail-
referring to the BEST buses of
naswami Pillai, is in her 80s now and car application was not pursued. It,
Mumbai)
does not recall anything about the land however, later made an appearance in
her father sold to the Sarans. “My father (This is just a fun quiz. If you Ceylon, where it was a success for a
was working as a station master and we know the answers send them to while. ■
were five children staying in Nellore [email protected]. The winning Compiled by Liffy Thomas with inputs
when he sold the land,” says Devi, who entries will be published in these from ‘Moving India on Wheels – The Story
has around 2,000 shares of the compa- columns) of Ashok Leyland’, authored by S.
ny. Muthiah and K.N. Gopalan
06 VILLAGE ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Aerophobic
If a person is ’aerophobic,’ they
have an irrational fear of drafts.

Chinese consumers shift to soy McCain ridiculed over 13 car fleet

Barack Obama’s
milk backers on Sunday
China’s widening contaminated milk crisis has branded Republican
prompted some consumers here to shift to soy John McCain as out of
milk, an industry official said on Monday. VV Food touch and guilty of
and Beverage Co, China’s largest soy milk producer, betraying US workers
expects its sales to rise 15 percent in the fourth after it was reported
quarter from a year earlier, said company his family owns 13
spokesman Ding Jinli. “We are doing quite well in cars, including several
recent weeks,” Ding said. VV plans to expand its foreign models. The
soy milk product line in the fourth quarter. Republican presidential
AFP. hopeful and his family
have already faced
ridicule and criticism
from Democrats over a
Zardari to get 3 million pounds property portfolio
which includes seven
from sale proceeds of Surrey Palace homes. The United
Only a few legal formalities are left after which newly- Auto Workers union
elected Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari would pocket (UAW) accused the
nearly three million pounds from the Pakistani exchequer, Arizona senator in a
the sale proceeds of Surrey Palace - the Rockwood House - conference call organised by Democrats of not telling the
which was sold through a liquidator in 2004 after Zardari truth about always buying American cars, as the family
and his slain spouse Benazir Bhutto were found guilty of fleet reportedly includes a Honda and a Volkswagen.
corruption. The total “When he’s in the midwest, he tells voters he supports the
worth of the mansion industry,” UAW president Ron Gettelfinger said, referring
today is estimated to be to economically bereft battleground states.
around 8.5 million AFP
pounds. That sum (three
million pounds) will add
the fortune of Zardari,
who had only last Israeli woman gives birth to big
month received 32
million pounds in frozen baby
assets released to him by An Israeli woman gave birth Sunday to a big but health
the Swiss authorities, baby boy who weighed in at 5.25 kilos, Israel Radio
after Geneva reported. The 26-year-old mother, who had a natural
prosecutors dropped the childbirth, said she and the baby were doing well. “I
money-laundering feel great,” said the woman, a resident of northern
investigation against Israel who gave birth in Tiberius just off the Sea of
Zardari at the request of Galilee. “It was not a very hard,” she added, saying that
the PPP-led alliance this was her second child. The broadcaster reported that
government. the birth apparently broke a local record.
ANI DPA

Singapore is the home for them

Indian students say this cosmopolitan city state has become
more than a second home for them

I
t is the cost factor that first pursuing a course in Hospitality “Initially, it was only the fees
attracted them here for edu- and Tourism Management in that attracted us to this place. Af-
cation, with the fee structure East Asia Institute of Manage- ter coming here, life seems to be
about one-third of that in the ment said.Cultural compatibility, so easy here. Finding an accom-
US or UK. proximity to the home-state are modation, or education loan, get-
But for Indian students, en- some of the other factors that are ting a student pass et al is not at a
rolled in educational institutes propelling many other students problem. Thanks to no red tape,
here, this cosmopolitan city state like Avni throng Singapore. we get our passports and visas re-
has become more than a second As per the 2007 records, Singa- newed within minutes,” Pankaj
home. pore has 86,000 students from Khanna, from the Management
“After living here for almost 120 nationalities pursuing vari- Institute said.
three years now, I have realised ous courses here. Seventy-five “It is a good blend of the East
that it is a very safe place, safer per cent of the total student-pop- and the West. Culture-wise the
than India. I feel extremely secure ulation here is from foreign coun- eastern part helps, while for us,
here and my parents back home tries and Indian students are only the youths, Western part at-
do not have to worry for me,” An- second to their Chinese counter- tracts,” he added. ■
vi Shan, a Mumbaikar who is now parts in numbers here. PTI
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
07
Electric fish This day, that year
Over 500 varieties of fish are able to It was in September 23, 1845 that
generate appreciable amounts of standardised rules were established
electricity. for baseball.

Bicycle rental programme to

attract riders
Shanghai to test the Paris-style
rental programme to encourage
people to get back on bikes

S
hanghai, once home to the pay a 200 yuan (29 dollars) de-
world’s biggest bicycle in- posit and are charged one to
dustry, began testing a Pa- three yuan an hour on a progres-
ris-style rental programme sive system designed to encour-
on Monday to encourage people age short rents and quick
to get back on bikes, officials said. turnover. The first half hour is
The programme was launched free.The bicycles are being sup-
to coincide with World Car Free plied by the Shanghai Forever Bi-
Day on Monday and is part of the cycle Company, one of
city’s preparations to host the Shanghai’s oldest bicycle brands.
2010 World Expo, whose theme is Shanghai-made Forever, Phoe-
‘Better City, Better Life’, Shanghai nix and Flying Pigeon brand bicy-
Metro said. cles used to dominate the city’s
The limited trial began at a roads, but as China has become
metro station near a high-tech re- more affluent cars have taken
search centre in the Pudong area over.
to encourage people to bike be- The city recently banned bicy-
tween the station and their offic- cles from travelling on select ma-
es, Shanghai Metro said. jor roads to prevent them from
If successful, the programme slowing down motorists.
will be expanded to 800 stands The Shanghai programme uses
outside metro station exits and technology similar to Paris’ suc-
on 2,700 other sites in business cessful ‘Velib’ scheme, which was
and residential areas by 2012, the launched last year and has since
Shanghai Morning Post reported. been emulated by other cities. ■
To use the system, riders must AFP

It’s possible to live with out cash Boxer model

A Brit man has been living the
past 10 months without cash
only to see if it is possible to live
in a cashless society.
The pledge of not using use any
currency with the Queen’s head
on it, including notes, coins and
even stamps for a year after a
drunken bet made by James Allen
last December in a pub that did A Brit man lived 10
not accept cards. months without using
A web content editor by profes-
sion, Allan said that he wanted to
any currency with the
see if it was possible to live a Queen’s head in it
cash-free life, although he admit-
ted that he thought his friend was being able to use supermarket
the subject of the bet and not trolleys because they require a 1
himself. pound coin to unlock them, and
He only used credit and debit having to walk past a 50 pounds
cards to buy goods and services. note he found lying in the street.
“It was all right at first because He was also forced to walk 10
I had a very supportive girlfriend miles across London one night
who bailed me out, but when the because he could not find anywh-
relationship went awry in Janu- ere to top up his Oyster card,
ary, I realised how difficult it was while he has often had to make
going to be,” the Telegraph quot- extra purchases in corner shops
쒀 Beijing Olympic medallist, boxer Vijender Singh strikes a pose at the ramp during
ed Allan, as saying. to meet the minimum 5 pound-
designer Rohit Bal’s show on the last day of the India Couture Week’08, in
The 25-year-old Briton did face spend needed to pay by card. ■
Mumbai on Sunday. PTI PHOTO
some low points, including not ANI
08 SPORT ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Atwal finishes tied 14th

A place among the top 10 slipped through Arjun Atwal’s fingers
following a couple of late bogeys and the Orlando-based Indian
signed off with two-under 70 to finish tied 14th in the Oregon
Classic. Atwal’s front nine was an incredible string of par shots
intercepted by the seventh hole birdie.

Akhtar’s career hangs in

uncertainty
Uncertainty looms large over Pakistan
speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s career after his
lawyer failed to show up in Lahore High
court on Monday, prompting the Court to
adjourn the
proceedings until
October 3. The High
Court issued notice to
the pacer’s lawyer to
make a mandatory
appearance in the
court at the next date
so as to start the
proceedings on the
Pakistan Cricket
Board’s application to
get directives if
Akhtar can play
domestic or international cricket without
paying a seven million rupees fine.
The PCB has now asked the court to give a
clear cut order if legally Akhtar can play in
the national Twenty20 championship
starting from October 4 and on his selection
in the national team in case if he does not
pay the fine first. The fine was imposed on

B
Barca
Akhtar by an appellate tribunal of the PCB arcelona registered their
in June while reducing a five-year ban on to first league win of the sea-
18-months. Akhtar, later, filed a writ son and they did it in style
petition with the Lahore High Court bench with a 6-1 demolition of
challenging the ban and fine. While the 10-man Sporting Gijon on Sun-
court has suspended the ban in an interim day. Barcelona started the match
order, it didn’t issue orders on payment of in the unusual position of third
the fine. from bottom after struggling to
PTI convert chances but they let off
steam by running riot in Gijon.
Two goals inside five minutes
from Xavi and Cameroon striker
‘Islamabad blasts justify

HIT A SIX
Samuel Eto’o put Barca in control
and an own goal made it 3-0.
CT pull-out’ Andres Iniesta then capped a
Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting brilliant move with a delicate fin-
shudders to think what might have ish and Argentine Lionel Messi
happened had his team been in Pakistan scored twice in the final five min-
and said Saturday’s blasts in Islamabad have utes to push the Catalans up to
justified his country’s decision of opting out ninth. It was Pep Guardiola’s first
of the Champions Trophy, which was league victory since replacing
eventually postponed.
The Champions Trophy was scheduled to be
held in Pakistan from September 12-28 but
Frank Rijkaard in the summer
and Barca are now just three
points behind the leaders.
Messi scores twice
was postponed after a number of countries,
including Australia Real win season there are always problems Top of the table
and South Africa Real Madrid moved to within a that emerge that you need to
raised security doubts point of the leading quartet with work on,” said Schuster. “We are Valencia lead the standings on
and Saturday’s suicide a 2-0 triumph at Racing Santan- working day by day and the most goal difference after a late Juan
attack only confirmed der. Midfielder Ruben de la Red, important thing is that the atti- Mata goal downed 10-man Osa-
the worst. “It’s back at Real after a successful tude is right. I thought we were suna at the Mestalla. Mata struck
devastating for the season’s loan at Ge- much better tonight.” seven minutes from time for the
people involved,” he tafe, scored his Four teams share top spot in breakthrough after Osasuna had
said adding “I mean, first league goal Spain including title dark horses been reduced to 10 men with Ce-
we’d be talking FC Barcelona’s for the club Villarreal and Valencia, who rec- sar Azpilicueta received his
hypothetically, of us players celebrate and Ruud van orded victories over Numancia marching orders just after the
being in the hotel or during their Nistelrooy and Osasuna, respectively. Villar- hour for a second booking. “Be-
England or South match against produced a real, who earned a creditable 0-0 ing top is not that significant as
Africa being in the Sporting Gijon at deadly finish Champions League draw at Man- there are various teams with sev-
hotel,” Ponting was the Molinon as the cham- chester United on Wednesday, en points,” said Valencia coach
quoted as saying in The Age prior to the Stadium in pions rose to came from a goal down to defeat Unai Emery. “The most impor-
team’s departure for the four-match Test Gijon. AFP sixth in the ta- Numancia 2-1 with Jose Llorente tant thing for us is that we are
series against India. Ponting felt they did ble. The clean scoring the winner with his first improving and collecting points
the right thing by acting on the advice of sheet will also please goal for the club. “It is no surprise from difficult games like this one.
Australia’s security experts and the coach Bernd Schuster who crit- that Barcelona lost here and it We knew it was a test of patience
Department of Foreign Affairs. icised his team for conceding five was a difficult game,” said Villar- because Osasuna are hard to
PTI goals in their opening two league real coach Manuel Pellegrini. open up.” ■
fixtures. “At the beginning of the “Patience was the key.” AFP
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
09
Asif trains with ICL rebels
Suspended from the national team, embattled pacer Mohammad Asif is keeping
himself busy training with the Pakistani ’rebels’ of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) as
they prepare for the new season that gets underway next month. Asif played in a
practice game at the Model Town ground against the ICL rebels, whose ranks are
expected to expand this season with some more signings.

Between the
Cup and the slip and we were sitting pretty, but once
Robin was dismissed we lost a few
quick wickets.”
India lost skipper Mohammed Az-
haruddin, Ganguly, Navjot Singh Sid-
hu, Ajay Jadeja and keeper Nayan
Mongia in quick succession and it

I
ndia’s Independence Cup win in was left to newcomer Kanitkar and Ja-
Dhaka in 1998 looked highly un- vagal Srinath to see them home.
likely after arch-rivals Pakistan, “I had no pressure. Azhar had
batting first, had posted a mam- asked me to play each ball according
moth total of 314. Saeed Anwar (140) to its merit and I knew we could win if
and Ejaz Ahmed (117) made centuries we kept our nerve. I just wanted to
as the Indian bowlers were pasted all score from every ball,” Kanitkar
over the park. recalls.
But there was some hope as the It was down to the last over, and
Dhaka pitch was a flat one and looked with three needed from two balls, Ka-
a batsman’s paradise even after 50 nitkar took guard. Saqlain Mushtaq –
overs had been bowled. With the ex- a bowler who, with Muttiah Muralith-
plosive Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav aran, saved off-spin from extinction –
Ganguly opening the batting, the In- had the ball. The ball pitched be-
dians needed some quick runs to turn tween middle-and-leg and Kanitkar
the tide in their favour. The two put slog-swept it. It was a bit uppish but it
on 71 for the first wicket in 8.2 overs sailed out of the reach of the mid-
before a clever bowling change by Pa- wicket fielder. A boundary!
kistan skipper Rashid Latif did the The players rushed in and India
trick. Shahid Afridi was brought in had snatched victory from the jaws of
and he bowled a googly, forcing Ten- defeat. “That win brought instant
dulkar into an expansive drive. Azhar fame for me. I have talked about it so
Mahmood completed the formality. much. I will try to keep it short this
“It was a huge total. But Sachin and time. Srinath was batting along with
Sourav gave us a great start and all of me on the other end. He told me wha-
us knew the total was achievable,” tever happens ‘just don’t miss the
says Hrishikesh Kanitkar, one of the ball’. So the only plan was to watch
members of the side. “After Sachin’s the ball and make a good connection
dismissal Robin Singh was sent in to with the bat. I wasn’t looking for a
keep up the momentum and he com- boundary or six or anything like that. I
bined well with Sourav and they took was just telling myself to watch the
the score to 250. They literally toyed ball, and the rest is history,” he ends.
with the bowling and scored at will ■

Three needed off

two deliveries and
Saqlain Mushtaq
at the bowler’s
end… Hrishikesh
Kanitkar on that
Independence
Cup final PHOTO: V.GANESAN
10 FLICK ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

George Michael says sorry to fans

George Michael apologised to his fans on Sunday after being
cautioned for possession of drugs in London.
“I want to apologise to my fans for screwing up again, and to
promise them I’ll sort myself out. And to say sorry to everybody
else, just for boring them,” he said in a statement.
AFP

Actor Paul
Giamatti
accepts
the Emmy
for Best Lead
Actor, Miniseries
or Movie for ’John
Adams’. AFP PHOTO

Of Mad
Men and
Presidents
Mad Men gets top honour at 60th
Emmy Awards, while political
productions John Adams and Recount
are other big winners Actor Alec Baldwin with his Emmy for Best Actor
for ’30 Rock’
Actress Tina Fey accepts the
Emmy for Best Actress,
Comedy for ’30 Rock

matti in the title role, set a new Other acting awards, mean-
record after picking up five top while, saw wins for two of Holly- activist Alec Baldwin, who won
awards including outstanding wood’s most established names, the first Emmy of his career in the
mini-series and a virtual sweep of with Glenn Close scooping the outstanding lead actor in a come-
the acting prizes. lead drama actress dy for 30 Rock, where he plays a
Giamatti took home the hon- prize for her por- television network executive. ■
ours for outstanding lead actor in trayal of a ruth-
a mini-series or movie, with Lau- less litigator in
ra Linney emulating the honour Damages. Outstanding Drama Series:
in the lead actress category. It Close, per- Mad Men
Outstanding Lead Actor in a
was the third Emmy of Linney’s haps best
Drama Series: Bryan
career. known for her
Cranston, Breaking Bad
Britain’s Tom Wilkinson, performance Outstanding Lead Actress in
meanwhile, nominated for an A- as a psycho- a Drama Series: Glenn Close,
cademy Award earlier this year in pathic stalker Damages
the thriller Michael Clayton, won in the 1987 Outstanding Comedy Series:
best supporting actor. film Fatal At- 30 Rock
Meanwhile Linney, who played traction, had al- Outstanding Lead Actor in a
Producer/writer Matthew Weiner (R) and co-producers of Adams’ wife and confidante Abi- so won an acting Comedy Series: Alec
’Mad Men’ gail, could not resist a political Emmy in 1995. Baldwin, 30 Rock
barb after collecting her prize. It was a case Outstanding Lead Actress in

P
eriod drama Mad Men studded ceremony at the Nokia Linney said the mini-series was of seventh a Comedy Series: Tina Fey,
scooped the top honour at Theatre. a tribute to “the great community time lucky 30 Rock
the 60th Emmy Awards in However the other big winners organisers that helped form our for veteran Outstanding Mini-series:
Los Angeles on Sunday as of the evening were two political- country”, a clear reference to actor John Adams
politics took centrestage at the ly themed productions: the ac- Democratic presidential candi- and Outstanding Made For
US television industry’s annual claimed historical drama John date Barack Obama, a former Television Movie: Recount
equivalent to the Oscars. Adams about the second presi- community organiser. Outstanding Lead Actress in
The critically acclaimed cable dent of the United States and Re- Recount, a drama depicting the a Mini-series or Movie:
series – about the workings of a count about the contested 2000 events following the 2000 presi-
Laura Linney, John Adams
Outstanding Lead Actor in a
New York advertising agency in election. dential election, won in the out-
Miniseries or Movie: Paul
the early 1960s – was named out- Home Box Office’s seven-part standing made for television Giamatti, John Adams
standing drama series at a star- John Adams, starring Paul Gia- movie category.
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Sandaikozhi to be
11
Sibiraj turns villian?
We hear that actor Sibiraj was remade in Hindi
approached to don the negative role Sandaikozhi, the blockbuster starring Vishal and
in an upcoming flick Kavasam, in Meera Jasmine, is being remade in Hindi. Abhishek
which Prasanna plays the lead. Bachchan will play the lead and Amitabh Bachchan
plays the role played by Raj Kiran.

Naan Kadavul sold out

EVERYTHING’S FAIR for Rs. 16 crore
Zee Tamil, a soon-to-be-launched channel, has bagged

FOR MY FAIR LADY the rights of Bala’s Naan Kadavul, starring Arya and
Pooja in lead roles. Shooting was completed a while
ago and the film will hit the screens by next month.
Meanwhile, Zee Productions has signed director Bala
for a new project. Sources say that Bala has been
Role causes rift between Brad offered a remuneration of Rs. 4 crore for the project.
www.cinesnacks.com
Pitt and George Clooney

B
rad Pitt and George Clooney were once the best
of mates, but it took only a role in the remake
of My Fair Lady to bust them apart.
The two Hollywood heartthrobs, who have
been quite successful with their reunion in their lat-
est movie Burn After Reading, are now fighting over
who gets to play the role of Henry Higgins in the
remake of the classic.
“We both badly want a particular role and neither
is backing down,” News.com.au quoted Clooney as
having told a friend.
For Pitt, landing the role of Henry Higgins would be
a dream come true, as he has been fascinated by the
story since he was a child, and he has even gone so far
as to tell Clooney to back down and give the role to
him.
The Troy star is so enthusiastic about the movie
that he wants his wife actress Angelina Jolie to play
the part of Eliza Doolittle.
But Clooney has no intentions of backing down, as
he too is eager to land the role.
“It’s sort of become an intense competition be-
tween us now and it just keeps escalating. For now
we’re both so angry we’re not even in contact any
more,” Clooney added. ■
ANI
12 SCAN ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

All time favourite

According to geocities.com, Amitabh
bachchan’s favourite screen name is
Vijay, which he had as his character
name in over 20 movies.

PICK OF THE DAY

HBO PIX Zee Studio Star World

Return to paradise – 9 pm Rain Man – 10 pm Snow Dogs – 10-30 pm According to Jim – 8-30 pm
The past comes back to haunt a Oscar-winning drama about a self- When a Miami dentist, Dr. Ted Dana’s first task at the ad agency is
group of friends when one of them centred young man who discovers Brooks (Cuba Gooding Jr.) inherits a to cast the perfect TV family for a
is sentenced to death for a crime that he has been disinherited in team of sled dogs, he’s got to learn Disney cruise commercial. Cheryl
which they were all involved in. favour of his autistic older brother, the trade or lose his pack to a crusty and the kids get the job.
Raymond, who he never knew mountain man, Thunder Jack (James
existed. Coburn).

Dear Diary: Jeeva

I
learnt today that giving ad- was telling me all this at such a
vice is not easy and it has a time. But, I didn’t lose my pa-
very prolonged effect on peo- tience and asked him what he
ple. I discovered this when I wanted, to which he replied, “Ad-
got a call from a crazed fan in the vice me on something right
middle of the night, waking me now.” I was totally taken aback
from my slumber. by the fact that an almost crazy
In the serial Kana Kaanum Ka- man was calling me in the mid-
langal, I play the role of a school dle of the night asking me to
teacher who gives light-hearted, shower him with immediate ad-
value-based advice to students. vice.
People of all ages like them and I told him not to disturb people
appreciate me for the same. who are asleep, especially in the
Once, at around 1 a.m., I got a middle of the night. He laughed
call from a guy. It took me some out loud and hung up. But I was
time to realise that there was so- awake for the rest of the night,
meone on the other line as I was wondering how I had affected
half asleep. He repeatedly asked him so much that he had to call
if he was talking to the right per- at such unearthly hours for the
son. Later, when I confirmed it, sake of a silly advice. Only then
he told me that he was a diehard did I realise the power of my role
fan of mine and that everyone in in that serial. This is one of the
his family liked my comedy and most unforgettable incidents of
the small anecdotes I gave. my life. ■
I was really annoyed that he As told to Swetha Ganesan
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
13
Jailed ass
A donkey in Egypt has been jailed for
stealing sweetcorn from a field
belonging to an agricultural research
institute in the Nile Delta.

Greetings
Hi Varun (Satyam) Belated birthday wishes da!!
Dandiya Garba Raas
May God bless you with health, happiness, wealth The Rotary Club of Madras is
and let all your desires come true on this beautiful once again organising the hugely
year ahead!! Sorry da, forgot to call you on your popular Dandiya Garba Raas on
b’day :) hope I will be excused. With love, Guess!! Saturday at Hotel Taj Connema-
ra. There will be various prizes for
Dear Rajesh, different competitions in many
We wish you belated birthday wishes and a great categories like Best dancing cou-
year ahead. How do you expect us to remember ple, Best dancing Male & Female,
your birthday, when you never look any older? Best dressed couple, Male & Fe-
From BI&A (Unisys), Hexaware Technologies (HT-5) male, Child and many more.
Where:
Dear Santhosh, Taj Connemara,
Wish you many more happy returns of the Binny Road
day.May the coming year be the best in your When: Sep 27, 7 pm
life.God Bless you. Warm Birthday wishes from
Team BI. Wishes, FunClub Business Implementation,
Software Solutions, Scope International, Karapakkam.

Dear Sornaka (Nisha),

"Smile while you still have a teeth!" May this day
Amitabh Sen Jewels for the Wedding season
brings you all things that make you smile. Happy
Birthday to U !!! Gupta’s art Amethyst brings a wide
range of gifts for the wed-
Wishes from, Magalir sangam, SIPTech

Dear Jaya, Sumeet and Babu,

exhibition ding season. Jewellery
features as a significant
and attractive option
Wishing the trio a very happy bday!! Jaya, Prepare
where the extensive je-
more n more PJs going fwd! Babu, The menu in
wellery line bedazzles
life is diverse.. not just Fruit Salad.. Sumeet, We
with its exquisite collec-
highly appreciate your silence!!
tion of bangles, elegant
Warm Regards, Target-DFD TCS, Karapakkam
neck pieces with pen-
dants and rings.
Hi Subi,
Where: 14 / 30,
Wish you Many Many Happy Returns of the Day
Padmavathi Road,
!!! May all your wishes be granted and hope you
Jeypore Colony,
have a Wonderful Year ahead.
Gopalapuram
From, Ramya, Girish & Janani, Hewlett
Contact: 28351143 /
Packard
28311917
Hi Vipin,
A birhtday is just the first day of another 365 day
journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.
We wish u a happy birthday. Art World is organising an exhibi-
Regards, Anooj, Amutha, Divya,Nisha, Wipro tion of paintings by Amitabh Sen
Gupta at Saralas Art Centre.
Dear Girish, Where: Sarala’s Art Centre
We wish you a many more happy returns of the 1,12, Ganseshpuram , 3rd What, when, where
day. We hope all of your wishes come true. Street, If you have anything interesting or informative that can be
May God bless you and your family with off Cenotaph road featured in these columns, mail us at [email protected].
Happiness, Wealth and Health. When: till Sep 25 Please send the release mentioning where and when the
Best Wishes From, Contact: 24338691 event is happening, along with the contact details.
Container Centrallen team,Tata Consultancy Services
Dear Pavi,
Wishing YOU Many More Happy Returns of the
day.May God shower his Blessings on this special
Day! Have a Blast!! Dazzling Birthday. TOP 5 ANGER MANAGEMENT TIPS
Love, Jennifer, RenukaDevi,
Nathiya, Priya, Wipro. 1. Talk to someone the gym. Exercise releases "feel good"
Hi Arun (FR,CB,PAK), If you’ve got a close friend - maybe a person substances in our body called endorphins, so
Wish you many more happy returns of the day. who has known you for years - or even chances are that this will help you feel
May all your dreams about your diagonals come someone in your family, talk things out with better.
true. Dont become mad by thinking about MAD.. them. How you play this depends on you but
Regards, Route - 9 Bus Gang, Wipro Technologies often the simple act of talking about your 4. Learn to breathe
feelings helps diffuse them Take a long, slow deep breath in. Linger over
Hello Gang, this and hold your breath for a second or
Send your greetings to [email protected], with the 2. Write about it two. Then exhale slowly and completely. Do
word ‘greeting’ and the preferred date of If talking to someone is too much for you or this five or six times and you’ll be amazed at
publication in the subject line. Example: “greeting: if your anger fits have got so bad that no- how calm and relaxed you start to feel versus
September 24”. This will help us organise the one will talk to you any more, then write it how you were before.
column. Also, those who want to dedicate down. Write or type away without editing
greetings, please send your full name, company what you write. Just write constantly for 5. Take up relaxation
name and contact number for verification. between 5 and 15 minutes. This can take many different forms. Maybe
Cheers, there’s a local yoga class you can attend. Or
Team Ergo 3. Get some exercise get hold of a relaxation or meditation .Find
Anything from a brisk walk to a workout in yourself some space to chill.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Prized coffin
An Italian raffle winner has chosen not to collect his
top prize - a VIP coffin. The morbid prize, which comes
complete with a pillow and an antique brass reading
light, was up for grabs in a draw held by tourism
chiefs in Borgo Magna in the city of San Marco.

sudoku

Kurian Thomas
of Infosys,
Mahindra City
took this picture
of his wife
Deepthy,
working with
Polaris, Navalur,
during their
recent trip to the
Beijing Olympics.
It’s the Bird’s
Nest on the
background.
Hobbies:
Travelling, sports
and reading

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

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
[email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

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

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[email protected]

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M.G.M. Sharief
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Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Tuesday, September 23, 2008
15
Word’s worth Hairy commitment
Metallica frontman James Hetfield has reportedly promised to shave off his beard
"Taniwha" (tan-i-wah) a mythical in tribute to a fan who refused to shave until the rockers released a new album.
monster that, according to Maori Los Angeles-based Mick Cassidy finally shaved off his beard this month, after
legend,lives in very deep water. Metallica released their 12th album, Death Magnetic - their first in five years.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You may remain in good humour. Your more
attention will be on your prime responsibilities. Best
is to deal with pending tasks. You may be in a
mood to chill and may not prefer to socialise, as
you want to relax at ’home sweet home’.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You are very active and creative ideas may be
floating on your mind. If you go with the flow of
your mood, you may be able to handle work nicely.
At home, you may either have many guests or you
may wish to socialise to meet friends and relatives.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

The day doesn’t favour highly technical activities. If
BORN LOSER you take up any complex task, you may get
confused. Best is to work on simple things. You
may shower beloved with sweet words and in
return you may be showered by ‘eternal love’.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Your presentation skills may be very good. It is a
favourable day for sorting out technical issues.
Superiors may appreciate your work. Life partner
may be cooperative which will make you feel nice.
Ganesha finds this to be best day of the month.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You should avoid working on risky projects. On the
personal front, you may remain passionate and may
wish privacy with your beloved or life partner. The
day favours personal life in general but on the job
front, you may have ’sense of insecurity’.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
It is a favourable day for negotiating promotion.
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT Day also favours you for beginning new projects. In
personal life, you may remain flexible and in
cheerful mood so your partner may also be in a
very good mood. It’s a good day for you.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
The day favours beginning of new job. You can
choose this day for taking or giving interviews. Your
mind may be highly active. Your beloved one may
require more attention but due to work pressure,
you may probably not give due attention.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Your subconscious mind will find ways to your
internal conflicts. You may be confused about a
particular aspect of your work but in second half,
you will be clear about it. Ganesha finds your
personal life going as per routine today.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
It is active day but you may need to keep emotions
aside. You can be highly attached with a project
but unless you detach yourself, you would not be
able to perform. Your personal life may pass
through a dull phase today, hence avoid conflicts.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You may need to be careful of those who are
jealous of you. Your prime objectives may change
and you might have to deal with trivial activities
today. You may have a wonderful time with life
partner or beloved one, says Ganesha.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may remain totally occupied with work. You
may plan your schedule for the days to come. Your
ISSUE’S priorities at work may change. You may need to be
careful of disappointing your beloved one or life
SOLUTIONS partner. In short, it is a day to handle with care.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
You can begin learning new techniques today. If
you develop a new skill, it will be very helpful in
future. Your love life may thrive today. The day
favours conception, if you are planning for the baby.
Ganesha wishes you good luck.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Sleeping target
A burglar who celebrated getting away with a
jewellery heist with a stolen bottle of champagne has
been caught by German police after he was found
sleeping off his hangover in his parked car.

Every day a good hair day

Schwarzkopf Professional’s National Technical Head on the season’s latest trends
VIPASHA SINHA

METROSEXUAL
G
one are the days when girls spent
hours pampering their tresses.
It’s an easy-to-handle hairdo that
is ruling young minds now. Na-
jeeb Ur Rehman, National Technical
Head, Schwarzkopf Professional, talks
to Metrosexual and provides some
time-saving hair care and hairstyling
tips suited for the season.
The 36-year-old veteran is one of the
most popular hairstylists and trainers
in India. He was the winner of the
Queen’s Cup in 1999, one of the biggest
hairdressing awards worldwide, and al-
so the official hairstylist of the cast of
the movie Monsoon Wedding.

Hair length
This season, the hair length varies
from medium to short to medium to
long, says Rehman. This gives you an
option of tying it up at work or leaving it
down for special occasions.
If you want it even easier, go the Vic-
toria Beckham, Rihanna and our very
own Bipasha Basu way. The asymmetri-
cal bob is in. The hair is long in the front
and gradually shortens at the back. It
goes well with round and square faces.
Thinking about straightening your
hair? Wait, as natural waves are back.
Straightened hair has been a rage since
a while now but it’s the natural wavy
look that is in at present.

Colours
The colour for this season is beige
gold. If you want a darker shade, ash
blonde would look best. Full hair can’t
be coloured pink, blue or red, so col-
oured streaks are the next best thing for
the funk in you.
Your hair is your best adornment, so
treat it well and ensure that no day is a
bad-hair day. It’s just about the right
cut, right colour and regular care. ■

Do’s
Use a shampoo that suits your
hair
Different hair textures need hair
conditioners accordingly.
For the finishing, use cream-based
moisturisers on dry hair. For those
with thin hair, Najeeb
recommends Osis Grip.
Consult a specialist in case of any
hair issue.
Don’ts
Oil. Weather conditions today do
not suit oily hair.
Wrong shampoo. It harms hair
quality.
Dandruff. It can lead to hair loss.