A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, December 1, 2008

10 03
RGV’S NEXT
Agyaat, an EARLY STARS
inspired thriller Chennai’s rising television artistes
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 228

On the guard
As an aftermath of the Mumbai carnage, the Indian Govern-
ment affected a futile change of guard with the resignation
of the Home Minister. Whether it is enough remains to
be seen. With the recent increase in the frequency and
intensity of terror strikes and the failure of intelligence
agencies to predict and handle such situations, a com-
plete overhaul of the country’s internal security mech-
anism is needed. With the loopholes seeming
bigger than ever, will Indian politicians rise over
petty differences and address the situation?
Post your comments to my.ergo@goergo.in
with the subject line ‘Mumbai’.

Beads make it big

Her label ‘Aticute’ (Attitude + Cute)
is only six months old, but her
designs already have a place in many
boutiques in the city. Twenty-one-
year-old Preeti Agarwal on her
childhood hobby growing larger.

» PAGE 05
02 NAMMA CHENNAI
Pay for fingerprints
An investigating officer in the city
visited a house that was struck by
burglars sometime ago. The khaki
pocketed Rs. 800 from the victim as
fee for fingerprint extraction and
left. Little did he know that the victim
was a relative of a top cop. And when the
matter reached the top officer, the corrupt cop
received a royal dose. His punishment was not
just returning the money but also buying
groceries for the victim.
No raincoats
The recent torrential rains that lashed our city
made life tough for not only civilians but also
the police. The inadequate number of
raincoats for the force hit the junior-level
khakis big-time. Some had to make do with
plastic sheets and large polythene bags on
duty during the downpour. A few even
borrowed rain jackets from their kids as
schools were luckily closed due to rains.
An eye for an eye
The leader of a caste-based group based in
Madurai and some followers are said to be in
Chennai. The reason – they are collecting
detailed information on all students who
attacked and grievously injured three students
in the Law College clash on November 12. A
detailed list is known to have been prepared
with the intension of an eye for an eye.
Taking revenge
The khakis are on vengeance mode after the
Law College incident here. All the pending
cases against Law College students in the city,
including that of students attacking cops, have
been unearthed. The result is a spree of arrests
over the last few days. One student was also
booked for a pending motorcycle theft case
against him.
ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008
And a thousand images
Photographs taken by 12 participants at a
workshop are on display at Geothe-Institut/Max
Mueller Bhavan. ‘Photo stories from thousand
lights’ is on view till December 14. For details call
2833 2343.
‘I am just a person
who wants to help’
How far would you go to make a difference in a child’s life,
especially when you are still a college student and
dependent on your parents?
SWETHA GANESAN
V
. Suresh Babu, a third-year
Mechanical Engineering
student of SRM Easwari,
goes to prove that there are
no limits, once you are deter-
mined to lend a hand.
The 20-year-old was your aver-
age college student, living life for
the minute, until one particular
incident changed his life.
“It was during my first year. My
friend and I were driving down
the Marina stretch when I saw a
small boy begging at the signal.
As the signal turned green, the
boy was trying to cross the road
but was hit by a car and he died
on the spot. This incident shook
me and right then I decided that I
would help children, whenever
they were genuinely in need of
it.”
Following this incident, he ap-
proached a few orphanages and
started doing his bit by donating
money, clothes and the like. This
went on for quite sometime until
one day; he and a friend were ap-
proached by two young boys,
studying in their 11th standard,
outside Citi Centre.
“I was puzzled when two chil-
dren ran up to me asking if I
could buy them their study guide.
When I asked them why, they
said that they didn’t have enough
money to buy them. I enquired anything at all and this went on wanted, I would provide them
about their family and learnt that, for more than a year until they with it,” he says.
like every other poor Indian fam- finally completed their secondary Suresh’s long-term goal is to
ily, half of their total earnings education. build a school to educate those
were used up by their alcoholic To finance his mission, he took who cannot afford education oth-
father and they barely ate one up to working part time for a call erwise. He also hopes to expand it
meal a day. I felt really bad and centre. Whatever they needed, he to include an orphanage and an
since the book was a matter of Rs. funded from his pocket. The two old age home, whenever possible.
100, I decided to pitch in,” he boys are now perusing an engi- Currently, he is pursuing his
says. neering degree at a government degree and hopes, when he com-
This was soon forgotten and a college in Coimbatore. pletes, he will be able to engage
few days later, when he hap- “My part-time stint paid me Rs. in this activity full-time.
pened to be at the same place he 7,000 monthly and I wanted to “I’m not part of any NGO or
was the other day, the very same put it to good use. What was I any organisation as such. I am
boys approached him, requesting going to do with so much money just a person who wants to help.
him to pay their examination fee. anyway? Their cause seemed There’s no greater satisfaction
He then took it upon himself to genuine and I wanted to help. than seeing someone you’ve
fund their education. He gave Whenever they called me with re- helped use the opportunity to
them his number and asked them quest for books, pens, pencils, grow. Those two boys gave me
to contact him if they needed paper or whatever little they that satisfaction,” he smiles. ■
 Monday, December 1, 2008
03
Go Digital
Fastrack has launched its new range of digital watches. From the white digital watch
for the fast track girl to a steel case with a bright orange leather strap, the watches
are cool and trendy. They are priced from Rs. 895 to Rs. 2,495.

Raring to go: (From left) Ameena, Anush, Neha, Manav, Yakshi and Yash. Photo: S.S. Kumar

TWINKLE, TWINKLE Meet Chennai’s child

artistes who very well
know how to strike a

LITTLE STAR balance between school

and modelling

VIPASHA SINHA ings to TV-advertisements, they ling experience, he says: “It’s fun back home happy.” days or during holidays. Studies
are everywhere. while shooting as everyone Yash Lodha was spotted in come before anything else,”
Ten-year-old Manav Sanklecha around are sweet and pamper me Ajith-starter Aegan, where he beams Yash
There’s a brand new dance but I has done modelling for Chennai a lot. Sometimes, when the shoot played child Ajith. Aamina, an eight-year-old
don’t know its name Silks, RS Brothers, and Maruti Es- becomes too long or when asked Despite sharing screen with big model, has all reasons to make
That people from bad homes do teem and is looking forward to for continuous retakes, I feel like shots and modelling for brands her mother happy. “Aamina is a
again and again many more ads in the future. running away but at the end of like VSNL, Chennai Silks, Pothys first-rank holder in her class ev-
Its big and its bland full of ten- When asked about his model- the day I finish my work and go and Appy, seven-year-old Yash is ery year. In spite of her co-curric-
sion and fear timid and shy and turns back to ular activities, she manages her
They do it over there but we his mom after each question for academics equally well,” says Aa-
don’t do it here… hints, but when it comes to work mina’s mom.
it’s a different story. Being the Mr or Miss Popular in

T
he song from David Bowie is Like any other actor he patient- school or having tasted stardom
apt for the child artists who Yash Lodha is one ly does what he is asked to with- at such an early stage doesn’t
do modelling with such among the leading out complaining. matter much; they are their par-
ease, innocence and profes- Where adults are still trying to ent’s children and they make
sionalism, remaining untouched child artistes, figure out what time manage- them happy in all ways.
from the tantrums, glitz and gloss making a mark in ment and multi-tasking is, these Some want to become doctor,
of the fashion world. films and kids seem to have mastered it al- some choreographers, some
Where child actors like Taare ready. businessmen and some actors
Zameen Par fame Darsheel Safary commercials, Aegan They juggle their tasks so well when they grow up, but their
and Shriya Sharma, the Paanchvi being his latest that they surprise their class- blend of sugar-coated innocence
Paas kid making nation wide mates by performing brilliantly in and professionalism makes you
waves, Namma Chennai’s child studies as well. “I do my model- want them more. ■
artistes are no less. From hoard- ling work on Saturdays and Sun-
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
Open-ended fund
These are mutual funds whose units can be
bought and sold anytime without any so-
called last date. Thus investors can come and
go at any time during the operation of the
fund. This implies that the AUM will keep
changing everyday and so will the NAV. These
are the more common type of mutual funds
today in the country.
Close-ended fund
These are mutual funds whose units can on-
ly be bought during the NFO-New Fund Offer.
After the closing date, no new investor can buy
units. Also the fund has a fixed maturity date
and withdrawals can be only made on maturi-
ty date (excepting certain exceptions). Close
ended funds usually give a better return as
their expenses are usually lesser and the fund
manager does not have to bother about re-
demptions till maturity date, hence having the
freedom to make better investments.
Answers on Page 6
A look at the housing loan industry in today’s perspective
C
onstructing or owning a house
has a niche in the minds of ev-
ery Indian. A house is always
more than just a building; it has
an emotional bonding with us. A
house for one’s self is always a dream
for every one of us, but not all have
the solid cash at hand to make it on
their own.
Traditionally, our grandparents
used to depend on their provident
fund and gratuity amounts received
after retirement – while considering
buying a home, i.e. building a house
seemed a dream only post-retire-
ment. But lately, incomes of families
have been rising and their purchas-
ing power and loan repayability went
up, promoting the sector.
With the emergence of housing fi-
nance as a major business in the
country, an increasingly large num-
ber of people started going in for
home loans. Satellite towns around
the metros shaped the demand for
housing finance that catered to the
common man’s dream.
But the smooth road got eroded by
the recent global economic hurri-
cane. In the past few months, due to
slowdown in the economy, depleted
market confidence and plummeting
ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008
To buy or
not to buy
stock markets, huge question marks
were thrown up in air. Most home
buyers, investors or end users post-
poned their purchasing decision in
anticipation of a price correction,
thus bringing stagnancy in quantum
of sales across most major markets.
Despite falling housing sales,
builders are continuing to hold their
price line without effecting the much
anticipated downward correction.
The situation has developed into a
tug of war between builders and
home buyers. The banks, who are the
credit lenders, urge builders to re-
duce housing price.
The builders cannot reduce hous-
ing prices because of rising input
costs and high land price. In general
the construction cost has increased
due to the shortage and high cost of
construction materials like cement
and steel. In case of residential prop-
erties, there are two prices to be tak-
en into account, the price of the land
and the price of the flat, where land
prices remain unyielding due to the
land availability factor while the in-
creased cost of construction will add
to the hike in housing price. Of
course, location of the property has a
major bearing on the prices.
This high cost of housing is the
major deterring factor when we con-
sider the idea of a house. While the
banks say the builders should reduce
housing price, builders put the onus
on the banks saying it is the interest
rate on home loans that is reducing
housing sales. But interest rates are
determined by other factors affecting
the greater economy and banks’ abil-
ity to bring down interest rate on
home loans is not a function of de-
mand-supply of housing stock.
The extensive rate cut by the RBI is
widely expected to bring in more li-
quidity into the system by reducing
the cost of borrowing for retail con-
sumers. Property prices in India
need to decline further before de-
mand picks up around 10 per cent
drop in property prices is equivalent
to 1.5 per cent interest rate cut in
terms of affordability.
The final take: Although the loan is
cheap, the product needs some more
time to cool down its prices. After all,
a Tamil adage says “Poruththaar
Boomi Aazhvaar” meaning ‘men of
patience will rule the world’. ■
Ambiga Rajeshwari
Research Associate, email
ambiga@finerva.com
 Monday, December 1, 2008
05
Websites of the day
Everything you could ever want to know about
pumpkins: http://pumpkinnook.com/
Fan of Superman? Check this out for all the
latest news and updates: http://
www.supermansupersite.com/

Design is all
over her place
What started as a hobby collecting
different beads has now turned In a Minute
Name: Aticute
into a full-time venture for this Started: 2008
Founder: Preeti Agarwal
commerce graduate Focus: Designing accessories
Funding: Self
Email:
VIPASHA SINHA preeti_aticute@yahoo.com

W
omen love jewellery. From earrings to anklets, bags
and mobile accessories, women are dressed in their
trendy best. Twenty one-year-old Preeti Agarwal not
just dons but also makes them.
After completing B.Com from MOP Vaishnav College for
Women, Preeti decided to go a step further by pursuing her
passion for jewellery.
What started as a hobby to collect different kinds of
beads for fun has today turned into a full-time
venture.
“Ever since a child, I had a flair for design. I
tried out different things, including a corre-
spondence degree in fashion designing. I real-
ised jewellery designing is my forte,” says Preeti.
In April 2008, Preeti named her fashion and
jewellery brand ‘Aticute’(Attitude + cute), which
she started in a small way at her home in Sow-
carpet.

Business apart
In spite of coming from a business family, Preeti decided to
start off with her independent venture. Her first assignment?
“Initially, I had a tough time convincing people about my
work. I neither had a professional degree in design nor the
experience,” she recalls. Luckily, her visit to Theories on ECR
did not backfire. “The client was impressed with my design.”
From 50-100 accessories, which she is currently supplying to
Chennai-based boutiques, Preeti is confident of more orders
PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

coming her way. Frenzzy, Ashaara, Marks and various other

boutiques are her regular clients.
“Aticute is my baby. Every piece or a design from Aticute is
self-made. Right from the raw materials, beads to designs, I
take care of them.
My focus group is young women who love funky accessories.
That’s why I limit myself to fashion jewellery rather than gold
Preeti Agarwal with some of her designs
or diamond. Each work is unique and different from the oth-
er,” she claims.
Besides regular accessories like earrings, bracelets, chains,
mobile and bag hangings, Preeti also designs bags, and foot-
wear. “Unlike my other accessories, I don’t make the bags and
footwear. I give the design and brief the concerned person who
makes the final product.”
“It’s just the beginning and Aticute is only six months old.
We do make reasonable profit but we need to work hard for
more success,” she says. Her future plans? “I wish to open my
own big jewellery store that specialises in all kinds of jeweller-
ies and accessories.” ■
(If you are an entrepreneur with a successful business model or
know one, write to us at firstinnings@goergo.in)
06 VILLAGE ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008

Girandole
A cluster of fireworks that
revolves is called a girandole.

Iran presses case for Microsoft and Yahoo! in talks

OPEC output cut again on online unit: report
Iran’s oil minister said on Sunday the oil market is Microsoft Inc is in talks
estimated to be oversupplied by about 2 million barrels with Yahoo! Inc to buy
per day (bpd) and OPEC will have to decide next the U.S internet
month in Algeria about how to stabilise prices. company’s online
Gholamhossein Nozari made the comments a day after search business for US$
OPEC ministers met in Cairo, where they deferred a 20 billion, according to
decision on a new supply cut amid signs Saudi Arabia a report in Britain’s
and its Gulf allies wanted more adherence to curbs put Sunday Times. The
in place over the past two months. proposal under
Reuters discussion involves a
complex transaction
that would see the U.S.
software giant support
Bill Clinton agrees to a new management
team to take control
disclose donors: report of Yahoo!, but it has
Former US president Bill Clinton has agreed to disclose the no intention of
names of more than 200,000 donors to his foundation so refreshing its bid, said the newspaper. Microsoft withdrew
his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton to become secretary of its US$ 47.5 billion buyout offer for Yahoo in May after
state, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The move Yahoo chief executive Jerry Yang and his board rejected
is part of an agreement with President-elect Barack Obama the bid as too low. Bid speculation was sparked again
to allow his wife to take up the key foreign policy position. earlier this month when Yang announced he was stepping
Citing unnamed Democrats close to both sides said, the down. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer ruled a bid out at the
newspaper said Clinton had decided to publish the list of time, but said he was ‘open’ to talks on a deal for
donors to avoid any Yahoo!’s search business.
appearance of conflict Reuters
of interest with Clinton’s
duties as the nation’s
top diplomat. Obama
plans to announce Thai police order airport
Hillary Clinton’s
nomination on Monday, protesters to disperse
the paper said. The Thai police on Sunday again ordered anti-
disclosure of government protesters who have laid siege to the
contributors is among city’s airports to disperse, banning gatherings of
nine conditions that Bill more than five people and warning offenders would
Clinton agreed to during be jailed or fined. Hours after a grenade blast
discussions with wounded more than 50 protesters, and ahead of a
representatives of big rally in the Thai capital planned by government
Obama, The Times supporters, the five-point statement did not say how
noted. police intended to enforce the emergency rules.
AFP Reuters

72 whales die in mass stranding in Australia

S
eventy-two whales have
died after becoming
stranded on rocks in
southern Australia, one
week after 53 of the giant ani-
mals died nearby in a similar
beaching, an official said on
Sunday.
The long-finned pilot
whales are believed to have
beached themselves at the
rocky and remote Sandy Cape
on the west coast of the south-
ern island of Tasmania on Sat-
urday.
“There are 72 deceased ani-
mals,” Chris Arthur of Tasma-
nia’s Parks and Wildlife
Service told AFP. Arthur said
rescuers had shepherded 32
more whales, which had been
trapped in a channel offshore
among reefs, to safety using a
small boat and these animals
were now swimming strongly.
Tasmanian officials were
alerted to the beaching on Sat-
urday and a helicopter inspec-
tion of the remote area
showed that 12 were still alive,
despite being badly cut by the
rocks.
A rescue team reached the
area on Sunday but found only
two of the pilot whales, which
can reach up to more than sev-
en metres (20 feet) in length
and weigh up to three tonnes,
alive.
“There were two alive in the
rocky shore, but they died ear-
lier this afternoon,” Arthur
said.
Rescuers had been afraid
that the whales would not sur-
vive the night as they would
have thrashed heavily on the
rocks, unlike the 64 animals
which beached on a sandy
Tasmanian beach the previous
week.
Eleven of those animals
were saved after they were
transported to another beach
and dragged into deep water.
“On sand they tend to lie
fairly quietly but when they
land on rocks and in amongst
boulders they thrash, they cut
themselves. There’s a lot of
blood loss,” the parks and
wildlife service’s Rosemary
Gales told the Australian
Broadcasting Corporation on
Saturday. ■
AFP
 Monday, December 1, 2008
07
This day, that year Farmer builds robot army
It was on December 1, 1953 A Chinese farmer has built himself 26 robots over the
that Playboy magazine was past 30 years. The machines are capable of climbing
launched in Chicago by walls, lighting cigarettes, playing musical instruments
publisher Hugh Hefner. and writing calligraphy.

Media portrayed ‘gun

under pillow’ incident as
mirth: Big B
M
egastar Amitabh Bach-
chan has blasted a sec-
tion of media for
presenting his act of
keeping a gun under his pillow as
one of ridicule, mirth and the one
that reflected fear on his part.
“It is a pity that the ‘intellectual
media’ portrays the incident of
the gun under my pillow as one
of ridicule and mirth. Of one that
reflects a fear on my part and that
makes an absurd simile with my
characters on screen and that of and subjected him to mockery
the real,” Bachchan wrote on his and derision. He said his critics in
blog. the cyberworld had written about
"It is a shame that the mettle of what they would have done had
my comment was not put across they been in his place.
in the context of its entirety, the- “I keep my security according
reby bisecting the thought and to my own assessment of my vul-
making it weak," he said. "The act nerability. When you will wear my
of pulling out my revolver is a shoes, and I do hope that you do
symbolic metaphor, to demon- one day, you shall also be sub-
strate my complete loss of faith in jected to the kind of vulnerability
the system and in the gover- that I and many others like me
nance, in providing me, a citizen face each day. Perhaps then you
of India, with my rightful sense of would be better placed to appre-
security," he said. ciate the hollowness of your accu-
Candles and flowers placed for victims of the Mumbai attacks are seen Bachchan said that respon- sation,” he said. ■
in front of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on Sunday. SHASHI ASHIWAL dents on his blog had taunted PTI

Concert called off

Cafe Leopold opens Live Earth India, a mega musical concert featur-
ing western and Indian musicians, including
Bon Jovi and Anoushka Shankar, scheduled in

amidst sloganeering Mumbai for December 7, has been called off af-
ter the terror attacks.
A statement issued by the Live Earth founder
Kevin Hall said the show had to be called off
C afe Leopold,the famous restaurant of southern Mumbai cheap beer, has its mention in roman clef novel Shanta-
which was one of the first sites to be attacked by the ram by Gregory David Roberts, a convicted Australian
terrorists, opened on Sunday amidst patriotic slogans and bank robber.
because of “circumstances beyond our control”.
The concert at the Andheri Sports Complex
presence of huge crowd outside it. On the dot of midday Farzad Jehani and his brother was to promote “Light a Billion Lives” campaign
Slogans ’Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, Farhang pulled up the shutters - a project to light up India’s villages with solar
’Vande Matram ’ and ’Pakis- of the 137-year-old cafe. energy.
tan Murdabad’ rented the air Supporting him is his 67- “But for now, our thoughts and our prayers are
the moment the cafe opened strong staff, who had reported with the victims of this terrible attack,” the state-
its door. It became the first for work at 11 in the morning. ment said.
terror hit site to start the oper- The kitchen staff, who arrived Billed as one of the largest green events across
ation. early, participated in a Jewish the globe, the show founded by Emmy winning
Established in 1871, the prayer organised at the cafe. producer Kevin Hall in partnership with former
cafe is behind another terror Dressed in bright red t-shirt with US vice-president Al Gore, Live Earth was built
attack site, the Taj Mahal Pal- ‘Leopold’ written on the back, a on the belief that entertainment has the power
ace hotel. It offers the scenic waiter says, “I was so angry that to transcend social and cultural barriers to move
view of the vibrant street life such a thing happened here. We the world and the community. ■
IANS
of the metropolis making it a had to re-open as fast as possible
famous joint of foreign tour- to tell the terrorists that we are
ists. not cowards to be bowed down
Its openness to the street
made it an easy target when
by their bullets.”
Named after an Australian
Answers to
two terrorists equipped with
assault rifles opened fire here
King Leopold, the cafe was first
an oil store, which opened in
Finergo Jumble
on November 26 evening. Ac- A bullet mark at the Leopold Cafe at 1871 before it took its present 1. Salary
cording to reports about 10 people Colaba which served its first customers form in 1987. ■ 2. Budget
were hit during the mayhem. after reopening at Colaba, Mumbai on PTI
3. Saving
The cafe known for offering Sunday morning. PTI PHOTO 4. Stocks
5. Dollar
08 SPORT ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008

‘Symonds elbowed my jaw’

Andrew Symonds’ never-ending woes may be compounded further as
the man involved in the Brisbane hotel altercation has claimed that
the controversial Australian all-rounder elbowed him without
provocation. The 22-year-old man, identified only as Robert, said he
was merely trying to click a picture with Symonds when the burly
all-rounder lost his cool and hit him with his elbow.

Key players reluctant to tour

England will return to India to play their two- ERGO CORRESPONDENT
match Test series as per schedule, but without feedback@goergo.in
several senior players
including talismanic all-

rounder Andrew Flintoff,
according to a media report
in London. Following the
terror attack on Mumbai,
Flintoff and fast bowler Steve
Harmison and perhaps
another bowler in the squad
of 15 are expected to pull out
in the next two days, citing their children and
wives as their prime consideration, a report in
Sunday Telegraph claimed.
“Harmison has pulled out of tours before, but
Flintoff’s absence would deprive England of their
best bowler in Indian conditions,” the report said.
“A lot hinges on the attitude of captain Kevin
Pietersen, but assuming he is persuaded by ECB
of the enormous compensation which would be
demanded by the Indian board (running into
millions of dollars) and falls into line, the rest of
the England party will follow his lead,” it said.
England and Wales Cricket Board will make
available by Monday a security risk assessment
report on returning to India but the newspaper
claimed that the report was just a formality and
the ECB has already decided on going ahead with
the Test series with first match starting in
Ahmedabad on December 11. The report also said
that England players are likely to have practice
either in Dubai or Abu Dhabi instead of playing a
three-day practice game at Vadodara from
December 5-7, and then fly directly from there to
Ahmedabad for the first Test.
F
ighting against all odds and
after a two-year sabbatical,
pocket-sized Manipur dy-
namite M.C. Mary Kom
bagged an unprecedented fourth
world crown at Ningbo City in
China on Saturday.
The Indian woman has dom-
inated women’s boxing since
winning her first gold at the sec-
ond AIBA World Women’s Senior
Boxing Championship held in
Antalya, Turkey, in 2002. She de-
fended her title twice successful-
ly at world championships in
Podolsk, Russia, in 2005 and also
in New Delhi in 2006.
Surprising everybody, Mary
Kom withdrew from the ring af-
ter her success in 2006 and went
back to Manipur, detaching her-
self completely from the world of
boxing. But after a long two-year
layoff she made a comeback ear-
lier this year and won the Na-
tional Championship before
bagging a silver medal at the
Asian Championship in
September.
But with just four
months’ training before the
world championships, her de-
tractors had ruled out any fairy-
tale comeback and date with
history. But again proving every-
body wrong, she stunned Roma-
nian Steluta Duta 7-1 in the final.
“I lost in the final of Asian
Championship. I wasn’t upset
but, yes, the confidence was
slightly affected by that loss. I
think my willpower saw me
through during the world cham-
pionship. Besides, things haven’t
changed much in my weight cat-
egory. You can still see the same
fighters around,” Mary Kom, who
competes in the 46 kg category,
told agencies.
Mary Kom started following
boxing and first entered the ring
inspired by the success of anoth-
er Manipuri pugilist, Dingko
Singh, who had bagged gold at
the Bangkok Asian Games.
“Dingko’s success triggered a
revolution of sorts in
Manipur and
surprisingly I
found that
I was not the only girl who was
drawn into boxing. In just two
weeks I had learnt all the basics. I
guess I had god-given talent for
boxing,” she recalls.
Happy with her grand return to
the boxing arena, she says: “I
thank god and my husband for
supporting me so much. I wasn’t
confident going into the tourna-
ment. I was away from the ring
for two years after my twins were
born and trained for just four
months.” Dedicating her win to
the twins, the amateur boxer now
hopes that women’s boxing will
also be included in the Olympics.
“It’s difficult leaving them (the
children) behind. They don’t talk
at the moment but when they
looked at me when I was leaving
I knew they were wondering
where mama was going. I ded-
icate this win to them. They are
my world. It’s difficult to stay
away from them but I love box-
ing, too,” she says. “Now I will
dream again to represent India in
the Olympics at least once till the
time my body permits.” ■

Mary
PTI

India cancels Pakistan tour

India’s government has refused permission to send

makes
a cricket team for a full tour of Pakistan early next
year following the deadly Mumbai attacks,
according to reports on Sunday.
The tour was cancelled amid a government probe
into Pakistani links to the assaults on the country’s
financial capital by heavily-armed militants that left
nearly 200 people dead. Unnamed government
sources were quoted saying that the matches were
also unlikely to be played at neutral venues.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
declined to comment on the reports, saying its
request for a security clearance for the tour was
pending with the government. India were
scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day
merry
internationals and a Twenty20 match during the
five-week tour from January 13 to February 19. It
was to be the fifth bilateral series between the Mary Kom
two countries since 2004, when
cricket ties resumed after a 15-year makes a
gap due to political tensions
between the warring neighbours. fairytale
The tour was first put in doubt
earlier this month when the Indian return to
government denied permission to
the national junior hockey team to the boxing
visit Pakistan. Australia cancelled a
Test tour of Pakistan in March and ring
the International Cricket Council put off the high-
profile Champions Trophy there in September due
to security concerns. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
chief Ijaz Butt had said on Friday the fate of India’s
tour lay in the hands of the respective
governments.
AFP
PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR
 Monday, December 1, 2008
‘‘Barca run away
Every time I see the TV footage of the carnage in the Indian city, I realise how
close we were to death. I haven’t slept thinking about the three-day rampage
and siege. We were 800 miles from the attack, but suddenly we felt very vulnerable,
especially as we had stayed at the targeted Taj Mahal Hotel just two weeks ago.
A
brace from Lionel Messi
helped Barcelona clinch a 3-0
victory over Sevilla on Saturday
and open a six-point lead at
the top of the Spanish league as Real
Madrid crashed 1-3 at city rivals Ge-
tafe. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola
had told his players beforehand to
show commitment and it was need-
ed against a Sevilla side who battled
for every ball.
The game was played at a frantic
pace with few clear chances but it
was Barcelona who made the most
of theirs with Messi once again the
outstanding player. In the opening
minutes Luis Fabiano shot over from
inside the box for Sevilla but after 20
minutes it was Samuel Eto’o who
opened the scoring latching onto a
loose ball in the area and firing
home. Fabiano then went close
again and Frederic Kanoute felt un-
lucky not to be awarded a penalty
after tumbling in the box following a
challenge from Gerard Pique, but
the clearest chance came later for
PHOTO: AFP
Kanoute who could only hit the
crossbar after beating the offside
trap.
In the second half, both sides were
reduced to shots from distance be-
fore Messi took centre stage. The Ar-
gentine ran onto a ball from midfield
and volleyed into the corner from 25
yards to extend Barca’s lead after 78
minutes and then he completed his
brace in injury time, rounding the
keeper before slotting home.
Red card
Sevilla’s night was made worse by
the controversial dismissal of Fabia-
no for elbowing Sergio Busquets.
“I’m happy as this was a step forward
for us and these are important points
against a very strong rival,” said
Guardiola. “In the first half we were
sloppy and took a lot of risks but af-
ter the break we were a lot better
and more organised.” Sevilla coach
Manolo Jimenez said: “In the second
half they showed what they are ca-
pable of doing. In the first half Sevil-
Kevin Pietersen
la played well and it was unfair that
Barcelona went into the interval
with a lead but afterwards they were
lethal. The quality of Daniel (Alves),
Messi and Xavi (Hernandez) caused
us a lot of damage and to say other-
wise would be lying.”
Real falters
Earlier, a convincing 3-1 victory by
Getafe piled the pressure on Real
Madrid coach Bernd Schuster whose
side have now lost two out their last
three league games. “It was not a
painful defeat because from the
start of the game it was clear that it
would have been very difficult to
win,” said Schuster. “A lot of things
happened in the match and at no
time did we have the feeling that we
could win. Getafe were superior and
they produced a spectacular game.”
Schuster was forced into fielding a
makeshift team with seven players
unavailable and they got off to the
worst possible start conceding a goal
after just three minutes with Juan
09
Magical Messi fires
Barcelona clear as
Real crash
Angel Albin converting a Jaime Gavi-
lan cross. Getafe, brimming with
confidence following their draw
against Barcelona a week ago, con-
tinued to take the game to Real
whose outlook further deteriorated
with Wesley Sneijder and Miguel
Torres both limping off before half-
time.
Fernando Gago did graze the
crossbar but Real were unable to
take a hold of the game, and only a
few minutes after the interval Albin
knocked in his second, slipping the
ball past Iker Casillas. Real were giv-
en hope when Javier Saviola finished
well inside the area, after Juan Guti
had won back possession, but rather
than building on the goal, Madrid
soon lost impetus and it was Getafe
who looked more likely to score
again. With nine minutes to go Ike-
chukwu Uche secured the win for Ge-
tafe with a clinical finish after the
hard work had been done by his
strike partner Albin. ■
AFP
10 FLICK
Inspired to thrill
A self-obsessed star, heroine, director, producer,
a frustrated action director, a spot boy and one
mysterious killer… RGV’s next is a thriller with a
reality show feel
R
am Gopal Varma is set to make yet another
thriller, titled Agyaat, and the filmmaker says
he has taken inspiration from acclaimed in-
ternational thrillers like Ridley Scott’s Alien,
John Carpenter’s The Thing and Daniel Myrick’s
Blair Witch Project.
“I have always been an incredible fan of the thrill-
er genre where there is an unknown or a known
element which is out to kill at random a group of
people trapped in a certain situation,” Varma
has said in a post on his blog.
According to the filmmaker, thrillers
are a popular genre abroad, but no
film in the same genre has been
seriously attempted with Indian
actors and with a story de-
signed for Indian audiences.
“My movie’s intention
would be to explore that and
it would also be about the
emotional complexities that ex-
treme fear would unleash,” he
says.
Shooting for Agyaat is expect-
ed to begin next month and the
film is likely to be ready for re-
lease by June next year.
The movie’s plot would re-
ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008
Shriya to act with
Akshay Kumar
Actress Shriya Saran will play a prominent role in a
Hindi film opposite Akshay Kumar. The movie titled
Komagata Maru would be directed by Deepa Mehta.
Mirror, mirror…
B ritney Spears, who recently performed on the
talent show X Factor in Britain, motivates
herself by standing in front of a mirror.
Mirror.co.uk reports that Spears asked for a big
mirror in her dressing room during the X Factor
show. And she told herself , “I am beautiful” and
“I am a singer”. ■
IANS
volve around a film unit on a shoot in a remote
region, and how the members get killed one by one
under mysterious circumstances.
“The film will be very near to a reality show in a
certain sense as in putting a set of people in a cer-
tain situation and to see what happens to them,”
says Varma, whose last offering was horror flick
Phoonk.
Agyaat would have an assorted list of characters
ranging from a self-obsessed star, a heroine, direc-
tor, producer, a frustrated action director and a
subservient spot boy, apart from others.
These parts will be played by unknown
or little known actors based on the com-
plete suitability of the way the charac-
ters are written in the script, Varma
reveals.
The director says that the most ex-
citing and challenging part of mak-
ing such a film would be to
capture how the attitudes, perso-
nalities and inter-relationships of
the protagonists change rapidly in
the face of the impending danger.
The filmmaker is apparently going
to use a lot of special effects for this
project. ■
IANS
Puppy love
A fter 35 years in show business, John Travolta has
taken his first stab at animation as the voice of
an adorable puppy in Walt Disney’s Bolt. The
movie, which debuted in U.S. theatres a week ago,
was a leap of faith for Travolta after a film career
that started with musicals like Grease and Saturday
Night Fever and went on to embrace surprises like
Pulp Fiction and stingers like Battlefield Earth. ■
Reuters
GETTY IMAGES
 Monday, December 1, 2008
11
Yuvan to act
Though he has made a fleeting
appearance in Saroja, music director
Yuvan Shankar Raja will play a
prominent role in Venkat Prabhu’s
next flick, Goa.

Cine City
‘Nothing
will make
me come
Gowtham to remake Vettaiyadu
back to Vilaiyaadu in Hindi
Gowtham Menon is on cloud nine after his recent
hit Vaaranam Aayiram. Not relaxing even a bit, the

films’ director is ready with his next flick, Chennaiyil Oru

Mazhaikalam. He has also completed penning the
script for a Telugu film to be produced by UTV
Pictures, starring Mahesh Babu in the lead role.
And the greatest of all excitements is that he
would be remaking his magnum opus Vettaiyadu
Vilaiyaadu in Hindi. Soundarya Rajinikanth is
expected to produce the film as a joint venture
with Warner Bros. Gowtham had requested
Soundarya to recommend Amitabh Bachchan to
play the lead role.
www.cinesnacks.com

A ctress Sonali Bendre, who is

currently seen on television as a
judge on music reality show In-
dian Idol says she won’t
be returning to Bolly-
wood any time soon as
her son needs her more
than the film industry.
“Nothing will make
me come back to
films. My three-year-
old needs me more.
I want to be home
for my child. I’m
definitely not look-
ing at a commit-
ment that will
take me away
from home,”
says Sonali.
A source
from the sets
of Indian Idol
said that Sona-
li is the first one Karthi pairs up with Nayan
to zip out of the Paruthiveeran fame Karthi will be pairing up with
studio to her lit- Nayantara in a film to be directed by Lingusamy.
tle one as soon as The shooting of the film would commence once
shooting wraps up. Karthi completes Selvaraghavan’s Ayirathil Oruvan.
■ The movie is tentatively titled Paiyya, meaning
IANS ‘boy’. Meanwhile, Lingusamy’s production house,
Thirupathy Brothers, is currently doing a couple of
films including the Nadhiya-starrer Pattalam.
12 ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008

Friday’s Question:
What would you do if you were
invisible for a day?
■ I’ll stand behind my friends and colleague and
watch what they talk about me in my absence
Rajesh Khanna J, DPIBPL

■ I will be with actress Trisha whole day in her

shooting spot.
Sundar Narayan, Polaris

■ I will shut down my boss PC in regular interval

say every 15 minutes.
Shankar Ganesh, TCS

■ I would waste the whole day thinking what to

do. Subashini of TCS has nominated her team as Partners in Crime.
Mukund, Scope International This pic was clicked at Coorg.

■ I can move freely in my chick’s house at least for

a day without getting caught
Jagan, Capgemini

■ Will spend my day in White House.

Prabhakaran, HCL

■ I would like to watch George Bush’s activities

and by the end of the day would like to give a
kick on his back for wasting my whole day.
Murali, Ramtech

■ I will give a small slap to those people who

speak in mobiles while driving and who do not
respect traffic signals.
Sudhakar Subramanian, Infosys

■ I would travel in an aircraft in morning roam a

new city then return evening.
J. Amarnath, Thinksoft

■ I would rob the Swiss bank money and keep it Kasirangan of Coastal has nominated his team as Partners in
for my life time expenditure. Crime. This pic was clicked at Elnet Software City
Ram, HCL

■ I will take over all the black money from the

rich people.
Manonmani Kesav, HCL

■ I will unplug all power supply even generator in

my office to give mass holiday to all employees of
my company.
Subhasis Das, Sify

■ I will kill all the Terrorists in the world and so

that there won’t be any more terrorist
organisations in this world.
Kalaivanan

Today’s Question:
What would you do if your best
friend forgot to wish you on
your birthday? Praveen Kumar of HCL has nominated his team as
Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Ooty.
 Monday, December 1, 2008
■ Hi Karthick,
R.S. Sarathy of DATMARK Many more happy returns of the day!
Prodapt. has been nominat- May this birthday bring more
ed as ‘Office Angel’ by Ra- prosperity in our life. Have a
jesh, Venkat and Aravind. wonderful birthday.
“R.S. Sarathy is a very With sincere wishes,
helpful person and he cares T&Q Team, DPIBPL
for people and their growth.
He owns the responsibility of ■ Hi Durairaja,
setting a career path for the Hope your birthday lights up with
growth of his team members. smiles….. and glows with love. Many
We love him.” more happy returns of the day! Have
a wonderful birthday.
With sincere wishes,
T&Q Team, DPIBPL
■ Dear Balaji (Kumaran Systems) and
Shakthi,
Wish you a happy married life.
May all your dreams come true.
Have a wonderful life ahead.
Best wishes,
Saravanarajah, Porkodi, UST Global
■ Hi Karthik [H.R],
U r 1 year older now, 1 year smarter
now, 1 year bigger now, and now u r
1 year closer to all your wishes.
Wish u a many more happy returns
of the day. May all ur dreams come
true. May god bless you with health,
wealth & happiness in your life.
It must be a rainy day when u were
born cuz the sky was crying for losing
Bhargav Medhi
from AT Software one of its precious stars.
has doodled this. Hearty wishes from...Ram, HCL
■ Hi Raj,
We wish for u that wahtever u want
most in life, it comes to u. Many
more happy returns of the day.
- CSS Corp Friends
■ Dear Aarthy Kutty,
A Warm Birthday Wishes For My
Kutty Pisasu...May God Bless You
Dear...I’m Glad That We Are
Together And Not Only Friends, You
Are My Sweetheart From Beginning
To End…
Yours Ever Lovable Friend,
Oru Suriyanuku padhilaaga 10 suriyan udicha enna agum? Ramya,Tata Consultancy Services
“Ten”Sun Agum…
Venkatesh N, HCL ■ Dear Maha,
Many More Happy Returns Of The
“Kolammavil kolam podalam. Kadalai mavil kadalai poda Day! May God Bless U With
mudiuma?” Success,Peace And Joy Forever!
“Thooka marundhu sappitta thookam varum... Anaa...Irumal Have A
marundhu sappitta Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Day!
irumal varathu” From
Subramanian K from AIG Systems Ravi K Indran, Wipro Technologies
Study = don’t fail---------(1)
don’t study = fail---------------(2) ■ Dear Mi,
add (1) and (2), Many More Happy Returns Of The
=> Study + don’t study = don’t fail + fail Day! Have a
=> (1+don’t)study = (1+don’t)fail Superficalifragilisticexpialidocious
=> study = fail Day! May U Get Ur 2 Lakhs
Hence proved..so dont study... Sooooooon And Achieve Everything
Venugopal Koleti U Wish For In Life..
ASE-Trainee From
Tata Consultancy Services Ur "Mama"
Ravi K Indran
13
■ Dear Senthil Kumar,
Wishing you a many more happy
returns of the day.
Yours, Vinoth.G
Financial Software Systems, Tidel Park
■ Hai da Kotte (enoah)
Many more happy returns of the
day.. May the forthcoming year be
filled with love and joy and let your
dreams come true.
With lots of love and friendship..
Ganesh M,
Sify Technology
■ My Dear Joyce Kuruvi,
This is a special birthday wish
That comes with love to you
It brings warm and heartfelt thanks
For all the thoughtful things you do,
It also comes to let you know
You mean more to me each day
And to everyone your lives have
touched
In such a loving way my dear Joyce...
With Love,
Karthiga, Abhishek, Vijay, Ganesh,
Vivek, Hari,Vinoth, Farzi, Mangs, Kalps,
Kans, Thyanesh, Purna, Annapurna,
Vijayanth, Karthik, Fareen..
Hexaware Technologies
■ Dear Tony,
"Happy Birthday." We wish you to be
happy!!! (Anything that makes you
happy to be there for you!)
Lovable Friends
Malarkodi and Narayani
■ Hi Bhavani
Many more happy returns of the
day...You are the best among all..
Enjoy ur day..
Ramshankar, HCL BPO
■ Dear Nisha (HCL),
Nee yena mattum vitutu thaniya
home ku poita , irunthalum enjoy
well in your home town. Enjoy
well.Seekiram vaa, namma team oda
score unnoda kaila than iruku.
Wishes from
Dhanyaa(HCL) , Arathi (AT&T), Nithya
(L&T) , Subathra (RR Donnelley).
■ Hey Nithya Kumaran (Mr.Cool n
Lethagic),
Birthday ku apuram wish panuren nu
kova padatha , Wish U all success da.
Wishes from BPN( Ms.Innocent Idiot),
TNMM (Ms.Yehathalam) , AS
(Ms.Singakural Singari)
■ Dear Suresh,
Wish You Many More Happy Returns
Of The Day.May This Brings You a
Lot Of Happy And Prosperous
Moments In your Life.
Sheshu,Ashok,Arjun, Pandi, Rajan&
Dhana, Kavi, Iindu
TCS
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008

Tomato raid
Scottish police raided a 79-year-old
widow’s cottage - after mistaking her
tomato plants for a crop of cannabis.

sudoku

Vijai Parthiban
EP of Hexaware
Technologies
clicked this
picture in
Kodaikanal.
Hobbies:
Cricket, music
and biking

KAKURO
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 Monday, December 1, 2008
15
Robotic delivery Word’s worth
Robots are appearing on stage "Katavothron" (kat-uh-vah-thrun) a
alongside human actors in a new play subterranean channel or deep chasm
in Japan. The machines deliver lines formed by running water. From Greek
and move around the stage. words meaning ’swallow’ and ’hole.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

At office, you may be very persistent about tasks on
hand. You can be highly practical and to some
extent shrewd to people around you. Ganesha
advises you not to misuse your authority. Main
focus of the day could be your occupation.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You may work hard to accomplish the goals. You
may be firm in decisions and may want others to
follow you. Ensure that this doesn’t create disliking
for you at office. In personal life, you may have very
practical approach, even in matters of love.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You must avoid being dependant on others. If you
BORN LOSER are in a situation to count on someone and if work
is not done in time, you may feel frustrated. Try to
seek guidance of elders or seniors at work. In
relationships, you may be more passionate.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Let others handle important task and trust them. It’s
not your day, so even if you try to do something
good, you may not get due credit for the same. In
relationships, you may enjoy togetherness. It is best
day to bring positive changes in relationships.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
If you are at highest position in the organisation, it
would be a power day for you. However, if you are
reporting to someone, you may disagree with your
superiors views, yet will have to accept them. Your
beloved one may understand you very well.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
This is best day to plan activities of week or month.
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT You will minutely observe practical aspects related
to your work. It is favourable day for meetings. In
love life, you must avoid calculations as love cannot
be measured with yardstick of ’give and take’.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
You should avoid confrontations with people around
you. You would not be able to prove your points
through relevant arguments. In love life, you need
to have a mature approach. If you expect more
from partner, it will reduce the joy of life.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
It is a favourable day for all technical work. If you
need to download or sort out some data, it will be
done within time. In personal life, Ganesha doesn’t
find you facing any major issue. In short, day
ensures smoother sailing.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Ganesha finds you thinking seriously about financial
matters. You may also be thinking about job
security. ’Honesty is the best policy’, keep this in
mind and go ahead with your endeavours. You may
discuss money matters with your life partner.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You may set a target today and start working in
that direction. Nothing will matter, except your
professional progress. You may be highly concerned
about ‘way ahead’ in your vocation. You will receive
enough care and nurturing from your beloved one.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Ganesha suggests you not to hurry up in anything.
Do your work calmly. Your primary goals may be
ISSUE’S kept aside and you might have to get involved in
sorting out issues related to other people. In love
SOLUTIONS life, it is day to sacrifice or compromise.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
You are likely to establish beneficial associations
today. You will receive support from your team
members. Day favours all group activities like
seminars and conferences. In love life, partner may
take a lead and initiate good conversation with you.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Monday, December 1, 2008

ONE LOOK IS ALL IT TAKES

News and newsmakers in pictures

Mao Asada of
Japan competes in
the Ladies Free of
the ISU Grand Prix
of Figure Skating
NHK Trophy at
Madonna performs
Yoyogi National
at the Foro Sol on Saturday
Gymnasium on
in Mexico City. AFP PHOTO
Saturday.
GETTY IMAGES

Natalie Imbruglia
arrives at the UK
premiere of Ano
Una at Curzon
Renoir Cinema
on Saturday in
London, England.
GETTY IMAGES

Emma Watson
arrives at the UK
premiere of Ano
Una at Curzon
Renoir Cinema on
Saturday in
London, England.
GETTY IMAGES