A BYTE OF LIFE Wednesday, January 21, 2009

02 05
SOUPS FOR YOU WINDOW SHOPPER
Healthy and tasty Kiah’s for ethnic
herbal soups
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 12

With about 1,000 films in his kitty and a paan

shop to run, Dada Pintoji is a busy man
» PAGE 03
PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Bring home Fashion

Moser Baer Entertainment Limited has released the Hindi
blockbuster film, Fashion, on DVD and VCD. The DVD and
VCD are priced at Rs. 99 and Rs. 40 respectively.

Question
-Answer
Q uizzing for general knowledge,
quizzing for fun and quizzing for all.
After conducting quizzes for corporates,
schools and colleges, Indian Quizzing
League is back with their next quiz, ‘India
Unplugged’. The Indian Quiz is an open
quiz that will be held on January 26.
“Quiz is not only for the high funda...we
want to mellow it down. That’s the
purpose of an open quiz, where a team
of two of any age group could
participate,” explains Karthik Narayan,
founder of IQL.
The competition will start with written
prelims and the short-listed teams will be
taken through three rounds of quizzing.
Topics could vary from Indian culture to
history, geography, epics, languages, PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
music, etc. Also, there is a special round
on Chennai.

Who is IQL
The Indian Quizzing League is a bunch of
like-minded people who get together to
spread the joy of quizzing. It meets every
Saturday at 5 p.m. for a quiz conducted
by one or two of its members. For more
IN A SOUP
J.R. Soup Stall serves fresh and
details log on to
http://iquiz.wordpress.com
Ergo Correspondent
healthy soups seven days a week
What, When, Where
V.HARIPRIYA staying away from home. the stall, says the shop follows a
What: Indian Quiz haripriya@goergo.in I was recently surprised to taste time-table. “We serve one variety
When: January 26; 9.30 a.m. similar soups at a small shop for each day, which includes vaz-
Where: Karpagam Banquet Hall, South

A
ll through my school days, Rs. 6. Here’s why you should hathandu, mushroom, manath-
Mada Street, Mylapore my mother had spoiled my head to J.R. Soup Stall, near the akkali, drumstick, bitter gourd,
For details call Sanandan (9841272205), sick leaves with the fresh Government Veterinary Hospital, kaasini keerai, thoothuvalai and
Vinod (9962084242), Karthik (9962070090) and nutritious soups she Vepery. This nondescript place vegetables,” he said, adding, “We
treated me to regularly. The taste has been selling healthy and tasty have been sticking to the same
of the secret ingredients like gin- soups for the last three years. On price of Rs. 6 per bowl for the past
ger, pepper, tulsi, garlic and jag- an average, it receives around 200 three years.”
gery – all mashed and boiled – customers a day. The popularity of the soups has
still lingers in me now that I am S. Shenbagaraj, who works in made R. Selvarathinam, brother-
in-law of Shenbagaraj, open three
other branches in namma Chen-
nai.
The soups are prepared for the
four shops at their residence in
Netaji Nagar. “Taste the soup in
any of our shops and it tastes the
same. My mother-in-law pre-
pares the soup and despatches it
to all shops. We also supply to
many other soup stalls,” said
Shenbagaraj. “I earn more than
Rs. 1,000 per day.” Abdulla, a reg-
ular to the shop, says he fre-
quents it every Mondays to get
the vazhaithandu soup. “It’s
good for diabetes, so I get it for
On the menu: Monday (vazhaithandu), Tuesday (mushroom), my father. The soup tastes great
Wednesday (manathakkali), Thursday (drumstick and bittergourd), and it’s healthy too,” he says. ■
Friday (kaasini keerai), Saturday (Thoothuvalai), Sunday (Too Good for Critics is a weekly
(Vegetables) column to celebrate Namma
How to get there: The shop is next to Government Chennai’s ‘Kaiyendi Bhavans’ and
Veterinary Hospital, Vepery small eateries. If you can think of
What to have: Herbal soup is available daily a similar place, mail us at feed-
Timings: 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. back@goergo.in)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
03
Ride and write
Rider Mania 2009, a rendezvous for Royal Enfield bikers and enthusiasts in the
country, will unfold coming Saturday and Sunday in Ooty. The event is being hosted
by the Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club (RTMC) of Bangalore. Ergo readers who are
participating this year and riding from Chennai to Ooty and back can write to us
about their experiences at roadster@goergo.in along with some photographs.

V. HARIPRIYA
haripriya@goergo.in

M
ore than 25
years into the film indus-
try, his craze for movies has
not subsided. This paan wala
from Punjab says acting is his lifeline.
Dada Pintoji has about 1,000 films to his
credit. Though most are minor roles like
the villain’s aide, a robber or blind man,
Dada has shared screen space with giants
like MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and Rajesh Khan-
na. Catering to customers at his paan shop
near LIC, this actor unfurls his life history.
Born in a family of freedom fighters in
Chandigarh, his interest in movies brought
him to namma Chennai. Staying in his un-
cle’s house here, Dada completed his gradua-
tion in Economics. He started his paan shop
on Mount Road even while studying. Though
he was offered a clerk’s post in a bank, he
declined it. After days of running around film
studios for a chance, he got into movies doing
minor roles. With the help of yesteryear direc-
tor Shankar, a relative of actor MGR, he got
into the Madras Film Institute for a basic
course in acting.
“With a reference letter from actor MGR I
was offered free training at the Institute. Ac-
tor Raghuvaran was my classmate there.
Apart from acting I have also had formal
training in dancing, horse-riding and
stunts,” says Dada.
Dada will be next seen in di-
rector Selvaraghvan’s Aayi-
A still from Gemini
rathil
Oruvan.
The movie
starring Karthi
and Reema Sen has
Dada playing the role
of a tribal leader. “My
scenes were shot at Chalaku-
dy. If there was one make-up
man for Karthi, four persons
were taking care of mine,” says Da-
da proudly.
He also shared with Ergo an inter-
esting incident during the shooting of
Vikram-starrer Gemini. “It was me who
supplied paan for Vikram during the en-
tire movie.
I was cast as goonda in Kalabhavan Mani’s
team. During the shoots, director Saran no-
ticed me chewing the paan. He asked me to
prepare paan for him and Vikram. He then told
me to supply paan for Vikram for the movie, too,”
recalls Dada.
“I am also doing a good role in Narain’s up-
coming flick, Pookada Ravi. When I don’t have
shoots I will be selling paan here. Stunt master
Super Subbarayan is one of my regular custom-
ers,” says Dada, who is now settled in Chennai
with his wife and daughter. ■

IN SELVARAGHAVAN’S NEXT FLICK,

AAYIRATHIL ORUVAN, DADA PLAYS A
TRIBAL LEADER. AND WHEN’S
HE NOT ACTING, YOU’LL FIND
HIM AT HIS PAAN SHOP
PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

CRYSTAL CLEAR
Energise yourself with the Crystal Therapy at Anushka Salon and Spa
V. LOKPRIA

METRO SEXUAL
A
fter a tiring day at work and a half
hour’s drive through Chennai’s roads, I
was looking forward to a body massage.
That too with some crystals thrown in.
Anushka Salon and Spa claims that its sig-
nature treatment, Crystal Therapy, has a lot of
patrons in Chennai.
I was shown into the spa lounge by my
therapist, Girija. As I prepare myself for the
treatment, Girija explains, “Crystal therapy is
healing with crystals. Crystals bring light and
colour into the aura and the physical body via
the chakra system and also the subtle layers
of one’s body with the rule of vibration and
resonance.”

The procedure
Crystal Therapy is a Balinese concept. The
therapy has two parts – the facial massage
and body massage. The crystals are chosen in
accordance with the personality of the cus-
tomer. The white crystal is the most widely-
used one. The energy is tapped onto the crys-
tals by the early morning sunlight or
moonlight. Girija starts the therapy, while I
keep wondering how the energy is tapped on-
to the crystals.
The facial is the first part of the therapy.
Cleansing is followed by the application of a
herbal pack, namely Besaki Lulu, which is
made of rice, turmeric and vetiver. The con-
tents deeply penetrate the skin through the
pores, enabling the dilated blood vessels to
restore your skin its original texture, thereby
lending it an extra glow.
The pack is peeled off after 20 minutes. A
massage follows. A mixture of lemongrass
and Ylang Ylang aroma oil is used for the mas-
sage along with the crystals. The crystals are
positioned at the sites where one experiences
pain or on fine energy vortexes described as
chakras. These crystals help in reducing body
heat.
Renuka was my body massage therapist.
The body massage involved the same proce-
dure as the facial, minus the herbal pack and
cleansing. The strokes are done in such a way
that the entire body is detoxified and the neg-
ative energy is let out of the body. The crystals
gently help in relieving pain, stiffness and
tension.
The Crystal Therapy rejuvenates the body,
eradicates stress and leaves skin smoother.
The therapy lasts for three hours and costs Rs.
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

3,000. ■

Address: No. 55, 1st Avenue, Gandhi

Nagar, Adyar (above Maverick gym)
Ph: 42054242
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
05

Address:
Kiah’s, No 38, College Road
(Opposite Good Shepherd School),
Nungambakkam,Chennai – 600034
Ph: 42068880
Email: kiahfashions@gmail.com
Shop timings: 10:30 a.m. to
8:30 p.m. (Open all days)

For the Desi Girl

Salwars, kurtis, mix-and-match, angrakhas, anarkalis… Kiah’s on College Road is for the ethnic types
V. LOKPRIA place to be for people who love tradi- and-match pieces and designer blous- gette, crepe and cotton kurtis, the place
tional Indian attire. The place is bus- es. The size ranges from S to XL. also stocks crushed anarkali kurtis, flo-

I
f you are looking for clothes that are
trendy yet ethnic, maybe it’s time
you visited Kiah’s on College Road.
True to its tagline, the clothes are as
unique as you.
Started two months ago, Kiah’s is the
tling with customers as we enter the
shop during noon. The dresses that are
neatly piled up on the shelves are very
appealing.
Padam Jamad, owner of the shop, is
busy juggling between the customers
and us. After helping one customer
with finding the perfect salwar, he ex-
plains, “All our clothes are exclusively
designed and hand-made by designers
from Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad and
Delhi.”
The collection comprises tunics, kur-
tis, leggings, designer salwar suits, mix-
Designer salwar suits start from Rs. 750
and can go up to Rs. 4,500. You can pick
up a stylish kurti or tunic for Rs. 500
onwards.
Leggings are available for Rs. 295.
The striking aspect of Kiah’s is the va-
riety available. There are about five
types of kurtis itself. Apart from geor-
ral print kurtis, fancy cotton and the
traditional gota work kurtis.
Kurtis with fabric print and angrak-
has are hot favourite amongst the cus-
tomers. Word-of-mouth publicity has
made this shop a popular one for kurti
lovers. “Unique designs, quality and
variety are our USP,” says Padam.
The shop also undertakes custo-
mised tailoring for its customers. The
charges range from Rs. 125 to Rs. 200.■
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Unhappy Mondays
Experts say Monday, January 19, 2009,
will go down as the most depressing
day in history.

Chinese Premier Wen to visit Europe Kidnappers

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will next week travel to
Europe, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday, his first visit release Greek
there since China postponed a summit last year with the EU
amid a row over Tibet. shipping
Wen will from January 27 to February 2 visit Switzerland,
Germany, Spain and Britain, as well as the European Union’s tycoon
headquarters in Brussels, ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu Greek shipping
said. magnate Pericles
In Switzerland, Wen will attend the annual Davos gathering Panagopoulos,
of the world’s political and corporate elite, Jiang said. kidnapped in Athens
AFP on January 12, was
released early Tuesday
near the Greek capital,
police said.
The 74-year-old
Bush commutes US border shipping tycoon, who founded Greece’s largest ferry
company Attica, was picked up by the police near the
guards’ sentences Aspropyrgos industrial zone west of the capital where his
Hours before his term ends, US President George W. Bush kidnappers told the family they had left him.
on Monday commuted the sentences of two former US Greek media said his family had paid a ransom of 15 to 20
border guards facing more than 10 years in prison for million euros (20 to 26 million dollars).
shooting a Mexican drug smuggler. Panagopoulos, one of the richest men in Greece, did not
The incident and the subsequent trial of the agents, Jose appear to have been mistreated by his captors but after
Alonso Compean and Ignacio Ramos, had sparked a fierce being held for a week while suffering from a serious
debate about undocumented immigration, with many of illness he was to be hospitalised in a private clinic in
Bush’s fellow Athens, a police source said.
conservatives up in arms AFP
at their conviction.
The commutations for
the two agents from
Bush’s home state of
Texas is expected to be Thai PM says migrant cruelty reports ‘exaggerated’
the final act of Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva insisted on
clemency Bush Tuesday that his country had respected the rights of boat
performs, leaving high- people from Myanmar, saying reports that the migrants
profile convicts such as were mistreated and abandoned at sea were
Israeli spy Jonathan “exaggerated”. He also said that foreign tourists who
Pollard in jail. reportedly witnessed the incidents may have misunderstood
“No further what the Thai army and navy were trying to do with the
announcements are immigrants. Survivors and a human rights group have
expected,” said a White accused the Thai military of detaining and beating up to
House official who 1,000 members of the Rohingya minority from Myanmar A late 2008 shows a group of refugee
asked not to be named. late last year, before towing them out to sea with little guarded by Thai soldiers on the Thai
AFP food and water. island of Koh Sai Baed. AFP PHOTO
AFP

Twist in the ‘Miracle on Hudson’

New revelation complicates US Airways plane crash probe

I
n a new turn in the saga of the
US Airways Airbus A320 that
crashed into Hudson River off
Westside Manhattan on
Thursday, passengers travelling
on the route and same aircraft
two days earlier reported hearing
a series of loud bangs, a media
report has said. This revelation
has complicated the investigation
process into the crash, it added.
So far the official explanation is
that the both engines stalled after
running into a flock of geese,
forcing the pilot to make a rare
landing into the river. All 155 pas-
sengers and crew were rescued.
CNN quoted passengers in the
flight two days earlier as saying
that after the series of bangs, the
flight crew told them that the
plane could have to make an
emergency landing but then the
pilots were able to restart the en-
gine.
John Hodock, a passenger on
the Tuesday flight, said in an e-
mail to CNN: “About 20 minutes
after take-off, the plane had a se-
ries of compressor stalls on the
right engine. There were several
very loud bangs and fire coming
out of the engine. The pilot at first
told us that we were going to
make an emergency landing, but
after about five minutes, contin-
ued the flight to Charlotte.”
Another passenger also said
she heard a “loud banging
sound” on the right side of the
plane. CNN quoted Expert Avia-
tion Consulting, an Indianapolis,
Indiana, private consulting firm
that includes commercial airline
pilots on its staff, as saying the
plane that landed in the Hudson
was the same one as Flight 1549
from LaGuardia two days earlier.
US Airways would not confirm
that the Flight 1549 which took
off January 13 was the same plane
that splashed into the Hudson
two days later. ■
PTI
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
07
Websites of the day This day, that year
Learn cockney rhyming slang It was on January 21, 1846, that
www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk the first issue of the London Daily
Need an excuse as to why you can’t come to work? News was published, with Charles
http://www.magicmgmt.com/magic/abuse-excuse/ Dickens listed as editor.

What’s the music, yaar?

Nokia, Blackberry, Sony Ericsson woo users with new music services

A
fter Apple’s hit iPhone rev-
olutionised the mobile mu-
sic scene, a slew of new
services are being rolled
out around the world by major
cellphone makers who believe
there are huge possibilities on the
horizon.
Mobile phone giants Nokia,
Blackberry and Sony Ericsson all
turned out in force at this year’s
MIDEM, the music industry’s
biggest annual event, to promote
their latest offers in the hopes of
cutting a slice from Apple’s dom-
inant share of the music market.
Nokia’s user-friendly Comes
With Music (CWM) service was
one of the first out of the starting
blocks. With unlimited use and
downloads of the service’s four
million tracks, it sets the bar high.
“2009 will be a very, very big in-
vestment for us in music,” Nokia
senior executive Tero Ojanpera
told a MIDEM conference this
week, saying the group planned
to launch the new service in Sin-
gapore and Australia in the first
quarter of 2009, then in Europe.
Competitive turf
Sony Ericsson was quick to fol-
low with three key new improve-
ments to its latest mobile music
offer, PlayNow, which the group
claims can help fight the massive
problem of illegal downloads.
Blackberry, which recently
launched its Blackberry Storm is
proving a hit with users, is also
determined not to be left behind.
The US smart phone leader is
adding a host of new applica-
tions, including music and links
to social online communities at-
tractive to younger users.
“You only have to look at Ja-
pan, where 90 per cent of all dig-
ital music sold is downloaded on
to phones to see what a mobile
download market can be,” said
former chairman and CEO of the
EMI Group, Eric Nicoli.
But aside from Asia, mobile
phones have failed to deliver the
promised riches that both the
telecom and music industries
hoped for a few years ago.
“The mobile market has not
broken through as everyone ex-
pected,” Elizabeth Schimel of No-
kia told a workshop organised by
the Mobile Entertainment Forum
(MEF) here. Up until now, the
high cost of music-enabled
phones has been an obstacle but
now Nokia hopes its new models
are priced to match the pockets
of the key 18-35 market.
In Britain, for example, cus-
tomers can choose between a 40
pound (58 dollars, 42 euros)
monthly subscription to its new
music service, or buy a Nokia
phone that comes with a free 12
or 18-month music subscription
included in the price, depending
on the telecom operator.
While early consumer feedback
in Britain to the new Nokia ser-
vice has been upbeat, “It’s also a
good learning curve for Nokia,”
Nokia’s Dave Williams told AFP.
■
AFP

If Apple’s iPhone revolutionised the mobile music scene, then The mobile market has not broken
there are many more waiting to explode the market.
AFP FILE PHOTO through as everyone expected

Prince Harry to chase War-torn

Apache dreams
P rince Harry has apparently left
the ‘Paki’ row behind to get
back to chasing his dreams of be-
coming a pilot of the meanest at-
tack machine in the British Army.
The soldier prince, who has
been accused of racism after call-
ing a fellow Asian cadet “our little
Paki friend” in a three-year-old
home video, set his foot at the Ar-
my Air Corps HQ Hampshire to
begin his training.
The 24-year-old, who is alleg-
edly keen on making a comeback
on the frontline after having be-
ing pulled out from the Afghan
War, will undergo a rigorous 18-
month programme that will test
his aptitude to handle the 45-mil-
lion pound Apache.
The party-loving royal will also 쒀 A Palestinian woman sits on the rubble of her home in the neighbourhood of Ezbet
be required to follow the Army’s for Harry to take in,” the Sun Abdrabbo in Jabalia on Tuesday. A Fatah flag waves on top. Tension eased in Gaza
strict rules for the learner pilots quoted a source at the Army Air early on Tuesday as a fragile ceasefire entered its third day, with residents
that include staying away from Corps base in Middle Wallop as struggling to absorb the devastation caused by Israel’s deadly 22-day assault on the
the bottle for months at a time. saying. ■ territory. AFP PHOTO
“There is a huge amount of info ANI
08 SPORT
Armstrong at ease
American Lance Armstrong completed his
official comeback from retirement with an
easy, and at times impressive, day of racing in
the first stage of the Tour
Down Under on Tuesday.
Germany’s Andre Greipel,
the winner of last year’s
race, where he also won
four stages, took out the
first stage in a bunch sprint
following 140km of racing
between Norwood and
Mawson Lakes. It makes
Team Columbia sprinter
Greipel the overall race leader, with Australians
Baden Cooke and Stuart O’Grady – second and
third respectively on the stage – just behind
him ahead of Wednesday’s first real climbing
test. The second stage, a 145km ride from
Hahndorf to Stirling, featurs four laps of an
undulating circuit. But on the evidence of
Tuesday’s opener, Armstrong should have no
problems. The Texan admitted before the stage
he had some pre-race nerves, but during the
race – as the peloton slowly ate into and
digested a two-man escape – he looked at ease
among the riders at the front of the bunch. On
the only serious difficulty at Checker Hill, a
600m climb at an average gradient of 13.3
percent near the 62km mark, Armstrong even
appeared to be among those setting the
tempo up the climb.
AFP
Kaka staying at Milan:
Berlusconi
AC Milan president and Italian Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi has ended transfer
speculation surrounding Kaka by telling a TV
programme that the 26-year-old Brazilian will
be staying at Milan. The former World Player
of the Year had been the subject of a
reported 100 million Euro bid from mega-rich
Manchester City in a transfer saga that had
been picking up pace over the last week.
Berlusconi said last week that with the money
on offer he could not force Kaka to stay if he
wanted to leave.
But he seems to have changed his mind and
claimed on Monday that he had intervened
personally to ensure the fans’ favourite will be
staying in Italy. “Both I and he (Kaka) have
intervened,” said Berlusconi. “When I heard
him say that he prefers to stay, that he doesn’t
feel like he has lost the opportunity to earn a
higher salary and that he feels
privileged to wear the shirt, he
values the closeness and the
friendships, the heat and affection
that all the fans have shown him
even in these last two days, I said
‘hallelujah’ and we hugged’,” he
said. “Kaka is and is staying at
Milan.”
However, Berlusconi then opened up
a little doubt. “I give my word on the things
that depend on me. At the end of this affair I
don’t know if I will still be president of Milan,
as much as I am not any more,” he said.
AFP
ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009
India win
India registered their second successive win, defeating Argentina 3-2 in the keenly-contested
second hockey Test at the Estadio Panamericano in Mar del Plata on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead
in the four-match series.India, who made a comeback to international hockey after almost a
year, beat Argentine 2-0 in the first Test on Monday. Centre-forward Shivendra Singh (12th
min), Prabhjot Singh (40th min) and captain Sandeep Singh (59th min) scored the goals for the
visitors while Mario Almada (13th) and Pedro Ibarra (46th) found the net for Argentina.
Murray
sails through
Williams sisters take easy route as Open sizzles. Hewitt bows out
A
ndy Murray and the Wil-
liams sisters took the easy
route at the Australian
Open Tuesday, breezing in-
to the second round in furnace-
like conditions. As temperatures
soared past 40 Celsius (104 Fah-
renheit), fourth seed Murray
barely broke a sweat against Ro-
manian Davis Cup captain An-
drei Pavel who retired with a back
injury when the Scot was leading
6-2, 3-1.
Stroll in the park
Second-seeded Serena Wil-
liams was equally comfortable in
her 6-3, 6-2 mauling of China’s
Meng Yuan, not needing the ice
vests offered to players between
games in such sizzling heat.
Matching her sister, sixth seed
Venus barely broke stride as she
sauntered past Germany’s Ange-
lique Kerber 6-3, 6-3. While they
cruised, Russian fourth seed Ele-
na Dementieva survived a gruel-
ling test before grinding down
Germany’s Kristina Barrois in
three sets, while Polish ninth seed
Agnieszka Radwanska became
the biggest casualty so far.
Home favourite out
Australian hope Lleyton Hewitt
joined Radwanska on the scrap
heap after slumping in five sets to
Chilean 13th seed Fernando Gon-
zalez. Murray is now undefeated PHOTO: AFP
in six matches this season as he
goes in search of Britain’s first flashy outfits for a nondescript es. “I’m just happy to survive,”
Grand Slam title since 1936. “Ob- dark blue number, the American she said. Other players to pro-
viously you don’t want to finish a powered past Meng in just 75 gress included 13th seed Victoria
match like that. Andrei’s been minutes. “I think I hit some pretty Azarenka of Belarus, while Chi-
having problems with his back for solid shots, sometimes I even na’s unseeded Peng Shuai sent
a year,” said the world number went for some shots just to try Italian 28th seed Francesca
four. “It’s unfortunate I had to something different,” she said, Schiavone packing. Wimbledon
stop but I felt like I was hitting the downplaying the effect of the semi-finalist Zheng Jie beat
ball well. I guess if you want to do heat. France’s Camille Pin. Amelie
well in the tournament, it’s good Mauresmo, the champion in
to conserve some energy. Hope- Russian roulette 2006, showed no signs of the
fully that was a good thing.” Dementieva is widely regarded thigh strain that forced her out of
The experienced Williams is as a dark horse for the champion- the Brisbane International in her
looking for her 10th major crown ship after already winning two ti- 6-4, 6-3 win over Olga Govortso-
and her fourth in Melbourne. On- tles this year. va. On the men’s side, French
ly a few select women, including But the Beijing Olympic gold sixth seed Giles Simon quietly
Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova medallist was pushed to the limit went about his business to beat
and Chris Evert, have won more in the 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 6-1 win, unseeded Spaniard Pablo Andu-
major titles than the formidable emerging victorious to take her jar in straight sets.
27-year-old. Forgoing her usual recent unbeaten run to 11 match- AFP
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
09

‘‘Chasing the big dream

He (Muhammad Ali) wouldn’t have missed this (Obama’s inauguration) for the
world. What’s interesting is that Muhammad had time to grow into his role as
being a world humanitarian, while (Obama) will inherit the world on his shoulders,
not just the U.S. And it is a much heavier burden than I think Muhammad had to face.
Lonnie Ali, boxing great Muhammad Ali’s wife

Afghanistan and Hong Kong dreaming of World Cup

A
fghanistan’s cricketing rollercoaster ride
stops off in Argentina this week with a
place in the 2011 World Cup tantalisingly
within reach. At the leafy Buenos Aires set-
tings of the Hurlingham, Belgrano and St Albans
Clubs, Afghanistan will tackle Argentina, Hong
Kong, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and the Cay-
man Islands.
If they finish in the top two, they’ll progress to
April’s World Cup qualifier in South Africa, the
final testing ground ahead of the 2011 World
Cup to be staged in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh. It’s a prospect which would have
been unthinkable just over eight years ago when
the Afghanistan cricket federation wasn’t even
part of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Great work
But since their entry into ICC tournaments,
they have been determined to show that there is
more to Afghanistan than bloodshed and road-
side bombs. They surged through Division Five
and Four of the World Cricket League with suc-
cessive promotions, earning desperately-needed
development cash along the way as well as plau-
dits. One regional Afghan governor was even
reported to have given the players plots of land
on which to build homes as reward for reaching
the next level. Their successes have also led to
neighbours Pakistan helping in the preparations
for the Division Three tournament in Argentina.
Help comes from neighbour
At a recent four week-training camp in Lahore,
organised by the Asian Cricket Council, Shoaib
Akhtar, Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif, Ijaz Ahmed
and Aaqib Javed passed on crucial tips. “We dis-
cussed a lot of cricket,” Afghanistan batsman
Raees Ahmadzai said. “The players look like com-
plete cricketers. We worked a lot on temper-
ament. Our fast bowlers worked on how to
control the new ball and our batsmen on how we
make partnerships to chase big targets.”
Despite their charge up the world rankings,
the troubles at home are never too far away. The
Afghanistan cricket academy is based at Kabul’s
notorious Ghazi Stadium where the Taliban once
staged public executions while in August 2008,
Rahmat Wali, who was part of the team from
2001 and 2006, was killed during fighting. “2011
is a dream – I am very hopeful,” said Afghanistan
coach Kabir Ali, a former Pakistan Test player.
Not giving up hope
Despite losing to Afghanistan in the Division
Four final in Tanzania last year, Hong Kong were
still promoted and their coach, ex-England in-
ternational Aftab Habib, is confident his side can
progress when the action gets underway in Ar-
gentina from Saturday. “It is an achievable
dream and it is just a matter of putting in a lot of
hard work,” he said of a side who gained valua-
ble experience by playing in the 2008 Asian Cup.
Hosts Argentina and Uganda secured promotion
to Division Two in 2007 only to fall straight back
down in 2008. “It is going to be a very close
tournament and there isn’t going to be much
between the teams,” said Argentine coach Ham-
ish Barton.
Like Hong Kong, Uganda have recently tested
their ability against a higher-rated nation – Ke-
nya, shock World Cup semi-finalists in 2003. De-
spite losing two games, at one stage they had
their African rivals struggling at 180 for eight. ■
AFP

The Afghan cricket

team train in
Lahore. PHOTO: AFP
10 FLICK ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

First things first

Antaheen has two firsts - Sharmila
Tagore and Aparna Sen have acted
together and Shantanu Moitra has
composed music for a Bengali film

OPEN TO
Tamil movies
DEEPA VENKATRAMAN

Y
ou have made your
mark in Bollywood since
2002 and had hits like
Parineeta and Lage Raho
Munna Bhai. Considering you
are a Bengali, what took you
this long to get into Bengali
cinema?
I always wanted to compose for
a Bengali movie, but the legacy of
Bengali cinema – be it musicians
or filmmakers – was too high and
that daunted me. In the last dec-
ade, I couldn’t see my kind of
music, more soulful melodious
composition having a nostalgic
feel, being created. A year ago,
Aniruddha Roy Choudhury ap-
proached me to do his movie’s
music and I readily accepted as I
loved his approach to direction
and the way he handled music.
He gave the complete space to do
what I wanted.
A still from Parineeta
How difficult or easy was it
composing for Antaheen?
It was difficult as I spent most weak. As a composer, I feel that it He is my very good friend and a come my way, I will do them. I
of my life in Delhi, hence my liter- is important to know all compo- top-notch playback singer. He am a great admirer of Ilayaraja
ature and pronunciation was nents of a song. I researched for even postponed some of his ap- and love his melodious
seven months and took lessons pointments to be a part of the fun compositions.
from the Kolkata band Chandra- that we were having during the
bindoo, who wrote the lyrics. I recording. What are your upcoming
managed to finish composing six projects?
songs in 22 days. Do you plan to compose for Three Idiots starring Aamir
any Tamil movie? Khan and Kareena Kapoor,
What genres of music does Yes, I do get sporadic calls from Shyam Benegal’s unnamed film,
the movie have? Kollywood and actor-cum-direc- and Johnny Mastana, which has
No particular genre but I have tor Revathi has approached me Amitabh Bachchan. ■
used five instruments – drums, earlier. If any interesting projects
mandolin, flute, piano and nylon
string guitar. All songs are ex-
tremely melodious; particularly
‘Jao Pakhi’ sung by Shreya Ghosal
has a lot of emotions. People all
over the nation can relate to it Shantanu Moitra of
because of the styling.

You gave Shreya Ghosal her

‘Parineeta’ fame on his
first Bollywood hit,
Parineeta, and now her first
major Bengali movie.
maiden Bengali music
She is a great gift to the indus-
try. She has got the ability to
mould herself to all kinds of
composition, ‘Antaheen’,
compositions.

How was it working with

future projects and
Shaan?
Ilayaraja
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
11
I’m not afraid of growing old
Brad Pitt, who turned 45 last month, has said that
he is not afraid of old age, but is worried about
how he will die.

Tom Cruise keen to

promote Valkyrie in India
Hollywood filmmaker Bryan Singer, who is
currently on a promotional tour across Asia
and Europe with superstar Tom Cruise for his
Nazi thriller Valkyrie, has revealed that the
actor is keen on visiting India to promote
the film. “Tom wants to go to India for the
promotion. His daughter (Isabella, 16,
adopted) has told him a lot about the
country and he is eager to go there. India is
also an emerging and growing market in
terms of business for us,” Singer said over
phone from Seoul, South Korea. “I’d also Winslet deserves an Oscar : DiCaprio
like the Indian audience to know that Leonardo DiCaprio has said that Kate Winslet deserves an Academy
Valkyrie is a true and extraordinary story. It’s Award for her performance in Revolutionary Road, insisting that the
an edge-of-the-seat assassination thriller and honour is “long overdue” for the actress. The Titanic actress has never
is the story of a neglected event in time,” won an Oscar, even after being nominated five times- three times for
added the director who is also Best Actress and twice for Best Supporting Actress. However, DiCaprio is
contemplating visiting Japan and China as a sure that this time the actress will take home the gong for sure, and he
part of the promotional tour. is adamant Winslet deserves to win a trophy.
IANS ANI

PRIYANKA OR KAREENA
WHO WILL
N
ow that Shyam Benegal has decided to revive his costliest project Chamki, a desi
version of French musician Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, the question is
who will play the title role of a free-spirited fiery-tempered gypsy in the movie?
BE SHYAM According to sources, Priyanka Chopra more than Kareena Kapoor is the
natural choice to play Chamki since the role requires a trained dancer.
When contacted, Priyanka said that she was open to the offer. “But I read the script
BENEGAL’S ages ago. The whole project now has to be evaluated afresh. And who wouldn’t want to
work with Shyam Benegal?”
Chamki has been pending for a while. Earlier, the project
CARMEN? was with Sanjay Gupta. Now, Big Pictures is produc-
ing the film.
In the past too, both Priyanka and Kareena
were approached for Chamki, but they
opted out for various reasons.
“Kareena was excited to begin
with. She was supremely charged
by the role and what Benegal
had done with her sister
Karisma in Zubeidaa.
But then she opted out
- as she often does from
offbeat challenges like
Deepa Mehta’s Water
and Rituparno Ghosh’s
Raincoat - pleading it
was too early for her to
attempt something so
unconventional,”said
a source close to the
project.
While now Priyanka
is still interested in the
project, Kareena’s
views were not yet
known.
Chamki, set in Rajas-
than, is being re-designed
as a big broad epic musical
with choreography and lavish
songs by Javed Akhtar and
A.R. Rahman. ■
IANS
12
Tuesday’s Question:
Which song would you
nominate as the song
of the year and why?
■ ’Adiye kolludhey’ from Varanam
Aayiram. It is the only rock song in
the recent years.
Siva,
RR Donnelley
■ ’Anal maele panithuli’ from
Varanam Aayiram, Sudha mam’s
magic voice. Chance eh ille.
Safeer,
Tata Consultancy Services
■ ’Anbay en anbay’ from Dham
Dhoom. Very nice picturisation and
best melody music in Tamil.
Ramya, Maha, Sri, Saradha (RR
Donnelley),
Gunasekar, Gopinath.R, Kalaivani.R,
Kumari.R, Sarah Joyce.D, Gomathi.P,
Manimala.V, Durga.S, Vanarani.N,
Sudha.J, Senthil.K (PMC),
Anand (Ford Business Services)
■ From Varanam Aayiram ’Nee
indri nan illai’ it has got wonderful
meaning it touches everyone’s
hearts
Levi,
Infoview Technologies
■ ’Nila nila odi va’ from Nayagan,
it’s a wonderful step ahead to
teach us childhood rhymes.
Sofiya Ambrose (Wipro)
Praveen (CGSL),
Mukund (SCB)
Scope International
■ It’s definitely ’Taxi Taxi’. It’s
simply Rahman’s magical beats for
the youth. Taxi rocked and still
rocking.
Jarks (Ramco Systems)
Robin M (Wipro)
■ ’Kalai mattum kandal kadavul
theriyathu’ from Dasavatharam, for
the lyrics and the great man’s
hardwork
Loganathan,
Perot Systems
■ Kangal irandal from
Subramaniyapuram for its mind
blowing composing
S Ramesh (Wipro),
Geetha, Mahesh Rajamani,
Senthilkumar (Perot Systems),
Arun Kumar (Congruent Solutions),
Satish (Ramco Systems),
G Saravanakumar (TCS)
ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009
■ Mukunda mukunda because a
north Indian sang it with south
Indian accent with great precision
Sadna deserves national award.
Prasad,
Tata Consultancy Services
■ ’Mundhinam partheney’ from
Varanam Aayiram. Simply because
of wholesome rich Tamil lyrics.
Arun Gopal .J (Infosys),
Sowbagya Lakshmi P (CGSL),
Hariharan (Infoview Technology),
Oviya, Vijay (RR Donnelley),
Seenivasan (Technip)
■ ’Oh oh sanam’ from
Dasavatharam for good music and
Kamal’s dance.
Hema, GVS from Hewitt Associates has nominated his friends as Partners
Indus Rsystems in Crime. This pic was clicked on their office campus.
■ ’Anjala’ song from Varanam
Aayiram. It will be the massive hit
of the year especially for Surya’s
acting.
Ramya, Salma,
Tata Consultancy Services
■ ’Style’ song from Shivaji.
Picturisation of the song is
awesome. Superstar proved again
that no one can beat him.
Shiva,
Perot Systems
■ ’Ye mere vatan ke logo, zara
yad karo khurbani’ from Pukar
sung by Lata Mangeshkar. It really
suits for our soldiers sacrifice on
Mumbai attacks.
Priya,
HCL
Hemachandran from Cognizant has nominated his friends as
■ ’Jai ho...’ from Slumdog Partners in Crime. This photo was taken in Ooty.
Millionaire for its splendid music.
Suree,
Tata Consultancy Services
■ ’Kathala kanala’ from Anjathey
is very good item song with
decent picturization, which you
can’t see in any other film.
Everyone from six to sixty can
watch and hear this song without
any hesitation.
Vinoth,
Thinksoft
Today’s Query:
If you are the CEO of
your company, what
would be your cost-
cutting measures? Elangovan from Firstsource Solutions Ltd has nominated his
friends as Partners in Crime. This picture was clicked near a dam in
Kerala.
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Surya N.R. from Steria (India)
Limited has been nominated as
Office Angel by Ashok Kumar Ra-
jagopal.
He is always there to help us with
a pleasant smile. He is an active
member of Corporate Social
Responsibility who volunteers in
activities like blood donation and
green networking. When he returns
from his native place, he never
forgets to bring loads and loads of
sweets and snacks.
Art featured in this column will receive gift
coupons from Fruit Shop on Greams Road.
Phone: 23450871. Send in your addresses so
that we can post the coupons.
Ramya T of Infosys
doodled this.
1. Avar romba munjakkirthai ullavar inu eppadi sollura?
Avar Email ku kuda stamp otti anuppuvaar.
2. Goal keeper goal vizhamaa thaduppar
Wicket keeper wicket vizhamaa thaduppara...?
Sivanandam
Wipro
■ Dear Vino,
Wish you many many more happy
returns of the day……
We wish you that whatever you want
most in life it come to you more than
the way you imagined it.
You are not special only for this day
but for each and everyday.
Evalo wish panrom treat tharama
vitudadha……
4ever your frndz,
Vaishu, Sowdha, Anitha, Citra, Jsree.
HCL Technologies.
■ Dear Rajeswari (FSS),
Wish You Happy Birthday (Pirantha
naal nalvazhthukal). We wishing you
all success in your life, may all your
desires come true… Have a great
year ahead…
Ever Vshing Friends
■ Dear Jeeva,
Happy Birthday!!!
You are very special
And you deserve the best
I wish you a wonderful life
Filled with love and happiness
May god shower his blessings on u
thruout ur live.
Ever Yours,
Sathya,
Calsoft labs
■ Dear Gopika,
We wish u a wonderful life filled
with love and happiness
God bless you ,happy birthday gopika
with love
Aiswarya, Archana, Anju,Krishna,
Manju, Meera, Muhsina, Renjini,
Santhi, Sheena, Siva,
Wipro Technologies
■ Dear Nithya,
Wish you a Belated happy birthday.
Wish you all success and hapiness
from this moment....
May god bless you with all wealth
and hapiness....
Have a great year ahead dear...
With love
Lakshmi, HCL Technologies
■ Dear Balaji,
I wish you lots and lots of happiness
on your birthday. I love you so
much!! Wishing you a day packed
with lots of love and happiness!!
I wish you a wonderful day which
brings all your wishes that you want
in your life!!!
Happy Birthday dear!!
With love,
Urs Priya,
Wipro Technologies.
■ Dear Raseek
Belated Birthday wishes.
May god bless you and all your
dream comes true..
13
With love,
Pradeep, Siva, Ravi, Saravanan, Rao,
Kishore, Raja, Nagarajan, CTS
■ Hi Sathish
Wish you many more happy returns
of the day,god bless you with lots of
happiness and joys in your life and
your dreams will come true
happy bday
Regards
Your Best Friend
Belated Wishes
■ Dear Shanmugam Lakshmanan
(Shanny),
Bidding you farewell on behalf of
TARGET ODC – CDC 5, Testing Team.
Thanks for creating us the
opportunity to work with you.
Wishing you Good luck on all your
future Endeavour’s.
Stay in touch with all of us. We miss
you a lot.
With Regards,
TARGET ODC- CDC-5, Testing Team
Members, Wipro Technologies
■ Hi Srividhya,
May your spirit keep the freedom
of a butterfly in spring,
and may your heart be filled always
with the joys of simple things.
May your essence claim the freshness
of the new laid morning dew.
All of this... and more...
is Our Birthday wishes for you...
Wish U all Success N Ur Life...
Take Care...
With Regards,
Wipro friends.
■ Dear Saravanan,
May this birthday bring you life’s real
gifts, good health, friendship, and
love... Wish you many more happy
returns of the day
Hearty wishes from,
Boopathy, Avinash, Sudha, Deepa, Nirmala
■ Hey Sudhan Rao M :)
Growing old is mandatory; growing
up is optional, we know u follow thw
later one ;) Atleast now sudhan try to
grow up :)
Ok jokes apart... the true wish from
all of us "Happy Birthday to you,
you live in a zoo, you smell like a
monkey, and you look like one too"
With Luv
Ranjini, Kasthuri, Punitha, Induja, Nithiya,
Mamatha, Suhas, Jeet, Cognizant
■ Dear Ram,
We all wish you a very Happy
Birthday!
May God bless you & all your dreams
come true.
Regards,
RRD BCS Team
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Youngster pens love

book
A dating guide written by a nine-year-
old American boy is being published in
Britain in time for Valentine’s Day.

sudoku

S. Gokul from
TRIMBLE, Tidel Park
shot this picture of
women heaping dry
sticks in his village in
Namakkal. Hobbies:
Photography and
writing

Photographs of the
harvest festival, rural
India and little-
known rituals will be
given preference this
month. Please send
us fresh photographs,
preferably those
clicked by you on a
recent trip, to
clickpick@goergo.in

All photos selected for clickpick this month KAKURO

will receive a gift voucher worth Rs.1,000, cour-
tesy Kantilal Diamonds (Ph: 2828 1700). Read-
ers are requested to send their addresses with
their entries.

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

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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Contact: 2857 5757
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copies@goergo.in

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KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Marriage mayhem
Three couples got married on a river in
China while balancing on bamboo
poles.
15
Word’s worth
“Libant” (lim-beck) to wear yourself out in the effort to have a new
idea. This word ultimately comes from an Arabic word meaning ‘a
still,’ the analogy being that you distill ideas with your brain.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You can be in a mood to compromise and adjust
with others. Instead of technical work, you will
prefer to do something creative or artistic. On the
love front, you will have to learn to let go and
compromise.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Ganesha doesn’t find you in a mood to put in
efforts at workplace. You will expect benefits
effortlessly. You will take interest in other activities
besides your routine job-responsibilities. On the love
front, both of you will be in a very romantic mood.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You will remain pretty busy with communication
BORN LOSER with various people within or outside your
organization. Towards end of the day, your
emotions are likely to come to the fore due to
strong temptation to meet your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Instead of working on technical aspects at work, try
to be more innovative and inventive, as planetary
positions are favouring you for such activities. As far
as love life is concerned, you become more dramatic
in front of your sweetheart.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You are likely to miss deadlines at work. Keep
frustrations aside and focus on your goals. Demands
from superiors may sound pressing but you are a
very strong-willed person so you will be able to
handle such pressure.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
This is slightly unfavourable day. Do not lose temper
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT and focus on what you want to achieve. Be friends
with everyone around you and they will help you
solve problems. In front of your lover, you are
supposed to be less demanding and almost selfless.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Everyone is going to appreciate your dedication at
workplace. You have innate quality to adjust with
others in difficulties and this is what is going to
help you to greater extent today. Your beloved one
will soothe your strained nerves very nicely.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
You may remain pretty busy with work throughout
the day. Technical issues are likely to be sorted out
so you will feel much better. You may have great
time in the company of your beloved. You will seek
privacy while in the company of your honey!
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
This is slightly tricky day for you because while you
are at office, some domestic affairs will be drawing
your attention. At the end of the day, you might
have to go extra mile to woo your beloved one,
Ganesha says.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Pending work is likely to be finished and you will
be looking forward to forthcoming projects.
Technical aspects related to work need to be
checked twice before you go ahead. You may
discuss your work with your beloved one.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS It’s a day to plan your work properly. If you are a
team leader, you will be able to delegate everything
ISSUE’S equally to everyone. You will be able to perform
well even under constrained situations. You may
SOLUTIONS exchange some sweet words with the sweetheart.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Because it is a power day for you, today you will be
undergoing a very positive sea-change in your
personality. You will be friends with your colleagues.
Time that you will spend today with your beloved
one will be memorable, promises Ganesha.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Usher attends Simon Elementary School

in Washington D.C. Working with MTV
and ServiceNation, in collaboration with
CityYear, Heart of America and D.C.
Cares, Usher led a group of 200 young
volunteers in a makeover project at
Washington, participating in this year’s
historic Inaugural activities. GETTY IMAGES

Miely Cyrus
performs at the
‘’Kids inaugural: We
Are The Future’
concert honouring
military families,
one of the events
of Barack Obama’s
inauguration
celebrations, in
Washington.
AFP PHOTO

QUOTE OF THE DAY

‘‘
Every
time
I’m not wearing
my ring, people
think I’m getting
divorced. That’s
crazy. It just
didn’t go with
the dress. Divorce
is not and was
never an option.
Jennifer Lopez
quelling divorce
Actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie pose on the red carpet
rumours
for the German premiere of the film The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button by US director David Fincher on Monday in
Berlin. The film is adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott
Meryl Streep attends the Doubt Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages
photocall in Paris. GETTY IMAGES backwards. AFP PHOTO