A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, February 16, 2009

FARHAN
10 FUTURE FRAGRANCES
06
AKHTAR A scent that smells like Lord’s
on Imraan Khan cricket ground
and competition
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 29

Their own masters

These are stories of people who have dared to think beyond salaries and placements, of
losers who have thought out-of-the-box, of friends who have fulfilled dreams even in the
most non-conducive of environments. Thanks for helping First Innings complete a year.
» PAGE 4 & 5
PHOTOS: S.S. KUMAR AND R. RAVINDRAN

OLD MAN
AND THE SEA
He’s sailed from Burma to the Great Barrier Reef off Australia on
a 5-ft yacht. He’s been through the Second World War. And he’s
99 years old. An encounter with Colonel Edward Patrick Manning.
» PAGE 03
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

LANKAN
CAUSE
N early 25 years and 70,000 deaths later,
the civil war in Sri Lanka mercilessly
continues, with hundreds of thousands of
civilians now trapped in the fighting
between the government army and the
rebel Tamil Tigers.
The offensive that was meant to be final
has now lasted for five months,
transforming the situation into a
humanitarian tragedy.
The Alliance Franchise Madras is screening
two documentaries on the ethnic conflict in
the island nation followed by a panel
discussion on February 16 and 17. “Burning
Memories” by freelance journalist S.
Someetharan traces back the destruction of
the Jaffna Public Library in 1981 that
triggered off the conflict.
“Lanka- the other side of war and peace”
by Kashmiri filmmaker Iffat Fatima bears
first-person account of victims of the
humanitarian crisis.
Of chain snatchings,
lost two-wheelers
and the rare
guardian angel
Criminal khaki duo
Last week, a constable attached
to the City Police Commissioner-
ate in the city lost his motorcycle
that was parked on a police sta-
tion premises in the Avadi limit.
Apparently, two-wheeler theft is a
regular affair in the limit and is
said to be masterminded by two
cops who have deployed men to
commit the crime.
Chain-snatching
menace
The rise in chain-snatching in-
cidents in the city had driven the
city’s top cop to call a sudden
meeting with his subordinates.
He has ordered cracking the whip
and is known to have given a ‘big
dose’ to some officers under
whose limits the crime has seen a
steady rise in the last two
months.
Poor guardian
angel
A guardian angel lady cop at-
tached to a police station in the
city, who recently helped an ail-
ing person at Chennai Central
Station, is seen as a demon by her
counterparts in the Railways.
The reason, according to them,
is that she offered help in another
police limit and walked away
with the honours (she received an
award for her act). So every time
she reaches the station to board a
train to her home in Avadi, she
receives an angry stare from the
railway cops.
Where are the
bikes?
The rise of two-wheeler thefts
in the city has turned yet another
headache for the khakis. Reliable
sources say that per day there are
a minimum of three incidents of
theft in the city.
Some bikes are seized by mo-
torcycle financiers on non-pay-
ment of EMI. However, the
remaining 75 per cent of the bikes
go untraced.

Marathon Man
쑸
Shiv Dan
Singh who
won the
Chennai
Marathon
at Marina
Beach in
Chennai
on
Sunday.
PHOTO:R.
RAGU
 Monday, February 16, 2009
VIPASHA SINHA
A
dventures of World War
II, the task of rebuilding
the death track in Burma,
the obstinacy of the sea
on long voyages and precious
acquaintances with towering
figures of Indian history are just
a few moments from 99-year-
old Colonel Manning’s past.
Edward Patrick Manning,
born in Ireland in 1910, is one
of the oldest sailors alive. He
has made India his home and
resides in namma Chennai with
wife Madhulika, who runs her
own real estate consultancy.
Before starting, Manning
makes it a point to remind you
Old Man and the Sea
He once sailed from Burma to the Great Barrier Reef on a 5-ft yacht. Now, at
99, Colonel Manning is one of the oldest sailors alive. And experiences from
World War II make for an even interesting recollection
Sakhi,
OUR BEAUTIFUL FRIEND….
T he cafeteria of Cybernet-Slash-
Support resounded with laugh-
ter, some giggles and mostly
unrestrained laughter of women.
Barathi of the admin team looked
exceedingly happy because she
had just kicked an “eve teaser”
(woman dressed as a man) in the
right or rather wrong place while
demonstrating a self-defence
move. Though a mere demon-
stration, it was essentially the
pulse of Sakhi, an initiative by the
Facilities Management Group to
empower every woman em-
ployee of CSS.
The Sakhi meeting kick-started
with the unveiling of the banner
proclaiming the powerful woman
by Vishu Priya amidst thunder-
ous applause. This was followed
by a briefing by the core Sakhi
to speak louder. A conversation
with him is unexpectedly inter-
esting, with traces of his Irish
wit showing up quite often.
His first encounter with India
was in the 1940s during Second
World War, when he came here
as part of British Royal Engi-
neers. He was directly recruited
as Officer Cadet in the British
Indian Army. Eleven months
later, he was acclimatised to the
Indian Army at the QVO Ma-
dras S&M at Ulsoor, Bangalore.
During his tenure Pat (as he’s
known among friends) lent his
services all around the country
and strengthened relationships
with the powers-that-be then.
By the time he retired in 1945,
team on their
plans to encour-
age the personal
and professional
growth of wom-
en employees
through leader-
ship, education, etc.,
as well as addressing
and providing solutions to
personal as well as workplace is-
sues faced by women.
The question about what Sakhi
meant elicited many interpreta-
tions. Sakhi was inner ‘Shakthi’, a
mother who takes care of her
children’s needs, a friend who
encourages sometimes with just a
nod, and many more. And wom-
en gave free reign to their
thoughts, coming up with inno-
vative suggestions that can be im-
he was enticed by India and de-
cided to live the rest of his life
here. When given an option to
stay back or return to England,
he chose his adopted country.
Ask him why and he sweetly an-
swers, “I was smitten by the
country. Moreover, Mrs. Gand-
hi asked me to stay here. I con-
sider myself an Indian now.”
Pat the sailor
Pat’s romance with the sea
stated at the tender age of five.
“Sailing was not in my family
but I was mesmerised by the
blue of the sea. The sea was my
playground. I always enjoyed
being in water, except during
bath time” he smiles.
plemented by Sakhi.
The ones who lost
their seats in the
musical chairs
headed to the
health camp for a
free dental check-up
and a fat check-up.
The only disappointment
was echoed in the voice a
woman who kept insisting that
“My fat percentage can’t be over
35. Do I look fat?”
“Do you really care?” asked
Giovana as she broke into a salsa
with Ibtissam melting hearts and,
hopefully, some obstinate fat and
Shakira crooned ‘Wherev-
er…whenever’ to DJ Sushma’s
beats.■
Namitha Jayanarayanan,
Cybernet-SlashSupport
Pat took up sailing profes-
sionally at the age of 32 and af-
ter more than six decades he is
as much in love with the sea.
One of his most adventurous
and indelible one-month sea
voyages was from Burma to the
Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
“A 5-ft yacht was all we had.
With no passport or visa in
hand, we sailed for one month
from Burma to the Coral Sea
without a hop. We carried some
rare edibles from Burma to
Australia.” he slowly recalls.
When asked about the year of
the voyage, he quips, “I was ve-
ry young then. If I remembered
all the dates, I would have writ-
ten a book.” ■
03
Pages form his past
Towards the end of the
war Colonel Manning was
assigned to raise a camp
to accommodate
thousands of British
soldiers being sent back
to England. Finally, he
stayed back in Rangoon to
help rebuild the railways
and he stayed on in
Burma Railways. He was
instrumental in the
installation of the railway
station, marshalling yard,
tracks and also the
engines in Burma during
wartime.
The Barrackpore Sailing
Club was one of his most
significant initiatives. He
became a member of the
Tamil Nadu Sailing
Association right at its
inception.
If I remembered
all the dates, I
would have
written a book
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

For the last one year First Innings has been inspiring you (at least, that’s what we would
like you to think) with stories of start-ups that were diverse in age, outlook and industry.
Of people who have dared to think beyond salaries and placements, of losers who have
thought out-of-the-box, of friends who have fulfilled dreams even in the most non-
conducive of environments – people who have taken the rough road to entrepreneurship.
As a gratitude to the many readers who sent us success stories of entrepreneurs they
have interacted with or heard about, Liffy Thomas profiles entrepreneurs who have
been recommended by our readers.

Mr. PRObit
C
all it curiosity or interest in
the net worth of one’s fel-
low human being, Amit P.
ACUMEN
MATTERS
Nahar loved to go through
the list of billionaires, a fascina-
tion that started during his
school days.
“I was deeply inspired by the
growing number of billionaires

in India during my school days;
each one was an entrepreneur.
Rarely would one see someone
in employment reaching those
heights,” says Amit talking
about how the entrepreneurial
bug caught him.
In fact, after school Amit de-
cided that he would play his
own game in life. “I always
wanted the steering wheel of my
life in my hands and not let
anyone drive it.”
From being a Chartered Ac-
countant to Masters in Finan-
cial Management to
Management Consultant and
the Fa Chennai Man 2007,
Amit’s entrepreneurial journey
has been an assortment of
twists and turns.
His venture, PRObit Consult-
ants, is a one-stop consulting
solution catering to all client
needs. In less than four years
since its inception, the compa-
ny has one of the most diversi-
fied clientele and has been
competing with the big fours in
many domains.
“My journey called for
strength, tenacity and a bottom-
less reserve of determination,”
says Amit, who is director-pro-
moter of the company. “It was
good to idolise some of the suc-
cessful entrepreneurs and later
BUSY
make them your client.”
Those hiccups? “There were
many times when it would have
a been easy for me and my team
to throw in the towel, but we
learned that by simply hanging
on for another day we could of-
ten change things dramatically,
often for the better.”
Did winning the Chennai
Man title change things? “It did
change my image in the corpo-
rate world. I always wanted to
lead life the unconventional
way and achieve feats which
people rarely achieve,” Amit
says. It’s the same gut feeling
that makes him balance both
worlds with zeal. ■
Deepal Jain had sent
us Amit’s details in
August of 2008.
I
magine getting the first break
in business while studying,
where your goal is not making
money but enhancing your
skills. Just think you hit jackpot.
The start-up plans of Sudhakar
Arjunan (23) and N. Kalyanara-
man (22) took wing when they
were studying Information Tech-
nology at Vel Tech Engineering
College. In their second year, the
duo started the ‘IT Acumens
Community’ to later launch IT
Acumens, where they undertook
web projects for classmates and
college events.
Knowing their skills, a librarian
asked them to design a library
management system. That be-
came a hit and was later hosted
by the college.
“The Chairman of the college
gifted us Rs. 10,000 – our first sal-
ary-cum-gift,” they recall.
Soon, offers started pouring in
from other institutions, too. The
success of IT Acumens was huge;
they completed designing 20
such projects before their gradu-
ation (that is, juggling work and
college). So much so that Sudha-
kar even decided to drop the job
offer he got through campus
placement.
The down-to-earth boys do not
call themselves entrepreneurs as
they think they need to be a bet-
ter “performing company”,
though they have gone through
all that a start-up faces in their
last two years.
“We started functioning from
Kalyan’s home,” recalls Sudha-
kar, saying how the entrance
where footwear was left behind
was converted into an office – a
100 sq ft space to be specific.
Today, it’s is a different growth
story. They have 15 employees
working for the company, spread
over an area of 1,200 sq ft in Ash-
ok Nagar.
“Every quarter we make a turn-
over of Rs. 5 lakh through our var-
ious projects,” says Sudhakar,
adding, “We have a customer
base of 1,500 people.”
Hosting the website hasn’t
been a cakewalk, either. “It re-
quired high bandwidth and over-
load. So we purchased a shared
server,” they say. “Winning the
trust of our customers was anoth-
er difficult task,” says Kalyan.
IT Acumens, according to
them, is a ray of hope for freshers,
those swindled of their money in
the name of a job and for all those
who want to “learn, share and
leave after getting hands-on
experience.”
With over 25,000 resumes in
their database, 16,000 new vis-
itors and 7,900 registrations,
there seems to be no stopping.
The duo has launched their sec-
ond start-up, MobiDrive, which is
a short code SMS service. ■
Thilaga Kesavan of
HCL-Cisco has been
insisting that we meet
the IT Acumens team.

Aravind Chandrasekaran maintains A. Hari wrote to us about his

a social media site, blog, ‘Inspire Minds’, which
www.younews.in, where users can aims to inspire others with the
submit bookmarks, share news success stories of others. “It
BEE

stories and web links. Unlike consists of real life stories of

traditional news sites, Younews people who have achieved
does not have editors or reporters. success after struggle,” he
Any user registered on the site can writes. Review his stories at
send in their new stories. http://
News you can use! changeminds.wordpress.com
 Monday, February 16, 2009
05
HOME
SHANTI
HOME
H
e is not an architect, interi-
or designer, builder or
Vaastu consultant, but the
usability and functional
aspects required in a home run
high on this product engineer’s
mind, which he converted into a
business module.
Meet Virupakshan K. or Viru
Kavitha (extreme right) with her team. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR for friends, who will help you ap-
ply more commonsense while
building your dream home.

The smart
Viru brings with him around 10
years of IT experience (he has
worked with Infosys, Cognizant
and MindTree) and the belief that
it is better late than never has dri- monthly.
ven him to take up his entrepre- “Once I gain momentum with
neurial ambitions. With due customers, I plan to start devel-

worker
Building a company is not like
planting one giant tree. It is
about creating an entire forest
someday....
vitha repeats his words.
After a little prodding, Kavitha
was ready to take the plunge.
Thanks also to the three others
consciousness angle when she
recruits. “All my appointees, six
sets of eight to nine freshers who
have worked, are from rural ar-
credit also to Subroto Bagchi’s ar-
ticle, The Fallen Tomato Cart.
So, what’s HomePlanGuru all
about?
“I help you plan various func-
tional aspects of your home that
your builder will not tell,” he ex-
plains, saying there are 1,000
such details to be considered,
which he calls micro planning for
the home.
oping products as well as certify if
the house is safe in all aspects,”
he adds.
Thanks to the ESOPs he re-
ceived from Infosys, Viru says it
has made him debt-free as well as
sail in the venture. And if you
have been thinking how reces-
sion can affect his business, Viru
says, “The longer the downturn,
the better is the business for me,

Y
ou can see the entrepre-
neur within when Kavitha
Venkatesh reads out one of
her favourite lines from
Subrato Bagchi’s The High Per-
former or when she goes about
doing her duties.
Kavitha’s story may not sound
very different for the dime-a-
dozen internet entrepreneurs,
but for me it is about seeing a
simple, shy girl who never
thought of working transform to
manage a company.
Tucked inside Madipakkam is
Kavitha’s flat, with her home
and office on the ground and
first floor respectively, where she
juggles between the two.
It all started one year after
marriage when her husband,
Venky, motivated her to do so-
mething. “Even if it is a failure, it
is fine; I will be with you,” Ka-
(her sister proficient in comput-
ers, a friend well-versed in hu-
man resources and a computer
teacher) who guided her in float-
ing the web maintenance and
development firm.
Before that, the Commerce
graduate made sure she enrolled
in a computer class to learn the
basics of what she would be
handling.
“Even now I only know the ba-
sics. I bag projects and the rest is
handled by my team,” she says
candidly about her company,
Compunet Connections, for
which she is the sole proprietor.
How did she bag her first pro-
ject? “Through a common friend
I got my first client from the Ca-
ribbean, who later referred me
to others. And the chain
continued.”
Kavitha also keeps a social
eas like Namakkal, Salem, Tiru-
veneli and other districts. They
have BE/ MCA degree in hand,
but lack communication skills,
so they lose out on opportuni-
ties,” she explains.
She has no qualms about los-
ing them after a year or two. “I
am happy that they are going to
a better place after getting the
initial push,” she says, explain-
ing how she conducts personal-
ity development programmes
for them.
“Being intelligent is not
enough, but it is essential to be
smart,” Kavitha concludes. True!
■ month, HomePlanGuru now re-
Nominated by Venkatesh
Balasubramanian of
MindTree
His implemented plan takes six as today’s market is changing
months to one year for people to from builder-driven to customer-
experience/understand, but the driven.”
benefit is long-term, which Now, all you who have built or
promises to give you a quality are planning to build a home, do
home at a lower cost. read through the FAQs section on
Easy duplication (his website is www.homeplanguru.com for a dose
quite transparent), fluctuating re- of uncommon commonsense. ■
al estate prices and the fact that
he’s a novice in the field notwith-
standing, Viru is undeterred and Looks like Viru is still
believes in his dreams. popular among his
“In fact, I want all architects to corporate friends. We have
copy my concept,” says Viru who received many requests
calls himself a micro planner, a from his colleagues:
concept which is yet to pick up in Narayan Balasubramanian,
India. From one customer a Prabakaran B. (Infosys),
Vijayapriya V.S. (Cognizant)
ceives five to six customers
Write to us at firstinnings@goergo.in. Tell us why
you like/dislike the column, how we could make it
better, some sectors which we neglected, etc.

He calls himself the ‘Motocycling Do visit Manik Kinra’s “one-stop-

Journalist’ and his main source of shop” for start-ups at http://i-
revenue is his blog, http://bikeadvice.in. startups.com. The site caters to
Deepak Raj wants other bike enthusiasts different needs of start-ups – a
to visit his website before deciding on blog, a consulting team that
the bike to buy, latest in the bike helps entrepreneurs write a
technology or to get any bike related business plan or make
news. Started in August 2008, Deepak is presentations to VCs, a job
quite happy with the response he has section with information on
been generating. “From 50 visitors, openings in the start-ups firms
today I have 1200 people visiting my and all the latest happening in
site. Also, 1600 RSS subscribers,” he says. the start-up world.
06 VILLAGE ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

Shaved head
In 1500 B.C. in Egypt, a shaved head was considered the
ultimate in feminine beauty. Egyptian women removed every
hair from their heads with special gold tweezers and polished
their scalps to a high sheen with buffing clothes.

Now a TV cartoon on Computer virus attacks German

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar defence computers
A South American TV personality has launched a television A computer virus that has
cartoon based on Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi already hit defence
Shankar’s teachings, choosing him as the main character. computers in Britain and
The cartoon, Plim Plim, is aimed at children between two France has spread to
and five years old, the Art of Living Foundation said. German military systems,
Claudio Pousada, the creator, artist and composer of the the defence ministry in
cartoon, was quoted as saying: "This will be a key tool for Berlin said Saturday. The
children all over the world." The cartoon is in Spanish and Conficker computer worm
English but it will be soon translated in other languages. has exasperated computer
IANS users right around the
globe in recent weeks, but
security-conscious military
users had been thought to
Over 2,500 couples tie the knot be better prepared to repel
it. The spokesman said
on Valentine’s Day in China several German armed
More than 2,500 couples have tied the knot on Valentine’s forces sites had to be disconnected from the military
Day in China, an official said Sunday. Valentine’s Day is network after hundreds of computers were taken over by
becoming increasingly popular for marriages among the Conficker. France suffered a military outage from the
Chinese people, said Li Ziwei, chief of the marriage bureau worm in mid-January. Britain’s Defence Ministry has also
under the civil affairs department. A total of 2,689 couples admitted problems with it. Microsoft has posted a reward
tied the knot on Valentine’s Day Feb 14. The number has of 250,000 dollars for the capture of the person who
increased by nearly 2,000 spread the virus, which takes over Windows operating
marriages this year as systems, attempts to crack passwords and downloads
compared with last year’s malware from the internet.
Valentine Day, Li said. DPA
Haidian district, home to
higher learning institutes
and hi-tech firms, had the
most marriages with more
Saudi gets first female minister
than 600 on Saturday. The Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has appointed the first-ever female deputy minister in
official said: “With the the oil-rich kingdom. Norah al-Faiz became deputy education minister for women’s education, local
financial crisis, many Al- Arabiya website reported Saturday. The king reshuffled his cabinet and named a new central
people, especially young bank governor and a new head of the religious police. Muhammad al-Jasser was appointed by the
people, have chosen to king as the central bank governor, replacing Hamad Saud al-Sayyari. Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Humain
shift their focus of life was named as new head of the Muttawa religious police, who replaced sacked Sheikh Ibrahim
from career to family. In al-Ghaith. The monarch also appointed Abdul-Aziz Khoja, who was ambassador to Lebanon, as
China, people have to information minister, replacing Iyad bin Amin Madani. Saleh bin Humaid, who was speaker of the
produce their identity advisory Shura Council, was appointed head of the Supreme Judiciary Court and was replaced by
cards, household records, the outgoing justice minister, Abdullah al-Sheikh. The key cabinet positions, such as ministers of oil
and photos to register and mineral resources, defence and foreign affairs, remain unchanged. Abdullah, who came into
their marriage. the throne in August 2005, had made minor changes in the government.
Xinhua Xinhua

Soon, a scent that smells

like Lord’s cricket ground
F uture fragrances may smell like
Lord’s cricket ground in Lon-
don, say perfumers at Procter &
Gamble.
They have revealed that they
recently captured the essence of
the “home of cricket”.
The perfumers revealed that
they used a technology called
headspace analysis to capture the
odours of freshly cut grass, crick-
et bats, laundered cricket kit and
the players’ changing room (mi-
nus the players).
They said that they were using
them as the starting point for a
fragrance.
Lord’s is just one source of in-
spiration that perfumers are
turning to in the hope of creating
the next Chanel No 5.
“Perfumers need inspiration,
and this can come from people
that surround them, places
they’ve visited, or things that they
love in the world,” New Scientist
magazine quoted Will Andrews of
P&G as saying.
In a separate project, the P&G
team are also trying to capture
the essence of British yachtsman
Alex Thomson’s racing yacht.
For those who think that these
seem like unusual smells to make
into fragrances, the perfumers
say that the scents of the future
could get even stranger.
“Ingredients in the future will
be about the smells that bring
comfort for people coupled with
some ingredients that are inter-
esting, so people go ‘Ooh, what’s
that?’” says Andrews.
He suggests that the smell of
warm electronics might resonate
with people who have grown up
playing computer games.
ANI
 Monday, February 16, 2009
07
Websites of the day Petrol brat
Keep an eye on this multimedia version of an even sillier An American man thought he’d got
’You’ve Been Framed’: www.skoopy.com away with robbing a petrol station -
The information not good enough to make it on to Wikipedia: until his car ran out of gas just
www.wikidumper.blogspot.com minutes into his getaway.

PALACE IS CURRENTLY LOOKING FOR TRAINEE BUTLERS HOUSEKEEPERS TICKET SELLERS AND WARDENS

British queen’s
website gets makeover
The revamped website offers virtual tours of
Buckingham Palace, other royal residences and lot more

I f there’s anything you want to

know about the British monar-
chy, just go the website: that is the
message of an online offensive
launched by Queen Elizabeth II.
Anyone seeking employment as
a royal butler, or keen to find out
the names of the queen’s four
Corgis, can do so at the click of a
mouse on www.royal.gov.uk
Queen Elizabeth II, the 82-year-
old monarch, hired Tim Berners-
Lee, the inventor of the worldwide
web, to revamp the British mon-
archy website, first launched 12
years ago, for the advanced digital
age.
Back in 1997, when the image of
the monarchy was battered by the
outpouring of grief over the death
of Princess Diana, the queen’s ini-
tiative to enhance transparency
by going online was little more
than a desperate exercise in dam-
age limitation. But the idea
proved a hit. More than 100 mil-
lion people visited the site in its
first 12 months - a figure that has
now increased to an average
250,000 users per week.
The revamp overseen by Ber-
ners-Lee introduces a number of
new features. It offers virtual tours
of Buckingham Palace and other
royal residences and, for the first
time, gives the viewer access to
videos of key historic events, such
as the 1953 coronation and the
then future queen’s first public
speech at the height of war in
1940. Apart from rare archive ma-
terial, users will be able to access
the royal diary of engagements,
fully integrated with Google
Maps, and see all the clips cur-
rently available on the popular
Royal Channel on YouTube,
launched in 2007.
While, back in 1997, the queen
described the world surrounding
the Internet as a “bit of a mys-
tery”, she has since embraced the
new technology to the full, a spo-
keswoman said.
Although she only started to use
a computer two years ago, the
queen is known to be in regular
e-mail contact with her grand-
children, who also gave her an
iPod on which she reportedly lis-
tens to the annual Last Night of
the Proms concert.
Under the section Royal Pets,
the user will learn that the queen’s
four corgis - Linnet, Monty, Wil-
low and Holly - travel with her to
the various residences, with “Her
Majesty looking after them herself
as much as possible given her bu-
sy schedule”.
The user is informed that,
among the many animal gifts the
queen has received from hosts
and well-wishers around the
globe are giraffes, turtles, chee-
tahs and sloths. “These are not
kept by the royal household but
are instead given to zoos or wild-
life sanctuaries where they can be
properly cared for.”
Jobseekers will learn that the
palace is currently looking for
trainee butlers, housekeepers,
ticket sellers and wardens.
Applicants are advised to un-
dergo security clearance and
medical checks, while those “who
do not have a right to work in the
UK” are told to not even try.■
DPA

Prince Harry fails his Valour grows by daring...

first flying exam
B ritain’s Prince Harry, who was
recently exposed for calling a
fellow soldier a ‘Paki’ during a
training exercise and broke-up
with his long-term girlfriend
Chelsy Davy last month, has re-
ceived yet another blow this year.
He has failed in one of his first
pilot exams just a few weeks into
his two-year course.
And now Army Air Corps chiefs
are giving him extra lessons to
ensure he passes a retake. The 24-
year-old Royal flunked the theo-
ry-based test at an RAF base in The prince, who struggled at
Lincolnshire. “Harry didn’t reach Eton before getting two A-levels
the grade but he will have plenty in Geography and Art, is splitting
of other opportunities to pass it,” his time between RAF Cranwell
News of the World quoted a Royal and RAF Barkston Heath, both
source, as saying. Lincs. The royal’s dream is to fly
an Apache attack helicopter on
The Army Air Corps the front line. However, if he pas-
chiefs are giving him ses his pilot’s course he may get a 쒀
reconnaissance Lynx or Gazelle Colombian Jose Gomez "Dinastia" looks at the bull hanging on his horns at La
extra lessons to ensure chopper instead, depending on Macarena bullring on Saturday in Medellin, Colombia.
he passes a retake his flying skills. AFP PHOTO/RAUL ARBOLEDA
ANI
08 SPORT ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

Atwal slips to tied 33

A horrendous front nine spoilt Arjun Atwal’s card as he brought home a one-under 71 to slide
six places to tied 33rd after the penultimate round of the AT & T Pebble Beach National Pro-
Am. The Orlando-based Indian sank four birdies against three bogeys to aggregate four-under
212 at the Spyglass Hills Course.

In BIG league
Bolt takes 400m victory
Usain Bolt opened his 2009 season in
Jamaica the same way he ran to sprint gold
at the Beijing
Olympics, slowing
before the finish
but crossing the
line well ahead
of his rivals. The
Jamaican star,
and world’s
fastest man,
turned in a
creditable 400m
performance at
the Camperdown Dhawal
Classic, winning
his heat in 46.35 hopes
seconds to
capture the advice from
three-heat final
on Saturday. Zaheer,
“That was a
good time,” Bolt McGrath
said. “I opened last season with 46.9, so this
is a good time.” Bolt, who ran in lane five, will help
jogged the final 100 meters after getting
out of the blocks fast, slowing on the him in NZ
backstretch and surging until his shutdown
at the finish, ending with a smile on his
face. “The first 300m was good. The last

E
100m needs some work,” Bolt said with a ager to make his
wide grin. Bolt said before the race that he mark in interna-
was behind in his season preparations tional cricket,
compared to last year, in part because of Mumbai pacer
travel and distractions as a result of his Dhawal Kulkarni is
Olympic heroics six months ago. hoping advice from
AFP teammate Zaheer
Khan and idol Glenn
McGrath will stand
him in good stead in
New Zealand. Named
Sania falters in the Indian Test
squad for the tour of
Russian top seed Vera New Zealand, Kulkarni
Zvonareva overcame a said interaction with
tough challenge from Zaheer, his Ranji team
India’s Sania Mirza to mate, and McGrath
win the Pattaya Open has boosted his confi-
7-5, 6-1 on Sunday. dence.
The world number five “I have played two
was put to the test in a Ranji Matches with Zaheer bhai
long first set packed last season. He taught me a lot
with baseline tussles but about aggressive bowling and
showed her class in the how to pressurise batsmen. My
second when she self-confidence grew after that,”
finished off the error- he said from Rajkot. On
prone Mirza with a McGrath, whom Kulkarni con-
stream of powerful siders the best bowler in the
ground-strokes. world, the Mumbaikar said: “No
Mirza, ranked 126th in one can match his accuracy. I
the world, had made had the privilege to get some tips
her intentions clear from from him during the Indian Pre-
the outset, confidently mier League. He told me not to
blasting the ball into be harsh on myself as mistakes
the corners of the court and breaking are bound to happen. He said
Zvonareva in the third game. one must practise hard to get
The Russian got back on track to take a that line and length.” He added:
sizeable lead but Mirza hauled herself back “I am following the valuable ad-
into the contest to draw level. vices from Zaheer bhai and
Zvonareva regained control, sealing the first McGrath. It will certainly help
set after a double fault from Mirza and me a lot.”
racing through the second to win her first The call-up in the Test squad
title of the year and eighth of her career. was a just reward for the right-
Reuters arm pacer who emerged as the
highest wicket-taker – 42 scalps
in nine matches – in his debut
Ranji Trophy season last year. He
took five wickets in the final
against Uttar Pradesh and was
one of the heroes of Mumbai’s
38th Ranji triumph. Aware of the
tough competition for a place in
the national team, Kulkarni said
he didn’t want to let go the op-
portunity. “Naturally, there
would be immense pressure to
perform. But I enjoy it as it in-
spires me to give my best shot. I
don’t want to waste this chance.”
he said.
If he gets a chance to feature
in the playing XI, Kulkarni would
bowl along with Zaheer and Ish-
ant Sharma and the Mumbaikar
was effusive in his praise for In-
dia’s pace spearheads. “They are
the best in the business today.
Their consistency is the major
force behind team India’s suc-
cessful run in past few months,”
the 20-year-old Kulkarni said.
The youngster is also looking for-
ward to sharing the
dressing room with
some of the most re-
nowned cricketers of
this era.
“I have shared the
(Mumbai) dressing
room with Sachin
(Tendulkar) who is
the source of inspira-
tion for a whole gen-
eration. Now I am
waiting to be a part
of Indian dressing
room which has Sa-
chin, (Virender) Seh-
wag, (Rahul) Dravid,
(VVS) Laxman and
captain cool (MS)
Dhoni,” said Dhawal.
Asked about the preparation
for the New Zealand tour, the
bowler said he was currently
concentrating on the ongoing Vi-
jay Hazare Trophy one day tour-
nament where Mumbai is facing
Baroda. “I believe in the one-
tournament-at-a-time strategy.
At the moment my whole focus
is on Vijay Hazare tournament. I
will think about Test series only
after that,” he said. Kulkarni,
who has toured New Zealand
earlier with the India Under-19
team, said the challenge for bow-
lers like him would be to adapt
to wickets of varying pace but
hoped his past experience would
help him there. “That was a dif-
ferent level and international
cricket is altogether on a differ-
ent level. But my past tour with
the junior team will help me in
adapting the wickets quickly,” he
said. ■
PTI
 Monday, February 16, 2009
‘‘
They (Steve Waugh, Shane Warne) said yes straight away. Once again, they
are leading the way, just as they did in their playing days, and the response
from players, past and present, plus the personalities has been fantastic.
Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert on a charity Twenty20 cricket match to raise funds for Victorian bushfire sufferers
BBarca
arca jjuggernaut
uggernaut Eto’o scores two to rally Barcelona
S
amuel Eto’o scored two goals, in-
cluding a late equaliser, as leader
Barcelona rallied from two goals
down to draw 2-2 at Real Betis and
stretch its unbeaten run to 22 league
games. Betis was two goals up within 25
minutes through Juan Melli Andreu and
Mark Gonzalez before Eto’o scored off
the rebound from his saved penalty in
the 45th for his 100th league goal for
Barcelona on Saturday.
The Cameroon striker’s shot in the
84th needed a slight deflection to get
past Betis goalkeeper Ricardo Soares,
who looked set to hand Barcelona its
first loss since opening day with the
Portugal goalkeeper making several fine
saves towards the end of the game, in-
cluding a point-blank volley by Gerard
Pique in the 82nd. Barcelona saw a 10-
game winning streak snapped, howev-
er, as it moved to 60 points after Eto’o
took his league-leading goal tally to 23.
Osasuna held Deportivo La Coruna to
a 0-0 draw at El Riazor stadium. At Se-
ville, Barcelona could have been ahead
in the sixth but Eto’o failed to control
the ball while alone in front of goal, with
Xavi Hernandez eventually firing a hard
shot wide. Betis’ defence was troubled
from the 10th when centre back Juanito
Gutierrez was forced off through injury,
09
and he would later be joined by William
Lima. But Betis struck first in the 18th,
Melli heading Achille Emana’s in-
swinging corner kick beyond goalkeep-
er Victor Valdes. Seven minutes later,
Gonzalez controlled Sergio Garcia’s
cross along the left to send a left-footed
volley under Valdes and inside the post.
The momentum continued Betis’ way
after Gonzales’ goal with Emana swivel-
ing to volley over in the 38th.
But a questionable penalty call by ref-
eree Alfonso Perez Burrull began Barce-
lona’s fight back. Perez Burrull whistled
Branko Ilic for a foul after he brushed
against Andres Iniesta as the Barcelona
winger moved along the left of the area.
Eto’o pounced on the rebound after his
initial penalty was saved to slot past Ri-
cardo. Gonzalez thought he’d scored a
second in the 50th but the Chile winger
was ruled offside.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola
brought Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry
on in the 57th as Barcelona pressed,
with Ricardo getting a finger to Iniesta’s
low drive in the 72nd. Ricardo Oliveira
was played clear through in the 73rd
without a defender in sight but the Betis
striker rushed his shot and Valdes
saved. ■
PTI
10 FLICK ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

Rare pics
of Beatles to be exhibited
Rare and behind-the-scenes images of the Beatles
will be on display during a new photography
exhibition in London. It opens at Movieum, County
Hall on the South Bank, on March 12.

‘There isn’t anything to

be looked as competition
between Imraan and me’
B
oth newcomers impressed audiences with
their near flawless acts in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane
Na and Rock On respectively, making them
top contenders for the numerous awards
in tinsel town. But actor-director Farhan Akhtar
makes it clear that there is no competition How Brad Pitt failed to enter
between him and ‘chocolate boy’ Imraan
Khan. his own house
“There isn’t anything to be looked as
competition between Imraan and me, as far
as awards are concerned,” said Farhan, who has
I t was certainly a security goof-up for Brad Pitt when
he could not enter his own house.
The Oscar-nominated actor returned to his home on
already kickstarted 2009 with another good his customised Chopper motorbike, but was left red-
performance in Luck By Chance. faced when he couldn’t get through the security gates
While Farhan took an unconventional of his private estate. The Troy star had gone for a
route with a rock band musical drama meeting at swanky Chateau Marmont hotel in
in Rock On, Imraan too didn’t play a Hollywood.
quintessential lover boy and followed After making several frantic phone calls, the actor was
the friendship-leading-to-love path in finally granted entry after a neighbour came to his
Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. rescue.
“And to be honest and absolutely fair, Meanwhile, Pitt’s latest film, The Curious Case of
one has to acknowledge the Benjamin Button, has topped the global box office
performance of Imraan, which is after raking in 22 million pounds in 47 markets last
indeed quite good,” says Farhan, weekend. ■
who has made films like Dil Chahta ANI
Hain and Lakshya.
Can’t the same be said for Farhan
in Rock On?
“Yes, people do tell me that I
was good in Rock On. However,
when it comes to awards, it
also depends a lot on the jury
watching the film. It’s their
opinion that would matter
about whether I or Imraan
fit the bill. I’m sure both
of us would be quite
happy to get an award,
but let’s see because
anything can happen in
such events,” the actor adds
diplomatically. He asserts that at the end
of the day, it is the audience and their
appreciation that matter most.
“The fact remains that people have
appreciated both Imraan and me. It’s Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…
their acknowledgment and recognition
that should keep an actor in me going.
Yes, if awards come by, then it’s an
B ritish director Danny Boyle may have won praises
and Oscar nominations for Slumdog Millionaire,
but his 88-year-old father slept through the movie.
added bonus; so why would I mind that?” And now Patrick Boyle has said that wants to see it
Farhan quips. ■ again because he “missed a couple of parts”.
IANS However, Patrick, who watched the film at his local
cinema, said that it was “great”, but not his
favourite.
“It’s great – but definitely not my favourite,” the
Farhan Akhtar on Sun quoted Patrick as saying.
“That is Shallow Grave. It has always stuck in my
the battle at the mind because it was his first. I’ve seen Slumdog
Millionaire – but I think I missed a couple of parts
award nites so I wouldn’t mind seeing it again,” he added. ■
ANI
 Monday, February 16, 2009
11
Frieda Pinto dumps fiancé
Slumdog Millionaire star Freida Pinto has dumped her fiance
because she wants to concentrate on her career. According to her
friends, the 24-year-old has told Mumbai PR agent Rohan Antao
that she could not be with him and be a world-renowned actress
at the same time.

Cine City
Steve Martin Vijaynet.com to
laughs off be reopened
The official website of
criticism of Pink Vijay fans network,
Vijaynet.com, which was
Panther 2 closed lately, will soon
be re-opened but as an
unofficial site. The last
post on the closed
website says that the
site will have no
relation or

A
ctor Steve Martin connection to
on Friday dismis- Vijay’s office.
sed poor reviews The site will
of the latest Pink be purely run
Panther movie saying by the
critics are always snobs actor’s fans
when it comes to com- and be
edy. “I have received updated
bad reviews my whole with whatever little
life,” Martin said as he information obtained
presented Pink Panther from media. The website
2 at the Berlin film fes- was regularly followed
tival, his second turn as by die-hard fans of
bungling French detec- Vijay for promotional
tive Inspector Jacques stills and exclusive
Clouseau, a role made cinema news, but the
famous by Peter Sell- decision to close was
ers. taken following lack of
At the Berlin Film support from the actor’s
Festival, the film is in office.
competition for the fes-
tival’s prestigious
Golden Bear Award.
He added: “The Jerk,
one of my most endur-
ing films, was univer-
sally panned and
criticised in America.
Comedians always
have to overcome crit-
ical snobbery, that’s
just the way it is...
Comedy is just not a
critic’s medium.”
The Pink Panther is
now playing in 3,245
theatres, more than
any other film, but it
averaged only 109 dol-
lars at each of them on
February 11, suggesti-
ng that many theatres
may be running it with
no one in the seats. ■ In Kamal’s living room
ANI Guess the two personalities who got a
prominent place in the living room of
‘Ulaganayagan’ Kamal Hassan’s home? Actors
Chevalier Dr. Sivaji Ganesan and comedian

‘I have received bad Nagesh. Apparently, there are no other

pictures or portraits in the room other than
that of Sivaji, a versatile actor with unmatched
prowess of expression, and Nagesh, the king

reviews my whole life’ of clean comedy.

12 ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

tharugiraaye,vetkathai kettal
Friday’s Query enna tharuvaai?
(Line courtesy - poet Tabu
What is your best Shankar) D.Ramki,
TCS-eserve
Valentine’s Day
■ Look observe verify enjoy.
pick-up line? Anbu,
■ If I were to rearrange the Perot Systems
alphabets I would put U and
I together. ■ Love is eternal and so is
Senthil Kumar P, Valentine’s Day.
RR Donnelley Kaaveya,
CSS
■ Ellorum kondaduvom lover
in peyarai solli ellorum ■ I’ve never met u before
kondaduvom. and I may not meet u again.
Vengi, But I love u today.
TCS Raks,
Paypal Saravanan M.S. from Wipro has nominated his friends
■ Valentine’s Day may be for as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Munnar.
roses. But I’ll be the bed of ■ I don’t believe in love
roses for u covering the because I still don’t have you.
thorns of life dear. Sathish R,
Nivedhan, Changepond
Infoview Technologies
■ Dear, my life is very
■ Hi Malini I’m Krishnan beautiful, you know why
naan idha solliye aaganum because you are my life.
nee avvalavu azhagu and I’m S.Kumar,
in love with you. TCS
Swaminathan,
Reflexis ■ Heart beats 72 times a
minute, even if your heart
■ Love is nothing but loss of beats only once a minute you
valuable energy. will live because 71 times my
Kuppusamy Nattudurai, heart beats 4 you.
CSS Corp Rekha, Uma, Shiv,
Accenture
■ The only thing your eyes
haven’t told me is your ■ Love the heart which
name. wounds you but don’t wound
Senthil, the heart which loves you.
Wipro Prakash J, Kishore Gosetty from Hewlett Packard has nominated his team mates as
CSS Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Pondicherry.
■ Pickupu, dropu, escapu.
Vimal TCS, ■ You are looking like my
Arun NC, HCL beautiful wife. But still I’m
single. Will you marry me?
■ Olunga daanda Seenivasan D,
irundeeenga, enga irundu da Technip
varuthu dideernu intha
love-u.
Arun Kumar, Beny Raja,
Jerome, Allsec,
K.B.Santosh, TCS

■ Nee virumbura payana vida

Today’s Query:
unna virumbura payana
kalyanam panikita un vazhka
In which Tamil
nalla irukkum, athanala nee
enna kalynam paniko.
film would you
Sasi K, Ganesh M,
TCS
like to see
■ Naan yedhai kettalum
Angelina Jolie as
vetkathai ye the heroine? Mohamed Safeer from Tata Consultancy Services has nominated his
friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at MGM.
 Monday, February 16, 2009
■ Mr. & Mrs. R.S. Sarathy,
Belated Best wishes to you both on
Ethiraj from Finan-
your anniversary, May the love that
cial Software and
you share last your lifetime through,
Systems has been
as you make a wonderful pair.
nominated as Office
Happy Wedding anniversary!!!
Angel by Rajesh G.
With Warm Wishes,
Our Ethi is a very
DATAMARK Prodaptians
good organizer; He
plans and executes
■ Dear Pavani,
things to a highest
Wish u a many more happy returns
possible accuracy… He
of the day...May this birthday be the
is an ever charming,
best and bring u lots of JOY,
cool and patient guy
HAPPINES and WEALTH in ur life...
with always a smile on
Wishes from
his face.
Sasikiran,Swagat,Sushma,Divya,Raji,Jyothy,
Prashanthi,BalaKrishna,JosnaTCS-SNR
■ Dear Prithi,
On this Special day We wish you a
Very Happy Birthday.May it bring u
with loads of joy. All the Best for ur
delightful Journey.Keep Rocking.
Best Wishes from
Ravendran &
iRonicz Spiders Team
Mahesh Rajamani from TCS,iNautix,fidelity-Chennai & Mumbai .
Perot Systems doodled this. Musigma,NSN,Tata Elexi,EMC-Bangalore
Juno,Deshaw,Commvault-Hydrabad.
■Hi Aakash (Orbit Provider),
It’s your birthday, your very own
special day of the year, and we just
wanted to send you some birthday
cheer. Have a great day, because you
deserve it. We hope it will be the
Art featured in best birthday yet, bringing you
this column will happiness you’ll never forget. And
receive gift cou- remember, no matter what you do,
pons from Fruit to blow out the candles, because
Shop on birthday wishes always come true.
Greams Road. Best Regards,
Send in your BCBSM Team
addresses so
that we can ■ Hi "MGMS" Aani,
post the cou- We knew uwere proposed to MGMS
pons. already and also u love eachother
well.Belated wishes for you man.
Have a many and moneymore happy
returns ofV-Day Oh... also
urbirthday.
Regards,
LOGIS Air Team,
Wipro Technologies
■ Dear Ravi,
May this day be the beginning of a
very Special Year.And this special
birthday wish comes with warm and
heartful thanks for the infinite
happiness that you shared :-) :-)
Father: Dei, naan padikkum pothu 12 km nadanthae poi pad- .Happy Birthday AEC (hehehee).And
ichaen. SOn: Appom padipukkum ungalukkum romba thooram- all the best for your P.hD...
nu sollunga. Father: !!?!! Best Wishes, Customer World Team, TCS.
Alice Julia
Ramar Sithaiyai thedindu Lankai kalambumbodhu ■ Dear Chocks,
kadal ai thaandarathukku varar.Appo enna aschariyam! Your birthday comes with a
Kadal avarukku appadiye vazhi vittuduthu. Yein? celebration, gathering of friends;
---Yen-na, AvarkitteVillIrundhathu;Where there is a here is wishing you great happiness,
Will, there is a Way !! a joy that never ends.
Manonmani Kesav, HCL
13
May this year bring you with all the
success and fulfillment your heart
desires.
Keep your true age as secret.
“Happy Birthday” Chocks!
From,
Muthukumar & Route 4, Excelacom
Technologies
■ Dear Ram,
If rain drops were kisses,I could send
you Showers...
If hugs were seas i send you
oceans... &
If love was a person i sendyou me!!
I love you Keenly,
not for what you are, but for what I
am when I am with you...
Happy ValentInes day in advance...
Ur Sweet heart
■ Hai Gokul,
Wishing you all the best in life and
career on the occasion of your
Birthday. We wish you many more
happy returns of the day… Have a
fun filled day…
Greetings & wishes from Team
GIT, Cognizant, Chennai
■ Dear Joel,
We Wish u a Happy Marriage
Life.May Joys overflow in ur life.All
the best for ur Delightful Journey.
Best Wishes from
iRonicz Spiders Team
TCS,iNautix,fidelity-Chennai & Mumbai
Musigma,NSN,Tata Elexi,EMC-Bangalore
Juno,Deshaw,Commvault-Hydrabad.
■ Dear DeepaRani,
Wish you many more happy returns
of the day!
May the coming years bring lots of
happiness and cherish in your life.
Best Wishes,
Shobi, Krithi, Arul, Aarthi
■ Dear Baaji,
Happy Birthday to You & May God
Bless you.
May this day be the beginning of
another special year.Let this
birthday bring you lot of joy and
happiness in your life!
A Warm Birthday Wishes from All of
us! I wish all your dreams will soon
come true!!
Regards,
Bhavani Ananthan.
Team Beacon.
HCL Technologies Ltd.
■ Dear Prakash,
Happy Happy Birthday!!
God Bless U!Let this year bring
more n more cheers into your life!
Wish u long life n gr8 future;)
Fondly
Amirtha
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

Dumb dad
A Florida man has been arrested after allowing his
eight-year-old son to drive his van, which careered
off the road and hit two trees . Mark A. Belanger
was charged with child abuse and permitting an
unlicensed driver behind the wheel.

Rajalin Jaba Rani sudoku

of Visteon
Technical Services
shot this picture
in the outskirts of
Kanyakumari. She
was in awe of the
place, which was
a lagoon looking
similar to the
backwaters of
Kerala.
Hobbies: Reading
and photography

Thanks to the
stupenduous response
to its promotion,
Kantilal Diamonds has
decided to extend its
gift vouchers for the
column for two more
weeks. From now,
winners are requested
to collect their gift
vouchers directly from
Ergo office on Sunday
afternoons between 2
p.m. and 5 p.m.
KAKURO
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 Monday, February 16, 2009
15
Longest serving milkman Word’s worth
A British milkman has been hailed as the longest serving milkman in the U.K. - after “Iconomicar” (eye-kuh-nah-mi-ker) a
taking over the round from his father during the Second World War. Derek Arch, writer about agriculture. A synonym
81, took over from his dad when he was just 14, and has stuck with his round ever (surprising that we need one) for
since - despite not wanting the job in the first place. geoponic.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Ganesha advises you to take good care of health,
as it may affect your efficiency too. You may need
to remain extra careful in your routine work,
specifically in technical tasks. In relationships, you
may need to guard against obstinate attitude.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You may be more defensive regarding your work
today. Someone may try to find flaws in your work.
You may be over-emotional in love and relationships
with your friends. Ensure that you don’t over react
while communicating with your beloved one.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

It may be a busy day for you. You might have to
BORN LOSER deal with some complex issues. If you are a team
leader, you might have to manage your team
members’ emotions. You may not be able to give
due attention to your beloved one, feels Ganesha.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Ganesha finds everything in your favour today. At
work, you may be very punctual and precise. Your
keenness to do something better seems to be
increasing today. In personal life, you will respect
your partner and you may receive lot of love too.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ganesha feels that you will have to take a ’back-
seat’ at work today. If you try to lead a project or a
meeting, you may be put in a complicated situation.
In relationships, you may let your partner lead and
avoid taking any minor or major decisions.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
The day seems relatively cool. You may be working
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT on interesting projects or you may be assigned
something that may demand your full attention. In
love relationships, you may handle everything
intelligently.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Your subconscious mind may be very active today.
You will be intuitive and act based upon instincts.
You may have interesting discussion regarding work
with like-minded people. In relationships you need
to avoid hard hitting criticism and comments.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
You are experiencing ’new energy cycle’ which will
make you more active and determined. Your
decisions regarding work may be firm. In love
relationships you may be deeply involved and enjoy
very nice time with your beloved, says Ganesha.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Ganesha does not find you in a very good mood
today. You may be busy sorting out problems in
personal and professional life. Nothing seems to go
so smooth. You are suggested to use your ’wit’ to
sort out issues, it may help you in a major way.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Ganesha advises you to remain as cool as possible
today. Bad temper may cause long lasting negative
effects. You may prefer isolation in order to think
about various issues of life. In love relationships,
you may have very practical approach.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You are suggested to refrain from correcting others
at work. Your professional terms with superiors may
ISSUE’S need to be watched, as there are all chances of
getting into undesirable discussions. In personal life,
SOLUTIONS you should compromise over certain issues.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
It is going to be a lucky day for you. Ganesha finds
you dealing with more than one activity at a time.
You may wish to chill out with your dear ones. In
love relationships, you may experience something
which will make you feel lucky or honoured.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Monday, February 16, 2009

A woman
wearing a mask
attends a
traditional
‘Mala Strana
Carnival’
festival
celebrating the
departing
winter and
forthcoming
spring on
Musicians hold frog- February 14 in
shaped puppets called front of Prague
“Keromnin” to play Castle. AFP
electronic music at a PHOTO/ MICHAL
concert without CIZEK
instruments in
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
prefecture, suburban
Tokyo on February
15, 2009. Keromin,
frog-shaped electronic
instruments, were
developed in 2008 to
play 16 different
voices, including frog
voices and sounds of
acoustic instruments
such as violins and
pipe organs. The
concert was
performed with
instruments made of
vegetables, empty
bottles and frog-
shaped stuffed dolls.
AFP PHOTO / YOSHIKAZU
TSUNO

The Indian-American from Chicago, US, Nikkitasha Marwaha (C), 19, is

crowned Queen during the 18th Miss India Worldwide 2009 beauty
pageant in Durban on February 14. Twenty-five girls from all over the
world participated in the annual event. AFP PHOTO/RAJESH JANTILAL