A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, August 4, 2008

10 08
RANVIR’S RUN Return of the Kingmaker
Channel [V] to Ugly aur Dalmiya returns to cricket adminis-
Pugly tration with a bang!

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 151

Last band standing Parikrama and Strings performed at Wesley

Grounds, Royapettah, on Saturday. While a
prolonged sound-check session marred
Parikrama’s act, Strings more than
compensated.
» PAGES 2 & 3
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

From the website

Parikrama says: “We can still boast virgins,
teetotallers, immoderate non-smokers, two
married men, and at least one bisexual man
amongst the seven of us.” It’s your guess!

Father’s clout Forget sound check

saves son
The son of a senior IPS
officer, now attached to
the Railways, was
caught red-handed for
shoplifting from a video
WHERE’S THE
ORIGINALITY CHECK?
rental store in
Nungambakkam. The
youngster attempted to slip
away with a few CDs but the store
staff nabbed him and handed him over
to the cops. His father’s clout and a
sympathetic policeman saved the son
from further trouble.

Lucrative compromises
Most of the cases that come to the
Land Grabbing Cell of the city police
head to ‘lucrative compromises.’ The
reason – a ‘flexible’ senior lady cop.
Some cases are talked and sorted
around the table with the cop’s lawyer-
husband acting as the mediator. The
husband is also known to be soliciting
land dispute case clients from his side
and bringing it to the ‘attention’ of his
wife in khaki.

SIM cards in prison

The price to hold a SIM card inside the
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Puzhal prison for convicts is known to

be nearly Rs. 75,000. The recent busting
of SIM cards inside the prison held by a
terrorist made headlines. Reliable khakis
reveal that SIMs are handed to some
convicts by money-minded cops who
keep the handset and hand it over to
the detainees whenever they need to
make a call. (From left) Nitin Malik, Chintan Kalra, Saurabh Choudhary, Sonam Sherpa

MITHRA SURESH (keyboard), Chintan Kalra (bass), crowd jumping and applauding
mithra@goergo.in Srijan Mahajan (drums), Shambu at these precise moments. Espe-
Nath (tabla), Imran Khan (violin). cially worthwhile was Imran

P
arikrama, one of the most
popular rock bands in In-
dia, who boasts of having
played 1000 concerts in In-
dia and abroad, performed along
with Pakistani band Strings, on
Saturday at Wesley Grounds in
Royapettah. They performed as
part of IIPM’s annual cultural
fest, A-maze ‘08.
The band performed
several of their crowd-
favourites along
with a number of
covers, including
Highway to Hell
(AC/DC), The
Trooper, Fear of
the Dark (Iron
Maiden) and a badly
done version of Yellow
(Coldplay). Parikrama’s grace is
that, like many other successful
Indian rock bands, they have
used ethnic sounds with the help
of the violin and the tabla.
The band members of Parikra-
ma are Nitin Malik (vocals), So-
nam Sherpa (guitar), Saurabh
Choudhary (guitar), Subir Malik
With such a variety of sounds, it is
no wonder that the band quotes
their favourite influences as Lyn-
ryd Skynyrd, The Doors, Led Zep-
pelin and others.
The original songs that they did
perform were only amplified in
their performance because of the
sound of Imran Khan’s violin,
which was heavenly and had the
The star of the ensemble:
Imran Khan
Khan’s solo ‘Open Skies’, besides
which the band performed their
highly famous ‘But it Rained’, a
tribute to the victims of the Kargil
war.
Although the band was satis-
factory in their performance, they
played covers which has often
been a source of contention
amongst fans of the band. The
succeeding band, Strings
played only originals,
which as some of the crowd
members said, is their plus
point.
Since the band arrived
late, and also had their
sound check to top it all,
the concert started two
hours late. However, Ergo
managed to catch up with
Subir, who was rushing to
set up the equipment for
the band.
Listen to the podcast to
hear what he has to say
about the band, their stage
performances with Iron
Maiden and Saif Ali Khan.
■
 Monday, August 4, 2008
03
All Strings attached
Strings undid what Parikrama didn’t do

SHALINI SHAH Strings’ first live performance

shalinishah@goergo.in in India after the release of
their new album, Koi Aane Wa-

S trings came as a refreshing

break – not just because the
band that preceded them had a
la Hai. ‘Humsafar’ and the al-
bum’s title track figured on the
evening’s play list.
three-hour sound ‘Na Jaane Kyun’, that haunt-
testing session ing track from the OST of Spi-
followed by an der-Man 2, also Strings’ first
hour-and-a-half- movie assignment, proved a
long concert, hit with the audience.
that too mostly As did ‘Dhaani’, with the au-
comprising covers. dience more than keeping up
With an antics-free, no- with the duo.
theatrics approach to singing, The shy Bilal, who confined
it’s easy to understand how himself to the guitar-playing
Strings has endeared itself to and backup vocals till this
fans here – probably the best point, took centrestage with
and most successful Pakista- ‘Anjaane’, here too ably joined
ni crossover band since Ju- in by the crowd.
noon. At IIPM’s While most recall ‘Duur’ as
Amaze’08, held at Wes- Strings’ first hit, it was ‘Sarki
ley Grounds, Royapet- yeh pahad’ which made Faisal
tah, Strings was and Bilal optimistic about a
welcomed with a singing comeback eight years
sigh of relief. after the original four-member
As lead vocalist band’s split in 1992.
Faisal Kapadia “This song gave us the cour-
brought to our age to come back,” said Faisal.
attention, Sat- Strings ensured that an eve-
urday’s con- ning that didn’t start too well
cert was ended on a right note. ■
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Strings and notes

Any Strings fan would notice the attention
that goes into most of Strings’ videos.
Commenting on the role music videos have
played in the band’s popularity so far, Bilal
says, “Video did play a role in the band’s
success initially. Now we hardly see our
music videos. It’s just Bollywood now. We
can’t depend on the videos anymore. With
corporate funding and the kind of money
being pumped into films now, it’s difficult
for us to compete when it comes to music
videos.”
The lyrics for all of Strings’ songs, since the
time of its formation, are written by none
other than Anwar Maqsood, Bilal’s father. “I
don’t think we can work without him,” says
Bilal.
PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

While Faisal and Bilal are the face of Strings,

Adeel on the lead guitar, Haider on
keyboards, Qaiser on drums and Shakir on
the bass guitar have become almost a
permanent fixture on Strings’ concert
venues.
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
쒀 chicken feathers that could
A military leg amputee catches a wave
during Operation Amped, a surf camp for
injured service men and women on
Saturday at Camp Pendleton, California.
Patients from Naval Medical Center San
Diego (Balboa) with amputations, spinal
injuries and traumatic brain injuries learn
to address cognitive, physical, and
psycho-social skills during the surfing
instruction as part of their rehabilitation
program. AFP PHOTO
쒀 work would also
Michelito, a 10-year-old rising star in
Mexico’s bullfighting world poses near
Sonnailler bull ring on Saturday in the
French city of Arles. A controversial event
in Arles in which a child matador was to
participate in a so-called beginner’s
bullfight with calves, was banned by
authorities hours before it was set to take
place. AFP PHOTO
ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008
Find a mate in 90 secs
This image taken from the internet shows the home page of
SpeedDate.com, a US start-up built on a belief that it does not
take more than 90 seconds to find a life partner. The website
and its competitors apply the latest Internet technology to
speed dating, a phenomenon that started a decade ago with
men and women darting from table to table to chat in
rapid-fire succession at a time keeper’s signal. AFP PHOTO
Feathers, building
blocks of future?
Scientist creates a new composite building board made of chicken feathers
A
Filipino scientist says he
has created a new compos-
ite building board made of
be a major breakthrough for the
construction industry in Asia.
The new material would be re-
sistant to the region’s armies of
termites, and could also solve a
major environment problem in
the Philippines by providing a
way to dispose of millions of kilos
of waste feathers each year.
The research done by Universi-
ty of the Philippines Los Baqos
professor Menandro Acda, which
is funded by the Ford Conserva-
tion and Environmental Grants
programme, is being heralded as
economically and environmen-
tally sound.
Acda said the material, made of
compressed cement and chicken
feathers, could be widely used for
housing, replacing boards now
made with wood chips, which are
easily ruined by hungry insects.
The composite boards are “re-
sistant to insect infestation such
as termites because the feathers
are inedible,” Acda said.
“They are also not as flamma-
ble or combustible as conven-
tional cement and wood-fibre
composite boards,” he added. Al-
though more research needs to
be done, Acda said the feather
boards could be used for panel-
ling, ceilings and as insulation
but not for weight-bearing build-
ing components like walls or pil-
A Philippino worker plucks a chicken beside a pile of waste
lars.
chicken feathers at a farmers market in Manila. (Below)
The researcher said his work
University of the Philippines professor Menandro Acda
would also solve the significant
displays processed chicken feathers at left and a composite
problem of disposing of the 2.4
building board made with mixture of feathers and cement
million tonnes of feathers pro-
at his laboratory in Los Banos. AFP PHOTOS
duced each year by the Philip-
pines poultry industry, while
doing less damage to the environ-
ment. ■
AFP
The researcher said his
solve the significant
problem of disposing
of the 2.4 million
tonnes of feathers
produced each
year by the Philippines
poultry industry
 Monday, August 4, 2008
05
Websites of the day
Test your spelling ability - are you
as good as you think?
www.badspelling.com Lots of
people called Peter. All in one
place. www.thepetecollective.co.uk

Miles
Shalin Jain,
travelled,
more
Founder and
CEO of
Tenmiles
Corporation
PHOTO:
S.S. KUMAR

Shalin Jain’s software product development firm is an extension of his high-school hobby
markets.
Hobby to a profession
Though Shalin says the last
eight years has been “a slow and
organic growth,” Tenmiles is a
case in point from other aspiring
entrepreneurs who are either
to go
a four-page website I created for action development tool kit for online opinion sharing portal)
the benefit of her students,” Sha- flash), Flash Wallpaper (an inter- and Addza (address book soft-
lin recalls the first salary he got active wallpaper), tezaa.com (an ware for Windows). ■
from an international customer.
By purely creating websites and
ad banners, the turnover of his
company was $1000 in the first
year itself. Juggling college and MILES TO GO!

A
t 15, when boys of his age
were burning the midnight
oil preparing for IIT, Shalin
Jain was busy creating web-
sites as a hobby. His first big-bud-
get commercial project for a
music company got him Rs.
15,000.
By 18, he held sole proprietor-
ship of Tenmiles Corporation, a
software product development
company started out of an exten-
sion of his hobbies. Today, at 26,
this self-taught entrepreneur is
his own boss and has released
seven software products, both in
the national and international
IN A MINUTE Company: Tenmiles Corporation I Started: 2000 I Founder/ CEO: Shalin Jain I Team: 10 I Know Me Better: www.tenmiles.com
conceiving the idea or waiting to
get VC funding before launching.
“I was lucky in that way as one
product helped in funding the
other,” says the statistics gradu-
ate from Loyola College, Chen-
nai.
He started doing business from
his college days with his bedroom
being the office – his PC and the
internet connection was enough
to coordinate with clients. A step
forward was the launch of Ten-
miles (2000), where he catered to
customers abroad.
“A school teacher in the US
sent me a cheque worth $100 for
work was no hindrance, and one
thing just led to another.
Building products
Though computers were not
his core subjects, programming
became interesting with the
teacher. He soon picked C++ and
was ready with the company’s
first product. “Screenswift, our
first product, ranks among the
top three in its market share,” he
says. “My biggest challenge – we
worked eight weekends on the
product.” Their other products
include Livemon (web analytics
software), Dash Projector (a rapid
How the name Tenmiles came? “I worked for a brief
period with a multimedia company as web designer,
where I had to commute between my home and office
(Vepery to Mylapore up and down was around 10 miles).
I did not want to travel and so decided to start my own
company and thus the name,” he explains.
There’s one lesson he learnt as an entrepreneur. “We
never did market analysis on any of our products. I went
with my gut feeling and took calculative risks,” says the
entrepreneur, whose hobbies include writing poetry and
photography.
Tenmiles is mulling to become India’s most well-known
product development company. “What Adobe is today
we want to achieve,” he says.
(If you are an entrepreneur with a successful business model or
know one, write to us at firstinnings@goergo.in)
06 VILLAGE ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

Shower before gambling

A New York City man is livid after
being ejected from an Atlantic City
casino for having unbearable body
odour. The man said he knew he stank,
but he didn’t deserve to be kicked out.

Don’t streak, get drunk or Punishing airlines whose

sleep outside passengers misbehave
Do not sleep outdoors to save money at the China will punish
Olympics. It is banned to “maintain public hygiene airlines whose
and the cultured image of cities.” Do not let the passengers refuse to
stifling summer heat tempt you into streaking, do disembark or
not get drunk nor set off fireworks nor wave misbehave in protest
“insulting banners.” Anyone with mental illnesses over problems like
or sexually transmitted diseases is banned. Smoking delayed flights, an
is not allowed at Olympic venues. “Foreigners must official said on
respect Chinese laws,” the website says. Thursday, as the
Reuters Olympics host tries to
lift standards before
the Games. Frustration
at mysterious delays
Staff urged to dress down, stay and abrupt diversions
and cancellations have
cool as U.N. heats up at times boiled over
The United Nations is encouraging its New York staff to into violence at
trade wool business suits for cooler attire this summer so Chinese airports, with passengers trying to storm
the organisation can slash air conditioning costs and help grounded aircraft and police having to be brought in to
the environment. “There is going to be a relaxing of the keep the peace. There have also been cases in which
dress protocols and people are being encouraged to wear passengers, after delayed arrivals, have refused to get off
lighter clothing,” said U.S. architect Michael Adlerstein, aircraft in protest. Deputy head of the civil aviation
who is overseeing a US$ 1.8 billion renovation of the 60- regulator, Yang Guoqing, said enough was enough after
year-old U.N. skyscraper. Adlerstein said about US$ 100,000 numerous warnings to airlines to treat their passengers
would be saved by turning the thermostats up 5 degrees to better appeared to have failed.
77 Fahrenheit (25 Reuters
Celsius) in the U.N.
secretariat building and
to 75 F (24 C) in
conference rooms, Charity home robbed of its
during a trial run in the
scorching month of cooking utensils
August. It would also A Malaysian charity home for mentally- disabled
help the environment in children discovered on Saturday morning that it was
New York City, he said. robbed of all its cooking utensils, a news report said
He said staff were being on Sunday. The robbers have taken 15 stainless steel
encouraged to shed and aluminium cooking pots as well as an electric rice
their trademark dark cooker. The caretaker of the home said the theft was
suits and switch to discovered when one of the six workers was about to
lighter business casual prepare food for the children. He said that he had to
clothing. borrow several cooking pots to prepare the food.
Reuters DPA

Is he too thin to win White house?

The Wall Street Journal has suggested that Obama might too fit to appeal the voters who tend to like
candidates with flaws that they can identify with

H
e may have all the qualities
to become the next presi-
dent of the US but it looks
like there is one area Sen-
ator Barack Obama falls short -
his slim physique.
The Wall Street Journal has
suggested that Obama might too
fit to appeal voters who tend to
like candidates with flaws that
they can identify with, reports
Times Online.
Suggestions that Obama’s slim
der’s suddenly vulnerable presi-
dential campaign.
Obama’s craze for exercise first
raised eyebrows last month,
when he stopped three times in
one day for workouts at Chicago
gyms, prompting a reporter to
wonder: “Sometimes it’s hard to
tell if Barack Obama is running
for president or Mr Universe.”
It has also been widely noted
that Obama sometimes seems
appalled when presented at elec-
While most candidates tend to
tuck in fearlessly, thereby assur-
ing themselves positive coverage
in the local paper, Obama once “Sometimes it’s
visited a chocolate factory in
Pennsylvania but turned down a hard to tell if
piece of cake on the grounds that
it was “too decadent for me”.
Barack Obama
Government statistics indicate is running for
that two-thirds of the overall vot-
ing population is overweight and
president or
almost a third is obese. Mr Universe,”
Yet, the 6ft 1in senator is reck-
a report said
AFP PHOTO

physique is a liability in a nation tion meetings with the pride of oned to weigh 10lb-20lb less than
of mostly overweight voters has local cuisine, often a fat-smoth- the 190lb recommended weight
now marked a dangerous new ered hunk of meat or a sugary for his height. ■
turn for the Democratic conten- bun dripping in aerosol cream. ANI
 Monday, August 4, 2008
07
Clean up your own mess This day, that year
Officers in Devon have developed a way to avoid
cleaning urine from city streets - they’ve put mops It was in August 4, 1993 that Japan
and buckets around the small town of Torquay so formally apologised for the first time to
drunks can do it themselves. Those refusing to clean women forced to serve its soldiers as
up their messes could face fines and jail time. sex slaves during World War II.

Britain’s silliest law bans person

from dying in Parliament!
A
bizarre law in UK that bans
a person from dying in the
Houses of Parliament has
been voted as Britain’s
most ridiculous law.
This law which topped the poll,
carried out by television channel
UKTV Gold, left behind other
weird laws like the law making it
an act of treason to place a post-
age stamp bearing the monarch’s
head upside down on an enve-
lope.
Standing third in the poll was a
bye-law in Liverpool where wom-
en were apparently banned from
going topless in public unless
they worked in a tropical fish
store. But this law has been called
an urban myth.
“It’s something that has been
heard of before and does crop up
from time to time, but it is ab-
surd,” The Daily Telegraph quot-
ed a spokesman for Liverpool
City Council, as saying.
However, people are really
banned from dying in parliament
on the grounds that it is a Royal
palace.
“Anyone who dies there is
technically entitled to a state fu-
neral. If they see you looking a bit
sick they carry you out quickly,”
said Nigel Cawthorne, author of
The Strange Laws of Old England.
At number seven, is the Royal
Prerogative of 1324 which de-
crees that any whale or sturgeon
found on the British coast be-
longs to the monarch.
Also on the list is Oliver Crom-
well’s decree from around 1644 to
combat gluttony by banning peo-
ple from eating mince pies on
Christmas Day and the old Lon-
don bye-law allowing pregnant
woman to relieve themselves in a
policeman’s helmet.
The poll also asked people to
comment on some of the more
absurd international laws, and
topping the list was a bye-law in
Ohio banning residents from get-
ting a fish drunk. ■
ANI

Standing third in the poll was a bye-law in

Liverpool where women were apparently
banned from going topless in public unless
they worked in a tropical fish store

Newborns for Dear terrorist uncle

11,000 pounds
N ewborn infants are allegedly
being sold by a controversial
‘baby factory’ for 11,000 pounds.
The centre in Warsaw, capital
city in Poland, is run by Elizhbeta
Shimanskaya, 32, who is a nurse.
It is home to 37 young surrogate
mothers who give birth for cou-
ples who are unable to have chil-
dren, but are happy to pay for a
baby.
The women have been medi-
cally examined and checked for
any family history of genetic dis- already has orders, and that she
ease. They have also promised will give birth to three babies.
never to touch alcohol or smoke “Poland needs more people -
during pregnancy. 1.5 million couples
Babies are usually 37 young face being childless.
conceived using the surrogate We are offering a ser-
male partner’s sperm. vice,” the Mirror quot-
Couples have to mothers are ed her as saying.
adopt the babies im- giving birth for While the Catholic
mediately after birth couples who Church is vehemently
irrespective of their opposing the initia-
health conditions. are unable to tive, most Poles are 쒀 Children hold placard messages to stop terrorism on World Friendship Day in
Elizhbeta has re- have children backing it. ■ Hyderabad on Sunday. PTI PHOTO
vealed that the centre ANI
08 SPORT ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

Anil Ambani-led Reliance

Communications is looking for a
possible takeover of Premier League
football club Newcastle United for an
estimated 260 million pounds.
PTI

AYON SENGUPTA
ayon@goergo.in

J
agmohan Dalmiya has final-
ly made a fairytale comeback
to cricket administration
from an 18 month wilder-
ness after the Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) had
After successfully challenging
his BCCI ban from cricket admin-
istration at the Calcutta High
Court, it seems Dalmiya is ready
to bury the hatchet and forge a
strong relationship with few of
Shashank Manohar and current
BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah to
take on his bitter critic and IPL
oligarch Lalit Modi, who has rose
to great power following the
grand success of the inaugural In-

Thriller 170-run barred him from holding any post

in cricket administration in the
country. The former Internation-
the influential members of the
board. “It doesn’t take long to
mend fences. But now if few of
dian Premier League.
With strong backing from the
Railways minister Lalu Prasad Ya-
win to India, al Cricket Council and Asian
Cricket Council president had si-
them have something against me,
they should treat the matter as a
dav (three votes belonging to the
Railways in the CAB elections

series levelled lently left the scene but now has

India inflicted a crushing 170-run
defeat on Sri Lanka on the fourth
day of the second Test at Galle on
Sunday to bounce back into the
three-match cricket series which now
stands levelled at 1-1 now.
After India set Sri Lanka a target of
307, Harbhajan Singh (4/51) and
Ishant Sharma (3/20) bundled out the
hosts for a paltry 136 on a dramatic
fourth day’s play which saw as many
as 16 wickets fall. India thus made
amends for the Colombo debacle
where Sri Lanka pounded them by
an innings and 239 runs. The teams
now return to Colombo for the
series decider beginning on August
8.
For Sri Lanka, Thilan Samaraweera
(67 not out) stood tall amid ruins
today but barring Tillakratne Dilshan
(38), none of the home batsmen
offered any resistance. India earlier
could add only 69 runs to their
overnight score of 200 for four
before they collapsed, their last five
wickets falling for just 14 runs in the
second essay. For the hosts, Ajantha
Mendis finished with four wickets in
the second innings to complete his
first match haul of 10 wickets.
After setting the hosts a victory
target of 307 runs, India’s pace duo
of Ishant and Zaheer Khan mowed
down the Lankan top order as the
pitch in the Galle International
Stadium suddenly sprang to life. In
fact, by the time Sri Lanka’s score
reached double digit in the fourth
over, the hosts were without in-form
Malinda Warnapura (0), dependable
Kumar Sangakkara (5) and batting
mainstay and captain Mahela
Jayawardene (5).
PTI
made a thunderous comeback
downing the current incumbent
personal tussle. The entire asso-
ciation (CAB) should not be made
a target.”
were cast in Dalmiya’s favour) it
will be difficult to dislodge this
astute administrator in his sec-
Prasun Mukherjee at the annual The cricketing circle is abuzz ond innings at the helm. Only
Cricket Association of Bengal with rumours that Dalmiya has time will tell, whether, Dalmiya
elections. cut a deal with the Sharad Pawar can once again emerge as a king-
The return of the cricket czar is faction backed by president elect maker in BCCI politics. ■
sure to give sleepless nights to a
few current BCCI office bearers.
They will find little solace al-
though Dalmiya has made it clear
that he is not in the running for a
BCCI post.” I have come back to
cricket administration not to grab
any power but for the improve-
ment of the game and particular-
ly cricket in Bengal. The BCCI
may have some personal prob-
lems with me but I don’t think
that will get into the day-to-day
handling of CAB,” he says.
“Right now my focus is on Ben-
gal cricket and we have been rele-
gated to the plate division and we
need to find the solutions imme-
diately. I will sit down with my
colleagues and devise a strategy
to improve the situation. I will
personally speak to the players
and find out what went wrong.”
 Monday, August 4, 2008
09

‘‘
Everything is absolutely first class. They make
a huge effort in the security stakes. At no
stage have I felt in danger in Pakistan,"
Simon Taufel urging the Aussie cricket team
to take part in next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan

4 Days to Go....

ONE
IS NOT
ENOUGH
Michael Phelps will be gunning
for 8 Olympic golds in Beijing

U
S swimming sensation Michael
Phelps has broken countless
world records and won a hatful of
Olympic medals, and it has all
been achieved with a blank mind.
The 23-year-old, who is aiming for an
unprecedented eight gold medals in
Beijing, revealed that when he hits the
water, he is totally in the zone.
I don’t think “Absolutely nothing,” Phelps said
when asked what went through his
mind while racing.
about anything “Someone asked me the other day
what I think about when I push off or
much when I’m when I first get in the water, and my
answer was ‘I have no idea’.”
in the water. It’s “I don’t think about anything much
when I’m in the water. It’s something
something I’ve I’ve done pretty much my whole career
and it works. I’m not going to change it
done pretty much now.”
The 23-year-old is aiming to better
my whole career Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold
medals at one Games.
and it works. I’m He fell short of that goal in Athens
four years ago, coming away with six
not going to gold medals and two bronze.
The American will swim the same
change it now events in Beijing that he tackled in
Athens: the 200m and 400m individual
medleys, the 100m and 200m butterflies,
the 200m freestyle, and the three relays.
“As of right now I feel the best I have
ever felt,” he said after a week of
training at the Singapore Island Country
Club with the rest of the US team. ■
AFP
10 FLICK
SHOMA A. CHATTERJI
M
eet Ranvir Shorey. Fif-
teen years of struggle
have brought him to
where he is – the hero in
Mithya and again in Ugly Aur
Pugly, the drug addict-cum-con
man in Traffic Signal, the not-ve-
ry-successful but good-natured
older son in Khosla Ka Ghosla,
the ditched groom in Honeymoon
Travels Private Limited. He now
has five, big-banner releases
lined up from August till Decem-
ber this year. An interview:
How would you define
yourself as an actor? Are
you a natural actor, a
trained actor or a director’s
actor?
For me, it is a combination of
all three. I trained in acting at the
Atlantic Theatre in New York for
one year in 2003 much after I be-
gan working in films and on tele-
vision. I could afford the
sabbatical because I had no work
at all, so my ‘career’ did not suf-
fer. I am a natural actor because I
believe in giving myself totally to
the character I am doing at a giv-
en point of time. I am a director’s
actor because I believe that the
director is the captain of the ship
and I listen to him and also sug-
gest if he is open to suggestions.
How did the transition from
television to films happen?
I deejayed for Channel [V] from
1997 to 2002. I also did some the-
atre and Ek Chhotisi Love Story
with Manisha Koirala in 2002. It
was an adaptation of one of the
stories from the Kieslowski Deca-
logue. This was my first film. I
also did roles in Freaky Chakra,
Jism and The Great Indian Come-
dy Show for another television
channel. But I always wanted to
do films. Much before my face
became familiar through televi-
sion I worked behind the camera
for non-fiction, assisted some di-
rectors in television fiction,
worked for films as well and then
shifted to the other side of the
camera. It’s been 15 years that I
have been around. Films had to
happen and they did. It’s been a
long journey.
Do you prepare for your
roles?
The preparation differs from
script to script and from one
character to another. For exam-
ple, for the drug-addict-cum-
conman in Traffic Signal, I did
not sleep the night before the
shoot because I hade to look
drugged and have that vacant ex-
pression in the eyes, a familiar
sight in the nooks and corners of
Mumbai, especially in the Fort
area. Mere observation is not
enough. I needed to recreate it
for the screen and that needed
some preparation. For Mithya, I
had to play a struggling actor. I
was one myself for some years
but that was not enough. I had
seen lots of struggling actors
around me. Usually, the prepara-
tion is born out of the script itself
except for historical or period
films, where one has to do some
academic research apart from
preparation. Usually, the entire
preparation is done with the con-
junction of the script, the direc-
tor and the actor to make the
character credible on screen.
What is your character like in
Ugly Aur Pugly?
I play Ugly, the hero opposite
Pugly, being portrayed by Mallika
Sherawat. I am the only child of
middle-class Maharashtrian
parents who have pro-
tected me so much
that I have never
really grown up. I
have cheerfully
remained in
the same
class in col-
lege for
four years.
The girl I
fall in
love with
is also an
only
ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008
Mind own business, Lindsay Lohan tells police chief
Lindsay Lohan hit back at the Los Angeles police chief who recently said the star of
films like Freaky Friday had “gone gay.” “Police chiefs shouldn’t get involved in
everybody else’s business or their personal lives. It’s inappropriate,” Lohan told
photographers. Video of the encounter was posted on celebrity website TMZ.com.
for interviews for television and
the print media. It comes with
the trade. My emotional invol-
vement is with the shooting and
my role. I feel that as an actor I
have a responsibility towards
my audience and I must be hon-
est to them.
What is your definition of
acting and do you believe
in freedom given to an
actor by the director?
I will borrow from someone
else’s definition because I truly
believe in it. Acting is all about
living truthfully under imagina-
ry circumstances.
And yes, I do expect a lot of
freedom from my directors,
whether I am anchoring a tele-
vision show, a stage show or do-
ing a film. I am lucky that all the
directors I have worked with,
from Rajat Kapoor to Saurabh
child and the entire film traces Shukla to Nikhil Advani and
UGLY AUR my journey in love that is also a Madhur Bhandarkar, have given
process of my coming-of-age. It me a lot of freedom to explore
PUGLY is a love story that is also a com- and interpret within the frame-
ing-of-age film. It is Sachin work the script spelt out.
HAS JUST Khot’s debut film as director.
How do you cope with the
RELEASED. Now that you are in a
position to pick and choose,
constant clashes between
the media’s probing into
RANVIR what is your criterion for
accepting a role or a film –
your personal and
professional lives?
the banner, director, role, I think this invasion into the
SHOREY money, or script? privacy of actors comes with the
I have devised a two-tier list territory. I have just one sen-
ON THE of priorities for myself as my cri- tence for all of them – “I don’t
teria for accepting a role. I look talk about my personal life.” As
JOURNEY at the script, the director and
the role. My business manager
for coping, I fall back on lots of
stress-busters such as friends,
SO FAR. takes care of logistics like dates,
schedules and money. The
listening to music, watching
films and reading a lot.
length of the role does not mat-
ter to me at all. In Singh is Kinng Pick you personal favourites
I do not have a very big role. But from the films you have
I wanted to do it and so I am in done so far and the
the film. directors you would love to
work with.
What is your personal My personal favourites are
response to so many big Mithya, Khosla Ka Ghosla, Traf-
releases beginning August? fic Signal and I am 24 (to be
I simply focus on my work released). I would love to work
and work means much again and again with Rajat Ka-
more than finishing poor, Nikhil Advani, Saurav
with your shooting Shukla and Anees Bazmi,
and dubbing though I have worked with them
these days. I already. Among those I have not
have to be worked with are Gulzar, Mukesh
present at Bhatt, Vishal Bharadwaj and An-
promotion- urag Basu.
al events
linked to What is your take on
the film success?
to be re- Choices are the luxuries of
leased, I life. To put it in another way,
must success happens when the
be pre- choice is yours. ■
pared Trans World Features
 Monday, August 4, 2008
11
People, Hello! buy first photos of Jolie-Pitt twins
The first pictures of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s newborn twins have been sold to entertainment news
magazines People and Hello!, with all proceeds going to charity. Getty Images said on Friday it had done an
exclusive photo shoot of the twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, with Jolie, Pitt and the couple’s four
other children, Maddox, Zahara, Pax and Shiloh – three of whom are adopted.
Reuters

Timberlake’s Cine City

Oscar tryst
Justin Timberlake might host the
2009 Academy Awards

J ustin Timberlake has so impressed the Oscar

bosses with his turn as the host of the ESPY
awards that they’ve shortlisted him to host the
2009 Academy awards.
According to the grapevine, Oscar bosses were
bowled over by Timberlake’s natural and sponta-
neous amusing act at the ESPY awards last month.
“Justin is more than a singer, he’s a song-and-
dance man – and turned in a performance at the
ESPY Awards any comedian would envy, our first
question was, ‘Can we get him?’ ” Contactmusic
quoted a source, as telling the National Enquirer.
“Justin does it all, and knows how to work a
star-studded audience,” the source added.
Meanwhile, Timberlake has another reason to
be delighted as he is reportedly planning his wed-
ding to girlfriend Jessica Biel. ■
ANI
Trisha goes for a change
With young actresses grabbing a share of the pie,
Trisha is looking to make her position in the industry
stable. At the moment, Trisha is worried that age
would catch up with her if she continues doing only
glamorous roles and has assured that she will be
focusing more on the storyline. Her next film,
Abhiyum Naanum, is close on the heels of getting
completed and her other projects are Chennayil Oru
Mazhaikalam, directed by Gowtham Menon, and a
Selvaraghavan movie with Suriya in the lead.
www.cinesnacks.com

Simbu Deven
ready for his next

Director Simbu Deven is ready for his

next flick. At present, he has no
intentions of deviating from his forte,
i.e. comedy. Vivek will be playing the
lead role. Simbu Devan is known for
utilising the comedians to the best, and
his previous films, Imsai Arasan 23m
Pulikesi and Arai 305il Kadavul, stand
testimony to it. Discussions are on now
and the launch will be marked officially.
London Karunaas of Ayngaran
International produces the film.
www.cinesnacks.com
12 SCAN ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

Arnold’s 13
According to tv.com, Arnold
Schwarzenegger has the record for
winning the most bodybuilding
contests in history, 13.

PICK OF THE DAY

Filmy Star Movies Zee Studio Zoom

Page 3 – 8 pm
Page 3’ takes a behind-the-scenes
look at A-list celebrity lifestyles
through the eyes of a female
entertainment journalist. It is also
the story of three girls trying to
make a decent living in an indecent
society.
Jurassic Park – 9 pm
On a remote island where an
amazing theme park with living
cloned dinosaurs is located, five
people must battle to survive
among the prehistoric predators
when the security system breaks
down and the beasts are released
from their enclosures.
Batman and Robin – 7-45 pm
The dynamic duo are back but this
time they are up against the
nefarious Mr. Freeze, who is bent
on turning the world into an
iceberg, and the slyly seductive but
highly toxic Poison Ivy.
Gayab – 9-30 pm
Vishnu is middle-class & lives with
his dad and mom. Fed-up, he prays
that since no one really notices him,
he would be better off invisible -
and his wish comes true. Alarmed at
first, then delighted with his new
powers, he goes about trying to
make things right for himself

Annual Day for your drawing room

It looked like your regular school annual event. Only, this was
for your television only. Our student reporters go behind the
scenes of Kanaa Kanum Kalangal’s school day celebrations.

MONISHA MOHANDAS AND part of the Kanaa Kanum Kalangal crew,

SWETA GANESAN were practising their instruments – key-
board, drums, mridangam and ghatam. The

A
s we entered Kalaivanar Arangam,
Anna Salai, we weren’t sure if we had
reached the right venue. The setting
was that of a school Annual Day. A
mock school Annual Day, we learnt imme-
diately. We were attending the shoot for the
carnival of Kanaa Kanum Kalangal, the
popular teenage sitcom.
PACM School, a fictional school
made popular by the serial, was
having its Annual Day celebra-
tions. We were expecting re-
takes. We were proved
wrong. By 6 p.m. the ‘aran-
gam’ was packed with par-
ents and students, though
the event was to start only
by 7 p.m. Before the event
started, practice sessions
were on in full swing back-
stage.
Black Pandi, Pu-
likesi and
Kishan, all
crowd was excited to see its favourite char-
acters in person.
The setting up of the ‘school auditorium’
had started early in the morning. Despite
the fact that we reached there in the middle
of shooting, the technicians were nice
enough to answer our queries in-between
shots. There were five cameras set up in the
stadium and a ‘jimmy’ jeep was to catch the
audience response. The producer and au-
dio technicians were working backstage.
The cameraman was sitting in front of the
stage, all ready to shoot the function.
But tension prevailed, and we heard the
cameraman yelling “a little left”, “a little
right”, “ok, ok”, simultaneously checking
the multi-coloured spotlights. Once eve-
rything and everyone were in their respec-
tive positions, a complete re-check was
done, followed by a mini rehearsal. Around
5 p.m. the makeup man walked in. After
hurried application of blushes and
foundation, the team was ready to per-
form.
As we sat up to play the role of audience,
R .RAVINDRAN

we could see a few strict-looking but famil-

iar faces in the first row. They were the ar-
tistes who played the role of school
correspondent, vice-principal, maths
teacher and PT teacher. Finally, it was
photos:

“Lights, Camera, Action”. ■

 Monday, August 4, 2008
13
Aspiring poet Jokes Corner
“Have you written this poem by yourself?” Teacher: Johnny, you know you
“Of course,” said the young poet, “Every word of it.” can’t sleep in my class.
“Well, I am very glad to meet you, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, I Johnny: I know. But maybe if you
was afraid you are dead for long time.” were just a little quieter, I could.

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Heartiest Wishes from, Pari, Blade Runner (1982) Dir: Ridley Scott a lifeform with concentrated acid for blood and two sets of
Nalini, Prem and Shobi Whether you prefer the original theatrical version (with a jaws, which then messily dispatches the crew. It is notable
Patni Computer Systems bored-sounding narration and without the famed unicorn for its underlying themes of motherhood, penetration and
scenes) or the director’s cut of a few years later (sans birth.
narration and unicorn duly re-inserted), Blade Runner was the Terminator (1984)/T2: Judgment day (1991)
runaway favourite in our poll.The story revolves around Dir: James Cameron
Harrison Ford’s policeman, Rick Deckard, and his hunt for four Robots from 2029 send a relentless cyborg (Arnold
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Dear Nandhin cloned humanoids, known as replicants, in a dystopian version Schwarzenegger) back to 1980s Los Angeles to assassinate
bi rt hd ay of Los Angeles. Replicants have been deemed illegal and the mother of a future human rebel. One of a few films to
Belated Hope
he s to yo u! Deckard is a blade runner, a specialist in exterminating them. deal with problems of time travel, such as the grandfather
wis derful
a w on Star Wars (1977)/Empire Strikes Back (1980) paradox: if you travel back in time and kill your grandfather,
you had rs !
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birthday! Ch Infosys
The first two films of the original Star Wars trilogy make it you wouldn’t exist so wouldn’t be able to travel back in time
Team onto the list probably for reasons of nostalgia rather than to...
TYCO & ASD
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Technologies science. The epic saga revolves around the battle between the The Matrix (1999) Dir: Andy & Larry Wachowski
all-enslaving Empire (led by the Emperor, a force-wielding Cod philosophy, fetish clothing and incredibly cool special
maniac and his part-human part-machine henchman Darth effects combined in 1999 for a fresh take on man-made
Hello gang, Vader) and a small band of rebels. artificial intelligence enslaving the planet.The science behind
Send your greetings to Alien (1979) Dir: Ridley Scott the fiction is conspicuously absent, being replaced with the
sticky@goergo.in Make sure Remembered for the iconic scene of an infant creature permanently befuddled Keanu Reeves stumbling around
the subject line has ’greetings bursting bloodily through John Hurt’s chest, but Alien was being confused by nonsense about spoons, and jumping off
followed by the preferred about much more. An interstellar mining vessel takes onboard buildings.
publication date’.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

Targeted cottage
A woman from Wales is scared to watch TV in her own
home, for fear that a truck will crash into her home.
Although it may seem like an odd fear, it’s already
happened 15 times. Truckers are not able to stay on the
narrow road outside her house, and crash into her cottage.

sudoku

Juna Suresh
from Congruent
Solutions clicked
this macro at the
Theosophical
Society in Adyar
using his Canon
450D with
18mm-55mm
EOS Lens.
Hobbies:
photography,
reading books,
gardening and
classical dance.
Email:
juna_suresh
@yahoo.co.in

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

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

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

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

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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
 Monday, August 4, 2008
Biggest puzzle
An English pensioner is quite happy
after completing the world’s largest
jigsaw puzzle. Eric Smith, 73, spent 573
hours completing a 24,000 piece
puzzle.
15
Word’s worth
"Kakistocracy" (kack-i-stah-kruh-see) the government of a state
by its worst citizens. The adjective is kakistocratical. A lovely piece
of rhetoric is the 1876 citation in the OED: Is ours a government
of the people, by the people, for the people, or a Kakistocracy
rather, for the benefit of knaves at the cost of fools?

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Ganesha finds you very practical and analytical at
work today. This will boost your performance for
your routine activities; hence feel free to take up
more responsibilities. Your energy and enthusiasm
might astonish your beloved. Enjoy it while it lasts.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

If you assess things in advance, you will find ease
in dealing with them. Overall, Ganesha finds you to
be very decisive and confident today. Try to be
practical in love life. However, in the process of
maintaining peace, do not ignore your love life.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Ganesha feels that your domestic life will require
BORN LOSER special attention today. Nevertheless, your practical
abilities will help you balance office and work. Work
at office will be very smooth. It is advisable that
you do not enter into arguments with superiors.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
You will be active today. Hence you want to go into
some research. You might come across a lot of new
information. Ganesha advises you to save the
information. Another red signal from Ganesha, do
not ignore love life or your beloved might get upset.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You are in a mood to talk a lot today. Hence you
may give suggestions to everyone. However
Ganesha wants you to be careful with words as
everyone might not be able to welcome suggestions.
This applies to your love life as well, adds Ganesha.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You might not be able meet your deadlines.
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT Ganesha feels it is high time you start managing
time. You will be judgemental about things. See
that you don’t form offence. Grace of Ganesha will
keep your lovers tuned to each other’s frequency.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Being a true Libran, problem solving come naturally
to you. Hence, you might end up spending a lot of
time in problem solving. Ganesha advises you not to
get frustrated due to unsolved issues. Love life may
take a back seat due to heavy work load.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Work will be easier today as office will be nearly
empty today. The day is favourable for you on the
career front. Superirs may encourage you to take up
challenging tasks. On the love front, try to add
more spice to the relationship by an outing.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
In second half of the day some technical issues may
bother. Your mindset will require a change and you
will need to forget and forgive. Ganesha advises
you to be as nice as possible to your beloved or life
partner in order to avoid heartburns today.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Attending a lot of meetings is on the cards today.
Ganesha thinks you might depend a lot on your
luck today. A far as work is concerned, you will be
able to fix your deadlines. To the pleasure of your
beloved, you may devote due time to your love life.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You might have to focus on pending work. You
have to do a lot of communication with colleagues
ISSUE’S to sort out the pending work. Your work efficiency
might turn some eyes green. Be careful from jealous
SOLUTIONS people. Love life might remain uneventful.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Emotions might seem important today. Do not feel
hurt if someone tries to point out your mistakes. Try
to avoid any pressure or tension due to this.
However, on the love front ‘happy times’ will rule.
In addition to this, love life will smoother than ever.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Monday, August 4, 2008

Corny proposal
A 27 year-old English man proposed
to his girlfriend by spelling ’Sarah
Marry Me’ into a corn field. Robert
Szabo took Sarah Garside up into a
plane so she could see the special
message. She said yes.

Not the usual

Rajinikanth
movie
FRANCIS P BARCLAY tion of the superstar’s visit.
francis@goergo.in Kuselan, a remake of Malaya-
lam movie Katha Parayumpol, is

I
f you are looking for the reg-
ular Superstar punch dia-
logues and superhero
elements, verily I say my
friend, Kuselan will belie your
expectations.
Think you are not at all going
to watch a Rajinikanth movie, I
mean forget about punch dia-
logues, challenges, stunts and
all. You will have to wait for
about half an hour to see the
matinee idol on screen.
The story is about the simple
reunion of two friends, a poor
barber Balu alias Balakrishnan
(played by Pasupathi) and the
reigning Superstar of Tamil mo-
vies Ashok Kumar (Rajinikanth).
Meena plays Balu’s wife and like
most filmi families, they have
learnt to live happily despite
their poverty. The story is about
Balu unites with his childhood
friend and how the entire village
plays up in anticipa-
surely a respite from the usual
masala fare that we have come
to expect from Rajinikanth. In
some ways, in the climax there
are traces of the ‘actor’ we last
saw in the movies of yesteryears
like ‘Mullum Malarum,’ ‘Engeyo
Ketta Kural’ and ‘Aarilirunthu
Arupathu Varai’. But only traces
as he appears to have handed
over the main role to Pasupathy
and underplayed for most part.
Vadivel struggles hard to
evoke laughter and succeeds in
some sequences. Nayanthara has
added glamour quotient and the
camera has played the voyeur.
Though the movie has above par
performances from Pasupathy,
Rajinikanth and Meena, most of
the supporting cast appear as
though they are acting in a stage
play. ■
Mail us your verdict on ‘Kuselan’
to verdict@goergo.in. Keep it short.
We want to accommodate as many
verdicts as possible.

쒀
Rajini fans pouring milk on the
banner of the actor, put up at Kaasi
Theatre, Ashok Nagar in Chennai,
where the new movie ‘Kuselan’ is
being released. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
쒀 Rajini fans celebrating the
release of his new movie ‘Kuselan’ at
Kamala Theatre, Vadapalani in Chennai.
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN