Test by Surya Adavi

MARCH 09

One would second this statement when you see the Bentley on the drive-way and the geek jump off the driving wheel. The aura of Avinash Garlapati behind the wheel makes any guy envious of his passion and possession. Having done his Bachelors from BITS Dubai, he is back in India to join the Lanco Conglomerate. Talking about his passion for cars, he reflects another prized possession of his, the BMW A6 which he had recently imported from the United Kingdom. With we Hyderabadis being fascinated by the BMW 3 and 4 series, the A6 is much ahead in the race and is for sure the Show-Stealer on our roads!

The Geek and his Gadgets

The Superb looking SUV will catch more than just a glance of any onlooker. Avinash took us to his Garage, where one gets to see a bouquet of sexy looking four wheel machines, which include the Audis and Mercedes. His interest in staying abreast with the present day models is clearly reflected when he says “I am fascinated with gadgets and I make sure I work hard enough to get one for myself. I feel incomplete without updating my knowledge of technology advancements in the market.” On the contrast, when I ask him about driving Indian cars, he very excitedly says “I always was fascinated with Ambassadors and Fiats. Even today when I am in Mumbai, I am tempted to drive the Taxis which have the hand gear. I feel overwhelmed when I think about the transition from the manual gear system to the automatic gear models that are in market today. I still feel an Ambassador is India’s Charm!”

“I still feel an Ambassador is India’s Charm!” “I always was fascinated with Ambassadors and Fiats. Even today when I am in Mumbai, I am tempted to drive the Taxis which have the hand gear.”

MARCH 09

“As a kid, I was always fascinated to drive these jumbo machines”

Talking about increasing craze for these hot wheels, he opines “With more international car companies setting shop here, we Hyderabadis are getting to see top models very often on our roads. Three years ago, we could hardly spot a couple of BMWs and Mercedes around. But today, we see Audi celebrating more than 100 cars sold in Hyderabad! Mercedes have become a common sight today along with BMWs zooming past us almost every minute!” He adds “As a kid, I was always fascinated to drive these jumbo machines, and I started realising those dreams in Dubai during my graduation and today, I proudly own Bentley, Audi, BMW & Mercedes. It feels more than great to have these with me! I cannot express my happiness in words. I am sure a lot of today’s youth would love to fly these cars, and I sincerely hope each one of us works hard to realise our dreams!” is what he says as he chats with Sunil and Surya in his Bentley while zooming for a ride!

MARCH 09

a “Nothing is done right. Nothing works. Too many people taking bribes; the law is inefficient. The politicians are corrupt. The system is useless”. The list of complaints is never ending. It is very easy to point a finger at others. awakening the citizens to the importance of their votes but also at simplifying the registration process. With the mission to empower and enable the citizens to their right to vote, the campaign is capitalizing on its belief Charged up by this idea was Jasmine Shah, in youth as agents of change and what better way to tap a member of Bangalore based Janaagraha Centre these youngsters than via the internet? The campaign for Citizenship and Democracy. Deliberations and is harnessing technology to simplify the registration speculations led to hope. With the partnership of Tata process. www.jaagore.com is out to become the complete Tea, the idea shaped into the Jaago Re! One Billion Votes repository for voting and election related information. campaign. With close to two and a half lakh people already Jaago Re! One Billion Votes is a non-partisan registered as voters through this campaign, it has certainly campaign to facilitate informed civic participation amongst youth. By simplifying the voter registration become the most successful voter registration drive in process through www.jaagore.com and enabling youth to India. People have been sensitised as more and more are be the agents of change, it aims to improve the functioning stepping forward to make a difference. Lack of guidance and information has most often been the reason for inaction. of Indian democracy. The campaign has leveraged technology to develop the It addresses the ignorance, indifference and website for exhaustive information and guidance on the hopelessness among the youth that have chequered the voting know-how. This has made registering to vote a confidence in the functioning of the government. matter of minutes, right at your desktop. The idea of sitting The campaign aims at home or the workplace and still being able to avail the not only at form and fill it up with all the relevant information has been a key to the success of this campaign. The website gives a one route simple method to obtain the voter’s id. It also uses a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) map to help voters to identify their constituency and where exactly the forms have to be submitted. Why not use this same finger to sow the seeds of change? A simple step of casting your vote, can be the first in setting things right!

Once the form is submitted, the engine tracks the status of any registration form till it appears on the voters’ list. Any glitches en-route to the electoral roll and the subsequent errors in details can also be detected while providing for corrective measures through relevant forms. If you already are a voter, the site also keeps you posted on the latest in election news, voting related information and the option of correcting or changing your details on the voter list or voter information. 16

MARCH 09

It also provides a forum for debate via the issues and blog section. The campaign is not run by just a group of individuals at Janaagraha. In fact, it is largely aided by enthusiastic youth, willing to take the onus of change in and around their neighbourhood. And helping them out is the website that paves the way to spread awareness and conduct voter registration drives. Jaago Re! One Billion Votes is on the road to getting the entire country to begin participating in the administration of the country, by taking the first step of voting. In addition to the website and driving people to it is the outreach team of the campaign. This team has held talks and conducted voter registration drives in several colleges and corporates across the country with the able partnership of Lok Satta Andolan in the West and PRIA (Society for Participatory Research in Asia) in the North. Host Institutions include corporate and education giants like Infosys, Wipro and IITs which have taken the lead in striving towards 100% registration.

campus, college students and office-goers have the ease of time and the availability of information to their advantage. The team trains volunteers at the Host Institution to help spread the message across and enable the employees or students to register. This movement has received the support of not just the youth, but also of senior mentors who have guided the campaign through personal involvement and interaction. Infosys Chairman Narayana Murthy has taken keen interest in this effort and is also a part of the eminent advisory board of the JROBV campaign, which includes Film maker Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra and former Chief Election Commissioner T.S. Krishnamurthy. The campaign aims at securing one billion votes in the next five years. In short, the purpose is to convert all the citizens of the country into active voters. The immediate manifestation is to get maximum number of citizens in the 35 major cities identified to participate in the upcoming 2009 general elections.

So donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be left out in the race to make the country a 100% votersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; registered nation. Registering to vote is the first step to take this campaign forward. To find out how you can help the campaign and India, visit www.jaagore.com By taking the registration drive right to their now!

MARCH 09

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”

Conquest of Colours

N the studio that looked heavenly with various pictures hung against the walls, paints and brushes kept neatly in the stands intended for them; our team felt what it is to be in the artistic paradise. Sripathi’s warm smile instantly made us comfortable and he was ready to reel out some of the real experiences from the canvas of his life. Here’s the story of this successful artist.

Sripathi’s quest for peace and tranquility in life led to the discovery of serenity in art. Troubled childhood, financial crisis and extreme sense of loneliness led him to painting. He finds solace and completeness in painting and like many artists quenches his thirst for tranquility in art. Struggles have been a great inspiration to him. Every artist has struggled in life says he. “No pain,

- Henry Ward Beecher

no art. Even Leonardo da Vinci had a miserable life”. He feels that the reason for this struggle is ‘versatility’. So he believes in being focused in life and now he’s completely busy with fine arts, though he’s good at several other things pertaining to arts. “One cannot escape hereditary” he says, as his father was also an artist. Set against the backdrop of nature and pollutionfree landscapes, Sripathi comes from a small village near Tirumala where the Talkona forest is located. The dense woods and the intense paintings of this artist instantly blend well like the colours he mixes for a perfect painting. His childhood ambition was to become a doctor but is very happy to be a painter now. Sripathi does not like to take any “commands or demands” from life. He is a perfect autocrat who lives in his own heavenly state where no one interferes. His desire to break free from the shackles 20

of life has led him to love ‘freedom’ above everything in the world. This finds expression in his paintings in the wings of birds that know not any limits, limitless skies, serene and peaceful calm landscapes, and innocent faces from the villages. The artist recalls that while doing his graduation in Madanapally, he constantly visited the ‘Rishi valley school’ constructed by Jiddu Krishnamurthy, as the very aura the school provides gives enough encouragement and inspiration for many people. Though he could not receive formal education from some of the esteemed institutions he became a true student of them all by spending much time in the premises. (After all places have their own way of educating people). He has provided financial assistance to many students who love art and joined them in institutions he himself wanted to join once .What he has lost in life he makes it up by giving others. MARCH 09

the artist is accomplished.” He worships colours, and one may say he always does ‘Varna keerthana’ (varna means colour and keerthana means hymn, he named his daughter Varna Sai Keerthana.) On questioning about the reason why he chose Tanjaore paintings, he said that he saw “God in colours”. His childlike faith in God is evident in his statement when he says” I like God, like how children like icecreams; I’m not scared of him and I don’t expect anything from him! I just like him very much!” After taking several painting classes from nature and life, he learnt free hand drawing from ‘sripathi’ -a great painter, who’s also recently won the ‘padmashree’ award. About his teacher Sripathi, he says “even the best of awards are not a measure to his artistic greatness; I get a lot of inspiration from him”. He learnt ‘Tanjaore painting’ from ‘Ilangovan’ –An expert in Tanjaore painting from Mahabalipuram. Ilangovan tested him for 8 years after which he taught him painting. Sripathi was taught how to clean brushes for 6 months.(He tells our team that this is a very crucial task for every painter.) He says that “pride should never strike an artist. He should always be eager to learn even from a child.” His wife Sunitha and children Keerthana and Hemanth provides him all the strength, freedom and support in life. He mingles with everybody like the colours, captures various mentalities and recollects them while painting. For him “various colours he uses are the mentalities of his friends”. He says “One must let the colours speak. When the colours blend into one another, they create an aura that makes a person feel the vibration instantly, and then the intention of

The artist is extremely patriotic. His ultimate aim is to be recognized as an “Indian artist”. To him the feeling of being an Indian is more important, than his name Sripathi. He’s proud of the rich cultural fabric India provides. He says that Modernization has only influenced the body but the Indian souls are deeply rooted in culture, and questions us “Can any Indian enter the temple with the footwear on?” At present he’s busy with several exhibitions and is also doing 100 paintings for Mr. V.L.Rao, for his book on “enlightened lives’. Mr.Rao is one of Sripathi’s students. Sripathi is a true artist who’s seen several hues of life and draws the themes for his paintings from life itself! One look at his paintings and one will surely sense this reality.

ODE wishes Sripathi a

wonderful career ahead! ~Diya Mahalakshmi.

MARCH 09

RAVISHING ROUGE! ’” ? l l a f o one t s e r i a f the s ’ o h ,W l l a w e h nt o r o r r i m r o r r i “M

Types of dresses at Rouge If you want the answer for the above question to be “You!” you must dress yourself in the apparels that Prashnati Kumar designs at Rouge!She can make the Girl next door look like a celebrity. Rouge is a special store for all the style-o-maniacs. The store is as elegant and vibrant as its name. Grounded to the planet earth, there is a touch of warmth and earthiness to the designs created. The hues that Prashanti uses are as bright as the sunshine. Mostly she uses shades of red and other vibrant hues of pink, blue etc. Her fabrics mainly comprise of blends of cotton, like cotton silk, jaequards, printed voils, linens, poly silk, poly suede, crepes, chiffons, georgettes, satin, and jute or cotton types. For embellishments she mostly does texturing on fabric. She believes in keeping her designs simple and elegant. The bright shades that she uses give a little hippiness to her designs, which mostly comprise of floral and oriental motifs and uses trimmings like ringlets, ruffles, cordings etc to enhance the style and elegance of the dress. Layering is one of her favorite styles in designing.

• shift dresses • strapless dresses • noodle strapped dresses • layered dresses • asymmetrical dresses • empire cuts • waist cuts • basic tunics(cotton/open collar) • shrug(tops, bolero style) • bias cut tops

Prashanti has the magic wand that can convert a youngster into a young star! So hurry up and visit rouge just now!

MARCH 09

Pisces (February 19 to March 20) You will be pleased with the direction your life and activities are taking, and thrilled with the success that beckons. You will fulfill the responsibilities related to your career/ business and also try to create satisfactory income. First week-Long term worries that are troubling you will fade away. Some of you buy house hold articles. Love matters will meet with obstacles. Worry related to childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studies is indicated. Second week- Students will do exceedingly well in all exams/competitions. Family quarrels may irk you. Expect some opposition in the weekend. All sorts of troubles surround you. Third week-Receive appreciations from superiors. Name, Fame and Money will be yours. Parties and functions may keep you busy. Guard against rivals. Fourth week- Week starts with financial troubles and harms. Weekend may give you some peace.

This Month For you.......... Aries (March 21 to April 20) There will be growth at the individual level, and you will strive to boost both your performance and your self confidence. Delays, setbacks, snags could abound now and may even prove irksome. Secret enemies and negative propaganda from those who have animosity towards you may test your patience. A nice touch of sugar coated style helps you communicate better and novel ideas get supported by a person you trust. First week-though professionals have happy situations, some bad news will upset you. Second week-Avoid angry speech and moments altogether and have patience. Third week- Irksome week of this month and people whom you trust may upset you. Fourth week-Legal success is assured. But, the week starts with tense moments. Do not trust anyone blindly however he/she may be is close to you.

MARCH 09

Taurus(April 21 to May 21)

Libra (September 24 to October 23)

Gemini(May 22 to June 21)

Scorpio (October 24 to November 22)

Cancer (June 22 to July 22)

Sagittarius (November 23 to December 21)

Leo (July 23 to August 23)

Capricorn (December 22 to January 20)

Virgo (August 24 to September 23)

Aquarius (January 21 to February 18)

Your own personality will shine and have an awesome Your attitude undergoes a huge continental shift, and impact on your relationships. A sudden love affair (if you are now more willing to be more expressive in terms of your feelings and emotions, withyou are not already involved) may easily ocout being afraid of getting hurt. You display cur and you may have financial gains also. charm and skills that are awesome in their efYour social life will go up & you may even fectiveness- almost impossible to withstand! join a club or organization.Long distance travels bring gains.

Achievements and success in your profession is more New directions seem important to you, so take all the or less guaranteed this month. There will be Gains, efforts that are required for it. Tactful awareness may recognition & rewards and tremendous job help you in handling legal and other consatisfaction.Be careful with your personal flicts that may occur. Good things are combelongings and personal finances as there is ing your way. A sudden monetary gain is a strong likelihood of losses and mishaps. indicated.

This month, you find that being calm and self-controlled This month, you will rethink and review opinions and brings untold benefits. There will be festivities, invita- values you had for ages.That includes relationships tions to parties that will lead to new contacts and work.You need to realize what your atand contracts.Those in the media related protitude especially to older relatives would be fessions will do exceptionally well. Writers, based on your scrutiny. You will also try to Scholars, Professors and Theatre people will get higher income in order to meet all the also benefit. expenses that are entailed.

This month, Finances and love could both be problem- This month you are more than busy with further educaatic even fraught with stress. You need to be calm in tion, learning new skills, joining a study group, social the face of what seems like a crisis. Shifting organizations as well as pursuing hobbies home/ office, even to a new town/city could and creative interests. Your interest will be be possible now. Not good time to stir up more on planning for the future. controversies and troubles unnecessarily.

From financial and professional advancement, you move on to attaining true intellectual growth. Stress and tensions come, but they can, if you are positive, be made to enhance your own attitude and learning.

You realize that, you crave for security in all your relationships â&#x20AC;&#x201C;personal and otherwise. Business, mutual funds, partnerships will benefit you. Gain indicated through personal communication, writing, publishing and teaching.

MARCH 09

Book Review RICH DAD POOR DAD Robert Kiyosaki is a wonderful person with an amazing intellect and that’s why I guess this was in the “best seller” stands. The content of the book is not anything out of the box. Simple thoughts which even a layman is aware of are discussed; the only difference is that just that he does not correlate it with the day to day experiences to derive facts from it. Robert Kiyosaki has also annexed meaningful and logical examples which are simple to understand and easy to implement.

A Poor Dad says, “After graduation get into a good company”, but the Rich Dad says, “After graduation get a good company”.

He says, “You may make a better burger than While the rest of the world strives hard to earn McDonald’s but you may not sell it the same way as they those few pennies a day, Robert Kiyosaki has an all do, that’s why they are the Best Sellers of Burgers”. together different perspective. He says,” I don’t work for Money; I make the Money work for me”. This is the strategy that the people who make it to the top adopt. “You may make a better burger than McDonald’s but you may A wise man that he already is, smart statements such as “Work for free, and then you would automatically not sell it the same way as they devise ways of earning”, have got the readers thinking. do, that’s why they are the Best How true indeed! Who would know the value of money Sellers of Burgers”. better than a person who has gone through all the If you want something, first learn to give it, hardships and finally managed to taste that tiny drop of it would surely come back to you. It would probably success! come to you in bits and pieces but it would surely come. In the book, Poor Dad says, “After graduation If you want to learn, you should be able to teach it to get into a good company”, but the Rich Dad says, others. All of us are aware each of the points that he “After graduation get a good company”. Simple makes in the book somewhere in the back of our heads. thoughts such as these have been beautifully put forth An excellent work by Robert indeed. If you haven’t by Robert Kiyosaki to which the readers can relate to read the book yet, do check it out the next time you hit easily. ‘Prioritize LEARNING to EARNING’, he says. the bookstore!! With the world moving in a pace that the common man This is what I have to say after reading the book! finds almost impossible to catch up with, the whole idea of learning is completely dissolved. He furthers it “I must reset all my prior feelings about doing MBA for by making a witty statement such as, “There are a lot earning well” of talented poor people because they are not educated FINANCIALLY”. “I m ready for entrepreneurship ;-) I don’t want be employed by someone, I would do better if I employ Robert Kiyosaki is smart man when it comes others” to business. He puts forth his views plainly yet convincingly. He says, “I am a ‘Best Selling Author’ Now I guess my RICH DAD would be happy ;-) and not the ‘Best Writing Author’, so learn the art of selling”. He backs this statement by yet another fact. - Girish Mahadevan 41

MARCH 09

Louder DJ…. Louder!! So, are you guys bored of the regular bollywood mixes? Well, I sure am! The other day I managed to get hold of dr.dub. He may not be a doctor, but he for sure knows his music real good! “Being to Tilos Radio (Hungary) changed things and everything else was just destiny. Though, destiny still needs to unfold a lot of surprises because I have not yet reached the end”, is the answer we got from this dude when we asked him how he became a DJ dr.dub(as he prefers to be called). He has come a long way and has finally come back to Hyderabad, his hometown, to get the hyderabadis move to the beats of what he calls “WORLD MUSIC”. This “world music” is a word that he has coined for himself, as the music that he composes is a conglomeration of the several kinds of music from around the world. His first break in Tilos Radio (Hungary) gave him what he always wanted, the right kick! We asked him if he knew from the start that his kind of music will be totally different from the regulars. This is what he says. . “Initially, I was playing any thing and everything that I liked in the Indian music. Very soon I realized that I was looking for a different sound altogether and my hunt began” When he came back to India, to Hyderabad, he tried to introduce the hyderabadis to the music that has rocked his world. The response he says was not very overwhelming as the hyderabadis were not familiar with the concept of this kind of music. Though he then adds very positively, “We will learn slowly and will soon move to its beats”. On asking him pointedly as to how he would define his music, he says plainly, “I will call it world music”. His music styles sport Indian Underground which has a blend of western underground music with a touch of Indian instruments like Tabla, Sitar and human vocals as a twist, laid with heavy electronic instrumentation. He mixes it up with underground hip hop, break beat, drum, bass and ambient Electronica. You may find a touch of the different Jamaican styles of music like Reggae and dub as well. When I had asked him if there is anything that he would want to accomplish in the coming years, he promptly says, “I want to set up my own radio station that has the freedom of speech and music”. So while you guys chill out and check dr.dub out, I will check out the CD he had burnt for me that has his beats!!

- Anjita Lal

“Yea man I was traveling with music and was hoping that the listeners too would take up this journey” “This is just the beginning, it will be tough but for sure fun!!” 15

MARCH 09

MOVIE UPDATES Luck By Chance

Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Isha Sharwani, Hrithik Roshan Music : Shankar Ehsaan Loy Director: Zoya Akhtar Genre : Drama Storyline : Take on Bollywood Politics

***

ODE Rating: Zoya Akhtar’s debut venture as a director turns out to be an enthralling one. Vikram (Farhan Akthar) comes to Mumbai to act in films meets Sona (Konkana Sen Sharma) a small time actress and falls in love. Vikram bags the role in a film which Zafar Khan (Hrithik Roshan) leaves in midaway. The rest of story is about Vikram rise and fall in fame and in personal life. All the actors have done there part well, Music is good but second half drags a bit.

Dev D

Cast: Abhay Deol, Mahi Gill & Kalki Koechlin Director : Anurag Kashyap Music Director: Amit Trivedi Genre: Drama/Romance Storyline: Devdas (Novel) Adaption ODE Rating:

***

Dev D is a modern-day adaptation of the classic novel “Devdas”. It’s a modern day tale of young generations take on failed love affairs. Devdas (Abhay Deol), Paro (Mahi Gill) and Chanda (Kalki Koechlin) characters shows lots of arrogance, energy and lifestyle of the young generation of today, Lot of credit should be given to Anurag Kashyap showing lot of innovation to a very age old story. The new Devdas movie idea conceived by Abhay Deol himself is an exceptional and daring step; Dev D is a good in most parts and keeps the audiences interested till the last scene.

Billu

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Irfan Khan & Lara Dutta Director : Priyadarshan Music Director: Pritam Genre: Drama Storyline: Remake of Kadha Parayumbol ODE Rating:

Billu Barber story is based on the relationship of Lord Srikrishna and his poor friend Kuchela. Billu (Irrfan Khan) a humble barber in village and Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) a bollywood superstar who happens to be childhood friends. Sound familiar! this movie was remade into Telugu (Kathanayakudu) from a hugely successful Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol. Irfan khan performance is only strong point in this movie, even Shahrukh Khan Presence is shadowed by poor direction and an ordinary story. Priyadarshan should at least try to make an original movie rather than remaking Malayalam movies all the time.

Delhi 6

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Waheeda Rehman Director : Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Music Director: AR Rehman Genre: Drama ODE Rating:

***

Roshan (Abhishek Bachchan) an NRI from the USA visits India for his ailing grandmother (Waheeda Rehman) wish to live her last part of life in Delhi, the neighborhood she grew up. Bittu (Sonam Kapoor) is his neighbor girl an aspirant for Indian idol and rest is all about the black monkey mayhem and what happens to the relationship between Roshan and Bittu. Great music by A R Rehman and Sonam freshness are only standing points, other than that it’s a forgettable movie.

MARCH 09

Siddham

Cast: Jagapati Babu, Sindhu Menon, Kota Srinivasa Rao Director : J D Chakravarthy Music Director: Amar Mohale Genre: Drama/Crime Storyline: Remake of Ab Tak Chappan ODE Rating:

***

Siddham is a remake of Hindi film Ab Tak Chappan, Story revolves around Daya (Jagapati Babu) a cop and an encounter specialist and his take on underworld crime network. J D Chakravarthy sticks to the original movie and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t experiment too much with the screenplay. If you like cop movies and not seen the original one you may find it interesting.

Satyameva Jayathe Cast: Rajasekhar, Sivaji, Atul Kulakarni, Milind Soman, Director : Jeevaitha Music: Chinna Genre: Drama/Action Storyline: Remake (Khaki) ODE Rating:

One more cop movie this month and again remake from a Hindi movie (Khaki). Satya (Rajasekhar) is a cop is trusted with the job of bringing a terrorist Dr. Ansari (Atul Kulakarni) from Vizag to Hyderabad. Story is same as the original one. Poor screenplay and terrible action scenes make this movie a pain to watch. Probably Jeevaitha should consider retiring from directing movies as she did with acting.

Valkyrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy Director : Bryan Singer Genre: History/War ODE Rating:

***

Based on actual events, a plot to assassinate Hitler is develop during the end of WWII. Valkyrie is a relatively intense thriller with an ending that we all know going into it. The performances were good, giving each character a certain amount of presence, Tom Cruise definitely commanded the film with a driven performance that made him the high point of the picture. Despite the lack of exploration into the characters, the story still managed to be very suspenseful which made it fun to watch. And that ending was devastating.

Konchem Istam Konchem Kastam Cast: Siddhardh, Tamanna, Prakash Raj, Ramya Krishna, Director : Kishore Kumar Parthasani Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy Background music: Mani Sharma Genre: Romance/Drama Storyline: Family Drama ODE Rating:

***

Siddhardh, a practical and easy going guy falls for Geeta (Tamanna) a village girl and decides to get married, but like all the movies a twist comes from Geetaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father (Nassar), he sets forth a condition for marriage that if Siddhardh unites his Divorced parents then only he will marry his daughter to him. The rest of the story is all about how Siddhardh unites his parents (Ramya Krishna and Prakash Raj). Music is good, but a long and very emotional movie.

MARCH 09

Make crime pay, become a lawyer! “A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a thousand men with guns.”

- Mario Puzo.

t is this and such other ideas that are generally associated with a ‘Lawyer’ and give the profession a notorious connotation. I take this opportunity to answer the question of why law, as well as dispel any notions of law being a murky career option? Undoubtedly, it would be very utopian to profess that this famous quote by Mario Puzo is entirely unjustified. However, I maintain that to generalise this view is only unfair as the ‘good, bad and the ugly’ rule has universal application to all professions. Omnipresence is a characteristic common to both Law and difference of opinions. As a result, lawyers are required everywhere. It is because of these Lawyers that amongst other things a proud India culminated the Tata-Corus acquisition and Pakistan took its first major steps to hail in democracy. Further, the need for lawyers will always remain as new and more complicated disputes will occur. For example, after the Indian Premier League matches took place a need was felt for the introduction of Sports and Media Laws; Low cost airlines came into existence in India and various international mergers and acquisitions led to a need for specialisation in Aviation laws. Legal Processing Outsourcing industry which has recently come up is also in need of law graduates. Thus, new developments in any field require a legal backing and the safety cushion of lawyers for their success. Law thus proves to be not only a lucrative but also a very challenging profession.

An ideology that is found common to most law schools and has been articulated by NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad is that a legal education makes one “Socially relevant, Technically competent and Professionally sound.” Law is not a boring, monotonous or mechanical career and its study is not limited to a learning of numerous sections of innumerable legislations. On the contrary it is a thrilling career opportunity which requires multifaceted individuals who can reason logically and persuasively and at the same time innovatively research for solutions that commonly plague nations. Various law schools are part of the initiative to strengthen the criminal justice system, provide legal aid, and even take up enviro-legal projects to contribute to societal progress.

This will only increase manifold the opportunities available to law graduates. Law graduates may also choose to study further and pursue their LLM thereby specialising in various branches of law, be it International Law or Family Law. LLM’s offered by Indian universities are for 2 years whereas those abroad are for a period of one year. Although it is uncommon for law students to take up a profession other than law, especially after a 3/5 year course in the same, legal education helps open avenues in other professions as well. These could be the civil services, social service and the ever popular political arena.

Law Schools and How to Apply:

In India there are two types of degrees: 1) L.L.B - which is a three year law course and deals with core subjects of law. 2) B.A. LLB- which is a 5 year integrated course and provides students with the benefit of making a connection between law and other subjects. A Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) was devised in the year 2008 in order to attain uniformity in the entrance examination conducted for intake of students into various universities. At present this test is applicable to 11 national law universities which will take turns in conducting the examination. NALSAR University of Law is conducting CLAT in the year 2009. Other Law schools conduct their own tests; among these are the Symbiosis Law School, Amity Law School and the new National Law School of Delhi. Foreign universities also offer undergraduate law programmes and each has its own method of intake, students mostly opt for National University of Singapore which has affiliation with the Bar in India and its degree is recognised here. Law school is an opportunity for

transformation where the end product is a smart, aware and competent individual. It is most definitely a career opportunity to consider. After all, despite the trademark Mario Puzo attaches to the Lawyer, he still envies the power and wit a lawyer commands. Imagine that power put to good use! Sakshi Sawhney

Law Student NALSAR University of Law.

Opportunities after Studying Law:

After attaining a degree in law, graduates may join the Bar without appearing for an examination. Law students also opt for corporate law streams and thus join traditional law firms like Amarchand Mangaldas or even get recruited by banks like ICICI. Some students join the Magic circle firms in London which comprise of the likes of Herbert Smith (LLP) and Clifford Chance (LLP). The entry of foreign law firms in India is also expected in the near future.

MARCH 09

TECHNOFLAIR 09

ike every year this year also the students along with heavy assistance from the administration of Bharat Institute of Engineering and Technology, are organizing a national level technical fest . This year have captioned it as TECHNOFLAIR 09.

The students of ECE have named the fest as FOURIERS. The history of FOURIERS has been incredible. FOURIERS is basically a mathematical expansion that engineers come across in almost every second problem they do. This is the seventh successive year and with every passing year, the graph of success is going exponential. The technical events that are being organised are listed at the bottom of the page. This year, for the first time , they will be hosting a rock band show wherein reputed bands from the city will be performing. We have sponsors like IMS, The Princeton Review, Visu International, Planet M, Radio City, Red Bulls. ODE and Radio City will be the Media and Publicity partners covering the event.

The prize money to be won includes various gift vouchers and cash prizes worth 30,000!!

1) Paper Presentation 2)Poster Presentation 3)Technical and General Quiz 4)Robotics 5)Extempore 6)Debate

The Team: The body that organizes this event on behalf of department of ECE is the Association of Communication. This body is headed by the Head of the Department and other faculty.

www.fouriers09.com Surjeet Roy (President, ACE, Dept of ECE, BIET) MARCH 09

Why are we here? Do we have a purpose here? Where do we go when we die? I will not even try to answer them; it just isn’t what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the idea of Religion.

R E L I G I O N

hat is it that everybody wants? Even among all the differences and similarities of mankind, what is the one common trait you find in everyone? At the risk of sounding presumptuous, I say that it is the quest for happiness, to be happy or to make someone happy, that keeps all of us going. In this quest for happiness, man has been through a lot. Let us journey with him as he does. Let us begin with, say, 20,000 years ago. Spoken language hadn’t yet been invented so all communication was necessarily visual. In a world unexplored, all the elements and forces of nature must have astounded the prehistoric man. It is thus believed that most of the inscriptions and portraits depicting the sun and lightning, for example, as supernatural beings or “Gods” must have risen out of a mixture of fear and respect for their awesome power. Let us move forward in time. About 5000 years ago to what is generally assumed to be the mature period of the Harappan Civilization. Try and imagine what it would have been like to be an early man! The wonder of civilization had just sprung up. Man was becoming more of what makes him the most successful organism in the history of the world, a social animal. As the sheer size of the society man lived in grew, it became evident that there was a necessity for order. Order, for peace so that man, in his ultimate quest for happiness, would not be hindered by his own people. Order is not something that is explained, taught or learned. It had to be imbibed into the minds of people. It had to create harmony in the society so that man would be happy. The converse too should be true, that whenever man was about to do something generally perceived as the wrong thing to do, he would be scared to do it. Now, no human power could continually create such feelings in men. The age old saying “necessity is the mother of invention” naturally applied here and hence was born Religion, originally a set of ideals or a way of thinking that used both myth and reality as a means to provide the necessary control over mankind. As man became more involved in society, his outlook on life must have changed. Naturally, the questions must have started bothering him. Why are we here? Do we have a purpose here? Where do we go when we die? I will not even try to answer them; it just isn’t what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the idea of Religion. Religion essentially is a way of thinking. I want to make it clear that Ram, Allah, the Bible, the Koran or the Mahabharata are just a part of their respective religions. The ideas they propound make the backbone of their religion. MARCH 09 30

“If it wasn’t for Ram and Allah, I’d still have a mother.”

The Encyclopaedia of Religion says about religion,“A push, whether ill-defined or conscious, toward some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life.” Even Atheism is a religion in its own right! Atheism is by definition “the belief of disbelief in an ultimate power ruling over everybody”. My point being that religion as an idea is very necessary in our life. Let us hold that thought for a while. Time travelling again (I feel that Einstein was wrong, the mind can travel wherever it wants to: p), we find ourselves in the Dark Ages, which was a time for enlightening and delightful events such as the crusades and the witch hunts. The atrocities committed in the name of religion are so numerous that the mind boggles to even try and picture them. It is true that those were times that we never want to go back to. Times that both shook and took the lives of many an innocent man. Yet it is our responsibility to look at the events as they unfolded through time and not just at the present situation. I say this because most people I talk to about religion seem to be under the impression aptly portrayed in the latest movie Slum dog Millionaire. “If it wasn’t for Ram and Allah, I’d still have a mother”, says the protagonist. It is this false notion that is both disturbing and misleading to the youth of our country. The notion that it is because of religion itself that we are in troubled times is obviously false if one chooses to see that religion is not a force behind any action, it is the human mind. Anything and everything done by a man is his own responsibility. Religion is not to blame because even the apparently docile teachings of any religion have to pass through the human brain and are subject to interpretation. Is it the teacher’s fault that the student understands “you should safeguard your family” as “kill anyone who might threaten it”? Religions created by our predecessors may not be of much use to you and me; the literate, learned and open-minded youth of our nation; but it is the foundation upon which our country is built and survives. To respect that is our duty. At the same time, change is now the necessity. Many of the rules, which were once the need of the hour, are not applicable anymore. It is time that we, the future of our nation, strive to understand and put forth our own religion as a way of thinking. Let us think for the future, let us strive to make it better, let us live for peace, let us make our great nation an example that the whole world looks up to, let us find happiness in helping the needy, let us live every moment like there are no more, let us learn to change the world not only because we have to, but because we want to! That is my religion my friend. What is yours?

- Pathannjali P 31

MARCH 09

Mangalore Menace - WO‘E’MEN

Much has been said and written about the re-

cent attacks on women in Mangalore. The recent coverage has sparked a heated discussion about the harassment that women faced, fueled by insensitive and disparaging comments from the perpetrators of the attack. Coming from a culture that has been known to respect and honor women, these attacks have left us all outraged. The fact that a few people decided to take the law into their hands and decide that women are apparently not allowed to go to pubs is disturbing. Is beating and molesting women equivalent to protecting our values and heritage? None of the so called ‘guardians’ of our culture even whisper a protest when sleazy hoardings are put up everywhere for advertising any product - be it lingerie or aluminum piping. No one objects when even ‘family-oriented’ movies include a well-endowed

heroine wearing clothes of sizes too small for her. Women are regarded as objects at best, incapable of any independent thought or feeling. Their opinions are considered secondary, women after all must be tractable, and they must bend to the superior will of the men in their lives. It is suppression in all ways mentally and physically. Sit in a college bus going through a busy area and you’ll surely be bombarded with paper notes, wolf-whistles and cat calls, only if you are a woman.

Any woman will do, you do not have to be pretty or young or well-dressed - just any woman! Crimes against women are, if reported, almost always taken with a pinch of salt. It is curious indeed that most often the victims themselves are blamed. Do we go about arresting burgled house owners and claiming that it was their fault, they had money, and they were asking to be robbed? Do we heap abuse on corpses declaring that they deserved to be murdered, they were living after all, and what did they expect? Yet amazingly, in cases of harassment against women it’s always their fault. Have all of the so-called ‘good’ women who know their ‘place’ in life been protected? Were they completely content? Did they all feel safe from the physical and the sexual abuse that is inflicted upon them by known members of the family? Our culture has well-defined codes of conduct for both women and men. Yet for most men, these codes do not exist- conveniently. Why are women the sole keepers of our culture? Let’s not get swayed by the words of a few people who only want free publicity. We are one of the most peaceful countries in the world where the freedom of speech and expression is highly respected. Let’s not allow a few repressed souls to try and take it all away from us.

- Yashodhara 33

MARCH 09

In light of the recent events like the Anti Valentine’s day protests, did you postpone your Valentine’s Day plans?

Praveen, Student “I was least bothered by these protests. I had a routine day of work on Valentine’s Day, though I did witness a couple being forcibly married off. These people are only staging these protests to get votes, and they shouldn’t be interfering in people’s personal lives.” Tuhina Guha and Mainak Sen (Students, Kolkata) “We were a little apprehensive about venturing out together since the protestors were so vehement in their so called attempt to preserve Indian culture. But I think resorting to such intimidation is against our culture, and they are nothing less than terrorists since they are using terror to drive home their point.” Tanvi, Student “I would not have postponed my plans if I was seeing someone as I am single right now. Also, I would love to form an Anti-Anti Valentine’s group ;-) Maybe next year!!” Preeti (Employee, Bank of America) and Anusha(Employee, Avaya) “We actually wanted to meet up but our parents were worried and asked us not to go out, even though we were just two girls going out together. That is how bad things are! These protestors should just mind their own business and not tell us how to lead our lives.” Kiran Shetty, WFM, Bangalore “I don’t see any reason in postponing my plans just because a bunch people are against the whole idea of celebrating Valentine’s Day.” Vineel Rag, Student “Well, I am single right now though, on a general note, I would have gone ahead with my plans anyways. Incase, I do encounter the activists, I will test my smartness in handling them.” Keerthi, Student “I will go ahead with my plans if I was seeing someone that is. If I do come across any of these people, I will do as they say to just come out of the situation at that point of time and then not consider it. They do not have the rights to decide for others and never will!.” Divya, Student “I am single right now, though if I was not, I would have gone ahead with my plans. I can decide for myself.” Rohit, Student “I was not affected by these protests since, hooligans like these will be everywhere and we cannot let them dictate on how we should lead our lives. Since I don’t think there is anything wrong with Valentine’s Day as far the question of sustaining our Indian culture is concerned, I don’t see any harm in celebrating it.” 35

MARCH 09

Hampi Google the word “Hampi” and these words are the first things that will catch your eye. And believe me, this is not just a catchy phrase picked up by the Karnataka tourism board, but a very poetic way to put the truth!

“If dreams were made out of stone, it would be Hampi”

Located about 350 kilometers from Bangalore, and around 400 from Hyderabad, Hampi is a perfect spot for a weekend getaway if you are short on time. The easiest way to get there is by taking a train from Hyderabad to Hospet, which is the closest railway station. It’s also a popular spot for road trips, so if u have a bike or a car and wanderlust strikes, head to Hampi! Spread over 26 square kilometers, the ruins of Hampi are still a magnificent sight, having survived the ravages of time and are bound to take you back in time to the 14th century. After the monotony of the concrete jungles that surround us in the cities, the gorgeous stone structures of Hampi are a feast for the eyes. With the Tunghabadra flowing in the north and rocky boulders surrounding it, the ruins lie majestically, suggesting the bygone era. An ideal haunt for a history buff as well as a nice change for those tired of the fast paced city life and looking for a break, Hampi is the perfect weekend getaway. The quiet, slow paced little town will have you relaxing as soon as you

MARCH 09

land there! Hampi has a little something for everyone, including the incurable shopaholics! The tiny little shops that dot the path to the Virupaksha temple sell everything from tiny curios to eccentric jewelry, so you can take back something to remind you of Hampi or just to make your friends back home jealous! The best way to see Hampi is to take a walk around the place and explore the ruins for yourself. You can however hire a guide at the entrance if you want a detailed explanation of the history and the architecture. Another option is to rent a bike and drive around the place, stopping to explore whenever something catches your eye. But I would recommend taking a walk if you really want to soak in the grandeur and get a feel of the place. There’s a lot to see in Hampi, but you can fit it all into one day if you’re short on time. A few things that shouldn’t be missed are the Virupaksha and Vithala temples for their amazing intricate carvings, the Stone Chariot, the Queens bath, the royal enclosures and the Kings balance which has a very interesting story behind it. From what the history suggests, the kings were weighed against grain, gold or money which was then distributed among the local peasants! The Mustard Ganesha is a charming sight which is a 9 foot tall statue of Lord Ganesha that was carved out of a single stone! After all that walking, you should definitely head to the Mango Tree that will serve you one of its most refreshing drinks and some great tasting food. Situated on a cliff overlooking the river, it offers quite a view. And if you’re staying the night then do check out the place at dinner time. With candles lighting up the place, the whole ambience gives an ethnic look that is simply beautiful! This was the only place to make it to the Lonely Planet guide to Hampi, so expect to see most of the foreign visitors out here. Another must-do is to take off your shoes and dip your feet in the cool waters of the Tungabhadra that flows on one side of Hampi. There is nothing more relaxing and it is the best way to chill before heading back. Once you get a feel of the fine silt between your toes and the cool water caressing your feet, trust me, you will not want to head back! So the next time you feel tired of the monotonous city life, and have just a weekend to spare, head to Hampi and you’ll come back refreshed and willing to give this fast paced world another try!!

- Elizabeth Mathew 19

MARCH 09

CHEF’s PICK

VEGETARIAN

LASAGNA

Preparation and cooking time 1 ½ hrs

Baking time: 45 minutes This lasagna has five distinct ingredients: Pasta, Tomato sauce, Béchamel sauce, Spinach and Cheese.

Pasta:

About fifteen 17 cm x 17 cm (7 inch x 7 inch) sheets of instant lasagna (400 gms or about 14 ounces)

Tomato sauce:

½ cup (125 ml) olive oil ½ tsp. (2ml) yellow asafetida powder 1 cup (250 ml) chopped fresh basil 1 tsp. (5ml) dried oregano 1 tsp. dried marjoram 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 medium eggplant, diced into ¼ - inch cubes 3 medium peppers diced into ½ – inch square 24 medium tomatoes, blanched, peeled and chopped, or six 250 g tins Italian tomatoes cut into 1- inch cubes (keep the juice) ½ cup black olives, chopped 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp. slat 1 tsp. brown sugar 2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

Béchamel sauce:

½ cup melted butter ¼ cup tsp. ground nutmeg ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper ½ cup sifted plain flour 4 cups warm milk

Spinach:

1 large bunch of spinach leaves, separated, and stalks removed, washed, blanched in boiling water, and drained.

Cheese:

375 g grated cheddar cheese 250 g grated mozzarella cheese 60 g grated parmesan cheese 1 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, reserved for garnish

To cook the tomato sauce:

1). Heat the olive oil over moderate heat in large, heavy-based sauce pan. When hot, add the asafetida and sauté momentarily, and then add the fresh basil, oregano, marjoram, bay leaves and black pepper and sauté for another few seconds. 2). Add the eggplant cubes and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and stirring occasionally, cook them along with eggplant pieces until both are softened (about 3-4 minutes) 3). Add the tomatoes and olives and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly, and cook uncovered, stirring often for about ½ hour or until it reduces and thickens. Add tomato paste, salt, sugar and parsley, mix well and remove from the heat.

To cook the béchamel sauce:

1). Place the melted butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat and stir the nutmeg, black pepper and flour and sauté until the mixture darkens slightly (about ½ minute). Remove from the heat 2). Gradually pour in the warm milk, stirring with a whisk until the sauce is smooth. 3). Return to moderate heat and stir until it boils. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens to a thick- custard consistency (about 5 minutes).

To assemble the lasagna:

1). Combine all 3 cheeses (except the reserves parmesan) in a bowl. Divide the tomato sauce and béchamel sauce into 3. Divide the cheese and spinach into 2. Divide the pasta in to 5. 2). Spread one-third of the tomato sauce into the bottom of the baking tray. Place onefifth of the pasta sheets on top. Spread on one-third of the béchamel sauce then another one-fifth of the pasta. Spread one half of the spinach leaves, and then sprinkle half the grated cheese on top. 3). Repeat the process twice more and you should end up with the béchamel sauce on top. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Place the lasagna on the top of a pre heated 200 degree c/390 degree f oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the top is slightly golden. It is best to let the lasagna set for at least another hour before serving, as this plumps the pasta. Cut into squares and serve. NOTE: Put 1 tsp salt for half the given measures, taste sauce and add salt to taste.

MARCH 09

The most anticipated rock competition and a highly recognized platform for the upcoming college bands to showcase their talent; the C.R.I was back again with its 5th talent hunt and this time with its finals at Hyderabad, much to the pleasure of the Hyderabadi Rock crowd! “Campus Rock Idols” is already India’s biggest annual independent college music festival, open for amateur rock bands all over the country. It’s a campus level contest and is held annually since its inception in 2004. Conceptualized by DNA Networks, this event is presented by Nokia and HeroHonda in association with Reliance, Force India, VH1 and Sports Media Pvt Ltd. The competing spirit sparks at city level, wherein bands from the city and neighboring places battle to prove their ‘metal’. CRI-09 was held in 10 cities across India over a 2 month period, flagging the event off from Jan 10th till the finals on the 7th of Feb. On the 6th of Feb was the Regional Finals of the South Zone at Treasure Island and we had SYNAPSE and NATIVE TONGUE headlining the act. On the 7th of February, the day of the event of “Nokia Hero Honda Campus Rock Idols” was held. Rock music lovers flooded the arena to cheer the 8 finalists who made it to the national level. Headlining the finals was India’s famous rock band - Euphoria. Dr. Palash Sen and his band’s performance of ‘Dhoom Pichuck’ had the listeners singing along.

ABRAXAS The Winners

Palash Sen of EUPHORIA performing at CRI-09.

The bands battled it out at the national event held at Hyderabad for the first time and this time it was not the usual gig hub Durugam Cheruvu but Treasure Islands, Gandipet, a lumbering arena inducing adrenaline rushes through everyone present there.

The Jury members were Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa and Luke Kenny. Apart from the title, the winner of CRI was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 75,000, a Fender Squire guitar and with a chance to open for an international Rock band, the “Iron Maiden”, who performed as a part of the “Rock-n-India” held in Bangalore on 14th and 15th February 2009. ‘Abraxas’ from Pune were adjudged the winners of the “Campus Rock Idols-2009”!! Melodrama and Jester were the first and the second runners-up of the event. Campus Rock Idols, over the years has been bringing up a number of extremely talented rock bands that have gone on to achieve national as well as international exposure. The stakes are big, the competition is fierce, the stage is set because Campus Rock Idols is here to stay!!

- Poonam Lal

MARCH 09

Artistic yoga for life

he word yoga emerged from “Yog”. One can say it is the westernization of this art which has existed since time immemorial. We all know that lord Shiva was the founder of Yog and Patanjali had been its scribe. It is an art that mystics have practiced for hundreds of years. These mystics knew, for example, that if one bent the chin at a certain angle it would cause a specific internal change inside the body. With the process of trial and error, masters found out many things that an ordinary man never bothered about.

A ritual which relaxes and a path to enlightenment, yoga has on it’s roll call the likes of Madonna, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Ricky Martin, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christy Turlington and Sting to name a few. Strength, balance, cardiovascular conditioning, peace of mind is what yoga has offered to India over the centuries. The turn of the millennium sees the West asking for its share of nirvana. Yoga is about Uniting - becoming one with the universal consciousness. In the present scenario, this art has emerged and has taken a different form. Here is an exclusive interview with Bharat Thakur about his Artistic Yoga. ODE: What is the difference between traditional yoga and artistic yoga? Bharat: Traditional yoga is about flexibility, but artistic yoga covers five aspects, cardiovascular, agility, strength (endurance), motor skills (i.e. mind body coordination) and flexibility. ODE: Does one need a guide to practice yoga? Bharat: A layman should know that when he practices yoga, he is starting a process of transformation - of the body and the mind. Practicing yoga casually, or as a form of exercise without understanding it fully can be dangerous. This is why Yoga must be practiced in the presence of a master. ODE: What are the programs that you offer? Bharat: In general, in his corporate workshops, Bharat focuses on a single-point program – Enhancing interpersonal relationships and creating clean, energizing work ethos. However, Bharat Thakur has several modules that can be suited to a variety of situations and needs. A few are

• • • • • • • • • •

Improving health and physical fitness Stress reduction and management Developing focus and concentration Building confidence and motivation Enhancing creativity Decision-making Team building and interpersonal relationships Employee welfare and entertainment Conferences and seminars Talks

ODE: How can the youth benefit from this? Bharat: Yoga helps in anger management and it is essential to today’s youth who are subject to a lot of stress levels. It is also highly beneficial to people who suffer from fatigue, healthy back, joint pains, diabetes, migraine and others. Moreover, it assures a good sex life and efficient weight loss.

MARCH 09

Expressions shared by a few celebrities during their session with Bharat.

Boris Becker - Tennis Player "I do Artistic Yoga for one hour and the weight I have lost is amazing". Kareena Kapoor - Actress "Weight training with Bharat's yoga stretches is a great combination to make the body lean and flexible." Salman Khan - Film Actor "I have never felt more energized or fit as I do with Artistic Yoga".

Lara Dutta - Former Miss Universe / Actress "Artistic Yoga helped me to keep my concentration and focus intact." (as spoken during a personal session with Bharat in Mumbai). Shane Warne - Cricket Player "Other then toning the body, Artistic Yoga has given me mental sanctity which I have never experienced with any other workout".

Sridevi - Actress "I never thought yoga could make a person lose inches. But Bharat's yoga can, and it made me lose a lot of inches." Katrina Kaif - Model & Actress "Artistic Yoga has helped me stay fit and look fresh even with the hectic schedule". Rimi Sen - Actress "Bharat's yoga is energizing and wholesome. It's a complete workout and you don't have to do anything else. I wish I had met Bharat before." 39

MARCH 09

Entrepreneurship-Week 2009 A CELEBRATION OF THE SPIRIT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP “Go Green! The world is our business” E-week 2009 was organized by the Entrepreneurship-Cell of MJCET in collaboration with National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) from 7th to 14th February 2009. The purpose of this week was to celebrate the spirit of “Entrepreneurship” and to increase awareness about the environment. This year the theme of the week was “Go Green! The world is our business” with stress laid on being environment friendly in Entrepreneurial ventures. E-Week 2009 was organized by around 400 colleges across the nation. MJCET has a very active E-Cell with around 250 student members and two faculty guides Mr. Syed Farhathullah Hussaini and Mr. Ifteqar Ahmed. In the year 2008 E-Cell MJCET had won runners-up trophy at the national level. So, this year the E-Cell had the sole aspiration of going a step ahead and winning the Championship trophy. With this aim in mind a plethora

of activities were organized in MJCET campus like The E conference, The Treasure Hunt, Short Film competition, Creative activities(paper presentation, debate, extempore, ad making, case study etc), Model making, Business Quiz, Panel discussions on various Environmental concerns and “Environment in Business Solutions”. E-cell MJCET in association with Ashray-Akruthi( School for hearing impaired children) organized a ROCK SHOW and raised money for the Cause by mobilizing about 5000 people and inviting top Rock Bands like ‘Mother Jane’ , ‘mavens chambers’ etc. The students of E-cell MJCET in collaboration with EWB (Engineers without Borders) developed an alternative cooking fuel called “The Briquette” which is smoke free, has a good calorific value and can be prepared from any biological waste. Green and clean drive was held on campus throughout the E week as one of the many Green initiatives. Student members of E-cell MJCET were also associated with “Save the rock society” in acknowledging the audience approached regarding its importance, signifying the same purpose

MARCH 09

the students went for a ROCK WALK with the founder due importance to innovation, novelty and newness. It of Save the Rocks Society in order to create awareness of is very heartening to note that MJCET is declared the champion with six other colleges from various corners Beautiful Rock sites being destroyed in Hyderabad. . of the country. The Grand Finale for the E-Week 2009 was The student members of the E-Cell MJCET also conducted various programs at four different colleges organized at Jyothi Nivas College, Bangalore on and one school situated in and around the city. The list 14th Feb.2009, wherein championship and runnersup trophies were awarded. It was a glittering event of these institutions is as follows. attended by Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, Biocon Limited, Mr. 1. MVSR College of Engineering 2. Sreenidhi College of Science and Chetan Maini Deputy Chairman of REVA Electric Car Company Private Ltd. (RECC), and Mr. Mohanjit Technology Jolly, Executive Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson 3. St Martins College of Engineering India Ltd. Many Industrialists, Entrepreneurs, Faculty and students from Calcutta, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Jaipur , Durgapur, Coimbature , Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune were present during the ceremony. The auditorium was packed to its full capacity of 1000. The NEN awarded 7 championship trophies and MJCET was one of the proud recipients. A team consisting of faculty members Mr. Syed Farhathullah Hussainy, Mr. Iftequar Ahmed and 16 students represented MJCET in the ceremony. It is worth mentioning that MJCET was the only minority college present in the gathering. The government of Andhra Pradesh was so Many industrialists and the team from NEN appreciated impressed with the idea of being environment friendly and applauded the contribution made by MJCET in that it readily agreed to sponsor the E-Week activities effectively sending across the message of “saving the (Hyderabad metropolitan development authority planet earth” through entrepreneurial ideas. (HMDA) and Horticulture department AP) at MJCET. By being a part of E-Week 2009, endorsing the Various other organizations also stepped in to sponsor cause of saving environment through innovative ideas the event. E-Cell MJCET also received a warm response and eventually winning the championship trophy, the from the Sultan-ul-Uloom Education Society and college has placed itself as fore-runner in promoting MJCET Alumni Association. Entrepreneurship as a valid career option, and has A team from NEN visited all the colleges across substantiated its position at the national level. the length and breadth of the nation to inspect and scrutinize the E-Week activities. This team judged the conduct of the events on a scale of 1000 points with 4. Aurora College of Engineering 5. Learnium School

MARCH 09

SPORTS RIDE THE SKIES : ASHWIN & EQESTRIAN

“There is always something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man”, Winston Churchill once said. Keeping the horse between you and the ground is what it takes to be rider, and believe me it is not as easy as it seems!!” To a close friend of mine, K. Ashwin Reddy, pursuing B. Tech from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology (CBIT), it’s a very rare sport ‘Equestrian’ that fascinates him, which involves the elegant animal, ‘horse’. He is passionate about horses and the idea of horse riding amazes him. His hard work and perseverance was rewarded when he was adjudged the “Best Show Jumper” at the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Inter-Directorate Equestrian Competitions held on the eve of Republic Day 2009 at New Delhi.

Tent Pegging. All these disciplines need a perfect co-ordination, understanding and harmony between the rider and his horse.

Ashwin bagged two Gold Medals in ‘Show Jumping Top Score’ and ‘Show Jumping Open’, where 200 NCC cadets from all over India participated and was awarded the Director General, Remount and Veterinary Services (DG-RVS) Trophy by Lft General R.K. Karwal, VSM, Director General, NCC. This was, however, not Ashwin’s maiden achievement; he had earlier won the Sub-Junior National Championship consecutively for two years in 2000 and 2001.

SHOW-JUMPING is a power and skill testing discipline, where the coordinated skill, power, ability and agility of the horse and the rider are tested over a course of obstacles laid at measured distances. EVENTING is the most grueling discipline of the Equestrian sport where the rider and the horse perform Dressage, Show Jumping and Cross-Country course over a distance of 5to 8 km consisting of 18 to 20 fences of very high degree of difficulty. TENT PEGGING, was invented by the great Mongolian Warrior Chengez Khan who ran across the heart land of Asia on horse back. It was his war tactic wherein he and his cavalry used to attack the enemy camp and remove the pegs of the enemy tents and

The sport is popularly known as “EQUESTRIAN” which is different from horse racing. Equestrian is not just a sport involving the horse and rider; it is the “KING OF SPORTS”. It takes a lot of perseverance and the rewards go way beyond the medals and trophies as it gives the winner an amazing sense of accomplishment. The sport not only provides camaraderie but also teaches responsibility and strong work ethics. Equestrian has various disciplines like Dressage, Show Jumping, Eventing and

DRESSAGE is technically the most superior equestrian discipline, where the horse and the rider are required to perform a very high degree and quality movements based on horse’s natural paces exhibiting harmony and grace between the man and the animal.

massacre the enemy. Tent Pegging is now an established sport where the rider carries a 2.4m lance with which he picks up the peg measuring 6 cms wide and 34cms long, half of the peg is embedded in the ground and the rider gallops the horse at a speed of 800m/min to pick the peg

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About the prospects of the sport in our country, Ashwin says that this is a less popular sport and as such there is no bright future in India. In our country it is generally restricted to the Police and the Army as the necessary resources for the sport is available only with these forces. Unlike several other sports, Show Jumping comes with a huge price tag as the rider has to own or lease a horse, outfit for the horse and himself, cover trailer costs to transport the horse, meet the board and Vet bills. Given the cost of competing in Show Jumping and time commitment, it is not a sport that one can easily get into.

Ashwin was inspired by his father, Dr. K.C.S. Reddy, who was a National Dressage Champion and won the “Samsung International Dressage Championship”. He followed his father’s footsteps and achieved several milestones since his childhood and dreams to scale new heights. About his future plans, Ashwin is focusing on Civil Services. Five years down the lane he wishes to pursue Show jumping as his hobby. For people who want to take up Show Jumping as a sport, the most crucial thing is choosing a stable where one can take lessons in the basics like walking, trotting, cantering or jumping fences. A competent rider must essentially learn how to take care of his horse, including cooling it off after a ride. Only after mastering the above skills one can consider taking part in show jumping competitions.

The success in show jumping depends on finding a good trainer and for Ashwin, however, the task was made easy as is father is a former national champion, recognized coach and judge on the panel of Equestrian Federation of India, With a father who inspires him to scale greater heights, and a mother, Anuradha, an officer with the Reserve Bank of India, who motivates him to conquer new peaks, Ashwin’s journey towards becoming a champion has just begun. He still has a long way to go and we wish him all the very best. Way to go Ashwin!!! - Nisha Venkatesan

MARCH 09

Events & City updates The K-Circle Quiz Fest Venue: Indian School Of Business (ISB) ISB Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad Date: 7-Mar-09 Time: 9:00am to 4:00pm Telephone: Srinivas, at 98850-54941 Kuchipudi Dance Recital By Yamini Reddy Venue:Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad Date: 6-Mar-09 Time: 6:30pm Price: Season passes of Rs. 200 per head; Daily passes of Rs. 100 & Rs. 50 per head. Contact: R Chakrapani, at 98491-24675 Creative Story Writing Contest For Francophone Day Venue:Alliance Francaise De Hyderabad Street Number 6, Lane Number 1, Road Number 16, Nehru Nagar, West Marredpally, Secunderabad Date: 20-Mar-09 Time: 6:00pm Tel: 2770-0734 La Trahison - French Film By Philippe Faucon Venue: Sarathi Studio 8-3-321, Ameerpet, Hyderabad Date: 17-Mar-09 Time: 6:30pm Tel: The Alliance Francaise Of Hyderabad, at 27700734/2770-0735 Fifth AP Inter-Engineering Basketball & Football Championship Venue: Muffakham Jah College Of Engineering And Technology (MJET) 8-2-249, Mount Pleasant, Road Number 3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad Date: 3-Mar-09 to 5-Mar-09 Time: 5:00pm Tel: 99664-69252

Headstart â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;09 - Tech Fest At CBIT Venue:Chaitanya Bharathi Institute Of Technology Date: 20-Mar-09 to 21-Mar-09 Time: 9:00am Tel: 08413-201312 Scintillashunz - Cultural Fest Of VNRVJIET Venue: V N R Vignan Jyothi Engineering College Date/Time: 28-Feb-09 to 2-Mar-09 / 10:00am to 7:00pm Contact: 99851-44408/94412-30545 A Tout De Suite - French Film By Benoit Jacquot Venue: Sarathi Studio,Ameerpet, Hyderabad Date/Time: 3-Mar-09 / 6:30pm Contact: The Alliance Francaise Of Hyderabad, at 2770-0734/2770-0735 Violin & Sitar Jugal Bandi By Lalgudi Krishnan & Kartik Seshadri Venue: Ravindra Bharathi Date/Time: 4-Mar-09 / 6:30pm Contact: R Chakrapani, at 98491-24675 Price: Season passes of Rs. 200 per head; Daily passes of Rs. 100 & Rs. 50 per head Sthapatya 2009 - Technical Symposium At JNTU Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological (JNTU) Kukatpally, Hyderabad Date/Time: 3-Mar-09 to 4-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: A Krishna Nivedita, at 99496-75316 Xyno-Mindz - Technical Symposium Venue: D V R College Of Engineering & Technology Kashipur Village, Sangareddy Mandal Date/Time: 2-Mar-09 to 4-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: K Ankith, at 92468-06494 Devotional Music By Vani Jairam Venue: Ravindra Bharathi Date/Time: 5-Mar-09 /6:30pm Contact: R Chakrapani, at 98491-24675 Price: Season passes of Rs. 200 per head; Daily passes of Rs. 100 & Rs. 50 per head

MARCH 09

Electret 2k9 - Tech Fest At CBIT Venue: Chaitanya Bharathi Institute Of Technology Date/Time: 4-Mar-09 to 5-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Ishan, at 94403-12977 or Srikanth Rao, at 99660-08885 Pragnya ‘09 - Technical Fest At JNTU Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological (JNTU) University College Of Engineering (9.5 km) Kukatpally, Hyderabad Date/Time: 6-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Sumatheja, at 94904-20042 or Praneeth, at 94913-58442 Technical Fest At Sri Indu Institute Of Engineering Venue: Sri Indu College Of Engineering & Technology (College) Sheriguda, Ibrahimpatnam, Secunderabad Date/Time: 6-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Ritesh Baheti, at 98852-62835 or Mahesh Babu, at 99637-70379 Xylyx 2009 - Technical Symposium Of VBIT Venue: Vignana Bharathi Institute of Technology (VBIT) 18 Kms from Uppal On The Warangal Highway, Aushapur Village, Ghatkesar Mandal, Hyderabad Date/Time: 5-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Karthik, at 99893-94245 or Gayathri, at 99596-78713 Masters’ Combat Arena - Fest By MCA Dept Venue: Vasavi College Of Engineering 9-5-81, Ibrahimbagh, Hyderabad Date/Time: 5-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: C Raju, at 98492-32305 or Venkata Anish, at 98853-33644 Acumen ‘09 - Technical Fest At Vasavi Venue: Vasavi College Of Engineering 9-5-81, Ibrahimbagh, Hyderabad Date/Time: 5-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Nishant Singh Gour, at 90000-06161 or T Amar Babu, at 99514-93249

Events & City updates Taramati - The Legend Of An Artist Venue: Taramati Baradari Near Vasavi Engineering College, Ibrahimbagh, Gandipet Road, Gandipet, Hyderabad Date/Time: 6-Mar-09 to 7-Mar-09 / 7:30pm Contact: The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation, at theatrefoundation[at]cineworksindia[dot]com Ayas 2009 - Technical Symposium At JNTU Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological (JNTU) University College Of Engineering (9.5 km) Kukatpally, Hyderabad Date/Time: 9-Mar-09 to 10-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: Suresh G, at 97046-34590 or Kiran K, at 99596-25653 Technovation 09 - Technical Extravaganza At MGIT Venue: Mahatma Gandhi Institute Of Technology Chaitanya Bharathi (PO), Adjacent Chaitanya Bharathi, Gandipet, Hyderabad Date/Time: 13-Mar-09 to 14-Mar-09 / 9:00am Contact: 99499-57871/98859-40256 Brasilia-Chandigarh - Photo Exhibition By Stephane Herbert Venue: Kalakriti Plot Number 468, Road Number 10, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad Date/Time: 7-Mar-09 to 21-Mar-09 / 10:00am to 8:00pm Contact: The Alliance Francaise Of Hyderabad, at 2770-0734/2770-0735 Multimedia Exhibition Of Artist In Residence B2Fays Venue: Kalahita Art Foundation Lakshmi Towers, 2nd Floor Opposite Lotus School, Nagarjuna Hills, Hyderabad Date/Time: 28-Mar-09 to 6-Apr-09 / 8:30am to 8:00pm Contact: The Alliance Francaise Of Hyderabad, at 2770-0734 Exhibition Of Paintings By Durga Rao Venue: Chitramayee State Gallery Of Fine Arts Road Number 1, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur, Hyderabad Date/Time: 28-Feb-09 to 8-Mar-09 / 11:00am to 7:00pm Contact: 2311-3308 05

MARCH 09

Valentine’s Day…To V or not to V, that is the question!

Forgive the blatant plagiarism (sorry Shakespeare), but I couldn’t come up with a better way to express the dilemma we were all facing this Valentine’s Day. To be honest, I’m not a Valentine’s Day kind of person. At the risk of sounding clichéd, I don’t get how you can have only this one day in a year to make someone feel special. Plus I’m not a big fan of the red roses and bright red hearts and other soppy things that seem to have become synonymous with V day. The only people who actually get anything from this over-hyped day are the florists who suddenly double the price of flowers and of course the Hallmark card-makers, who pretty much invented the day. So imagine my surprise when I wake up to find people protesting this harmless celebration of all things cheesy and lovey-dovey, and claiming it was the cause of most of the evils in our society today. Poor St. Valentine would be turning in his grave if he heard how certain people were blaming his day for the deterioration of Indian culture! As if all things that led to westernization can be traced back to this one day. I never gave much importance to Valentine’s Day, but it’s not like I was offended if anyone celebrated this day. That’s what freedom is all about, isn’t it? I mean how is our country a democracy if certain sections of society decide to stand up and dictate how the rest are supposed to lead their lives? As long what a person is doing does not harm another human being, or invade his or her right to freedom, they cannot be restricted. And this applies to Valentine’s Day too. How can people go around threatening to marry off couples that are spotted together on Valentine’s Day?? Whatever happened to personal freedom and being able to do what you want? This year, I wasn’t sure if I could even have a normal Saturday thanks to the anti V-day brigade. My usual weekend plans of meeting friends and catching a movie or just hanging out at a café were ruined because the self declared moral police were everywhere! From malls to multiplexes, the whole city was under siege. Even the roads were being patrolled by these fanatics who were out to catch any boy and girl seen together, regardless of their relationship. Friends, brothers and sisters, cousins… no one was spared! There were even articles in the papers the next day about a brother who got beaten up because he was out with his sister, and they refused to believe him! I can’t imagine how we can claim to be a democracy when we can’t ensure freedom to all of our citizens. What usually passes by as an un-eventful day, became quite a controversy this year. It bothered me that I could not do what I wanted, simply because someone decided that Valentine’s Day was against Indian culture. Valentine’s Day brought more important issues to the front, like how much of a democracy are we really? And who has the right to decide what is part of Indian culture and what should be banned? While there are problems like national security and terrorism to worry about, why pick on a relatively harmless yet clichéd ‘celebration of love’? - Liz 34

MARCH 09

THE SPEAKER SPEAKS TO THE YOUTH OF OUR NATION. A perspective that has been nurtured over the years, beliefs that are well rooted and patriotism like that of a true Indian, Suresh Reddy, speaker of the AP Legislative Assembly and President of AP branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary, addresses the youth of India and gets candid while expressing his views on taking up politics as a career and more with Surya and Nisha. India at this point of time needs leaders with a vision and Mr. Suresh Reddy fits in perfectly. He believes that politics, fundamentally is not only a career but a responsibility towards the nation. He continues saying that this profession is not as murky as it seems; in fact it serves as the best platform to translate ideas into programs and serve the deserving poor. He believes that the Youth of India has tremendous amount of energy and is capable of chanalising this energy into good actions. India right now craves for principled and dedicated leaders. Mr. Reddy says, “It is because of the youth that we got independence. It was the initiative of Gandhi that millions of youth followed his path. And here we are with India 61 years old and all independent.” He urges the youth and continues saying that it is now the responsibility of the youth again to rebuild the country. The majority of India is the youth so they have every right to rule. We asked Mr. Reddy as to what he has to say about himself as a youth, 25 years back. He says he was young and very enthusiastic back then. There is a lot of difference between the youth of the past and the youth of today. Today opportunities are many but the competition is very grim. Survival of the fittest is what the present conditions demand.

moved him was the assassination of “Indira Gandhi followed by Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, who as a young man went on to become the prime minister of India and urged the Youth of India back then to support him in his efforts to rebuild the country. Mr. .Suresh Reddy is proud to say that he was one amongst the million people to support him. “Some people look at things the way they are and say ‘why’ and some people look at things they should be and ask ‘why not?” is what Mr. Reddy strongly believes in. Probably this is why some people win and the others lose. We asked Mr. Reddy if there was anything that he would like to change in India as an individual. He replies plainly yet convincingly saying that it is the ‘mind set’ of the people here that he is not happy with. He continues saying that for a person to accomplish anything in life, he should first believe in the fact that he can do it. Most of us give up at the 90 percent; the last ten percent which he calls ‘the lack of finishing power’ needs to be greatly worked on. We require the do-or-die spirit of a soldier at war.

appreciation and blessing that the people showered upon him, whenever he put even the slightest of efforts to help them. Apart from the various things he does for the betterment of his country he also knows that there is this lovely other life-A loving family.Mr. Reddy is very close to his family. With kids growing up, he says it will further expand. Mr. Reddy totally agrees with the right to, freedom of speech and expression. He totally respects his children’s views and gives them all the necessary freedom. He guides them whenever needed and makes sure that they remain rooted to the culture and traditions that they have grown in all these years. With his guidance he believes that they will turn out to be good citizens. We asked him further if he anticipates his children taking him as their role model and decide on taking up a career in politics. He says quite modestly, “I don’t know if I am that motivating to my children but yes, they can get motivated but not overwhelmed. Their creativity should not be affected.”

We were very curious to know When life is lived as a journey, what it is that drives Mr. Reddy to work you learn to value the little experiences harder as each day passes by and so we and tend to learn from them. The journey asked him about it. He replies with the for Mr. Reddy so far has not been easy same zeal that he probably had 25 years The best way to learn in life is from but very tough and challenging. He was back when he had first started his career, experiences though it is also one of the not totally rural. In fact in his college “Every win drives me to work harder as hardest ways. We asked Mr. Reddy as to days he was called the Urban Cowboy. each day passes by. It doesn’t make me what was it that changed his perspective As a normal urban Kid, the challenge complacent; it makes me all the more on the outlook of things that made him to serve the rural was very demanding competitive. I have won four elections get into this field. The hard life that he emotionally and physically, but one till date. It was very tough. Doing better had lived showed clearly in his eyes as he thing that kept him moving closer to his motivates me to move further and makes explained that in spite of him coming from destination in spite of the blocks and me all the more competitive.” a political family, one instance that really hurdles was the acknowledgement, No Wonder “FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION” truly finds ITSELF in the words of Mr.Suresh Reddy. ODE IS VERY PRIVILEGED TO EXPRESS HIS VIEWS ON LIFE.

MARCH 09

NIFT - Hyderabad National Institute of Fashion Technology was set up in 1986 under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. It has emerged as the premier Institute of Design, Management and Technology, developing professionals for taking up leadership positions in fashion business in the emerging global scenario. NIFT has been granted statutory status under the act of Parliament of India in 2006, empowering the Institute to award degrees and other academic distinctions.

a common platform for fashion education, research and training.

The Institute is a pioneer in envisioning and evolving fashion business education in the country through a network of twelve professionally managed domestic centres at Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Raebareli, Bhopal, Kannur, Patna and Shillong. NIFT has further spread its wings globally with the opening of an international centre at Mauritius. I was there at the counselling, in NIFT has set academic standards Delhi, getting bored and anxiously and excelled in thought leadership waiting for my turn to come, the by providing a pool of creative only time pass at that time I had genius and technically competent was reading the prospectus of NIFT professionals. The Institute provides that I carried with myself. The lines 22

written in the first few paragraphs were written with more emphasis. I was a bit confused at that time but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy today about the decision that I took two and a half ago about choosing NIFT Hyderabad as my college. The Primary objective behind joining a college is to study and receive a good education, life is an ongoing process of learning and gaining knowledge and our college is one of the best sources in fashion industry for it. The facilities available are tremendous for instance: good libraries, laboratory, sports facility, Interaction with lecturers who have vast experience in their field etc are some of the wonderful MARCH 09

prerogatives it can offer. The NIFT Hyderabad building is situated in the picturesque surroundings of Madhapur. NIFT campus is an architectural beauty in itself. NIFT Hyderabad is the biggest NIFT campus in India. Before coming here I knew that the Hindi Movie 16th December was picturized in this campus. Most of the Tollywood movie’s campus scenes are shot in our college, Jalsa being one of the recent one. There are a few places in our campus that are very significant to all who belong here. Centre Circle being the first and the most significant in-campus landmark. It is the place where we sit in the evening in groups, where senior- junior “Interactions” happen and it‘s also the place where you can wait, if you are an outsider. I don’t know much about the food but the canteen is very special to me. It’s the place where I was made to dance on the song “Maar Dala” like Madhuri from the film ‘Devdas’ on a table, when I was a fresher. The canteen has changed a lot, to many people it’s more colourful now but to me it seems like a kindergarten class. Coming inside, the fountain

area or the foyer is the epicentre of our college building. This place is for “vela” people like me who have a lot of free time to sit and pass their time. There is a place inside our campus called ‘The pond area’ where you will always find someone or the other laying their back against the wall and looking disgusted due to loads of work, unhappy due to mood swings, or just feeling lonely. Just above this, on the first floor we have a place called “The Hawa Mahal”; its name comes from the fresh breeze the area provides, because of the ventilation. At this place one is provided with the facility to play table-tennis and trust me I know many seniors who spent their 4 years either playing or just sitting here.

published resources covering its educational programmes and other subjects. It subscribes to leading fashion journals and fashion forecast services. Materials Wing consists of textiles, costumes and findings. The resource centre can be utilized by people from specific industries and other students on special permission from the Director. The institute has a fully equipped computer centre that allows the students to be trained in latest software in the area of design, product development, planning and execution. It is equipped with Lectra to provide training in CAD, pattern making and marker planning.

Our ground has a well maintained lawn tennis clay court, which isn’t something very common in India, apart from a pro basketball court. The centre has separate design labs, We have two volleyball net stands pattern making labs and machine and cricket practice pitch too. labs for the students. Very recently a new building was We have a library in our college erected, which is now completed that we call as “Resource Centre”. and in use for classes. The resource centre provides support for the teaching and Many people still have a perception research programmes of the that NIFT is just about Fashion institute. It consists of a Library Shows and Models. The Institute is wing and Materials wing. Library a lot more than that. Wing consists of books and other

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Presently in Hyderabad campus there are 4 undergraduate and 1 post graduate courses being offered to students. The undergraduate courses are as follows:1. Fashion & Apparels (Fashion Design) 2. Fashion & Textiles (Textile Design and Development) 3. Fashion & Lifestyle Accessories (Accessories Design) 4. and Fashion Technology (Apparel Production) We have one postgraduate course being offered, 1. Fashion Management StudiesApart from these courses, 2. New courses will be starting from next year, Knitwear Design and Fashion Communication. Both the courses are of undergraduate level. NIFT is supposed to be a happening college. I really don’t know, but a lot of events do happen on a regular basis.

NIFT Spectrum being the annual event of our college is ‘The Event’ of all the other events. I still remember when I was in my 2nd semester and we were having our first Spectrum, we were very excited. The 3 day event was really a 72 hours slice of our life. I enjoyed a lot more than I ever did. The event made a starting of the DJ night trend in our college which is very frequent now. The second Spectrum, Spectrum’08, really raised our spirits. We had a three day event in our college, on the first day there was a performance by ‘The Indian ocean’, second day we had the best talent in Hyderabad performing at a cultural evening and then on the final day we had the patent NIFT Fashion Show, which can’t even be compared to any other fashion event. I guess one cannot ask for more than this! Conducting an Inter-NIFT cultural, sports and literary event – Converge’08 in last December was really a challenge for our college. We had a 5 day event in which about 600 students from all 12 centres of NIFT across India came to Hyderabad to participate. Hyderabad was not only the best ever host but stood first among 24

all other centres during Converge. Very recently we had Spectrum’09 on 19th and 20th February, which was a grand success. We had the most innovative and interesting competitions organised during this time. Mr. & Ms. Spectrum, the Cultural Event “Takshati” and the Fashion Show “Through the Looking Glass” were the main highlights of the event. It was celebration in our campus during this time. No one was thinking about assignments, submissions, and any other problem. For every one this time was for fun and to rejuvenate oneself and breakout of the ordinary. Whenever Spectrum comes it spreads the same mood of celebration among us. This was my last Spectrum and being an active the part in organising these events, I really cherish the success of the all shows that we put up. My college life and my campus memories can’t be completed without my friends. I want to thank, Radhika, Prithwish, Rahi, Mudit, Gitika, Shagufta, Anamika, Anu, Alisha, Madhu, Mithun, Ankita, Surbhi, Aakash and all my friends who are and will always be close to -ROHIT me. MARCH 09

MARCH 09

SALAAM BOMBAY

INDIA at THE OSCARS

Mother India(1957), Salaam Bombay(1988), Lagaan(2001) were nominated at Oscars for Best Foriegn Film Category.

Richard Pryke Resul Pookutty Ian Tapp

Danny Boyle with his brilliant cast

Joy unlimited on the Red Carpet

(from top left to bottom right)

Ashutosh, Tanvi, Tanay, Ismail, Rubina, Ayush

A.R.Rahman With the golden lady in his hands

Ask any budding filmmaker, or even an experienced one for that matter, what his wildest dream is and chances are high that you will get one answer- an Oscar! Not just film makers but wannabe actors and actresses will all confess to having secretly practiced an acceptance speech for the much coveted award. Well, what is it about these golden statuettes that bring stars in our eyes? Must be all the glamour that is associated with the academy awards! Its not just the nominees that look forward to the ceremony, people all over the world tune in on that Sunday night in February to catch a glimpse of their favorite star and root for their favorite movies. India hasn’t had much of a run at the Oscars, with most of its movies being given a miss. The ones that did get nominated like Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001) didn’t win Oscar gold, but did create a lot of hype just by being nominated. But this year everything changed. The ever elusive statuette was finally won by A.R.Rahman for the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, much to the pride of Indians everywhere. But what does this mean for Indian cinema? Many would argue that Slumdog isn’t an Indian movie at all, what with it having a Scottish director and being funded by an American company, but the movie is Indian in its essence and its spirit. It may be criticized for depicting Indian poverty at its worst, but we should look at the message behind the film which is one of overcoming obstacles to fulfill your destiny. Inspiring, isn’t it? Well it should be. If not anything else, the success of Slumdog should show Indian filmmakers that you don’t always need a musical extravaganza or a star cast to capture people’s attention. Believable movies with story lines that we can all relate to are the order of the day. Even though escapism is a popular theme for Indian filmmakers, to impress global audiences, clearly, a more realistic approach is called for. After all, an Academy award is the ultimate win for anyone involved in movie-making, and surely India has enough and more talent to bring home an Oscar. Cynics may argue that it’s all just a glamour parade, but then some of the most highly-acclaimed and popular movies have also won Oscars. Whatever your opinion though, it’s about time we bring home some more Oscar gold, isn’t it?

Frieda Pinto and Dev Patel

A.R.Rahman with his “2” golden ladies in his hands

Resul Pookutty shared the Oscar along with Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke for 37 BEST SOUND MIXING.

-Elizabeth Mathew MARCH 09

Step into the Metro life with few easy pick ups.… A Thing of Beauty isJoy Forever!

From this month on, your beauty lifestyle & fitness queries would be answered by Ms Archana Ghemeri, Spa Consultant at Blanc – A Day Spa & Aesthetic Clinic. You could send in your queries onto bqueries@ode-mag.com for them to be answered here. To start with, Archana will help you know, understand and provide the tips for a comfortable Metro Life.

Step – 1 You’re Appearance A thing of beauty is joy forever! Special care is required Step – 2 in the area. Do not over dress like a Christmas tree! The jewellery and accessories will hinder and distract attention and will make a person look very clumsy! If you desire wearing these accessories then the minimalisit method is the best. Keep it simple to enhance your looks.

You’re Attitude Having a pleasant appearance is not enough. An agreeable and approachable expression is a must to make people look comfortable.

Step – 3 You’re Patience level Be very patient, friendly and willing to share what you know. Being a patient listener and having a great smile make you a lovable personality! Tip of the Month: Regular use of shampoo, followed

by a Conditioner is a must. Shampoo cleans your hair and the conditioner helps to close the hair cuticles & reduces dry & frizzyness of your beautiful hair.

For more tips on beauty and fitness, write onto bqueries@ode-mag.com MARCH 09 40

The Ode team had got a chance to meetup with Mr.Vamsi Chand Reddy, a vibrant and cheerful young Student Leader, who also is the President of the A.P chapter of the National Students Union of India popularly known as the NSUI. A few excerpts from our conversation with him.

he first question we had shot to him, over a cup of coffee, was “What made you choose to lead a student body, while you could comfortably relax in your air-conditioned cabin practicing medicine, like your fellow doctors?” It felt refreshing listening to his reply, while he said “As a doctor, I would be doing the same thing that the rest of the doctors do. But as a leader, I believe I can do stuff in a way that not every other leader can do!” This was the kind of response and the zeal that Ode was looking in young leaders and Bingo, we found Vamshi!

more than the beneficiaries. Hope the day is not too far away!” Talking about his ground visits, he reflects the thoughts of Dr. Kalam which are shared by every young Indian today. He says, as Dr. Kalam had preached, kids are reservoirs of knowledge in our country. That’s the reason, even during my visits to villages I try and interact with kids of local government schools and other schools and colleges in the vicinity. Sometimes I am shocked at their exposure to the globalised world and how adept they are at learning things with pace. I can see thousands of Scientists, Academicians and young politicians taking shape here! While he stretches his muscles to relax over our chat, he gets a call from a student regarding some important issue. Without even the slightest mark of stress on his face, he gets up to meet him while he smiles at us and says “Another young Einstein in the making. All that’s needed is just a push of encouragement”.

As many of us were not thoroughly aware of the responsibilities and duties of student unions, we asked him to throw some light on the same. He went on to explain us that the student unions were formed with the basic motive to make sure every student, irrespective of their caste or creed, is getting the same benefits to continue their education and lead a respectful life. He frankly admitted that, given the vastness of our state and the diverse population, sometimes it might not be possible for them to cater to a few students. But when it is brought to their notice, things are immediately put in place. With all modesty he says “India is a huge nation and the day when we will be able to reach every needy person, we as leaders will be the happiest persons 08

MARCH 09

Terrorism: Global Concern On the banks of a river which originated from the high mountains and which flowed through thick forests, lived a prosperous happy family. A group of crocodiles who lived in the river were jealous of the family and made many though unsuccessful attempts to destroy it .One day they see a boy of the family, befriended him ,gleaned the secrets of the family and implemented the divide and rule policy to destroy them. It is not much different from the present scenario, there are many people in India who like the boy in the story never regret what they have done, help the anti social elements and are responsible for the loss of lives of many civilians. Children being the most vulnerable part of the society, must be directed in the right path from their childhood, but it is horrifying to find that in some parts of Kashmir where influence of terrorism is at its peak, children are absorbed into the Terrorist Training Camps once they enter their teenage years. The series of attacks --- from the attack on World Trade Centre to the serial blast in Mumbai shows that the target of terrorism is not a particular nation but the world as a whole and so the urgent need to fight against terrorism. With the help of organisations like UNO, countries must go hand in hand by resolving the issues, which give rise to these acts of violence. I would like to highlight the core reasons behind the growing strength of terrorism. It is known that our society is divided into three sections the rich, the middle class and the lower class. Of the resources available in the country ,the two upper classes which account to 20% of population each is using 82% and 12% of resources respectively. Coming to the lower class which accounts to 60% of the population is left with only 6% of the resources, it is the youth of this section that is indulging in these activities. We would be successful if we are able to increase the percentage of resources available to this section of society. Initiation is the first step to success; my endeavor is to focus attention on “People Centric” issues and suggest few measures such that we can articulate public grievances in the “right” democratic forms to alter and shift public policy so that the real benefits occur to the people. In collaboration with the government the senior citizens and religious heads must form a committee and strive ceaselessly to vent the concern of poor people in their community by providing them with quality education and developing secularist ideas. Police personnel stand second to none in sincerity, courage and hard work.They must not be interrupted in their work by any person or organization. People’s representatives must be committed to transparency, accountability, purity and probity in public life. Politics may be considered as one of the major weapons to change the present and decide the future of society, thus educated youth from different fields like medicine, engineering, science, journalism must discourse , discuss and debate in various forums at the national and international levels and work for common good of society. Today is ours, we as young Indians must realise our social responsibility and fight against various problems like Terrorism, Inflation, Corruption etc. that India is facing, this can be achieved by productive and effective hard work. It would definitely be a slow process which would not only strengthen the position of India in the world but also shake the pillars of terrorism and make the world a more secure place to live in. Through this article I have tried my level best to draw students closer towards some of the problems confronting the society and inspire the students to make the world a better place to live in.

Sesank V.H Numburi

MARCH 09

Have you ever thought of pushing an operating system into its own recycle bin? Well, it may not be possible practically but that’s what most of them thought after using Microsoft Windows Vista. After getting used to Windows XP, which undeniably ruled over the last 8 years in the home and corporate segment, people expectations increased when Microsoft tuned Vista. Though it was able to deliver the look and feel of a stylish new operating system, the performance part pulled it down. Few of them used it as they couldn’t find any better option. Macintosh was heavy for pockets; linux was too techy for beginners and so the only option was Windows. Being in a computer manufacturing industry, I had a chance to closely connect with users and understand the needs and expectations from an operating system. It’s like you buy a new car and the very next day you realize there’s a big dent on it, and that’s when you repair and that’s what Microsoft did with Vista Service pack 1. But most of them chose to exchange the car instead of repairing it and so the manufacturer had to come up with a better one. Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for Windows 7. If you are wondering what it is, you are either too far from technology or too close to dreams. For advanced users, I need not say anything because you guys are too interested to know it yourself. So, I will keep this article simple and straight which gives a sample peak into the world of windows. Don’t worry, it won’t be too technical, but I guess Microsoft expects its users to be on cloud 7 if not on 9 after the release. If you are fascinated to know more and want to disintegrate your brain and slobber over the operating system, you better download the Windows 7 beta. Having done the Windows Seven installation and setup, I obviously installed, tested and verified few basic applications like Norton Internet Security 2009, iTunes, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader 9, Skype, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Office 2007, Virtual Dub, SpyBot Search and Destroy. The beta version is offered only for a limited period and is purely for testing. So, anyone trying it out, there is an option for feedback where you can kill your frustration. Installation speed for the above mentioned softwares was quick, Microsoft Office 2007 being the slowest. I had to install it from a disc and the extra tad of time was taken in staging the installation files to a local store. When you install applications from the local drive or from an USB Flash storage device, the installation speed is much faster. The startling one out of all was Norton. Traditionally a slow installation, it went through in less than 4 minutes (not counting the system scan). I’ll be trying more stuff as time passes though. In scenarios where the installed application was not compatible, the operating system reaction was parallel to Vista. If you are guy with patience, you have few options to send the information to Microsoft and to retry the installation with recommended compatibility settings.

WINDOWS 7 One of the major changes in the UI (User Interface) is the taskbar. It’s wide and has only icons of the running applications. Personally, I didn’t like the change but it doesn’t look that bad either. There are some appealing features like Peek but that can be understood better when you look at it. Overall, it’s a decent upgrade but again if you want to compare with Mac, all the best!! The annoying part in Vista was the User account control (U.A.C). For those who used it, it’s the screen which prompts or blocks you from installing and asks permissions to continue, even though you trust that application. The user account control has been redesigned in Windows Seven, but the application installation has not changed much. For the programs which are inbuilt, thankfully we do not require U.A.C grants. For example, TaskManager (All User Mode) Device manager, Disk Management, Services and a host of other control panels and windows apps load directly without U.A.C prompting you to grant access. However non-native applications continue to have U.A.C. prompts. This behavior can be controlled even better in Windows Seven. Instead of the plain vanilla on / off modes that U.A.C support in Vista, Windows Seven has an improved U.A.C control panel, that allows you to adjust your U.A.C needs. Compared to the publicity that was generated when Vista was ﬁrst showcased, Seven has so far seen a lukewarm response in terms of the number of people grabbing the beta. Reason could be in the fact that the driver model is backward compatible and most Vista Compatible hardware also works with Seven, which was not the case during the Xp-Vista jump. So, it is possible that people are moving up the upgrade chain, however ﬁnding minor quantity of troubles to deal with. The versions of the operating system are pretty much same as Vista, and yes we can expect the upgrade from Vista to Windows 7. The probable upgrade path looks something similar to this: 1. 2. 3.

Windows Vista Home Premium -> Windows 7 Home Premium Windows Vista Business -> Windows 7 Professional Windows Vista Ultimate -> Windows 7 Ultimate

Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Basic, Windows Vista® Starter Edition, and Windows® XP (all editions) are not qualifying products under the program.

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MARCH 09

CHIEF EDITOR’S NOTE

Sunil Agiru Publisher

Surya C. Adavi Managing Editor

Chief Editor Sindhoor Varkoor

Associate Editor Anjita Lals

Content Team Elizabeth Mathew, Nisha, Srujana

Editorial & Marketing Consultant G.N.Satyanarayana

Busniess Associate G.N.Subramanya

Marketing Uday Kumar L, Tejaswini Vavilala, Ram DS

Creative Design P V S Swarup Maruthi Raghuveer G

Photography Chaitanya, Darryl , Hari Krishna.

Printed,Published and Owned by Sunil Agiru Printed at Lakshmi Print & Packs, 11-5-422/A, Opp. Hanuman Temple, Red Hills, Hyderabad 500 004 and Published at 11-9-115, road no.2, plot no.l Laxminagar colony, Kothapet, Hyderabad. Editor: Surya C. Adavi

Nature and humans share a symbiotic relationship. The influence of nature on man cannot be ignored. It has inspired many poets, painters and artists and they in turn have immortalized its beauty. Enjoy the paintings of Sripathi and read more about the artist in ‘Conquest Of Colours’.Ode also gives you an account of the architectural beauty of Hampi in the Travalogue,with all its delightful sculptures that appear like ‘songs on stone’. It’s very difficult to live in the world today with all the pollution and population and the trees being cut down for several reasons. Where is the fresh air that humans once freely breathed? The article ‘EntrepreneurshipWeek 2009’focuses on the dire need for preservation of nature in the present times. In ‘Expressions’ find some of the views powerfully expressed by, Yashodhara, Patanjali,Sesank V.H Numburi, and Elizabeth Mathew, on atrocities against women, the notion of religion, Terrorism- as a global concern,Windows 7,India at the Oscars and valentine’s day respectively. The increasing sense of restlessness and stressful living finds a panacea in the artistic yoga that Bharat Thakur recommends. Know more about the ‘Yoga –Guru’ in the article on ‘Yoga for life’ An undying love for ones motherland and altruism is what leads people like Mr. Suresh Reddy: the speaker of AP Legislative Assembly and President of AP branch of Commonwealth Parliamentary, to serve the country with an ambition to make it thrive. His firm tone and cheerful countenance makes him a great favorite to many. Ode is privileged to have a rendezvous with Mr. Suresh Reddy. The ‘Jagore’ article urges all of us to cast our votes and contribute to the rebuilding of our nation for good. The dynamic student leader,Mr.Vamsi Chand Reddy ,will surely serve as a great inspiration to many young students of our country. Know more about the sport ‘Equestrian’, in the article’ Ride the skies’. The onomatopoeic name Ashwin (swift as one of the meanings in Sanskrit) corroborates the passion he possesses for the game. National Institute of Fashion Technology is one of the best institutions of Design, Management and fashion Technology. Know more about the campus in the ‘Campus Connect’ Do read what Mano has to say about ‘this month for you’ in his Astro column. Ode is as colorful as ‘The Holi’ that’s on its way! Hope we’re able to portray life in all its hues. We wish you a Happy Holi.

HAPPY READING! - Sindhoor Varkoor

MARCH 09