‘I’VE MADE MISTAKES,
WRITERS REJOICE
READERS’ LETTERS 10, 2013 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY
5 ’? Hyd is ‘best in the world High (Feb 3) Syed In his column Hyderabad virtues of Hyderabad, Shoaib extolled the comment that it was pegging it on the CM’s One reader certainthe best city in the world. ly didn’t agree. the best in the nfrastructure among be joking. I world”? The CM must travelled. Most think he has never much better than cities in China are would be a shame to Hyderabad. And it city with those in even compare this this notion come Europe. So where did
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ur new Sunday letters page will be giving away `500 to the top letter writer each week. Send in your comments... hurry.
(Feb The column I am Niraadhar the slammed 4) by PK Surendran the government, highlighted enrol in to plight of those looking One the Aadhaar card project. reader shared his ordeal.
things over the e’ve been called many special place in a years, but there was our columnist Dean venom heaven for the actually called him Williams (yup people who suggested in his colwords in the headline), and T from LGBT (Feb 4) the B umn Time to drop in India lesbian community that the gay and battle on if they fought their . would be better off with the B & T community their own, rather than
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SATISH
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PG 5
series of Inkeshaf Ahmed’s future may reports on what the in the light of hold for Hyderabad had readers a separate Telangana the two best talking. Here are responses.
he was brickbats flew, and Needless to say the in the book (well almost).things called every name some choice One reader even suggesteddo to him, but our to he wanted Mr Williams declined. columnist politely were well thoughtSome responses, however, out and argued. came in for some stick. Hell, even Woody Allen them. Here is the best of
be and lesbians cannot quality for gays bisexual and transgender attained unless our are equal too. Dean sisters and brothers be based on a flawed to Williams’s piece appears and complete ignounderstanding of bisexuality community’s successes rance of the transgender human rights in India. in the struggle for basic Allen’s quip, bisexualiConsistent with Woody attracted to the potential to be ty (only) refers to a person does not imply that men and women. It with men and involved has to be simultaneouslyor her bisexual orientahis women to actualise in what or both partners tion. Thus either in fact, be a ‘gay’ couple may, in Williams refers to as either or both partners be may bisexual. Similarly, be a ‘straight’ couple what may appear to infer the sexual orientation is of bisexual. One cannot whether their partner of a person solely from Further, sexual orientation the same or other sex. of practices of monogamy, exists independently be monogaor fidelity. One can heteroopen relationships on the spectrum from mous and anywhere One can be promiscuous sexual to homosexual. spectrum, as well. and anywhere on that the most among are Transgenders, who are at the LGBT communities, India. marginalised of the for equal rights in vanguard of the strugglepassionate and articulate of efforts the Thanks to leaders, addressing transgender community in access to education, transgender equality is now a strong recof the employment and healthcare 12th Five Year Plan ommendation in the
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crore: n response to `1,00,000(Feb 6). The cost of Hyderabadits stategets Even if Telangana separate state hood back, it was a till 1956, nothcalled Hyderabad, people ing prevents Seemandhra in the heavily who have invested to continue city of Hyderabad of an Indian with all the rights after all, will citizen. Telangana, part of the integral an remain Indian Union.
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TOP LETTER
Via e-mail read at The column can be /2013/02/04/ http://postnoon.com i-am-niraadhar/106639
every week
SOHAIL
Via e-mail read at postnoon.com The column can be d-highs/106466 /2013/02/03/hyderaba
The big conundrum
‘You are a biphobic, right-wing extremist’
I am Niraadhar
about et me narrate my story card. I the so-called Aadhaar to was told I would have card for enrol for an Aadhaar cylinder, my family to get a gas College to and off I went to AV 100 people get enrolled. About in line. were patiently waiting supposed to The official who is full two enrol us turns up a everybody hours late and tells enrolment that there will be no is out of since the computer to went us order. So some of and another centre at Nampally, for fingerwhen my turn came I was unfit printing I was told only to be enrolled as I have a finger nine fingers — I lost I searched due to an accident. to where I for information as I found no could be enrolled, but the intervalid information on one Nandan net either. I was told is the Nilekeni from Infosys is supHe head of this project. on computposed to be an expert undernot do er systems. I really is in the sysstand what his role if he is aware tem. I do not know by the of the difficulties faced save god common man. May so-called India from all these experts.
saying it is the best from? Maybe he was he quite true. Or else, city in AP, which is .I does every other day is just lying, like he in Europe, which are have lived in cities standards, but considered bad by their a few decades ago until Hyderabad, which city, has since the 1980s was indeed a good turned into a dump.
SAM RAJAPPA
Via e-mail Read the report at http://post06/rs-100000noon.com/2013/02/ crore-the-cost-ofhyderabad/107079 n response to Stakeholders status for want Union Territory So Postnoon Hyderabad (Feb 7). job as a is doing a very good I’m a tabloid. All stakeholders?strictly I’m stakeholder and MIM. Did you against a UT. So is BJP? NO [ed: even bother to ask it’s in the we actually did, don’t blame report]. But I really After all Postnoon for this report. to sell has that it’s just a tabloid a UT status itself. Now who is . Wait a going to benefit?? Nobodyheavily minute, except people nobody invested in real estate, much from else is going to benefit UT status.
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IFWISHESWEREHORSES
Via e-mail Read the report at http://post07/all-stakenoon.com/2013/02/ -territory-staholders-want-union tus-for-hyderabad/107201
RANT OF THE WEEK
that godforsaken F**k Woody Allen and every time somequote! I mean seriously, punch them and I to one brings it up I want a anything but still. It’s know it won’t resolve and Woody Allen belittling statement for making it such a needs to be slapped common response. Sublimevarlot om http://handinbothboxes.wordpress.c Transgender individuals Government of India. the Karnataka Backward by welfare are included as OBC are entitled to social in Classes Commission, sex-reassignment surgeries identibenefits and free indicate their gender Tamil Nadu, and can in Indian ‘male’ and ‘female’ ty separately from obviously, still a long way to go, passports. There is from violence, harassment in respect to freedom – are all – L,G, B,T and allies and exclusion. We united in this struggle.
DR L RAMAKRISHNAN
http://postnoon.com
Via e-mail read at The column can be -drop-the/2013/02/04/time-to 06642 b-and-t-from-lgbt/1
Why the long face? to Md One irate reader responded the airport job Subhan’s article on why we scam (Feb 6) by asking news. Well printed so much bad hurts, if it dear reader, the truth didn’t it would be fluff. news lease publish positive to get and not negative news ratings. and publicity journalism Negative and yellow day. is the order of the but there This may be fraud, happenare a lot of good things could also ing in the world. You ‘How To’ feature well-written how to articles showing people chanproper get jobs through the wanting a job nels, so that anyone can apply properly.
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M ALLIKARJUN
Via e-mail at You can read the report /2013/02/06/ http://postnoon.com sted/107053 airport-job-scam-bu
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ollywood actress Neha Dhupia, admits she has made a few mistakes in her career, but says she doesn’t regret any of them. PG 21
WWW.POSTNOON.COM
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Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper
FEBRUARY 10, 2013 HYDERABAD
CHEATED BY PAK HUSBAND
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In an example of cruelty by a Pakistani national, a City doctor, who had forsaken the country and family for the sake of love three decades ago, came back with a physically-challenged son, and the two now have landed in jail. REPORT ON PG 3
A JEWEL
IN SPAIN
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arcelona is slowly emerging as the most preferred foreign destination for Telugu filmmakers these days. We take a look at the stunning architecture, and aromas of Catalan cuisine and Spanish music in the city. PG 16&17
32 PAGES
`3
ON SUNDAY
FLY-BY-NIGHT PRINCIPAL CHEATS HUNDREDS OF PARENTS
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raze for an English-medium school has landed hundreds of parents in trouble as one self-styled educationist and his wife bolt with their money. PG 3
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CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
DEFY AGE WITH YOGA
For 'HER' A tribute to Victim X, raising the conscience to respect womanhood through art. Exhibition of installations and mixed media art by a variety of artists. Where: Iconart Gallery When: February 4-14, 11:30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in
Buy Art It is an anniversary art show of affordable art by 30 artists. All artworks are priced between `1,000 to `10,000. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills When: January 18-February 18 11:30am-7pm Contact: www.iconart.in
Hyderabad 360 Live virtual and visual music by Puce Muse. Where: Qutb Shahi Tombs, Hyderabad When: February 17, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4486
French Film Festival Six French films will be screened with English subtitles. Where: Prasads IMAX When: February 19-21 Contact: hyderabad.afindia.org
Yudh Sai Shree Arts presents Yudh, a Bharathanatyam solo by Savitha Sastry on war. Where: Ravindra Bharathi When: February 19, 7pm to 8:15pm Contact: (040) 2323 1245
Valentine’s Day special There is a candle light dinner and special buffet for Valentine’s Day. Where: Seasonal Tastes, Westin Hyderabad Mindspace When: February 14, 7pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 6767 6888
Dakshin Ruchulu GreenPark brings all the South Indian cuisines under one roof. It includes dishes from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Where: Once Upon A Time, Hotel GreenPark, Greenlands, Begumpet When: February 1-10 7:30pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 6651 5151
Four course meal There is a special meal for Valentine’s Day. The meal combo
CINEMAS
Narasimha Murthy, 70, performs yogasanas in a swimming pool at Saroornagar on Saturday for the Telugu N SHIVA KUMAR Book of Records, which highlights the achievements of Telugu people across the world. for two people includes roasted vegetable, goat cheese quesadilla, pot stickers, stuffed nachos, and cottage cheese delight pizza. Where: TGI Friday’s, RK Cineplex, Road no 2, Banjara Hills When: February 14 Contact: (040) 4015 1925
Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road, Nampally, Hyderabad When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015
The Landmark sale Landmark announces its sale of Up to 70 per cent off. Bestselling books starting at `49, 3 for 2 on the top 500 new releases are just some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: January 25-February 25
Urban Stampede The run is aimed at encouraging amateurs and seasoned runners alike to take part in a sport that is enjoyable and beneficial. Where: CBIT, Gandipet, When: March 3
Contact: urban-stampede.com
Contact: (040) 4949 1200
Pochampally IKAT Mela
Dawat e Hindustan
Pochampally handloom park is organising 'Pochampally IKAT Mela 2013,’ a nine-day handloom exhibition of products like hand made bed and home linen, dress materials, silk and cotton saris, dupattas, cotton shirts and kurtis. Where: Minerva (Bibesia) Banquet Hall, Ground floor, Amrutha Mall, Somajiguda When: February 3-11 Contact: (040) 2355 8857
Filmmaking workshop Yavanika Films is conducting a film appreciation course over two weekends and a filmmaking workshop over four weekends. The workshops are for adults and will be held on weekends. When: Weekends starting from February 23, 11 am onwards Contact: 94901 00404
Valentine’s Day Events Enjoy a sumptuous Valentine’s Day meal with a delectable western and Indian menu at The Dining Room. There is also a special Valentine’s Day menu at Tre-Forni Bar & Restaurant. Where: Park Hyatt When: February 14, 7:30pm onwards
Orchid is organising a food fest with different flavours and cuisines from all over Hindustan, including Kashmiri Wazwan, Punjabi Tadka, Nawabi Dawat and Rajasthan ki Rasoi, Dilli ka Khana. Where: Orchid, Fortune Park Vallabha, When: Up to February 11, 7pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 3982 1260
Golden Dragon Taj Krishna is hosting the Chinese New Year at Golden Dragon. Master chef Hung Fong Ng is crafting an array of traditional delicacies. Where: Golden Dragon, Taj Krishna When: Up to February 17, Lunch: 12:30pm to 2:45pm Dinner: 7:30pm t 11:45pm Contact: (040) 6629 3309
Chinese New Year There is a special menu to celebrate Chinese New Year in the City. Traditional Chinese dishes including dimsums, oriental barbeque and dumpling soup will be served. Where: The Square, Madhapur, Hitec City When: February 8-17 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422
Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973
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CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Passenger held with cocaine
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n air passenger, Abdul Rasheed, was caught at RGI airport with a large quantity of cocaine. A native of Chennai, Abdul, who does business in Malaysia, was boarding a Malaysian Airlines flight when customs officials detected drugs in his handbag and detained him. Investigation is being done to find out more about drug trafficking.
Massage centre raided
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he task force police raided a massage centre in Sri Nagar colony in Punjagutta on Friday and arrested two women for carrying out immoral activities under the guise of running a massage parlour. The police said that several youth visit such massage parlours and indulge in immoral activities.
Praja Vani to be conducted
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HMC will be holding “Praja Vani” (people’s voice) at three levels (circle Level/ zonal level/ head office) from 10am to 1pm every Monday. The commissioner, MT Krishna Babu, has directed the deputy commissioner/ zonal commissioners to be available for public access on each Monday to conduct Praja Vani at their offices.
Fly-by-night principal cheats hundreds Wanting an English medium education for their children lands parents in trouble as the principal bolts with their money.
Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com
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ere’s a man who assumed the name of a great son of India, Subhash Chandra Bose, and cheated hundreds in the name of education! The RGI police have registered a cheating case against the private school principal, Subhash Chandra Bose, and his wife Paroo who, having collected a huge sum from the unwary public, fled with the money. In June 2012, Subhash and Paroo opened a primary school for Classes I to V at
Madura Nagar village of Shamshabad, and named it DPS. Nearly two hundred students took admission after paying `10,000-`20,000 each. What drew parents was his advertising it as a great English medium school that would mould their kids’ bright future. The two appointed 10 teachers after renting a building for `80,000 a month. Some other staff was also appointed with handsome salaries. The school gained respect in a few months as parents, all eager to ensure a great future for their kids via English education, paid the sum asked for willingly. The school began with a bang and the drama went on nicely for a couple of months. Two months ago, parents found the school locked and no trace of the principal and his wife. The duo disappeared with nearly `50 lakh and the building owner, staff and parents were all left high and dry. A case is registered with the RGI police and investigation has begun.
Woman in jail for overstaying visa A City doctor, who had forsaken country and family for the sake of her Pakistani love, came back with a physically challenged son. Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com
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he Mirchowk police arrested a Hyderabadborn Pakistani national Dr Atiya Jabeen, 50, and her son, Mohammed Habeeb, 24 , from Alijahkotla area in Old City on Friday. They have been charged with overstaying their visa by one year. Mirchowk police inspector S Venkat Reddy said the woman had gone to work in KSA 30 years ago. She came in contact with a colleague who happened to be a Pakistani national. They fell in love and later married. The two shifted to Lahore.
Two daughters and one son were born to the couple. Differences developed between the couple a few years ago. In 2003, it is said that the couple quarrelled and that ended in divorce. But the husband and his parents retained the two daughters, while they kicked Atiya and their physically challenged boy out of their home. With social stigma and financial difficulties, she found it difficult to continue her stay in Pakistan. It is said she pined for her country and returned to India. The visa expired in 2011 but she refused to leave. Both have been arrested.
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CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Banks delay welfare schemes, say netas Politicians say the over cautious approach of banks towards beneficiaries of welfare schemes is costing the public, while bankers say they can’t bend lending rules to please politicians. WOMEN, CHILD AND DISMd INKESHAF AHMED
ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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he chief minister proposes and the bureaucracy disposes is one way of looking at the CM’s welfare programmes in the State. The fact that the Congress rule has entered its penultimate year before the 2014 general elections is giving sleepless nights to the CM camp. If one looks at the statistics, most of the vote-catching welfare schemes of the State government are lagging behind in achieving their targets. Some of these schemes include farmers’ welfare programmes like crop production loans and term loans. Women welfare schemes like Self Help Group – Bank Linkage Programme, are aimed at empowering women by providing them with loans and other benefits. There are also disability welfare programmes.
ABLED WELFARE MINISTER SUNITHA LAKSHMA REDDY SAID BENEFICIARIES FIND IT DIFFICULT TO AVAIL THEIR LEGITIMATE LOANS FROM THE BANKS, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVES FACE THE WRATH OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE DELAYS IN IMPLEMENTING VARIOUS WELFARE SCHEMES. While the State government set up a target of disbursing `15,844 crore towards term loans and other activities in the current fiscal year, it could only achieve `10,695 crores by the end of January 28 this year. When it comes attaining targets of women welfare programmes, majority of them are lagging. Under the Self Help Group-Bank Linkage Programme, the State government was able to dis-
burse `7,799 crore as against the target of `11,027 crore. The status of disability welfare programmes has shocked even the cabinet ministers. Out of an outlay of `600 crore for extending loans to disabled people in the State, the bank authorities could disburse only `54 crore to the beneficiaries. Commenting on this, minister for women, child and disabled welfare V Sunitha Lakshma Reddy (pictured) agreed that the attitude of the banks towards beneficiaries of various schemes is the reason why they lag behind in achieving the target set by the State government. “In most of the cases, the beneficiaries are finding it difficult to avail their legitimate loans due to over cautious attitude of the banks. We have asked the banks to take steps in order to avoid inconvenience to the beneficiaries by being flexible to their needs,” she said. The minister also said as public representatives, they are facing the wrath of the public for the delays in delivery of welfare programmes. Banks are keeping mum about the political outcry, but bankers drop hints that lending rules can’t be bent to please political bosses.
IT for a better India
KATHAKALI IN CITY
At a lecture at ICFAI, former NASSCOM president Kiran Karnik talks about how the IT boom has changed the face of India. Aleena Alice
APARYA, an organisation formed to promote our cultural heritage, is bringing Kathakali to the Twin Cities. It has organised a performance of Kathakali, Kerala’s premier art form, at Rail Kalarang, Secunderabad, from 3pm today. There is no entry fee for the event.
aleena.t@postnoon.com
in India, we need to differentiate ourselves. Cheaper, better and quicker is the mantra.”
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IT
he IT sector has catapulted India on to the world map, proving it to be the No 1 choice of investment for global investors, said Kiran Karnik (pictured), former president of NASSCOM. Delivering a lecture at the ‘Third Foundation Day’ of ICFAI University on “Information Technology: India’s Tomorrow for Business and the Economy,” Karnik highlighted how the $100 billion industry is contributing to the progress of our country. “The IT industry contributes to productivity as well as quality of life. For example, (it has brought about) a favourable change in the perception about women as contributors to the economy. It has brought out people from small towns and given them employment and also brought in gender equality. The IT sector has been instrumental and played an important role in creating a highly confident and hopeful generation of Indian
youth,” said Karnik. Recalling how the IT industry withstood several challenges and continued its successful journey, Karnik said, “The IT industry grew rapidly during the Y2K time. After that the dotcom boom was a historic speculative bubble. Then, when recession followed, everybody wrote off the IT industry in India. However, we withstood the challenge and faced it well.” “There are several trends that can come as a challenge to the IT organisations. We have new competitors like China. So
IMPROVES GOVERNANCE
“We have been persuading the government for the e-governance program. E-governance will not only reduce corruption but also improve the accountability of major public projects,” Karnik said. “Though now a few systems like payment of water bills and property tax bills have been computerised, for the entire egovernance program to fall into place, it will take a few more years. E-governance will bring in transparency and will make India corruption free,” Karnik added. The event was organised on the occasion of the 63rd birth anniversary of the ICFAI founder late NJ Yasaswy. In memory of the founder, a book titled Maneeshi was released by chancellor Dr CH Hanumantha Rao. Vice-chancellor Dr J Mahendar Reddy also attended the event.
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READERS’ LETTERS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Hyd is ‘best in the world’? In his column Hyderabad High (Feb 3) Syed Shoaib extolled the virtues of Hyderabad, pegging it on the CM’s comment that it was the best city in the world. One reader certainly didn’t agree. nfrastructure among the best in the world”? The CM must be joking. I think he has never travelled. Most cities in China are much better than Hyderabad. And it would be a shame to even compare this city with those in Europe. So where did this notion come
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I am Niraadhar The column I am Niraadhar (Feb 4) by PK Surendran slammed the government, highlighted the plight of those looking to enrol in the Aadhaar card project. One reader shared his ordeal. et me narrate my story about the so-called Aadhaar card. I was told I would have to enrol for an Aadhaar card for my family to get a gas cylinder, and off I went to AV College to get enrolled. About 100 people were patiently waiting in line. The official who is supposed to enrol us turns up a full two hours late and tells everybody that there will be no enrolment since the computer is out of order. So some of us went to another centre at Nampally, and when my turn came for fingerprinting I was told I was unfit to be enrolled as I have only nine fingers — I lost a finger due to an accident. I searched for information as to where I could be enrolled, but I found no valid information on the internet either. I was told one Nandan Nilekeni from Infosys is the head of this project. He is supposed to be an expert on computer systems. I really do not understand what his role is in the system. I do not know if he is aware of the difficulties faced by the common man. May god save India from all these so-called experts.
L
SATISH
Via e-mail The column can be read at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/04/ i-am-niraadhar/106639
Win `500 every week
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from? Maybe he was saying it is the best city in AP, which is quite true. Or else, he is just lying, like he does every other day. I have lived in cities in Europe, which are considered bad by their standards, but Hyderabad, which until a few decades ago was indeed a good city, has since the 1980s turned into a dump.
SOHAIL
Via e-mail The column can be read at postnoon.com /2013/02/03/hyderabad-highs/106466
‘You are a biphobic, right-wing extremist’ e’ve been called many things over the years, but there was a special place in venom heaven for our columnist Dean Williams (yup people actually called him the words in the headline), who suggested in his column Time to drop the B and T from LGBT (Feb 4) that the gay and lesbian community in India would be better off if they fought their battle on their own, rather than with the B & T community.
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Needless to say the brickbats flew, and he was called every name in the book (well almost). One reader even suggested some choice things he wanted Mr Williams to do to him, but our columnist politely declined. Some responses, however, were well thoughtout and argued. Hell, even Woody Allen came in for some stick. Here is the best of them.
TOP LETTER
The big conundrum Inkeshaf Ahmed’s series of reports on what the future may hold for Hyderabad in the light of a separate Telangana had readers talking. Here are the two best responses. n response to `1,00,000 crore: The cost of Hyderabad (Feb 6). Even if Telangana gets its statehood back, it was a separate state called Hyderabad, till 1956, nothing prevents Seemandhra people who have invested heavily in the city of Hyderabad to continue with all the rights of an Indian citizen. Telangana, after all, will remain an integral part of the Indian Union.
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SAM RAJAPPA
Via e-mail Read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/06/rs-100000crore-the-cost-ofhyderabad/107079
n response to Stakeholders want Union Territory status for Hyderabad (Feb 7). So Postnoon is doing a very good job as a tabloid. All stakeholders? I’m a stakeholder and I’m strictly against a UT. So is MIM. Did you even bother to ask BJP? NO [ed: we actually did, it’s in the report]. But I really don’t blame Postnoon for this report. After all it’s just a tabloid that has to sell itself. Now who is a UT status going to benefit?? Nobody. Wait a minute, except people heavily invested in real estate, nobody else is going to benefit much from UT status.
I
IFWISHESWEREHORSES
Via e-mail Read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/07/all-stakeholders-want-union-territory-status-for-hyderabad/107201
quality for gays and lesbians cannot be attained unless our bisexual and transgender sisters and brothers are equal too. Dean Williams’s piece appears to be based on a flawed understanding of bisexuality and complete ignorance of the transgender community’s successes in the struggle for basic human rights in India. Consistent with Woody Allen’s quip, bisexuality (only) refers to the potential to be attracted to men and women. It does not imply that a person has to be simultaneously involved with men and women to actualise his or her bisexual orientation. Thus either or both partners in what Williams refers to as a ‘gay’ couple may, in fact, be bisexual. Similarly, either or both partners in what may appear to be a ‘straight’ couple may be bisexual. One cannot infer the sexual orientation of a person solely from whether their partner is of the same or other sex. Further, sexual orientation exists independently of practices of monogamy, open relationships or fidelity. One can be monogamous and anywhere on the spectrum from heterosexual to homosexual. One can be promiscuous and anywhere on that spectrum, as well. Transgenders, who are among the most marginalised of the LGBT communities, are at the vanguard of the struggle for equal rights in India. Thanks to the efforts of passionate and articulate transgender community leaders, addressing transgender equality in access to education, employment and healthcare is now a strong recommendation in the 12th Five Year Plan of the
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RANT OF THE WEEK F**k Woody Allen and that godforsaken quote! I mean seriously, every time someone brings it up I want to punch them and I know it won’t resolve anything but still. It’s a belittling statement and Woody Allen needs to be slapped for making it such a common response. Sublimevarlot http://handinbothboxes.wordpress.com Government of India. Transgender individuals are included as OBC by the Karnataka Backward Classes Commission, are entitled to social welfare benefits and free sex-reassignment surgeries in Tamil Nadu, and can indicate their gender identity separately from ‘male’ and ‘female’ in Indian passports. There is still a long way to go, obviously, in respect to freedom from violence, harassment and exclusion. We – L,G, B,T and allies – are all united in this struggle.
DR L RAMAKRISHNAN
Via e-mail The column can be read at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/04/time-to-drop-theb-and-t-from-lgbt/106642
Why the long face? One irate reader responded to Md Subhan’s article on the airport job scam (Feb 6) by asking why we printed so much bad news. Well dear reader, the truth hurts, if it didn’t it would be fluff. lease publish positive news and not negative news to get publicity and ratings. Negative and yellow journalism is the order of the day. This may be fraud, but there are a lot of good things happening in the world. You could also feature well-written ‘How To’ articles showing people how to get jobs through the proper channels, so that anyone wanting a job can apply properly.
P
M ALLIKARJUN
Via e-mail You can read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/06/ airport-job-scam-busted/107053
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NATION SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Relief for undertrials
Kashmir curfew continues SRINAGAR: Curfew continued in
Regulator for road sector
NEW DELHI: Undertrials in jails for long duration may
Kashmir for the second day today following hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru in Delhi’s Tihar jail. At least 36 people, including 23 policemen, were injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcing agencies across the Valley after Guru’s hanging yesterday.
NEW DELHI: The road ministry is
soon be released with the Centre directing all states to review such cases. The home ministry told states and Union Territories that under 436A of CrPC, an undertrial prisoner completing half of the maximum period of imprisonment should be released by the court on his personal bond with or without sureties, with the exception of those involved in heinous crimes punishable with the death sentence, no person can be detained for a period exceeding the maximum possible sentence.
looking at setting up a road and transport regulator to address the issues such as delays in development of projects and work on ways to remove the hurdles in the sector. This move may be linked to the recent move by some private companies exiting the projects on account of delay in various clearances.
Aviation security: 75% fail
Delhi fared the worst with 97 of 103 security personnel failing a surprise basic competence test. NEW DELHI: In a development that has serious portent for aviation security in India, almost three-fourths of airline and CISF personnel flunked a basic test conducted by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. The Basic Aviation Security Course, organised by BCAS between January 8 and 21 in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, saw 248 of the 353 people or over 70 per cent, failing in it. Only 105 passed, but that too with a majority of them just getting above the pass marks, the data showed. Successful completion of the course enables the candidate to
Akhilesh transfers 116 babus
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday midnight undertook a major rejig of the state bureaucracy, transferring 56 IAS and 60 IPS officials. In one of the biggest reshuffles of the state bureaucracy since he took over as CM March last, 31 districts got new district magistrates, while 41 districts got new police chiefs. As the ruling SP office in the state capital received many complaints from the districts, party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav openly aired his displeasure at ‘bad governance’ at the district level. The bureaucracy was agog with rumours of a major make over. The government has put seven district magistrates in waiting, while 17 district police chiefs have been attached to the director general of police in Lucknow. A government spokesman told IANS that of the fresh postings, 27 were promoted from the provincial police service (PPS) to IPS. Those promoted have been made police chiefs in Rae Bareily, Firozabad, Ambedkarnagar, Kanpur rural, Jalaun, Amroha, Baghpat, Hapur, Saharanpur, Pratapgarh, Banda, Chitrakoot, IANS and Maharajganj.
be eligible for posting on security duties at an airport. The duties include securing the entry and exit gates, handling online baggage checking system, conducting X-Ray of handheld baggage, frisking and manning the boarding gates. The candidates, who appeared in these tests, were those belonging to the CISF and its Airport Security Units in Kerala, along with airlines like IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Air India Air Transport Services Limited that carries out ground handling services. The results for the test carried out in Delhi reflected the
poorest performance with 97 of the 103 candidates appearing in it, failing. In Chennai, 116 out of a total of 183 failed, while in Mumbai, the number of failures was 35 out of 67 candidates. The huge growth in air travel has made every airport a potential target where intense security is an absolute requirement. Over 600 million people fly each year, not to mention the millions bags which they carry. With over 95 airports being operational, CISF mans 59 of them with over 20,000 personnel. The remaining are manned by state police personnel, with CRPF PTI support in some of them.
Tough law for MCI in the works
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NEW DELHI: With corruption charges hitting the Medical Council of India, the government plans to take over powers to remove its president and other office bearers if they are found involved in offences of “moral turpitude”. The government is proposing changes in the law governing the MCI through Indian Medical Council (Amendment) Bill, 2013 which is under consideration of the Health Ministry. Through a new clause, the proposed Bill also makes mandatory renewal of enrolment of doctors every 10 years in the registers maintained by the body or state councils. Once the Bill becomes an Act, doctors who have been enrolled with Indian Medical Register or the State Medical Register for 10 years will have to apply for renewal within a year. The Bill also proposes to restrict the number of terms to two a person can remain president or vice-president. As per the initial draft, the term of the council has also been reduced to four years from the present five years. A new clause has been inserted to give the Centre powers to remove president, vice-president or member on grounds of being declared insolvent, being physically and mentally incapable and being declared by a court of having an ‘unsound’ mind. The other grounds for removal include conviction in an offence which, in the opinion of the central government, involves “moral turpitude”. A person having acquired such financial or other interests which could prejudice his or her function can also be PTI removed from the post.
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7
WORLD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Killer’s car found in US manhunt
Police are hunting for Christopher Dorner, a 33 year-old disgruntled former LA Police Department (LAPD) officer who had threatened to murder police in a chilling online manifesto. LOS ANGELES: More than 100 police searched the snow blanketed California mountains Saturday for an ex-cop accused of three killings after his car was found nearby, reportedly with weapons and a broken axle. Police are hunting for Christopher Dorner, a 33 year-old disgruntled former LA Police Department (LAPD) officer who had threatened to murder police in a chilling online manifesto. The search has focused on cabins above the ski resort of Big Bear, two hours east of Los Angeles, where Dorner's burntout pickup truck was found in nearby woods. Police believe Dorner abandoned the truck when its axle
broke, CBS News and CNN reported Saturday, citing anonymous sources. An arsenal of weapons and survival gear was found inside the truck, which Dorner set ablaze Thursday morning, the networks reported. Police apparently also want to make sure that Dorner does not slip into Mexico: at San Ysidro, the world's busiest land border, federal agents wearing body armor and cradling rifles kept a close eye on southbound vehicles, and only two of the four traffic lanes were open at the border crossing. Law enforcement officers in San Diego County remained on heightened alert, but reported no
US slowly emerges from blizzard
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he US northeast slowly dug out Saturday from a mammoth blizzard that choked air, road and rail travel, left some 650,000 homes and businesses without power and caused at least seven deaths. New York area airports LaGuardia, John F Kennedy and Newark resumed service with delays. However, FlightAware.com listed almost 2,000 cancellations.
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possible sightings of Dorner, who was fired by the Los Angeles Police Department five years ago. "We're at regular staffing at this point, but we have other special units that are monitoring what's going on and if things come up, they'll be able to respond," said Scott Amos, a spokesman with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Police describe Dorner as "armed and extremely dangerou." California authorities launched the manhunt Thursday for Dorner, a naval reservist suspected of killing a couple on February 3 then ambushing two policemen early Thursday, killing one.
Explosion rocks north Mali
Marc Bastian
GAO: A massive explosion was
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heard near Gao in northern Mali late Saturday, hours after villagers near the city detained two youths preparing for suicide bombings. A French military source said the blast, which went off at around 2300 GMT, happened some 10 kilometres away from the French military base at the city's airport, but could provide no further details. An AFP correspondent said the blast was audible from Gao, the main city in northern Mali which was only recaptured from the Islamists late last month. At about half past midnight Sunday, French military helicopters could be heard in the air. The city was already on edge after what is thought to have been Mali's first suicide attack on Friday, when a young Tuareg blew himself up, slightly injuring a Malian soldier at the northern entrance to the city.
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COMMENT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
A mirage called marriage
EDITORIALS THE US’S BIG climate problem The Americans are one of the last developed countries in the world where a stunningly large portion of the population still believe that global warming and climate change are myths perpetrated by left-wing liberals hell-bent on sending the country back to the dark ages. But two major storms in the last few months could very well put a dent in the naysayers’ faith, at least one can hope. One can understand countries like China pooh-poohing environmentalists’ concerns, because let’s face it, they won’t give a fig until the tipping point has passed, but the US is another matter altogether. Watching footage of snow blanketing most of Northern US, and watching superstorm Sandy sweep through New Jersey was chilling to say the least, and we’re living on the other end of the world, imaging the fear of those living in the proverbial eye of the storm. Senator Barack Obama longchannelled a green vision, but President Barack Obama has found battling the ‘warming’ sceptics a very tough task indeed. So much so that his sweeping green vision for the US has fizzled to a trickle of progress. The latest storm has come a little over three months after Hurricane Sandy devastated swaths of New York and New Jersey, killing 132 people and causing damage worth some $71.4 billion. Already the blizzard has left more than 650,000 homes without electricity, including around 400,000 in Massachusetts, 187,000 in Rhode Island, and 35,000 in Connecticut. According to reports, utility companies in Connecticut said they were planning for up to 30 per cent of their customers, or more than 400,000 homes, to eventually lose power. Whatever happens next, Americans cannot continue to deny that the global climate is changing for the worse and the damage is overwhelmingly manmade. Rather than sticking their heads in the sand what the largest economy in the world needs to do is band together to fight what could very soon devolve into an existential crisis. Better late than never, but time’s running out.
From the hip SYED SHOAIB
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oday, the second Sunday of every February is set aside for an unusual celebration — the fun day preceding St Valentine’s Day is World Marriage Day. “To honour the faithfulness and joy of daily married life,” the Archdiocese of New York search for the longest married couple and sacra mentally married for a minimum of 65 years! Marriage, like many other institutions is either deemed or doomed. With difference cropping into both love and arranged ties, the bond has become clichéd. While there are some glaring examples of lasting marriages there are many for convenience, in which even religious diktats have been misused to form a link, sometimes lasting for just minutes. Addiction to social media has also changed the face of marriage with online meetings leading to unhappy mating. Celebrity weddings of Katie Holmes, Heidi Klum, Katy Perry, John Cena, Britney Spears, Kim Kardasin, Pamela Anderson,
Jenifer Lopez, Elizabeth Taylor, Saif Ali Khan, Amir Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Vikram Chatwal and Kamal Hassan have given way. There are several other unhappy separations, even in the remote rural areas, where women, by and large, are believed to be the bigger victim. Increasing psychological problems in growing children is also attributed to unhappy marriages amongst parents and lack of proper role models for group living, with joint families disintegrating. Living in arrangements, as an experiment, is being tried out by innovative adolescents, to ease out the inevitable troubles of marriage. Even spiritual leaders and soothsayers have realised that the biggest money-making potential is with failed marriages. We now have divorcee matrimony or matrimony for single seniors! Although the divorce rates in India is far less compared to western standards, in recent times, the number of divorce cases is skyrocketing. According to TCS Raja Chockalingam, Additional Principal Family Court judge, every city, from Delhi to Chennai, and every class of society is being affected by it. About 5-10 cases — both divorce and alimony — are being filed every day in the family court and over 5,000 divorce cases are still pending.
MARRIAGE IS REFLECTION OF MAN OR WOMAN’S CULTURE, RELIGION, ECONOMIC STATUS AND PHYSICALITY AND THESE FACTORS ESSENTIALLY ARE THE LEADING REASONS FOR A HAPPY OR UNHAPPY UNION. High marriage costs inadvertently result in bitter divorce battles as both parties rant out sacrifices made in daily living and checker human relationships into material values. As a reflection, a section of youngsters who choose to stay away from marriage, are a reflection of societal ills and spills that they have witnessed from close quarters. This coexists in a country like India with child marriages and in certain religious sects, multiple marriages. Psychologists reason out that in countries like India and Sri Lanka where divorce cases are relatively less, “perhaps couples suffer in silence and live miserable lives for the sake of children.” In that sense, they point out that Americans with a higher divorce rate are happier. Marriage means different
things to different people. It is reflection of man or woman’s culture, religion, economic status and physicality and these factors essentially are the leading reasons for a happy or unhappy union. Albert Einstein noted, “Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.” Oscar Wilde had a similar take, “Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious: both are disappointed.” American comedian Rodney Dangerfield tagged about marriage, “My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.” Innovative marriages in hot air balloons, altitude of mountains and deep seas excite us. Yet hope cannot be rekindled for long as even reality shows are unable to save marriages, the biggest casualty of stress, as Rakhi Sawant and Rahul Mahajan have shown us. Open marriages in which each partner is free to enter into extraneous relationships without guilt or jealousy from the other, is working well for many working couples. With same-sex marriages getting legal sanction in different countries, there seems some hope for lasting celebrations of World Marriage Day!
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BUSINESS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
FIIs invest $5 bn in top firms
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oreign institutional investors (FIIs) have raised their exposure to 29 Sensex companies, with purchase of shares worth an estimated amount of $5 billion, in the quarter ended December 31, 2012. The FII holding declined in only one blue-chip company Hero MotoCorp during the October-December 2012 quarter, sources said.
Sebi clears liquidity boost schemes
Markets to consolidate
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arket regulator Sebi has allowed stock exchanges to introduce incentive schemes for brokers and intermediaries to enhance liquidity in illiquid securities in the equity cash segment. The decision has been taken pursuant to introduction of incentive schemes in derivatives segment to enhance liquidity in illiquid derivative products, and demands for similar schemes for the Equity Cash market, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) said in a circular.
tock markets may consolidate this week as investors are likely to trade cautiously in view of key macroeconomic data such as industrial production and inflation, experts have said. Besides, third quarter earnings will also continue to dictate trend in the short-term, they added. Among major corporate earnings this week are ONGC, TataPower, Tata Steel.
EU deal faces rough ride in parliament E Bryan McManus
feedback@postnoon.com
U leaders may think they have settled the bloc’s 2014-20 budget but it is the European Parliament, angry at the first ever cut, that now has the final say and early signs point to tough talks ahead. Stung by the agreed three percent reduction in EU spending over the next seven years, parliamentary leaders were quick Friday to reject the hard-won deal, saying it would undermine Europe’s future and could even be illegal if it resulted in Brussels running a budget deficit. Under the core 2009 Lisbon Treaty, parliament is now a party to the EU budget process, with lawmakers required to sign off on the figures EU leaders agree. In the heat of the moment, however, that aspect tends to get overlooked and the tone of the press commentary Saturday too was very much as if the deal had been done and that was it. But Parliament has to vote on the 2014-20 budget in July and significantly, EU President Herman Van Rompuy was careful when he announced the accord after marathon talks Thursday and Friday to note that the hard-won deal still needed lawmakers’ approval. It was “perhaps nobody’s perfect budget,” Van Rompuy conceded, but “there is a lot in it for everybody” and he urged MEPs to do their duty towards Europe. The budget was not “an accounting exercise” and before rejecting it, lawmakers should think “very carefully” about the potentially huge implications for the economy, jobs and future prosperity. “I hope that the European Parliament will meet its (responsibilities),” he added, in the same way the 27 EU leaders had met theirs by agreeing to compromise on their differences. Parliament head Martin Schulz, however, had repeatedly insisted that the cuts were unacceptable to most lawmakers. Schulz made his position
Boeing ‘tests’ 787
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oeing on Saturday carried out an “uneventful” test flight of its 787 Dreamliner as part of investigations into recent battery fires that led international regulators to ground the aircraft. The flight took off from Seattle, Washington with a crew of 13 pilots and testing personnel at 12.32 pm local time and landed at 2.51pm, Boeing said. “During the flight, the crew monitored the performance of the main and APU batteries,” Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said in a statement. He added that special equipment “allowed the crew to observe and record detailed battery performance in normal flight conditions.” He added: “Data gathered during the flight is considered part of the investigations into the 787 battery events that occurred in January. For that reason, we cannot share any additional details.” Birtel said more test flights were planned for next week.
SBH slashes rates clear to EU leaders as they began the talks and then warned even more bluntly afterwards that he could not go along with a budget which would likely result in a deficit — barred under EU law, but familiar territory for most member states. He was backed up Friday when the leaders of the four biggest parties in parliament rejected the accord outright. Parliament “cannot accept today’s deal in the European Council as it is. We regret that Mr Van Rompuy did not talk and negotiate with us in the last months,” they said in a joint statement. “The real negotiations will start now with the European Parliament. We will maintain our priorities which we have clearly stated many times.” The prospect that parliament
may also conduct July’s vote by secret ballot — and Schulz claimed to have enough support for that — must also give EU leaders pause for thought that the assembly might just decide to buck the system. An EU source recognised the problem. “The best case scenario is that parliament gives its consent” to the current proposal but that seems unlikely, the source said. “The worst case scenario is a that parliament says ‘No,’ we will never agree. (In that case) there would be no budget or (EU leaders) would have to come back to change it,” the source said. In between, there “are very many scenarios,” the source said, adding: “We will have to find an understanding.” An editorial in the Belgian
daily Le Soir regretted the cutback in EU spending as a “political failure” for Europe but parliament still had to have its say, with rejection leading to the rollover of the current 2013 budget into 2014 and so on. MEPs, it noted, also had more demands than just the total amount involved — they wanted more flexibility in spending, the right to review and revise the budget as it proceeds, and a promise the EU itself will be allowed to raise more of its own resources, rather than rely so much on member states. “Another very difficult set of negotiations are therefore going to open up in coming weeks,” it said, adding that to “avoid pressure being put on individual lawmakers ... parliament should hold a secret vote on the 2014-20 AFP budget.”
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n view of changing interest rate environment, liquidity in the system and other macroeconomic fundamentals in the economy, State Bank of Hyderabad, Associate Bank of State Bank of India has been realigning its interest rate from time to time. After the recent announcement of reduction in repo rate as well as Cash Reserve Ratio by RBI, the Asset Liability Committee of State Bank of Hyderabad met in Hyderabad on February 6 and decided to revise the Base Rate downwards from 10.25 per cent to 10.20 per cent and Benchmark Prime Lending Rate (BPLR) downwards from 15 per cent to 14.90 per cent with effect from February 11.
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PROFILE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
FOUND IN A CROWD
Artist PS Jalaja examines the split identity of man — as an individual and in a crowd — on her larger-than-life canvases. with fellow beings. Apart from her interest in dual identities, Jalaja confesses that sketching people is something she has been passionate about since she was a young child, and perhaps that’s why she chooses to depict them. Another of her interests that finds a place in her work is history. “The memories of the history classes of my school days still linger within me when I draw. My methodology back then was to make mental pictures of history lessons of great battles, the rise and fall of great civilisations… In this way, I was able to store them in my memory,” she says. A BCom graduate, Jalaja
ELIZABETH SOUMYA
elizabeth.s@postnoon.com
P
S Jalaja, with her backpack on, is chatting with a few other artists under a tree shying away from the afternoon sun. To show those interested her work, she excuses herself from these friends and walks up a flight of stairs to a spacious room with an imposingly large painting with dimensions as large as 30 ft by 4 ft. The painting made by the artist features a horizontal string of 50 adult humans from a range of races across the globe, each with their own iden-
ABOUT THE ARTIST PS Jalaja was born in 1983 in Keezhillam, Kerala. She completed her MFA (painting) in 2009 at Govt. RLV College Thripunithura, Kochi and BFA (painting) in 2007 at Govt. RLV College Thripunithura, Kochi. Her work, Tug of War, is displayed in the Kochi Muzirius Biennale at the Aspinwall Hall.
HER ONGOING WORKS FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS REVOLVE AROUND THE THEME OF ‘CROWD’; HER LARGERTHAN-LIFE CANVASES HAVE ROOM ENOUGH TO GATHER AND DRAW SO MANY PEOPLE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL IS LOST. tities in the different clothes they wear. How she worked on such a large canvas, one wonders. The water-on-paper painting hasn’t been done in parts and put together. Instead, she worked on a single canvas diligently in her studio in Udayamperoor bordering Kottayam district in Kerala. It took her a little more than a month and a half between October and December in 2012, she says. Her ongoing works for the last four years revolve around the theme of ‘crowd’; her larger-than-life canvases have room enough to gather and draw so many people that an individual is lost. She explains, “When we
KOCHI BIENNALE FOUNDATION
take man as a single person, he is given great importance; his emotions and aspirations, his needs and dreams and so forth… Then when we look at
him in a wider context — in society. In a country, in the world, man becomes a mob, a queue. Man’s history gets blurred into ‘human’ history.”
In Tug of War, currently displayed at the Kochi Biennale, she continues to focus on the split identity of a person when he is alone and is then together
then completed degrees in Fine Art from Kochi. Since graduating, being a freelance artist has been her only full-time job, she says. “My family has always been proud of everything I drew and always encouraged me in my art,” she says, when asked how difficult it has been to make a living from art. A daughter of a carpenter, she says her talent and creativity definitely come from her father, who passed away a year after she joined art college. “To be a carpenter requires tremendous skill and I’ve seen my father at work,” she says. The young artist has already displayed her work in the Prague Biennale (2011) and Art Gwangju in South Korea (2010) and says this is her third Biennale.
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WELLNESS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
GET THAT SHINE
So Valentine’s Day is around the corner and everyone’s racking their brains for ways to floor their love or pop the question with a difference. It goes without saying that the first requisite before stepping out the door is that you, man or woman, look good, if not stunning. Since women are way ahead in matters pertaining to looking good and experts in their own way in the department, we will restrict this article to the darker sex. Postnoon team
feedback@postnoon.com
Haircut According to Juice senior stylist Ram, haircut is an important aspect of your preparation. You can ask your stylist, or your girlfriend for that matter, for suggestions. “I have some come here with instructions and suggestions from their loves that locks on different parts of the head be cut to specific lengths. One may also add a bit of colour as that will add zing to your looks and locks if you are quite the conventional type of guy who goes for the regular look. I would suggest the spike, because it looks very cool,” says Ram. Choose something that suits you and it’s better to avoid really funky experiments, because it could be your undoing.
Breath Now we need not delve deep into this. If you have bad breath, you know what to do. First off, meet a dentist. Now if you can’t spare an hour for that, then have a constant supply of mints. And pray that they work.
Nails There can be no sight more revolting than dirt under your nails and it is even more so for a girl if she notices it while you offer her flowers or hold her hand. So whatever your reservations about pedicures and manicures, getting one done will keep you in good stead. Perhaps she may not let go off your hand if it is scrubbed and clean.
Clothes If you were planning on wearing red, the eternal colour that signifies love, drop it. There can be no worse strategy than wearing red on Valentine’s Day, or pink, unless it is done on demand. Dress in what you look best, comfy and cool. White works best, shirts or T-shirts, even a little light blue might be an option. And please iron it.
Facial Now if you are going for a facial (yes, yes, shocking as it may seem to the sensibilities of the rugged, ruf n’tuf man, such things happen and it is quite popular and is appreciated by damsels), do it three days before the big day. “The gains of a facial appear best three days after it’s done,” avers Ram.
Shave Always prepare the skin before its encounter with the blade. By preparing the skin, one means softening it. Applying warm water to the beard and the face gets the skin ready and will protect it from the blade to the maximum by reducing friction. “Shaving a day before the big day helps you get a closer shave on the big day,” says Ram. And please don’t go for a last-minute shave. Those on whom a stubble looks good, keep it.
Shoes Boots: Polish them unless you match Johnny Depp in looks, style and panache.
Perfume Now here’s another area that one must tread cautiously. The purpose is neither to let her know that you are on your way to meet her, nor to stifle her with your manly odour. Pick something not in-your-nose. And when you apply it, do it on moisturised skin because the fragrance tends to linger longer.
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ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
London Underground’s mazes
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o commemorate the Underground’s 150th year, artist Mark Wallinger has created 270 black and white enamel artworks that will hang in London’s various tube stations. The largest ever art commission by the Underground, the series features etchings on various labyrinths.Wallinger, who won the Turner Prize in 2007, is one of Britain’s best contemporary artists.
Sculpture sent to jail
Seeing the world from an egg
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ichelangelo’s great unfinished sculpture, La Pietà Rondanini, which the artist worked on from around 1552 until his death in 1564, is being temporarily relocated to the Carcere di San Vittore, a Milanese jail. The move comes as the statue’s permanent home, the Castello Sforzesco, is undergoing renovations. Several art historians have opposed the move.
n artist will spend a year working onboard a giant egg anchored on a Hampshire river. Floating in the Beaulieu Estuary, Stephen Turner hopes to map and record the goings-on of invertebrates and mammals, fauna and flora during the course of four complete seasons. Turner intends to track, trace and record the activity within a grid on the intertidal area using GPS “to accurately transpose stories, events and material finds”.
BRINGING THE PAST
BACK TO LIFE
Kochi-based artist Reghunathan K creates quirky sculptures that pull out objects from all our collective pasts. Elizabeth Soumya
About the artist
elizabeth.s@postnoon.com
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eghunadhan K was born in Kerala in 1958. He did BFA Sculpture from the College of Fine Arts, Trivandrum, Kerala, 1982 and then his MFA Sculpture — MS University, Baroda, Gujrat, 1988. His site specific installation is displayed in the Kochi Muzirius Biennale at the Aspinwall Hall.
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he conservatory is a whimsical place. It’s a place that’s close to us, yet we seldom see — the attic, the basement, the brown box of discarded objects. The things that are broken, discarded and dumped. “People all over the world have places where they store these things, so this work can easily understood by anyone from anywhere,” explains sculptor Reghunathan K. It is these objects along with animals that the artist collects in this ‘conservatory’, a term that originated for a greenhouse attached to a house in 16th century Europe. In their conservatories, people tried preserving and cultivating citrus and other fruits that they found on their dinner plates. The artist takes upon himself the duty of recording the objects we throw away and the new creatures they become with lives of their own. If at all you peep into your store room that’s shut up for years, you might just see the broken chair legs that were kept aside are now hooves of a deer toy that you don’t love anymore. The thrown plastic can is what a rooster carries on its back. These small things littered all over remain, just like our memory of them. “The elements are from the immediate surroundings based on my daily observations,” says the artist. The installation merges mainly animals with objects. This human animal combination says Reghunathan has always been an intimate relationship and then there’s a relationship between living things and the objects around them. Reghunathan reveals that the sculptures were part of a commissioned public space installation to be erected near the beach area in Fort Kochi, Kerala. The permissions required for art in public space
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are many and so the project has still not seen the light of day. “I was asked to display at the Kochi Biennale at the eleventh hour, somewhere in the first week of December 2012. So, I put
an installation together with the sculptures I was already working on,” he says. Fiber glass, wood, copper, coir, terracotta and various found objects were used to create these different
pieces. Fiber glass as a medium makes the work lightweight, easy to be transported and even painted, he says. Even though objects and animals morph, instead of becom-
ing grotesque creatures of a nightmare, The Conservatory is an excerpt from a quirky dream that could make you smile. “There’s humour in all my work,” says the artist. For example the furniture bits used aren’t just discarded wood from a dusty attic, but they are from my memories as a student. “These huge wooden furniture tables and chairs were crafted to be solemn and ceremonious by the English and it’s funny we would keep all kinds of mundane objects on it.” Critic Renu Ramanath in an essay about the artist says his works can be said to be drawing energy directly from the tradition of great satirists of Kerala. This tradition of social satire in Kerala dates back to the classical times. Even the colours used by the artist are bright and playful. Reghunathan’s previous solo exhibitions have included Anecdotes and Six Clowns and An Island. All of these works were sold out, all bought by collectors in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, he says. There are hardly any buyers for art in Kochi and after the recession in 2008, things have only gotten grimmer. The problem with huge sculptures is that the buyer needs to have space to display it and that way it’s always easier to put a painting in your house. But this doesn’t stop him, “like many artists of today, I work for myself,” he says.
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ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Surfers up in arms
Exaggerated climate change
Changes in forests
Surfers are leading a campaign against plans to "dredge" millions of tonnes of sand from the seabed off Cornwall amid fears that it could wreck the shape and power of the coast's waves. A minerals company is planning a 10year project to recover tin washed out of old mine workings and now settled in sediment some 20 metres below the sea surface.
Sir David Attnborough, the series presenter of BBC's natural history unit said, "Africa's climate is certainly changing. Some parts of the continent have become 3.5C hotter in the past 20 years." Attenborough's claim that "some parts of the African continent have become 3.5C hotter in the past 20 years" appears to fall down upon further analysis.
Big changes are in store for the forests as global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates more frequent floods and droughts, the US Department of Agriculture warns in a report. The compilation of more than 1,000 scientific studies is part of the National Climate Assessment and will serve as a roadmap for managing forests.
Sochi braces for another year of construction Talk about transforming a landscape, the Sochi natives have got one they had not bargained for. Maria Antonova feedback@postnoon.com
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year before athletes converge on Sochi for the Winter Olympics, the Russian seaside city remains a vast construction site, with traffic choking the streets and locals bracing for another year of nonstop work to transform their landscape. “Construction is everywhere, it is very stressful,” said Sochi native Lidiya Naberezhnaya, who lives in the central part of the Black Sea resort city. “Maybe when work is over, it will be pretty, but now everyone is unhappy,” she said of her historic town, which was set up in the early 20th century as a Russian riviera after the Tsarist army colonised the region. “The city is destroyed, there are traffic jams everywhere, the roads are trashed because of the big construction trucks.” The Sochi area, dotted with palm trees and old buildings, stretches along the Black Sea for about 100 kilometres (60 miles), straddled to the east by the foothills of the Caucasus range. The main Olympic Park sits far south of Sochi proper, in an area that was formerly an agricultural backwater and the site of one of the region's largest communal farms. The city is home to a chain of Soviet health spas for industrial workers from the country's north. The retreats were built on a massive scale in the middle of the last century. Today many of these spas, or sanatoriums, are shadowed by towering skyscrapers erected by investors in recent years, with some buildings as high as 25 floors — a scale unheard of in the city as recently as a decade ago. Workers are building new roads in Sochi, but for the moment the main drag, called Kurortny Prospekt (Resort Avenue) is jammed with bumperto-bumper traffic.
A lot has been done for the city, but a lot has been stolen too. The scope of construction is huge, but it is really thoughtless. Nikolai Petetsky small hotel in a Central neighbourhood When President Vladimir Putin or other top officials are in town, authorities apparently try to solve the traffic situation by diverting private automobiles to the peripheral highway around Sochi, making all car owners
take a roundabout way and adding to their list of grievances. In addition, thousands of people, including Naberezhnaya, suffer from near daily power outages, which come without a warning and last for hours. About 50,000 people in Sochi were left without electricity on New Year's Eve, local media reported. The power only returned at 2 pm the next day. Two weeks later, dozens of people held a protest near the City Hall. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak on Thursday said the task of improving the city's infrastructure was the reason why the total cost of Olympicrelated projects snowballed to $50 billion.
“Everyone was in great discomfort” in Sochi before and “we have resolved most of the transportation and energy infrastructure issues,” he told reporters. But many residents are not convinced the Games will improve their lives. “A lot has been done for the city, but a lot has been stolen too. The scope of the construction is huge, but it's really thoughtless,” said Nikolai Petetsky, a former intelligence officer said. “I think in the future there will be less, rather than more tourism, because everything is so expensive,” said Petetsky, who is the owner of a small hotel in a central neighbourhood. “They are thoughtlessly destroying Sochi's greenery, they are destroying historical build-
ings, Sochi's heritage. There is no city plan, and everything is incredibly dirty.” At the Olympic Park this week, visitors from other parts of Russia enjoyed the sun and balmy climes of about 15 degrees Celsius. Beyond the secure area of the Olympic park, piles of soil and gravel stretched out, dwarfing the remaining residential houses, with their small gardens and “For Rent” signs in the windows covered in construction dust. “They say about the Olympic Games: 1.3 trillion (rubles) has been spent, with 500 billion going to infrastructure,”Sochi resident David Khakim wrote in his blog. “But we won't be able to see these billions—it's simply AFP too dark."
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FOOD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Taste the Italian delights
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esta Rossa caffé promises to offers an ultimate coffee experience combined with a picture perfect ambiance to relax and chill out with your friends or family. Testa Rossa has recently opened at Tivoli Cinema, Gymkhana Grounds, Secunderabad where the guests can choose from a variety of exotic coffees, breads, bakes and assorted confectionery items.
Chinese Food Festival in the City
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he Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre is hosting a Chinese Food Festival from February 8- 17 at The Square. The food festival features a live dim sum counter, noodle bar, Oriental Barbeque, Dumpling soups, stir fries and much more. The entire atmosphere from the interiors to music is camouflaged to take the customers on a virtual tour to China.
Valentine’s day package
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njoy a sumptuous and unforgettable Valenine’s Day with a delectable Western and Indian menu at the Dining Room on February 14. Priced at `2,500 per person. From 7.30pm onwards. If Italian is your mood then celebrate in style with a specially crafted menu at Tre-Forni Bar & Restaurant for `10,000 per couple with a bottle of Bollinger Champaign. SRINIVAS SETTY
PADMINI C
padmini.c@postnoon.com
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he restaurant which up until now offered a preset six course meal menu has just unveiled a brand new a la carte menu with a choice of European, Oriental and Indian cuisine. At first sight, Cinnamon Fusion wouldn’t seem any different from other fancy dining options in the city. But look closer and you’ll find the little things that set it apart. No artificial flavourings. No preservatives. No buffets. No TVs. No discounts. “We don’t dabble in many things. But the select things we do, we do them well. We have a very clear agenda, we offer our
patrons — fresh, healthy and amazing food; great ambience and time for wonderful conversations. This means that we have to take a tough stand on things but that’s the choice we’ve made,” says Vimal Bellamkonda, the CMO of Cinnamon Fusion. Ideals aside, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And the new menu promises to include dishes that are favourites of frequent customers who they call their ‘ambassadors’. Apart from the standard soup offerings like sweet corn, noodle broth, lemon coriander, we found the creamy french onion, the crisp clean seafood bisque and minestrone interesting. However, truth be told, considering the standard of the rest of the menu, we suggest you skip the section and jump directly into the entrees. For the entrees, one can choose between an array of Indian, Oriental
barrels stuffed with sautéed vegetables and marinated cottage cheese), matched in genius only by their signature melt-in-mouth Makh Mali Paneer Tikka (cottage cheese marinated in honey(!) and yoghurt) get our vote. Their succulent Pollo Cilantro (tender chicken breasts with olive oil and cilantro) and crispy Golden Calamari (fried squid marinated in garlic and white wine) are worth a try. Main course too comes in all three cuisines. We tried another of their signatures, the Cannelloni ala Formaggio Florentina (Pasta al dente stuffed with a mixture of mushrooms, spinach and cheese) and though delicious, be warned, it’s incredibly rich in its flavours and might leave you with not enough space for their delightful desserts. Their Pollo Cajun, (chicken grilled to perfection and served with potato patties and grilled
A little over a year old, Cinnamon Fusion has slowly but steadily been climbing the food charts to become a popular favourite among the corporate junta in the Hitec City area. Their recently-launched a la carte menu certainly deserves to be sampled.
TASTE THAT BEGS AN
and European dishes. Their sous chef, Pratap Barik comes from having trained and worked in the kitchens of Best Western, Blue Food and the BJN Group. And the expertise shows in their tandoor dishes which are safe to say, of a standard, to die for. The tender and smoky Bharwan Aloo (fried potato
ENCORE
Place: Cinnammon Fusion. Where: Third Floor, SBR Gateway, Hi-Tech City, Madhapur, Average Meal for Two: `1,000+ taxes, (Alcohol served only on weekends)
vegetables) is a must-have. Sea food lovers will not want to miss the Pan Seared Fish, (beautifully marinated and seared fish served with a lemon butter caper sauce) over a bed of fresh grilled vegetables and mashed peas, which makes for yet another perfectly balanced creation. But oh but, it’s their desserts that take the cake. Their molecular creation, the midnight egg, is a delightful surprise and one that you’ll probably never find in another restaurant in the city. The banana crumble, a scrumptious bake of bananas drenched in a crunchy crumble accompanied by a scoop of ice cream is a start. Their Cinnamissue and their White Chocolate Spring Rolls are interesting but we say forget it. Go straight for their Chocolate Lava, a stairway to heaven. With a perfectly liquid core of molten chocolate and a snowy scoop of ice cream to go, it’s in our humble option, the one reason you should go to Cinnamon Fusion. With live music, a warm pleasing ambience, efficient service and genuinely decent food, Cinnamon fusion is a place you should try at least once. And you just might find enough reasons to keep going back.
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FOOD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013 Long and strong
Stick it
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roduced by honeybees harvesting nectar from flowers, honey does its bit to set the mood for some ‘loving’. Honey is loaded with boron, which has been proven to stimulate oestrogen production in women and testosterone in men. A spoonful of honey in green tea, or honey and ice cream might just be the right choice when you need it.
MAN UP
soup made of onions, carrots, broth and bull’s penis and testicles is famous for its aphrodisiac properties in parts of Southeast Asia. The parts of the bull are scalded in boiling water before they are added to the aromatic soup loaded with vegetables. Known as the natural version of Viagra in many parts of the world, a carefully prepared bull’s penis can go a long way into ensuring a healthy sex drive.
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nidhi.b@postnoon.com
NIDHI BHUSHAN
s the ‘shape’ suggests, bananas are aphrodisiac foods rich in chelating minerals which help the body absorb nutrients that boost the male libido. Easily available, a banana is rich in potassium and Vitamin B – two minerals that are essential for the functioning of sex hormones. Ice cream and sliced banana, or dipping the fruit in chocolate fudge or having it raw would be the way to have it.
Blood-red roses, dark chocolate and teddy bears, the clichés without which Valentine’s Day remains incomplete, have flooded markets proving it’s that time of the year when everything’s red and pretty! That said, how about we make February 14 a tad more special this time around? Postnoon gives you a list of food items that would enhance your ‘love’. Crapuccino
So cheesy
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FROM THE MASTERS
arlic, like onion, is one of those things that fuel some of the most repulsive breaths. An easily available aphrodisiac, garlic is high in allicin, a compound that augments blood flow, yielding increased sexual stamina and wild energy. Adding cloves of garlic to a leafy green salad or a stir fry dish might be a good idea.
he mere essence of coffee may prove to be a turn on for many, however, the civet coffee is another experience altogether. Popular in the Philippines and Vietnam, it is known for its aphrodisiac quality. One of the most expensive and exotic coffee beans in the world, it is brewed from cherries that are eaten, digested and excreted by a civet. These beans impart a musky chocolatey taste unlike the bitter flavour common to regular beans.
Northern style radish preparation
Noor’s Kitchen NOOR JAFRI Ingredients Medium fresh radish along with the tender leaves 2 n Garlic cloves 4 to 5 n Ginger a small piecehalf an inch n Mustard seeds 1 tsp n Red and green chillies As per taste n Salt to taste n Mustard oil or any vegetable oil 1 tbsp n Turmeric powder 1 pinch n
Procedure
Food for your mood
Smelly treat
Mulwati
heese contains the lust ingredient phenylethylamine (PEA), which stimulates the same hormone you release during sex. Best served with champagne and strawberries – known for their aphrodisiac characteristics – cheese makes for an extremely sensuous delight this Valentine’s Day.
1. Wash, clean and peel off the skin of the radish and grate it finely. 2. Wash and clean the tender leaves, and cut them very finely or chop them. 3. Squeeze and remove the water both from the leaves and the radish, and keep it separately. 4. Coarsely crush ginger, garlic, green chillies, mustard and keep it aside. 5. Heat oil in a kadhai (wok) and add the crushed masala, stir it, add water squeezed from radish or leaves and dry it. 6. To this masala sprinkle salt, add turmeric powder and grated radish, mix it well. 7. Finally add finely cut radish leaves, mix it thoroughly and cover the dish. 8. Leave it on a slow fire for a couple of minutes and switch off the gas.
CREAMIDI LOBSTER
Chef Taraknath Mukherjee, Master Chef, Mekong, Marigold Hotel gives a special recipe for the lovers of sea-food. INGREDIENTS: n n n n n n n n n
One whole lobster, 650 to 700 gms 3 tbsp butter 3 tablespoons Japanese mayo ½ cups milk ½ cup cooking cream salt to taste 1 tablespoons Chinese wine 10gm chopped garlic 10gm chopped brunt
n n
garlic 10gm chopped green onion Shredded leeks for garnishing
METHOD: • Take a fresh lobster and wash nicely. Shell out the lobster meat and cut into small pieces. • Then grill it on a teppanyaki plate and keep aside. Boil the lobster shells and keep aside
• Heat a wok and put butter in it. Saute the garlic till it turns light brown in colour • Add milk, Japanese mayo and cream. Cook for half a minute and then add grilled lobster to it. • After the lobster is cooked, add sea-
soning and wine and finish with burnt garlic. Serve hot with shredded leeks.
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CHEF’S NOTE:
It's a very healthy dish, quick to prepare and very tasty. n It tastes better when served with jowar ki roti or phulka . Contact Us @ -Noor Kitchen, Banjara Hills. Mobile - 9441282318, Residence - 23356947 Like Us @ http://www.facebook.com/Noorkitchen
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HISTORY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Feb 11
1990: Nelson Mandela, leader of the movement to end apartheid in South Africa, was released from prison after 27 years. He was arrested for treason and sabotage and sentenced to life in prison in 1964.
Feb 12
2002: Former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic goes on trial at The Hague, Netherlands, on charges of genocide and war crimes in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo. The trial ended without a verdict when the 'Butcher of the Balkans' was found dead of an apparent heart attack in his prison cell in 2006.
Feb 11
2012: Troubled singer Whitney Houston was found dead in the bathtub of her hotel suite in Beverly Hills. The cause of death was ruled to be accidental drowning and cocaine was found in her system.
Feb 14
1929: Microbiologist Sir Alexander Fleming introduced the first antibiotic, penicillin, to cure bacterial infections. Fleming had observed that the Penicillium notatum mold killed staphylococcus bacteria on a petri dish he had left uncovered.
Feb 13
1945: Hundreds of British bombers loaded with incendiaries and high-explosive bombs descend on Dresden, a historic city located in eastern Germany. Dresden was neither a war production city nor a major industrial center. An unknown number of civilians, between 35,000 and 1,35,00, were killed.
Feb 14
1929: Gunmen, believed to have been hired by gangster Al Capone, murdered seven members of the George "Bugs" Moran North Siders gang in a garage on North Clark Street.
Feb 15
1961: The entire 18-member US figure skating team is killed in a plane crash in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium. The team was on its way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Feb 16
1982: Hezbollah, the Islamic militant group and political party based in Lebanon, was founded. The party was set up following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon during the civil war.
Feb 17
1972: The Volkswagen Beetle becomes the best-selling car ever, breaking a world car production record held for more than four decades by the Ford Motor Company's iconic Model T.
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SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013 S BALAKRISHNA
S BALAKRISHNA
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A lifetime of creation Director Shyam Benegal was awarded the ANR National Award 2012 at N Diamond, N Convention Centre, on Saturday to honour his contribution to Indian cinema.
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FLOWER POWER
The Petals exhibition by Padmaja and Aparna Reddy is back again with a range of accessories and clothing for women. 4
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1 Heena, Madhu, Neha
3 Madhuri, Jerna
2 Srishti
4 Padmaja
5 Aparna Reddy
S BALAKRISHNA
Pretty maids all in a row
1 Sumanth
3 Nagarjuna
2 Rama Naidu
4 Sushanth,
Nag Chaitanya 5 Amala
6 Shanker Melkote 7 Vishwanath
8 Richa
Gangopadhyay
Kashish is organising a week-long festival of silks, called Just Silks, in Banjara Hills. Stand out at any function with elegant, unique and classic silk sarees up on offer.
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CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
‘I AM A DIRECTOR AND AN ACTOR, NOT A RIOTER’
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amal Haasan was the cynosure of all eyes at a recent press conference held in Hyderabad to celebrate the success of Vishwaroopam. Tollywood’s bigwigs like D Ramanaidu, K Raghavendra Rao, Dasari Narayana Rao, Nagarjuna, SS Rajamouli, Trivikram Srinivas and Prabhas were some of the celebrities who graced the event. Talking about the film, Nagarjuna said, “Kamal Haasan has worked really hard for making Vishwaroopam. It’s a fantastic film and better than most Hollywood films.” Trivikram Srinivas and SS Rajamouli recounted that they were shocked to hear Kamal Haasan say that he would leave India and the duo praised Kamal Haasan for his passion for cinema. In turn, Kamal Haasan thanked the entire film fraternity from Telugu film industry who stood by him and said, “I am a director and an actor, not a rioter. I
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rabhas’ latest film Mirchi has broken all previous records at the box office in his career. The film, directed by Koratala Siva, has reportedly collected a share of close to `6.57 crores including a phenomenal `2.3 crores from Nizam region alone. Considering that the film released in February, which is not a preferred month for big budget films, it definitely is a remarkable feat. One of the producers of the film, Vamshi said, “Mirchi has registered the highest opening figures in Prabhas’ ten-year-old career and one of
believe an artiste should never be insulted. I still remember the days when I began my career in Sarathi Studios and later K Balachander gave me a big break with Anthuleni Katha and the success of Maro Charithra and Ek Duje Ke Liye changed my life forever. I wasn’t angry with what had happened a few days ago, but I am deeply saddened. A lot of people have asked me to never say that I would leave the country, but I’ll say it again if a similar incident occurs. No matter where I go, my passion for cinema will remain intact. Besides, I’m the richest man alive today because more than money, I have millions of well wishers.”
IN THE MOOD FOR DRAMA & ACTION
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he entire cast of RUM has been having a blast ever since the film’s shooting began in Muscat. The film’s title stands for Rambha Urvashi Menaka. Trisha, Nikesha Patel, Isha Chawla and Charmee are playing the lead roles in this film which is reportedly a road movie. MS Raju is directing the
film. All the four lead actresses have been bonding big time and they seem to be getting along like a house on fire. We hear the film has plenty of action sequences which are currently being shot under the aegis of action choreographer Vijayan. “Day 1 — Action begins... Vijayan master on a roll...
Mirchi opens big at BO
Swerving cars twisty lanes and me at the wheel. PHEW phew!! New found respect for all heros... tsk tsk.(sic),” Trisha posted on Twitter few days ago. Poorna, who was last seen in Avunu, was supposed to be part of the cast, but she opted out of the project citing lack of dates and drastic changes in the script.
the biggest opening of all time in Telugu cinema.” Although Prabhas’ previous film Rebel opened well at box office, it failed to sustain the momentum and fizzled out soon, but the makers of Mirchi are unperturbed. Prabhas and Anushka have got good reviews for their performances and with no big films releasing for the next few days, it looks like Mirchi will certainly do well at the box office. Richa Gangopadhyay played the other lead role opposite Prabhas and Devi Sri Prasad scored the music.
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CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
SIDHARTH BAGS
BALAJI’S NEXT
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fter Varun Dhawan, Ekta Kapoor has signed on the second Student Of The Year actor Sidharth Malhotra to play the lead in her new film The Villain. The onscreen lover boy
will showcase his dark side in the new project. “Proud to share another film of ours being launched. Sidharth Malhotra starrer, Mohit Suri director... ‘The
Villain,” Girish Johar, head of acquisition and distribution, Balaji Motion Pictures, tweeted Saturday. Sidharth, a former model, shared his excitement about the new project. “Really excited about my new project with Balaji... Will be fun walking the dark side,” Sidharth tweeted. After making a successful debut with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year, the actor has been also been roped in to star in Hansee Toh Phansi, another Dharma Productions film. Sidharth’s Student Of The Year co-star Varun is also doing a Balaji film, a remake of Telugu film Kandireega. It will be directed by Varun’s father David IANS Dhawan.
Bollywood stars pledge for children’s survival
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ollywood actors and goodwill ambassadors of Unicef Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sharmila Tagore pledged to work for children’s survival and development. A three-minute audiovisual (AV) of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) released on Friday featured Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Sharmila Tagore emphasising on the need to give every child a chance to live and reduce the mortality rate. It also reiterated the need for better health facilities and nutrition for children under the age of five. The AV was released as part of “Call to Action for Child Survival and Development”, a three-day summit, in the presence of Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. The summit has been organised by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in partnership with Unicef February 7-9.
I’VE MADE MISTAKES,
BUT I’VE NO REGRETS: NEHA
B
ollywood actress Neha Dhupia, whose career has been a mixed bag so far, admits she has made mistakes in her career but says she doesn’t regret any of them. The former Miss India has been a part of popular films like Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, Shootout at Lokhandwala and Singh Is Kinng as well as duds like Sheesha and Paying Guest. “I have made mistakes, but
they are not regrets, and I don’t want to talk about my mistakes,” Neha said. “There is no such thing as wrong films. A mistake could be not waking up in the morning and going to the gym, or if you are rude to someone or someone misunderstands you. I am not god, so I am not perfect. But there are no regrets,” she added. The 32-year-old admits she has turned down many offers that she thought were not suited
for her. “I got many opportunities, but I didn’t want to be a part of them. Sometimes you can’t relate to something or you feel you are too young or old to do something. “I have refused a lot of work. It is not like I reject work, but I don’t agree with some things at times. I just feel that roles should add value to me also. If it’s a great role and even if there is one scene, I will do it,” she said. Neha entered the film
world after a brush with modelling. She says models are not very good actors, and there are better actors than her in the industry. However, she doesn’t believe in competing with anyone. “There are better actors than us (models) in the industry. Everyone has a (different)magic and I feel that you can only last those many years and get those many more films. Maybe my magic doesn’t come across that
much, but everyone has something. There is something special about me, maybe not as much as someone else,” she said. Neha also added that she doesn’t agree with stereotypical assumptions about the industry being tough on girls. “People say the industry is a certain way and it is tough for girls, but I have never encountered anything like that...My morals are very high,” she said. IANS
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CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
REMO LIKELY TO MAKE SEQUEL TO ABCD U
CRORE CLUB
RACE 2 JOINS `100
TV Motion Pictures has signed a two-film contract with Remo D'Souza and one of them could be a sequel to his just released 3D dance film ABCD - Anybody Can Dance. “UTV has whole-heartedly backed my vision of making India’s first ever 3D dance film ABCD. They were kicked about the project from the word go. I’m really happy I had them as my producer," Remo said. “It’s important for a producer to trust his director and his vision and UTV has done just that. I’m really excited that I have been offered two more films by
UTV — one of which could be the sequel to ABCD,” he added. Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Studios, Disney UTV, said: “Remo is a gifted choreographer... We have had a wonderful experience with Remo on ABCD. The film showcases his amazing ability to thrill and entertain his audience while at the same time to handle emotion and drama with sensitivity and depth.” IANS
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ilmmaker AbbasMustan’s action thriller Race 2 has become the first film of the year to enter the `100 crore club by grossing `100.45 crore. Made at a budget of `60 crore, the film came out on January 25 and earned `100.45 crore in two weeks. “We are glad that Race 2 is continuing its great run at the box office and holding its position throughout,” Gaurav Verma, director - India theatrical distribution,
Studios, Disney UTV, said in a statement. “We had complete faith in the film and are extremely happy that audiences have liked the film and have made it possible for the film to reach this position,” he added. Co-produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Tips Music Films, the film features an ensemble cast of John Abraham, Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandez, Anil Kapoor and IANS Ameesha Patel.
Kader Khan victim of death rumours
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ader Khan has become the latest celeb victim of an internet hoax as social networking sites were abuzz today with rumours about the actor's demise. Rumours gained traction when a ‘RIP Kader Khan’ Facebook page was made, after which many took to microblogging site Twitter to pass on their condolences. However, there was a debate online as some believed the reports to be frivolous. The 77-year-old multi-talented artist has been an essential part of numerous Hindi films, writing dialogues for blockbusters like Sharaabi, Coolie and acting in Aankhen and Hero No 1. The actor then when interviewed by television channels, laughed off the rumours and thanked his fans for PTI believing in him and for trashing the rumours.
CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
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CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
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CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
IN 'AMERICAN SNIPER' A BRADLEY COOPER
fter the tragic shooting death of ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle this past week, Bradley Cooper is moving forward with American Sniper, a movie based on the autobiography of Kyle. Cooper bought the rights to American Sniper The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History last spring, he told NPR’s Fresh Air recently. In the wide-ranging interview, Cooper discussed how he wanted to fast-track the project, which has obviously generated more public interest with recent events. “I couldn’t believe it. Jason Hall, who’s writing the script, called me an hour after it happened…,” Cooper explained about how he heard about the death. “The first draft was coming in this week, and Thursday I was at Walter Reed hospital meeting with veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder, among many other ailments; and then all of a sudden I hear this thing and I just can’t believe it. This man has two children, and he is an advocate for putting guns back in veterans’ hands, as a way of therapy.” Cooper went on to discuss what he had heard, citing news reports that claim Kyle took Eddie Ray Routh, who suffers from PTSD, to a shooting range in Texas to help him, where Routh then allegedly shot and killed Kyle as well as Chad Littlefield, Kyle’s friend.
Wallis might be in 'Annie'
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t's one thing to be a young actress and deliver a performance that gets noticed. It's quite another to get an Oscar nomination for your efforts, but Quvenzhané Wallis has been turning heads all through 2012 with her electric turn in Beasts of the Southern Wild. And while the actress has since taken a small role in Steve McQueen's Twelve Years a Slave, she may be quickly boosting herself up into blockbuster territory. EW reports that Wallis is “in consideration” for the lead role of the brewing Annie remake, which recently nabbed Easy A director Will Gluck to direct. The new version of the musical that was previously turned into a hit 1982 movie, will be contemporary instead of set during the Great Depression, but that's all the details there are for now.
GORDON-LEVITT TO EDIT HIS NEXT FILM
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oseph Gordon-Levitt’s directorial debut, Don Jon’s Addiction, a racy comedy about sex addiction, kicked off its rating-free festival run with Sundance last month. But now the actordirector has to prepare for MPAA to come into the picture — Relativity Media has
scooped up the US distribution rights — and that means going back to the cutting room. Gordon-Levitt plans to cut down some of the film’s most graphic sex scenes to secure an R rating, EW confirmed. THR reported the news from the Berlin International Film Festival.
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CHAI TIME SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
SUNDAY CROSSWORD
ACROSS
Winners!
Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally
106 Morning glory 109 Ocean liner 110 Powdery ink 111 Protective glass cover (2 wds) 115 A Knute successor 116 Math course 117 Stingy 118 Tall blooms 119 Techspeak, for example 121 Put off 123 Winter warmer 125 Ran its course 126 Grouchy Muppet 127 Fairy tale brother 128 Baseball blunder 129 Trawler gear 130 Short poem 131 Helena rival 132 Expiate 133 Squirrel refuges
DOWN 1 Principal 2 Bard’s teen 3 — — probability 4 Most waterlogged 5 Adjust 6 Degrade 7 Clothing category 8 Suffix for ‘press’ 9 Mariner 10 Before now 11 Ms Massey 12 Gridiron’s — Flutie 13 CIA operative 14 Hairy 15 Jaguar cousin 16 Slumgullion 17 Unit of resistance 18 An archangel 19 Reliable
Play & Win
Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.
FOLOWING ARE THE
20 Deep fissure 30 Historian’s word 32 — — woodchuck could ... 34 Pupil soother? 37 Rookie surfer 38 One-sidedness 39 Job-safety org 41 Prepared to propose 42 Kandinsky contemporary 43 Zip 44 Turnpike exits 45 Rod-shaped bacteria (2 wds) 46 Scarf down (2 wds) 47 Amherst sch 48 Rara — 50 Slander’s kin 51 Toughen up 52 Emmy-winning Ed 54 Public spat 55 Kid 56 Birdsong or Thorpe 58 Flamboyant 59 Dear, as memories 60 Thick carpet 63 Mantel 64 Prez’s stand-in 65 Took off
VOUCHER LUCKY WINNERS FOR THIS WEEK:
66 ‘Love Her —’ (Doors tune) 68 Recreation 69 Sonar’s sound 70 Raw cotton
72 Soda that lost its fizz 73 Like yond Cassius 74 Nuclear reactors 75 Physicist — Newton 76 — incognita 77 Non-earthling 78 Rugged cliff 80 Russian export 81 Wide open 82 Knight’s gloves 83 Discharge 85 Moraine find 86 Dried-up 87 Enjoys a lollipop 89 Subarctic tribe 90 Native of Kirkuk 91 Less cluttered 94 Realty unit 95 Sponge feature 96 Buffalo, for one 97 Jet 99 Informs against 100 Cure-all 101 Most unrestrained 103 Overpass 104 — is me! 105 Big green parrot 106 Hero’s ‘must’ 107 Hibernian 108 Sluggo’s girlfriend 110 Kitchen herb 111 Traffic-jam noise 112 Ms Foster of films 113 Coeur d’— 114 Grabs a cab 116 Split 117 Checked in 118 Listener’s murmur (2 wds) 120 Herd of whales 122 Kindled 124 — -Magnon man
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
1 Brittle 6 Keep occupied 11 Sun Valley site 16 The March King 21 Treat with respect 22 Cleveland exurb 23 Sound thinking 24 Engine sound 25 Insect stage 26 Poet’s adverb 27 Bizarre 28 A Bronte sister 29 Pond weed 31 Brief affair 33 Large number 35 Ice, to Fritz 36 Leaves 37 Mediterranean port 38 Gull’s perch 39 Auto pioneer 40 DDE milieu 41 Panmunjom site 42 Frisky pets 44 Della or Pee Wee 47 Beneath 48 Botanist’s wings 49 Summer flower 53 No room to swing — — 54 Campaign tactic 55 — Saint Laurent 56 Decrees 57 Bon — (witticism) 58 Heat to boiling 59 Pate de — gras 60 Ancient colonnade 61 Sweet roll 62 Most luxurious 64 RSVP word 65 Make meringue 66 Simply 67 Draws off 68 ‘Mystic River’ lead 69 Potpie ingredients 70 Farm machine 71 Wool supplier 72 Young bird 74 Streamlined housing 75 Tiber locale 78 Peal of thunder 79 Mailed 80 Hamlet 84 The mind’s I? 85 Laugh loudly 86 Dateless 87 Dawdle 88 ‘Exodus’ hero 89 Film, as of dust 90 Sharp 91 Waits patiently 92 Become mellow 93 Home furnishing (2 wds) 95 Happy rumble 96 Doesn’t have 97 Chest-beaters 98 Scrub 99 Links warning 100 Goose down jacket 101 Actress Dianne — 102 Cardinal 104 Hears the alarm 105 White wine aperitif
1. Vinita Rao 2. P Chandan 3. Muddassar 4. Pushpa D 5. Ranjit William
27
CHAI TIME SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
STAR POWER Date 11-2-2013
As per Hindu panchang
THIRUVAIKUMAR
thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in 040-27177230 / 9949870449
TAURUS
GEMINI
Unexpected turning point likely with which will cheer you. Those in love will be happy as support is seen from both the sides. Be careful with new friends and keep them at a safe distance.
Couples will be more affectionate towards each other. Delayed marriage talk will resume and end favourably. Strained relationship will blossom again. Change of residence likely for some.
Minor misunderstanding likely within the family but will get resolved soon. Spouse will be co-operative and more affectionate towards you. Happy events will be performed as per plan.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Your stock is set to pile up. You will receive support from parents in all your good efforts. Blood relatives might create trouble and mental depression for you. Brokers might face a decline.
Employees will work with a focus and complete work to the satisfaction of the management and superior. Their demands and wishes get fulfilled. You successfully plan for constant growth.
Some are likely to undertake pilgrimage or jolly trip with family. Chance of separated couples getting together and leading a happy life. Money will come from all the expected sources.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
You will complete all work with a determination, though you face hurdles and obstructions. Govt works will end favourably and quickly. Court issue get delayed and need to be dealt carefully.
You will participate in grand celebrations at your VIP friend’s place. Expected house loan will get sanctioned. Govt work will get delayed beyond expectation upsetting your plans.
Employees need to focus well in discharging duties so as to earn recognition; colleagues will give support them. All worries and tensions will recede gradually and wishes will get fulfilled.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Happy events likely to take place at home. Influx of visitors and close relatives will bring cheer to all family members. Those planning to go abroad will get their visa. You take up challenging tasks.
A major portion of debts will get cleared and you will feel relaxed. Your son might go abroad on a good job. Purchase of vehicle is likely. Money due to you will come and make you happy.
Ego clashes and misunderstanding between couples will disappear. Debt issues will be under control. Those wanting to get married will get good news soon. A happy time for employees.
SUMAA TEKUR
tarotreadhyd@gmail. com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Seven of Wands – Intellectually, this is a great time. From the creative point of view, it’s even better. Work is impressive. You’re able to show such combinations work.
Eight of Swords – You’re disturbed and it’s showing in your dreams. Unwind, do some light reading and don’t watch violent movies just before you sleep.
Six of Pentacles – Seniors will be much in demand at the office. Youngsters will be seeking their advice for their experience and knowledge. Money looks good.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Five of Wands – Someone may backstab you at work. Watch out for the sneak or someone who’s eyeing your position. He/she may play dirty.
Four of Swords – You’re comfortable in a stuck routine and would prefer it to go on that way. Don’t change anything if it makes you uncomfortable.
Nine of Swords – Your suspicions are your biggest enemy. You tend to make up negative situations about your partner that probably don’t exist.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Six of Swords – Overseas contacts will make a difference to the way you perceive a situation. It may be a friend who’s living abroad or a professional contact.
Knight of Pentacles – You’re thinking with your head and not so much with your heart. Those around you may see you as distant and unapproachable.
Queen of Wands – This is a fertile time for matters of the heart. You’re also in a great place, emotionally and are able to walk the tightrope with ease.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Ten of Cups – Family matters in focus. A get-together brings cousins, uncles and aunts under one roof. Gossip rules the gathering and you’re entertained.
Page of Pentacles – You’ve seen success at a young age and your expectations are high, although abnormally fast, one would think, for a person your age.
Five of Cups – You might lose some money but you also gain it immediately, thanks to your foresight and sharpness. You’ve covered your tracks well.
NON SEQUITUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE POOCH CAFE
STRIP TEASE
AGNES
ARIES
TAROT READ Date 11-2-2013
Jokes for computer geeks Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurling down the highway. Q: How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. It’s a hardware problem. Two strings walk into a bar and sit down. The bartender says, “So what’ll it be?” The first string says, “I think I’ll have a beer quag fulk boorg jdk^CjfdLk jk3s d#f67howe%^U r89nvy~~owmc63^Dz x.xvcu” “Please excuse my friend,” the second string says. “He
isn’t null-terminated.” A doctor, a civil engineer and a programmer are discussing whose profession is the oldest. “Surely medicine is the oldest profession,” says the doctor. “God took a rib from Adam and created Eve and if this isn’t medicine I’ll be…” The civil engineer breaks in: “But before that He created the heavens and the earth from chaos. Now that’s civil engineering to me.” The programmer thinks a bit and then says: “And who do you think created chaos?”
Vol: 2, No 205 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon. com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211
28
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Woman on top Age is just a number. And who better to prove it than the spunky leading ladies up for an Oscar this year? With nominees ranging from a chirpy nine-year-old to an ethereal 85-year-old, it's anyone's game at this point. JENNIFER LAWRENCE IN S ILVER L ININGS P LAYBOOK
EMMANUELLE RIVA
IN A MOUR he 85-year-old French actress plays Anne, a woman being looked after by her husband after two strokes. Riva captures the essence of a woman who rages as she loses control of her body and mind. Delivering the most emotional and technically difficult role among the nominees, the delicate actress is the dark horse in the race for an Oscar. BEST SCENE: As a ailing patient, Anne often is unable to control her speech. As she is trying to explain a simple memory to her daughter, Anne gets angrier and angrier as her words turn to gibberish.
T
2
012 was definitely Jennifer Lawrence's year. Not only did she storm the box office with her role in The Hunger Games, but she showed her range of skills as a troubled young woman in Silver Linings Playbook. She was the perfect foil to Bradley Cooper's intensity and elevated what could've been just another feel-good flick into something much more complex. BEST LINE: I was a big slut, but I'm not any more. There's always going to be a part of me that's sloppy and dirty, but I like that. With all the other parts of myself. Can you say the same about yourself f****r? Can you forgive? Are you any good at that?
QUVENZHANÉ WALLIS IN OF THE S OUTHERN W ILD he pint-sized wonder has charmed everyone with her dreamy, wild child role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, and she is now the youngest ever to be nominated for a best actress award at the Academy Awards. She plays Hushpuppy, a six-yearold girl who lives with her dying father. BEST LINE: Everybody loses the thing that made them. It's even how it's supposed to be in nature. The brave men stay and watch it happen, they don't run. BEASTS
T
JESSICA CHASTAIN IN ZERO DARK THIRTY
J
essica Chastain plays Maya, a CIA agent who undertakes a decade-long search for Osama bin Laden. For a change, she neither plays a manly woman who acts butch to be taken seriously or a sexy seductress. Maya is all woman and all brain; and it is her relentless dedication to tracking down Osama that led to his capture. Based on a real CIA agent whose life inspired the movie, Jessica's role has won her critical and commercial appreciation. BEST LINE: Quite frankly, I didn't even want to use you guys, with your dip and velcro and all your gear bullshit. I wanted to drop a bomb. But people didn't believe in this lead enough to drop a bomb. So they're using you guys as canaries. And, in theory, if Bin Laden isn't there, you can sneak away and no one will be the wiser. But bin Laden is there. And you're going to kill him for me.
NAOMI WATTS IN THE IMPOSSIBLE aomi Watts plays Maria Belon, a woman holidaying in Thailand with her family when a tsunami hits. Based on the real life account of a 2004 tsunami survivor, the movie was a visually and emotionally draining. Watts has channelled the rage and despair of a woman who survives but doesn't know her family's fate. BEST LINE: Lucas, look at this place. They're so busy in here. You get to go and do something. Go help people. You're good at it.
N
Compiled by
Jyotsna Nambiar
jyotsna.n@postnoon.com
29
SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Anand draws with Meier
Nuggets extend win streak to 9
Cipollini in dope case
BADEN-BADEN (GERMANY): World
CLEVELAND, OHIO: Danilo Gallinari (pic)
MILAN: Retired Italian cycling star Mario
champion Viswanathan Anand played out his third draw on the trot, forced to sign peace with lowest-ranked Georg Meier of Germany in the third round of the Grenke Chess Classic here. Playing black for the second time in three days, Anand could do little against a rock-solid display by Meier and the game was drawn without much ado. Fabiano Caruana turned the tables on Arkadij Naiditsch to emerge the sole leader.
scored 19 points and the Denver Nuggets stretched their NBA win streak to nine games with a 111-103 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. The Italian playmaker, who also grabbed nine rebounds, led eight double-figure scorers among the nine players who took the court for the Nuggets, who improved to 33-18 to remain fourth in the Western Conference. Kenneth Faried added 17 points.
Cipollini used a sophisticated doping programme designed by a sports doctor currently standing trial in Spain, a report claimed on Saturday. At the ‘Operation Puerto’ trial that opened in Madrid last week, Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes faced charges of supplying and administering banned doping products to a number of top cyclists and athletes. Cipollini was crowned world champion in 2002.
Ashwa Shakti for feature
LVR Deshmukh-trained Ashwa Shakti, a failed favourite in race No 209 over a seven furlong race, may find the present trip more suitable and could win the Fire Haven Cup, the main attraction of Monday afternoon races in the City. 1st Race: The Elusive Pimpernel Plate (Div-I) (about) 1200 metres, Cat-III; A handicap for horses 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 25: 1-10pm 1 Art Connoisseur 61 (Fayaz) S Nayak 11 2 Mukhtar 61 (H’ibulla) C Henrique 7 3 Original Gladiator 61 (S’narayan) NS Parmar 1 4 Valley Crossing 61 (Srinagesh) S Sreekant 2 5 Victory Sky 59 (Kassam) Ch K Chary 5 6 Sugar Deal 57.5 (Hassan) M Mark 3 7 Architect 56.5 (Srinagesh) P Venkat 12 8 Sharp Victor 53 (Vatsalya) J Vikas 10 9 Red Magic 51.5 (H’ibulla) B Dileep 6 10 Bold Brigade 50.5 (Kassam) Ravindersingh 8 11 Golden Star 50 (Srinivas KV) A Ramana 9 12 Hard Hit 49.5 (Srinagesh) Nitin Singh 4 Selections: 1 Art Connoisseur 2 Mukhtar 3 Original Gladiator 2nd Race: The Elusive Pimpernel Plate (Div-II) (about) 1200 metres, Cat-III; A handicap for horse 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 25: 1-40pm 1 Flower Drum 61 (Hassan) J Vikas 12 2 Symbol Of Honour 61 (Hassan) C Henrique 4 3 Tripple Eight 61 Z Shaikh) S Nayak 9 4 Incredible India 59 (S Abbas) B DFileep 6 5 Icelandic 58.5 (D’Silva) Kuldeep Singh 7 6 Prayer Call 57 (Srinivas KV) A Ramana 11 7 Itsy Bitsy 54.5 (Netto) Ravinder Singh 1 8 Blue Diamond 52 (Srinagesh) K Anil 2 9 The Parliament 51.5 (Sivester) Nitin Singh 8 10 Nano Tribute 50 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 3 11 Star Sensation 50 (Prasad R) N Rawal 5 12 Aaradhya 49 (Srinagesh) P Venkat 10 Selections: 1 Prayer Call 2 Incredible India 3 Itsy Bitsy 3rd Race: The Mount Everest Plate (about) 1100 metres, CatII; Terms for Maiden horses 3-year-old only: 2-10pm 1 Ein Ein Ein 55 (Sequeria) K Anil 10 2 Lips Locking 55 (Kassam) Ravinder Singh 6 3 Amazing Power 53.5 (Hassan) M Mark 1 4 Ancillary 53.5 (Netto) JWDL 5 5 Golden Art 53.5 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 8 6 Graceland 53.5 (D’Silva) S Nayak 9 7 Just Once 53.5 (Satheesh) B Dileep 2 8 Macintosh 53.5 (Hassan) AM Tograllu 3 9 Over Look 53.5 (Satheesh) Deep Shanker 4 10 Rock Heights 53.5 (Prasad R) P Sai Kumar 7 11 Star Wings 53.5 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 11 Selections: 1 Ein Ein Ein 2 Ancillary 3 Golden Art
4th Race: the Fire Havgen Cup (about) 1600 metres, Cat-II; Terms for horses 4-year-old and upward: 2-40pm 1 Ashwa Shakti 61 (Deshmukh) PS Chouhan 2 Chal Bhai Chal 59 (Netto) A Imran Khan 3 Heros Choice 59 (Sequeria) K Anil 4 Qinghuangdao 57.5 (A Sharma) AM Tograllu 5 Aerosmith 56.5 (Prasad R) N Rawal 6 Golden Rule 56.5 (D’Silva) Kuldeep Singh 7 Handsome Hawk 56.5 (Fayaz) G Sai Vamshi 8 Rosemead 55 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 9 Ruffiano 53.5 (Sequeria) M Mark Selections: 1 Ashwa Shakti 2 Chal Bhai Chal 3 Aerosmith
4 8 2 7 3 6 5 1 9
5th Race: the Chilli Girl Plate (about) 1200 metres, Cat-III; A handicap for horses 4-year-old and upward, rated up to 50: 3-10pm 1 Exclusive 61 (D’silva) PS Chouhna 6 2 Montego Bay 60 (Prasad R) G Sai Vamshi 1 3 Our Mascot 59.5 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 5 4 Gold Medal 58 (Satheesh) Deep Shanker 3 5 Skander 53 (Laxman S) AM Tograllu 10 6 Iceland 52.5 (S’narayan) Khurshad Alam 9 7 Cyupress Way 51.5 (Vatsalya) Ravinder Singh 2 8 Guiding Spirit 51 (Kassam) A Ramana 7 9 Homely Helo 51 (Laxman S) Harinder Singh 11 10 Khabza 50 (Hassan) NS Parmar 4 11 Merry Maid 49.5 (Srinagesh) P Sai Kumar 8 12 Allianz Arena 49 (S’narayan) withdrawn – Selections: 1 Exclusive 2 Our Mascot 3 Gold Medal 6th Race: The Jockey Laxman Memorial Cup (about) 1400 metres, Cat-III; A handicap for horses, 4 year olds and upward, rated up to 50. 3-45pm 1 Big Boss 61.5 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 2 Golden Dash 60 (Vatsalya) Ajit Kumar 3 Saravagnya 59.5 (A Sharma) C Henrique 4 Kohinoor Angel 58 (Vatsalya) Harinder Singh 5 Lady Luck 55.5 (Netto) A ImranKhan 6 Pakat Pakat Pakat 54.5 (Srinagesh) Ravinder Singh 7 Baba’s Gift 51 (Kassam) Ch K Chary 8 Bernabeu 49 A Sharma) J Vikas Selections: 1 Saravagnya 2 Golden Dash 3 Lady Luck
5 2 3 8 1 6 7 4
7th Race: The Smt Teegala Sulochana Reddy Memorial Cup (about) 1600 metres, Cat-II; Terms for horses 3-year-old only: 4-15pm 1 Rainbow in the Sky 57.5 (S’narayan) Khurshad Alam 5
2 Alastor 55 (S’suddin) A Imran Khan 2 3 Chocolate Soldier 55 (A Sharma) C Henrique 1 4 Symbol Of Victory 55 (A Sharma) Nitin Singh 7 5 Golden Phantom 50 (S Abbas) PS Chouhan 4 6 Riverdale 50 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 6 7 Zorro The Legend 50 (Sequeria) P Venkat 3 Selections: 1 Rainbow in the Sky 2 Riverdale 3 Golden Phantom 8th Race: The sir Bruce Plate (Div-I) (about) 1400 metres, CatII; A handicap for horses 5-year-old and upward, rated up to 75: 4-45pm 1 Alberton Star 62 (Prasad R) P Sai Kumar 3 2 Bloody Mary 62 (D’silva) Kuldeep Singh 9 3 All Pepper 61.5 (S Abbas) A Imran Khan 6 4 Naughty Gal 60 (Netto) Deep Shanker 1 5 Oru Oru Oru 58.5 (N Rao) G Sai Vamshi 7 6 Suchiman 58.5 (A Sharma) Withdrawn 7 Valentine 53 (Srinivas R) P Venkat 8 8 Sanjaa 51.5 (Hassan) AMTograllu 5 9 Sporting Star 51.5 (Satheesh) B Dileep 2 10 Citi Supreme 50.5 (Hassan) Harinder Singh 4 11 Home Town 49.5 (Netto) N Rawal 10 Selections; 1 All Pepper 2 Naughty Gal 3 Alberton Star 9th Race: The sir Bruce Plate (Div-II) (about) 1400 metres, Cat-II; A handicap for horses 5-year-old and upward, rated up to 75: 5-20pm 1 Aphrodisiac 62 (S Abbas) A ImranKhan 1 2 Scubarioo 62 (D’Silva) NS Parmar 6 3 Dream Deal 60.5 (Hassan) J Vikas 9 4 Illustrator 59.5 (Netto) N Rawal 8 5 Stylish Chieftan 58 (LaxmanS) Harinder Singh 10 6 Young Sapper 56.5 (Srinivas R) PS Chouhan 2 7 Bound For Glory 52.5 (Srinivas R) P Venkat 7 8 Rose Queen 51.5 (A Sharma) G Sai Vamshi 3 9 Betty Prior 51 (S’narayan) Khurshad Alam 5 10 Prince Paladin 50.5 (S’suddin) Nitin Singh 2 Selections: 1 Aphrodisiac 2 Young Sapper 3 Illustrator
Days Best: Ein Ein Ein Jackpot Race Nos: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 1stTreble Race Nos: 1, 2 and 3 2nd Treble Race Nos: 4, 5 and 6 3rd Treble Race Nos: 7, 8 and 9 Tanala Pool will operate on all races where there are five or more starters. False rails are up.
Bullying exposes sports’ military roots Shigemi Sato
TOKYO: The resignation of the national women’s judo coach who beat athletes with a bamboo sword was a nasty reminder of how Japan’s sporting world still draws on the traditions that led the country to war last century, experts say. And, they say, despite the bravery of the judokas who risked their careers to bring it to light, the culture of coercion and corporal punishment is so ingrained that it will die hard. Ryuji Sonoda quit in disgrace on February 1 after 15 of his
charges accused him and his staff of slapping, kicking them during training in the run up to the London Olympics. Sonoda, 39, who doubles as a judo instructor for Tokyo police, was also heard telling members of the squad to “drop dead” during humiliating dressing downs. His boss Kazuo Yoshimura, the technical director at the All-Japan Judo Federation, also stepped down later along with one of Sonoda’s assistant coaches. “We were deeply hurt both physically and mentally. Some of us were reduced to tears,” they said in a statement.
SBH storms into football final
S
tate Bank of Hyderabad (SBH) moved to the final of the Kosa Raju Memorial Football tournament held at Vizag. SBH defeated Benja Nagar Football Club, Orissa by 2-0. Mouzam set up one goal, which substitute Joshwa scored, and himself scored a brilliant solo to take them to one win short of winning the tournament. SBH meet Vizag District Football Association in the final on Sunday at the East Coast Railway Stadium.
30
SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Nadal in title round VINA DEL MAR, CHILE: Rafael
Nadal looked sharp on Saturday as he booked a finals berth in an ATP South American clay court tournament, his first event back from a seven-month injury absence. Nadal, seeded number one as a wildcard in the $410,200 tournament, needed just 64 minutes to defeat thirdseeded Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 62, 6-2. Former world number one Nadal, currently ranked fifth in the world, raced to a 4-0 lead before Chardy was finally able to hold serve. Nadal closed out the opening set after little more than half an hour, pulling Chardy wide with a deep ball to the corner then blasting an overhead winner into the open court to end the rally on set point. He broke Chardy at love in the third game of the second set to gain the upper hand, then saved three break points in the sixth game to maintain his advantage. He broke Chardy for a 5-2 lead and took the contest with an ace on his second match point to book a title clash with Argentinian Horacio Zeballos. Zeballos, ranked 73rd in the world, reached the second ATP final of his career with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) victory
Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal hits a return to France's Jeremy Chardy (not in frame), during ATP Vina del Mar tournament semi final singles match, in Vina del Mar on Saturday. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BERNETTI over eighth-seeded compatriot Carlos Berlocq. Zeballos has beaten three straight seeded opponents en route to the title match, which will be his first appearance in a final since he was runner-up at St. Petersburg in 2009.
Bolt opens season with 400m victory
Nadal and Zeballos have met once before. Nadal beat him in straight sets in the round of 64 at Roland Garros in 2010 en route to one of the seven French Open titles he counts among AFP his 11 Grand Slam triumphs.
Czechs eye Fed Cup semifinals PARIS: Defending champions the Czech Republic, bidding to become the first country in 18 years to capture three successive Fed Cup titles, opened a 2-0 lead over Australia in their first round clash on Saturday. Petra Kvitova gave the holders a convincing start in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava when the world number eight beat Australia's 168-ranked Jarmila Gajdosova 7-6 (7/2), 6-3. Lucie Safarova, the world number 18, then snatched two tie-breaks for a 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) win over ninth-ranked Samantha Stosur. The other three World Group One ties were level after the first day. Italy and the United States, Russia against Japan and the tie between Serbia and Slovakia were all heading for a dramatic conclusion on Sunday with two reverse singles and a doubles to play. Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, who led the Czechs to victory in 2011 and 2012, struggled for composure in the first set before dominating the second. “It wasn't an easy match and she had moments when she played very well, but she also helped me a few times,” said the 22-year-old.
Serena eyes top spot Richard Eaton
DOHA: Serena Williams will co-
KINGSTON: Jamaican sprint hero Usain Bolt (above) won his 400-metre heat while Yohan Blake was beaten by Warren Weir on Saturday as the athletes opened their 2013 season at the Camperdown Classic. Weir, the 200m bronze medallist at the London Olympics, emerged with the meet's overall 400m title with a time of 46.23sec. Blake, the double Olympic sprint silver medallist, clocked 46.77 in the same heat. In an earlier heat, Bolt trailed Riker Hylton -- a genuine quarter-miler -- into the last 40m but won the heat in 46.74. “I felt a bit nervous,” Bolt, the 100m and 200m world record-holder, said of his season opener. “I just came out here to win and I'm glad I won injury free.”
mplete another remarkable achievement if she can regain the world number one ranking at the Qatar Open starting on Monday. The holder of 15 Grand Slam titles has not occupied the top spot for more than two and a half years after a series of injuries during 2010 and 2011 plunged her below the top 100, bringing predictions of a career end. However, Williams was clearly the world's best player again during the second half of last year when she won the Wimbledon, Olympic, US Open and WTA Championship season-end titles. The pinnacle seemed within reach until she was struck by multiple setbacks during last month's Australian Open. Williams turned her right ankle in her opening round, hurt her back while running for a drop shot during her second, and exited in the quarter-finals after
one of the most startling defeats of her career, to Sloane Stephens, then outside the top 30. It was Williams' first ever loss to a younger American and also, she asserted, her “worst
Brandt, Hahn on top at Pebble Beach PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA: Brandt Snedeker, runner-up to Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in the past two weeks, fired a four-under par 68 Saturday to share the lead after 54 holes at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Snedeker, a 32-year-old American who won last year's PGA playoff crown, stood alongside KoreanAmerican PGA rookie James Hahn on 12-under 202 through three rounds in quest of a $1.15 million top prize at the $6.5 million event. “It was a fun day. I played great
start to finish,” Snedeker said. “I had a couple hiccups in there but overall I played well. I've putted well the past two days. Left me a little bit today but hopefully it will be back tomorrow.” Pros played alongside amateurs, many of them celebrities in entertainment and sports, over three courses during the first three rounds before the cut ahead of Sunday's finish at Pebble Beach. Snedeker birdied the par-5 second and answered a bogey at the par-3 fifth by finishing the front nine with four AFP birdies in a row.
two weeks.” It will have made her keener than ever to return to something nearer her true self during the $2,369,000 event in Doha, her first outing since that debacle. She is seeded second, and could have a semi-final with Maria Sharapova, the French Open champion who gave her a very hard final in their last encounter, at the WTA Championships in Istanbul three months ago. Sharapova has a particularly tough quarter, which contains two former Grand Slam winners -- Samantha Stosur of Australia and Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, and a former world number one, Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia. A further incentive is that Williams is only 355 ranking points behind Victoria Azarenka, the world number one, and is offered leapfrogging opportunities by the 900 points which are AFP awarded to the winner.
Sterne, Fisher extend Jo’burg Open lead JOHANNESBURG: South Africans Richard Sterne and Trevor Fisher stretched their lead to five shots on Saturday, after three rounds of the 1.3 million euros ($1.737 million) Joburg Open. They held a healthy advantage at the event being played at the Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club which is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the local Sunshine Tour. Playing together, each fired a third-round 68 to share first place on 196, with compatriots George Coetzee, tournament favourite Charl Schwartzel, Jaco van Zyl and Chilean Felipe Aguilar on 201, AFP the nearest challengers.
31
SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
Australia take on Lanka
MUMBAI: Unbeaten so far, a formidable Australia will take on giant-killers Sri Lanka in what could turn out to be an interesting Super Six clash of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup here today. Buoyed by the two-run victory over defending champions England in the previous game, five-time champions Australia will go in with their tails up against an unpredictable Sri Lanka. Australia’s bowling attack is their strength and the Jodie Fields-led side showed it against arch-rivals England, when they successfully defended a meagre 147. The pacers would look to rip through the batting order of their lesser fancied opponents, though their own form with the bat has been a concern. “We need to work on the batting. We were very disappointed with the total that we posted (against England). It was swinging a little bit earlier but we are a better team than that,” said Aussie all-rounder Alexandra Blackwell.
South Africa, England in do-or-die clash
CUTTACK: In a desperate bid to stay in hunt for a semi-final berth, England side led by Charlotte Edwards will go all out against South Africa in a do-or-die Super Sx encounter of the ICC Women’s World Cup at the Barabati Stadium, here tomorrow. Both teams need to win this encounter to stay alive in the tournament and England will certainly start as favourites against South Africa who haven’t done anything worth taking a note of. England lost a low-scoring encounter against Australia by two runs while West Indies beat South Africa by two wickets in their respective Super Six games. PTI
RoI in control
MUMBAI: A unbeaten century
by Ambati Rayudu helped Rest of India enjoy complete command over Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai at stumps on the fourth day of the Irani Cup match, here on Saturday. Riding on Rayudu’s 118, Rest of India finished the fourth day’s play at 296 for four taking their overall lead to a whopping 413 runs and have virtually put their hands on the trophy which they would be winning for 25th time. With fate of the match virtually sealed, Suresh Raina is looking good for a second ton in the match and is batting on 40. The only interest on fifth and final day will be whether national selectors recall Raina in the Test squad or try something out of the box by selecting Rayudu. Apart from that, Rayudu has had a good Ranji season and also scored a century for India A against New Zealand. He also resurrected the Rest second innings as they were tottering at 69 for three at one
stage. Rayudu added 140 runs for the fourth wicket with Manoj Tiwary, who hit a dogged 69. During his 217 ball unbeaten knock, Rayudu has hit nine fours and four sixes — all of them being straight lofts. This was his 14th century in first-class cricket. Rest, began the day at 27 for 1, struggled for runs in the morning session with the Mumbai pace bowlers extracting a lot of movement. Nightwatchman S Sreesanth (18) was run-out by a direct hit from cover point fielder Rohit Sharma. He responded to a call for a sharp single from partner M Vijay but was beaten by an agile throw from Rohit. Vijay, scorer of a fluent century in the first innings, struggled against Dhawal Kulkarni and Shardul Thakur, edged the former once to Kaustubh Pawar, substituting for Sachin Tendulkar who was off the field for the entire day, at PTI gully and survived.
Watson ready to bat at middle-order MELBOURNE: His form as an
Australia endured a batting collapse and lost half of their side at the score of 32 before being bowled out in 44.4 overs against England. They lost their top four batswomen, Meghann Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Jessica Cameron and Alexandra Blackwell for a paltry score of 27 runs. An 82-run sixth wicket part-
nership between Lisa Sthalekar (41) and Sarah Coyte (44) was the highlight of Australia’s innings as it helped them post a three digit score. The teams have met twice in the past with Australia winning on both the occasions but Sri Lanka had never defeated England or India prior to its league matches in the World PTI Cup.
opener has created selection dilemma for Australia in the run-up to the Test series against India but Shane Watson said he is ready to bat in the middle-order if its suits the team. “I certainly do love opening and I’ve had my most success there in Test cricket especially, but I also know how important it is to get the balance of the batting order exactly right as well. In the end I’m just content to fulfil a role wherever I can,” said Watson, who scored 122 and 76 after being included in the 3rd and 4th ODI against West Indies. “I’m not here to put extra pressure on Ed, at all, because I know he wants to be doing the best job he can. The reason why I got moved down the order is mainly to do with my bowling . . . but moving forward, I really don’t want my bowling to be able to get in the PTI way of my batting.”
Nothing ‘W’right for NZ AUCKLAND: England posted their highest ever Twenty20 score of 214 for seven as allrounder Luke Wright (right in pic) and captain Stuart Broad led them to a comprehensive 40-run win over New Zealand here Saturday. In reply, New Zealand were struggling at 174 for nine at the end of their innings. England’s batting masterclass saw them take advantage of the short Eden Park boundaries as they easily surpassed their previous best total of 202 scored against South Africa in 2009. The runfest also produced 15 sixes, the third best on record behind the 17 South Africa scored against England in 2009 and the 16 belted by Australia against India a year later. The England onslaught was assisted by sloppy New Zealand fielding with six catches spilled including two by Ross Taylor back in the side for the first
time after pulling out of the recent South African tour when stripped of the captaincy. After being sent into bat first, Alex Hales led the initial charge racing to 21 before he was stumped by Brendon McCullum off Ronnie Hira
and England lost their first wicket at 29 in the fourth over.Hira later had the satisfaction of claiming the first successful catch in the New Zealand field to dismiss Wright whose 42 came from just 20 deliveries.
Sana Mir appreciates India’s hospitality
PSL leaves BPL players disappointed
Aggression key to taming Proteas: Kamran
KARACHI: PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf might have
LAHORE: The sudden decision of the PCB to postp-
blamed uncertain security situation in India for the national women’s team flop show in the World Cup but captain Sana Mir returned home all praise for the hospitality showered on the team by the hosts. The Pakistan team finished last in the eight-team event and had to remain confined to the Barabati stadium complex because of security fears but Sana did not make an issue of the fact. “We were well taken care off in the stadium and the hospitality shown by the Indian people was touching. That is why I hope relations between the two countries only improve,” Sana told reporters. “I think there is a need for more normal relations and more matches between Pakistan and India,” she added. PTI
one it’s much-hyped Super League T20 has left many players, who were stopped from playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, disappointed and upset. The PCB didn’t issue NOCs to around three dozen Pakistani players, many of them notable names, in January to play in the BPL after franchises brought them for handsome amounts in the players auction for the second edition the BPL. The PCB took its stand in apparent retaliation to the refusal of the Bangladesh cricket board to not send its team to Pakistan in January because of security fears. “Now what will happen to our lost earnings. We were hoping that we will be compensated through the PSL but now only god knows when it will be organized,” a leading player told PTI. PTI
LAHORE: Kamran Akmal believes the only way for Pakistan to make a comeback in three-Test series against South Africa is to play aggressively and positively against their fearsome pace attack. “Given the nature of the pitches in South Africa which have pace and bounce you have to keep playing your shots because it is not possible to survive without being positive. The pitches will always have something for the bowlers at any given time,” said Kamran, the veteran of 53 Tests, 143 ODIs and 49 T20 matches. Kamran was overlooked for the Tests in South Africa but is in line to be picked for the limited over games. Pakistan was drubbed by 211 runs in the first Test and there are fears of another repeat in the second Test beginning on February 14 at Capetown. PTI
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SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2013
City crash leaves title hopes in tatters Steve Griffiths
LONDON: Manchester City’s hopes of retaining their Premier League title were in tatters on Saturday as a shock 3-1 defeat at Southampton left manager Roberto Mancini to virtually concede the championship. Mancini’s side needed a victory at St Mary’s to keep the pressure on leaders Manchester United, but instead they slumped to their third league defeat of the season. Jason Puncheon and Steven Davis put Saints 2-0 ahead by the 22nd minute and, although Edin Dzeko got one back before the break, a Gareth Barry own goal early in the second half sealed City’s fate. Mancini’s second-placed team have now gone three league games without a win and they remain nine points behind United, who host Everton on Sunday. “I think we now have a 10 percent chance of winning the title. I don’t think United will drop 12 points,” said Mancini. “It was a really poor performance. Southampton were better than us. We conceded two goals which I didn’t think a team like us could concede.” While City slumped, Chelsea got back on track. Manager Rafael Benitez admitted this week that he hasn’t spoken to Blues owner Roman Abramovich for three weeks, sparking suggestions the Spaniard could be in danger of losing his job after Chelsea’s recent poor run. But the third placed Blues were too strong for struggling
Southampton’s Northern Irish midfielder Steven Davis (2R) scores their second goal in their match against Manchester City at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, England, on Saturday. AFP/ GLYN KIRK
Saturday results n n n
n n n n
‘Title surrendered’
Chelsea 4 Vs Wigan 1 Norwich 0 Vs Fulham 0 Southampton 3 Vs Manchester City 1 Stoke 2 Vs Reading 1 Sunderland 0 Vs Arsenal 1 Swansea 4 Vs QPR 1 Tottenham 2 Vs Newcastle 1
Sunday fixtures n
Aston Villa Vs West Ham (1330GMT), Man United Vs Everton (1600GMT)
Wigan at Stamford Bridge as a 4-1 win saw them cruise to their first win in five matches in all competitions.
SOUTHAMPTON, UK: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has conceded that his side may have surrendered their Premier League title in Saturday’s embarrassing 3-1 defeat to Southampton. Two awful mistakes from England internationals Joe Hart and Gareth Barry gifted Mauricio Pochettino his first win since succeeding Nigel Adkins at St Mary’s and left City facing the prospect of falling 12 points behind Manchester United in the race to retain their crown. Ramires fired home in the 23rd minute and Eden Hazard doubled Chelsea’s lead in the 56th minute.
CHELSEA
EASE
BENITEZ
finished third a second consecutive time at the Africa Cup of Nations by defeating Ghana 3-1 Saturday at raindrenched Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Mahamadou Samassa and Seydou Keita gave Mali a two-goal advantage by early in the second half, Kwadwo Asamoah scored a soft late goal to set up a tense finish but substitute Sigamary Diarra put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time. It was the second successive tournament in which the Black Stars of Ghana defeated the Eagles of Mali in the mini-league first phase of the tournament
Nigeria sweat over fitness SOWETO, SA: Nigeria are sweating on the fitness of two of their best players — Emmanuel Emenike (left) and Victor Moses — with the duo’s participation in Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final far from assured. Spartak Moscow striker Emenike, joint top of the scoring charts with four goals, and Chelsea winger Moses picked up knocks in Wednesday’s semi-final over Mali. Emenike suffered a thigh injury while Moses, who has scored twice, injured an ankle. Coach Stephen Keshi disclosed here on Saturday: “We are not 100 per cent sure about Emmanuel. He’s shown a lot of improvement, but if he’s not there it doesn’t matter, somebody else will have to pick up where’s he’s left off.
Kieran Canning
MADRID: Cristiano Ronaldo (below) scored his 20th hat-trick as a Real Madrid player as the Spanish champions cruised to a 4-1 victory over Sevilla on Saturday. Ronaldo was even involved in the goal he didn’t score as he squared for Karim Benzema to open the scoring on 18 minutes before smashing in his first of the evening eight minutes later. And the former Manchester United man warmed up for Wednesday’s meeting with his old club in the Champions League in perfect fashion as he scored twice more from close range in the first 14 minutes of the second-half. Madrid had to be play the final 24 minutes with 10 men though as Gonzalo Higuain saw a needless second yellow card for a late challenge on Fernando Navarro.
WOES
Chelsea eased the pressure on boss Rafael Benitez with a 4-1 win over Wigan, while England star Jack Wilshere suffered a worrying thigh injury in 10man Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Sunderland on Saturday. Benitez admitted this week that he hasn’t spoken to notoriously demanding Blues owner Roman Abramovich for three weeks, sparking suggestions the Spaniard could be in danger of losing his job after Chelsea’s recent poor run. But the third placed Blues were too strong for struggling Wigan at Stamford Bridge and cruised to their first win in five matches in all competitions. Chelsea produced a sweeping move to open the scoring as Fernando Torres played a fine pass towards Ramires.
Mali collect more bronze medals PORT ELIZABETH, SA: Mali
Ronaldo does a hat-trick
only to lose out when they met a second time with the bronze medals at stake. Victory in a possible Africa Cup farewell for 33year-old Keita brought a happy end to the week for Mali after a 4-1 drubbing from Nigeria in an unexpectedly one-sided game. And the deserved victory by a team much hungrier for the consolation prize will lift spirits at home with the country involved in a struggle against extremists. Ghana spent much of the match on the back foot over the disappointment of losing on penalties to surprise side Burkina Faso in the other semi-final.
Juve stretch lead in title defence Justin DAVIS
MILAN: Argentine defender Hugo Campagnaro scored a superb late volley to save Napoli’s blushes in a 1-1 draw with Lazio which boosted Juventus’s Serie A title defence on Saturday. Juventus had assured their 17th win of the campaign earlier when goals by Mirko Vucinic and Alessandro Matri, the latter scoring without his boot, secured a 2-0 home win over Fiorentina. It left Napoli needing to beat Lazio at the Olympic Stadium to restore their three-point deficit but they came up short, dropping two points to see the gap to Juve grow to five points with Lazio in third six points further adrift. Lazio are still without Miroslav Klose.