Postnoon E-Paper for 03 March 2013 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

M ANIL KUMAR

INDIA OPTS FOR CAUTION OVER FLAMBOYANCE

ndian batsmen employed a cautious approach against the Australian pacers and scored at a snail's pace to reach 54 for one at lunch on the second day of the second cricket Test, in the City today. Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara decided to defend doggedly as they went into break on individual scores of 29 and 15 respectively.

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MARCH 3, 2013 HYDERABAD

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ON SUNDAY

REPORT ON PG 4

Agriculture Science students at Loyola Academy were shocked to find they were ineligible for government jobs as their course is considered a diploma, and not degree.

S BALAKRISHNA

‘I IS A LIE’

here are many layers to Debashish Bhattacharya, the Indian lap slide guitar maestro. He started to play at the age of three; Debashish, now at 40, says music is the cure to many of the ills of the world, lack of love and the path to consciousness. PG 10

NO JOBS EVEN AFTER

4-YR ‘DEGREE’

THE CUBA LIBRE

uba, much like the popular cocktail Cuba Libre, is a concoction of a vibrant culture, music, history and breathtaking locales, although it's always in news because of the politics. Recently, Raul Castro was re-elected as President of Cuba, which got everyone talking about the country once again. We look at the best places to visit on the island. PG 16&17

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

STARTING YOUNG

The Great Oxford Sale

SRINIVAS SETTY

Discounts on books, magazines, stationery and gift items. Where: Oxford Bookstore, Tresorie, The Park , 22 Raj Bhavan Road When: Up to March 31, 10am to 10pm Contact: (040) 31002959

Where: Rainbow Art Gallery, GHMC Balayogi Paryatak Bhavan, Begumpet When: Up to March 5, 11am to 7pm Contact: www.rainbowartgallery.in

Cancer prevention talk

Awadh food festival

There will be a screening and talk on cancer prevention by Dr P Vijay Anand Reddy. Where: Public Gardens Walkers Association When: March 3, 7am onwards

Lazzat-E-Awadh brings kebabs, qormas and kalias from the Nawab’s kitchen. Where: Kangan, Westin Hyderabad Mindspace When: Up to March 3 Contact: (040) 6767 6838

Tribal art Muse Art Gallery hosts a first-ofits-kind tribal art exhibition featuring art from the Gond tribal community. Where: Muse, Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre When: March 3 onwards

ConfiDance 2013 Shiamak Davar’s ConfiDance show is a display of dance styles from different parts of the world. These are performed by hand-picked students who get advanced training. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika When: March 3

The First Cut A festival of short films and documentaries, where amateurs can showcase their talents. Where: St Francis College for Women, Uma Nagar, Begumpet When: March 4, 10.30am onwards

Women’s March

Imany World music-jazz and soul. Part of the Bonjour India 2013 festival organised by the French Embassy. Where: Hyderabad International Convention Centre Novotel & HICC complex Near Hitec City Cyberabad Post Office When: March 15 Contact: (040) 2355 4486

Special lunch A changing menu, with a wide spread of food items and special packages for kitty and group lunches. Where: Kailash Parbat Above Ebony Gautier, 2nd floor, Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2355 8856

Sushi food festival There is a Feng Sushi food festival.

CINEMAS

People walk down Necklace Road as part of a 5k women’s walk.

France heritage

Where: Deccan Pavilion, Begumpet When: Up to March 3, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2340 0132

A photographic voyage of French heritage in India with Anay Mann, Gigi Scaria, Rishi Singhal, Serena Chopra, Isabel Saij along with JeanPierre Dubois. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: March 16- March 21 11am to 7pm

All you can eat Guests can taste unlimited amount of food from a variety of cuisines, from hot curries to delicious desserts, at a fixed price. Where: Holy Basil, Radisson Blu Plaza When: Ongoing

For the love of fauna ‘For the love of fauna’ is a group art exhibition by G Jagadeesh, Jaya Prakash and Maddileti Gaddam. Where: Residence Inn, Opp SBH Bank, Kavuri Hills

Kalakriti Art Gallery will be holding an exhibition by Dimple Shah, titled Katharsis in Forbidden Zones, a series of paintings, sculptures and installation art. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: March 5-March 13 11am to 7pm

For the kids When: Up to March 6 11am to 7pm Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Vibgyor ‘Vibgyor’ is a group art show by seven artists: Maredu Ramu, Harikumar, Sujatha Basu, Srinivas, Narayan Naik, Madhu Kuruva and Abhiram Bairu.

A workshop is being held for children aged 4-6 years to improve their reading and comprehension skills at Treasure House. Where: Treasure House, Banjara Hills When: Up to March 29 Every Wednesday and Friday Contact: (040) 23550118

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

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Newlywed commits suicide

newly wed woman, Maheshwari, 26, committed suicide by setting herself ablaze in her home at Umda Bazar of Kamatipura. She suffered severe burns and died in hospital while undergoing treatment. The police said that she had married one Rajesh a few months ago. He used to beat her severely. The police have booked a case against her husband.

Gas cylinder price drops

One injured in clash

he price of non-subsidised domestic LPG cylinders has been reduced by `38 per cylinder. These are the gas cylinders that consumers will have to purchase after exhausting their annual quota of LPG gas cylinders. Non-subsidised gas cylinders will now cost `904 after the price cut.

minor communal clash broke out late on Saturday in from of ARCI Balapur Pahadi Shareef. One youth, Ahmed, was injured and is being treated in the hospital. Ahmed and his friends had gone to meet someone at the colony. Locals gathered and asked them why they were there that late. Ahmed called his friends and the two groups clashed.

Can’t cycle to conclusion yet The police are comparing the findings at the Dilsukhnagar blasts to those at other blasts across the country to determine the terror organisation responsible.

Mohd SUBHAN

mohd.s@postnoon.com

he primary findings regarding to the twin blasts at Dilsukhnagar last week have reportedly left the analysts confused. Initial reports carried by various newspapers quoting officers of the investigating agencies pointed to the involvement of the Indian Mujahideen (IM), an Islamic terrorist organisation. The analysts, who have been studying the series of bomb blasts in the country, are wondering why the statements were made without there being any concrete proof. It was established that cycles were used to place the bombs at Dilsukhnagar during Thursday’s blasts. Analysts claim that in earlier blasts in which the role of the IM was established, there was no evidence that the organi-

sation had used bicycles for their terror activities. The using of cycles to plant bombs first surfaced in Malegaon, where right-wing terrorists were believed to be involved, a senior police officer said. He added that in the Dilsukhnagar twin blasts, they haven’t blamed any terror organisation. “We are suspecting some IM modules because they had recceed parts of Hyderabad last year. So we don’t want to give a clean chit to the organisation as yet,” he said. The police officer added that after the investigation, the agencies would issue a statement. “If we don’t get any specific information from the IM modules, especially Maqbool and Imran Khan (two IM men questioned in connection with the blasts), we will go to right-wing terrorist organisations,” he said, adding, “Earlier, they (right wing terror groups) had set off blasts across the country and their style of using cycles is very familiar. However, they did not use cycles in the Macca Masjid blast.”

N SHIVA KUMAR

Arrests and releases

Officers suspect that only one terror organisation was involved in cycle blasts that happened across the country — including at Malegaon, Pune, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad. But of these, the police have only solved the Ahmedabad blast case. In the other blasts, the police haven’t found any hard evidence and the cases are pend-

ing. The police had suspected the involvement of the IM, but no operatives had been charged. The police have recovered some CCTV footage from the Dilsukhnagar blast sites, and they said that they would release some photographs of suspects soon. However, similar promises had been made after the German Bakery blast in Pune.

ohammed Rayeesuddin, a youth who was acquitted in the Macca Masjid case, was arrested for the second time on Saturday for questioning. Rayeesuddin, 28, had been arrested last Sunday and then released. Meanwhile, Mohammed Aqueel, 24, who was picked up by Maharashtra ATS officers on Thursday, has been released. Three other youths — Syed Adnan Ahmed, Syed Abrar Ul Hussain and Matti Ur Rahman — have been released after being detained for over 48 hours in connection with the Dilsukhnagar blasts. They were taken to a farmhouse on the outskirts and were asked about IM modules.

RED LIGHTS FOR AWARENESS After the Dilsukhnagar blasts, the traffic police have installed speakers at major junctions to remind people to stay alert. Aleena Alice aleena.t@postnoon.com

recaution is better than cure, say the Hyderabad police. As a part of the precautionary measures after the Dilsukhnagar blasts, the City police have planned to bring about awareness about unattended objects at all major junctions in the City. The City police have installed speakers at every major traffic signal junction and regular announcements are being made, alerting people about how to inform the police if they find any unattended object. Though this kind of awareness is not new and was done a few years back, the City police feel it’s high time their efforts got more stringent. “The public alert initiation is a combined effort on behalf of the commis-

sioner of police and DCPs from every division. We are trying to make people more aware, so that with the combined effort of the citizens and the police, we can foil such terror acts. We have started off with a few major junctions and will be installing the awareness speakers across all major junctions in the City. Apart from this, we are also sending out SMS alerts to the

people and trying to make people more aware of their surroundings,” said DCP (traffic) PVS Ramakrishna. Though residents, shopkeepers and commuters in areas where the alert systems are installed say that such an initiative will bring awareness, they feel that such initiatives are taken by the police only after the damage is done.

The police cannot be present everywhere, so with such initiatives, we want the public also to help us carry out our duty effectively. BSR Anjinayalu, circle inspector (traffic)

“The police act only after any major incident takes place. After a while, they relax all the security checks and get back to their habit of collecting fines from commuters for petty reasons. Only when the City is under red alert do I see our police taking things seriously,” says Sandeep, a resident of Abids. So far, traffic junctions near Dilsukhnagar, Old City (Begum

We do not want the incident that took place in Dilsukhnagar to repeat. We know which number to contact in case of emergency. Shoba, tea stall owner in Barkathpura

Bazar), Barkathpura, Koti and Abids have had speakers installed and alerts are made in English, Hindi and Telugu during peak traffic hours. “We will be installing more such alert systems, including at malls, bus stops and railway stations, soon. We are trying to improve the sound clarity so that it is audible to people who are travelling by car,” added DCP Ramakrishna.

The announcement is not something that we are unaware off, but the constant reminders will make people more conscious. Laveena Lalwani, resident of Himaythnagar

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

No jobs after 4-year degree Agriculture Science students at Loyola Academy were shocked to find they were ineligible for government jobs as their course is considered a diploma, not a degree.

We have approached the Osmania University management, who informed us that they are not involved and it is Loyola College that has to take the matter before the State government. On Monday, we will be taking this matter to the State government, demanding justice.

ALEENA ALICE

aleena.t@postnoon.com

he next time you take up any course in a college, make sure the course is recognised. Undergraduate students of Loyola Academy, who are pursuing their graduation in Agricultural Science, were shocked after they were rejected for government jobs since their four-year degree is not recognised and is considered only a diploma. Nearly 200 students, who are pursuing the Agricultural Science course at Loyola Academy in Alwal, went on an indefinite strike, demanding that the college management ensure the course is recognised so that they won’t be deprived of government jobs. Agricultural Science is offered only in two colleges in the twin cities — Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University and Loyola Academy, which is affiliated to Osmania University. Earlier, Loyola Academy was offering a three-year course to the students of Agricultural Sciences; however, in 2000, the management changed the programme to a four-year course. According to the students, OU is considering their course only for three years and certifying them accordingly. “When we joined the course, the management told us that

Krishank, Osmania University JAC student convenor

S BALAKRISHNA

the course offers good jobs and has a bright future. The students of Acharya University, who study the same course as ours, are eligible for government jobs while we are not. After paying high fees for four years for a degree that is not recognised and won’t fetch us a job, what will our future be,” asked a student. The college management has been hostile, students said. “When we approached the college management, they refused to address our problems. It’s been three days since we have been on a strike demanding for justice. However, so far, the college authority has not given us any sort of assurance. In fact, they have been sending threatening SMSs to our parents stating that we would be detained if we do not call off the strike and attend classes,” said third-year

student Srinivas. The management brushed aside all the allegations. Principal Fr. Emanuel told Postnoon, “We started the course in 1988. Earlier, it was a three-year course, later Osmania University gave us the permission to have a four-year course since 2000. The course we offer at Loyola is of high standards. Every year, more than 500 students apply for this course but we select only those who clear the entrance exam. Since the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) has not recognised the course, the students are having problems in applying for the post of agricultural officers. However, that is not the only government job. If they really want to apply for government jobs, they can apply for Group II, Group IV and other exams. Even those are

Our parents spend lakhs of rupees on our fees so that at the end of the course, we will get a good degree. When the course was offered, we were not informed that there would be problems for government jobs. We were told that this course has a bright future. Anusha, third-year student government jobs.” Stating that all the students are raising a hue and cry because of vested interests of a few students who have political backing, the principal said, “Our students not getting the government jobs they deserve is injustice and we will definitely

Most of the students here come from middle-class and lower middle-class families. We join with the hope of getting a good degree and a good job. What is the point of doing a course where our degree is considered a diploma?” Praneeth, fourth-year student help them out of the situation. I had informed the students that I will go to Delhi and talk to the ICAR as well as the Human Rights Commission. I even offered to take a few students along to submit the memorandum. However, they are still continuing their protest.”

Cong leaders tussle for MLC tickets Apart from making efforts to get a ticket, leaders are also trying to prevent their rivals from getting one. Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he ruling Congress, which is known for its faction feuds and groupism among its leaders, is witnessing similar scenes following the announcement of MLC elections under MLA quota. Apart from the sitting MLCs, scores of hopefuls are forming queues at Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Botsa Satyanarayana’s and Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s offices. In the last three days alone, many senior leaders, including former ministers, have met the two leaders with a request to nominate their names for the MLC seat. Some of these leaders include former minister Fareeduddin, Mahila Congress leader Ganga Bhavani, the sons

of former PM PV Narsimha Rao — PV Rajeswar Rao and PV Ranga Rao. Former minister Shabbir Ali, former speaker KR Suresh Reddy, sitting MLCs Kandula Lakshmi Durgesh Prasad, Dhiravat Bharathi and S Indrasain Reddy are also leaving no stone unturned to get the MLC posts. The heavy competition has led to intense lobbying, feuds and differences. Apart from making all-out efforts to ensure their election to the MLC posts, these leaders are also making sure that their rivals do not get a ticket. The reason that these leaders are giving is that their image would be at stake if their rivals got the MLC ticket. “We don’t mind if we don’t get a ticket. But if our rival got a ticket, then it would lead to the feeling that we have lost our image. We cannot afford it at any cost,” a senior Congress

leader told Postnoon.

MUSCLEMEN

HOLD SWAY

On the other hand, the party high command seems to have adopted a cautious approach to

select the MLC candidates this time. According to highly placed sources in the party, the nomination of the MLC candidates is being linked to the General Elections of next year.

Sources told Postnoon that rich and mighty leaders would get priority during this MLC elections. “Some of the recent developments at the national level have made it clear that the party is hunting for leaders who have both money and muscle power. The party strongly feels these leaders would come in handy to ensure the victory of the party during the next General Elections,” said a party leader. Quick at recognising the trend, most of the MLC ticket hopefuls are doling out huge promises for the next General Elections in order to impress the top leadership. The Congress stands to win five seats without competition. The party can win one more seat if it received support from erstwhile ally MIM and other parties, which seems unlikely at this juncture.

READERS’ LETTERS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Raising hackles A

An article on Korean food by Fleme Varkey, Authentically Korean (February 23), was attacked by several readers for the last two paragraphs, where one of the chefs explained why some people in Korea ate dog meat. Some of the readers howled in protest.

re these people so backward as to believe such rot, they should remember that all animals have souls and to kill them for such stupidity beggars believe. Dogs were put on this earth as man’s companions, not their dinner. These dogs have a kinder, more loving heart than these people will ever possess. They disgust all civilised human beings.

SHEILA WILLIAMS

Via email

Read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/23/ authentically-korean/110376

An article titled ‘Telangana over terror for government?' (February 22) had a reader writing in to stress the importance of the Telangana issue.

t seems like there are many who were offended by Rahul Ramakrishna’s article ‘Prime Minister’s visit cost Hyderabad `100 crore’ (February 25). While some agreed that business might have been affected because of the PM’s visit to the Dilsukhnagar blast sites, others pointed out

that Manmohan Singh was merely following protocol and did not deserve to be blamed for the loss of business. While most of the reactions to the article were confrontational but polite, one reader slammed the media and accused it of poisoning the public’s mind. Strange that an

SUZANNE

Via email Read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/23/authentically -korean/110376

PM’s visit gets a thumbs up from City

Telangana woes

ou call T-trouble an inconvenience for few minutes… How many people could not reach their destinations on time to attend emergencies, how many were pelted stones on the highways, how much extortion in the name of T, how much business loss and brand name… T demand is genuine.

lease stop eating dog meat. It is just wrong to eat them. Their meat will NOT make anyone’s bones heal faster, that is sick and dumb. Knock it off !

article merely stating the state of business in the City during a delegate’s visit could provoke such a strong reaction. We bring you a selection of reader responses about the Prime Minister’s visit, most of whom thought the trip was necessary.

SABHAPATHY,

Give cops a chance A photograph of a ‘Cop on Duty’ (February 27) upset a reader who felt we were judging our policemen a little too harshly. Here are his views. et us avoid publishing such photographs in future. This will just demoralise our traffic police force unnecessarily. They also have families, they might receive some emergency calls from home or from their colleagues, they might also feel tired. Let us not be judgemental but praise them for helping the society at large and working in such difficult conditions.

TAPAN DAS,

Via e-mail

Akki on top!

TOP LETTER

Not a drop to drink

The Khiladi wins hearts again. A reader wrote in to praise Akshay Kumar in response to our article ‘5 action heroes we love to watch’ (February 27). kshay comes first for me. He’s the real action hero, and a real martial artist. He is handsome, sexy, hot and so funny. He has that unique lovely smile and a warm, young voice. After Akki, there comes Jean Paul Belmondo and then Clint Eastwood. Only Akshay is a real hero and others are good actors.

‘Give priority to drinking water: Chief Minister N Kiran’, a February 28 article, prompted a reader to point out how much water gets wasted in the country.

SUSAN,

Via e-mail Read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/27/5-actionheroes-we-love-to-watch/111277

Win `500 every week

We are giving `500 to the reader who writes in the best letter every week. So get to work. You can e-mail us at feedback@postnoon.com, or write to us at Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Rd nos 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, 500033. ALSO SEND US YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS.

ave you ever seen a water tanker in India? I’m sure you notice how much clean water drips as the tanker drives through the city. Guess we have too much water to waste and we are careless to design a proper tanker that can supply water without wastage.

H urprised that someone is attacking the author. Instead, they should put themselves in the position of the victims and their families. Think of how it will be to live the rest of their lives like that totally destroyed. The visits will not work. Please do not attack the author. None in your family has been blown away so you have no idea of what you are talking about, nor does the PM and the CM.

RAJ,

VIA EMAIL

oming up with some imaginary numbers, business took a hit due to bomb blast, which is obvious, why blame the PM who all the way came down in honour of those who died and to console the families of the affected? Moreover, I live in Malakpet and on a Sunday, normally business is quite dull and the security was tightened only till afternoon.

VISHAL KOTHARI,

VIA EMAIL

otally agree with your point of business going into loss, but I have a question to you — So, what would you be writing if the Prime Minister did not visit the blast sight? A coin has two sides, so it depends on which side you are seeing!!! We Indians are too “opportunistic” — if someone does something — we say “why they did in certain way”, if the same person does not do it — the same bunch of people say “why they did NOT do it”. Good article never the less!!!

RANT OF THE WEEK What else, do we need a prime minister? Do we need democracy, intelligence? Why call your senseless blame game a reality check? It is a standard protocol that even Somalia would follow; that its PM visits the affected place and his security demands certain regulations. Ganesh Chathurthi in the City calls for an entire day’s bandh with business trade to bachelors’ meals are affected, why not pen a story on that? Why not question do we need a festival like that?? Same goes for Ramzan or Independence Day? Sandeep, via email

KUMAR,

VIA EMAIL

erhaps this kind of a loss was not anticipated. It could have been wise to build a helipad near TV Tower almost next to Dilsukhnagar and landed the PM there to finish the trip in just under half an hour.

RAMESH,

VIA EMAIL

Via e-mail The column can be read the report at http://postnoon.com/2013/02/25/prime-ministersvisit-costs-hyderabad-rs-100-crore/110761

DEEPAK AGARWAL,

Via e-mail

Not their fault A reader took a more humane view of ‘The illegal lodgers of Osmania University’(February 25) written by Aleena Alice, blaming the government. ll students come from poor villages, and after completion of PG, they won’t get jobs because the government plays with job seekers. If the government would release job vacancies every year, why would students stay unofficially?

RAMAKRISHNA,

Via e-mail

NATION SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

3 militants arrested

Mantri injured in accident SHIMLA :Himachal pradesh transport minister GS Bali and two others were injured in a road accident early Sunday in Sonepat in Haryana. Bali, who was on the way to Delhi from Shimla on an official visit, got injuries on the chest and is out of danger, an official said. Two personal staff, who were accompanying him, have sustained serious injuries and have been admitted to AIIMS in Delhi.

IMPHAL: Three militants of the banned People's Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak were arrested along with highly explosive materials during a search operation by police commandos from Bashikhong area, police said today. Highly explosive materials, including three plastic explosive kriki (PEK), two China-make grenades and a remote-controlled device were seized.

Kolkata flyover collapses KOLKATA: A huge portion of a flyover on the eastern side of the metropolis collapsed today leaving three persons injured, police said here. The incident took place at 4:30 AM in the morning when there was hardly any traffic on the Ultadanga flyover, which connects VIP Road and the airport with EM Bypass and the eastern and southern suburbs.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;`27,000 cr loss in LNG dealâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Former secretary to government of India EAS Sarma writes to PMO seeking CBI probe into Petronet contract. NEW DELHI: A `27,000 crore loss caused by an alleged change of contract by a Qatari company supplying liquid gas (LNG) to Petronet LNG needs to be probed, former secretary to government of India EAS Sarma has demanded. Sarma in a letter to the Prime Minister's Office sought a CBI probe in the role of officials of Oil Ministry and Petronet LNG Ltd in allowing RasGas of Qatar to allegedly violate the contract for supply of 7.5 million tonnes per annum of liquefied natural gas (LNG). He wanted a probe into the issue of how Petronet, whose Chairman is Oil Secretary, quiet-

ly switched to buying lean gas, which can only be used as fuel, instead of rich gas that can also produce petrochemicals and cooking gas (LPG).

As per the contract, Qatar was to supply 7.5 million tonnes of rich gas containing compounds like propane and butane from which LPG and other

Border, water pacts on Pranab Bangla agenda NEW DELHI: Embarking on his maiden foreign tour since taking over the highest constitutional post seven months ago, President Pranab Mukherjee left here today for Dhaka on a three-day state visit to Bangladesh amidst a general strike called by Jamaat-e-Islami in that country to protest conviction of its three top leaders for war crimes. It is in this backdrop that the visit by the President rides high on symbolism

especially when Mukherjee receives Bangladesh's highest award from his Bangladeshi counterpart Md Zillur Rahman on March 4 for his contribution to the independence of the country. Symbolism apart, Mukherjee, during his interaction with the top leadership of Bangladesh, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, will convey India's commitment to sort out unresolved issues, including Teesta river

Naxal-hit states meet NEW DELHI: Top police and civil officials of Maoist-hit states will attend a high-level meeting tomorrow to review the anti-Naxal operations and discuss steps to improve efficacy of strategies. Chief secretaries and DGPs of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh will take part. The meeting, to be chaired by Union Home Secretary RK Singh, will review development programmes being carried out in Naxal-hit districts.

water-sharing and approval of land boundary agreement, with its eastern neighbour. Ahead of the visit, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai has said Mukherjee's visit "is not designed to engage in political negotiations. What the President will convey to the top Bangladesh leadership is the Indian government's commitment to take bilateral relations to a higher level and to resolve unrePTI solved issues".

Lanka arrests 16 fishermen COLOMBO: Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 16 Indian fishermen and seized their three trawlers for allegedly violating the country's international maritime boundary. The Navy spokesman said that they were arrested off the coast of Kalpitiya for violating Sri Lanka's international maritime boundary. They would be handed over to the Kalpitiya police for further action. Tension prevails between the fishermen of the two countries who regularly cross into each other's territorial waters.

petrochemicals can be produced. While RasGas gave rich gas in the first tranche of 5 million tonnes beginning 2004, it "violated the contract and started supply (the remaining) 2.5 million tons of 'lean' gas without any corresponding change in price of LNG, causing a loss assessed at `27,000 crore over the life of the contract," he wrote. Lean gas is the stripped of propane and butane. "Perhaps, Qatar had offered to compensate Petronet for the loss but some intermediary had deprived the public exchequer of the corresponding benefit," he wrote. Petronet LNG, which is

majority owned by state-owned oil companies, had in 1999 signed a contract with Qatar's RasGas to buy 7.5 million tonnes a year of natural gas that has been cooled to liquid form (LNG) so that it can be shipped. The contract was for import of 5 million tonnes of LNG at Petronet's Dahej terminal in Gujarat and 2.5 million tonnes at its Kochi facility in Kerala. All of the 7.5 million tonnes of LNG to be supplied by RasGas was supposed to be rich gas, which contains compounds like ethane, propane and butane that are building blocks for petrochemicals and LPG. PTI

WORLD SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Three die in China acid leak BEIJING: Three people died when

WASHINGTON: President Barack

2,000 cubic metres of sulphuric acid leaked from a storehouse in a Chinese village, authorities said Saturday. The exact number of casualties in the incident, which occurred in Liaoning province during afternoon, was yet to be established. The acid leaked from a family-run storehouse and contaminated nearby areas.

Man in sinkhole: Search called off

Abu Dhabi’s new flag

Obama picks ME pointman

ABU DHABI: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed

Obama has appointed a new coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf, the White House announced Saturday. Philip Gordon, a veteran foreign policy expert, will take up his post on March 11. The appointment came two weeks before Obama is set to visit Israel, Ramallah in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Al Nahyan, the UAE president and ruler of Abu Dhabi, has amended a law regarding the emblem of the Abu Dhabi emirate. This emblem will take the shape of a falcon which will have two crossing daggers under it. It will have, on each side, a white-red flag with a rectangle banner carrying the name Abu Dhabi.

Mastermind of Algerian hostage crisis killed

Chad has said its troops in northern Mali killed the one-eyed Islamist leader who masterminded an assault on an Algerian gas plant that left 37 foreign hostages dead in January. N’DJAMENA: The Chadian

Jeff Bush’s cousin Kyle Balcom (left) and brother Dustin Bush wait while the search for Bush, who was consumed by a sinkhole while lying in his bed last night, goes on in AFP Seffner, Florida.

MIAMI: Rescue workers announced Saturday that they have halted their search for the body of a man whose bedroom was swallowed up by a sinkhole in a Florida town. The hole opened up in the Tampa suburb of Seffner late Thursday, shattering the concrete slab on which Jeff Bush’s four-bedroom home rested. Rescuers were unable to make contact with Bush, who was presumed dead. “At this point, it’s really not possible to recover the body,” Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill told reporters. Authorities feared that the hole was still unstable and could grow. “It’s very deep. Very wide. Very unstable. And that’s why I said that any further demolition can’t even take place on the site,” Merrill added of the hole about 25 feet (eight meters) wide at the top but far deeper.

army, whose troops have been at the forefront of the hunt for AlQaeda-linked fighters hiding in northern Mali, said Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed during an operation in the Ifogha mountains on Saturday. The Algerian national, a ruthless Afghanistan veteran, had broken away from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) weeks ago to form a group called Signatories in Blood. The report of the death of the man branded “The Uncatchable” came after Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno announced on Friday that his forces had killed Abou Zeid, the top AQIM commander in Mali, a few days earlier. A Mauritanian news agency said he was killed by a French air strike. If the deaths are confirmed, the French-led military coalition fighting in northern Mali will have eliminated the Sahel region’s two historical Al-Qaeda leaders and decapitated the jihadist insurgency in Mali. “The Chadian forces in Mali completely destroyed the main jihadist base in Adrar of the Ifoghas mountains” at 1200 GMT, an army statement said, adding that several militants were killed “including leader Mokhtar Belmokhtar”.

The Uncatchable is no more n

Belmokhtar, 40, was seen several times in the main northern Malian cities of Timbuktu and Gao after AQIM and its allies took over northern Mali in April 2012. He quit AQIM last year and in December the creation of his new group was announced.

In January, days after France’s surprise decision to send in fighter jets and troops to help the Malian government reconquer the north, Belmokhtar claimed the attack on the In Amenas gas plant in southern Algeria.

Claims to have travelled to Afghanistan at the age of 19 to get military training from al-Qaeda Returned to Algeria in 1993 and lost an eye fighting in the bloody conflict between Islamists and government forces Joined al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, but later formed his own group after infighting Blamed for kidnapping and smuggling across the Sahara region Claimed responsibility for the attack on an Algerian gas plant at In Amenas where at least 37 hostages were killed

AFP

I will talk, but Bangla deploys troops Oz probe Afghan won’t quit: Assad as protest toll mounts boys’ deaths LONDON: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he is ready to negotiate with the country’s opposition but refuses to consider stepping down, in a rare interview with a UK newspaper. Assad offered to hold talks with rebels in a bid to end the crisis on the condition they lay down their arms, but made the distinction between the “political entities” he would talk with and “armed terrorists”. “We are ready to negotiate with anyone, including militants who surrender their arms,” Assad told The Sunday Times in a video-taped interview conducted last week in his Damascus residence, the AlMuhajireen palace. “We can engage in dialogue with the opposition, but we cannot engage in dialogue with terrorists.”

DHAKA: Bangladesh deployed troops in the north of the country on Sunday as six more people were killed in fresh clashes over the conviction of Islamist leaders for war crimes in the Muslim-majority nation. The army was deployed in violence-wracked Shahjahanpur town after more than 5,000 stick-wielding protesters attacked two police stations, forcing police to open fire, they said.”At least four people were killed in clashes after Jamaat-eIslami supporters attacked us. The toll could rise,” Shahjahanpur district’s deputy police chief Moqbul Ahmed told AFP, adding that troops had been deployed to boost security. Two others were also killed on Saturday, including a ruling party student activist who was allegedly hacked to death by suspected Jamaat supporters.

SYDNEY: Australian military chief General David Hurley Sunday said he deeply regretted the deaths of two Afghan boys killed during an operation but it was too early to say who was responsible. Two children, aged seven and eight, were shot dead on Thursday as they tended cattle in southern Uruzgan province, in an incident which could inflame tensions over the conduct of foreign soldiers in Afghanistan. The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has admitted its troops caused the unintended civilian deaths and Uruzgan’s governor has said Australian soldiers were responsible. “We deeply regret that the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) were responsible for the unintended death of two young Afghan boys.”

COMMENT SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

EDITORIALS THE FATE OF A NATION:

Assad vs Syria

There had been 20 different cabinets and four constitutions drafted in the first 10 years following Syrian Independence in 1946. Three years into independence, Syria, along with the rest of the Arab world, witnessed the first military coup by Col Husni al-Za'im. Soon another ensued by Col Sami al-Hinnawi and another Army officer Adib Shishakli. It may be said it was the reign of Hafez al-Assad, who also grabbed power in the same manner, marked the time in Syrian history where the nation began to have stability. But at what cost? It was under his reign that the Hama massacre occurred, in 1982. Between 10,000 and 25,000 people, mostly civilians, were reported dead or wounded. It has been described as "the single deadliest act by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East". Assad junior too is like his father. To keep power, he orders tank and missile strikes against his own people. And he calls those fighting on their behalf terrorists. But consider, who is the real terrorist? He is blaming western nations of meddling with the affairs of his nation and blames their role in triggering the uprising which has become a civil war. Would this have occurred had the people been taken care of with proper reforms congruent with modern times were in place? Reports hint that more than 70,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising started and there seems no abatement in the toll. Cities are gutted, innocents arrested and several suffer torture in jail and the life and the nation lie in rubbles. Assad may take pride in surpassing his father’s record in the Hama massacre. The war has come this far and it is unlikely the rebels whom Assad calls terrorists will give up, because at this juncture they know there is no going back. If they go back they would have failed their people who had been living like lesser beings and had been pining for freedom for a very long time. In this era, there is no place for dictatorship.The people of Syria have a right to life and freedom like any freeborn soul and would not give up even if the price they pay for their freedom is measured in blood.

Women to March on

From the hip

SYED SHOAIB

arch is the National Women's History Month — a time set aside by Congress, in 1987, to celebrate the achievements of women in American history. March 8 is International Women’s Day. Pre-dawn March the Indian government’s annual budget that released on Thursday assured a commitment to women’s rights, which is under scrutiny after the infamous Nirbhaya case. The third day of the third month, a 2013 Sunday that warms up to the 31-day testimony of woman power will do well to remember the powerful women in India today, on the way to making it to the pages of history. Indra Nooyi, Shilpa Shetty, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Sania Mirza, Medha Patkar, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Bedi, Mata Amritanandamayi and Irom Charu Sharmila signify woman power at different levels. According to the India

Today magazine, it is Vidya Balan, Sonia Gandhi, Pratibha Patil, Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalaithaa, Vandana Luthra, Ritu Kumar, Chanda Kochchar, Sheila Dixit and Susham Swaraj who are India’s 10 most powerful women. According to the Forbes list for 2012, the world’s most powerful women German chancellor Angela Merkel, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mayawati, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth II and some more women from the Indian list are powerful women role models. While browsing on women in power it’s also important to take a look at their lesser-known counterparts, who, like Malala Yousuf and Nirbhaya, have changed the boundaries of female empowerment through attack and death in painful circumstances. Women have been the subject of sati, jauhar, child marriage, lack of widow remarriage, purdah, devadasi system, lesser female education, malnutrition, maternal mortality, poor health, dowry system, female feticide, divorce and untimely deaths, all of which lead to marginalisation. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria,

International Women's Day is a national holiday. In India, as in some other developing countries, the status of women might get highlighted on the coming Friday, only to remain much the same on a daily basis. A recent study by the National Sample Survey Organisation has shown that more women are remaining home-bound doing domestic duties than a decade ago, even though a large number of them are willing to work. The report pointed out that women’s participation in work could more than double if male members shared some of the domestic work. IF! Closer home, on March 1, a 44-year-old engineer from Sudan was arrested for allegedly marrying a minor girl from Moghalpura in the Old City of Hyderabad. The minor girl, along with four other girls, had been paraded before the Sudanese national on February 21. Roshan Naresh Ghodeswar (40), under arrest, from Madhya Pradesh raped his 16-year-old daughter at knife-point in July last year and later sexually assaulted the other 14-year-old daughter, according to the stepmother of the minors. The recent inclusion of acid attacks among the categories of

crimes in the Sexual Assault Bill 2012, gives women survivors a compensation of Rs2 lakh. The Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women records the rising number of acid attacks by jilted or rejected paramours, particularly in cities like Bangalore. Women who made history are painted black even after death. Social saint Mother Teresa has been discredited in a recent study by Canadian researchers who they point out, “had a dubious way of caring for sick by glorifying the suffering of the poor instead of relieving it.” In an age of cross-media exposure, the female body is easy to ‘commodify’ into images of wanderlust, prostitution, subjugation, propriety or just dirty anatomy. Gender rules can be mismanaged from simple double-meaning talk to anything up to killing, like in Oscar Pistorius’s girlfriend Reeva’s case of alleged premeditated murder. Several inequities need be readdressed. And in a patriarchal system, it is the sensitive male who can make a difference. Like they say — being a woman is a difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men.

BUSINESS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Videocon bank coming soon

ideocon Industries today said it will enter the banking sector with a foreign partner and has earmarked `1,000 crore for the purpose. “Already, we have entered the financial sector through our joint venture with Liberty Mutual Insurance. Now that the guidelines for banking licence have come, Videocon will definitely apply for it,”chairman Venugopal Dhoot said.

Food subsidy must stay, says Montek

ood security subsidy should not be reduced even if the fiscal situation is not good, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said. He, however, added that this is his personal view and not the government policy. He said fertiliser subsidy should be cut to half as it damages soil nutrition. “Petroleum subsidy should just be eliminated soon of course. It’s damaging, it’s unjustified, it doesn’t help the poor... petrol is normally consumed by upper income people.” Ahluwalia also said domestic energy prices should be aligned with global prices.

SAIL to invest `13K crore

teel Authority of India plans to spend `13,000 crore next fiscal to part-fund ongoing expansion, which will take its installed capacity to over 24 million tonnes per annum. The proposed investment represents an increase of `1,000 crore than SAIL is expected to put in the current fiscal, but `1,500 crore lower than the budgetary estimate for the current fiscal.

It takes talent to tango

Three City entrepreneurs are helping talented artistes with resources and infrastructure support to create quality content and avail opportunities in the film industry. Prudhvi Raju K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

o you have the creative or artistic talents that are required in filmmaking? Are you aspiring to showcase your talent and be among the creative team to produce quality content? Here is a company, RunwayReel, a content production unit of Tamada Media, that helps not only nurture talent but also showcase it. The company, started by three young entrepreneurs, Surya Rahul Tamada, Saideep Reddy Borra and Ambica Tamada, in May 2011 has already helped around 150 young talented professionals to showcase their talent. Even few of them got opportunity in mainstream feature films with this exposure. RunwayReel is helping people with the required technical knowhow, resources, equipment, infrastructure and production expenses to create quality content such as short films, standup comedy, music videos and webisodes. Talking about the business idea, Rahul says, “The idea was to create new media company with core focus on original content creation and content distribution for the digital platform. There is huge talent pool in the State that can be showcased and tapped. There is a need for such talent in the mainstream film industry for innovative content creation. The company acts as a bridge between the talented professionals and the industry. On starting the company, he says, “Saideep is a good friend of mine from childhood. He is an entrepreneur and possesses a strong marketing experience. Each of us have complementary skills — my wife Ambica has administrative skills and I have decent experience on content distribution front to run an organisation. The idea was to channelise these skills to shape up the organisation.” The trio has invested around `30 lakh to start the business. It started small with two systems in single room. In time, the company has developed own studio and necessary infrastructure to

Left to Right: Saideep Reddy Borra, Ambica Tamada and Surya Rahul Tamada produce quality content and emerged as one of the prominent short format content producers in the State. Explaining the evolution of the business idea, he says, “While I was a student at MGIT, there were bunch of talented guys, who were exceptionally good at performing arts. Given a chance, these guys would have been next big stars of Tollywood. Unfortunately, there was not any platform to showcase their talent. Today, with advent of digital media technologies, content can be distributed across the globe and can be catered to wide number of audience and is easy to get exposure. “YouTube has made stars like Justin Bieber, Shradha Sharma (singer). There are many such talented professionals around the State, who can are looking for a platform to showcase their talent. Our idea is to utilise the talent not only in showcasing themselves but also making quality content for us,”

Initial investments: Initial investments: Around `30 lakh Started: May 2011 Employees: 30 Operational break-even: December 2012 Future plans: Expanding the production infrastructure Number of views to successful short films on YouTube: More than 2 lakh Total number of short films produced: 100 says Saideep. Talking about the revenue model, he says, “We are the owners of the content that is produced with the help of this young talent. As of now, the revenues are low by distributing this content on digital platforms

like YouTube. However, in near future, there will be opening of new distribution platforms like television channels and mobile operators. People will also increasingly watch vernacular experimental short film content. Like in the West, there will be market for such films.” The trio is conducting various events such as short film festivals to seek out the right talent. Moving beyond short film festivals, the company is conducting Runway JAM for young musicians. “Auditions were held on February 2, 2013, with over 150 participants at Annapurna International School of Film and Media (ISFM). The shortlisted 40 participants were put in seven teams and are currently jamming together to create original fusion music compositions. The finale to be held on March 9 at Taramati Baradari and is judged by Indus Gharana.” The content distribution wing of Tamada Media had huge successes and also helped the

company to get breakeven in 18 months from inception. It distributes the content of music labels, production houses and TV channels to various digital media platforms like YouTube and also develops mobile and web applications to businesses to monetise their content. RunwayReel gets around 1,000 e-mails applications every month. Out of which, best were selected in the film production. “We help them to form in teams and give helping hand in developing scripts and necessary inputs. We have tie-up with prominent short film makers in the State to produce quality films. The company is also expanding production capabilities and looking out for young talented in house film crew,” says Ambica. The company has 30-40 per cent growth in revenues (YoY) and has plans to expand to other cities to produce regional content with talented youth out there.

INTERVIEW SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

SRINIVAS SETTY

Debashish Bhattacharya with Anandi, a four-string lap slide ukele, which shares its name with his daughter.

‘I is a lie’

There are many layers to Debashish Bhattacharya, the Indian lap slide guitar maestro. He started to play at the age of three; Debashish, now at 40, says music is the cure to many of the ills of the world, lack of love and the path to consciousness.

RAJESH R

rajesh.r@postnoon.com

“W

ill you have something?" Debashish Bhattacharya, the Indian lap slide guitar maestro, thought for a bit and said, “Yes, coffee, please." “But black.” He was in the lull induced by the sumptuous Rajasthani meal he had before he showed up for the interview. As he ensconced himself in the sofa, he confided it had been a long time since he had any, a slight hint that he had indulged himself. When I asked him about his performance scheduled that evening, the lull vanished. “Do you know what the concert is called?” Before I could answer, he said: “Music — a practice of consciousness.” The lull was just ostensible. Debashish is always conscious. And he gives credit for it to music.

“That is what the practice of music brings you: consciousness,” he asserted. Life is a path that has many bends full of surprises, he explained. “Practice of music enables you to remain undaunted when you encounter those surprises. Those who are conscious will enjoy them.” Debashish is a firm believer that Indian music is the deliverer of such a state. “Do you know that our music is called marg sangeet?” he asked. “It shows us a path. It teaches us about life. After all, life is important than concerts and events. That is why I want music as a part of school syllabus.” Debashish talked excitedly about the fact that a poll found that a good many children in Scandinavian countries can sing in harmony if asked to do so impromptu. “Music is taught to them in school. And what one learns when one is a child remains forever. Can you imagine that here?” Debashish also pointed out the lack of love and care for children of today. “Whatever I am, I am because of my parents. They

Do you know that our music is called marg sangeet?It shows us a path. It teaches us about life. Pandit Debashish Bhattacharya Lap slide guitar player taught me that if you need to achieve perfection in what you do, you cannot make compromises. Now parents don’t have time for their kids. For them, love means gifts in forms of gaming consoles and TV which will allow them to work through the day, and since the kids are busy with trinkets with buttons, the absence won’t be noticed. But no one realises that a generation that grossly lacks in love is being churned out. Do you think any child that grows up well loved by his parents will go astray? No. Never. No child who grows up well loved can do violent acts. No child who loves his parents will take a gun to school

and claim the life of another.” But would it not be hard to get everyone to learn music when it is believed that talent for music is inborn? “I do not expect everyone who learns music to become a maestro like Pandit Ravi Shankar. You do not learn so that you can perform. You learn for the joy of learning. As I told you, the practice of music develops in one a level of consciousness that may not be achieved in any other way. For instance, a person who takes music lessons may miss a note in a song in the beginning. He may miss it the second time, too: but as he keeps on practising, he will find it in some time.” Debashish was a precocious child. Misled by the information on the web when I asked him about his “starting strumming” at the age of three and soon later started playing the Indian lap slide guitar, he corrected me, “No, I have never played the acoustic one. A couple of decades ago, it was the Hawaiian guitar, or the lap steel guitar, that was popular for its aspect of melody. The acoustic guitar was an accompanying instrument.

Unlike in the acoustic guitar, the lap slide guitar’s tone is fluid and mellifluous. The notes do not break.” His early exploits were not confined just to music. “I was a three-time badminton and TT champion in college. But I decided to stick to music as I learned from a saying of Swami Vivekananda that we must stick to one thing to succeed.” Very rarely do we come across performers like Debashish. He talks to his audience and shares with them his insights about music, his takes on life during his performances. He is quite the romantic, the philosopher and poet. At 40, he says he is yet the 14-year-old boy, ever eager to swim farther into the sea of music. He says he thought himself a guitar god when he began to play, creating his own guitars (24-string chaturangui, the 14 string gandharvi and the anandi, a 4-string lap steel ukulele) but now he says years of playing and practice have decimated any such feeling making him say at the performance he gave at the Radisson Blue in Hyderabad, “I is a lie.”

WELLNESS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

ABIJEET DUDDALA, ACTOR

NATASHA PAMNANI, MISS HYD 1ST RUNNER shooting, once I am up, I clean my face with hot water, then cold water. This closes the pores and your morning swelling goes down. Before retiring for the day, instead of using a moisturiser, I use a night cream to restore oil and water balance, or aloe vera even. I hate make-up and my skin is very sensitive, too. So I bought make-up for very sensitive skin, which can also moisturise my skin. I try and shoot without make-up. I believe in daily maintenance.

Workout:

ince I have to gain about 10-15 kgs, I eat a lot of carbs. Every meal has rice, rotis and potatoes. I don’t take carbs in the night. Instead I eat chicken or fish, which are rich in pro-

'm into aerobics. I occasionally do yoga as a good stress buster.

Diet:

y diet consists of fruits, vegetables and a lot of water. I try to avoid carbs for dinner.

Skincare:

make it a habit to remove my make-up thoroughly before I hit the sack and rise in the morning to a glass full of water. All I need is a good sunblock to protect my skin, a kajal and a lip gloss to make me feel good. I never leave my house without a water bottle, lip balm and a hand sanitiser.

love my hair. I don’t let them use chemicals on my hair but if they must style, hair gel and a blow dry is all I allow. I oil my hair every night.

Haircare:

believe every person has a different hair structure. Know what’s right for you and do the same.Use natural products and avoid using harmful chemicals that can damage your hair. With a neat hairdo and eyebrows, I am always good to go. A model

Fitness mantra:

f you want to gain weight, it is not the amount of weights that you lift but the technique which you use.

2012

Workout:

Haircare:

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

Diet:

tein, and a glass of wine. I have completely banned oily, deep fried and fatty foods from my diet. I love icecream but I can’t have anything but low fat ice cream now. Skincare: y skin routine begins with washing my face with lukewarm to hot water. It opens up the pores. This is followed by toning, moisturising and if I am heading out, I apply sunscreen lotion. The days I am

kanchan agarwal

or Life is Beautiful I had to lose 10 kg and for my next film, I have to gain all that back. I work out six days a week and two hours a day. My weekly workout is a mix of yoga, kickboxing, dance, weights and swimming. Every day I do a different workout. I alternate my days with cardio and weights. I stretch daily as a rule; that’s very important. Yoga helps me focus better. It keeps you physically fit. The breathing exercises, I think are underestimated. They are the ones that makes you strong from within.

UP,

has to be very cautious. He/she should make sure the make-up is well removed after the shoot. Hair should be shampooed well to rinse off all the chemicals. Also make sure the products used are of good quality. A facial or a hair massage is a bonus.

Postnoon got chatting with some new stunners in Tollywood and managed to unveil their fitness and beauty secrets. Looking good, as it turns out, is not child’s play. We find out what hardwork goes behind those ravishing looks.

IGHTING FIT KRITI KARBANDA, ACTOR

Workout:

Skincare:

don’t remember the last time I stepped inside a gym. I rather enjoy going to a dance or aerobics class, followed by weights, which I don’t like. Every time I feel I am losing shape, I control my diet though I am a total foodie. You can catch me starting my day with aloo ka paratha and then hogging on paneer butter masala. I love eating. But before and while shooting, I eat everything but in less quantity. I have a lot of protein and stay away from carbs. On the sets, I eat and walk around which is only for my mental satisfaction of having worked out a bit.

Pick

ach morning I have to hydrate myself with at least a half or one litre of water. Before hitting the bed, I wash my face with a cleanser, tone it and moisturise it. If your skin is clean while sleeping, there are less chances of break up. I would never go to sleep with make-up on. To detoxify my skin and keep it healthy, I believe home remedies work for me. I use besan (chickpea flour) with malai. But you have to be careful of how often you use it. Scrubbing with raw tomato is good to get rid of tan. It takes off the dead skin. I also use a pack of honey with ground almonds sometimes. I hate wearing make-up. On a casual day, I wouldn’t step out

at the

with anything more than a transparent lip balm, and mascara if I am looking dull.

Haircare:

am one of those people who take their hair for granted. I don’t do much except oiling it once a week, which is very important. I go for steaming and deep conditioning once in a while, never in excess. I indulge in a head massage once a month, too. I don’t wash my hair too often. Just 23 times a week is enough.

Fitness mantra:

f I ever feel low in confidence, I shut my room, play some music and dance in front of the mirror for about 20 minutes. Dancing I think is excellent for your confidence, posture and flexibility.

airport,

ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Art in 70mm

Berlin wall falling?

f you want to enjoy art, go to a cinema, not an art gallery. The world’s most popular exhibitions are to be broadcast in cinemas across Britain, in a drive to make art more accessible for the masses. The films, by documentary maker Phil Grabsky, will include behind-the-scenes footage of the exhibition being prepared, and a tour of the works, reports The Telegraph.

erlin's most famous images, such as Soviet and East German leaders Leonid Brezhnev and Eric Honecker in a passionate clinch, are on part of the Berlin wall set to be demolished for luxury flats. The 1.3km long outdoor gallery is now under threat from developers and art lovers have decried the move, saying it is disrespectful of the people who died on the death strip.

Picassos and Pac-Man

he invasion is complete. Classic videogames have now gone where few have ventured. New York’s Museum of Modern Art announced the addition of 14 video games, including classics such as “Pac-Man” to the design collection. In a bid to bring together gamers, art critics and designers, the games will be available to play in the exhibition “Applied Design”.

IT’S AN INDIAN THING

Ghagras. Gamchas. Lungis. Varak. Random Indian things? Not quite so. These are a few sources of inspiration that also turn into raw material for Aditi Prakash’s handmade textile bags under the title Pure Ghee, which celebrates Indian textiles. Kanchan Agarwal kanchan.a@postnoon.com

A People have lost touch with trends — villagers find their products too expensive and urban folk don’t find them attractive. My work is a bridge between them. I suggest ideas so they can make their products more suitable for urban buyers.

diti Prakash, at 34, is living the life all us creative bugs aspire to. She travels. She creates. She makes a living of it. With great appreciation for art omnipresent in everyday Indian life and a love for colours, Aditi’s company designs and manufactures bags that are very Indian in colours, textiles and motifs, but the shapes consciously match the taste of an urban woman. Although her core subjects in college were sculpture and industrial design, handmade crafts held her interest. “They have a different quality to them,” she says. So she started working with NGOs as a designer. “For 10 years, I have specifically been working with craft, travelling all over the country, meeting craftsmen, studying traditional work and suggesting new ideas so that they can make products more suitable for

urban buyers,” says Aditi. Now she works as a consultant with NGOs and spends most of her time on her brainchild, Pure Ghee Designs. “When I travel, I look out for unusual fabrics which people use in their everyday lives for my crafts. People have lost touch with changing trends — villagers find

Images of a floating world Ukiyo-e is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan, featuring motifs of landscape and legend.

he word ukiyo is literally translated as “floating world” in English, referring to a conception of an evanescent world, impermanent, fleeting beauty and a realm of entertainments (kabuki, courtesans, geisha) divorced from the responsibilities of the mundane, everyday world. The art form rose to great popularity in the metropolitan

culture of Edo (Tokyo) during the second half of the 17th century, originating with the singlecolour works of Hishikawa Moronobu in the 1670s. At first, only India ink was used, then some prints were manually coloured with a brush, but in the 18th century Suzuki Harunobu developed the technique of polychrome printing to produce nishiki-e.

Ukiyo-e were affordable because they could be mass-produced. They were mainly meant for townsmen, who were generally not wealthy enough to afford an original painting. The original subject of ukiyo-e was city life, in particular activities and scenes from the entertainment district. Beautiful courtesans, bulky sumo wrestlers and popular actors would be portrayed

their products expensive and urban folk don’t find them attractive. My work is a bridge between them,” explains Aditi. Take, for example, the lungi card holder or the silver totes made of varak (silver film on Indian sweets) or her upcoming summer collection which will be made of fabric used to make ghagras in Gujarat. Just as Aditi’s bags narrate, translate and interpret stories that she gathers from her travels, the name Pure Ghee too has a story behind it. An old craftsmen who wanted to bring her a gift from his village got her a box of ghee. Curiosity got the better of a surprised Aditi. On asking, she was told — since his mother made

ART FOR DUMMIES

the ghee, he could not think of anything better. “I thought about it and realised it was the perfect name for our products — they are Indian, and are handmade. Pure Ghee cannot be substituted and once you like it, you come back for more. That is how our products are. And it is a name that stays with you,” narrates Aditi who takes humble pride in the Indianness of her brand. Follow her on puregheedesigns.blogspot.in Price range: `300-3,000 Available at Anonym Contact Aditi Prakash at aditi@puregheedesigns.com

while engaged in appealing activities. Later on landscapes also became popular. Political subjects, and individuals above the lowest strata of society (courtesans, wrestlers and actors) were not sanctioned in these prints and very rarely appeared. Sex was not a sanctioned subject either, but continually appeared in ukiyo-e prints. Artists and publishers were sometimes punished for creating these sexually explicit works. Ukiyo-e were often used for illustrations in these books, but came into their own as single-sheet prints, or were posters for the kabuki theater. Source: www.wikipedia.com

ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Ill effects of maize, soybean

apid cropland expansion is the main cause of biodiversity loss in tropical countries, a study by UNEP's (the UN Environment Programme) World Conservation Monitoring Centre and the Cambridge Conservation Initiative has found. The study highlights maize and soybean as the most expansive crops and as the main drivers of biodiversity loss in tropical regions.

Mixing rice and fish farms

Damaged oil well secured

y combining aquaculture with wet paddy farming in its coastal areas Bangladesh can meet food security and climate change issues, says a report. The approach promises more nutritious food without causing environmental damage, and has the potential for a "blue-green revolution" on Bangladesh's existing crop areas.

esponse crews have stopped oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico from an inactive oil and gas well that was struck by a crew boat. They have recovered more than 1,200 gallons of oily-water mixture from the shallow waters of the bay and have deployed 4,880 feet of boom around the wellhead and sensitive areas. Measures are taken to protect nearby marshlands too.

Booked to a cause

Before you toss those papers into the bin, take a moment to think about recycling it to save our planet. I Love My Mother Earth Foundation shows us how. SUNORY DUTT

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eyerhaeuser, one of the world’s largest paper producers, found that recycling 1,000 kg of paper saves 17 trees, 26,319 litres of water and 1,752 litres of fuel. In other words, it takes 64 per cent less energy and generates 74 per cent less air pollution to recycle existing paper rather than to make it new. And that's what I Love My Mother Earth (ILMME) Foundation is trying to do. Through its Grand Banyan Project, India’s single largest recycling project aimed at supporting the education of 1 million children, ILMME is in the process of reaching out to over three million children from 3,000 schools across 50 cities and towns nationwide, asking them to contribute their old and soiled books, notebooks and old newspapers. The paper collected through this initiative is being recycled to generate a million new exercise books that are donated to lesser-privileged children for free. The unique initiative is the vision of international awardwinning film director, Sanjay Srinivas, who was deeply disturbed by the sight of melting glaciers in the Everest region and in Kashmir while shooting his film, God Lives in the Himalayas. He says, “I’ve been a huge nature lover all my life. My dream is to go around the world and make films on nature like David Attenborough.” While ILMME aims to distribute a million notebooks by June this year, they’ve only reached 50 per cent of their target. It has been a difficult journey as funding has been hard to come by. But Sanjay’s staying the course and shares, “After nearly three years of hard work (ILMME launched in 2010), we’ve won the support of several prestigious schools across India and

the parents of the wonderful kids studying in these schools.” In the past few months, ILMME has donated over 92,000 recycled notebooks to disadvantaged children from the waste collected so far. Overall, they’ve donated over 2 lakh notebooks. In appreciation of is efforts, British Council recently honoured the foundation last November at their Connecting Classrooms School Awards Program. Over 5,000 students have enrolled as student members of the foundation. At an

I am an atheist in the eyes of the world as nature is the only God I worship. ILMME was created to give back to my God. Sanjay Srinivas extremely nominal membership fee of only `70, students stand a chance to accompany filmmakers and environmentalists on allexpenses paid expeditions to exotic parts of the planet, participate in simple yet effective green projects that will help change the future of our suffering planet, enjoy quarterly E-magazines that contain knowledge, research, facts, quizzes and contests, and also adopt animals and protect wildlife.” Says Sanjay, “At ILMME, we wanted to achieve two objectives — saving our planet and helping the disadvantaged. The paper waste contributed by schools saves the cutting of trees as we recycle them and the notebooks created from the waste help in the education of the underprivileged. ILMME also intends to expose kids to the bounties of our precious planet and make them fall in love with nature. I am an atheist in the eyes of the world as nature is the only god I worship. ILMME was created to give back to my god.” For more information on the foundation visit www.ilmme.org

FOOD SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Diageo purchase allowed

Marc Jacobs designs Coke cans

he Indian Competition Commission (CCI) has approved Diageo’s purchase of a 53.4% stake in United Spirits (USL), saying that the £1.28bn ($2.04bn) purchase may boost the nation’s premium spirits market and improve consumer choice without jeopardising competition. In the past two years, 27 new brands have entered the local and flavoured vodka sections.

S fashion designer Marc Jacobs has been confirmed as Diet Coke’s creative director for 2013, and has created three limited edition can designs for the brand’s 30 year anniversary.The designs have been released in Great Britain. The designer mentioned that he was only too happy to be part of the project as he had seen other partake in this prestigious work.

Mediterranean diet perks

esults of the PREDIMED study, aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. They show that the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death or a stroke.

BITE-SIZED WONDERS ITC Kakatiya’s Deccan Pavilion has brought for its patrons a slice of the Oriental. One that is going to be part of their regular menu as well. We are talking about sushi, a Japanese delicacy.

FLEME VARKEY

fleme.v@postnoon.com

alk about getting a meal with a view. A set of gleaming wide stairs lead you to the Deccan Pavilion where the sushi festival was going on. The first thing that catches your eye, apart from the pleasant faces that greet you at its entrance is a pillared hall in green and overlooking is a beautiful view of a glistening pool of the bluest water. Take a look around and you will see a part of their kitchen where the chefs in white crisp uniforms silently go about their business. But all this is secondary. In the presence of well-made sushi and the executive chef P Sekar who is equally passionate about its preparation, the rest might as well be invisible. The sight is restricted to a tight cube of sesame seasoned rice and a piece of prawn's tail sticking out of it, along with it a bowlful of soy sauce with its faithful companion wasabi. Here’s a little introduction to this deli-

cacy. Sushi is made with a combination of shellfish, cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and seasoned rice. Although sushi is most commonly linked to the Japanese heritage, it actually began in China during the 7th century. It’s not often that you find one going gaga over raw fish, well that's exactly the experience you are bound to have at the Deccan Pavilion. You will not notice the green walls, the striped upholstery or that good-

Name: Deccan Pavilion,ITC Kakatiya Place: Begumpet Price: Unlimited Sushi with buffet at `1,299+taxes looking guy in the seat next to you once a roll of tuna sushi topped with flying fish roe goes into your mouth. The flavour literally unwraps itself in your mouth and a tinge of wasabi can give you a total new high. One can get to enjoy each grain of rice before the taste of the prawn takes over. And that's when you realise it's all about the rice. Good sushi rice should be just warm, each grain capable of being tasted on its own and ooh... that's just like how it was served to us. The parade of

sushi begins, each piece with an individual touch. There was salmon sushi with chilli mayonnaise for the spice factor, the cuttlefish and salmon sushi, prawn tempura sushi and crabstick sushi. Chef P Sekar gave us a reason for the menu being fairly conservative: they wanted to gauge their customers’ choice first. At the moment, they want to keep it to the entry-level offerings only. The fish used in the sushi, Chef Sekar assures us is of the highest quality, specially imported for the hotel’s use from other states. That the fish served was fresh was evident from the helpings of sushi we had. Curious to know what the vegetarians would be in for I sampled the bell-pepper nagori pressed into rice, mushroom shitake and the zucchini sushi. These I am sure will make for second helpings. If you still have some space left after this glorious meal of sushi, we would suggest you try the buffet, an elegant multi-cuisine one at that. It is such a shame if you can’t because everything else is so good. Start with the cold-cuts if you must, try their pork and chicken ham especially. We would recommend the Indian section from the buffet, what with the delightfully sinful chicken biryani, splendidly delicious daal makhni and the surprisingly tasty potato and Kashmiri apple curry, one is sure to be running to the tables for second helpings.

SRINIVAS SETTY

How to eat sushi at a restaurant n When your sushi arrives, you will notice that it comes in small, artistic, bite-sized beauties. Pop the whole piece in your mouth. This is not considered rude at all. If you were to nibble on it, it would have a tendency to fall apart and loose the intended consistency. If you enjoy dipping your sushi in sauce, you should dip the fish and not the rice part into the sauce. Dipping with the rice side down will cause the rice to fall apart and drop all over the table and you.

FOOD SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

A TASTY TREAT

to savour

This is an experience any foodie will fondly remember. Start your meal with a long glass of sweet lassi or jaljira and the chaat platter, and enjoy the ride.

KANCHAN AGARWAL

Noor’s Kitchen

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

NOOR JAFRI

DINING WITH THE MASTERS

rom a pani puri thela to a chain of fine dining restaurant — in a nutshell, that is the story of Kailash Parbat. In 1940s, two Mulchandani brothers made and served what was called the best pani puri in Karachi. It was 1947 — the time of partition. With only those utensils used for making pani puri, the Mulchandani brothers found an opportunity in Bombay. Few years later they were the proprietors of Kailash Parbat, the restaurant and now it serves vegetarian sindhi, punjabi, continental and oriental cuisines. It is one of those restaurants whose management is passed down generations in the same family. This being the legacy, let’s venture into its food which makes it what it is. For a true “Kailash Parbat” experience, start your meal with a long glass of sweet lassi or jaljira and the chaat platter. Do order their famous pani purithe puri comes filled in a sophisticated tray with a small jug of the tangy water. Then came nachos with jalepeno chillies which could easily be munched off in no time. Soon as the sunday potatoes were served, I knew it was going to be my favourite. Crispy from outside, a mild flavour of chaat masala and familiar taste of potato were enough to get us on a new high. While

Murgh chindi masala

Ingredients Quantity n 1. Chicken breasts 300 gms n Finely chopped onions 1 cup n Fried crispy onions 2 tbsp n Ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp n Chilli powder 1 tsp n Haldi powder 1/2 tsp n Dhania powder 1 tsp n Whole garam masala powder 1 tsp n Chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup n Slit green chillies 3, 4 n Salt to taste n Oil 2 tbsp n Butter 1 tbsp n Coriander leaves ( for garnishing ) n Lemon wedges ( for garnishing )

some of us were beginning to count the number of calories already consumed, a crackling and sizzling paneer sashlik sizzler sat on center of the table. And while the rice, paneer and chillies were being served, we went back to appreciating the mashed potato stuffed in a capsicum. Before we could finish that, my favourite memory from the evening — oriental pot rice was served. The mushrooms in them were so well done that we never realised how much of it we had eaten. Now would have been the right time to stop. You can eat only so much for dinner if you want to watch your weight, you see.

However, dining out and staying in limit can hardly ever compliment each other. So even as we fretted over how we would not eat much the next day or work out for an extra 20 minutes, a typical punjabi dish called vegetable mohini with butter naan was served. Veg mohini is dahi ki kadi and a veg curry juxtaposed. Having them together curled in a bite of naan would be a wise thing to do. Just a few spoons of Hyderabadi dum biryani with raita and we declared “No more!”. Just as in Indian families where a meal is never complete without desserts, we had to oblige here too. So we

pushed our weight worries behind and dug into kulfi faluda and sizzling hot brownie. In conclusion, a meal at Kailash Parbat, especially for vegetarians, is quite a satisfying one. I strongly recommend the mocktails, my favourite being chilli guava. There is a great variety in all these four cuisines to choose from and a lunch buffet to go for, too.

Place: Kailash Parbat Meal for two: `1200-1600 Timings: 12 noon to 11 pm Location: Road no.6, Jubilee hills

FIT FOR A KING Rampuri Taar Korma (A Royal Indian Goat or Mutton Curry) Ingredients Qty n Mutton 500gms n Ghee 2 tbsp n Tomato puree 3/4 cup n Hot stock 1 1/2 tsp n Yoghurt 1/4gms Method n Heat ghee in a heavy pot. Add the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and star anise. Stir

together for about 30-45 seconds. Add the goat/

mutton pieces and fry them. n Add onion-ginger-garlic paste, tomato puree and hot stock to the mix. n Take the yoghurt in a bowl. Add a couple tablespoons of the simmering gravy into it, and whisk well. Gently add the tempered yoghurt. n Add the ground black

pepper and chilli powder to the sauce. Stir well. Then add salt to taste. Stir again. Cover the pot. Let the meat slow cook for 1-2 hours. n Bring it to a gentle boil, then turn the heat low and let the meat slow cook. By Chef Nilesh Kumar, Executive Chef — Hotel GreenPark.

Procedure n 1. Wash and clean chicken breast, boil it with salt and haldi powder for 5 to 6 minutes till tender. n Make the shredding and keep it aside. n Heat the oil in a pan, fry the chopped onions, add ginger-garlic paste chilli and dhania powder. n Mix it well, and add chopped tomatoes and salt to taste. n Toss it and cover for some time, till the tomatoes are cooked and the masala is well mixed. n Add the shredded chicken pieces (or chicken chindies) cook together with the masala . n Crush the fried crispy onions add it to the chicken along with garam masala powder. n Let it simmer for some time with a sprinkle of water. Switch off the gas. n Serve hot with a spoon of melted butter, slit green chillies, coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Chef’s Note: n It's a very tasty, hot and spicy dish. Can be served as stuffing for sandwich or roti rolls. n Moderate caloric value, best eaten as a quick snack satisfying the hunger pangs.

Contact us @ Noor kitchen Mobile + 91 9441282318 Residence + 91 40 23356947 Like us @ https://www.facebook.com/Noorkitchen

HISTORY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

March 5 March 4

1970: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty goes into effect after ratification by 43 nations. The objective of the treaty is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology and promote co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

March 6

1951: The trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg begins.The couple was accused of passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. They were convicted of espionage during a time of war and executed on June 19, 1953.

March 7

2010: Kathryn Bigelow becomes the first woman to win an Academy Award for best director, for her movie The Hurt Locker. Prior to Bigelow, only three women had been nominated for a best director Oscar.

March 5

2009: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issues an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC.

1953: Joseph Stalin, who was the de factor leader of the Soviet Union since 1924, dies of a massive heart attack. He was 65. While many hail him as a revolutionary leader, many others consider him a mass murderer who was responsible for the deaths of millions of Russians.

March 7 1999: American director Stanley Kubrick dies in England. He was 70. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and is noted for being a perfectionist, extremely careful with scene staging and working closely with his actors.

March 9

1959: The Barbie doll makes its debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York. Barbie has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll.

March 8

1917: In Russia, the February Revolution (known as such because of Russia’s use of the Julian calendar) begins when riots and strikes over the scarcity of food erupt in Petrograd. Supported by 90,000 men and women on strike, the protesters clashed with police but refused to leave the streets.

March 9

1997: Christopher Wallace, a.k.a Biggie Smalls, is shot at a stoplight in Los Angeles. The murder was thought to be the culmination of an ongoing feud between rap music artists from the East and West coasts.

March 10

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”

SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 1

Highly prized

South India Hospitality Awards 2013 organised by Epicurus at the Hitex saw Aditya Sarovar bagging Best 5 Star Hotel award and Radisson Blu scooping the award for Best 5 star New Entrepreneur.

TRESSES IN FOCUS

1 Neha

3 Nagaraju

2 Shruti

4 Binita

SRINIVAS SETTY

Tollywood actress Archana Veda inaugurated a new outlet of Naturals Family Salon & Spa at Vanasthalipuram on Saturday. This is its 23rd outlet in the City.

Walk to remember Braving the cold, women turned up at 7 am this morning for Go! 5k Walk/Run marathon organised by Hyderabad 10K Foundation to mark upcoming Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day at Necklace Road. 1

1 Lakshmi 2 Karuna Gopal 3 Dinaz 4 Lakshmi Manchu

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Bunny’s next soon in offing

llu Arjun is all set to join the shooting of his upcoming film to be directed by Surender Reddy towards the end of the month. The duo had decided to team up soon after the release of Julayi back in 2012. In fact, the film was officially launched in October last year. Nallamalapu Bujji is going to produce the film. Surender Reddy, who had previously made films like Athanokkade, Ashok, Kick and Oosaravelli, is known for making his films in a stylish manner and Allu Arjun has earned the tag of being a stylish star. Since it's the first time a film is being made with their combination, there are huge expectations from the film. The film’s lead cast will be announced shortly and buzz is that Manoj Paramahamsa, the cinematographer of films like Yem Maya Chesave and Eeram, is onboard for this project. Allu Arjun is currently busy shooting for Puri Jagannadh’s Iddarammayilatho in Barcelona, Spain. Amala Paul and Catherine Tresa are playing the lead roles in this romantic entertainer. The entire film unit has been bonding big time on the film’s sets in Barcelona and there’s also a buzz that Puri Jagannadh has convinced Allu Arjun to ride with the bulls for a particular scene in the film. On the other hand, a lip lock, which was reportedly shot on Allu Arjun and Amala Paul, is making quite a lot of storm in the industry. Bandla Ganesh is producing the film and Amol Rathod is the cinematographer. Devi Sri Prasad is scoring the music. Puri Jagannadh, who had wrapped up his previous three films in less than 75 days, has been working quite hard on the making of Iddarammayilatho. The film is likely to release on May 10 this year.

I'd love to do more films in Telugu: Disha Pandey

isha Pandey is the latest newbie to jump on to the Tollywood bandwagon. Born and brought up in Jaipur and New Delhi, she made her acting debut in CS Amudhan’s blockbuster film Tamil Padam in 2010. After a gap of two years, she made her Tollywood debut in Ramesh Raparthy’s film titled Race, which released last weekend. “I had a great time on the sets of the film and it was more

NADHIYA gets a big offer

adhiya, who had played the lead role opposite Ramesh Babu in Bazaaru Rowdy, returned to Telugu cinema after nearly 24 years with a bang. She recently played the role of Prabhas' mother in Mirchi and people couldn't help but notice how well she had fit into the role. She looked so young in the film that director Koratala Siva even included a dialogue where a supporting character says that Nadhiya looks like Prabhas’ sister. The

film went on to become a huge hit and now Nadhiya has bagged an important role in yet another big budget project. We hear that she has joined the cast of Trivikram Srinivas' upcoming film starring Pawan Kalyan, Samantha and Pranitha Subhash. Nadhiya will be seen as Samantha's mother in this family entertainer. BVSN Prasad is producting the film and it is currently being shot in Hyderabad. Devi Sri Prasad is going to score the music.

like a vacation since we shot most of the film in Thailand. I even got a chance to do scuba diving, which was a first for me. Recently, I saw the film in a theatre in Hyderabad and I was thrilled to see the audience’s reaction. Quite frankly, I would love do more films in Telugu,” Disha Pandey says. She’ll soon be seen in a Hindi film titled Saare Jahaan Se Mehnga which is based on the subject of inflation.

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Abhay Deol’s new film with girlfriend

ne by Two will see real life couple Abhay Deol and Preeti Desai romancing each other on screen as well. Directed by Devika Bhagat who has in the past written the screenplay for

films like Manorama Six Feet Under, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Aisha, Jab Tak Hai Jaan and the recently released I, Me Aur Main. The production of the film will go on floors later this month.

SOHA annoyed by royalty references

RAHUL DUTTA

Urvashi has done a great job in Singh Saheb... U

rvashi Rautela, the 18year-old, who is making her Bollywood debut with Singh Saheb The Great has impressed director Anil Sharma, who believes she has a long way to go. “Urvashi is playing the leading lady in the film. She has done a wonderful job in the film. She has justified her role and she has a long way to go. So let us welcome this new girl with all our good wishes,” Sharma said. Urvashi is said to have replaced Ameesha Patel in the movie, and will be seen romancing Sunny Deol, who is 38 years senior to her. Urvashi won the I Am She Miss Universe pageant in 2012, but she had to give up her title because she was found to have been 25 days below the minimum age limit of 18 years. Sharma has earlier directed Ameesha and Sunny in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, says Ameesha was never signed on for Singh Saheb The Great. He said almost 70 per cent of the film’s shooting has been completed. “We shot the film majorly in Bhopal where we created a huge set. Now we are back to Mumbai and the second schedule will go on floors from March 20 in Mumbai itself,” he said. IANS

on’t rub in the royalty, please! That seems to have been Soha Ali Khan’s underlying statement when at a public event, promoting her new film Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, she made her displeasure clear at her royalty references being relentlessly rustled up. Director Tigmanshu Dhulia said at the event that he chose Soha to play a princess in his film as she looked every inch the royalty in royal finery. To this, the sharptongued Soha retorted: “Oh yes, I even sleep in royal clothes.” Explaining her snappy response, Soha said: “It is true. When I was asked if I was comfortable playing my character because of my royal background, I did respond that way. But I was being facetious in merely stating how ‘unroyal’ my dress sense is. As a matter of fact, I am so bohemian in my dress code that only recently have I started wearing shoes instead of chappals. So I was actually making fun of myself !” Having said this, Soha adds she is very proud of her royal antecedents. “I embrace my identity. It is a privilege to come from the background that I do. And it is this background that put me in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s mind for my part as the princess in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns. I am grateful for it,” said the daughter of veteran actress Sharmila Tagore and late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was nawab of Bhopal until 1971, when India abolished royal entitlements. IANS

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

MADHURI DIXIT SERIOUS ABOUT DOING COMEDY FILMS

fter winning hearts of millions of fans with her emotion-filled acting and dancing skills, Madhuri Dixit now wants to show her funny side on screen. The popular Bollywood actor, who currently has two films in her kitty, says she is open to doing all kinds of roles and does not want to restrict herself to certain characters. Considering that Madhuri has heavy duty roles in her upcoming movies Gulab Gang and Dedh Ishqiya, she now wants to try something light — a comedy, fun film. “I am open to anything (in films). I would love to do something that is fun... I would love to do comedy. I would like to do a lot of things. It depends on what I am offered, it depends what I like and what excites me,” Madhuri said. “It is not that I have restricted myself (to certain roles and films). Right now I am busy with two films. I have Jhalak Dikhla Jaa (a dance reality show on TV) coming up and have this online dance academy,” the Dhak Dhak girl said about her projects and life in the film industry. She will be seen next in Gulab Gang, produced by Anubhav Sinha, alongside Juhi Chawla, Mahie Gill and Shilpa Shukla among others. The film, directed by Soumik Sen, is a story of a gang of women fighting against social injustice. “Gulab Gang is shaping up really well. I am enjoying doing it. I have a very strong role in the film,” the 45-year- old star said. Madhuri, who will be back on the silver screen after a gap of six years — she was last seen in Yash Raj’s Aaja Nachle in 2007, insisted that she always tries to give her best. “If films are good they will do well,” she said when asked about judging a movie’s success on the basis of it doing a PTI `100-crore business.

SUBHASH KAPOOR

TO DIRECT THIRD FILM OF MUNNABHAI SERIES

irector Subhash Kapoor of Phas Gaye Re Obama fame will be directing the third installment of Munnabhai series instead of Rajkumar Hirani. “Yes it is true I would be directing the third part of Munnabhai series. I am quite excited. I am looking forward to direct it,” Kapoor said. The first two projects of the series — Munnabhai MBBS (2003) and Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), both directed by Rajkumar Hirani, had received a good response from the audience. PTI

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Adele to get wax statue

Susan Boyle to make film debut

inger Adele will join fellow musical superstars Beyonce Knowles, Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse, when Madame Tussauds unveils a wax statue in her honour. “Adele is the perfect addition to the music line up here in London. She’s one of the world’s hottest properties right now and one of our most requested personalities,” said Madame Tussauds London’s public relations manager Nicole Fenner. “In fact, we have seen a huge increase in requests for her figure since Skyfall released and the timing seems perfect to honour her. “She is one of the most influential British female artistes and we know she is going to be a huge hit with our guests alongside our other pop greats. We’re very excited to welcome her to Madame Tussauds London,” said Fenner.

inger Susan Boyle will make her film debut alongside Les Miserables star Samantha Barks in an upcoming holiday movie. Boyle, 51, who found fame as a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, is currently shooting The Christmas Candle, reported Daily Star. The singer says she is having a blast on set because she gets to dress in costume. “Everyone on set is a delight to work with and it’s a fantastic experience to be part of the team. I’m really enjoying getting dressed in the period costumes and stepping back in time,” a statement read. PTI

O T N OPE

G N I T S

JONE

A D

A S OR

! N I GA

T C A

fter dating Ashton Kutcher and Jason Sudeikis, Mad Men star January Jones, 35, is searching for another actor to date. Jones feels that it’s difficult to date men who are not from the film industry. “There was a time in my life when I

said I’d never date another actor. But it’s hard to meet people outside of my job,” said Jones, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “In life, you tend to date people who are around you, people you see every day. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to date someone who does our job, because it’s so transient. You’re never in the same place for long.” Jones, a single mother of a 17-month-old son, admitted that she

never revealed identity of her child’s father because she didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her just because she is a single parent. “People keep saying, ‘Oh poor you, being a single mum. But I don’t want to be pitied. I can do anything I want to do. I work, I date, I have friends. I have time for everything I had time for before. “I have a great family and friends, and I know they’d be there if I need help. Being a mum is something I always wanted to do and I love it,” she IANS said.

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Pharaoh’s amulet 7 Ball-gown fabric 12 Enjoyed 17 Iron hook 21 Well-mannered 22 Walking — — 23 Boadicea’s people 24 Earthen pot 25 Modernized 26 After-dinner treats 28 Rotisserie part 29 Drop the ball 30 Pianists’ spans 32 Fortas and Vigoda 33 Trig function 35 Battery fluid 37 Shirley Booth TV role 38 Swear 39 Ingredients 40 Bright star in Cygnus 42 Capitol VIP 43 Belgian river 44 Sombrero go-withs 45 More sensible than heels 47 The Bee — 48 No-goodnik 49 Pfc’s superior 52 Galena 53 ‘First lady of song’ 54 Tee partner 55 Enjoy a lollipop 59 Los —, NM 61 Having a good physique 62 Obi-Wan portrayer 63 Ms Foster of films 64 Leveled 65 Sage or basil 66 Muddy tracks 67 Hoity-toity (hyph) 68 Black gemstone 69 Prefix for ‘second’ 70 Bristles 72 Cowboy meet 73 — -relief 74 Sincere 75 Fiesta dip 76 Nostalgic time 77 Army VIP 80 Capsize 82 Usher’s beat 83 Financial asset 84 Sturdy lock 85 Cheapskates 87 Plop down 88 Warm welcomes 89 Garage contents 90 Super-huge 91 Philippine island 92 Ms Massey of old films 94 Guitarist Chet — 95 Ho Chi — 96 007’s watch 97 Gulls’ cries 98 Struck a match 99 Decent grade 100 Memphis blues street 101 Concert proceeds 102 Deliver a message 104 Double-deck game 107 Peat sources 108 Crumpet companion 109 Kitchen tool 113 Femur opposite 114 Undeniable 115 Young hoods 117 Square of glass

118 Materialize 119 Farm building 120 Collars 122 Biol or astron 123 Klondike strike 124 Captain’s dread (2 wds) 127 ‘For Your Eyes Only’ vocalist 129 General Robert — — 130 Beethoven dedicatee 131 Filmdom’s Anouk — 132 Hinder 133 Ancient ointment 134 Advise against 135 Tall flowers 136 Got closer to DOWN 1 Magazine layout 2 Force 3 Buzz the astronaut 4 Where Ipanema is 5 Element info (2 wds) 6 Gray-barked tree 7 November birthstones 8 Odd 9 Boutonniere’s place 10 They may be sealed 11 Sooner than anon 12 Pliant 13 More frozen

14 Russell and Olin 15 Med specialty 16 Throws away 17 Rumors, often 18 Skiing event 19 Hurls 20 Fearsome threesome 27 Four-star reviews 31 Try a bite 34 Word of assent 36 Rock’s — Leppard 38 ‘Have — —!’ 39 Intern 41 Heart’s fluid 43 Raise one’s voice 44 Goalies’ feats 46 Horace’s ‘— Poetica’ 47 Smug 48 Safety and money — 49 Chocolate substitute 50 Best strategy (2 wds) 51 Rotating tray (2 wds) 53 Franc’s successor 54 Gene Tierney thriller 55 Mine find 56 Slangy, maybe 57 Heston title role 58 Mauna — 60 Tex- — cuisine 61 Half of NB 63 Sculpture medium 65 Dicken’s ‘___ Times’

66 Work, as yeast 67 Poet Byron’s title 69 Cell habitants 70 Diary lock 71 Everybody 72 Silver and Howard 74 Chipper 75 Crazy Horse’s tribe 76 Bhakti or Hatha 78 Isolated 79 ‘The Body’ Ventura 81 Phnom — 82 ‘Tiny Alice’ author 83 Cinnamon treats 84 Hearty laugh 85 Universal rival 86 Sequel’s sequel 87 ‘Most Happy’ one 88 Sewing machine inventor 89 Rose-petal oil 91 Applies paint 92 TIFF or JPEG 93 Allows 94 Catch cold 96 Made a comeback 98 Trickles 100 Silent’s Theda — 101 Red-waxed cheese 102 Backs out 103 Puppy plaint

104 Dome 105 More capacious 106 Had occasion for 107 Coffee maker 108 Swung around 110 Wheel or bottle 111 Encrypt 112 Held one’s horses 113 Tony-winner Uta 114 The ones here

115 — ballerina 116 Tankard 119 Gill opening 120 Indigo plant 121 Ditto 125 Rathskeller order 126 Tattered cloth 128 Masseuse employer PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

STAR POWER Date 4-3-2013

As per Hindu panchang

THIRUVAIKUMAR

thiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in 040-27177230 / 9949870449

TAURUS

GEMINI

Avoid luxurious expenses. Govt officials are likely to gain importance and be awarded vital posts. Politicians will be in limelight as their good schemes will be implemented successfully.

Businessmen advised to sign new contracts only after a thorough study of the pros and cons. Self-confidence and boldness levels will be at their high. You will implement bold decisions.

Some might be forced to resign their job and look for a new one; they will be successful and the new job will be better. Be careful while driving as there are chances of getting hurt.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Financial help will come without fail from all expected sources. You march ahead smashing hurdles in front of you. You silently achieve success by executing challenging tasks with experience.

Employees likely to be entrusted with new opportunities and responsibilities. They will be enormously benefitted by completing them in time and to the entire satisfaction of the management.

Tension at workplace will come to an end and you will have support of colleagues and superiors. Trouble created by enemies will come to an end. Heldup construction work will resume.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Those awaiting marriage will get good news soon. Some govt officials are likely to face a favourable transfer with promotion. Good turning points likely, which will keep you happy and active.

Financial position will be strong and comfortable so that you can complete all financial commitments without any problem. Enemies are likely to turn friends with your attractive approach.

Entrepreneurs will be successful in purchasing new machinery and equipments planned for modernisation to improve their business. Employees are happy as their superior support them.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Those who’ve attended a certifying exam will get favourable news. Search for a new job will materialise without fail. Tension, travel and higher expenses will upset you; act with courage.

Professionals and businessmen will feel cheerful as they face a good time that whatever they touch will turn to gold. Politicians will be in limelight and gain importance. Held-up work will resume.

Difficulties will run away from you, with calculated and well-planned efforts. Employees need to work with a focus and avoid negligence at workplace so that they will earn a good name.

SUMAA TEKUR

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Five of Swords – Avoid fights, arguments and disagreements. You’re likely to feel unsure and not in the mood for company. Keep a low profile. It’ll settle.

Knight of Pentacles – You’re feeling adventurous and in the mood to charge ahead with your ideas. What’s more, they all seem to work well, too.

Five of Cups – You’ve lost something valuable and cannot get it back. Your willpower and strength is put to the test. You emerge from this stronger.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Judgment – You will eventually get what is due to you. You may not need to do much to get it. Just go with the flow of life and it will come your way.

Ten of Wands – Don’t believe all you see or read. Exercise restraint when asked for your opinion about something. Be skeptical and measure your words.

The Moon – Pay attention to what your mother says. She may seem confused and not be making sense. But there are subtle messages that help you.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

The Empress – Love is in the air. You plan a string of parties in this happy holiday season and in one of those gatherings you meet the love of your life.

Three of Cups – Celebration time! Bring out the bubbly and celebrate your success. It’s important to do so to attract more positive energy into your life.

Nine of Swords – Nightmares, restless sleep and anxiety taking a toll on your health. Take time off and get away for a few days. Rejuvenate and refresh.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Ace of Pentacles – Probe an opportunity fully before you commit to anything. Those in the field of communication and research will get a new job offer.

Eight of Swords – You feel restless and on the edge. You haven’t been sleeping well and it’s showing on your health. Take time off and rest well.

Nine of Pentacles – You’ve created a comfort zone you don’t want to get out of. There are times when you don’t even want to know what’s happening around you.

NON SEQUITUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE

Disorder in the court These are actual quotes, word for word from court records: Q: What is the date of birth? A: July fifteenth. Q: What year? A: Every year.

POOCH CAFE

STRIP TEASE

AGNES

ARIES

TAROT READ Date 4-3-2013

Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? A: Gucci sweats and Reebocs. Q: This myasthenia gravis — does it affect you memory at all? A: Yes. Q: And in what ways does it

affect your memory? A: I forget. Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten? Q: All your responses must be oral, ok? What school did you go to? A: Oral. Q: How old is your son — the one living with you? A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can't remember which. Q: How long has he lived with you? A: Forty-five years.

Vol: 2, No 226 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

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

JENNIFER LAWRENCE SAYS SHE SETS UP

BRADLEY COOPER C

learly, the country has become enamoured with this year’s Best Actress winner, Jennifer Lawrence. And if Bradley Cooper wasn’t charmed by her already, now he has plenty to love about her. “I feel like all I’ve been doing lately is setting him up," Lawrence, 22, told MTV of her Silver Linings Playbook co-star. But interest in the actor (PEOPLE’s Sexiest Man Alive in 2012) is so great that the actress has had to strategise. “I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to save time, I’m going to get you a booklet of pictures of my friends and you just go through and pick them out,'” she joked. “Because this is getting exhausting for me.” Though he plays her love interest in their romantic comedy, the sparks between them are onscreen only. Says Lawrence, “He’s my brother."

RIHANNA THANKFUL

FOR HER ‘FRESH START’ WITH CHRIS

ihanna calls her relationship with Chris Brown more grown up and a “fresh start” after their rockier early years together — which ended in her now infamous 2009 beating that sent Brown to jail. Acknowledging their relationship in an interview for April’s Elle UK (on news stands March 6), the Barbadosborn music and style icon says that in five years she hopes to have a baby and to be healthy and happy. And, yes, that vision of her future seems to include Brown by her side. “Right now, that’s just what we want, a great friendship, that’s unbreakable,” Rihanna, 25, described of her relationship with Brown, 23. “Now that we’re adults, we can do this right. We got a fresh start and we’re thankful for that.” In five years? “I will probably have a kid,” but in the short term, she’s just praying for a month-long vacation and a break from her hectic touring. Rihanna told Elle that her new single, Stay, is a story about true love and wanting it to last forever, and she now feels that way about Brown.

Daniel Radcliffe to star in ‘Frankenstein’

aniel Radcliffe may not be at Hogwarts anymore, but he’s still palling around with creepy creatures. The actor, who reminded folks he’s also a Broadway song-anddance man at the Oscars this week, is in final talks to star as Igor, the hunchbacked lab assistant, in the upcoming Frankenstein from 20th Century Fox, EW has confirmed. The long-inthe-works script, based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel, is being written by Max Landis (Chronicle). This version of the famous story will apparently be from Igor’s point of view. Frankenstein’s tale was last seen on the big screen in Tim Burton’s 2012 homage, Frankenweenie.

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Nurturing juniors: Nobbs

Parker to miss a month

NEW DELHI: India’s chief hockey coach

Isner upset at Delray Beach

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: San Antonio

Michael Nobbs does not have high expectations from his squad in the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia but said that the tournament would serve as an ideal platform for identifying players for the Junior World Cup scheduled later this year. With an aim to build a strong reserve pool, India has fielded its development squad for the Azlan Shah Cup and rested six of its senior players.

DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA: Latvian

Spurs star guard Tony Parker will miss about four weeks of the NBA season with a sprained left ankle, the team announced on Saturday after the Frenchman underwent an MRI exam. Parker, who led the Spurs with 21.0 points and 7.6 assists a game, suffered the injury late in the third quarter in Friday’s 130-102 home victory over Sacramento when he landed awkwardly after evading a defender while going for a layup.

Ernests Gulbis beat Tommy Haas 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/2) Saturday to book a berth in the final of the Delray Beach International Championships against Edouard Roger-Vasselin. In a match-up of past Delray Beach champions, German second seed Haas squandered three break points in the 11th game of the third set. Gulbis won the last five points to hold for a 6-5 lead, then won six of the last seven points in the tie-breaker.

US duo shares PGA lead PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLORIDA: England’s Lee

Suhr claims indoor world record in pole vault Suhr eclipsed the previous women’s mark of 5.01 metres set by Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva in February of last year in Stockholm.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: Reigning Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Suhr (above) established a world record in women’s indoor pole vault by clearing 5.02 metres at the US Indoor Track and Field Championships. The 31-year-old Suhr began Saturday’s competition by passing on the first eight heights. She cleared 4.55 metres on her first attempt then worked her way up to 4.90 to break the American record and win the competition easily. She then set her sights on the world record which she claimed on her first attempt. Suhr tried three times but failed to clear the bar at 5.07 metres. Kylie Hutson (4.75m) finished second while Mary Saxer (4.60m) placed third. Three-time Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner and 2005 world outdoor champion Bershawn Jackson each won 400meter heats. Wariner, competing in the meet for the first time, was the fastest qualifier for Sunday’s final in 46.40 seconds while Jackson was fourth overall in 47.36, setting up a showdown between the rivals in one of the meet’s feature races.

Vicaut wins 60m in photo-finish GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN: French sprinter Jimmy Vicaut clinched the European indoor men’s 60m title on Saturday, taking the gold medal after a photofinish with Britain’s James Dasaolu. Both men clocked 6.48sec, the best time in the world this season, but the Frenchman got the nod with Italy’s Michael Tumi taking bronze in 6.52sec. “I don’t know what to say. I didn’t understand what happened. I crossed the line, looked for the result and nothing," said the 21-year-old. “Then I saw my name and I was very happy." There was also a season-best performance in the men’s triple jump where Italy’s Daniele Greco took gold with 17.70m. Russia’s Ruslan Samitov claimed silver with a leap of 17.30m.

Wariner, a five-time world champion, took Olympic 400 gold in 2004 at Athens and was part of two US 4x400 gold medal Olympic relays. Jackson, who last claimed a US indoor crown in 2010, took bronze in the 2008 Olympic 400 hurdles. Olympic bronze medalist Janay Deloach Soukup won her third consecutive US Indoor long jump title with a leap of 6.80 meters. She will also compete in the 60m hurdles on Sunday. London Olympic decathlon silver medalist Trey Hardee failed to finish in his 60m hurdles heptathlon heat Saturday morning, ending the 2009 and 2011 world champion’s US title bid. World junior champion Gunnar Nixon took the US crown with 6,232 points, winning the 60 hurdles in 7.93 seconds after taking the long jump (7.42m) and high jump (2.14m) on Friday to beat Curtis beach by 337 points. Reigning Olympic champion Jenn Suhr was favored to claim her seventh US Indoor title in a later competition. Matthew Centrowitz, a 2012 US Olympian who was third in the 1,500 at the 2011 worlds, was fourth-fastest among six qualifiers for the 800m finals.

Westwood and Australian Geoff Ogilvy charged into contention at the US PGA Honda Classic on Saturday but an unheralded pair of Americans clung to the 54hole lead. Rookie Luke Guthrie (below), in only his ninth PGA event, and Michael Thompson each stood on eight-under par 202 after the third round of the $6 million tournament with Westwood and Ogilvy both two strokes off the pace. “I’m in a pretty good place, I think," Ogilvy said. New local resident Westwood, Ogilvy and Thompson each fired a par 70 in the third round, while Guthrie, the 36-hole leader, settled for a 71 in cool and windy conditions. “It was tricky," Westwood said. “We didn’t have wind the last two days, so it came as a bit of a surprise. I acclimatised pretty quickly. I played quite nicely." World number two Tiger Woods fired a 70 for the third day in a row. The 14-time major winner birdied two of the first three holes, added another at the eighth, then began the back nine with a bogey and made double bogey at the par-3 17th. Woods was making a charge until finding a bunker at the 10th and missing an eight-foot par putt. At the 190-yard 17th, the player saw his tee shot roll back into the water and he twoputted from 20 feet after a drop

I thought realistically 5- or 6-under par would be a good score. I thought if I posted that, I would be within six or seven shots of the lead. Tiger Woods, World number two to share 32nd. “I thought realistically 5- or 6-under par would be a good score," Woods said. “I thought if I posted that, I would be within six or seven shots of the lead going into tomorrow at worst." But he acknowledged that he was “probably just not quite driving it as well." Westwood, who turns 40 next month, birdied the par-5 third but took bogeys at the par-3 fifth and two more to close the front nine. He answered with birdies at the 14th and par-3 17th. Having recently moved to a nearby home has helped Westwood’s victory bid this week, the British citizen said. “It’s nice to go home and sleep in your own bed and do some of the normal things you do, like take the kids to school," he said. “I’ve never had the opportunity before. There was never a tournament so close to AFP my home in England."

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Nadal wins Mexican Open ACAPULCO, MEXICO: Former world number one Rafael Nadal (in pic) cruised to his 38th claycourt title at the Mexican Open Saturday, claiming his second title in three events since returning from a seven-month injury layoff.

Nadal, who has never lost to a fellow Spaniard in a final, kept his perfect record intact by routing reigning three-time champion David Ferrer 6-0, 6-2. Second seed Nadal, who also won this event in 2005, was appearing in his third final of the year. He won in Sao Paulo on February 17 and was runner-up in Vina del Mar, Chile, the previous week. Nadal needed just 65 minutes to clinch the title, serving brilliantly throughout as he won 81 per cent of his first-serve points. He saved both break points he faced. World number four Ferrer had his serve broken five times.

Djoker beats Berdych to win Dubai Open Richard Eaton

DUBAI: Novak Djokovic (right) won his fifth title in six tournaments and extended an unbeaten run to 18 matches as he clinched a fourth Dubai Open title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Tomas Berdych on Saturday. The world number one from Serbia underlined his pre-eminence in the world game with an athletically aggressive performance against the world number six from the Czech Republic, who knocked out Roger Federer, the titleholder, in the semi-finals. Berdych had chances to take control of the first set after making the first break of serve, but missed three chances to consolidate it, and also narrowly failed to convert three crucial break points in the following game. These moments suggested that the biggest difference between the two men is a mental one, something indicated again near the end when Djokovic coped with a time violation warning from the umpire as he was serving for the match. Djokovic was clearly delighted to triumph in his first tournament since successfully defending the Australian Open title five weeks ago. “To prevail like this and to be the last one standing is thrilling for me,” he said of his 36th career title. “It was a very close match and could have gone either way. It was never going to be an easy final because Tomas is a fantastic player. He’s been on the tour a long time and is very experi-

Bhupathi-Llodra win Dubai ATP event DUBAI: Mahesh Bhupathi won the first title of the 2013 season when he combined with French man Michael Llodra to edge past Robert Lindstedt and Nenand Zimonjic in the summit clash of the Dubai Tennis Championships, here today. Unseeded Bhupathi and enced. “He beat Federer in an incredible match,” Djokovic added, referring to the three match points Berdych saved while halting the Grand Slam record-holder. Djokovic also believes that his victory on Dubai’s fast

Llodra downed the third seeded rivals 7-6 (6) 7-6 (6) in the fiercely fought final. It was Bhupathi’s fifth title in Dubai. He first won the Dubai title in 1998 with Leander Paes, then again in 2004 with Fabrice Santoro, in 2008 with Mark Knowles and last year with compatriot Rohan Bopanna. PTI courts will stand him in good stead with the year’s opening Masters event getting underway at Indian Wells next week. “I haven’t always been the player who loves to play on the fast, super-fast surfaces (like this one), but I’m happy because during the week I can

also work on my aggressivity, coming into the net, using my serve better,” he said. “That’s what I have done in this tournament and in particular over the years. I have been trying to work on a few things that can give me more variety in the game, and I can use that in the tournaments to come.” Djokovic’s success on Saturday was also due to tactical prowess. At times he provoked errors by subtlely making Berdych generate his own pace, and then increased his own pace or counter-attacked at well-timed moments. There were certainly moments when it seemed that Berdych, a player sometimes troubled by tension, might get himself far enough in front to relax into overdrive. He made the first break at 23, and having lost it in a game of four deuces, almost got another when he chiselled out three break points in the ninth game. Had he converted any of these Berdych would have been serving for the set, but he missed his best chance at 30-40, with a forehand pulled wide, while Djokovic typically played two fine rallies on the others. Djokovic also hung tough in the crises. Berdych, by contrast, was occasionally at his most fallible when it mattered most. He allowed Djokovic’s break back for 4-4 after sneaking himself into a great position to make a stolen volley, only to miss the shot. Then when he was serving to save the set at 56 he played his worst game of the match.

‘I quit singles to prolong career’ MUMBAI: Indian tennis star Sania Mirza (right) on Saturday said the three surgeries she underwent in five years forced her to switch to doubles in a bid to prolong her career for a few more seasons. “I have had three surgeries and to comeback from those surgeries has been extremely difficult,” Mirza, who has won 16 WTA titles, said at an event here. “That definitely is the reason why I decided to switch to doubles. I have been fortunate to play eight years of singles and doubles at the highest level in my career. Do I miss singles?

Yes. But do I want to stop playing tennis in one year and play singles and doubles? No. I love

THE 26-YEAR-OLD HAS BEEN ROPED IN AS THE BRAND AMBASSADOR FOR THE FITNESS VERTICAL OF LEISURE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY THE COUNTRY CLUB. tennis too much and I want to play for a few more years,” she added.

The 26-year-old Hyderabadi has been roped in as the brand ambassador for the fitness vertical of the leisure infrastructure company The Country Club. “Fitness is defined differently by everyone but for me the most important thing is being healthy. As tennis players, what we do is not the healthiest thing. We almost abuse our bodies. We try to be fit and avoid injuries. Our fitness (as professional athletes) is different,” she explained. Asked about her diet plan, the top ranked Indian woman player said, “It depends if you

are in season or out of season. When you are playing, you eat a lot of carbs. We load up on carbs because you are playing and you need that energy. “When we are training in off season, we try to cut down on the carbs and try to eat more protein.” “I eat in moderation and don’t believe in going extreme, either way. I binge on cake once in a while because I don’t think that you should deprive yourself of that as long as you run 25 minutes instead of 15 minutes that day,” she added. PTI

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

India make cautious progress

With the early departure of Virender Sehwag, hosts India put caution before flamboyance to dig themselves in as they scored under 50 runs in the two hours of play before lunch on Day 2. Scoreboard APARNA G SAI

aparna.saig@postnoon.com HYDERABAD: Bhuvaneshwar Kumar struck early for India, rattling the Australian batting line-up at the end of the morning session on Day 1 of the second Test match, here, today. Australia were staggering at 83 for four at the end of 28 overs with Clarke and Wade at the crease on 20 and two respectively. Having won the toss, Australian skipper, Michael Clarke elected to bat. On a pitch which did not seem to turn too much in the morning, the tourists would have hoped to amass a huge total but failed in their endeavour as Kumar struck on three occasions. The first to depart was David Warner. The opener was stunned by a ball from Kumar which took a sharp turn and uprooted one of his stump, with Australia losing their first wicket for a paltry score of 10. Ed Cowan soon followed suit, having being trapped in front of the stumps by Kumar. Just when the tourists looked like they were settling down, they lost their third wicket after Shane Watson also had to take the long walk back to the pavilion, leaving Australia struggling at 57 for three. As Australia were trying to recover from the jolt they received, Ravichandran Ashwin struck to claim his first wicket after Phillip Hughes was dis-

Murali Vijay glides a delivery down the leg side in the first session of the second day of the second Test against Australia at the RGICS at Uppal in the City. M ANIL KUMAR missed after captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni took a brilliant catch behind the wickets . But it was Clarke’s patient knock of 20 runs which gave Australia some hope. His batting showed that it was a reasonable pitch to bat on, although there was enough damage done to the touring side. The captain was undeterred even as he saw his side crumbling. His innings included a six

and two fours and if Clarke manages to stay for a longer duration at the crease, there is every possibility that he could end up with a big score, on the lines of something he had done during the first innings at Chennai. For the hosts, all the bowlers put up a splendid show on a bright Saturday morning which saw a huge crowd turn up to view the proceedings of the

match. The Indians not only bowled well but were alert and agile on the field applying the brakes on easy runs. Australia on the other hand would hope to see a change of fortunes during the remainder period of the day. Earlier, India decided to go with the same XI who played in Chennai, implying that Pragyan Ohja will have to wait a while before he can get his chance to

Australia 1st innings DA Warner b Kumar 6 EJM Cowan lbw b Kumar 4 Hughes c †Dhoni b Ashwin 19 SR Watson lbw b Kumar 23 MJ Clarke* b Jadeja 91 Wade† c Kumar b Harbhajan 62 MC Henriques b Jadeja 5 Maxwell c †Dhoni b Jadeja 13 PM Siddle lbw b Harbhajan 0 JL Pattinson not out 1 XJ Doherty not out 0 Extras (b 10, lb 3) 13 Total (9 wickets dec) 237 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-15, 357, 4-63, 5-208, 6-217, 7-233, 8-236, 9-236 Bowling O M R W B Kumar 15 2 53 3 I Sharma 17 5 45 0 R Ashwin 15 6 41 1 Harbhajan Singh222 52 2 RA Jadeja 16 4 33 3 India 1st innings (overnight score 5/0) M Vijay not out 29 V Sehwag c †Wade b Siddle 6 CA Pujara not out 15 Extras(lb 3, w 1) 4 Total (1 wicket) 54 Fall of wickets 1-17 Bowling O M R W JL Pattinson 10 5 16 0 PM Siddle 8 2 20 1 MC Henriques 7 4 3 0 XJ Doherty 5 2 12 0 play against Australia during this series. Meanwhile, Australia made two changes in the team. They brought Xavier Doherty in place of Nathan Lyon while Glenn Maxwell was replacing Mitchell Starc.

Simmons leads Windies’ triumph NORTH SOUND: Lendl Simmons’ (right) third half-century and an unbroken 85-run third-wicket partnership with Dwayne Bravo guided the West Indies to an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in first T20 international on Saturday. Replying to Zimbabwe’s 130 for eight, the opening batsman smashed six sixes, the last ending the match at the start of the 17th over, in finishing on 63 not out and taking the man of the match award. Bravo (38 not out) benefitted from a missed run out opportunity at the start of his innings to ensure that the early strikes of medium-fast bowler Chris Mpofu did not result in an upset win for the visitors. “It was a clinical result because we did just what we wanted to do,” said West Indies captain Darren Sammy, acknowledging that his team wanted to

make a statement in their first home T20 match since lifting the world title last October in Sri Lanka. Mpofu trapped Johnson Charles leg-before after the opener had taken five consecutive fours off fellow opening bowler Kyle Jarvis and then removed

Darren Bravo without scoring to a pull off a short ball. Dwayne Bravo should have been run out shortly after but Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor failed to hold on to a return with the all-rounder short of his ground. Earlier, Malcolm Waller fell

Scoreboard Zimbabwe innings V Sibanda c Simmons b Best 13 H Masakadza c Pollard b Best 9 B Taylor c Ramdin b Badree 0 C Ervine st Ramdin b Narine 34 M Waller b Narine 49 C Chibhabha b Best 8 T Mutombodzi c Russell b Dwayne Bravo 2 P Utseya c Russell b Dwayne Bravo 2 N M’Shangwe not out 5 K Jarvis not out 0 Extras (4lb, 4w) 8 Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 130 Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-17, 3-28, 4-88 , 5-119, 6-119, 7-124, 8-126

Bowling: Best 4-0-18-3, Badree 4-0-271, Sammy 4-0-34-0, Narine 4-0-17-2, Dwayne Bravo 2-0-16-2, Russell 1-0-60, Pollard 1-0-8-0 West Indies innings J Charles lbw b Mpofu 26 L Simmons not out 63 Darren Bravo c Chibhabha b Mpofu 0 Dwayne Bravo not out 38 Extras (w4) 4 Total (2 wickets; 161 overs) 131 Fall of wickets: 1-30 , 2-46 Bowling: Jarvis 31-0-39-0, Mpofu 4-014-2, Mutombodzi 2-0-20-0 , Utseya 40-25-0, Mushangwe 3-0-33-0 Result: West Indies won by 8 wickets

one run short of a maiden T20 half-century and fast bowler Tino Best claimed three wickets to limit Zimbabwe. Waller and Craig Ervine put on 60 for the fourth wicket, a new Zimbabwe T20 record, after Best had made early inroads, removing the opening pair of Vusi Sibanda and H Masakadza. Taylor, who once again called correctly at the toss and chose to take first strike, continued his poor run on the tour with the bat, falling without scoring to a catch at the wicket off Samuel Badree. “It’s really frustrating that our top three batters aren’t giving us good starts, but despite that, I thought Waller and Ervine played really well,” said a downcast Taylor. Sunil Narine again proved a challenge for the tourists with his spin variations, claiming two AFP wickets for 17 runs.

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013

Suarez scores a hat-trick Luis Suarez improved his tally for the EPL season to 21 goals and helped Liverpool climb to 7th place with a hat-trick against Wigan in a 4-0 score. Saturday results Chelsea 1 Vs West Brom 0 Everton 3 Vs Reading 1 Manchester Utd 4 Vs Norwich 0 Southampton 1 Vs QPR 2 Stoke 0 West Ham 1 Sunderland 2 Vs Fulham 2 Swansea 1 Vs Newcastle 0 Wigan 0 Liverpool 4 Sunday fixture Tottenham v Arsenal (1600GMT)

Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez (C) scores their fourth goal past Wigan Athletic’s Omani goalkeeper Ali Al AFP/ PAUL ELLIS Habsi (L) in their match against Wigan Athletic at The DW Stadium in Wigan, England, on Saturday.

WIGAN, UK: Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick for Liverpool in a breezy 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic on Saturday. Stewart Downing’s headed opener put Liverpool in front inside two minutes and Suarez struck twice before half-time and then early in the second half to pull in front of Manchester

United’s Robin van Persie in the top scorers chart. Liverpool now lie just five points below the European qualifying berths, although fifth-place Arsenal have a game in hand at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Wigan stay above the bottom three on goal difference alone and remain a model of inconsis-

tency, having stormed to an impressive 3-0 success at relegation rival Reading in their previous outing last weekend. Philippe Coutinho, a January signing from Inter Milan, was making only his second league start for Liverpool and he needed less than two minutes to make an impact at

the DW Stadium. The 20-year-old Brazilian collected a long ball from Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina and sidestepped Emmerson Boyce on the left before crossing for Downing to head home. Liverpool doubled their advantage in the 18th minute and Coutinho was again the creator, sliding a through ball into the path of Suarez, who delayed superbly before guiding a shot inside Ali Al Habsi’s near post. Wigan’s frustrations were illustrated by a flare-up between Boyce and James McArthur that prompted referee Martin Atkinson to intervene, although Boyce almost hit back with a header that drew a magnificent save from Reina. The visitors put the result beyond doubt 11 minutes prior to half-time, as Suarez dispatched a 25-yard free-kick that flicked off Shaun Maloney. AFP

Ramos heads Real Madrid to Clasico win Kieran Canning

Barça allege favouritism

MADRID: Barcelona’s recent

slump continued as Sergio Ramos’ (left) header nine minutes from time handed Real Madrid a 2-1 success for their second win over the Catalans in five days Saturday. Karim Benzema had given the hosts the perfect start as he stabbed home Alvaro Morata’s cross after just six minutes, but

arcelona defender Gerard Pique has claimed that Real Madrid tend to get the big decisions from referees after his side were denied a last minute penalty in their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid.

Barca were level just 12 minutes later when Lionel Messi equalled Alfredo di Stefano’s record for goals scored in Clasicos as he rifled in his 18th strike in clashes between the two. The introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo from the Madrid bench livened up matters after the break and Madrid eventually found the winner when Ramos rose highest to power home the winner.

Milan punish Lazio MILAN: Giampaolo Pazzini (above) made the most of Mario Balotelli’s absence to score as AC Milan outclassed 10-man Lazio 3-0 on Saturday to go third in Italy’s Serie A. Lazio ended a run of five games without a win last Monday with a morale-boosting 2-0 victory over Pescara. However, Vladimir Petkovic’s side were reduced to 10 men on the quarter hour when Antonio Candreva was sent off for a foul on the edge of the area. From then on, Lazio, already missing a number of key players including Miroslav Klose and Frenchman Abdoulay Konko, were playing catch-up. Milan dominated from the outset and Pazzini opened the scoring five minutes before the interval. Massimiliano Allegri’s side, who beat Barcelona 20 in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in February, were given another boost when Ghanaian Kevin Prince Boateng doubled the score on 44 minutes. Pazzini put the game beyond reach with his second on the hour mark. Having began the campaign in dire fashion, Milan are now in with a chance of competing in next season’s Champions League or even challenging Juventus for what would be a remarkable AFP title triumph.

Qatar WC could be played in winter EDINBURGH: FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke (right) on Saturday confirmed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be moved to the winter if research shows holding the tournament in the region’s intense summer heat would be dangerous for players. Since being awarded the right to host the event, Qatar’s tournament organisers have had to deal with a barrage of questions about the suitability of staging the World Cup in searing June and July temperatures,

which can reach up to 50C. FIFA, the game’s world governing body, had previously suggested that Qatar would have to make the request to move the tournament. But speaking at the International Football Association Board meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, Valcke became the first senior FIFA official to admit that the event could be moved if his organisation received strong medical advice that it needed to do so. “The FIFA ExCo has the

power to make decisions and if at the FIFA ExCo this issue starts to be a real point for discussion then why not, and then again maybe the FIFA ExCo will say based on medical reports or whatever we really have to look at playing the World Cup not in summer, but in winter," he said. “I am not saying that the case is closed, but what I’m saying is as long as we have not fixed the international calendar all alternatives are open." UEFA president Michel

Platini has reiterated his call to move the Qatar tournament to winter and Valcke said the fact the international calendar had not been fixed beyond 2018 made moving the 2022 finals possible. “Qatar has to tell us, ‘we want to move the World Cup from summer to winter'," Valcke said. “I can tell you there is no working group within FIFA thinking and working on what it means to move the World Cup from summer to winter for the AFP time being,” he added.