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

WHERE TIME STANDS STILL PG 16&17

odern yet resplendent in old world charm: Palaces, temples, beaches, French boulevards, planetariums and tonga rides... a trip to many of our smaller cities is a pleasant cocktail of now and then.

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WEATHER: A MIX OF CLEAR AND CLOUDY SKIES; 25°C

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

FEBRUARY 3, 2013 HYDERABAD

Five BJP corporators have refused to budge from the Council hall where they suspect the MIM of engineering trouble to stall BJP member Uday Kumar from taking the oath of office, even after he was declared the winner.

HELL NO! WE WON’T GO!

REPORT ON PG 3

32 PAGES

ON SUNDAY LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS

ensman Sandesh Kadur shares a few stories from his travels during the making of Himalaya — Mountain of Life and tells us why the Eastern Himalayas need to be conserved. PG 10

COURTENEY COX’S CRUSH ON CHRISTIAN BALE

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

acing a perfectly set table might feel daunting, but it needn’t be. We tell you how to navigate the knives and forks of fine dining challenges so you emerge unscathed and perfectly poised. PG 15

CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

BORN FREE

Urban Ballet A French dance show blending classical and hip hop. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika When: February 6, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4486

Hyderabad 360 Live virtual and visual music by Puce Muse. Where: Qutb Shahi Tombs When: February 17, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4486

French Film Festival Six French films will be screened with English subtitles. Where: Prasads IMAX When: February 19-21 Contact: hyderabad.afindia.org

End of Season Sale Splash has announced its end of season sale of up to 60 per cent off. Where: Oasis Centre, Lifestyle, Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing Contact: splashfashions.com

The Last Nizam Oxford Bookstore Hyderabad and Australia - India Council present the launch of the titles,‘The Last Nizam: An Indian Prince in the Australian Outback’ and ‘The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy’ by John Zubrzycki. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park 22 Rajbhavan Road When: February 3, 6pm onwards

Urban Stampede Chitrangda Singh, PUMA and Runners for Life came together to announce the opening of registrations for PUMA Urban Stampede 2013. The run is aimed at encouraging amateurs and seasoned runners alike to take part in a sport that is enjoyable and beneficial. Teams comprise of four members each compete for the title of the fastest corporate running team. Deadline to register in February 17. Where: CBIT, Gandipet When: March 3 Contact: urban-stampede.com

Yudh Sai Shree Arts presents Yudh, a Bharathanatyam solo by Savitha Sastry on war. Where: Ravindra Bharathi When: February 19, 7pm to 8:15pm Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Confluence Perfect Harmony Productions and

CINEMAS

Bengal tigers spotted playing at Nehru zoological park.

Cisne for Arts bring together Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck & Edgar M for a trio concert. Where: Shilpa Kala Vedika, Hitec City When: February 8, 6:30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2311 2707

For 'HER'

Gujarati and Rajasthani food fest, which includes dishes like Ram Khichdi, Dhokla, Angoori Basundi, and Barfi Choorma. Where: Kailash Parbat, Road No. 36, Jubilee Hills When: Up to February 3 Contact: (040) 2355 8857

A tribute to Victim X, raising the conscience to respect womanhood through art. Exhibition of installations and mixed media art by a variety of artists. The preview is on February 4 at 6:30pm. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: February 4-14, 11:30am to 7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

Cafe Classics Month

Dakshin Ruchulu

The River Moving Within

GreenPark brings all the South Indian cuisines under one roof. It includes dishes from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Where: Once Upon A Time, Hotel GreenPark, Greenlands, Begumpet When: February 1-10 7:30pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 6651 5151

Kailash Parbat food fest Kailash Parbat, a vegetarian multicuisine restaurant, is organising a

Truffles cafe pays tribute to some selective cafes and restaurants in India and the world. The cafe will be serving some of their special dishes. Where: Truffles cafe Plot no. 376, Road no. 10, Jubilee Hills When: Up to February 10 Contact: (040) 2355 0105 The River Moving Within is an exhibition of art work by Koeli Mukherjee Ghose. It is inspired by the works of Rumi and 'Narda Bhakti Sutra' and reflects a love for life. Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills When: Up to February 8

Buy Art It is an anniversary art show of affordable art by 30 artists. All artworks are priced between `1,000 to `10,000. Where: Iconart Gallery,

N SHIVA KUMAR

Banjara Hills When: January 18-February 18 11:30am-7pm Contact: www.iconart.in

The Landmark sale Landmark announces its sale of Up to 70 per cent off. Bestselling books starting at `49, 3 for 2 on the top 500 new releases are just some of the offers. Where: Landmark When: January 25-February 25

Numaish Numaish is the 73rd All India Industrial Exhibition is an ongoing event in the City. Where: Exhibition Ground, Mukarramjahi Road, Nampally When: Up to February 15, 4pm to 11pm Contact: (040) 2460 3015

Pochampally IKAT Mela Pochampally handloom park is organising 'Pochampally IKAT Mela 2013,’ a nine-day handloom exhibition of products like hand made bed and home linen, dress materials, silk and cotton saris, dupattas , table mats, covers, cotton shirts and kurtis When: February 3-11 Where: Minerva (Bibesia) Banquet Hall, Ground floor, Amrutha Mall, Somajiguda

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, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Non-leather school shoes

First woman mayor dies

Cable stolen in Nampally

ollowing Himachal Pradesh's and Punjab's landmark proposals to require schools to use only animal- and eco-friendly canvas or other non-leather footwear for uniforms, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has sent letters to AP minister of primary education Dr S Sailajanath urging the State to follow suit.

he first woman mayor of Hyderabad, Sarojini Pulla Reddy (85), is no more. She breathed her last at her residence in Bowenpally this morning. She has been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. Reddy had also held many important party positions, including being a Congress working committee member.

ome 800m of cable was stolen from the premises of Hajj House at Nampally. The theft came to light only after three days, said Abids police. It is presumed that the thieves scaled the wall, climbed trees and gained access to the compound before severing the cables. Involvement of employees is not ruled out, said the police.

‘MIM engineered bedlam to spike Lotus’

The ruckus kicked up during the general body meeting was to prevent the BJP corporator from taking the oath, claims former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy. TDP wants the mayor to resign. The government has now asked for a report on the unusual behaviour of the mayor and council. N SHIVA KUMAR

Md NIZAMUDDIN

nizamuddin.a@postnoon.com

he high-voltage drama staged in the Council meeting on Saturday at the first general body meeting of this year was to frustrate the BJP by preventing its member from taking oath, observers say. “There is nothing that the people will lose if a single corporator has not taken the oath,” said Mayor Mohd Majid Hussain dismissively after the adjournment of the Council meeting following bedlam and fracas. His stance is construed as a challenge to the judiciary that declared the BJP Langer House corporator the winner after disqualifying the MIM corporator last year. The meeting has been adjourned to February 6. This would stall addressing a lot of urgent civic issues people face in the City. Trouble started immediately after the mayor announced the start of the proceedings. MIM members started shouting slogans against the chief minister for not releasing MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi. Countering the chorus were members of the Congress. While MIM members shouted, “CM down down,” the Congress members cheered, “CM Zindabad.” Adding to the drama, some members climbed onto the benches and shouted. The mayor made no convincing effort to quell the disquiet except making some weak pleas. The fracas continued for 20 minutes, and members ignored the mayor, who kept shouting “Let me start the proceedings”. Habeeb Zain (Shivarampally),

I was given the order two months back by the High Court. But I am yet to take oath. The general body meeting was cancelled twice. The GHMC workers were intentionally incited to protest yesterday. Uday Kumar, BJP corporator

Why is he (the mayor) continuing when he does not have the consensus? It has been eight months since the general body meeting was held.

The MIM incited the unions to disturb the meeting and then the corporators from the same party caused a furore. The government should dismiss the mayor.

Samed Ahmad Abbad (Uppuguda), Abdul Qavi Ansari (Chandrayangutta) and several others, including women corporators, hindered the proceedings. From the Congress camp, floor leader Diddi Rambabu, B Raju Yadav (Punjagutta), A Mahesh Yadav (Somajiguda) stood on the desks and shouted slogans. “How can you hold the CM responsible for Owaisi’s release?” asked a Congress corporator angrily. He said it was all a deliberate ploy by the MIM to prevent the BJP man from taking the oath. Adding to the din was the YSRC, for whom the unveiling of YSR’s statue was the most important thing to be done. At this juncture, the mayor

they demanded. Still they stayed the night. Government Order may take time. We are considering some action. MSS Somaraju, GHMC secretary

Bangari Prakash, floor leader

Mayor should change his attitude. If the MIM wants the release of Akbaruddin, they should knock on the doors of the court. What would the general body have to do with this? Uma Rani, corporator

We have shown them acknowledgement from the government when

We shall be taking care of the matter (when asked if dharna is allowed in council hall). MT Krishna Babu, GHMC commissioner

I have to refer through the Act book for taking action. (Expressed surprise when told the leaders were still in the GHMC council hall.) G Raj Kumar, deputy mayor

announced adjournment. At a press conference later, the mayor denied that the bedlam was engineered by his party to prevent the BJP corporator from taking oath. “It was listed so it would have happened if trouble had not broken out.” On the solid waste management logjam, the mayor said the High Court had ruled in favour of Ramky and added, “Turning Hyderabad into a clean city is my top priority.” He agreed that modern methods of solid waste disposal was essential or else the people of Hyderabad would suffer.

KARTHIKA

BLAMES

MIM

Former mayor Banda Karthika Reddy squarely blamed the MIM for stalling the proceedings. “It was planned by the party. Since the last eight months, no meeting was conducted and now this is the situation. We are worried,” she said. Reddy believed that the issue of the BJP corporator was the sole reason for dilly-dallying of the meeting. Congress floor leader Diddi Rambabu expressed concern that if the meeting is not held till February 10, then citizens will have to pay the price. “If the proceedings do not reach the government, it will have consequences not only for the corporation, but for the entire City.” Diddi felt that the mayor violated propriety by delaying the meeting by one-and-a-half hours without valid reasons. Deputy Mayor G Raj Kumar said there were scores of works pending. “How can the government approve works if the proposals are not forwarded from the council?”

TDP

AND

BJP

PROTEST

The TDP shouted slogans before the mayor’s chambers. The BJP did not leave the Council hall till evening, saying they would continue to sit till February 6.

CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Botsa scores self goal

After the PCC chief said he had expelled nine MLAs, the stability of the ruling government was questioned. However, Congress leaders have closed ranks and dismissed the rumours. FILE PHOTO

SEEING THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY BOTSA’S STATEMENT, SOME CABINET MINISTERS STATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD NOT FALL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

oubts are being cast over the conduct of the Budget Session, which is scheduled to be held from March 11. The reason for the doubts is the buzz that the government may not last long. The ammunition has come from the Congress camp itself. The recent shocking statement of PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayana that he had expelled nine party MLAs may lead the party to fall into a minority state. His statement sent shockwaves across the party cadres in the State. Seeing the intensity of the statement, some Cabinet ministers made attempts to reduce the damage caused by the PCC president’s statement by saying that the government would not fall under any circumstances. “The government has no threats,” declared rev-

enue minister N Raghuveera Reddy, while reacting to a question on Saturday. Similar statements were made by other Cabinet ministers, who attended

the 180th State-level bankers’ conference along with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy. Speaking to Postnoon on the issue of the ensuing Budget

Session, legislative affairs minister D Sridhar Babu said that the session will be held. He dismissed rumours. “We will hold the Budget Session as per

schedule.” As per the existing schedule, the session will begin from March 11 and will conclude in the second week of May with a brief recess to allow the newly constituted standing committee to undertake elaborate discussions on the budgetary proposals of the State government and make their suggestions accordingly. It may be emphasised here that the State government, for the first time in its history, has decided to hold the budget session on the lines of Parliament last year. A vote on account would be approved for the first three of the next financial year before the approval of the regular budget.

Protect heritage or deny choice? While many teachers have lauded the State government’s move to make Telugu a mandatory subject in all schools, parents are not so upbeat. Many question why their children, unlike those across the country, will be denied the right to choose their second language.

Anubha K Singh

anubha.k@postnoon.com

he recent rule making Telugu compulsory in private and government schools has evoked mixed reactions from teachers and parents. There are many school principals and teachers who believe that it will help revive the regional language in the State, but many parents think that the rule is not in the favour of non-Telugu speaking children. “Making Telugu mandatory is a good step; in fact, I feel this rule has come late. It’s upsetting to see so many children who are born and brought up in Andhra Pradesh, but can’t speak or write Telugu. This rule will force parents to teach their wards Telugu. A regional language should always be given more importance than any other language,” said T Sadhana, headmistress of Nishulk Prabhat School, a government Telugu and English medium school. Teachers who back the rule say that things will not get harder for nonTelugu students as those whose mother tongue is not Telugu can choose another language. In this case, Telugu will be the child’s second language. “If a student’s mother tongue is Hindi, then he/she can opt for Hindi as their first

language; but the child must pick Telugu as their second language. Special English and Sanskrit will no longer be options,” said Preeti Reddy, a teacher from Loyola school. And be warned, Telugu will not be allowed to be taken lightly as a subject. If a child performs poorly in Telugu, then it will affect their overall grades. This is why the new rule has come as a rude shock for many parents. “Teaching children from North Indian families Telugu will be a tough task. When the parents themselves do not know the language, how will they teach their children? Making Telugu mandatory will leave no scope for students to pick up foreign languages. The State government cannot force a child to learn a particular language. Children across the country are given the right to choose their second language,” said Pooja Kumari, whose children go to Delhi Public School. As of now, schools give you the liberty of choosing Hindi, Sanskrit, Telugu, special English, Arabic or French as second languages. But if the rule is implemented, students will no longer have a choice. The rule will be applicable to students of Classes I to X in around one lakh government, private and government-aided private schools.

M ANIL KUMAR

CITY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Home for hapless women

Many women suffer in abusive marriages and live with it as they don’t know where else to go. There is an urgent need to make them aware of the shelters and legal help available. M ANIL KUMAR

ALEENA ALICE

aleena.t@postnoon.com

harada (name changed), a 30-year-old mother of two came to the City from Adilabad, along with her daughters, in December. She had no place to go and took shelter in the Imliban bus stand. Sharada was a victim of domestic violence for 10 years. When she could not take it anymore, she decided to escape from her in-laws’ house. She fled with her children because she knew the people in her native village would not approve of a woman walking out of a marriage. An elderly woman in her district had advised her to reach the family court in Hyderabad for legal help. Noticing the young woman sitting with her two children at the bus stop, a cop on duty came to enquire. Her only parent, her mother, was too poor and helpless to take care of her and the children. Taking pity on her, the policeman called up a short stay

home in Begumpet and arranged their stay for a short while. Not many women know of voluntary organisations that can give them shelter and also train them in vocational courses, making them financially independent. Usually, it is the advocates and the police who notice and identify such women and direct them to an NGO or other voluntary organisations that help destitute women. Bhavani Mahila Mandali at Begumpet has been

one such home for several women, especially those who have come looking for help from other districts. The home has been helping women who are depressed because of abusive marriages, divorce, dowry harassment, sexual harassment, or those who were orphaned. The voluntary organisation works under the Central Social Welfare Board. Apart from counselling the inmates who come for protection, it also offer free edu-

surendran.pk@postnoon.com

nion has suddenly disappeared from many retail markets in the City. Most vegetable outlets say the bulb is not coming. Even at Kukatpally Rytu Bazaar, onion had not arrived yesterday. Where they are available, the price per kilogram is `32-35. It was `22-26 per kg last month. Ominous signs of onion going berserk had come from Nashik, a major producing centre, last month when onion prices shot up to `22 a kg from `15 a kg. Alarm bells started ringing in many states. Consequently, hotels have cut down on onion and some are toying with the idea of revising menu rates. In most retail markets across the country, onion is selling at `35-40 per kg. While agriculture minister Sharad Pawar termed it a temporary phenomenon, National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation attributed the price rise to higher demand and increased cost of production. If this is true, price would continue to rise. Enquiries with traders reveal that wholesalers are withholding stock to profiteer. While it is true that onion prices have gone up, the sudden shortage is the handiwork of big merchants, retailers say.

Onion prices have risen by a minimum of 23 per cent in the City since last month. There is also a sudden shortage of onions.

Some short stay homes in the City Rural Development Society, H.No.12-13-308, Kishna Priya Apt. Flat No.303, Street No.19, Tarnaka, Secunderabad, Distt. Hyderabad. Contact: K Rama Sita, secretary (04027018042). Hyderabad City Women’s Welfare Council, Plot no. 740/1/2, S.S. Nagar, Habisguda, Street no. 8, Maheshwari Nagar, Hyderabad. Contact: Anasuya, president (09391411399). Bhavani Mahila Mandali: H.No.1-11-94’3’4, Bombay Halwa Compound, Shyamlal Buildings, Begumpet. Contact: Anitanand (9391375521) tionships. While some short stay homes are present, we require some more immediately. The government should also make sure that they increase awareness among people about such temporary homes.”

‘Education will be the next revolution’

City cries over missing onions

PK Surendran

cation and trains them in different fields to become financially independent. The secretary of the organisation, Anitanand says, “Most of the women who come from districts are unaware of the short stay homes and usually take shelter at the bus stops or the railway stations. When the police notice them, it is only then that they are directed to short stay homes. “Sometimes, the advocates who are dealing with their case direct them to us. There are times when we get calls in the middle of the night from women who are being harassed by their husbands. Sometimes, we have women who come along with their children. In such cases, we give their sons shelter till the age of 10 and after that we send them to hostels so that they can study. The girl children are kept with us and we educate them.” Speaking on how the government should support such voluntary organisations, advocate CV Srinath says, “Every day we have a number of cases of women who are being harassed by their husbands. Not many have places to take shelter, and because of this fear, they continue living in those abusive rela-

naugurating the Indo-Global Education Summit here this morning, minister for IT and communications, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, said the next greatest revolution after the agricultural revolution, industrial, electronic and IT revolutions, will be “education revolution,” which will affect mankind globally. The country’s growth is directly proportional to the development of its human resources, he said. Lakshmaiah said realising this cardinal truth, late former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi formed a separate ministry for human resource development at the Centre. Rajiv Gandhi always laid emphasis on education because lack of education is the root cause of all social and economic maladies like hunger, disease, ignorance and violence which are off-springs of illiteracy, he added. “If we give education to people, they can earn the rest.” Stating that India has the world’s second largest post-secondary student population of around 20 million, and it is expected to double over the next 12 to 15 years, Lakshmaiah said the summit will help Indian institutions achieve excellent results in terms of academic collaborations and the Indian student community will be able to access a wide array of opportunities for study in reputable foreign universities. Indo-Global Education Summit 2013,

offering opportunities for Indian educational institutions for collaborations with foreign universities, is being held at Hotel Marigold in the City today and tomorrow. There is also an expo being held along with the Summit. It is being organised for the fifth time by The Indus Foundation, an American organisation, in support with the Andhra Pradesh State government and the FAPCCI.

OVER 40 COUNTRIES PARTICI-

PATED IN THE EDUCATION SUMMIT THIS YEAR. THE SUMMIT PROVIDES A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN INDIAN AND FOREIGN INSTITUTIONS. Over 500 top Indian and foreign Universities from the USA, UK, Australia, South Africa and 40 other countries participated in Indo-Global Education Summit at Hyderabad on Saturday. The summit is specifically designed for managing directors, CEOs, vice-chancellors, principals, provosts, deans, department heads, faculty, trustees, correspondents, government officials, and others connected with NSS higher education.

NATION SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Railway to boost fire safety

Charges against Kalmadi tomorrow

Man gets 7-yr jail for rape

NEW DELHI: In an effort to check the

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court is likely to frame charges

number of fire accidents on trains, Railways will soon equip pantry and power cars with latest fire suppression system including sprinklers. As per the plan, the Rail Budget 2013-14 will have proposals for installing sprinklers in pantry and power cars in as many express and mail trains.

against sacked Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and others tomorrow for allegedly cheating, conspiring and causing a loss of over `90 crore to the exchequer in a Games-related corruption case. Besides Kalmadi and Bhanot, the other accused in the case are OC's former Director General V K Verma, former Director General (Procurement) Surjit Lal, former Joint Director General (Sports) A S V Prasad and former Treasurer M Jayachandran.

NEW DELHI: A youth has been given a seven- year jail term by a Delhi court for raping a 14-year-old girl in his house after spraying some anaesthetic substance on her. The court, however, acquitted him of charges of kidnapping and threatening the girl on the ground that there were contradictions in her statement regarding these two allegations.

Only 1 in 4 rapists convicted NEW DELHI: Nearly 68,000 rape cases were registered across the country during 2009-11 but only 16,000 rapists (23.5 per cent) were sentenced to prison, presenting a dismal picture of conviction of sexual offenders. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 24,206 rape cases were registered in India in 2011 but only 5,724 people were convicted for the crime. Similarly, in 2010, 22,172 rape cases were registered while the number of convicted persons for the crime was 5,632. A total of 21,397

rape cases were registered in 2009 but only 5,316 persons could be convicted. "The poor rate of conviction is primarily due to prosecution's inability to gather enough evidence against the accused following inadequate police investigation," a Home Ministry official said. The NCRB data shows there were 1,22,292 cases of molestation during 2009-11 but only 27,408 people could be convicted for the offence during the said period. Womens’ rights activists have called for better conviction rates to ensure that punishment serves as deterPTI rent.

Food output to fall MUMBAI: Major crops production in the country, both food and non-food, is expected to decline by about 2.8 per cent in 2012-13, mainly due to lower output of paddy, coarse cereals and pulses following irregular rainfall, economic think-tank CMIE has said. "Production of nonfood crops is projected to fall by 2.7 per cent in 2012-13. Along with 2.9 per cent decline in output of food grains will lead to a dip in production of major crops by 2.8 per cent in 2012-13," Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy said in its

IRREGULAR RAINFALL DURING 2012 MONSOON SEASON HAS AN IMPACT ON CULTIVATION OF FOOD AND NONFOOD CROPS. monthly report. In food grains, the fall will mainly due to lower output of rice, coarse cereals and pulses. Irregular rainfall during 2012 southwest monsoon season has an impact on the cultivation of both food and non-food crops during recently complet-

ed kharif season, it said. However, sowing activities in the ongoing rabi season has picked pace and was reported to be 1.2 per cent higher than last year, according to the report. As on January 4, 2013, cultivation of wheat was 1.6 per cent higher at 286.4 lakh hectares compared to last year. The increase in wheat acreage is mainly due to the government's announcement of a hike in the minimum support price (MSP). The MSP of wheat has been increased by `65 per quintal to `1,350 per quintal. PTI

Jail for PIO pharmacist

Bank staff strike on Feb 20-21

WASHINGTON: An Indian-American pharmacist has been sentenced to 17 years in prison by a US court for a healthcare fraud worth millions. Babubhai (Bob) Patel, 50, who owned and operated 26 pharmacies across Detroit, was sentenced in Michigan court, five months after a jury convicted him of billing the government $57 million for painkillers that were medically unnecessary or never provided. He paid doctors to write the orders and had recruiters offer cash to poor people for their Medicare or Medicaid number.

NEW DELHI: Bank employees' unions have decided to support the two-day strike by central trade unions beginning February 20 to press for wage hike in the backdrop of rising inflation. Nine bank unions under the banner of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have decided to go on a nation-wide strike on February 20 and 21, National Organisation of Bank Workers' (NOBW) said in a statement. Bank unions are pressing for early wage revision of employees, which is due from November 2012, NOBW said.

State

Rape cases registered (2009-11)

Convictions

Madhya Pradesh

9,539

2,986

West Bengal

7,010

381

Uttar Pradesh

5,364

3,816

Assam

5,052

517

State

Molestation cases registered (2009-11)

Convictions

Madhya Pradesh

19,618

6,091

Maharashtra

10,651

595

Uttar Pradesh

9,030

7,958

Kerala

9,232

718

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WORLD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Call to boycott Iran polls

Which one flew to space?

PARIS: An exiled Iranian opposition

TEHRAN: Iran’s announcement that it had

group called in Paris on Saturday for a boycott of the June presidential election that will choose a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. “This election whose only candidates are criminals implicated in the torture, massacre and looting of the Iranian people for 34 years, has no legitimacy in the eyes of the Iranian people,” it said.

successfully sent a monkey into space stirred questions on the Internet on Saturday, with people pointing to differences between official images of the primate before takeoff and after landing. Official Iranian media published pictures of a monkey named Pishgam (Pioneer) prior to the launch which was not similar to the one in the pictures released after landing.

Rally for the Black Christ GUATEMALA CITY: Some 35,000 motorcyclists roared through the streets of Guatemala City Saturday for an annual pilgrimage to the Cristo Negro — the shrine of the Black Christ — one of this country’s most venerated icons. The riders, many toting wives or children on their backs, will cover 195 kilometers (120 miles) from the center of the capital Guatemala City.

Video of Egyptian police brutality ups the ante

In the video, riot police can be seen beating a man in his 50s before dragging him into an armoured vehicle. CAIRO: A video footage of a man beaten and dragged naked by policemen in Cairo triggered an outrage in Egypt on Saturday and prompted calls for Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim to resign. But hours after the presidency expressed disappointment over the incident and Ibrahim offered to resign, the man told state television the policemen were actually trying to save him from protesters — a claim quickly dismissed by his relatives. Footage of the incident was broadcast live on television during protests on Friday night against Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. It has since gone viral on the Internet, triggering an outpouring of condemnation on social media websites. In the video, riot police can be seen beating a man in his 50s before he was dragged into an armoured vehicle in front of the presidential palace. “The horrible and degrading images showing the central security officers and police beating and dragging a naked man near the presidential palace should lead to the interior minister’s immediate resignation,” said Khaled Dawoud, spokesman for the main opposition National Salvation Front (NSF). The presidency said it was “pained by the shocking footage

SOMETHING

Opposition wants Morsi prosecuted

FISHY?

I tried to resist the police because I didn’t want to get into their armoured vehicle, but then I realised that they were trying to save me.

Saber, the man who was beaten up by Egyptian cops.

He’s lying, he is scared. Randa, Saber’s daughter. of some policemen treating a protester in a manner that does not accord with human dignity and human rights.” It would follow the interior ministry’s investigation of what it called an “isolated act.” Ibrahim’s office said he had ordered a probe to “hold accountable” those who who beat the man, and that he would resign if “that’s what the people want.” Prosecutors say Saber, a 50-

An image grab taken from Al-Hayat TV purportedly shows Egyptian riot policemen dragging and beating an unidentified semi-naked man during clashes with anti-president protesters outside the Egyptian Presidential Palace on February 1, 2013 in Cairo. year-old construction painter sent to a police hospital, was found carrying petrol bombs. Late on Saturday, Saber, in an interview with state television, said the police were actually saving him from protesters. “They gathered around me and roughed me up. They took my clothes then they said ‘hey, this guy isn’t a policeman, he’s an old man,’” Saber said from his hospital bed. Then, he said, “I tried to

resist the police because I didn’t want to get into their armoured vehicle, but then I realised that they were trying to save me.” But minutes after his interview, relatives dismissed his claim. “He’s lying, he is scared,” his daughter, Randa, told state television. And an unnamed man claiming to be Saber’s nephew said he “is lying because there is lot of pressure on him.”

gypt’s main opposition group on Saturday backed calls to oust the ruling Islamists after deadly clashes and as President Mohamed Morsi scrambled to contain fallout from footage of apparent police brutality. The National Salvation Front said it “completely sides with the people and its active forces’ calls to topple the authoritarian regime and the Muslim Brotherhood’s control.” The NSF also demanded that Morsi be prosecuted for “killings and torture,” while urging Egyptians to stage peaceful protests. It said Morsi should be put on trial after an “impartial investigation” and ruled out dialogue with the presidency until “the bloodletting stops and those responsible for it are held accountable.” AFP

We are not done yet, says Gillard

Meet chaired by Kim hints at nuclear test

Russia talks with Syrian opposition

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard rallied her Labor party Sunday, saying her government was “not done yet” despite a turbulent week in which two of her most senior ministers resigned. Gillard, who is struggling in opinion polls, last week announced that the next election will be on September 14, a surprising tactic in Australia where poll dates are usually announced only weeks in advance. Addressing Labor candidates in Canberra, the prime minister said she was committed to creating jobs and improving opportunities and it was important that voters heard this message. “I’m looking to you to be out there in your communities explaining to them that this is the work of governing and we are not done yet,” she said.

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un chaired a top

MUNICH: Ground-breaking talks between the Russian foreign minister and the Syrian opposition leader have bolstered a global push to narrow sharp differences over how to end the conflict in Syria. Moscow said Saturday it wanted to keep in regular contact with the Syrian opposition, after its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz al-Khatib met for the first time. “I reminded Khatib that after the creation of the coalition and the appointment of their leader, we immediately demonstrated our interest in maintaining regular contact,” Russian news agencies quoted Lavrov as saying after the meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

military meeting that discussed a looming “great turn” in military capability, state media said Sunday, fuelling expectations of an imminent nuclear test. Kim made a “historic” speech at the Central Military Commission meeting, attended by the heads of the Korean army, the powerful National Defence Commission and the strategic rocket force, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The meeting discussed “bringing about a great turn in bolstering military capability”, said KCNA, which gave no date or details of Kim’s speech. Experts and intelligence sources say North Korea has completed preparations for a third nuclear test, which Pyongyang threatened in response to UN sanctions.

COMMENT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Cry Freedom!

Iran’s space plans

our Cry Freedom was a stark reminder of how a touchy lot we are beginning to be. One can’t open one’s mouth, one can’t jot a word, one must think twice before thinking itself in today’s world lest we hurt someone. We are going back to dark ages, indeed. Soonam Kaur via email

rom the pictures circulating of the monkey that was supposedly sent to space and retrived by Iran, it seems they have tried to send but failed in their endeavour. Because even a cursory glance of the pictures will tell the monkey that went up is not the monkey that came down. Ram Babu Yousufguda

INDIA’S RETURN to Dark Ages

WHY WE LOVE... Dada and not Didi Dada was quite straightforward when he was playing and sometimes that had landed him in trouble. He speaks his mind without a care for whose feathers he might ruffle. At gathering at the Kolkata Literary Meet he said something very deep and true: “It's just the feeling that there is no point writing if I can't write everything. Sometimes, you are forced not to write everything,” while adding that he does not want to get the treatment that Salman Rushdie got from Didi.

Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 040-4067 2222.

Don’t go the US way

rance has done something commendable by coming to Mali’s rescue, ousting Islamists. At least their action bears some legitimacy which the US operation did not have in Iraq. However, France must not make the mistake US made. It must withdraw and not make the US’ mistake. Suresh Bandha Banjara Hills

Hyderabad highs

EDITORIALS

“You were asked to bend, but you began to crawl,”BJP leader LK Advani once aptly said about Indian media’s cowardice during Emergency. The same can be said of our state governments who are bending backwards to implement the writ of religious fundamentalists. Death of MF Husain in exile; targeting Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen; ‘moral police’ bashing up young couples; khaps organising ‘ punishment’ rapes and murders and, of course, the censorship by thugs of all hues on all matters under the sun.With vote bank politics and policy of appeasement taking centrestage it is the progress we have achieved through centuries of social reforms that is being undone. When elected representatives of the people say they are helpless before the threat of extra-constitutional elements, they have no right to remain in power. Those who are still wondering what’s the big deal should read up (or just read newspapers) to understand what Pakistan is reaping after Zia-ulHaq rolled out red carpet for religious extremists.

EDITORIALS

From the hip SYED SHOAIB

month into the New Year is adequate time to do a reality check. Hyderabad was named as one of the best cities in the world to visit in 2013 by the world’s largest travel guide book Lonely Planet. Andhra Pradesh’s biggest city was described as “elegant and blossoming”, as reported in the last week of October 2012. The celebrated city now in the middle of Telangana clashes and the after-effects of Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speech, is also witness to thinking traffic signals, operational from the Jubilee Hills check post, this week, thanks to traffic snarls. This is in essence the contradiction of the city’s variety offered on a platter to a neutral viewer. While this high ranking for our city is purely from the tourism point of view, we need

to look beyond the halo of the hyderabadi biryani, on what lasting flavours our city lacks, in daily living. Agreed, the city spruces up well and stands up proud for international events but development strategies in infrastructure projects and resource management like underground water need a second look. Between Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills, there is definitely the ‘Hyderabad Blues,’ and William Dalrymple’s White Mughals explains a lot of the old-city charm, which is being retained less with passing time. Even Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who spoke at the inauguration of the AP Real Estate Developers’ Association Property Show on Saturday spoke of how issues related to drinking water supply and electricity shortages were being attended to by the government on priority basis. “Infrastructure in Hyderabad can be rated among the best in cities across the world. The improvement and beautification, started with recent CoP-11 meeting, will continue to make the city a more appealing destination,” was his take.

At the same event, Union Minister of State for Tourism K Chiranjeevi spoke on the hyped tourism potential of not just Hyderabad but the state of Andhra Pradesh itself. Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development M Maheedhar Reddy, pointed out that the growth of the city so far had been more in the western parts and said the eastern side too was poised for development with the Metro Rail. In March 2012, The Indian Union Tourism Ministry declared Hyderabad as the first ever Best Heritage City of India. Earlier in 2011, New York Times rated Hyderabad among the 41 top destinations to visit in the world, the only Indian city in the list. The World Bank Group ranked the city as the second best Indian city for doing business in 2009. In 2010, the economic analysis group Gamma and World City ranked Hyderabad in its third tier of cities by importance. In 2011, global real estate adviser DTZ ranked Hyderabad as the world’s third-most-affordable office location, while Business Today ranked Hyderabad as the fourth-best city to live in India.

The ‘City of Pearls’ situated at the crossroads of north and south India, is known for its distinctive culture. It attracts hordes of tourists each year, who take pleasure in sightseeing at places like, Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar and the Golconda fort. It imbibes in itself an array of bazaars, galleries, libraries, sporting and other cultural institutions. The city’s heritage and its image as a centre where the old meets the modern and its new tag as the Bio-diversity capital of the country are factors that could have played a major role in its rank in the list. An oriental city, Hyderabad has heritage co-existent with modernity. San Francisco tops as a result of its cultural mix, Amsterdam is to celebrate anniversaries for its canal, for Van Gogh, and for the Van Gogh museum, while a renewed Hyderabad represents both value for money and novelty for travellers. Hyderabad welcomes newcomers with open arms. The cultural amity is contagious. A capital with this unique feature needs only chiselling to become the universal city of the future.

BUSINESS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

MFs garner `1.2 lakh crore

nvestors have put in more than `1.2 lakh crore in mutual funds in first nine months of the current fiscal compared to a cumulative net outflow of over `70,000 crore in the previous two financial years. There was a net inflow of `1,20,269 crore between April and December 2012, as against total fund mobilisation of `36,918 crore in the corresponding period of last fiscal.

Euro payment for Iran oil ends on Feb 6

ndia will this week end an 18-month old arrangement of paying for Iranian crude oil imports through a Turkish bank as a new set of US sanctions against the Islamic nation comes into force from February 6.India has been, since July 2011, paying in euros to clear 55 per cent of its purchases of Iranian oil through Ankarabased Turkiye Halk Bankasi. Rest of the payments are made in rupees in Kolkata-based Uco Bank. While the euro payments will stop, India will continue to pay for Iranian imports in rupee, the official said.

FIIs pump in `22,000 crore

verseas investors pumped in a staggering `22,000 crore in the Indian stock market in January, the seventh consecutive month of inflows. Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were gross buyers of shares worth `77,859 crore, while they sold equities amounting to `55,800 crore translating into a net inflow of `22,059 crore, according to Sebi data.

Budget disputes threaten EU ambitions T he European Union’s grand ambitions to meet the economic and technological challenges of the future look likely to come under threat at difficult talks this week to set the bloc’s next longterm budget. Sources at both the European Commission and the European Parliament say EU leaders will be looking to trim a further 20 to 25 billion euros ($30-$35 billion) off the almost trillion-euro ($1.36 trillion) budget for 2014-2020 at a February 78 summit. “All the projects for the future that could bring growth and jobs are under threat,” a source familiar with the budget negotiations told AFP. “The crisis is killing all our ambitions.” The summit will be the second attempt by the 27 leaders to reach a deal on the budget after a November budget summit collapsed in acrimony. The Commission had originally sought 1.047 trillion euros for the 2014-2020 EU budget. EU President Herman Van Rompuy tried to broker an agreement at the November summit with a proposal for 74 billion in cuts to bring the budget down to 973 billion, or 1.01 per cent of Europe’s GDP. However Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands pushed for still deeper cuts, with British Prime Minister David Cameron seeking to bring the budget down to 886 billion euros. Many of the likely new cuts will be in the so-called “Connecting Europe” facility, a grand bid to connect up nations in the fields of energy, transport and digital networks. The ambitious scheme dreamt up by the EU executive, the Commission, to propel the bloc into the future, is seen by several nations as too big a drain on the budget. Salaries and other institutional costs that previously were left untouched would also see cuts. The EU’s administration commissioner Maros Sefcovic “is very worried about how discussions are going” and has

Moily seeks panel on fuel pricing

earing oil refineries will be hit hard by the finance ministry’s move to change the way petrol and diesel are priced, oil minister M Veerappa Moily has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute an expert committee to decide on the issue. The finance ministry has informed the petroleum ministry that auto fuel needs to be priced at export parity rather than import parity as the 2.5 per cent customs duty was adding to the under-recoveries of the

INDIAN OIL, HP AND BP TOGETHER ARE PROJECTED TO END THE FISCAL WITH CLOSE TO `1,60,000 CRORE OF UNDER-RECOVERIES OR REVENUE LOSS.

warned against the risk of “breaking the European machinery,” said a source. Funds saved from these areas would be allocated to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) favoured by the big farming nations such as France and Spain, or to so-called “cohesion” funds to help poorer regions catch up with others, which are popular among the newer eastern European members of the bloc. “This summit risks being the summit of the missed opportunity,” said another official close to the budget talks, speaking on condition of anonymity. With only a few days left, backroom talks are continuing. The EU big two, France and Germany, are still not on the same page while Italy’s Mario Monti, who is on the election

campaign trail, is opposed to major cuts. Monti said this week he was looking forward to seeing new proposals from Van Rompuy and that it was important for Italy that the budget be used to promote the EU’s “ambitious goals” of growth and solidarity. He spoke as he met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel amid a frantic round of shuttle diplomacy among the EU’s top leaders ahead of the summit. Merkel is meeting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Monday and French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday. Monti announced he was meeting Hollande on Saturday for talks on the budget. Hollande is to meet Poland’s Donald Tusk next week. “These are all very multi-lay-

ered and complex topics,” Monti acknowledged. Leaders need to be unanimous on any compromise, which will then need to be agreed by the European Parliament, whose members have been offered a secret vote to avoid all pressure. But the head of the parliament, German Socialist Martin Schulz, has warned of a likely “no” vote if the leaders agree a budget that is far below the initial ambitious proposals submitted by the Commission. “If there is no deal, we can live with an annual budget,” said Schulz. Under this fallback system, which critics say undermines longterm projects and planning, the annual EU budget is automatically renewed at the previous year’s level plus inflation. AFP

state-run oil marketing companies without contributing any revenue to the exchequer. “Immediately switching over to export parity, whether it is possible or feasible is a question which has to be examined,” he said. Oil companies, Moily said, feel the new pricing norm would make oil refining a difficult business. Moily said India’s surplus refining capacity, which enables export of large volumes of petroleum products, was a strength and if refineries do not function to their full capacity, imports of fuel would add to the current `7,00,000 crore of oil import bill. Sources said Indian Oil, HP and BP together are projected to end the fiscal with close to `1,60,000 crore of underrecoveries or revenue loss on selling diesel, domestic LPG and kerosene below cost. Upstream oil companies like ONGC are to meet about `60,000 crore of this and the rest `1,00,000 crore was to come from the government as cash subsidy. PTI

INTERVIEW SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Life in the mountains

Lensman Sandesh Kadur shares a few stories from his travels during the making of Himalaya — Mountain of Life and tells us why the Eastern Himalayas need to be conserved.

ELIZABETH SOUMYA

elizabeth.s@postnoon.com ell us about Eastern Himalayas.

The lofty Eastern Himalayas span from Kali Gandak Gorge in Nepal, traverse through Sikkim, Bhutan and extend all the way to the North-Eastern Indian states of Nagaland and Arunachal. At the foot of these great mountains is the fertile and rich alluvial plains of the Brahamaputra in Assam that is home to the highest population of tigers anywhere on earth. This relatively guarded and breathtaking region is one of the most diverse areas on the planet for both its biodiversity and its cultural richness.

The Northeast is one of the biodiversity hotspots of the world. What was your experience in witnessing this biodiversity? There is still a lot to be discovered in the Northeast. According to a report by WWF, 353 new species were discovered between 1998 and 2008 in the Eastern Himalayas. We discovered a new species of forest lizards found in Talle valley in Arunachal that is yet to be described. It was discovered by accident when we were on an expedition. The lizard is only six

inches long and is highly camouflaged. We found two or three of them. We compared it to all other lizards and nothing matched this one. Not many have been in these parts looking for any specific animals. The Eastern Himalayas are also incredibly rich in bird and butterfly species. The plant diversity here is just extraordinary. My co-author, Kamal Bawa, who usually doesn’t click pictures, couldn’t resist clicking pictures of these plants. While the Western Ghats has one species of Rhododendron, the Eastern Himalayas has about 100 and if you include China and Bhutan, then it’s perhaps 150. Most of the ornamental plants in Europe and the US are from here.

How long did you work on the book and what changes did you see in the area during your many visits to the Eastern Himalayas? The first set of pictures I clicked were in 2007. But it was in 2009 that I started serious work on the book. As a matter of fact, in the two years, there was quite a bit of deforestation and surprisingly in protected forest area. There’s a place called the Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. It’s a gem of a place in Assam, on the Nagaland border. It has more primates than you can imagine, about seven species in a small 30-km wildlife sanctuary. I saw a huge tree being felled in broad daylight. It was shocking to see such quick changes, and to see that the landscape had degraded. For example, if you see pictures of the Teesta in Sikkim where work for a dam is in progress [in the book], it doesn’t even look like a river. The Teesta is sacred to the Lepcha people. Modernisation takes all of the sacredness away. This is just one of the four or five dams being built on a single river. There is no hope for wildlife if four or five dams are built on the same river. When it comes to dams and devastation, no one is talking about downstream impacts on communities that live on fishing. These are subsistence fishermen who live on small amounts of fish that they catch each day. No one has done studies on this and no one even knows about the fish diversity in these rivers. We’re losing more

than we ever knew existed.

The Eastern Himalayas are beginning to become a popular destination for tourism. What do you think is the impact of tourism growing in the Northeast? The book has an entire section dedicated to tourism. Tourism is a double edged sword. If you do it the right way, it can do wonders. If you do it the wrong way, it destroys the very places you are trying to save. There is a place called Tiger Hill in Darjeeling. It is packed with thousands of tourists who visit the place to see the sunrise. The bottom of the hill is just strewn with plastic waste and water bottles. I hate water bottles. I didn’t use a single water bottle during my entire trip in the Northeast. Water is quite a scarcity in these hill towns. They transport freshwater from the river. This is an example of ill-managed tourism. In Nepal, a lot of tourists go hiking and biking and to a large extent, it has less of an impact. In Bhutan, tourism is even more highly regulated. Foreigners pay $250 a day to be in the country and it includes their accommodation, travel and everything else. This highly regulated tourism makes it possible to enjoy parts of the Himalayas in calm.

You and Dr Bawa have also worked on a coffee table book on the Western Ghats, the other biodiversity hot spot in India. What were the challenges in comparison? I didn’t know the language, customs or the people of the region. I had no contacts in the area. The challenges were getting permits, permissions; reaching certain areas, getting the right of vehicles, transport, etc. It’s not an easy thing to go, especially to an area like the Northeast, blind. The Western Ghats were like my second home. I had already made a documentary on it. I had roamed around these mountains since I was a little kid. It was relatively easier to get things done. The Western Ghats also have a lot of scientists who have done a lot of work over many years. Few people have worked in the Northeast and in limited pockets.

India’s top wildlife photographer Sandesh Kadur flips through the pages of his new book, co-authored with Dr Kamal Bawa, and gives us a glimpse into the extraordinary Eastern Himalayas, one of the most bio-diverse regions on the planet.

EDWARD’S ATLAS MOTH

he image of the Edward’s Atlas moth, the biggest moth in the world, is definitely one of the memorable images. You don’t see a moth like that. This is shot with a fish-eye circular lens, so it distorts it and leaves it flat. An

WOMAN

FROM THE

edge to edge image is created. In case of danger, it uses a unique defence strategy — dropping to the ground and undulating its wings. This makes the apical ends of its forewings resemble a snake’s head in motion.

NOCTE NAGA COMMUNITY

emale members of the Nocte Naga community would scar their faces with a series of tattoos to look unattractive, in turn preventing them by being abducted by other tribes in the region. While ears were adorned with precious stones and shells, traditionally the gaping holes in the ear lobes were used to roll up currency notes and store everyday utility items.

GOLDEN LANGUR

ne of the most endangered species of primates in India, the Gee’s golden langur, or simply the golden langur, is

an Old World monkey. It is found in a small region of western Assam and in the neighbouring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.

WELLNESS

FOOT CARE TIPS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

With summer round the corner, it is time to flaunt those short, summery dresses that you were forced to ignore the last few months. But before you head out, ensure that you give your feet an extra bit of TLC.

P L AY I N

Wash your feet daily

If you take showers in the morning and not at night, make foot washes a part of your routine before you retire to bed since they would have been exposed to dust and dirt by the end of the day. Lather up your feet with soap and soak them in lukewarm water, and pay extra attention to the spaces in between the toes. Besides, cleaning your feet before you get into bed also ensures that you do not dirty your sheets.

FOOTSIE I t is that time of the year again when you bid farewell to jeans and pants and pack your wardrobe with dresses and shorts. You might have spent hours day-dreaming about your perfect dress and how you will flaunt it when summer arrives. But going into the details about your dress doesnt ensure that you look your best. In order to look fabulous in these shorts and dresses, it is essential that you give your hands and feet the attention they deserve. There are a few who take extra care about their dresses and are conscious about their hair, but fail to impress because of their negligence to their feet. In summer, your footwear choices revolve around slippers and sandals, thus exposing your feet. With the amount of running around you do every day, your feet are bound to take the toll and it is impossible to hide them underneath your socks and shoes forever. Your feet might be the most used parts of your body, but many of us seldom dedicate enough time to them. Stepping out in the sun without protection results in your legs and hands being exposed to ultraviolet rays that cause tanning and rashes. In the long run, ignoring your feet can spell trouble since they are susceptible to athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foot, fungal infections or smelly feet. Taking good care of your feet is not rocket science and dedicating 15 minutes for them each day will in itself do the trick. We list out a few tips that one can keep in mind to have fabulous feet.

Get a pedicure every two weeks You do not have to necessarily get a new nail polish each time you are getting a pedicure but you can get it done for the well being of your feet. Pedicures help in moisturising your skin, getting rid of dry and dead skin on your feet and cleaning your toenails. If you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t into spending cash at a salon for a pedicure, you can also get a pedicure done at home with the right tools.

Moisturise your feet everyday Make using lotion on your feet part of your routine. You can achieve soft feet by rubbing moisturiser on your feet and slipping on socks before getting into bed. Remember not to over moisturise since that can cause fungal infections.

Apply sunscreen Using sunscreen with SPF 30 on your feet, hands and face before you head out in the sun can work wonders for your skin. So take out a few minutes from your busy schedule to apply sunscreen; it is completely worth it.

Keep an eye out Examine feet for sores, infections, rashes, swelling, blemishes, or corns, and treat them promptly.

Walk it off Walking stimulates the circulation in your feet and keeps them healthy and strong.

Pick

at the

airport,

ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Old Master sale a hit

Ballet cancelled

hristie’s and Sotheby’s held their Old Master sales in New York recently, raking in millions in a span of three days. Among the notable paintings sold were Madonna and Child with Young Saint John the Baptist by Botticelli, sold for $10.4 million; Fra Bartolommeo’s early tondo of the Madonna and Childwhich sold for $13 million; and A wooded landscape by Claude Lorrain, which sold for $6.1 million.

performance at the Bolshoi Ballet, meant to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Vaslav Nijinsky’s ‘The Rite of Spring’, has been cancelled after a violent attack on the show’s artistic director Sergei Filin. The director managed to survive an acid attack in January 2013 and had to undergo surgery to prevent blindness.

Moving Museum in Dubai

n March, Dubai will host an exhibition showcasing works from modern artists like Jeremy Deller and Haroon Mirza. The show is being organised by a non-profit organisation called Moving Museum, which will hold similar shows in London and Venice later this year. Almost 300 works will be on show at the exhibition.

Archive of personal memories Through Indian Memory Project, an initiative that takes you back across decades, Anusha Yadav documents the country’s personal history.

KANCHAN AGARWAL

kanchan.a@postnoon.com

very picture has stories deeper than we can imagine. Not everything that you infer from a picture may have been anywhere close to the truth. Indian Memory Project narrates the many myriad stories that pictures tell. The project is an accidental initiative that commenced more than a year ago by photographer and graphic designer Anusha Yadav. Fascinated by the endless tradition of an Indian wedding ceremony, Anusha went on to collect pictures that would remind one of marriages of different cultures. Knowing that every family would

have wedding pictures, mostly as proofs, she made a Facebook page and asked people from all over to contribute. When people went beyond the given instruction and started sending pictures of how their parents and grandparents met, it occurred to Anusha that she might as well document India and its personal history. Thus, Indian Memory Project took birth. Anusha says the project is an online archive which consists of the personal history of India as the memories about the picture is documented. The project is a site online where you can find pictures dated anywhere between 1920 and 1991. Each photograph comes with an attached narrative. With over 100 stories old, her access to stories of Indian families is wide and large. Speaking of this overwhelming experience, she says “It is nothing short of amazing. I have not been brought

The project is a site online where you can find pictures dated anywhere between 1920 and 1991. With over 100 stories old, her access to stories of Indian families is wide and large.

Paying tribute

he Delhi gang rape shook India and continues to do so. In honour of the unnamed victim, a group of artists have come together at Iconart Gallery, hosting the show ‘For Her’. The art exhibition, comprising installations and mixed media art, features works by noted city artists like Avani Rao Gandra, Jinson Joseph, Lester Paul, Sukka Karuna and many more. The artists aim to raise the consciousness to respect womanhood through their art.

For Her n n n

Where: Icon Art Gallery, Banjara Hills Dates: February 4 – February 14 Timings: 11.30 am – 7 pm

up like the people in these stories. It takes away a lot of intolerance and makes you empathise.” This amalgamation of lives gone by, has given her the map route of finding the similarities and differences of where we come from. “For me, it is as good as dots being connected. The project holds interest for me in its photographs, on the academical front, story wise and timeline.” The project by nature spreads back to the time when there was no Pakistan. The Indian Memory Project has done more than being a fascinating raconteur. It has brought people together not just in spirit but geographically too. “People have found friends and family members through this project. I had people from Pakistan sending me their stories. The project has made it more clear that all our differences have been due to political circumstances and not because of

personal differences.” Anusha is planning to take the project to exhibitions and add more city specific stories on the list. She wants stories that tell how urban revolution took place in each city, how stores were formed and demolished and bequeathed and later inherited. Those who know the nitty gritties of such aspects might still not be ones who wake up to 20 Facebook or Whatsapp notifications. These are the people who still wake up to azaans from mosques, or a cock-a-doodle-do even. “To get narratives from such a section would require going from door to door. We are going to pitch the project to the corporates. This needs to be done or history will be forgotten. We cannot evolve without history being documented. It is history that gives you weight, substance, grounds you and puts you in place. There is a major loss of identity,” she signs off.

Multi-hued city

yderabad is a layered city, much like its famed biryani. And what better way to explore the city’s myriad hues than through art? Stalwarts of the art world, contemporary experimenters and classic sculpture combine to make ‘Flavours of Hyderabad’, an art exhibition on at Kalakriti Art Gallery, a truly rewarding experience. Enjoy the works of Thota Vaikuntam, Mohammed Osman, Laxman Aelay and Swathi Rajadhyax all under one roof.

Flavours of Hyderabad n n n

Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery Dates: On till February 12 Timings: 11 am-7 pm

ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Underwater gold rush

Demand for energy to double

mile beneath the ocean’s waves waits a buried cache beyond any treasure hunter’s wildest dreams: Gold, copper, zinc, and other valuable minerals. Recently, the rising demand for such commodities sparked interest in actually surfacing it. A handful of companies are poised to begin mining some time in the next one to five years.

he amount of fresh water consumed for world energy production is on track to double within the next 25 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects. And even though fracking — high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations for natural gas and oil — might grab headlines, IEA sees its future impact as relatively small.

Aquatic agriculture is the key

osta Rican researchers are pioneering ‘aquatic agriculture’ — the method of growing crops on freshwater lakes and reservoirs — to boost food security in the developing world. The technique involves creating floating rafts on which vegetables, grains and flowers can be grown. The idea was developed by Radulovich and colleagues over several years.

PARADISE IN MINUTES

Anubha K Singh

anubha.k@postnoon.com

The range includes

n Topiary trees of Ficus family from Far East. n Aged olive trees from Southern Europe. n A variety of exotic palms from different parts of the globe. n Select angiosperms and monocots from Asparagaceae family. n Beautifully crafted hedging plants for backdrops and boundaries. n A few rare varieties from Australia and Madagascar.

garden with exotic trees and beautiful landscaping is a dream many of us have but one has to really strive hard to make it come true. From a barren piece of land to a full-fledged garden is not an easy transition. From imagination to designing, it takes a lot of creativity and even after planting saplings, it takes years of toil and care before the saplings grow to their full size and give shape to the dream. But imagine if you didn’t have to do so much hard work and your dream garden is ready within a week’s time. That’s exactly what an entrepreneur in the City is offering. Unique Trees Pvt. Ltd., set up by R Ramdev, is offering fully grown trees to those who are not willing to wait for the garden to develop in a natural way. The range of trees that are on offer consists of many exot-

Celebrities who opted for instant gardens n Anil Kumble at his Bangalore residence n Shahrukh Khan in Mannat n Junior NTR n Chiranjeevi n Industrialist Srinivas Rao

HOWEVER, INSTANT GARDENS DON’T COME CHEAP; THE MINIMUM PRICE OF THESE TREES STARTS FROM `20,000 AND CAN COST UP TO `8 LAKH. ic trees and flora specially selected and crafted to make your garden look stunning. The company trades in around 100 varieties of trees, all of which have been brought in special containers from various countries. “Instant gardening is a trend in developed countries and to fill that gap, we have started this business here. In fact, Unique Trees is India’s first company to get a licence to import trees from other countries,” said Ramdev, MD, Unique Trees. However, he feels the concept is yet to catch up in Hyderabad as compared to other metros in India. “Instant gardening is common in Europe and American countries; it is popular in China as well. This is new in Hyderabad and the concept is slowly catching up. However, as compared to Hyderabad, we have been getting a lot of projects from Mumbai, Bangalore and

Delhi. It’s an expensive investment but undoubtedly adds value. We import fully grown flora, quarantine them, scientifically assess them for bio-diverse compatibility, stock them in well-managed nurseries and use them to create stunning landscapes with exotic flora,” Ramdev added. “People in Hyderabad are

more interested in spending on jewellery or construction and other materialistic things rather than trees. People here don’t believe in going green. I have seen people spending lakhs of rupees in making a toilet or furniture which wear out over a time period but if you spend on these trees, it will only add value as it grows older. In two years, I

have lost twice as much as I have spent so far, but this will not stop me. Every businessman faces some risk; I am sure one day people here will value trees and accept the concept of ‘go green’,” he added. Interestingly, all these trees come with a guarantee period depending on the species. The trees are imported from

China, Vietnam, Spain, Philippines, Thailand, Mexico and Madagascar. Species are carefully chosen from countries of comparable climate, so that the trees will not have a problem adjusting to the Hyderabad climate. The trees offered include many varieties of hedge shrubs, full grown baobabs, and olive trees that are between 50 and 800 years of age. However, instant gardens don’t come cheap; the minimum price of these trees starts from `20,000 and cost up to `8 lakh.

PROCEDURE

The trees are shipped in refrigerated containers maintained at six degrees Celsius. After bringing them here, they are kept at 10 degrees Celsius and a week after, the temperature is increased. Once the temperature is set as per Hyderabad’s climate, the trees are exposed to sunlight. Transport takes 30 to 40 days, depending on country of origin. Taller trees are given more importance. Small trees are brought mainly to fill the spaces in containers. Fully grown trees, from 10 feet to a maximum of 40 feet, are preferred.

FOOD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Dairy is good for the bones

Benefits of white chocolate

he potential heart health benefits of dark chocolate may be only partly linked to the flavanol content, with white chocolate — devoid of such — also offering potential cardiovascular benefits, says a new study. This was published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. However, the effects were found to diminish about six hours after eating the chocolate.

study by researchers at the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS), has found that dairy intake — specifically milk and yogurt — is associated with higher bone mineral density (BMD) in the hip, but not the spine. Cream, on the other hand, may be associated with lower BMD overall.

McD to be aggressive

cDonald’s Corp. CEO Don Thompson pledged that the world’s largest restaurant brand will be more aggressive this year in its pursuit of sales and customers. This comes as the company announced global same-store sales that were up 3.1 per cent for full-year 2012 despite Q4 comps that rose just 0.1 per cent.

Calcutta also features a number of delectable vegetarian dishes. However, going to Oh! Calcutta and not having the seafood they offer would be considered, at least in my opinion, a waste of time and energy. The main course too offers a generous variety of Bengali delights. The kosha mangsho — pot roasted mutton with traditional spices — is one of the most flavourful dishes on the menu. A little sweet, a little spicy, and true to its roots, the dish succeeds in perfectly exuding that Bengali-home flavour. Best

NIDHI BHUSHAN

nidhi.b@postnoon.com

he whiff of mustard is the first thing that hits you when you enter a restaurant that serves Bengali cuisine. Oh! Calcutta was no different. Apart from being a sign of good things to come, the flavourful air inside is a big tease to one's appetite. With a distinct and tasteful décor, the restaurant exudes a club-like feel with glass etchings of architectural landmarks such as the Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial, etc. and an English-style fireplace. The tall cupboards with their collection of memorabilia, artefacts like the hand-pulled rickshaw of the older days and books also adds to the Bengaliness of it all. Another interesting piece of décor at Oh! Calcutta was the Victorian clock that symbolised the British influence on West Bengal's capital city. The comprehensive seven-page long Oh! Calcutta menu — surprisingly not all Bengali — is more than enough to help even a Bengali food virgin navigate through the mustard-laden varieties of seafood and other delicious dishes. Described in both English and Bengali, the mouth-watering flavours of Bengal are true in their taste and spirit. The restaurant's speciality — its freshwater fish (bekti and hilsa) — are especially flown in from Kolkata and allows guests to relish what's truly Bengali. For starters, nothing beats the very famous fried fish from Kolkata. Neatly served with sliced lemons, the fried machchi tastes best with the mustard chutney. Speaking of chutneys, Oh! Calcutta is famous for preparing three kinds of chutneys — mustard, tomato and tamarind that are typically served before the food is served. A curd dip and lentil pops are a few other things the restaurant serves to kill time while waiting for the ordered dishes. The kakra chingri bhappa, which is basically crabmeat and shrimps prepared with mustard and the right amount of chilli, is another starter worth your indulgence.

What: Bengali food Where: Oh! Calcutta Price: `1,000 for two without alcohol Timings: 12-3:30pm, 7-10:30pm

Delicately wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf, the yellow-coloured starter is a treat to one's senses. Slightly panAsian in flavour, another starter that the restaurant boasts of is the bekti gondho-

raj — steamed bekti with the 'king of lime'. Apart from its decadent taste, the starter is worth a shot as its ingredients — chilli and 'king of lime' — are specifically flown in from Kolkata. Oh!

SOMETHING

'FISHY' Tucked away in the heart of Begumpet, Oh! Calcutta might have seemed like a challenge in the locked land of biryani. However, with more non-bengalis dining there, the restaurant holds its own. Postnoon reviews.

had with luchi — Bengali version of a bhatura — the kosha mangsho is a musthave. The daab chingri, which is prawn cooked in tender coconut cream, is another main course item one must indulge in. The soft, creamy texture of the dish that blends beautifully with steamed rice is served in a coconut shell. Another main course dish you can safely order is the bekti maacher paturi or steamed bekti in banana leaves. Slightly spicy, the dish goes well with rice as well as luchi. As the meal drew to its end, a Bengali food virgin myself, I was sure that I would be given roshogulla for desserts. However, to my surprise, the lunch didn't end on a roshgulla note at all. The waiter, who was more than happy to introduce me to the best of Bengali cuisine during the course of the slightly heavy meal, brought with him a portion of payesh — sweetened condensed milk and bhapa sondesh — date, jaggery flavoured steamed cottage cheese. Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to a perfect meal. While Oh! Calcutta is rich in its flavours, it isn't the best option for those who have destroyed their tastebuds with lava-like spicy food. Since my tastebuds are just fine, I'd definitely be visiting again.

FOOD SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Facing a perfectly set table might feel as daunting as facing a firing squad, but it needn’t be. Postnoon tells you how to navigate the knives and forks of fine dining challenges so you emerge unscathed and perfectly poised. THE CUTLERY BRIGADE While most restaurants are content to stop with a knife, a fork and a spoon, fine dining restaurants go out of their way to ensure that you have enough cutlery to tackle a small army. Remember: When in doubt, start from the outside and work your way in. You’ll have three forks to the left To the right of your plate, you’ll of your plate — the outermost have three knives and a spoon. (and smallest) for salads, the midThe soup spoon, as the name sugdle for fish and the innermost for gests, is a round deep spoon to meat. be used for soup. The three knives, starting from the outside, Once the host has unfolded his are to be used for salad, fish and napkin and placed it on his lap, meat. follow suit. If you wish to leave the meal in the middle, leave your Above your plate will be placed napkin on your seat. Once done a dessert spoon and fork. Use with your meal, leave your napkin the fork for pushing and the spoon tidily, not refolded, on the side of for eating. your plate.

TIME

FOR A DRINK

fter figuring out what knife to use and how to cut that steak, all you want is a drink. But here’s the catch: There are four glasses in front of you! Thankfully, you can depend on the server to pour the correct beverage into the right glass. Just in case you were wondering, the thin, narrow one is the champagne flute. The red wine and the white wine glasses look similar, but the red wine glass has a narrower mouth and is deeper. What remains is your water glass.

Hyderabadi Quorma This is a famous hyderabadi curry that can be prepared with lamb or chicken.

Noor’s Kitchen

NOOR JAFRI Ingredients Medium sized tender lamb pieces (preferably from shoulder) 1/2 kg n Ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp n Red chillies 4 to 6 pieces n Almonds and Cashew nuts 6 to 8 pieces n Whole garam masala 1 and a 1/2 tsp n Khus - Khus 1 tbsp n Khoya or cream 2 tbsp n kewra water 1/4 tsp n Ghee or oil 30 to 40 ml n Salt to taste n Blanched and chopped medium-sized tomatoes 2 n Onions medium sized — sliced and fried to golden brown 3 n Green coriander leaves and cream for garnishing. n

Procedure

JYOTSNA NAMBIAR

jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

2 1 3

1. Heat the oil or ghee. 2. Grind the whole garam masala, red chillies, almonds, cashews and khuskhus into a fine paste. 3. Add the masala into the ghee and saute it till the ghee separates. 4. Add tomatoes and cook it till tender. 5. Marinate the mutton pieces, with ginger garlic paste, crushed fried onions, salt and a little of crumbled khoya. 6. Add these pieces to the gravy and keep cooking till the masalas are thoroughly mixed and oil separates. 7. Add about 1 and a 1/2 cups of water, cover it and cook on slow fire till soft and tender. 8. Mix the masalas well and make the gravy of required consistency. 9. Simmer gently, add green coriander leaves, cream and switch off the gas. 10. Kewra water can be added in the end (optional).

SUCCULENT FRIED FISH

FROM THE MASTERS

MEEN POLICHATHU INGREDIENTS n n n n

CHEF:

P.Sekar,

n n

Executive Chef, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet, Hyderabad,

Email: P.Sekar@itchotels.in, cribgrub@gmail.com; Twitter:@CHEFPSEKAR

n n n n n n

Oil 100ml Mustard seeds 20gm Jeera 20gm Saunf 10gm Methi seeds 10gm Red chilli whole 10gm Ginger 20gm Garlic 20gm Onion 200gm Green chilli 50gm Tomato chop 100gm Haldi 40gm Deghi mirch pwd (kashmiri) 80gm Coriander pwd 120gm Tamarind pulp 50gm

n n n

Salt 2gm Kari Meen (each 250 gm) 1000gm Banana Leaf

METHOD n

Clean and wash the fish. Marinate with salt, crushed garlic and ginger and lemon juice, set aside. Make a paste of – jeera, saunf, methi seeds, red chili whole ginger garlic in a hot pan. Add little oil, heat it and sprinkle mustard seeds until it

n n n n n n

cracks, add the chopped onion and cook till golden brown. Add the ground spices. Add the tomatoes and cook well till the oil oozes out. Add the tamarind pulp. Cook it to a semi dry consistency. Cool the mixture. Smear the cleaned fish with cooked masala. Wrap the fish in the banana leaf. Cook it on a hot griddle. Serve it hot.

CHEF’S NOTE:

This can be served hot, with rice or roti, it's a medium consistency gravy which can become rich by adding nuts, khoya and cream. It is generally cooked in ghee and is rich in taste and calories.

Contact Us @ -Noor Kitchen, Banjara Hills. Mobile - 9441282318, Residence - 23356947 Like Us @ -http://www.facebook.com/Noorkitchen

HISTORY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Feb 4

2004: Social networking site Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg from his dorm room at Harvard. Though initially restricted to Harvard, Zuckerberg soon took the social network to other prestigious schools like Yale, NYU and Stanford.

Feb 4

Feb 5

Feb 6

Feb 8

Feb 9

Feb 10

1974: Patty Hearst, the daughter of a newspaper tycoon, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA). Patty is one of the best known examples of the Stockholm syndrome, because she joined the SLA and assisted them in crimes.

1999: Mike Tyson was sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting two people after a car accident on August 31, 1998. Tyson was also fined $5,000, had to serve two years of probation, and had to perform 200 hours of community service upon release.

1993: Tennis champion Arthur Ashe, the only African-American man to win Wimbledon and the US and Australian Opens, dies of complications from AIDS, in New York City. He was 49. Ashe was a tireless campaigner for AIDS awareness.

F E B 7

1964: The Beatles arrived in the US for the first time, landing at New York’s Kennedy Airport, where over 3,000 screaming fans were waiting for the Fab Four. This marked the beginning of ‘Beatlemania’ in the US.

Feb 6

1952: King George VI died, leaving Elizabeth II as the Queen of England. Elizabeth was on a tour of Kenya when she heard the news that she had become the regent.

1587: Mary, Queen of Scots, was beheaded in England for her complicity in a plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I. Mary had been imprisoned for 19 years because of her attempts to overthrow Elizabeth.

1900: The Davis Cup, the premier international team event in men's tennis, was established. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States.

1996: World chess champion Gary Kasparov lost the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second.

SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013 S BALAKRISHNA

STARRY PRESENCE MTV VJ Bani was in the city for introducing T10 collection at Tissot boutique at Jubilee Hills. S BALAKRISHNA

Field of heroes 1

Tollywood actor Ram Charan Tej is the new player to join Telugu Warriors team led by actor Venkatesh. The first match of the team will be played against Bengal Tigers on February 10 at Silliguri. Team members were announced at a gala function organised at Taj Krishna on Saturday. 3

Fun & glamour After a tiring work week, nothing helps you unwind as much as partying. Youngsters took to the dance floor with a vengeance at Kismet last night. S BALAKRISHNA 1 Rajalakshmi

3 Priya

5 Navormi

7 Nisatey

2 Bhavisha

4 Anitha

6 Anjana

8 Pooja

N SHIVA KUMAR

PROMISING LINK-UPS Indo-Global Education Summit 2013 offering opportunities for Indian educational institutions for collaborations with foreign universities is on at Hotel Marigold.

FIGHTING CANCER Veteran actor Dr Akineni Nageshwar Rao launched Cancer Support Association at Yashoda Hospital on Saturday.

CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Siddharth’s new avatar surprises all S

iddharth’s new avatar in Nandini Reddy’s upcoming film Jabardasth has come as a big surprise to those who attended the audio launch of the film. After watching a couple of trailers, producer Gunnam Gangaraju, referring to the mass comedy, remarked, “It looks like Siddharth has migrated from Mac to Windows with Jabardasth.” Sunil, who was also one of the guests at the audio launch, said that he’s surprised that a romantic hero like Siddharth has done a mass film like Jabardasth. Incidentally, he has done a small voice-over for the film at the behest of Nandini Reddy. Talking about his role, Siddharth said, “My character is like the ones played by Govinda and Jim Carrey. In my career, Nandini Reddy is the first director, who delivered a hit earlier, to approach me for a film. Jabardasth is a mass comedy entertainer and I’m confident that it’ll be a huge hit.” Samantha has played the lead role and Nithya Menen, Sri Hari have played important roles. Thaman has scored the music and Bellamkonda Suresh has produced it. The film will hit the screens on February 21.

Prabhas, Rana begin training for Baahubali

Kadali catches Lakshmi Manchu off guard

ani Ratnam’s latest film Kadali, which opened in theatres a couple of days ago, has come as a big shock to Lakshmi Manchu. She made a special appearance in the film and the actress was surprised that her song with Arjun was chopped off from the final version. “I am shocked as u r that #nenjukulle has been deleted. By I'm sure mani sir had his reasons. Still grateful to have been a part of his movie (sic),” she posted on Twitter. The song’s Telugu version Gunjukanna was removed, although the lyrics were retained as a part of montage song shot on Gautham Karthik and Thulasi. AR Rahman has scored the music and Rajeev Menon is the cinematographer.

rabhas and Rana Daggubati have begun training for SS Rajamouli’s upcoming action adventure film Baahubali. The duo has begun practising sword fighting with the help of fighters from Vietnam. Rajamouli is very happy with the results so far and tweeted, “First day of sword fight training 4 Prabhas and Rana. With their height and jumps they looked like giants rather than humans.:) Even anushka at 5’.10’’ looked their equal. Nice session. only problem is for the DOP to compose them in the frame..:) (sic).” Prabhas and Rana are playing the roles of brothers who turn foes and Rana has revealed that he’s playing a negative role in the film. Meanwhile, Rajamouli has put the casting process for scores of supporting characters in the film on hold temporarily after they got more than 12,000 applications so far. Baahubali is expected to go on floors shortly and the film, which is being produced by Arka Media Works banner, is going to be the biggest budget film in Telugu cinema’s history. MM Keeravani is going to score the music for this period drama.

CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

DEEPIKA PADUKONE IS A BUSY BEE A

ctress Deepika Padukone has been working on back-to-back movie projects, with barely any time for herself. But she seems to be enjoying the busy schedules. She has a number of movies lined up for release this year — Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Chennai Express, Ram Leela and Kochadaiyaan. After finishing promotions for her recently released Race 2, she is now busy shooting for her next movie Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani in Kashmir. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani is directed by Ayan Mukherjee. She plays the lead role opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She is also simultaneously shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela and has just wrapped up Rohit Shetty’s Chennai IANS Express.

Sonal Sehgal loves reading books A

ctress Sonal Sehgal says she is a book worm, and specifically loves reading biographies. “I have always loved reading books. Reading for me is like a movie running in my head. When you read fiction, you imagine the characters — their world, it is like you are the director," she says. The actress, who made made her Bollywood debut with Aashayein, has read biographies of celebrities like Charlie Chaplin and Arnold Schwarzenegger. “I have read (biographies of) Charlie Chaplin, Andre Agassi, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Slash and many more famous people from different walks of life. We seem to think they are all blessed, that they have had a smooth sailing all their life. The fact is (that) all of them have hit extreme lows in their lives too," Sonal said. IANS

Aamir takes Kiran, son along for ‘Peekay’ shoot

ollywood star Aamir Khan began shooting for his new film Peekay in Rajasthan and the actor made it a point to

take his wife Kiran and son Azad along with him. Aamir has a 45-day shooting schedule lined up in Rajasthan and he couldn’t afford to spend that long a time apart from his family. So he decided to take them along with him, said a source. Even while Aamir was busy shooting for Dhoom 3 in Chicago, he made it a point to take Kiran and Azad with him. He had set up a complete home for three months there as he didn’t want to be away from them. IANS

CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

horeographer-director Remo D’Souza has used chartbuster Aa re pritam pyaare from the film Rowdy Rathore, in his new film ABCD — Any Body Can Dance. He says it will be shown in the movie with a new twist. “It was a surprise for Prabhudheva, who had directed Rowdy Rathore. I thought of taking the song, which is created by him, and giving it a new twist,” Remo says. Remo, who has got various dancers together for his dance-based 3D film, says there is one factor common in the picturisation of the song in Rowdy Rathore and ABCD... “Interestingly, Shakti Mohan danced to Aa re pritam pyaare in Rowdy Rathore. Shakti is a Dance India Dance winner. And in ABCD..., Vrushali, another superb Dance India Dance dancer, will be dancing to this hit song,” he says. Directed by Remo and produced by UTV

Remo

Motion Pictures, ABCD... features veterans like Prabhudheva and Ganesh Acharya, alongside several young choreographers. IANS

uses ‘Aa re pritam pyaare’ in ‘ABCD’

I NEVER LEFT THIS INDUSTRY:

AMEESHA PATEL

omebacks are for those who get married and have kids, says actress Ameesha Patel, insisting that she had never left the industry and Race 2 does not signal a return. “Comebacks are for the actresses who get married and have kids and then plan to come back. I never left this industry. I have always been here. My last film was Chatur Singh 2 Stars (2011). The film didn’t do well; so maybe people didn’t know about it,” Ameesha said. An “outsider” in Bollywood, Ameesha says politics is a part of the Hindi film industry. She had a dream debut in 2000 with Kaho Na... Pyaar Hai but Hrithik Roshan, son of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, stole the limelight. That didn’t deter Ameesha. Later she went on to win critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. The successes since have been few for the actress who has been part of films like Humraaz, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and most recently Race 2. “I have always been a very positive person. My honesty and my positivity set me apart from others. I don’t come from a film background and it is altogether a new world for an outsider,” the 37-yearIANS old said.

‘SANJAY DUTT IS A

SECURE ACTOR’ T he Munnabhai pair — Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Dutt — will once again share screen space in Zila Ghaziabad. Arshad says it is a privilege to work with an actor as secure as Sanjay. “You are more comfortable when your coactors are secure. Sanjay Dutt is usually the least worried on the set and is the most secure,” Arshad, 44, says. Arshad has worked

with Sanjay in films like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Dhamaal, Double Dhamaal, Anthony Kaun Hai and Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! “He gives you freedom to do whatever you want to do (while acting) and that is a privilege that very few actors get, he says. Directed by Anand Kumar, Zila Ghaziabad, will release on February 22. IANS

CINEMA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

CLARKSON STRESSED ABOUT HER WEDDING

ocker John Mayer wants to move in with girlfriend Katy Perry. The 35-year-old has scheduled meetings with estate agents so that he and Perry can get their own place together. “He always insisted he needed his own place to make music but clearly that has changed. Now he mostly hangs out at Katy’s place in Los Angeles,” a source told people.com. While the couple was initially reluctant to go public with their relationship, they are now serious and want the world to know. “They have both acted very private about their relationship in the past, but they seem comfortable about going public with it now. They seem very happy,” said the source. It is even rumoured that Mayer wanted to pop the question to Perry within just six months of dating. “John really likes the fact that Katy is so independent and not needy and clingy like the other girls he has dated,” Mayer’s source said. IANS

inger Kelly Clarkson, who is engaged to boyfriend Brandon Blackstock, admits she is terrified of her upcoming nuptials. “We are just kind of overwhelmed with the planning of the wedding. We are actually thinking of doing it during fall this year,” showbizspy.com quoted Clarkson as saying. She added she had a

breakdown over her wedding plans. “We are trying to make it small, but it is hard. I literally had a breakdown two weeks ago about the wedding list. I am terrified of everyone watching me walk down the aisle. “Honestly I have never been the girl to plan a wedding. We will totally, probably elope,” she said. IANS

BRAND BROUGHT YOGA CLASSES HOME

ritish comedian Russell Brand says he let all his yoga classmates inside his house after their instructor was sacked. “The yoga centre I had been going to sacked our instructor, so I have moved everyone into my house. I had 30 people doing it in my house,” thesun.co.uk quoted Brand as saying. The comedian has battled alcoholism and drug addiction in the past.

However, the 37-year-old feels yoga is changing his life. “I like the yoga thing, it’s the dawning of a wonderful new era. It is proving to be an interesting new phase for me — yoga, transcendental consciousness, meditation and good-looking people. It’s the dawning of a new Sixties,” he says. IANS

JOHN MAYER

TO MOVE

IN WITH

KATY PERRY

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

ACROSS

Winners!

Play & Win voucher from VENKEY’S VEG Restaurant, Nampally

117 Tex-Mex treat 120 Pirouette 122 Has the nerve 124 Burn 128 Java alternative 129 Explorer — Helen Johnson 131 Get thrown for — — 133 The thick of things 135 Publicity info 136 Vine product 138 Devotee of Rama 140 Beetle Bailey's pal 142 Greek market of old 144 Raise spirits 145 Standish's stand-in 146 Avoid cancellation 147 Candy shapes 148 Branches of govt 149 Disguise 150 Feel nostalgic

151 Secret meeting DOWN 1 Foe of Luke and Han 2 Farewell 3 Copy machine need 4 ‘Uh’ cousins 5 Not shallow 6 Hollered 7 Tooth buildup 8 Exactness 9 See — — glance 10 Piece of chicken 11 Most conceited 12 Cancels 13 Minimum 14 Auric's creator 15 Remnant 16 Immature 17 Just — — thought! 18 Snags a dogie

Play & Win

Please send in your filled-in entries to Postnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will be announced on this page in Sunday’s edition.

FOLOWING ARE THE

19 False front 20 More mature 31 Pilsner 33 Geologic period 35 In-between 38 Musician's speed 40 Shining examples 42 Flocks of geese 44 Numero — 46 Grace enders 48 Suggestive 50 Columbus' smallest ship 51 Bwana's track 52 Land, to Ovid 53 — salts 54 Audition rewards 55 Get more out of 57 ‘20,000 Leagues’ author 58 Remove a renter 59 Change colours 61 Hoopster 62 Fishing lures 63 Delhi title 66 Lox outlets 67 Fail the test 69 Quibble 72 Minute amounts 73 Far-reaching

VOUCHER LUCKY WINNERS FOR THIS WEEK:

74 Henry — Lodge 76 Brown lightly 78 AKC classification 79 Long-term babysitter 81 Downhill racers

82 Annoyed 83 Cliff dwellings, now 84 Tolkien hobbit 85 Keokuk native 86 Al of ‘Married... With Children’ 87 Destinies 88 Russell and Pauley 90 Midwest airport 91 Road shoulders 92 Tube trophies 94 Left behind 95 Provided capital 96 Evening gown fabric 99 Not loose 100 Blunder 102 Serfs' masters 105 Ocean predators 106 Raw cotton 107 ‘The Lorax’ author 109 Caesar's 21 111 Argument (hyph) 112 Square dance 114 Rights a wrong 115 More feral 116 Pencil pusher? 117 Illustrious 118 Fashion's — Simpson 119 Medicinal plant 121 ‘A Fish Called —’ 123 Iowa commune 125 Lustrous black 126 Buenos — 127 Facetious tribute 130 Obsessed whaler 132 Agile 134 Ambassador's forte 137 Slugger Mel — 139 Ait, on the Seine 141 ‘Crooklyn’ director 143 Needlefish

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

1 Went out with 6 Barley stalk 11 Correct 16 Trucker's load 21 Light incense to 22 Cuba neighbour 23 It may be lent (2 wds) 24 Don't tell — —! 25 Car-wash step 26 Stadium fixture 27 Banal 28 Fat, to a chemist 29 Plumbing joint 30 Demoted planet 32 Biological group 34 Square-dance partner 36 Language suffix 37 Unable to play 39 Video-game pioneer 41 Trappers' commodity 43 Working cat 45 Gung-ho 47 Slag 49 Recognized 51 Halted 54 Do a double-take 55 Horse's brake 56 Finished 60 Waiter's offering 61 Economy class 62 Animals and people 64 Morn's counterpart 65 Bean or Welles 66 Flirt 67 Zoologist's study 68 Pungent 70 Conquistador's quest 71 Long bouts 73 Utter delight 74 Uncertain 75 Prow projections 77 Cheers for toreros 78 Insensitive clod 79 Lack of experience 80 Up and about 82 Hair curlers 83 Torah reciter 84 Tibula neighbors 87 Like some accidents 88 Roman Hera 89 Brain part 93 Interstates 94 Pulled a hoax 95 Swoons 97 Garment edge 98 — up (confessed) 99 Carried 100 Kind of sack 101 Make nervous 103 Family man 104 Increased sharply 106 Archaeological finds 107 Thunder and lightning 108 Black gemstone 110 Floor coverings 111 Merchandise 112 She gets what's coming 113 Hobby knife (hyph) 115 Orchid-loving sleuth 116 Meandered

1. Nirmala Rani 2. Vasantha 3. Uma Chowdhary 4. Bipin Dev 5. Anita A

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

STAR POWER Date 4-2-2013

As per Hindu panchang

THIRUVAIKUMAR

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

You will look cheerful and be active. Promotion or pay hike on cards for employees. You will fulfill wishes of your children and make them happy. Problem likely through women; be careful.

Those disturbed for not having a job will receive favourable news. Happy events are to take place in a line at home. Orders will pour for businessmen. Importers will do very well.

Delay in a court verdict will upset you. Marriage talk might hit a road block. Wasteful expenditure will upset you as expected money may not come. Avoid unwanted arguments at workplace.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Those trying to change their job will get a suitable alternative. Employees might be favoured with promotion or pay hike. Debts will be under control. Couples will be cordial with each other.

Avoid new methods in business at least for the time being. Businessmen will be happy as they collect written-off old dues. Blood relatives might create obstacles. Children will cheer you up.

Be careful while driving as a minor accident is likely. Take care of mother’s health well. Avoid harsh talk as you might be misunderstood. Good events to take place at home will cheer the family.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Your wishes will get fulfilled after facing minor hurdles. Persons of other region will help you. Continue efforts and hard work ensures success. Avoid unwanted discussion with a neighbour.

Try not to interfere in others’ personal issues as you might repent it later. Good effects might get delayed; postpone new efforts. You get disappointed as expected good news gets delayed.

You complete all work that others were not be able. Long-pending court issue will come to a favourable end. You will be straightforward and never allow anyone to commit mistakes.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Obstacles in the way of important work will be over. Help and financial assistance will come from all the expected sources. You attend a gettogether at a VIP friends’ place, which will cheer you.

Be polite and in good harmony with all. A controversial stand might spell trouble for you. Avoid sharing secrets with a third person including close friends and relatives. Work will get delayed.

Your suggestions and advises are well received by everyone. Govt work ends smoothly and at a faster pace. Pilgrimage likely for some. Loan for purchase of house or vehicle gets sanctioned.

SUMAA TEKUR

tarotreadhyd@gmail. com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Queen of Pentacles – A creative freelance project will give you the much-needed confidence to make some smart investments and use your finances well.

Three of Cups – In a relationship, you have competition. A third person may be vying for your partner’s attention and it can get quite ugly.

Six of Wands – A promotion or raise is in the offing. You have gone through a difficult phase but have come out of it feeling quite victorious.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Nine of Pentacles – You like being alone and enjoy your single malt at the end of the day. Don’t disconnect too much from the outside world, however.

Knight of Wands – Your boss may ask you for creative ideas today and you will deliver to expectation. Think freely and don’t put restrictions on yourself.

Seven of Cups – Money is your main focus. You want to make choices – even everyday minor decisions – based on how it will impact your finances.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Ace of Swords – You cut through the heart of the matter with such brutal honesty that sometimes people are scared to ask your opinion. Sugarcoat your words.

Two of Cups – A relationship will become stronger and the bond will deepen in the form of a commitment. It could be marriage. Or you could decide to have a kid.

Temperance – A family member may be testing your patience. You feel awful about an argument that might have gone horribly wrong. Take it in your stride.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Page of Cups – You need to look within your heart, and introspect about what you really need from life. Are you happy seeing only one part of life?

Justice – A new job offer will take the pressure off and you feel relieved and plan better for the future. You may have to compromise on the conditions.

Two of Wands – This is an important waiting period. You will need to be patient now. No matter how many buttons you push, things don’t seem to move ahead.

NON SEQUITUR PEARLS BEFORE SWINE POOCH CAFE

STRIP TEASE

AGNES

ARIES

TAROT READ Date 4-2-2013

Jokes for computer geeks A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history – with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. If it weren’t for C, we’d all be programming in BASI and OBOL. There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t. In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows? Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger

and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to make bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. An SQL statement walks into a bar and sees two tables. It approaches, and asks “may I join you?” Q: Why is it that programmers always confuse Halloween with Christmas? A: Because 31 OCT = 25 DEC. Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft…and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labour.

Vol: 2, No 198 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, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

inger Lady Gaga’s former assistant has sued the singer for $393,000 over unpaid dues. Gaga’s former assistant Jennifer O’Neill has claimed that she did over 7,000 hours of overtime, which she was never paid for. The sum for it amounts to almost $400,000. However, Gaga is unwilling to pay up. In a video-taped deposition from August 2012 in New York, obtained by the New York Post newspaper, the popstar explained why. “She slept in Egyptian cotton sheets every night, in five-star hotels, on private planes, eating caviar, partying with (photographer) Terry Richardson all night, wearing my clothes, asking YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) to send her free shoes without my permission, using my YSL discount without my permission... It is, like, such an amazing luxury that I get to travel the world and have planes, she doesn’t even see what a luxury it is, but she thinks it’s owed to her for no reason,” said Gaga. “She was asleep until 12 pm most of the time, so I was very often waking up and moving my own luggage and doing s**t by myself, and it was — it was a problem that I had,” Gaga added. IANS

LADY GAGA IN LEGAL TROUBLE Singer Lady Gaga’s former assistant has sued the singer for

$393,000

over unpaid dues. Gaga’s former assistant Jennifer O’Neill has claimed that she did over

7,000 hours of overtime, which she was never paid for. The sum for it amounts to almost

$400,000

“She slept in Egyptian cotton sheets every night, in five-star hotels, on private planes, eating caviar, partying all night.” — Lady Gaga

Courteney Cox’s crush on Christian Bale

ctress Courteney Cox, who has been single since splitting from her husband David Arquette in 2010, says she has a crush on actor Christian Bale. “Christian Bale is my celeb crush because he’s not only handsome but he’s incredibly talented,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Cox as saying. While Bale is her celebrity crush, Cox’s best friend actress Jennifer Aniston is her style icon. “A star whose fashion sense I love is Jennifer Aniston. She has such a cool and relaxed style,” said the 48-year-old. Although Cox and Arquette are in the middle of their divorce, she says they are still great friends and are close for the sake of their eight-year-old daughter Coco. “He’s my best friend in the world. I love him. I don’t recommend divorce in general, but, you know, he is my best friend and we have both grown and changed,” she said. IANS

Christina Ricci engaged to James Heerdegen

he occasion may have been makeup, but it was Christina Ricci’s accessories that were doing the talking. A few months after she was first spotted with a sparkly new diamond ring on her finger, the Bel Ami star’s rep confirms to E! News that she’s engaged to dolly grip boyfriend James Heerdegen. “A couple of months back,” Ricci first told Us Weekly during a Make Up For Ever demo at the Grove in LA as to when Heerdegen, who worked on Ricci’s shortlived ABC series Pan Am, popped the question. This will be the first trip down the aisle for Ricci, 32. She was briefly engaged a few years ago to Sullivan & Son star Owen Benjamin. “I worked so much last year that I just really wanted to take some time off to just kind of live," she says. “You kind of need to take time to be a real person.” Congrats to Christina and James!

SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

India bags equestrian gold

Gallacher leads in Dubai

Sturm loses to Soliman

GUWAHATI: India bagged the gold

DUBAI: Stephen Gallacher fired two

BERLIN: Former world middleweight box-

medal in the eight nation International Endurance Ride held in Upper Assam's Dibrugarh district today. India's Ramesh Kumar won the gold with South Africa's Zuber Master winning the silver and Miller Collman Natalie bagging the bronze. The eight countries participated in the championship include the United Kingdom, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Thailand, Canada and India.

eagles on the back nine in a remarkable bogey-free round of 10-under par 62 to take a three-shot lead into the final day of the $2.5 million Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Gallacher, nephew of the former European Ryder Cup captain Bernard, rattled the pin with his second shot on the par-5 13th and then holed his bunker shot on the 18th from 30 yards. That, along with six other birdies, helped him reach 21-under par 195.

ing champion Felix Sturm of Germany has lost to another Australian after Sam Soliman claimed a unanimous points victory in their IBF middleweight title eliminator. Sturm, 34, suffered a second consecutive defeat in Duesseldorf on Friday night having lost his WBA crown to Australia's Daniel Geale last September. The German had needed to win the bout to become the IBF number-one challenger.

Rough day for NBA NEW YORK: NBA went

through a particularly difficult day on Saturday. While a coach was penalised for dissent, two players got injured during the course of their games, with one having to be stretchered off.

announced on Saturday. The punishment came for comments made by Carlisle after the Mavericks lost 100-97 at Golden State on Thursday, what had been their third loss in four games.

C ARLISLE

GILCHRIST

FINED

Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for public criticism of officiating, the league

STRETCHERED OFF

Charlotte Bobcats forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was stretchered off the court with an apparent head and neck

injury Saturday after colliding with a teammate during an NBA game against the Houston Rockets. Kidd-Gilchrist, 19, was hurt early in the fourth quarter while attempting to block a fastbreak layup by Toney Douglas, when teammate Jeff Taylor — also trying to block Douglas — appeared to catch him in the back of the head with either his hip or knee.

DUNCAN

HURT ON RETURN

Tim Duncan’s return to NBA action on Saturday didn’t last long as the San Antonio Spurs star departed in the second quarter of a 96-86 victory over the Washington Wizards. Duncan (in pic), who had missed four games with a sore left knee, sprained his right ankle and left knee in the second quarter when Martell Webster ran into him.

Deng powers Bulls over Hawks ATLANTA, GEORGIA: Britain’s Luol Deng scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to help power the injury-depleted Chicago Bulls to a 93-76 rout of the Atlanta Hawks in an NBA game on Saturday. Chicago’s defense kept the Hawks to only 16 points in each of the final two quarters, Atlanta hitting only 39 percent from the field, as the Bulls improved to 29-18 and remained ahead of Indiana atop the Central division. Nate Robinson contributed 20 points and a game-high eight assists.

Sanchez suspended THE HAGUE: Blanco — formerly the Rabobank team — said onn Saturday they have suspended Spanish rider Luis Leon Sanchez (below) provisionally amid accusations he

was linked to Dr Eufemiano Fuentes in the Operation Puerto blood doping racket. The Dutch team said it is investigating and would in the meantime not select Sanchez.

“The object of this investigation is to verify or refute revelations which appeared in the Dutch press on the subject of the role of our rider in the Fuentes affair,” Blanco said in a statement. Spanish police believe Sanchez was a client of the doctor in 2006 while riding for the Liberty Seguros team — something the 29-year-old denies. Sanchez has won major titles, including the San Sebastian Classic in 2010 and 2012, the 2009 Paris-Nice, the Tour Down Under in 2005 and four stages of the Tour de France. Last Wednesday, a Spanish judge refused to demand that Fuentes, the suspected mastermind of one of the sporting world’s biggest blood doping AFP rackets.

Hyderabad u-22 team announced HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Cricket Association has announced the Hyderabad under-22 cricket team that will vie for the PS Ram Mohan Rao trophy in the south zone inter-state under-22 cricket tournament to be held at Visakhapatnam from February 5 to 11. The following players have been provisionally selected for the tournament: Tanmay Agarwal (captain), Chandrasekhar, Lohit, Rahul Singh, KSK Chaitanya WK, Chaitanya Krishna, Parashar, Pratyush Reddy, CV Milind (vice-captain), Chintala Satish, Muzammil, Surjeet Parbhatani, Abhinav Reddy, Tarun Yadav, Saaketh Sai Ram National Deaf T20 cricket championship Semi-finals Kerala 116 for 8 in 15 Overs (Md Suhail 50, B Raju 3 for 17) bt Andhra Pradesh 73 (Shoukath 3 for 7) Karnataka 154 for 7 in 20 overs bt Tamil Nadu 82 (BP Dayanada 5 for 17) HCA Under-25 Inter-district T20 cricket tournament Final Mahbubnagar 120 for 9 in 20 overs (Mahesh 34) Bt Medak 93 (Abid 4 for 20)

HOCKEY INDIA LEAGUE

Jaypee Punjab Warriors and Ranchi Rhinos, in action above, played out a 1-1 draw at the Birsa Munda Astroturf Stadium in Ranchi in the Hockey India League, at Ranchi on Saturday. Malak Singh put the visitors ahead and Mandeep Singh scored the equaliser for the hosts. PTI

SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Czechs win 7-hour epic

Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol won a Davis Cup doubles epic to give Czech Republic the edge over Switzerland as Spain stayed alive in Canada. Paes-Raja keep Indian hopes alive Amanpreet Singh

NEW DELHI: Bringing in his experience, Leander Paes combined with debutant Purav Raja to keep India afloat by winning the do-or-die doubles against Korea but it would take a super heroic effort to save the hosts from a defeat in the Davis Cup tie. Paes and Raja pipped Yong-Kyu Lim and debutant Ji Sung Nam 6-4 7-6 (5) 6-2 in a hard-fought contest. The way Koreans played on the first day, the Indians knew it was not going to be easy to tame them. And it was evident from the very first game in which Paes and Purav faced four breakpoints but managed to escape unscathed.

Dave James

PARIS: Tomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol won a Davis Cup doubles epic on Saturday to give defending champions Czech Republic the edge over Switzerland as 2012 finalists Spain stayed alive in Canada. Berdych and Rosol beat Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 24-22 in the longest ever Davis Cup match, an exhausting clash which took 7 hours and one minute. The Geneva epic surpassed the previous record of 6 hours 22 minutes which John McEnroe needed to beat Mats Wilander 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6 in a tie between the United States and Sweden in 1982. Chiudinelli double-faulted on match point in a fifth set which lasted 3 hours 35 minutes, after he and his partner had saved 12 match points. The win gave the Czechs a

Nadal shrugs off number one talk

Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal speaks during a press conference on Saturday. AFP/RAUL ZAMORA

VINA DEL MAR, CHILE: Rafael Nadal shrugged off talk of reclaiming the world number one spot on Saturday as he prepared to return after a seven-month injury lay-off. Nadal, now at five in the world after not having played since his shock second round defeat at Wimbledon in June, will be top seed at the Vina del Mar claycourt event next week. But he is desperate to cool speculation over whether or not

he will be able to return to the top of the rankings, a position currently occupied by Novak Djokovic. “After seven months without playing, I am not even thinking of the world number one spot. I am just concentrating on doing my best,” he said. Nadal was kept off the tour through a recurrence of his long-standing knee injury as well as illness. Those setbacks meant he missed out on the Olympics, where he was the defending champion, the US Open, the 2012 Davis Cup final as well as last month’s Australian Open. “I am feeling good, but I need to have weeks of competition on the tour. I have to start slowly and with patience,” said the seven-time French Open champion. After playing in Chile, Nadal will head off to Brazil and Acapulco before testing his recovery to the full at the season’s opening Masters events in AFP Indian Wells and Miami.

Czech’s Tomas Berdych (R) and Tomas Rosol play against Swiss’ Stanislas Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli during their Davis Cup World Group first round match on Saturday in Geneva. AFP/SEBASTIEN FEVAL 2-1 lead in the World Group clash ahead of Sunday’s reverse singles with the winners to play either Kazakhstan or Austria in the quarter-finals in April. Wawrinka, the world 17, is

due to face Berdych, the sixthranked player, in the first of Sunday’s reverse singles. “I have never experienced such a long tennis match. Victory tastes sweet but we still need a point,” said Berdych.

Davis Cup Results (On Saturday) At Vancouver: Canada 2 Spain 1 (Marcel Granollers/Marc Lopez (ESP) bt Daniel Nestor/Vasek Pospisil (CAN) 4-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 63, 6-2) At Turin: Italy 2 Croatia 1 (Fabio Fognini/Simone Bolelli (ITA) bt Marin Cilic/Ivan Dodig (CRO) 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 (13/11)) At Charleroi: Belgium 0 Serbia 3 (Viktor Troicki/Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) bt Steve Darcis/Ruben Bemelmans (BEL) 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4) At Jacksonville: USA 2 Brazil 1 (Bruno Soares/Marcelo Melo (BRA) bt Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan (USA) 7-6 (8/6), 6-7 (7/9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3) At Rouen: France 3 Israel 0 (Michael Llodra/Julien Benneteau (FRA) bt Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich (ISR) 7-6 (7/3), 6-1, 6-0) At Buenos Aires: Argentina 3 Germany 0 (David Nalbandian/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) bt Christopher Kas/Tobias Kamke (GER) 6-1, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2) At Astana: Kazakhstan 2 Austria 1 (Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya (AUT) bt Andrey Golubev/Yuriy Schukin (KAZ) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)) At Geneva: Switzerland 1 Czech Republic 2 (Tomas Berdych/Lukas Rosol (CZE) bt Stanislas Wawrinka/Marco Chiudinelli (SUI) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 24-22)

Phil grabs lead SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA: Phil Mickelson birdied the last four holes to fire a seven-under 64 Saturday, grabbing a sixstroke lead at the the Phoenix Open with the second-lowest 54-hole score in US PGA Tour history. Mickelson, who flirted with a 59 before settling for a firstround 60 and carded a secondround 65 that was marred by a double bogey at 18, had no late lapse in Saturday’s third round of the $6.2 million event. After two birdies on the front nine, he added another at the 13th, then stormed in with four birdies, one by going up and down at the par-5 15th and another on the stadium-like par-3 16th with a tee shot less than three feet from the cup. “Your adrenaline is going there so I always take five yards off the distance and I just hit a hard 9-iron,” Mickelson said. “It turned out pretty good.” His 24-under par total of

189 matched the 54-hole tournament record set by Mark Calcavecchia in 2001 and put him six strokes in front of fellow American Brandt Snedeker, who had six birdies in firing a 65 to stand second. “You need to shoot pretty low if you want to catch Phil,” Snedeker said. If Mickelson can fire anoth-

er 64 or lower at TPC Scottsdale, he will break the record for the lowest 72-hole score in PGA history, the 26under par 254 by Tommy Armour III at the 2003 Texas Open. The only lower 54-hole score in PGA history was the 188 produced by American Steve Stricker at the 2010 John AFP Deere Classic.

USGA moves to deal with slow-go players

Kirilenko, Lisicki in Pattaya final

Errani to face Barthel in title round

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Less than a week after

PATTAYA, THAILAND: Maria Kirilenko and Sabine

PARIS: Italian Sara Errani will play Germany’s Mona

Tiger Woods complained about slow pace of play disrupting his game on the way to a title, the US Golf Association announced moves Saturday to deal with the issue. Glen Nager, president of the American golf governing body, said its program to solve pace of play issues will include player education programs, developing a pace-of-play model, improving the pace rating system, assistance to course managers with paceof-play issues and analysis of the pace-influencing factors. AFP

Lisicki will meet in the Pattaya Open final after both claimed straight set victories on Saturday. Kirilenko needed just 67 minutes to overwhelm Sorana Cirstea 6-0, 6-2, and Lisicki beat Nina Bratchikova 7-5, 6-3. Kirilenko was in blistering form against a lethargic opponent. After Kirilenko broke twice to lead 3-0, Cirstea failed to convert three break points in the next game, and she also began the second set in dismal form by dropping the opening game with a double-fault.

Barthel in the final of the Paris Open after they both clinched easy semi-final victories on Saturday. Errani was hardly tested as lucky loser Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands retired injured in the first set with a back problem when the 2012 French Open finalist was leading 5-0 and in full command. Barthel meanwhile sailed through the first set 6-1 against Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic before overcoming sterner resistence to close out the match 6-4 and reach Sunday’s championship match. AFP

SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Pak bowled out for 49 Colin Bryden

JOHANNESBURG: Dale Steyn sent Pakistan crashing to a new low as South Africa took control on the second day of the first Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Saturday. Steyn took six for eight in 8.1 overs as Pakistan were shot out for 49, four fewer than their previous lowest total of 53 against Australia in Sharjah in 2002/03. South Africa led by 204 runs on the first innings but decided not to enforce the follow on. The hosts were 207 for three in their second innings at the close, an overall lead of 411, with Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers hitting halfcenturies. It was another triumph for South Africa’s barrage of fast bowlers and the third time in less than two seasons that the world’s number one Test team had bowled out opponents for

Pakistan eye inspired show against NZ CUTTACK: Handed a moraleshattering defeat by the former champions Australia in their tournament opener, Pakistan will have to regroup themselves quickly to put up an inspired show against last year’s runnersup New Zealand in the ICC Women’s World Cup, here tomorrow. The Sana Mir-led Pakistani side was skittled out for a paltry 84 by Australia while chasing a gettable target of 176 at the Barabati Stadium. Pakistan’s duo of Asmavia Iqbal and Sadia Yousuf did well to restrict a formidable outfit like Australia well under 200 runs but their batting order crumbled as only two batsmen had scores in double figures. Pakistan failed to build on partnerships which hurt the team chase badly against the mighty Aussies and this is one area where they need to improve quickly if they fancy their chances of advancing to the Super Six stage of the eightPTI nation tournament.

Pak coach hails incredible Proteas JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore hailed an “incredible” performance by South Africa’s pace attack after his team were bundled out for a record low of 49 on the second day of the first Test. “I’ve never seen two hours of relentless, incredible pace bowling such as I have witnessed today,” said Whatmore. Dale Steyn was the main destroyer, taking six for eight in 8.1 overs as Pakistan slipped below their previous lowest total of 53 against Australia in Sharjah in 2002/03. South Africa did not enforce the follow on and took command of the match, posting 207 for three in their second innings to take an overall lead of 411 into the third day.

South Africa’s Dale Steyn celebrates after the taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Younis Khan on day two of the first Test match between South Africa and Pakistan, in Johannesburg at Wanderers Stadium on Saturday. AFP/STRINGER2

Scorecard

less than 50. Australia were routed out for 47 in 2011/12 and New Zealand were dismissed for 45 earlier this season. AB de Villiers equalled the South African wicketkeeping record by holding six catches and the Pakistan batsmen failed to cope with top quality bowling on a pitch with steep and sometimes variable bounce as well as some sideways movement. Vernon Philander took two for 16 and Jacques Kallis two for 11. Azhar Ali (13) and captain Misbah-ul-Haq (12) were the only Pakistan batsmen to reach double figures. Steyn was outstanding, bowling at high pace and making the ball move away disconcertingly from the right-handed batsmen. He started Pakistan’s collapse by taking three wickets in 14 balls at the start of the day and followed up with three more in 12 deliveries to wrap up the innings AFP soon after lunch.

South Africa first innings 253 Pakistan first innings (overnight 6-0) Hafeez c De Villiers b Steyn 6 Nasir Jamshed lbw b Steyn 2 Azhar Ali c De Villiers b Kallis 13 Younis Khan c Smith b Steyn 0 Misbah-ul-Haq c De Villiers b Kallis 12 Asad Shafiq c De Villiers b Philander 1 Sarfraz Ahmed c De Villiers b Steyn 2 Umar Gul c Smith b Philander 0 Saeed Ajmal c De Villiers b Steyn 1 Junaid Khan not out 8 Rahat Ali c Du Plessis b Steyn 0 Extras (lb3, w1) 4 Total (29.1 overs) 49 Bowling: Philander 9-5-16-2, Steyn 8.1-6-8-6 , Morkel 6-3-11-0, Kallis 6-2-11-2 South Africa second innings A. Petersen c Hafeez b Umar Gul 27 Smith c Sarfraz Ahmed b Gul 52 H. Amla not out 50 Kallis c Asad Shafiq b Saeed Ajmal 7 A. de Villiers not out 63 Extras (lb4, nb3, w1) 8 Total (3 wkts, 53 overs) 207 Bowling: Umar Gul 9-2-25-2, Junaid Khan 11-1-41-0, Rahat Ali 11-1-440, Mohammad Hafeez 5-0-32-0, Saeed Ajmal 16-1-61-1, Younis Khan 1-1-0-0

India take on jittery England MUMBAI: Buoyed by the comprehensive 105-run victory in their Group A opener against the West Indies, hosts India go with their tails up against jittery defending champions England in a crucial league game of the ICC Women’s World Cup at the Brabourne Stadium here today. Everything fell in place for the Mithali Raj-led home team as they totally outplayed their counterparts from the Caribbean islands two days ago to register a thumping victory at the same venue to log two points. A record opening wicket stand of 175 between India’s first-ever World Cup centurion Murugesan Tirushkamini and Poonam Raut set up a huge total for the hosts to defend in style under lights, a day before Sri Lanka sent a shockwave by upsetting the apple cart of England with a last-ball, onewicket win. England, led by five-time Cupper Charlotte Edwards, are under tremendous pressure to save their stuttering campaign as a loss to India would almost

McGrath, Turner to be inducted in Oz Hall of Fame PERTH, AUSTRALIA: Former fast bowlers Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner will be inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at this year’s Allan Border Medal ceremony tomorrow night here. ACHoF chairman David Crow today said McGrath and Turner were the selection committee’s unanimous choice for induction this year. “Glenn McGrath and Charlie Turner were each the outstanding Australian fast bowler of their era. Despite careers more than a century apart, they had much in PTI common,” said Crow.

India women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj (on ground) gets some help to stretch after a training session on Saturday ahead of their World Cup match against England. AFP/INDRANIL MUKHERJEE

Day game won’t be different: Raj MUMBAI: India skipper Mithali Raj is unperturbed about her team playing its first day game in the World Cup against England here today, as she felt it won’t make much difference barring some ass-

istance that the bowlers would get in the morning. “I don’t think there is a lot to get adjusted to, because it is not real winter, like what we get to see up north where the dew factor is heavily in the air.”

certainly spell curtains for their hopes of winning back-toback titles in the most important tournament for women. The three-time winners and India have fought close bilateral rubbers in recent times with the latter winning 3-2 at home in 2009-10 and England winning the last rubber in their backyard by a similar margin after coming from 0-2 down. In between England won a one-off game at Derby. But the way Lanka played and notched their first-ever win over England in nine ODIs, it must have given Mithali Raj’s team a tremendous mental boost. Putting more pressure on the 2009 Cup winners ahead of the game, Mithali today termed England’s bowling as “weak”. “I think England has a good batting side, but their bowling is weak. They depend on Katherine Brunt a lot. Last year we played England and our batters are comfortable playing their bowlers. We are well prepared,” she said. Edwards said, “If we don’t win, it is going to be very hard to make it to the super six.” PTI

IPL Auction: Ponting for MI, Clarke for Pune Warriors CHENNAI: Australia’s Ricky Ponting was bought for a base price of $400,000 (Rs 2.1 crore) by Mumbai Indians while compatriot Michale Clarke was sold to Pune Warriors for a base price of $400,000 in the Indian Premier League auction for the sixth season here, today. Indian pacer, RP Singh, whose base price was $100,000, was also bought for a $400,000 by Royal Challengers Bangalore. South

Africa’s Johan Botha was bought by Delhi Daredevils for $450,000 (Rs 2.3 crore), while Australia’s Luke Pomersbach went for $300,000 (Rs 1.5 crore) to Kings XI Punjab. The others who went under the hammer were James Faulkner for $400,000 (Rs 2.1 crore) by Rajasthan Royals, Glenn Maxwell went for $1,000,000 (Rs 5.3 crore) to MI while Abhishek Nayar was bought for $675,000 (Rs 3.5 crore) by PWI and Moises Henriques by RCB for

$300,000. Few of the players who went unsold were Aaron Finch, Upul Tharanga, Martin Guptill, Darren Bravo, Herschelle Gibbs, Adam Voges, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine, Matt Prior, Kushal Perera, Kaushal Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dane Vilas, Quinton de Kock, Denesh Ramdin, Dinesh Chandimal, Ravi Bopara, James Hopes and Dan Christian. (The auction was still underway when this story was filed).

SPORTS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2013

Ronaldo goal condemns Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo scored the first own goal of his career to send Real Madrid to a shock 1-0 defeat at Granada in the La Liga. Tim Hanlon

MADRID: Real Madrid’s dismal season went from bad to worse when Cristiano Ronaldo (right) scored an own-goal to hand relegation-threatened Granada a shock 10 win on Saturday. Real coach Jose Mourinho had already given up winning the league before Christmas and this latest blow means that Barcelona can increase their lead over them to 18 points if they win at Valencia on Sunday. There were doubts over whether or not Ronaldo would play as he is struggling with an ankle injury and his mood didn’t improve when he headed a Granada corner

into his own goal after 22 minutes. Real had scored nine goals in their last two league games but they lacked the necessary drive perhaps as a result of a draining El Clasico in midweek where they scraped a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their King’s Cup tie with Barcelona. “It was not a good game and we lost and I am responsible,” said Mourinho. “I didn’t like the first half from the team, it was terrible. We improved after the break and we dominated. We had a chance to score but if we had taken it then the performance still wouldn’t have been sufficient. “It was a big effort after play-

ing on Wednesday and some teams have a day longer to recover but that is not enough to explain the display as we needed to respond.” With Iker Casillas injured, Mourinho once again put his confidence in Diego Lopez in goal rather than youth product Antonio Adan while Raphael Varane also kept his place after an inspirational performance against Barca.

Rooney sinks Fulham

Wayne Rooney scored his fourth goal in three games as Manchester United beat Fulham 1-0. Ian Winrow

LONDON: Wayne Rooney

Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (L) shoots to score past Fulham’s Northern Irish defender Aaron Hughes in the match on Saturday. AFP

‘Troubled Paul Gascoigne’s life in danger’

LONDON: Gascoigne’s life may be in danger, the troubled England football hero’s agent said on Saturday. Terry Baker told BBC radio that the former Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio and Rangers star, who has battled alcoholism for years, “immediately needs to get help”.

scored a late winner as Manchester United beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to move 10 points clear at the head of the Premier League table on Saturday. Rooney’s 79th-minute strike, his 10th league goal of the season, came after the game had been held up for 10 minutes before half-time because of a floodlight failure and increased the pressure on second-place Manchester City ahead of their clash with Liverpool on Sunday. For long periods it looked as though Alex Ferguson’s side would have to be content with a point, with Fulham surviving first-half pressure before growing stronger after the break. But after hitting the wood-

SAfrica beaten Keyvan Naraghi

DURBAN, SA: Mali played party poopers in the Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals for the second time within a year as they defeated South Africa 31 on penalties Saturday. A tense match of few scoring chances had ended 1-1 after extra time with Tokelo Rantie putting Bafana Bafana (The Boys) ahead on 31 minutes and Seydou Keita levelling with 58 minutes gone. Cheick Tidiane Diabate, Adama Tamboura and Mahamane Traore converted shootout kicks for the Malian Eagles while Soumbeyla Diakite saved from Dean Furman and May Mahlangu and Lehlohonolo Majoro blazed wide. Mali knocked out Gabon at the same stage of the 2012 tournament — also after a shootout following a 1-1 draw — and have now reached the semifinals six times in eight appearances. Success was a timely morale boost for Malians, whose troops have been been on the offensive against Islamist extremists in the north of the country, backed by forces from France and other African states.

work three times in the opening half, United finally made the breakthrough when Rooney capitalised on a mistake by Fulham’s Philippe Senderos. Saturday results Arsenal 1 (Podolski 78) Stoke 0 Everton 3 (Anichebe 21, Fellaini 69, 90+3) Aston Villa 3 (Benteke 2, 61, Agbonlahor 24) Fulham 0 Manchester Utd 1 (Rooney 79) Newcastle 3 (Gutierrez 41, Sissoko 68, 90) Chelsea 2 (Lampard 55, Mata 61) QPR 0 Norwich 0 Reading 2 (Kebe 7, 85) Sunderland 1 (Gardner 29-pen) West Ham 1 (Carroll 77) Swansea 0 Wigan 2 (Caldwell 25, Maloney 90) Southampton 2 (Lambert 64, Schneiderlin 85)

They think it’s all over, but we don’t: Rooney

ayne Rooney insists the Premier League title race is far from over despite Manchester United moving 10 points clear at the head of the table. Rooney’s goal was enough to secure victory at Fulham. But the striker insists there is no room for complacency as they enter the final third of the campaign. “We’re in a good position, but we’re not going to get carried away. We’ve got to keep going, take each game as it comes, and see where we are with three or four to go,” said Rooney.