Postnoon E-Paper for 01 September 2012

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VET PEEVES

Wickets tumble on Day 2

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eciding that you want a pet doesn't necessarily make you a good owner. Two City-based veterinarians speak to Postnoon about what ticks them off about pet owners in Hyderabad.

ndia were 63-2 in their first innings at lunch in reply to New Zealand's 365 on the second day of the second and final Test in Bangalore on Saturday.

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very year, thousands of couples and audience members from all over the world reach the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina to experience the Tango Buenos Aires Festival and Dance World Cup 2012. PG 16&17

PG 30 WWW.POSTNOON.COM

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STATUE POLITICS HAS CITY BEMOANING WASTED WEALTH REPORT ON PG 4

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PAGE TWO SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

PERILOUS JOURNEY

World cuisine fest

The food festival brings together various speciality cuisines from across the world. The Festival includes a live kitchen where one can see dishes being prepared and plated. Where: Saffron Soul, Hotel Marigold, Greenlands When: Ongoing, 12.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6736 361

Punjabi food festival

Head to Taj Deccan for a Punjabi Food festival. The food festival offers a variety of Punjabi delicacies such as saag and makke ki roti and also a variety of festival specials. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Exclusive offering

Head to Taj Krishna where Interarts is hosting an exhibition of the finest european art, glass, dinnerwear, homeware and artefacts. The exhibition is on till September 2. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 2323

Symphony of the seas

Head to the Symphony of the Southern Seas at ITC Kakatiya to sample delicacies such as the Njandu Saru — an appetising crab meat soup or Kalumakai Peera — Mussels cooked dry in coconut and garlic. Where: ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards and 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 4008 1950

Deep in the wood

The exhibition displays woodcut art prints by 22 artists.These art works are from the woodcut workshop conducted by Earth Art Gallery. Where: Earth Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: September 2 onwards

Satellite City

Tamil Nadu Food festival

The play is the kaleidoscopic world of a motley bunch of characters and their struggle to make their lives about something. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: September 2 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Courtyard by Marriott is hosting a Tamil Nadu Food Festival with the name ‘Arusuvai Sangamam’ at its all day dinning restaurant MoMo Café from 27 August to 9 September. Where: Momo Cafe, Courtyard by Marriot, Tank Bund road When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752-1250

A relook at art

Jannis—A Relook, recent water colors on Arches paper by Jehangir Jani will be held. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: September 7 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 66564 466

Art exhibition

An art exhibition by artist Kandukuri Ramesh Babu titled Samanyashetram is being held. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund Road When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Sunyata

CINEMAS

Bonsai People Students risk their lives travelling on the footboard of a bus. M ANIL KUMAR When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

39 Step

Play lovers, keep your dates free for September 1 as the award winning play The 39 Step will be presented. Where: Ravindra Bharati, Saifabad When: September 1, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040)2323 1245

Life of others

An exhibition of paintings by Suniyata Khanna will be held. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Residency Inn Kavuri hills

palate, with a variety of five vegetarian and five non-vegetarian kebabs to choose from. Where: Gardenia, GreenPark Hotel, Greenlands When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6651 5151

A German film Leben der Anderen (The life of others) directed by Floren Henckel Von Donnersmarck wil be shown on September 21. Where: Goethe Zentrum,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 3 When: September 21, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 2335 0443

Shobana’s Krishna

Talented danseuse and actor Shobhana will perform along with her troupe. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: September 8, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Kebab and biryani fest

Green Park Hotel presents its kebab and biryani festival at Gardenia. The lavish buffet caters to the Indian

Muhammad Yunus’ Bonsai People will be shown at Lamakaan, Banjara Hills on September 2. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: September 2 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Jewellery workshop

The YMCA of Secunderabad in association with Let’s Create Crafts is organising a jewellery making workshop. The cost of the workshop is `800 for members and `825 for non-members. Where: YMCA, Secunderabad When: September 1-2 10am and 1pm Contact: (040) 2780 1909

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 44767777, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973


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CITY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Meet to promote harmony

Illicit liquor godown raided

APSRTC to train assistants

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n order to protect the business interests of the traders and the multi-religious and multi-cultural fabric of the society, an adhoc meeting of the Moosabowli Traders’ Welfare Association was held. The meeting aimed at promoting and maintaining peace and harmony in the area and to increase cooperation between traders irrespective of caste and religion.

team of excise officials raided a godown of illicit liquor on friday at in Uppuguda, Old City and seized hundreds of litres of illicit liquor. The owner of the godown, Seenu managed to escape from the scene. Inspector (excise) Bharat Bhushan said that Seenu has been selling illicit liquor since the past few months. A case has been booked against him.

he final list of candidates who got selected for junior assistant (personal) posts has been announced. For those who have submitted their medical fitness certificate, training at the Zonal Training College of Transport in Hakeempet will start from September 3 at 9am. For details, candidates may contact 9959223454 or log on to www.apsrtc.cgg.gov.in.

CCS undergoes a sex change The police chief’s decision of inducting more male SIs in the CCS could go awry.

MOHD SUBHAN

mohd.s@postnoon.com

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ity’s Central Crime Station (CCS) that had proved to be a hub of corruption (when it came to the counseling centre for dowry cases) has been subjected to a sex-change! Now it has shed its feminine tinge with a male touch. Following the ACB trapping a woman SI while allegedly tak-

ing a bribe in August, and now with the suspension of another, the City police chief Anurag Sharma has replaced four women SIs with four men SIs. Not just that, the newly posted are seniors because, as a CCS officer explained, the commissioner wanted no fresh scandal involving young men SIs and women cops. As a sequel to widespread complaints of corruption involving CCS police personnel, additional police commissioner Ahsan Raza, was asked to probe the rot in CCS. It was based on his report that the many changes have been brought

FOLLOWING THE

INCIDENT OF AN ACB TRAPPING A WOMAN SI EARLY IN AUGUST WHILE ALLEGEDLY TAKING BRIBE, AND NOW WITH THE SUSPENSION OF ANOTHER, THE CITY POLICE CHIEF ANURAG SHARMA HAS NOW REPLACED FOUR WOMEN SIS WITH FOUR MEN IN UNIFORM.

about. “The belief that women are far more clean than men lies shattered,” remarked a CCS police inspector. He had reportedly found out that women SIs jostled for a posting in the counseling centre and each one was earning handsome dark money. Confirming the changes, additional deputy commissioner of police, CCS, Zafer Javed, said that changes were intended to keep the sanctity and image of the CCS which is crucial set up for effective policing in the City. Raza’s report is understood to have pointed out that the counseling centre where the arraigned husbands are brow-

beaten to pay up is proving to be a nemesis of the CCS. He wanted more men in place of women and also wanted the non-governmental organisations that handles the marital cases replaced with others. “Anything that remains long develops rot,” is the reason for intended change. Moreover, the activists are either relegated to the background or are forced to join the corrupt bandwagon by SIs in the set up. CCS inspector P Jankamma is confident that the ‘reshuffle’ will make officers dealing with dowry cases wary. But there are doubting Thomases too.


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CITY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Statue politics costs State much-needed crores

Installing statues of political leaders seems to be the latest contest amongst political parties. In this game of one-upmanship, the only people benefiting are the sculptors. N SHIVA KUMAR

Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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olitical parties in the State take pride in installing statues of their beloved leaders. In a recent development, supporters and followers of the former CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy and YSR Congress have announced that they will install 150 statues in the Chandragiri Assembly constituency of Chittoor district. According to an unofficial estimate, the supporters of YSR Congress have installed a total of about 4,500 statues of YS Rajasekhara Reddy across the State. Similarly, the main opposition, Telugu Desam, stands second in the race of installing statues after YSR Congress. Senior leaders of Telugu Desam claimed that they have installed about 4,000 statues of their founder NT Rama Rao at various places across the State. The separate Telangana cause champion, the Telangana Rastra Samithi has also installed statues of Telangana Talli across 10

`255crore

Telangana districts as part of thweir plan to intensify the agitation. When Postnoon conducted a research as to how much each statue cost in terms of money, it was found that the supporters of Telugu Desam and YSR Congress alone have spent `255 crore on installation of statues of their leaders. If we add up the figures of Congress, CPI, CPM and BJP, the figure would go up.

TYPES

The amount spent by YSRC on statues

`3lakh to `6 lakh Cost of a bronze statue

`30,000 to `60,000

OF STATUES

Statues of politicians are generally made of metals like bronze, fibre or cement.According to sculptors and government officials, fibre statues are the most sought after statues by the politicians. Bronze statues cost anywhere between `3 lakh to `6 lakh based on various factors like height, weight and size of the statues. The most sought after category — fibre statues cost anywhere between `30,000 to `60,000 depending upon various factors. The cheapest category among them is cement statues. These statues would cost `25,000 to ` 30,000. Speaking to Postnoon, City based sculptor K Rambabu has revealed that their business has gone up after the death of former YS Rajasekahra Reddy as

Cost of a fibre statue

`25,000 to

`30,000 Cost of cement statues

they were inundated with numerous orders. The scramble made by TDP also benefitted the sculptor community.

“After the death of YSR, we were flooded with a number of orders. TDP supporters also took our business to a different level

as there was tremendous competition between both the political parties. We did a lot of business in the process,” he says.

‘This is a shame on democracy’ Delays in conducting the annual monsoon session of the assembly has opposition up in arms. Postnoon News

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he delay in convening the monsoon session of the AP Assembly is causing worries among the opposition parties. The Monsoon Session of the Assembly, which is generally held in the month of July/August is yet to be convened even as we enter the month of September. The MLAs of opposition parties like the main opposition TDP and Left Parties are saying that the attitude of the State government in convening the session is starving them off of their legitimate right of raising public problems on the floor of the house and seek their redressal. “The State government has become non-reactive. They are

least bothered about convening assembly sessions to debate on public problems and more bothered about fulfilling constitutional obligations of convening it once in six months. This will not fulfill the aspirations of people who have elected them,” TDP senior MLA Ravula Chandra Sekhar Reddy said. It may be emphasised here that the State government had convened the session for one day to elect the speaker of the house against the convention of at least one week. According to Reddy, the Congress is worried about facing confrontation from opposition political parties on glaring issues like the ongoing power crisis, farmers’ problems and other civic problems. “The government instead of solving the public problems is completely

involved in tackling in its own internal problems. This is nothing but making mockery of democracy,” he said. CPI floor Leader Gunda Mallesh lambasted the government by saying that he never saw such a inactive government in his four-and-a-half decade old political career. “It’s a shame on democracy. We have made many requests to the government. It is a terrible precedent in a democratic country like ours,” he said. The TDP, going a step ahead met the governor and requested to him to immediately issue orders for convening the session. On the other hand, the State government continues keep the suspense on the issue of convening the house as no discussion took place on the issue in Friday’s Cabinet meeting.


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NATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

‘Trial must be quick and fair’

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Muslim federation on Friday sought a quick and fair investigation into the arrest of 11 youth suspected to have links with banned outfits LeT and HuJi and plotting to carry attacks in Bangalore. The accused were arrested Wednesday from Bangalore and Hubli. Of the 11 arrested, six are from Bangalore and five are from Hubli.

SC to allow mining in K’taka?

Modi hosts interactive session

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ujarat CM Narendra Modi, an avid tweeter went a step further on Friday and become the first major Indian political leader to chat live on the net. Modi hosted an interactive session on Google+ Hangout on Friday evening with Bollywood star Ajay Devgn as host. The subject was “Strong and Glorious India Long Cherished by Swami Vivekananda”.

he Supreme Court on Friday indicated that it may permit resumption of iron ore mining in category A mines in Karnataka’s Bellary, Chitradurga and Timkur districts, provided they complied with statutory forest and environmental clearances. “The compliance must be there. There can be no compromise on the clearance,” said the forest bench of justice.

A mere ritual?

Kerala tanker toll up to 14

According to a leading Pakistan daily, the meeting between Manmohan Singh and Zardari is nothing more than a formality.

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akistan has to “dispel the impression that the procrastination of the Mumbai suspects’ trial is on purpose”, said a leading Pakistani daily that described President Asif Ali Zardari’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Tehran as a mere ritual. “Had there been no meeting between Zardari and Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the NAM summit, it would have been the news of the day,” Dawn said Saturday in an editorial. “There have been nearly half-a-dozen ritualistic and informal meetings between the Indian prime minister and Pakistan’s top leaders at one or the other summit,” it added. After their meeting at

the 2010 SAARC summit in Thimphu, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the Indian prime minister met three times. Additionally, there was the much-hyped lunch at New Delhi for Zardari by Manmohan Singh in April this year. They met again Thursday on the sidelines of the NAM summit in Tehran “without conced-

ing any ground”. “The only meeting the South Asian neighbours didn’t owe to an international extravaganza was over lunch, but this, too, was a spin-off from Zardari’s Ajmer pilgrimage. “Moral of the story: neither side has cared to arrange a bilateral meeting for its own sake to break the ice,” it said. The daily said that the Tehran meeting

IN DEEP THOUGHT

IANS

Akhilesh writes to PM on power

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Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher (R) sits on the banks of the Yamuna river in Vrindavan, about about 130 kms south of New Delhi. Kutcher is in the country to shoot for a biopic on the life of the late Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple. AFP PHOTO

showed the “Indian leadership is still stuck at Mumbai, with Singh emphasising the need for the expeditious conclusion of the trial of the Mumbai terror suspects”. “As the stronger of the two sides, will it be too much to expect New Delhi to show flexibility and desist from the temptation to apply pressure on Pakistan at a time when it finds itself in a nutcracker situation?” asked the daily. “On its part, Islamabad has to dispel the impression that the procrastination of the Mumbai suspects’ trial is on purpose, and, instead, by expediting the process, show that Islamabad is as keen as New Delhi to bring the terrorists to justice.”

ttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Friday shot off two letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his help in expediting BHEL’s power projects in the state. He also sought the prime minister’s help seeking grant of coal linkage to the proposed 660-MW Harduaganj Extension thermal power project. Akhilesh requested the prime minister to issue directions to the ministries of heavy industries and coal to cooperate and help resolve the state’s power shortage. According to sources, in his letter to the prime minister, the chief minister pointed out the laxity of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) in implementing the Harduaganj Extension and Parichha Extension (500 MW) and the delay in Anpara-D (1000 MW) project which was scheduled start in July 2011. All the projects were awarded to BHEL on the basis of a sinIANS gle offer.

As many as 46 shops, 40 houses and 11 vehicles were damaged in the fire. KANNUR: The toll in the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanker explosion here went up to 14. Authorities estimate the losses at `5 crore in the explosion that occurred when the tanker overturned after hitting a divider around 11.30pm Monday at Chala near here. Among the dead are three couples and four siblings. The condition of the seven injured is reported to be critical. As many as 46 shops, 40 houses and 11 vehicles were damaged in the fire. The state government has announced an ex gratia payment of `10 lakh to the kin of each of the dead and up to `5 lakh to the injured. The driver of the vehicle, who had been absconding, surrendered to the police Friday.

THE STATE GOVERNMENT HAS ANNOUNCED AN EX GRATIA PAYMENT OF `10 LAKH TO THE KIN OF EACH OF THE DEAD. Kannur Lok Sabha member K Sudhakaran has taken up the matter with the union petroleum ministry since the tanker belonged to a public sector oil company. CM Oommen Chandy has visited the accident site twice in the past five days. A delegation led by Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and other Left leaders reached here Saturday. IANS


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WORLD SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Syria clashes rage on

Bombing kills 6 Afghans

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urkey said Friday that UN agreement was necessary to set up safe havens in Syria to stem an exodus of refugees as fierce fighting raged in the north and protesters demanded the end of the regime. UN chief Ban Ki-moon meanwhile told Syria’s premier at a summit in Tehran that Damascus must stop using heavy weapons.

suicide bombing at a Nato military base in central Afghanistan killed at least six Afghan civilians around dawn Saturday, officials said. A spokesman for ISAF said they had no casualties. “A suicide bomber on foot detonated near the gate of the base in Sayedabad opening the way for a truck suicide bombing,” govt spokesman Shahiddullah Shahid said.

HEALTH / CLINIC

HEALTH / CLINIC

The hurricane tours

Republican White House hopeful Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama seem to be in a rush to outdo each other by visiting hurricane stricken New Orleans, ahead of the Presidential elections.

Mitt Romney and his wife Ann meet Louisisna Governor Bobby Jindal on a visit to the storm-affected town of Lafitte resulting from Hurricane Isaac. AFP

NEW ORLEANS: White House challenger Mitt Romney rushed to storm-ravaged New Orleans on Friday in a bid to burnish his presidential credentials ahead of his November battle with Barack Obama. Coming off the back of a rousing Republican convention, Romney sought to build momentum by taking his new campaign plane to New Orleans, where rescue crews are clearing up after Hurricane Isaac unleashed a torrential downpour. Obama’s camp swiftly declared the Democratic incumbent would tour the city himself on Monday, but denied they were playing catch up, insisting they

did not want the president’s large security detail to disrupt disaster relief. Romney met Louisiana’s Republican governor Bobby Jindal and toured disaster relief operations in still partly-flooded streets with National Guard troops. “I’m here to learn and obviously to draw some attention to what’s going here,” Romney told Jindal. “So that people around the country know that people down here need help.” Seven years ago, New Orleans became a symbol of presidential failure when Obama’s Republican predecessor George W Bush was seen as

bungling the federal response to Hurricane Katrina, which left 1,800 dead along the Gulf Coast. Isaac was much less devastating, and flood defenses erected around New Orleans since 2005 protected the city, but both candidates were determined to show off their crisis leadership skills. “The decision to travel on Monday was made before Governor Romney announced his decision to travel to Louisiana on Friday,” an Obama aide said in a call to reporters from Air Force One. Obama had already made federal emergency funding available. Romney strategist Stuart Stevens insisted the campaign had not rushed to beat Obama to the scene. Louisiana resident Doug Boulware, 54, concisely articulated how many locals thought about Obama and Romney using the area as a political football. “Neither of these guys can do what New Orleans needs right now, which is manual labour and getting up in bucket trucks and fixing wires,” said Boulware, who owns and manages nursing homes in the state. Obama convened a phone call with several parish presidents and other local leaders from Louisiana and Mississippi and pledged further assistance to contend with flooding and storm damage, adding that he was releasing aid for individuals impacted by the hurricane. AFP

CLASSIFIEDS ART GALLERY

HEALTH / CLINIC

Thalidomide maker 10k Yosemite tourists infected issues apology LOS ANGELES: Some 10,000 visitors to

LONDON: The German firm that made thalido-

California’s Yosemite National Park could have been exposed to a deadly virus that kills one in three victims and cannot be treated, officials said Friday. So far, six cases of the rare hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) have been confirmed — two of whom have died — while a “multiple” number of other suspected cases of the rodent-borne disease are being investigated. Yosemite authorities closed down the “Signature Tent Cabins” earlier this week at Curry Village, a popular lodging area in Yosemite Valley, the tourist center of the scenic park visited by milAFP lions of people every year.

mide has issued its first apology in over 50 years to the thousands born disabled as a result of the drug’s use, but a victims’ charity called for more tangible action. Grunenthal’s chief executive Harald Stock said in a speech on Friday that his company was “very sorry” for its silence towards the victims of the drug, which was sold to pregnant women as a cure for morning sickness in the 1950s and early 1960s. An estimated 10,000 children worldwide were born with defects after their mothers took thalidomide, which was sold in nearly 50 countries before being pulled from the AFP market in 1961.

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CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

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COMMENT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Green is the new black

Don’t be afraid of criticism

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our ongoing coverage of the deplorable state of environmental awareness in the city, especially by the people in power is refreshing. The environment gets short shrift in Hyderabad and people must be made aware that things have to change otherwise we will end up worse for it. keep up the coverage. Sameer Raghavan, via e-mail

his is with regards to Anonymous Alien’s column on law suits (August 31). While the columnist certainly has a lot of negative things to say about India (my father gets most upset) all of it is true. We tend to hide from the truth in this country and when someone gives us a criticism, we should take note if it and learn. John David via e-mail

EDITORIALS 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 4067 2222.

Lifestyles of the famous

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have been following you publication quite closely on your website and have noticed that a fair few people rail against your coverage of social events in the Spotlight section. They seem to forget that we are an aspirational society for the most part and people like seeing what the rich and famous are up to. Plus it’s only 1 page! Dhruv Kalyan via e-mail

EDITORIALS MAKE THE CoP work for us As the City gears up to host CoP 11, it’s the right time to take a look at how Hyderabad handles biodiversity and the environment. Almost all our water bodies are choked with sewage and litter cast off from people who don’t give a fig about the environment. The eyes of the world will be on this city in October and a superficial face-lift of city’s roads and temporary placement of plants and trees is not going to change one glaring fact: We are lagging behind when it comes to being environmentally aware. Look at Mumbai, which has pretty much taken the road of environmental destruction. The urban sprawl has crept through that city like a cancer with nary a care for ecosystems. It is happening in Bangalore too, but at least in that city there’s a strong environmental movement taking shape, which is powered by an increasingly enlightened youth. A lot of the young people this paper spoke to in Hyderabad either didn’t care about the environment or new next to nothing about its degradation. The older generations have been responsible for the green decay, and it’s up to the youth to correct their mistakes. Without a green revolution, events like CoP are just an eyewash aimed at making money and promoting Brand Hyderabad. But what good is a brand when your citizens are being thrust into a future full of choking fumes and sunless skies.

WHY WE LOVE... Paralympics Nothing says heroic like the sight of wheelchair-bound athletes striving for victory at the London Paralympics. Disabled they may be, but rather than wallow in self-pity, they have cast off the cloak of depression and embraced their lives. These are real role models.

An inspiring teacher Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

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book launch event I attended last weekend was a ‘family and friends’ affair at a quaint library away from the city centre. The skies opened up and there was a heavy downpour as the debut author was talking about her newly born baby. The event was quite unlike the showy dos most such events have become these days, in which the publisher invites a celebrity, who may or may not have any connection with the book, to talk about topics that the media finds interesting. This event, on the other hand, had a sprinkling of old and young people, all of them known to the author, to celebrate an accomplishment. As I moved around nodding and smiling at the familiar faces, I heard a man’s voice call

out to me. I turned to face an old family friend, and let out a squeal of surprise. This was an 85-year-old man, fit as a fiddle, an enthusiastic smile brightening his face, which wasn’t wrinkled at all. Mr Sitaraman, a Tamilian, had been my neighbour for 15 years. We used to fondly call him mama, an affectionate term for uncle. He was as excited to see me as I was to see him. We both spoke at the same time and then we laughed. We caught our breaths and started asking each other about family, work, life, etc. Mama spoke non-stop about his sons and daughters, most of who are settled abroad. He asked me a number of questions, too, but never in an intrusive way that would suggest that he might be trying to gauge how successful I have become. Once he was assured that I am fine and I was taking care of myself well, he went back to talking about himself. In 30 years, he hasn’t stopped working. He gave me a list of all the places he has

HIS BIGGEST, MOST EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY WAS HIS ABILITY TO LEARN — TO LEARN FROM LIFE, PEOPLE, SITUATIONS, WORK, THE GOOD AND BAD, EVERYTHING. worked in. He moves as a consultant from one place to another, never once stopping or taking a break. He said he retired 25 years ago, but he will never retire from work. There hasn’t been a single day when he hasn’t worked. At the age of 85, mama loves to get ready for work, step out, be in the midst of competition and, as a consultant, learn and teach. Mama is one of the most spirited, hardworking and humorous men I know. His curiosity and positive attitude to work and to keep busy endeared him to everyone. But his biggest, most exceptional quality was his ability to learn

— to learn from life, people, situations, work, the good and bad, everything. He told me he’s life’s biggest student, and he has found a teacher at every crossroad of life. One has to only be willing to keep an open mind and be ready to accept the knowledge someone else is sharing, he said. What mama is too modest to admit is that he has also been the best teacher to many of the people who have been lucky to cross paths with him. Most of us get the opportunity to learn but we don’t identify it because we are too caught up in the conventional method of learning and teaching. We build these shackles around us, and to learn how to break them is also something we can learn from people around us who have been successful in doing it – mama being one of them. On Teacher’s Day, let’s take a moment to thank all the teachers who have shaped our thinking, but to also those teachers we never even acknowledged or recognised as teachers.


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COMMENT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Charmed by papyrus My World SHRADDHA JAHAGIRDAR-SAXENA

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ooks and movies — both have been a vital indulgence for me ever since I can remember. And, when the books inspire movies what could be better! The other day, at work we were discussing that when a Gen X or Gen Y kid was told of the classic Gone With The Wind, she asked, “But was there a book of that name too? Was it made from the movie?” Alas, the magic of the classics is getting lost in the fastchanging world of books (read kindles or tablets now) and movies today. Here, I am not referring to the many films inspired by cartoon characters or supermen and spidermen. I am referring to real often literary books that were later turned into cinematic derivatives. Earlier on, we would read a book and then wait for the movie to come. Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights were translated to screen and their appeal increased in a different way. But despite seeing the movie, I returned to the print version — that let my imagination soar high to create my Darcy and Bennett in my mind. In recent times, the Harry Potter series whetted the appetite of its readers who waited with bated breath for the movies to come out. What ensued then were several animated discussions: Were the books true to the originals, why were significant (or what we felt

significant) scenes left out and why was there such a long gap between the last two movies that turned the final work Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows into a visual experience. One book that movie that I enjoyed in equal measure were what proved that chocolate goes down well with everyone — Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Perhaps it was the magic of Roald Dahl coupled with the acting skills of Johnny Depp that made both equally entertaining — and worth many reads and views. To go further back in time,

Urban sketches VISWAPRASAD RAJU

as a school girl I read and reread Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird till it was dog-eared several times and its pages worn out with my handling. Atticus Finch, a man of high moral caliber, fearlessly took on what was a lost case and fought it with conviction — addressing issues of class and colour with ample compassion. His children Jem and Scout made the narrative come alive. Its film version, starring Gregory Peck is a movie that touches your heart, any time. No mention of books turned into movies can be complete

without a reference to the epic tale of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. Gone With The Wind – a battle of the sexes set in a period drama – was a classic indeed. And Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh made it all the more memorable. Who can ever forget her saucy ‘Tomorrow is another day’! It is perhaps the most enduring and loved movie of its time. Hindi movies too have drawn inspiration from books – Devdas, 3 Idiots, Aisha, Hello, The Namesake, Angoor, The Slumdog Millionaire, Maqbool, DevD and many more have wooed the box

office with different degrees of success. These are but a few that drew some kernel or more of their plot line from books that were much loved. There are some characters I still have to see on celluloid. Howard Roark and John Galt – both creations of Ayn Rand (The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged respectively) make for intriguing heroes in a complex drama. The books have been turned into movies but call it a grown up adolescent’s memory of the written versions, I yet have to watch them on screen even though I do read her idealistic works when the mood comes on me. Perhaps, I will add them to my next viewing wish list. Sometimes, I have preferred to watch a movie and then read the book but more often than not for me the book has preceded the movie. In the case of Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, I am glad I did so, because without the story in my head, the movie would have been difficult to follow. Here, I definitely did prefer the books to the films. As mentioned in my previous column, we had been speaking about the Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy which in the format that it is written is a prime candidate for being turned into a film. Which brings up one thought — are writers penning their novels with one eye on the box office for tales are reading more like screenplays now even though the format may be that of a novel? The language is more simplistic and the denouements all the more riveting. Are we losing true-blue literature to the desire of the times – visual entertainment? Who knows! Only the next plot or tale will hold the answer!

Heritage PICK YOUR

@

Across Stores

ities Twin C


10

BUSINESS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Bottlenecks stall projects

Samsung notebook launched

SBI signs MoU with JBIC

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nvestor confidence in India can be boosted if bottlenecks such as lack of forward-looking project preparations and a sound land-acquisition process that stall key infrastructure and energy projects are removed, a report said Friday. According to a report by FICCI and Ernst and Young, 78 road and transport, 47 power and 31 oil and gas sector projects were delayed.

amsung Electronics has introduced the second generation of Note book Series 9 in the Indian market. The new Series 9 is touted to be the world’s thinnest and most compact notebook chassis. The Samsung Series 9 features MaxScreen technology, which minimises the bezel size while maximising the screen size by an extra inch.

tate Bank of India (SBI) recently signed an MoU with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), a policy based financial institution wholly owned by the Japanese government, on developing and strengthening a framework for supporting the business operations of Japanese small and medium enterprises as well as mid-tier enterprises.

Making marketing easier ClientCurve, the brainchild of Prem and Karan Singh Tara, helps companies effectively market themselves by outsourcing their sales. N SHIVA KUMAR

PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

A

round 2008-2009 when the recession was at its peak and most companies, be they small or large, were struggling to stay afloat, given the economic slump. But there was one company that managed to not just hold its ground but also flourished. ClientCurve, a marketing outsourcing company, was not only running profitably, but its founders Prem Singh Tara and Karan Singh Tara were also brainstorming a new business idea. Given the economic downturn, most companies wouldn’t even think of expanding businesses let alone starting news ones. But the success of ClientCurve gave its founders the confidence to start working on their new business. The idea behind the business was to solve problems that many companies face during their marketing campaigns. However, the most complex task during these marketing campaigns is to get contact details of the relevant people, who are the key decision makers when it comes to receiving the products and services offered by the company. It was to build this data online that the duo started DataCurve in June 2012, where users can upload their professional contact details and get the relevant credits, which can be used to get new contacts. Talking about his career, Prem said, “I did my graduation in computer science from Badruka College in the City and went on to do GNIIT. However, due to the recession, the job market was down and I began my career in marketing and sales at Sixth Element Systems.” However, Prem always wanted to start his own business and that is how ClientCurve came about. “I always used to tell my cousin Karan that we should start a business together. But at that time we didn’t know what

Prem Singh Tara, co-founder, ClientCurve the business could be. However, my marketing experience from my previous jobs came to our aid and we decided to use that as a platform for our entrepreneurial journey,” he said. ClientCurve started in January 2008 with an investment of `3-4 lakh. “We had a client in place before starting the company. Over time we reinvested the returns into the business to help it grow,” he said. Talking about the business idea, he said, “ClientCurve is a marketing outsourcing company, which supports businesses in building lists of potential clients and generate qualified leads for our clients. It also provides services like campaign manage-

User uploads data Data uploaded by “John”

Searching for data User “Jackson”

User “John”

New User

Finds relevant data

Receives credits or Redeemable for cash

Can be used to buy additional contacts

Use cash to buy data

Data upload by ‘John’ Earns royalty credits

Existing user can use credits

Data downloaded

THE DATACURVE MODEL

ment, SEO and social media marketing.” “The businesses can save up to 50 per cent of their costs by outsourcing their marketing to ClientCurve. It is important to calculate the invisible costs that a company incurs, which includes infrastructure.” However, it was not a smooth sailing all along. The business had its share of initial hiccups. “As a start up, there were many challenges. There were not many marketing (Management) graduates at that time. Those who were qualified did not want to work with a start-up. Considering half of our clients are from US, the South Indian accent was also a challenge.” Talking about the revenue model, he said, “The business generates revenues that include fixed charges that starts from $1,000 and also has 3 to 10 per cent share in generated sales.” Currently, the company’s annual growth rate is 30 to 35 per cent for the last three years and it is also reaping profits of 30 per cent. The company wants to expand its operations in US by the end of this year. It also wants to increase its employee base to 100 people by the end of FY2013. The business is also looking for potential investors to scale up DataCurve and to take it to a higher level. The company is investing 20 per cent of its revenues in DataCurve. There are around 1,000 users, who not only upload their business contacts and also update the data as and when required. The credits gained for uploading contacts can be used to access new data. Companies who do not have sufficient credits can buy the contact data. On what makes DataCurve click, Prem said, “The businesses can run a campaign in 30 minutes if they have the relevant contacts. The manager can export their contacts to CRM and with a click of a button, the mails can be sent to potential clients.” A typical work day entails 12 hours for Prem, who likes to unwind by catching up on technology news sites and watching cricket matches.


11

MOTORING SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Hyundai, unions in deal

H

yundai Motor and labour union representatives reached a temporary wage agreement Thursday after a series of partial strikes that have cost the South Korean giant $1.4 billion in lost sales. The deal, to be put into practice from March, will see the introduction of a two-shift daytime work system, with staff to be finished by midnight at the latest.

Dongfeng sees profits slip

GM looks to Russia hope

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hinese carmaker Dongfeng Motor Group said its net profit in the first half of 2012 slipped 8.36 per cent on the back of falling commercial vehicle sales and stiffer competition. Net profit dropped to 5.37 billion yuan ($846 million) from 5.86 billion yuan in the corresponding period of 2011, despite a 6.83-percent rise in revenue to 68.06 billion yuan.

N SHIVA KUMAR

S auto giant General Motors will invest a billion dollars in its Russian plants by 2018 to build more cars for the expanding market, a GM executive said."We will invest an additional $1 billion into Russia, expand the capacity of the plant in St Petersburg to 230,000 cars per year and of the joint enterprise with AvtoVAZ in Togliatti to 120,000."

A ‘B’ under the bonnet Mercedes is all set to launch its B-Class, a sports tourer that aims to be many cars in one classy package. The company has plans to launch a petrol version in October and wants to bring out a diesel version at a later date. Mercedes feels this could be a sure shot winner. TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL US ON 80082 00713

or SMS „Postnoon‰ to 56161

Prudhvi Raju K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

A

re you planning to buy a car that is compact to drive on city roads and at the same time capable of taking you for a smooth drive on a weekend holiday? Mercedes Benz has launched the B-class Sports Tourer to target customers, who are looking to have best of both segments in one single car. “Mercedes Benz B-Class Sports Tourer is a kind of crossover in the segment which is neither a sedan nor an SUV. The car can be used on an everyday basis in the city without compromising on the beautiful off-road countryside drives. The car is designed for the cities where there is heavy traffic and parking problems. It is fully loaded with a panoramic sunroof and beautiful dashboard. It is a compact car, but if one looks at the interiors, it has more space compared to most of our cars,” said Yashwant Jhabakh, chairman, Mahavir Motors. Talking about the target customers, Yashwant said, “The prospective customers are the young crowd (25–40 years) who may not own a second or third car due to parking space or other constraints. For instance, a husband and wife may have their own cars for everyday use in a nuclear family. This car can be used for long drives without

the need to buy a third car,” The company has plans to launch a petrol version in October and wants to bring out a diesel version at a later date. “The official price is not out yet but can be priced around `25 lakh (ex-showroom). As the car is the first-of-its-kind in the market, there is no direct competition. The car is aimed at creating its own niche market,” he said. Talking about fierce competition with Audi and BMW in the range, he said, “The market has evolved over time. We are happy that the presence of these brands is giving customers more choice. He can choose the car that best suits him and his needs, across brands,” On the city premium car market, he said, “The Hyderabad customer is knowledgeable and has been to many countries and knows what he is buying. The city has a sizable segment of customers who can afford a Mercedes. The city has emerged as one of the major markets for all premium brands.” Mercedes has continued to be innovative by investing heavily in R&D. The company always aims to be one step ahead of what the customer will want. The A-class that is to be launched will be far ahead of any other car in that segment, in terms of technology and safety.” As far as the customer is concerned, there is always a sense of pride in owning a Mercedes,” he added.

5

/095 Rs.1 9/: e c 4 r Pri Rs.5 Cove r Price: : 50% g e f n f i O l Sav Tota

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12

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK www.switchcam.com nstead of moping about missing a concert, we suggest you log on to switchcam. The site puts up a medley of fan videos and what's amazing is that the video switches between cameras, giving different perspectives of the gig.

I

VIDEOGAME REVIEW

APP OF THE WEEK

SHAKE SPEARS

Haiku Deck

I

f you’re fed up of clunky Powerpoint presentations, Haiku Deck is the iPad app for you. Enter a few words and the app will offer you a range of matching licensed Creative Commons pictures and appropriate layout.

T

he goal is simple; you play as a knight and you have to knock your opponent off the horse. So you adjust the angle of your sword, shield up and charge. It's not as great as Angry Birds though. Available for: Android, iOS

The future is here

Don’t buy a laptop or a desktop, check out some of the hybrids that are changing the world of computing as we know it. NT BALANARAYAN

balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

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n the near future, buying a laptop or a PC is going to be more difficult that it ever was. Computer companies (referred to as Original Equipment Manufacturers aka OEMs in the tech world) are churning out devices that blur the line between tablet, laptop and PC ahead of the launch of Microsoft’s next operating system —Windows 8. When Microsoft announced its plan to make drastic changes in the way one used a computer a year back, critics were skeptical. The new interface has a start screen which takes up the whole screen and represents software in the form of tiles instead of icons. These ‘apps’ would display latest information on these tiles that Microsoft called live tiles. “Oh the blasphemy! How can Microsoft tamper with the only product of theirs people still want to buy?” critics cried. The Redmond company hasn’t budged from their stance and the OS is finally ready for primetime. Samsung, Nokia, HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Acer and other computer and mobile OEMs are fighting over each other to introduce their line up of desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile phones that will come with the latest from the software giant. In the next couple of days, Dell will introduce a laptop with a swivel screen which can then be

turned into a tablet, Asus and Samsung announced tablets that can be connected to a keyboard to turn it onto a laptop. Lenovo announced desktop computers with touch screen so you can navigate the interface faster. Such has been the range of innovations that the industry has coined a term for them — hybrids. These OEMs have been churning out boring black laptops for years with minor speeds bumps along the way, so what has made them innovate now? The answer is pretty simple — competition. These OEMs will be competing

Microsoft is hoping that it will because of the sheer range of software that it already supports. However as far as consumers are concerned, they are up for a lot of confusion. There are devices which will run Windows RT, but will not support any traditional desktop applications barring MS Office. against Microsoft which plans to launch couple of hybrids —Surface RT and Surface Pro —and they will also be fighting against Apple. With these hybrids, OEMs believe they can provide the advantages of a tablet like iPad,

while offering more in terms of functionality. Whether this bet will pay off, we cannot say, but one thing is certain; these devices will change the world of computing as we know it. Hybrids as a concept is not new; Asus has tried its hand with such devices using Android as an OS. They released Transformer, a tablet that could be docked to a keyboard and turned into a laptop. They then announced Padfone, in which a phone could be inserted into a tablet case to provide tablet-like functionality. Despite the crazy levels of innovation, sales were disappointing. So can Windows-based hybrids succeed where Android ones failed?

With these hybrids OEMs believe they can provide the advantages of a tablet while offering more in terms of functionality. The regular version will require Intel-based hybrids to run on and so may not offer the same battery life iPad offers. So will customers sacrifice battery life for more functionality? There is only one way to find out, so grab your popcorn and watch this next epic battle of OSes as it progresses. Unlike the 1980s though, it is three-headed war between Apple, Google and Microsoft. So let the battle begin!


13

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

PET NEWS Frequent flyers

Pets evacuated

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n airline in America is offering frequent flier passes to cats and dogs. However, holding a pass does not ensure that your pet will get on the flight, as regulations state that only four pets are allowed per flight.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Dogs with OCDs?

hree tractor-trailer loads of pets were moved from St Baptist Parish, which was hit by Hurricane Isaac, to shelters in Louisiana. Dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs and other pets were evacuated along with their owners.

A

researcher from the Finland, has published a report showing similarities between compulsive behaviour in dogs and humans. Compulsive behaviour in dogs was indicated by tail-chasing.

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

VET PEEVES

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

SRINIVAS SHETTY

Deciding that you want a pet doesn't necessarily make you a good owner. Two city-based veterinarians speak to Postnoon about what ticks them off about pet owners in Hyderabad. JYOTSNA NAMBIAR

jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

“I

f you plan to have a pet, consult a veterinarian first,” says Dr Abhishek, a veterinary surgeon at Dr Dog Hospital in Jubilee Hills. His colleague, Dr Kuldeep, nods in agreement. Dr Abhishek was ruing the fact that people buy pets without any thought about their circumstances. “Parents buy pets because their children ask for them. If you have kids, buying temperamental dogs like pomeranians and dachshunds is not advisable. If you have no time, there is no point buying high-maintenance dogs like beagles. A vet will be able to explain what kind of animal or breed is best suited for you,” he explains. It all boils down to awareness, adds Dr Kuldeep. There are two major factors to be taken into consideration — time and money. Animals are not a cheap proposition; the food, vaccines, medicines and grooming products are quite expensive. “People need to know what they're getting into,” says Dr Abhishek. Dr Kuldeep chips in, “What annoys us most about some pet owners is that they neglect the animal's vaccination and deworming schedules. The delayed schedule puts the animal at risk, causing problems in the long run.” “My solution to this,” says Dr Abhishek, “is pet insurance. That way, people will get financial help in case the animal gets some major disease. The guidelines will ensure that owners fol-

low the vaccination schedule. It's a win-win situation.” On their part, Dr Dog uses a web programme that sends reminders, both email and SMS, to the owners when the animal's shots are due. Another thing that worries the vets is the lack of legislation on pets. Breeders sell puppies who are younger than 45 days old, because they look plump and adorable. But separating the pups from their mothers so early

PEOPLE SHOULD ADOPT STRAYS. THEY ARE VERY HARDY, RARELY FALL ILL AND ARE VERY LOYAL. is a kind of crime and a lot of puppies die, they said. “Breeders should be licensed for the sake of the animals. This would ensure that they have basic knowledge about mother and pup care and ensure animal well-being. But there are no rules, so doctors face trouble later,” said Dr Abhishek. This isn't to say there are no good breeders in the game. “About 10 per cent are very professional and experienced. But there are many unscrupulous

ones. They don't provide papers for the animal, putting off the owners by saying it will be ready soon. Even if the owners follow it up, it's easy to get papers anywhere. In fact, a breeder once asked me to forge papers for him!” Dr Abhishek remarked. While there is a Veterinarian Council of India for cattle and large animals, no such body regulates small animal welfare. Dr Kuldeep says, “Even the ones that exist have no clue what their members are doing.”

An encouraging trend they have witnessed recently is that more people are adopting dogs. “People should adopt strays. They are very hardy, rarely fall ill and are very loyal,” said Dr Abhishek, adding “We see a lot of foreigners going in for Indian breeds. So why can't we?” “On our part, we offer large discounts and sometimes free treatment for people who adopt strays. This is our way of encouraging people to adopt Indian breeds,” says Dr Kuldeep.

While Indian strays might be increasingly in favour, indigenous pedigrees are slowly going extinct. “The Rajapalayam and the Caravan Hound are dying out. Breeders should promote these breeds,” said Dr Abhishek. The doctors also call their fellow practitioners to take a more active role in animal welfare. As Dr Abhishek said, “It is time that we veterinarians come out of our labs, our clinics and educate people.”


14

BOOKS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

SHORT READS Title: Olivia and the Fairy Princesses Author: Ian Falconer Publisher: Atheneum Books Olivia, the school-age pig, is having an identity crisis. And she is fed up of all the prettyin-pink and tiara-wearing princesses. She wants to stand out, be different and be her own person. The 7th book in the series is a heart-warming tale of individuality.

Title: Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child Author: Bob Spitz Publisher: Knopf In this endearing biography on the centenary of her birth, Bob Spitz brings to life Julia Child, who was the woman who introduced America to French cooking. The book is a story of one woman's search for herself.

Title: No Easy Day Author: Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer Publisher: Dutton Adult The story everyone is waiting for is out. Navy SEAL Mark Owen (name changed), part of the elite SEAL Team Six that executed terrorist Osama Bin Laden, has written a first-person account of that night and the events leading up to it.

Title: The Beautiful and the Damned Author: Siddhartha Deb Publisher: Faber and Faber It chronicles the lives of call centre workers, farmers and billionaires. Deb gives an analysis of India at the crossroads of modernity and tradition, juxtaposing stories of poverty with tales of an entertainment moghul who produces big-budget gangster films.

A cold dish called revenge The Cold War might be over, but the beasts that were bred for bloodshed haven’t turned into law-abiding men. ARUN KOSHY PHILIP

arun.k@postnoon.com

W

innie Monks, who heads a team of British counter-terrorism operatives, is roused from her sleep and told that one of her agents has been found murdered in Budapest. More horror awaits her at the morgue where she finds the mutilated body of the young man who was brutally tortured before being beheaded. There are no clues about the perpetrators of the macabre

Propriety deems that you don't like this book. It's inappropriate, it's offensive, it's obscene, it's a wonder they let it go into print. But damn if it is not the funniest book you've read this year

crime. Years have rolled on and budget cuts have field operatives reduced to paper pushing. But Winnie is not ready to forget or forgive. A coastal Spanish town has become a haven for all elements shady looking for greener pastures after the fall of the Iron Curtain. Hard men with criminal pasts and lethal skills have made it their new home — and the nucleus for their new ‘enterprises’. A former gangster and enforcer is almost on the verge of complete transition to legitimacy when a call comes, announcing a guest he can't refuse. A young Briton and his girl-

friend arrive at the Spanish town to 'catsit' for an elderly relative who is out of town. The location of the WWII veteran's villa makes them part of a dangerous game, too perplexing for the youngsters to stomach. Actions of a geek humiliated by crime bosses set off a chain of events and the town is to become the stage for some highadrenaline action. The Outsiders captures the change in the world of organised crime after the fall of Soviet Union, with hordes of men with 'skills' changing the equations and upping the stakes. The book traces the common thread that run through the lives of 'good' and 'bad' people and the efforts

that go into the ever-raging battle between them. The plot is complex and gripping, the lack of pulse-racing pace setting the right background for the game involving cold-blooded beings pitting themselves against each other. The only flip side is the wayward narrative which threatens to put you off track.

Name The Outsiders Author Gerald Seymour Pages 390 Publisher Hachette

No holds barred Padmini C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

I

f you like young people, old people, fat people, disabled people, famous people, heck, any people or any thing, you are likely to be offended by this book. The grand old dame of entertainment, Joan Rivers loves to hate, and she is not afraid to tell you exactly why. From double dippers, nose pickers, annoying parents, ugly children, child stars, greedy waiters feminists, to Gandhi and Jesus, nothing is sacred and no one is spared her wrath. She

hates ministers who say, “He's in a better place now.” “He had a house in the Hamptons. What's wrong with you?,” she retorts. She hates New Orleans, “it’s the only city that looked better after it was hit by a category

Name I hate everyone... starting with me Author Joan Rivers Pages 256 Publisher Berkley

five hurricane.” She doesn’t even spare herself. “I've undergone more reconstruction than Baghdad. I keep a crane in the bedroom to make sure my ass doesn't hit the floor.” But beneath her witty one-liners, there is a subtext of smart and intelligent thought prodding us to question about the ridiculousness of pop culture and really, all that is really wrong with the world. With her brutal honesty, shocking humour, dont-give-a-damn attitude, it's the funniest book you're likely to read this year. Be warned, as funny as the book is, its endless venom is bound to tire you out. So, read it in two sittings if you want. But read it, you must.


15

BOOKS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Stranger than fiction

No Easy Day, a US Navy SEAL’s first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden could face legal action. Once again a non-fiction book has ruffled feathers. We take a look at some of the best the genre has to offer. FAST FOOD NATION: THE DARK SIDE OF THE ALLA MERICAN ME, ERIC SCHLOSSER

ZEN AND THE ART OF M OTORCYCLE M AINTENANCE, ROBERT M. PIRSIG

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F IN COLD BLOOD, TRUMAN C APOTE

ast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. Schlosser’s myth-shattering sur-

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n November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. Five years, four months and twenty-nine days later, on April 14, 1965, Richard Eugene Hickock, aged thirtythree, and Perry Edward Smith, aged thirty-six, were hanged from the crime on a gallows in a warehouse in the Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, Kansa. In Cold Blood is the story of the lives and deaths of these six people. It’s a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

M AUS I: A SURVIVOR’S TALE, ART SPIEGELMAN

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vey stretches from California’s subdivisions, where the business was born, to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike, where many of fast food’s flavors are concocted. Along the way, he unearths a trove of fascinating, unsettling truths -- from the unholy alliance between fast food and Hollywood to the seismic changes the industry has wrought in food production, popular culture, and even real estate.

piegelman, a stalwart of the underground comics scene of the 1960s and ‘70s, interviewed his father, Vladek, a Holocaust survivor living outside New York City, about his experiences. Some historical events simply beggar any attempt at description--the Holocaust is one of these. But the artist deftly translated that story into a graphic novel. By portraying a true story of the Holocaust in comic form—the Jews are mice, the Germans cats, the Poles pigs, the French frogs, and the Americans dogs —Spiegelman compels the reader to imagine the action, to fill in the blanks that are so often shied away from. Reading Maus, you are forced to examine the Holocaust anew.

ne of the most important and influential books of the past halfcentury, Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America’s Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life’s fundamental questions. A true

modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward.

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN, BOB WOODWARD AND C ARL BERNSTEIN

MUST READS THINGS FALL APART, CHINUA ACHEBE It tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world. The second concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world with the arrival of aggressive European missionaries. These perfectly harmonized twin dramas are informed by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul.

MIDDLEMARCH, GEORGE ELIOT

B

eginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming —delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon’s scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the President. This is the book that changed America. With recent revelations that FBI agent Mark Felt was indeed, as often conjectured, “Deep Throat,”the book assumes new relevance.

Epic in scope (but about ordinary people), this novel is a must-read for every reader and writer. One of the great classics from the Victorian period. Eliot paints a luminous and spacious landscape of life in a provincial town, interweaving her themes with a proliferation of characters: an innocent idealist; a self-defeated young doctor; a naive young woman; and a cold man, who “lives too much with the dead”.

A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, BILL BYRSON “There isn’t anything in existence—not a thing—that isn’t amazing and interesting when you look into it,” promises Bill Bryson in the preview and by the end of the book, you believe him. Tackling everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bill Bryson’s inimitable storytelling skill makes the why, how, and, just as importantly, the who of scientific discovery entertaining and accessible for young readers.

SOURCE: AMAZON.COM

WHAT’S SELLING Walden’s Best in Fiction

Walden’s Best in Non-Fiction

New York Times Best in Fiction

New York Times Best in Non-Fiction

n Angel of Death by Tilly Bagshawe

n Turning Points by APJ Abdul Kalam

n Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

n Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

n Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

n Breakout nations by Ruchir Sharma

n The Amateur by Edward Klein.

n Krishna Key by Ashwini Sanghi

n Eat Delete by Pooja Makhija

n The Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber

n Govinda by Krishna Udayasankar

n What Young India Wants by Chetan Bhagat

n Just married, Please Excuse by Yashodhara Lal

n Jugaad Innovation by Navi Radjour & Others

n Where we belong by Emily Giffin n The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory n The light between oceans by M. L. Stedman

n Solo, by Hope Solo with Ann Killion n Wild, by Cheryl Strayed. n Obama’s America by Dinesh D’Souza




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WOMEN SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK This is why I’m Broke: This ridiculously addictive site is the perfect place for you to day dream about the weird and wonderful thing you must have. Our picks? The Facebook Like Button Oven Mitt.

Small Demons: If you love books and fantasize about living in a story world, log on to Small Demons. It has links to people, places and products mentioned in your favourite books. So get wandering!

Get Buttoned Up: If you despair about the chaos in your life, get help getting organised at Buttoned Up. The site offers tips and tools for a more orderly life in handy little posts.

Talent powerhouse

Monisha Jaising Vaid proves that dreams can become a reality. All it takes is lots of hard work, determination and the right creative platform.

All About Eve

NAVYA C

R

SUNORY DUTT

feedback@postnoon.com

T

he first thought that crosses your mind on meeting Monisha Jaising Vaid is ‘what’s she doing behind the camera instead of in front of it?’ “It’s a tough job facing the camera, it takes a lot of courage! I’ve always had stage fright so being in front of the camera was never an option. I chose the easy way out!” she confesses. The “easy way out” involves captaining a team of 100 crewmembers and working in sync with the various departments that put a show together. Monisha’s responsibility lies in ensuring all departments — production, technicals, post-production, creatives, reality, celebrities — function cohesively to achieve a shared end result — an entertaining and feel-good package. Working in sync with all and holding all facets together — be it show rundowns, briefing the talent, production design, working with the writer, anchors, judges, editing, etc. are all in a day’s work for this creative director of Indian Idol Season 6. Monisha’s tryst with television began while pursuing her BA in Communications at Mount Carmel College, Bangalore: “I interned with TV 18’s Bangalore bureau on shows like the Amul India Show, MTV U, Public Demand. Fortunately for me, the bureau head recognized my potential and offered me a job immediately after I finished college”. And like they say, the rest is history. Her first job an associate producer for Channel [V] required her to shift base to Mumbai in 2000, which, according to Monisha, “was a great opportunity to break into the entertainment capital of the country. It was a difficult decision to leave home and go to a strange new city, live by myself, pay my own bills and focus on my career. Within the first month of moving there, I met with an accident and broke

A book by its cover

I moved to Mumbai little over a decade ago and until this day the city teaches me something new. I’ve watched the medium of television grow rapidly and consider myself lucky to have been part of this growth. my hand and almost moved back … but Mumbai has this quality of just sucking you in. Its warmth and accepting nature and energy gets you addicted to the city. I worked hard and partied harder and met a lot of beautiful and intel-

ligent people along the way. I met my Prince Charming on the job and married him, all in Mumbai. There’s never been a dull moment.” With Freemantlemedia India since 2009, Monisha has been the creative directive of prestigious shows like XFactor, and Indian Idol 5 and 6. Her fondest memories of being in this field? “Getting the opportunity to work with the living legend Asha Bhonsle! She’s one of the nicest and simplest human beings I’ve ever met. Her energy, her youthfulness, joie de vivre is really something that puts any of us to shame, all this at the age of 80! I never thought in my wildest dreams that my phone would ring with her name flashing on the screen … I consider myself truly blessed!”

THE CV First job: I worked at TV18 Bangalore bureau as a correspondent on the entertainment beat. Last book read: Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Motto in life: Live every day like there’s no tomorrow! Every moment is special.... Inspiration: My parents: dad for being the most generous person I’ve known and mum for her incredible strength and positivity.

ight from when I was a kid, my family was the world I knew. I used to observe my dad or my mom commenting on others mostly based on their appearance, or how they look instantly before even looking into their personality or virtues. I thought that it was something confined to only them but not everyone around me. But as I grew up, I started noticing it in most of the situations, especially when girls are concerned. School, college, friends, family and marriage — every aspect of a girl’s life touches the aspect of appearance and fairness at least once as a serious issue! When I observe most of the girls around me, they are excessively obsessed with colour all the time. They want to be “fair and lovely” and feel being dark complexioned is demeaning. Some of my colleagues, friends also feel they are not worth something because they are fat! But what does physical appearance contribute to building a personality? We have seen many women, like Oprah Winfrey, Kalpana Chawla or Serena Williams, who were able to prove themselves with their excellent personality traits despite being called as not-so good looking. Most fairness cream ads show a dark girl who is unsuccessful just because she is dark and after using the cream, she becomes successful. In challenging fields, like research or journalism or music or acting, demand much more than just good looks. I observe people around me who appreciate a person who is fair and talented, and who do not appreciate a dark person, though extremely talented. These were the questions for which I never got an answer right from many years ago. I asked these questions to everyone whom, I felt, could give satisfactory answers, but it was in vain. I hope I will get my answers through self-realization one day, sometime in my life.


19

SPOTLIGHT 1

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012 2

An evening to remember

3

Sandeep Arora, a connoisseur of fine whiskies held a whisky appreciation evening at Taj Krishna on Friday. DEEPAK DESHPANDE

1

Game, set, match Ladies had a fun-filled day trying their luck at tambola and catching up with friends at a party organised by Seema, Shikha and Gazal at restaurant Basil on Friday. 4

5

6

2

3

7

1 Ajay, Manjula,

4 Srujana,

Chris

Suchita

2 Priya, Shagun 3 Aparna

4 1 Saumya 2 Meenu 3 Priyanka, Deepthi,

Swathi, Nikitha 4 Harsha, Sonal 5 Seema, Shikha

9

10

6 Shruti, Eena 7 Sweety, Maneet Banga 8 Sonam 9 Riya

5 Sunil, Preeti 6 Sandeep Arora

5

8

10 Alka 11 Sakahi Khurana 12 Priyanka

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12 6

One for the album

Lee Shapiro, President, Allscripts was felicitated by Dr Prathap Reddy, Chairman Apollo Hospitals Group at the third International Conference on Transforming Healthcare with IT 2012 at HICC.

Spreading the word

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) set up a “Dog Meat Shop” at Abids to protest against eating meat products.

N SHIVA KUMAR


20

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

I AM ALL EARS

I

am 25. I’ve been friends with this girl since college. We’re quite close and chat with each other constantly. I recently broke up with my girlfriend and my friend was there for me, supporting me through the whole messy affair. Now I think I have feelings for my friend. What should I do?

Dear confused guy, You broke up with your girlfriend and you’re obviously emotional. But suddenly seeing a girl who has been your friend for ages as a potential mate might just be a rebound reaction. You don’t want to realise this a few months later, and end up with no girlfriend, and more importantly, no friend. Wait a while and if you still feel the same, find out what she feels. There’s no point of you getting all angsty if she thinks of you only as a friend.

T

he midlife wellbeing of both men and women seems to depend on having a wide circle of friends whom they see regularly, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community. A network of relatives is also important — but only for men — shows the study of more than 6500 Britons born in 1958.

Mixing family and friends Playing cupid to your sibling and friend can turn into a nightmarish experience after they break up. Victims of this phenomenon share their stories.

AMY ROSE THOMAS

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

Y

ou wouldn’t mind playing fairy godmother to your friends, seeing the soul mates for them before anyone else does, sending them off on dates, all for that proud moment when the happy couple thanks you for hooking them up. However, not many share the same sentiment about hooking up your siblings with your friends. You think twice and sometimes thrice when you get to know that your friend has a crush on your sibling. You can always warn your sibling against hitting on your friends but the case becomes all the more complicated when your friend who, in spite of several warnings and requests, decides

to go ahead with stalking your sibling. Now, you are in a difficult position when you cannot blame your sibling and later end up being a shoulder for your friend to cry on when she gets ditched by your brother. Elisha John went through a similar experience when her friend developed a crush on her brother and started stalking him. It was all rosy in the beginning when they began dating until disaster struck and they broke up. Her brother refuses to be in the same room as her friend and requests her not to even mention her name again to him. Meanwhile, her friend’s behaviour took a turn for the worse; she blames her brother for the break-up and quits talking to her as well,

Friends After a few hiccups, Ross approves his sister Monica’s relationship with his best friend Chandler and gives them the green signal.

The Holiday The character played by Jude Law dates his sister’s friend/acquaintance Cameron Diaz’s character. His sister Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet), though a little hesitant at the beginning, approves of them.

because she reminds her of her brother. Shalini Gautham, another victim of this fate, regrets playing cupid to her brother and friend and is still bearing the consequences of the same even months after the break up. “I was very happy when I saw my best friend and my brother hitting it off. There were sparks flying all over the place and I gave them the required space and helped them get together. But this did not last long and they broke soon afterwards. Since then, I have been making conscious efforts not to mention each other’s names in the presence of the other. It becomes all the more difficult because the friend is close to me and I hang out with her quite often and it doesn’t feel right that she thinks ill of my brother,” she says.

In another case, Meenal Lakhwani was kept in the dark about her brother’s relationship with her best friend till the time they broke up. “I felt like a complete idiot when I found out that they were dating behind my back. I wouldn’t have been hurt if they had told me beforehand. Moreover, they informed me after they broke up, that too when my brother stopped picking up my friend’s calls. I still haven’t forgiven them both for this act. After the incident, I stopped talking to that friend and make sure that my brother doesn’t meet any more of my friends,” she says.


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CINEMA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Mask fails to impress Jiiva, Pooja Hegde-starrer Mask fails to bring alive the excitement that’s usually associated with a superhero film and that’s just one of the many problems with this film. Hemanth Kumar

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

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hat do superheroes like Batman, Spiderman or Superman have in common? What is it that makes their tales so multilayered and fascinating to watch? It’s the responsibility on their shoulders which defines each one of them. Their superpowers and costumes are just icing on the cake which gives them an identity, but deep down in their hearts, they face a moral crisis which threatens to shatter their existence. So what happens when a superhero film is made in an Indian context? It just falls apart because the film ends up being just an average film featuring a superhero parading in a ‘costume’. Mask starring Jiiva and Pooja Hegde is one such example. The film tries to underline Bruce Lee’s message — “As you think, so shall you become.”

Movie: Mask Cast: Jiiva, Pooja Hegde, Narain, Nassar Directed by: Mysskin Rating: The film stars Anand aka Bruce Lee (Jiiva), a kung fu expert, whose lack of purpose and goal in life becomes a bone of contention between him and his father. His grandfather (Girish Karnad) and uncle stand by him and Bruce Lee is quite fond of his kung fu master. Elsewhere in the

city, a series of robberies have the police on their toes. As Gaurav (Nassar) investigates the case, Bruce Lee falls in love with his daughter (Pooja Hegde). When Bruce Lee decides to impress her by wearing a mask, all hell breaks loose and it all boils down to what he does to nab the robbers. Jiiva tries his best to both fit into the role and the costume. Despite his earnest performance, the film’s narration is so slow that it never allows us to root for him. Mysskin, the director, spends too much time in setting up the story and lackluster romantic track between Jiiva and Pooja adds to the woes. Narain is pretty good as the villian. The film scores high in terms of slick action choreography, K’s scintillating background score and Sathya’s cinematography. Mysskin does choose the characters and elements required for a superhero film, but fails to deliver. Mask is a big bore.

Shirdi Sai gets a clean U N

agarjuna starrer Shirdi Sai has been given a clean U certificate by the censor board. The film, which is lined up for release on September 6, has become a hot property among trade circles and top producers like Dil Raju and Ashwini Dutt have bought the distribution rights for Nizam and Krishna regions respectively. K Raghavendra Rao, the director of the film, is reportedly quite happy with how the film has shaped up. Recently, the entire crew and close friends of K Raghavendra Rao saw the film in a private screening and the early buzz surrounding the film is extremely positive. M M Keeravani has composed the music and A Mahesh Reddy has produced it.

First look: NTR in Baadshah T he first look of NTR starrer Baadshah is out and needless to say, the response has been great so far. NTR has gone through a major makeover for his role in this film, which is said to be set against a mafia backdrop. A prominent Mumbai-based hair stylist has been working closely with Roopa Vaitla, the costume designer of the film, and Sreenu Vaitla to give NTR a new look. The film is currently being shot in Bangkok and this schedule will go on till September 25. Sreenu Vaitla is directing the film and NTR, Kajal, Navdeep and Kelly Dorjee are playing the lead roles. Thaman is composing the music and Ganesh Babu is producing it.


22

CINEMA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

SRIDEVI

has a language supervisor

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he pan-India star of yesteryears Sridevi has always had a language supervisor in her real as well as reel life. On the sets of English Vinglish, Sridevi had a full time language supervisor. This was done as even on a personal level Sridevi has always had to undergo a constant struggle with her languages. As Sridevi was born in Tamil Nadu her mother tongue is Tamil. Coming from the south always made language a big barrier for Sridevi. Where on one side knowing and being fluent with Tamil made her dominance in South Cinema rather easy, on the other side her journey in Bollywood has had a lot of frictions because her command over Hindi was weak. She was not comfortable with Hindi so she always had a teacher when she use to shoot. When she was shooting for her film English Vinglish abroad, even there she had a language supervisor on sets with her at all times as she had to juggle between Hindi and English language in the film.

K A R E E N A

gets eight brands on board Women-centric films have caught the right attention in recent times, thanks to unique content and strong roles. But for Heroine, Kareena Kapoor has gone a step ahead and managed to bring as many as eight brands on board — said to be the most for any female-oriented Hindi movie so far. According to industry sources, an estimate of at least `20 crore of brand-spends will be blocked for promotions of Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine, releasing September 21. Lakme, Head and Shoulders and Monarch Universal are the brands Kareena endorses and have associated with the film, apart from others like Cera, Rupa, Jealous21, Sugar Free and Cocoberry which have come on board for in-film integration and various media associations. “Heroine is a womenoriented film and I am happy that brands today are open to associate with such films which was never the case before. The trend is changing and I’m glad to have instigated it”, said Kareena, adding that Bhandarkar “has pushed

the envelope to bring out a strong performance from me”. Lakme is launching Heroine branded make-up under the Absolute range, endorsed by Kareena, and apparel brand Jealous21 will introduce a special clothing line inspired by the clothes worn by Kareena in the movie, which narrates the behind-thescenes life of an actress. “Heroine has an author-backed role for Kareena and Madhur’s zeal to make it the way he had envisioned has prompted many brands to see an opportunity worth associating,” said Shikha Kapur, executive director Marketing, Studios, Disney UTV. “Even though it’s a heroine-led film, because of its sheer content and Kareena’s strong brand recall, we have successfully managed to have key brands on board. The product placement is integrated with the film’s story line in a manner that is inherent to the narrative and accelerates the story further,” added Kapur. Earlier, women-oriented film like Fashion and Aisha tied up with popular brands. IANS

Joker tries hard to be funny

The plot revolves around a fictional village Paglapur, where the villagers create a fake story involving aliens to attract attention to the village.

A

fter Rowdy Rathore, Sonakshi Sinha is once again seen with Akshay Kumar in Joker. Shreyas Talpade and Minissha Lamba are seen in supporting roles while Chitrangada Singh is doing an item number in the film. The story of Joker is about Agastya (Akshay Kumar) a researcher working with NASA, who returns to his small village called Paglapur with his wife Divya (Sonakshi Sinha) to find his village lacking in basic facilities like water and electricity. When nobody is ready to solve the problem, Agastya creates a hoax by involving aliens in order to attract attention to the village’s problems. Paglapur gives us a feel of a

Movie: Joker Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Akshay Kumar, Shreyas Talpade, Minnisha Lamba, Jaaved Jaffrey Directed by: Shirish Kunder circus as each of the villager is shown to be completely lunatic like clowns who have different roles to play in the movie. The film is a laugh riot, like Askhay’s previous movies like Rowdy Rathore and Housefull 2, the ones that you can enjoy only if you leave your brains at home. Akshay Kumar and

Sonakshi Sinha are seen in some crazy, tacky attire, that adds no humour. Akshay Kumar’s outfit resembles the one that Aamir Khan sported in the movie Lagaan. Joker introduces us to some dirty, monstrous looking aliens, that might just scare you at a glance, unlike the cute, adorable Jaadu from Koi Mil Gaya. Unlike Jadoo, aliens in the movie are seen giving star dancing and singing performances in the movie. The lead characters fails to deliver a stupendous performance, while, the supporting actors does their respective part well. Shreyas Talpade and Minnisha Lamba gives outstanding performances.


CINEMA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

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CINEMA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

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CINEMA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Politics is a dirty game in Campaign W

ill Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are two competing South Carolina politicians who duke it out for congressional supremacy in this comedy, directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents). Brady (Ferrell) himself is the pitch perfect illustration of the worst kind of politician. He uses his political powers to further his own desires (we catch him with his mistress in their debut screw inside a portalet), he regularly uses lies and misdirection as a reflex to cover his lack of insight, and, worst of all, he’s so lazy he doesn’t even bother to cover up his mistakes. Which leads Brady to the biggest mistake of his career: He leaves a hugely indecent and lewd message on a local family’s answering machine. To his defense, he did think it was his mistress’s phone. Predictably, the press have a field day with his recorded voice mail. But Brady commits a greater sin in thinking that it’ll just be business as usual with a routine public apology and cover-up. When he commits this major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest choice but, with the help of his new benefactors, a cut-throat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives Brady plenty to worry about.

Tori has a baby boy Before Midnight is in

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nother precious little boy has entered the world. According to her personal website, actress Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott welcomed a son, the couple’s fourth child together, on Thursday, and first shared the news on Twitter when she posted, “It's a boy!!!!” “We are so excited to announce the birth of the newest member of the McDermott family,” she wrote. “Please join us in welcoming Finn Davey McDermott.” Finn arrived at 5.39 pm, weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 20 inches. Spelling and McDermott announced the pregnancy back in March. “DeanLiam, Stella Hattieand I are beyond thrilled to announce that another little McDermott is on the way! (sic)” Tori had then posted on her website. “We feel truly blessed that another angel has found us.” The couple are parents to Liam, 5, Stella, 4, and Hattie, 10 months.

the works, says Hawke R umours have long been circulating suggesting that Richard Linklater has been pondering a second sequel to his popular romcoms Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, and finally, Ethan Hawke has confirmed that work has begun on a third film in the series. The first film saw Julie Delpy and Hawke play strangers who meet in Vienna and spend a wistful, tentatively romantic day together before going their separate ways some 24 hours later. Before Sunset repeated the trick, with a similarly chance encounter throwing them together in Paris. Delpy and Hawke had recently been spotted in Greece, sparking rumours that a third film must be in the pipeline, and while Hawke wouldn’t confirm that the third film would be set there, he did reveal that work has begun on what’s tentatively been named Before Midnight. “We’re here writing a third instalment to Before Sunrise,” he revealed.

“If it works out, we’ll film it, and if it doesn’t, we won’t. It’s not worth talking about. I’m just here developing.” A fairly low-key soundbite then, although he did begin to sound excited as he warmed to his theme. “It’s super good,” he said of the prep he’d done with Linklater so far. “We’re just here workshopping it and developing it.” So just knocking about in Greece with Julie Delpy for company, trying to work out the finer details of a romantic comedy. Nice work if you can get it...


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CHAI TIME SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

SOLUTION ON PAGE 32

SUDOKU

KAKURO

How to play kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire. – Aristotle

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Bakery bit 6 Louisville Sluggers, eg 10 Tennessee's state flower 14 Invalidate, as a marriage 15 Popular succulent 16 Handout to the hungry 17 Not in at all 18 Cast a creepy glance 19 Dis-tressed? 20 Enamored military groups? 23 Stiff-board link 25 Mary ___ cosmetics 26 Window sealant 27 Make more substantial 29 Brooklynese ‘Y'all’ 32 ‘Angela's ___’ (Frank McCourt memoir) 33 Some crossword clues 34 What corn kernels attach to 37 Sneak food off someone else's plate? 41 Abe Lincoln's boy 42 ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ spin-off 43 Broadcasting sign 44 Fake, as an injury 46 Dancer, in theaterspeak 47 William Tell's target 50 Musician's asset 51 Hear a case 52 Federal officers with the best seats on planes? 57 Having a hard time choosing 58 Spoonbill's relative 59 Mandarin's residence 62 ‘Meet Me ___ Louis’ 63 ‘Stormy Weather’ singer Horne 64 Descended on the mother's side 65 Thumbs-down reactions 66 Bathtub swirl 67 Move to the music DOWN 1 Beer-bottle topper 2 Genetic ‘messenger’

3 Without a scratch 4 It might be served for breakfast at the Iditarod? 5 Most pessimistic 6 Pleasant, weatherwise 7 Toward the quiet side 8 ___ the line (conformed) 9 Feudal drudge 10 Permeate 11 Take countermeasures 12 Narrow water passage 13 Like good dishwater 21 Was on the ballot 22 Black ___ (covert missions) 23 ‘Is that ___?’ (‘Really?’) 24 Obama's younger daughter 28 Drink with crumpets 29 Canadian territory 30 Singles 31 It's a free country 33 Unwanted engine

34 35 36 38 39 40 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

53 54

sound sack Brand owned by Sears 55 Cantaloupe castoff Basket-maker's willow 56 ‘Peyton Place’ star Holly feature Turner Accessory with a 60 ‘And more,’ in store muumuu names Cheered, in a way 61 Word seen between Lennon spouse surnames Spark producers All eternity, to PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER a bard ‘A likely story!’ ___ selfdefence Prefix with ‘graph’ Analyze the syntax of ‘How I Spent My Summer,’ often 1,760 yards Still in the


27

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Aries The Chariot

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ork – Work harder to be a team player and get greater compatibility with your colleagues and peers. You cannot work in isolation. Romance – Find ways to seek out entertainment together. By doing fun things together, you keep the magic alive and be more attractive to your partner. Health – You have been holding something within you for a long time. Talk about it with the person concerned and forgive, forget and move on. Money – Time is ticking. Plan well and start on your investment plan at the earliest. The sooner you do it, the better. Tarot message – Focus on the more humane emotions of love, compassion, peace and community. Think positive thoughts.

Taurus The Sun

W

ork – A narrow viewpoint of things is not going to help you. You will have to see things from the larger perspective and allow others to make their point. Romance – You may experience some strain in close, romantic relationships. Do not react harshly to anything. Let things go as they’re going. Health – There may be slight variations in your health. Keep weight in check and take the doctor’s advise seriously. Money – You have to create very strict boundaries for spending. These fences will help you manage work and life better. Tarot message – Practice the art of living in the ‘now’. You have to make more effort to forget the past and move on.

Gemini The Wheel of Fortune

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ork – Learn to give up thinking “what’s in it for me” every time you are given an assignment by your seniors. Romance – The problem may be that you are measuring a close romantic relationship in terms of give and take. This is not a business deal. Health – Excess stress is leading to a lot of your problems. Give yourself a lot of room to rest and relax. Don’t tax your body and mind. Money – You need to work harder to fix matters of finance. Do not be impetuous in your spending habits. Tarot message – Your personal equations with those who matter in your inner circle of life will determine how your life goes in the coming year.

Cancer Knight of Wands

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ork – Housekeeping is very important. Take a backup of all your individual work at regular intervals so that you are in a position to build your work portfolio. Romance – Do fun things together with your partner or your potential partner. Go fishing, read for each other, watch fun movies together, etc. Health – Strong belief in your ability to overcome the odds will work in your favour. You need to be more trusting of yourself and others. Money – It’s difficult to have confidence that an investment plan someone is talking about will be worth your while. Check it out fully before putting your money on it. Tarot message – There is a rawness to your emotions. Evolve with time.

Leo Six of Wands

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ork – You have the tendency to give age a lot of importance. But times are changing. Youngsters today have many resources to make the most of their talent. Romance – Stay in tune with your partner’s feelings. He/she may not be telling you everything but expecting you to be sensitive to their needs. Health – You will feel great about your mental health if you indulge in some charity and philanthropic work. Start on it immediately. Money – Take care of your credit and debit cards. If you are finding it very hard to manage them, then get rid of them. Tarot message – Take up a new hobby. Learning something new will also change your perspective to life.

Virgo King of Swords

W

ork – Do not hold on to a petty argument or fight. There is no point in taking it forward. Just drop it and move on. Romance – Your partner can act as a great adviser to you. This person knows you better than you know yourself. Health – Someone in your close circles is getting married and this is bothering you. Clear the air about what you know, and think. Money – You are doing quite well, financially. Just maintain your thrifty ways and you should be able to reach all your goals. Tarot message – You have to get into prevention mode. There’s no point always finding out what the cure is when you could have well prevented the situation.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra Nine of Swords

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ork – It seems like you come across a particular type of boss no matter how many jobs you change. Maybe you need to see it differently. Romance – A long drive and seeing a new place together will rekindle the romance. You also discover new things about each other. Health – You will not be eighteen till you die. So you better start taking care of your health. Sooner the better. Money – Hold on to the savings and do not be rash in your spending, putting it away on a whim for something extravagant and luxurious. Tarot message – You begin to see life more clearly if you remove the rosetinted glasses. Not everything is as it’s presented to you.

Scorpio Five of Cups

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ork – You have to lower your standards of what to expect from a new assignment. The client looks eager to spend, but they may not. Romance – Do not allow your relationship to rot. Do fun things together and talk about everything openly so there are no issues. Health – You may want to cry about something. It may be cathartic to do that. Do not hesitate to have a good cry once in a while. Money – You have to be cold and calculative while dealing with money. Do not depend on your emotions. Tarot message – There are going to be many changes in the coming year. You need to plan for the next phase of your life.

Sagittarius Three of Swords

W

ork –Keep emotions away from the work place. No point feeling strongly about something to do with the office. No one cares. Romance – You have to reward yourself for being so understanding and compassionate in a relationship. Treat yourself. Health – Do not hide any medical issues you may be facing. Talk to your doctor openly, however minor the issue may seem to you. Money – You really have to save every little penny you make in order to survive the next few months. It is a tough time ahead for you. Tarot message – Reach out to your network and ask them for help. You have to learn to network better.

Capricorn Seven of Wands

W

ork – There is a possibility that you may be asked to take up a new assignment in an area that’s unfamiliar to you. It may be challenging and worth your time. Romance – Bring about some changes in the way you and your partner spend time. Keep the boredom away. Health – Take up newer exercises, like bench presses, pushups, etc., which you may have stayed away from. Yoga is a good, complete exercise that may suit you. Money – You are not short of money for all your needs. However, you need to plan yourself better. Be prepared for unexpected expenses. Tarot message – Being too esoteric in your tastes will also take away from the practicality of your life.

Date 2-9-2012

Aquarius Queen of Pentacles

W

ork – Someone is going to lord over you, and you just have to accept it. It is not going to be easy. Romance – Getting too mechanical in your romance will just kill the feeling. Be more spontaneous and fun-loving. Health – Create a module and stick to it, if you want to get better health. Maintaining your weight and eating healthy should be your priority. Money – You may hear of many different investment plans from people around you. These people may or may not have your best interests in mind. Tarot message – Soldier on. Do not stop for anything, no matter what someone says. Always believe in your own abilities.

Pisces The Star

W

ork – Someone from your former organisation gets in touch with you. This person will give you some leads on jobs. Take his/her suggestion. Romance – There is something unpleasant you get to know about your partner. It is deeply disturbing. Confront your partner about it. Health – You may come across a new health regimen, which is what you need exactly. Try it out. Money – Get more involved with money and manage your finances better. To leave the bank balance alone, hoping it’ll all work out, is not a good idea. Tarot message – You attend a demonstration and are inspired to try a new way of living. No harm in trying.

Vol: 2, No 46 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 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211


28

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

SHOWBIZ NEWSMAKERS

orbit around the Earth recently, thus becoming the nation with manned space capabilities? 7. "Love Kills Slowly" logo belongs to which brand? 8. Which Italian fashion designer was shot dead on the steps of his Miami mansion in 1997?

9. Which pop singer has had perfumes called Curious, Fantasy, Midnight Fantasy, Hidden Fantasy and Circus Fantasy? 10. Meryl Streep's character, Miranda, in the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada was based on the editor-in-chief of which fashion magazine?

DO YOU KNOW YOUR WORLD LEADERS?

Answers

4. Which of those are EU members which have not adopted the Euro? 5. The largest single purchase of land (in area) made by the United States in its development was from which nation? 6. Which country successfully managed to place a man in

1. Mexico 2. India 3. 10 - Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovak Republic, Sloveni 4. Sweden, Britain, Denmark 5.france 6. china 7. Ed hardy 8. Gianni Versace 9. Britney Spears 10. Vogue

1. Which country chaired the seventh G20 Summit on 18 and 19 June 2012? 2. Which country emerged as the largest trading partner of Dubai in the first quarter of 2012-13? 3. How many countries joined the European Union in 2004?

GUESS WHAT BETTER KNOWN AS

IDENTIFY THESE HOLLYWOOD ACTORS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Curtis Jackson

1

Born in Manhattan, New York, on April 4, 1965, made his debut as an actor at the age of five in the film written and directed by his father and have won two Academy Award nominations and three Golden Globe awards, ______________ is one of the greatest hollywood actors who has never won an oscar till date.

Angelina Jolie Voight

Jose Antonio Dominguez Bandera Lee Yuen Kam

2

Was born a "blue baby". The doctor who saved him was named Irwin and his parents named him after the doctor. Accidentally shot his fiancĂŠe Kelly Preston in the arm, an actor who was considered for Tom Cruise's role in Born on the Fourth of July (1989) .__________ used to act in one of America's favourite sitcom Two And A Half Men.

Raymond Ayala

Demetria Guynes

Amit Srivastav

1. Robert Downey Jr 2. Charlie Sheen

Answers

Alwarpettai Aandavar

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

Sivaji Rao Gaekwad

1

In which James Bond film did the Indian tennis player, Vijay Amritraj appear?

Which India born physicist invented the 'Optical Fibre'?

For Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the Indian cricket team plays against which country?

8

Christmas Island is surrounded by which ocean?

Read the look on the joker’s face. He is trying to tell you something.

Answer for 29 :

7

with Santosh Ghule

WHO AM I? I hail from Delhi and I hit the match winning knock in a U19 world cup final that has got the entire country raving about me. I am the soon to be favourite of IPL selectors. Who am I?

Answer : Unmukt Chand

6

Who was the first person to calculate the height of the Mount Everest?

PICTURE PUZZLE 30

Two glasses and a plate

Which mineral is found at Aluva and Chavara in Kerala, Manavalakurichi in Tamil Nadu and Chatrapur in Orissa ?

Answers: 1. BAn Ki Moon 2. mohammed el baradei 3. Mitt Romney 4.Francois Hollande

Which state is the largest producer of tobacco?

Answers:

Whats the national aquatic animal of india?

1. 50 Cent 2. Angelina Jolie 3. Antonio Banderas 4. Bruce Lee 5. Daddy Yankee 6. Demi Gene Moore 7. Amitabh Bachchan 8. Kamal Haasan 9. Rajnikant 10. Jackie Chan

2 3 4 5

Chan KwongSung

1. Octopussy 2. River Dolphin 3. Narinder Singh Kapany 4. Andhra Pradesh 5. Thorium 6. Radhanath Sikdar 7. Australia 8. Indian

Answers


29

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Contract talks adjourned

India draw with USA

N

ational Hockey League officials and NHL Players Association representatives met for less than two hours on Friday before adjourning contract talks aimed at preventing a work stoppage.No further negotiating sessions were scheduled, although both sides said talks could be re-started at any time. The parties were meeting for the third time in four days.

Jody Cundy reacts with fury

G

J

randmaster Krishnan Sasikiran slipped in the final stages as India settled for a draw despite being at the threshold of victory against US in the fourth round of the 40th Chess Olympiad. Sasikiran missed out on a draw against world number seven Hikaru Nakamura towards the dying stages of the first time control.

ody Cundy was disqualified from the C4/5 1km time trial under controversial circumstances and went into an expletive-fuelled rant as he felt he lost due to the commissaire's decision. Having signalled that he believed the starting gate had not opened properly and raised his hand for a restart, he said it slowly dawned on him as he watched his time continue to tick.

US serviceman wins gold

US swimmer, Bradley Snyder, who was blinded in Afghanistan when an explosive device exploded in his face, won the 100m freestyle event.

Phil Hazlewood

Agence France-Presse

LONDON: US swimmer

Bradley Snyder gestures to the crowd ahead of the men’s 100m freestyle final swimming event at the Paralympic Games on Friday. AFP/BEN STANSALL

Bradley Snyder on Friday won gold in the men’s S11 100m freestyle at the London Paralympics -- a year after losing his sight when an improvised explosive device exploded in his face in Afghanistan. The 28-year-old former US Navy lieutenant won the race in 57.43secs, with clear water between him and secondplaced finisher Yang Bozun of China and Hendri Herbst Hendri of South Africa in third. Snyder was on a tour of duty as a bomb disposal specialist when on September 7 last year a home-made bomb detonated and blinded him. The bloody

THE 28-YEAR-OLD FORMER US NAVY LIEUTENANT WON THE RACE IN 57.43SECS, WITH CLEAR WATER BETWEEN HIM AND YANG BOZUN legacy of nearly a decade of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years have led to a number of wounded former service personnel taking up para-sport. In the US team, more than 20 of the 227 athletes are veterans, while Britain’s team includes Jon-Allen Butterworth, a former Royal Air Force weapons technician who lost an arm in a rocket attack in Basra, southern Iraq, in 2007. Butterworth, 26, on Friday won silver in the C4/5 1km time-trial. British former soldier Derek Derenalagi, who lost

Noh seizes lead, Woods in pursuit

Seung-Yul Noh capped a flawless nine-under 62 with two birdies on Friday to seize a one-shot first-round lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship. NORTON, MASSACHUSETTS: Seung-Yul Noh capped a flawless nine-under 62 with two birdies on Friday to seize a oneshot first-round lead in the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second stop in the US PGA Tour playoffs. South Korea's Noh, playing in more testing afternoon conditions, roared past early pacesetters Tiger Woods and Jeff Overton, who had shared the morning clubhouse lead on 64 but ended the day sharing third place alongside Ryan Moore and behind Noh and American Chris Kirk — who carded an eight-under 63 at the TPC Boston. Noh nabbed his first birdie of the day on the par-five second, then reeled off four straight birdies from the fourth. Four birdies coming home included back-to-back efforts at 17 and 18 -- where he landed a wedge five feet from the pin. "Everything (was) good today," said the 21-year-old Noh,

Seung-Yul Noh of South Korea hits his second shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on Friday in Norton, Massachusetts. WARREN LITTLE/GETTY IMAGES/AFP who won on the Asian Tour at 17 and earned his US tour card in qualifying school in December. Like Woods, he works with swing coach Sean Foley, but he

can't claim the name recognition of Foley's most famous client -- or much recognition at all yet in America. "Some people say Kevin Na, like, 'Go Kevin,'" Noh said of

fans who have mistaken him for the Korean-American player. While he was delighted with his round, which was one shot off the course record of 61, Noh was well aware that plenty of golf remained in the event scheduled to end Monday on the US Labor Day holiday. "Golf is playing 72 holes, so plenty of holes left," he said. Woods, too, knows that after enduring some wobbly weekend play this season. Woods has won three times this season, but he has also seen several title challenges unravel on the weekend. He shared the halfway lead at two major championships only to falter and last week at The Barclays he stumbled home with a 72-76. He was off to an undeniably hot start, however, with a round that included a string of six birdies and was his second-lowest of the season, bettered only by the 62 he carded in the final round of the Honda Classic. AFP

his legs when the army Land Rover he was travelling in hit a landmine in Afghanistan in the same year, meanwhile, competed in the men’s F57 discus final. Medics officially pronounced the squaddie dead and placed him in a body bag until a faint pulse was found and was air-lifted to Britain, where he battled back to health. US military officer General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, is head of President Barack Obama’s delegation to the Games in the British capital. Through programmes like the US Wounded Warrior Project and Britain’s Battle Back, there are increasing signs of the role sport play to help injured veterans. “(Sport) is such a great tool so that people can get back in the swing of life,” said Obama’s disability policy advisor Kareem Dale.

Abhilash, Sahaja take top honours M

Lalith Abhilash Reddy of Kadapa won the AP State Inter District Junior chess championship held at A V College, Hyderabad scoring 5.5 points. M. Chakravarthi Reddy of Hyderabad who also scored 5.5 points came second due to a lower tie break score. In Girls event Ch Sahaja Sri of Hyderabad claimed the first place while B. Prathyusha of East Godavari came second. The top four players in both the boys and girls category will represent AP in the national junior chess championship. Boys : 1. M L Abhilash Reddy, 2. M Chakravarthi Reddy, 3. K Prabhath, 4.V Anudeep 5. M Teja Suresh, 6. R Raja Rithvik, 7. B Harsha 8. Y. Saikiran, 9. D. Naga Shashank, 10. Krishna Teja N Girls : 1.Ch Sahaja Sri, 2. B Prathyusha, 3. P Supreetha, 4. K. Aasa Deepika, 5. Sabbai Sri Rohitha, 6. Hinduja Reddy, 7. Prasanna Arpitha, 8. S. K. Tasneem Sultana, 9. R. Raga Jyothsna, 10. M. Alekhya.


30

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

India in a tight spot Chasing a healthy 365 that New Zealand managed in their first innings, India went for lunch with their scoreboard reading 63 for two.

BANGALORE: Team India was unlikely to have a hearty lunch on the second day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand, having lost two wickets with just 63 on the board in the 21 overs it faced before the lunch break. The second day of second cricket test match between India and New Zealnad began here 30 minutes earlier than scheduled time, due to closure of play earlier than the scheduled time on Friday. Adding to their overnight score of 328 for 6, New Zealand’s Bracewell and Van Wyk began the second day in real earnest, but Van Wyk was out for 71 (100 balls) to a brilliant catch by Suresh Rain off the bowling of Zaheer Khan. Bracewell also got out, run out as he was to the wiles of Zaheer Khan, for a useful 43. Thereafter, the tourists’ innings folded up without much resistance, and they were all out for 365 in the 91st over.

Dernbach bowls England to victory LONDON: Jade Dernbach marked his return to England duty with three wickets, including the prize scalp of Hashim Amla, in a four-wicket win over his native South Africa in the third ODI at The Oval. Dernbach, recalled in place of Tim Bresnan, took three for 44 in nine overs on Friday as South Africa were dismissed for 211 with 20 balls left. James Anderson took four for 44 in 9.4 overs, including a spell of three for one in eight balls that polished off the tail, to help set up a win — England’s first over the Proteas this season in any format — that levelled the five-match series at 1-1. England slumped to 64 for three in reply before a fourth-wicket partnership of 108 between former Jonathan Trott (71) and Eoin Morgan (73) punished the tourists for not making enough runs after winning the toss. AFP

India vs New Zealand 2nd test

NZ 1st inn. (day1 1st session: 108/3) LRPL Taylor* lbw b Ojha

113

DR Flynn lbw b Ashwin

33

JEC Franklin c Raina b Ojha

8

CFK van Wyk† c Raina b Khan

71

DAJ Bracewell run out (Khan)

43

TG Southee lbw b Ojha

14

JS Patel c Gambhir b Yadav

0

TA Boult not out

2

Extras

11

Total (all out 90.1 overs)

365

Bowling

O

M

R

W

PP Ojha

28.1 10 99 5

Z Khan

22 2

83 2

UT Yadav

16 1

90 1

R Ashwin

24 5

82 1

G Gambhir b Southee

2

V Sehwag not out

The Indians were pushed onto the back foot early in their innings as they lost opener Gautham Gambhir and the fistTest centurion CA Pujara cheaply.

India’s scoring rate was kept healthy because of Virendra Sehwag, who batted disdainfully as always. Sehwag on 39 and Sachin Tendulkar at 4 were holdAGENCIES ing fort for India.

39

CA Pujara c Boult b Southee

9

SR Tendulkar not out

4

Extras

9

Total (2 wickets, 20.6 overs)

63

Bowling

O

M

R

TA Boult

7

2

24 0

TG Southee

6

1

11 2

DAJ Bracewell

4

2

14 0

JEC Franklin

2

1

5

0

JS Patel

2

2

0

0

A DIVISION THREE DAY DAY 3 Evergreen 260 and 119 (Sachin Joshi 30,Saaketh 41n.o., Mehdi Hasan 3/37) drew with Ensconse 133 and 132/5 (Ibrahim Khaleel 55 n.o.). R Dayanand 188 and 205/8 (Kranthi 52, Radhakrishna 38,Nimeesh Reddy 30,Alfred Absolem 3/35) drew with SBH 178. Deccan Chronicle 248 and 116 (A Lalith Mohan 5/19) lost to Andhra Bank 352 and 13 for no loss (DB Ravi Teja 79, Kiran Kumar 42, A. Lalith Mohan 61). BDL 274 drew with EMCC 48/1

DAY 2

India 1st innings

New Zealand’s Trent Boult (R) celebrates the dismissal of India’s Cheteshwar Pujara with teammates during the the second day of the second Test match in Bangalore on Saturday. AFP/MANJUNATH KIRAN

League Cricket

W

Hyd Bottling 90/5 vs Falakhnuma (Washed out without a ball being bowled)

A2

AND

A3 DIVISION TWO

DAY 2 Saleemnager 207 bt TeamSpeed 101 (Santosh Singh 36, Abhinay Reddy 36, Ahmed Aksari 5/36) Cambridge XI 376 bt Galaxy 151 (Rajendra 56, Parvez Khan 5/39).

Jamshed stars for Pak ABU DHABI: Opener Nasir Jamshed hit an aggressive 97 to guide Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over Australia in the second one-dayer, levelling the three-match series at 1-1 in Abu Dhabi on Friday. The 22-year-old left-hander took the attack to the Australian bowlers during his 98-ball innings, hitting 11 boundaries and two well-timed sixes to help his team successfully chase a 249-run target in the 43.4 overs at Abu Dhabi Stadium. Australia owed their recovery to another left-hander Michael Hussey (61) to post a challenging total despite an impressive performance by Pakistan’s ace spinner Saeed Ajmal (4-32). Australia had won the first match by four wickets in Sharjah on Tuesday. The third and final match will be played in Sharjah on Monday. Pakistan’s batting, which folded in the first one-day for

198, showed a remarkable improvement as Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez (23) raced to 66 by the 12th over to set their team on course for a win. Even when Hafeez pulled Dan Christian straight into the hands of Hussey, Jamshed remained unperturbed, as he pulled Christian for two exquisite sixes over mid-wicket. He brought up his sixth one-day fifty off 58 balls.

As he looked set for his second hundred, Jamshed miscued a drive off Mitchell Johnson straight into the hands of Mitchell Starc at midoff. He added 101 for the second wicket with Azhar Ali who made 59 not out. Pakistan also lost Asad Shafiq (nine) but Ali and Misbah-ul Haq (35) saw off the target. Australian paceman Starc and James Pattinson, who shared eight wickets between them in the first match, found the ball hard to grip in the humid conditions and dismissed just one batsman. Misbah showed delight after the win. “I am really, really happy that we showed remarkable improvement and won this game,” said Misbah. “The bowlers did a wonderful job and then Jamshed and Ali played good knocks, so it’s satisfying.” AFP

Y Chaitanya Krishna Khalsa 316/5 (Nitesh Reddy 126, Y. Chaitanya Krishna 103 n.o.) bt CCOB 285/9 (MAR Arshad 71 no, Shadaab Khan 69, Farhan Farooqui 57 n.o., Sai Prasad Reddy 5/58)

DAY 1 Raju CC 138 (Md Munnawar Hussain 7/32) lost to Venus Cybertech 140/3 (Krishnanad Guptha 52) Vijay Hanuman 273 (Sukain 95, Shareef Pathan 91, Pradeep Naidu 5/29) vs Sultanshahi 76/3 Crown 275 (Anuraag Vittal 40, Rambabu 64, Swami 47, Akarsh 4/33) vs Mega City 18/1.


31

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

Andy having a ball

Knowing any match could be his last, Andy Roddick relaxed and enjoyed himself at the US Open like he never had before, and won. Jim Slater

NEW YORK: Andy Roddick (right) advanced to the third round of the US Open on Friday in a romp. The 30-year-old American defeated Australian teen Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 in only 87 minutes before a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd of 24,674 just a day after announcing that this would be his final career tournament. “I had no idea what was going to happen out there,” Roddick said. “That was a different kind of nerves than I’ve had before. That was surprising for me. “It was great. I took a look around and I didn’t even feel bad about it. Literally I took a look around. I had a good time. When they were dancing and stuff on the switch-overs I was just watching. That was a lot of fun.” Those were the little details Roddick desperately tried to soak in even after he was confident that his career would indeed extend at least to Sunday, when he will face Italy’s 59th-ranked Fabio Fognini for a berth in the last 16. “When it’s what you’re going to do the next week and a

Results

(x indicates seeding)

Men — 2nd round n Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Rogerio Dutra Silva (BRA) 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 n David Ferrer (ESP x4) bt Igor Sijsling (NED) 6-2, 63, 7-6 (14/12) n Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x7) bt Harrison (USA) 6-2, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 n J Tipsarevic (SRB x8) bt B Baker (USA) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

Women — 3rd round n L Robson (GBR) bt Li Na (CHN x9) 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 n Petra Kvitova (CZE x5) bt Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 6-4, 6-4 n Maria Sharapova (RUS x3) bt Mallory Burdette (USA) 6-1, 6-1 n Victoria Azarenka (BLR x1) bt Zheng Jie (CHN x28) 6-0, 6-1

month from now, you are so consumed by what’s going on in the next five minutes that you don’t really notice stuff,” Roddick said. “There are no guarantees for me now, so I was trying to notice stuff.” That nature almost led to his undoing a few minutes before the match when he became emotional, although coach Larry Stefanki shook him out of his funk. “Felt weird before the match — 20 minutes before it was getting the best of me. I had to get my stuff together before I walked out there,” Roddick said. “The moment hit me a little bit. You start realising the finality of the situation. You think different things. I walk out for warmup — is this going to be the last warmup? It works along those lines. It got to me a little bit. “Larry had to come over and kind of tell me to knock it off.” Roddick said that once the match began, it was “a little surreal” and that he remains uncertain how he will react when the situation comes again. “I don’t have a lot of the answers,” he said.

Tomic under fire for ‘tanking’

F

iery Australian Bernard Tomic (above) was involved in an angry exchange with reporters after he was accused of tanking in his 6-3, 6-4, 6-0 defeat to Andy Roddick on Friday. The 19-year-old was reportedly accused by American legend John McEnroe of not trying in the final set of the second round match on the Arthur Ashe Court which lasted just 21 minutes. When asked to respond to McEnroe’s comments Tomic berated a reporter in an angry stand-off. “What do you think?” said the player. “That’s how I play. Do you have a problem with that?” When the questioner replied that he wanted Tomic to give his side of the story, the teenager fired back: “That’s your prediction. I have mine. That’s how I play. If you think that’s that, it’s up to you. What is your name?” When the journalist told him his name and the organisation he represented, the Australian world number 43 hit back menacingly: “I’ll remember you.”

Sharapova splits with fiancé NEW YORK: Maria Sharapova said on Friday that she has broken up with fiance Sasha Vujacic, the former NBA star from Slovenia who is now playing basketball in Turkey. They once had been set to marry at Istanbul in November, but scheduling troubles between their sporting careers were among the problems that were too much for the couple to overcome. “We have a tremendous amount of respect for each other,” she said. “Still would love to call him as a friend. We spent really great years together.” Sharapova revealed the secret of her shattered love life after advancing to the fourth round of the US Open by defeating American Mallory Burdette 6-1, 6-1. She will next face 19th-

No hard feelings as Hewitt bids ex-love Kim farewell Lleyton Hewitt described exlover Kim Clijsters as one of tennis’ greatest players on Friday, one who should have won more Grand Slam titles than she did. Clijsters, a four-time major winner who retired after her loss in the second round at the US Open this week, was once engaged to Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam title winner and fellow former world number one. But they split in October 2004, just four months before they were due to marry following a five-year relationship when they became the sport’s most high-profile couple. Maria Sharapova with Sasha Vujacic pictured in happier times.

ranked compatriot Nadia Petrova. Sharapova said the break-up came at the end of spring. “I was waiting for somebody to ask me that question but nobody did directly,” Sharapova said. “I’ve never really been the type of person to announce things. I never have in any of my previous relationships as well.” Sharapova, who completed a career Grand Slam with her fourth title last June at the French Open, was composed and poised in discussing what she confessed, was a difficult move. “It was obviously a challenging decision from both our ends. It was a really nice period of time for both of us. But our career schedules just made it extremely difficult to see each JS other.” Sharapova said.


32

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2012

City splash cash on d-day Javi Garcia

Matija Nastasic

£3 million

£6 million

splashed out over £35 million on Inter Milan star Maicon, Benfica midfielder Javi Garcia, Swansea winger Scott Sinclair and Fiorentina defender Matija Nastasic as the Premier League champions embarked on a transfer deadline day spending spree. City boss Roberto Mancini has endured a frustrating time in the transfer market since the end of last season, but there was a late flurry of activity at Eastlands before Friday’s 2200GMT deadline. The Italian’s £6 million move for Sinclair was followed by the capture of Brazil right-back Maicon for £3 million. Next up was a £12 million deal for Serbia’s Nastasic, which saw City defender Stefan Savic join Fiorentina in part exchange for the 19-year-old, as well as the arrival of former Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright on a free transfer. Mancini wasn’t finished there and he completed a £16 million move for Garcia in the final minutes before the transfer window shut until January. To make room for his fresh recruits, Mancini sold Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong to AC

£16 million

LONDON: Manchester City

£12 million

Steve Griffiths

Scott Sinclair Milan, while Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz moved to Malaga on a season-long loan. Tottenham were the other big movers, signing Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and swooping for Fulham forward Clint Dempsey. United States international

Maicon Dempsey made his surprise move after Liverpool and Aston Villa were unable to complete a deal for the £7 million-rated star. As well as gate-crashing the Dempsey chase, Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas pushed through an £8 million swoop for French international Lloris, who

signed a four-year contract. “I am here because I believe in Tottenham,” Lloris told Spurs TV Online. “They have great team and everything is right to win a place in the Champions League next year.” On a frantic day at White Hart Lane, Villas-Boas also sold Holland midfielder Rafael van der Vaart to his former club Hamburg and off-loaded Mexico forward Giovani Dos Santos to Spanish club Real Mallorca. Fulham boss Martin Jol sealed a significant coup for his club as he signed Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United for £5 million. Berbatov rejected interest from Juventus, Fiorentina and Tottenham to be reunited with Jol, who worked with the forward at Spurs. “I’m delighted to have signed for Fulham and I look forward to playing under Martin Jol once again,” Berbatov said. Jol also brought in Wolfsburg winger Ashkan Dejagah and former England left-back Kieran Richardson from Sunderland, who then landed Tottenham defender Danny Rose on loan as a replacement.

Falcao-led Atletico devour Chelsea Falcao’s first-half hat-trick had Chelsea reeling and Miranda’s secondhalf offering compounded the misery for Roberto di Matteo’s men.

Atletico Madrid’s Colombian forward Radamel Falcao celebrates after scoring a third goal during the UEFA Super Cup football match against Chelsea, on Friday at the Stade Louis II, in Monaco. AFP/ VALERY HACHE

keeper Petr Cech. On 19 minutes he was at it again, this time curling the ball in from 15 yards with his left foot into the far corner, the ball out of reach of Cech’s outstretched hand. That was Falcao’s 41st goal from 53 appearances since joining Atletico from Porto, with goal number 42 coming on the stroke of half time. On the counter attack from a corner at the far end Falcao, bought by Atletico from Porto for 40 million euros last year, rushed onto Arda Turan’s square pass across the penalty area to slot home. This was Falcao’s second hat-trick in as many matches having fired three past Athletic Bilbao on Monday in the Spanish league.

VENUS EARTH SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE

Suduko

Boggle Number game

SOLUTIONS Scrabble

MONACO: European champions Chelsea crashed to a 4-1 SuperCup defeat to Atletico Madrid here on Friday, with the Spanish side’s Colombian hotshot Radamel Falcao the star of the show at the Stade Louis II stadium. Di Matteo pulled no punches in his postmatch assessment, telling ITV: “In the first half we were very poor and they were very sharp. We started very slow and sloppy and they penalised us. “They were much better than us in the first half.” The tone of the encounter was set as early as the fourth minute when Falcao, known as El Tigre (the tiger), hit the crossbar in front of a crowd including Prince Albert of Monaco and England manager Roy Hodgson.. Three minutes later the red hot 26-year-old put the Europea League winners in front, latching onto Adrian Lopez’s long ball to cheekily chip over Chelsea goal-

Premier League transfers

LONDON: English Premier League clubs spent Friday making frantic last-minute deals before the transfer window shut until January. Here is a list of the confirmed deals: n Javi Garcia, Benfica to Man City, £16 million n Gaston Ramirez, Bologna to Southampton, £12 million n Matija Nastasic, Fiorentina to Man City, £12 million (including swap with Stefan Savic) n Hugo Lloris, Lyon to Tottenham, £8 million n C Dempsey, Fulham to Tottenham, £7 million n Christian Benteke, Genk to Aston Villa, £7 million n Scott Sinclair, Swansea to Man City, £6 million n Pablo Hernandez, Valencia to Swansea, £5.55 million n Bryan Oviedo, FC Copenhagen to Everton, £5 million.

Tottenham sign Dempsey, Lloris LONDON: Tottenham signed Fulham forward Clint Dempsey for an undisclosed fee in a surprise last-minute move on Friday just moments before the transfer window closed. “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Fulham for the transfer of Clint Dempsey,” Tottenham said in a statement on their website.

The United States international joined the north London club after Liverpool and Aston Villa were unable to complete a deal for the £7 million-rated star. Fulham thanked the 29-year-old in a statement on their website: “Clint was a very influential player for Fulham over a number of seasons and the Club thanks him for AFP his contribution.”


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