Postnoon E-Paper for 07 April 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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APRIL 7, 2012 HYDERABAD

REINTRODUCING THE DATSUN

hen Nissan phased out Datsun cars in ’81, millions protested. Now the cult car is making a comeback. Even better, it’s launching in India. PG 11

32 PAGES

ON SATURDAY

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

SKY-CREEPER

We the living We the living, a film based on Ayn Rand’s first novel of the same name will be shown at Lamakaan.It is based on life post the revolution in Russia. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills Rd No 1 When: April 7, 6.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

N SIVA KUMAR

The great Sunday brunch ITC Kakatiya offers The Grand Sunday Brunch. Great food is the best way to spend your Sunday. You can choose from the brunches at Deccan Pavilion, Dakshin, Kebabs and Kurries. Where: ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: April 8 Contact: (040) 2340 0132

It’s Easter Bring in Easter with loads of goodies and hampers. Head to Novotel for a special Easter brunch, spirits fun, games and egg painting for the children. Where: Novotel, Kondapur When: Ongoing, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Art and craft Oxford bookstore is all set to organise a special arts and crafts event for kids. Construction paper craft is a workshop for children age 5 and above. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, Raj Bhavan Road When: April 8, 5pm onwards Contact: 91601 48444

Solo show A display of paintings by well known artist Rayees Ahmed will be held. The exhibit is being held at Indian Art Gallery B, Chitramayee State Art Gallery. Where: Chitramayee State Art Gallery, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 10.30 am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3308

Exotic fest Lover of waffles and crepes? Deli9 is offering a crepe and waffle festival. Taste a variety of waffles such as fruit waffle and the classic waffle or a variety of exotic crepes such as caramel apple. The festival is on from April 7-April 21. Where: Delhi 9, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: April 7 onwards, 8am to 8pm Contact: (040) 6550 6662

Easter time Godrej Natures Basket is offering Easter treats which include some delightful hot cross buns and marzipan cakes. Celebrate Easter with a variety of Easter eggs. Where: Nature’s Basket, Banjara Hills, Rd No10 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2335 5399

Asian barbeque

Combo platters Deli 9 is offering Combo platters in it’s lunch and dinner menu. Choose from various salad and sandwich combos also. Where: Deli 9, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing, 11am to 8pm Contact: (040) 6550 6662

Unique buffet

lunch to the healthy and long lunches. Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Go Splash

Yellow Chilli is offering a lunch buffet which is truly different. The Buffet which costs `199 (Monday to-Friday) and `249 (Saturday and Sunday). The dinner buffet costs `299 and `349. Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2338 3838

Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to unwind. There is also great music, martinis and aperitifs. Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

A suitable lunch

Being ’together’

Syn at Taj Deccan is offering Syn-to-suit you lunches. Various lunch offers for various requirements from the quick 15 minute

CINEMAS

and educate the various selfemployed photographers that are present in AP. Where: Villart Photography, Hitech City, Madhapur When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6663 3327

Together, an exhibition of paintings by Shravan Kumar GK will be on display from April 6. Where: Iconart Gallery,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: 98499 6879

Play time Catch two humorous back to back plays April Fool and Miya-Biwi only at Nift auditorium on April 8. Where: Nift, Madhapur When: April 8, 7pm onwards Contact: (040)2311 4537

Water colours Iconart is hosting Aquarelle as a part of it’s Buy Art initiative. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 6879

Photo exhibition Villart is hosting a photography and video exhibition from April 6- April 8. The exhibition which basically is for photography and videography aims at promoting aims to promote

The Square, Novotel, Madhapur plays host to an Asian barbeque. Sample grilled specialities from around the world — from Lebanese to Japanese. Where: The Square, Novotel, Madhapur When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Angkor Wat A painting exhibition based on the Angkor Wat in Columbia is being presented by Kalakrithi Art Gallery and ITC Kakatiya. Where: Hyder Mahal, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 2340 0132

Art display An exhibition of artworks by various artists who have come from across the country is on display. Where: Deccan Art Foundation, Abids When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6661 4504

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

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Delhi to pick bypoll entrants

he Congress candidates for the forthcoming by-elections will be finalised by the party’s central leadership. Bitten by the string of debilitating defeats, party high command has decided to take the final call. The CM and PCCI will make the preliminary selection and it will be endorsed by the Central leadership based on each candidate’s suitability.

Man hangs himself

hiva, 25, a labourer, killed himself by hanging himself at his house in Nagole last night, in the presence of his kids. Police said his wife, Kumari, had deserted him recently and he was depressed. Last night he put a noose around his neck while his two kids, aged 1 and 2, watched helplessly. They screamed for help. But neighbours found the man dead.

Attempt to steal ATM

vain attempt was made by some unidentified persons to steal cash from a Union Bank ATM at Nacharam last night. The crude attempts with basic tools failed to yield results, preliminary police investigations revealed. The ATM had no security guard. Nacharam police have collected finger prints and other available evidence.

I won’t foot the CBD bill, vows Mayor Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

t the Standing Committee meeting of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) recently the TDP corporators rushed inside and told the mayor that they would not allow one paise of the GHMC to be spent on the CBD world meet in October. The mayor, who seemed to have been waiting for such support, sensed the anger in the corporators. He immediately agreed with them and said he would not

allow any corporation money to be spent for sprucing up the City ahead of the world meet. Let the government spend money, was the unanimous decision. The issue came up after the State government asked the GHMC to meet the expenditure for doing up the City before the world meet. The largest ever world meeting on biodiversity is slated to take place in Hyderabad from October 1 to 19. The Corporation had asked for over Rs400 crore for getting the City ready to greet the world leaders. The State refused. However, Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy met the PM two days ago and put up a demand for over a Rs1,028 crore for the CBD. Hardly five months away from

COUNTDOWN TO 11TH CBD

the event, the issue remains unresolved. Caught between the State and the mayor, GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu is facing a tricky situation these days. A lot has to be done in preparing the City for the world event. Yet the corporation is not sure how it can go about it. The entire Opposition ranks have announced that they will not allow the mayor and the commissioner to spend corporation money on the biodiversity conclave. Speaking to Postnoon TDP floor leader S Srinivas Reddy said that they would go to any extent to prevent the civic body from spending its own money. “The mayor had promised us that he would not use our funds. We will launch a massive protest to pre-

vent them if they reconsider,” Reddy warned. The reaction of BJP floor leader B Prakash is similar. “How can they do that? The funds are meant for the development of the corporation, not for CBD,” he said. The State government’s image is at stake. Government sources say they are hopeful of getting the money from the Centre. “The Centre met all the expenses of the events like CWG and this meeting is bigger than all those events that were held earlier. Governmental and nongovernmental representatives of 190 countries and heads of states from 13 countries are to meet and stay here for 19 days. How can we ignore it?” wondered an official tersely.

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Punjagutta’s prostitutes are becoming younger Many minor girls from rural areas are brought as maids and then forced into the flesh trade

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

rahul.r@postnoon.com

t night, the streets of Punjagutta are flooded with sex workers boldly offering their services. What is shocking is that a majority of these ‘ladies of the night’ are girls barely 18 years old. The main road from the Nizams Hospital to the Civil Supplies Bhavan is the main hub of this flesh trade. On closer inspection, most of these girls are far too young to be involved in the racket not even legally adult. Bought and sold by pimps and pushers, the story of these girls is marred by violence, abuse and of course, poverty. Manjula works the street on

These girls are duped and pushed into this trade. They have no medical support and are shunned by society Jayamma, president of the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali

the weekends. Guarded by her pimp Praveen whom she calls bhai (brother) she serves men of all ages often working till four in the morning. What money she makes is mostly taken away by her brother, and it is this poverty that drives Manjula and girls like her onto the streets again. “I am not from Hyderabad. My parents died because of Naxal violence in Adilabad. I was sold to a brothel in Kukatpally by my uncle and I’ve been working in this City for three years,” says Manjula. Although Manjula openly declares to be 22 years old, she admits privately that she is 17. “I work as a domestic help in the morning, near Balanagar. Most of the money I make is taken away from me and I only get a few hundred rupees for food and medicine,” she says. Girls as young as 12 years old fetch a lot of money, which is why they are pushed into this trade at a very young age. In a dark alley adjoining a medical store on the main road of Punjagutta, girls like Manjula are seen in dozens being picked up by men and escorted by the pimps. It is not surprising to see the police picking up a few of these girls at night for their ‘entertainment.’ Brought to the notice of this to the additional inspector of Panjagutta division N Tirupathi Rao, he said, “We had received

LEAH

Estimated street prostitutes in the City 25000 Underage None officially NGOs working for sex workers say that underage sex workers form not less than 25 per cent

complaints about this racket and have taken action when credible evidence was made available. Last month we raided many places and booked several people. But Rao denied that policemen tend to pick up girls as a routine. These girls are subjected to violence and are prone to diseases. They hide their scars under cheap makeup and clothing, their battered lives bereft of childhood and family. Jayamma, president of the Chaitanya Mahila Mandali said, “Hyderabad has over 25,000 registered sex workers and every year there is an inflow of many more of them. However, there is no statistics on the number of under-age sex workers as most of them claim to be above 21 years old. These girls are duped and pushed into this trade and are over worked. They have no medical support and are shunned away by the society.” The Chaitanya Mahila Mandali works towards the betterment of sex workers by spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS and other programmes including rehabilitation and welfare of their children. However, despite continued efforts by NGO’s and the government, there still are girls like Manjula who are examples of the moral decay of the society.

Sex in the City goes cyber NAY LIN

Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

one are the days when one had to wait for sundown before one furtively treaded through the dark by-lanes of City streets to satisfy the carnal pleasures. Now, it’s just a click away. Internet has opened flesh vistas wide, and in a brazen manner, with no fear of law. Euphemistically called ‘escort’ services, the sex industry in the City has become hightech with all information given in graphic details with pictures and rates for the services. “Lonely? Sexy escorts are awaiting you in your neighbourhood” says one such ad. There are many blogs and websites that promise you satisfaction, mainly aimed at men. They tempt to get you working models, aspiring actresses, brunettes and redheads if you have the moolah.

Sample this! Charges as per the portfolio College girl `10,000/session Budding model `15,000/session MNC/BPO girl `20,000/session TVC model `25,000/session Air hostess `30,000/session (charges as per hourly basis) Rate `$ One hour 10,000 200 Couple of hours 15,000 300 Overnight 25,000 500

They flash pictures, mostly naked women looking at you with lust. On contacting one of these ‘service providers’, a woman answered. She was fluent in English and asked for details like the client and hotel name, room number, contact number, time and date and other details. She explained the rates and suggested we contact her a few hours before the actual appointment. She gave a guarantee of high standard, professional and friendly service. Shockingly, these are some staggering facts in the City. There are many websites which guarantee services with high standards along with professional service. They guarantee you the best service of call girls not just in terms of looks, but also for their sophistication, intelligence and aptitude for their work. You can even choose

a girl of your choice from the profiles displayed on the website. They also have services in other metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa, Pune, Gurgaon, Chennai and other cities . On a regular day we have seen lot of moral policing on couples sitting in the park, burning greeting cards from shops or making couples get married on Valentines day but there is no stringent law on online obscenity and indecency. Prostitution is prohibited to thrive in public places under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA). Sex workers can be punished for seducing clients in public places and customers can be punished for a sexual activity in public places but unfortunately there is no law for online prostitution. “Online prostitution doesn’t come under cyber crime. It’s surely a cyber- related crime but not a cyber crime. However the

women, who is the service provider will be termed as victim if forced into the business and if she is there on her own she is termed as a criminal. The one who runs the business is termed as a criminal. There are plenty of laws to punish them but there is no IP law for it” said, Ram Mohan, SI, cyber crime. “There is no particular law prohibiting sexual soliciting online. However any organised prostitution is illegal and the culprit will be punished as per the PITA Act. The house or the flat which was being used for these activities is liable to be sealed and the victim is sent to a rehabilitation centre. Earlier, we raided an online service centre in Kukatpally,” said, Tirumala Rao, Commissioner of Police, Cyberabad. But points out difficulties in stemming this trend.

FOCUS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Riding high A

The boy with spurs of gold This is the story of how a boy who started riding for fun became a fine rider and a promising polo player. Meet Kaushik Kumar RAJESH RAVINDRAN

rajesh.r@postnoon.com

t was after a polo exhibition match that I met Kaushik Kumar, one of the players in the teams that had performed that day at the Bison Polo Ground. The 19-year-old did not seem very forthcoming at the start of our chat. The answers to my queries were laconic. I wondered if his team’s defeat was on his mind. No, that’s okay, he said. Both teams comprised players from the Hyderabad Polo Riding Club, where he trained, and was a member of the club’s polo team. As we got a little further into our chat, I learned that the slim, quiet youth was not just a polo player. Kaushik was a gold medallist in the young rider section at the national equestrian championship held last year at Bengaluru. Kaushik was representing the NCC at the event. Now the significance of that gold medal was that it was the first the NCC unit in Hyderabad won in over a decade in showjumping. Kaushik has also won silver in hacks, another equestrian event, this year and bronze in tent pegging in 2010 — both representing the NCC at Republic Day festivities in New Delhi. Not bad for a 19-year-old. A little bit of coaxing finally did the trick:

Kaushik, in his soft voice, in simple words, told me the story of how a boy who started riding for fun became a fine rider and a promising polo player. “When I was a kid I loved animals,” said Kaushik. “I still do.” When he and his family lived in an independent house, they had a motley bunch of beasts and birds at home: rabbits, a monkey, and pigeons and a dog. When Kaushik was about ten or twelve, his father enrolled him for a riding course at the AP Riding Club at Masab Tank. Kaushik would be dropped at the club early in the morning and he would be in the saddle for a couple of hours learning to trot and then canter. But the beast cast such a spell on the boy that, “Even when everyone in my batch left after classes, I, with a dreamy look in my eyes, would stay back and watch the horses being broken, trained and fed,” Kaushik recalled. One day Kaushik’s coach Khaddar Siddiqui, when he found him in one of his dreamy watching sessions, asked him why could he not help him with training the horses and other work at the stable. Kaushik was thrilled and began learning the nuances of breaking and training horses which helped him become what he is today. Kaushik is gearing up for the national equestrian championship that will start by the end of May in Bangalore. After that he will start preparing for the polo season in September.

t the Hyderabad Polo and Riding Club four kids aged about 10 or 12 were undergoing riding lessons. Under the watchful eyes of their instructor, they were riding back-to-back in a circle at a trot, rising and dipping gently in the saddle keeping in rhythm with their horse. Seeing that her wards were okay, the instructor gave the word that they break into a canter. One by one they did, keeping to the circle that they had been riding in. The instructor cheered and the girls looked jubilant: that was their first canter together, in sync. Suddenly, one of girls veered a bit to her left and slipped off the saddle and fell sliding down the barrel of her mount. Her instructor and the stable boys rushed to her side and lifted her and sat her in a chair. “It hurts,” she whimpered. Her instructor consoled her and said it would go in sometime. In 10 minutes the girl who fell rose from her chair. As if nothing had happened, showing no sign of pain, she was back in the saddle and completed the day’s session. The head coach Khader Siddiqui who saw what had happened came over and cheered her saying that she was a brave girl. The day I visited the HPRC there were only these four kids riding. Their batch comprises about 14 children, but many could not show up, as some had exams and some were out of town.

The club is in Gandipet, quite far from the city. Yet enthusiasts of all ages come here to learn to ride. There was even a young man from Africa that day. He had learned the basics and was telling instructors, “I want to canter… show me how to canter…” I happened to meet an NRI who works in Canada. He had brought his five-yearold daughter, who had enrolled here. “She just loves horses and riding,” he said. It’s true, for from the moment she got down after her ride till the horse was led away, she was patting and petting it. “I wonder how’s it going to be when we get back to Canada,” he mused. Why? “It’s expensive over there. It’s about $30 for an hour of riding lessons in Canada,” he explained. That converts to `1,500. For a little more than three times that sum you get a month’s training here. The HPRC came into being 10 years ago. It started with 15 horses then. Now there are 65. Affiliated to the Indian Polo Association, HPRC has been the prime training arena in the city for people interested in polo. As I was leaving, I met the girl who fell from her horse. She was with the rest of her batch, having snacks after the day’s session. “How do you feel now?” I asked. “Good,” she said. “Very good.”

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NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

109 transferred in UP

2,000 cops deployed

Temple car gutted

LUCKNOW: The new Akhilesh

NEW DELHI/AJMER: Some

SALEM: Four persons were in-

Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government Saturday transferred 109 provincial civil service (PCS) officials and posted new ones in many important places. Among those transferred are Prem Narayan, secretary, State Information Commission, who has been shifted to the planning department.

jured when a temple car was gutted in a fire after it came in contact with a high tension overhead live wire, police said here today. Devotees were dragging the temple car through streets on the occasion of Pankuni Uttram festival when it came in contact with overhead live wires.

2,000 police personnel will be deployed for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to New Delhi, an officer said. Special units will be deployed atop highrise buildings and along the route’s Zardari’s convoy will take. Three-tier security will be in place during the visit.

Good governance essential for India, says Tharoor MUMBAI: Developing and preserv-

CPI-M broods on changes in China KOZHIKODE:

After decades of leaning towards the neighbouring Communist comrades in China, CPI(M) is having a critical look on the shift in policies of Chinese Communist Party that is taking “imponderable” steps like the decision to admit capitalists into the party. The draft ideological document, presented by CPI(M) pilot bureau member Sitaram Yechury before the ongoing 20th Congress of the party, says “negative tendencies” like economic inequalities, unemployment, corruption and nepotism have surfaced in socialist countries including China, who have embarked on a course of reforms to meet the challenges of presentday world realities. The report says China, which has charted out a “socialist market economy”, had witnessed a 13-fold increase in the urban-rural income gap in the last 18 years. China has more billionaires today than any other country other than the US. PTI

ing good governance is essential for the country and it must become the passion of future Governments, according to Congress MP and former Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor. “Good governance transcends all administrative frontiers. It requires politicians of all parties to recognise the importance of working together for a common goal.” “When you see some parties disrupting Parliament... you see them marching into the well and shouting slogans so that the Speaker can’t be heard, thereby getting Parliament suspended, there you see a classic example of a lack of quality leadership in our political system,” he said. Tharoor was speaking at the IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National

Quality Awards and IMC Juran Quality Medal function here last night. Quality solutions in a democracy like ours require a quality debate, the former UN diplomat said. “I think the pursuit of quality in India cannot happen without engendering a new political ethos. We need people in politics to provide quality leadership, just as we are doing in other areas.” “By and large, a leader is expected to lead. Even from time to time, a good leader must also know, how to be a good follower,” Tharoor said. “We have to identify quality solutions across the board to our long-standing national problems. Problems of clean drinking water, clean air, energy sufficiency, affordable housing, good health and education, the nature of our problem

has not changed since Independence.” “We still have not solved the problems of providing the `aam

admi’ with `roti kapda aur makan’,” the Congress MP from Kerala maintained. The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Awards and IMC Juran Quality Medal have been instituted to give special recognition to excellence in organisations. This year, the awards were announced by a panel of judges headed by Anand Mahindra, ViceChairman & Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. Tharoor presented the IMC Juran Quality Medal 2011 to BKS Iyengar, founder of the popular Iyengar Yoga and a Padma Bhushan awardee. The IMC Ramkrishna Bajaj National Quality Awards assess Indian organisations against a set of guidelines based on the Malcolm Baldrige model for performance PTI excellence.

Pune institute’s archives go digital to aid research PUNE: About 40,000 manuscripts from archives

Statues beheaded in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Statues of

Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi and Britain’s Robert BadenPowell have been vandalised in Sri Lanka amid an antiIndian and anti-Western campaign on the island, police said on Friday. Attackers beheaded the statues of Gandhi and BadenPowell, the founder of the

Scout movement, in the town of Batticaloa, 300 kilometres east of Colombo, a police spokesman said. “We have launched an investigation and deployed intelligence units to get at the vandals,” police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP. “We do not have any suspects at the moment.” Rohana said two other

statues of local figures had also been destroyed in what appeared to have been a coordinated attack carried out overnight in Batticaloa, an area where there is a heavy security presence. Anti-Western graffiti appeared in many parts after the UN human rights council last month adopted a US-led resolution against Sri Lanka.

of the century-old Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal (BISM) have been digitised as part of a drive to preserve historical documents. The gigantic work relating to age-old manuscripts and Sanskrit texts from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and Vedas was undertaken by the Centrally-funded National Manuscripts Mission (NMM). Its completion means that the ancient literature will now be preserved for posterity and available at national libraries for relevant academic research activity. “Most of the digitisation work involving about 40,000 bundles (one bundle contains a large number of loose pages) of ancient manuscripts — Pothis — in Sanskrit, Persian, Tamil, Kannda and Marathi is now over and the remainder will be finished shortly by the experts who have spent months together,” said Shrkrishna Bhave, director of BISM. “Academicians from within the country as well as from America, Russia and Belgium have been visiting the Mandal to pursue their research as the documents offer a rare insight into ancient history,” he added. Among the BISM archives is a 14th century poetic composition written in Persian titled Gulistan in addition to a number of treatises and commentaries on topics pertaining, among others, to ayurveda, horoscope, krishi shastra (agriPTI culture science) and vigyan (science).

WORLD SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Heavy rainfall kills two

US Navy jet crashes into apt

t least two people were killed late on Friday in Brazil's southeastern state of Rio de Janeiro due to a heavy downpour, which triggered mudslides and interrupted traffic, media reported. One person had been found dead in the wreckage of his collapsed house in the community of Teresopolis. Meanwhile, a teenage boy was killed by a mudslide.

UN chief condemns Syria

US Navy F-18 fighter jet crashed just after take-off on Friday, plunging into a low-rise Virginia apartment complex and triggering a massive inferno but injuring only nine people, officials said. The two crew members ejected safely from the jet which hit a populated area in the eastern coastal tourist resort of Virginia Beach, officials said.

ens of thousands of Syrian protesters took to the streets for anti-government rallies as regime forces pounded rebel cities, earning a stern rebuke from UN chief Ban Ki-moon. On Friday 35 people were killed , 22 of them civilians. Ban urged the Syrian President not to use the peace plan deadline as an "excuse" for more killing.

N Korean rocket may be on launch pad SEOUL: North Korea may have moved the first stage of a longrange rocket on to its launch pad, ahead of its possible lift-off next week, according to a US specialist website. The 38 North website (38north.org) said an April 4 photo of the launch site at Tongchang-ri in the country's northwest indicated the first stage of the Unha-3 rocket, while not visible, may be placed in the gantry. The impoverished communist state says its rocket will put a peaceful satellite into orbit but the US, South Korea and other nations see it as a pretext for a long-range missile test banned by the UN. The website said that commercial satellite photographs reveal the gantry's work platform is now covered and closed around the mobile launch stand, indicating work is being conducted inside. While this makes it impossible to determine whether the Unha-3 rocket or any part of it is erected on the pad, evidence suggests that the first stage has been placed as an expected launch nears, 38 North said. Recent fuelling activity seems to have been completed, with most of the empty fuel and oxidizer tanks apparently having been removed from buildings that supply the first stage, it said. Security has also been tight-

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) is seen posing with soldiers during his inspection of a unit on Ryo Island defending a forward post on the east coast. The North says it will launch a peaceful satellite between April 12-16 to mark the AFP / KCNA VIA KNS 100th anniversary of the birth of its late founder Kim Il-Sung. ened with a barricade or security checkpoint set up for vehicles entering from the west, the only road to the launch pad from other main facilities at the range. The launch pad itself has been cleared, with objects previously seen near the gantry now removed, it said. The website, however, did

not publish the satellite photos obtained from Geoeye on April 4. The satellite provider subsequently withdrew those pictures from its public catalogue and asked that they not be published, it said. North Korea is preparing mass celebrations to mark the 100th anniversary on April 15 of

the birth of Kim Il-Sung, the country's first and ‘eternal’ president and founder of the dynasty which has ruled uninterrupted since 1948. A successful satellite launch would burnish the image of his grandson Kim Jong-Un as he seeks to establish his credentials AFP as a strong leader.

Police probe in Perry racial charge LOS ANGELES: A US police force is investigating two of of its officers after Tyler Perry accused them of racial profiling for stopping him in his car and questioning him in a "hostile" manner. The African-American writerdirector made the allegations regarding an incident in Atlanta, Georgia, in which he performed an illegal turn as a precaution to evade someone possibly tailing him. In a statement Perry described how he was pulled over by two white officers after turning left from the right lane, while driving home from work. After he stopped, an officer told him he had made an illegal turn. He told the officer he did it because he had to be sure he was not being followed. The policeman asked him why he thought someone would follow him. "Before I could answer him, I heard a hard banging coming from the passenger window," he said. He wound down the window, which was tinted, and another officer asked him "What is wrong with you?" he said. A "tense" moment then ensued when Perry went reached to get a key from a cupholder, only to realize they might think he was reaching for something else. He decided to step out of the car, at which point another car, with a black officer, pulled up. "He took one look at me and had that 'Oh No' look on his face. He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone. "After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic," he said.

Mali junta, ECOWAS in deal

Santorum's daughter hospitalised again

Yemen sacks two military chiefs

BAMAKO: Mali's military junta and the West African bloc ECOWAS announced a deal late on Friday that includes the lifting of sanctions and an amnesty for those involved in last month's coup. The agreement provides a framework for a return to constitutional rule under an interim leader who will oversee democratic elections and handle the crisis in the north, where Islamists and Tuareg rebels have seized control. It came after Mali's Tuareg rebels declared independence on Friday in the north, a move rejected by the international community and the Islamist insurgents they fought beside, as fears grew of a humanitarian crisis.The declaration, long a goal of Tuareg rebels, is a bid to formalise the situation on the ground.

WASHINGTON: The youngest daughter of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder, has again been hospitalised, his campaign said on Friday. It was not immediately clear what prompted the hospital visit. The three-year-old has Trisomy 18, a rare and serious genetic disorder also known as Edwards syndrome that causes severe developmental disabilities and abnormalities. Most babies with the condition die before or during birth. Santorum frequently mentions his daughter when meeting voters on the campaign trail. He has six other children with his wife Karen, a neo-natal nurse. In 1996, their son Gabriel was born prematurely and died shortly after birth.

SANAA: Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi sacked two military chiefs close to his predecessor Ali Abdullah Saleh, the official SABA news agency reported on Friday, citing a presidential decree. Air force chief General Mohamed Saleh al-Ahmar, Saleh's half brother, and head of the presidential guard General Tarek Mohamed Abdallah Saleh — his nephew — were both fired, said the decree. There had already been calls from within the airforce for Ahmar to go. Earlier Friday, a suicide bomber blew up a motorbike near intelligence offices in eastern Yemen, without causing casualties. The attack in the south was claimed by AlQaeda's branch in Yemen, the self-proclaimed Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law).

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Fun from close quarters

A big thank you

think that 3D is the future for moviegoers (Three times the entertainment, Apr 4). After all, when you go to the cinema, you go to be entertained and the whole experience is part of that. It’s great that we’ll hopefully see the whole LOTR trilogy in 3D and also Jurassic Park would be great. The Hobbit By email

am so pleased I found this interview (Confessions of a free spirit, Mar 5)! I’m a big Nandita fan, and on my blog the other day, a friend recommended Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, so to read that my favourite actress has been involved in an animated remake was truly serendipitous timing. Stuart By email

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.

Return investors’ money

anco bought the land in public auction by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Does this mean the Andhra Pradesh government sold land illegally, which does not belong to it? The government must come out and help all the investors to get back the money and sort it out immediately. Kishore By email

EDITORIALS DON’T CRUCIFY Gunter Grass Nobel laureate Gunter Grass is under fire from several quarters, especially Jewish groups and Israel, over his latest poem which warns of the disastrous consequences of the Jewish state’s impending attack on Iran. His critics have chosen to connect his brief tenure in the Waffen SS as a teenager and the lyrics of his work as antiSemitism that has remained undiluted over the decades. In the hurry to attack Grass, the crux of the poem that calls for peace — calling on Germany not to supply nuclear submarines to Israel and thus reduce its footprint in the looming conflict. True, the Jews underwent brutal treatment under the Nazi regime but that doesn’t mean the all actions of Israel are beyond criticism. The Jewish state, which was carved out by force by the victors of World War II, hasn’t been exactly humane to the original inhabitants of the land, the Arabs — who are now refugees in their own land, living under undignified standards of life and victims of arbitrary abuse. Suffering endured in the past is no open licence for unilateralism, and Gunter Grasses shouldn’t be made to shut up.

WHY WE LOVE... Easter eggs OK, lay aside, for a minute, the religious connotations of Easter, and focus if you will, on the eggs. Easter always throws up a veritable feast of sugar: From chocolate eggs that hide deep cream secrets to marzipan mayhem that will tilt even the most militant of weight-watchers. So this Easter, unbuckle that belt and go to town on the goodness that is the Easter egg. Although we’re still befuddled as to how a rabbit came by such delectable eggs.

Life and the afterlife Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

aster is a time really to reflect on rebirth. Jesus Christ was resurrected on this day, serving as a reminder to us that death may be an end for the body but not for the soul. It’s also interesting how Easter is timed for this season of the year. Spring is, again, a reminder that new life springs up at every corner and there’s rebirth, renewal and freshness all around us. It’s a wonderful time of the year when we’re bidding winter goodbye and welcoming summer. Though it’s all about life, the irony is that death is at the centre of this concept. We’re either moving towards it or away from it. Many people I know get

spooked at the very idea of death. To them, ignoring its existence is an easier way to deal with their day-to-day life. It may also have to do with the uncertainty associated with what happens to our souls after we die. We know for sure that we don’t take any of our material possessions with us. Our money, homes, clothes, hobbies, skills, knowledge, everything physical stays put — even our bodies are here — but our soul moves on to another life, another world. This uncertainty of what happens to us in the afterlife is too much for people to handle. According to estimates, on an average, more than 1,50,000 people die every day on this planet. That's two people dying every second, and over 1 million every week. It helps us put in perspective some of the bigger tragedies that wipe out large populations from Earth. If 3,000 people die in a tragedy, that’s only 2 per cent of deaths in a day’s total number of deaths.

MORE THAN 1,50,000 PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY ON THIS PLANET. THAT'S TWO PEOPLE DYING EVERY SECOND, AND OVER 1 MILLION EVERY WEEK. There’s a lot of speculation about what happens to us once we leave the Earth. Some philosophers talk about dealing with the very idea of death. Buddhist monk Sogyal Rinpoche writes in Glimpse of the Day: "Looking into death needn't be frightening or morbid. Why not reflect on death when you are really inspired, relaxed and comfortable, lying in bed, or on vacation, or listening to music that particularly delights you? Why not reflect on it when you are happy, in good health, confident and full of wellbeing? Don't you notice that there are particular moments

when you are naturally inspired to introspection? Work with them gently, for these are the moments when you can go through a powerful experience, and your whole world view can change quickly. These are the moments when former beliefs crumble on their own." My 88-year-old grandmother seems to have worked through this rather well. She is reborn every second of her waking day. She’s seeing life with new, childlike enthusiasm. She loves ice cream, she doesn’t care who’s around when she’s tired and wants to sleep. She asks lots of questions, doesn’t bother with remembering everything, and feels an emotion to its entirety for as long as it lasts. Difficult to do, but not impossible to get close to, if one practiced to live in the moment and balance the wheel of life. Preparing for death is also on that wheel. Perhaps the time is right to start introspecting. The writer is a Bangalorebased commentator

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Let India’s poor partake in god’s goldrush too GKDIL

Point Blank PADMINI C

ecently, there has been a lot of talk about Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the administrative board of the Tirupati Venkateswara Temple in the national media. First, there was the New Year’s, when the temple set a record for highest collections in a single day; reported to be around `4.2 crore. Then, there was a series of land scams and administrative scandals. The usual hue and cry about VIP attendees like politicians and film stars whose presence meant disrupting the daily schedule of the place and further delay of darshan for thousands of devotees. And more recently, of course, it made headlines when on April Fool’s Day, the temple broke its earlier record, collecting as it did `5.7 crore in a single day. But none of these incidents are as interesting to me as the TTDs golden dilemma. For the uninitiated, let me tell you what I gathered from various reports, media or otherwise. In 2008, TTD

Urban sketches VISWAPRASAD RAJU

in its infinite wisdom initiated a multi-crore project to… feed/ clothe/ educate/ house the country’s poor. Gotcha! Sorry, couldn’t resist. No, we get it. What would be thrilling about that? In all seriousness, it was envisaged for a far nobler purpose. The project was, believe it or not, to… coat the walls of the temple in solid gold, requiring about 200 kilograms of gold and a sum of `100 crore for its completion. But, but… wouldn’t you need a Midas or a golden goose for that sorta thing? Not if you live in a country of bountiful

devotees and bogus donors, it seems. Dutifully following the adage ‘ask and ye shall receive,’ our TTDians asked. Soon, they were sitting on a pile of about 100 kilos of gold. But, oh no! Here came the villains. Vested parties — archaeologists, heritage conservationists and the courts became envious of these fantastic visionaries and citing matters of concern such as *yawn* losing centuries-old inscriptions on the temple walls and weakening its structure, they shelved the project.

Clearly, you see the dilemma? TTDians, being ever the altruistic gentlemen, offered to return the glitter to the donors. Oh, but what is this now? Half of them didn’t want it back and half of them don’t exist! Consider, for a minute, what the TTDians would say. The sheer burden of having to manage a `200-crore budget every year, keeping their vast enterprising staff happy and now this. After everything they do, being accused of greed, mismanagement and corruption. How were they to know that their pet project would cause any damage? They were just trying to make the temple look pretty. Add to that, the incessant and eternal ranting and wailing of the devotees. Who asked them, the poor, the physicallydisabled, the too-young, the tooold, the common man, to wait in 28-hour queues through rain and shine? Don’t they know God is everywhere? That’s not even talking about all the coins and the riff-raff they put in the hundi. Not like the VIPs with their neat cheques or mint-condition diamonds. No, siree. Why can’t they stay at home (lessen the footfalls of the temple) and simply use those

misshapen notes and worn-out coins to raise their kids properly instead of coming there to pray for a better future for them? But no, no one ever listens to them, TTDians, poor things. Come to think of it, everyone seems to hold a grudge against them. Why? No one seems to care about all their unbelievable social schemes at all. For instance, giving away coins and gutka covers, screws, worms and maggots, (free, free, free!) with their laddus, like that. C’mon, who does that? And what do they do with all the money you ask? Well, what about all the marriage halls they construct? ...the VIP donor cottages? And really, where do you think the funds for their most important programmes like the Gosamrakshana come from? Yes, that one, the scheme dedicated to the protection of the cow. Oh, and the ho-hum schools and colleges and hospitals and IT seva centres, of course. Like I said, all on a shoe-string budget of `200 crore a year. Imagine that. So, minimum donation for all schemes at `1,000 and the multiples thereof, in case you wanted to know. The writer works for Postnoon.

Global edits

Boxed living The Guardian

Police racism: Social capital

t is regrettable that the contest for the London mayoralty this week has been dominated by who pays how much tax rather than by the way the capital's citizens are policed. It is true that each candidate has published a crime manifesto measuring out policy in boots on the beat and the statistical ebb and flow of recorded crime. A more productive response, which would also tackle the sluggardly progress on tackling racism, would be to consider the importance of social capital and ask how the police view the people whose streets they are policing.

The New York Times

Sustainably feeding a changing world

ne of the biggest challenges facing this planet isn’t simply feeding a growing population — perhaps as many as 10 billion by the year 2100. The challenge is feeding all those people as the climate changes in ways

we can barely project. A new report called Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change illustrates the complexity of the problem and makes clear that action must be taken soon to address it.

Sydney Morning Herald

The great shock of Easter

f all the public holidays in the calendar, Easter alone has the capacity to take us by surprise. Maybe it comes around earlier than we had been planning, or later than we would have liked. Maybe it brings dismal weather when we had expected bright, clear sunny days. Maybe the roads leading out of the city on the first day of the holiday period flow smoothly as though most everybody else decided to stay home or to take the train. Maybe we are given chocolate eggs to eat on Easter Sunday — or chocolate bilbies better still — or maybe we find ourselves being nourished by old friends who appear on our doorstep unannounced after absences of many years.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

ONGC to add new production

NGC CMD Sudhir Vasudeva said the State-run oil and gas behemoth was aiming at converting some of the deep water discoveries to production by 2016-17. “ONGC owns 56 deep water blocks, allocated to it under the New Exploration Licensing Policy regimes between 1997 and October 2010,” he said.

Obama welcomes new jobs

Microland’s cloud solutions

S President Barack Obama Friday welcomed a downtick in the unemployment rate to 8.2 per cent, despite a slowdown in overall job creation, but said there was more work to do to revive the economy. But he warned there would still be “ups and downs” along the road to recovery.

eading IT infrastructure provider Microland Ltd has entered into a strategic alliance with global software major Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) to jointly offer cloud solutions to large enterprises in the Indian market. The solutions will be based on Microsoft’s data centre services, an integrated framework built on industry-leading architectures.

He risked, he conquered Jayadeep Reddy S had no qualms of leaving a well-paying job to pursue his dream – set up his own business. Despite the initial hitches, he went on to prove determination can win over any hurdle M ANIL KUMAR

PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

ntrepreneurship is never easy. It’s almost akin to a gamble where you could either strike big or lose everything. Especially, for a middle class guy who dreams of establishing his own business that requires substantial investment. But Jayadeep Reddy S, founder of e Health Access proved that ambition and determination can win over any number of odds. e Health Access provides paid telemedical services to people across the country. Understandably his idea was met with initial resistance – from family. He says, “I was working as a marketing manager when I decided to set up my own business in 2009. However, my mother was against the idea initially. She did not want to me take a risk when life was going smooth and I had a well-paying job. I was yet to get married and she was worried that it would be difficult to find me a girl if I ventured into business. But given my determination, she eventually agreed and ever since has been a great support system.” At the same time Jayadeep was well aware of the risks involved. “I knew very well that setting up a business was risky. Not even Warren Buffet will be sure of guaranteed success. But it was a risk I was willing to take. I invested around `40 lakh from my savings and with a little help from family and friends. In fact, Divya, my fiancee, was my first investor and she gave me `6 lakh to start off,” he says Jayadeep who met Divya just before switching over to entrepreneurship. Fortunately, for him she has been supportive and the couple got married in October 2011. However, it was not smooth sailing for Jayadeep. In fact, there were days when Jayadeep was unable to pay his employees on time. But not one person complained and waited patiently for things to stabilise. He says, “I faced some tough times initially. However, my team was extremely supportive. I had invested in some processes, which could not yield any benefit to the company.

Jayadeep Reddy S, founder of e Health Access

Over time, I learnt that success or failure boils down to experience. If it is a success, we improvise and move forward. If it is a failure, we will never repeat that mistake again.” Talking about the business idea, he says, “In today’s world, there is a scarcity of doctors. Often patients have several questions and concerns but given their busy schedules, not all doctors are able to address these. Health care is also becoming expensive. This is why, e Health Access was set up — to bring affordable and easily accessible health care through video, chat and telephone.” The company offers different price packages for corporates and for individuals. It offers a family doctor for individuals (up to six people) for `999 a year. Nearly 70 per cent of his clientele are corporates. What works with this facility is that a patient can call the number at any given point of time and get access to primary healthcare. The strong data base of patients’ medical records help the doctors as well. The facility also receives around 12 per cent calls for psychological and sexual problems. Akasam Consulting, a City-based private equity fund raiser, helped raise `2 crore as early stage fund for e Health Access. “We will go for a second round of funds in one year. The company has developed applications that can give the probability of the disease and also have kiosks that can be set up in offices enabling video chat with doctors,” he says. The company’s turnover in the last fiscal was `50-60 lakh and has around 30 per cent profit margins. The company is expected to break even this November. Despite the hard work he puts in, Jayadeep believes in setting aside some time for leisure as well. He loves to play cricket every Sunday with his childhood friends. He says, “When I work 12-14 hours a day, I take a lot of stress and there is no time to exercise either. Playing for three hours every weekend is the perfect stress buster.” Jayadeep also loves watching action and 3D films in his spare time. Talking about his future plans, he says, “I would like to support people looking to turn entrepreneurs. Most people are afraid to take the plunge because of their obligations nor do they receive any help from the government. I want to do my best to provide a platform for budding entrepreneurs.”

MOTORING SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Caddy’s safety feature

etroit - Cadillac is rolling out a suite of safety features — including an industry-first safety seat — on its 2013 XTS, ATS and SRX vehicles. The technologies alert the driver of an impending accident, and some functions take over controls such as braking or accelerating if the driver fails to react.

Rover marks anniversary

Chrysler’s new Ram

o celebrate its 25th year in the US, Land Rover will display classic models and set up an off-road adventure at the New York auto show, which opens to the public on Friday. The first Range Rover was sold in the US in the spring of 1987. Since then, the U.S. has become the company’s largest market.

he re-engineered Ram will feature the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Together, the combination for the base vehicle will deliver 305 hp and 269 pounds-feet of torque, an improvement of 42 per cent in horsepower and 13 percent in torque from the current 3.7-liter V-6 and six-speed automatic transmission.

Reintroducing the Datsun When Nissan phased out Datsun cars in ’81, millions protested. Now the cult car is making a comeback. Even better, it’s launching in India Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

f you were a car buff in the 60s or 70s, you would definitely know the Datsun. And soon, a new generation of buyers in India, Indonesia, and Russia will too. For the uninitiated, before Toyota, there was the Datsun. Its first cars went on sale in Japan in 1931, half a decade before Toyota’s. Datsun was a key part of the global car market until 1986, until Datsun’s owner, Nissan Motor Company, controversially scrapped the brand name in favour of its own. But Datsun is now set to make a comeback. Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn announced on March 20 in Indonesia that the Japanese car brand would be revived for “up and coming customers in highgrowth markets", providing a “sustainable motoring experience". Simply read: budget motors. What was special about Datsuns?

Back in the 60s and ’70s, Datsun cars and trucks were a global favourite—especially in America when gas prices soared following the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Datsun was consistently one of two top-selling Japanese brands in the US, the other being Toyota. What drivers especially loved was that the car was fast, efficient, cheap and equipped with technology that could match up to any of the more expensive BMWs. Like Toyota, Datsun got off to a slow start, but it gained followers through the fuel efficient B-210 compact (sold as the Bluebird) and the Z sports car, still considered a classic. The model that famously put Datsun on the map was the 510 — a car that had a lot of the dynamics and specs of a BMW, but for a hell of a lot less money. Why were the Datsuns phased out? It all goes back to the Datsun name. Nissan Motor, established in 1933, was a reorganised version of a company

Celebs that drove the Datsuns

Steve Wozniak Datsun’s fans included Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who even appeared in a Datsun commercial. YouTube the video. Brad Pitt Pitt drove his old Datsun to California, promising his mother that he would enroll in the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Paul Newman The actor owned the Datsun 280ZX, and even advocated it through commercials and also used to race in it as well.

called DAT Automobile. For decades, Nissan continued using the Datsun brand everywhere but in Japan. Then, in 1981, the company resolved to rebrand all Datsuns as Nissans, as part of a global strategy to strengthen the company name. It proved to be a disaster. Datsun signs came down, Nissan signs went up, and all the cars became Nissans. It took several years for Nissan to recover. Some analysts believe the move probably cost Nissan valuable time in competing with Toyota and Honda. Overseas sales plummeted. The Americans sheepishly asked, “Nissan? What’s that?” Nissan’s decision to rename Datsun as Nissan is considered one of the most memorable brand moves in auto industry history. And yet, and yet... Datsun. It’s been over 30 years since the name appeared as a standalone before it was swallowed by the Nissan mothership. Are you ready to see it return?

Iconic Datsuns S211 (1959) The first Datsun Sports model was the 1959 S211. It used a 988 cc C-series straight-4 producing 37 PS. Incorporated into the side trim were the side badges, which said “Datsun 1000". Only 20 examples of the S211 were built, making the S211 the rarest of all Datsun models. 510 The Datsun 510 was a series of the Datsun Bluebird sold from 1968 to 1974. According to Autoweek, the 510 has often been called the “poor man’s BMW." The 510's engineering was inspired by contemporary European sedans, particularly the 1996 BMW 1600-2. B-210 The third generation (1973–1978) Sunny was extremely popular as it debuted during the gas crisis of the 1970s. Six body styles including the fourdoor and two-door sedan, three-door wagon and a two-door van were offered. It also featured a full hatchback door rather than the small trunk lid.

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK www.webdesignerwall.com he site has been featured on many magazines and galleries. It is also recognized as one of the popular design blogs due to quality content and beautiful design.

VIDEOGAME REVIEW THE GOOD

APP OF THE WEEK

CLOSURE

Met Opera

his app allows you to stream content so you can watch a whole lot of opera. Dozens of productions from the Met's award-winning 'Live in HD' series, classic Met telecasts from 1977-2011

n Imaginative light/dark relationship. n A wide variety of clever puzzles n Well-realised aesthetics

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Gadgets

The annual Hyderabad Photo Expo 2012 was a photographer’s delight. We spotted five unique and new things that deserve a mention N SHIVA KUMAR

t’s time to take your Angry Birds obsession to real-life proportions with the Angry Birds Helicopter. Why settle for a game on a tablet or phone when you can hold the real thing in your hands and bring it to life? See your favourite Red Bird flying through the air in the form of a helicopter.

OSAMA SALMAN

salman.o@postnoon.com

f you are the type to find a beautiful picture in everything that you see, then this one is for you. The annual Hyderabad Photo Expo 2012 was a photographer’s delight. While this year the focus was on the softwares and equipment rather than cameras, it was nonetheless an enriching experience walking through the three halls. We spotted five unique and new things that we think deserve a mention.

SANDISK MEMORY VAULT

You just get one chance in your life to capture those precious moments and you just can't afford to lose them. It’s risky to store your entire collection of photos on hard drives, because they’re most prone to failure among all types of storage media. Although, optical media, USB flash drives and solid state drives are relatively more reliable, there’s no guarantee if they’ll last for the rest of your life. SanDisk has cashed in on this aspect and come out with their latest offering called Memory Vault. The Memory Vault is essentially a USB flash drive, but what makes it special is its ability to preserve data long term. According to SanDisk, this storage device has been tested to support data retention for up to 100 years.

TAMRON B011 LENS

The latest offering from the camera lens expert, Tamron’s new launch, the 18-200mm F/3.5-6.3 Di III VC superzoom for the Emount used on Sony's NEX cameras. The lens, which comes in two colors, makes it the first third-party manufacturer to offer an autofocus lens for any mirrorless camera system. Unlike the existing, DSLR version, the E-mount lens uses a stepping motor designed specifically for working with contrastdetection AF. The lens offers an image-stabilized 27-300mm

Angry Bird Helicopter

Epson Moverio

I equivalent field-of-view on the NEX and comes as an alternative to the Sony 18-200mm.

BEAUTY JIB 12-15-18 FEET CRANE

The Beauty Jib crane gives you high quality professional solution for weddings, video albums, advertisements, reality shows, and all types of event videography, the company claims. Traditionally an 18 feet crane, it can be reduced to 15 and 12 feet as well. Equipped with a mini 7inch LCD screen so you know what you are shooting, the

Round Shape 2” jib is best suited for directors and cinematographers to capture the best angle for shooting a film or documentary. It also features a Pan and Tilt and Dutch Roll 360 degrees through an attached remote control, and can be packed compact and weighs as little as 70kgs and is mobile enough to be taken anywhere.

BLACKRAPID RS DR-1 DOUBLE C AMERA STRAP

The BlackRapid RS DR-1 Double Strap is worn around the shoulders and is adjustable to fit most

photographers. It can carry 2 cameras or lenses vertically at the side. The locking FastenR connects the straps to the tripod socket located on either the camera body or the lens. Once connected, the cameras hang upside down, resting securely at the side. The difference between BlackRapid's DR-1 and DR-2 is that the DR-1 is for larger framed people while the DR-2 is for smaller framed people. The DR-2 is narrower across the shoulders.

3D PHOTOGRAPHS

If after watching Titanic in 3D, you’d wish you could capture a picture in 3D as well, this is what you’re waiting for. SV Digital Imaging in Hyderguda offers a chance for you get your picture framed in 3D. And it’s awesome! All you need to do is to give the coral file, wait for 3 days, and spend Rs 10 a square inch. Voila, you’re picture is ready. Time to show your pictures to your friends, eh? The photo expo is on till April 8 at Vasantha Estate, Hi-tech City.

ntroducing the newest and coolest visual display technology glasses, the Epson Moverio BT-100, the very first Android-based wearable transparent display glasses. Moverio allows you to view streaming video, experience 3D content and enjoy downloaded digital content on a virtual 80-inch “perceived” screen projected into the user’s real environment.

Converge USB Charging Hub

ntroducing the Converge USB Charging Hub, where it will be able to juice up to a quartet of exhausted device batteries via USB in style and comfort. When you are done, just stash away the cables in the back – and you know what they say, out of sight, out of mind. All you need to do is plug the power source into your nearest outlet and you are good to go.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

PET NEWS Orphaned Meslik

ocal residents discovered the three week old sea otter male pup with his dead mother, in Meslik beach Alaska and took over caring for him overnight, feeding him every four hours.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

The zoo on air

Know your dog

outhwest Airlines now offer you the zoo experience at 30,000 feet in the air. Pete the Penguin was perfectly happy strutting his flightless stuff down the aisle, but we wonder what's next ... maybe a sloth?

he collie is a distinctive herding dog.It is a medium-sized, lightly built dog with a pointed snout, and many types have a white pattern over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, have strong herding instinct.

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

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

Bring your pet to work Virginia Commonwealth University researchers studied workers at a company that allows pets in the office and found it reduces stress

esearchers reported that bringing your dog to work seems to reduce stress on the job. “Pet presence potentially can be a lowcost wellness intervention,” said Randolph Barker, a professor of management at Virginia Commonwealth University’s business school, who led the study in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management. Barker and his team conducted the study at Replacements Ltd., a company that sells china, stoneware, crystal and other dinnerware, reported the Los Angeles Times. Replacements Ltd.’s 550 employees bring 20 to 30 dogs with them to their Greensboro, N.C., office every day. Stress hormones were measured using saliva samples throughout the day, according to BBC News. There was no difference between the three groups (pet owners who brought their dogs to work, pet owners who left their dogs at home, at non-pet owners) in the morning, but during the course of the workday, stress levels declined only for employees with their dogs present. Researchers also noted that stress rose significantly during the day when owners left their dogs at home compared to days they brought them to work. Many previous studies have linked pets with less stress and better health, according to TIME. Studies in hospitals and nursing homes showed that animals, whether on short or long visits, have contributed to lower blood pressure, faster recovery from surgery and improvements in depression for GLOBAL POST patients.

Pet for a bedfellow Pets make less disruptive bedfellows than humans

n Australian study has found you are more likely to get a good night sleep if you share your bed with a pet rather than another person. Researchers at the Central Queensland University conducted an online survey asking 13,000

people about their sleep patterns, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation says. According to the lead researcher Professor Drew Dawson, 70 per cent of respondents said they were regularly woken at night, and a partner was more likely to be the reason than

an animal. “Partners were more likely to be disruptive than pets, and particularly people reporting partners who snored and partners who got up to go to the toilet and therefore turned the lights on,” he said. – GLOBAL POST

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

SHORT READS Title: Drift Author: Rachel Maddow Publisher: Crown Written with bracing wit, Rachel Maddow's Drift takes us from the Vietnam War to war in Afghanistan, along the way exploring the disturbing rise of executive authority, the outsourcing of warmaking capabilities to private companies and the changing fortunes of G.I. Joe

Title: A Comedy d'Art Author: Christopher Moore Publisher: William Morrow A delectable confection of intrigue, passion, and art history—with cancan girls, baguettes, and fine French cognac thrown in for good measure— SacrÉ Bleu is another masterpiece of wit and wonder from the one, the only, Christopher Moore.

Title: The Janson Command Author: Robert Ludlum Publisher: Hachette India Paul Janson has a new mission and a new partner. Working with sharpshooter Jessica Kincaid, he helps other disenchanted covert operatives to create new lives. He also accepts independent jobs, but only missions he believes will contribute to the greater good.

Title: The Zen of Steve Jobs Author: Caleb Melby Publisher: Westland Publications Much of Apple co-founder Steve Job’s enormous success was due to collaboration with designers, engineers, and thinkers. The Zen of Steve Jobs tells the story of Jobs’s relationship with one such person: Kobun Chino Otogawa.

Archer hits bullseye The Sins of the Father proves yet again why Jeffrey Archer is, and will remain, the ultimate story-teller of our generation

PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

bout this time last year, Jeffrey Archer was in India promoting his new book — Only Time Will Tell which, needless to say, shot to the top of the best-seller lists within a week of its publication. No wonder, considering Archer sells more in India than he does anywhere in the world, including his home ground, the UK. For the uninitiated, Only Time Will Tell was the first installment in the five-part historical fiction series, The Clifton Chronicles, in each of which, we will bear witness to 20 years in the life of the protagonist Harry Clifton.

At the end of Book One, as we found him last, Harry is in an impossible situation. Beating all odds, he has worked his way from the docks of Bristol to graduating from Oxford. He has found a best friend in Giles Barrington and a lover in Emma Barrington (Gile's sister). Except, all tables turn when its revealed on Harry and Emma's wedding day that Harry's mother indulged in a brief affair with Hugo Barrington, and became pregnant shortly after. Meaning that Harry might therefore be Giles and Emma's half-brother and heir apparent to the multimillion dollar Barrington shipping empire. And now, Archer returns with the much-awaited sequel The Sins of the Father which picks up the story from there. It's 1939 and Britain is set to declare war on Germany. To escape, Harry signs up for the

Merchant Navy. When his ship sinks, Harry is provided a chance to escape his tangled past and assume a new identity. As Tom Bradshaw, he lands on the shores of New York, only to find himself arrested for first degree murder. With no way to prove his identity, penniless Harry is tried, found guilty and sentenced for a lesser crime, for which he is duped into pleading guilty. Harry's destiny then takes him on an unstoppable journey. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, Emma discovers on her own that Harry still lives and will let nothing stop her in the search for her beloved. But will her love, determination and grit be enough? And even if it is, can Harry and Emma ever solve the original conundrum, that of Harry's parentage, allowing them to be man and wife? Read The Sins of the Father to find out. Then again, don't be sur-

prised if you have to wait for the next volume for more answers. In what is admittedly his most ambitious project yet, Jeffrey Archer is the master and purveyor of his universe. The merging and parting of lives, cruel twists of fate, justice denied or delivered to his characters, paths crossed or missed, leaves no doubt that he is in control. His characters are organic and well developed. His heroes are honourable, even if a little incredible, his heroines enviable even with their failings and his villains human if only unrepentant. His writing is crisp, the plot sufficiently detailed yet beautifully paced, twists and turns intricately intertwined making it unputdownable. But be advised, patience is a must if you intend to follow this series. Because true to the master storyteller's style, this book too ends with a fit-inducing cliff-hanger.

Name The Sins of the Father (Clifton Chronicles 2) Author Jeffrey Archer Pages 400 Publisher Macmillan

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

One-sided approach

Name A Life in Words Translated by M. Asaduddin Pages 312 Publisher Penguin Books India

When persecutors seek them out and topple their delicately perched existence, there is no rage or anger – only an unconvinced, numb succumbing to the fate

Meet Ismat The book explores crucial years in Ismat’s life that moulded her into the fiery writer who shook up the Urdu literary world Rajesh Ravindran

rajesh.r@postnoon.com

W ARUN KOSHY PHILIP

arun.k@postnoon.com

ne backdrop; 17 stories; countless lives, two countries; painful history; struggle for survival – the number of facets that constitute the myriad mix of humanity goes beyond reading. Most of them are set in the picturesque Barak Valley of Assam, the stories revolve around the lives of Bangladeshi migrants and their constant battle for an identity and survival. The young Hiren Ghosh and the octogenarian woman known to us only as ‘Masi’ face different degrees of the same problem. While the former wants to bolster his integration into the society, the latter longs for a glimpse of her ancestral abode across the border before she breaths her last. The stories take us through the tapestry of small towns and villages where the characters are struggling to survive in the battle against poverty and starvation. When the persecution of ‘outsiders’ seek them out and topple

Name Barbed Wire Fence Author Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee, Dipendu Das Pages 192 Publisher Niyogi Books

their delicately perched existence, there is no rage or anger – only an unconvinced, numb succumbing to the fate. One common thread that runs through almost all the stories is the feeling of insecurity of the displaced people. From opportunistic politicians who seek popularity to criminal-minded neighbours who want to usurp their property, the life of an immigrant is always fraught with uncertainties and dangers. When wars, unrests and political turmoils displace a sea of humanity and transplant them to an alien environment, it is only natural that it will trigger a vicious cycle. However, the book is clearly onesided. While the stories tell the woes of migrants and their struggle of integration, little is said about the economic, social and political implication of the influx of more than one crore people in the states bordering Bangladesh. Anyone reading the book would feel that the locals are a nasty intolerant lot hell-bent on persecuting the poor refugees. The stories initially stir your conscience but the repetition of the plot premises takes the zing out very soon.

hen Ismat Chughtai was a child, she wanted to be like her brothers, for she saw that being a boy was better. But she was served a crushing defeat whenever she played gulli danda or football with them. She was always vexed that she could not keep up with them because she was a girl. They also never took kindly to her, as they deemed her wilful, stubborn and outspoken. Then one of her brothers who also could not keep up with the rest, as he was an invalid, showed her light: “Boys are like bulls. Why do you want to be a bull? Take them on in the sphere of learning; there you will beat them hands down.” From that day, Ismat changed tactics. There are many more interesting tales that Ismat Chugthai recounts in A Life in Words, a translation of Kaghazi hai Pairahan. The book deals with those crucial years in Ismat’s life that moulded her into that fiery writer who shook up the Urdu literary world. It is not exactly chronological. Whatever Ismat could recollect from the years past became fodder for this book of 14 chapters. The initial plan was that the memoirs that came in installments in the Urdu journal Aaj Kal from March 1979 to May 1980 would be relooked to work out a sequence when it would be made into a volume. But due to Ismat’s other preoccupations and failing health, the revision never happened. Despite the lack of a sequence, the reader finds no jaggedness. This is because each chapter is complete in itself. It’s like a collection of short stories in which Ismat narrates to us the major incidents and about the people that influenced her as an individual and writer.

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 Zero Day by David Baladacci

n Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman

n Stay close by Harlan Coben

n Imagine by Jonah Lehrer

n Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

n The power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

n Sins Of The Father by Jeffrey Archer n Tea for two and a piece of cake by Preeti Shenoy n Can Love Happen Twice by Ravender Singh n Revolution 2020 by Chetan Bhagat

n Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson n The 3rd Alternative by Stephen R Covey n Great by Choice by Collins And Hansen n Most And More by The Voice Ra

n Force of Nature by CJ Box n Kill Shot by Vince Flynn n The Thief by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott

n American Sniper by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice n Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard n Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

WOMEN SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Kontrary: Entrepreneur Rebecca Thorman writes with fury on the state of the GenY generation, women and work.

Ladies Who Launch: An active and engaging site for female entrepreneurs that provides a resources for starting, building and running a business.

Make Mine A Million: Just what it seems—an entrepreneurial initiative to help turn your business dream into a million dollars through events, coaching and online community support.

A call for help Ring the Bell, an NGO working against domestic abuse has reached an estimated 130 million people in the first two years of the campaign NEW THURSDAY

Emily Frost

“M

y husband beats me — even now,” laughs 50year-old Sunena, dressed in a yellow polka-dotted sari with her hands folded across her lap. In a dank, windowless room in the Shahabad Dairy slum, nearly a dozen women unhesitatingly confess that their husbands beat them. They’re part of a self-help group of about 40 women that pools resources for community micro-loans. The women’s nonchalance toward domestic violence doesn’t surprise Bulbuli Mukherjee, a media manager at Breakthrough, an international NGO with an office in Delhi. It’s a part of daily life for many Indian women, whether rich or poor. One of Breakthrough’s key commitments is ending spousal abuse in India, educating and empowering women and men through direct action. Mukherjee’s team has created an anti-abuse strategy as easy to use as asking a neighbour for a cup of tea. Breakthrough’s Ring the Bell campaign started in 2008 and has been called “genius” for its simplicity. If you hear a domestic dispute at your neighbour’s place, just ring their doorbell. The sound signals awareness of what’s happening and, the group hopes, interrupts the violence. Using a blitz of radio, television and billboard ads across India, Breakthrough encourages indirect intervention in domestic disputes, and reached an estimated 130 million people in the first two years of the campaign. But the organisation faces a daily struggle against the deep-seated defense of privacy in family matters that runs through Indian culture, caste and religion. Fifty-five percent of Indian women believe spousal abuse is tolerable, according to the most recent National Family Health Survey (2005-06). More than half the men surveyed said that if

their wife disrespected their parents, hitting her would be acceptable. Upper class women in India too are tolerant, Mukherjee insists. “I think women who are in a posh area, they are more harassed. They don’t even have ten rupees to make a call; they can’t even go out. They’re totally dependent on their husbands.” Some experts say the high incidence of spousal abuse in India is related to religion. And cite some religious texts. But Paridhi Gupta, a 22-

year-old graduate student in sociology at JNU, objected to the use of religion as a justification for domestic violence. “Manusmirti is not the only Indian text, and it’s a text that people have to learn to let go. It is not what the Hindu culture or Hinduism says. Some people would hang on to it but I don’t think that that defines Hinduism,” said Gupta. She also objected to the way people have used Hinduism to justify why husbands should suppress their wives. Ring the Bell tailored its

campaign to reach these different audiences. With government support, their radio ads penetrated rural areas, while television ads were ubiquitous in urban markets. Paridhi wants Breakthrough to do more. “There are a lot of people who would ignore this advertisement, who would change the channel and ignore it, so letting people know face to face that this is what is happening and that it’s okay to ring the bell. Nobody will know it’s you.” – GLOBAL POST

Not beyond nine VAIJAYANTHI KARI

feedback@postnoon.com

ecurity of girls at night has always been of great concern in the city. Be it going to a pub or just taking a stroll in your colony, outdoor activities after 9 pm are considered unsafe. Every morning when you flip open a newspaper or a magazine, there are countless pictures of girls at parties, girls doing better than boys in academics, girls being fast moving, in short, girls taking the lead. Despite this, when a girl from a middle-class family wants to go out at night she has to face a thunder storm. If it's a school-going girl then she hardly has any say. The explanation that she gets from her parents about her safety is exasperatingly cliched. A little more rebellious than them are college going girls. Their anxiousness and desire to explore the unknown always overpowers everything else. If they ever are allowed to go for a late night then there are umpteen precautions to be taken by them and calls from home drain their phone batteries. When you take a look at the bigger picture, this may be a very miniscule issue but it is a rite of passage for every young adult, as much for girls as it is for boys, who more or less are the cause of all the insecurity in a parent's mind. So how do you overcome this little hiccough on your way to living a fun night? It is by taking some of these minimum safety and practical steps: n If you don't want your parents to worry about you, have a close relative as a confidante. They won't call you every five minutes. n Take some cash with you, so you are not left dependent on anybody in case of an emergency n Don't hesitate to call home if you get into trouble . They would trust you the next time you want to go out. n Stick to your group of friends. n Lastly, drink responsibly. It’s the best way to be in control of your surroundings

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012 DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Double celebrations Members of the Club Se la vie celebrated their second anniversary at the Marriott Hotel on Friday.

Trishna & Suman

Swetha & Aruna

Nikitha Reddy & Sheetal

Creative collection

Apoorva

Shibra

Sirisha

Charul Gupta

Shop till you drop seemed to be the ladies mantra on Friday as they visited the Milange exhibition and sale being held at Taj Krishna on Friday.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

I AM ALL EARS My husband and I are going through marriage problems at the moment and I think we both want to resolve things but my husband has a female friend he confides in. I don't know if I can make my marriage work when they are friends? Am I being jealous? Please advise as to what I should do.

Dear jealous kid, Is she the root cause for your relationship being in the doldrums for starters? I believe, the answer is a no and that you two were sleeping in separate beds even before she arrived. So blaming her is out of the picture. If it troubles you so maybe you can invite her out for dinner or a coffee and talk to her. As for your husband, he deserves a good twist in the ear and ask him to be a man and solve it between yourselves.

If you're living with your significant other, don't worry too much about tying the knot, because it won't make you any happier, according to a new study. The study followed 2,737 single men and women for six years, watching as 896 of them either got married or moved in with a lover, Science Daily reports. Source: Science Daily

US vs Hyderabad Loud & Proud

Teenage dreams

Fear of commitment, time management issues, careers — are these genuine reasons for girls not wanting to be in a relationship or are they just stalling to find ‘Mr Right’? LUNA

Vaijayanthi Kari

feedback@postnoon.com

irls as early as the age of seven begin fantasising about Prince Charming riding on a white horse who will one day come and sweep them off their feet. But if this is the criteria that one seeks in a partner then the odds of being in a satisfying relationship are really low. Romantic comedies, books highlighting qualities of ‘sparkling vampires’ and fairytale versions of the handsome prince are all what girls seem to want in real life too. Gayatri Ashta, 21, says quite confidently, “My ideal guy would be someone who makes me feel special, can handle my mood swings and takes my feelings into consideration. He should be intelligent, good at sports, have good communication skills and

also a good sense of humour. If life were fiction then I’d be in a relationship with Edward Cullen because I expect my guy to stand up for me at all times.” While some do believe that getting a ‘knight in shining armour’ is possible, others go more by the kind of values that the guy possesses. “I need to look up to my guy. I need him to knock some sense into me when I totally lose it. In short, I would want him to keep me grounded. He should give me my space and most importantly he should have his own set of friends,” explains 20-year-old Nayana Ranjan. Both mythology and history are replete with examples of women never having had a say in choosing their life partners even when a swayamvar was announced— remember Rukmini and Samyuktha. But now that the times are changing

and girls (most of them) have the sole authority on their life, they want it all. Are qualities like decently good looking, romantic and loyal too much to ask for? “It’s not too much to ask for but based on these images, the stability of the relation cannot be determined. All these characteristics of an ‘ideal guy’ are fascinating but when things get real and serious he may not be the ‘ideal guy’ anymore,” says 19-year-old Sai Krishna. Characters like Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Cullen, Fitzwilliam Darcy who possess that streak of adventure, protectiveness and mood swings are very appealing to girls. But why? Dr Gowri Reddy, a psychologist tells us, “When you don’t have a model to fall back on in your life then you look at a fictional character with characteristics you like. There’s no harm

in dreaming about what you want as long as you can draw the line between reality and fiction. Remember that even you are not perfect.” She adds, “Girls often are attracted to negative characters or the bad boys, but they won’t really be happy if they get them”. While some are too busy looking, others just make it work. Aakanksh, 19, who’s been in a relationship for more than four years says, “All these categories and qualities never crossed our minds, it’s like we were made for each other, what works for us might not work for someone else. No problem was ever too big for us to handle, that’s how we look at things, we are a team and together we pull through things.” But, there isn’t anything wrong in wanting to be swept off your feet is there? It would still be a fairytale romance.

SHWETHA PAI

n my recent visit to San Fransisco, I realised how lucky they were to have so much space to call their own. By space, I mean gay friendly streets, restaurants, pet stores, retail stores and even a theatre. When I drew parallels with my own city, I realised that we still have some battles ahead of us before we experience such freedom. However, not restricting my views with rose-tinted glasses, I saw that underneath all the freedom they still had to face discrimination. Cabs refused to take the more flamboyant of the gay people and verbally abused them. Drag queens struggled to find cabs late at night after their performances and had to wait for hours. To tackle the problem, the community has recently introduced a whole new fleet of cabs catering to the queer community. It is a non-profit organisation and completely free for people who cannot afford cab fare. I’m not sure if this model will sustain in our country, but it is time we thought of what solutions could work for us. While the LGBT folk in the country can use public transport easily without revealing their sexual identity, the transgender folks are not always lucky. They manage to find transport but not without curious looks from onlookers. Though the transgender community is an accepted part of Indian culture, they’ve always remained on the fringes of our society. They are confined to looking for odd jobs and begging on streets and many end up as prostitutes with no other job alternatives. They remain at the forefront of any protest but are usually given the raw end of the deal. As we continue to wait for the SC verdict, it’s time we reflected on how to make the world a better and safer space for everybody irrespective of how we choose to express our gender and sexual identity.

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @tashu_02

@richyricha

@Actor_Siddharth

@HEROMANOJ1

Gudmorning guys ...on my way to Hyd airport now... yesterday’s evnt was nice... had fun being on stage :-).

Not getting provoked when being provoked is probably one of the best yet most challenging interpersonal skills to have.

Hoping to have tremendous support for our boys in Vizag tomorrow... I’ll be there in my new chargers jersey of course... gnite all:)

Off to Chennai for a day to meet my friends :-)) been 6 months and I miss them:) shud be back by tomorrow evening:)

@sneha_ullal

@geneliad

@shraddhadas43

@actressanjjanaa

Damn the ship is about to hit the ice berg... no matter how many times I still get sad... there cud have been a happy ending na ya..☹

Goodluck @Riteishd n d entire HF2 team, may it truly b a ‘Good Friday’ 4u making it ur 5th hit in a row☺ can’t wait 2knw d results.

Got some free time,so tried reply to as many of u my tweeps!! Back to work now!! Plz don’t feel bad if I haven’t replied to each of u! Love!

Its so easy to criticise ppl’s hardwork on twitter. Well @ d end of d day “players play and audience talk”!

Racha gets off to a flying start

am Charan, Tamannaah starrer Racha is off to a flying start at the box-office. The film which released on April 5 registered huge collections in almost all the centres. The producers of the film announced that it collected a share of Rs 8.54 crores on the first day itself making it the best opening for a Telugu film. The film had a massive release and since it is the first big starrer to hit the screens this summer, the buzz surrounding the film is even higher. Directed by Sampath Nandi, the film is a mass entertainer and Ram Charan is getting good reviews for his action in the film. N V Prasad and Paras Jain produced the film under the Mega Supergood Movies banner. Mani Sharma had composed the music and Sameer Reddy was the cinematographer.

Krishnavamsi ropes in Lucky

ucky Sharma, one of the latest entrants in Telugu cinema, has reportedly joined the cast of Krishnavamsi's upcoming film. Nani is playing the lead role in this film. Lucky Sharma had earlier signed JD Chakravarthy's All the Best which is currently in production. Apart from Lucky Sharma, the film also has Katherine Teresa in lead role. Ramesh Puppala is producing the film and Santosh Rai is the cinematographer. The film was launched a few days ago and we hear that Krishnavamsi is taking care to keep the progress of the film's shooting under wraps.

Eega makes huge buzz

S Rajamouli's upcoming film Eega is flying high these days and it has even caught the attention of the Bollywood film fraternity. Few days ago, Anurag Kashyap came across the film's trailer and couldn't stop raving about

the film and stated that it's the most awaited film of the year. With a few other filmmakers in Bollywood raving about the film, Eega has grabbed the attention of the national media as well. On Youtube, the film's trailer went viral and it got more than 5 lakh hits in

less than 5 days, much to the surprise of S S Rajamouli and his time. The film stars Nani, Samantha and Sudeep in the lead. M M Keeravani has composed the music and Senthil is the cinematographer. The film will release in Telugu and Tamil later this summer.

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @kjohar25

@MadhuriDixit1

@NeilNMukesh

@SrBachchan

Am so excited with the new phase of Dharma movies!!! While I direct SOTY am already ready with the idea of my next!!!

Trying to finalize projects. News soon. Meanwhile, website continues to develop.... check it out!

Good morning people ! Well the body clock is tuned to waking up early but need that extra sleep :). Back to work post lunch !

T 705 -Off to the Blog... another very early morning at dub for GujTourism .. more later... love to all... sleep well and a good night

@rampalarjun

@reddysameera

@realprietyzinta

@FarOutAkhtar

On route to Delhi, always look fwd to it. Going to Lap tonight, haven’t been for a while excited.

Full on rehearsals with @ganeshhegde for the 8th Pune IPL opening ! looking forward to it!!! :)

Bit of a rough start for #Kxip. Its the start,so I’m not dat worried & I’m sure the #kxip boyz will Rock ! Well played RR! Goodnight folks.

It is sad to hear the character assassination of rape victims by some police officers in Delhi. This mindset has to change!

Laughter by the dozen Another comedy from the Nadiadwala stable, Housefull 2 attempts to cash in on the popularity it achieved with the first. Does it successfully do so? The less said the better

ajid Khans sequel to the 2010 hit, Housefull, is the story of four fathers, four daughters and four prospective son-in-laws. A dozen to say the least. With this huge cast flitting in and out of the screen, story, plot and script can surely be bid goodbye. Coming back to the storyline, each father wants his daughter to marry the richest son-in-law. Each daughter thinks she is marrying the richest son-in-law. Each son-inlaw is pretending to be the richest one. None of these people can stand each other and all of them are under one roof. The ladies Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan, and Shahzahn Padamsee as usual just have to look pretty and strut around in their welltoned bodies and pretty faces. The men are as usual loud and ridiculous. Akshay Kumar , John Abraham , Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade are the wannabe son-in-laws, have meatier roles. Akshay‘s comic timing is a delight to watch and for once he will have competition from John Abraham and Riteish. Shreyas Talpade too deserves a mention. But as

Shaan praises Sreeram S

inger Shaan is all praise for the talent on music show Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar 2, but especially has high hopes from Indian Idol 5" winner Sreeram Chandra. In an upcoming episode of the Star Plus show, Shaan asks Sreeram to sing Nadaan parindey from the film Rockstar, for his first performance. "This year 'Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar' is going to be really thrilling in many ways. The contestants are very dynamic and in a battlefield to emerge as superstars," said Shaan. "I am very excited about all of them, especially Sreeram as we all have huge expectations from him. I wanted him to sing Naadan parindey as he would render it beautifully in his velvet voice," he added. Shaan is on the judges' panel with lyricist Swanand Kirkire and composer Shantanu Moitra. Sreeram, who hails from Hyderabad, says he has worked hard for his debut performance on the show. "I am extremely nervous yet excited about my first performance, especially after a song that has been recommended to me by Shaan Dada. I have done a lot of riyaaz and hope to make him proud," he said.

IANS

Movie: Housefull 2 Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Jacquleine Fernandez, Asin , John Abraham, Shreyas Talpade, Zarine Khan, Shahzahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakrabarty, Boman Irani and many more Directed by: Sajid Khan Rating:

a surprise watch for Ranjit-the rapist. Inspiration from Hollywood is definitely there. Check out the Muse (1999) for some scenes and Bollywood also has a small role in inspiring the director here. Dialogues work fine since they manage to create laughter in every weird situation, but that does not go to say it’s not hilarious. If you are looking for a good laugh and want nothing to tax your brains over, go watch it.

TMK is different from Three Times

he storyline of Shahid Kapoor-Priyanka Chopra starrer upcoming film Teri Meri Kahani seemed to be very much on the lines of Taiwanese film Three Times. But director Kunal Kohli insists there are no similarities between the two and that it’s just a coincidence. Both Shahid and Priyanka are seen in three different avatars over three time spans -- 1910, 1960 and 2012 -- in the film, akin to Three Times which features three separate love stories chronologically set in 1911, 1966 and 2005, with the same lead actors, Shu Qi and Chang Chen. The 2005 film was a hit and won several awards. However, Kohli says his film is different. "I have not seen the film (Three Times) to begin with but someone told me about it while I was making the film and I happened to read about it. But I would still say our film is com-

pletely different. It is just a coincidence," he told reporters here last evening, after unveiling the first look. "Now-a-days if you want to remake a film, you just buy the rights and make it. So if I wanted to make Three Times I would have bought the rights..so it is definitePTI ly not like that," he said.

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Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly?

he chance to play Grace Kelly in Grace Of Monaco has attracted every actress who fits the basic visual profile (plus a few who probably don’t, but might have been hoping to find a great makeup artist or borrow Andy Serkis’ performance capture suit), but they’ve all been beaten by one Nicole Kidman, who is now in negotiations to take on the role. Producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam grabbed Arash Amel’s hot script fresh off the Black List last year. And now Olivier Dahan will direct the tale of Kelly, focusing on her personal life amid the politics of the time. Born in Philadelphia to a wealthy family whose patriarch was a former Olympic gold medal rower and ran a successful business, Kelly was bitten by the acting bug early and headed to New York to study her craft. She started working in live television in the early 1950s and broke onto the big screen in a small role in 1951’s Fourteen Hours. Rising quickly to the top of many casting directors’ lists, she caught the eye of Gary Cooper, who picked her as his leading lady in High Noon. Her appeal was not lost on Alfred Hitchcock either, which led to roles in Dial M For Murder, To Catch A Thief and Rear Window. She also won an Oscar for her role in 1954’s The Country Girl. But her life changed forever at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955, when she was introduced to Prince Rainer of Monaco, leading to marriage, children and a tragic death in 1982 when she suffered a stroke while driving and crashed her car. Don’t go expecting to see all that crammed into one film. You can see why it might attract attention from actresses looking for a memorable role, and you just know that the awards buzz will begin before a frame has been shot…

Ryan Gosling to the rescue

ollywood actor Ryan Gosling has saved yet another pedestrian from harm’s way by preventing a woman from walking into oncoming traffic in New York. According to the lucky woman, who happens to be a British journalist, the actor saved her from having an accident on Wednesday, reported Us magazine. “I literally, literally just got saved from a car by Ryan Gosling. Literally. That actually just

happened,” Laurie Penny wrote on Twitter. Afterward Penny recounted the incident in an article titled, “Ryan Gosling Saved Me From a Speeding Car But There’s War In the Middle East So Everyone Calm Down” for a news and gossip blog. In August, Gosling, 31, made headlines when he singlehandedly broke up a fight between two men in NYC, who got into an altercation when one tried to PTI steal a painting.

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS sequel to shoot in Jan

hile our short attention spans may disagree, Jennifer Lawrence is actually a big part of two different franchises. While everyone is looking at her now thanks to the ridiculous success of The Hunger Games, she also starred as Mystique in Matthew Vaughn's excellent X-Men: First Class. Naturally, both movies are going to have to work together so that their schedules don't collide and considering both have sequels in development now is the time to figure when each one is going to shoot. It looks like that mystery has been solved. THR is reporting that the stilluntitled sequel to X-Men: First Class will shoot in January as to avoid the production of Catching Fire, the Hunger Games sequel. Fox has an option on Lawrence's contract saying that she has to do the X-Men sequel no matter what, even if it does conflict with another movie (which she is the actual star of). Lucky for her and us, they won't intersect.

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 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.

Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. – Anonymous

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS

1 Small bottle 5 Chi-town paper (with ‘The’) 9 Futuristic unpaid worker 14 Dividing word 15 Fill to the gills 16 Where the ancient Greeks shopped 17 Doc looked up to her 19 Dinner prayer 20 Fourth of forty 21 Need nursing 22 Word-for-word 24 ‘What ___ the odds?’ 25 ___ la la (singing syllables) 26 Words with ‘pickle,’ ‘stew’ or ‘jam’ 27 Where some may be found after a long drive 33 Determine the amount of damage 36 Barely passing grade 37 Faith and Charity's partner 38 Lab dish name 39 Fashion that doesn't last 40 Recipient of a gift 41 They're in need of refinement 42 Expression of wonderment 43 Got tight 44 Toothpick object, sometimes 47 ABA member 48 Diminutive Italian suffix 49 Whirlpool site 52 Song words before ‘Old Smokey’ 56 Sch. that's home to the Sun Devils 57 Corn holder 58 Constantly change lanes 59 Tex-Mex ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ singer 62 Not so rigid 63 Act indolent 64 College credit 65 Quill-equipped 66 Bottom-of-the-barrel find 67 Obtains DOWN 1 ‘Will ya look at that!’

spot 2 Word with ‘strength’ or ‘sanctum’ 3 Send a note of apology 4 Electric fan setting 5 Hot weather wear 6 Attack an adversary, verbally 7 Addams family cousin 8 Made a direct route (to) 9 Motley, as a crew 10 Storybook brute 11 Wild hog 12 Bicolored ocean prowler 13 Asian weight equal to about 1.3 ounces 18 1960s dance 23 ‘Bus Stop’ playwright William 27 By its very nature 28 The Gem State 29 It joins the Saone at Lyons 30 Long geologic

stretches 51 Assists, criminally 31 Fencer's foil 52 Night hunters 32 Requisite 53 Lowest high tide 33 Each, slangily 54 Shout made with a 34 Bandar ___ Begawan raised arm? (capital of Brunei) 55 Hot spot, at times 35 Daisysupporter 60 Stooge with a bowl 39 Sound of a step cut 40 Consume 61 Toupee 42 Prussia's ___ von Bismarck PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER 43 Decorates the Christmas tree, in a way 45 It can be found in the linen closet 46 Legally responsible 49 Teatime treat 50 Assume the existence of

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Aries

Taurus

Page of Cups

Ace of Wands

ork – You’ve been chosen for a coveted assignment at the office, one that requires you to be creative and think differently. Romance – A new relationship enters your life or you find a fresh spark in an existing relationship. Go with the flow. Health – You may consider starting a new health regimen, veering towards the alternative therapies. It works well for you. Money – A new job opportunity presents itself giving you the options to choose from. It may even be a freelance opportunity through which to increase your finances. Tarot message – You probably perceive the world around you differently, which is making you accept situations more readily than before.

ork – Don’t get into sticky situations with your boss. Avoid heated arguments, at least where the whole office can see you. Discuss in private. Romance – Your partner may be giving you a tough time. He/she is confused about how to take this forward. Be patient. Health – You may be taking your exercise routine a little too seriously. Chill out on yourself. You need to live a little. Money – Your finances are in control, mostly because you’re very aware of where you’ve put the monies and know what to expect from it. Tarot message – Live one day at a time. There will be the temptation to dream big and expect more – but be careful.

Gemini Ace of Cups

ork – Your mind is brimming with new ideas. The task will be to sit your boss down, get her/his full attention and get your ideas passed. Romance – Time is ripe for romance. You will be wined and dined. There will be surprises in store. In short, great time for love. Health – You have been managing to stick to the fitness routine and the results are showing on your body and also your mental outlook. Money – Work is directly related to how much money you make. Entrepreneurship is a strong possibility. Tarot message – Fertile time for the imagination. Make use of this time and enjoy the creativity that flows through you.

Cancer

Leo

Ten of Cups

ork – Group effort will make the most impossible tasks possible. Now the only trouble will be to manage your boss who thinks it’s fine to give you more work. Romance – Those married are thinking of a baby. Singles will be looking for long-term relationships and not just a one-off fling. Health – Health is closely related to happiness and this is coming from your friends and family who look after you and your likes and dislikes. Money – Creative plans work well and even bring in some extra cash. You make money from freelance projects. Tarot message – You realise the importance of having a strong foundation in family and the need for stable relationships.

Virgo

Four of Swords

Four of Wands

ork – Expect lots of changes in the coming year. This means that you may have to be prepared to work in new teams with a new role. Romance – Matters of the heart are going fine. It provided the much needed stability for you to focus on other aspects of your life. Health – The routine of exercise and the intake of fiber foods is doing you a world of good. Just keep at it. Don’t binge during the holidays. Money – You’ve locked enough money in the bank to make it possible to play with some amount in the markets. Tarot message – You’ve achieved a good balance between stability and change. You know which aspects of life to keep stable.

ork – Your work involves a physical move to another city or state to handle another project. It may be the result of a new job opportunity as well. Romance – Your commitment deepens. You have the important conversation about marriage, or, if married, having a baby. Health – You decide to take matters into your own hands and go the healthy way to create your own good health. Think alternative lifestyles and organic food. Money – Think of how you’re going to invest all the money you’ve been making. Hire a good finance consultant to show you the way. Tarot message – Your firm beliefs and solid foundation in sound principles will take you a long way.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra

Scorpio

Seven of Pentacles

Eight of Cups

ork – You feel like you’ve been there, done that. This feeling of déjà vu may be because you’re not getting any exciting new work. Romance – Though the relationship is a perfect match in the eyes of society, it may be giving you little in terms of emotional satisfaction. Health – Add lots of fruits and veggies to your diet. Watch out for the samosas with excessive oil. Eat right and you get healthy. Money – Be mindful of over-spending in the holidays. Keep track of all your bills and manage them correctly. Tarot message – You may be feeling like you’re missing something. You feel an emotional void. Don’t be in a hurry to fill it.

ork – You may be offered a promotion but think if you really want it because it may require you to work longer hours and travel more. Romance – Evaluate your current love life and take steps to improve it. You may want to opt out. Whichever way, think carefully. Health – Don’t ignore seemingly minor illnesses, even if it’s a recurring headache. Avoid popping pills. Take medical advice. Money – Your earnings will increase and it will give you more room to play the markets or increase the premium insurance pay. Tarot message – Time to take stock. This is when you need to sit with yourself and decide where to head and how to manage your life here on.

Sagittarius Queen of Cups

ork –You come across as too emotional and this may be a problem at the work place where you’re expected to show a higher EQ. Romance – This is a great time for romance. Wooing, candlelight dinners, long drives and chats late into the night make you rediscover the passion with a loved one. Health – Don’t get over-excited about anything. Take all new information coming your way with a pinch of salt. Exercise regularly. Money – Finances are looking fine because you have made your investments well and that’s how much you can do. Don’t worry about losing money. Tarot message – You make decisions based on how you feel and not so much on what you (or others) think.

Capricorn

Date 8-4-2012

Aquarius

The High Priestess

Eight of Pentacles

ork – Your boss trusts you with a new job and although you have little experience in it, you do extremely well. Romance – It’s the small things that matter in a relationship. Bring your partner flowers, cook for them or woo them again if it improves your chemistry. Health – You’re feeling slightly off balance given the demands of every other area of life. You haven’t been paying attention to your health. Money – Your loan is approved or you are able to arrange the finances you needed to start a dream project. Now, there’s no looking back. Tarot message – Live in the moment and enjoy what you do. Your choices will not feel like a burden.

ork – Avoid gossip and don’t believe everything you hear at the smoking zone or near the water cooler. The gossip monger also has much to hide. Romance – Your partner may not be giving you full details and this may cause you to build unfair expectations. Health – Accept nothing at face value. You need a second opinion. Be brave while making decisions about your health. Money – Read the fine print. Don’t sign financial documents before checking out the pros and cons from every possible angle. Tarot message – There’s an air of secrecy around you. The only way to overcome it is by following your instinct and doing what feels right.

Pisces Strength

ork – You’re in a strong position to request a raise or a promotion. Your seniors at work cannot refuse you considering the hard work you’ve put in. Romance – You meet someone through common friends and the chemistry is instant and intense. You hit it off well. Health – Your fears and concerns were unfounded. Medical tests show that you’re in good health and all you need is good company and laughter. Money – If some money was owed to you for a long time, they get paid out and all the dues are cleared. You’re in a comfortable place, financially. Tarot message – Your immense willpower and determination take you places and you overcome all odds to come out stronger.

Vol: 1, No 265 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

of Japan? 15. Where in France do the claret wines come from? 16. Who wrote Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? 17. What is mainly extracted from pitchblende? 18. Barry Allen was the alter ego of which DC comic character?

IDENTIFY THESE FORMER CRICKETERS

IDENTIFY THESE FAMOUS BETTER HALVES

He is 16 years younger to Demi Moore. In the beginning, they said that age did not play a major role in their relationship but looks like it finally did when he was caught cheating on Demi on their anniversary! can you guess the cheater we are talking about?

UNCTAD ERM GST IB

GAIL OBU

He likes to keep things personal, be it his relationship with Beyonce or even his marriage to her. He recently became a father and his daughter’s name is Blue Ivy Carter. He was born Shawn Corey Carter but he is popularly known by another name. Can you guess who he is?

TQM HVC OSD

1. Ashton Kutcher 2. Josh Duhamel 3. Jay-Z

Answers

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

Rohit Surfactants started off with humble beginnings,today it holds a 2,400 crore conglomerate business..which is its most famous product?

PICTURE PUZZLE 9 with Santosh Ghule List the different species living here

WHO AM I? He setup India’s largest private sector company called Reliance. It was the first Indian company to have been featured in the Forbes 500 list. Can you guess who the man we are talking about is?

Answer: Dhirubhai Ambani

The fifth letter of Kerala tourism has been modified and is a registered trademark. What was the modification?

STT

Answers

Which city is known as the Manchester of South India?

4. Mohinder Amarnath

2 3

Answers 1 Steve Waugh 2 Wasim Akram 3 Hansie Cronje

Which state has the maximum number of seats reserved for scheduled tribes in the Lok Sabha?

FILL IN THE CORRECT FORM OF THESE ABBREVIATIONS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

He is married to singer Fergie who is part of the band, The Black Eyed Peas. He plays an army officer in the film Transformers. Who is he?

SHORT FORM

1. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2. Exchange Rate Mechanism 3. Galileo Standard Time 4. International Baccalaureate 5. Gas Authority of India Limited 6. Offshore Banking Unit 7. total Quality Management 8. Hue-Value-Chroma 9. Officer on Special Duty 10. Security Transaction Tax

FAMOUS SPOUSES

11. Robin Williams dressed in the drag for which 1993 film? 12. Which German word means lightning war used in World War II? 13. Which chess piece could also be a member of the church? 14. What is the national flower

Answers

6. In which war was the Charge of the Light Brigade? 7. What did Jack Horner pull from his pie? 8. Who sailed in the Nina-Pinta and Santa Maria? 9. What type of acid is used in a car battery? 10. Who wrote Man in the Iron Mask?

1. Horse racing 2. Altering human beings by changing their genetic components 3.Caffeine 4 Red 5.Wear it- It’s a veil 6.Crimean War 7 Plum . Christopher Columbus 9.Sulphuric Acid 10. Alexander Dumas 11.Mrs Doubtfire 12.Blitzkrieg13. The Bishop 14.Chrysanthemum 15.Bordeaux 16. Roald Dahl 17. Uranium 18. The Flash

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 1. Epsom in England is associated with which sport? 2. What is Eugenics the study of ? 3. Which drug is present in cola drinks? 4. What colour is vermillion a shade of ? 5. What would you do with a Yashmak?

1.Madhya Pradesh 2. Coimbatore l 3 The letter L was modified into a coconut tree 4.Ghadi detergents

Two women fascinate the artist, one on the canvas and one on his face

Answers

Answer for 8:

SATURDAY APRIL 7, 2012 Richard Levi (MI), Irfan Pathan (DD)

6S 24

METRE

3 4S 85

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

HIGHEST SCORE

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

BEST BOWLER

4-18

Ashok Dinda (PWI)

CSK, BULLS LOCK HORNS We were outplayed; I got the toss wrong, Rahane played a beautiful innings. 20-30 runs more than what I thought we should have conceded. There were some positives, not saying it as a cliche, but even Rahul agrees that we had some positives coming out for us [KXIP]. Adam Gilchrist, KXIP Captain

BRIEF SCORES: PWI VS MI PWI 129/9 IN 20 OVERS (STEVEN SMITH 39, LASITH MALINGA 2/16) BEAT MI 101/9 IN 20 OVERS (DINERSH KARTHIK 32, ASHOK DINDA 4/18)

G APARNA SAI

feedback@postnoon.com

own but not out, Chennai Super Kings are set to clash with former champions (2009), Deccan Chargers in Visakhapatnam in the latter’s first match this IPL season. Having lost their previous tie to Mumbai Indians, the defending champs, CSK, would try to get all their tactics right in their bid to stop the raging bulls. Deccan Charges, on the other hand would hope to out play their rivals and begin their season on a winning note. Having had a mediocre year in the previous edition after the reshuffle, where they lost players like Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh to name a few, the Chargers would want to see a turn-around in their performance and rank way above what they did last year. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara will have to lead from the front as this is a young squad and are considered as one of the weaker

teams this IPL season. With the likes of Dale Steyn, JP Duminy, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra and Parthiv Patel, the Bulls still has the fire-power to reach the top. Opponents, Chennai Super Kings, would want to believe otherwise as another defeat could spell trouble for the team and make it difficult for them to retain their crown. Starting as favourites this season, CSK seemed lost in their previous match as they committed numerous errors which did not have any valid excuse. Dhoni’s men would surely not consider their opponents weak even though CSK seems to be a stronger team on paper. While the side is under pres-

DC VS CSK AT 8PM ON SET MAX sure to perform, million-dollarbaby, Ravindra Jadeja would have to prove the that he was worth every penny spent. With an exciting match on the cards, it remains to be seen if the Chargers have the perfect charge to hold the reins in this clash or will it be a whistle podu moment for CSK.

BRIEF SCORES: RR VS KXIP

EX-SKIPPERS’ DAY OUT

RR 191/4 IN 20 OVERS (AJINKYA RAHANE 98, JAMES FAULKNER 2/41) BEAT KXIP 160/9 IN 20 OVERS (MANDEEP SINGH 34, KEVON COOPER 4/26).

P W L T PT RR 1 1 0 0 2 PWI 1 1 0 0 2 DD 1 1 0 0 2 MI 2 1 1 0 2 KKR 1 0 1 0 0 CSK 1 0 1 0 0 KXIP 1 0 1 0 0 RCB 0 0 0 0 0 DC 0 0 0 0 0 P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points

NR 1.55 1.4 0.87 -0.16 -0.87 -1.23 -1.55 0 0

Back to the stadiums

t seems like IPL is getting back the charm it lost last season. The opening match, where most stands were empty, now seem to be telling a different story as most of stadiums are now witnessing a large turn out. Will this be the same for the rest of the event, it remains to be seen.

I DD vs RCB at 4pm on Set Max

Daredevils up for Royal Challenge D elhi Daredevils are set to take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in their second tie today in Bangalore. Emerging victorious in their previous clash against Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, Delhi would hope to capitalise on their new found confidence and thrash the Challengers on home turf. With the team having made all the right moves in their previous match, the Virender Sehwag led side is most likely to go with the same playing 11. Morne Morkel and Irfan Pathan would be expected to put up a similar show at the

Chinnaswamy Stadium as they did on Thursday. Although DD goes into this game with a lot of confidence, yet they cannot forget that they are up against a very strong team which has made it to the final on two occasions. There is a lot of arsenal in the batting line-up of RCB in the form of Virat Kholi, last year’s Orange Cap holder – Chris Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan and AB de Villiers to name a few. Their bowling department is an enviable one with the likes of Zaheer Khan, Muttiah Muralitharan and Dirk Nannes leading from the AS front.

t was certainly a day out for former ex-Indian skippers — Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid — when their respective sides won the match against their opponents. While Ganguly’s Pune Warriors India thrashed Mumbai Indians by 28 runs, Rahul Dravid led Rajasthan Royals cruised to victory against Kings XI Punjab with a comfortable 31 runs. Although Ganguly’s three runs and Dravid’s 28 cannot be termed as match winning, yet there captaincy did certainly make a difference to their teams. Ganguly who was considered as the captain who brought about aggression in the otherwise usually lethargic Indian team, showed the same amount of rigour on the field yesterday. His attitude has certainly rubbed off on his team-mates and the results were there for all to see. Dravid who has always been looked upto as a legend, on the other hand, was always considered to be the captain with a laidback approach and a complete contrast to Ganguly. But what one got to see yesterday was not the same man. Dravid led his team to victory against a strong Kings XI Punjab side. During this match he showed he was not only a player of class but a captain with a task.

PLAYER OF THE DAY AJINKYA RAHANE: This batsman from Rajasthan Royals was on the verge of scoring the first century in this edition of the IPL when a callous shot saw him getting bowled out by Faulkner on 98. Playing against the Kings XI Punjab, Rahane made a superb 98 of just 66 balls and this included one six and 16 fours (the highest number of fours as of now in this year’s IPL season). He was well supported by team-mates Rahul Dravid, Ashok Menaria and Brad Hodge. Rahane had earlier represented India in a few matches, but he could not capitalise on the given opportunities and found himself out of the team. But if this 23-year-old batsman continues playing in the IPL with performances of a similar kind like on Friday, he can be sure of getting a place again in the national side.

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Critics, will you shut up AFP/ LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI

Twelfth Man BABU KALYANPUR

he English media and a bunch of former players have sharpened theirclaws and are digging gleefully into captain Andrew Strauss. The reasons: Strauss isn’t scoring and the world’s number one team is losing everything in the eastern part of the globe. Though Strauss hasn’t reacted, he surely must be hurting inside. The architect of England’s climb to the number one spot is now becoming the villain of the team’s slide into the mediocrity. Strauss hasn’t been getting

the big runs recently. His last century came latein 2010 against Australia. Suddenly that has come into sharp focus in the media because England are not doing well. Everything was alright when England were whitewashing India at home. Strauss wasn’t scoring much then either. Strauss was then hailed as one of England’s best skippers. The typical volte-face of the so-called England’s most knowledgeable armchair critics is not surprising. They always move the way the wind blows. Most England captains and players know that. The fact is that when England became number one, the media and former players began to behave as if there was no-one else who could hold a candle to them. When they dethroned India to take the top spot, they imme-

THE TYPICAL VOLTE-FACE OF THE SO-CALLED ENGLAND’S KNOWLEDGEABLE ARMCHAIR CRITICS IS NOT SURPRISING. THEY ALWAYS MOVE THE WAY THE WIND BLOWS. diately started mocking the latter. India’s top batsmen were well past their best and Sachin Tendulkar was not as great as he was made out to be. What they failed to realise that to be number one, the team has to win consistently everywhere and not in the comfort of home. England did a great job in retaining the Ashes. But they failed to conquer the East where conditions always went against

them. The West Indies and ustralians in recent times were true number ones as they swept every opposition at home or elsewhere. Now that reality has dawned upon them that they are not invincible, a scapegoat had to be found. And who better than a captain not amongst the runs. What they have forgotten is that the captain is only as good as his team. The cold truth is England have been clueless against high quality spin bowling. The best off-spinner in the world, Saeed Ajmal, spun such a web over the English batsmen that they fell like nine pins. Now Rangana Herath, a decent spinner, has had them feeling and searching.The England batsmen’s lack of footwork and positive thinking has got them in a miserable tangle. The critics have been forget-

ting that almost the entire middle-order has joined Strauss in not scoring runs. Ian Bell has fared even more badly than his skipper recently. Strauss at least has been getting a few starts. Only Jonathan Trott and to a lesser extent Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen have got runs, though inconsistently. Strauss has earned some respite by scoring 61 in the second Test against Sri Lanka and putting England on the path of a 400-plus score. He also has he support of the people who matter most – the players and the management. But the critics won’t rest until England get back to their winning ways again. Then whether Strauss scores or not will not matter. Oh why can’t the English teach their critics to just Shut Up.

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

It’s Happy Couples Day at Augusta Fred Couples, who won his only major title 20 years ago at the Masters, stood atop the leaderboard alongside fellow American Jason Dufner

DAY 3 PAIRINGS n

n Trevor Immelman, Angel

Cabrera

Jim Slater

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA: Fred Couples, trying to become the oldest champion in major golf history at age 52, fired a fiveunder par 67 on Friday to share the lead after the second round of the 76th Masters. But World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and two stars without a major title, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, were among those only one stroke off the pace as 18 players stood within

Patrick Cantlay Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley

n Thomas Bjorn,

n Edoardo Molinari, n

n Rickie Fowler, Steve Stricker n n n

Bo Van Pelt, Robert Karlsson Ross Fisher, Anders Hansen Martin Laird, Scott Verplank

n Tiger Woods, Charl

Schwartzel n Martin Kaymer,

Leaderboard: day 2 -5 Jason Dufner 18 holes Fred Couples 18 -4 Louis Oosthuizen (South Africa) 18 Lee Westwood (Britain) 18 Sergio Garcia (Spain) 18 Rory McIlroy (Britain) 18 Bubba Watson 18 -3 Paul Lawrie (Britain) 18 Matt Kuchar 18 Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain) 18 -2 Ben Crane 18 Charles Howell III 18 Vijay Singh (Fiji) 18 Phil Mickelson 18 Peter Hanson (Sweden) 18 Aaron Baddeley (Australia) 18 Henrik Stenson (Sweden) 18 Nick Watney 18 Selected others: -1 Jim Furyk 18 E Hunter Mahan 18 Justin Rose (Britain) 18 +1 Adam Scott (Australia) 18 +2 Webb Simpson 18 +3 Martin Kaymer (Germany) 18 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 18 Tiger Woods 18 +4 Steve Stricker 18 Luke Donald (Britain) 18

Kelly Kraft

Scott

Stallings Graeme McDowell Kevin Chappell, Bae SangMoon Geoff Ogilvy, Bill Haas Stewart Cink, David Toms Webb Simpson, Kevin Na Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott

n Brandt Snedeker, n n n n n

n Francesco Molinari, Justin

Rose n Padraig Harrington, Hunter

Mahan n n n n n n

Fred Couples celebrates after completing the second round of the 76th Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Couples ended the round at five under par. AFP/ROBYN BECK

n Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh n n

three shots of the leaders at Augusta National Golf Club. Couples, who won his only major title 20 years ago at the Masters, stood atop the leaderboard alongside fellow American Jason Dufner, last year’s PGA Championship runner-up, at five-under par 139 for 36 holes. “It was a very, very magical day,” Couples said. “I’m going to be right there with everybody on the weekend.” Reigning US Open champion McIlroy of Northern Ireland, World No. 3 Westwood of England, 2010 British Open winner Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa, Spain’s Garcia and American Bubba Watson shared third on 140. “I can’t pay much attention to them. I’ve got to worry about my own game,” Couples said. “If I come out here and play my

game the best I can, I’ll have a shot.” The oldest champion in major golf history was Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship. The oldest winner in Masters history was Jack Nicklaus, who won his 18th and final major crown at age 46 at the 1986 Masters. Couples, who won two weeks ago on the 50-and-over Champions Tour, is the oldest player to lead the Masters after 36 holes, three years older than Lee Trevino when he set the old mark in 1989. “It’s a little bizarre,” Couples said of his name atop the leaderboard. Couples, playing in his 28th Masters, led after the first round in 2010 and settled for sixth. Couples made bogeys at the

first and third, birdied the par-3 fourth only to bogey the par-3 sixth, closed the front nine with three birdies in a row and closed the day with birdies at the par-5 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 18th. “I feel like I’m very competitive,” Couples said. “This is my favorite place in the world to play. I know every inch of the course. If you have that, you’re going to save shots.” Frustrated Tiger Woods, the 14-time major winner whose victory two weeks ago snapped a 28month win drought, made five bogeys, three of them on Augusta’s four par-3s, and pars on all four par-5s in firing a 75 to share 40th on 147. “If I clean those up I’m under par,” Woods said of the par-3s and par-5s. Showing no sign of his peak form, Woods was eight adrift in

Fredrik Jacobson, Ian Poulter Zach Johnson, Gary Woodland Yang Yong-Eun, Jim Furyk Jonathan Byrd, Sean O’Hair Nick Watney, Henrik Stenson Aaron Baddeley, Peter Hanson

Charles Howell, Ben Crane Miguel Angel Jimenez, Matt Kuchar Paul Lawrie, Bubba Watson

n Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia n Lee Westwood, Louis

Oosthuizen n Fred Couples, Jason Dufner

a share of 40th after matching his third-worst round in 68 Masters rounds. “I just need to play a good solid round tomorrow, cut that deficit down and get off to a good start in the final round,” Woods said. England’s World No. 1 Luke Donald fired a 73 to stand on 148, one under the cut line that claimed Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa. A total of 63 players made the cut, one off the record from 1966 and the most since 63 in 1992.

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2012

Stosur ousts Venus, enters semifinal Australia’s Samantha Stosur’s winning the match ruined the prospect of an all-Williams clash.

tosur, who turned 28 last Friday, ousted world number 87 Venus Williams with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win in the quarterfinals to set up a semi-final showdown against Serena Williams. Stosur, of the Golf Coast, was leading Galina Voskoboeva 4-2 in the first set Thursday when the match was halted because of rain. First up Friday on center court, No. 2 seed Stosur finished off Voskoboeva with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 third-round win. She was back on court less than two hours later to face Venus. “I don’t think it was the end

of the world to get out there and play this morning,” Stosur said. “Today was very different than what we’ve been playing in, so it was good to get used to the conditions. I would have preferred not to play two three set matches, but nevertheless, I’m happy to be through.” Serena reached the semifinals on Friday when injurycursed Sabine Lisicki quit their last-eight clash in floods of tears. The American fifth seed was 5-1 ahead in the first set when Lisicki — whose career went into a tailspin in 2010 when an injury left her barely able to

Magpies outfly Swans

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Newcastle United’s Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse celebrates after winning their English Premier League football match against Swansea City. AFP/ GLYN KIRK

SWANSEA: Cisse has proved an inspired signing by Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, who paid £10 million to sign the unheralded forward from German club Freiburg in the January transfer window, and he underlined his growing value by firing the Magpies into fifth place. Newcastle are now just two points behind fourth placed Tottenham after the 26-year-old struck once in each half to take his goal tally to nine in eight matches. If Cisse can maintain that kind of prolific form, Newcastle, who have won their last four matches, could still clinch a surprise place in the Champions League. They could do with a favour from local rivals Sunderland, who host Spurs on Saturday, while sixth placed Chelsea would go back above Newcastle with a win against Wigan this weekend. “It’s a fantastic win for us. It wasn’t a brilliant performance but we have quality in the right areas,” Pardew told Sky Sports. “That’s nine goals now for Papiss. He has been brilliant and he was our best player here. “He has got a fantastic pedigree. This was a boy that scored goals in the Bundesliga. There is no mystery about him.

Papiss Demba Cisse kept Newcastle in the hunt for a top four finish as his brilliant brace sunk Swansea 2-0

walk — retired after falling and hurting her ankle. Stosur posted her first career win over Venus after losing four straight — all in straight sets, including three on clay. Stosur hammered four aces, won 61 percent of her first-serve points and saved eight-of-12 break point opportunities. “It’s only one win compared to I don’t know how many times she’s beaten me, five or six, but of course I’m very, very happy to have beaten Venus now,” Stosur said. “It’s always a good challenge coming up against the players you’ve never beaten.”