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

P16&17 Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

REMEMBERING THE FORGOTTEN TWIN? The first of our series on Secunderabad, a haven of heritage and culture. REPORT ON PG 6

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY SPELLS; 34°C

FLASH

GA PO NG ETS ST & AS MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012 HYDERABAD

On Friday, Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch died at the age of 47. The Beastie Boys were part of a pioneering group of Rap artists in the 80s who broke the shackles of rock and pop. Their lyrics swung from political and social commentaries to hedonistic and violent. But what can’t be denied is that poetry is at the heart of Rap. Here are 10 artists who helped Rap reach the pantheon of genre gods

32 PAGES

CLINTON SLAMS PAK INACTION US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Pakistan has not done as much as US and India wanted it to do to fight terrorism in reply to a question on what was the next big target of the US.

Page Two

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

SWEET AMBITIONS

Documentary time

M ANIL KUMAR

The documentary Her name is Sabine will be shown at Lamakaan on May 8. The documentary is based Sabine Bonnaire, the autistic sister of the french actress Sandrine Bonnaire. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: May 8, 7pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

European film festival A European Film Festival organised by A delegation of the European Union and the embassies of the EU Member States in India from May 10 to May 20 will be held at Alliance Francaise. Where: Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills, Rd No3 When: April 10 onwards, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 4483

Etching prints A group exhibition of etching prints by various talented artists such as Anjani Reddy,Atin Basak,Chippa Sudhakar, Hanumantha Rao, Krishna Reddy and Mahesh Prajapathi is being held. The group exhibition will be on display till May 15. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

Yoga Camp The third part of a series of seven days yoga camp will be held by Yoga Healing Foundation in Yousufguda.The last part of the Yoga Camp will be held in Saroornagar from May 20. Where: Krishnakanth Park, Yousufguda When: May 13 onwards, 5.15 am onwards Contact: 98489 92354

The awakening A painting exhibition titled Buddha — The awakening will be held at Iconart gallery. The exhibition which was inaugurated on May 6 will be on display . Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No12 When: May 7 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Temps D’Arret Temps d’arret, a hip hop contemporary performance by famous french dancer Miguel Nosibor is being held by Alliance Francaise, Hyderabad in collaboration with

CINEMAS

Andhra Pradesh Tourism on May 9. Where: Taramati Baradari, Gandipet When: May 9, 7.06pm onwards Contact: (040) 2352 0172

Grill festival Head to the grill festival to sample various grilled delicacies. Thats not all. Along with sampling some great food you can avail a 35 per cent off as it is the anniversary of the restaurant. Where: The Grill Room, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6557 7722

Summer encounter Summer is a great time for food and fun. Head to Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills for Summer Sundae encounters. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Every Sunday Contact: (040) 6666 1070

Solo painting exhibition Ramakanth’s Solo Painting Exhibition which deals with the loneliness of the long distance runner is being held at Muse Art Gallery, Hyderabad Marriott. The

exhibition features works which include oil - on - canvas, acrylics and mixed media paintings. Where: Hyderabad Marriott, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks. The workshops are being held at three different places in the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: May 14 onwards, Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Scrabble workshop If those long words leave you confused but you still have the inclination to excel at scrabble. Head to Saptaparni for a scrabble workshop for kids in the age group of 8-14. Where:Saptaparni, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 10am-12pm, Contact: (040) 6666 7707

Cricket frenzy Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas paying ode to the IPL teams and their spirits. Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Mocha Express — Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 23350144

Artistic strokes A painting exhibition titled Twinkle is being held at Inspire Art Gallery. The exhibition features artwork by R Usha Vinod and B Usha Kumar. Where: Inspire Art Gallery, Hyderguda When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 3062 8447

Painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Lalu Shaw is being held at Shrishti Art Gallery. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

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

Hyper Local

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Ingenious car fraud gang in City A resident of Secunderabad, T Sainath, is charged with forming a gang of five and duping many travel and car rental agencies before he was hauled in by the North Zone Task Force

CRIME Mohd subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

raud has myriad faces, but the one that the North Zone Task Force met recently has a novelty that shows crooked ingenuity to defraud car rental and travel agencies. A native of Secunderabad, Tandava Sainath is just 30 years of age and has studied till Class XII, but he learnt the loopholes in law and earned a business acumen very fast. After working with many private agencies in different capacities, Sainath wanted to make enough to start his own business. One of the methods that he followed was taking expensive cars on monthly rental from travel or car rental agencies and mortgage them with private people after making fake RC books with

Tandava Sainath the help of an RTA agent. Deputy Commissioner of Police Ch Ramchander who finally nailed Sainathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gang explained how this network came into being. The fraud was possible only with the aid of an RTA broker who helped them with spurious RC book. Sainath used to take only expensive cars like Innova, Swift, i20 and pawn them to private people or small enterprises who find mortgaged cars more cost-effective than shelling out `10-`12 lakh for each vehicle. As the single man

The seized cars operation was slow, Sainath got together with three more â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Suresh Naidu of Bollaram, Sohail of Towlichowki and Afsar from the Old City. John Babu of Trimulgherry who is a seasoned

RTA agent also helped. The scheme, Ramchander explained, was that each would hire two or more vehicles at a time, pool them and mortgage them to gullible private companies or indi-

viduals who needed luxury cars. This would bring in a considerable sum and once they got a large sum, they could disappear and live elsewhere. The scheme began well but inbetween they encountered a problem. One of the two Innovas that Afsar hired met with an accident at Warangal. It was then the enquiry revealed bogus RC book and number. That gave police the lead to the gang. Surprisingly, the West Zone Task Force, which had been the first to lay their hands on him in August for a case of multiple finances on the same vehicle failed to crack the racket, else the network could have been busted last year itself. Police managed to arrest Sainath who lives in Indira Nagar colony, Lothkunta in Secunderabad, but the others in the team managed to give police the slip. Several cars have been seized and more investigations are on.

Hyper Local

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Boulevard of death? The long smooth stretch that is the Necklace road adjoining Hussain Sagar Lake is an adrenaline ride for young bikers, who seem indifferent to the dangers and risks involved

NEWS BRIEFS Tension at JNTU as staff bars students

ild tension prevailed at JNTU main entrance this morning when the security did not allow students and parents into the campus, where the annual convocation is being held today. This led to protests by parents and students who had come in large numbers to attend the convocation. The protestors alleged that the security of the varsity did not allow them inside the hall despite having invites and passes. They staged a dharna in front of the gate and demanded that they be allowed inside.

Illegal organ trade racket busted

he Punjagutta police arrested a two member gang involved in an organ trade racket on Saturday. E Rajendra Kumar, 55, a resident of Khairatabad and S Venkata Srinivasa Rao, 42, a resident of Prakasam district conned S Yadagiri, 25, to donate his kidney as he was in dire need of money. They promised Yadagiri `5 lakh. On getting a tip off, a team led by West zone task force inspector Khaleel Basha caught the duo in Ameerpet and handed them over them to Punjagutta police.

Man crushed to death by water tanker Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

ince the past few years, Necklace Road has been witness to a number of road accidents and fatalities thanks to rash and negligent driving. The long, empty stretches of Necklace Road, surrounding the Hussain Sagar lake, offered the perfect venue for youngsters to burn rubber on tarmac. Thankfully, due to the recent initiatives taken up by the Lake Police department, the road leading from the Indira Gandhi circle on Necklace road to Sanjeeviah park is now closed at night, thereby restricting and prohibiting vehicles, especially motorbikes from plying. Inspector of the Lake Police department, Srinivas Rao said, “A lot of youngsters, who are

Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO: HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints

198 155313

POLICE CONTROL ROOM: Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY: General Complaints Breakdown Section

155333 23431178 23431179 MUNICIPAL CORPORATION: Commissioner & Spl Officer 23262266

there were 72 non fatal often too young accidents and 15 deaths to drive, tend to on Necklace Road. sneak out with Despite the presence of their vehicles at signboards that restrict night. The Hussain Sagar speeds above 40 kmph, Necklace Road youngsters are seen was host to many zooming away at more of their “drag than 100 kmph speeds. races” where Soundarya G, a resiyoungsters would dent of Somajiguda who race each other at was witness to an accibreakneck speeds dent says, “By driving and perform all rashly, they put not only sorts of unsafe stunts on the roads. Almost their lives but pedestrians at every week, we had two to three danger too. Last year, I was witaccidents or casualties. ness to a youngster’s death. He However, we have now resorted went too fast and could not to shutting off the road for negotiate the curve on Necklace vehicular traffic at night so the Road station and died because number has gone to down to of injuries to his head.” Furthermore, the roads at zero.” According to police statis- the Jalavihar and Ohris tics, 2011 saw 26 accidents Restaurant stretch are always including six deaths. In 2010, filled with sand. Improper light-

24166666R ENC 23225267 Engineering 23220418 MCH Tankbund 23225397 Emergency MCH Circle I&II 24525842 MCH Circle III 24736912 MCH Circle IV 23326975 MCH Circle V 23326976 MCH Circle VI MCH Complaints 1100 Head Office 23225397 IVRS CUM MANUAL ENQUIRY PHONE NUMBERS (TRAIN & RESERVATION) RAILWAYS Rail Nilayam 27833169, 27824216 Railway Information 131 Reservations 135 Recorded Information 1345 Enquiry (IVRS) 1331, 1332, 1333

WATER SUPPLY: Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL: General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospitals, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital,

ing and the presence of huge boulders on the roads make for a perfect death trap. Despite all of this, youngsters, in the prime of their youth, have no qualms about playing with death at night. Aditya Chander, a regular at drag races says, “Despite the dangers involved, it still feels great to be driving at 120 kmph. If so many youngsters are inclined towards bike racing, why can’t we be given a place to prove our mettle? It is a much encouraged sport in the West and enjoys a lot of patronage.” Thanks to the measures taken by the Lake Police and the Traffic Police, the vehicular movement on Necklace Road is now sparse and peaceful during the nights. However, the longevity of the measures taken remains to be tested.

LB Nagar 155313 23307328 23313163 27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666

BLOOD BANKS: Blood Bank,Narayaguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills

39879999 27567892 23559555 23226624 27633087 27035588 27550238 30799999 30418296 30417445

AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332

water tanker belonging to GHMC crushed an unidentified man to death at Red Hills this morning. According to Nampally sub inspector M Kistaiah the incident took place at 8.30am. According to the police, the victim came under the rear wheels of the water tanker which was coming from Ayodhya junction and died on the spot. "The man must have been in an inebriated condition. We have registered a case under 304A of Indian penal code and investigating the case," he said.

PCC chief to tour districts before bypolls

PCC B Satyanarayana will tour election bound districts of the State from May 8. The five-day tour will involve addressing public gatherings. On May 9, the PCC chief and CM Kiran Kumar Reddy will jointly address a public meeting in Payakaraopeta.

AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999

UK Visa Office VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum

24523211 232431300/7641 24521029

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

Hyper Local

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

AP fails to set up trauma care centres; funds stopped POLITICS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

he State government has failed to fully utilise the Central funds for the health sector. Two glaring examples were found in the medical and health department where funds were stopped by the Centre in a trauma care project, and now, the popular Arogyasri project has been hit. The objective of providing basic life support and emergency care in the golden hour, that is, the first hour of the injury, still remains unachieved even after a lapse of over three to five years after the project was commissioned. This is after the necessary financial sanctions have been given by the government of India. A report in this regard has been submitted to the State government by a committee of experts.

The latest now is that the Union minister for health Ghulam Nabi Azad has refused to fund the Arogyasri scheme in the AP as the scheme was not being implemented at the expected levels. The Centre envisaged a scheme for developing a network of Trauma Care Centres to provide emergency treatment to accident victims. This was to provide emergency facilities for the hospitals treating accident victims on national highways. The grant from the Centre is to be used for civil works, equipment, manpower, communication systems, training, legal assistance depending on the level of up gradation and level of a particular hospital. Seventeen hospitals were selected for the upgradation with `125.25 crore and up to August 2011 an amount of `49.08 crore has been released by the centre for this project. The committee observed that civil works were completed only in seven hospitals and delays

APPSC postpones exams

ranged from months to years. In seven out of the 17 hospitals construction was not completed and in some places the land was not identified for the construction, In Anantapur, Srikakulam, Guntur, Adilabad and other areas the trauma care centres were delayed. As a part of the second installment, the centre released funds to the extent of `76.17 crore towards purchase of equipment and infrastructure to these trauma centres. But the procurement was not done properly. Except Kurnool Government Hospital no other hospital could utilised these funds for the procurement of equipment meant for the trauma care. The committee observed that the Andhra Pradesh Health and Medical Housing and infrastructure development corporation (APHMHIDC) was ineffective in speedy procurement and supply of equipment to the trauma care centres. Most of the funds remained unspent.

ndhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) chairman Rachel Chatterjee has announced that the Paper I and Paper II examinations for recruitment of degree lecturers, slated to be held today, have been postponed. She announced that the next examination date would be declared shortly. Candidates were put to confusion for some time as the examination question papers did not reach the centres in time, as a result the Paper I examination commenced late. It was announced that the Paper II examination, which was slated to be held today, has been cancelled. The examination was held in eight centres in the City. The candidates have obstructed conducting of the Paper I at two centres. Following this, APPSC said that Paper I and II have been postponed. Candidates launched a protest in front of the APPSC office following the postponement. The police took some agitated candidates into custody. As a result, tension prevailed at the APPSC office. AGENCY

The Kerala connection

COMMUNITY Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

here are more than six lakhs Keralites in the City. However they still miss the scenic splendours of God’s Own Country. Many Keralites in the City have adopted the Hyderabadi culture. There are nearly 30 associations of the community in the City. All these communities work to promote the traditions and culture of Kerala. Kerala Samajam, a 70year-old association is the

oldest. There are many other associations such as Kerala Handlooms association, Malanadu Organisation, Kairali Samajam, Maitri, Sri Narayana Educational and Cultural Society, Samakya, Malanadu Cultural Association,Nair Service Society, Naveena Samskarika Kala Kendram, Federation of All Malayalees Association of AP in Twin Cities and Kerala Brahmin’s Association Girls from the community are into either into nursing or teaching. Men from the community

are into pharmaceuticals, army or business profession. Most of the families reside in AS Rao Nagar, RK Puram and Malkajgiri areas of the City. “Other than the scenic beauty and the weather of Kerala there is not much difference in Hyderabad. There are so many Kerala food joints in the City which serve authentic Kerala food,” said, Binoy Jacob, a executive at Bioderma. Many old timers believe that there is a lot of change from the time of Chandra Babu’s government. “During his regime, many Malayalees served the government on higher posts but now the scenario is different. There is political turmoil and we rarely get any kind of support from the government,”said Sandeep Nair, resident of Nampally. Some of the prominent Malayalees who served the government include top IAS officers, the chief electoral officer M Narayan Rao, Pattom Thanupillai and K C Abraham who have served as governors of the State.

Subscribe Today!

1 Year

` 349/-

Subscription Offer

6 Months Hyderabad’s first afternoon newspaper

040 - 4067 2222 subscription@postnoon.com

` 199/-

Hyper Local

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Remembering the forgotten twin? In the first of our series on Secunderabad, the once popular suburb, we take a look at what forced it into the background and why it resisted the IT boom and continues to retain its charm. N SHIVA KUMAR

Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

yderabad may be known for its rich Nizami culture, biryani, Charminar, Laad Bazaar, elaborate structures, its labyrinth network of bylanes and the works. But Secunderabad, it’s more sedate and proper twin, has always been a stark contrast. Originally home to the British troops, back in the 19th century, it still has traces of its colonial past with its large community of army and Anglo Indian families. In fact, even today when you venture towards this part of town you’re bound to be struck by its somewhat quaint and quieter culture that welcomes you with open arms and grows on you. Not too long ago, Secunderabad was where all the action was. Home to one of Hyderabad’s oldest clubs and numerous gardens, it was where some of the best New Year bashes, Dandiya dos and May Queen Balls took place. It had some of the best schools, cinemas and shopping centres. But as the IT boom took over a large part of Hyderabad and the City began to expand its limits with hordes of migrants making a beeline to the newer and swankier side of town, this ‘proper’ twin faded into the background, with just the old timers continuing to swear by its charm. Although it still has some pretty good schools and hospitals to its credit, the area leaves much to be desired in terms of entertainment options. While its old world charm and open areas still lure people in-

‘Need quality education’ L

ok Satta Party president Dr Jayaprakash Narayana has opined that providing quality education has posed a serious problem not only in India but also the world over. He was speaking as a chief guest at the inauguration of Live Parenting Tele School organisedby Vestan. He also lamented that talented teachers were not joining the profession. He said that the government and private schools were concentrating only on uniforms instead of concentrating on the requirement of proper teaching. He appealed to the government, political parties and society to concentrate to providing quality education to bring out the talents from student. ^dbk`v

to making it their home, when it comes to letting their hair down or going to a fine dining restaurant, people would rather head towards Banjara or Jubilee Hills. “The basic infrastructure is missing in Secunderabad. Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills and the areas towards Madhapur have a lot

more new constructions, wider roads and entertainment options. Secunderabad is more business oriented than entertainment oriented. So every time we want to party or eat out, driving towards one of these areas is inevitable. They have a wide variety to choose from,” says Gurishab Singh, a businessman who has lived in Secunderabad for 26 years. The fact that most new places cater to the IT crowd and consequently choose areas closer to the IT hub also draws people to this side of town. “Earlier when the City hadn’t developed much, Secunderabad met most of our entertainment needs. We had good

Since the IT boom, most of the action has shifted towards Hitech City. Most good establishments would rather set up there, because it’s where the demand is. Siddharth Shetty, Finance professional

f`lkf`=`fqv St John’s Church

ecunderabad was one of the earliest colonised cities and as a result it has quite a few stately churches that were constructed in the pre-independence era. St John’s Church in Maredpally is one such church. It is the oldest church to be built in the Twin Cities. The Church of St John, the Baptist was built way back in 1813 to facilitate the spiritual needs of the British soldiers stationed in Secunderabad. Presently, the Church is under the denomination of the Church of South

Aishwarya Yerra Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We take a look at the various places that make this City so special

India. The large white church is the place of worship to a substantial Angilican population in the City. During the Sunday mass, the church is filled with people and one can see them standing even outside the church. The cruciform shaped church, earlier has a pipe organ that is played during parade services on Sundays. The iconic church has seen the changing face of Secunderabad and continues to witness the tides of change.

theatres like Sangeet and Anand to go to for our dose of entertainment or Alligator for a round of bowling or snooker. But ever since the IT boom, most of the action has shifted towards Hitech City. Most good establishments would rather set up there, because it’s where the demand is. Besides, when you head out for a movie with friends, you don’t just watch a movie. There’s some window shopping to do, coffee to catch up on etc. Even the gaming centres there offer you multiple options like a pub in the premises etc,” says Siddharth Shetty, a finance professional. Be it getting a new hairdo, watching a movie, hitting a night club or even shopping, Hyderabad is where most of the action is. “Although I’ve lived in Secunderabad all my life, if I had to get a hair cut or catch up with friends, I’d pick a place in Banjara Hills or Jubilee Hills as they have the more upmarket and popular salons and restaurants,” says Angelica Jayant, an analyst, adding, “while Secunderabad continues to be a haven for people who like having their space and stay away from the City’s commotion, it wouldn’t hurt to have a mall or two this side of town.” But no matter what it lacks, Secunderabad continues to remain most people’s preferred residential destination. “In terms of residing, I couldn’t dream of living anywhere else. Secunderabad is peaceful, has less traffic and provides the space to walk on the street without the fear of being run over. The area has its own culture and charm that I wouldn’t want to give up on,” says Siddharth. DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

CNG to rule the City INNOVATION Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

L EDUCATION

HEALTH Millennium Dental Clinic, film nagar main road, opp: cafe melange, jubilee hills, HydPh: 040-31000889

SEMINAR To Get Guidance and free solutions for all your problems connect with angels. To join this new world of meditation attend angel therapy workshop. For registration: 9393858950 www.turya.co.in

79 DAYS TO GO P 30

ast year saw the price of petrol increase more than five times. Worried about a further hike in petrol prices, many citizens are now shifting from petrol to gas-powered vehicles. The gas kit costs anything from `20,000 to `25,000 and most car owners consider this investment as a saving in the years to come. “As the petrol prices are increasing nearly every month, I decided to shift to CNG. I had to invest in the kit but I consider this one time investment as a long term saving,” says Aishwarya Subramanian, a Deloitte employee. In the last one year, dealers have installed more than thousand kits, every month. “Suddenly this has become a new trend. I have been in this business for six years now but this year we made the maximum profit. In April and May, we received many orders. Each customer had a different reason for shifting to CNG from petrol,” says Kalyan Chakraborty, a gas kit distributor. Gas station owners agree that there has been an increase in the number of gas vehicles in the City. Incidentally, gas stations in the City were established in 2011. Initially, the City had only four CNG stations but in the last one year the

number of gas stations has doubled. “Earlier people were scared to convert to CNG, but now things have changed. We see many people changing their petrol vehicles into gas. The number has been increasing more than 30 per cent each year. Increasing petrol price is the sole reason. With 1kg gas they can travel for more than 60 kms which is double of what petrol gives,” says KV Srinivas, dealer, KVS Service station. Hindustan Petroleum, in collab-

oration with Bhagyanagar gas stations, are the sole suppliers of gas to the entire City. Srinivas further adds that there is a shortage of gas in the City, hence they are unable to open any more stations. “I bought my car in Delhi and there getting gas was an easy option but here it’s a tedious task. It is so difficult to fill gas, we were told that by the end of last year there will be 50 gas stations but I don’t see any in the City,” complains Sekhar K, an

Compulsion or interest? EDUCATION Sukriti Sen and Pruthvi Ramesh feedback@postnoon.com

one are those days when parents asserted that their kids become doctors or engineers. The tide is changing and so are the courses that universities now offer. Their focus is to cater to students’ interests rather than abide by the rule book. Where initially obtaining a B.Com degree was the norm, it eventually paved the way for competitive courses like Engineering and Medicine, which became the most popular courses to pursue in the last decade. They were considered the most respectable jobs in society. Even parents got into the engineering and medicine rat race and pushed their children along, regardless of their area of interest. In fact, the City is crowded with too many engineering colleges and it also has the highest number of applicants for competitive exams like AIEEE and Eamcet every year. However, the tide is now changing with students preferring courses in their areas of interest

Number of colleges offering these courses Mass Communication and Journalism

Animation

Psychology

Humanities

Hyderabad’s new obsession — gas vehicles. Most citizens are now converting their vehicles into gas, not because they want to ape other metros but because they want to save money advertising professional. Not just cars but a large number of auto drivers are also converting their auto rickshaws into gas. “Earlier I was apprehensive about the change, but now I love my gas auto, the pick up is good and I get more mileage. I would suggest that all auto drivers switch to gas than harass customers for extra money,” said Vijay Kumar, an auto driver. Environmentalists in the City also believe that this is a good move and that the government should increase the number of gas stations. “People switching to gas-run vehicles is a big move. Now the government needs to take quick decisions and constantly develop gas bunks, this will bring a better change. In cities like Delhi all autos and other public transport run on CNG. In Hyderabad diesel autos run within City limits which is very dangerous and the government should change that first,” says Jay Prakash Naburu, an environmentalist. over the herd mentality. Even colleges that have now begun offering these courses are now seeing a rise in the number of students opting for them vis-a-vis the large number of engineering seats going vacant in the last few years. Courses like psychology, mass communication, animation, humanities, etc are becoming increasingly popular. “I am a second year Animation student. The course is one of its kind; unique and interesting. It gives us an exposure to a totally different world of creativity and art where talent and expression is important. There are a lot of people opting for this,” says Swapnil Kumar, a student. Apart from just offering courses, many colleges also arrange for guest lectures and internships, to help give their students hands-on experience. This also gives them an edge over their contemporaries. “Animation is a course that is specifically designed to have the flexibility that allows you to make films and games. A huge number of students are opting for this course,” says Bhaskar Rao, animation lecturer, Loyola Academy. It does not really matter whether you are a Arts student or an engineer. All that matters is the fact that how well you do in your graduation rather than what stream you are graduating in.

100 YEARS OF INDIAN CINEMA

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE PIONEERS

Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

he evolution of Indian cinema was no child’s play. Right from the days of bioscope cinema to huge studios to producing films indigenously, the birth of Indian cinema was a result of a handful of visionaries who put everything on the line to make their dreams come true. Hiralal Sen, Dadasaheb Phalke, V Shantaram and Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu were some of the pioneers whose contribution to Indian cinema led to bigger and better things. Cinema came to India as early as 1896, but it wasn’t until the mid-1900s that several Indians began making short films. Hiralal Sen is however considered to be one of the earliest Indian filmmakers. Back then, most of the movie making and screening equipment had to be sourced from London or Paris. Hiralal’s tryst with cinema began in 1898 when he first watched a short film called The Flower of Persia and was so impressed with the medium that he bought an Urban Bioscope from Warwick Trading Company in London to make

his own short film. Before Dadasaheb Phalke even came in to the limelight, people like Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu, Dadasaheb Torne were already making movies. In fact, Venkaiah Naidu even toured to places like Burma (erstwhile Myanmar) to screen his films. He was the first to build a cinema hall in Madras and set up a distribution network in South India to screen American, British and later Indian films. Eventually, he produced the first Telugu film Bheeshma Pratigna in 1921 which earned him the title Father of Telugu Cinema. In 1912, Dadasaheb Torne made Pundalik, which was the first Indian film; however, a year later Dadasaheb Phalke directed the first full-length motion picture, Raja Harishchandra. Dadasaheb Phalke was on the verge of going bankrupt by the time the film was released, but it was his vision which came to his rescue at the end of the day. People came to see the film in droves and silent films became quite popular with the masses. No one would have thought that films would give theatre such stiff competition in the early

Indian cinema wouldn’t have been the same without the contribution of pioneers like Dadasaheb Phalke, V Shantaram and Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu to name a few. We pay a tribute to some of those visionaries

decades of the 20th century. V Shantaram, who entered film production in the late 20s, made a significant contribution to Indian cinema. He established the Prabhat Film Company in 1929 and made several Marathi films before he set up one of the biggest film studios, Rajkamal Kala Mandir in Mumbai. Following the release of Ardeshir Irani’s Alam Ara in 1931, H M Reddy went on to direct the first talkie pictures in both Telugu (Bhakta Prahalada) and Tamil (Kalidas). Before Madras had its film processing labs and studios, most of the production used to happen either in Mumbai or Calcutta. But it all changed by the mid-1940s when Moola Narayana Swamy established Vauhini Studios and AV Meiyappan set up AVM Productions. By the time India had become independent, the country already had a fullfledged film industry of its own. The Hindi film industry saw the rise of icons like Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Chetan Anand, Mehboob Khan in the 50s and around the same time, the Bengali film industry found its own icon in Satyajit Ray. Each one of them had a deep impact

on Indian cinema and more than anything they are considered to be the inspiration for hundreds of filmmakers thereafter. Satyajit Ray, Bimal Roy, Mrinal Sen and Ritwik Ghatak were at the forefront of evolution of parallel cinema in India. In later years, filmmakers like K Balachander and Balu Mahendra set a new standard for South Indian filmmakers in terms of exploring new themes for films. The Telugu film industry had its own set of influential figures like KV Reddy, BN Reddy, LV Prasad, K Vishwanath, D Ramanaidu among several others. The 80s saw the rise of Mani Rathnam and Ram Gopal Varma in Tamil and Telugu film industries respectively. The Malayalam film industry wasn’t far behind either, although its golden age began in the 70s. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Bharathan, Padmarajan, John Abraham and Shaji N Karun deserve credit for making Malayalam cinema what it is today. It is no coincidence that most of these filmmakers went on to make classics in their era and it’s their legacy and hard work which has strengthened the foundations of Indian cinema.

16,564.23 264.78

5,003.65 83.20

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `29,400

GOLD

1kg= `56,500

SILVER

`53.36

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

Tough times for banking Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

he banking sector is struggling to grow with the increase in non-performing assets (NPA) quarter after quarter. Stress in the economy, particularly in sectors like aviation, metals, real estate, textiles and even agriculture and export based industries have been responsible for growth in NPAs which have led to higher provisioning expenses for the banks, denting their profitability. Higher interest rates have compounded the effect making it difficult for the bank’s borrowers to repay on time. The increases in NPAs have been relatively much higher for the public sector banks. Private sector banks, however, have been able to restrict the rise in their NPAs on back of relatively prudent lending. The banks have also had to resort to large restructuring in the last one year either by lowering the interest rates or increasing the loan tenures for private borrowers. State electricity boards have piled up huge losses in recent years and have been the major contributor to the restructuring books of banks, said Varun Varma, Analyst, Angel Broking. Ever since the inflation levels stated rising, the repercussions have been felt in the banking sec-

iGATE removes Patni from brand name

iGATE BANGALORE: Corporation today announced its new brand name as ‘iGATE’. The name ‘Patni,’ representing Patni Computer Systems Limited, a majority owned subsidiary, has been removed from its brand identity. Unveiling the brand, Phaneesh Murthy, CEO, iGATE said, “This brand change is in line with our vision of ‘one company’ that will follow the successful delisting offer process of Patni with the Indian stock exchanges.” “With a revenue run rate of over a billion dollars and over 27000 employees, the new iGATE symbolises a young and vibrant brand representing the merits of a fully integrated entity. Equipped with an innovative mindset of a game-changer, iGATE will engage with global customers to deliver highimpact outcomes through our proprietary iTOPS framework”, he said in a statement. PTI

tor. RBI has increased the interest rates 13 times in the last two years to curb inflation. The bankers also increased their lending rates by 300-400 basis points over this period which made it extremely difficult for companies to service their debt leading to increase in defaulters. However, recent repo rate cut by 50 basis points have led to most banks decreasing their base rates by 25 basis points. This move is

expected to lower the lending rates further on , if they are in a position to lower their deposit rates also. The banks are not in immediate position to reduce their deposit rates, fearing a fall in the deposits, which they are already struggling to attract. If the banks decrease their interest rates on loans without reducing their deposit rates, they will have to sacrifice their margins, Varma said.

Banks are also facing a challenge in attracting deposits that are going to tax benefit saving schemes. If a tax payer puts his deposit at an interest rate of 10 per cent, after paying tax he would only get 7-9 per cent interest depending on his marginal tax rate, where as the effective interest rate would be higher in other saving schemes which provide tax benefits. Talking about the future of the sector, he said, decrease in inflation is expected to be the main driver of growth of the banking sector. The monsoons have to be at the right time and adequate, otherwise there will be further rise in inflation due to increase in food prices. Inflation can further increase if diesel prices get deregulated. However, the comforting factor has been the dip in inflation levels over the past 3-4 months particularly the manufacturing inflation. Lower inflation in the periods to come should help increase the savings rate including the deposit growth rates, and lower the savings-investment gap which is being currently plugged by the high current account deficit. Also, as interest rates trend down, lower interest servicing cost for the bank’s borrowers should aid in improving the asset quality for the banking sector, Varma concluded.

Chinese dumping steals sunshine from Indian solar tech companies NEW DELHI: India’s National Solar Mission may be offering huge opportunities to global players but the domestic solar industry is bleeding owing to poor policy and stiff competition from foreign companies, especially the Chinese. The NSM, launched in 2010, it sets a target of 1,100 MW during the phase I by 2013 and 20,000 MW of installed solar generation by 2022. The picture looks rosy when one looks at the growth of the solar energy market in India in the last two years and the vast potential the sector offers due to an abundance of sun (a good 300 solar days annually). New solar energy investments in India increased to more than `12,000 crore in 2011, according to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water. But things have become gloomy for the domestic industry, which is unable to catch up with global players, who get incentives

`86.01

POUND MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012 9 NUMEROLOGY

3.32

million

customers have been added by Idea Cellular as it has emerged as the biggest gainer of mobile number portability (MNP) service, followed by Vodafone and Bharti Airtel.

THUS SPAKE “At all-India level only about 0.4 per cent of rural households had access to Internet at home as compared to about 6 per cent of urban households,” National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) report

SENSEX PLUNGES The BSE benchmark Sensex plunged nearly 290 points in early trade on Monday, extending losing streak for the fourth straight session, on sustained selling by funds amid a weak trend on other Asian bourses. The 30-share barometer, which had lost over 488 points in the last three sessions, plunged further by 289.85 points, or 1.72 per cent, down at 16,541.23 points with banking, realty, capital goods, metals and auto stocks leading the fall. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty dipped below psychological 5,000 points level to trade 91.15 points down, or 1.79 per cent, to 4,995.70 points.

RUPEE SLIDES

like subsidies for exporting their products. China is dumping solar products in the market the world over at much cheaper rates and many countries are coming up with anti-dumping guidelines to give an edge to their domestic companies. “There is massive potential for solar energy in India with over 30 percent of population still having no access to electricity. The government came up with the solar mission but unfortunately it

remained silent on what role Indian solar companies can play,” Ajay Prakash Srivastava, president of Solar Energy Society of India, said. The ministry agrees that the manufacturing in India has suffered. “I understand the manufacturing industry has suffered quite a bit and it’s a weak area in the mission,” said Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary in the ministry of new and renewable energy, the nodal agency to run the NSM. IANS

The rupee declined by 13 paise to `53.60 per dollar on the Interbank Foreign Exchange in early trade on Monday following a weak opening in equities. Besides dollar’s gains against the euro and other currencies overseas on fresh concerns over defeat of ruling parties in France and Greece elections, a weak opening in the equity market put pressure on the domestic currency, traders said. However, they said some measures announced by the RBI late on Friday to attract inflows in view of falling rupee, restricted the losses.

India‑View

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

India unveiled

Patriotism takes away livelihood

BINOO JOSHI JAMMU: He was driving a taxi in Jammu when a passenger offered him a chance to "spy for the nation" and earn big bucks. As a 24-year-old, he grabbed the opportunity. But now, after more than three decades and a 10-year jail stint in Pakistan, a frail and hapless Vinod Sawhney struggles for his livelihood. Sawhney, 59, still curses the day when the allurement of money got him entangled in the network of Indian intelligence that launched him as a "spy" in Pakistan. He is currently undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital where the authorities lodged him after forcibly evicting him from Press

Club Thursday night. He was on a hunger strike for over a week demanding "some means to earn a livelihood" from the government. Sawhney narrated his story on how Indian intelligence officers hooked him to "spy for the nation". He used to drive a taxi in Jammu at 24 years of age. On an August day in 1977, a passenger asked him how much he earned. "I told him I earned around `300 monthly... he said I could earn much more by doing work for him. I agreed." "I was brainwashed and told that what I was going to do would be of immense service to the nation," Sawhney narrated to IANS. The next day he was taken to Suchetgarh border, about 35km

west of Jammu, and pushed into Pakistan along with three other people and a guide. "I was told that my code name is Vinod 22, but I was not told the names or codes of others." Sawhney and his group kept moving in Pakistani cities like Sialkot, Islamabad, Faislabad and Sheikhupura. "Then one day, I don't know what happened, the guide got me arrested. I was lodged in Sialkot jail." He underwent about nine months' trial and was finally lodged in the Multan central jail. His family approached the government seeking his release. Finally he, along with 109 others, was repatriated in 1988. Thereafter, he kept pleading unsuccessfully at various levels in government for rehabilitation or pension. He asked the government to give him some job or pension as he had "lost the prime of my life in service of the nation", but nothing happened. He got married to Kailash Rani in 1990 and has two sons — Vivek, 19, and Vidur, 13. "They are studying with the support of my brothers who are well-to-do and doing business." Sawhney lives in his paternal house in the Bakshi Nagar area. He says his poor condition affected his health and he even suffered a brain haemorrhage and slipped into a coma for 21 days. "Today after seven days of hunger strike my heart rate is 40 and blood pressure 70/40. This is what I am getting for serving the nation," he rues.

Satyamev Jayate shown in villages NEW

DELHI: The first episode of Aamir Khan's debut TV show Sataymev Jayate was on Sunday screened in some villages in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh where the villagers do not have access to television. "This is an important and relevant show for all of India and Star India is going all out to make sure that this show reaches out to all Indians even in places with limited or no TV connectivity," said Gayatri Yadav of Star India, in a statement. The show went on air on Sunday on Star Plus as well as Doordarshan. In fact, this is the first ever show to be beamed on

a private channel as well as DD simultaneously. The special screening was organised by Star Plus on community TV sets in villages like Bhingara and Kahupatta in Maharashtra; Chepa in Gujarat; Jhunkar in Madhya Pradesh; Tikeri, Lalpur, Sarauta and Maaniram in Uttar Pradesh. Most of these villages have a population of less than 5,000. The initiative was taken to ensure that the show reaches all over the country as the show caters to the issues of common man. For instance, the first episode talked about female foeticide and its consequences. IANS

‘FLY HIGHER BETI’

Bansi Lal Chawla, father of Kalpana Chawla presents the 9th Kalpana Chawla Excellence Awards to Femina Miss India Vanya PTI/ M VASHIST Mishra in New Delhi on Sunday.

Think hookah’s cool? Then you are a fool Madhulika Sonkar

NEW DELHI: From being a centre-point of village gatherings to gracing plush joints in metros, the hookah has made a comeback in social space. But its return has sparked concern among cancer experts who say Indian youth are getting addicted to the hubble-bubble in the mistaken belief that it is a healthy alternative to cigarettes. According to the Global Adults Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10, India accounts for over seven million hookah users among a total of 274.9 million tobacco users. While tobacco is the leading cause of cancer deaths in India, experts say hookah smokers are prone to lung cancer, oral cancer, heart diseases

and respiratory disorders. "Over the last two years, hookahs have penetrated urban space and gained enormous popularity among youngsters. Without knowing the harmful effects, youth are addicted to the hookah because of a fashion quotient associated with it," said Dhirendra N Sinha, regional advisor, Surveillance (Tobacco Control) at the World Health Organisation (WHO), Southeast Asia. "Making hookah smoking seem fashionable is an innovative approach of the tobacco industry to make the youth population addicted to tobacco," said Sinha. Experts attribute the impressive return of the hookah to hookah parlours that have been positioned as 'hangout zones of

the elite'. The Arab-lounge like ambience at such bars — dimly lit corners, reclining couch, soothing music and exotic flavours — have helped the hookah grip metropolitan residents. "In cities, hookah parlours have become symbols of socioeconomic prosperity. They are easily available and being at a hookah parlour looks cool to youngsters and urban rich," PK Julka, professor of clinical oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, told IANS. While Karnataka, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana have banned hookah parlours under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prevention) Act 2003, Delhi is yet to take any action to curb hookah smoking.

India‑View

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

India unveiled

Hillary lauds ‘incredible contribution’ of Indians KOLKATA: US Secretary of

chief minister her vision of the future... I come with a belief that India can compete with anybody, anywhere,” she said. Ahead of her meeting with Banerjee, Clinton said: “I know how difficult it is for women to be elected anywhere. When I meet a woman who has broken through those barriers, we share a common bond of having gone through the fire of electoral politics.” On her being thought of as formidable, Clinton said: “I don’t think of myself as that but others do...it can be an advantage sometimes or a disadvantage.” IANS

State Hillary Clinton Monday lauded the “incredible contribution” of Indian Americans in her country and said the people to people relationship was at the heart of the ties between the two countries. She also lauded India’s Look East policy as essential for the integration of the Asia Pacific region. Clinton, who came to Kolkata from Dhaka on Sunday, said that in 2011, 35 per cent of all L1 work visas in the US had been issued to Indians. “So many links between us, we want to promote even more,” Clinton said. Hillary said she wanted to know West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s “vision of the future”. “I want to know from the

NATION AT A GLANCE Charred bodies of mother, son found ERODE:Charred bodies of a 26-year-old woman and her four-year-old son were found inside their locked house here, police said today. The woman’s neighbours informed the police and fire and rescue personnel after they noticed smoke coming out from the residence yesterday. The fire and rescue service personnel broke open the house and doused the fire. Her husband was not in the house, police said.

`365 cr to upgrade Assam water transport GUWAHATI: A week after the ferry tragedy in Dhubri, the Assam government has approached New Delhi seeking a `365-crore package to develop the inland water transport network in the state, a minister said here Sunday. The state government also announced a `10-crore project to develop infrastructure at Madattari.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton watches Karate performance of the daughter of a sex worker during her visit in Kolkata on Sunday. PTI

Tagore’s works among Mamata’s gifts for Hillary KOLKATA: Works of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda will be presented to US secretary of State Hillary Clinton by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

during their meeting here Monday. Tagore’s Gitabitan and Gitanjali along with a collection of the works of Swami Vivekananda will be given to the top US diplomat, sources close to the

Trinamool Congress chief said. Clinton arrived here Sunday on a two-day visit during which she would hold talks with Banerjee and interact with a cross-section of people.

17 devotees killed in Punjab accident MOGA (PUNJAB): At least 17 people, including five women and five children, were killed early Monday in a head-on collision between a jeep and a truck near Punjab’s Moga town, police said. The victims, who were devotees from Daulatpura village in Moga district, were returning from a shrine in Nanaksar near Jagraon town. The accident took place on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway around 2

am. Police said 14 people were killed on the spot while three others died in a hospital in Moga. “All the occupants travelling in the jeep were killed in the accident,” a police official at the site said. Police said the speeding truck, which was trying to overtake another vehicle, collided head-on with the jeep. The truck driver fled the spot, leaving his vehicle behind. PTI

AT THE RECEIVING END

Police lathi charge BJP activists when they tried to block a railway track demanding an under pass near Govind Nagar in Moradabad on Sunday.

PTI

The high point of Clinton’s visit, her second to the city and first after becoming the US secretary of state, will be her meeting with Banerjee at the Writers’ Building today. IANS

CMO murder: One arrested LUCKNOW: The CBI has arrested former Lucknow Chief Medical Officer AK Shukla in connection with the murder case of his predecessor Vinod K Arya in October 2010. Shukla was arrested here late last night on charges of conspiring to kill Arya, a CBI spokesperson said. According to the CBI, the alleged motive behind the murder was the fear of being exposed for misappropriation of funds in the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). There were indications emerging that Shukla could also be allegedly involved in killing of another Chief Medical Officer B P Singh, official sources said. Arya was murdered while he was taking a morning walk on October 2010 at Vikas Nagar area while Singh was shot dead in April last year at Gomti Nagar. The agency claimed that evidence also indicated that former Deputy Chief Medical Officer YS Sachan, whose death inside jail created a sensation, was also alleged to be a coconspirator in the murder of Arya. Shukla was earlier arrested by the CBI last year in connection with the NRHM scam but was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court. The court had on July 27 directed the CBI to probe the murders of the two CMOs and also irregularities in implementation of the NRHM. PTI

Devotees take part in a procession of ‘Lord Kallazhagar entering into Vaigai River,’ amid religious fervor in Madurai on Sunday. PTI

Centre trampling on rights of states: BJP NEW DELHI: Seizing on the UPA’s inability to push through its proposed antiterror hub due to opposition by several non-Congress CMs, the BJP on Sunday accused the Centre of trying to trample on the rights of the states. A BJP spokesperson said there was no contradiction between the fight against terror and the respect for the federal polity.

Bihar police official’s kin gunned down PATNA: A close relative of a senior Bihar police official was gunned down by miscreants when he was on his morning stroll at Kumhrar more here today. Saket Kumar (45), cousin of managing director of Police Building AK Gupta was taking a stroll when unidentified gunmen fired at him, killing him on the spot, Senior Superintendent of Police Amrit Raj said.

Fire fighters and locals try to extinguish a fire that broke out at a plastic factory at Bishnupur in Guwahati on Sunday. PTI

French elections MR NORMAL WILL HAVE TO BE ANYTHING BUT… Michael Mainville

e dubbed himself “Mr Normal” during France’s presidential election campaign, a modest scooter-riding everyman in touch with the concerns of ordinary voters. Derided by critics as inexperienced and soft — and nicknamed “Flanby” after a brand of wobbly pudding — Hollande is set for a crash course in governing after his victory over incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Even a year ago, few would have expected to see the 57-yearold Hollande packing his bags for a move into the Elysee Palace. The then IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was seen as all but certain to be the Socialist candidate in Sunday’s vote, until his stunning fall from grace in May after sexual assault charges in New York. Some had pushed for Hollande to take on Sarkozy in the 2007 race but his ex-wife Segolene Royal had already emerged as the leading Socialist nominee. The couple split before the vote but news of the breakup did not emerge until after Royal’s defeat. Hollande is now in a relationship with political journalist Valerie Trierweiler. Concerns that Hollande was too mild-mannered to take on Sarkozy disappeared as the race went on and he emerged as a tough campaigner.

HOLLANDE IN HIS OWN WORDS Europe is watching us. I am sure that when the result was announced, in many European countries there was relief, hope and the notion that finally austerity can no longer be the only option. And this is the mission that is now mine — to give the European project a dimension of growth, employment, prosperity, in short, a future. This is what I will say as soon as possible to our European partners and first of all to Germany, in the name of the friendship that links us and in the name of our shared responsibility. We are not just any country on the planet, just any nation in the world, we are France.

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

IT’S AU REVOIR AUSTERITY Francois Hollande was elected France’s first Socialist president in nearly two decades on Sunday, dealing a humiliating defeat to incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and vowing change in Europe

Ursula Hyzy

PARIS: One of Francois Hollande’s first challenges as France’s president will be reassuring European partners and the markets of his commitment to reducing the budget deficit in light of his campaign spending promises and sluggish growth. The Socialist has committed himself to bringing public finances back into balance by 2017. But his refusal to endorse a balanced budget constitutional amendment and his spending promises which will be worth $26 billion a year by 2017 have sparked criticism at home and abroad. In his final debate against outgoing president Nicolas Sarkozy, Hollande said that would require finding 90 billion euros by 2017, and proposed to get 40 billion in extra revenues and save 50 billion on the spending side. Hollande wants to limit spending growth to 1.1 per cent after inflation, compared to the current trend of two per cent. On the revenue end, he is counting on a return to growth to boost the coffers and an increase in taxes, in particular on the well-off and big companies.

LEFT IS RIGHT Hollande had won with 51.67 percent of the vote to 48.33 percent for Sarkozy Hollande becomes France’s first Socialist president since

Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995. The latest interior ministry figures said 81.03 percent of the 46 million eligible voters had turned out. Hollande is expected to be sworn in by May 15.

KEY DATES After seeing Merkel he will set off for a series of international meetings, including a G8 summit in the US on May 18-19 and Nato gathering in Chicago on May 20-21.

However, Hollande has little room for manoeuvre. “The major difficulty is growth,” said Henri Sterdyniak of the French Economic Observatory. The IMF forecasts just one per cent growth for France next year while Hollande is banking on 1.7 per cent and hoping for two per cent per year from 2014. There is little to be gained from increasing taxes on the rich, said the economist, as Sarkozy has already done a lot on this front towards the end of his mandate. Hollande wants to introduce a 45 per cent tax rate on income above 1,50,000 euros per year and 75 per cent rate above 1.0 million euros. He also plans to increase the wealth tax and put a cap on tax breaks. His advisors say Hollande will move quickly on the European level to obtain “tools to stimulate growth and jobs with investment” and consequently meet the budgetary reduction targets. “The main goal in Europe and for France is to find the engines of growth in green industry, cutting energy consumption and urban renovation,” said Sterdyniak. “Otherwise we’re doomed.”

AFTER CARLA, IT’S VALERIE

rance’s future first lady took to the web to tweet her joy at the election of her partner, Francois Hollande, as France’s first Socialist president in nearly two decades. “Simply proud to accompany the new president of the republic and still just as happy to share Francois’ life,” Valerie Trierweiler (below) announced on the social network. Trierweiler followed several election campaigns as a political journalist before and during her hitherto private partnership with Hollande. The 47-year-old was credited as adding a little glamour to a partner who was seen as too down to earth to seem truly presidential. The mother of three is credited with helping Hollande to shed 10 kilos and convincing him to drop his avuncular, jokey performances for a more statesman-like stance. Her predecessor in Hollande’s affections was Segolene Royal, mother of his four children and their Socialist Party’s defeated 2007 presidential candidate. Royal is still a figure in the party, and will probably play a role in Hollande’s new government or become speaker of the parliament.

THE MERKOLLANDE ALLIANCE?

resh from the election campaign, president-elect Francois Hollande faces a new battle with France’s European partners, in particular Germany, to add a growth pact to balance the EU’s new compact on strict budgetary discipline. Once sworn into office Hollande will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where they are expected to lay the groundwork for an informal summit of EU leaders on growth to be held at the end of the month or June, and a formal summit on June 28 and 29. For Merkel, the main advocate of austerity in public finances, it is out of the question to reopen debate on the fiscal compact. During the campaign Hollande vowed repeatedly to “renegotiate” the fiscal compact or to “complete” it with measures to achieve economic growth, which would ease the task of cutting deficits. It remains to be seen on which Hollande will now place the emphasis, but his advisors sound a reassuring tone. “We’re satisfied with the budget discipline rules,” a confidant of the president-elect said. “We’ll ratify the treaty, on the condition it is included in a balanced package with a real section on growth.”

Around the World

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Beyond Borders

ATHENS: Greek voters delivered a stunning anti-austerity election verdict on Sunday, punishing the ruling coalition and leaving the country’s political future and the eurozone’s stability hanging in the balance. Greece’s two-party coalition, which imposed a harsh austerity programme in return for an international bail-out, was routed near-complete official figures showed early Monday. The Socialist Pasok party and the conservatives of New Democracy (ND) scored just 32.4 per cent between them, plummeting from 77.4 per cent in the 2009 vote, according to interior ministry figures based on 95 percent of the vote. That makes it extremely difficult for the two parties to pursue the public spending cuts agreed in return for the multi-billion euro bail-outs from the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank. Having barely escaped bankruptcy earlier this year, Greece now looks likely to plunge into a fresh political and economic crisis, with shock waves that could also destabilise

Putin returns to Kremlin amid protests MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin today takes office as Russian president for a historic third term, facing the challenges of a fast-changing society and an outburst of protests against his 12-year domination. Putin will take over from Dmitry Medvedev as president after a four-year absence from the Kremlin, in a lavish ceremony that aims to remind the world of post-Soviet Russia’s status as a great global power. Few doubted that Putin remained in fully charge as he instead took the job of prime minister. Police on Sunday used batons and charging tactics to break up an anti-Putin rally in Moscow which had been sanctioned by the authorities but had descended into chaos. More than 400 people were arrested, including three key leaders of the nascent protest movement: anti-corruption crusader Alexei Navalny, liberal leader Boris Nemtsov and ultra-left wing activist Sergei Udaltsov. AFP

AFP/LOUISA GOULIAMAK

Public wrath brings down Greece’s coalition party Young and the mighty ATHENS: Greece’s youngest leader, brash and self-assured Alexis Tsipras on Sunday saw his anti-austerity campaign vindicated as his leftist Syriza party more than tripled its strength in national elections. With over half of polling stations accounted for on Sunday, Syriza was cruising to become the country’s second party. If the New Democracy conservatives who topped Sunday’s poll are unable to form a government within three days after receiving a mandate from head of state President Carolos Papoulias, the task will fall to Syriza. As far as 37-year-old Tsipras is concerned, the country is heading in the wrong direction and ought to ditch the recovery blueprint mandated by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund. AFP

Head of Greece’s Syriza party, Alexis Tsipras, celebrates with supporters in Athens. other eurozone economies. While the conservative New Democracy scraped into first place in the election, it was with the party’s lowest ever score: 19.6 per cent of the vote, winning them 109 seats in the 300-seat parliament. In second place came the leftist, anti-austerity Syriza party, with 16.6 per cent of the vote and

51 seats, more than tripling its 2009 showing. The once-mighty Pasok was reduced to third place, its vote

A desert flower KABUL:

Leading Afghan women’s rights champion, author, lawmaker Fawzia Koofi is a presidential hopeful in what is a man’s land. Named this year as one of the world’s “150 Fearless Women” by US website The Daily Beast, Koofi, 36, is a widow with two young girls. Talking about the opposition she faces in Afghanistan she says “”I’m happy sometimes when they oppose me because it means I’m something to them, they feel I am strong — and I also give them the required punch, I think.” She accuses the president — Hamid Karzai — who is backed by 1,30,000 NATO troops — of being prepared to compromise on women’s rights for political gain among conservatives, including Taliban insurgents. The Taliban, ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001, banned girls from going to school, whipped women in the street if they wore anything other than the all-enveloping burqa and stoned to death those accused of adultery. Even now there are more

Afghanistan presidential hopeful Fawzia Koofi talks during an interview. AFP guns than women on the streets of Kabul. But Koofi — who managed to get a good education against the odds — says the past 10 years have provided “golden opportunities” for women. Her biggest fear is that these gains will be the first to be sacrificed in efforts to bring the Taliban into reconciliation talks, and perhaps even a sharing of power after NATO troops pull out in 2014. “Compromise is happening already. Talibanisation is a

more than halved to 13.31 pe rcent — 41 seats — the voters’ deserting it for having pushed through punishing public spending cuts. But the election also fragmented the political landscape, with voters sending at least seven parties to parliament, two more than previously. And one of the newcomers is the neo-Nazi Hryssi Avgi (Golden Dawn), breaking into parliament for the first time in nearly 40 years. The party’s claims that immigrants had stolen Greeks’ jobs and were responsible for a wave of crime found an audience in a country struggling with 20 per cent unemployment and rising poverty. Its 6.9 per cent of the vote should give it 21 deputies, according to the latest ministry figures. “But more than 50 per cent of Greeks cast votes for parties opposing the public spending cuts that attached to the bailout. They include a new nationalist party called Independent Greeks and the staunchly Stalinist Communist party who between them could elect nearly 60 deputies. AFP process, people within government are already promoting Taliban ideology and Taliban thinking,” she said. “There is great uncertainty and confusion about the future, and worry and concern among women.” In March, Karzai indicated support for an edict by the Ulema Council, the nation’s highest Islamic authority, saying “men are fundamental and women are secondary”. The edict went on to list a series of prohibitions against women, including working in the same offices as men and travelling without a male companion, and suggested that in some circumstances wifebeating was appropriate. Karzai “openly supported this, he said this is what the people of Afghanistan want”, said Koofi, who chairs parliament’s women and human rights committee. “I don’t think this is what they want. It is true we are all Muslims, but our understanding of Islam is different from the understanding of the Taliban. Koofi urges the West to continue its support for Afghan women’s rights even after the withdrawal — and is committed to doing all she can herself, even if it means risking her life.

GLOBE AT A GLANCE S Korea, US air forces launch major drill SEOUL: South Korea and the United States on Monday launched a major joint air exercise to deter North Korean provocations amid high cross-border tensions, officials said. The annual drill called “Max Thunder” will run through May 18 and this year involves about 60 planes including jet fighters, KC-135 refuelling aircraft and AWACS surveillance planes, the South’s air force said in a statement.

Syria goes to polls as deadly unrest rages DAMASCUS: Syria goes to polls Monday to elect a multi-party parliament that critics say will fail to bring change to the country, riven by a deadly revolt against President Bashar al-Assad. The vote, initially scheduled for September 2011, was postponed to May 7 after Assad announced the launch of a reform process.

Mexico’s presidential candidates pose before the first electoral debate held in Mexico City on Sunday. AFP

New video of Australian kidnapped in Philippines SYDNEY: A new video has emerged of an Australian kidnapped by suspected Muslim extremists in the Philippines, with the foreign office on Monday saying it proved he was still alive in late March. Warren Rodwell, from Sydney, was seized from his home in Philippine town, Ipil on December 5 and in January the first video of him emerged.

Armenia ruling party wins election YEREVAN: Armenia’s governing party on Monday was set to win parliamentary elections that were the biggest test of the country’s fragile democracy since 2008 polls ended in fatal clashes, partial results showed. President Serzh Sarkisian’s governing Republican party led with 44.69 per cent of the vote after three-quarters of the 1,982 polling stations had counted ballots.

A vehicle is seen overturned among debris after a tornado swept through Tsukuba city, north eastern Tokyo on Sunday. AFP

Comment

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

TAGORE’S ANTHEM

Talk back Plant more trees When one is being burned by the scorching summer sun, the only thing that comes to the mind when living in a city like ours, is an air-conditioner, and if you can’t afford that, certainly a cooler. Kudos to the reporter for giving us ways of keeping our homes cool, while being environment friendly. Some suggestions like planting trees in the neighbourhood make so much sense while being so very simple. Instead of cribbing, what we all need to do is to put this into practice right away. In five years we will have a much cooler city to live in. Let’s go for it... today. Swathi Priya Ameerpet

Auto mafia I feel so happy that someone is finally taking notice of the goondaraj of autorickshaw drivers at the Jubilee Hills Checkpost. They have been going about with their rogue behaviour though on an average half-adozen-cops are present barely 50 metres away. I am sure the policemen are taking money otherwise how will they be oblivious to these blatant violations so near them. While major traffic initiatives are launched with great fanfare, these ‘minor’ issues are not addressed adequately. Ray Ravine Hitech City

A source of inspiration Mary Kom is an inspiration to all. Her journey braving all odds is a wonderful one that gives hope to many more. It’s amazing she showed the acumen to realise that her talent lies in sport and that will pave a way for her to lift her family out of poverty. For most women, an independent life after marriage is difficult to have. But Magnificent Mary is different: she is a mother of two and yet that has not stopped her from pursuing her dream. I sincerely hope that Kom gets us that gold medal at the London Olympics. Mina Kurup West Marredpally

NGOs too incompetent There is only one way to describe the government and non-governmental organisations working in Nalgonda. And that is, a bunch of incompetent no-doers. While it is a known fact that the government has its own selfish agenda to work it works on, the role of NGOs in the district defies logic. Is it a surprise then that people look towards groups like Naxals to help them? Pratap Singh Gachibowli

THE HUMAN ANGLE Babu Gogineni

n May 6 as the world celebrated the annual celestial event of the supermoon, in at least three countries the curtains were being drawn on the year-long commemoration of a rarer event — the birth of a star. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have just concluded celebrating the birth, 150 years ago, of Rabindranath Tagore. Poet, song writer, singer, dramatist, actor, painter, social reformer, educationist, mystic philosopher and freedom fighter, Tagore was a colossus whose full life of eighty years saw a remarkable sensitivity to life and nature, a phenomenal productivity of over 2,500 songs, a new kind of music named after him, thousands of untitled paintings in his distinctive style, the establishment of a university and an indelible stamp on the anti-colonial movement. Nirad C Choudary once paid tribute to him saying ‘If I were asked who was the greatest poet India has produced, including the greatest of ancient India, Kalidasa, my firm answer would be: Tagore’. When he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913 for Gitanjali, his song offerings to God, Tagore was already famous in India. After 1913 he was enthusiastically hailed as the first non-European to become a Nobel laureate and became a well known figure in Asia and Europe. But such was the cult following that soon developed around him that Thomas Hardy wrote impatiently about ‘this wretched worship of Tagore’. Yeats who nominated Tagore for the Nobel Prize wrote in 1935, complaining about the ‘sentimental rubbish’ of Tagore’s later books. Of course, one need not take too seriously Kafka’s refusal to meet him, and of Thomas Mann’s rudeness in disparagingly referring to him as ‘a fine old English lady’. Today, 70 years after his death, it is possible to make a more objective assessment of Tagore’s contributions to civilisation. He conceived of a universal humanity while the world was still suffering under the yoke of colonialism and racism. He revelled in the joy of creation, both artistic and artisanal, and chided those who prayed in front of idols for not realising that their God was in their work. He restored to play and playfulness their rightful place in human life and he pro-

Editorials

claimed the importance of the artist and of aesthetics. He recreated rites and rituals to make them more meaningful to the modern age. He held a religious view of life, which was also an integral view that saw death as a part of it — he invited it, pleading with it not to be stealthy. Tagore was a sage and a balladeer of freedom — and just as he enriched the Bengali language so he did with the movement for India’s political independence. He admired Gandhi and conferred on him the title of Mahatma, the Great Soul, but disagreed with him frequently. When Gandhi proposed that all Indians should spin the wheel for 30 minutes a day to transform India’s economy, Tagore who described Gandhi’s movement as ‘The Cult of the Charkha’ gently queried why not 8 hours? When Gandhi asked for foreign cloth to be burnt, Tagore objected that cloth was needed by the naked millions. When Gandhi proposed satyagraha which includes fasting as a means of personal purification and political action, Tagore warned "For lesser men than yourself it opens up an easy and futile path of duty by urging them to take a plunge into a dark abyss of self-mortification. You cannot blame them if they follow

MAMATA STAND ON KEY POLICIES may change with Hillary visit

he decision of visiting US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, considered the second most powerful woman in the world, to spend two days in Kolkata and to meet CM Mamata Banerjee shows who calls the shots in the UPA coalition. The former railway minister has been instrumental in obstructing almost every reformist policy of the Manmohan government, especially counter-terrorism and FDI — two areas where the American political and business class are keenly interested. There is a possibility that Hillary will offer Mamata some 'investment packages' at a time when the CM is threatening to go for the jugular of the embattled Centre to bail it out of heavy debt. Hillary flew in from Bangladesh where Dhaka leadership might have appraised her of the importance of getting the Teesta water sharing agreement inked — Didi had thrown spanner in the works when Manmohan was on the verge of clinching a deal. What transpires between the women leaders at the administrative centre of the former communist bastion will have a powerful impact on the country's policies.

you in this special method of purification of their country, for all messages must be universal in their application, and if not, they should never be expressed at all". When Gandhi attributed the Bihar earthquake of 1934 to divine retribution for India's sin in upholding untouchability, Tagore, like Voltaire, admonished him that unreason was ‘a fundamental source of all the blind powers that drive us against freedom and selfrespect’ and asserting that ‘physical catastrophes have their inevitable and exclusive origin in certain combination of physical facts." He worked with Gandhi but provided an alternative and modern vision for India. Tagore wrote Jana Gana Mana, India’s national anthem which was first adopted by Subhash Chandra Bose’s Indian National Army based in Singapore. In 1972 the newly formed Bangladesh adopted his Amar Shonar Bangla as its national anthem. In 1938, at the request of his student Ananda Samarakun, Tagore wrote in Bengali Nama Nama Sri Lanka Mata — it was almost on the lines of Bankim’s Vande Mataram: Mother Lanka we worship Thee! Plenteous in prosperity, Thou, Beauteous in grace and love, Laden with corn and luscious fruit... Sadly, a superstitious Sri Lanka changed the first line of the anthem attributing the country’s problems to the first lines. Which of Tagore’s anthems is universal? Not these three as they simply praise land and its beauty. In fact, in a different context, Tagore condemned the idolatry of geography. What will be immortal of Tagore’s poems is the one that offers a modern and inspiring manifesto to the world. It does invoke God, but the measure of a man is not his faith in God but his belief in man, of which Tagore had plenty. Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake. This is the real anthem of the great teacher, and should be the Morning Song for the World.

THE DECLINE AND FALL of Austerity

ere lies Austerity, a good idea in theory, but absolute rubbish in practice. As Sarkozy reels from a devastating Hollande punch, and Greece cobbles together a coalitions, there are tremors across Europe that may herald a new era of spending. Whether this will pull the ailing continent out of the quag is another matter altogether. But at least now the sinking ship will be bedecked with some finery as she heads down.

Campus

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Art exists in a rose and thorn imbalance of aesthetics and obscurity today. But in our materialistic world are art courses a viable option?

A STUDY IN ART Faustina Johnson feedback@postnoon.com

ngeniously fashioned to resemble an archaic fortress, the Department of Fine Arts, Hyderabad Central University is a cultural collision from the outside. Enter, and you will not be disappointed. Strewn with artistic masterpieces, the ambience is a tasteful experience in pleasure. The studio, site of the Fine Arts exhibition held recently, captivates with stupefying craftsmanship, two years of the seniors' lives, chronicled in color. Outside the nourishing walls of the University, the students seem doomed to a hard life. “It is definitely tough to get into the contemporary art scene”, says Sitaram Swain, a first year MFA student at HCU. Looking at his relaxed frame, haloed by light and artistry in the studio, one cannot but wonder what enticed him to heed art's perilous calling. “It had always been my passion from childhood. When I finished my schooling, I enrolled in J J School Of Arts, Mumbai.” Did he receive any support from family and friends? “Loads of it”, he says. Well, he is just one in very few who do. Art exists in a rose and thorn imbalance of aesthetics and obscurity today. A well connected Godfather seems indispensable to establish. Parents can seldom ingest the idea of art as a career. Most offer only ardent arguments on developing a pro-

fessionally viable back up. If Malcolm Gladwell was right, any individual would need at least ten thousand hours of practice in his field to attain dexterity. Where would that leave the part time artist? Who or what is to blame? Even when the art is commendable, the audience is unaware of

its excellence. Art exhibitions are merely that- the pieces on display hold no financial purport. They merely flash the artist's presence. Few consider paintings investment worthy. Would this mean that the people alone are responsible for the undiscovered talent spending desolate hours sketching the

random customer for subsistence? “Our socialist economy does not facilitate creativity”, says Adhithya Srinivas, who paints as a hobby. Art remains ignored in our academic curriculum, where it is no more than an easy A. We were never exposed to it in a way that would develop significant taste.

This gap is evident when you consider the statistics – only four fine art schools in the whole of Hyderabad. The psychological consequences go deeper. A highly talented artist often chooses to remain in the closet, so to say, simply because it never crossed their mind to take it up seriously. The subjective nature of their work sometimes often renders it impenetrably ambiguous and therefore irrelevant. However, for many, goes deeper. For the Indian LGBT community, it is nothing short of salvation. In a country where queer expression in is largely absent, it looks to art for vent and reflection. The AKS Queer Art exhibition held at Anveshi Research Centre for Women’s Studies, Hyderabad, on 17th July, 2011 saw Hyderabad's gay populace mingle in the comfortable opulence of seeing representations of their lives around them. Tanmay Santi, art professor at HCU is privileged to be associated with the rich legacy. When questioned about what made him choose art as a career, “I can't imagine any other life”, he smiles. As the discussion turns to the agony awaiting budding artists,Tanmay expresses discordant views, asserting that nothing comes without a struggle, and art is no different. According to the painter, positivism, ambition, creativity would suffice to concoct success. We can only hope he is right.

H‑Factor

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Sickle cell anaemia is a rare genetic blood disorder which may cause body pains and if not treated at the right time could prove to be fatal

GROWING PAINS

Sickle shaped threat

Parental fights can cause night terrors

Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

our child has been suffering from immense pain and weakness. If you have a family history of sickle cell anaemia, it’s advised you test him/her for this rare ailment. “Sickle cell anaemia is a haemoglobin defect that generally occurs due to genetic reasons. The haemoglobin becomes rigid after losing oxygen. This makes it difficult for the RBC’s to pass through the vessel forming blocks that may affect various organs. The RBC’s get a shape like a sickle instead of its cup shape hence the name. It generally results in anaemia and may cause problems in the heart, eye and bone,” says Dr Srinivas Chakravarthy G, senior medical oncologist and haematologist, Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. When the arteries are blocked, the blood does not reach the tissues of various organs of the body which if left untreated may result in permanent damage to that particular organ.

Symptoms According to Dr K Sambhasivaiah, senior con-

sultant medical oncologist and clinical haematologist, Kims, “A person suffering from sickle cell syndrome may suffer from pain, cramps, intestinal infections, heart attacks, visual disturbances, paralysis or even stroke. A pathologist is able to identify the ailment after a blood test because of the shape of the cell.” The symptoms also depend on the part of the body that has been affected.

Causes Sickle cell anaemia usually occurs when both parents have sickle cell traits in their haemoglobin. Dr Sambhasivaiah says, “There can be two cases. In case one the child may inherit one set of chromosomes from one parent and another set from another parent. If only half of the chromosome contain sickle cell traits, then the child will have normal health and will not be affected by the ailment. The other situation is when both have traits of sickle cell anaemia; the child will develop problems such as complications in growth, pain, cramps and a sickle cell crisis.”

Prevention and Cure Sickle cell anaemia can be diagnosed in early infancy as well as young adulthood. Dr Srinivas mentions, “In order to prevent sickle cell anaemia genetic counseling may be conducted for the parents. Testing of the foetus may also be done if the ailment runs in the family.” If it is diagnosed after testing in the foetal stage that the child will suffer from a severe case of sickle cell anaemia, than at times termination of pregnancy is suggested. If a person is diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia, Dr Sambhasivaiah mentions that curative allogenic bone marrow transplant can be conducted. “If a person is unable to get a bone marrow transplant due to various causes such as no good match or if it’s too costly then they should follow other measures maintaining proper hydration, warm environment and avoid any infections.” Pain is the most common symptom. “Apart from treating the person for anaemia, certain pain medicines may be prescribed. The most common area where pain occurs is in the bones. Screening may also be done

for various organs such as brain, heart, eye and kidney so that the organs can be saved from any kind of severe damage. If a bone marrow transport is to be conducted it should be conducted in childhood as it has more chances of success,” says Dr Srinivas. Sickle cell anaemia is curable if treated at the right time. Any delay in treatment can make the ailment fatal. Other ways of preventing a sickle cell crisis include avoiding strenuous activities, stress, smoking, high-altitudes, non pressurised flights, drink plenty of fluids and avoid too much exposure to the sun.

India and sickle cell anaemia According to Dr Sambhasivaiah, “It is a rare disorder and is not very common.” Dr Srinivas mentions that cases of sickle cell anaemia have been seen in certain pockets of the country such as Central India, Telangana and North East India.

Dr Diana Monteiro

My child frequently has night terrors. She often wakes up in a cold sweat, utterly terrorised and finds it hard to go back to sleep. This is beginning to affect her performance in school and her social interactions. What could be the reason for this and how can we help her? Night terrors are characterised by a child appearing terrified, screaming and being inconsolable, after which he or she relaxes and returns to sleep. It happens early at night during deep sleep. They differ from nightmares, which are scary dreams that occur during the later part of the night (dream phase of sleep). A nightmare is usually remembered by the child who can tell you what scared them, while night terrors are not remembered and the child goes back to sleep after it occurs. If your child is having a night terror, then it’s best not to wake the child during that time, but to let the event happen (as long as the child is not going to harm themselves by falling off the bed, etc). Night terrors are less common than nightmares. Children who are growing and understanding life’s adversities can start to have bad dreams about them. Also, stressors in a child’s life like parental fights, bullying, changes in caretakers, etc can be the cause. To help your child, firstly ensure that your child gets to bed early and when he/she is not too tired. Kids who tire themselves out too much are more likely to experience night terrors/nightmares. In addition, engaging in soothing bed time rituals like reading a book, a warm bath can also help. When a child has a nightmare and awakens with a cry, it is important to comfort them. Don’t push them to tell you about the nightmare. Talking to them about the dream and helping them end it differently and more happily can also help. If the nightmares continue and are affecting the child, then seeking professional help is advised, as this can be a sign of an emotional problem. (The writer is a counselling psychologist at the Hyderabad Academy of Psychology. You can write to her at askdrdiana@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

ARE INDIANS IN CANADA aborting female foetuses? TORONTO: A new study is fueling debate on whether Indian immigrants in Canada are practicing sex selection by aborting female foetuses. The peer-reviewed study found that Indian-born women in Ontario were significantly more likely than Canadian-born women to give birth to boys if they already had one child. “Our findings raise the possibility that couples originating from India may be more likely than Canadian-born couples to use prenatal sex determination and terminate a second or subsequent pregnancy if the foetus is female,” concludes the study, published mid-April in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In India, sex selection through abortion of female foetuses is a practice the government has long been fighting. In Canada, the issue has put a spotlight on an ethnic community of almost 1 million people, and has emerged at a time when some members of the Conservative government are trying to severely restrict abortion, if not ban it outright. “My concern is that the study paints the entire community as if all are practicing female feticide,” said Kripa Sekhar, executive director of Toronto’s South Asian Women’s Center. “That’s certainly not the case. If it’s happening, it’s a small minority.” The study looked at 766,688 babies born (not counting twins) between 2002 and 2007 in the province of Ontario. The mothers were born in Canada, Europe, India, China, the rest of East Asia, Pakistan and South Korea.

It found that the ratio of male to female babies born is particularly striking when an Indian-born woman already has two children. In that case, the third-child ratio was 136 boys to 100 girls. In comparison, Canadian born women had a third-child ratio that matched worldwide averages — 105 boys

The study’s lead author, Dr. Joel Ray, a clinical scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, has said it’s highly unlikely the third-child ratio result was due to chance. But the authors caution they have no way of knowing if it is the result of sex selection by abortion or by in-vitro fertilization.

to 100 girls. The only other ethnic group the study found with uncommonly high male to female birth ratios was South Koreans. But the study’s authors say the sample of Korean mothers was too small for conclusions to be drawn.

“In the absence of another plausible explanation, male selection remains the most likely reason for the higher malefemale ratios,” the study says. In Canada, abortions are paid for by government medical insurance when performed in hospitals. New Brunswick is the

Beehive extract to fight prostate cancer WASHINGTON: An over-the-

A major study finds that Indian immigrants could be taking steps to avoid birthing girls. Sandro Contenta

only province that won’t pay for them if they’re preformed in a private clinic. The federal government banned in-vitro sex selection in 2004. However, at least one American company in Washington State, the Washington Center for Reproductive Medicine, has advertised the service in an Indo-Canadian publication in the Vancouver area. The Ontario study confirms an earlier one that used census data to arrive at similar results about the preponderance of boys to women of Indian descent who have a third child. In January, an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal strongly denounced female feticide. “Should female feticide in Canada be ignored because it is a small problem localized to minority ethnic groups? No,” Dr Rajendra Kale, the journal’s interim editor in chief, said in his editorial. “Small numbers cannot be ignored when the issue is about discrimination against women in its most extreme form. This evil devalues women,” he added. Kale proposed banning doctors from giving ultrasound information on the sex of foetuses before 30 weeks of pregnancy. That’s the cut-off for unquestioned abortions in Canada. “Postponing the transmission of such information is a small price to pay to save thousands of girls in Canada,” wrote Kale, who is originally from India. “If Canada cannot control this repugnant practice, what hope do India and China have of saving millions of women?” GLOBAL POST

counter natural remedy derived from beehives slows down the growth of prostate cancer and tumours in mice, says a study. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE, is a compound isolated from honeybee hive propolis, the resin used by bees to patch up holes in hives. Propolis has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for conditions ranging from sore throats and allergies to burns and cancer. But the compound has not gained acceptance in the clinic due to scientific questions about its effect on cells, the journal Cancer Prevention Research reports. Researchers combined traditional cancer research methods with cutting-edge techniques to find that CAPE arrests early-stage prostate cancer by shutting down the tumour cells’ system for detecting sources of nutrition, said the University of Chicago . “If you feed CAPE to mice daily, their tumours will stop growing. After several weeks, if you stop the treatment, the tumours will begin to grow again at their original pace,” said Richard B Jones, assistant professor at the University of Chicago department of cancer research and senior study author. “So it doesn’t kill cancer, but will stop prostate cancer proliferation.” Natural remedies isolated from plant and animal products are often marketed as cure-alls for a variety of maladies, usually based on antioxidant and antiinflammatory claims. “It’s only recently that people have examined the mechanism by which these remedies work,” Jones said. CAPE was also effective at slowing the growth of human prostate tumours grafted into mice. Six weeks of treatment decreased tumour growth rate by half, but when treatment was stopped, tumour growth resumed. The results suggested that it stopped cell division rather than killing cancerous cells. IANS

HOUSECALL

APP-LY YOURSELF

DID YOU KNOW...?

Acrodystosis

Cancer.net

Coffee has benefits

crodystosis is said to be a rare condition that may affect the development of a person’s bones. The disease occurs due to various genetic problems which makes it difficult to pinpoint one particular cause. People with acrodysostosis have a problem that certain bones may mature rapidly without giving them enough time to grow completely with the nose and jaw bone being the most affected as well as the long tubular bones of the hands and feet. This abnormal development of the bones results in certain characteristic features that may include a typical facial appearance. This implies a short nose, open mouth and prominent jaw. A person suffering from Acrodystosis may also suffer from small hands and feet. In some cases, patients with Acrodystosis develop a certain level of mental retardation and learning difficulties.

aving your doctor a phone call away is something we all find very handy. Technology has reinterpreted this wish and has now made that doctor a mobile app away. Cancer.net is a mobile app for cancer patients launched by American Society of Clinical Oncology. The app provides cancer patients and their family members with writings, videos and podcasts related to oncology. The app also has a provision for the user to store symptoms, medications and questions. The app allows the user to save the questions in a voice form in case they are unable to type. It even has a suggested questions option. This app available free of cost for iPhone and iPad users can be a valuable resource to cancer patients.

offee lovers rejoice. This is one fact that will make you run towards your kitchen for another hot cup of coffee. Coffee is said to have many health benefits such as it’s great for your memory and prevents alzheimers. According to studies, people who drink two cups of coffee per day are less likely to develop alzheimers disease than those who do not. It is also said to help you do well in ability and IQ tests. Drinking coffee also reduces the risk of Parkinson’s by 80% and is also great way to lose weight as it increases your metabolism.

Spotlight

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

There is no better way to unwind than with your gal pals over a round of drinks and good music. Ladies Night at Kismet was that and so much more

Beautiful People

Priyanka & Poonam

Sameer, Megha & Bavya

Alina

Naomi

That celebrity glare

Actors Nandita and Prince inaugurated the 11th Saberis showroom at Santosh Nagar on Sunday

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Preeti & Apoorva

Sonia

An evening with Buddha

A visitor enjoys the works at a special exhibition of Buddhist paintings and heritage at Paryatak Bhavan on Sunday

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

Sundeep Kishan in a new avatar

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth I saw AB Devilliers play like a God today. I will never forget this night. I’m still speechless. My jaw is permanently dropped! Seriously!

undeep Kishan is all set to don a new avatar in his upcoming film Gundello Godaari. The actor, who’s celebrating his birthday today, is extremely excited about his role and says, “It’s a complete mass role. I am going to speak the Godavari slang and it’s by far one of the most difficult roles I have done in my career,” says Sundeep Kishan. Although he refrains from speaking much about the role, he reveals, “All I can say is that I am obsessed with cock fights in this film. Cock fights are a big thing in the Godavari region and since the plot of the film is set in 1986, we have done our best to replicate the era.” Gundello Godaari has an ensemble cast starring Lakshmi Manchu, Aadhi, Sundeep Kishan and Taapsee. Kumar Nagendra is directing the film and Lakshmi Manchu is producing it. Ilayaraja has composed the music and the film will hit the screens later this year in Telugu and Tamil.

@ramsayz Just letting u all know again... #EndukantePremanta will not release on 11th of May..its postponed... will update soon! Thank u

@geneliad Thank u all 4ur super sweet welcome agn n ur compliments on my hair cut, wud hv 2 thank @placidsalon 4dat.

@RanaDaggubati

Hansika is on a signing spree J

Siddarth sets his eyes on Vicky Donor?

iddharth is reportedly in talks with John Abraham to buy the remake rights of Vicky Donor. The film, starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Yami Gautam, impressed the critics and audience alike when it released last month. Although neither Siddharth nor John Abraham have confirmed about the remake of Vicky Donor, Bollywood is abuzz with rumours that the talks between Siddharth and John Abraham are almost in the final stages. It’s still not clear whether Siddharth is going to reprise Ayushmann’s role or just produce the remake in Telugu and Tamil. Earlier this year, Siddharth co-produced Love Failure on Etaki Entertainments, his own production house and the film went on to become a huge success. Will the remake of Vicky Donor be his second production? Lets wait and watch.

ust days after Hansika signed to play one of the lead roles in the Tamil remake of Delhi Belly, we hear that she has signed yet another Tamil film with Simbu in lead role. The duo is already working together in a film titled Vettai Mannan and before that film is completed, the two are teaming up for a film titled Vaalu. Debutant director Vijay is going to helm the project and it also stars Santhanam and Ganesh in important roles. Call it destiny or sheer luck, it looks like the Tamil audience and filmmakers can’t get enough of Hansika. Apart from the big projects like Singham 2, Delhi Belly’s remake and Vettai Mannan, her recent Telugu film Oh My Friend is also being dubbed in Tamil. For now, she seems to be concentrating mostly on Tamil films and in Telugu, she’ll soon be seen in Manchu Vishnu starrer Denikaina Ready.

Looking fwd to showcasing work from the #Department and chatting with the Delhi press at the press conference tomorrow!!

@shrutihaasan Don’t play people life isn’t a game and no one really wins or loses. Khaali haath aaye the hum khaali haath jayenge

@RGVzoomin I am actually more of a kid than kids actually are nd the reason I dislike kids is becos kids dislike kids!

@LakshmiManchu When u start to expect you start failing. Let go and the freedom that comes with that is priceless. Anithya

@shraddhadas43 Off to tirupati again to get my 2nd darshan in a month! Feel like Tirupati is again calling me there! Feel lucky!

Magic Screen

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Indie films take the long route to success By Priyanka Sharma

f yours is a low- or mediumbudget, independent movie project and it has travelled to prestigious international film jamborees, chances are ripe for a good reception within the country too, but it still struggles for a decent mainstream release. Peddlers, a feature film under Anurag Kashyap’s banner, will be showcased at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival. Funded entirely through social networking platforms, it is among a bouquet of five Indian films set to be screened at the event starting May 16. In recent times, debutant director Karan Gour’s film Kshay was showcased at the Chicago Film Festival (CFF) and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA), while Ashvin Kumar’s Inshallah, Football was showcased at CFF, IFFLA, the Dubai International Film Festival and the New York Indian Film Festival among others. Showcasing in foreign shores is a big boost to independent Indian cinema, says Kumar, none of whose acclaimed

films have so far found commercial release in India. “International film festivals are an excellent platform. It is the only platform that I have ever had as my films have never released in India,” Kumar, the elder son of veteran fashion designer Ritu Kumar, told IANS. “It feels nice to see so many Indian films being screened internationally. It’s only for the last two or three years that our films are being recognised in international film festivals,” he added. Within the country itself, small budget films are spinning gold at the box office “Smaller films are doing well. I think things are really looking up. International exposure is really great because it gives some sort of recognition and gives more publicity here, adding up to the numbers that go and watch the film here. For example, Udaan, after Cannes, did really well here,” independent filmmaker Akshay Roy told IANS. Roy’s short film Finish Line was honoured with a National Award recently. He admits that global recognition may not guarantee moolah. Gour laments how exhibitors are still reluctant to

invest in independent projects unless a big name is associated with it, or it can be marketed on the pretext of being screened at a wellknown festival abroad. “It is a pleasure to see how the international audience appreciates the work by independent filmmakers like us. It does help in mainstream release to some extent, but still producers want to go for A-listers,” said Gour, whose film Kshay was honoured with the Grand Jury Prize for best feature at IFFLA. “Until and unless the films are screened in big film festivals like Cannes, people refrain from taking the risk,” he said. A case in point has been that of Fatso. It has been to extravaganzas like IFFLA, New York’s South Asian Film Festival and the Shanghai International Film Festival. It was also chosen as a recipient of the prestigious Golden Palm Award at the 2010 Mexico International Film Festival. But director Rajat Kapoor was not too pleased when the film released only in a few theatres in India Friday. “For those of you who intend to watch (‘Fatso’), you will really have to make an effort - there are very few shows. Hope you can make it. “I believe it is not a bad film and deserved a little better than this. I am bewildered but these are the rules of free market. I accept,” Kapoor tweeted on the day of the film’s release. IANS

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@priyankachopra One of the greatest quotes I ever heard... no brain... no headache...bwaahahahahah! in the studio... trying to make a breakthru. Need inspiration!

@imarshadwarsi Starting dubbing for JOLLY LLB from tomorrow. This film is so close to my heart n I am so proud of it. On that note GN, GB n Love to all.

@SrBachchan T 734 — Sporting events a unifier... thousands coming together, waved, appreciating, screaming, competing .. not many such examples.

@udaychopra Life should be a balance of Good n Evil, Honesty n Lies, Protein shakes n Vodka. It’s the evil in us that brings out the good and vice-versa.

@ActorMadhavan Okay went to Japonais for dinner last night and also to EGGsperience for breakfast... This health food trip is demanding. But I AM DOING IT FOLKS.

@juniorbachchan It’s been an all blue weekend. 1st Chelsea Lifts the FA Cup and then Mumbai with a great win over a very powerful CSK. Good fun!

@deespeak Did Mr Navjot Sidhu actually just say “Hope is bigger than the Pope it is the Tope!!!” !?!

@realpreityzinta Before I continue with the chat I’d like to THANK MY MOM & DAD n FAMILY 4 giving me an opportunity TO BE ALIVE and BE WHAT I AM !!!!

Magic Screen

D I S P L A YA

D S RATE ` 150 sq. cm

For Further Details Please Contact Abhinay 9989399972 Nandlal 9951467988 Ravi Chander 8106039919

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Magic Screen

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

ib r c s Sub

! y a Tod

6 Months

` 199/-

1 Year

` 349/-

Magic Screen

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

NICOLE RICHIE

LOVES HER BODY S

ocialite Nicole Richie, who went through a dramatic weight loss in 2006, says she feels great about her body ever since she got back into shape.The 30-year-old confessed that although she can be critical of her fuller figure, she tries to ignore her own negative views. “I feel great about my body. You know, aesthetically I can be picky, but I choose not to. I’ve taken huge leaps. I’m proud of that,” femalefirst.co.uk quoted Richie as saying. Richie is mother to Good Charlotte band’s singer Joel Madden’s two children -- Harlow, four, and Sparrow, two.Richie, who found fame through “The Simple Life”, also revealed her new healthy outlook on life. “I work out and I get lots of sleep, so I feel great. And that is most important,” she added.

I’m not a social network genius: Courtney Love

inger Courtney Love has asked advisors to help her with social networking after a number of online disasters.The Hole star, who was embroiled in a lawsuit over her Twitter page last year, admits she is not a social network genius and has been relying on others for help with her online identity, reports contactmusic.com. “I’m not a social network genius, as evidenced by being the first and only person ever to have a Twitter lawsuit. At the time that lawsuit happened, I didn’t even really fully get what Twitter was for or how it worked,” said

Jennifer Love Hewitt has nightmares

ctress Jennifer Love Hewitt has been having bad dreams that her breasts might get reduced someday.The 33-year-old actress has been showing off her assets to promote her new show in which she plays a massage therapist who gives clients happy endings.But she has been having bad dreams about losing her assets, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “I actually had a nightmare the other night that people were trying to deflate my boobs while I was working. They had tubes and I was trying to work, but they kept getting smaller,” said Hewitt. “I was like, ‘Guys, don’t take them away!’

I’m getting issues about it, I think,” she added.She also joked about the recent controversy surrounding her cleavage. “Some random person decided they were supposed to be smaller. I still don’t know who that person is,” she said. “Right

now I’m rubbing guys for a living, so I’m fine. I have my own ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ happening every day, so I’m good,” she added.

Love. “I know this investor guy who’s very serious about Twitter and he lectures me like, ‘Oh no, you should only tweet on certain days at certain times, and you should only have a certain amount of people who can follow you’... What? There are so many rules,” she added. “I have a girl who helps me with it. I can’t do that by myself,” she said. Love admits she also looked into hiring a company to remove negative stories about her from the web. But she gave up the idea when she found out the price of the service.

Chai Time

KAKURO

How to play Kakuro 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.

SCRIBBLING PAD

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 At a remote point 5 Swiss mountains 9 Stalk of asparagus 14 Name on many jeans' labels 15 Waikiki party 16 Make happy 17 Object of blind devotion 18 Gave energy to 20 Colourful location in Kentucky 22 Tax shelter, for short 23 Formerly, on the wedding page 24 Bring into existence 28 Tossed serving 30 Rug feature 32 None whatsoever 33 Small explosive 36 Agenda entry 37 Colourful location in New York 39 ‘Aren't we the comedian?’ 41 Disburses 42 ___ Wan Kenobi 43 Bohemian 44 Book of maps 48 Go downhill 50 ‘Yay, home team!’ 52 In-flight guesstimate, for short 53 Colorful location in California 57 Accommodate 60 Low part of a high top 61 Soft palate attachment 62 Monetary unit of Ethiopia 63 Half brother of Athena 64 Miss America judges, eg 65 Stuck-up person 66 Yard segments DOWN 1 Courtroom defences 2 Indiana Jones topper 3 Affirmation

4 Small brook 5 Dress with some flare 6 Fencing maneuver 7 Feeling of hunger 8 Litigant 9 Harshly extreme 10 Leveling tool 11 Snack or nosh 12 Past tense of 11-Down 13 Unpopular ink colour 19 Wash again 21 Large lemur 25 Echidna's edibles 26 No-winsituation 27 Popular tree type 29 Turkish chief 30 Father, to Li'l Abner 31 Word with ‘gossip’ or ‘chatter’ 34 Without beginning or end

35 At the front of the line 36 ‘Meet Me ___ Louis’ 37 Blender noise 38 Kind of potato 39 Questioning word 40 Blood classification syst 43 Kind of photography 45 ‘Doubly dead’ Poe title girl 46 British Prime Minister Clement 47 Utter, Biblically 49 Architectural column support 50 Fashionably nostalgic 51 Acidtongued

SUDOKU

54 Bird beaks 55 ‘No pain, no ___’ 56 Amer military fliers 57 Eight fluid ounces 58 Anatomical eggs 59 Sister wearing a habit PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking. – Albert Einstein

Chai Time STAR POWER

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 8-5-2012

thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118

TAURUS

GEMINI

You will be very active and complete the work successfully at a faster pace. You will also act with a good understa‑ nding apart from acting fast. Your strai‑ ghtforwardness will earn you a name.

Work may not get completed and delay will upset you. You have to trav‑ el a lot to complete each and every work. But the situation will change soon and hence nothing to worry.

You will have mixed results in getting jobs done. You need to act with cau‑ tion to avoid problems and difﬁculties. Due to increased expenses, there will a tight situation on the ﬁnancial front.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Proper planning and involvement with responsibility will make things easier. You will discharge duties with plan and punctuality. Financial position will improve. Friendship with VIP likely.

Others are unable to cope up with your speed of executing work. Businessmen will smash the competitors and march ahead. Time is good; all wishes will get fulﬁlled. You will be good with family.

Due to planetary situation, jobs will not get completed as per your expec‑ tations. Your proposals will be disposed by God, but don't give up; the situation will change soon.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Your attitude will change and you adju‑ st with everyone to get things worked out successfully. You will complete long‑pending work with help of close friends. Income is enough for all needs.

You will be bold and wise enough to face any type of difﬁculties and will be successful. Businessmen will face tough competition. One of your close friends is likely to back‑stab you.

You might face certain hurdles in your jobs. But act tough and march ahead to complete them. Family atmosphere will be peaceful. Financially, there will be a steady improvement.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will be in harmony with everyone without enmity which will make things easier. You will never reveal your difﬁ‑ culties outside but stay active at what y‑ ou are doing. Kidsʼ acts may irritate you.

Your unrelenting efforts towards com‑ pletion of work will yield good results. Spouse will act with co‑operation and ensure your success. You will act bold‑ ly and show maturity at tackling issues.

Expenses will increase. Delays in get‑ ting work done will irritate you. But remember, it is important to be patient only during such occasions. You will feel as if you are overburdened.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 8-5-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Ace of Pentacles – You may need a shift in focus at work to identify the real pro‑ blem. Step back, revi‑ ew the big picture and then consider your course of action.

Temperance – If someone, especially a close family member or friend, is mocking at your style of work‑ ing, donʼt let it affect you. Continue to do what you believe in.

Queen of Wands – pay attention to your dreams as they hold the key to the reason you are here and the reason fate has put you in this choice of work.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Two of Cups – You feel tongue tied every time you are with your partner. You need to ﬁnd a way to commu‑ nicate clearly, without making yourself seem too harsh and blunt.

The Star – You dis‑ cover new ways of doing the same old thing, or you might also ﬁnd new things to do. This opens up new career choices; take it forward.

Knight of Swords – Summer cleaning in your house is in or‑ der. De‑clutter to feel good about your liv‑ ing space. It will also make your mind feel energised and fresh.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

King of Swords – You enjoy the epicurean delights that you ignored for so long. Go out with like‑ minded friends and give your senses something to enjoy.

Eight of Swords – Pay attention to research. Do your background check before you commit to anything. Even if you think you know something, double check.

Eight of Pentacles – There is some confu‑ sion about how things are progressing. You are wondering if you have been controlling something which was never in your control.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The Chariot – Youʼve been away from the limelight for some ti‑ me now. Youʼre ready to come back and those around you are relieved with your decision.

Knight of Wands – Yo‑ uʼre feeling distressed over something and n‑ eed to talk it over with someone. Even if this person doesnʼt have a solution, talking it out will clear your head.

Page of Cups – There are many masks that people wear all the time to suit different occasions and situa‑ tions. Donʼt trust ev‑ erything you see or hear about anyone.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle LOOT CASH BREAD DOUGH MOOLAH

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 295 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

Playing Field

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

The games people play

The big batting blues Twelfth Man Babu Kalyanpur

oor batting has been bogging down some of the bigger teams in the IPL 2012.

Champions Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians have climbed up among the top four mainly through some gritty performances rather than with a level of comfort. With many of the other lower placed teams beginning to fire, things may get a bit hotter as the teams enter the crucial stages. Chennai got passed 200 once to snatch a great victory but have now regressed to par or below par scores. One of their biggest problems has been the top order. The opening batsmen have failed to give the team a good start. The main cause has been the lack of form of Murali Vijay. Faf du Plessis has taken all the pressure and luckily has been among the runs. This has put additional pressure on the middle order which has not been in prime form either. Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni have been adequate but the big scores are not coming. The active lower order has many times got Chennai to a defendable total. Hopefully the close victories this week will bring Chennai back on track. The Mumbai Indians have to thank their bowlers for putting them in third place. The return of Lasith Malinga has been the biggest plus point. Skipper Harbhajan Singh, after a very poor start, has begun to settle down.

But both Harbhajan and Munaf Patel, who has been in good form, must cut out the dramatics if the team has to progress. Munaf is behaving like a spoilt brat robbed of his chocolate and blaming everyone, left, right, and centre, for leaking runs.

The Mumbai batsmen have been inconsistent in most matches. Sachin Tendulkar is yet to set the stadiums alight while Rohit Sharma’s form seems to be tapering off. Only James Franklin, Dinesh Karthik and to a lesser extent,

Ambati Rayudu have shown consistency without the big scores. The entry of many of the Australian stars may have a big effect on the fortunes of the teams. Michael Hussey returns to Chennai, and once he settles, he is sure to have an impact in the middle order. The Delhi Daredevils lose Kevin Pieterson who will return to England for the Test series against the West Indies. But he will be replaced by the hard-hitting David Warner. Michael Clarke is yet to have an impact with the Pune Warriors but a big innings from him won’t be far off. Many of the teams are also banking on their overseas stars to step on the gas. Cameron White has started to get the runs for Deccan Chargers but the rest of the team is still falling short. Captain Kumara Sangakkara hit top form this week with a magnificent 82 but he needs to maintain the positive outlook to get his team out from propping up the ladder. The one batsman who has stood tall in this IPL has been Rahul Dravid. His batting yesterday against the Kings XI Punjab has helped Rajasthan Royals up the table. With Shane Watson looking in prime form, Rajasthan is sure to push the other teams hard. Gautam Gambhir has also rediscovered his touch and Kolkata Knight Riders have been a major threat to all teams. It is hoped that some of India’s high-profile players start performing before the tournament is over. Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan are sporting new hairstyles. Fingers crossed that unlike Samson, they have lost their powers after trimming the tresses.

Kentucky Derby

Police probe death at Churchill Downs WASHINGTON: Police are probing the death of a man whose body was found in a Churchill Downs barn a day after the fabled racetrack hosted the Kentucky Derby, Louisville Metro Police said on Sunday. Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said authorities believe from the man’s injuries that he was involved in an altercation before he died, but that so far they have no indication the death was linked to Churchill Downs or to the Kentucky Derby itself. “We don’t have anything pointing to that right now,” she said. Smiley said homicide investigators were at the track on Sunday, talking to those who work there to see if they noticed anything unusual. “Right now we don’t have a positive ID and we also do not have an exact cause of death,” Smiley said, adding that an autopsy was scheduled for Monday. I’ll Have Another won the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, claiming the first jewel in US flat racing’s Triple Crown. AFP

O’Sullivan leads Carter in world final SHEFFIELD: Ronnie O’Sullivan will carry a three-frame advantage into the climax of the World Championship final here on Monday after building a 10-7 lead over Ali Carter at the Crucible Theatre. O’Sullivan, in what he has said could be his last match before retirement, needs eight more frames for a fourth world title and Carter 11 for his first. ‘The Rocket’ led Carter, who also hails from Essex, east of London, 5-3 at the end of Sunday’s first session in what a repeat of the 2008 final, which O’Sullivan won 18-8. In Sunday’s second session, O’Sullivan went 9-5 clear with

breaks of 49 and 68 and several low scores as he struggled to regain his earlier fluency. Carter reduced the deficit with a 59 break before O’Sullivan’s swift 62 restored the 36-year-old’s fourframe advantage. However, Carter kept O’Sullivan in his sights when he won Sunday’s final frame after capitalising on an outrageous fluke when he ‘jawed’ a red that rolled along the cushion and dropped into the opposite pocket. O’Sullivan, speaking before the final, said he’d never known a tournament quite as gruelling as this one. “This is probably the hardest place to come and play. Seventeen

days in Sheffield and I feel like I’ve been here two months,” he said. “For some reason this time it’s

felt a bit longer. I don’t know if it’s age catching up, but it never felt this long when I was 21 or 22.”

Several earlier frames were marked by prolonged safety exchanges, with O’Sullivan going 2-0 up before Carter drew level at 2-2. O’Sullivan had beaten several former champions in Peter Ebdon, Mark Williams, Neil Robertson, as well as two-time runner-up Matthew Stevens, to reach the final while Carter defeated Stephen Maguire, conqueror of seventimes world champion Stephen Hendry, 17-12 in his semi-final. Ebdon has been helping Carter with the mental side of his game and O’Sullivan, who gained from the insights of Ray Reardon, sixtimes world champion in the 1970s, had no complaints. AFP

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

METRE

6 461

Chris Gayle (RCB)

31 4S 1282

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

HIGHEST SCORE

103*

Ajinkya Rahane (RR), Kevin Pietersen (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)

Table-toppers set to clash We wanted to win it badly, they bowled well in the middle overs, but when you have AB, anything is possible. That’s one of the best finishes I have seen.

G Aparna Sai feedback@postnoon.com

ast year, Delhi Daredevils were fared miserably in the IPL and were placed at bottom on the points table. But this year, there is a dif-

ferent story being narrated — they are right ahead in the standings. DD have rocketed to the top during the initial days of the tournament itself and have managed to comfortably cement their place with 16 points. The Daredevils would hope to carry forward their splendid form as they take on Kolkata Knight

Riders today on home turf. Delhi humbled Kolkata the first time the two teams met this year. Taking first strike, Kolkata could not get past 97, a target which Delhi comfortably reached in just 11.1 overs losing two wickets. The Delhi side has functioned like a proper unit. Morne Morkel has been phenomenal

Virat Kohli RCB Captain

Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 463 runs

Lasith Malinga (MI) 20 wickets

Smith was confident of victory A

confident Dwayne Smith had told RP Singh that he could win the match for Mumbai Indians if the paceman could give him strike to face the last three balls. RP Singh got a single in the third ball and Mumbai needed 14 runs off the final three balls. Smith kept his words by hammering a six and two fours to take Mumbai Indians to a thrilling two-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings. “I just backed myself. I know as long as I can watch the ball I can do it. I just asked RP to give me the three balls that were left. I knew I could do it from there,” said the West Indian. Smith made an unbeaten 24 off nine balls that won him the man of the match award. PTI

DD KKR MI CSK RCB RR KXIP PWI DC

P 10 11 11 12 11 11 11 12 11

W 8 7 7 5 5 5 5 4 2

L N/T PT NRR 2 0 16 1.037 3 1 15 0.603 4 0 14 -0.143 6 1 11 0.013 5 1 11 -0.333 6 0 10 0.144 6 0 10 -0.453 8 0 8 -0.134 8 1 5 -0.557

P-played; W-win; L-lost; N/T-no result/tie;NRR-net run rate; PT-points

DD VS KKR AT 8 PM ON SET MAX

SCORECARD CHENNAI SUPER KINGS VS MUMBAI INDIANS Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs) M Vijay b Singh 41 F du Plessis run out (Singh) 9 SK Raina c Singh b Franklin 36 DJ Bravo b Malinga 40 MS Dhoni c Sharma b Singh 25 JA Morkel b Singh 3 RA Jadeja c Franklin b Malinga 9 S Badrinath not out 1 R Ashwin c Harbhajan Singh b Malinga 0 Extras (lb 4, w 5) 9 Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 173 Bowling O M R W Econ RJ Peterson 2 0 22 0 11.00 RP Singh 4 0 28 3 7.00 MM Patel 4 0 46 0 11.50 SL Malinga 4 0 25 3 6.25 Harbhajan 3 0 14 0 4.66 DR Smith 2 0 26 0 13.00 JEC Franklin 1 0 8 1 8.00 Mumbai Indians innings (target: 173 runs from 20 overs) JEC Franklin c Vijay b Hilfenhaus 1 Tendulkar c du Plessis b Ashwin 74 RG Sharma b Jadeja 60 KD Karthik b Bravo 11 AT Rayudu b Jadeja 0 DR Smith not out 24 RJ Peterson run out (du Plessis) 0 Harbhajan c sub (WP Saha) b Bravo 0 SL Malinga b Hilfenhaus 0 RP Singh not out 1 Extras (w 3) 3 Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 174 Bowling O M R W Econ BW Hilfenhaus 4 1 34 2 8.50 JA Morkel 3 0 34 0 11.33 R Ashwin 4 0 28 1 7.00 DJ Bravo 4 0 39 2 9.75 SB Jakati 3 0 27 0 9.00 RA Jadeja 2 0 12 2 6.00 Mumbai Indians won by 2 wickets

with the ball with 19 wickets in his kitty. Skipper Virender Sehwag has led from the front and players like Kevin Pietersen and Mahela Jayawardene have supported him well. Irfan Pathan seems to have found his long-lost form and is proving all his critics wrong with his allround performance. But brother Yusuf Pathan does not have the same story to tell. Playing for the Knights, the older Pathan has had a mediocre season — there have been no blistering innings nor has he been spectacular with the ball — skills he is usually well known for. But this has not been too much of a worry for KKR as they have performed well this year. Although they began the season with two consecutive losses, yet they have managed to get back to their winning ways. They are presently placed just below the Daredevils with 15 points. If KKR win this game they would topple DD from the number one position. But looking at the way Delhi has been preforming, it does seem like a herculean task.

UP, UP, AND AWAY

DECCAN CHARGERS VS ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE Deccan Chargers innings (20 overs) DJ Harris run out (Kohli/Syed Mohammad) 47 S Dhawan not out 73 CL White c & b Parameswaran 45 KC Sangakkara not out 10 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 3) 6 Total (2 wickets; 20 overs) 181 Bowling O M R W Econ Z Khan 4 0 32 0 8.00 A Mithun 3 0 33 0 11.00 Parameswaran 4 0 45 1 11.25 Muralitharan 4 0 18 0 4.50 TM Dilshan 1 0 17 0 17.00 Syed Mohammad 3 0 27 0 9.00 CH Gayle 1 0 6 0 6.00 Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 182 runs from 20 overs) TM Dilshan b Pratap Singh 71 CH Gayle b Anand Rajan 26 V Kohli c Steyn b Mishra 9 AUK Pathan c Steyn b Mishra 4 AB de Villiers† not out 47 MA Agarwal lbw b Ashish Reddy 18 J Syed Mohammad not out 4 Extras (lb 2, w 4) 6 Total (5 wickets; 18.5 overs) 185 Bowling O M R W Econ S Dhawan 1 0 11 0 11.00 DW Steyn 3 1 30 0 10.00 Pratap Singh 3 0 34 1 11.33 Anand Rajan 3.5 0 44 1 11.47 Ashish Reddy 4 0 36 1 9.00 A Mishra 4 0 28 2 7.00 RC Bangalore won by 5 wickets

AB DeVilliers scores a boundary during the match between RCB AFP/MANJUNATH KIRAN and Deccan Chargers on Sunday.

79 DAYS TO GO MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

Forget the Falklands: GBR thump Argentina in bruising encounter LONDON: A week overshad-

Liu throws down hurdle gauntlet TOKYO: Chinese star Liu Xiang clocked 13.09 seconds in winning the 110m hurdles at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Kawasaki, Japan on Sunday. Despite heavy rain, the 2004 Olympic gold medallist finished nearly a quarter of a second ahead of second-placed American Omo Osaghae. “It was my first outdoor race,” said Liu, who won world indoor silver over the 60m hur-

Despite heavy rain, the 2004 Olympic gold medallist finished nearly a quarter of a second ahead of secondplaced American Omo Osaghae dles in Istanbul in March. “The track was wet and the wind was strong, but I am satisfied with my time.” Three-time world 200m champion Allyson Felix won the 100m in 11.22sec, saying she did not yet know whether she would race the 200 and 400m at the London Olympics. Reigning women’s 400m champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana dominated her season’s second outing over the one-lap discipline, clocking 50.52sec to finish more than a second ahead of Joanne Cuddihy.

owed by an off-field political ‘hockey row’ between the British and Argentine governments ended with a bruising 2-0 victory for the British women over their South American counterparts in the London 2012 test event final at the Olympic Park here on Sunday. Leicester defender Crista Cullen scored two second-half penalty corners but went off injured immediately after the second with an ankle problem. And striker Alex Danson later exited, visibly distressed, with a left shoulder injury after a collision with a defender and was taken straight to the dressing room for treatment. The 26-year-old has a history of shoulder trouble dating back to before the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the British team have yet to confirm the severity of her injury. Cullen, however, did manage to attend the post-match trophy presentation albeit on crutches. Victory came after Britain — who went through the tournament without conceding a goal — beat Argentina by the same scoreline on Saturday. That pool fixture that took place 24 hours after London was angered by an Argentine government advertisement Friday

Argentina’s Rocio Sanchez Moccia (R) vies with Britain’s Laura Bartlett during their women’s International Invitational Hockey Tournament final match at the Riverbank Arena at the Olympic Park in London. AFP/MIGUEL MEDINA

FIELD HOCKEY QUALIFIERS RESULTS Final to qualify for the Olympics: South Africa 2 Japan 1 Play-off for third place: China 5 Austria 3 Play-off for fifth place: Czech Republic 5 Brazil 1 ALREADY QUALIFIED Men: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, Germany, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea, Spain Women: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Britain, China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, South Korea, United States showing Argentina men’s hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg training on a war memorial in the Falkland Islands capital of

Stanley which honours British sailors who died in World War I. The ad was aired on Argentine television amid high

tensions between the two countries as they both mark the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war over the British-held islands and carried the tagline: “To compete on English soil, we train on Argentinian soil.” British players insisted Saturday they were unconcerned by the advert and, after Sunday’s match, women’s coach Danny Kerry was far more worried by the way in which, in his opinion, the umpires had failed to clamp down on Argentina’s physical approach. Kerry, who is due to announce his his 16-strong squad for the Olympics (plus two reserves), on May 18, said: “Highperformance teams spend a lot of time looking at videos, having criteria by which we judge things, and I think officiating has to match that. “The umpires have to understand what is going on. That will only come with a performance environment around that.” South Korea edged China 3-2 in the bronze playoff. In the men’s event, Olympic champions Germany beat Australia 5-2 in the final, having defeated the world number ones 3-2 earlier in the week, while Britain beat India 2-1 in the bronze playoff after a 4-2 win over the Indians in pool play.

Turkey takes the Taekwondo triple MANCHESTER: Turkey won three Taekwondo golds and a silver on the final day of the European Championships here on Sunday to serve notice of their strength ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London. In the women’s -53kg final Turkey’s Hatice Yangin just edged Croatia’s Ana Zaninovic 8-7 while her compatriot Nur Tatar enjoyed a more comfortable 11-5 success over Haby Niare of France to win

gold in the -67kg category. Meanwhile, in the men’s events Servet Tazegul had a walkover against Croatia’s Filip Grgic in the -68kg gold medal match while Ridvan Baygut just missed out on another Tuirkish gold on Sunday after a 6-5 defeat by Russia’s Aliaskhab Sirazhov in the climax of the -74kg class. Although Great Britain saw Martin Stamper (-68kg) and Caroline Fisher (-53kg) both win bronze medals on Sunday there

was disappointment for Bianca Walkden who lost in the quarterfinals of the -67kg category as she tried to give the British selectors, due to pick their Olympic squad at the end of the month, something to think about. Walkden dropped down a weight category to stand in for injured world champion Sarah Stevenson, who is battling to be fit in time for the Olympics following a severe knee injury, and se enjoyed a golden-score victory

over Poland’s Kataryzyna Wieczorek. But Walkden then lost to Croatia’s Petra Matijasevic, whom she thought should have been disqualified. Walkden, holding back tears, said: “I tried to get her disqualified at the end for holding, but I did not get it and now it is over. “It was everything to me, the last major championships before the Olympics and I know I should be out there still.”

Playing Field

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

The games people play

SEEING RED

Rohan cruises to 2nd round 11-year-old Rohan K Reddy from Anantapur thrashed his opponent Raghava CG 8-2 in the first round. His accurate serves and volleys saw his rival crumble under pressure M ANIL KUMAR

Red Hills drew 1-1 with Johnson FC in the Peter Thangraj Memorial Quarter Final Leaugue match on Sunday. At the end of the first half Johnson FC was leading 1-0 but a goal from Red Hills’ Sayeed Nadeem in the 58th minute, saw the match end in a draw.

Purusthothaman clinches title T

. Purusthothaman of Hyderabad drew his last round with Abhilas Reddy and won the Silver Jubilee Brilliant Trophy A.P State Senior Fide Rating Championship. While Deepthamsh Reddy drew his game with D. Bala Chandra Prasad on the second borad; Sandeep Naidu beat Praveen

Prasad on the third board while on fourth board, Venkatarama beat Rajasekhar. T. Purushothaman of Hyderabad, Deepthamsh Reddy from Mahaboob Nagar district, Abhilash Reddy of Kadapa and Sandeep Naidu from Kakinada will participate in the National Challengers Championship at Tirupathi.

Rohan K Reddy

t was a cakewalk for Rohan K Reddy beating Raghava CG 82 in his under-12 first round match at the Sinnet AITA Super Series event. There was no challenge at all from his 10-yearold opponent. All Rohan had to do was play coolly and that’s what he did. He just ensured that his serve did not swerve, his returns were not mistimed and his volleys were not off mark and with the opponent cracking under pressure that he piled upon himself, it was all too easy for Rohan. Rohan is just 11 yet he knew exactly what he was doing. He anticipated the trajectory of the

Scores Boys u-12 Rohan K Reddy beat Raghava CG 8-2. Srivasta Ratakonda beat Khasim Ali Syed. Sathyadeep Kamaraju beat Preetam Vallabhaneni 8-2. Rifaat Shaikh beat Ruchit Goud 8-5. Girls u-12 returns and volleys of Raghava and was ready for it. Only towards the end did Rohan seem to slow down. The match was then at 7-1

with Rohan leading before the players took a break. His opponent showed a bit of a fight after that and took the score to 7-2. Rohan decided that playtime was enough and went for the kill and won the match 8-2. Rohan is from Anantapur. He has won seven talent series since he began playing at the age of seven and is ranked 19 in the country. Here he is seeded second. Asked if he felt any pressure trying to finish the match early, he said, “No.” So the faults he made towards the end? He just replied with a smile that had a tinge of naughtiness in it.

Winners of the Silver Jubilee Brilliant Trophy A.P State Senior Fide Rating Championship

Playing Field Knicks scrape through NEW YORK: The New York Knicks fended off elimination in the first round of the NBA playoffs on Sunday, holding off the star-studded Miami Heat 89-87 to force a fifth game in their Eastern Conference series. Carmelo Anthony poured in 41 points and Amare Stoudemire returned with a stitched-up left hand to score 20 points for the Knicks, who trimmed the deficit in the bestof-seven series to 3-1. It was the first post-season game victory in more than a decade for the Knicks, who had lost an NBA-record 13 straight playoff contests dating back to April 29, 2001. They didn’t have time to celebrate, however, with another do-or-die game looming in Miami on Wednesday.

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012

The games people play

Mancini cautious as history beckons

Hockey player dies after being hit on head SYDNEY: An elite field hockey player died after being hit in the head by a ball in a weekend club match in Australia, Hockey Australia said on Monday. Elizabeth Watkins, 24, was fatally injured while playing for her North Coast Raiders club in a Western Australian State League game in Perth on Sunday. Watkins, a former state junior representative, collapsed unconscious when the ball deflected off a stick and hit her on the head, match officials said. Watkins died in an ambulance on the way to hospital after attempts were made to revive her at the ground, officials said. Hockey Australia chief executive Mark Anderson expressed his organisation’s support and sympathies to the Watkins family.

Ferguson looks for ‘Devon Loch’ MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hopes Manchester City’s “unethical” sacking of Mark Hughes will rebound on them when the Premier League title is decided this coming Sunday. Hughes was sacked by City in controversial circumstances twoand-a-half years ago and Ferguson hopes the shoddy manner in which the Welshman was treated will prove to be a factor in United’s favour.

McIlroy grabs top spot CHARLOTTE: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy reclaimed golf’s world number-one ranking on Sunday despite falling to Rickie Fowler in a playoff at the US PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship. McIlroy, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Friday, regained the summit a week after he was supplanted by England’s Luke Donald. The two have exchanged the top spot for the past two months, and McIlroy needed only a top-seven finish at Quail Hollow to return to number one. “It’s a little consolation,” McIlroy said. “I would rather win the tournament, but it’s good.”

John Wardle

NEWCASTLE: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini adopted a cautious approach after a 2-0 victory at Newcastle left his side on the brink of the Premier League. Yaya Toure’s two goals at St James’ Park here on Sunday left visitors City top of the table heading into the final round of matches on May 13. City, who haven’t lost at home in the league all season, will welcome strugglers QPR will go into the match with a plus eight goal difference advantage over second-placed champions

Manchester United. Assuming City beat QPR, United would have to win by a huge margin away to Sunderland to deny their cross-town rivals a first English title since 1968. But while United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested City had “two hands” on the trophy Mancini, who wrote off his team’s chances when they were eight points adrift of United a month ago, would only say: “Maybe we are the favourites now. “But, in one game, things can change,” the Italian added. “We should keep our concentration like we have done the last five weeks

“I’m excited because we are top, but it’s not enough. If we play like we did here I think we have a fantastic chance to be champions.” He added: We’ve still got a difficult game against QPR on the last day. “At least it doesn’t depend on Manchester United anymore, it depends on us, but we have another game. It won’t be easy because QPR are fighting against relegation. If we think we have won the Championship it will be a big mistake. All the players have to keep their feet on the floor. I cannot talk about what it would mean to win the title, not until next week.”

Devon Loch was luckless horse that when leading in the closing stages of the 1956 Grand National, and with no more fences to jump, he inexplicably sprawled on the turf and lost the race. The Scot is hoping for a ‘Devon Loch’ style collapse from City similar to the one the luckless horse suffered when leading in the closing stages of the 1956 Grand National steeplechase at Aintree, and with no more fences to jump, he inexplicably sprawled on the turf and lost the race. “I just wish Mark Hughes was playing for QPR. He was sacked in a very unethical way by [Manchester] City and I’m sure he will remember that. There could be a Devon Loch, you never know. Stranger things have happened.”