Postnoon E-Paper for 11 March 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

RUN, FOR HEALTH, WOMEN TOLD

‘My health, my concern’ was the motto of the 5K run organised as part of International Women’s Day. PG 4 WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY SPELLS; 28°C

SAVING SUSHI

Japan has applied to Unesco to have its cuisine listed as a global cultural treasure. PG 15 Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

MARCH 11, 2012 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

ON SUNDAY

The CPI sees a Congress hand behind the tragic fire at Sainagar, in LB Nagar, yesterday, where a 10-year-old girl lost her life and some 550 hutments were gutted.

WAS IT FOUL PLAY?

M ANIL KUMAR

REPORT ON PG 3

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

PICTURE PERFECT

A tale of dreams

M ANIL KUMAR

My Theatre Cafe presents a Marathi Play — Chuhe. The play deals with a common man fondly called the Marathi Manus. It discusses his dreams, his struggles and big and small achievements. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: March 11, 7.30pm Contact: 96427 31329

fet where you can enjoy Hyderabadi dum biryani and live dosa with chicken curry every night. Where: Best Western Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 10.30pm - 2.30am Contact: 80083 00373

Acting workshop Samahaara — an acting and dancing workshop is being held. The workshop focusses on a variety of topics such as understanding the basics of stage acting and character analysis, stage. Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pm Contact: 98854 04784

Dimsum Brunch Syn-Asian Grill and Bar offers Dimsum Brunch every Sunday. Sample delicious and appetizing dimsums along with white tea.The brunch is priced at `700 + taxes. Where: Syn—Asian Bar and Grill Taj Deccan Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: March 11, 12pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Go Splash

Make your Sunday evening a classical delight. A bharatanatyam recital by disciples Of Guru Manjula Ramaswam will be held at Keyes High School. Where: Keyes High School, Secunderabad When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2770 3219

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

Bengali food festival

Temple Art

Cotton and silk mela

An exhibition titled, Temple town is on display at Iconart Art Gallery. The exhibition presents art work by Karunakaran & Satheesh Kanna. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: 98499 6879

A Bengali food festival is being held at Firdaus, Taj Krishna. Sample a variety of Bengali delicacies. Where: Firdaus, Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing, 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 2323

Celebrating vivah Wedding shopping on your mind? Head to Celebrate Vivah 2012 — Wedding Exhibition, a luxurious wedding exhibition. The exhibition is being held from March 16 Where: Hyderabad Marriot Hotel and Convention Centre, Tank bund When: March 16 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Women in India Women changing in India is an exhibition of books and paintings that depict women. The exhibition is being presented by Magnum Photos and Zubaan. Where: Kalakrithi Art Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 10 When: March 10 onwards, 11am Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Reflecion of women Aiana — Reflection of Women, a

CINEMAS

Mystic Five

painting exhibition is being conducted at Kala Bhavan, Saifabad. The exhibition is by Bhavana and Sindoor. Where: Kala Bhavan/ ICCR Art Gallery, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 6398

Momo Cafe Momo Café at the Marriot presents a new A-La-Carte Menu with delicacies such as Thai, Classic Western and Oriental. Where: Hyderabad Marriot, Tank Bund When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Daiquiris And Margaritas Head to Seasons Bar for Daiquiris

And Margaritas with flavoured cocktail recipes. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 12 pm Contact: (040) 6666-2323

Cotton and silk mela Bring out your shopping bags. Lepakshi Cotton and Silk Mela is on at Kalinga Cultural Centre. Choose from a variety of cotton and silk sarees and dress materials. Where: Kalinga Cultural Centre, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12. When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2330 3889

Midnight Buffet Midnight hunger pangs? Head to Best Western for it’s midnight buf-

Alankritha Art Gallery presents Mystic Five. The exhibition of paintings by Anand Panchal, Arvind Kolapkar, Dilip Chaudhury, Nityam Singha Roy and Sanjay Raut is on display till March 17. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Kalighat Victoria Memorial and London’s Victoria hall and Albert museum present Kalighat, an exhibition of paintings from Kalighat.The exhibition features 100s of paintings done by 15 current contemporary artists from rural Bengal. Where: Salarjung Museum, Charminar When: Ongoing, 10am Contact: (040) 2452 3211

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Fake Zarda racket busted

orth Zone task force team busted duplicate Zarda racket and arrested four persons. The Task Force has seized generator, machine, 400 tin boxes, 20kg of duplicate tobacco, all together worth `6 lakh from a house in Falaknuma Achireddy Nagar. The raid followed complaint by the original Zarda companies about the spurious products in circulation.

Nizam’s kin to protest tax

embers of the family of the erstwhile Nizam are planning protests in Delhi during the Budget Session of Parliament. At the centre of the row is `8.99 crore tax dues being demanded by the I-T department from 120 family members,beneficiaries of the proceeds from the `206 crore sale of the jewellery of Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan.

Man commits suicide

R Venkateshwar Rao, 69, is believed to have committed suicide by hanging at his home Vasanthapuri colony last night. He was seen hanging by a lungi tied to the ceiling fan. Rao was a retired railway employee and his son had died in an accident six months ago. He had fallen to a depression since. His wife had died a couple of years ago.

Reds see Hand behind blaze CPI which had godfathered the Sainagar slums believe the Congress leaders have a hand in the fire

MOHD SUBHAN mohd.s@postnoon.com

he CPI sees a Congress hand behind the tragic fire mishap at Sainagar in LB Nagar yesterday where a 10-yearold girl lost her life and some 550 hutments were gutted in a major blaze. While the fire officials and police hazarded a guess that a short-circuit caused the fire, the CPI leader and MP Aziz Pasha told Postnoon on phone that the local Congress leaders had been clamouring for getting the 5-acre government plot cleared. “I don’t think it is accidental. These poor villagers had been performing an economic duty to the City but the rich would not like to see them around. I know that the Congress MLA Sudheeer Reddy and his supporters had submitted memorandum to the Ranga Reddy collector B Sheshadri a while ago demanding that the slums be removed.” Pasha regretted the attitude of

M ANIL KUMAR

the Congress which on the one hand swears by aamm aadmi and serves the amir aadmi. Pasha said it is not just Reddy, Member of Parliament; S Satyanarayana also supported the removal of the slums. He said ‘convenient fire’ had happened in Nandanavanam and Singareni Colony in LB Nagar too had witnessed fire mishaps in the labour colonies last year. Eyewitnesses and people in the neighbourhood said the colony was unregulated and there was not a shred of safety consciousness anywhere. “Right in the midst was a scrap shop where even gas cylinders (don’t know empty or full) were kept. Nobody has ever forbidden this,” said Parvathalu, who lived close by the scene of mishap. Officials have told this paper that the government had plans to build small pucca houses for the labour families. Postnoon’s efforts to get in touch with Sudheer Reddy and other local Congress leaders were in vain as nobody responded to the telephone calls. The government has announced free ration and monetary compensation to the homeless families.

CITY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

SRINIVAS SETTY

‘My health, my concern’ was the motto of the 5K run organised as part of International Women’s Day.

Run, for health, women told Shiba Minai

shiba.m@postnoon.com

undreds of women from all walks of life and of different age congregated at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road and took part in 5K run walk as part of the International Women’s Day on Thursday. There were students, working women, home makers and corporate entities. Around 6am, master of ceremony Sahron Amir addressed the participants briefly mentioning the benefits of walking and running to maintain health. One purpose of the event was to educate women on the need to include a 30-minute walk in their daily schedule. Dinaz Vervatwala,the fitness guru of Hyderabad, who also is one of the committee members of the Hyderabad 10k Run foundation, was heard saying, “Women are important and so is their health. It’s important that they take care of their health and this is a great way of celebrating us!” Surekha Chiranjeevi flagged off the run while Laxmi Gopichand held the torch. The first prize was won by G Uma Maheshwari from St Anns College, the second prize went to B Pramada and third to Natasha. The Hyderabad 10K Run Foundation, a no-profit organisation, continues to encourage and support various social issues related to health and fitness and intend to take on more such initiatives.

FOCUS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Looking the dragon in the eye China has a new source of interest and investment — Hollywood. With American films being allowed a much wider audience there, we find out whether Bollywood should also jump onto the bandwagon

ISHA MUKOO

isha.m@postnoon.com

t last China seems to have altered their outlook towards Hollywood. Although American films were being screened in China for several years, it was Avatar which opened the floodgates. Couple of months ago, Barack Obama wrote a letter to China’s President Hu Jintao suggesting that China should allow more Hollywood films to be screened across China and the Chinese authorities promptly obliged to his request. With Hollywood hitting the bull’s eye and getting a broader access to one of the

fastest growing movie markets in the world, China has also increased the number of theatres as well. While this movie trade takes place between the two thriving cine markets, we wonder what Bollywood has to say about this. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh feels Bollywood can surely make its mark in China if they are introduced to our movies. “China is huge market and I feel India should present its movies to the Chinese government. It’s a totally unexplored market but once the market is open to us, we can surely dub the movies and run it there. Considering how big a market it has got, we will be able to generate a lot of revenue. Right now the only hindrance is that Chinese have not been introduced to our movies except a few like Lagaan, 3

China is huge market and I feel India should present its movies to the Chinese government. It’s a totally unexplored market but once the market is open to us, we can surely dub the movies and run it there. Taran Adarsh Idiots and some more,” he shares. Bollywood has been a known entity in the global film market for quite some time now. From Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge to

3 Idiots, it has never failed to keep the international audience glued to its favourite stars or the movies. While US, UK and many other countries have been loyalists to Bollywood market, China follows strict guidelines regarding the showcasing of foreign films. In that too, India gets only four slots a year. Producer Ramesh Taurani feels the popularity of the Indian film industry also depends on the number of Indians living in that country. “It depends on the number of Indians living in China. For instance, Hong Kong also has lot of Indians living there but there has never been an extensive release of our movies there. Having said that, with the growing popularity of our industry in unexplored markets, it will soon become a big market for Indian films,”

he says optimistically. Though Bollywood might not have a very huge fan following across the globe, with Slumdog Millionaire winning at the Oscars, the Hindi film industry now is a name to reckon with. Sriram Raghavan, director of soon to be released Agent Vinod feels China is a potential market for Indian movies. “We saw how 3 Idiots did a fabulous job in China when it was released there. China definitely is a big market. In fact, they have been watching our movies for a long time as there is a certain vibrancy about our movies. It will be an, add-on to our presence in the global market and also in terms of revenue,” he says. So, if going by the looks of it soon Bollywood tunes will be playing all over China. It’s just a matter of time.

NATION SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

Proof of death sought

Rajdhani derails

2 years jail for sodomy

NEW DELHI: The city police

PATNA: Passengers on board

NEW DELHI: A youth has been

the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express had a miraculous escape when only the engine of the train derailed at Barauni junction in Begusarai district early today (Sunday), railway sources said. Nearing the Barauni junction, it went off track allegedly due to a wrong signal.

has been asked by a Delhi court to verify if Harish Sharma, a close aide of slain BJP leader Pramod Mahajan and co-accused in the drug abuse-cum-peddling case involving Rahul Mahajan, has died. Additional Sessions Judge Lal Singh issued notice to the police seeking the information.

Mayawati calls meet to take stock of rout

LUCKNOW: Amid hectic activity

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Poll results could decide Budget

he poor performance of the Congress in the Assembly elections may have some bearings on the Budget proposals as Mukherjee would be constrained in announcing tough steps to reduce rising subsidies and contain fiscal deficit. The fiscal deficit during 2011-12 is expected to exceed the budget target of 4.6 per cent of the GDP by one percentage point. Despite political compulsions, Mukherjee may announce some steps to keep it within the manageable limit. His main task, however, would be to arrest declining growth through fiscal and other measures. Having grown at 8.4 per cent for two consecutive years, the growth rate is likely to fall to 6.9 per cent in the current fiscal. PTI

in the Samajwadi Party (SP) camp for the swearing in of the new chief minister, Akhilesh Yadav, and government formation, outgoing Chief Minister Mayawati has called a meeting of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) national executive today (Sunday). In the meeting, called at the party headquarters in the state capital, Mayawati would be dissecting her party’s poor show at the hustings and brainstorm with party leaders and assess the political situation in the state, a close aide to Mayawati told IANS. The meeting will be attended by the new elected members of the state assembly, member of the legislative council, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members of the BSP. All state party units of the BSP, district office bearers and zonal coordinators have also been invited for the National Executive meet. The party, which plummeted from 203 seats in 2007 to 80 seats in the 2012 state assembly polls, has already blamed the “mass voting by Muslims” in favour of the Samajwadi Party (SP) as the biggest reason for the party’s debacle in the assembly elections. Swami Prasad Maurya, the state president of the BSP and close aide of Mayawati, has been appointed the BSP’s legislature party leader. It is reliably learnt that

Mayawati might opt for a Rajya Sabha seat — Uttar Pradesh will send 12 Upper House members in the coming by-polls later this month, and move to national politics. With the NHRM and MNREGA scams out to hound her in times to come, and a hostile government in the state, this is the “best and the safest way ahead for Behenji”, a party leader said. The state politics, sources say, would be left to her close aide

Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Maurya. At its present strength of 80 in the legislative assembly, Mayawati can send two members to the Rajya Sabha. Sources say that Mayawati’s entry into the Upper House was a near certainty, the outgoing chief minister might pitchfork her close aide and former cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh to the Rajya Sabha. IANS

sentenced to two years in jail for sodomising an eight-year-old boy with a city court terming his offence as “sexual perversion” that is “on rise” in recent times. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sanjay Garg jailed Aligarh resident Aash Mohammad, 21, for sodomising the minor boy.

Journalist wrongly held: Kin NEW DELHI: An Indian journalist arrested in connection with a bomb attack last month targeting an Israeli diplomat had links to Iran, but played no role in the attack, his son and fellow professionals said Friday. Syed Mohammed Kazmi, a 50-year-old veteran reporter, was arrested by the police in New Delhi on Tuesday and was later remanded in custody for 20 days. “It is true that my father worked for Iran’s new agency IRNA as a freelance journalist. He was in touch with officials of the news agency but that does not make him a terrorist,” his son Shauzab Kazmi told reporters in New Delhi. “My father is a journalist with impeccable credentials. He has been targeted by the police and there is no evidence against him,” he said at a meeting at the Press Club of India. A 42-year-old Israeli diplomat, the wife of the defence attache at the embassy, was badly wounded in an attack in central New Delhi on February 13 when a motorcyclist attached a bomb to her vehicle. Israel immediately accused Iran of carrying out the car bombing which came on the same day as another attempted attack on an Israeli embassy car in Georgia. Tehran has denied any involvement in the alleged IANS plots.

For water, Naxal-govt bhai bhai Amit Agnihotri

RANCHI: Maoists might not welcome roads — fearing these would provide access to their hideouts — but extend full “cooperation” to the government machinery when it comes to drinking water, say officials working in Jharkhand’s rural areas. “There are no problems from the Maoists, as everyone needs water...in fact, they help us,” a state government official told IANS on condition of anonymity. Large parts of the backward but mineral-rich state are under Maoist rebel influence, with as many as 20 of the 24 districts considered to be under the sway of

Left-wing extremism. The official said lower-level Maoist functionaries interact with the government staff on a daily basis when it comes to repairing old handpumps and borewells or setting up new ones to provide

drinking water to tribal populations. As the water stress months — March to June — have set in, the demand for drinking water works would go up in the rural areas. “Some of their (Maoists’) demands are genuine,” said an official involved with the survey and setting up of borewell projects in the rebel dominated areas. Though waterfalls in the hilly parts of the state have been conventional sources of drinking water, bacterial contamination in recent years has rendered the water bodies unfit for human consumption, say officials. Though plans to increase piped water supply, which remains

low at seven percent in the state, may take some more years, officials said borewells and handpumps are the only viable means to provide drinking water in rural areas. As a result, Jharkhand has the highest density of handpumps in the country with 61 persons per unit. In Jharkhand, large swathes of the population do not have access to safe drinking water and sanitation. About 30 per cent of habitations have partial drinking water facilities and groundwater sources contain fluoride, arsenic and iron. The state aims to increase spending on it from 3 percent to 10 percent during the 12th Five Year Plan from 2012-13 to 2016-17. IANS

WORLD SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Santorum wins Kansas

Protests on anniversary TOKYO: Anti-nuclear protesters on Sunday gathered in front of the headquarters of Tokyo Electric Power Co, operator of the crippled power plant at Fukushima, a year to the day after the tsunami struck. About 50 demonstrators chanted slogans demanding all nuclear plants be shut down and the nation’s largest utility be broken up.

19 rescued from ship

WICHITA: Rick Santorum picked

ROME: An Italian cargo ship ran

up a solid win in the caucus in conservative Kansas on Saturday, keeping him in contention in the Republican presidential contest on the heels of frontrunner Mitt Romney. Christian conservative Santorum won Kansas after Romney took sweeping wins in Pacific US territories Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

aground in high winds and seas off Sicily on Saturday, the coastguard said, adding that the 19 crew were taken off by helicopter amid worsening weather. The 150-metre (500-foot) Gelso M was driven on to rocks near Syracuse and began letting in water, and the captain ordered it to be abandoned, the coastguard said in a statement.

Assad gaining from UN council ministers clash

he world powers are on course for a new diplomatic clash over Syria when foreign ministers from the main UN Security Council nations meet on Monday. What was intended by the British organizers of the event to be a review of the Arab Spring uprisings will be overshadowed by the divide over how to stop President Bashar alAssad’s deadly assault on opponents. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia, William Hague of Britain, Alain Juppe of France and Guido Westerwelle of Germany will be among top officials at the event. The council’s failure to agree a resolution condemning the Syria violence, the worsening toll in Syria — well over 7,500 according to the UN — and Assad’s refusal to allow humanitarian groups into the protest cities have all cast a dark cloud over preparations for Monday’s meeting. “Assad is determined not to give in and the divide is growing between Russia and the Western countries,” said one senior envoy from a Security Council member. “Kofi Annan’s meeting in Damascus seems to have gone nowhere. It is difficult to see anything but new friction at this meeting,” the envoy added, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensi-

A picture released by the Egyptian military press office on Saturday shows Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantaw (R) meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Cairo. AFP PHOTO/HO tivity of the topic. Russia and China have twice used their powers as permanent members of the Security Council to veto resolutions condemning the Syria violence. Talks on a new US-led attempt to agree a resolution have hit a dead end, though Clinton and Lavrov will meet on the sidelines of the UN meeting. Russia and China say the Western nations only want a resolution to back regime change. Lavrov said Russia opposes “crude interference” in Syria’s internal affairs, his ministry said after a meeting between Lavrov and UN-Arab League spe-

Kofi Annan’s meeting in Damascus seems to have gone nowhere. It is difficult to see anything but new friction at this meeting. Senior envoy, UN Security Council cial envoy Kofi Annan in Cairo. Russia wants any resolution to call equally on the government and opposition groups to

halt the violence. The Western members say the security force assault and attacks by opposition groups cannot be put on the same level. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who will brief Monday’s meeting, has bluntly accused Assad forces of using “disproportionate” force against what started out as peaceful demonstrators. But Lavrov insists he is defending “international law”, while the United States and European members of the council say Russia is only blocking international action to prop up its main Middle East ally.

Russia, the second biggest arms supplier to Assad’s government, faces growing criticism from some Arab countries. China has meanwhile proposed its own plan for talks between Assad and the opposition, which an envoy will press in the Arab world and Europe this week. The envoy, Zhang Ming, will be in Paris on Wednesday after talks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, but faces a difficult time. “We’ll listen to him but then we’ll remind him, if it’s still necessary, of our view of the situation and the importance of China changing its position in the Security Council,” French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said. There are worries that the diplomatic tensions on the 15nation Security Council could spread. “Already nothing is happening on Syria, but the risk now is that this diplomatic dispute could spill over into other areas such as Iran and the Israel-Palestinian conflict,” the Security Council envoy said. The foreign ministers of Portugal, Guatemala and Morocco are also expected at the Security Council meeting, organized by Britain as president of the Security Council for March. Clinton, Lavrov, Ban and EU foreign affairs representative Catherine Ashton will hold a meeting of the diplomatic Quartet on the Israel-Palestinian conflict before the Security AFP Council battle starts.

Comic book great Obama: Invest in Moebius dies clean energy

Hotel blaze claims second victim

PARIS: Moebius, the French comic-book artist whose

BANGKOK: A second Russian has died after being

spectacular science fantasy-based work wrought its magic on Hollywood classics such as Alien and Tron, has died after a long illness. He was 73. “He died this morning following a long illness,” a friend and colleague told AFP on Saturday. Such was the appeal of Moebius — or Jean Henri Gaston Giraud — that he won a devoted following as far afield as Japan and the United States, countries working in radically different comic-book traditions. Giraud, who grew up drawing cowboys and indians, published his first drawings in 1957 and found fame with the western character Lieutenant Blueberry in 1963. He became the most iconAFP ic figures in French comic-book history.

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called on Congress on Saturday to invest more money in clean energy technologies and end multi-billion-dollar subsidies given each year to oil companies. “I want this Congress to stop the giveaways to an oil industry that’s never been more profitable, and invest in a clean energy industry that’s never been more promising,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. The comments came as the president faced mounting criticism from Republicans, who have blamed his energy policy for spiking gas prices. The American Automobile Association (AAA) predicts gasoline prices across the United States could average $4.25 a gallon by May, up from over $3.60 AFP today.

caught in a fire at a major tourist hotel in Bangkok, which injured about 20 others in a popular visitor district, hospital staff and officials said on Saturday. The blaze broke out in a function room at the 221room Grand Park Avenue Hotel off the Sukhumvit Road in the Thai capital on Thursday evening, and a female tourist died of suffocation the following day. A male tourist, who was taken into intensive care, died early on Saturday, according to a senior nurse at the Kluay Nam Thai hospital. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration released a statement saying both of the deceased were Russian, while most of the wounded had AFP already been discharged.

COMMENT SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Breaking barriers

George’s story interesting

omen like Arshia Ayub are an inspiration to the whole society. She has taken up the responsibility of busting stereotypes and it’s truly the need of the hour. A lot of us don’t understand why Muslim women wear a hijab. I hope Arshia’s endeavours brings about some change in perception. Reshma Azhar Abids

his is with regards to your story on George the giraffe. Your approach to the fact that there are no other giraffes in the city zoo and that it needs a mate, was absolutely brilliant and very touching. I hope that George finds a mate very soon. Paroma Banerjee Venkatgiri Colony

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

Inspiring story

t was good to read women’s page on Breaking Barriers. It is good to see women like her creating cultural bridges and helping make a difference. Today, when people are killing each other on the name of religion, some people like Arshiya are there to make this society worth living and it surely inspires us. Ravindra Khairatabad

The martyrs of an independent India

EDITORIALS JAPAN RISES from the ashes It’s been one year since that dark day when Japan was hit by an earthquake and the ensuing tsunami hit the Fukushima nuclear power station like a tonne of bricks. But if any nation knows about picking itself out of the rubble and dusting off the debris of catastrophe, it’s Japan. Time and again the Japanese people have shown immense grace under fire. Pictures of them peacefully queuing up to get their aid, were in stark contrast to the pell-mell riot for food that succeeded a natural disaster in other parts of the world. Japan’s industries also took a battering, especially their auto industry. But if the recentlyconcluded Geneva Auto Show proved anything is that you can’t keep them down. Both Nissan and Toyota are well on the road to recovery, and are at the vanguard of a country once reeling from the double blows of a nuclear disaster and an economy deep in recession, that is now emerging once again as a global player. So today let’s spare a thought for the dead, but also for a country that refuses to roll over.

WHY WE LOVE... badgers The British government’s decision to kill tens of thousands of badgers in an effort to stop cattle TB is horrific. For those of us who grew up with Wind in the Willows badgers have a special place in our heart. Number 10 should look for an alternative method to dealing with the issue. Also, the move is certainly going to be in contravention of European humane laws, so the badgers might yet fight another day. After all, what would Toad Hall have done without Mr Badger and his supreme fighting ability. Gone to the Wild Wooder we presume.

EDITORIALS

Perceptions MINI SINGH

ndia is such a wonderful place to live in; I was thinking to myself that if I were to go around the world to choose a homeland, I would choose India time and again. We’re all familiar with the rich cultural heritage of our land. If there’s one downer to being Indian, however, it is living with the massive large-scale corruption that thrives here. Much as I cringe to admit it, Sir Winston Churchill was right after all — India has fallen into the hands of rascals, rouges and freebooters. And all the other nasty things he said are spot on too! If we gained our freedom in 1947, why are martyrs still being sacrificed every other day?

Some of the most honourable Indians are losing their lives simply because they dare to, well, be honourable. In November 2003, Satyendra Dubey was murdered. Who was he? He was a brother to five sisters, born in an impoverished village family. However, he pursued his dream of becoming an engineer, and became the first person from his village to get into an IIT. While he was with the ministry of surface transport, he once called the police when he was offered a bribe! Later, while working with the National Highways Authority of India, he yet again raised his voice against the rampant corruption, and was killed by the highway mafia for daring to write a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office about corruption in highway building. In 2005, Shanmugam Manjunath was murdered. Who was he? Manjunath was an

MBA graduate from IIM-L, and had joined the Indian Oil Corporation as a sales manager in 2002. He was just an honest officer trying to do his job right. And so he ordered two petrol bunks to be sealed for selling adulterated fuel. The enraged fuel mafia shot him down in cold blood. In 2012, just the day before yesterday, Narendra Kumar was murdered. Who was he? He was a young IPS officer of the 2009 batch. He was taking steps to curb illegal mining in Madhya Pradesh. So the angry mining mafia murdered him, crushing his body and his spirit forever. I morosely stare at the television as I watch tea manufacturers and telecom companies telling me that corruption is soon going to stop if we wake up and do something about it. Well, just like most other folks, I want to live and grow old. And from the accounts

ELJAS S

above, I can see that the price one pays for integrity is one’s very life. So what is one supposed to do? At one point, I almost believed that we were on a better path as a nation. After all, the NYPD changed from a horribly corrupt force around 1920s, to an exemplary department. The Hong Kong police have taken so many steps to counter corruption within their force. So why are we stuck? I don’t know how many more lives will be lost to ruthless mafia of various kinds before we start becoming a better nation. But what I do know is that I feel like I’m living in a dystopian nightmare; and maybe one day I’ll wake up and realise that it was, after all just a bad dream; and that the India I am living in, is the lovely India that I had chosen to live in. The writer is a Hyderabadbased commentator

BUSINESS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Complaints on pvt banks

Budget Tip No PAN for mobile connection

ellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the GSM industry lobby, has urged the Ministry of Finance to do away with the need for Permanent Account Number (PAN) while taking a new mobile connection. “Many of these low-end subscribers do not have a PAN.”

oncerned over large complaints against private sector and foreign banks, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked them to focus on improving customer service. “Private sector and foreign banks which account for only 12 per cent of the rural deposits, contribute 35 per cent of the total complaints,”Mukherjee said.

Anti-jet lag headsets

n a bid to provide hassle free travel, Nordic carrier Finnair Saturday said it will start a unique pilot project to test a revolutionary headset technology which helps in fighting jet lag. “Introducing the Valkee bright light headset is one way of adding interesting experiences onboard Finnair flights,” Finnair vice president Jarkko Konttinen said.

Too many red-letter days

N SHIVA KUMAR

Sunday Soup A SAYE SEKHAR

here have been too many red-letter days in the seven-year chequered history of Kingfisher airlines, whose name itself is embossed in red letters literally on the fuselage of the aircraft owned by the company. People jostled to rub shoulders with promoter Vijay Mallya when he was sighted at the venue of India Aviation 2010. Photo journalists wanted him to pose for pictures, while TV crew jutted out their long mikes to make the flamboyant industrialist speak into them. Despite the presence of industry tycoons like GVKs, GMRs, and business heads of Bombardiers and Sikorskys, Mallya was the cynosure of all eyes. But this year, for obvious reasons, the airline is not participating in the gala event in the City. Despite their financial constraints, Jet Airways and Air India are taking part in the Air Show 2012. But why conduct an event just to make sure that it did not miss the periodicity? It can always be conducted when things are back in black. Significantly or ironically, this year is the 100th year of world civil aviation also. Should we celebrate the lack of salaries to pilots and airline industry hitting an air pocket? Nobody knows. As one and all were exchanging pleasantries soon after the inaugural where Praful Patel, K Rosaiah and other senior politicians were also present, and the visitors were looking in awe at the sky being painted in Indian tricolour by Sagar Pawan formation of Indian Navy, suddenly smoke was seen billowing out from a corner of the horizon. The worst fears came true within no time as one of the aircraft separated and crashed on a house in Bowenpally, killing both pilots. This unsavoury incident naturally made the organisers keep the aerobatics away from the inaugural. Lt. Col. Vivek Kodikal, regional director (trade

fairs), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), told reporters that there was no point in bringing in the element of services into a civil aviation show. But the bleeding Air India is trying to make the most out of the situation by jacking up its number of services. Adding Dreamliners to its fleet is another silver lining.

WHO

AKHILESH’S

FRIEND ?

When Akhilesh Yadav gave an interview to a Telugu TV channel on his party’s victory, he was bubbling with energy and enthusiasm. Soon after the election results of the country’s largest State, Uttar Pradesh, were announced, Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu began basking relating the victory to himself because he sees the election symbol of both parties, bicycle,

as the common thread. Chandrababu Naidu could not conceal his joy when some TDP leaders began telling presspersons on the Assembly lobbies: “There (in UP), it is Akhilesh. Here (in AP), it will be Lokesh (Naidu’s son).” Trying to camouflage a smirk on his face, he told a group of newsmen: “Oh! You are also discussing it?” Akhilesh Yadav’s observations with the Telugu TV channel that his father had a close association with Chandrababu Naidu surely jacked up the spirits in the TDP camp. The two leaders actually worked on antiCongress plank together on a lot of occasions. Mulayam Singh Yadav served as the Defence Minister of India in the United Front Government, which was cobbled up by Naidu with the “outside support” from the Congress. But, Akhilesh’s utterances

that he was pretty close to YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, son of the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, did not go well with the rank and file of the TDP. When the TV reporter tried to elicit the view of the UP Chief Minister-elect if his party would align with the TDP or the YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh, he did not give a direct response. On the other hand, he said such decisions would be taken by his party depending on the circumstances. What circumstances, is Akhilesh talking about? Surely, the winning prospects of either of the parties. Political analysts in the State, however, feel that Akhilesh is smart and is making calculate moves. For now, he is the most attractive politician in the country. His elevation to the position of the Chief Minister’s gaddi after attaining a “threeterm” experience in the Lok

Sabha will surely add to the advantage. Newspapers made a note of his meetings with Jagan on the premises of Parliament, especially after the latter distanced himself from the ruling combination. Akhilesh is playing his cards close to his chest, but surely did not brush aside the option of alignments. He only said: “We look at non-Congress and nonBJP alliances and pursue them positively.” When in trouble, the fatherson duo can smell the rat and when in advantage, they can sniff out the truth with their aquiline noses. Interestingly, as the results were pronounced, Naidu spoke to Mulayam over phone and congratulated him, while Jagan had a tete-a-tete with Akhilesh complimenting him for the Samajwadi Party’s triumph at the hustings.

INTERVIEW SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Pregnant and Proud

Shreya Sen is not your average shutterbug. Her area of interest is enough to set her apart. She specialises in what is fast becoming a rage in the country — maternity photography SHREYA SEN

PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

“I

bullied one of my friends, Natasha, into posing for me. That’s how my first maternity shoot happened,” recalls Shreya smiling. It’s a far cry from the status quo. Now Shreya doesn’t have to bully to-be mothers, they are ready and willing. Maternity photography, already an established phenomenon in the West is steadily gaining ground in the country. “I want to promote the idea of pregnancy as the time for a family to rejoice, to treasure and to cherish. It can’t be turned back in time, so capturing that experience is valuable. More and more people are warming up to it,” confirms Shreya. But it looks easier said than done. Pregnancy, for many women, is still a period when they suffer from a crisis of confidence and self-worth. So coaxing them to let go of their inhibitions, especially on camera is a challenge, which Shreya says, she’s learned to meet. “It’s true. A lot of my clients are very conscious. After all, their bodies have changed beyond recognition. So there is some reluctance initially. That’s when I ask them to trust me to capture the beauty of how they feel and not how they look. After looking at a few pictures, they realise they have never felt more beautiful. “From then, it becomes uncontrollable. They will have so many ideas, it’s becomes hard to fit them all in. Especially since my one golden rule is that you never say no to a mother-tobe!” rues Shreya in a mock complaint. It’s mock, because there are few things in the world Shreya enjoys more than capturing the “miracle of life.” Needless to say, she is a self-confessed romantic. “Most of my clients are first time mums, so it’s a very exciting time for them. To watch a couple’s interactions with their baby, the joy on the father’s face when he feels his baby’s kick for the first

time. To capture those very real, very beautiful moments is priceless,” gushes Shreya. Incidentally, Shreya’s USP is her candid shots, conceptual settings, and minimal post-production touch-ups. For the young photographer from Mumbai, there were no precedents. All that she knows today is what she taught herself. After a pursuing a degree and a career in Psychology, she realised that her calling was elsewhere. “My aim has always been to observe people, capture emotions and help make a difference. Photography

I BULLIED ONE OF MY FRIENDS, NATASHA, INTO POSING FOR ME. THAT’S HOW MY FIRST MATERNITY SHOOT HAPPENED

was the next best way to get there. So, I trained with the photographer R Burman and learned everything I could about technicalities like lighting and composition. But I wanted to do more than fashion photography. So when I saw a pregnant woman sitting on a beach in Goa, talking to her baby, I knew that was what I wanted to do.” There’s little doubt she’s living her dream, but does she still harbour one dream project? “It’s been a great journey so far. But yes, I do. My dream project is to do an underwater maternity shoot which is very complex and for which I need volunteers!” she quips, before leaving, to make a new mum happy!

WEEK IN PICTURES SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

AFP/ ERIKA

SANTELICES

ARIT IS XAVIER M AFP/ FRANCO

AFP/ ALEXANDER KLEIN

A reveller pe Dominic Republi c, rforms duri ng a carniv Santa Domingo al parade Domingo on in Santo March 4.

From protests in Russia to celebrations in Pakistan, we bring you this week in pictures

France, Paris A model presents a creation by Chanel fashion designer Germany’s Karl Lagerfeld during the Fall/Winter 2012-2013 ready-to-wear collection show, on March 6 at the Grand Palais in Paris.

in men’s don gdom, Lon k competes United Kinimmer Robert Renwic Gas Swimming e Britain’s sw yle final at the Britishming team trials for thon 200m freest ips, the British swim atics Center in Lond . Championsh2 Olympics, at the Aquk won the gold medal London 201 2012. Robert Renwic on March 5,

Awash with colour AFP/0 HASSAN

Karachi, Pakistan Pakistani Hindus pose for a photograph during the celebration of the Holi festival in Karachi on March 7, 2012. Holi, a Festival of colours and is a popular Hindu spring festival observed at the end of winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month.

Athens, Greece A man walks by a wall adorned with graffiti in Athens on March 8, 2012. Greece added up pledges by private debt holders to cancel half the money owed to them in a tense countdown to an evening deadline critical for a new bailout and to cooling the Eurozone crisis. OV

DER NEMEN

AFP/ ALEXAN

deration, Russian Fe Moscow g featurA Russian flainister ing Prime M flies Vladimir Putin pporters above his subrate as they cele y at a Putin’s victor ral rally in cent Square Manezhnayathe just outside oscow on Kremlin in Mlice said March 5. Po ,000 that some 15taking people were in part in a rallye support of thngman Russian stroKremlin outside the walls. AFP/ LOUISA GO

ULIAMAKI

ART AND CULTURE SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Graham wins Hasselblad

Stolen art recovered

LONDON: Paul Graham has been

ROME: In 1971 a gang of thieves

named as the winner of the 2012 Hasselblad award, which is presented annually to "a photographer recognised for major achievements". It is the first time a British photographer has won the prestigious international prize. Previous recipients include Robert Adams (2009), Nan Goldin (2007) and William Eggleston (1998).

slipped into the plush residence of a construction magnate in the upmarket Parioli neighbourhood and walked out with 42 rare paintings, including works by Van Dyck and Poussin. Now, four decades on, Italian police have recovered some of the stolen paintings from a house in Rome, where they were hanging proudly on the walls.

Tate buys 8mn Weiweis LONDON: The Tate has acquired approximately 8m individual sculptures, its largest number of works of art ever, although each is smaller than a little finger nail: 10 tonnes of Ai Weiwei's famous porcelain sunflower seeds. In the Chinese artist's installation in 2010, the piece was roped off as the ceramic dust was condemned as a danger to health.

N SHIVA KUMAR

Bringing cultures closer HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

n November 2011, a German band named Mignuet Quartet performed to a packed crowd at a cultural event in Hyderabad. It was unlike any other show Hyderabadis had seen in recent years. Mignuet Quartet isn't the only band which made a profound impact on art lovers in the city. Of late, an increasing number of events organised by cultural institutions like Goethe Zentrum, Alliance Française and also the US consulate have been catching the attention of Hyderabadis. For a city which is famous for its laid-back lifestyle, attracting hordes of art lovers for every event is an achievement in itself. Cultural organisations like

Alliance Française and Goethe Zentrum are funded by the governments of France and Germany respectively to promote their culture all over the world. Alliance Française has been promoting French language and culture in the city for the past 31 years. “People here know that any programme brought in by Alliance Française carries a guarantee for quality and exclusivity. Most of the French artists visiting the city are really impressed by the response and find the audience very enthusiastic and involved. Besides bringing cultural programmes, we are also laying emphasis on interaction with local artists, and in the near future we are planning events put together with French and Indian artists,” says JeanManuel Duhaut, director, Alliance Française, Hyderabad. On the other hand, thanks to the ongoing German festival, which is being held to celebrate 60

A growing number of artists from France, Germany and the US have been enthralling Hyderabadis in the recent past. We find out how it is all done years of diplomatic relations between India and Germany, a lot more artists, writers, poets, filmmakers, choreographers and musicians have been interacting with the people in the city. “People are travelling a lot these days and they are exposed to different cultures. A first-hand experience of German culture will be quite helpful before going

Be it a jazz performance or electronic music, there's a section of audience which is always interested. They are willing to experience and explore more and it's a pleasure to see them appreciating our culture Monika Hirmer, Goethe Zentrum

Artful Rebellion A group of painters trying to break away from status quo found themselves at the helm of a new art movement — Synthetism

n the 1880s, a bunch of artists in France came together to start a movement called Synthetism. It was derived from the French verb synthétiser, which means, to synthesise. It emphasised two-dimensional flat patterns and explored the idea that art should be a synthesis of three features: the outward appearance of natural forms, the artist’s feelings about his subject

and purely aesthetic considerations of line, colour and form. Post impressionist artists Paul Gaugin and Emile Bernard and Louis Anquetin were the forerunners of the movement. While impressionists sought to celebrate nature, the synthesists sought to capture the essence of their subjects through the power of the artist's imagination. Emile Bernard explained fur-

ther, saying “A painter should not paint the object in front of him, but should seek to recapture it in the mental image he has collected for the memory does not retain everything, only what is striking. So, colours and shapes become uniformly simplified. By painting from memory, I have the advantage of abolishing the useless complexity of form and tone.

to Germany. We are passionate about what we do and the events which we organise are part of our efforts to create a cultural dialogue,” says Monika Hirmer, cultural programme co-ordinator at Goethe Zentrum. So are they pleased with the response from Hyderabadis so far? “Hyderabad has been growing exponentially over the past few years and it's only after the IT boom that more number of expats have come to the city. What I have realised is that people here are very receptive about everything. Be it a jazz performance or electronic music, there's a section of audience which is always interested. They are willing to experience and explore more and it's a pleasure to see them appreciating our culture,” Monika adds. Ever since the US Consulate began its operations in Hyderabad in 2008, it has been quite actively supporting film screenings, art exhibitions and

various other events. “The US Consulate hosts a broad range of events and cultural programmes that aim to strengthen ties and mutual understanding between our two countries. We have received tremendous response from locals and we'll be looking for more innovative ways to reach out to Hyderabadis,” says Carla Benini, public affairs officer at the US Consulate here . Aparajita Sinha, founder of Moving Images, a film club in the city, agrees that collaboration with all these cultural organisations has helped them reach out to a larger audience. “There's a great sense of community and a sharing of purpose. We are doing an earnest attempt to promote culture in various forms,” Aparajita Sinha says. Whatever the reason behind organizing these cultural events may be, they have given the art fraternity in the city a lot to cheer about.

ART FOR DUMMIES

ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Call for mining revamp

Climate chief’s warning

PUNE: Union minister for rural develop-

UNITED NATIONS: The UN climate chief

ment Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said that the mining sector in the country needs a complete rethink. “It’s not just illegal mining but legal mining too is a problem and has a very serious adverse environmental consequence,” he said in context with the recent killing of a young IPS officer, Narendra Kumar, at Morena in MP.

has warned that US voters risk ceding progress to China if they opt for a presidential candidate who denies climate change. Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, told an audience: “The [Republican] frontrunners do not believe in climate change.”

Badger cull under fire LONDON: UK badger culling plans

could kill thousands of the animals, worsen the cattle TB problem, and put the country in breach of a European wildlife treaty, advisers warned. The government is to allow culling in England to curb cattle TB, with a similar move in Wales. Campaigners said they were seeking leave for a judicial review of the government’s position.

Fukushima: One year later AFP

A visit to the scene of Japan’s worst nuclear accident, almost a year after the area was struck by a powerful earthquake and tsunami, is a study in contrasts

Justin McCurry

lsewhere along the vast stretch of coast hit by the March 11 tsunami there are palpable signs of progress. Almost all of the 23 million tons of rubble has been removed, although rebuilding is yet to start. But at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the clean-up looks like it has barely begun. Instead, the real work is being done, unseen, deep inside the crippled reactors, where melted fuel remains cool, but whose precise state and location remains a mystery. The destructive force of three reactor meltdowns is evident as soon as the bus carrying a small group of journalists invited by the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), enters the 20-kilometer (13-mile) exclusion zone imposed after the first reactor building exploded on March 12. In the town of Naraha, most of the buildings emerged unscathed from the quake, but the streets are deserted. We pass

a convenience store with its stock sitting untouched on shelves, and a parking lot dotted with cars that were abandoned in the panic. During the short journey to the plant from J.Village — a soccer training complex that is now the logistical base for the Fukushima Daiichi clean-up operation — radiation monitors alert us to the invisible enemy that has driven 80,000 people from their homes. Radiation levels rise and fall, soaring to 35 microsieverts per hour in Okuma, a farming village two kilometers from the plant that could remain uninhabitable for decades. The abandonment of entire communities is troubling enough, but little can prepare you for a close-up view of Fukushima Daiichi’s damaged reactors. One is shrouded in a vinyl cover while another appears largely intact, its mottled turquoise and white pattern clearly visible on a cold, but brilliantly sunny winter afternoon. The Nos. 3 and 4 reactors, however, are a tangled mess of steel

and debris. This low-lying area near the coast is by far the most hazardous part of the site. High radiation levels have hampered work to clear the wreckage and inspect the state of the melted fuel. The day before our visit, a robot sent inside reactor No. 2 reactor found 200 millisieverts per hour at one spot. The reactors proximity to the ocean made them easy targets for the 14-meter (42-foot) tsunami, which effortlessly breached the plant’s protective wall. Along one side of the coastal road, mesh sacks filled with rocks provide makeshift reinforcement; on the other are the exposed innards of the reactors’ turbine buildings, crammed with twisted metal, warped shutters and trucks swept up and deposited by the waves. But the clutter tells only half the story. From the outside, the appearance is one of utter chaos, but inside, damaged nuclear fuel is being kept cool by vast quantities of water, which is then stored in tanks covering almost

every spare patch of ground on the site, before being decontaminated and fed back into the reactors. At the apex of the Fukushima Daiichi operation is Takeshi Takahashi, a seriouslooking, quietly spoken man who became the plant’s manager last year after his predecessor, Masao Yoshida, took early retirement after being diagnosed with cancer (Tepco says the illness is not related to his work at the plant). Takahashi concedes that the situation on the ground is still fragile. “We need to avoid major releases of radioactive materials of the kind we saw after the accident,”he said. “We achieved cold shutdown [a stable state in which reactor temperatures remain below boiling point] in December, but we must ensure we keep making improvements because we still can’t say for sure that the facilities on site are totally troublefree.” Takahashi made no attempt to deflect criticism of Tepco’s conduct in the early days of the crisis, when information was

scarce, and sometimes contradictory. His priority, he says, was to pave the way for a return home for at least some nuclear evacuees. “We often hear that we didn’t communicate properly, and I am sorry about that,”he said. “It was never our intention to suppress information, but there was a chaotic time after the accident when we tended to neglect efficient communication. Reports suggest that radiation levels in some areas near the outer edge of the evacuation zone are low enough for a small number of residents to return in the coming months. They will not include Saori Kanesaki, a resident of Tomioka, a town in the evacuation zone, who until last year guided groups of visitors around Fukushima Daiichi. “Before the accident it was my job to tell people that nuclear power was safe,” said Kanesaki, who now works at the plant for a Tepco affiliate. “But given the situation, if I were to tell them that now ... I would be lying.” GLOBAL POST

FOOD SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Diet pills are no good

Healthy and in love

WASHINGTON: Melinda Manore an

Oregon State University researcher has reviewed the body of evidence around weight loss supplements — a $2.4 billion industry — and said no research evidence exists that any single product results in significant weight loss — and many have detrimental health benefits. It was reported in the Intern’l Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise.

Vit. D lowers fracture risk

NEW YORK: Being involved in a healthy,

LONDON: Vitamin D may be associated

loving relationship is good for the heart, says Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute cardiologist Julie Damp. “People who are married or who are in close, healthy relationships tend to be less likely to smoke, are more physically active and are more likely to have a well-developed social structure, she said.”

with a lower risk of developing stress fractures in preadolescent and adolescent girls, especially among those very active in high-impact activities, according to a report published by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Stress fractures occur when stresses on a bone exceed its capacity to withstand and heal from those forces.

FERRAN ADRIA

Top Chef

T H C

Specialty: French, Molecular Gastronomy

N U

Powerful conversations and important decisions are often made over power lunches. And we know exactly which places you need to head to for those dynamic meetings. Indira Atluri gives a list

K L

FUSION 9

his Mediterranean, multi-cuisine restaurant is one of our top-picks for power lunches. With three types of culinary choices – Indian, Chinese and Continental, lunches are far from monotonous. You have a choice of three starters and salads, main course and desserts. So, Fusion 9 is definitely a place you want to visit. Also don’t forget to try the Schezwan Chicken in the Chinese menu and the desserts in the continental menu.

Place: 1st Avenue, Road No. 1, Banjara Hills Price: Chinese and Continental – Rs325 + taxes, and Indian – Rs 275 + taxes Time: Noon – 3 pm

ZAFFRAN EXOTICA

he best place to go to if you are looking for Hyderabadi, North Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisines. With a choice of soups, appetizers, salads, three non-vegetarian main courses, eight vegetarian main courses, three varieties of rice, one variety of noodles, assorted Indian breads, accompaniments and six desserts, Zaffran’s spread will only leave you wanting for more. And yes, not to forget the complimentary mocktails, or Pint of Beer with the menu!

n n

Place: 5th floor, 12th Square Building, Road no 12, Banjara Hills Price: Rs295 + taxes and service charges Time: 12.30 pm – 3.30 pm

THE SQUARE

ovotel’s spreads are popular across the corporate city-folk. From healthy salads ranging from blanched beetroots and carrots to hummus and Greek salads, the starters are a great indicator for more to come. Check out their marinated fish with red onion salads, tenderloin with zucchini salad with Thai dressing if you are there. And do not forget to have the Pineapple Devil cake and their sugar-free desserts for that perfect way to end your meal. n

n n

Place: Novotel & HICC Complex, Cyberabad Post Office Price: Rs850 + taxes Time: Noon – 3 pm

MOMO C AFE

oMo Café in the Marriott offers Pan-Asian, Western and Indian cuisines, and is the place to go to. For those who never compromise on the menu or the meeting, the drive from the Hitech city all the way to the Marriott is no deterrent. Apart from the healthy and tasty soups, salads and the main courses, the chefs at the live dosa counter will dish out varieties of tasty dosas, right before your eyes. Set your sights on the delicious spreads, and yes, don’t forget to try the Mousse slice cake, and the eggless fruit crumbles. n n n

Place: Lower Tank Bund Road Price: Rs350 + taxes Time: Noon – 3 pm

PREGO

here is nothing like conventional in a Westin Menu – with three menu options that keep alternating, you are bound to be surprised each time you go there for your Power lunch. From exotic deep-fried squids, Baked eggplant and zucchini layers with tomato sauce to Penne Arrabiatta, Pollo parmigian and baked ratatouille lasagna, Westin is the perfect place with the perfect food and a welcoming ambience that makes it a delight for those seeking a place away from the mundane office cafeterias.

n n n

Place: The Westin, Mindspace Price: Rs 850 Rs1050 + taxes Time: Noon – 3 pm

rguably one of the most famous chefs in the world, this Spanish masterchef is more famously known as “The Salvador Dali of the kitchen.” His restaurant, El Bulli, was named best restaurant in the world for a record five times by the prestigious Restaurant magazine until it closed down. It is set to reopen in 2014 as a creative center. Adria has said that his long term vision is “to make El Bulli, the restaurant, into the El Bulli Foundation, so that we can be at the forefront of seeking out the best conditions to nurture creativity.” Incidentally, Adria began his culinary career in 1980 as a dishwasher at a French restaurant in the Hotel Playafels in Castelldefels, Spain. There he was introduced to classic culinary techniques. After a brief stint in the navy, at 22, he was given the chance to do a stage (tryout) at El Bulli and ighteen months later he became its head chef. Under his leadership, El Bulli managed to transform from an little-known isolated seaside restaurant to a dream destination for gourmets the world over with 3 Michelin stars. In 2010, Adria was awarded Best Chef of the Decade. It’s no surprise considering that Adria is known for his expertise in Molecular Gastronomy, his dishes designed to surprise and enchant his guests. In his own words, Adria’s goal is to “provide unexpected contrasts of flavor, temperature and texture. Nothing is what it seems. The idea is to provoke, surprise and delight the diner.” He has the unique distinction of having created the “culinary foam”, which is now used by chefs around the world. Maybe it was a good thing after all, that Adria did not realise his childhood dream of becoming a footballer for FC Barcelona. At 44, there’s little doubt Adria is just getting started.

FOOD SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Paneer is a wonderful dish to have with main course

The nightmare for Japan is far from over, but they are not ones to give up. In order to restore global confidence in its food, the country has applied to Unesco to have its cuisine listed as a global cultural treasure

Paneer Rassila Noor’s Kitchen NOOR JAFRI Ingredients:

Cuisine to help in reconstruction of Japan

okyo is to ask the UN’s educational, scientific and cultural arm to register “Washoku: Traditional dietary cultures of the Japanese” as part of the intangible heritage of humanity, the foreign and agriculture ministries said. Washoku or the Japanese diet, is traditionally based on rice, fish and vegetables, but the varied and highly seasonal cuisine of the country has won it plaudits around the world. If approved, it will be

1. Fresh full cream Paneer - 200gm 2. Poppy seeds (Roasted and powdered) 30gm 3. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp 4. Handi powder 1/2 tsp 5. Dhanya powder 2tsp 6. Kitchen king masala 1 tsp 7. Ginger garlic paste 3tsp 8. Fresh hung curd - 50gm 9. Fresh cream 2 tsp 10. One medium size onion thinly sliced and fry till pink and crispy 11. 1/2 cup tomato puree 12. Kasuri methi 2tsp 13. Salt to taste 14. Oil - 30-50ml 15. Coriander leaves and Green chillies for garnish

Preparation Method 1. Cut a paneer slab in 6-8 pieces in

different shapes as per choice. 2. Grind all the masalas and mix it

with the hung curd 3. Crush the fried onions and add it

Japan’s first food-related asset on the Unesco list of intangible cultural heritage. The country has 20 assets on the list, including Nogaku theater, Kabuki theater and Gagaku. The government said washoku was characterised by respect for nature and the importance placed on the way in which dishes are served as well as the quality of ingredients used. The nation also “needs to restore confidence in Japanese food, which has been adversely affected by rumours due to the nuclear

accident” at Fukushima, the government said. The accident sent poisonous radioactive particles into the air and water, blanketing crops grown near the power station and polluting waters where seafood is harvested. A number of products were taken off shelves, with government bans on beef, milk, mushrooms and some green vegetables. Several countries banned the import of some Japanese produce amid fears for its safety. Japan would apply for the listing “as a symbol of

Japan’s reconstruction from the disaster,” the government said. Sunday marks the first anniversary of the 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami, which triggered meltdowns in reactors at Fukushima. The application will be filed with the Unesco by the end of March, with a decision expected by late 2013. Certain kinds of traditional theatre and music, as well as the gastronomy of France, are recognised by Unesco as intangible cultural AFP heritage.

A taste of Arabia The most popular Arabic snacks, shawarma and falafels are now available in pocket friendly prices at Mid-East Xpress

SHIBA MINAI

shiba.m@postnoon.com

he shawarma and falafel at Mid-East Xpress give you the authentic feel, because both them are rolled in the pita bread called “khubus”, as opposed to the breads used in most shawar-

ma outlets, which makes these snacks yummmm! The owners reveal that the secret to this authentic taste lies in the special herbs that are being imported from Lebanon. The shawarma is a snack is made out of sliced pieces of roasted chicken breast mixed with garlic sauce, fresh green salad, dill pickles, jalapeños and mayonnaise all in just the right proportions wrapped in the pita bread and served hot.

to the masala 4. Marinate paneer with all the

masalas for about 30 minutes 5. Use the remaining oil, add ginger

6. 7.

8. 9.

garlic paste, tomato puree and gently toss in the marinated paneer pieces. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add Kitchen King masala and kasuri methi, if required 1/4 cup of water can be added for gravy. Cover it and switch off the gas. Top it up with fresh whisked cream and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

(Note: Paneer if overcooked gets rubbery) Chef’s note:- High calorie content and rich in protein and calcium. It can increase cholesterol levels if consumed unchecked.

This place will soon be including Arabian mutton sheek kebab and grill chicken along with hummus and tabbouleh in their menu.

Place: Road # 11, Banjara Hills, near Dilip Supermarket Price: Chicken Shawarma `60, Chicken Shawarma platter (Sahan)- `100, Falafel- `50

Contact n Noor’s Kitchen n Mobile - 91-9441282318

HISTORY SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

March 11

1702 - First regular English newspaper: The Daily Courant, the first regular English newspaper was published.

1969 - The bell bottoms era: Levi-Strauss started selling bell-bottomed jeans.

March 12

1894 - First bottled Coke: Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time.

March 13

1994 - First women priests: The Church of England ordained its first women priests.

March 13

1852 - Uncle Sam cartoon debuts: The New York “Lantern” newspaper published the first “Uncle Sam cartoon”.

March 13

1991 - $1 billion in fines: Exxon paid $1 billion in fines and for the clean-up of the Alaskan oil spill.

March 13 March 15

44 BC - Caesar assassinated: Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated by high ranking Roman Senators. The day is known as the “Ides of March.”

17th March

1999 - Marijuana’s little triumph: A panel of medical experts concluded that marijuana had medical benefits for people suffering from cancer and AIDS.

March 16

1850 - First publication of The Scarlet Letter: The novel “The Scarlet Letter,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, was published for the first time.

March 15

1938 - The great oil discovery: Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia.

1930 - Pluto discovered: It was announced that the planet Pluto had been discovered by scientist Clyde Tombaugh at the Lowell Observatory.

March 14

1891 - Cables across English Channel: The submarine Monarch laid telephone cable along the bottom of the English Channel to prepare for the first telephone links across the Channel.

SPOTLIGHT SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

A mystical evening There could have been no better treat for music-lovers than Sanama — a Sufi fusion night at the Heart Cup Coffee DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Navneet and Rashi

Sanaz and Neda

Ananya and Mitra

Nooran

Jackie and Ryan

Dances & Dramatics D

ay 2 of Spring Spree, the annual cultural fest of NIT Warangal, saw the same enthusiastic participation from crowds as the previous day. Showcasing brains to match the beauty highlighted in the previous day’s events, over 80 participants from various colleges formed panels and discussed the right of minorities and torture as a mode of punishment. A video conference with the NDTV’s Barkha Dutt was a delight and inspiration for all. Visitors to Spree got a chance to groove to beats as Bboyers’ set the stage on fire in the Bboying competition “Tear it up”, judged by ‘Crazy Geun’. While the Gamedome kept the gaming nuts rooted on the second day, dance and dramatics club enthralled the audience with ‘pair dances’ and skits.

Safe and Krishna Singh

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @Amala_ams

@Actor_Siddharth

@shrutihaasan

@actorsubbaraju

Good morning tweety pies . . . HaPpy SuNdaY :)

You may know about all my exes but you will never know my y's - old loser proverb

Thankyou @suku for my belated birthday present xoxo I love my uber cools comp bag

Screw silly movie rants Watch Kony 2012 http://t.co/gKShreKv

@me_sushanth

@prakashraaj

@trishtrashers

@shraddhadas43

Excited about this new addition :-))) http://t.co/VRolIsFi

Ind/pak Border. Spent time with our soldiers and people there. I Salute them for living 4us cheers!! http://t.co/J2U5fY2Q

Heres welcoming my pal Samantha aka Sam back on twitter @samanthaprabu2..Missd ya Sam..

Listenin to sir osthaara song from businessman on repeat on my way back to d city..love dis song!

Out of action R

am Charan Tej will be out of action for at least 3-4 weeks following an injury on the sets of his upcoming film Rachcha. Recently, a song was being filmed at Annapurna Studios and Ram Charan badly injured his leg due to muscle tear. The doctors have reportedly advised him not to indulge in any heavy physical activity. The film’s audio which will be launched later today will happen as per the schedule. Ram Charan’s spokesman confirmed saying, “Ram Charan is safe now and there’s no need to worry. The audio launch will take place as planned.” Two songs are yet to be filmed and as of now it looks like the film’s release will be postponed by at least a month. Directed by Sampath Nandi, the film has Ram Charan Tej, Tamannaah and Ajmal Ameer in lead roles. NV Prasad and Paras Jain have produced the film on Mega Supergood Films banner. Mani Sharma has composed the music.

Rebel’s budget touches `40cr R

ebel has turned out to be the most expensive film in Prabhas’ career. Raghava Lawrence is directing the film and Prabhas, Tamannaah and Deeksha Seth are playing the lead roles. Producers J Bhagavan and J Pulla Rao said, “We are spending `40 crore on this project and it’s the most expensive film ever in Prabhas’ career. Recently, a flashback episode, worth `2 crore, was shot with the lead characters and over 1,000 junior artists in the backdrop. The shooting will be completed by April and we are planning to release the film in the second week of June.” Earlier, Thaman was supposed to compose the film’s music; however, Raghava Lawrence took over the mantle of composing the music after Thaman walked out.

Aa ante A amalapuram goes to Bollywood

a ante amalapuram, a popular item song from Allu Arjun starrer Arya is all set to dazzle the Hindi movie audience. We hear that Sonu Sood has bought the rights of this song and it’ll be featured in his upcoming film titled Maximum. Sonu Sood, Neha Dhupia and Naseeruddin Shah are playing the lead roles in this film. Few days ago, there were widespread rumours that Tabu is going to dance for this item number; however, that’s not the case anymore. “We were in talks with Tabu in the past; however, we have now decided to cast a new actress or a model for this song. The song will be shot from March 15 onwards,” Sonu Sood told Postnoon. Given the craze for item numbers in Hindi films, Sonu Sood is leaving no stone unturned to make Aa ante a rage in Bollywood as well. Devi Sri Prasad had composed this song in Telugu. Incidentally, this is the second time after Dinka chika that the rights of a Prasad’s composition has been bought by a Bollywood producer.

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @SrBachchan

@juniorbachchan

@AnupamPkher

@udaychopra

T 679 -' Down Town Abbey' have seen .. interesting .. But yes 'Game of Thrones' just recommended by Shweta .. will watch

Chelsea celebrate their 107th birthday with a win at the bridge. #KTBFFH

Well some of you got it right. These athletic biceps belong to one and only @akshaykumar.:) pic.twitter.com/Pb71nbed

I thought life had no meaning and then I discovered gummy bears!

@konkonas

@NeilNMukesh

@iamsrk

@sonusood18

Everyone go and watch Sujoy Ghosh's super cool Kahaani!

Players was a memorable experience.

I miss being a baby..cos sometimes as an adult one feels one is just repeating trivial maintenance duties instead of discovering new things

A still from "Maximum"..13th april..here v come..

I’ve got more than I expected: Vidya Balan

idya Balan, who won the best actress National award for her bold and beautiful performance in The Dirty Picture, says she has achieved a lot more than she ever expected to in her seven-year Bollywood career. "I am feeling very good. Actually, I am speechless to tell how wonderful and happy I am feeling,”the 33-year-old said here at an event. "I always thought of receiving at least one National award in my career. I am just seven years old in the industry and I already have a National award to my credit. As I said, I have got much more than I had expected. I am feeling very content,”she added. Vidya forayed into Bollywood in 2005 with Parineeta and

received the Filmfare award for best female debut for her role as Lolita. The year 2011 proved to be splendid for the actress, whose No One Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture received accolades. Vidya’s latest Kahaani is also fetching the actress rave reviews for her performance as a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband. IANS

Action is easy, comedy toughest: Akshay Kumar

icking and boxing in front of the camera is far easier than making the audience laugh, says Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. "Action is easy, it is very easy. Comedy is difficult,”Akshay said in a chat on the sets of Neeraj Pandey’s Special Chabbis. After a

Paan singh team help former athletes

shot, the 44-year-old relaxed in the balcony of an old-structured house in Connaught Place here. "You know...you can kick your legs, punch someone very easily and do action. In fact, action can even look great through camerawork. Also, for an emotional scene, you can put glycerine in the eyes and make any artist cry, and the viewers think he is crying, so people also start crying,”said the actor, looking fit and smart in trousers, a shirt and sleeveless sweater. "But to make someone laugh, you have to work very hard. It’s very difficult to make people laugh. So comedy is tough...the toughest,” he added. IANS

ho says actors and films do not make a difference? A biopic on the life of athlete-turned-outlaw Paan Singh Tomar has made its makers aware of their social responsibility. They are set to establish a charitable trust to look after retired, out-of-favour athletes and sportspersons. The film’s director Tigmanshu Dhulia, lead actor Irrfan Khan and producers UTV Motion Pictures are spearheading the trust, which is being called SOS - Save Our Sportspersons. Dhulia laments the state of former athletes in the country. "Four-time Olympics hockey gold medalist Shankar

Laxman died due to lack of medical attention. KD Yadav, the 1952 Olympics bronze medalist, died penniless. Sarwan Singh, the 1954 Asian Games gold medalist, had to sell his medal for money. "Asian Games gold medal winner Parduman Singh died penniless. We want to do some-

thing to help such people before it’s too late,” he added. Dhulia says the move to initiate a trust for needy athletes arose from megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s concern for them, after he watched Paan Singh Tomar. "He saw the film and grew very concerned about how we treat our sportspersons. "Our initiative towards helping athletes who have fallen on hard times comes from him,”he said. Armed with the determination to get this project on the way, Dhulia and his team are set to get the SOS project going. Hopefully, Big B would be the face of the project. IANS

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Aniston, Cox no longer friends? Tom Cruise may star in A Star is Born

lint Eastwood is gearing up to dip his toe back into the acting game with the upcoming drama Trouble with the Curve, but the director is still pulling things together for his adaptation of A Star Is Born. Production was pushed back when star Beyoncé Knowles became pregnant, then Leonardo DiCaprio—Eastwood’s first choice for the project—passed. Alternates for the male lead were rumoured to be Christian Bale and Will Smith, but Variety now reports that Warner Bros. is courting Tom Cruise to take the part. Several adaptations of A Star Is Born have come to the screen, but the most notable is the 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason. The story concerns a movie star with a career on the decline who helps a young showgirl ascend to stardom. Tensions arise when her star rises and he fades further into obscurity.

McGregor hates comic book movies

ctor Ewan McGregor is shocked at the number of comic book movies dominating the big screen. The 40-year-old says it is becoming increasingly difficult to find good roles because of the likes of Superman, SpiderMan and Captain America. “It just seems in the last three or four years that it’s harder to find the kind of drama where I’ve always worked,” showbizspy.com quoted McGregor as saying. “My area of filmmaking, which is sort of in the mid bracket — films about people in real situations —- it’s the one that’s taking the biggest kicking after the financial crisis.” IANS

ennifer Aniston’s friendship with Courteney Cox has reportedly become “strained” since she started dating Justin Theroux. The pair have been inseparable since meeting at the F.R.I.E.N.D.S audition in 1994, but Cox apparently feels Aniston has “forgotten” about her since moving in with Justin. “Jennifer’s priorities have obviously changed since meeting Justin,” contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying. “Courteney must feel that Jen (Jennifer) has completely forgotten what it’s like to be the single girl and that will hurt given how supportive she and David were to Jen over the years,” the source added. IANS

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

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CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Usher’s

musical gift to

Brooklyn, Beckham’s son

occer player David Beckham’s son Brooklyn received a memorable surprise on his 13th birthday — a musical wish by his favourite singer Usher. Brooklyn’s celebrity parents David and Victoria decided to call in a favour from their friend Usher, asking him to serenade

their eldest son down the phone, reports dailystar.co.uk. “Brooklyn is naturally quite shy and isn’t one for courting attention, even on his birthday. As he was unwrapping a new Arsenal football kit, David casually walked in telling him there was someone on the phone who wanted to wish him happy

Taylor Swift

is top money maker

aylor Swift is making it rich in the music world. The country music star has been named top money maker of 2011 by a website. The 22-year-old singer didn’t release any album in 2011. But her estimated $35.7 million wealth amassed from her Speak Now

Tour profits, album sales and digital successes gave her an edge over U2 and fellow country star Kenny Chesney on the rich list by Billboard.com, reports contactmusic.com. Some of Swift’s popular songs include Love story and Teardrops on my guitar. IANS

birthday,” said a source. “When he picked up the phone, Usher sang Happy Birthday. Brooklyn is crazy about Usher and has met him a few times. He went bright red and started to get really shy. He told his dad afterwards that it was ‘the best birthday present IANS ever’,” the source added.

CINEMA SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Michael Madsen jailed

ctor Michael Madsen was arrested on charges of child endangerment by Los Angeles County sheriffs today. The Kill Bill star was taken into custody just before 4 pm on Saturday after a dispute with his underage son. When sheriffs arrived in response to a domestic disturbance call at Madsen’s home in Malibu they observed signs of injury on his underage son. Madsen was also believed to be intoxicated. Madsen’s

son did not require medical attention. Police have not released his name since he is a minor. Madsen was booked on the felony charge of “child endangerment with cruelty to a child” and is being held on $100,000 bail. Perry Wander, Madsen’s attorney, told TMZ, he “found his son smoking pot and they got in an argument when he tried to take it away. It’s a family matter and Michael asks that his family’s privacy be respected.”

Olsen is a licenced real estate agent A

ctress Elizabeth Olsen recently obtained her real estate licence for extra income to help put herself through college. The break-out star, and younger sister to designer twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, has dreamed of gracing the big screen ever since she was a young girl, but she refused to rely on her last name as a way to make it happen. She tells Reuters, “I started to develop this complex thinking: ‘If I’m going to be an actor, no one’s going to take me seriously, so I’m going to overcompensate and do as much training as possible, so that I know that I have something no one can take away from me.’”

Spears rejects X-factor offer B ritney Spears has rejected a $10 million offer to judge the next season of The X Factor, TheWrap has learned. So the question is: How much is Fox going to have to pony up? Try $20 million. The singer rejected that offer three weeks ago and is instead thinking about an offer to become a resident performer at a Las Vegas hotel in the fall, a la Celine Dion. So here comes a game of chicken. Fox desperately needs a big name to announce on the judge’s panel of Simon Cowell’s show, now that NBC’s hit show The Voice will be competing with them in the fall. Spears’ camp wants $20 million.

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Rio rhythms 7 Evaluates 12 Volunteer 17 Berne's river 21 Moralise 22 Dubai royalty 23 Magna — 24 Rugged cliff 25 Shoe-happy Marcos 26 Auto accessory (2 wds) 28 Large lot 29 Caribou kin 30 Lounge chairs 32 Suggestive 33 Has a rash 35 Wolf's expression 37 Herd member 38 Author — Grey 39 Most pale 40 Wheat stem 42 RCA products 43 Takes home 44 From memory (2 wds) 45 Pretty in Paris 47 Cocoon dweller 48 Bad-tempered 49 Shot meas 52 Mdse bars 53 Pounce 54 ‘The Hoosier Poet’ 55 As blind as — — 59 Travel stopovers 61 Disney pachyderm 62 Priests' attire 63 ‘Bad, Bad Leroy Brown’ singer 64 Got wrong 65 Pound sound 66 Monsieur's son 67 Complained 68 Unsubstantial 69 Pamper 70 Astarte or Isis 72 Valerie Harper role 73 Mouth, slangily 74 Goes to the left 75 Indicate direction 76 Brandy letters 77 Apiece 80 Joyous outburst 82 Search for weapons 83 Basalt, once 84 Texas town 85 Kind of magnetism 87 Mask feature 88 Edible seaweed 89 King of Judea 90 Kind of eclipse 91 Voices an opinion 92 Annoy 94 Glass container 95 Weary exhale 96 Get lost! 97 Call it — — 98 Planet warmer 99 Want-ad abbr 100 Anticipate 101 Band's bookings 102 Hatfield foe 104 Sounds uncertain 107 Grape producer 108 — Paulo 109 Ceremonially attired 113 Tropical fruits 114 Chocolate-coloured dogs

115 Suitably 117 Taboo (hyph) 118 Devise 119 Handle problems 120 Made fun of 122 Ames inst 123 Two fives for — — 124 Jurassic creature 27 Wind god 129 Damsel 130 Fluffy quilt 131 Like most jackets 132 Exacting 133 ‘La — Bonita’ 134 Famous last words 135 Pageant headgear 136 Exchanged DOWN 1 Hard sells, maybe 2 Kind of bracelet 3 Milder 4 Checkbook amt 5 ‘Moneytalks’ group 6 Persian monarchs 7 Ease, as a headache 8 Keeps in stitches 9 Powerful predator 10 Joule fractions 11 FICA funds it 12 Continental separators 13 Broad comedy

14 Come unraveled 15 And so on 16 Jauntily 17 Locust tree 18 Sagittarius 19 Least done 20 Discharge 27 Persona non — 31 Storage area 34 — went thataway! 36 British rule in India 38 A Marx brother 39 Actor Lew — 41 Is willing to 43 Without feeling 44 Fall plantings 46 CD predecessors 47 Woman's shoe 48 Lacking sense 49 Like beef jerky 50 Jazz pianist Chick — 51 Husky 53 Midsummer 54 ‘Nick of Time’ singer 55 Bone-dry 56 Waterloo loser 57 — in the hole 58 Koppel or Knight 60 Mouse alert 61 Rookie socialites 63 Use a hatchet

65 Gape open 66 Stool pigeon 67 Cowboy's shout 69 Jezebel adored him 70 ‘That oughta — —!’ 71 Gasthaus cubes 72 Invitation addendum 74 Get an earful 75 Chandelier pendant 76 Forum farewell 78 Paris school 79 Bronco-riding event 81 Calcutta nanny 82 Assail (2 wds) 83 Tax 84 Hose down 85 Pacino and Unser 86 Rapa — 87 Graceful wraps 88 New Zealand parrots 89 Privilege 91 Duelers' pride 92 Great care 93 Advantage 94 Tampa Bay pro 96 Climbing flower (2 wds.) 98 Berate 100 Stratford's river 101 Taunted 102 ‘Waltzing —’

103 Over there 104 Australian carrier 105 Disclose 106 Docket 107 Fog and steam 108 More nimble 110 Let simmer 111 Guarantee 112 Put out the fire 113 Orange Bowl city

114 Sophia — of films 115 Hartford competitor 116 Breadmaking need 119 Grant territory 120 Roman 602 121 Forest ruminant 125 Tool man — Allen 126 Neighbor of CTRL 128 Anatomical eggs PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

CHAI TIME SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

STAR POWER Date 12-3-2012

As per Hindu panchang

THIRUVAIKUMAR

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Marriage talks will be fruitful. Held-up work will get completed surprisingly at a speed higher than expected. Your thoughts will travel in a new path and you will be a creator of new ideas.

Your administrative ability will be appreciated by all, as your efforts will yield the best results. Enemies too will become your followers. Persons of high esteem and position will befriend you.

You will plan to buy a new asset and make an advance part payment also. Help from various sources will let you settle old debts. Court verdicts will go in favour. You will control expenses.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Challenges are just like eating cakes for you. You will act very wisely to manage them and conquer. You will complete construction of your house. Put in hard work for son's higher studies.

Certain work that got deviated from your plan will now get into the right direction and get completed without hurdles. A satisfactory financial situation. You will complete all work.

Expected help will come and let you relax. Powerful govt officials' friendship likely. Couples may face ego clashes but try and avoid it to be happy. Frequent travel possible. Minor accidents likely.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Held-up work will get completed with ease. Good financial inflow possible. Court verdicts will go in your favour. You will receive a powerful post. Son's negligent attitude will change.

You will achieve a lot by putting up a hard struggle.Those who are trying for a job will be successful. Blood relatives will support your growth. Pregnant women need to avoid travelling.

House construction plan will get approved. Court verdict will go in your favour. Good turning points likely with the help of friends staying abroad. Your influence in law matters will increase.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Sudden fortune will surprise you and bring cheer. Confusion in the family will come to an end. Delayed govt works will now take place with minor efforts. Forgotten due will come.

Good financial flow expected. You will purchase jewels. Some have bright chances to buy a vehicle also. You will clear a portion of a debt for which a higher rate of interest is being paid.

Self-confidence level will be at its high. Payment, for asset you have paid advance for, will now be made and registration too will be over. Sister's marriage will be performed successfully.

SUMAA TEKUR

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

The High Priest – Most of us don’t like very much to look within but it’s important to self-evaluate our actions and goals to see where we’re headed.

The Tower – There’s no easier way to deal with difficult changes than to accept them with open arms. All your hesitation and discomfort will go.

Four of Swords – You seek stability and look for it in unusual places. It might be a good idea to take up a meditation course to calm those nerves.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

The Hermit – Answers come to you naturally, instinctively, without your having to go looking. Your desire to understand how things work is impt.

Nine of Wands – There’s a lightening of the burden you’ve been carrying for a long time. It may be a secret or something more serious, like a commitment.

Six of Cups – You’re likely to get a message from an old friend or someone special from your past. This is likely to make you nostalgic, crave a slice of y’day.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Three of Pentacles – Skill and training programmes are important for you to get ahead in your job. Why just job, maybe a lesson or two in dating might help, too.

Judgement – Things don’t ever come easy. The fruits of your labour are about to be gifted to you, though you least expect it. Somewhere, you feel justice is done.

King of Swords – Think logically before you make any harsh decisions that impact your day-to-day life. Use gift of your intellect to better your own situations.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The Hanged Man – It’s a spiritual time. You’re perhaps thinking of taking up a study course to alleviate boredom or to appease your curious side.

Four of Wands – Creativity rules all your work. You’re ahead of your time and think differently. Beware that it might take a while for your peers to understand you.

Knight of Pentacles – You’re pensive. Weighing pros and cons is good but also be prepared to go with the flow, as decisions may not be in control.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

Republicans and Democrats

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ Date 12-3-2012

epublicans say ‘Merry Christmas!’ Democrats say ‘Happy Holidays!’ Republicans help the poor during the holidays by sending 50, one buck at a time, to panhandlers on the street. Democrats get back at the Republicans on their Christmas list by giving them fruitcakes. Republicans re-wrap them and send them to in-laws. Democrats let their kids open all the gifts on Christmas Eve. Republicans make their kids wait until Christmas morning. When toasting the holidays,

Republicans ask for eggnog or mulled wine. Democrats ask for a ‘Bud.’ When not in stores, Republicans use a catalogue. Democrats watch for ‘incredible TV offers’ on late night TV. Democrats do much shopping at Target and Wal-Mart. So do Republicans, but they don't admit it. Republican parents have no problem buying toy guns for their kids. Democrats refuse to do so. That is why their kids pretend to shoot each other with dolls. ... more next week

Vol: 1, No 238 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

WACKY WORLD SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Tokyo’s hammock cafe

ahika Mano, a popular Tokyo venue, is better known as the Hammock Cafe. Located in the Kichijoji district of Tokyo, a place renowned for its chill-out atmosphere, Mahika Mano fits in just perfectly, with its hammocks hanging from the ceiling inviting passers-by to just sit back and enjoy a tasty drink. Who needs chairs, right?

Artist paints with his tongue

Return of the dead

ow here’s a hobby that’s bound to leave a bad aftertaste. Ani K, from Kerala, India, makes paintings using his tongue. He actually slathers paint on it, which he then transfers on to canvas to create beautiful images. Ani, who works as a drawing teacher, says he was inspired by an artist who painted with his foot and wanted to do something like that. He started off using his nose, but he realized that was done before and he wanted something unique.

95-year-old Chinese woman, thought to be dead and placed in a coffin, terrified her family and neighbours by climbing right out after six long days. Xiufeng who lives alone was found by her neighbour motionless one morning. Thinking her to be dead they placed her in a coffin. A day before the funeral, the box was discovered empty, and the body was gone. AFP/ LOUISA GOULIAMAKI

STREET ARTS A woman walks by a wall adorned with graffiti in Athens on Friday. Greece added up pledges by private debt holders to cancel half the money owed to them in a tense countdown to an evening deadline critical for a new bailout and to cooling the eurozone crisis.

Fake Flintstones house up for sale

‘Attitude’ gets 6th grader handcuffed

Now shut those chatter mouths

re you a die-hard fan of the Flintstones and have an extra $3.5 million to spare? If the answer is yes, then you actually have the chance to live in a house styled in the theme of the popular cartoon. If not, well then you can just make do with looking at the pictures. The house, located in Malibu, presently belongs to TV and radio legend Dick Clark and his wife, but is up for sale and pretty fresh on the market.

Colorado sixth-grader was handcuffed and taken to a juvenile holding facility for disobeying an assistant principal and being “argumentative and extremely rude,” according to an incident report. “She told me that I need to quit giving her my attitude,” Yajira Quezada was quoted by a news channel as saying of the administrator at Shaw Heights Middle School in Westminster, a suburb of Denver. In the incident report, the unidentified administrator said she was on hall patrol on February 22 when she came across Quezada and started questioning her. She said she was in mid-sentence when the 11-year-old “turned and walked away saying, ‘I don’t have time for this.’” “Why would they handcuff me? I’m not the type of girl to get arrested,” added Quezada, whose mother later moved her and her sister out of the school.”They’re treating them like criminals. And they’re not, they’re kids,” Quezada’s mother, Mireya Gaytan said. The local sheriff ’s office said handcuffing a child during transport is standard procedure. A school district spokesman agreed. “Once they step in and take over a case, it is really in their hands,” Steve Saunders said of the handcuffing by the school’s resource officer. Quezada said she’d have a different response if she has another encounter with school staff. “Not to give them attitude,” she said.

t’s a Japanese invention that could very well be the perfect answer to all the talkative people out there. The device is said to be powerful enough to jam a person’s speech from up to 98ft away. The prototype invention supposedly records the obnoxious speech with a directional microphone, adds a 0.2 second delay, and then fires it right back at the prattler with the help of a directional speaker. So there’s basically a delay between when the person says something and when they hear their own speech. This would mess with the person so bad, that they would soon be rendered speechless for a while.

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Wade lifts Heat in last sec

Tendulkar rubbishes report

Lions pull off thrilling win

MIAMI: Dwyane Wade scored 28 points,

NEW DELHI: India's cricketing legend

CHENNAI: Karnataka Lions survived a

including the game-winning basket with .01 of a second remaining in over-time, to lift the Miami Heat over Indiana 93-91 on Saturday. LeBron James, who sank a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining in regulation that pushed the game into the extra period, scored 27 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The Heat’s home win streak of 12 games is the longest since 2007.

Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday dismissed speculations that he would announce his retirement after getting his much awaited 100th international ton. Zee News reported that Tendulkar, in an SMS sent to the channel, has rubbished all speculations about his retirements. Speculation was rife that Tendulkar would hang up his boots after getting the century in the Asia Cup.

late surge by Chennai Cheetahs to post a 5-3 win, their second only in six matches of the World Series Hockey tournament here on Saturday. Goals by Ravipal Singh (26th, 63rd), Vinayak Bijwad (32nd, 57th) and Deepak Kullu (68th) saw Karnataka, sorely missing skipper Arjun Halappa, veteran Dhanraj Pillay and striker Amar Aiyamma, shrugging off a tentative start against Cheetahs.

Lin, Lee in dream All-Eng final Richard Eaton

BIRMINGHAM: Lin Dan said he would “cherish” his meeting with Lee Chong Wei after badminton’s two biggest stars won through for another showdown in the final of the All-England Open. Lin’s 21-18, 21-17 semi-final victory over Kenichi Tago, the rising 21-year-old Japanese player, left the World and Olympic champion from China in sentimental mood as he contemplated another dream final with the world number one from Malaysia. “I just want to have a good memory of this,” Lin said. “I just want to have good memories of the big four. I don’t know how often we will see each other again.” He was referring not only to Lee, whose defence of the AllEngland title carried him to a third successive final with a 2119, 21-18 win over Lee Hyun-Il. Lin was including Taufik Hidayat, the former World and Olympic champion from Indonesia, and Peter Gade, the former world number one from Denmark, all of whom are in their last year of competitive badminton. Lin described his performance against Tago a “normal”

one, though many watching thought it anything but. There were moments when he played with a languorous swagger, as if challenging his opponent to get the shuttle past him, moments when he appeared to be treating it almost as an exhibition, and moments when he changed character and exploded into sudden fiery attacks. He trailed 12-15 in the first game, and allowed Tago to recover from a five-point deficit to parity in the second. But when he

needed points, he usually took them, good as Tago was. Earlier Lee moved to within one win of his third successive All-England Open title by edging past Lee Hyun-Il, the former world number one from Korea. No men’s singles player has achieved that since Rudy Hartono, the Indonesian great of 38 years ago, but Lee’s movement and ability to respond quickly to changing situations suggest he is capable of it. The world number one from Malaysia established an early

four-point lead over the Korean, but was caught at 17-17 and again at 18-18. Lee Chong Wei was patient and accurate at the net and with clears at that stage, but he had to cope with an even greater comeback from Lee Hyun-Il in the second game. Often defending brilliantly, and finding unexpected angles with his left-handed slices, the Korean came back from 9-18 to 16-18 before Chong-Wei managed to force some smashes through and close the match out. “I was well prepared today, but I have to improve my attacking,” the champion said. “I woke up with some pain in my hand today, but I managed to play through it all right.” Sunday will see his 28th meeting with Lin Dan, who has prevailed in 18 of them so far. Lee however won well against him in last year’s final. Lin says he doesn’t care who wins, but if he regains the AllEngland title he will earn it a fifth time, a record in the professional era. But he doesn’t care about that either. Only a match suitable for a farewell is his desire. A new women’s singles champion is certain. That is because Wang Shixian, the third-seeded title-

Sharapova thunders ahead INDIAN WELLS: Second seed Maria Sharapova routed Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-2, 6-0 in the second round of the WTA/ATP Indian Wells tournament on Saturday. The former Indian Wells champ advanced to the third round, where she will face qualifier Simona Halep of Romania who ousted 28th seeded Czech Petra Cetkovska 6-2, 6-4. Novak Djokovic may not be off to another perfect start to the year, but he remains consistent when it comes to winning his opening match at the ATP/WTA Indian Wells Tournament. Defending champion Djokovic defeated Andrey Golubev in the second round for the second year in a row, easily beating the Kazakh qualifier 6-3, 6-2 in a 62-minute center court match on Saturday. Last year, Djokovic needed just 60 minutes to oust Golubev before going on to capture his second Indian Wells title. “It was a good start,” Djokovic said.

“We didn’t play a beautiful match. There were a lot of unforced errors but it was the opening match and I am still trying to adjust to this court and get used to the conditions. Hopefully the next match will be better.” World number 1 Djokovic, who came into Indian Wells last year riding a win streak that he eventually stretched to 41 matches, is now 11-1 on the season. The lone blemish on his record is a defeat in the Dubai semi-finals last week to Andy Murray, who was due on the Indian Wells court in a later match. Djokovic, who won his fifth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, advanced to the third round, where he will face South African Kevin Anderson, who won in a walkover when German Philipp Kohlschreiber withdrew. Djokovic broke Golubev to go up 5-2 in the second set, winning the game when his shot struck the net cord and dribbled over to the other side. That came after Golubev had double faulted

three times in the game. That allowed Djokovic to serve for the match and he clinched the victory on his second match point when Golubev failed to return the Serb’s first serve. Both Indian Wells defending champions advanced in straight sets on Saturday as Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark kick-started her bid to become just the second woman to win back-to-back titles here. Wozniacki broke Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in every service game to post a 6-2, 6-0 win. “I don’t like to be out there for too long if I don’t have to,” Wozniacki said. “I like to play tennis and I love grinding it out, but if I have the opportunity to finish it off fast, I like that.” Fourth-seeded Wozniacki advances to the third round, where she will face top Swede Sofia Arvidsson, who beat Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 6-3. Wozniacki has now won three straight matches against Makarova all AFP in straight sets.

holder from China, was beaten 20-22, 21-18, 21-18 by her compatriot Wang Yihan, the top-seeded world champion. It lasted fully 85 minutes, and two matches on the adjacent court were completed in almost the same time it took for this manouevring encounter to evolve to its conclusion. Yihan, a good attacker, was muted for much of the match, while Shixian, better known as a fine mover, often become more aggressive, in a strange reversal of their usual modes. It is also became certain that a Chinese player will take the women’s title for the eighth time in 10 years. That happened after Li Xuerui, a rising 21-year-old who is coached by two-time Olympic gold medallist Zhang Ning, halted the surprising Taiwanese player, Tai Tzu Ying. The seventh seeded Chinese beat her unseeded opponent 1921, 21-16, 21-10, getting completely on top in the final game. China is sure of the women’s doubles title as well, but cannot repeat its achievement of all five titles of three years ago. That became impossible after the mixed doubles titleholders, Xu Chen and Ma Lin, were beaten by Thomas Laybourn and Kamilla Rytter Juhl.

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Tiger, McIlroy catch fire but Watson leads MIAMI: Tiger Woods and Rory

lenge tomorrow.” Bradley fired a bogey-free 66 and said that was a greater feat than sinking six birdies. “It’s playing real tough out there,” he said. Rose, who ran off four birdies in a row from the eighth through 11th holes, closed with a bogey to fall out of the final pairing on Sunday with a round of 69. Sweden’s Peter Hanson was fourth on 204, one stroke ahead of Americans Matt Kuchar and Zach Johnson with American Johnson Wagner alone in seventh on 206. McIlroy and Woods were next on 207 in a group that also included England’s Luke Donald, Germany’s Martin Kaymer, South African Charl Schwartzel and American Webb Simpson. McIlroy, playing his first event as golf ’s World No. 1, birdied the par-4 second on a chip-in and added another at the third, then ran off three birdies in a row from the fifth through seventh holes and dropped another at the ninth. “I chipped in a birdie at two. That sort of got me going,” McIlroy said. “To shoot 30 with two pars on the par-5s is pretty good.”

McIlroy played their way into contention on Saturday at the Cadillac Championship but American Bubba Watson remained atop the leaderboard at the World Golf Championship event. Watson fired a five-under par 67 to stand on 17-under 199 through 54 holes. He was three strokes ahead of England’s Justin Rose and American Keegan Bradley entering the final round of the $8.5 million event at Doral. “I wanted to play good,” Watson said. “I just tried to keep my head down and I somehow grinded out a pretty good score.” Watson, who fired a 62 on Friday to grab the lead, opened eagle-birdie, answered a bogey at the par-3 fourth with a birdie on five and had back-to-back birdies before closing the front nine with another bogey. Birdies at the par-5 12th and par-4 14th and a bogey at the par-4 16th followed by a pair of pars closed out his round in mixed fashion. “I’m looking at it as a positive,” Watson said. “Two 3putts, which is not technical or mental. I just didn’t hit the speeds I needed to hit. I’m just looking forward to the chal-

AFP

ICC to probe fixing claims LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is investigating claims that Indian bookmakers are fixing the results of England county games and international fixtures, Britain’s Sunday Times reported. The newspaper said it had uncovered evidence that tens of thousands of pounds (dollars) was on offer to players to throw part or all of international matches, including last year’s World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan. It cited one Delhi bookmaker boasting that English county cricket was also a “good new market”, as it involved “low-profile matches and nobody monitors them. That’s why good money can be made there without any hassle”. The allegations come just weeks after former Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield became the first English cricketer to be jailed for corruption after admitting accepting money to fix a match against Durham in September 2009. Last year, Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were also jailed in Britain for their role in an entirely separate ‘spotfixing’ scandal concerning a 2010 Test match against England. AFP

Asia Cup may be an all-horse race Twelfth Man BABU KALIANPUR

ll teams in the Asia Cup are facing the problem of proving their credibility in the shorter version of the game. India will have to wipe out the disaster Down Under from their memory and take fresh guard in conditions which are mores suited to their game. Consistency will be the key to India’s success. They have more or less the same players who went through the nightmare in Australia. This series gives them

a chance to prove that their strength lies not on paper alone. India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will need to infuse the enthusiasm which was shown in India’s last match in the Commonwealth Bank Series when the team came back strongly to beat Sri Lanka. This match was the only shining light amidst the gloom in Australia. There were other victories in the one-dayers, but they were eked out rather than bulldozed. The focus will once again on Sachin Tendulkar over whether the elusive 100th hundred will be completed finally. It would be better for Indian cricket if Tendulkar gets it over with. It may clear things up over the future of India’s master batsman and whether he would fol-

low suit and quit like Rahul Dravid. Hopefully, India have thrown the rotation policy out of the window particularly now that Virendra Sehwag is out of the tournament. At least, India must be in top gear before they face Pakistan in Dhaka on March 18. Pakistan come into this series with their confidence dented by the sound beating by England in the UAE. However, over the past year or so, Pakistan have been consistent. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq has proved a steadying influence on the often volatile side. Pakistan’s bowling will be their main strength. Saeed Ajmal must be the best off spinner in the world at the moment. He is sure to get help in Bangladesh

and will be the key once again to Pakistan’s success. Paceman Umar Gul has also found his rhythm and this has given Pakistan’s attack the extra edge. Shahid Afridi seemed to have tapered off in the UAE and it is only a matter of time when he finds top form again. Pakistan’s batting seems to be the worry. The loss of form of opener Mohammed Hafeez has hit Pakistan badly. He always gave his team a good start. Sri Lanka will be on a high despite losing the Commweath Bank series finals. They found their magic touch again in Australia under Mahela Jayawardene. The skipper also hit form, which has added more backbone to the team. Tilakaratne Dilshan is also back at his best, which has

augured well for the team. But Sri Lanka will have to prove that the Australian performance was no flash in the pan. Bangladesh have been hit with controversies even before the tournament started. Tamim Iqbal had been axed and then again recalled to the side on fickle grounds. This prompted selector Akram Khan to quit his post. The team has also been caught in a bad patch and will need all their best resources to give a good showing. The return of former skipper Mahrafe Mortaza may prove crucial as he is one of the best bowlers in the country. As hosts, Bangladesh will need to find that elusive consistency to make the tournament a four-horse race.

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Di Matteo: It’s OK to win ugly

‘No hangover for Gunners’ Ian Winrow

LONDON: Arsene Wenger insists there will be no hangover from Arsenal’s Champions League defeat to AC Milan when his side return to Premier League action against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners fell just short of overcoming a four-goal first leg deficit against the Serie A side last week but there was enough in the 3-0 second leg victory to suggest Wenger’s side are on the rise. And having beaten Tottenham and Liverpool in their previous two games, confidence is surging as Arsenal step up their challenge to finish third. “The disappointment is there but we produced the performance that we wanted, we were just a fraction short, “ Wenger said ahead of Monday’s clash. “If we have regrets it is more down to the fact that we missed our first game and that we had many players out on a night that any player you put on at that level has a massive

importance. In midfield we were a bit short.” The recent run of results have reinforced Wenger’s view that his squad is good enough to secure a place in next season’s Champions League. The upbeat mood has been enhanced by back to back defeats for third-placed Tottenham while Chelsea, lying fifth, are in a state of transition following the departure of manager Andre VillasBoas. Another victory over Newcastle will confirm the Gunners’s resurgence while effectively eliminating Alan Pardew’s side from the race for a top four finish. “I always believed in the spirit and quality of this team. I am sure if we keep going that will come out and the target until the end of the season

Everybody has come together now and we have overcome a difficult period. We need to be consistent like this now for the rest of the season. Kieran Gibbs is to be faithful to that,” he said. Full-back Kieran Gibbs shares his manager’s optimism, particularly as the injury list has been reduced. “Now we have a bigger squad, we can rotate more, players won’t be as tired and the team looks a lot stronger. You can obviously see the benefits from that,” Gibbs said. “Everybody has come together now and we have overcome a difficult period. We need to be consistent like this now for the rest of the season.” Andre Santos is fit again after a three-month absence with an ankle problem but Abou Diaby has been ruled out after picking up an injury at Liverpool. Pardew admits his side’s slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League will be extinguished if they fail to beat Arsenal. Newcastle travel to the Emirates Stadium hoping to repeat their outing 16 months ago.

Ian Winrow

LONDON: Roberto Di Matteo signalled a break with Chelsea’s recent past by insisting his team must adopt a stronger winning mentality. Di Matteo oversaw a 1-0 victory over 10-man Stoke in his first Premier League game since being placed in caretaker control following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas. Villas-Boas maintained the importance of playing with style during his eight-month stay at the club. But Di Matteo conceded the victory over Stoke — that came courtesy of Didier Drogba’s 100th Premier League — had been hard-fought. And he insists Chelsea must maintain that approach during the final games of the season as they attempt to force their way into the top four. “Today was a step in the right direction and sometimes you have to win like this to get three points,” he said. “It’s not easy and sometimes you have to win scrappy. There are 10 league games to go and Tottenham could be drawn back into the fight for fourth.” Asked whether this approach marked a change in direction from that set in place by VillasBoas, Di Matteo added: “I’m looking forward and getting the team in the right frame of mind.” Drogba proved to be his side’s saviour after Ricardo Fuller was sent off in the 25th minute for a stamp on Branislav Ivanovic. The Ivory Coast striker is out of contract in the summer and Di Matteo refused to be drawn on whether the club should offer the forward a new deal. “It was a big goal for him and a winning goal for the team. “His contract is a matter for the club. It’s not for me to discuss. He has been a great player here.”

Chelsea’s focus now switches to the midweek Champions League tie with Napoli at Stamford Bridge when Di Matteo’s side will attempt to overcome a 3-1 first leg deficit. “They are a very good team with some exceptional players, but they will face a good team and we will make it difficult for them,” Di Matteo said. Juan Mata will return to the

starting line-up for that game after being left on the bench for the visit of Stoke. The Spaniard was introduced as a first half substitute and provided the assist for Drogba’s goal in the 68th minute. And Di Matteo said: “I thought it was going to be physical against Stoke, that’s why I left him out.”

SPORTS SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012

Jelavic drowns Tottenham

Graham Chase

LIVERPOOL: Nikica Jelavic scored his first goal for Everton as David Moyes celebrated 10 years in charge at Goodison Park with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Saturday. Jelavic’s impact had been limited to two substitute appearances due to abdominal problems since making a £6 million move from Rangers in January. But the Croatia striker marked his first Premier League start with a first goal to extend Everton’s unbeaten league run to seven matches and move them within two points of Liverpool ahead of Tuesday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield. For Spurs, it was a third straight Premier League defeat for the first time since manager Harry Redknapp, who has been linked with the vacant England job in recent weeks, replaced Juande Ramos in 2008. Redknapp’s side are only four points clear of fourth placed Arsenal and their local rivals can close that gap with a win over Newcastle on Monday. Seamus Coleman started on Everton’s left flank, due to onloan Tottenham winger Steven Pienaar being ineligible, and the Irishman went close with

just a couple of minutes gone, thumping wide from 20 yards. Tottenham threatened for the first time when Gareth Bale took a throw quickly for Jermain Defoe to surge through, holding off Sylvain Distin only to slice a disappointing shot well wide of goal. Everton carved out the first decent chance when Australia midfielder Tim Cahill laid off for Marouane Fellaini and the Belgian’s curling shot was blocked by the legs of Brad Friedel. But Friedel had no answer to Jelavic’s 22nd minute strike as the Toffees took the lead in slick fashion. Leighton Baines played through for Leon Osman, who surged into the area and pulled back for Jelavic to calmly shoot past the Tottenham goalkeeper. Everton continued to press and, after cutting in off the right flank, Dutchman Royston Drenthe’s shot cannoned off Ledley King and was held by Friedel. But Bale was always dangerous and, after stepping infield past Coleman, he thumped a drive wide from 30 yards and then narrowly missed with a free-kick from a similar distance. As Everton struggled to

clear, Luka Modric had a longrange effort held by Tim Howard, but Friedel was forced into a scrambling save to keep out Jelavic’s powerful free-kick

Defiant Dalglish won’t give up on top-four bid Jason Mellor

SUNDERLAND: Kenny Dalglish refused to give up on Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League despite missing out on an opportunity to close the gap on the Premier League’s top four. Danish international Nicklas Bendtner’s (right) fortuitous 56th minute winner at the Stadium of Light was enough to lift Sunderland up to eighth and within two points of Liverpool, who lost a third consecutive league game for the first time in eightand-a-half years. Dalglish’s side are 10 points from fourth place and the gap will become 13 if Arsenal overcome Newcastle at the Emirates on Monday. Liverpool, who play Everton on Tuesday, have just 11 matches remaining to bridge the gap, but a defiant Dalglish is not prepared to

write off the Champions League just yet. “It’s up to us to keep going, and keep our mouths shut,” said Dalglish. “As I’ve said all season, we see how many points we have collected by the end of the campaign, and see where that takes us. “We’ll play all our matches and see where we are. We’d prefer to have taken more points at home. “If we were to get into the top four, it would be fantastic, just as it was winning the League Cup and being in the sixth round of the FA Cup.” Dalglish could count himself unlucky that Liverpool lost a lacklustre clash featuring just a few half chances at either end. It was no surprise that the goal which separated the two was lucky — even if there was no sign of the beach ball which helped Sunderland to a 1-0 win over Liverpool in October 2009 thanks to Darren Bent’s never-to-be forgotten effort.

just before half-time. Spurs wasted no time in pressing after the restart and, after yet more clever work from Bale, Defoe forced a flying save from Howard. Howard once again denied Defoe after the striker was slipped through by Scott Parker. Former Everton forward Louis Saha was brought off the bench 10 minutes into the second period as Redknapp looked to spark his team, but the next opportunity fell to Sandro, who headed wide at the far post after being left unmarked for a Modric corner. Younes Kaboul also missed with a free-kick and Howard managed to grab another deflected Defoe effort as Everton struggled to get out of their own territory. As Saha

attempted to worry his old team, his prod at goal flew straight at Distin’s face before Friedel did well to block Osman after a quick Everton breakaway. Defoe had another effort correctly ruled out for offside before King headed wide from a lofted free-kick from Bale. The hosts had to hold on for five minutes of added time, with Howard denying Kaboul’s header from a Benoit AssouEkotto cross before Saha had a late effort turned on to the post by Howard.