Postnoon E-Paper for 16 july,2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

VANISHING BEAUTY

With increasing carbon dioxide levels and seas turning more acidic, there’s a real possibility that coral reefs and the life that relies on them might soon be extinct. In order to prevent such an event we must know about the role they play in our ecosystem.

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JEEV MILKA SINGH WINS HIS 4TH TITLE Jeev Milka Singh captured his fourth European Tour title when he birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Italy’s Francesco Molinari and claim the Scottish Open. P31 Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

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WEATHER: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SHOWERS; 24°C

GRAND FINALE TO BONALU FESTIVAL M ANIL KUMAR

Old City, Secunderabad and Golconda were decked up like brides today for the grand finale of Bonalu. In the bylanes of Gowlipura, Lal Darwaza, et al, children playing Potaraju and Kali spread joy and excitement.

REPORT ON PG 4

RIHANNA TO REKINDLE ROMANCE WITH DRAKE Singer Rihanna has reportedly splashed £100,000 on a cruise so that she can rekindle her romance with rapper Drake. "Rihanna is determined to live life to the full following her grandma's death and decided to give it another go with Drake. In the past, he'd moan that she wouldn't commit and was working all the time. But she's up for trying again," P25 thesun.co.uk quoted a source as saying.

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

TWO MEN DEAD, WIVES BLAMED Two men committed suicide in separate incidents over the last two days. Dowry harassment cases against both the men are believed to be the main cause.

Page Two

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

DECKED UP

Middle Eastern food fest

M ANIL KUMAR

Take a trip to the Middle East with the Middle Eastern Food Festival being held at Arena till July 21. Where: Arena, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Sizzler festival Love sizzlers? Head to Aditya Park Inn for the Sizzler festival. Sample a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian sizzlers. The festival is on till July 22. Where: The Promenade, Aditya Park Inn, Ameerpet When: Ongoing 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6678 8888

French film The French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort will be screened at Alliance Francaise. The film revolves around the life of two young women. Where: Alliance Francaise, Marredpally When: July 20, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2770 0734

Monsoon mania

An exhibition of paintings by artistes such as Akbar Padamsee, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Ganesh Pyne, Jagdish Swaminathan, K G Subramanyan, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, S H Raza, Tyeb Mehta is being held at Kalakriti Art Gallery. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills When: July 18 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Pochampally mela Head to the Pochampally mela for handmade bed and home linen, dress materials, silk and cotton sarees. Where: Sathya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony

CINEMAS

A painting exhibition depicting artist Aiyudha Pooja Kapurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion for horses is on display at Muse Art Gallery till July 20. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999 A painting exhibition featuring the new works of artistes Laxma Goud, Vaikuntam Thota and Ramesh Gorjala is being held. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

A Hindi play dealing with three men trying to find peace of mind in a park is being presented by Sifar. The play is written by Manav Kaul and directed by Feroz. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 22, 5pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Living with the masters

Art-de-konj

Art works

Park drama

Ramoji Film City celebrates the onset of monsoon with eight weeks of fun-filled activities and entertainment with magic of cinema starting from July 1 to August 31. Monsoon Masti is an occasion for the entire family. Where: Ramoji Film City, Hayathnagar When: Ongoing, 9am onwards Contact: (040) 2341 2262

Hitec City When: July 18, 8.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Kuchipudi performance A Kuchipudi dance performance will be presented by Dr. Kamala Reddy and Soumya Rajupet on July 31 at Ravindra Bharathi. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: July 18, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245 When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 2374 1450

Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Parantha festival

A saree exhibition by Kanchi weavers will be held on July 19 and July 20. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 19 and 20, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Haldi at Novotel Airport is hosting a parantha festival titled Parantha Overload. The parantha festival on till August 15, offers a variety of paranthas in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. Where: Novotel Airport, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6625 0000

Theatre festival

Stand-up act

Kanchi collection

The seventh edition of the multitlingual theatre festival - Abhinaya National Theatre Festival will be held from August 16 to August 19. Where: Ravindra Bharati, Saifabad When: August 16 onwards 6.30pm onwards

Head to Novotel Hyderabad Convention Centre on July 18 for a fun filled evening with a live standup act by Dan Nainan. Where: Novotel and HICC Complex, Madhapur,

Scaffold to infinity An exhibition of constructivist wooden sculptures by senior sculptor and artist Aekka Yadagiri Rao are being displayed at Iconart Gallery as a part of Scaffold to Infinity. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 98499 68797

Burger festival HRC is hosting the Legendary Burger Festival. Sample a variety of burgers from around the world. The fest is on till July 29. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6463 6375

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

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Two men in separate incidents committed suicide in the last two days. Dowry harassment cases against both the men are believed to be the main cause

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

n a role reversal, two men have reportedly killed themselves due to harassment by their wives. The incidents happened over the past two days. Y Krishna Reddy, 30, an agriculturist at Nadargul village of Saroornagar was found to have hanged himself to death in his home on Saturday. Meerpet sub-inspector Ravidra Reddy said Krishnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, Kalamma, had alleged in a complaint that her son was driven to death by his quarrelsome wife, Lavanya. They were married five years ago and have a four-year-old son. The wife had recently left him and

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Two men dead, wives blamed gone to live with her parents and filed a dowry harassment case. Police say the dowry case had made him an object of ridicule among friends and relatives and he was suffering from depression. On Saturday, when his mother had gone to the market he ended his life. In the second incident, Chandrakanth Varma of Kawadiguda under Gandhinagar police station was found dead by poisoning on Friday. Gandhinagar sub inspector V Ranganna said Varma was found in a serious condition in his home. He was shifted to a hospital where he died. Police said the victim was unemployed. He married Sarla in 2010 but

POLICE SAY THE DOWRY CASE AGAINST Y KRISHNA REDDY THAT WAS FILED BY HIS ESTRANGED WIFE LAVANYA, HAD MADE HIM THE OBJECT OF RIDICULE AMONG FAMILY AND FRIENDS. AS A RESULT, KRISHNA WAS DEPRESSED AND HUNG HIMSELF TO DEATH WHEN HIS MOTHER HAD GONE OUT. within a few months differences cropped up. The reasons for their quarrel that had led to their separation are still unclear. Here again, a dowry harassment complaint was registered and Varma was arrested on June 25. A week ago he got a bail and had been drinking heavily. ever since. His relatives told the police that he was a butt of all jokes after his arrest. His wife had spread a lot of stories about him and that made him lose his selfrespect which is believed to have led to him committing suicide.

NEWS BRIEFS Electrician comes in contact with wire

n an unfortunate incident, a man was electrocuted on the outskirts of the City on Sunday. According to the Changomol police, D Jangiah, a 35-year-old electrician, who was a resident of Qutbullahpur, Ranga Reddy district, is said to have come in contact with a live wire while he was working. He was immediately shifted to the hospital by onlookers and colleagues where he died while undergoing treatment. The police have registered a case and are investigating his death.

City to receive moderate rainfall

yderabad city has witnessed a sustained rainfall last night after a gap of many days. Indian Meteorological Department officials have recorded a total of 6.2 mm of rains since last night. The heavy rains led to water-logging in many lowlying places across Hyderabad. Many residential areas suffered due to lack of proper storm-water lines, reports said. The IMD Hyderabad deputy director RV Subba Rao said that the City would witness moderate to heavy rains in the next 24 hours.

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

M ANIL KUMAR

Grand finale to Bonalu fest today Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

he Old City, Secunderabad and Golconda decked up like brides today for the concluding day of the festivities of Bonalu, the major annual cultural extravaganza of Telangana. The Postnoon phototeam went around capturing the sights and glimpses of art and religious fervor in these areas. In the bylanes of Gowlipura, Lal Darwaza, Chatrinaka, Haribowli, Sultan Shahi and the surrounding areas, children and adults playing Potaraju and Kali spread joy and excitement. Thousands are expected to witness and participate in the biggest religious procession in the City, that starts

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from 2pm and is to be converged at Lal Darwaza temple in the Old City today. Meanwhile, the City police have made massive security arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival. For the first time, around 500 women constables are being posted in these areas to ensure that the Bonalu procession goes off smoothly. The City commissioner, Anurag Sharma, has taken this step on request from the Bonalu organisers. This apart, 1,200 policemen, 30 platoons of AP Special Police, two companies of RAF, two companies of CRPF, 11 ACPs, 30 inspectors and 160 sub-inspectors have taken up their stations for the grand finale of the largest cultural festival of the State, said DCP Akun Sabharwal.

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

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MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

YSRC to tame the lion in its den The YSRC is preparing iteself to enter Telangana, worrying the current Telangana champion, TRS

POLITICS

THE YSR CONGRESS HAS ANNOUNCED A PROTEST ON JULY 23 IN SIRCILLA ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCY. THE PARTY’S WORKING PRESIDENT HAS DECIDED TO A HOLD HUNGER STRIKE DEMANDING THE GOVERNMENT SOLVE THE WEAVER COMMUNITY’S PROBLEMS

Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

fter experiencing a thumping victory in the last month’s by-elections, the newly emerged player, the YSR Congress Party, is preparing itself to find its foothold in Telangana region. In the process, it has chalked out plans to take on the T-champion, Telangana Rastra Samithi (TRS). To begin with, the YSR Congress has announced a protest on July 23 in Sircilla Assembly constituency of Karimnagar district. As part of the programme, the party’s working president YS Vijayamma has decided to hold a hunger strike demanding the State government solve the problems being faced by local weavers’ community. The announcement by the party itself can be termed as a challenge to the TRS party as the

venue chosen for holding the protest programme is represented by the Telangana champion. TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son K Tarakarama Rao is the sitting MLA of Sircilla constituency. KTR won from the seat twice. Speaking to Postnoon, KTR alleged that it was during the rule of former YSR there was a rise in

the number of suicides by weavers of Sircilla. He also asked the YSR Congress working president to write a letter to the Central government supporting the formation of separate Telangana state first before holding the hunger strike in his constituency. “I think the YSR Congress is

Inflation soars, income dips POLITICS Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

he imminent drought and glaring inflation are taking their toll on the State government’s income. The State government’s expectations on earning revenues during this fiscal are also going haywire. If we look at the statistics of major income generating departments like commercial taxes and excise, the State could not meet its expected target during the last quarter, which ended June. The State, which set a revenue target of `10,050 crore through Value Added Tax (VAT) that is 26 per cent higher than the last year’s income for the same period, could only earn `9,667 crore this year. There is a shortfall of 8.5 per cent in the target set by the State. The case is similar with the

THE DIP IN THE STATE GOVERNMENT’S INCOME IS ATTRIBUTED TO VARIOUS FACTORS LIKE INFLATION, THE IMMINENT DROUGHT IN THE STATE AND HIKE IN ELECTRICITY AND OTHER CHARGES. excise department as well, which is another income generating source for the State. The department was only able to rake in `2,450 crore as against the target of `3,500 crore, a fall of 30 per cent set up for the last fiscal. Apart from this the excise department could only earn `2,400 crore as against the target of `3,400 crore through liquor auctions. This has put the State government on its guard. The dip in the State government’s income is attributed to various factors like

inflation, the imminent drought in the State and hike in electricity and other charges. “Lack of rains even after the onset of monsoons and inflation seem to be the prime reasons for a decrease in revenue of the State government. We are keenly watching the developments and will take appropriate steps to reach our targets,” one official of the finance department said. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy also held a review meeting recently to find out the status of the State government’s income in the last quarter. Keeping this in mind, the officials of the State government are planning to increase the market value of the lands in the State. This will automatically enable the department to increase the amount for stamps and registration charges from customers. The stamps and registration department had earned about Rs1,050 crore in the last quarter, five per cent less than the set up target.

Pick

yet to make its stand clear on separate Telangana issue. Its party president should write a letter to the UPA government before holding her agitation,” KTR said. He mocked the YSR Congress working president, stating that she does not know the ground realities and reasons for the death of weavers in Sircilla. On the other hand, YSR Congress leaders shot back took potshot at KTR, claiming that the weavers of Sircilla got more benefits during YSR rule than the erst-

while governments. The leaders further asked KTR to explain what had he done to reduce weavers suicides in the last three years. “He has been representing the constituency for a long time. But there was no reduction in suicides of weavers as he did not do anything for them,” YSR Congress leader B Govardhan said. As for the T-State, he said, his party had already made its stand clear on separate Telangana issue during its plenary at Idupulapaya in Kadapa district. “Our party’s stand is clear on separate Telangana issue. We are not opposed to Telangana,” he said. The main objective of YSR Congress leaders behind holding the hunger strike in TRS den is to consolidate its position in Telangana region. Former minister and party’s candidate in Parakal assembly constituency Konda Surekha had not only given a tough fight to the TRS candidate Bikshapathi but secured a second position in the election Bikshapathi won from this seat with about 1,500 votes.

Restore 104, KTR tells govt Postnoon News

RS MLA of Siricilla, KT Rama Rao has demanded restoration of the 104 and 108 Emergency Health Services, which he alleged have been derailed in the State. Addressing a State level

meeting of the Telangana Employees Association of 104, Rao said that the government had neglected these services which had proved a boon to the poor people. He demanded immediate regularisation of services of the employees associated with service 104.

55 model schools planned EDUCATION

iddle school education minister Parthasarathi visited Balanagar village in Mahaboobnagar district on Sunday. Speaking at mandal head quarters, Parthasarathi said that 55 model schools would be established in the district, at a cost of `260 crores, at `4.30 crores to each school. He said that all the required steps would be initiated in

at the

these schools to develop education. Sports, computer courses and professional courses would be introduced, he said. He said that the government was constructing additional rooms in 80 schools. He said that the government will sanction 50 per cent funds if the local MP or MLA comes forward to allot remaining 50 per cent funds form the Constituency development fund. He said that `20 lakh was being allotted for the Balanagar Junior College, for construction of additional rooms. NSS

airport,

Hyper Local

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Hyderabad’s knowledge hub: Abids Affordable books of all varieties are available at the Abids’ Sunday Book Market. Sadly, the market is losing its sheen due to the spread of online books SPOTLIGHT ON ABIDS Md Nizamuddin feedback@postnoon.com

any Hyderabadis owe their enhanced knowledge to the ‘Sunday Book Market’ in Abids. No hyperbole this, it is a fact. Many who have earned a niche in literary-social life have made use of this knowledge hub. And, Abids too owes much to the book market. “I’ve been coming here since childhood to buy books on my favourite subjects covering mythology, science fiction, and general knowledge. I have improved my knowledge in every direction”, says A Yadagiri, a retired APSRTC employee. Yadagiri, a resident of Karwan, is a book-worm and visits the Abids book market at least twice a month. Decades have passed, but he continues to satiate his appetite for the printed knowledge bought off the pavement at affordable seconds-price. The retirement has only

brought him closer to ‘friends in the rack’, as he calls the books. Many people who have been visiting the market for years cannot imagine a Hyderabad without it. “Earlier, there used to be books in all languages, but the impact of globalisation gave emphasis to English language books and magazines,” says Mahesh Kumar, who is fond of Telugu literature. The Book Market has been surviving for more than 40 years on the GPO – Chermas stretch, but the easy accessibility of internet has affected the number of visitors. Some 50 shops take their positions from early morning every Sunday. It used to be some 100 a few years ago, veterans recall. A few stalls put books on display as early as 6 am. By 10 am the business is in full swing. Most of the book sellers are illiterates, but they are good at identifying the difference between a ‘serious reader’ and a ‘casual browser’. People who visit the market in the mornings and early afternoon are the regular beneficiaries. Students of professional courses like Medicine and Engineering can be seen flocking the market in the mornings. And the people who arrive in the late afternoons and evenings are the casual shoppers, who sometimes get fascinated by a book on display. “A good part of business is done in the evenings as many people visit Abids for shopping. But this rainfall is playing a spoil sport,” said Mubeen, whose family is running the business for nearly four decades. No authority has bothered to put up a make-shift shamiana for these knowledge-hawkers during monsoon, Mubeen regrets. Many shoppers don’t want to reveal how much business is done on a single Sunday, but it is estimated by veterans that it could be somewhere between `2000 to `5000 per shop. This Book Market rather than being a hindrance for other businesses is proving to be beneficial for other establishments too. Restaurants, fancy shops, tea shops and utility item stalls have all got custom coming for the book market. Some of the stalls are exclusively devoting to books of professional courses and magazines. It’s more in demand and profitable. Students, if lucky, could extract a highly-priced book from the stack. Besides these weekly and monthly

magazines are sold at a prices `5 and `10. Books on fashion and interior design are sold at `20 and `30. A few customers come in four wheelers and can be seen hunting for books on interior design, to stay abreast of the latest trends. Big book sellers from Punjagutta too sell books on Advertising, Arts, Astrology, Design, Dictionaries, Encyclopedia, Literature, Fashion, Furniture, Cookery, Gardening, Health and Fitness, Home Remedies, Interiors, Architecture, Jewellers,

Management, Philosophy, Fiction and Non Fiction and Childrens Books like Comics here. According to the businessmen, the bulk of the material comes from the international markets. Some of the books are procured from Delhi and Mumbai publishers, besides some local ones. With ever increasing prices and diminishing patience, even these second hand book sellers are holding a common price on the stack of books, of particular category.

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Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

72 hours, 14 startups Startup Weekend concludes, but the event was just the beginning for many startups.

HEALTH

NT Balanarayan balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

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he second edition of Startup Weekend Hyderabad wrapped up on Sunday after 72 hours of mad coding and ideation from the 15 teams that participated in it. Almost a 100 people attended the event where startup enthusiasts were pitted against each other with the goal of creating a startup within three days. A total of 47 ideas were pitched on the first day, of which 15 were selected and the attendees formed teams to convert those ideas into actual products. Since the event was held at ISB, there was no shortage of mentors who guided the groups whenever they ran into a roadblock. C Chaitanya, one of the organisers of Startup Weekend Hyderabad, said that the event was much bigger than last year. “There were more participants this time around and it also caught the attention of the Hyderabad Angels (a group that helps budding entrepreneurs) who were at the venue. They were very impressed with a couple of teams and even invited them for a review,” Chaitanya said. Since the teams had only two days to work on their actual product, a lot of teams stayed back on Saturday night at ISB to finish the work. “Around 65 members stayed at ISB and we had taken special permission from them for the same,” he added. The ideas presented at the event were judged by Atreya Rayaprolu, director, Investment Banking at Intelleca; Vidhya Shrivastava, asso-

Ideas that were rated the best

Other ideas presented

1st - Happy Hours

Galla

Wedsup

This is a social network for people who like to drink. You can find out the favourite drinks of people and also meet up with those in the vicinity. http://happyhourz.co/

Working on an Android-based billing machine that’ll be light and portable.

A one-stop location for everything wedding related, find everything from an astrologer to a hall to decorations.

1st - Gifts From Us If you’re not sure what to gift your friend, you can use this app to come up with a suggestion. It’ll use Facebook connect and through your friend’s likes and preferences, come up with a suggestion. https://twitter.com/giftsfromus1

2nd - BollyStock This service will let you trade Bollywood and Tollywood movie stars and their brand value will be calculated depending on the share price of each star. https://facebook.com/BollyStock

3rd - TagABuddy A Facebook app to write stories. You can write a bit and tag a friend who will have to take the story forward. https://www.facebook.com/TagABuddy ciate and head of South India Ops at Indian Angel Network; Dr Krishna Tanuku, executive director of the Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurship Development; and Ramesh Loganathan, center head and vice-president–products at Progress Software. Four startup ideas were judged to be the best at the end of the three-day event. These included a

Pintute Have a specific doubt in geometry? This startup will connect you to a teacher who will be able to clarify the doubt. Most of the educational sites as of now teach you whole chapters and may not address specific doubts very well.

TwinSide This startup is working on measuring sentiments and social vibes on a topic. Twitter search offers only basic filters to calculate such factors.

NRI Assets This company will help handle the assets and business interests of NRIs living in Hyderabad, with plans to expand to all parts of Andhra Pradesh.

Ringa Ringa Games They want to change the way kids learn by using interactive methods. site that helped people choose gifts and a social network for people who enjoy their drink. Startup Weekend is an annual event and runs parallel to Startup Saturdays that are organised every second Saturday of the month for startup enthusiasts. The startup scene in Hyderabad has been picking up over the past year according to the organisers. There are many

BuzzCardz This application is a business card manager so you don’t need to worry about carrying a physical business card again.

YourEvents Stop hunting for event managers and they’ll come up with proposals through this service.

VInterviews Connects job hunters to people who will train them to take interviews online.

Innocept A design store that lets people the world over customise and buy items online irrespective of their location.

IPledge Donate to causes via micro-payments. startup incubators in the City, such as Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurship Development at ISB and Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIIT. According to Chaitanya, more than 50 per cent of those who participated in last year’s event are now working in startups and two teams from last year are still working on the idea they presented.

100 YEARS OF INDIAN CINEMA

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Stranger than Fiction

Science fiction in Indian cinema never evolved into a money machine unlike most other genres. Except for an occasional Mr India and Endhiran, no film has been able to set a benchmark to inspire others to tread the same path. We dig deeper into this trend that never really took off.

Artificial Intelligence, VFX, comedy, romance and action worked wonders for the film. Even Shah Rukh Khan tried to push the bar with his recent sci-fi film Ra.One; however, it was panned by critics and the audience to a large extent. A R Murugadoss' Ezham Arivu introduced the concept of genetic engineering to the audience and then there were several other films like Prince, Aa Dekhe Zara, Love Story 2050, Action Replayy and Alag which dabbled with sci-fi in some form or the other; however, they failed to click at box office.

Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

ci-fi has always been an impregnable fortress for Indian filmmakers. Except for a handful of films, the genre never really took off in Indian cinema, unlike Hollywood. What's amusing is that filmmakers don't jump on to the sci-fi bandwagon so easily, despite the success stories in the west. One of the first sci-fi films made in India was a Indo-US co-production named The Jungle which was later dubbed in Tamil as Kaadu. This film, which released in 1952, was set in a forest where mammoths wreck havoc. In 1963, MGR, Bhanumati starrer Kalai Arasi introduced the audience to a whole new world of aliens who kidnap a girl from our planet. Karutha Rathrikal, a Malayalam film, starring Gemini Ganesan was about a doctor who invents a new medicine which results in split personality. Around the same time, one of India's greatest filmmaker Satyajit

Ray was toying with the idea of making a film on an alien which is left behind on Earth. He even pitched the idea to Columbia Pictures; however, the talks fell through. In 1987, Shekhar Kapur's Mr India captivated the audience's attention with its tale of a man who could turn invisible after wearing a spe-

cially designed watch. Singeetham Srinivasa Rao stunned the audience in Andhra Pradesh in 1991 with his film Aditya 369 in which the protagonists, Balakrishna and Mohini, travel back and forth in time, thanks to a time machine. In the early years of last decade, Rakesh Roshan's Koi Mil Gaya

brought back the genre on its feet which was almost forgotten. Despite the success of this film, no filmmaker managed to come up with a film to give the genre a new thrust until 2010. Shankar arrived with his magnum opus Endhiran starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai and it smashed every record in South India. The melange of

The high cost of producing a sci-fi film seems to be one of the problems associated with this genre and in a country where almost every film is stripped off its intelligence to impress everyone, expecting people to understand all the scientific mumbo-jumbo in a sci-fi film would be too much to ask for. Perhaps all we need is one gamechanging film to make filmmakers and audience believe that you can let your imagination run wild when it comes to science fiction.

17,167.03 46.67

5,212.60 14.35

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `29,500

GOLD

1kg= `52,900

SILVER

`55.02

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

Strength in flexibility prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

he plastic industry is continue to grow at 12-16 per cent ever year and has strong future with the growing usage in different segments. However, the industry is facing many challenges in the process to grow at its full potential, said V Anil Reddy, president, AP Plastics Manufacturers’ Association.

Talking about issues that are impeding the growth of the industry, he said the plastic industry all over the country is facing tough times with power supply shortage, except in Gujarat. The recent power crisis in the state with three power holidays and unofficial cuts counting to four hours every day is hampering the smooth flow of production.

Carry bags Agriculture sector (PVC PIPES) Flexible packaging (food and retail packaging) Cement, fertiliser, food bags Auto industry, injection moulding

35-40% % 15-20

For instance, the machine has to have certain temperature to melt the granules. If there is a power cut for 10 minutes, the machine requires another 40 minutes to level up the temperature and to start the production. Even the employees have to be paid irrespective of the production. There is a constant pressure for businesses to pay instalments. They have to be paid promptly and the credit rating goes down if there are frequent defaults leading eventually the company to become an NPA over the time. The rising levels of NPAs show the state of the industry in the

Egypt to continue Iran oil biz CAIRO: Egypt will not stop transporting Iranian oil through the Suez Canal and internal pipelines despite the EU embargo on Tehran’s oil exports, RIA Novosti reported. The EU-brokered embargo on Iranian oil exports came into force July 1, six months after the 27-nation bloc, which stands for 18 percent of Iranian oil exports, introduced an oil embargo on Tehran. “Iranian oil, like any other

oil, is transported in terms of contracts which are updated every year. We have not received any notifications to ban oil shipments from Iran,” a source in the Egyptian energy sector told Egypt’s Al Ahram newspaper. Iranian oil is transported through pipelines owned by Egypt’s SUMED firm, the paper said. “The embargo only affects the EU states, we do not have anything to do with it,” the source added. AFP

Iraq signs gas deal with Pak firm BAGHDAD: Iraq has signed a deal with a Pakistani energy company to explore for natural gas in eastern Iraq, Xinhua reported. “The Iraqi oil ministry is signing a preliminary contract with Pakistan Petroleum to explore for natural gas in Iraq’s eastern provinces of Diyala and Wasit,” Asim Jihad, head of the ministry’s media office, was

quoted as saying. In May, the Pakistani company won exploration concession during Iraq’s fourth energy auction. The company is due to work in a 6,000 square km block in Diyala and Wasit that have presumed natural gas reserves. It won the contract by offering $5.38 per barrel of oil equivalent. AFP

30%

3-4%

THE INDUSTRY CONTINUED TO GROW AT 12-16 PER CENT EVEN DURING RECESSION. AS PLASTICS ARE USED ACROSS SEGMENTS, THE FALL OF PRODUCTION IN ONE SEGMENT IS NULLIFIED BY THE GROWTH OF USAGE IN OTHER SEGMENTS.

Percentage of usage

10-15%

Prudhvi Raju K

country. The frequent polymer (raw material for plastic) price fluctuation is creating huge trouble in the process of selling finished goods. The supply chain of plastic requires some time, from procurement of raw material to selling out finished product in the market. The price fluctuation may lead the manufacturer to end up in huge losses at times. The industry needs a constant price for a month which will enable the manufacturer to sell out the product in the market by having margins on the price he procured the raw material. There should also

be government regulation to monitor the prices, he said, There is also huge shortage of labour in the industry. The government has indirectly pushed the wages of labour with its employment guarantee scheme. The low-level employees have to be paid `200 and the pay has to be increased subsequently for all the employees in upper levels increasing overall costs of companies. “We said at many forums the scheme can be used for the benefit of the industry. We asked the government to give `100 and the other `100 will be paid by the businesses to employee those labour in the industry. This will make the employees skilful and also get a permanent job, which will also decrease the costs of the industry and the government. The reduction of these overheads will be passed to the customer by offering a product at cheaper price. This will enable all the stake holders to be profitable and creates a win-win situation,” he said. The industry continued to grow at 12-16 per cent even during recession. As plastics are used across segments, the fall of production in one segment is nullified by the growth of usage in other segments. Plastics are being increasingly used in packaging and global companies entering in to Indian markets will also bring new opportunities to the industry, Anil Reddy added.

Microsoft breaks from NBC to launch own news portal SAN FRANCISCO: Software giant Microsoft has parted company with NBC News, pulling out of their joint venture MSNBC to launch its own online news service, NBC News announced Sunday. Moving on “allows us to go out and innovate,” Bob Visse, general manager of MSN.com, told NBC news, confirming that MSN.com had begun hiring for a new news operation — as yet unknown — that will launch later this year. “If you start thinking about what we’re going to be doing in Windows and the Bing app and what we’re going to be doing... across multiple platforms, it makes a lot of sense for Microsoft,” he said. “We’re talking about using technology and using data to solve information delivery and news delivery in new and inno-

vative ways. It’s really difficult for us to do that when we have an exclusive, single-source relationship with one news provider.” Under the joint venture, NBC News had been the sole provider of news for MSN.com, which will now be free to forge partnerships with other media organisations. NBC News said it would continue to provide new for MSN.com and would continue to sell the rebranded NBCNews.com’s advertising inventory for an undisclosed period to minimise the disruption in ad revenue. The deal means that NBC effectively buys Microsoft’s 50 per cent stake in the MSNBC. No details of the financial arrangement were provided. Anyone opening up the MSNBC.com website is now automatically redirected to NBCNews.com. AFP

`85.67

POUND MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012 9 NUMEROLOGY

$6 bn is what commodities giant Glencore will pay to acquire Canadian agri-business group Viterra.

THUS SPAKE “Mind power is the key to the growth and success of each person. Mahatma Gandhi proved that mind power could stir the masses. His fast as a tool of protest was a noble example of mind power. He was determined on his path, even while the death was staring at him,” Vayalar Ravi, civil aviation minister

FORD RECALL Ford is recalling about 8,270 2013 Escape SUVs due to a problem with carpet padding that can interfere with braking, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Sunday. “Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from March 8, 2012 through June 7, 2012,” the statement said. “Due to mispositioned carpet padding the center console trim panel may be pushed outboard of the intended position, reducing clearance relative to the pedal package,” it added.

PROBE Deutsche Bank wants to cooperate with European investigators probing the manipulation of interbank interest rates to limit damage to its reputation and bottom line, a newspaper said Sunday. Germany’s biggest bank has asked the European Commission and Swiss authorities to give it the status of cooperating witness in their investigation of the rigging of the Libor interbank rate, now at the centre of a global financial scandal, Der Spiegel reported.

India‑View

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

India unveiled

Pilot shortage to hit AI winter plan NEW DELHI: The scheduling of international flights, including those to new destinations, which Air India will fly this winter has been affected as the fate of sacked 101 pilots is still hanging in balance. The availability of the exact number of pilots is a crucial factor in deciding how many flights an airline would be able to operate. “We are facing a peculiar problem right now. We know the number of aircraft we will have, but we still can’t plan our winter schedule. This is because the management is yet to take a decision on taking back the sacked pilots,” an Air India official told PTI. A total of 101 pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots Guild, were sacked during the 58-day long strike that was recently staged over career progression and other issues. The matter is also pending before the Delhi High Court. “We don’t know how many pilots would be available to us for winter schedule. Even if they are

taken back, it will take about two to three months for them to clear all the necessary formalities and resume their active duty,” the officer said. “This suspense is also creating hurdles in announcing new international flights, like those to Melbourne, which we had planned very early. If the situation persists, then we would not be able to reap benefits,” he said. Maintaining that the pilots have to be informed at least a month before their scheduled date of operation for an international flight, he said the winter schedule, beginning in October, has to be cleared by aviation regulator Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The national carrier had been operating 38 out of 45 international flights as part of its contingency plan, which has been extended till August. These flights are being operated by about 120 executive pilots, who are in the management cadre. PTI

STAR WOES

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, brand ambassador of `Save Our Tigers` gets ready for a shot during a Fund PTI Raising event at Ranthambore, Rajasthan on Sunday.

B(e)arely managing to survive

oaching, retaliatory killings and habitat loss are threatening the existence of bears in India, which is home to four of the eight species of the furry mammal. India is home to four of the eight species of bears — Himalayan brown bear, Asiatic black bear, Sloth bear and Sun bear. “Bears in India are threatened due to poaching for their body parts, retaliatory killings to

reduce conflicts and habitat loss due to degradation and fragmentation,” says Wildlife Institute of India, an autonomous institution of the ministry of environment and Forests. In addition to these concerns, the rehabilitation of communities that eke out a living on tame bears has made their conservation a challenge, it says. Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), a non-profit organisation, says a bear bile (gland) was seized recently in Uttarakhand, high-

lighting persistent threats to bears worldwide. The seizure took place in a remote village near Gobind Wildlife Sanctuary, in a joint operation by the Uttarakhand forest department assisted by the WTI. Bordering Nepal, which is a common smuggling route for illegal wildlife trade to China, Uttarakhand has long battled poaching and wildlife crime. Of all the species of bear found in the country, the Black Bear is considered as the most

sharp and cunning. Black bears, found in northern India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Vietnam and northeast China, are listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘Red List of Threatened Animals’. The total number of sloth bears in India is estimated between 10,000 and 15,000. They are also found in Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Sun bears are found in forests of northeastern India, Bangladesh and as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo. Meanwhile, an international conference on bear research and management will be held here in November to chalk out a new strategy on their conservation. The conference assumes more significance to India as it will also mark the launch of the first National Bear Action Plan -– a compilation of respective bear action plans from the 26 states where bears are found, the WTI said. The conference is being hosted this year by the Environment Ministry with its partners the Wildlife Institute of India, WTI, International Bear Association and IUCN with the support of the International Fund for Animal Welfare and World Society for the Protection of Animals. PTI

47 students caned for complaining about meals

s many as 47 students of a government primary school at Brahmanvasi village in Gujarat were allegedly beaten up by their woman teacher for raising voice against delay in getting mid day meals, police said today. The incident came to light on Saturday after Jayantibhai Somabhai, guardian of one of the students, lodged a police complaint against the teacher, identified as Bela Patel, at Padra police station. Patel has been shunted out after a hue and cry was generated over the incident. Following the complaint with police, District Development Officer Rakesh Shankar has asked the District Education Officer to submit the report on the incident. According to sources, the students of class V of the school had approached the chairman of School Management Committee, Raju Parmar, over inadequate supply of mid day meal, following which he asked the principal of the school to look into the matter. On Friday, Patel allegedly summoned the children to a classroom and caned them, they said. While 24 out of 47 students had to be referred to a hospital at Padra town, five of them, have received injuries on their backs. PTI

India‑View

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

India unveiled

NATION AT A GLANCE Fire at Indian embassy in Myanmar put out

NDA to decide VP candidate today NEW DELHI: The BJP-led NDA will meet here today to finalise its vice presidential candidate. The meeting comes two days after ruling UPA decided to re-nominate incumbent Hamid Ansari for the post. BJP, which in a meeting Saturday had decided to fight the vice-presidential elections, will be consulting allies to decide the candidate amid speculation that key ally JD-U might support Ansari. The names of BJP leader Jaswant Singh and Najma Heptullah are making rounds as probable candidate choices from the party. According to sources, to woo ally JD-U, the name of NDA convenor and JD-U chief Sharad Yadav is also being considered. Heptullah had unsuccessfully contested for the post against Ansari in 2007. The JD-U and another NDA ally, Shiv Sena, broke ranks with the BJP to support UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee for the July 19 presidential poll. However, the Shiv Sena has indicated it will back the NDA candidate for vice president. The Trinamool Congress, which is on a rough patch with the Congress, has suggested the names of former West Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose’s niece and former Lok Sabha member, Krishna Bose. The vice presidential elections will be held on August 7. f^kp

YANGON: A fire broke out on Sunday evening at the five-storey office building of the Indian embassy in Myanmar’s former capital city of Yangon, but it was put out soon, Xinhua reported.The fire that started at 6.05 pm was caused by over-heating of the electricity inverter. It was doused by 6.30 pm by 16 fire engines. No casualties were reported. The estimated loss due to the fire will be revealed later.

Couple attacked by neighbour, woman dies BHEEM NAGAR (UP): A woman

Air India likely to sell 18 Husain paintings NEW DELHI: Cash-strapped Air India is looking forward to using assets it has built up over the years like priceless paintings, sculptures and even a prime property to ease financial stress. The company has in its possession paintings by artists like the late MF Husain, exotic wood carvings, centuries-old sculptures and other authentic artifacts, and a prime property in Mumbai. A company official said plans are being finalised to rent out some of these magnificent pieces and the iconic Nariman Point headquarters in Mumbai. “The art works may be rented out to galleries around the world. On a later stage these may be sold as well,” he said, not wishing to be identified. The consultant that will be hired by the airline will have a hard time to put exact value to the huge collection which deals with Indian history and culture. The richness of the stuff

Priceless assets n

18 MF Husain paintings 400 ancient artrifacts n Air India building, Nariman Point, Mumbai n

Total debt `67,520 crore

can be gauged by the fact that some 18 paintings of Husain are part of the collection. Some of these date back to the 1940s. Each of these paintings can command a price of no less than `5-6 crore in open bidding process, the official said. Other artifacts under the carrier’s possession include centuries-old exotic wooden carvings portraying mythology. For example, a carving shows Ravana carrying Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha. Most of these 400 artifacts adorn the walls of the Mumbai building and the airline’s offices in New York, London and Paris.

The iconic 22-storey Air India building at Nariman Point which house the chairman and managing director’s office can command a handsome rent of `290-350 per square feet. “The plan is to retain the top three floors of the building, while the rest would be rented out. We expect to get anywhere between `30-40 crore per annum. We will go for an open tender for the renting process,” the official said. Renting out the art works and the building is expected to fetch the company around `100 crore annually. Sale of these can easily bring in `10,000 crore, said the official. The airline plans to shift executives to its New Delhi office at Airlines House in Parliament Street. The move is expected to provide financial relief to the company which currently is reeling under an accumulated losses and loans of around `67,520 crore. f^kp

NRI extends tech help to Vidarbha NAGPUR: Over 120 farmers, farmers’ widows and youth have enrolled for a free computer training centre set up by a non-resident Indian from Oman in a Maharashtra village. Krishnakumar Taori, the group managing director of a construction company in Oman, is a native of the Ghuikhed village on the Yavatmal-Amravati border in the farmers’ suicide-hit Vidarbha region. “With more than 120 reg-

istrations, including farmers, widows and youth, they will be provided basic to advanced computer courses absolutely free of cost here,” said Sanjay S Dhotre, a BJP MP from Akola, at the centre’s inauguration in Saturday. Taori was also present at the function. Dhotre admitted that though MPs received funds for development works in their constituency, “such an idea to set up a computer centre did not strike me.”

With 10 computers and an internet connection, this is the first such training centre in the region containing nearly 100 villages. The courses will be taught in three shifts daily. In April, Taori, who was born to a cotton farmer in Ghuikhed, decided to set up the centre after a visit to Pandharkavada village to distribute saris and blankets to 200 women, whose husbands had committed suicide due to debt, said an activist.

“At that time, he (Taori) had expressed a desire to set up computer training centre and industrial training institutes. Land acquisition for the institutes has been done,” Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti chief Kishore Tiwari, who helped in Taori’s efforts, said. He said that for the last five years, Taori has been engaged in providing free education to tribal children of the backward Melghat region in Amravati district. f^kp

was killed and her husband critically injured after being attacked by their neighbour over a minor dispute, police said today. The two were rushed to a nearby hospital where Nanhi succumbed to injuries, they said, adding that condition of Satish was stated to be critical.

Vice President Hamid Ansari (R) with former finance minister Pranab Mukherjee attend an event in New Delhi on Monday. PTI

SC notice to Centre on Amarnath pilgrims NEW DELHI: Taking note of reported deaths of 67 pilgrims who fell sick on way to the holy shrine of Amarnath, the Supreme Court has issued notice to the Centre seeking details of medical arrangements. Besides the Centre, the court also issued notice to the MHA, MoEF, the state government and the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

217 persons booked for hate speeches BULANDSHAHR (UP): At least 217 persons were booked today for allegedly fanning communal passion at a mahapanchayat of Hindu organisations in the district. Those named accused in the case have been charged with delivering provocative speeches targeting a particular community at the mahapanchayat in Barauli village, SSP Gulab Singh said.

A gay rights activist participates in a Rainbow Pride rally in Kolkata on Sunday. PTI

Around the World Debate brews over blending tea in Sri Lanka

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Beyond Borders

Bulgaria, the new lavender king TARNICHANE, BULGARIA:

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s tea industry is deeply divided over plans to boost earnings by importing cheaper leaves for blending and re-export, over fears the changes could water down the “Pure Ceylon” brand. Pure Ceylon — using the country’s colonial-era name — is to tea what single malt is to whisky, according to some aficionados, with single-origin Sri Lankan tea costing as much as twice that of a multi-origin tea. The country has long been a leading exporter of the commodity, but now the Tea Exporters Association (TEA) wants to import leaves from countries like Kenya, Vietnam and Indonesia, and blend them with higher quality local produce. TEA members, who make up more than 80 percent of Sri Lanka’s tea exports, say the island should harness its local blending expertise and reclaim its role as a tea hub, a position being eroded by competition from Gulf nations. They argue that the high quality and the correspondingly high prices have placed “Pure Ceylon Tea” beyond the reach of the lucrative mass market, even if the industry enjoys an enviable brand reputation.

The thick scent of lavender fills the sultry air in Bulgaria’s central Rose Valley where the flowering rows lose their purple hue under the nimble hands of the lavender pickers. It’s the busiest time of year for local distillers, who industry experts say have dethroned France as the world’s top lavender oil producer. France itself now purchases between 80 and 90 percent of Bulgaria’s lavender oil, with buyers including cosmetics firms as well as many distilleries who need it to make up for their own shortage, distiller Filip Lissicharov told AFP at the start of the picking season this week. “What bigger recognition can we have for the top quality of our oil,” he said. France and Bulgaria together make up almost three-quarters of the world’s lavender oil output, but France lost 50 percent of its crops between 2005 and 2010 due

to a noxious bacteria, according to Crieppam, the French interprofessional centre for experimentation in fragrant, aromatic and medicinal plants. Having won the lavender crown, Bulgarian producers “must now turn the focus to preserving this high quality, which will be key for keeping a hold on the market in the long run,” said Lissicharov. His family company, Enio Bonchev Production, is among the biggest lavender producers in Bulgaria, growing 100 hectares (247 acres) of certified organic lavender around the town of Kazanlak, at the foot of the Balkan mountains. Plamen Stankovski of Bulattars, another major distiller in the same valley, also highlights the need to keep the traditional physical and chemical composition of Bulgarian lavender oil unchanged. “Quality has started to suffer from a recent drive to

achieve higher yields,” he said, slamming the planting of nontraditional lavender types by some producers or the use of uncertified plant material. “Still, we are doing great and can be proud, as the label ‘Bulgarian lavender oil’ has started to appear on cosmetics packaging as a quality standard.”

Prices are ‘dangerously high’ In the fields, Lissicharov’s 180 seasonal workers brave scorching midday heat to pluck the delicate blossoms when their concentration of oil is at its highest. A good worker can pick some 200-300 kilogrammes (440-660 pounds) per day. The lavender is then pressed by foot and distilled in the company’s installations in the nearby village of Tarnichane, using approximately the same methods for producing Bulgaria’s

emblematic rose oil, also made here. But unlike rose oil, which is used by high-end perfume makers and is 50-60 times more expensive, lavender oil is used in common cosmetics and can easily be lifted out of recipes if prices rise too high, distillers warn. “Lavender oil is not a boutique product. It is used as an ingredient in soaps and shampoos and its price should be more reasonable, 50-60 euros ($61-74),” said Lissicharov. Prices now are already “dangerously high”, at 90-100 euros per kilogramme last year, up 15-30 euros from 10 years ago, he noted. “We even had buyers offering as much as 105-110 euros per kilo,” said Nikolay Nenkov of the Galen-N distillery, another large establishment in the region.

Peru experts race against time to protect whale cemetery LIMA: In arid southern Peru, geologists are fighting time and the elements to preserve a precious find: a vast whale cemetery dating back millions of years. The fossilized remains of roughly 15 of the majestic marine mammals that lived three to 20 million years ago are currently on view in the Ocucaje desert some 310 kilometers (190 miles) south of the capital Lima. Once submerged but now situated some 30 kilometers from the shore, the area has been shaken by volcanic eruptions, killing off all life forms, according to experts from the country’s geology and mining institute Ingemmet who have been working for four years at the site, now threatened by erosion. “The strong winds throughout the year in the area are the

The fossilized spinal column of a whale lies on the desert pavement of Ocucaje, 310 km south of Lima, on July 4, 2012. More than 15 partial cetaceous bone structures are being studied and protected from the elements in what used to be an ancient shoreline.

worst enemy of the fossils,” Cesar Chacaltana, who heads the team, told AFP during a tour of the site, which spans 45 square kilometers (17 square miles). Now, plans are underway to create a paleontological park that would include finds from this sand-swept stretch, which Chacaltana says could still contain an even larger treasure trove. “The bodies were preserved by the low level of oxygen in the substrate, which delayed decay caused by bacteria.” Excavation work so far has yielded some impressive results. In February, experts located the remains of a minke whale that is believed to be 3.6 million years old. Armed with brushes and chisels, and braving intense heat, they unearthed the animal’s head

— spanning 1.8 meters — that had fossilized on a rock. “It is a species known only in Peru,” Chacaltana said, estimating that the whale weighed about 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds) and measured six meters in length.

One of largest marine predators The specimen, protected so as not to damage it, is due to be transferred to the local municipality of Ocucaje, he added. Work would then continue on the rest of the remains. Chacaltana recalled how in 2008 researchers found remains of a sperm whale (Livyatan melvillei) that were 12 million years old. The animal is believed to have been between 16 and 20 meters long.

Around the World Romney ad: Obama won’t say sorry WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama refused to apologize Sunday for accusing Mitt Romney of outsourcing jobs while in charge of Bain Capital, a charge his Republican opponent has dismissed as “false.” The US presidential race has taken an acrimonious turn in the past week as the wealthy Republican candidate endures a Democratic onslaught over the Bain issue and for squirreling many of his millions away in offshore tax havens. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, called Friday for an apology for the intensifying character assassination by the Obama campaign and said personal attacks against him were “beneath the dignity of the presidency.” “We won’t be apologizing,” Obama said. “Mr Romney claims he’s Mr Fix-It for the economy because of his business experience, so I think voters entirely, legitimately want to know what is exactly his business experience.”

N. Korea army chief ‘rested’ SEOUL: North Korea’s army chief has been relieved of all his posts due to illness, state media said Monday, in a surprise development that removes one of new leader Kim Jong-Un’s inner circle. Ri Yong-Ho is regarded as one of the key figures who helped support the young, untested leader in the transition following the death in December of his father Kim Jong-Il, the longtime dictator of the reclusive state. The departure and the quick announcement by the regime were “very unusual”, said a spokesman of Seoul’s unification ministry handling crossborder affairs, while observers say Ri may have fallen out of favour with Jong-Un. AFP

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Beyond Borders

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Sage Stallone’s death due to drug overdose?

VIRTUAL REALITY

OS ANGELES: An autopsy was carried out in Los Angeles Sunday on the body of Sylvester Stallone’s son Sage after his shock death aged 36, but toxicology results will take about 10 weeks, officials said. The Hollywood A-lister was said to be “devastated” after his eldest son, also an actor, was found dead at his Hollywood home Friday, with some reports suggesting he had died from a drug overdose.

Nazi hunters trace Holocaust perpetrator JERUSALEM: The Nazi-hunting Simon

A visitor extends her hand to touch a high-resolution digital movie (4000 x 2000) of a whale shark during a press preview at the Sony showroom in Tokyo on July 16, 2011 on Marine Day. Sony will display a high resolution movie illustrating Okinawa’s aquarium through September 9 to attract summer vacationers. AFP/Yoshikazu TSUNO

Damascus under fire DAMASCUS: Syria’s army blasted rebel strongholds in Damascus with mortars Sunday, sparking the “most intense” fighting in the capital since the revolt erupted 16 months ago, a monitoring group said. The army’s offensive, aimed at driving rebels of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) out of Damascus, was launched soon after the foreign ministry held a press conference to deny its troops had carried out a massacre in Treimsa village. “The regular army fired mortar rounds into several suburbs” where FSA rebels are entrenched, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The fighting was heaviest in the Tadamon, Kfar Sousa, Nahr Aisha and Sidi Qadad neighbourhoods, he said. Six civilians were reported killed in the city. “(It has) never been this intense,” Abdel Rahman told AFP. “The security forces are

NATIONS: Talks among UN member states on a conventional arms treaty are halfway through but little progress has been made, prompting fears that a deal will not be reached by the July 27 deadline. The month-long session was delayed for a day due to a flap over Palestinian participation — delegates joined the negotiations as observers in the end. Progress has since been slowed

by what diplomats call the “skeptic states.” These countries — Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea and Syria, among others — want any eventual treaty to be limited to the fight against arms trafficking, diplomats and activist groups say. Western and African nations, meanwhile, are for a more sweeping treaty to regulate the weapons trade, which experts estimate to be worth more than $70 billion a year.

Zuma’s ex-wife to head AU commission

DDIS ABABA: South Africa’s

An image grab taken from a video released by the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) shows a Syrian woman mourning over her killed son in the Syrian village of Treimsa. attempting to take control of these neighbourhoods but so far they have not succeeded,” he added. The Local Coordination Committees, which organise anti-regime protests in Syria, said plumes of black smoke were billowing out of Tadamon late Sunday and that loud explosions had been heard in Nahr Aisha. The Britain-based

Observatory said violence across Syria on Sunday had killed 105 people — 48 civilians, 16 rebels and 41 soldiers. The main opposition coalition, the Syrian National Council (SNC), hailed the insurgents fighting army troops in the capital, accusing the regime of having transformed rebel neighbourhoods into “a battlefield.”

Arms talks show ‘their’ true hues UNITED

Wiesenthal Centre confirmed Sunday that Laszlo Csatary, accused of complicity in the killings of 15,700 Jews, had been tracked down to the Hungarian capital. “I confirm that Laszlo Csatary has been identified and found in Budapest,” the centre’s director Efraim Zuroff told AFP.

“For the moment, there is no agreement on anything, including on what should and should not be in the treaty — munitions,

technology transfers, spare parts, light arms, et cetera.” The United States — which produces six billion bullets a year — wants to exclude munitions from the treaty, while China doesn’t want it to cover small arms, which it exports en masse to developing countries. Experts however say Beijing could give ground in order to assuage its allies in Africa, where such weapons are used in rebellions and civil wars.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma won a tight fought vote to become the new head of the African Union Commission, the first woman to hold the post, African leaders said. She beat the incumbent, Jean Ping of Gabon, in a closely fought election over several rounds of voting. “Now we have the African Union chair Madam Zumae, who will preside over the destiny of this institution,” Benin’s president and current AU chairman Thomas Boni Yayi said.

Oscar winner Celeste Holm dies at 95 LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actress Celeste Holm — who was the original girl who couldn’t say no in the musical “Oklahoma!” — has died aged 95, her family and reports said Sunday. Holm who won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1948 for Gentlemen’s Agreement and later appeared in High Society (1956), died at her New York home.

Dark clouds of smoke billow from a wildfire over the town of Adeje on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife early on Monday. AFP

Comment

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

There’s more than one way to skin a cat

Big values start with small things

Cain Nunns

hina is finding that it may not need to threaten or invade this diplomatically isolated island, which it considers a rogue province. It’s doing just fine buying influence from the inside out. But a decision by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office earlier this month to offer $95 billion in loans to Taiwanese firms looking to set up shop in the Middle Kingdom hasn’t gone down well with some observers. “This is totally political. There’s a lot of money in Taiwanese banks. We don’t need loans from China,” said Chang Ching-hsi, an expert on China at National Taiwan University’s Economics Department. According to state-run Xinhua news agency, four Chinese government-owned banks will administer the loans in the latest move by Beijing to build closer ties to the island republic. Beijing has long vowed to use force if necessary to bring it into the fold. “Because of their domestic social problems they try to use unification as a tool to show the strength of the government. The Chinese public wants unification even more than the party,” said Chang. “It has been wooing Taiwanese companies for years. But it’s a dangerous investment location for Taiwanese because there is no rule of law.” For their part, polls show that Taiwanese are overwhelmingly against politically integrating their hard-won democracy with their Communist cousins across the sea. But that hasn’t stopped Beijing from trying. Observers say that the latest round of targeted financial offerings, intended to curry favor with the public, could just be the beginning. In the past two weeks, Beijing said it would increase Taiwanese rice imports, expand the number of outbound Chinese tourists to the island and send a trade delegation to sign deals to purchase $4.5 billion worth of flat panel displays from Taiwanese manufacturers. GLOBAL POST

Hard talk PK Surendran

ou might have read about some rascal forging papers of ownership and then selling the plot that belonged to India’s Bismarck, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. I, for one, am neither surprised nor shocked. Most of us have become impervious to such news. There exist such decrepit beings like the one who stole the spectacles off the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. And I still chuckle when I recall the incident in which a smart Alec forged papers and hypothecated the Patna railway station! Why is fraud on the rise? Have you ever given it a thought? Don’t say dishonesty: it is as plain as daylight. Selfishness and dishonesty are twins born with man. Believe not otherwise. But it is equally true that there are many in our midst who would not want to make a living through fraudulent means. We have seen this virtue in some autorickshaw drivers who return the cash bag left behind by passengers, or in the petty shop owner who returns an extra note given by a customer or, again, the poor half-blind Dadima selling trinkets at the market place who scrupulously return you the balance money. But honesty among moneyed people is often seen to be rarity — it’s worth researching. I have a theory that corruption and fraud increase mainly because we fail to appreciate good deeds when we see them. Since dishonesty and deceit are the order of the day we should have made it a point to honour honesty. This should begin at the bottom-level where a small act of virtue displayed by, say, a bus conductor, a taxi cab man, a tea stall owner, a government official is applauded openly and encouraged. I have heard many a ‘good citizen’ say good deeds of a government official need not be mentioned or appreciated, as he is “supposed to be honest.” Tell me, how many who are ‘supposed to be doing their duty” actually do it? So one sure way of minimising evil in the society is to pat those who are honest in public life. We don’t have to institute an award to

Editorials

HAVE HEARD MANY A ‘GOOD CITIZEN’ SAY GOOD DEEDS OF A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL NEED NOT BE MENTIONED OR APPRECIATED, AS HE IS “SUPPOSED TO BE HONEST.” TELL ME, HOW MANY WHO ARE ‘SUPPOSED TO BE DOING THEIR DUTY” ACTUALLY DO IT? honour an honest man. A good word in private or public, a cup of tea as a gesture of gratitude to a small trader who returns your purse is all that is required. Small things matter a lot. I practised it with success on many occasions. Some years ago, a doctor opened a clinic near my home in Thiruvananthapuram whom we made our family doctor. Later, we shifted to another locality and lost touch with him. One day while passing by, I dropped in at his clinic. He was alone with no whining sick waiting outside. As I entered greeting him, he put down the book he was reading, and said with a wearied hello. He asked me to sit and enquired as to the reason for my visit. When I smiled and told him that I just dropped in to ask after him, he gave me a

look of disbelief. “Surendra, in the past 15 years of my practice, you are the first person to come and ask after my health,” he said with emotion. “Everyone who comes here sobs out their problems. I don’t blame them; they are ill and come here for treatment. But… thank you.”

Tailend And of honesty: Here’s a reverse honesty that too ought to be applauded. Recently, Postnoon crime reporter Mohd Subhan reported about a thief who had stolen a bike from Kukatpally. The owner lodged a complaint with the police and for a week waited eagerly for the papers and cards he had lost, for the loss of money he could bear, but the thought of procuring all documents from the their respective government offices chilled him. He made daily trip to the police station for a week. No news. Then he got a parcel by courier. Upon opening it, he jumped with joy. All his papers and cards and other valuable things, except the cash, were in it. He looked for the sender’s identity. The thief was no fool. There was none. Nevertheless, he felt as if he had hit a jackpot. He was no longer sad about his bike. Sometimes even thieves can be magnanimous.

THEY ARE FOR PEACE but they won’t compromise on arms

here’s hardly a couple of weeks for the July 29 deadline to pass, yet the UN member states who are in discussion on creating a conventional arms treaty have reached no where. The reason: no country wants to make compromises on their interests. The sceptic states — Algeria, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea and Syria, among others — want the eventual treaty to be restricted to the fight against arms trafficking. Western and African countries want something whose impact will be significant upon the $70billion-a-year conventional weapons trade. They envision a pact where every country would have to determine if arms sold were at risk of being used to commit human rights violations, or destabilize a government. The US — which produces six billion bullets a year — wants munitions to be exempted from the treaty, while China wants the same for small arms, which earns them revenue in the millions through exports to developing countries. Now we know why the arms industry never suffered during the global economic slump. Can there be peace when it is in our nature to fight each other?

The writer works for Postnoon

WHY WE LOVE blunt comments

week back, the Congress was at pains to explain why PM Manmohan Singh was not an ‘underachiever’ – as put across by the Time. Now with The Independent terming him ‘Sonia Gandhi’s poodle’, the Congress spin doctors are going to have a tough time proving otherwise.

Campus

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

On the practical side Nachiketa Tapovana, a school for the underprivileged, recently held a science fair to help students understand concepts better through experiments Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@gmail.com

veryone knows that a concept is better understood when taught using models and experiments. With this in mind, Nachiketa Tapovana, a school for underprivileged children, has organized its first science fair, setting a new benchmark for government and international schools in the City. Students of Std 6 to Std 8 organised a one-day science fair in which a wide range of topics, from suction cups and surface tension to flow of energy, was covered. “It was a great learning experience. We only read about these theories in books, but now we are doing everything practically and this helps us understand the concepts better,” said Girija, a student, proudly showing us her experiment. While most students don't know what to do after their board exams and usually just while away their time, Rohan P Reddy is an exception to the rule. Rohan, who organised the fair, strongly believes that students should be taught the basics with the help of experiments and practical work. “Basics are very important. All these experiments help the students understand the concepts better. I always wanted to do something productive for these children and thought that this was a good way to start. Just as for these children, this has been a great learning experience for me as well,” said Rohan. He managed to design all the experimental models and teach the students in a month's time. Nachiketa Tapovana is a unique school where children who come from economically

weak backgrounds study. Most are first-generation learners. The science fair also doubled as a fund-raiser and the money generated will be used to build

a science lab and hire a practical teacher. Vasundhara, the principal and founder of the school, says, “It amazed me. Within one

month, the children have put up a great show. It shows how practical sessions are important. It is definitely a great start and we hope to have many such

About Nachiketa Tapovana

asundhara, the founder and principal of the school, decided to foray into education after she came across a community of stone-cutters at Varada basti. She saw that the children were left alone on the streets while their parents were at work, and decided to hold a camp for the kids twice a week. As the numbers swelled, she built a hut and started teaching the children. All the children who attend the school are from Below Poverty Line (BPL) families and most of them are first-generation learners. All the teachers are volunteers. Vasundhara also organises health camps and de-addiction drives for the parents of the students to ensure that the children have a safe home to return to.

events in the future.” Another thing that set this science fair apart was that twoway communication was necessary. Visitors also were given a chance to participate. Students believe that their inter-personal skills have also improved after the event. “Before this fair, I was very shy and was scared of speaking to anyone. But now, my confidence levels are high. I am able to interact with strangers and that too in English,” says Gayathri, a student. Visitors who attended the fair were astonished when the students spoke fluently in English and appeared to have a strong understanding of the subjects. Education is truly the main key to eliminate poverty, unemployment and child labour. If not for this school, these children would surely be engaged in child labour and would continue to live in poverty. Nachiketa Tapovana is indeed a revolution in the making and a model school for several educational institutes in not just the city but also for the rest of the country.

H‑Factor

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

hat’s the first though that comes to your mind when one mentions Hepatitis? Jaundice, contaminated water or sexual contact? But there’s so much more to this disease that many people still don’t know about. While most people know about Hepatitis A, B and C, little is known about hepatitis D and E. But the threat is just as big as it is with the other three.

Hepatitis E “Hepatitis E is a water-borne disease and is more commonly seen during the monsoons when the sewage seeps into the drinking water. This virus usually spreads through the faeces of an infected person,” says Dr Sundeep Lakhtakia, consultant gastroenterologist at the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology. The virus, which spreads through oro-faecal transmission, sometimes occurs as an epidemic due to contaminated water supply. “It happens to be the most common cause of acute hepatitis cases in our country. Patients usually present with jaundice, fever, loss of appetite etc. While it is usually mild in adults, it can be dangerous during pregnancy. Contracting this virus during pregnancy could result in either a miscarriage or death of the mother,” he adds. While ensuring consumption of properly boiled and filtered water is essential, it is also necessary to visit a doctor for the required supportive medication to be cured. “The virus

TROUBLE YOU DON’T WANT On World Hepatitis Day we look at a unique virus that results in chronic liver infections that more often than not are of the critical nature, Hepatitis D and E are best guarded against

can be killed by adding some chlorine to the water or by boiling it. Also once a patient has hepatitis E, chances of him/her getting it again are very less as the body develops immunity against it,” says Dr Lakhtakia. A common myth surrounding hepatitis is that the patient should only consume oil-free food. “However, a little oil is required to help the patient recover. Since the cells in the liver have an oil coating, consuming a little oil can help heal the patient as well. So a normal diet is recommended,” he adds.

Let your child know hitting is not okay

Hepatitis D “This virus is usually called the piggyback virus as it rarely occurs by itself. It occurs in combination with hepatitis B. It is also known as super infection and is the rarest form of hepatitis. It usually spreads through blood or by sharing infected instruments,” he explains. This includes using infected needles. The symptoms for hepatitis D are usually similar to that of hepatitis B, only more aggressive. A person with hepatitis D may develop a sudden fever, tiredness, nausea, a lack of appetite, abdominal pain and jaundice. “A person with hepatitis B might find that his/her symptoms are suddenly worsening and it also affects the liver. In comparison, an individual suffering from hepatitis E recovers much faster than an individual with hepatitis D,” says Dr Lakhtakia. “In some cases hepatitis D can also be fatal and the patient’s condition may suddenly deteriorate. Treatment for this virus is usually targetting hepatitis B, which automatically cures hepatitis D as well,” he says.

Dr Diana Monteiro

My two year old daughter although very sweet natured sometimes takes to hitting us when we don’t agree to her demands. Initially we’d laugh it off, but I think we need to put an end to it. Please advice. Children as young as two have strong feelings that they want to express and sometimes do so with physical aggression like hitting, pinching, or biting. It’s normal for kids below the age of three undergo phases where they behave in such ways much to the chagrin of parents. Kids this young do not have a vocabulary or the communication skills necessary to express their strong negative feelings and resort to hitting to express themselves. However, this is not acceptable and parents should stop this behaviour. When a child hits you, they might be trying to communicate with you, so we need to understand what they want to say. A child hitting for not getting what they want is a way to vent their frustration. As soon as your child hits, it’s important to hold their hands, tell them to stop and say something like “It’s not okay to hit; that hurts.” You can also say “It’s okay to get angry, but not to hit.” Further, offer the child an alternative way of dealing with their feelings, like saying “It’s okay to be angry and to not want to talk to me for a while.” It can also help to walk away and ignore them for a minute or two saying “I don’t want to play with you because you hit me.” Toddlers typically want your attention and they quickly learn that if you don’t give them attention because they have done something wrong, they have to stop. Hitting a child back is a bad way to deal with this as it does not teach them that hitting is wrong. Using the methods described above may not work immediately, but you should see improvement within 3 to 4 times of doing this. Typically, children pass through this phase and stop this behaviour if guided properly. (The writer is a counselling psychologist at the Hyderabad Academy of Psychology. You can write to her at askdrdiana@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

ALCOHOL MAY IMPROVE bone health, new study says Older women who drink moderately may have better bone health Amy Silverstein

ore good news for health nuts who like to hit the bottle: moderate drinking may improve bone health in older women, decreasing their chance of getting osteoporosis, a new study has found. In healthy people, bones are constantly undergoing a state of “bone turnover” in which they replace old bone cells with new ones. But in people with osteoporosis, a bone disease, more bone is lost than replaced, resulting in weak bones. About 80 percent of people who suffer from the disease are older women, Science Daily reported. In the latest study, the researchers found that light drinking can reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older women. The researchers looked at the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the bone turnover of post-menopausal women. They found that light drinking suppresses the rate that bones in older women shed their old cells. In addition, when women in the study stopped drinking for two weeks, all of their bone turnover sped up. “After less than 24 hours, to see such a measurable effect was really unexpected,” researcher Urszula Iwaniec, an associate professor at Oregon State University, told Live Science. Of course, research has also shown that alcohol consumption, even light drinking, can increase women’s risk for breast cancer, among other health problems. So downing shots of cheap liquor in the name of better bones probably isn’t the brightest idea. But the new research should bring some comfort to people who need a nice glass of red wine with dinner. “Moderate alcohol as a component of a healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and physical activity may lower the risk of osteoporosis,” Iwaniec told WebMD. GLOBAL POST

HOUSECALL

APP-LY YOURSELF

Chilblains

TuDiabetes

hilblains medically known as ‘perniosis’ refers to a condition in which the cold weather causes the painful swelling of toes and fingers. This is more common in older people, but can effect others also especially when the climate is damp. Chilblains are caused by an abnormal response of the blood vessels to cold exposure. The weather causes patches of intense swelling in the deeper layers of the skin. This in turn triggers the immune system cells to flood in around the blood vessels, which also become swollen. There is no fixed treatment for chilblains. Keeping the part of the body which has become swollen is said to be effective.

or many people, being told that they are suffering from diabetes is a life shattering moment. It is at this moment that advise and assistance can go a long way. TuDiabetes.org is a social network app that aims to assist people who are suffering from diabetes. The app allows users to have access to diabetes education and other resources, interact with others who are suffering diabetes and to help users lead an active life despite of their disease. Social networking features include sections such as forums, groups, blogs, photos, videos and resources. This free app can be downloaded by iPhone users.

Gene that protect against Alzheimer’s identified LONDON: DNA screening of nearly 2,000 people has helped identify a mutated gene which could help protect against Alzheimers, potentially paving the way to a new therapy. Mimicking this variant with a drug could stop Alzheimer’s in its tracks, say neurologists. The gene is known as APP and makes a chemical called amyloid-beta which clumps together in the brain forming plaques and blocks neurons from signalling one another. Kari Stefansson, chief executive of Icelandic company deCODE Genetics in Reykjavik, and colleagues said the rare mutation results in a 40 per cent reduction in the formation of these harmful plaques. Researchers also found dementia-free elderly people with the variant have better cognitive function between the age of 80 and 100 than those with the normal version, said the Daily Mail. Mutations in the APP gene have already been implicated in early-onset Alzheimer’s that runs in families, but had not been linked to the common form of the disease that occurs later. Stefansson said the research supports previous ideas that interfering with the gene, may prevent dementia. Despite almost 40 years of research, scientists have made little progress. This is, in part, because the drug molecules are smaller than the proteins, so even if they can attach themselves to the larger molecules they are too small to prevent other proteins binding elsewhere. The degenerative condition is the most common form of dementia. GLOBAL POST

DID YOU KNOW? Body has millions of organisms

he thought of having living organisms on our body is not something many of us would like to believe but the fact remains that at any time there are more living organisms on the skin of a single human being than there are human beings on the surface of the earth. But the good thing is that not all of these organisms are harmful, they actually are helpful rather than harmful for us. These organisms, commonly referred to as microorganisms, feed on or fight against certain materials that may be injurious to our body.

Spotlight

Raising the curtain on...

SRINIVAS SETTY

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation presented an evening of theatre as a part of its popular Celebrating Theatre series by Mohammad Ali Baig and Alyque Padamsee at the Novotel Madhapur on Sunday. 1 4

10 1

2 3 4 5

Mohammad Ali Baig (left) and Alyque Padamsee Mahima Vinita Pittee Manisha Kapoor Farida Raj & Vijay Mohan

6 7 8 9 10

Aameena Aruna Ganesh Nallari Komal Singh Zaheer, Zahra, Mariam, Fareena & Wajid

A very special event

The Satyamev Jayate Carnival programme for special schoolchildren was held at the Taj Banjara hotel on Sunday

SRINIVAS SETTY

Magic Screen

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Vishnu Manchu meets Bryan Adams

Onamalu set to release on July 27

ishnu Manchu is flying high these days, quite literally. Few weeks ago, he was in China to scout for locations for his upcoming film Dhenikaina Ready and now we hear that he flew to Los Angeles. Few months ago, he spent a long time in LA where he was in talks with VFX experts in Hollywood for his upcoming production venture Ravana Brahma. During his current visit to LA, the actor had the rare opportunity to meet international pop icon Bryan Adams in person. The two reportedly met at a gig in LA. “Watching Bryan Adams performing Live. 3 feet away from him and i am going maddddddddd!!!!!! Oh my god!!!! Bryan adam gave me his guitar Pick as a gift! Sucha nice person. He sang my fav song on my request! The world suddenly has become small 4 me. Loved and still love Bryan Adams songs. He sang ‘Evrthing I Do I do it 4 u’ when i requested. Had dinner wit him and man! what a experience with the legend! On cloud 9! (sic),” Vishnu Manchu posted on Twitter. IANS

hankar’s upcoming film I has been officially launched in Chennai. Vikram and Amy Jackson are going to play the lead roles in this romantic thriller. We hear that Vikram is going to sport two different looks in the film and he has already begun rigorous training to get into shape for the film. Santhanam, Suresh Gopi and Ramkumar are also playing important roles. After Thaandavam, Amy Jackson is once again teaming up with Vikram and these days she’s busy learning Tamil so that she can dub on her own for her upcoming films in Tamil. “Just had the Pooja for I & now onto the shoot.. Too excited to work with Shankar Sir, and so happy to be starring next to Vikram again!(sic),” Amy Jackson posted on Twitter. The film will soon be shot in exotic locales in China. AR Rahman is composing the music and PC Sriram is the cinematographer. IANS

Shankar’s I goes on floors

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth The series win against the Kiwis hopefully marks a steady journey to the top of world cricket for the windies. Their stamp has been missed...

@shraddhadas43 With Prabhu sir (my fav), director vinayan sir n d crew 4 my Tamil film launch titled Naangaam pirai!

@RGVzoomin Just finished reading this amazingly wonderful book called Man-eating tigers of kumaon by Jim Corbett

@taapsee At a cafe next to Sanchi Stupa in Leh. Such a beautiful view wid yummmm maggie n ginger tea!

@actressanjjanaa Hi tweeps, msg me which city u belong too as I wana know which city I have maximum followers from, a contest is gona be held accordingly!

@RanaDaggubati Moved borders from Kerala into Tamil Nadu, wrapped in Palakkad shooting from tomorrow in Pollachi.

@shrutihaasan Am I the only one who thinks the Masterchef Australia title song is kinda lame ? I mean awesome food and awesome music have to go together

ajendra Prasad’s Onamalu is all set to release on July 27. He’s playing the role of a school teacher in a village and the film traces his journey. Kranthi Madhav has directed the film. The film promises to be a heartwarming tale and already, veterans like Sirivennela Seetaramasastry, who also wrote the lyrics, have praised the film. Writer Khadir Babu has written the dialogues for this film. Koti has composed the music. IANS

@snehaullalheart Always #believe never #trust (unless ur sure and u can never be too sure)

Magic Screen

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Freida Pinto’s tryst with Trishna By Arun Kumar

reida Pinto, who became an overnight celebrity after the multipleOscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, views her new film Trishna as a very beautiful and yet tragic tale of a village girl torn between her traditional upbringing and the dreams of a girl from modern India. Based on Thomas Hardy’s classic Tess of the d’Urbervilles, British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom’s newest film is set in rural Rajasthan. It has Pinto playing the title role of Trishna, an auto-rickshaw driver’s daughter who falls for a rich boy. “I guess the journey is very beautiful and at the same time very tragic,” she says, “because it goes from being really innocent to being in a situation of almost desperation and finally to redemption.” “It’s quite an intense journey for one girl to go through,” Pinto told IANS over phone from New York, where she arrived for the red carpet premiere of the film at the IFC Centre in Manhattan earlier this week. She felt Trishna was a tough role to play “because it’s so different from what I am in real life,” said Pinto, who has a very outspoken personality and “just can’t kind of lay back and just get bombarded with things that I

don’t believe in.” “So I guess that was really hard for me, especially because we didn’t really have a solid script,” she said. “So every time, I would try to say something or speak out against something, Michael would just say, ‘No, you don’t say anything in this situation. Just observe’.” “Now as an actor who is very outspoken, it was very tough and again such a welcome chal-

lenge,” said Pinto, who “would love to be something like that again.” To prepare for her role, she spent some time in Rajasthan’s Osian village in a family setting and interviewed a number of girls who worked at hotels and one who worked as ground staff in an airline. “It was very interesting that all the stories were different from the other, but the bottom line came down to ‘whatever dad thinks is probably right and we’ll just follow that or whatever our future husband thinks is right is going

to be our life from then on,’” she said. “And that for me was the startling reality that I had to just come to terms with to understand my character better,” Pinto said. Pinto, who came to limelight with her very first film, Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, considers both Boyle and Winterbottom as “absolutely amazing filmmakers,” with definitely different working styles.

For one thing they are “very completely different films”, Pinto said. “ ‘Slumdog’ is a love story that has a beautiful message of hope at the end of it. And the other one is a tragic love story which can be very sad.” Secondly, while she had a detailed script for Slumdog Millionaire, “as far as Trishna went, all the experience I had gathered was going to be put to the test with Michael because we did not have a solid script and I had to really let go if I

had any kind of inhibitions.” Pinto thinks her costar Anurag Kashyap, who has made a mark for himself in Indian cinema as a brilliant director, is a “really good” actor too. “I think, yeah, if he gives acting a shot, he will be pretty good.” She hopes some day she’ll get a chance to work with Kashyap “because he is such an eclectic filmmaker, who is not afraid to take challenges upon himself and is so brave”. Asked if she feared being typed as an ‘exotic Indian beauty’ by Hollywood, Pinto said: “I am not afraid of that any more because I have made sure people don’t look at me like that.” And does Bollywood have anything to offer her? “Well, when people use the term ‘Bollywood’, I hope they are including Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and all these wonderful filmmakers as well because definitely I would love to work with them,” said Pinto, adding: “Why not?” Although she lives in Los Angeles these days for convenience’s sake, Mumbai will always be number one for Pinto because “it has made me the person I am today very outspoken”. “Oh, my god, there is no comparison. Mumbai is Mumbai.” IANS

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@realpreityzinta So did any 1 you watch any movies today? I saw BOL BACHCHAN and it was FAB!!! A must watch clean family film that u will go crazy laughing.

@SrBachchan T 806 - Each string of emotion... pulling, stretching... piercing... every pore of my body... this bliss is mine and mine alone!! I possess

@RahulBose1 Just stumbled onto ‘Sherlock’ a contemporary version of the classic, on #bbcentertainment. very good.

@Riteishd Kskhh Song- #ShirtDaButton was the unanimous choice over #DilGardenGarden n #HumHaiCappuccino in Patna n Lucknow.

@iamsrk More than half the year is up and still so much to do. Like they say Calendars should come with WARNING: Dates r much closer than they appear.

@imarshadwarsi Saw Paan Singh Tomar again today. Awesome film n Irfan is outstanding also saw Vicky Donor n loved it. More films like these shud b made

@DuttaLara Gotta love your girlfriends! 4 women trying to entertain my daughter so I can have a free Sunday! :-). She’s really making them work! :-)

@V1SH4L Caught @hiteshsonik’s episode of Coke Studio today. Stellar, stellar songs, brother! Husna, Vaari Jaun, Do Gallan all magic! :)

Magic Screen

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Magic Screen

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Magic Screen

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Rihanna to rekindle quits Twitter romance with Drake S `Ü~êäáÉ=pÜÉÉå

inger Rihanna has reportedly splashed 100,000 pounds on a cruise so that she can rekindle her romance with rapper Drake. "Rihanna is determined to live life to the full following her grandma's death and decided to give it another go with Drake. In the past, he'd moan that she wouldn't commit and was working all the time. But she's up for trying again," thesun.co.uk quoted a source as saying. Rihanna and Drake had a brief affair last year. "They're meeting up on a plush yacht in Cannes next week and will then spend a week cruising around the Med. Rihanna wants to travel down through Italy and go to the most romantic places she's seen online," the source said. In Cannes, the two will be joined by few friends for the yacht party.

ctor Charlie Sheen has decided to quit microblogging site Twitter for unknown reasons. His final tweet read: "reach for the stars everyone. dogspeed cadre. c out." Sheen signed on in March 2011, after he was fired from the sitcom Two and a Half Men

Pattinson jealous of Stewart

and he took to the internet to berate his former bosses He connected to the microblogging site to keep fans up to date with his crazy life, offer sage-like advice and sayings. Recently, he promoted his new comedy show Anger Management. IANS

Emma Roberts may join new show

ctress Emma Roberts is in early talks to star in We're the Millers opposite Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. It will be directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The story follows a veteran pot dealer, who creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the US from Mexico, reports variety.com. Production is set to begin July 23 in North Carolina. IANS

ctor Robert Pattinson is jealous because his girlfriend Kristen Stewart stays unnoticed when in public while he gets mobbed everytime he steps out. "It's extremely rare to go out for a beer like a normal guy. I don't know why. Something about my face people

just recognise really quickly," dailystar.co.uk quoted Pattinson as saying. "Kristen can go out and people don't notice. She can hide in crowds and I probably give myself away by walking around with a hat and sunglasses to hide my face. I probably look like a lunatic," he said.

Chai Time

KAKURO

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

SCRIBBLING PAD

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Atkins regimen 5 Overhang's underside 11 Wood-cutting tool 14 Jessica of "Fantastic Four" 15 City in Ohio or Spain 16 Fertility clinic specimens 17 Residences that roll 19 Calf's place 20 "___ Goes the Weasel" 21 Kind of tape 23 "America the Beautiful" color 26 Pile up debt 28 Honer's goal 29 Tomato-based sauce 31 Grew rigid (with "up") 33 Second sequel's number 34 Using precise wording 36 Pathological egotists 41 Corrective measure 42 Persian Gulf commodity 44 Entitled groups 47 What drinking too much beer may cause 50 1492 trio member 51 '60s counterculture hallucinogen 52 Big dipper 53 Nazi secret police 56 Cranberry's home 57 "Much ___ About Nothing" 58 It contains DNA and RNA 64 Beauty salon goop 65 Add more ammo to 66 " ___ on Down the Road" 67 Palindromic poetry preposition 68 Follows as a consequence 69 Yuletide decoration holder DOWN 1 Beaver achievement 2 UN body dealing with workers' rights 3 Go out from the shore 4 A Chinese capital 5 "That's one small ___ for 3"

6 "Aah!" accompaniment 7 "Alice" character 8 ___ fatale (siren) 9 It may be bright or novel 10 ___ and turn 11 Some billiard balls 12 Exact punishment for 13 Emulated an excited dog's tail 18 Ending for "for" or "love" 22 African country 23 Ethel Waters' "___ Blue?" 24 Badly injure 25 Certain French cheese 26 Black-and-white munchies 27 Pregame routines 30 A two-dimensional world 31 Palindromic principle or doctrine

32 Samuel's judge 35 Indian lute 37 Try to make clear 38 "Butterflies ___ Free" 39 Case of the sniffles 40 Cat's perch 43 Common name for sodium hydroxide 44 Interlock, as gears 45 German classical songs 46 Cushiony part of a shoe 48 Common interest group 49 Young bird of prey 51 Acts like a couch potato 54 Farmland parcel 55 Ball-___

SUDOKU

hammer 56 Blossoms-to-be 59 Mr. Gehrig 60 "Sorry, laddie!" 61 Where the smallest human bone is 62 "___ only as directed" 63 Get an eyeful PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Any idiot can face a crisis — it’s day to day living that wears you out. – Anton Chekhov

Chai Time STAR POWER

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 17-7-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Expenses due to blood relatives will upset you. Avoid emotional outbirst and anger. Plan the works properly so that they will get completed well with‑ in the scheduled time.

You will come to know about the real characters of people around you. Avoid taking major decisions with the advise of recently introduced friends. Health will be ﬁne.

Avoid hurting others' feelings. Employees will have increased work burden.You will handle the ﬁnancial situation wisely. Journey frequency will increase.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Planning to go abroad, initiate your efforts so that you will succeed with‑ out fail. Formalities like getting visa also will be received without any difﬁ‑ culty.

You will act with boldness and take right decisions which will yield desired results. Persons in powerful posts will help you in completing certain impor‑ tant works.

You will look disinterested and feel dissatisﬁed. Keep aside your appre‑ hensions and charge yourself to com‑ plete the works successfully. Family members will strongly support you.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Avoid interfering into others' family issues voluntarily as you may get humiliated. Businessmen will plan new schemes and increase their clien‑ tele base.

Till you achieve yor goals work non stop and unrelenting. Real estate issues will end favourably with decent gains. your administrative capabilities will improve and get sharpened.

You will meet challenges with perfect plan. With your approach you will sat‑ isfy everyone and get your things do‑ ne with ease. To fulﬁll your commitm‑ ents , you might have to struggle hard.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Financial inﬂow looks good. You will complete held up and long pending works with the help of VIP friends. Avoid unwanted arguments and be in harmony with all.

Avoid thinking inferior about yourself as you are quiet capable to perform. Confusion likely between family mem‑ bers and you have to get rid of the same with your approach.

Politicians need to be careful and avo‑ id joining any group clashes. Marriage talks will progress well and favourable decision will be taken. Employees will be given important responsibilities.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 17-7-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Justice – You may be too stressed out and not know it. Take time out from your routine so you come back ref‑ reshed and re‑energi‑ sed. Donʼt take your do‑ mestic help for granted.

The Hanged Man – Get into meditation or pran‑ ic healing or any other form of exercise that will get you in touch wi‑ th inner feelings. Under‑ stand that you may not always feel great.

Page of Cups – A friend may be play‑ ing the fool with you but you do not like it. Donʼt lose your temper or do any‑ thing to ruin the mood. Just stay calm.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

The Lovers – You may have to take so‑ me tough calls today. There is no point sp‑ ending too much ti‑ me drawing up a list of pros and cons. Go with your instinct.

Two of Swords – Work‑life balance is suffering because you are unable to cut off from work at the allotted time. You need to make a better effort at this.

The Hierophant – You have all the answers and the options before you. The decision has to be made. The ball is in your court. Do not delay acting on it.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

The Emperor – Being in control has more cons than pros. You must be able to man‑ ageresponsibility and take charge in ways that keep everything together in the group.

Ten of Swords – Some worry is eating at you from within. Share the reason for your anxiety with someone close to you. He/she will deﬁ‑ nitely understand.

The Empress – This is the card of love. Singles are likely to meet someone inter‑ esting during a work‑related travel assignment. Keep your options open.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Ace of Cups – You are at your creative and productive best. You have a joblist and will be able to com‑ plete the tasks at hand rather efﬁcient‑ ly.

Five of Pentacles – There are times when not everyone is going to agree with you. You just have to deal with it. Imp‑ ortant decisions must be made now.

Seven of Pentacles – Your hard work and persistence pay off. Youʼre able to make ends meet and do whatʼs needed to keep the boat aﬂoat. Donʼt expect more.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle OHIL ILLINOIS MISSOURI LOUISIANA

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No. 364 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No. 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

60 59 58

DID YOU KNOW...? n In 1972 Aleksandr Baryshnikov set his first USSR record using a new putting style, the spin.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Tamara Press (born May 10, 1937) is a former Soviet shot putter and discus thrower. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy, Tamara won the gold medal in the shot put and the silver medal in the discus. At the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, she won the gold medal in both events. In the shot put and in the discus throw she set six world records.

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n A shot put athlete may touch the inside surface of the circle and even the stopboard, but he/she must not touch the top or the outside of the circle nor the stopboard, or the ground beyond the circle. Limbs may however extend over the lines of the circle but only in the air and not on the gorun, else the throw will be considered illegal and would be declared as a foul. n The shot put ball is made of different kinds of materials depending on its intended use. The materials which are used include iron, cast iron, solid steel, stainless steel, brass, and synthetic materials like polyvinyl. Some of the metals are more dense when compared to the others making the size of the shot vary, for example, indoor shots are larger than outdoor shots, so different materials are used to make them.

SHOT PUT: In the Shot Put event, athletes must put the shot as far as possible. The shot is a solid ball which weighs 7.26kg for men. Athletes start in a throwing circle, with the shot in one hand close to or touching their neck. The shot is expected to be put from this position very position. The distance that the shot travels is then measured from the front of the throwing circle to the point where the shot first goes and touches the ground, which must be within the lines of the throwing sector. At the front of the throwing circle is a 10cm high, 1.2m wide stop board, which the athletes may plant their foot against but must not step on or over.

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TALLY 2008

39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31

USA 7 RUSSIA 6 JAMAICA 6

9 5 3

7 7 2

The medals are for all the athletic events at the 2008 Games

MEDAL EVENTS August 3 Men's Shot Put August 6 Women's Shot Put

Parry O'Brien (born January 28, 1932) was an American shot put champion. He competed in four consecutive Summer Olympics where he won two gold medals. The first at the 1952 Games in Helsinki and the next, four years later in Melbourne. He also won the silver at the 1960 Games. In his last Olympic competition (1964) he placed fourth. He was later inducted in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

BANG ON TARGET

54 52

DAYS TO GO

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

THE LINGO Putting is throwing in a pushing motion Glide a technique that involved the putter facing backwards, rotating 180 degrees across the circle, and then tossing the shot. Spin The spin is a technique which involves rotating in a manner just like that of a discus thrower and using rotational momentum for power.

Competition format In all the throwing events, the athletes start with a qualifying round. Throwing in turn, each athlete gets three

attempts to achieve a qualifying distance and this is decided by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Technical Delegates. Once all the throws have been completed, all the athletes who have achieved the qualifying distance will go through to the final. If there are fewer than 12 athletes who achieve the qualifying standard, then in that case the twelve best athletes are given the green signal. In the final of the shot put competition, the athletes have three initial throws, with the top eight after the first three rounds then having a further three throws. The athlete who performs best that implies having the longest throw is declared the winner. In the

event of a tie, the respective athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; second-best throws are compared and if that does not lead to the result, this is followed by their third, and so on.

Keys to success Throwing events are not just about brute strength, but also about technique. Each throw has several aspects to it, such as the hold, the runup or the turn, as well as the throwing action itself.

Breaking the rules Throws can be invalid if, for instance, the point of the javelin doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t touch the ground first. Athletes could also be penalised for infringements such as stepping out of the front of the runway or throwing circle.

HISTORY OF THE SHOT PUT

omer makes mention of competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during the Siege of Troy but as of now there seems to be no record of any dead weights being thrown in Greek competitions. The first evidence for

stone or weight-throwing events date back more than 2000 years in the Scottish Highlands. In the 16th century King Henry VIII was noted for his prowess in court competitions of weight and hammer throwing. The first known events

resembling the modern shot put likely occurred in the Middle Ages when sol-

diers held competitions in which they hurled cannonballs. Shot put competitions were first recorded in the early 19th century Scotland, and were a part of the British Amateur Championships beginning in 1866.

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

29 1

DAYS TO GO

ZUEVA AIMS FOR TOP SPOT MOSCOW: Russia's swimming star and Olympic medal hope Anastasia Zueva's route to the top of her sport has been anything but easy. Backstroke specialist Zueva, 22, will want to overcome the disappointment of narrowly missing out on medals in her best events of the 100m and 200m in the 2008 Beijing Games and injury problems that wrecked her 2010 season. But the waters have not always been smooth for the young Russian from the Moscow region of Voskresensk, who moved to the city of Penza 600 kilometres east of the capital at a young age to persue her dreams. In her early career, coaches were even doubtful that Zueva had any potential for a swimmer, saying she appeared to have completely the wrong physique and technique. Zueva started her swimming training at the age of five, when her mother brought her to the pool at Voskresensk, a small town 90 kilometres away from Moscow. She experienced problems with extra weight, while her first coach Vladimir Zaitsev suffered from poor health and was often ailing. Natalia Kozlova, a top Russian swimming trainer, who is currently coaching Zueva, said she was not inclined to waste time on the plump youngster at first. "'Nastya' was a stoutish girl and didn't look like a

Greene post sparks Team GB Twitter warning

2 3

LONDON: The British

swimmer at all," Kozlova said. "And her swimming technique looked awkward." "But when she jumped into the pool I was stunned how excitedly she battled, trying not to lose to any of her rivals. And when I saw how radiant her eyes were I understood, it's worth working with this girl." After a long conversation with the coach, Zueva's mother gave her permission for moving from Voskresensk to Penza. The months of hard work with the new coach soon paid off and at the age of 16 Zueva became one of the country's most promising young swimmers. She set two world best marks in 50m backstroke but the results were not recognised as world records by the

I want to believe that my first [Olympic] Games will give me the experience to perform well at London. Anastasia Zueva, Russian swimmer world swimming ruling body FINA because of the use of the polyurethane swimsuit. Then came the Beijing Olympics where Zueva narrowly failed to win a medal, finishing fourth over 200

metres and fifth at 100 metres. But she believes her first Olympic experience will help her in London. "I read an interview with (double pole vault Olympic gold medalist) Yelena Isinbayeva, who said that at her first Olympic Games she felt like a little girl, who didn't know where to go and what to do. But at her second Games she already was an experienced athlete and did everything right. I want to believe that my first Games will give me the experience to perform well at London." She won two silvers at the 2009 worlds and then gold at the 2011 worlds in the non-Olympic 50 metres backstroke and another silver in the 100 metres. AFP

Games safe despite security lapse LONDON: The chairman of the London 2012 Organizing Committee Sebastian Coe (left) said Sunday that a recruitment shortfall by private security firm G4S would not jeopardise the safety of the Olympic games. G4S chief executive Nick Buckles on Saturday said he was "very sorry" that 3,500 troops had to be drafted in just two weeks before the Games, after the firm admitted it could not provide the total 10,000 guards it had pledged.

"G4S expected people to materialise and when they didn't... we moved very quickly to fill that gap," Coe told BBC Radio 5 live. "This is not about numbers, this is about the mix. "I'm in the Olympic Park every day, we've got 4,000 trained G4S personnel in the park and they've been there for some years and they've been doing a spectacularly good job," he added. The former Olympic gold medalist promised a "prudent and judicious plan" was in place. AFP

Olympic Association (BOA) have reminded their athletes to act "carefully and responsibly" when using social media after world champion Dai Greene broke their guidelines. Greene, the British athletics team captain for the London 2012 Games and the world 400 metres hurdles champion, reportedly used the word 'gayest' during a Twitter exchange with fellow British athlete Martyn Rooney last month. The tweet was later deleted by Greene but the Welshman's conduct was investigated by the BOA. Although Greene has escaped punishment over the incident, a BOA statement issued Sunday said: "We have contacted the leadership of our athletics delegation and asked them to remind their athletes about the importance of using social media carefully and responsibly. "It's basic advice that we have been providing to all members of the delegation as they go through prep camp and kitting out. As far as we are concerned, this issue has been addressed and is behind us." AFP

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 v

11 v 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21

Broken rib puts Boonenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream in jeopardy PARIS: Former world champion Tom Boonen admitted on Sunday he is facing a battle to be fit for the Olympics after breaking a rib in a fall during the Tour of Poland. The Belgian, who skipped the Tour de France to concentrate on his preparations for the Games, suffered the injury on the fifth stage of the Polish race on Saturday and underwent a check-up on Sunday. The checks underlined a fracture of the sixth rib on the right side.

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Playing Field

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The games people play

Vigney takes top honours P

. Vigney Reddy of the St. Paul’s Stag Table Tennis Academy defeated Somnath Gosh to clinch the men’s title at the State Ranking Table Tennis tournament in Hyderabad on Sunday. Nikhat Banu of GSM walked away with the honours in the Women’s event after thrashing M. Mounica, also from GSM. Nikhat also won the final of the Youth girls event.

Winners along with officials strike a pose after the prize distribution ceremony of the State Ranking Table Tennis tournament held at the St Paul’s High School.

Numero uno spot for Dhruv

he rankings of the Billiards players (in ascending order) after the selection trails for the upcoming Snooker and Billiards World Cup which is to be held in Egypt in November: Dhruv Sitwala, Alok Kumar, Devendra Joshi, Siddharth Parik, Bhaskar, Arun Agarwal, Venkatesham, V. Subramaniam. It must be made note that the number of players who would represent India at the World Cup is yet to be decided and this shall be known on the July 20.

RESULTS Arun Agarwal bt V. Subramaniam 500-322 Siddharth Parik bt Venkatesham 501-79 (Highest Break: Siddharth Parik 194) Alok Kumar bt Bhaskar 500-320 Devendra Joshi bt Venkatesham 500-402 (Highest Break: Devendra Joshi 151) Alok Kumar bt Arun Agarwal 501-462 Dhruv Sitwala bt V. Subramaniam 500-136 Bhaskar bt Siddharth Parik 500-311

RESULTS MENS FINAL : P Vighney Reddy (SPSTTA) bt Somnath Ghosh - 8/11, 12/10, 9/11, 11/7, 11/7, 12/10 - 4-2 WOMENS FINAL: Nikhat Banu (GSM) bt M Mounica (GSM) - 7/11, 11/3, 11/9, 11/9, 13/11 - 4-1 YOUTH BOYS FINAL: VSS Kaushik bt Gautam Krishna - 3/11, 11/4, 11/9, 14/12, 9/11, 11/3 - 4-2 YOUTH GIRLS FINAL: Nikhat Banu (GSM) bt A Sreeja (GTTA) - 6/11, 11/5, 6/11, 11/5, 11/7, 11/6 - 4-2 JUNIOR BOYS FINAL : A Gautham Krishna bt Ali Mohd (SPSTTA) - 11/4, 7/11, 11/3, 11/9, 6/11, 8/11, 11/7 - 4-3 JUNIOR GIRLS FINALS : KVV Vaishali (ATP) bt A Sreeja

(GDTTA) - 11/6, 11/2, 12/10, 7/11, 8/11, 6/11, 11/7 - 4-3 SUB JUNIOR BOYS FINALS : S.F.R Snehith (GDTTA) bt Ali Mohd (SPSTTA) - 5/11, 11/8, 11/2, 11/7, 11/13, 11/6, 13/11 4-3 SUB JUNIOR GIRLS FINAL : A Sreeja (GTTA) bt Varuni Jaiswal (GSM) - 9/11, 8/11, 11/2, 11/7, 12/10, 11/8 - 4-2 CADET GIRLS FINAL : V Laasya (AWA) bt V Saasya (AWA) - 11/9, 7/11, 11/5, 11/7 3-1 CADET BOYS FINAL : Vishnu B (GDTTA) bt P Jaisurya - 8/11, 11/8, 11/9, 16/14, 11/7 4-2 INTER INSTITUTIONAL FINALS : State Bank of India bt POSTAL - 3-0

Boucher can play once again: doctor Boucher’s doctor claims that the injury the cricketer received is not careerthreatening as earlier believed The JOHANNESBURG: doctor treating former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher says he could regain some vision in his left eye and play again. Shuaib Manjra told the Sunday Times tests had not shown any detachment of the retina after the player was hit by a bail last Monday in a freak accident during a warmup match for a three-Test series in England. “There is no obvious detachment of the retina, which is very positive,” said Manjra, “but, clearly, we cannot say it’s 100% because we still need to go in physically and have a look.” Manjra said Boucher, 35,

would need several more procedures and added that medics had been astonished at the level of damage inflicted when the bail was dislodged by an Imran Tahir delivery. “The amount of damage is not commensurate with simply a bail hitting him, unless there was a freak angle (or) a freak speed and it hit him in a vulnerable spot — in other words, if everything just went wrong for him on that day.” A spokeswoman for Boucher, whose Test career spanned 15 years, said he been sleeping a lot, watching the Tour de France cycle race and reading messages of support. AFP

Playing Field

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The games people play

MICHAEL COHEN/GETTY IMAGES/AFP

Zach attack fells Matteson in play-off SILVIS, ILLINOIS: Zach Johnson (right) birdied the second hole of a sudden death playoff Sunday to win the John Deere Classic ahead of Troy Matteson as Steve Stricker’s three-year reign in the event ended. Johnson blasted out of a fairway bunker to about a foot from the pin at the second playoff hole — the 18th. Matteson who had led after

each of the first three rounds, was about 40 feet away after his approach shot from the fairway. After Matteson left his long birdie attempt short and tapped in for par, Johnson stepped up and made his short putt for the victory. “I think we’re stating the obvious — that was really good. That was my shot of the week,” Johnson said of his spectacular

bunker shot, which was from the same bunker he landed in when the pair opened the playoff at 18. Stricker, who was trying to become just the fifth man to win four successive editions of the same tournament, settled for a one-under 70 that left him tied for fifth on 16-under 268. Although he closed within one stroke of the lead at one point, Stricker said he never felt any momentum.

Jeev Milka Singh wins his 4th title

Tales of the White Lion

CASTLE STUART, SCOTLAND: Jeev Milka

Juan Francisco Espino was born into a traditional wrestling family in the Canary Islands and at a very young age learned the art of the islands’ wrestling style from his father.

Singh captured his fourth European Tour title on Sunday when he birdied the first play-off hole to defeat Italy’s Francesco Molinari and claim the Scottish Open. The 40-year-old Singh also booked his place in the British Open next week by reaching the play-off against the overnight leader. Singh, who had been five shots off the lead going into the final round, hit a five-under 67 to finish on 17 under par for the tournament. Molinari held his nerve to birdie the final hole for a par 72 to send the tournament into the play-off. But back on the 18th, Molinari left his birdie putt well short while Singh confidently held his testing 15footer to add the Scottish Open to his wins at the 2006 China Open and Volvo Masters as well as the 2008 Austria Open. Singh’s best performance this season had been a seventh place finish at the Stockholm Masters in June. “I think the last tournament in Ireland and here have extended my love for this type of golf. I have always loved links golf,” said Singh.

Spanish wrestler Juan Francisco Espino (R) competes with Senegalese wrestler Keur Diene during a match, at the Iba Mar Diop Stadium in Dakar AFP/MAMADOU TOURE BEHAN Thomas Felix

DAKAR: From remote villages to stadiums teeming with thousands of fans, traditional wrestling is Senegal’s sport of choice, with battles cloaked in mysticism and religion pitting locals against each other. Until now that is. They call him “the White Lion”, a square-jawed hulk of a man draped with gris-gris (amulets) around his bare chest, legs and

stomach enters a dusty arena in a suburb of Dakar. Wearing only dark green underwear, the Spaniard Juan Francisco Espino charges towards his similarly attired opponent, their ponderous bellies and thighs undulating as they approach each other. A few punches are thrown, Espino gets a grip on his opponent and swiftly manouevres him onto his back, winning the match. The

White Lion remains unbeaten, a step closer to becoming one of Senegal’s idolised “kings of the arena”. Having won his first three matches, and with the novelty of having a Toubab [foreigner] taking part in the sport, Espino is already recognised whenever he wanders the suburbs. Wrestling in Senegal is an old practice which would pit neighbouring villages against each other

after the annual harvest. In 1930 striking was introduced, and this is the form which is the most popular today. Recent years have seen an explosion in the sport’s popularity, drawing sponsors, media coverage, full stadiums and wealth beyond the imaginings of most Senegalese for the top wrestlers. Espino was born into a traditional wrestling family in the Canary Islands and at a very young age learned the art of the islands’ wrestling style from his father. Last May Espino was named the European “grappling” champion, a very technical form of wrestling. In 2008 he discovered Senegalese wrestling, and in watching videos of the sport, was drawn by the fervour of the public during matches. While some 7,000 wrestlers are licensed in Senegal, only about 40 are able to make a living from their winnings. The last big match in April saw wrestling giants Oumar Sakho or “Balla Gaye 2” and Yakhya Diop or “Yekini” each earning some 100 million CFA (152,000 euro) in fees for a match of only a few minutes. However recently accusations of excessive violence during fights, excessive fees, doping suspicions and rumours of sponsors pulling out have tainted the sport’s image and forced those involved to reflect on its future.

Playing Field Williams (right) became the first woman since 2006 to repeat as champion at the WTA Stanford event as the five-time Wimbledon winner defeated lucky loser Coco Vandeweghe 7-5, 6-3 on Sunday. Williams’ title defence came six years after Kim Clijsters completed her double. “I’m so glad to be done here,” said Williams, who got a

Serena triumphs in Stanford MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES/AFP

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA: Serena

MONDAY, JULY 16, 2012

The games people play

WILLIAMS HAS TWO TROPHIES IN AS MANY WEEKS AFTER WINNING WIMBLEDON LAST WEEKEND, AND NOW THE WTA STANFORD EVENT

scare in a tight 53minute opening set but easily won the second set. “I was glad to come here but it was tough. “I flew from Wimbledon and had to get adjusted to the conditions and beat the jetlag. I was glad to play and it’s great to win. “But now I want to stay in the States for a while and prepare for the London Olympics.” Williams defeated

Vandeweghe in 90 minutes, hammering 21 winners, nine aces and getting four breaks of serve. Vandeweghe, ranked 120 but set for a rise into the top 75, was bidding for history in hopes of becoming the second lucky loser from qualifying rounds to win a WTA Tour title. The Californian got into the field after another player withdrew before the start. “It was really exciting to be in the final, hopefully this was a good omen for the rest of the summer,” she said. “Hardcourt is definitely my favourite surface. I’m happy to be out there playing.” The performance earns the Californian a direct entry into the US Open. Williams has two trophies in as many weeks after winning Wimbledon last weekend, then flying to northern California to shift onto the hardcourts. The world number four now owns 43 career titles, the same number as her sister Venus. Williams also has four wins in 2012, putting her joint leader in that category alongside world number one Victoria Azarenka.

Sanchez wins stage 14

Fans cheer on stage winner, Spain's Luis-Leon Sanchez. AFP/LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Justin Davis

FOIX, FRANCE: Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez handed his stricken Rabobank team a welcome boost by soloing to victory on a Tour de France stage Sunday marked by mass punctures after spectators threw nails on the road. The end of the 191 km 14th stage

race was brought to life in equally dramatic style by a rash of punctures suffered in the peloton after nailthrowing spectators decided to liven up the final climb of the day. Yellow jersey holder Bradley Wiggins survived potential disaster to retain his overnight lead of 2:05 on Sky teammate Chris Froome with Italian Vincenzo Nibali of Liquigas

still in third at 2:23. For a while, it looked as though Wiggins would take more time off challenger and defending champion Cadel Evans after the Australian lost over two minutes when he suffered the first of three punctures at the summit. Amid farcical scenes, he lost time waiting for a spare wheel and then his team manager Jim Ochowicz slipped into a ditch while helping the Australian a second time. Wiggins’ Sky team, however, did the sporting thing by instructing the peloton to sit up and ride at a pace that, eventually, allowed Evans to rejoin the bunch. “Sometimes you’ve just got one or two guys, but when you get 16 guys puncturing at once it becomes apparent that something’s happened,” said Wiggins. It later transpired that “one or two” spectators, according to race director Jean-Francois Pescheux, had thrown small nails on to the road. Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme was quick to condemn the incident.

Errani wins Palermo Open PALERMO: Sara Errani captured the Palermo Open on Sunday to become the first Italian ever to win four WTA titles in a season. Errani, who had already won claycourt events at Acapulco, Barcelona and Budapest this year, routed eighth seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in the final, 6-1, 6-3. “It wasn’t easy like the score looks - Barbora was playing very aggressively and it was tough for me,” said French Open runner-up Errani. The previous record for most WTA titles in a season for an Italian came just last year, as Errani’s best friend and doubles partner, Roberta Vinci, won three, at Barcelona, ‘sHertogenbosch and Budapest.

Isner races to victory NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND: John Isner fired 16 aces in a 7-6 (7/1), 6-4 victory over Australian Lleyton Hewitt on Sunday to win the ATP Hall of Fame Championships title for the second-straight year. “It’s huge for me,” the top-seeded American said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever defended a title. I’m very happy to come through today against a great opponent -- in my opinion one of the greatest ever. It’s a big win for me.” Hewitt, who received a wild card into the draw, was playing in his first final since June 2010, when he captured his 28th career title on the grass courts at Halle. The two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one from Australia has battled a string of injuries in recent years and underwent radical foot surgery in February.

Tipsarevic takes Stuttgart crown STUTTGART, GERMANY: Top-seeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic won the Stuttgart claycourt title on Sunday, a victory which allowed his wife to drive away with a luxury Mercedes. World number eight Tipsarevic won his third career title by beating Argentine second seed Juan Monaco 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. It was the 28-year-old’s first trophy of the year and adds to previous titles in Moscow and Kuala Lumpur in 2011. Tipsarevic also won a top of the range Mercedes-Benz. “I have pretty solid car at home, so I don’t need it,” said Tipsarevic. “But my wife (Biljana) and I had our anniversary a couple of days back. She also had her birthday. So I promised her the car, if I won the tournament. The points go to me.”