postnoon E-paper for 17 february 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

ROCKIN’ THE PEARL

NY FASHION WEEK IT’S A WRAP New York Fashion Week saw more than 59 participants, from industry giants to fashion entrepreneurs, showcase their designs. P18&19

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012 HYDERABAD

With summer setting in, Hyderabadis fear an acute water shortage in the coming months; a small segment though, is making hay, exploiting groundwater that is already dangerously low.

Thurisaz is all set to rock the City tomorrow. Head to Pearl 2012 at BITS-Pilani.

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LIQUID LOOTERS REPORT ON PG 4

BUDGET IN NUMBERS

METAL-HEADS GET AN ENGINEERING What is it with engineering students and Heavy Metal? Walk through the campuses and corridors from IIT to BITS and you will be P15 assaulted by the power strains of serious metal.

THE INCREDIBLES Since it’s a long weekend ahead and you may find it tough to keep yourselves occupied, we list some movies that could make for that perfect weekend watch. P16&17

Budget size – `1,45,854 crore Plan expenditure – `54,030cr Non-plan expenditure – `91,824cr Revenue surplus – `4,444cr Fiscal deficit – `20,008cr (@ 2.5 per cent of GSDP) GSDP is pegged at `4,07,949cr as against `3,81,942cr in (2011– 12); the growth rate is 6.1 per cent. Growth rate in 2005–11 9.62 per cent Increase in tax collections 19.1 per cent P5

Page Two

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

MUSIC EXTRAVAGANZA

Dance Fiesta Soorya festival, an exotic feast of Kerala’s various dance forms will begin from February 16. 40 artists from all over the country will participate in the event. Where: NSKK High School, Ferozeguda When: February 16, 6pm Contact: 9010403034

Group exhibition Muse Art Gallery will play host to a group exhibition titled ‘An Artful Art’. It is a contemporary painting exhibition by a group of 26 artists. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongong, 11am Contact: 93964 44424

The Indian Mosaic An exhibition of paintings titled ‘The Indian Mosaic’ will be on display at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: 98499 68797

Don’t miss Belgian death metal band Thurisaz performing live at Pearl 2012, BITS-Pilani’s Annual College Fest on February 18 at 6pm. For details log onto www.bits-pearl.org.

A suitable lunch Syn presents three lunch offers to suit your needs. There is a lunch for those in a hurry, a lunch for the calorie conscious and a lunch for those who are planning a reunion with pals. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills When: Everyday, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

again as a Cigar and Cognac lounge with a wide selection of cognac, rare whiskies, single malts and cigars. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 7pm Contact: (040) 6666 2323

tary film festival.The film festival will also feature introductory speeches by filmmakers about the art of documentary making. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 7pm Contact: 96427 31329

Eat in the dark

Nizami celebration

Enjoy winter evenings with martinis and crooner Kelly. A perfect mix for a perfect evening! Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Every evening Contact: (040) 6666 232

Have you ever wondered how it feels to eat in the dark? Come and experience this. Pay `499 to enjoy a 4-course meal worth `1,000 at Dialogue in the Dark. Where: Dialogue in the Dark, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341

City in pictures

Aladdin and his lamp

Martini ‘n music

A pictorial essay depicting the city of Hyderabad between the years of 1975 and 2011 is on display at Salarjung Museum. Where: Salarjung Museum When: Ongoing, 10am Contact: (040) 2457 6443

Alladin and the lamp of magic, a live musical play is being staged at Rabindra Bharti. Where: Ravindra Bharthi, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 4pm Contact: (040) 2323 3672

Cognac and Cigar

Documentary special

The Seasons Bar opens up

Lamakaan plays host to a documen-

CINEMAS

Head to Jewel of Nizam at Masab tank for a Nizami treat. As it get’s set to celebrate it’s first anniversary, sample on various cuisines from around the country. Where: Jewel of Nizam, Masab Tank When: Ongoing, 11.30 am Contact: (040) 66110130

International pizza festival Pizza lovers this is the news for you! News Cafe is host to the International Pizza Festival. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341

Acting workshop Samhaara- an acting and dancing workshop is being held. The workshop focusses on learning the basics of stage acting, character analysis, stage and rehearsal terms, movement, stage geography, stage behavior and improvisation. Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm tp 9pm Contact: 9885404784

Lunch specials Nautanki Galli offers its expansive lunch buffet. Head to Nautanki Galli for an interesting option. Where: Nautanki Galli, Madhapur When: Every day, 12.30pm onwards Contact: 78930 10000

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

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Child-swapping hubby under scrutiny, as wife breaks silence BIIGURUTWIN

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

t’s a case for Dr Watson. Whodunit and how? In a ticklish case, a wife has accused her husband of selling their male babies and replacing them with female babies. Ayesha Begum alias Seema (32) of Hafizbaba Nagar has filed a complaint with the Falaknuma police station against ex-husband Aleemuddin (38) stating that he had replaced three male babies she delivered with female babies. They were married in 2001 and have four children. Now, the wife says she is left with four girls and doesn’t know how to move ahead in life. According to her, after she gave birth and was recuperating, he would take the baby out on the pretext of a check up and bring in a female baby in its place. She was made to believe it

was female baby that she had delivered. On the second birth she strongly suspected foul play and after the third she was sure. Ayesha says her husband had admitted to the crime last year

when a big quarrel broke out between the two on this issue and he had offered `10 lakh to her to keep quiet. If she persisted she would be killed, he is alleged to have told her. Ayesha,

Babu certifies self: I’m a good man Loading children, especially sons, with money will mislead them, says Naidu — taking a potshot at Jagan

POLITICS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

he children of Congress leaders have become a big trouble to the society. I told YSR earlier to keep track of the children properly, give them good education and not load them with money, said the TDP Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu. He was hinting at YS Jagan. “As a politician and as a citizen I have all good habits and we have done everything within the law.” Naidu was speaking to a group of media persons after he got a respite from High Court on cases against him. He said he was a clean man and nobody can touch him. Chandrababu Naidu selfcertified himself as a clean man and said that no body can touch him. He reminded his retractors that after 33 years of political life and 35 judicial inquiries nothing was proved against him. “I gave all the information they could not counter,” he said. He also informed

that some allegations were made against his son’s education and he was ready to clarify that. He shot back at the PCC chief Botsa Satyanarayanas comments that the TDP chief was hand in glove with the CM. Chandrababu opined that Botsa is not qualified to be a minister and also the PCC chief. Let him decide if he wants to be with Chiranjeevi or Kiran, why blame me for no rhyme or reason, he asked. YSR Government has inquired several times and now it looks like his wife Vijayamma has no trust in the findings of her late CMhusband, so she has gone to the court again. “These cases are just politically motivated, he charged. Let them prove, I will give all my property if any malpractice is proved against me.” These Congress has no values, no character; they just want to blame me for political mileage, he stated. For money they are selling the State, he ridiculed. He said he would give lot more details about his family members’ income and other details soon. Saying that he was an open book and people can ask for details.

n e ve r t h e l e s s, gave a written statement to the Falaknuma ACP, P Jagannath Reddy last year but the ACP is said to have laughed it off. Inspector (Falaknuma) M Hussaini Naidu said that the woman’s story did not appear to be true but she approached the DCP and now the case is in the probe stage. Police still say her version is incredulous and the hospital authorities also do not support it. But Ayesha’s uncle Syed Yaseen, insists his niece is telling the truth. Ayesha, however, pleads that Aleemuddin’s sisters are in Kuwait and they are rich and her three babies might have gone to them. But the man has denied this and hence, the DNA test. “We must wait for the test result to prove the paternity,” Sinha said. The man has since divorced her.

Film artiste found dead Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

film industry artiste J Ramakrishna has allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his home in Danaiah Nagar that falls under the Malakpet police station limits on Thursday. The 35-year-old Ramakrishna had been married to Indira since 2003. The police say that Indira too works in the Telugu film industry and also runs a dance institute from home. Reasons for the suicide could not be immediately ascertained, the Malakpet police said.

Hyper Local

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

WHO’S LOOTING

GROUNDWATER? Daily supply

8000-10,000

While the Summer sun is getting ready to work its fiery magic and majority of eight million population fearing the worst water shortage, another segment is busy counting currency, exploiting the groundwater which is going dangerously low in the City Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

undreds of private water tankers, where complicity of local politicians is almost certain, mindlessly exploit groundwater and make a pile. As summer approaches the fervency of tapping the water picks up and all the while the Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act (AP WALTA Act) 2002 that prevents extracting groundwater for commercial gain is conveniently ignored. Officials are pleading helplessness as they say the Hyderabad Metro Water Board (HMWS&SB) in unable to meet even the basic water requirement of 8 million residents under the GHMC. “If they (private tankers) are also prevented how we will quench the thirst of the public?” asks an official who pleads

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

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tankers of water (illegal) Number of residential areas and gated communities in GHMC

900 Number of trips being supplied by water mafia daily

10,000 Amount per tanker to be charged by water mafia `500 to `800 anonymity. The AP WALTA Act was enacted by the State government to protect groundwater resources and prevent commercial exploitation. According to an official estimate by the water board and GHMC, about 900 colonies and residential areas in GHMC limits are depending on these private traders of water to meet their requirements. These residents are paying `500 to `800 for a 5000 litre water tanker from their pockets. The residential areas which fall in Serilingampally, Kukatpally, Uppal, LB Nagar, Kapra and Qutbullapur circles, there is a huge demand for these this private tankers. Almost every apartment in these areas requires one to two water tankers each day. “We don’t have any option but to depend on these private operators. We are spending around `20,000 per month for water,”

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said M Koteswara Rao secretary of an apartment welfare association located in Miyapur area to Postnoon on Wednesday.

Modus Operandi If we look at the modus operandi of this mafia, they dig borewells in their own or leased out land and extract water from these borewells before selling it at prices ranging between `500 to `800 per tanker of 5000 litre capacity. Many of the members of this water mafia have the patronage of local politicians. In some cases, local politicians themselves are involved. In a classic case, which proves collusion between politicians and water mafia is in Suraram Colony division of Qutbullapur Mandal. Here many borewells seized by the local Tehsildar were given permission to operate under the pressure of local politicians.

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We can’t implement the Act because they (tanker operators) are well protected. And we can’t stop the exploitation as people also say first provide water and then implement law. It’s a sad situation. P Venkateswarlu, Qutbullapur Tehsildar Speaking to Postnoon Qutbullapur Tehsildar P Venkateswarlu said that they can’t enforce the Act as it results in protests from people, who depend on these private operators for lack of alternatives. He further says that the people are asking them to enforce the Act after providing water supply facility for them. The Tehsildar says supply of water is concerned with the State government and

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beyond their powers. “We are helpless. We can’t do anything. I recently seized 15 borewells, which were used for illegal water sale in Suraram colony. But, minutes after the seizure, I was inundated with phone calls from residents and politicians to withdraw the seizure. I had to allow the trade as there was no option for the residents to get water supply,” he says. The result is depleting water resources. A recent report by Ground Water Resources department of Ranga Reddy district stated that continuous extraction of water had drastically reduced ground water levels. The inefficiency and failure of the State government and water board has led to this situation. In some circles like Qutbullapur, a water crisis is looming large as almost all areas in this region are facing severe ground water scarcity ahead of this summer season.

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

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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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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

`1.4L crore Budget, Jagan MLA exits A SUDHEER REDDY

BUDGET U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

inance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy presented a tax-free and revenue-surplus budget of `1,45,854 crore for the financial year 2012-13 in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday. This is the second budget presentation for Reddy in his capacity as the finance minister. The minister highlighted that flood, famine and agitations affected the State’s economy in 2011-12. Reddy announced `1 lakh interest-free loan to farmers who repaid their loans without default. IT got an allocation of `150 crore. Meanwhile, MLA owing allegiance to the YSR Congress, Pilli Subhashchandra Bose, once again submitted his resignation in protest against discrimination against him in releasing funds to his constituency. He is representing Ramachandrapuram Assembly constituency in East Godavari district. He urged the Speaker to permit him to speak in the Assembly and also accept his resignation. Meanwhile, allegation of budget leak by TDP legislator Kothakota Dayakar Reddy was slighted by the finance minister, while the TRS demanded postponement of the budget presentation as it would influence

said. The finance department website was not hacked and the figures would be put on the site only after its release, he said. APCC chief and transport minister Botsa Satyanarayna and revenue minister N Raghuveera Reddy could not make it make it to the Cabinet meet. After the budget was approved by the Cabinet, it was sent to the Governor for his approval.

TRS suspended over ruckus, BJP-CPI walk out

the electorate in the seven Assembly constituencies going to polls on March 18. However, the finance minister said that the government had spoken to the Chief Election Commissioner of India and sought a clarification. The CEC gave a go-ahead to the government for budget presentation, said the minister. By announcing the poll schedule a day before the budget, the EC gave rise to a discussion on whether the budget would influence the electorate and if so, wouldn’t it attract poll code violation provisions.

The finance minister said on Friday that there was nothing like ‘Budget leak’. It is an ‘open secret’, he smiled. Talking to some media persons after the Cabinet approved the 2012-13 budget on the Assembly premises, Anam reminded that in the TDP regime there was open debate and discussion on the proposed budgets by then CM N Chandrabababu Naidu. Welfare and development are the two eyes for this government, he said. Some of the proposals made by some departments earlier were known and that was no leak, he

espite stiff opposition from the TRS and the BJP, 12 members of the TRS were suspended for the day from the House. The TRS members wanted the Speaker to take up the resolution on separate Telangana, while he disallowed the motion, the members rushed into the well of the House and disrupted the proceedings. TRS leader Harish Rao found fault with the speaker for his unilateral decision. The people would finally suspend the Congress from the public life, he said. The Telangana people were watching and the House became a platform for the Seemandhra people, he alleged. The TDP and the Congress indulged in ‘match fixing’, he alleged. The BJP and the CPI members also staged a walkout in protest against the ‘attitude of the Speaker’. The CPI walked out in support of the cause of the TRS, while the BJP walked out for taking up the resolution on Telangana in the Assembly.

A test of patience Postnoon news feedback@postnoon.com

avi Teja has his peculiar style in terms of acting and comic timing. Films like Kick and Mirapakaya showed why he's the best at what he does. In Gunasekhar's Nippu, he combines his usual energy and comic timing; however, the film tests the audience's patience right from the beginning. Directed by Gunasekhar, the film is an action entertainer without the grandeur of the director's earlier films. The film has Ravi Teja, Deeksha Seth and Rajendra Prasad in lead roles. Ravi Teja stars as Surya who spends most of his time solving land disputes. He picks up a fight with Raja Goud (Pradeep Rawat). One fine day, Surya's best friend (Sri Ram), who lives in Saudi Arabia, invites Surya to visit him. Ten days later Surya returns to India and finds himself at the doorstep of Raja Goud to save his best friend. What happened to Surya's friend and how Surya solves the problem forms the rest of the story. The film's central theme is loosely inspired from Nagesh Kukunoor's Dor. However, Gunasekhar and his team have made ample changes in the script to suit Ravi Teja's image and Telugu nativity. Ravi Teja is in his element throughout the film. His comic timing and acting hasn't changed a bit. And this is not the kind of film where one can expect him showcase something different. Deeksha Seth is good in her role and she gets ample screen time. It's good to see that she isn't just another prop in the film. Pradeep Rawat, Brahmanandam, Sri Ram and

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Movie: Nippu Cast: Ravi Teja, Deeksha Seth, Rajendra Prasad Music Director: Thaman Director: Gunasekhar Rating: Rajendra Prasad do a reasonably good job. The film's first half is haphazard and badly edited, event he scenes are loosely connected and it is difficult the flow of the story. But things slowly fall into place before the interval. The second half offers nothing new in terms of content but is well narrated. There are so many action scenes that it gets boring. Ravi Teja's acrobatics and the VFX seem extremely artificial throughout. Thaman’s music is a big let down. Sarvesh Murari’s cinematography is decent. Nippu has nothing new in terms of content, but if you expect a film to make you laugh and watch vehicles flying everywhere, Nippu has all of it.

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Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Blind students set sights on results with City help N SHIVA KUMAR

EDUCATION Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

We started the process in January and by February we got a long list of volunteers. It’s nice to see so many students and IT employee helping us. I feel like I am running a big battalion of youth here.

T CBI wants to grill Srilakshmi

he CBI Special Court in Nampally posted for hearing on Friday the petition seeking permission to question senior IAS officers Srilakhmi and Rajagopal in connection with the Jagan assets case. The CBI is of the opinion that both the officers were involved in Penna Cements, Dalmia Cements and mining leases affairs. It might be mentioned here that the CBI had already arrested the Srilakshmi.

he bylanes of RP road are abuzz with activity of a different kind. Walk into any of these bylanes and you’re bound to spot scores of IT employees gearing up to write an exam. If you’re wondering why a well dressed techie is going back to school then here’s news. Sai Junior College, a school for the blind is conducting pre final exams for their students. And these IT professionals and students other colleges across the City have volunteered as scribes for the blind during their exams. Scribes, in this case, are people who help the blind students write their exams. Fortunately, getting volunteers in the City was no Herculean task, since several students and IT employees showed up offering to help. “We have been doing this since three years now and this year it was a good turn out. We passed on the message to a few of our friends and the word spread like wildfire. Within one day we had more than 2000 volunteers. We need around 120 volunteers and this time we had excess people offering to help. We were forced to send a few of them back home,” said Kedari R, a volunteer with the Rotaract Club who has been arranging for scribes for the last three years. So enthusiastic are the volunteers that some of the Engineering

n n

Number of students 120 90 students will be appearing for their boards this year

college students bunked classes and were present at the venue well before time. IT employees too took half day off to be able to act as scribes for the blind students. “They need friends and people who motivate them. Immediately after meeting, a strong bond is formed. Now they call us asking if

THE FACES OF HYDERABAD Ashok, artist

elonging to a lower middle class family talented Ashok had to get a steady job with a regular income and as a result he has been working in an art shop which does various kinds of art works. His job requires him to make radium stickers for cars, number plates, name plates, thermocol cut outs for banners and movie dummies. For six years now, he has been doing this job and he seems happy with it, as, at heart, he still is an artist and this

Aishwarya Yerra A city is defined by the people who live and work in it. Here we take a look at the human threads that make up our urban tapestry

work allows him to keep in touch with that side. During his spare time, he paints a lot at home and has at least 500 paintings to his credit. He surely wishes that he gets an opportunity to exhibit his work in a gallery and be able to find a market for it. Throughout his school days he was involved in art and when he joined work he sharpened his skills under his master. His family of artists is happy with his choice of profession.

we will be coming again. Once they make friends they always keep in touch,” says Nivedita, a volunteer. Although the blind students use Braille to study, there is a huge paucity of teachers in the State who can understand it to be able to correct their exam papers. Which is why the students require scribes for their exams. “It’s a long and tedious system. Normally what takes us three hours to correct takes six hours in Braille,” says Girija Menon, a teacher. The board exams are scheduled in March and scribes have been assigned to each student for different exams. “I don’t go for my exam on time but for their exam I ensure I reach there ahead of time. Helping them write the exam gives me a strong sense of gratitude and I realise how fortunate we are,” said Latha A, an employee with Birla CMC.

V Rajeshwary, principal, Sai Junior College

Nagini was my scribe. She was very helpful and patient with me. She said said would come again tomorrow. I am very grateful to her and when I become a news reader I will do a story on her. Ramesh P, first year student

Dejected woman commits suicide

woman, D Anitha, 25, is alleged to have committed suicide by setting herself ablaze on February 14 at her father’s house in Subhashnagar that falls under the Jeedimetla police station limits. The police say that Anitha had separated from her husband and was living with her father. She held a job with the municipal body and had reportedly developed an illicit relationship with a tea vendor, Syed Ali. The man had earlier promised to marry her. Of late however, he would avoid the topic making excuses. Dejected she is said to have taken the extreme step, said Jeedimetla Sub Inspector Venkateshwarlu said.

Hyper Local Meet the gifted artisans who make the dream theme wedding sets in the City

IDEAS Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

eddings in Hyderabad are usually opulent affairs. Larger than life sets, exotic flowers, scrumptious food and heavily bedecked guests could more or less describe a Hyderabadi wedding. In fact, many of us wonder and marvel at the mammoth theme marriage sets whose artistry is brilliant. But

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

anubha.k@postnoon.com

acing cars and bikes have always been a fad for Hyderabadis, but if you happen to witness a large flock of white and grey birds soaring high in the skies, it means Hyderabad’s pigeon-racing season has begun. Petting messenger-pigeons dates back to the days of the

A SUDHEER REDDY

They make

your dream wedding come true there is a lot of work that goes into setting the mood for somebody’s special day. Big budget weddings with massive pandals are the norm these days. And the creations come from the City itself. Within a walking distance from the Alwal railway station is a road that leads to a whole new world where one come across men from Bengal busy drawing, carving, cutting and stitching all through the day. Ambika floral designs is one of the leadings sets designers in the City and has been churning out beautifully designed sets for movies and weddings for the last 25 years. However, while their designs and sets look elaborate, making them is easy and simple a process. These men who come from districts of West Bengal hold no degree in art or interior designing. All they have is a bag full of passion and skilled hands. The skill has been handed down from father to son, not in a University.

“I have always been interested in painting but never got a chance to learn the art. This is our family tradition and one of the reasons why I never needed training,” said Vithal Bhushan who has been painting mud, ceramic and plastic structures for many years. The team is divided into several groups like tailors, welders, designers, carpenters, masons and painters. Tanmay Mohanty, aged 18, is the youngest in the group. He is an assistant to the tailor who stitches curtains, pillows and other related material. “I want to become a successful tailor. This is just the beginning and it’s schooling for me,” says the youth whose hobby is watching Bengali movies. These men work 24x7 and have no specific timings. “We work all through the day. Sometimes we have to finish an order in three days and it’s a lot of hard work,” said Nab Kumar Das, tailor. Team work is definitely a lesson to be learnt from them.

N SHIVA KUMAR

Anubha K Singh

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Even if one member is missing their work will be incomplete. Once Mukhund Lal Das, the captain of the house, gets the creative briefs from the client, he makes a dummy on thermocol and later makes a dump project on the clay structure. He has been doing this for 15 years and holds a degree in BA. “Drawing is an inborn talent which cannot be taught. In the beginning the project might not look what we expected but we should not judge till it’s complete,” believes Mukhund. During their peak season which is February to April and August to November, they make at least five new wedding sets every day. However extraordinary the sets they make may be; their income does not reflect the same. These men behind these beautiful memorable sets get paid as less as `100 for six hours. With weddings getting innovative day by day, wedding decors are turning into a lucrative busi-

ness. “I have been in this industry for 25 years. We started decorating with coconut and banana leaves, before moving to thermocal and flowers. Today the variety is vast. People constantly want new sets and themes. Most of our artisans are very talented with handicrafts and are born talented,” says N Sri Hari, owner of the place.

Who let the birds out?

Nizams in Hyderabad and there are still some people who are fond of pigeon-racing too. Hyderabad homer pigeon club was introduced for the first time in December 2010 to preserve, train and develop the sport of racing pigeons in Hyderabad. Homer club was introduced mainly to focus on uniting all the Homer fanciers or owners on one platform. “Homer club is one of its kind

in Hyderabad. We have members who are all pigeon-lovers. Bird race is legal and this is no gambling and there is no money involved in the race. Homers are a species of pigeons known as the best racers. They are the best to participate in race between six months and eight years of age,” said Abdul Samad, vice-president of the club. These pigeons are taken to one particular place which is at the same distance from the homes of

their owners. A chit with a secret code is also tied to the claws of each pigeon. Once they are released into the air, the first one to reach home is declared the winner. The owners call the organisers and report their code. The first to do so will be the winner. Homers are trained from a young age — in fact 3 months — and are made to fly around the house until they complete one year. “Tossing is very important for the homers. I take my birds out every Sunday for tossing. Tossing is nothing but taking your birds to a specified distance and letting them come back home, and then calculate the time taken each time. If a bird takes 100 minutes to fly 100 km air distance, then it is capable of participating in the race if it come backs in 95 minutes then

it’s even better. If it takes 105 minutes, then it needs to be trained more,” adds Samad. While taking the birds out for tossing, the owners put a ring to the claws of the pigeons with the name of the club embossed on it, as a precautionary measure and not to lose the bird. Samad himself has more than 30 homers in his loft. Out them, 10 are breeding pairs and 20 are ready to fly and the rest are under training. Their daily diet includes a mixture of grains including maize, corn, millet, safflower, grams etc. The racers are fed once a day whereas breeders are fed thrice along with courses of multi-vitamin tablets. Another interesting fact is the fine-tuning of the homing instincts that nature has blessed these pigeons with.

India‑View

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

India unveiled

Low turnout in polls MUMBAI: In a show of voter apathy, Mumbai on Thursday marked a turnout of 45 per cent in elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). In all the 10 Maharashtra municipal corporations, where voting took place during the day, the average voter turnout was around 54 per cent, official sources said here.

A total of 3.5 crore voters were registered to elect 1,244 councillors, including 624 women, in Mumbai, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Pune, PimpriChinchwad, Solapur, Nashik, Akola, Amravati and Nagpur. According to officials, Solapur, Nashik and Amravati recorded the highest voter turnout at 58 per cent. IANS

WB mantri questions rape victim’s morality KOLKATA: As the Kolkata police said there were “certain technical discrepancies” in the rape complaint filed by an Anglo-Indian woman, a State minister questioned the morality of the woman and alleged that the complaint was fabricated to extort money. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has termed the incident as ‘cooked up’. The woman, a mother of two

Sexual harassment case against BJP corporator

Actors Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi show their inked fingers after voting for BMC elections on Thursday.

PTI

Beni re-ignites quota row LUCKNOW/NEW

DELHI:

Congress leader and steel minister Beni Prasad Verma's promise on quota for Muslims re-ignited the reservation row in the midst of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections on Thursday with party ally Trinamool Congress demanding that the poll panel take action against him and the BJP questioning the prime minister’s silence on the matter. Verma’s remarks came only a day after law minister Salman

Family of UP health official allege murder LUCKNOW: An Uttar Pradesh health department official missing since February 7 was found dead on Thursday as his family alleged it was related to the multi-crore rural health scam that has claimed lives of four officials. Mahendra Sharma, an accounting clerk in the State health department, was found dead at a health centre in Lakhimpur Kheri. Police said it appeared to be a case of suicide. “The post-mortem examination is on,” SP Ajit Chandra said. Sharma’s family had filed a missing report after he was allegedly suspended for refusing to sign documents that showed funds being spent on medicines. IANS

Khurshid expressed regret to the Election Commission over his speech on promising quota to backward Muslims. Trinamool Congress leader Sultan Ahmed accused Verma of violating the model code of conduct and demanded that EC should bar Verma from campaigning till elections are over. “The Congress leaders are trying to befool the country. No one will listen to their nonsense,” said Ahmed, minister of state for tourism. IANS

BANGALORE: A ruling BJP city corporator was booked by police on charges of sexual harassment of a 40-year Dalit woman and verbal abuse of her father in the name of his caste. The case against BBMP councillor from Kalavabyrasandra ward Nagaraj was registered on a complaint by BJP activist Dsappa. PTI

Priest dismissed for flirting with woman employee MADURAI: A priest at the nearby Tiruparankunram Sri Subramaniaswamy temple has been suspended from service for reportedly flirting with a woman employee. A departmental enquiry was ordered on a complaint by Hindu Baktha Jana Sabha, following which the priest was dismissed. PTI

and former call centre employee, has alleged she was raped on the night of February 5. The police complaint was filed on February 9, when the victim underwent a medical examination. She has accused Lavi Gidwani and four others of raping her. “It is an attempt to criticise the police and the government. The police are taking all action to find out the truth,” commissioner of police RK Pachnanda said briefing the media. He also rubbished the claims of police inaction. "There was no police inaction. Immediately after the case was registered, the police acted, and after several persons named Sharafat Ali, the name given by the complainant, he was identified by the police." Joint commissioner of police (crime) Damayanti Sen said the accused, including Gidwani, were not present at the place of occurrence. “Till now as per their (accused) statements and the evidence available, it seems that the accused were not present at the place of occurrence. But it is too early to say that until further investigations conclusively prove that. It is a serious allegation. We are probing it. But the entire thing is not yet clear to us,” she said. A highly placed police officer said Gidwani is in Canada and his father has produced all documents to prove it. Later a Bengali news channel showed Gidwani saying he was in Canada on the date of the alleged crime. “I was preparing for my

She has two children and so far as I know she is separated from her husband. What was she doing at a night club so late in the night? Sports minister Madan Mitra upcoming exams on the day. I am still in Canada,” Gidwani told the channel on phone. He also confirmed that the two persons detained by the police in this connection were his friends. Trinamool Congress leader and sports minister Madan Mitra while talking to a TV channel questioned the morality of the woman and alleged that the complaint was fabricated to extort money. “She has two children and so far as I know she is separated from her husband. What was she doing at a night club so late in the night? As far as I am concerned, based on the documentary proof that I have, I think it is a fabricated to extort money,” Mitra added. The police have initiated a probe into allegations that some policemen had misbehaved with the women when she had gone to lodge a complaint. IANS

Murder case registered against ship guards KOLLAM (KERALA): Coastal police on Thursday registered a murder case against the armed guards of an Italian ship for allegedly killing two Keralite fishermen in a firing incident on the high seas. The case was registered for murder, based on evidence of bullet injuries found on the bodies of the dead fishermen during post-mortem, coastal police at Neendakara said. However no particular person has been named in the case, registered by a circle inspector at Neendakara, police said. Earlier in the day, home secretary RK Singh had said in Delhi that a case would be registered against the people responsible for the shooting and they would have to face law of the country. On Wednesday, two fisher-

Italian merchant ship Enrica Lexie seen off the Kochi coast on Thursday. men in a boat including its driver were shot dead when guards onboard the merchant vessel Enrica Lexie fired at their boat carrying 11 fishermen off Kollam coast, suspecting the group to be pirates. The two fishermen, identi-

fied as Jalastin and Binki, had set off from Neendakara fishing harbour a couple of days back. Defence minister AK Antony on Thursday described the killing of two Indian fishermen by an Italian cargo ship crew as very serious and said the law

A local MP consoles the PTI family of Jalastin.

PTI

would take its own course against the offenders. According to the Directorate-General (Shipping), the principal officer, mercantile maritime department, Kochi, has been directed to conduct a preliminary inquiry. PTI

Around the World

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Beyond Borders

Attacks continue as UN agrees on Syria resolution DAMASCUS: The UN General Assembly demanded on Thursday an immediate halt to Syria’s brutal crackdown, which human rights groups say has claimed more than 6,000 lives over the past 11 months. In a strongly worded resolution adopted by a 137-12 vote, UN member states demanded that President Bashar al-Assad’s regime stop attacking civilian demonstrators and start pulling its troops back to barracks. China, Russia and Iran opposed the largely symbolic text put forward by Arab states with Western support just days after Beijing and Moscow vetoed a similar resolution in the UN Security Council. Such a strong vote in favour of the resolution adds to mounting pressure on Assad to curb a crackdown that left at

A man stands in the rubble of his home that was allegedly destroyed by the Syrian army in Idlib on Thursday. AFP least 41 people dead on Thursday in fresh bloodshed as security forces bore down on focal points of dissent. Egypt’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Osama

Abdelkhalek, said the General Assembly had sent an “unambiguous message” to Damascus: “It is high time to listen to the voice of the people.” But his Syrian counterpart,

Bashar Jaafari, lashed out at other Arab nations, saying Western powers had exploited the Arab League to “internationalise” the crisis. “The Arab Trojan horse has been unmasked today,” he said. Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khazaee warned the resolution would only deepen the crisis, “with all its ramifications to the region as a whole.” Assad’s troops pummelled the central city of Homs for a 13th straight day on Thursday, with 18 people reportedly killed in Hama province and four others dying in the southern city of Daraa. Another 19 people, including 11 from the same extended family, were killed in a “massacre” in Idlib province, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights added. AFP

Early elections in Maldives

Libya celebrates uprising

MALE: The Maldivian gov-

BENGHAZI: Libya began cele-

ernment on Thursday agreed to hold early presidential elections, a step towards ending the ongoing political crisis in the island nation. The country plunged into turmoil after president Mohamed Nasheed resigned on February 7. Earlier in the day, in a triumph of diplomacy, India succeeded in brokering a political deal in the Maldives, with all political parties agreeing to hold elections “as early as possible”, paving the way for a political reconciliation in the island nation. IANS

brating on Friday the first anniversary of the uprising against Muammar Gadaffi, with fireworks and slogans, even as its new leader vowed to act firmly against further instability. The former rebels who, backed by NATO, toppled Gadaffi last year set up fresh check-points in the capital Tripoli, Benghazi, the eastern birthplace of the uprising, the western port city of Misrata and other towns. Libya’s new rulers have not organised any official celebrations at a national level as a

Libyan girls dressed up as angels wave the victory sign during celebrations. AFP mark of respect for the thousands of people killed in the bloody conflict that saw Gadaffi captured and slain on October 20. But spontaneous com-

memorations began nationwide in cities and towns led by residents of Benghazi, the city which first rose against Gadaffi and his 42-year-old regime. “I will fight with my body, heart and soul for our new Libya,” said Mustafa Ahmed Ali, a young recruit of the new Libyan army as he ran in a procession with about 100 other comrades after passing a military training course in Benghazi on Thursday. People came out on the streets of Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata and other towns to begin celebrations. AFP

Xi visit: Romney wants an ‘American Century’ DES MOINES: China’s leaderin-waiting Xi Jinping reached out to heartland America on Thursday with billions of dollars in farm deals, as Republican Mitt Romney slammed the “prosperous tyranny” of Beijing. China’s vice president, who is expected to lead the rising Asian power for a decade starting next year, hopped onto a tractor on an icy soybean and corn farm in Iowa and declared his love for the “very homey environment.” On Friday he will attend an economic forum in downtown LA, announce a deal with the film giant DreamWorks Animation. While the White House has

Visiting Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping waves after his arrival at the airport in Los Angeles.

AFP

called the trip an investment, Mitt Romney who is vying to replace Obama in November elections called Xi’s visit “empty pomp and ceremony.”Romney vowed that he would designate China a currency manipulator which would pave the way for US retaliatory measures for allegedly undervaluing its yuan to boost exports. He called the US military commitment to Asia “vastly under-resourced” and vowed to speak out against China’s “barbaric” policy of barring couples from having more than one child.“The sum total of my approach will ensure that this is an American, not a Chinese century,” Romney, wrote in The Wall Street Journal. AFP

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Thousands stranded as Air Australia collapses SYDNEY: Budget carrier Air Australia collapsed on Friday, stranding thousands of passengers as its domestic flights and international services to Honolulu, Bali and Phuket were all grounded. The news came a day after embattled Australian flagcarrier Qantas said it was slashing at least 500 jobs, cutting costs and closing two international routes after posting an 83 per cent slump in first-half net profits.

‘Bangkok blasts is not a terrorist attack’ BANGKOK:Thailand’s deputy prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha said on Thursday that the three explosions in downtown Bangkok on Tuesday were a security issue and there was no evidence to classify them as a terror attack, the online edition of The Nation newspaper reported.

French Socialist MP Arnaud Montebourg waves to the audience on Thursday in Châtellerault, Central France.

AFP

Israel to stop Iran’s nuclear programme MOSCOW: Israel supports the use of all possible ways to stop Iran’s nuclear program, the country’s ambassador to Russia Dorit Golender said on Thursday. “We are in favour of using all ways to stop Iran’s nuclear programme," the ambassador said.Golender also said that Israel is trying to solve all conflicts through peaceful means.

Nigerian ‘underwear bomber’ gets life term WASHINGTON: The 25-year-old Nigerian man convicted of trying to blow up a commercial jet with 300 people aboard on Christmas day in 2009 with a bomb in his underwear was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison.The sentence was handed down by US District Judge Nancy Edmunds, who said that he had committed a ‘terrorist act’.

Young couples dance during the traditional Opera Ball on Thursday in Vienna. AFP

18,375.29 221.30

5,587.80 65.25

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `28,400

GOLD

1kg= `56,700

SILVER

Matters of saving and spending

`49.21

DOLLAR

POUND FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012 11

TWITTER REVAMPED SAN FRANCISCO - Twitter on Thursday announced it has finished rolling out overhauled pages crafted to boost the appeal of the message-sharing service to users around the world. “At the very core there are fewer places you have to click and less you have to learn,” Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey said as he and other executives unveiled the changes at the startup’s San Francisco headquarters in December. “We’ve done a lot of user testing and it has proven to be much simpler,” Dorsey added. Overhauled navigation features take advantage of the fact that Twitter symbols such as @ and # are making their way into common culture, showing up anywhere from text messages to advertising billboards and television. Twitter designed Connect navigation tools that essentially turn those symbols into new age URLs, or web addresses, to let people find all posts or other information being fired off about topics. Twitter also expanded profile pages, letting users tell more about themselves or, in the case

of companies, their brands. Dorsey said revenue from “promoted tweet” style ads has been steadily growing and the startup is easing out a self-service advertising system. Advertising revenues at Twitter grew 213 per cent to $139.5 million in 2011, up from $45 million in 2010, according to eMarketer. The market tracking firm predicted that Twitter will bring in $259.9 million in advertising revenue this year, and that the global revenue would hit $540 million by the year 2014. The Twitter overhaul completed on Thursday includes new Timeline that brings together all Twitter chatter or content related to a particular “tweet.” “There is a universe within every tweet,” Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo said at the

unveiling. “The 140 characters are a caption associated with a rich canvas that could be a song, a video, a photo or more.” The new Twitter design was described as a platform on which the service will build to reinforce its effort to “reach every person on the planet.” “Of course tweeting is still front and center,” Dorsey said. “Any time you have something to tell the world you can do it

`77.87

instantly.” Twitter engineers speeded up the service’s engines to deliver content faster, and new tabs at the tops of pages let people jump quickly between Home, Connect, Discover, and Me. The Connect page lets users search Twitter using the @ sign, which has become Internet age shorthand for “at.” The bottom of the Connect page let people tap on Interaction or Mention tabs that show who is responding or rebroadcasting their tweets. Discover focuses on searches based on # symbols, which are used at Twitter to label topics such as “#arabspring.” The Home tab leads to the Twitter flow users are familiar with, while “Me” takes people to profile pages. “We have to provide the simplest, fastest way for people around the world to connect with everything they care about,” Costolo said. “This wasn’t just a change in the interface; this was a whole company effort. AFP

Sensex bubbling MUMBAI: The BSE benchmark index Sensex shot up by over 192 points in early trade on Friday on frenzied buying by funds and retail investors, triggered by a firming trend in global markets. The 30-share index,which has lost 48.42 points on Thursday, spurted by 192.20 points, or 1.06 per cent, to 18,346.19 points with banking, metals, oil and gas and realty stocks leading the rally. The wide-based National Stock Exchange index Nifty moved up by 53.65 points, or 0.97 per cent, to 5,575.60. Brokers said buying by funds and retail investors amid a firming trend in Asian markets in line with overnight gains on the US markets following buoyant economic data with new jobless claims falling to their lowest level since March 2008, bolstered trading sentiment here. In Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index rose by 1.07 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index up by 1.81 per cent in the morning trade on Friday. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.96 per cent to reach highest level since May 2008 in yesterday's trade. The rupee gained 3 paise to trade at `49.26 per dollar on the Interbank Foreign Exchange on Friday. PTI

Covidien opens R&D centre US jobless claims at HYDERABAD: Covidien, a US-

lowest level in 4 years

based manufacturer of healthcare products, opened its first research and development (R&D) centre in India in the City. This is its 25th across the globe. The Covidien India Engineering Center (CIEC) is a 40,000 square-foot facility located in DLF Cybercity special economic zone (SEZ), Hyderabad. The CIEC will expand into a larger facility in future, which is currently under construction and is also based in the SEZ. The CIEC is providing a range of engineering services to Covidien’s R&D organization in the areas of design, hardware, software and testing, while developing a footprint for future product development. The facility currently employed 30 people and will employ up to 350 people in another two years. “Our company is expanding R&D capabilities worldwide. The new facility in India is playing an integral role in our global strategy. Covidien has more than doubled the R&D investments and launched more than 100 new products in last five years. Over the next few years, the company has a goal of devoting five to six per cent

WASHINGTON: The number of people filing applications for unemployment benefits fell last week by 13,000 to 348,000, their lowest level since March 2008, the US Labor Department said Thursday. The rolling four-week average of unemployment claims, which is thought to better reflect underlying trends, dropped 1,750 to 365,000. The recession that began in December 2007 and officially ended in June 2009 destroyed 8.4 million jobs in the US. Economists see a weekly jobless claims figure of less than 400,000 as indicative of an improving labor market. The ranks of people receiving state unemployment benefits declined by 100,000 to 3.43 million during the week that ended Feb 4, the Labor Department said. State benefits generally run out after 26 weeks, but the worst economic slump since the Great Depression prompted lawmakers to approve federal emergency programmes that

Postnoon News

of sales to R&D activities, said Randel Frazier, vice president, R&D, Emerging markets. The $4 billion Indian healthcare devices market is growing at 15 per cent year-on-year. It is a significant part of the company focus on emerging markets. The Hyderabad centre will help the company to improve product time to market and create valued-innovation, he said. “With a fast-growing economy, the demand for healthcare in India is growing at a rapid pace. The company’ focus in India is to develop surgical solutions and medical devices, which were better sold in emerging markets,” said

Arjun Sarker, managing director, Indian Subcontinent. The company has manufacturing facilities in 37 countries and did not rule out the possibilities of setting up one in the country in future. Covidien has an important and growing commercial presence in India with offices based in Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Chennai. The company has nearly 200 employees in its commercial organization with a network of distributors across the country. The company generates 68 per cent of its revenues from medical devices, 17 per cent from pharmaceuticals and 15 per cent from medical supplies.

provide jobless benefits for up to 99 weeks. For the week ending Jan 28, the number of people getting state or federal unemployment benefits climbed by 18,304 to 7.68 million. The US unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percent in January to 8.3 percent - its lowest level since February 2009 - as the economy created 243,000 net new jobs. Employers added an average of 201,000 new jobs per month in November-January. IANS

Comment

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Editorials GREEK TRAGEDY must be averted

conference of EU ministers and representatives of international financing agencies have asked Greece to further tighten its belt by making deeper cuts and restructuring of economy. The Greek Parliament has been passing one austerity measure after the other to be in conformity with the EU and lenders’ guidelines. However, these measures have given rise to severe discontent among the public. There has been several strikes and protests — most of them turning violent. The boulevards of the Greek capital now resemble the streets of strifetorn West Asian nations. With the latest demand of the EU, the IMF and the European Central Bank (ECB) that Greece initiate further spending cuts of 325 million euros is only likely to worsen the situation. If one country goes insolvent, it will trigger a domino effect on the remaining weak economies. An economic collapse, that will have international ramifications, must be averted at all costs.

WHY WE LOVE Rupert Murdoch

ournalists love to hate Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch changed journalism across the globe, and created a generation of newspaperists, with one eye on the reader and the other on the bottom line. He also shattered the Ivory Tower and made newspapers put the reader ahead of, quite often, anachronistic ideals. Now, besieged, he’s being written off. But his empire is far stronger than that. We’re rooting for you Rupert!

Cry shame to cover up our inadequacy Point blank Padmini C

hile the world waits with bated breath for commencement of the 2012 London Olympic Games, the Indian Olympics Association (IOA) has gone breathless crying itself hoarse protesting Dow Chemical's sponsorship of the Olympics. And yesterday, in what can only be perceived as a virtual slap to the IOA, the International Olympics Committee (IOC) announced its support for Dow and maintained that the chemical giant will continue to be a sponsor for the Games. Needless to say, the IOA is outraged. And now there are suggestions that the Indian contingent should resume its boycott threat to register our protest. The idea perhaps is to use the same strategy that has worked in previous instances. Remember, how reacting to a public backlash, The Hindu cancelled Dow's sponsorship of its November music festival in 2009 and even issued a formal apology? Except, the IOA is not The Hindu and our outrage means nothing to them. India's participation, or the lack of it, is not going to make the slightest difference to the Olympics, especially considering our abysmal track record. The only people who will suffer and for whom it will make a difference is our athletes who have toiled relentlessly and put in their sweat, blood and tears into making it to the Olympics. And for what? Our outrage, yes. After all, how dare they? And how can the IOC not see it? This is Dow Chemicals that we are talking about, the company, which took over Union Carbide, responsible for the world's worst industrial disaster — the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. But before we leap on the 'protest against the games' bandwagon, let's first ask ourselves whom should our outrage be directed at; and examine the facts. While reports vary on the exact number, a conservative estimate is that over 35,000 people died and more than 500,000 people affect-

Austria is beautiful

Bypoll test for parties

I have been to Austria and can vouch for the fact that they are nice people. Personally, I never experienced any hostility, as is commonly believed. A very accommodating nation, Austria remains my top-favourite. And the list of the rest of the countries was so interesting. What is fascinating is that most of the countries listed are European. Hong Kong definitely is what Asia needs to look up to. The article was so interesting, I am now contemplating on going to one of them soon! Varnika Erasu Panjagutta

When the state goes for by-elections in seven Assembly constituencies, the people will decide on how good they consider the Kiran kumar Reddy government has been in its governance. It is also a chance for Chandrababu Naidu to prove if he really enjoys a new wave of support, which he claims to have, due to the government’s mishandling of corruption cases and Telangana agitation. KCR will also know what people thinks of his party’s 45-day general strike and the misery it brought on the public. One thing is sure; the people will speak with their votes this time. Narasimha Reddy Habsiguda

ed by the 1984 tragedy. Twenty-six years later, in June 2010, the seven convicted including Keshub Mahindra (of Mahindra & Mahindra), then chairman of Union Carbide, were sentenced to two years in prison. By that evening they were out on bail. To add insult to injury, the Supreme Court dismissed a government petition last year seeking harsher sentences for the convicted on the grounds that there was not “enough reason to build a case of culpable homicide, which could lead to a stiffer sentence.” Where was the outrage? Now, to justice. Twenty-seven years since, the chairman of Union Carbide chief Warren Anderson remains scot-free at home in the US. Needless to say, India has had shameful little success in negotiating an extradition for the man who is now 91 years old. Where is the furore? As this article is being written, on the other side of the world in the United States, Dow Chemicals has just admitted to polluting Midland neighbourhoods and nearby rivers. As compensation, it has finalised a deal with environmental groups in Michigan to clean up (or buy out) 1,400 residential properties in the area, costing the

TALK BACK 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

company millions of dollars. But hey, that’s them! Let us continue to fight for hollow symbolic victories. In contrast, the government's `1,265 crore package to the victims of the disaster is yet to reach them. NGOs associated with the cause continue to submit petition after petition, hoping that the government will wake up to their pleadings, that those on the ground in Bhopal still live amongst the toxic waste and drink poisonous water. Who's listening? We are too busy celebrating the resignation of the ethics commissioner and protesting against sponsorships. Because that is more important. So let's not worry about duplicity or double standards. Because why should our own complacency and gross negligence stop us from asking others to do right? Let's by all means demand that everyone else in the world be ashamed to associate with Dow, while we blissfully close our eyes to the colossal failure of our justice system, our governance and our inability to deliver justice to our own people. Let's continue to take offence and show outrage. Because that's what we do. No. It's the only thing we want to do.

Court boost for Naidu The Andhra Pradesh High Court quashing YS Vijayalakshmi’s petition couldn’t have come at a better time for TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu. The court’s verdict that the case lacks merit and is a matter of personal vendetta comes at time when the TDP chief is on an aggressive campaign to turn the political tide in favour of his party before the by-elections. Jagan has received a blow from the verdict and his bravado of going to SC did not find many takers in the political circles. Sateesh KP Yousufguda

CORRECTIONS CLARIFICATIONS

esterday, in the page 7 photo caption on the Belgian band Thurisaz, we inadvertently mentioned that they are performing at Felicity, IIIT Hyderabad’s fest. The band, in fact, will perform at BITS-Pilani Hyderabad’s Pearl 2012 on Saturday. The error is regretted.

It is Postnoon’s policy to correct errors swiftly and fairly

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Can you stomach that bulging belly? Ranjani Rajendra ranjani.r@postnoon.com

ot everybody is as lucky as Victoria Beckham to be able to flaunt a svelte figure and a washboard tummy soon after having a baby. In fact, as Indians we are pre-disposed to abdominal fat. Which is why you’ll spot dozens of aunties and uncles with bulging paunches and pants that insist on riding low, in an ungainly fashion. Popularly known to be a part of what is now termed the “Mommy makeover” tummy tucks are especially popular with women after childbirth. And according to experts in the City, so popular are tummy tuck procedures (medically known as abdominoplasties) that they even beat breast implants. “In my practice, abdominoplasties are very common. In fact, I’d say they are more common than even breast implants. I usually see a lot of 30 somethings, especially women who’ve had babies, request for a tummy tuck,” says Dr Sudhakar Prasad, a consultant cosmetic surgeon.

Why a tummy tuck? “Usually people seek a tummy tuck if they have an overhang of skin in the upper or lower abdomen or in people who are obese,” says Dr Bharatendra Swain, senior consultant plastic and aesthetic surgeon at Apollo Hospital. He goes on to add, “Abdominoplasties are usually classified under body contouring procedures which are of two types — liposuction and body lifts. Tummy tucks fall under the category of body lifts, and usually people do other tucks as well.” Dr Swain, explains that tummy tucks are also commonly done by people who’ve undergone a massive weight loss (eg bariatric surgery) as this leaves them with excessive skin hanging over the tummy, arms, breasts, hips and cheeks. ‘Over the last few years, though the demand for such surgeries has gone up, especially with the fad to stay thin and flaunt washboard stomachs,” he says.

How is it done? Usually the procedure comprises of three steps. “We do a

Tired of that flabby hanging stomach that’s keeping you from wearing your favourite clothes? There’s hope yet

liposuction to remove any fat that may be under the layer of skin. Following that we remove the sagging skin and tighten the loose muscles. Often we even relocate the navel that may move during the surgery,” says Dr Sudhakar. “In case, the bulging tummy is due to muscle laxity we recommend that the patient wear a binder for a few weeks before proceeding further. The surgery is usually safe and the only problem may arise if an inexperienced surgeon tightens the stomach so much that it causes respiratory problems in the patient. Other than that the patient is checked for general health and fitness before being declared fit for this elective surgery,” says Dr Sudhakar. The surgery could cost anywhere between `1 lakh to `3 lakh.

Keep it flat n Improve your posture. Keep

n n n

the back straight. A bad posture can cause your tummy to stick out Follow a healthy diet and limit your sugar intake. Too many empty calories won’t work in your favour Crunches are a good exercise for a flatter stomach. Try to do 3-4 sets of 25 repetitions every day Switch to skim milk Drink plenty of water, it aids digestion Try to jog or walk for 30 minutes everyday

Gene therapy helps regenerate injured brain cells SYDNEY: Gene therapy not only helps injured brain cells live longer and regenerate but also changes the shape of the cells, says a new study. Alan Harvey, professor of anatomy and physiology at The University of Western Australia, said brain cell morphology (study of form and structure of organisms) was very important in determining how a cell communicated with other cells and formed the circuits that allowed the brain to function. “Our previous work has shown that when growth-promoting genes are introduced into injured brain cells for long periods of time (up to nine months), the cells’ capacity for survival and regeneration is significantly increased,” he was quoted as saying by the journal Public Library of Science One. “We have now shown that these same neurons have also changed shape in response to persistent over-expression of the growth factors,” said Harvey, who co-authored the study with Jennifer Rodge, according to a statement of Western Australia. “Any changes in morphology are therefore likely to alter the way neurons receive and transmit information. These changes may be beneficial but could also interfere with normal brain circuits, reducing the benefits of improved survival and regeneration.” Harvey said the results were significant for those involved in designing gene therapy based protocols to treat brain and spinal cord injury and degeneration.

Graft will help regenerate bone

ainful fractures and bad bone grafts may soon become a thing of the past, thanks to cartilage graft, a pioneering way of regenerating bones. “Cartilage graft induces bone that actually integrates with the host bone and vascularises it (forming blood vessels),” said Ralph S Marcucio, associate professor of orthopaedics at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Cartilage graft is very different than the current methods used for bone grafting — autograft bone (a person’s own bone) or allograft materials (donor bone). For various reasons, these two grafting techniques can result in poor graft integration and osteonecrosis (bones die and eventually collapse, leading to pain and arthritis). “With millions of bone grafting procedures performed every year in just the United States, developing improved technologies could directly enhance patient care and clinical outcomes,” said Marcucio, who led the research.

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Protein knocks out HIV by starving it of raw materials WASHINGTON: A protein knocks out the most virulent form of HIV by starving it of the raw materials it needs to reproduce, in order to protect our immune cells, a study reveals. “The findings may explain why certain anti-HIV drugs used today are more effective under some circumstances and not others,” said Baek Kim, study co-author and professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. “It also provides new insights on how many other viruses that afflict people operate in the body,” Kim was quoted as saying, by the journal Nature Immunology. A team of researchers from

Rochester, Langone Medical Center, several institutions in France, and a graduate student collaborated on the study, said a university statement. Researchers are excited about its implications for knowledge of other pathogens, such as herpes viruses, which use the same machinery within our cells that HIV does to replicate. The work centers on a protein known as SAMHD1 (a molecule), which is found in white blood

Blues can send you back to the hospital If you love listening to the Blues, have already had a heart attack and are prone to depression, chances are you may be rehospitalised TEL AVIV: Heart attack patients given to depression may be re-hospitalised later for cardiac complications and chest pains and for longer stints as indoor patients than their happier counterparts. Vicki Myers of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, along with Yariv Gerber and other researchers examined the link between depressive symptoms in the heart attack patients and their re-hospitalisation a decade after the initial attack. Most studies examining the link between heart attack recovery and mental health have only included short term follow up, says Myers, the Journal of Psychosomatic Research reports. Researchers used data from 632 heart attack patients under 65 years, hospitalised between 1992 and 1993, comparing

their recoveries using follow-up data through 2005. Although a large percentage who survive a heart attack will be re-hospitalised at some point, those identified as at least “mildly depressed” during their first hospital stay were more likely to be re-hospitalised later with further cardiac health problems. Patients with a higher depression point spent 14 percent more time in the hospital than those with a low point. “The message is that doctors cannot ignore psychological factors in patients who have had a heart attack. Patients who exhibit signs of depression need to be followed more closely, and may need extra help in following lifestyle recommendations. Ignoring this problem weighs heavily on health services,” Myers adds. IANS

cells known as macrophages, that specialise in destroying invading viruses and in related cells known as dendritic cells. Last year scientists discovered that the molecule makes it difficult for HIV-1 to infect macrophages. Now they have unravelled how it actually cuts off the raw material supply that HIV needs to create DNA and replicate. That raw material,

dNTP, comprises the building blocks of DNA, and without it, HIV cannot recreate its DNA in our cells. The team found that SAMHD1 destroys most of these building blocks, making it nearly impossible for HIV-1 to replicate itself where SAMHD1 resides — the macrophages. Instead, HIV-1 uses the macrophage as a safe haven, surviving in patients for years as it dodges the immune system as well as the drugs designed to kill it. It’s thanks largely to its ability to hide out in the body, that HIV is able to survive for decades and ultimately win out against the body’s relentless immune assault.

NUTRI CORNER

It is important to strike a balance

Dr Suneetha Sapur

What is the best way to a balanced meal and meet all the body’s nutritional requirements? To follow a healthy diet we need to eat many different types of food each day including different types of grains, beans, pulses, fruit and vegetables, roots, nuts and animal products. It is not healthy to eat the same food with the same ingredients every day. Like most of us prefer to eat only rice in their meals, which is not such a great idea. Instead of eating only rice and rice products like idly and dosa etc for all three meals it is better to include a variety of other grains like wheat, ragi and jowar in the form of rotis, upma, porridge etc. Similarly using all varieties of vegetables and fruits in the meal, especially using more of seasonal fruits and vegetables, including seasonal foods provides the required nutrients at affordable prices. As Indians we tend to consume non vegetarian foods less frequently and in smaller quantities including milk and milk products regularly in your everyday diet is very important to meet the requirements of many nutrients, to enhance the absorption of other nutrients. The amount of food we eat depends on our age, sex and time of life. However, the most important aspect of healthy eating is to strike a balance. Do remember that processed and packaged foods are not ideal options. Healthy food is fresh and natural and a balanced diet should be full of flavour and colour. The more colourful the meal is the better it is for health, like including tomato, green leaves, pumpkin etc provides different nutrients and phytochemicals. By taking care to choose foods that are in season and locally available, eating can be enjoyable, healthy and affordable. (The writer is the director Akkshaya Foundation and a consultant nutritionist at LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad)

Rhythm Nation

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Finding euphoria in music DEVIANTART

‘I defy convention, I am scorned by many, understood by few, my stage is likened to a cemetery, and I am called the misguided messiah of mean music. I am Heavy Metal’

Indira Atluri indira.a@postnoon

lack Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden showed what unconventional looked like, and how the ruthless use of the fretboard sounded like. Heavy Metal music followers around the world would only agree that Metal is the nemesis to Rock and Pop. Beginning in the late ‘60s, metal music soon attracted its own cult following. And the followers swore against anything ordinary. Distorted tunes, loud and aggressive beats — metal music was a reminder of music considered evil. It was a way to show what rebellion looked like. Surprisingly Heavy Metal has a huge fan following in most IITs of the country. Pop music to them (almost all of them) is out of question, and Bollywood — you must be out of your mind! We spoke to some, to understand their fierce obsession for the leatherclad and pierced-bodied head-banging hooligans. Abhinav Lele is an IIT Kharagpur alumnus who swears by this genre of music. He tells us, “Metal is, simply put, different, and

iTUNES Top 10

Favourite Metal bands of Postnoon Metallica Slayer Megadeth Venom Motorhead

Bollywood Top 10

Lana Del Rey ADELE

3. Old ideas

5. We are young (feat. Janelle Monáe) Fun 6. Somone like you

Katy Perry 2. I will always love you Whitney Houston 3. Rolling in the deep Adele

“There is a sense of elevation to watch Metal bands like these perform. Believe me, it is not the same with any other form of music.” Abhinav Lele

Billboard Top 10

4. Set fire to the rain

1. Part of me

not repetitive. Recently, a Swedish band called Amon Amarth, a Melodic Death Metal band played in the IIT campus. With their whole Viking getup, it was like getting into another world altogether.” He adds, “Pop has a constant beat, with different words put in it. But Metal needs hardcore guitar and drums addicts. It is euphoric to listen to Metal in the campus festivals. The Metal maniacs to us symbolise different people, trying to say something different — and we relate to it. Interestingly, there are interesting theories about head-banging, an act only associated with Heavy Metal — while some credit the

iconic British band Black Sabbath to have started it, others believe that the term Headbanger came from the band Motorheadbanger. For yet some it was Deep Purple. Whoever started the headbanging phenomenon hardly matters anymore, as it has became a part of this music since. Rajeev, a student in IIT Guwahati, too loves the sound of Heavy Metal, and iconises Pink Floyd and Rammstein. He says, “This time in our campus, we had an Israeli progressive Metal band called Orphaned Land. There is a sense of elevation to watch Metal bands like these perform. Believe me, it is not the same with any other form of music.” He adds, “The B-Tech students enjoy Metal more than the PGs do.” When asked why? Rajeev adds, “It is like an unspoken rule perhaps — the Northeast is so influenced by Western music and so it becomes one natural inclination.” Vivek Reddy from IIT Kharagpur gives his take, “Initially, most people listen to Bollywood, and then they move on to Linkin Park and Bon Jovi. But soon, the trend changes and they move on to Metal. Iron Maiden somehow soon becomes the band they relate to. The 2nd and 3rd year students are the ones obsessed with Metal. After graduation, it kind of dwindles, and they move on to Western Classical or the Indian Classical. The people you move around with matters, at least this is what you will find in the IIT.”

Adele 7. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) Kelly Clarkson 8. Turn up the music Chris Brown 9. Paradise Coldplay 10. What make you beautiful One Direction

1. 21 Adele 2. Born to die

Leonard Cohen 4. 2012 Grammy nominees Various Artists 5. Kidz bop 21 Kidz Bop Kids 6. Take care Drake 7. Emotional traffic Tim McGraw 8. God, love & romance Fred Hammond 9. Sorry for party rocking LMFAO 10.Talk that talk Rihanna

1. Hosanna Ek Deewana Tha 2. Aunty ji

Ek Main aur Ekk Tu 3. O saiyyan Agneepath 4. Tu mohabbat hai Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya 5. Ek main aur ekk tu Ek Main aur Ekk Tu 6. Sun lo zara Ek Deewana Tha 7. Thehree si zindagi London Paris New York 8. Jeene de Tere Naal Love ho Gaya 9 Sarphira Sadda Adda 10 Voh dekhne mein London Paris New York

F‑Folio

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Because you are what you wear

EXPERIMENTAL New York Fashion Week just ended and it has now opened the gates for a whole year of excitement in the fashion world. This year saw more than 59 participants, from industry giants to extraordinary fashion entrepreneurs, showcase their designs. Here’s a look at the week that has been AFP

he Max Azria collection was one of the outstanding displays on the runway this season. The collection seemed straight out of the 1920s, a blend of sporty eclecticism and softness of chiffon. Generous use of block colours gave it grace. Azria followed it up with another display of creativity in the form of a new collection Herve Ledger by Max Azria. The fitting bandage style dresses were of metallic hues and soothing pastels with pleats and fringes. The models’ make-up was minimal, with sleekly-done hair, allowing the bold designs to gather full focus. Alexander Wang’s collections, as rightly quoted by LA Times, were reflections of his inspiration — hybrids — and played with the contrast between hard and soft, naughty and nice. But these

Rodarte

Alexander Wang

were without doubt more grown-up clothes, but with a twist. Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) called her collection ‘Rendez-Vous’, or ‘a meeting with suspense and expectation’. She reinterpreted her famous wrap dress as a kind of wrap jumpsuit with a plunging front. It came in many iterations, but the prettiest was a pink lily colour, worn with a port-red coat. Von Furstenberg has made colour theory an art with her latest collection; for instance, pairing a citrus-lime satin halter top with a pair of beet-red trousers. The royal family’s effect was seen on the fashion ramp too. Designer Zac Posen’s collection, apparently inspired by the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, also stood apart. The models were looking extremely glamourous and the collection

consisted of a lot of elegant cocktail and evening wear. All in all, there was an old-world glamour to the collection. Another designer to look forward to was Vera Wang. Her designs were casual yet glamorous. “I tried to follow a structure with loose cuts. I used transparency with opaqueness,” she was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald. Her inspiration was cathedrals and churches, hence the use of pastels and greys. The brand’s tag line says unapologetically original and true to what is expected of him American designer Tommy Hilfiger displayed a great ready-to-wear collection, the theme of which was ‘Women in a English Garden’. A patent burgundy coat brought glamour to the collection, and all the beautifully tailored leather pieces raised Hilfiger onto a new level of de luxe. Rodarte’s was another sought-after collection. The Rodarte sisters — Laura and Kate Mullavey — have refined their dreamy designs. Their vision spanned the fashion landscape; it had the rustic Outback (a shearling dress, and clear plastic heels filled with layers of sand), the stately aristocratic Victorian homes left over from the colonial era (dusty peach and blue wool guipure lace blouses, and crepe jackets and skirts — one of the most wearable pieces the duo has ever prepared for the ramp). Prabal Gurung, the Nepalese designer who also happens to be US first lady Michele Obama’s favourite, turned heads with his collection. It featured a lot of red carpet-worthy white gowns with feathers and gold lace. Donna Karen displayed her collection in an open shed on the street with a New York taxi as backdrop. Black was the base of her urban collection. Donna told the New Zealand Herald, “I wanted to represent modern New York, the contemporary New York women of strength.” She used leather, wool and furs in her collection.

Max Azria

Fâ&#x20AC;&#x2018;Folio

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Because you are what you wear

AND PRECISE Tommy Hilfiger

Zac Posen

Vera Wang

AFP

Donna Karan

Prabal Gurung

Vera Wang

Spotlight

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

N I Y T PAR

E L Y ST

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

r was the sta n ra a S a y ri h S t the Artic a n o ti c ra tt a t Night held a Maxim Style day. The hurs Kismet on T d ‘An tle event was ti an style’. ali evening of It ce sure sen Shriya’s pre lamour upped the g venue. the quotient at

Nandita & Swetha

Roshini

Neha

Akarsh, Suzzane & Laksh

Nikita Reddy with a friend

Tanya Nambiar

Aman & Apoorva

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@shraddhadas43 ‘Rey’ my telugu film’s trailer will b screened along with my director Yvs choudhary’s ‘Nippu’ releasing tomorrow over 1000 shows all over!

@shriyasmiling Can’t believe they have a stupid party going on in this Hotel, playing loud music, disturbing every one’s sleep! need to catch some sleep.

Kamal Haasan-Rajinikanth

TEAM NOT POSSIBLE K

amal Haasan is planning to revive his magnum opus Marudhanayagam, if the grapevine is to be believed. The film was shelved several years ago due to various reasons. A

section of media reported that Kamal Haasan is even planning to approach Rajinikanth for a role. Rajinikanth and Kamal have been friends for more than 35 years and in the past, they have acted

together in 10 films. As soon as the news broke out, fans of both the heroes began to wonder how two of the most powerful names would team up after so long. However, Kamal Haasan’s manager,

has clarified that Kamal Haasan has not made any statement regarding Marudhanayagam and said that it was a 15-yearold news. Currently, Kamal Haasan is busy shooting for Vishwaroopam.

Racha audio rights sold for a bomb

he audio rights of Ram Charan Tej, Tamannaah starrer Racha have been sold for a bomb, if the grapevine is to be believed. We hear that a leading audio company has paid around `1 crore to acquire the audio rights and it’s one of the highest prices quoted in recent times. The same audio company had bought audio rights of Magadheera, which raked in humongous profits. The film’s audio will be launched on February 26, in a grand way in Kurnool. Ram Charan's earlier film Magadheera ran for more

than 750 days in a theatre in Kurnool and the makers of Racha are said to be eager to launch the audio amidst thousands of Ram Charan and Chiranjeevi's fans. Back in 1991, Chiranjeevi starrer Gang Leader's 100 days celebrations took place in Kurnool and after more than two decades, an event of this magnitude is going to take place in Kurnool. Interestingly, Racha has a remix of Vana Vana Velluvaye, a popular song in Gang Leader. Sampath Nandi has directed the film and Mani Sharma is the music director.

@RanaDaggubati An extremely exhausting day! Still not done. Finished with a few interviews for #NaaIshtam. Rehearsal’s with Prem Rakshit, then training...

@shrutihaasan Why do they always stop making your favourite shade of lipstick or polish just when you start to fall in love with it?? :/#itsagirlthing

@Actor_Siddharth The bad guys lost. The good guys won. ‘Love Failure’ releases tomorrow as announced. Thank you all of you for seeing me through these 8hrs!

@actressanjjanaa

I want to take a break from films: Aakash P

uri Jagannadh’s son Aakash has been getting rave reviews about his performance in Prakash Raj’s Dhoni. “It’s my best film so far and I must thank Prakash Raj for encouraging me throughout the film’s shooting,” Aakash told the media. Apparently, the toughest part about his role was to lie flat on the bed without blinking his eyes. “I am exactly like Karthik, the character I played in Dhoni. I am extremely poor in studies and someday, I want to become an actor,” he says. He’s currently studying in class VIII and has decided to take a break from films to concentrate on his studies. “Gabbar Singh will be my last film for now and I’ll make my debut as a hero in my father’s direction,” so saying he signs off.

Hey ppl supp, gym training starts from 2day,gearing up of shooting of Sagar with Prajwal Devraj in Singapore on February 21st.

@RGVzoomin One great advantage of having a bad memory is that everything will appear new all the time.

@sneha_ullal My family and I have managed to spoil and pamper a Parrot...uff.

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@udaychopra Sometimes words can be an ointment for our feelings. However, they feel good for a moment and then they evaporate, leaving us much the same.

Amrita Rao

@NeilNMukesh The game is to stand and not get knocked out! Take a hit land a punch but keep standing strong! Full power!! That’s what makes u a man.

polishes her acting

@bipsluvurself In Jaipur! #JodiBreakers team a lil tired! I need my dose of instant charging, a great intense work out session! Heading straight to the gym!

t was difficult to match up to acting skills of Boman Irani and Arshad Warsi, says Amrita Rao who has teamed up with them in Jolly L.L.B. “I am shooting for Jolly L.L.B. with Boman and Arshad, two of the finest actors we have in Hindi cinema. I have to really polish my acting skills to match up to them. Boman has really, really surpassed the expectations of the audience and so has Arshad. I am happy to be working with them,” the 30-year-old said. She was last seen in Love U... Mr. Kalakaar, which bombed at the box-office. Meanwhile, Amrita admits that nothing is happening in her life and she is busy romancing life and work. IANS

VIDYA BALAN played hard-to-get before Kahaani

idya Balan, who has been on a success spree after her films No One Killed Jessica and The Dirty Picture, took a lot of time before zeroing on to Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani. “Sujoy came to me with a script, which I didn’t like. Then he said I will bring to you one idea after another till you like it. I thought he was just saying it. But he actually came with a lot of ideas to me and I liked this one a lot and asked him to develop it and that we will see. But till the time the script was not complete, I didn’t say yes,” the 33year-old said. Releasing March 9, Kahaani tells the story of a pregnant woman who comes to Kolkata in search of her missing husband. IANS

@realprietyzinta Ok guys! Am a bit confused??? What is a Shorty award ???? I am getting a lot of tweets about this..... But am confused!

@iamsrk

Whoever copies Dilip Kumar is an idiot

Shah Rukh Khan S

hah Rukh Khan, who was appreciated for the role of a doomed lover in 2002 remake of Devdas, earlier played by Dilip Kumar in the 1955 film of the same name, feels nobody can imitate the thespian. “You can’t imitate Mr Dilip Kumar. Whoever copy Dilip Kumar, they are idiots like me,” said Shah Rukh at the launch of Nasreen Munni Kabir’s book The Dialogue of Devdas, which has complete dialogues by Rajinder Singh Bedi, based on a screenplay by Nabendu Ghosh and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi from Bimal Roy’s immortal classic Devdas. Shah Rukh Khan starrer Devdas was treated differently by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who gave it a larger than life feel. IANS

Teaching clauses and phrases to son, workout cancelled. Who made up these English rules it’s so much easier... the English on twitter and SMS.

@SrBachchan T 656 – Shweta’s wedding anniversary today, but she stayed back to be by my side... daughters are the best...

@Riteishd Wishing Mr Producer @Actor_Siddharth huge success for his debut release. BLOOOCCCKBUSTEEERRRRRRR on its way.

@juniorbachchan Morning spent with Pa at hospital, then at NASCOMM in the afternoon. Back to hospital where, despite his pain, @SrBachchan is cracking jokes.

Magic Screen

rib c s b u

! y a Tod

6 Months

` 199/-

1 Year

` 349/-

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

ROAD TO OSCARS

An elegant fantasy Elaborately detailed, Hugo is a touching tribute to the early days of cinema Padmini C padmini.c@postnoon.com

“I

'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too,” explains Hugo Cabaret (Asa Butterfield) in the movie, and you can simply imagine Scorsese brilliantly summing up the spirit of Hugo with that. Hugo Cabaret is an orphaned child who secretly lives in a train station in Paris and whose self-appointed job it is to make all the clocks in the place tick. But that's just Hugo's day job. His raison d'etre is really to restore a remarkable automaton, the only thing he has left of his late father (Jude Law), a watch-

maker himself. But the last piece he needs to make the automaton function is a heartshaped key. Fortunately, the station has several others with secrets of their own. Like the man who runs the toy stall on the station platform who seems to understand Hugo's needs a little too well, a man also known to the world as the great filmmaker Georges Méliès. And his godchild Isabelle (ChloeMoretz), whom Hugo quickly befriends, only to find that she has exactly what he needs — the heartshaped key. Together, they unlock the mystery that's bound to change all their lives. Hugo's most obvious appeal is of course

it's brilliant visuals and 3D wizardry. But it's Scorcese's intense characterisation of Hugo as the terrified but determined orphan; love for filmmaking, fantasy and magic that shines through. Ben Kingsley as Papa George, Sancha Baron Cohen as the terrible yet oddly vulnerable station inspector, Chloe Moretz as the precocious Isabelle deliver performances of the highest order. Asa Butterfield seems uncertain and insipid for a while but slowly warms up to being Hugo and thereon is a delight to watch. Hugo might not be the best children's film you've ever watched, but it is one that's sure to warm your heart. Need you ask more?

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Magic Screen Seal takes off his wedding ring

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

ast month, Heidi Klum’s estranged husband explained on Ellen his reasoning for continuing to wear his wedding ring, “I think it’s just pretty much a token of how I feel about this woman. We have eight years. Eight wonderful years together. Just because we have decided to separate doesn’t necessarily mean you take off your ring and you’re no longer connected to that person.” Something must have changed, because now, the ring is off. Seal was photographed arriving in Australia today sans wedding ring, and with yellow nail colour, we almost wonder if he wanted us to take note of the fact. Well, mission accomplished.

Davis’s mum reluctant to see The Help

iola Davis is nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of a maid in the 1960s film The Help, but she says her mother has yet to see the film because the experience could be “painful”. Davis revealed that she believes her mother is part of a generation of women who would rather forget some of the film’s racial themes. “My mother has yet to see the movie…. I think it’s just because — I think it’s painful. You have a whole generation of women who don’t want to be reminded of the past.”

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

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Big name in fairy tales 6 Place a curse on 9 Light green plums 14 Comaneci of gymnastics 15 Rarebit ingredient 16 Undermine, as confidence 17 Ecstasy opposite 18 Picked-up item 19 Bone china brand 20 Good thing to hear 23 Short swim 24 History chapter 25 Gets off the fence 27 Kind of irony 32 Anguished cry 33 “... ___ reasonable facsimile” 34 Approved by the courts 36 Acclivity 39 Big name on Fifth Avenue 41 Roberts of “Everybody Loves Raymond” 43 Adjective for Death Valley 44 Go over like ___ balloon 46 Bartender’s supply 48 X, on some dials 49 A soup base 51 Neighbor of Chevy Chase 53 Deposition answerer 56 “Dr. No” author Fleming 57 ___ for victory 58 Delaying strategy 64 Run ___ of the law 66 Undergo decay 67 Kitchen gadget for preparing potatoes 68 Amount wagered 69 Teamwork spoiler 70 Prefix with “face” or “national” 71 Went “tap tap tap” on a keyboard 72 Family head 73 Sparrows’ homes DOWN 1 Nibble like a beaver 2 Fires and angry people may do it 3 Admiration recipient

4 Food processor, at times 5 Like some city races 6 Detest 7 Flamboyant style 8 Small three-masted vessel 9 Painters’ plasterlike preparations 10 A father of Dada 11 Gracious winners, e.g. 12 Murphy of Hollywood 13 Gets through the cracks 21 More than checked? 22 Question before “because I said so” 26 Container for a spicy stew 27 The Cubs’ “Slammin’ Sammy” 28 Kind of thermometer 29 Half-baked bathroom item? 30 “Have ___ a deal for you!”

31 Chocolate alternative 35 Script segment 37 ___ Piper of Hamelin 38 “Giant” author’s first name 40 Pen name of H.H. Munro 42 Play a set with the band 45 Talked like a stereotypical Texan 47 Feeling of vexation 50 Santa ___, Calif. 52 It turns over before it runs 53 Seaman’s “Stop!” 54 Count of stars on a U.S. flag 55 Out of energy

SUDOKU

59 “For here or ___?” 60 “Put ___ my tab” 61 “America’s Got Talent” segments 62 Swimming competition 63 Makes a miscalculation 65 Strings at a luau, for short PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts. – Buddha

Chai Time STAR POWER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 18-2-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Businessmen will introduce new sche‑ mes to attract more customers. Employ‑ ees will win over enemies and foil their sabotage plans. Chances of wasteful ex‑ penditure, fear, fever and headache.

Avoid disputes and taking controversial stand on issues. Be in harmony with all and avoid making enemies on your own. Travel will be beneﬁcial. Busines‑ smen will bag expected new contracts.

Some will get chance to go abroad for the ﬁrst time. Their visa will come through. Av‑ oid talking frankly with strangers. Busines‑ smen will learn tricks of the trade. Employ‑ ees will be appreciated for their hard work.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Indirect opposition, medical expenses to mother and joint pains likely; take neces‑ sary and immediate care. Businessmen will face difﬁculties in collecting dues. Employ‑ ees advised not to disclose ofﬁce secrets.

Businessmen will expand their horizon and their proﬁts are set to multiply. Emp‑ loyees will work with shrewdness and improve their skills. Chances of getting recognised by way of pay hike or elevation.

Relatives will irritate you by seeking ﬁn‑ ancial help. Keep cool and make them understand your stand. Help from north‑ ern state person likely. Friends may turn against you suddenly; try to be alert.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Persons desirous of starting new venture can initiate necessary steps, as the time is suitable. Employees will be entrusted with new responsibilities. They also work with perfection and excel in their duties.

Businessmen will adopt new and innovati‑ ve techniques to improve turnover; new customers will be added to list. Employees will get increased work load; keep your cool, work with patience and earn respect.

Employees will complete even chal‑ lenging tasks with ease. Plans to buy a house will materialise. Businessmen will sign new contracts with reputed ﬁrms and see a potential growth.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Businessmen will face a dull trend; need not panic though; problem is temporary. Troubles from govt ofﬁcials likely. Be alert in court‑related issues. Don't beha‑ ve controversially at workplace.

Friends and relatives will be supportive. Persons from other religion will extend their wholehearted help. Kids will score well in exams. Employees should not be negligent. Avoid taking decisions today.

Businessmen will change their place of op‑ erations, which will prove beneﬁcial to th‑ em. Employees will be happy as superiors will support them. Avoid helping anyone ﬁnancially. Your stock is set to pile up.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 18-2-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Five of Wands – Avoid all kinds of conﬂict, especially at the workplace. You will be out to prove a point but donʼt be stubborn about it. Itʼs not worth it.

Six of Pentacles – A senior in your pro‑ fession or in your family will come to your rescue at a difﬁ‑ cult time. He/she will tell you what you need to know now.

Nine of Swords – This is a difficult time when nothing seems to be going as per your plan. Donʼt fret. Just go with the flow and itʼll work out fine.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Queen of Swords – You have the tenden‑ cy to isolate yourself from groups. You want to work alone. But beware what impression of you it will leave.

Page of Wands – Some good news is on the way. It may pertain to your career or something to do with a study course you may have applied for.

Five of Pentacles – Take care of your ﬁ‑ nances. Donʼt invest in policies you have‑ nʼt checked out com‑ pletely. Run a good background check before investing.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

The Star – There are clouds of confusion around you but you need to have faith in your own abilities to make sense of your thoughts and get clarity.

Six of Cups – You ha‑ ve a chance meeting with someone from you past. You will get nostalgic and go down memory lane. Enjoy the feeling.

Ace of Wands –You have some ideas to make a creative pro‑ ject work even better. Have the confidence that you have it in you to make it a success.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The High Priestess – Your intuition is heightened. You may have been confused or nervous about some‑ thing. Those thoughts are put to rest and you power forward.

The High Priest – Things around you are working like magic. Close friends and family will show‑ er their love on you, making you feel extra special.

Death – Change is on the cards. There will be drastic change in your living and work‑ ing situation. This is a karmic time and you need to adjust to these changes.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle DRAMA HORROR ACTION COMEDY

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

Vol: 1, No 215 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Chai Time 1400 Naadi Aadajanme 1430 Pavitra 1500 Movie 1800 Sri Shanidevuni Mahimalu 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Missamma 2030 Edureetha 2100 Money Money 2200 CID 2300 Challenge 0700 Silver Screen 0730 Maa Punyakshetralu 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Real City 0900 Movie 1200 Movie

1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Sumangali 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 No. 23, Mahalakshmi Nivasam 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Anveshana 2300 Gemini Vaarthalu 0700 News 0730 Subhalagnam - Live 0800 Gemini Talkies 0830 Special Programmes 0930 Movie 1130 Adhi Matter 1200 Movie

1400 [V] Vignettes 1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1500 [V] Humse Hai Life 1530 [V] Trailers 1555 [V] Fresh Songs 1600 [V] Steal UR Girlfriend 1700 [V] Zabardast Hits 1800 [V] Fresh Songs 1830 [V] Humse Hai Life 1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1930 [V] Humse Hai Life 2000 Love Kiya To Darna Kya 2100 [V] Vignettes 2130 [V] Trailers 2155 [V] Fresh Songs 2200 [V] My Big Decision 2300 [V] Humse Hai Life 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs 1200 [V] Humse Hai Life

‘[V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance’ at 1900 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]

1300 News Now At 1 1330 News Now 1800 6 PM 1830 Live Report 1900 Primetime 1930 The Game 2000 News Now At 8 2030 Live Report 2100 The Newshour 2200 10 PM 2230 E Now 2300 News Now At 11 2330 News Now Overnight 0900 News Now 0930 The Hidden Truth 1000 News Now

‘The Newshour’ at 2100 Hrs only on TIMES NOW

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings

1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Paduta Teeyaga 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Wow - Game Show 2245 Movie 0700 Etv News 0730 Subhamastu 0800 Jeevana Jyothi 0830 Tollywood Time 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi

1400 Ardhangi 1430 Movie 1800 Veera Naari Jhansi Laxmi Bhai 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Baghyalakshmi Bumper Offer 2230 Shree 2300 Chitrapuri 2330 Latest Songs 0800 Subhamastu 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Movie 1230 Mee Inti Vanta 1300 Movie

‘Top 10 At 10’ at 2200 Hrs only on ET NOW 1400 The F And O Show 1430 Closing Trades 1600 Business Day 1730 Your Trades 1800 Rush Hour 1830 Tee Time With Shaili Chopra 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Your Trades 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At 10 2230 Et Insight 2300 Et Interview 2330 Your Trades 0700 Starting Up 0730 Et Insight 0800 Tee Time With Shaili Chopra 0830 The Market Makers 0900 Your Trades 0930 Investor's Guide 1000 Talking Technicals

1345 The Voice 2 1535 Whacked Out Sports 1605 Breaking The Magician's Code 1700 Supernatural 1800 Chuck 1900 Wipeout 2000 Whacked Out Sports 2030 E Buzz 2100 Minute To Win It 2200 Movie - The Reaping 0800 Infomercial/30 Min 0830 Sky Teleshopping 0900 Whacked Out Sports 0925 Wipeout 1015 The Challenger Muaythai

‘The Reaping’ at 2200 Hrs on AXN

1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 1600 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1700 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1730 Haar Jeet 1800 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 1830 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1900 Haar Jeet 1930 Gyaan Guru 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Beendh Banuga Ghodi Chadhunga 2130 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet 2300 Gyaan Guru

‘Uttaran’ at 2200 Hrs on COLORS

‘Y M G G K’ at 2030 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1500 Afsar Bitiya 1530 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1630 Ram Milayi Jodi 1800 Hitler Didi 1830 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Choti Bahu 2 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milayi Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Bhagonwali 2300 Afsar Bitiya

1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1530 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada 1600 Crime Patrol - 3 2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2030 Dekha Ek Khwaab 2100 Saas Bina Sasuraal 2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 2200 CID 2300 Crime Patrol - Dastak 2330 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 0700 Telebrands 0730 Sky Star Advertising 0900 Crime Patrol - 3 1230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai

‘CID’ at 2200 Hrs on SONY

‘Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein’ at 2200 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein 1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum 1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool 1700 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1730 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 1800 Navya 1830 Ruk Jana Nahin 1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool 2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum 2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2200 Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein 2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?

MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

1350 Million Dollar Baby 1620 It's A Boy Girl Thing 1805 Harry Potter And The HalfBlood Prince 2100 Rise 2240 Mortal Kombat 0810 Nikita1 0900 Friends 1000 Million Dollar Baby 1230 17 Again

1315 Crank - High Voltage 1500 She's The Man 1715 Along Came Polly 1905 Crocodile II - Death Roll 2100 Devil 2245 Child's Play 3 0800 Baxter - Baxter Mcnab 0830 Baxter - Cry Me A River 0900 The Little Engine That Could 1050 Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo

1400 Outsourced 1430 Scrubs 1500 Rizzoli And Isles 1600 Rookie Blue 1700 Outsourced 1730 Scrubs 1800 E News 1900 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 2000 Outsourced 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 Rizzoli And Isles 2200 Rookie Blue 2300 Outsourced 2330 Scrubs 0800 Rookie Blue 1000 18 To Life 1100 Less Than Perfect 1200 Gary Unmarried 1300 Slot 1330 Just For Laughs

‘The Survivors’ at 2300 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1400 I Should'nt Be Alive 1600 One Man Army 1700 Discovery Showcase 1800 Wild Discovery 1900 Man Woman Wild 2000 Man Vs Wild 2100 We Built This City 2200 One Man Army 2300 The Survivors 1000 Medical Anomalies 1100 One Man Army 1200 Get Out Alive 1300 Wild Discovery

‘Mi Aaji Aur Saheb’ at 2130 Hrs on IMAGINE

1400 Parichay 1430 Balika Vadhu 1500 Na Bole Tum... Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1530 Uttaran 1600 Phulwa 1630 Parichay 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Na Bole Tum... Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Havan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Phulwa 2130 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 2200 Uttaran 2230 Na Bole Tum... Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2300 Na Aana Iss Des Laado 2330 Balika Vadhu

‘Rizzoli And Isles’ at 2100 Hrs on ZEE CAFE

Maryaada ... Saas Bina Lekin Kab Tak? Sasural Storyline - Aditya says maasi should leave the house, Uttraa is also ready to leave but Devyani again stops Uttraa. ‘Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?’ at 2300 Hrs on STAR PLUS

‘The Simpsons’ at 2030 Hrs on STAR WORLD 1400 Supernatural 1500 Achievers' Club 1600 The Big Bang Theory 1630 The Simpsons 1700 The Shield 1800 Supernatural 1900 Desperate Housewives 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Supernatural 2200 The Shield 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Two And A Half Men 0700 Dexter 0800 The Shield 1000 Pan Am 1100 Friends 1200 The Big Bang Theory

Storyline - While everyone in the family will enjoy at Ved-Kiya’s honeymoon destination, Toasty will keep an eye on Kiya. Tonight Kiya will be in a tight spot when Toasty will see Jai with her. ‘Saas Bina Sasural’ at 2100 Hrs on SONY

1400 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1430 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1500 Lapataganj 1530 F.I.R 1600 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1630 Chidiyaghar 1700 Gutur Gu 1730 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1900 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1930 Lapataganj 2000 Chintu Chinki Aur Ek Badmash Family 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 2100 Chidiyaghar 2130 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 F.I.R 2300 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 2330 Chidiyaghar 0900 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

‘Chidiya Ghar’ at 2100 Hrs on SAB TV

‘A Wednesday’ at 1400 Hrs on ZOOM 1400 Movie - A Wednesday 1730 Star Bonanza 1800 Letz Go! 1900 Planet Bollywood News 1930 The Zoom Review Show 2000 Let's Design 4 2030 Letz Go! 2100 Telly Talk 2130 Link'D 2200 B - Tonite 2230 Link'D 2300 Bollywood Bonanza 0700 Letz Go! 0800 Red Carpet 0805 Letz Go! 1100 Zoom Box 1200 Garma Garam 1230 Bollywood Big Story 1300 Zabar 10 1330 Telly Talk

‘Devil’ at 2100 Hrs on HBO

1400 Megascience 1430 What You Can't See 1530 Discovery Science Classics 1630 The Indestructibles 1700 Million 2 One 1730 Surviving The Cut 1830 Best Of Discovery Science 1930 How The Universe Works 2030 Sports Science 2130 Some Assembly Required 2230 Weaponology 2330 Some Assembly Required 1030 The Indestructibles 1100 Million 2 One 1130 Extreme Engineering 1230 Best Of Discovery Science 1330 How The Universe Works

‘How The Universe Works’ at 1930 Hrs on DISCOVERY SCIENCE

‘Hawaii 5.0’ at 2100 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME 1400 Frasier 1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Aspire 1600 Galileo Extreme 1700 Survivor 1800 Entertainment Tonight 1830 Galileo Extreme 1930 Frasier 2000 Entertainment Tonight 2030 Galileo Extreme 2100 Hawaii 5.0 2200 Lucha Libre 2300 Jerry Springer 0700 Aspire 0730 Galileo Extreme 0800 Survivor 1000 Lucha Libre 1100 Galileo Extreme 1130 Big Wheels 1200 Aspire 1230 Galileo Extreme 1300 Movie

Playing Field

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The games people play

Phil’s chip gains him the lead Rebecca Bryan

Vitali nears endgame Nick Parkinson

MUNICH: Vitali Klitschko (above) makes perhaps his penultimate world title defence on Saturday insisting his domination of the heavyweight scene, along with brother Wladimir, will not be remembered as a time of crisis for the division. Ukrainian Klitschko, 40, defends his World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title for the 10th time against Zimbabweborn, but London-based, Dereck Chisora at the Olympiahalle in Munich. After winning the title in 2004 and retiring later that year through injury only to then return in 2008, Klitschko has enjoyed an untroubled reign as champion. Creditable opponents are running out and Klitschko has said he plans one more fight after Chisora before considering retirement to concentrate full-time on a political career in his homeland of Ukraine. The 6ft 7in ‘Dr Iron Fist’, who last lost on cuts to Lennox Lewis in 2003, is not thinking about his boxing’s legacy just yet. But Klitschko argued earlier this week

CREDITABLE OPPONENTS ARE RUNNING OUT AND KLITSCHKO HAS SAID HE PLANS ONE MORE FIGHT AFTER CHISORA BEFORE CONSIDERING RETIREMENT TO CONCENTRATE FULL-TIME ON A POLITICAL CAREER IN HIS HOMELAND OF UKRAINE

that the heavyweight division is not currently in a slump despite his lack of serious rivals and close contests since Lewis nine years ago. “Lewis was a big star, as was Mike Tyson, but now they’re retired and Evander Holyfield is over the hill,” he said. “My brother and I have stopped almost everyone. Of course, any moment can bring around a new guy and right now it’s Chisora.” “Anyone can win, but I won’t give them a chance. There’s no crisis in boxing. Many

say that we have blocked the division, but that’s not true. The right motivation and skill can beat us. “This fight won’t be easy. Everyone needs time to build their name. Both Wladimir and I are ready for anyone. “A big name doesn’t always have the best skills, technique or chin. So, I can’t say right now just how I rate my performance overall.” Klitschko, whose younger brother Wladimir holds the other three versions of the world title, will run for mayor later this year on an anti-corruption platform and boxing, for Vitali, is the easy part of his life right now. The Ukrainian, who has boxed mostly in Germany, has been relatively untroubled since losing to Lewis — despite being ahead on the scorecards — when his face was left mangled in Los Angeles. And despite the looming prospect of retiring after a professional career that began in 1996 (43 wins, 2 losses), Klitschko feels he is not showing any signs of slowing up after preparing in the Tyrolean mountains in Austria alongside Wladimir.

LOS ANGELES: Phil Mickelson (below) chipped in for birdie at the final hole on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead in the windwhipped first round of the US PGA Tour’s $6.6 million-dollar Northern Trust Open. Mickelson, who surged to victory with a sparkling 64 last Sunday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, broke out of a tie at the top of the leaderboard, his five-under 66 on the par-71 Riviera Country Club course giving him a one-shot lead over JB Holmes and Hunter Mahan. Holmes, on the comeback trail after brain surgery brought his 2011 season to a premature halt in September, opened fast with four birdies in his first five holes despite difficult gusting winds. Mahan, who like Holmes started on the 10th tee, surged up the leaderboard with four birdies in a row from the fifth hole before he closed his four-under 67 with a par at the ninth. All three were among the players whose afternoon tee times were pushed back almost half an hour as winds gusting up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph) slowed play in the morning. Jonathan Byrd’s three-under par 68 was the best round of the chilly, blustery morning and left him tied for fourth with Sweden’s Carl Pettersson — who completed his round just as darkness halted play with 30 players still to finish on Friday morning.

Berdych, Potro in quarters ROTTERDAM: Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro (right) joined resting top seed Roger Federer in the Rotterdam Open quarter-finals on Thursday. Second seed Berdych advanced with only minimal effort as opponent Marcos Baghdatis quit with a left foot injury after 19 minutes on court while trailing 3-0 in their second round match. But Del Potro, the number three seed making his debut here, had a battle on his hands before he finally got past Slovak Karol Beck 6-4, 7-5. On Wednesday, Federer moved easily into the last eight at the Ahoy stadium when scheduled second round opponent Mikhail Youzhny withdrew a day before their contest with a left foot injury. Federer still had to go out and win his opening match against Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, which he did, 6-4, 6-4.

Del Potro had to overcome a slight bloody nose which required a medical timeout early in the contest with Beck. Once that was sorted, it was back to work for the 2009 US Open champion, who advanced with nine aces - his last one

earned two match points. Del Potro needed almost two hours to move into a match against Serb seventh seed Victor Troicki who put out Jesse Huta Galung, the last local player left in the tournament. “He played so fast and hits with such a low bounce, I really had to keep up,” said Del Potro of Beck. “It was tough. “But I focused in the last game on trying to get an ace. I got one and I’m just glad that I’m through.” Frenchman Richard Gasquet, seeded fifth, continued his steady progress at his second tournament appearance, defeating Russian Alex Bogomolov 6-3, 6-2 while Italy’s Andreas Seppi dispatched German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-2. The 16th-ranked Gasquet improved his record to seven wins this season to next face Russian Niklay Davydenko.

“It was a challenging day today because Riviera doesn’t give you great opportunities to run balls onto the green,” said Mickelson, who opened his round with a birdie at the par-five first. His six birdies also included a 30-footer at the par-three fourth, his lone bogey of the day coming at 16. Mickelson said “somewhat receptive” greens kept the wind from making the course unfair. You could keep the ball underneath the wind, underneath the tree line and still get it to stop somewhat on the greens,” he said. World number one Luke Donald, who in 2011 became the first player to win both the European and US tour money titles in one season, opened his US PGA Tour campaign with a one-under 70.

Playing Field

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The games people play

Aussie selectors asked to explain Haddin absence

File picture of former Indian national hockey team captain Rajpal Singh, Sports minister Ajay Maken and Indian hockey team coach Michael Jack Nobbs of Australia holding the Champions trophy during a function in New Delhi. AFP/ SAJJAD HUSSAIN

Olympic trip is promising NEW

DELHI: Australian Michael Nobbs faces his first big test as India's field hockey coach as he aims to win the Olympic qualifying tournament starting in New Delhi on Saturday. India, past masters in the sport with record eight Olympic men’s titles, suffered a setback when they failed to make it to the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time since their maiden appearance in 1928. The hosts have shown encouraging results since Nobbs took over as coach last June, starting with a victory in the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy tournament in China. India then finished runnersup at the Champions Challenge tournament before beating South Africa 3-1 in a five-match home series in January. A favourable draw and familiar conditions make 10th-ranked India strong favourites in the six-team group comprising Canada (14th), France (18th), Poland (19th), Italy (28th) and Singapore (41st). Only the winner after a round-robin league and final will make the trip to London. "I'm confident of qualifying provided something does not go awfully wrong and there are no

Almost all international teams still fear us. It is the talent of Indian players that makes them potent. We are a naturally attacking side. India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs bad umpiring decisions against us," Nobbs said ahead of the qualifiers. "Almost all international teams still fear us. It is the talent of Indian players that makes them potent. We are a naturally attacking side." Three Olympic berths are up for grabs in the men's section, with the remaining two to be decided after the qualifying tournaments in Dublin and the Japanese city of Kakamigahara. A team can play in only one

event — and win it — to go to the Olympics. Those who have been given a direct entry to the Olympics are defending champions Germany, hosts Britain, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa. The London ticket will provide a big boost to India's field hockey, a national sport but a poor cousin to cricket. "Qualifying for the Games this year is very important for the survival of hockey in our country and for its future," Indian midfielder Ignace Tirkey said. "I am confident we will do it this time. Once we qualify, it would give hockey a new lease of life." The women's qualifiers, to be played alongside the men's, will see South Africa, India, Italy, Canada, Ukraine and Poland vying for the lone Olympic berth from the six-team group. Two more women's qualifiers will be decided after tournaments in Belgium and Japan. Reigning champions the Netherlands, Argentina, Australia, China, Germany, Britain, South Korea, New Zealand and the United States have already made it to the main draw for women. AFP

SYDNEY: Players and newspapers Friday sought answers from selectors over the status of Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin in Australia's team for the tri one-day series against India and Sri Lanka. Vice-captain Shane Watson said Haddin deserved clarity given his service to Australian cricket, while former skipper Ricky Ponting said confusion was rife over the player's place in the ODI team. Selectors said Haddin was being "rested" when he was left out of Australia's opening three games in the tri series. But he was again omitted, without explanation from the selectors, when a new squad was named earlier this week. The outspoken Haddin, who played in all six home Tests against India and New Zealand this season, said at the time of his first omission that he had in fact been dropped from the ODI team. Watson, who is fighting his way back to fitness after missing all of the Australian season with hamstring trouble, said he sympathised with Haddin's predicament. "I actually feel really sorry for Brad at the moment. He's been left in a bit of limbo unfortunately," Watson told reporters. "He doesn't know which way he's going, whether he's being rested or dropped... someone who's played an important role over the last five years in all forms of the game for Australia I think definitely deserves to be told

either way what his future holds." Ponting backed Haddin in his interpretation of events. "I think Brad's been spot on the mark with everything he's had to say," Ponting told The Sydney Morning Herald. "It's been made pretty clear now that what Brad's had to say at the start of the One-day series looks like it's the way it is. He's been unmoved in his stance on his situation." The Australian newspaper demanded that chief selector John Inverarity clear up the "tedious" situation surrounding Haddin since his first omission. "At the time, John Inverarity said it was 'very clear' and that 'as far as the selectors are concerned, he (Haddin) has not been dropped'," the newspaper said on Friday. "Then, when the squad was named for the second group of One-day games, Haddin was not mentioned at all. "The selectors, specifically Inverarity, must have known everybody was interested in the keeper's fate but chose not to make any reference to it in the (Cricket Australia) press release." The Herald said Australia's public "can be forgiven for remaining puzzled" why Haddin is heading into a four-day Sheffield Shield game for New South Wales, rather than facing Sri Lanka in Sydney on Friday. AFP

Playing Field

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The games people play

AVB admits that support is missing IAN WINROW LONDON: Andre Villas-Boas has admitted that he does not enjoy the full support of his Chelsea squad ahead of the FA Cup fifth-round meeting with Birmingham City on Saturday. The manager has endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge since succeeding Carlo Ancelotti last summer and last weekend's defeat at Everton sparked reports he had lost the dressing room. Club owner Roman Abramovich has become a regular visitor at the Blues' Cobham training ground, fuelling speculation the Russian billionaire is once again growing impatient in his quest for more success. Defeat to Championship outfit Birmingham would do nothing to strengthen Villas-Boas' position and could only undermine confidence ahead of next week's Champions League last 16 firstleg meeting with Napoli. But the coach, who has already accepted Chelsea are bystanders in this season's Premier League title race, insists he retains the full support of

Abramovich even if not all the players share his vision of change for the club. "They don't have to back my project. It's the owner who backs

my project," he said. "I think the owner has full trust in me and will continue to progress with the ideas that we have. "In the end, that is the objec-

tive of getting us the best position possible in the league, plus these two trophies which we are fighting for. "It will be extremely good for us if we win against Birmingham to put ourselves in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup. "But we need strong progression in the league and to show our strength. Third place is already 10 points ahead of us. We have to get Champions League qualification." Didier Drogba is back at the club from the Africa Cup of Nations but will not be considered for selection, although Villas-Boas hopes the striker's presence will help motivate Fernando Torres and Romelu Lukaku. "Drogba gives us another solution up front. We've used Torres in all the games since he went away," Villas-Boas said. John Terry and Ashley Cole will again be missing with injuries but midfielder Ramires should return. Chelsea's cause will be helped by the fact that Birmingham are focused more on securing promotion back into the Premier League than the cup.

Barça looking for lifeline Tim Hanlon

MADRID: Barcelona hope that their midweek Champions League win at Bayer Leverkusen will provide the perfect platform in their desperate attempt to slash Real Madrid'd 10-point La Liga advantage. The Catalan side face a difficult home clash against thirdplaced Valencia this weekend. Last week Barca started without Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, and a youthful looking side struggled in frosty conditions in Pamplona against Osasuna, losing 3-2. In particular, it was the

defence which was opened up too easily and centre-half Gerard Pique was left in the stands during the midweek match with Leverkusen, where they came out 3-1 winners. "Our Champions League progress is what we need to follow in the league," said Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes. "It was an important match for us to win against Leverkusen because they were difficult opposition and that shows us what we now need to do in this competition. Without doubt that would keep us going strongly in the league.”

Cash woe dampens Rangers Alistair Watson

GLASGOW: Carlos Bocanegra has called on Rangers supporters to rally round the team against Kilmarnock on Saturday after what has been the most turbulent week in the club’s 140-year history. The Ibrox club is fighting for its financial survival after it entered into administration on Tuesday following the non-payment of around £9 million in tax since Craig Whyte’s takeover of the club in May 2011. Ally McCoist’s side were immediately docked 10 points by the Scottish Premier League to all but end their hopes of clinching their fourth title in a row. Rangers remain second but trail rivals Celtic by 14 points and are awaiting a tax tribunal verdict which could leave them with a bill of up to £75 million. Despite this administrators Duff and Phelps say they are confident Rangers will survive as a football club and confirmed that Saturday's game against Kilmarnock will go ahead as planned at Ibrox. American captain Bocanegra admits it has been a difficult week for everyone associated with the club. But he says he is now determined that he and his team mates produce a performance to lift the supporters this weekend. "They give us excellent support and I hope that everyone still comes out to cheer us on," he said. "As players we need to go out and perform and give them something to be happy about. They need something at the weekend to raise the spirits but they are all staying behind us and the support at this club has been fantastic.”

Playing Field

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012

The games people play

Javier’s prayers answered, but Valencia injury hurts AMSTERDAM:

Manchester United made a winning start to their Europa League debut on Thursday after goals from Ashley Young and Javier Hernandez handed them a 2-0 first-leg victory over Ajax at the Amsterdam Arena. Young, who has only recently returned to action following a lengthy injury lay-off, struck United's first on 59 minutes before Hernandez added the second five minutes from time to give the English champions a commanding advantage. "I'm delighted with the scoreline," said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson. "It was a very ordinary performance by us. We didn't reach any great heights in the game but we did improve in the second half and we deserved to win it." Ferguson said Hernandez' late strike had given United a golden chance to advance to the last 16. "It gives us a good opportunity," Ferguson said. "We're not taking anything for granted but at home, at Old Trafford — we've now got a good opportunity to get through." Ajax coach Frank de Boer struck a pessimistic tone after his side's defeat. "For us to do something against Manchester, you have to

really be at 100 per cent, which wasn't the case tonight," he said. "There's a difference in class between the two clubs. I don't think we're going to win 3-0 over there!"

Antonio Valencia damaged his hamstring 10 minutes after replacing Ashley Young, as he instigated the move that produced the cushion of a second for Javier Hernández. The Ecuador

Sergio sees City surge from behind in Porto PORTO: Manchester City came from behind to beat defending champions Porto 2-1 at Estadio do Dragao on Thursday and take a sizeable step towards the

Europa League last 16. A late goal from substitute Sergio Aguero completed a precious away win for Roberto Mancini's side and condemned Porto to

their first home defeat in European competition in eight games. Silvestre Varela had given Porto the lead mid-way through the first half but Alvaro Pereira's 55th-minute own goal drew the Premier League leaders level before Aguero secured victory with six minutes to play. Having emerged from one of Europe's most daunting away grounds with victory — not to mention two away goals — City will be favourites to progress ahead of the second leg at Eastlands next Wednesday. "I think that we played a good game," City coach Mancini told ITV. "We played very well. In the first half we had three or four chances to score and we were really unlucky. In the second half we played really well.”

international was immediately substituted and is expected to miss next week's return against Frank de Boer's side, the league games against Norwich, Spurs and West Brom.

Balotelli, Toure ‘abused’ PORTO: Manchester City claimed on Friday that Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure were racially abused during the Europa League clash against Porto, media reports said. City came from a goal down to beat the defending champions 2-1 at the Estadio do Drago, but the BBC reported that club officials had informed them that the two black players had been targetted by sections of the home crowd. After the final whistle City manager Roberto Mancini said he had heard nothing unusual. "I didn't hear the noise, because I was concentrating on the game," he said. But it was claimed that after the game Balotelli had told a City official that he was subjected to racial abuse from the stands. The club then announced that they intended to report it to UEFA. Mancini added later: "I didn't hear [any racist chanting], sorry." "I think Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure are too strong [to be affected by it]." Toure confirmed he had "heard something" from the stands. "That's why we all like the Premier League, because it never happens there," he told Sky Sports.