Postnoon E-Paper for 21 April 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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APRIL 21, 2012 HYDERABAD

32 PAGES

ON SATURDAY

Once a freshwater lake of 180 acres, the Saroornagar lake — which threw up seven dead bodies this week — is now halved due to encroachment and misuse. It’s a quintessential example of criminal neglect of a precious water body.

Junk, fear & death REPORT ON PG 4

SRINIVAS SETTY

DUCATI SET FOR CITY LAUNCH?

f freedom means exhilaration and stretching your limits, then the Ducati gives you just that. What does the City think of the brand? We find out.

THE NAMELESS DENIZENS

PG 11

PG 16&17

hey work the dirty levers of the City that pushes it forward from one day to the next, all the time; their lives are unsung and uncared for and they remain a wounded generation born out of poverty and misery.

CHANGING PERSPECTIVES

yesha Rubina believes all politicians are not corrupt and her mission is to prove just that. PG 18

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

PAINTING IN THE SKY

Silk expo The National Silk Expo 2012 is being held. Head to the expo for an exclusive collection of traditional and designer silk sarees and dress materials. Where: TTD Balaji Bhavan, Himayathnagar When: April17- April 23 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2322 0852

Bulgarian exhibition The Bulgarian consulate is hosting an exhibition featuring Bulgarian artworks. Where: State Gallery of Fine Arts, Kavuri Hills, Rd No 1, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3308

Beyblade competition The “Beyblade Metal Masters Competition” will be held on April 21 at Crossword, City Centre, Hyderabad. The winners of the competition will get to take home special gift hampers. Where: Crossword, City Centre, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: April 21, 4pm onwards

Children watch as the sun sets over a lake in Rajendernagar, Hyderabad.

Bangla Ranna Bangla Ranna, a bengali food festival is being held at Aditya Park. Get a taste of the Bengal’s interesting cuisine along with mocktails and cocktails. Where: Aditya Park Hotel, Aditya Trade Centre, Ameerpet When: Ongoing, 6pm-11pm Contact: (040) 6678 8888

Every Rupee counts Syn at Taj Deccan is offering interesting meal options. The concept behind Calorie for a Rupee is to enjoy a great meal priced according to it’s calorie count. Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Dance with me Love to dance? A contemporary dance workshop by French dancer, Solenn. will be held on April 22, 28 and 29 . Where: Alliance Francaise, Marredpally When: April22, 28, 29 Contact: (040) 2770 0734

IPL special Truffles Cafe is offering a great way to catch the live telecast of IPL 5. Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36

CINEMAS

When: Ongoing, 8am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105

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

African barbeque fest Barbeque Nation offers you a chance to experience Africa right in Hyderabad, The African Barbeque Festival is that one place where you can enjoy various delicacies. Where: Barbeque Nation, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6456 6693

Goan food festival The Momo Cafe at Hyderabad Marriott and Convention Centre is hosting a Goan food festival. Where: Hyderabad Marriott and Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Crepes and waffles Lover of waffles and crepes? Deli9 is offering a crepe and waffle festival. Taste a variety of waffles such as fruit waffle and the classic waffle or a variety of exotic crepes. Where: Delhi 9, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 8am to 8pm Contact: (040) 6550 666

Mood for Mediterranean From April 13 to April 22, The Deccan Pavillion at ITC Kakatiya is offering a Mediterranean dishes. Lunch buffet is priced at `1,049, and dinner costs `1,149. Where: ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 2340 0132

Cool cotton Cotton King has introduced a range of summer special formal and tshirts for men. The collection known as Coolsubz is an exclusive range of shirts to beat the heat. Where: All Cotton King Outlets — Park Lane, Bowenpally, Himayatnagar, AS Rao Nagar When: Ongoing

Cricket frenzy Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas

M ANIL KUMAR

paying ode to the IPL teams and their spirits. Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Mocha Express — Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 23350144

Summer camp For children, summer implies freedom from studies and school, loads of games and fun filled summer camps. The Park is hosting a summer camp for children. Where:The Park, Somajiguda When: Ongoing, 7am onwards Contact: (040) 2345 6789

Photography workshop Treasure House is hosting a photography workshop for adults ( +18) from April18 to April 21. Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills When: April 18 onwards 8.30am-10am Contact: (040) 2355 0118

Off the wall Goethe-Zentrum is organizing Off the Wall projectwhich is a combination of a city tour and a film night. Where: Goethe-Zentrum, Old Fort Road, Nampally When: April 21, 6pm onwards Contact: (040) 6552 6443

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

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Young mother murdered

Petrol Pump strike deferred

n a second incident of murder in Ibrahimpatnam bund, a charred body of an as yet unidentified young woman was found this morning. Nearby a one-year-old baby was lying unconscious. The baby was rescued. Police said preliminary investigation revealed that a man came with a woman and a baby early this morning and later left alone.

he FAIPT has called off its strike slated for April 22. Representatives of the organisation met petroleum minister, Jaipal Reddy, along with secretaries of MOPNG and other oil company officials. Most of the previous demands were addressed. MDG will be discussed with FAIPT and implemented accordingly.

Ravi to bring party directive

nion minister Vayalar Ravi who had held wide consultations with State leaders this week will return to Hyderabad in a few days with the high command’s directives on the forthcoming bypolls and party unity, it is learnt. State leaders are eagerly awaiting to know Delhi’s thoughts about the candidates to be chosen for the crucial 18 Assembly bypolls.

Merged municipalities neglected Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he peripheral areas of 12 erstwhile municipalities that were merged to form GHMC five years ago are worried and agitated. These 12 municipalities contribute nearly 40 per cent (`189 crore) of the total revenue (`634 crore) to the GHMC but they have received no corresponding benefits in civic amenities. Even after five years an estimated 900 residential colonies of these areas do not have drinking water supply and proper sewer-

age system. They are also facing fast depletion of groundwater owing to unbridled exploitation of the water for commercial purposes. “We were better off before,” said a corporator of the erstwhile municipality Malkajgiri. K Ramarao, corporator of Kapra is angry. “Earlier we used to have our local resources but now we neither get drinking water nor have sewerage facility,” he said. The sentiment is echoed by S Ramana Reddy, corporator, Champapet. But the GHMC too has its share of problems like overdraft. It runs on `450 crore overdraft today.

GOVT

TO BLAME

The GHMC blames the State government which must make a sig-

Property tax collection during FY2011-12 in erstwhile municipalities East Zone `40.26 crores West Zone `113.70 crores North Zone `35.02 crores Central Zone `76.3 lakh (Rajendranagar municipality) nificant contribution to the developmental works of the corporation. The share of the civic body from Professional and Motor Vehicle tax is also not fully given to the corporation. Reacting on

the issue mayor Majid Hussain said that the allotment of development fund of `1 crore to each corporator brings a salutary effect on the situation as `20 lakh would be used to provide drinking water

and sewerage facilities. Opposition TDP leader S Srinivas Reddy demanded that the State should allocate `1,000 crore special grant to solve the problems of residents of peripheral areas.

CITY SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

SRINIVAS SETTY

A martyr of wanton urbanisation Once a freshwater lake of 180 acres, the Saroornagar lake is now halved, due to encroachment and misuse. It’s the quintessential example of the criminal neglect of a precious water body. Both GHMC and HMDA are culprits, as well as citizens

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

rahul.r@postnoon.com

aroornagar lake floated horrors in the early hours of Wednesday morning, when people discovered dead bodies of three women, three children. A man’s highly decomposed body was also found later. While the rest of the City were benumbed with the nauseating news, residents around the lake took it in their stride, for they have been seeing this happening in the lake for quite some time. Saroornagar lake connects the Dilsukhnagar, Cyberabad, Malakpet, L B Nagar areas. Surrounding the lake are well developed residential colonies. The lake enjoyed an important past, but now, in addition to being severely polluted, it fre-

quently proves a home for dead bodies. Locals say it is perhaps the 15th dead body found since the year began. Postnoon’s reality check brought out one common villain for the deaths — unbridled supply and use of toddy. Shantamma, a rag picker who works in the Singareni Colony adjacent to the lake says, “There are three kallu compounds (toddy sheds) in this area. They make the most business in the area, from early in the morning to late in the night. I have seen drunken men and women fighting over family issues, property disputes. They jump in drunken stupor or are thrown into the lake and float up days later. It is not an uncommon sight at all.” One such toddy compound is situated in the immediate presence of a mosque and a temple, which speaks volumes about the local civic planning. Mohammed Younus, a cafe owner says, “Last year there were more than dozens of such

incidents. Hordes of drunken people come out of the compound at night and quarrel on the roads. It’s a regular sight. There is no security for women or children. Drunken beggars have stormed into the mosque and created a ruckus over alms in the past,” he said. Hari Babu, a herdsman says, “There are no streetlights on some stretches of the bank. In the darkness people walking past the lake will very easily fall into the slush, especially if

they are coming back from their tippling at the compound. The police patrol the area regularly but it is surprising how people jumping into the lake at night escapes their attention.” About the absolute lack of security at the lake and the surrounding areas or the toddy trouble, S Ramesh, sub-inspector, Saroornagar said, “There have been incidents in the past which is why we have stepped up patrolling in the area.” The surprises do not end there. As with any other local water body, parts of the lake's banks have been encroached upon. In fact, a two-storeyed building under construction stands deep in the middle of the lake, swallowed upon by the recent rains and lake water. Complaints have been filed but there has been no change in the situation. The lake’s water is polluted with domestic sewage, industrial effluents and animal remains.

The birth and death of the lake

1626

Man-made lake built during the reign of Quli Qutub Shah

Total area over which lake was built for drinking water and irrigation

The number of years ago when it was built with a maximum depth of 20 feet

The lake is one of the five biggest water bodies in Hyderabad

Surrounding area was initially farmland, later turned to a residential colony

Initially a freshwater, artificial lake. Expansion of the City converted it into a domestic sewerage dump

The lake saw a temporary facelift. Lake water was treated by two STP’s

Plants stopped functioning

Now takes in the dead

180

400

2003

2009 2012

FOCUS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

KONA’S KORNER YAMUNA KONA

MAPS THE TELUGU DIASPORA

Chasing those dollar dreams What about America allures Andhra’s finest and brightest? What prevents those abroad from returning and contributing their talent to boost the Indian economy? We find out

ven in the greatest depression thus far, Indians are the fastest growing ethnic group in America at 69.37%, according to the Census Bureau report 2010. So the question remains, why have flocks of people from Andhra flown the coop to settle, temporarily or permanently, in the states? And more importantly, why haven’t they returned to their sweet homeland? What about America is alluring Andhra’s finest and brightest? What actually prevents those abroad from returning and contributing their talent to boost the Indian economy? Maybe they’re just eager to eat a piece of that ever so famous American Pie and live the good ole’ American Dream. Or are they hesitant to return because of social, political, economical corruption or Telangana issues that may hinder their development, or stunt the growth of their salary? Fellow Hyderabadi, Sai Vummethala’s childhood dream was to be an automotive engineer at Ford. “Moving to the states was a no-brainer,” he says. Since Detroit is the Motor City of the world and Ford’s headquarters, there wasn’t much else to determine his decision to reside in Detroit. He left India in 1999 on an F1 student visa, and graduated from Eastern Michigan with a Masters in 2001. Sai joined Ford that August as a designer and then quickly progressed to a chassis design engineer. Even though he’s experienced at one the finest names in the auto industry, he comments, “Yes, I would still like to return [to India]. I’ve lived in Hyderabad all my life, and I would love to move back there,

but the industry I’ve chosen— auto— is not in Hyderabad, unfortunately.” Sai comments that he has been fortunate to work for a good company that made it through the few dark years, and is doing better than ever. And when and if he decides to return to India, he will have to choose one of the states with an automotive industry presence, such as Tamil Nadu/ Gujarat/ Maharashtra he says “they are all major players in the industry”. “Nothing in particular,” prevents him from returning to his homeland. His career choice is the key reason that he’s been settled in the states for the past eleven years. But he adds, “It has nothing to do with my deci-

sion to live out of India, though it still sickens me to no end, seeing the Telangana issue dragging along, and hindering all the wonderful growth the state has seen just a few years ago.” For Raghu Kodumuri, working abroad was for personal reasons. To support his family after his father’s business failed, he came to the states to work as a software programmer in 2001. “Yes,” he replies. “I want to return to India as soon as I clear all my father’s debts, and make a permanent financial arrangement for my family, and after I earn enough money to become an entrepreneur. My dream is to build business in economically backward areas, which will help to uplift that society.” Raghu’s idea is to modernize the farming

in remote areas where farmers are less knowledgeable and financially weak. He comments that the recession in the states did not affect him at all, but he hasn’t been able to return yet, because he hasn’t acquired the needed capital for his project. For Raghu, the right time to move has never presented itself. “Once I find a good platform to start something concrete in India, the very next day I will catch a flight back home. No hesitation. No fear.” He says that the corruption and Telangana issues come with the territory, since India is a highly populated democracy with low-resources. And he adds, “Rome was not built in a day. India is simply in a transition stage, evolving from

SRK’s evening at Yale S

hah Rukh Khan was found conoodling with North Eastern’s renowned executive Chef Prasad Chirunomula at Yale’s Chubb Fellowship Reception, held at Timothy Dwight College recently. “I thought his speech was entertaining and straight forward” comments Chef Chironmula. SRK and Chef Chirunomula, celebrated the evening with Isha

and Nita Ambani at the reception. They gorged on authentic Indian hors d’oeuvres catered by the executive Chef himself and his team at the Thali Restaurant

(New Haven location). SRK’s favourites, Kabobs and Chilli Chicken were made for the VIP event, held in the dining hall of Timothy Dwight. And though SRK loved the food, he admitted to Chef Chirunomula that he loathes being in restaurants, let alone being photographed in them, especially while he is eating. He told Chef Chirunomula it’s because his family was in the

restaurant business ages ago, and he spent so much time there as a child, that the glamour of going out to dinner isn’t special for him. “Shah Rukh was humble. Grounded. Spoke like an ordinary father, family man. And conversation was easy. He joked around a lot. He’s a comedian at heart. He didn’t act like he was the big star that he is,” Chef Chirunomula states.

a third world country into developed country.” Satish had always wanted to follow in the footsteps of his uncles, who are both physicians in the states. He’s accumulated so many frequent flier miles over the past ten years, traveling to the states and back to India. And while he’s always admired his father, a distinguished doctor in Warangal, he grew extremely discouraged at how little respect this profession attracts here. He says, “People are not judgmental in the states, hard work is appreciated and recognized well— these are the major differences I see in the states.” The vast difference in salary is also an appealing factor for Satish. He says a first year’s resident’s salary is not much to live on in the states, but it is still 10 times more than that of his Indian counterpart. “I haven’t decided whether I’ll settle permanently but it may be that I’ll return to India when it’s time for me to retire.” Satish says. The deciding factor for these three to live abroad ultimately is a monetary one. Sai, Raghu and Satish have taught us that some professions abroad are considered far more prestigious and are compensated significantly higher than here in India. And unfortunately most like them don’t have the financial stamina to wait for the value of the rupee to increase. Like a truce flag between their financial struggles, how to achieve and maintain status, and as a means to an end, the almighty dollar waved in front of their eyes and lured them to America—the land that still proves to be of opportunity. These articles, in their entirety, can be found on our website www.postnoon.com

NATION SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Srinagar on alert

Indian shot dead in US NEW YORK: A 24-year-old Indian student at Boston University has died after he was shot in the head and leg by an unidentified person. Boston Police department and university officials have not yet released the name of the victim as they are awaiting autopsy results and pending notification to the family. An official of the Consulate confirmed that the victim is an Indian.

Hot massage turns fiery

soldier stands guard in central Srinagar on Friday after unidentified gunmen shot dead Sukhpal Singh of the Jammu and Kashmir police. Assistant sub-inspector Sukhpal was shot dead in the Darish Kadal area and died on his way to the hospital.

WASHINGTON: An Indian-origin woman in the US set her husband on fire and locked him in a bathroom, after promising him a hot oil massage, police said. Shriya Biman Patel, 25, has been arrested on charges of firstdegree felony, aggravated assault and arson. Officers answering a call found the naked, severely burned 29-year-old man screaming in pain.

‘UPA committed to reform’ Lalit K Jha

WASHINGTON: Rejecting criticism that UPA is not serious on reforms, Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today said it is now time for the government to take some hard decisions and expressed confidence that three key legislations on pension, banking and insurance will be passed this year. Speaking at a Washingtonbased think-tank, he said government is committed to economic reforms and has in fact has initiated the process of legislative and administrative changes on a number of issues that would benefit the economy.

“We are now at a juncture when it is inevitable to take some hard decisions. And this has been our approach, as I outlined in the proposals for the Union Budget 2012-13 recently,” he said. He was responding to questions at the Peter G Peterson Institute for International Economics, which had organised an event in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “In fact on the legislative front, we have already committed the preliminary legislative process for Pension Fund Regulatory Act, Insurance Act and Banking Amendment Act. These three acts, I do hope

No witch hunt, PM assures civil servants NEW DELHI: Asking civil servants to take bold decisions, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government would not indulge in “witch hunting” against them in the name of fighting corruption. “..it should be our endeavour that there is no witch hunting in the name of fighting corrup-

tion,” the prime minister said while inaugurating the 7th Civil Services Day event here. “It is our government’s commitment to put in place a system and create an environment in which our civil servants are encouraged to be decisive, and no one is harassed for bona fide mistakes of errors of judgment,” he added.

“On their part, the civil servants in our country should fight the tendency of not taking decisions because of the fear that things might go wrong and they might be penalised for that,” Singh stressed. “We cannot have a bureaucracy which is hundred per cent risk,” he added.

would get legislated in this calendar year. If not in this parliamentary session, then the next session,” Mukherjee said. At the same time, he acknowledged that there were certain reforms which could face difficulties given the challenges of the coalition era. “Of course we have to persuade various stake holders including State governments, if we could do so perhaps GST and the constitution amendment necessary to implement GST would be possible to get it through this or the next session of the parliament and thereafter to be ratified by minimum 15 state assemblies before the PTI end of the year,” he said.

CBI files third charge sheet in Devi case JODHPUR: The CBI today filed the third charge sheet in the Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case in a court here. The charge sheet in the CBI court is against Pukhraj, Dinesh and Reshmaram, who are under judicial custody here, while investigation against absconding accused Indira Bishnoi, sister of jailed MLA Malkhan Singh, is pending. The accused have been charged under section 120-b, 364, 201 and 302 of IPC and under SC/ST Act. The third charge sheet conPTI tains 16 witnesses.

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A labourer cuts bamboo at a workshop on the outskirts of Siliguri on Friday. The bamboo pieces will be used for the manufacture of books and paper after being transported to a factory. AFP

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WORLD SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

Breivik tells all

Colombia scandal

nders Behring Breivik has described how he shot people who were “begging for their lives” during his island rampage in which dozens died last July. Testifying before an Oslo court, he described seeing people curled up and “completely paralysed” as he reloaded his weapon and shot them.

he US Secret Service has said three more employees are resigning over the prostitution scandal that overshadowed a summit in Colombia last weekend. Supervisors David Chaney and Greg Stokes are among three agents already leaving the elite agency in the wake of the affair.

KFC found guilty

n Australian girl who suffered severe brain damage and was left paralysed by food poisoning won a court case against KFC. Monika Samaan was seven years old when she suffered a brain injury linked to food poisoning that also left her with a blood infection and septic shock in 2005.

Pak begins investigation into Bhoja Air crash CERTIFICATION

EDUCATION

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

HUSSAINABAD: Pakistan has launched an investigation after a passenger jet crashed while attempting to land during a thunderstorm, with all 127 people on board believed dead. The Bhoja Air flight from Karachi burst into flames after coming down in fields near a village on the outskirts of capital Islamabad on Friday evening as it approached the city’s international airport. The airline said the Boeing 737 was carrying 121 passengers, including 11 children, as well as six crew. “There is no chance of any survivors. It will be only a miracle. The plane is totally destroyed,” police official Fazle Akbar told AFP from the crash site. So far 110 bodies have been recovered, Brigadier Sarfraz Ali, who is heading the recovery efforts, told reporters. “We cannot identify them because some of the bodies are not recognisable,” he said. Debris was scattered over a two-kilometre (onemile) radius, he said. Lights had been brought to the site to allow work to continue through the

Pakistani soldiers stand next to the wreckage in HussainAbad after a Bhoja Air Boeing 737 plane crashed on the outskirts of Islamabad today. AFP / AAMIR QURESHI night. A probe has been ordered into the crash, defence secretary Nargis Sethi said. “A team of investigators comprising senior civil aviation officials have immediately started investigations,” Sethi added. Torn fragments of the fuselage, including a large section bearing the airline’s logo, littered the fields around the village of Hussain Abad, where the

plane came down. Rescue workers in orange jumpsuits and local residents used torches to search through the wreckage after nightfall, assisted by soldiers carrying assault rifles. The smell of burning filled the air at the scene and human limbs were scattered in a large area spattered with blood, witnesses said. An AFP reporter saw an orange flight data

recorder in a house where some of the wreckage fell. Pakistan Navy official Captain Arshad Mahmood said the crash happened as the plane approached the runway to land. “The weather was very bad, there was hail and a thunderstorm. The pilot lost control and hit the ground. It tossed up due to the impact and exploded and came down in a fireball,” he said. Saifur Rehman, an offi-

cial from the police rescue team, said the plane burst into flames after impact. “Fire erupted after the crash. The wreckage is on fire, the plane is completely destroyed,” Rehman told Geo television. An airport source said the plane had been due to land at Islamabad airport at 6.50 pm but lost contact with the control tower at 6:40 pm and crashed shortly afterwards. Distraught relatives gathered at the airports in Islamabad and Karachi, searching for the names of loved ones on the passenger list for the ill-fated flight. “Please don’t talk to me, I have just lost my loving father,” a teenage boy cried in Karachi. The government was making arrangements to fly relatives to Islamabad later on Saturday. Nadeem Khan Yusufzai, director general of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, said initial reports suggested bad weather was to blame for the crash. Bhoja Air relaunched domestic operations with a fleet of five 737s in March, when the airline was planning to start flights connecting Karachi, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore and AFP Islamabad.

IMF raises $430 billion

Disney boss quits after Carter flop

Zimmerman granted bail

WASHINGTON: The IMF raised $430 billion in new funds for crisis intervention with China and other emerging economic giants taking part despite worries the money will go to more eurozone bailouts. After weeks of seeking pledges for its “global firewall”, the International Monetary Fund said the BRICS group — China, Russia, India and Brazil — had helped put it over its goal. “We have commitments that are north of $430 billion. That almost doubles the lending capacity of the fund,” IMF managing director Christine Lagarde said after meetings of the IMF and the finance chiefs of the Group of 20 economic powers.

LOS ANGELES: The head of Disney film-

FLORIDA: The neighbourhood watch volun-

making studio, Rich Ross, has resigned as chairman a month after the film John Carter became one of the company’s biggest flops. He revealed his move by email “I no longer believe that the chairman role is the right professional fit for me.” He was previously the president of the Disney Channel when it created the hugely successful High School Musical and Hannah Montana series. The film, John Carter eventually cost more than $250m and Disney said it expected the film to lose about $200m.

teer accused of murdering an unarmed black Florida teenager has been granted bail, set at $150,000 (£93,000). George Zimmerman’s defence lawyer asked that his client be allowed to reside out of state because of safety fears. In a second appearance in court since his arrest, Mr Zimmerman told Trayvon Martin’s parents he was sorry for the loss of their son. Granting bail, Judge Kenneth Lester said Zimmerman should inform the police of his location every three days and imposed a curfew between 7.00pm and 6.00am each day.

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Three cheers for girls

Insider job busted

inally, it’s good to see the girls overpowering the boys in the Inter 1st year exams. This shows that the efforts of the government are materialising. It is like a success note for all schemes implemented for the development of education of girls. Proud of all the girls! Sulekha Kumari Lakdi Ka Pul

y first reaction after reading the article is OMG! Me being a mother, I freaked out reading the article... how can a kid steal from his own home even after his parents give him enough money? Having kids at home put me in a dilemma as to how to deal with my children! Fathima Parvin Bhoiguda

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

Theme parks to prop city

fter the stinking places like Tank Bund, Musi Lake and what not in the city, it’s high time we have some places that can spread fragrance in Hyderabad. I felt so happy reading this article after I realised that theme parks are being set up here. I hope this is done pronto. Preeti Jain Somajiguda

AHMAD SYAFEEQ ABD SHUKOR

EDITORIALS THE BAHRAIN GP insults sport By the time you read this, the qualifying session for the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix will be well under way. What you will see is a sport at its worst. While the cars zip around the Sakhir circuit outside its wellguarded perimeter, tens of thousands of oppressed Bahrainis are on the streets demanding an end to the ruling family’s totalitarian regime. Whether you agree with the protesters or not, it is hard to side with Bernie Ecclestone, the F1 supremo, who said yesterday that the things happening outside the track were “not our concern”. Sorry Bernie, but you’re wrong. By staging an F1 race in a country so riven with human rights abuses you have subliminally endorsed the oppression of a people. Money is foremost on F1’s mind, and while Force India pulled out of free practice claiming they needed to gear up for qualifying, it is a signal that all is not well in the paddock. Mark Webber has voiced his concerns within the boundaries of his PR cage, but he is alone. The other drivers have tacitly toed the FIA line. It is unfortunate that the margins between sport and politics are blurred, but blurred they are. The FIA and Bernie should have pulled the plug on the Bahrain GP, and showed the world that they retain some vestige of a conscience. By going ahead with this farce they have thrown the sport into the darkest recesses of human character, one that will scar it for decades. It is delusional to hope that the protests cease and the streets of Manama and other parts of the country remain peaceful, all we can hope for, however, is that no lives are lost while millionaires race their toys around a circuit in a country whose high-handedness with its people has been backed by major Western nations. It’s a shame.

Break stress cycle… for a few minutes Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

took a day off from work last week to finish off a few pending personal tasks. I had to update my car registration papers at the transport office. I had to close a bank account; transfer funds to another account; meet an officer from another bank to understand loan prepayment conditions. Meet an ailing uncle in the hospital, and buy some stationery. It was a packed day and I had even planned to hit the gym earlier than usual so I would be on time at these offices when they open. The first stop was the transport office, where I was required to submit the car’s RC book. I realised it wasn’t with me. So I went back home and

searched high and low but couldn’t find it. It looked like I had lost it. It upset me most because I’m quite organised and keep a tab of all important papers and documentation. The other jobs on the list for that day didn’t go too well either. The bank’s server was down; so I had to travel to another branch to get the details I wanted. By the time I reached there, the branch had closed. I had to make two trips to the second bank to get the details I wanted. The day was going quite bad and I was also upset that the day off from work hadn’t yielded much. The last stop was the hospital visit. Now, that lifted my day because not only was he doing well, he also had the energy to humour me — about my cooking skills, my travel plans, and everything else he could think of. In that dimly-lit room, we laughed and joked for an hour, till it was time for his dinner.

The day wasn’t so bad after all. Modern-day stressors can be extremely painful. There are so many jobs vying for your attention all day long that it becomes a non-stop race against time. Once you get on the treadmill you just cannot get off because if you do, you lose the race. The human body is conditioned to produce stress hormones as a protection during stressful situations. This is healthy only when the stressors are few and far between. Everyday stress, the kind that most big city dwellers go through, tends to have a negative impact on the body’s functioning. This constant stress leads to over-production of the stress hormones in the body and this has a negative impact. Not only does it cause cellular damage, it also leads to fatigue, brain fogging and obesity among other physical and mental health issues. We’re not made to be in a constant ‘fight or flight’ situa-

tion with stress. Yet, we have made our lives so complicated that at every turn we’re facing a flight-or-fight situation. Unless we make a conscious effort to pause for some time every day and not allow ourselves to get stressed about anything else, we’re only harming our minds and bodies with the load of both active and passive stress. On this particularly difficult day, some laughter and inane conversations in the hospital room did that trick for me. What I also realised is that when we de-stress, answers come to us more easily. The next morning when I meditated, I felt that my car’s RC book would be with my father. He would have kept it with his car papers. I called my mum and asked her to check. Sure enough, it was there. Now, on to manage another stressor… It’s just another day. The writer is a Bangalorebased commentator.

COMMENT SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Homo sapiens: The real parasites ers; at the same time we were killing the bees that the flowers were attracting. Well, the bees were inconvenient. This is just one teeny example of the superior intellect of humankind. Other instances? We subject animals to extreme trauma and distress in order to entertain our children at zoos. Won’t stuffed animals serve the purpose just as well as live animals? I shudder every time the kids’ school project involves visiting a zoo. It is heart wrenching to watch those caged desperate animals. Why are zoos even legal? Why are birds that are meant to rule the skies, caged up for their entire lives? To serve as some kid’s pets? Really? Does it even make sense? Why do we keep poultry in horrid conditions before we finally consume them? Is it too much effort for us to let them live in comfort until we kill them and eat them? Why are bullfights legal? We pump our cattle with hormones and unnatural food and then wonder why the milk our children consume is making them become pubescent at an earlier age. We poison our air, mud and water. We create weapons that can destroy every form of life on earth. Why is all the sewage and

Perceptions MINI SINGH

stepped out of the apartment building with a sick feeling in the pit of my belly. The sight that met my eyes was revolting. The path leading to the gate of the township was strewn with a three-inch thick layer of dead honeybees. As my shoes sank into their soft dead flesh, I was disgusted at the extreme insensitivity and ignorance of the residents of my housing complex. The family that had ordered the honeycomb to be gassed faced the problem of honeybees entering their house. Their kitchen chimney outlet directly faced the honeycomb; as a result every time they cooked, the honeybees got disturbed by the smoke and entered their house. Their solution? Kill the honeybees — way easier than simply redirecting the end of the kitchen chimney exhaust pipe or even putting up nets on the windows. Who could be bothered with that! So essentially what we were doing at the township was that we wanted perfect landscaped gardens with lots of flow-

Urban sketches VISWAPRASAD RAJU

toxic factory waste dumped into the seas? I’m guessing we must have a very compelling reason for doing so — after all, we’re the brightest creatures on this planet. We wouldn’t do anything stupid now, would we? Nature and man are supposed to co-exist; because the human being is nothing if not part of nature’s amazing creations. And yet, we seem to be the biggest parasites on the face of the earth; eating and gnawing greedily of Mother Nature’s resources until we suck her dry and perish with her when she can sustain herself no more. While we’re supposed to be the most intelligent of nature’s creations, I seriously doubt our brilliance when I see how we behave. We forget that our existence depends on the earth, and not the other way around. I must say, Homo sapiens are indeed the smartest species. And I’m pretty sure that’s precisely why any other life forms in any other galaxy are very studiedly avoiding us. They’re intimidated by how smart we are. Yeah, that’s just the reason they’re steering clear of us. Ching! The writer is a Hyderabadbased commentator

Global edits

Botanical garden

The Guardian (UK)

Battle for the Internet: a Web for the world

he internet has been used as a force both for creation and destruction. The appetite for freedom has laid waste to the traditional business models of music and publishing, film and newspapers, but the same accessibility and intercommunication has facilitated a democratic cultural explosion and created unparalleled possibilities for spreading information. It mobilises communities and creates crowds that can threaten dictators. It could be the new frontier in a cold war, or a space that breaks down barriers — or both of those things at once.

Dawn (Pak)

The drones strike back, solutions still needed

rones are back in the news, though not the strikes for now but the debate over the ‘ownership’ of the programme. According to a report, Pakistan and the US have begun exploring various options for

shared control of the drone programme after the US refused to end the strikes. Given the opacity of the drone programme and the refusal of both sides to reveal operational details, it is difficult to say whether the negotiations will succeed or what concessions either side is ultimately willing to make. However, this much is clear; establishing some kind of joint control over the strikes is in the interests of both countries.

Sydney Morning Herald

Drawing a line in Afghanistan

he rationale for bringing forward the draw-down [of Australian troops in Afghanistan] to as early as the middle of next year is the claimed progress in training up and mentoring the Afghan National Army brigade taking over security in the Oruzgan province. If the brigade is as competent as the Afghan soldiers who quickly put down the latest insurgent showpiece attacks in Kabul, that faith may have some sound foundations.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Smartphones can see all!

Space mining set to launch

Oil prices can affect growth

esearchers at a Texas university have designed a chip that could give smartphones the long-envied ability of comic book hero Superman to see through walls, clothes or other objects. A team at University of Texas at Dallas tuned a microchip to discern a “terahertz” band of electromagnetic spectrum. The design works with chips commonly found in smartphones.

startup devoted to mining asteroids for metals is to make its public debut Tuesday in Seattle, seeking to redefine the term “natural resources.” X Prize founder Peter Diamandis and a former Nasa astronaut will unveil Planetary Resources, which is backed by the likes of Google co-founder Larry Page and filmmaker James Cameron.

igh energy prices could trim India’s growth finance minister Pranab Mukherjee warned on Friday. Speaking in Washington Mukherjee said he expected growth to hit 7.6 per cent in 2012-2013. “The downside risks of steep global commodity prices especially fuel oil, remains, and could undermine the anticipated growth recovery,” he said.

Venturing into unknown territory

At a time when cloud software was alien to the educational sector, Ajay Sakhamuri came up with a business solution that is now relied upon by over 400 institutes DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Ajay Chowdary Sakhamuri’s cv

PRUDHVI RAJU K

Education: B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering), Vasavi College of Engineering, Hyderabad, (2003-07) Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet Work: Deloitte India, SAP Consultant (got recruited through campus placements), June 2007 to April 2009 Founder and CEO: MyClassboard. Director: Environ Estates, Real estate and property development company Activities: Volley ball and Horse riding Favourite Actor: Hrithik Roshan

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

t takes a lot more than just business acumen to make a venture successful. Providing customers cost effective services and value addition are essential as well. That was what Ajay Sakhamuri, had in mind when he founded MyClassboard, a cloud-based software for educational institutes, in 2009. With cloud software gaining popularity in the industry, the company offers its clients (educational institutes) administrative software application services through SaaS model. With this, institutes can automate and link entire processes of various departments (accounting, HR, operations and marketing). The main advantage of using cloud software is that it improves overall efficiency of the company by organising and maintaining data online. It also saves the customer investment on various software and hardware. For instance, using a cloud software can help collate all the data on students’ performances and help the teacher evaluate the trend in a classroom and accordingly work towards improving things. Thanks to this model, a teacher can save nearly 30 per cent his/her time, says Ajay. “The customer relationship management can be simple and effective through MyClassboard application. The institute interactions with its potential students can be managed and recorded right from the walk in, telephone enquiry to the sale and submission of applications. The software will also help to further follow up the applicants through SMS alerts and emails till they become students. The data can also be used to understand the trends like how many people enquired and how many actually joined the institute. It

Ajay Chowdary Sakhamuri, Founder and CEO, MyClassboard. can also analyse the performance of the individuals through their attendance and academics over time,” he says. According to Ajay, with this application student attendance, academic records, fee payments, home work etc is maintained online. Students and their parents can access information like class schedules, homework, online tests and even track their school/college bus status with this application. Students can also access class notes, videos and power point presentations given by their teachers on their computers. So what was it that pushed Ajay to come up with such a unique model? “I belong to a family of businessmen and I always wanted to do something on my own. I was observing the trend towards cloud based solutions and realised that educational operations in India are

done manually. This takes up a lot of effort, time and money. That was when I decided to introduce cloud solutions to educational institutes,” he says. He made an initial investment of `60 lakh with help from family and friends. When they started out, they had six employees and Ajay was the only marketing person for the company for the first one-and-a-half years. “It was challenging to make convince people about the business as it is a relatively new concept in India. Never before had anybody here used cloud-based software in the educational sector. They were apprehensive about data security. However, over time they understood the value and the cost savings from the application and warmed up to the idea,” he explains. Talking about current operations, he says, “Education is a never ending space and there is

a need of constant R&D, upgradation and bringing in new offerings to the clients. The company is now developing a mobile application which will help students access the entire information on a phone.” Currently, MyClassboard has around 400 school branches in its customer base. It has plans to scale up the business and go pan India this year. The company is going to setup its offices in five major cities by the end of the year and is also going to hit the 1,000-school mark this year. Talking about further expansions, Ajay says, “Education is our core focus and will remain so in the future. We will integrate applications developed by various companies to our platform giving further value addition to our customers through a revenue sharing model. The company is also having tie-ups with various partners to sell

applications around the world on a revenue sharing basis.” The 35 employee company has a 200 per cent growth rate in revenues and touched the `2 crore mark last fiscal. It is expected to break even by the end of 2012. The company is expecting a turnover of `10 crore this fiscal. Talking about the margins, he says, “We operate on extremely low margins, which are around 10-20 per cent. The profits can be only raised by increasing the volume of sales.” While Ajay continues to remain passionate about his business, he spends his free time doing online research to understand the latest technological trends. Apart from this, Ajay also takes care of the family real estate business. But it’s not just all work and no play for this entrepreneur. He loves to unwind over a game or two of volleyball with friends every two weeks.

MOTORING SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Thailand creates records

Ford production doubles

In-vehicle entertainment

utomobile production in Thailand hit a record high of 190,935 units in March due to a surge in domestic sales. The figure shows the recovery of an industry that was destroyed by floods late last year. Production in March grew 11% yearon-year and 13.5% from February due to rising domestic and export demand.

ord Motor Co. plans to build a $760 million assembly plant in Hangzhou that will double its output annually, reaching upto 1.2 million vehicles. The plant will open in 2015, initially producing 250,000 vehicles a year. The new factory, which follows other capacity expansions, brings Ford’s total investment in China to $4.9 billion.

ASKA, which is a global brand name in car multimedia systems has been rated amongst China’s 500 most valuable brands announced the launch of the new CASKA E-car series for the Indian automobile sector in association with its India partner Auto Trendz. The product is an all in one intelligent multimedia technology system for automobiles.

Style unparalled If freedom means exhilaration and stretching your limits, then the Ducati gives you just that. What does the city think of the brand? We find out

VAIJAYANTHI KARI

feedback@postnoon.com

he adrenaline rush, the passion for speed, the daredevil instinct and the desire to be exclusive are some of the many reasons, why people love sports bikes. One might say that a Ducati is just one among many sports bikes but those who love biking will tell you that riding a Ducati is a beyond anything you have experienced before. Italians are known for their passion for speed and fashion. Be it their Lamborghini, Ferrari or Bugatti, they have aced design and class. It comes as no surprise that the Ducati is their creation as well…But what makes it so different from other bikes?”I’ve owned a Ninja, a Honda and a Suzuki. But the Ducati is a whole new level. I bought a Ducati 749 in March this year and the ride is perfectly smooth and it doesn’t get heated up,” says Asghar Ali Khan. Since the company was started in 1926, it has been owned by several groups like the Ducati Family, the VM Group, the Cagiva Group, performance motorcycles etc. But its perfection with design has always remained the same. Ducati earned its place in history when it produced the then fastest 250 cc road bike named the Mach 1. But today it is known for producing some of the best bikes in the history of motorcycle racing. The company has won 13 riders world championships since the championship’s inception in 1988 and has amassed more wins than any other manufacturer. It has also won

“It’s the looks, the acceleration and moreover the sound! The mere look of a superbike gives me an adrenaline rush! Cars are fast but bikes are better in acceleration so maybe that is why I’d like to have one,” says Akshay. “It’s sad that Hyderabad doesn’t have the roads. I generally drive my bike on the Medchal road and that’s the only decent place,” shares Asghar Ali Khan.

a great number of races in championships like SBK manufacturer world championship, British Superbike Championship and AMA Superbike Championship. But why would someone want something so dangerously powerful? “It’s the looks, the acceleration and moreover the sound! The mere look of a superbike gives me an adrenaline rush! Cars are fast but bikes are better in acceleration so maybe that is why I’d like to have one,” says Akshay Rao, a huge fan of superbikes. And the current line-up of Ducati is about exactly that. Consisting of the Diavel, the Hypermotard, the Monster, the Multistrada, the Streetfighter and the Superbike this line-up represents enthusiasm and thrill that only a Ducati can provide. There was a point of

time when seeing a BMW in Hyderabad was a sight for sore eyes but now, you see a BMW so often. Does it mean that this city is ready to take the next step and move onto these mean machines? Financially maybe yes, but unfortunately Hyderabad has close to zero long and empty stretches to ride them on. “It’s sad that Hyderabad doesn’t have the roads. I generally drive my bike on the Medchal road and that’s the only decent place,” shares Asghar Ali Khan. Except for that one bump, Hyderabad is all set to have a Ducati showroom of its own. So, is Ducati going to bring it on this summer then?

Movies in which the Ducati was used in: Big Bad Wolf Grayson In the Red Freaky Friday Catwoman Unforgettable Matrix Reloaded

2006 2004 1999 2003 2004 1996 2003

Championships that were won on a Ducati: MotoGP world championship 2007 Casey Stoner Ducati Desmosedici GP7 Superbike World Championship 2006 Troy Bayliss Ducati 999 Superbike World Championship 2008 Troy Bayliss Ducati 1098 Superbike World Championship 2011 Carlos Checa Ducati 1098R British Superbike Championship 2008 Shane Byrne Ducati 1098 AMA Superbike Championship 1993 Doug Polen Ducati 888

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK www.proust.com hat if Facebook felt less like a daily diary and more like an autobiography? It might resemble Proust, a new site that lets you record and share a lifetime's worth of memories.

APP OF THE WEEK Yahoo! connected TV

VIDEOGAME REVIEW THE GOOD PANDORA'S TOWER

n Time-management mechanic is handled wonderfully n Some terrific boss fights.

hey put apps in your phone so you can control apps on your connected TV. It's enough to make your head spin. Yes, Yahoo has launched an official Android app for its connected TV platform.

THE B AD

n Fixed camera angles can be awkward

Classrooms get tech savvy Tablet computers are now increasingly being used in schools the world over as an educational tool. City-based Meridian School too has introduced tablets for its senior classes. Postnoon takes a look DEEPA

H K DES

E PAND

Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

S STUDENT PAD

Described as an office suite contained in a single app, this is really helpful— and it’s not only students who will want to get their hands on it. The app will let you read PDFs and annotate them, manage your schedule and add notes and sketches to the notebook. There’s a built-in calculator which can handle some complex functions. It’s very simple to use and nicely designed. You can store your notes, timetables and documents. Handy. Price: $0.99

M ATH BOARD

Math Board is a fantastic math learning tool for your iPad— MathBoard is appropriate for all ages from kindergarten (with simple addition and subtraction problems) to elementary school where learning multiplication and division can be a challenge. You can control the range of numbers you want to work with, the amount of questions you want to answer and even assign a time limited quiz. Price: $4.99

STAR WALK

Do you like stars? Star Walk is a stellar augmented reality app that labels all the stars, constellations, and satellites you point your iPad at. You can track the ISS, find out what constellation you’ve been looking at from your bedroom window and get a lot of exciting and educative information. Combine that with the amazing Apple design award- winning graphics and highest quality content, you get the magic so highly praised by people who have used it. Price: $4.99

WIKIPEDIA

Who hasn't heard or used Wikipedia? It is, by far, the most useful website on the Internet giving you detailed information of just about anything under the sun. Now that there is an app for it, it is only bound to be the most useful educational app both for iTunes and Android. Type what you want to know about in the search toolbar and voila, information is right on your screen. Price: Free

HISTORY: M APS

OF THE WORLD

History: Maps of World is a fun and educational collection of highresolution historical maps. Check it out to keep up with history, learn something about history. It features a wide variety of historical displays, support for category/era view, keyword search, displays the source about each map. The best thing is, it doesn't require a network connection. It is best for students who really are into history and a bit of geography as well. Price: Free

chools in the city are getting increasingly smarter and tech savvy by the day. First it was introducing smart classrooms equipped with computer and audiovisual equipment, allowing the instructor to teach using a wide variety of media. Soon, the idea of sending notes and submitting homework using email caught up. The latest to catch the tech-bandwagon is introducing tablet PCs in schools, especially for students from Class VII. Meridian School, a leading educational institute in the city, pioneered this idea and, well, the students aren't complaining. A special tablet developed by Edutor has been introduced in the curriculum. Usha Reddy, principal, Meridian School, Banjara Hills, affirms the introduction of tablet PCs in the school, she says, “Technology has a lot more advantages than we think. At some point in time, we have to make use of it. There are a lot of advantages to introducing tabs in schools. Apart from saving paper, it is also easier for students as they don't have to carry books. Everything is chipped into the tab and even teachers find it easier to asses students.” Nowadays, it is hard to find Eamcet and Olympiad books and since it is installed in tabs, it makes studying a lot easier, claims Anish Vishwanathan, a Class IX student of Meridian. “It is a good effort and tabs certainly do help. The fact that the tabs are incorporated with an encyclopedia and dictionary makes it very easy for us. The tests too can be handled easily. This is the way forward for us,” he adds. If this is the way to go, then students will be thrilled to know of the wealth of educational apps available for use. We list a few.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

PET NEWS Love for felines

Do fish feel thirsty?

uchess the Dachshund may be short in stature, but she is big on love. According to News-Star, Duchess has adopted three litters of kittens in less than a year. The dog just seems to gravitate towards parenting the felines.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Chow Chow

ish in fresh water have to get rid of all the water that diffuses into their bodies so they certainly never feel thirsty. Although their skin is fairly waterproof, their gills are not and water moves into their bodies .

hroughout Mongolia and Manchuria the meat of the Chow Chow was once a delicacy and its skin a popular fur for clothing. The overstuffed Teddy bear appearance and black tongue are characteristic of this breed.

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

MICKEYTHEBLUEMAGIC

There’s a lot in a name

Not all pet owners know how important naming their pet is. Recent studies show that pet names influence the bond between the owner and their pet. Postnoon asks around

SNEHA MASHETTY

feedback@postnoon.com

he ultimate duty of a responsible pet owner is to name their pet with a sensible name. The factor of ‘faith’ must be kept in your mind before you name your pet. Crazy it may sound, but it’s a fact that your bond with your pet depends on how you name it. The name of your pet really describes the kind of person you are. City-based vet, Dr Atul Pranay says, “Most of the pet names are copied from the peers. The pet becomes more responsive when you have a synonym in its name.” Author TS Eliot once said something to this effect, “The naming of pets is a difficult matter. It isn’t just one of your holiday games.” Nivali Balmoori, a dog owner in the city says, “I like food and I like my dog so I named my dog after food. I call it Candy.” Like Nivali, pet owners usually tend to name their pets based on their likes and dislikes. Sanjana Rachel, a student who owns a Persian cat says, “ I can’t tell you how many times I would lie in bed at night and go through the

TIPS

ON NAMING A PET

n Don't feel you have to be overly creative or clever with your pet’s name. Simple names are fine, too. n Choose something that is easy to pronounce. n Don't worry about taking time to choose the right name. If you can’t decide on a name, spend time with them and watch how they move and interact with you. All these antics will help your decision easier. n As far as possible try not to use a human name. n Do not use too many syllables in your dog’s name. n Don't name your dog something similar to a command if you plan to teach it one.

HILARIOUS PET NAMES n n n n n n n n n n

Momma’s little girl Twilight Chi chi Sausage Rif Raf Monalisa Clawless Snoop dog Drama Mama Harley Davidson

alphabet trying to pick out a name, finally I named my cat based on its physical appearance, as it is white in colour I call it Milky.” Many people are choosing family or celebrity names for their pets. Mukesh Nigam, a city-based businessman and a turtle owner, says, “I like Katrina Kaif so I named my turtle after her.” This could be considered a reflection of the

strong bond owners have with their pets. Some people would say that you (the owner) are not the one choosing the name for your pet. The pet is telling you what his/her name actually is. Pet science states that naming your pet is an important aspect of bringing up your pet, it even reveals your outlook towards your pet. Arvind Kumthekar, an active volunteer at Blue Cross says, “When you

name your pet make sure your affection towards it is shown in the name. Don’t pick up names from Google, instead spend time with your pet, understand your pet and decide a name for it.” So, if you go by the famous line from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet ‘What’s in a name?’ and decide to call your pet Screwdriver or Babubhai, then rest assured your pet will certainly not be your fan.

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

SHORT READS Title: The Lost Years Author: Mary Higgins Clark Publisher: Simon And Schuster UK Dr Jonathan Lyour, has a stroke of luck when a previously missing ancient artefact falls into his hands. Things take a turn for the worse when Jonathan is found brutally murdered. Will Mariah his 27-year-old daughter be able to the bottom of this?

Title: Guilty Wives Author: James Patterson Publisher: Little,Brown And Company Abbie Elliot and her three best friends step out of a private helicopter, they enter the most luxurious hotel. As the weekend moves into pulsating discos high stake casinos and beyond, Abbie awakens on the yacht, surrounded by the police.

Title: The Shoe Maker's Wife Author: Adriana Trigiani Publisher: Simon And Schuster Ltd In the Italian Alps lies Vilminore, home to Ciro, a strapping mountain boy. Close by lives Enza.Then Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal and is sent to America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. What will happen to Ciro there? Find out.

Title: The Lucky Ones Author: Nicholas Sparks Publisher: Grand Central Publishing When US Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. But then he keeps and finally traces her.

A thriller for summer

It's written like a Hollywood movie combining the overall feel and structure of crime dramas like CSI and Criminal Minds. If you like this genre, you will love David Jackson's Pariah JOSH

OSAMA SALMAN

salman.o@postnoon.com

here are so many aspects that come together to make this book a success. David Jackson has identified key elements to make a successful crime thriller, and put them together in a way that is original, yet easy and enjoyable to read. Pariah is not literary and it is not your standard commercial thriller either. It is well thought out, and it keeps you guessing, but it also flows effortlessly and with good pace. All fingers point to Cullum Doyle when his cop partner is murdered, and the dead man's replacement is also brutally murdered. Doyle receives an anonymous message: Anyone he gets close to will die — and that includes his own family. With the investigation going nowhere and his isolation deepening, Doyle has to ask himself an uncomfortable question: Just how low is he prepared to sink in order to get his life back? Yes, we have seen before the case of an innocent man who has been

If you are one of those busy people who have no time for your folks especially your mum, read this book. You will be warned of the darkness that awaits should she vanish one day Rajesh Ravindran rajesh.r@postnoon.com

hat would happen if the sun just vanished from our lives? Unimaginable, eh, though there are some among us who wish it were so

Name Pariah Author David Jackson Pages 307 Publisher Pan Macmillan set up and finds that people around him are being murdered — it isn't the most original idea, but then when you read it, you'll realise that it actually is. The suspense and tension is thick, particularly between Doyle and his fellow officers once the link between himself and the recent deaths becomes clear. Knowing

Doyle’s innocence makes you want to defend him, makes you angry when the other officers turn against him, but then there is that thought in the back of your mind which says, if you were them, wouldn’t you feel the same? The paranoia that Doyle experiences is contagious and you find yourself second guess-

ing every gesture and statement made by the other characters, hoping to reveal some clues. It is the kind of book that invites you, challenges you even, to try and figure out the who and why before it is revealed. However, the best feature is the revelation – the ‘why’ of the whole situation. It is so simple,

The unsung heroine during summers? But if such a thing were to happen, then that’s the end. We, the rest of the beings, our world, are finished. There is someone in our lives who has a similar standing. She is there when we first open our eyes to the world, when we take our first step, when we learn our first letter… cool and beautiful like the morning sun. When we are naughty or wilful she chides, and at times cuffs us, and all we want to do is run away like we do for cover from the midday sun. And when we are grown-ups she is there as the constant source of peace and solace like the evening sun. And even after she has left us, we

know her presence like moon light, for if there’s no sun somewhere, there’s no moon elsewhere. Of course, by now, it is evident that I had been talking of our mothers. Kyung-Sook Shin’s Please look after Mother dwells on the same thought: what if our mothers just van-

Name Please Look After Mother Author Kyung-Sook Shin Pages 261 Publisher Hachette India

yet unexpected, this real reason probably never even occurred to you. As a fan of crime dramas and thrillers, as someone who loves a strong detective character, or as someone who likes action and mystery and to be kept guessing until the very end, Pariah deserves all the praise.

ished from our lives one day? When the initial shock is over, you start to think more about the woman you knew your whole life, yet cannot understand how can you not have noticed her when she was so near, the growing distance between you two as you grow older, the snappy replies you gave her when she was only being helpful. There are two very subtle things I found in the first of Kyung-Sook Shin’s works translated to English. One is the mentioning of Mother with a capital M throughout the book like the capital G in God. And the second is the use of pronoun ‘you’ by the narrator while she mentions herself and tells us the story. So when you read it, you feel it’s your story that is being told to you.

BOOKS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Women of substance

The book provides an insight into the future of Indian women as entrepreneurs and leaders, working shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts

SYED SHOAIB

shoaib.s@postnoon.com

woman’s role in the Indian society till recently was perceived to be confined to the four walls of her home. But a few women broke set norms to become trendsetters and role models for the other women of this country. These are women with extraordinary qualities of grit and determination and Sudha Menon, a journalist, has made a sincere attempt to capture the trials and travails of these women in her debut nonfictional book, Leading Ladies volume one. As a journalist she had the opportunity of talking to people from all walks of life. She now presents these interviews in an enlightening collection of personal experiences of the most inspiring and admired Indian women achievers. The women who took up 'the road less trodden’ and worked untiringly, against all odds, to make a difference not only to their own lives but to numerous others. A lot about these women has already been brought to light in various magazines and newspapers, but in her book, Menon is able to capture comprehensively the

essence and experiences of these extraordinary women. Her twodecade experience in journalism and ability to persuade her subjects has encouraged them to speak their hearts out, revealing amongst other things the driving force of their achievements. The strong willpower, determination and hard work of these women are depicted in simple language through incidents that occurred during the course of their journey to success. The inclusion of personal anecdotes makes for authentic reading. The book provides the reader with a clear insight into the future of Indian women as professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders, working shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts. On being asked how she shortlisted these 'leading ladies' for the interview, the author

responded that she had been following the journeys of these trendsetters and dynamic personalities, and that her initial list comprised of 100 women. But she had to limit the list keeping the interest of the readers in mind. She has a second volume in mind, apart from more fictional and non-fictional works. From among the 15 heroic personalities that are presented in her book, PT Usha and Lila Poonawala happen to inspire her the most; as both women rose from virtual nothings to set ablaze the podiums of success through glorious flames of their passionate careers. PT Usha ran without shoes at the age of 16 as her family didn't have the resources to provide her with the right equipment required for her training. Her exploits in the international sports arena are

Name Leading Ladies Author Sudha Menon Pages 425 Publisher Fortytwo Bookz Galaxy

part of sports history. Lila Poonawala made her way from living in extreme poverty in a refugee camp to being the first woman CEO of a multinational company in India. Menon also speaks about women like Naina Lal Kidwai, Shikha Sharma, Shaheen Mistri and Kalpana Morparia, as impressive and charismatic idols of the nation, path breakers and inspirational examples to others. The book has gained a lot of popularity and earned positive reviews from a number of well-known personalities including Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC Ltd, Usha Thorat, deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India and others since it was published in 2010. Leading Ladies — Women who inspire India, makes an interesting and extremely inspirational read.

WHAT’S SELLING Walden's best in fiction:

Walden’s best in Non Fiction:

New York Times’ best in fiction:

n Zero Day David Baldacci

n Thinking Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman

n The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark

n Sins of the Father Jeffrey Archer

n Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson

n Two for Two and a piece of cake Preeti Shenoy

n The 3rd Alternative Stephen R Covey

n Can Love Happen Twice Ravinder Singh

n Great by Choice Collins and Hansen

n Revolution 2020 Chetan Bhagat

n Most and More Voice Ra

New York Times’ best in Non Fiction: n Drift by Rachel Maddow

n Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis

n The Big Miss by Hank Haney

n Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore

n Trickle Down by Michael Savage

n The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection by Alexander Smith

n Imagine by Jonah Lehre

n Mrs Kennedy and me by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbi n The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

WOMEN SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK www.marthaste wart.com The digital platform of powerhouse Martha Stewart features inspired tips, recipes and guides to perfecting the home.

www.bettyconfidential.co m A fast-growing women’s site that features celebrity news and lifestyle content.

www.lipsy.co.uk Lipsy is a fashion website which stocks on fashion brands and is also a celebrity and fashion blog excluively for women for hip female-friendly content.

Changing perspectives

Ayesha Rubina believes all politicians are not corrupt and she is out to make it her mission to prove just that Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

he first time Ayesha Rubina stepped into the bylanes of Old City seven years ago, her reaction was anything but pleasant. Seeing the shocking and pathetic conditions of the houses and people living there, Ayesha got a shock of her life. She had never been there, never been exposed to the kind of life people were leading. This, she says, was her life-changing moment. “The worst part, however, was that the people did not realise the squalor they were living in. I wished and prayed to do something for them. It hit me then that maybe I could do something. It was an awakening of sorts,” said Ayesha. She wears many hats, that of a principal, director, teacher, special children and women activist, columnist, GHMC member and a nominated politician. Ayesha worked closely with AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi and established the Owaisi School of Excellence. “When we first started, the students had runny noses which they wiped with their hands and had no sense of personal hygiene either. Today, they are in the classrooms instead of the lanes, they are open to learning, converse in English and have transformed into proper students. For mothers, we run a counselling program to instil that education can change their lives. I am especially proud because the perspective of the area has

M ANIL KUMAR

changed,” she says with a smile. She helped establish six other schools and is also the managing director of the Owaisi School of Excellence. Venturing into politics is strange for an educationalist. But Ayesha, a co-option member of AIMIM working in the Barwas ward, says that it was but a natural transition having already worked for the recognition of special children and having done her fair share of social work. “Although it wasn’t planned, I took to politics because it gave me a bigger platform and the reach is far larger. My immediate family saw it coming and my friends encouraged me to go for it,” she said. Despite her achievements, her hard work has had some side effects as well. Ayesha opines that it is rather sad that people think that all politicians are corrupt. “Politics by itself is infamous. But to generalise and think that all politicians are into the ‘money making’ business is unfortunate. When I want to start a programme for special people, my intentions are doubted and people wonder how much money I am going to make out of it. We do good for the society and people fail to understand it." Ayesha is a special children activist and believes in the idea of inclusive education. Having started Greens Special School with the aim of introducing special children into mainstream academics when they are ready, she said that it is a very satisfying job. “Just the other day, a couple from Canada came to me and thanked me for working so hard for

their son. It is indeed very gratifying,” she says. Quiz her about how she manages to find time between all her ventures, including managing a teacher’s training institute, she says, “I have a great team that I can take support from. We work together and I firmly believe in teamwork. Often the value of a team is undermined." Behind the politician and principal is a writer and poet trying to find a foothold. “I have always been interested in poetry since as long as I can remember. Poetry is such a beautiful thing, it has a deep complex, yet simple meaning layered under beautiful words," she says adding that she also likes writing too and is currently working a book on issues that mothers face. Her 12-year-old son, Farhan, hasn’t complained about her busy schedule ever, she claims. Sunday is no-workday and every evening, she spends quality time with him. And despite all her achievements, she remains as humble as ever.

THE CV First job: In '89 while still a student, I worked at a recreation centre where I had to read stories for children. Last movie seen: Housefull 2 Last book read Not Bosses But Leaders by John Adair and Peter Reed. Motto: To be able to reach out to people, be of some help to them. Inspiration: At every stage, different people inspired me— my mother, teachers, students and colleagues.

The glow of happiness All About Eve

SANA MIRZA

few days ago, my mother and I got talking about marriage and children. I said I would think about getting married but I don’t know about having children. As an independent woman who values her freedom more than her life, the idea of bearing a child for nine months and the responsibility of taking care of them till they are settled is too overbearing. I can be anything but maybe not the perfect mother. But every other woman seems to describe giving birth to a child and being a mother as the best feeling in the world. Now, I clearly don’t mind children, not all that much anyway. Yes, I absolutely hate crying babies especially on long flights when you decide to finally get some shut-eye and a ear-piercing wail disturbs the peace. But what I really love is being around expecting mothers. A lot of times you are told that when you are expecting, you start glowing. I don’t think it is entirely true but they do send out a lot of positive energy and that is good enough for me. Since, I am alien to the feeling that comes with being a mother, I tend to be very curious about how one feels about a thing growing inside of them. My biggest worry is, how do these women sleep? What if accidentally they sleep on their belly, what happens to the baby then? Doesn’t it bother them that they keep getting up to relieve themselves every ten minutes? What I mean to say is that it takes a whole lot of sacrifice to be able to become a mother. You need to forget about parties, late night movies, independent living and instead welcome late night diaper changes, milk refills and sleepless nights. It’s a huge responsibility being a parent especially for a woman. With today’s column, I want to raise my hand in salute to those women who are not only hardworking professionals but responsible and caring mothers too.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Rachana & Jasmeet

Tarmeen & Dimple

A little bit of sparkle

Manisha Kapoor knows how to make the ladies happy. On Friday, she organised a make-up workshop by make-up artist Tamanna at the Sky Bar in Somajiguda.

Sonal Doshi

Doing the twist N SHIVAKUMAR

Participants at the Twirl with Sandeep Soparkar workshop.The event was held as part of Celebrity Coffee Morning workshop at the Rachnoutsav Events Academy.

Pooja Agarwal

Poonam

Shusmita

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

I AM ALL EARS

am 28-year-old girl. I have been in a relationship for the past one year. Prior to this I also had a short-term relationship with my neighbour. The person whom I am dating also happens to be my ex’s friend. Now he is accusing of me of still harbouring feelings for my ex. What am I to do?

YOU ARE BORN NICE

Dear troubled kid, You should first confront your present boyfriend and try and figure out where exactly the problem lies. He is probably feeling insecure that he has to match upto his friend. Make him understand that the past is past. Also try and figure out for yourself whether you have unknowingly made him feel so in the other man’s presence. Men feel very touchy about these things. If nothing works, then say adieu to this fellow also.

t turns out that the milk of human kindness is evoked by something besides mum’s good example. Research by psychologists at the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Irvine, has found that at least part of the reason some people are kind and generous is that their genes nudge them toward it. The study “The Neurogenics of Niceness,” was published in this month in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

The joy of solo living Is it about independence? Or is it about wanting personal space for oneself. We find out why living solo seems so enticing Vaijayanthi Kari

ZAVATSZKI MILAN

feedback@postnoon.com

ntil two decades ago, the institution of joint family was very strong in India. Everyone lived under the same roof representing the ‘big happy joint family’ culture that India was famously known for. Somewhere along the line, in the 90s came nuclear families. Families in urban areas started having not more than two children who would also move out of their parents house and into their own house after they got married or got a job. When this started happening, communities started promoting the concept of joint families, films like Hum Saath Saath Hain were made in which the benefits of being in a joint family were eulogized. Next came the phase of livein relationships which shocked and scandalised the society. The idea of two people living together without being bound by marriage was something that most people openly despised. However, the Indian society stands at a completely different juncture today. Long gone are the days of joint families, nuclear families and livein relationships too. Now, there is another trend coming into place- solo living. Yes. People want to live alone. It doesn’t matter what age or sex they are of. It doesn’t matter if they are young, old, unmarried, divorced or widowed. The concept of solo living is grabbing the attention of people in urban areas. What is solo- living like? What is the society’s take on it? We find out... “I’m very happy being single and living alone. The advantage is that I have an edge in my profession and also have all the time in the world to read my briefs completely which other lawyers who are married and settled with a family don’t have”, says Ajay (name changed on request), a leading city-based 52-year-old criminal lawyer. Contrary to what one might say, the perception of things within the society is changing as well. People who would have imposed marriage

and settlement at an early age are being broadminded where the future and life of their children is concerned. “The literacy levels have increased considerably in the past few years. And if an individual is financially independent then there is no reason for them to not live independently. The society is changing and so is the traditional ideology. Even the elders in every family agree to this style of living. So this trend will definitely be accepted by most in the society,” says 22-year-old Archana Bejju. Saagar Tulshan, a 19-year-old from Hyderabad, is studying in Bengaluru and lives alone in his flat despite having relatives and a college hostel in the city. “I live alone because I don’t prefer the hostels as they’re not good enough, rooms are tiny and the food is not great and I also have a little extra freedom living alone. My relatives are

People living solo across the world 1996 2011

153 million 277 million(80% increase) Sweden 47% households have one resident Norway 40% households have one resident UK 34% households have one person living in them US 27% households have one person living in them Nations with fastest growth in one person households — India, China and Brazil (Source : The Guardian) okay with it because they want me to have good facilities. Now I take care of myself, do my chores myself and take care of studies at the same time,” he says. “But then, I think it’s all

worth it. I’ve become more responsible. Living alone has made me a little more mature, because I’ve learnt to understand what is right and wrong and that’s what happens once you have to start taking care of yourself. I think everyone should go through that experience, if they really want to be independent in life,” he adds. While being alone means that one is isolating himself/herself from the society, living alone only means that they want to give that extra time to themselves. And being alone in this age of social media is more than just difficult. Friends and family catch up with you where ever you go. Be it on phone, tablet or laptop. Whatever one might say, this trend will definitely be the cause in the change of social behaviour in individuals of the society.

Starting afresh Single ‘n’ Loving it

MARIE CLAIRE

“I

t’s not the men in my life that count, it’s the life in my men.” Mae

West. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince charming and that’s usually because it isn’t until you’ve learnt what you won’t put up with in a man that you are able to decide what you will put up with. Fairy tales, romantic movies and love songs make love seem so easy to find and to believe them would be to assume that good men (and women for that matter) are a dime a dozen. When you first get started in a new relationship, you’re usually wearing rose tinted glasses and everything seems so romantic and happy but then the honeymoon period wears off and the reality is that the majority of people we end up dating turn out to be selfish and self-absorbed. It’s surprising how hard it is to find a good man (or woman) and when you do, you still find things about them that you don’t like or give you pause for thought. Having been through bad relationships it’s easy to see something you don’t like in a person and have alarm bells go off in your head, warning you to get out before it all turns nasty. It’s only natural to want to protect yourself, but if you take a deep breath and a step back to give yourself time to think, you might just find that whatever has set off alarm bells in the first place isn’t nearly as bad as you first imagined. None of us is perfect so the ‘perfect partner’ simply isn’t out there but if the depth of character of the person you are with is impressive enough, putting up with their faults is really no big deal — after all they have to put up with our too. ‘Put up with’ may sound like a negative thing but when you think about it, it really isn’t. We all have our good and our bad points and the good points are easy to live with. It’s the negative aspects that take a little more getting used to but if the good is good enough, the bad is more than worth putting up with.

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @LakshmiManchu

@tashu_02

@shrutihaasan

@trishtrashers

Basic electricity is such a scarcity in this country. Seeing so many people suffer is heart breaking. They r literally boiling in this heat.

A pit stop at the outer area of Hyderabad for a cup...no 2 cup of tea... Hahahaha....n ya all ur tweets r welcome so keep tweeting... :-))

Hmm so let’s see what all this fuss about game of thrones is about :)

Now jus waitn for d mango showers n d yummilicious mangoes.Feels lik im re-living school summer holidays.Those were d best days.

@actressanjjanaa

@Isumanth

@shraddhadas43

@RGVzoomin

Hey ppl its early pac up fo me 2day :-) been supa fun shooting hea, now time fo some shopping :-)

#IPL . Interaction between commentary box & fielder-while game is on/while he’s taking a start--downright disrespects the game.

My best friend for almost a decade, Shruti Iyer @LoOoneyI, her bday tonite,super excited to celebrate it tonite! Looking forward.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line but the shortest distance between two straight lines is never a point.

Boyapati Srinu is quite confident about Dhammu

Allu Arjun, Ileana set to groove in Dubai

Endhukante Premanta postponed to late May

A B

oyapati Srinu is going all out for his upcoming film Dhammu. The film has already been censored and given an ‘A’ certificate. It came as a big surprise to most industry observers as Dhammu’s censor was done nine days before its release at a time when most big budget films go to censor just three days before the actual date of release. Sources close to the film say that Boyapati Srinu is extremely confident about Dhammu which stars NTR, Trisha and Karthika. We hear that the film is high on action and sentiment and fans of NTR are in for a big treat this summer, if the buzz about the film is anything to go by. The film’s music, which was composed by MM Keeravani, has already become a huge hit and the stage is set for a massive release on April 27. Alexandar Vallabha has produced the film and if all goes well, more than 70 per cent of the theatres in Andhra Pradesh will be screening Dhammu at least on the opening day.

llu Arjun, Ileana starrer Julaayi has already completed a bulk of its principal shooting. Trivikram Srinivas is directing the film and N Radhakrishna is producing the film. “The film’s talkie part has already been completed and Allu Arjun, Ileana will fly to Dubai on April 26 to shoot a couple of songs. After that, the team will return to India to shoot three more songs,” N Radhakrishna said. Rajendra Prasad and Brahmanandam are playing important roles in this romantic entertainer. It’s the first time that Allu Arjun and Ileana are teaming up and the film has reportedly shaped up extremely well, thanks to the duo’s onscreen chemistry and Trivikram Srinivas’ dialogues. Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music and the film will hit the screens later this summer.

he buzz surrounding most of the big films releasing this summer is so huge that no producer seems to be willing to take a risk. With Dhammu, Daruvu and Gabbar Singh lined up for release within a gap of two weeks, we hear that producers of other films are looking for appropriate dates so that there’s no clash between two big projects. A Karunakaran’s Endhukante Premanta, which was supposed to release on May 11, has been postponed to the last week of May. Even the audio launch of the film has been postponed to April 29. Ram and Tamannaah are playing lead roles in this film and Sravanthi Ravi Kishore is producing it. “The audio release date has been pushed to the 29th of April! The release will be planned in a way that it does not clash wit any other film!” Ram announced on Twitter. Recently, GV Prakash, the music director, had finished the final mixing of the audio and he’s giving the final touches to the album in London.

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @NeilNMukesh

@rampalarjun

@AnupamPkher

@FarOutAkhtar

One of my dearest friends ashutoshs 30th birthday ! He is the only one giving me company in the singles list ! Haha !

“We always admire the other person more only once we have tried to do his job."— William Faulkner. Good morning.

Extremely sad to hear about the tragic air crash in Pakistan. My heart felt condolences to the families who lost their dear ones.

1 tweet away from 1,500 tweets! Oh!!! Not anymore.... (pops imaginary champagne bottle. Pause. Calls doctor for hallucinations)

@realprietyzinta

@akshaykumar

@udaychopra

@SrBachchan

Am out of the country and all I can do is cross my fingers and wish the #Kxip boyz All the Very Best !

Extremely sad to hear about the plane crash in Islamabad, such an unfortunate tragedy! My thoughts are with all those affected.

There is a rare beauty in some women, their presence inspires us,excites us, makes us feel alive. Beauty can only be experienced.

T 719 - Too many accidents of bikers on the road. And loss of life at young age. Rushed energy is desirous, but not at this cost !!

Priyan is very demanding: Zayed Khan A

ctor Zayed Khan, who will soon be seen in Priyadarshan’s Tezz, says the filmmaker is very demanding and his anger can be highly unnerving. But in the end, it’s all worth it, he says. “He (Priyadarshan) is very demanding. He expects the best out of you and doesn’t like excuses when you are on the sets and cannot come up with the goods," the 31-year-old said. Zayed and Priyadarshan have teamed up for the first time in Tezz, which also features Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani, Kangna Ranaut and Sameera Reddy, with southern superstar Mohanlal in a cameo. IANS

Shekhar inspired Prosenjit

The 1 in 10 million

With his perfect comedy timing, Ayushman makes sperm donation look like an easy option to earn pocket money Sana Mirza

sana.m@postnoon.com

aybe the reigning Khans of Bollywood could take a leaf out of John Abraham’s production endeavour. John risked to invest in a film which had an offbeat theme and with a newcomer in the lead. The stakes were high but the risk was worth it. With the release of Vicky Donor, Bollywood gives a new face to story-telling and we learn from director Shoojit Sircar that not everything that is taboo needs to be vulgar. The story is set in a middleclass household in Delhi where we are introduced to our goodfor-nothing royalty of the household, Vicky Arora (Ayushman

Movie: Vicky Donor Cast: Ayushman Khurrana, Annu Kapoor, Yaami Gautam, Dolly Ahluwalia, Kamlesh Gill Directed by: Shoojit Sircar Rating:

Khurrana). He lives with his mother Dolly (Dolly Ahluwalia) who runs a beauty parlour and his progressive grandmother who is persistent on upgrading her standards of living with a 32

inch LCD TV and an iPhone. Vicky is then stalked by a certain Dr Chaddha (Annu Kapoor) who runs an infertlity clinic and is currently on the hunt for the super sperm. His hunt comes to an end when he learns that Vicky’s forefathers had 19 children and so he begins to stalk Vicky to convince him to donate his sperm for a legal and more noble cause. The screenplay written by Juhi Chaturvedi is supremely funny with its witty dialogues complete with Dilli mannerisms. Shoojit Sircar along with the casting director deserves a pat on the back with such perfect casting. He manages to squeeze out the much hidden talent of our protagonist who seamlessly progre-

sses in his role from a jobless phuddu Dilliwala to a sperm donor and finally as the caring lover boy. The best part about the film is that it is a constant entertainer minus the unnecessary songs except for maybe one which sets the tune for romance. Vicky Donor does not feel like its Ayushman’s debut on the big screen and his years as an anchor has definitely made the transition easy. Yaami Gautam as Vicky’s love interest is convincing in her role but the duo that you need to watch our for are Vicky’s grandmother and mother as the overthe-top Punjabi saas-bahu. Filled with good performances, Vicky Donor is fultu paisa vasool.

ational Award winning Bengali actor Prosenjit Chatterjee’s character of the suave and dynamic politician in Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai is inspired by and modelled upon acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. Banerjee’s team was asked to dig up pictures of how Kapur looked 15 to 20 years back. These were used as direct reference points for Prosenjit’s physical appearance in Shanghai. “The fact is, when I wrote the role of the fantastically sexy and suave politician, it was Shekhar Kapur I had in mind. But we needed someone in his 40s. So, while we wisely chose Prosenjit for the politician’s role, it was Shekhar Kapoor we had in mind," said Banerjee. The filmmaker admits that watching Prosenjit in Shanghai will remind viewers of Kapur. IANS

CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

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CINEMA SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

kay, so let’s admit it. Universal’s $100 million epic adventure fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman with Kirsten Stewart, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron is the re-telling of the fairy tale we lay in eager anticipation of. But hey, that’s no reason to dismiss Mirror Mirror without a backward glance. In fact, Tarsem’s film is a refreshingly different take on the beloved fairy tale, breaking away from the Disney versions we have seen so often. For starters, as Julia Roberts charmingly tells us at the beginning of the film, this is not the story of Snow White, but the story of the (evil) Queen. In a kingdom far far away, the Queen (Julia Roberts) is at the helm of an empire that’s driven to destitution, to feed her vanity. Now, she has to find a suitor who can keep the show going. Enter the very rich and very blond Prince Alcott (Armie Hammer) and the Queen decides a match is in order. But she has

The spunky

The evil queen has driven the kingdom to destitution. But Snow White is not one to sit around and mope, she is taking matters into her own hands. Does she win? Watch Mirror Mirror to find out

Snow White to retrieve him from clutches of Snow White (Lily Collins), true heir to the throne and the ‘fairest of ‘em all.’ Meanwhile Snow White, not one to be moping about in her ivory tower, discovers the plight of her people takes matters into her own hands. Will she and her seven dwarfs be enough to overthrow the Queen, defeat the beast and get the (love-sick) Prince? Mirror Mirror has the answers. Visually a masterpiece, Mirror Mirror is for the most part uproariously funny, witty and original. With the exception of Lily Collins, all the cast shine in their roles. As a one-time watch, it’s certainly worth it.

Movie: Mirror Mirror Cast: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane, Jordan Prentice Directed by: Tarsem Singh Rating:

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

SOLUTION ON PAGE 32

SUDOKU

KAKURO

How to play Kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

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

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Currently possesses 4 North Dakota city on the Red River 9 Needed a good rubdown 14 Freud word 15 Lend ___ (pay close attention) 16 Conversation piece? 17 Lock, stock and barrel 18 Hungarian's language branch 19 Emulates a trucker 20 Overly avid Baltimore football fans? 23 Turncoat's crime 24 Be attached (to) 27 Berlin ‘mister’ 28 Hide, but not hair 31 At some distance 32 ‘___ will be done ...’ 35 ‘Amazing, ___ it?’ 37 All-purpose truck, for short 38 Avian commander? 41 Breakfasted 43 Lose control on the road 44 The Big Apple 45 Hosiery mishap 47 Object of blind devotion 49 Actor's gig 53 Flow steadily 55 Remedy taken in pairs 58 No big deal, to a bird? 61 Winter covering 63 Close with 64 Blooming loop 65 Decreases, as pain 66 Engraved pillar 67 Made use of a chair 68 Passage in a log 69 Nobel-winning chemist Frederick 70 Bridge expert Culbertson DOWN 1 Fireplace floor 2 Shining brightly 3 You, right now 4 Half-man/half-goat creatures

5 ____-Saxon 6 You may have seen them before 7 Acquire 8 Killer of the deep 9 Ladybug prey 10 Ballroom dance 11 Thanksgiving Day guests, eg 12 Blow up, as a photograph (Abbr) 13 ___ Moines, Iowa 21 Inheritance of the meek 22 Astringent in red wine 25 Long-tailed rodent 26 Prior to, to Prior 29 Address similar to ‘sport’ 30 Surreal ending? 33 ‘For ___ a jolly good fellow’ 34 Central Washington city

36 Evaluate by experiencing 38 Like the cheapest seats 39 Word with ‘first’ or ‘financial’ 40 Hard on the eyes and nose 41 Burro 42 You can have a blast with it 46 It blows off steam 48 Hit the ground 50 ‘... if you want to avoid trouble’ 51 Like a direct descendant 52 Something

or someone 54 Uneasy 56 Call on the carpet 57 Like some forest smells 59 Dame Myra 60 Dividing word 61 Cost for services 62 Bled in the laundry PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Page of Pentacles

King of Wands

Nine of Cups

Five of Pentacles

Four of Wands

King of Pentacles

ork – You have it in you to be a good boss with a heart. Your peers recognise the leader in you and urge you to aim higher. Romance – You may need to learn a few tricks to make a potential romance work in your favour. Being too idealistic may not work best. Health – You’re feeling cheerful and that is contributing a great deal to your health. You feel wonderful about the time and space you’re in now. Money – Finances are looking good. You have the traits to secure yourself and be at a position of minimum risk at any time. Tarot message – You see life differently and it takes some unusual experiences for you to understand that there may be another world out there.

ork – You’re on a roll! All your ideas are being accepted. What’s more, they work beautifully, too. You’re the centre of attention in the office. Romance – The love of your life enters your life. If you’re committed, you develop a new level of understanding with your partner. Health – You may be getting a little overweight. But it’s nothing to worry about. You’re doing absolutely fine, health wise. Money – You make decisions based on gut feel and this is bringing in the profits. It’s like music between the head and heart. Tarot message – This is the wish card, and is one of those times when you make a connection between the spiritual and material.

ork – Your colleagues or business partners may not fully agree with you on certain points in an important contract. Don’t lose heart. Romance – The time is not great. You have to work harder on your relationship to keep it afloat. You’re attracted to having short-term flings. Health – Worry and anxiety are causing problems and this is showing on your physical health. Don’t let the tension get to you. Money – You may have forgotten about some important investments you made a few years ago. Review your investment portfolio again. Tarot message – You need inspiration and guidance to start over. You’re tired and frustrated. Renew and refresh your life.

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

ork – You might find a new project more demanding than you expected. Perhaps the client is just too difficult to please. Romance – Passion is taking your relationship to the next level. Though the chemistry is wonderful, there are other parts of life together that need attention. Health – Take up a running or jogging routine that’s both fun and will keep your interest alive. Maybe exercising in groups will help? Money – Investment in real estate is a good idea. Start shopping around for the right property and you’re likely to hit upon the correct deal. Tarot message – You need to take a break. Hit the sun and sands and rejuvenate all your senses.

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Libra

Scorpio

Five of Swords

Three of Wands

ork – The wait is over and you’re ready to put all your plans into action. You’ve been patient and it pays off. Romance – You will settle for nothing but the very best. This idealistic attitude may make you unhappy in your relationship. Loosen up a little. Health – Try a new diet and exercise routine. It’s important to get rid of the boredom so you have the motivation to continue the routine. Money – Consult a good finance advisor. The earlier you start planning, the better it is for your own portfolio. Don’t scrounge on paying a good consultant. Tarot message – There are many choices and what you do about them is how your life will go.

ork – Avoid any kind of conflict or confrontation. A coworker or a competitor may be angling for a fight. Don’t give in to the temptation to prove yourself. Romance – Things are not perfectly cosy at this time. Singles may come across a string of incompatible partners. And those involved find some rough spots. Health – Mental stress and anxiety are not good for your health. Take active measures to de-stress and relax. Money – Check and double check before you decide where to put your money. Choose a practical and wise consultant even if she/he is expensive. Tarot message – Keep a low profile and avoid all kinds of conflict for now. You may not be thinking clearly.

Sagittarius Seven of Cups

ork –There may be some confusion when it comes to what’s expected of you. You may have misunderstood something. Romance – You and your partner need to set realistic expectations of each other. There are times when you feel it’s not working out. Health – You feel restless and anxious about not knowing what the future holds. You need some time to relax and destress. Meditate. Money – Finances have been your concern for some time now and they are sorted out quite well. Tarot message – Don’t stress about having it all right now and knowing everything there is know. There is joy in not knowing as well and you need to discover that joy.

Date 22-4-2012

Capricorn The Devil

ork – You’re too tempted to take the unfamiliar road. If you don’t have the experience or knowledge, it’s best to stay away and stick to what you do best. Romance – The relationship may have reached a point of boredom where you can even predict what your partner is going to say next. Rekindle the love. Health – Health needs extra care. Stay away from anything that remotely suggests trouble for your health. Money – You may be tempted to move money around in unfamiliar investments and take bigger risks. It’s a not a good idea. Stay in familiar territory for now. Tarot message – This is the time to keep a low profile and not get too adventurous.

ork – Your subordinates respect you for your experience and confidence in decision making. Romance – You come across as too cut and dried and totally out of touch with the romantic in you. How about living in a fairytale world, at least for some time? Health – Health is looking good. Just make sure to keep depression at bay. Undue anxiety and worry may be causing some stress on the body. Money – You have a singleminded focus on money, and want to secure yourself and your family financially before making any other decisions. Tarot message – You’re in a position of power and control. The way your life turns out from here will depend on how you use that power.

Aquarius The Emperor

ork – A good idea is half the battle won. You have good ideas but you also need the confidence to present them to your bosses with conviction. Romance – Love is in the air and you practically see roses everywhere you turn. The world seems like such a brighter place with love in it. Health – You’re feeling relaxed and tension-free from within and this feeling is radiating to the outer world. Your body is also responding. Money – Finances are in good shape. There’s nothing to worry about at the moment except to protect the money that’s in the bank. Don’t overspend. Tarot message – Love conquers all. You discover the power of this emotion.

Pisces The Wheel of Fortune

ork – Something at the work place stumps you. You may not have expected some behaviour from a colleague. But it’s new learning. Romance – All may not be looking up on the romance front for you at the moment. But it will soon change. Singles won’t be single for long. Health – You have the key to change your health situation and how your body responds to the various emotions within you. Attend a weekend health retreat. Money – Don’t leave much to risk. Protect a base amount of money against risk and use only some in the fluctuating markets. Tarot message – Not everything stays the same all the time. Be open to change and keep an open attitude.

Vol: 1, No 279 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

FAMOUS SPOUSES

9. Which is the longest highway in the world? 10. Who invented the ballpoint pen? 11.In which decade was the first solid state integrated circuit demonstrated? 12. Which statesman, politician, scholar, invented the swivel chair, the spherical sundial,

and the cipher wheel? 13. Track and field star Carl Lewis won how many gold medals at the 1984 Olympic games? 14. Ricky Ponting is also known as what? 15. How long are professional Golf Tour players allotted per shot?

Answer

Tanzania and Uganda ? 5. Which is the world's largest railway station? 6. What is the study of insects called? 7. Where is The Great Victoria Desert is located? 8. In which decade did the first transatlantic radio broadcast occur?

1. Mahinda Rajapakse 2. Israel 3. Flowers 4. Victoria 5. Grand Central Terminal, Park Avenue, New York 6. Entomology 7. Australia 8. 1990s 9.Trans-Canada 10. Biro Brothers 11. 1950s 12. Thomas Jefferson 13. four 14. Punter 15. 45 seconds

1. Who is the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka ? 2. Hamas is a militant organisation fighting against which country? 3. Which part of the poppy plant is used for the extraction of opium ? 4. Which lake forms an international boundary between

MOVIE GURU

IDENTIFY THESE DIRECTORS

IDENTIFY WHO SAID THESE LINES

IDENTIFY THESE FAMOUS BETTER HALVES

He made his debut in the fraternity comedy Animal House in 1978. In 1994, he earned a Golden Globe in his role in The River Wild opposite Meryl Streep. He married actress Kyra Sedgwick in 1988 after they met on the set of the play Lemon Sky. Who is he?

He joined the Labour Party shortly after graduating from Oxford in 1975. He became the youngest person to become Prime Minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812, at the age of 42. He married Cherie Booth, a Roman Catholic and future Queen's Counsel, on 29 March 1980. Who is he?

1 2

Mere Paas Maa Hain

Dosti ka ek usool hai madam no sorry, no thank you

Hum yahan ke Robin Hood hain, Robin Hood Pandey

Logon ka naam unke kaam se hota hain... mera, badnaam hoke hua hain

Bade bade shehron mein aisi chotti chotti batein hoti rehti hain

He is an Indian social activist fighting for greater transparency in the government.He was the awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership in 2006. He is married to Sunita, who is an IRS officer. Who is he?

Collage de gate de is taraf hum life ko nachate hain to dusri taraf life humhe nachati hai

Hum jaha khade ho jaate hai line wahise shuru hoti hai

1Kevin Bacon 2.Tony Blair 3. Arvind Kejriwal

Answer 1. Shashi Kappor in Deewar 2. Salman Khan in Dabangg 3 Salman Khan in Maine Pyaar Kiya 4.Vidya Balan in The Dirty Picture 5.Shah Rukh Khan in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge 6.Aamir Khan in Rang De Basanti 7Amitabh Bachchan in Kaalia

Answers 1 Ang Lee 2

KaTheryn Bigelow 3 Ron Howard 4.Peter Jackson

The Chilka Lake region lies in between which deltas? Garampani sanctuary is located at?

Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this sparrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s partner?

WHO AM I? I have two webbed feet and I love to live in ice-cold water. There are many movies also made in my name. I love eating fish and I am dressed in black and white. Who am I?

penguin

The first feature film (talkie) produced in India was?

with Santosh Ghule

Answer

3 4 5

PICTURE PUZZLE 11

An old man was on her mind

Who has become the first Indian cricekter to score a triple century in Tests ?

Answer

Who bought the sword of Tipu Sultan in London and brought it back to India ?

Answer A

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

1. Vijay Mallya 2.Virender Sehwag 3. Alam Ara 4. Mahanadi and Godavari 5. Diphu, Assam

Answers

SATURDAY APRIL 21, 2012

METRE

6S 229

19 4S445

CH Gayle RCB

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

HIGHEST SCORE

103

AM Rahane (RR) KP (DD)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)

This will be interesting I thought it was important to be aggressive on the field and keep up the energy level. That has helped us in winning the match. Hope we continue this. MS Dhoni CSK Captain

Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 304 runs

M Morkel (DD) 12 wickets

Mumbai pray for Sachin’s return T

heir campaign stuttering due to continuous batting failures, Mumbai Indians would hope that Sachin Tendulkar comes back and inspires a turnaround when they take on a struggling Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League match, here tomorrow. The home team is hoping that Tendulkar, who has seen the action only from the sidelines after getting hit on his finger in the opening game on April 4, returns to the opening slot and gives the top order a much-needed dose of stability. Mumbai Indians paid the price of reckless batting against Delhi Daredevils as they managed just 92 runs, their second-lowest total in five seasons, to lose their last match.

P W L T PT NR DD 5 4 1 0 8 1.018 RR 6 4 2 0 8 0.646 KKR 6 3 3 0 6 0.438 PW 6 3 3 0 6 0.174 CSK 6 3 3 0 6 0.024 MI 4 3 2 0 6 -0.088 RCB 6 3 3 0 6 -0.608 KXIP 6 2 4 0 4 -0.583 DC 4 0 4 0 0 -1.95 P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points

RAJESH RAVINDRAN

rajesh.r@postnoon.com

t will be a match between equals when Chennai Super Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in Chennai. True that Rajasthan Royals are ahead of Super Kings when it comes to points, yet they seem to have the same plus points and flaws. It will be interesting, as these two potential contenders are meeting for the first time in the tournament. Both the teams have men who can turn tables on opponents on their own. Chennai has F du plessis, S. Badrinath and Ravindra Jadeja. The Royals boast of players like AM Rahane and Brad Hodge. And both teams are led by cool, thinking captains: one the current Indian skipper, the other former skipper. And both teams are unfazed while chasing big scores: their last couple of matches are proof enough. It seemed Chris Gayle’s

RR VS CSK AT 4PM ON SET MAX pyrotechnics had sealed the match when RCB were playing CSK, but with firepower matching the West Indian, F du Plessis led Chennai’s chase of their opponents’ 205. And it was more of a team effort than a

one-man onslaught. In the only match Deccan Chargers had a sliver of a chance, the Royals were set a target of 196. With five wickets in hand and two balls to spare, the mission was accomplished

with elan. But bowlers of both teams can be unpredictable. No doubt both teams have matchwinners for bowlers, too, but that their teams had to chase big scores signals there is room for improvement.

SCORECARD KINGS XI PUNJAB V ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE Kings XI Punjab innings (20 overs) Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 164 runs from 20 overs) N Saini† b Khan 14 MA Agarwal lbw b Awana 1 PC Valthaty c de Villiers b Khan 6 CH Gayle c Hussey b Awana 87 SE Marsh b McDonald 26 DJ Hussey* b Patel 41 V Kohli c Marsh b Awana 4 DA Miller c Khan b McDonald 8 SS Tiwary c †Saini b Awana 4 Mandeep Singh c Kohli b Vinay Kumar 20 AB de Villiers lbw b Chawla 52 Azhar Mahmood not out 33 AB McDonald not out 8 PP Chawla not out 7 DL Vettori* not out 2 Extras (b 1, lb 4, w 3) 8 Extras (w 7, nb 1) 8 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 163 Total (5 wickets; 19.3 overs) 166 Bowling O M R W Econ Bowling O M R W Econ Z Khan 4 0 25 2 6.25 P Kumar 4 0 35 0 8.75 R Vinay Kumar 4 0 40 1 10.00 P Awana 4 0 34 4 8.50 HV Patel 4 0 44 1 11.00 PP Chawla 4 0 21 1 5.25 AB McDonald 4 0 25 2 6.25 Harmeet Singh 4 0 46 0 11.50 Azhar Mahmood 3.3 0 30 0 8.57 DL Vettori 4 0 24 0 6.00 RCB won by 5wkts

Pune hope to be lucky

atters have not been bright for the Pune Warriors lately. Following an impressive start and staying atop the points table for a while, the Warriors seem to on the wane. Three consecutive losses have cost them much and their top position too. It’s even more painful that their last drubbing was at the hands of Chennai Super Kings, whom they had beaten earlier. Now they face Delhi Daredevils, fresh and confident after a superb show against Deccan Chargers. Everything seems to be going DD’s way. They got the players to wrench victories from the opponents’ camp and they got luck, too; at least Kevin Peiterson has. He was dropped

PWI VS DD AT 8PM ON SET MAX three times en route to scoring his century against DC. And they have got Shahbaz Nadeem, who is a miser when it comes to giving runs and a glutton when it comes to taking wickets. Yet, if DD do not want to go the Warriors way, skipper Virender Sehwag and the team need to be more contributing with the bat. Warriors’ bowling coach Allan Donald says Sourav Ganguly is just a knock away from showing the world what a world-class player he was. Well, he may have to do it soon, for his poor form is a big worry for the Warriors.

95 DAYS TO GO SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Caster set for London trip

Le Clos betters time DURBAN: Olympics medal hopeful

TPRETORIA: Former world champion

Chad le Clos continued to star at the South African national swimming championships Friday by bettering another 2012 London Games qualifying time. The 20-year-old was the quickest qualifier from the 200 metres individual medley semi-finals with a time of one minute 58.87 seconds — 1.30 seconds inside the mark.

Caster Semenya won an 800 metres race in one minute 59.58 seconds Friday to secure a place in the South African team for the Olympic Games. Semenya, the best South African prospect for gold at the Games, relished running on a University of Pretoria track where she was boosted by Herunga Tjipekapora’s fast pace.

30 Super Dan in super form QINGDAO, CHINA: China’s Lin Dan cruised into the semi-finals of the Asian Championships on Friday with an impressive win over Thailand’s Boonsak Ponsana 21-15, 21-10 “Super Dan”, the top seed, took just 39 minutes to breeze past the Thai and looked in good form as he continues his quest to win a second Olympic title at the upcoming London Games.

Mutai sets sights on back-to-back London titles MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP

LONDON: Emmanuel Mutai

will bid for back-to-back London Marathon titles here Sunday as Kenyan runners look to dominate in the men’s and women’s races of the gruelling event. Mutai, 27, heads a strong field which includes fellow Kenyans, Patrick Makau, the world record holder and Abel Kirui, the reigning world champion. All three are determined to impress in London as they aim to secure one of the three spots available to marathon runners in Kenya’s Olympic team. Mutai’s preparations for the race have been disrupted by a bout of typhoid last month but the talented distance runner says he is back to full fitness and determined to impress Kenya’s Olympic selectors. “For me this will definitely be a tougher competition than last year because the field is so strong,” said Mutai. “Everyone has run a good time so I will have to perform at my best. “I had a fever a few weeks ago and was under medication. But I am feeling better now and my recovery has been good. I will have to try my best.” “The selection is challenging, but I think if I can finish in the top three here I will qualify,” he said. “The extra pressure is there because of the Olympic selection, but I’ve been concentrating on running well in London. What comes after London, I will think about then.” In the women’s race, defending champion Mary Keitany will

LONDON MARATHON aim to emulate her compatriot Mutai by romping to victory last year. Keitany is planning to use the race as a dry run for an assault on the London games in four months’ time. Keitany’s winning time last

year of two hours, 19 minutes and 19 seconds made her the second fastest woman over the London course. “I’m in the same shape as last year and I hope to defend my title and win despite the field being so competitive,” Keitany said. “It will be very hard because of the strong athletes. Almost

every runner has a good time, and many have run around 2hrs 20mins, but I am determined to defend my title.” However Keitany acknowledged she is still learning the tactical ropes following last year’s New York Marathon, where she finished third after losing a two-minute lead. “Sometimes your body can

cheat you and tell you that you are OK when you fail to understand your body is having problems,” she said. “But I don’t fear the marathon. I think of myself as a marathon runner now and I also think I have to better understand tactics, to know the tactics of running and handling a race.”

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT

Rafa, Joker see red over blue clay MONTE-CARLO: Rafael Nadal on Friday blasted the decision to play next month’s Madrid Masters, a key tournament in the build-up to the French Open, on blue clay rather than the traditional red. “My opinion, it’s a mistake," said the Spanish world number two. “You are in the middle of the clay court season, and the clay here in Europe is red. “Madrid is the only tournament you are playing at high altitude, and then now you are putting a different colour of clay. Madrid is big enough not to need this promotion. The history of the clay court season is on red, not blue." World number one Novak Djokovic also added his concern, saying it was the wrong time to experiment with playing conditions. “Sometimes change is good. I like innovative and creative people," said Djokovic after reaching the Monte Carlo Masters semi-finals. “But, on the other hand, it’s going to be the only blue clay court tournament in the world. To be honest with you, as far as I know, most of the top players I talked to, nobody has agreed." Djokovic named Roger Federer and Nadal as sharing his doubts about the wisdom of the publicity-generating experiment from master showman Ion Tiriac.

Bahrain crown prince: F1 race is on MANAMA: Thousands of people protested in a Shiite suburb of Bahrain’s capital on Formula One practice day as the Gulf kingdom’s crown prince insisted Sunday’s race would go ahead to avoid “empowering extremists." Demonstrators gathered late Friday afternoon in the Budaya area four kilometres (2.5 miles) west of Manama chanting “Down with the dictatorship!" and “Revolt until victory!" witnesses said. Some wore T-shirts bearing the slogan “Ready to die for Bahrain". Al-Wefaq, the main opposition group in the Shiite-majority but Sunni-ruled kingdom, said anti-riot police intervened “vio-

lently” and several demonstrators were injured. Earlier, the crown prince ruled out cancelling the event. “I think cancelling just empowers extremists," Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said during a media briefing at the Sakhir circuit. “I think for those of us who are trying to navigate a way out of this political problem, having the race allows us to build bridges across communities, and get people working together.” His remarks came after Force India said that, “for logistical reasons,” it would not take part in Friday’s second practice “to ensure the most competitive performance in FP3, qualifying

and the race.” Earlier, deputy team principal Bob Fernley told Autosport magazine they were considering curtailing practice in order to return to their hotel before dark but that they would not miss qualification on Saturday or Sunday’s race. Four Force India team members were caught up in a confrontation between protesters and police on Wednesday when a petrol bomb exploded near their car. Two team members chose to leave Bahrain on Thursday. And the Sauber team confirmed on Friday that they drove through a similar incident the previous day, but that none of

the 12 mechanics in an unmarked mini-bus was hurt. As second practice continued, Formula One’s chief executive and commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone appeared unmoved about escalating safety concerns. He said he did not understand why Force India was so worried about safety, adding that he had personally offered to drive with the team from the circuit if they wanted reassurance. “They have asked and been told they can have security if they want it," he said. “None of the other teams seem to have a problem." AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

Blues hope to tame Gunners too

EPL LONDON: After two stunning cup triumphs, Chelsea’s focus will return to the Premier League when Roberto Di Matteo’s side resume their bid to claim a top four place at Arsenal. Just three days after the 5-1 demolition of Tottenham in the FA Cup

semi-final, Chelsea moved one step closer to a place in the Champions League final with a 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the semi-final first leg. Di Matteo and his players will travel out to the Camp Nou next week to see if they can complete the job and unexpectedly eliminate the holders from the competition.

And they could go there having reclaimed their place in the top four if they can beat Arsenal, who currently lie third, seven points ahead of sixth placed Chelsea, and Tottenham and Newcastle both fail to win. The revival that began when Di Matteo was installed as interim first team coach following the dismissal of Andre VillasBoas continues to gather pace and a season that appeared to be heading towards disaster could yet be regarded as a success. And while the prospect of lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time is clearly the dream that fires everybody at Stamford Bridge, the more pragmatic immediate target is to ensure qualification for next season’s competition. Chelsea have lost just once in 13 games under Di Matteo and Arsenal’s recent home defeat to Wigan will fuel the Blues’ belief they can gain revenge for the 5-3 home defeat they suffered at the hands of Arsene Wenger’s side last October. “We changed the manager and got a few good results; from that point, the confidence of the team was growing and you can see once you feel more confident the results come,” goalkeeper Petr Cech said. AFP

All or nothing, says Pep LA LIGA MADRID: Barcelona boss

Defending champions Barcelona are four points behind Real with five matches left, but Guardiola was keen to stress that his

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Pep Guardiola admitted that defeat in Saturday’s Clasico against Real Madrid at Camp Nou would crown his bitter rivals as Spanish champions. “La Liga is in Real’s hands. If they win tomorrow or draw, it’s all over. If we want to continue to believe in our chances, then only a victory will be good enough,” said Guardiola on Friday.

team deserve credit for the way they have eaten into their rivals’ lead in recent weeks. “It wasn’t so long ago that we were a long way behind, between 10 and 13 points. Now to be in this position, to still be alive in the championship, to work so hard, it’s luxury.” Guardiola added that he expected Real to press for the three points on Saturday. “They will come to win. I would be very surprised if they thought that a draw would be enough.”

Spurs ruin Kobe’s return

an Antonio's top trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined for 61 points Friday as the Spurs spoiled Kobe Bryant's return from injury with a 121-97 NBA victory over the Lakers.