SACHIN TURNS 39 The world may have feted him for becoming the only man to hit a century of centuries, but when it came to celebrating his 39th birthday, Sachin Tendulkar preferred to be with his wife and a few friends. The cake itself was the figure of '100'. The return of the Little Master has cheered the Mumbai side, which hopes to better their performance. Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 HYDERABAD
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CITY RESERVOIRS IN DEATH THROES M ANIL KUMAR
REPORT ON PG 4
ZETA-JONES SINGS AT FUNDRAISER P25
THE RECIPE FOR A BLOCKBUSTER
IT’S GIRL POWER AT INTER It’s been happening for several years and it happened this year too. Girls outperformed boys this year as well in the intermediate second year exams. As per the results, 67.05 per cent girls passed whereas P3 boys trailed at 44.62 per cent.
P16&17
What makes a film click with the audience? Why do some films end up being blockbusters while others with similar storylines don’t? We offer our analysis.
Page Two
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Spirit of Twin Cities
CLEAN-UP ACT
Kathak performance Get enchanted by a classical performance by a maestro. Pandit Birju Maharaj will give a kathak performance on living heritage. Where: Chowmahalla Palace, Charminar When: April 24, 8.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2452 2032
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: April 22, 28, 29 Contact: (040) 2770 0734
Cultural extravaganza Catch a number of cultural events at Qutub Shahi Tombs on April 24. Shoeb Saqib & Khalid Iqbal will perform various ghazals, J K Shaheen Qawaal & Party will present a qawalli performance and also catch the play Quli Qutub Shah by Sifar Master. Where: Quli Qutub Shahi Tombs, Golconda When: April 24, 6pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm Contact: (040) 2351 3410
Painting exhibition A painting exhibition titled Twinkle is being held at Inspire Art Gallery. The exhibition features artwork by R Usha Vinod and B Usha Kumar. Where: Inspire Art Gallery, Hyderguda When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 3062 8447
Shifting terrain An abstract painting exhibition by Pandurang Deoghare, is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on till April 5. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 9849968797
Awadhi food festival Get a taste of Awadhi food at the Awadhi food festival. The food festival called Shaam-E-Awadhi. Where: Mercure Hotel, Chirag Ali Lane, Abids When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6712 2000
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.
CINEMAS
A man cleans an open drain in Afzal Gunj
Where: Syn - Asian Bar and Grill, Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 12 pm to 3.30pm Contact: (040) 6666 3939
Street and style A street food special called Khao Galli—Street food night will be held on April 25 at Kebab Pavillion, Ella Suites. Head to Ella Hotel for great experience. Where: Ella Hotel, Gachibowli When: April 25 onwards Contact: (040) 6628 8488
IPL special Truffles Cafe is offering a great way to catch the live telecast of IPL 5. It’s the perfect combination of great food and a great game! Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 8am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105
Cricket frenzy Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas paying ode to the IPL teams and their spirits. Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Mocha Express — Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards
M ANIL KUMAR
Contact: (040) 23350144
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
Goan food festival Take a tasty trip to Goa at the Momo Cafe at Hyderabad Marriott and Convention Centre. Where: Hyderabad Marriott and Convention Centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 12.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999
Spice fest Love all thing spicy? Head to any Mc Donald outlet for the exciting spice fest.The fest is on from April1-June 1 and offers a variety of Mc Donalds products with a spicy twist. Where: Mc Donalds outlets When: Ongoing
African barbeque fest Barbeque Nation offers a chance to experience Africa in Hyderabad. Where: Barbeque Nation,
Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6456 6693
Angkor Wat A painting exhibition based on the Angkor Wat in Columbia is being presented by Kalakrithi Art Gallery and ITC Kakatiya. Where: Hyder Mahal, ITC Kakatiya, Begumpet When: Ongoing, 11am-7pm Contact: (040) 2340 0132
Show and tell Books n more presents Show and Tell, an activity to promote good expression and communication for 3-8 year olds. The activity aims to improve your child’s ability to communicate well in English. Where: Books n more, Sivaramkrishna Colony, Marredpally When: Ongoing, 5pm to 6pm Contact: 98859 56728
Business lunch Via Milano is offering weekday special business lunches which is a special three course lunch. Where: Via Milano, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6455 6677
Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973
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Hyper Local
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
Flame of despair kills girl CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com
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n a shocking incident, a class VIII student committed suicide by setting herself ablaze at her house in the Gandimaisamma area under Mangalhat police station limits on Sunday. According to the Mangalhat police sub inspector Massana, the girl had been depressed ever since her mother died two years back and it was this that pushed her to commit suicide. The deceased was the eldest daughter of Umesh Singh, a Ganesh idol maker. She went to a nearby school and according to reports, was extremely upset after her mother died in a road accident two years back. Neighbours say that the girl was
mentally disturbed ever since the accident and although her father took very good care of her, she would often remember her mother. Umesh has two daughters but the deceased was very close to her mother. She could not handle her mother’s death,
which is why on Sunday when she couldn’t bear it any more she decided to take her own life. When she was alone at home on Sunday evening she doused herself with kerosene and set herself ablaze. Neighbours heard her agonised cries and rushed to the spot. They shifted
Girls outdo boys once again N SHIVA KUMAR
EDUCATION Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com
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t’s been happening for several years now and it happened this year too. Girls outperformed boys this year as well in the intermediate second year examinations. As per the results, which were declared today, 67.05 per cent girls passed when compared to the 44.62 per cent of boys who cleared the exams in the City. The total no of candidates who appeared in general were 9,45,694 and in vocational there were 77,150 candidates. Of these 4,94,758 candidates passed in the general category and 37,616 in vocational. In all, 2,04,348 students got A grade in general and 12,213 in vocational. Total number of girls who appeared in general category were 4,20,081 of which 2,37,221 passed. In the vocational category a total number of 35,315 students appeared of which 14,718 passed. A total number of
5,25,640 boys appeared in the general category of which 2,48,537 passed. In the vocational category 41,835 boys appeared for the exam and 18,744 passed. This year more than 603 candidates were booked for malpractice and the results of 187 students have been withheld. However, this year’s pass percentage is lower when compared to that of the previous three years. While the pass percentage in the general category this year is 58.43 per cent, last year it was 63.27 per cent and in 2010 it was 64.69 per cent. In the vocational category too there has been a dip in the pass per cent with this year’s figure standing at 53.64 per cent. Last year it was 57.40 per cent. The supplementary examination will be held from May 23. The last date for payment of examination fee is May 5. Candidates who wish to avail these facilities have to pay an amount of Rs100 per paper for recounting and Rs600 per paper for photocopy cum reverification through e-Seva or AP Online centres. The last date for payment of fees for recounting is May 7.
her to a private hospital and informed the police. However, the girl had sustained severe burn injuries. In her dying declaration to the police, the girl didn’t say much. Even when the cops questioned her, she remained silent for a few minutes after which she kept repeating her mother’s name. She died shortly after due to her injuries. “The girl’s death was disturbing even for us,” said Mangalhat inspector G Sridhar, adding, “She was extremely attached to her mother, which is a rare thing these days. Most other children are too busy in their own lives, but she was different.” Neighbours also were deeply affected by the girl’s death. The Mangalhat police have registered a case and sent the body for autopsy, after which her body will be handed over to her father for the last rites.
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CRIME BRIEF Burglars break into home, steal cash and jewellery
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ome unidentified people stole cash worth `50,000 and seven tolas of gold from the house of an electrician after breaking open the lock. Rajender Kumar, a resident of Sitaram puram, under Bowenpally police station limit, had gone to his village on April 17 with his family when some unidentified people broke into his house. The incident came to light when he returned home. The Bowenpally police have registered a case and have begun investigations.
Harassed woman hangs herself to death
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n a shocking incident a 25-year-old woman Manjula committed suicide by hanging herself. Two years back Manjula had gotten married to a software engineer Ajeet Anand of Kukatpally. But two months after marriage, Anand began to harass her physically and mentally. Unable to bear this, she committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan. The Kukatpally police have registered a case against Anand.
Hyper Local
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
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Death of our water reservoirs? WATER
NEERI recommendations
• Identification and prevention
Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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or quite some time now, environmentalists and prominent Hyderabadis had been alleging it, but there had been no concrete evidence. However, it is official now. The main drinking water supply sources of Hyderabad — Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar — from where the water board draws 40 million gallons of water every day, are polluted due to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation and the failure of the State government in containing them. The draft report of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) on the condition of drinking water in the twin lakes revealed shocking facts. The report noted that minerals and poisonous chemical substances in both Osman and Himayatsagar exceeded normal limits. While Osman Sagar consists of ammonia, nitrogen, artho-phosphates, organo-chlorin, organo-phosphorhene, boran, zinc, lead, cadmium chromium, cobalt and manganese found to be in excess of the permissible limits, the Himayatsagar water has huge quantities of iron, lead, cadmium,
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nickel, cobalt, copper and zinc. These levels exceed the normal limits permitted by Central Public Health & Environmental Engineering Organisation. The chemicals found in both the lakes are commonly used in pesticides. The report pointed that pH levels of Himayatsagar stood at 8.7 as against the normal level of 7. On the other hand, the colour of water in Osman Sagar appeared green and brown due to growth of Phytoplancton. The report also pointed out the excessive levels of persistent organic pollutants (POP) in the two lakes.
The chemical oxygen demand (CoD) and biological oxygen demand (BoD) stood between 20mg-60mg. Neeri was entrusted with the responsibility of conducting a detailed study of the condition of water of these two lakes. The report was recently submitted to water board MD Adhar Sinha. The organisation tested samples taken from different depths during different seasons over the last one year. It also carried out an ecological assessment of the reservoirs by applying various parameters such as lake sedi-
ments aspects, water turbidity, biotic, abiotic, heavy metal accumulation and ivy fauna. The report, apart from highlighting facts about both lakes, also made several recommendations for cleaning up the reservoirs.
Water is safe for consumption
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he water board officials claimed that NEERI’s conclusion was that the overall quality of the water is well within the permissible limits prescribed by CPHEEO drinking water quality standards and can be used for consumption after treating it. “The water is safe for consumption after its treatment. NEERI had only submitted its draft report and we are awaiting the final report. In the meantime, we are also planning to implement its recommendations,” water board MD Adhar Sinha told Postnoon.
LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT
TTD goes to Dallas U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
T Devotees perform pooja at the NTR Stadium on Monday as part of the Koti Deeparchana SAI RAM REDDY
Helpline GAS BOOKING IVRS NO: HP 9666023456 Indane 9848824365 BSNL Complaints HMWS & SB Complaints
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POLICE CONTROL ROOM: Hyderabad 27852435 Traffic Control Room 27852482 DCP Traffic 23234065, 23243499F Pollution Control Board 23887500 ELECTRICITY: General Complaints Breakdown Section
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WATER SUPPLY: Complaint Cell Sewerage Complaint Hyd. Water Supply HOSPITAL: General Hospital, Sec-bad Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills NIMS, Director, Punjagutta Osmania General Hospital Railway Hospital, Lalaguda Apollo, Jubilee Hills Care Hospital, Banjara Hills Care Hospital, Nampally Care Hospitals, Musheerabad Care Hospital, Sec-bad Kamineni Hospital,
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of entry of domestic waste waters and other pollutants into the lakes. Construction of a ring sewer and construction of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) to prevent waste water from flowing into the lakes. Cutting of trees within the Full Tank Level (FTL) as and when they surface to the ground level. Prevention of domestic water flow into the lakes Complete ban on fishing, bathing and washing and regulation of anthropogenic activities around the two reservoirs. Introduction of aerators. Prevention of further pollution by laying intercepting and diversion lines near the lakes. And treatment of water entering into the lakes.
LB Nagar 155313 23307328 23313163 27505566 23314095 23390933 24600146 27001134 23607777 30418888 30417777 30419000 30416666
BLOOD BANKS: Blood Bank,Narayaguda Chiranjeevi Blood Bank Blood Bank Mediton Goal Red Cross, Vidyanagar ADRM Blood Bank Mythri Charitable Trust NTR Memorial Trust Care Banjara Hills
irumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) will conduct Sri Srinivasa Kalyanam with deities from Tirumala in Dallas on May 12 at Dr Pepper Arena. The Sri Lakshmi Ganapthi temple at Plano will host this event. Incidentally, Dallas has a large Indian population. Everyday, TTD gets a minimum of 100,000 applications for the Kalayanostvam ticket, 2,000
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AMBULANCES Apollo 23548888, 23607777 Kamineni 24022222 Medwin 23202902, 23204616 Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979 Red Cross 27627973 Niloufer Hospital 23314095 Gandhi 23320332
applications for Thomala and Archana tickets and 1,000 applications for Suprabatham. However, TTD is able to accommodate only around 600 people for kalyanam and around 50 for Thomala /Archana /Suprabatham due to various limitations. In order to meet the huge demand, Sri Lakshmi Ganapthi temple decided to host the event to help devotees participate in these sevas. Over 200 volunteers who are not affiliated to any commercial entities are working on this event.
AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999
UK Visa Office VFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A, Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7 Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills34. Working hours are from 8 AM to 1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM. MUSEUMS Salar Jung Museum AP State Museum Nizams Museum
24523211 232431300/7641 24521029
Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222
Hyper Local
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
Local polls on the anvil? POLITICS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com
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he State government is contemplating to conduct local body elections across the State and this was informed to the Chief electoral officer (CEO) Banwarlal. Banwarlal told Postnoon that the Election Commission would gear up for both the elections, that is local body and the bypolls, as they have to be conducted as decided by the Chief election commissioner.(CEC). The CEC was contemplating to conduct all the elections across the country before the presidential polls. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the government was for holding the muchdelayed municipal elections in May along with the local body elections and, the dates are to be announced soon. The CM asked officials to gear up for municipal polls and instructed them to complete all pending JNNURM projects relat-
ing to underground drainage, storm-water drains and drinking water schemes . The Congress government has a two pronged strategy in conducting these elections. One is to get the Central funds and the other is to postpone the byelec-
Government plan n n n n n n n n
Division of municipalities into wards Division of wards to STs, SCs, BCs, and women Updation of electoral roll with reference to 1-1-2011. Identification and finalisation of polling stations Selection and training of polling personnel Appointment of additional election officers Review of law and order situation Implementing code of conduct
tions where there are less chances of a Congress win. TDP leader Varla Ramaiah said that the Congress was worried about the bypoll outcome
and that could be the reason to announced the elections for the local bodies. The municipal polls were postponed by the government from time to time giving various reasons. The TDP leaders, while gearing up for the municipal elections, have charged the government might come with a strategy to postpone the bypolls further. At the same time the TDP is making plans to prepare the cadre before the government announces the election schedule. The party decided to complete the party's internal elections across the state before April 26. On the other hand, both the CM and the TDP chief are making whirlwind tours of the State. While the government is giving sanctions left and right, Babu has no other option but to criticise the ruling party and its leader. Congress MLC Mohammed Jani told Postnoon that the Congress was in fact planning for all the elections in a row. There could be some delay in the bypolls but they will be conducted before the Presidential polls he said.
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Rajakumari asks CM to sack Botsa
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emanding that Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy sack transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana, senior TDP leader Nannapaneni Rajakumari alleged that people hated Botssa for his ‘questionable activities’. She alleged that Botssa was ina hurry to become the CM. Stating that Vizianagaram was not Botsa’s jagir, she warned the PCC chief that the TDP would launch dharnas in the entire State if he tried to obstruct Chandrababu Naidu’s dharna at Vizianagaram collectorate. She alleged that everybody knows about Botsa, who carried suitcases and carriages to senior politician Penmasta Sambasivaraju and became a minister by suppressing Penmasta. Earlier, she tried to stage a dharna at the Gandhi statue on the Assembly premises. She squatted at the Assembly Hall when the staff locked the gate of Gandhi statue premises. The police arrested her and shifted her to Nampally Police Station. She was released later.
All eyes on Tirupathi
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fter Parakala the most talked about Assembly segment in the state that would go for the by-polls is Tirupathi. Becoming an MLA from Tirupathi is considered prestigious as it is the seat of Lord Balaji. Former chief minister NT Ramarao secured 77 per cent of the votes from Tirupathi and created history. As soon as Chiranjeevi was nominated by the Congress to Rajya Sabha, there is a clamour for the seat from all the political parties. Presently Chiranjeevi is camping in New Delhi and his role has become all prominent ever since the Union minister Vayalar Ravi said he was a top leader at Delhi level. Now the onus is on Chiranjeevi to ensure a Congress victory in Tirupathi. TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu has kicked off his bypoll campaign from Tirumala and announced the name of Chadalavada Krishnamurthy as the party candidate. Former TTD chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy has already started his campaign since last one month as YSRC candidate. The Congress which is lagging behind has at last announced the name of M Venkatramana. He is a Balija leader and has good following among the Kapu community. It was Chiranjeevi who has convinced the Congress leaders including the CM that one cannot neglect the caste angle for achieving the desired result. Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is also very keen that the Congress must get
Tirupathi 2009 elections Total voters — 2,47,160 Total votes polled —1,28,128 Chiranjeevi K — 56,309 votes (winner)-PRP B Karunakar Reddy — 40,379 votes Congress K Shankar Reddy — 21,307 votes - TDP Tirupathi as he hails from Chittoor district. Naidu is also concentrating on the majority Balija vote in the constituency and has fielded Chadalavada Krishnamurthy, who belongs to the Balija community. Tirupathi seat has around 40,000 Balija votes. There are about 36,000 Reddy voters, 22,000 Yadava and 19,000 Kamma voters. Sources in the Tirupathi and the intelligence has also reported that Karunakar Reddy has been grooming the constituency since a long time even after losing the last election. He lost the election to Chiranjeevi with a margin of around 15,000 votes. He is already touring the constituency extensively campaigning against Chiranjeevi for neglecting the constituency. According to surveys Karunakar Reddy has edge over the Congress and the TDP.
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‘Remove Kiran and Botsa to save Congress’
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ormer minister and senior Congress leader P Shanker Rao has once again urged the Congress high command to remove Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and PCC Chief Botsa Satyanarayana from their posts to save the party in the State before the issue of bye-election notification. He also demanded that the CM and chief secretary to provide protection to the sincere officers to boost their morale. He demanded that the State government bring back K Srinivas Reddy as ACB SIT chief. Speaking to the media on Monday, Rao alleged that the CM was extending full support to the corrupt people. He also said that the chief minister’s actions indicated that he was eliminating those fighting against corruption. He said that sacking him from the minister’s post and transfer of ACB official K Srinivas Reddy were best examples. Welcoming AICC emissary Vayalar Ravi’s report, Rao urged the high command to initiate action against the leaders. Referring to N Chandrababu Naidu’s visit to Vizianagaram district, he said that India was a democratic country and everyone has a right to visit any place. AGENCY
Passport adalat held for Haj pilgrims
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pecial adalat for Haj pilgrims was held in the Regional Passport Office. Regional Passport Officer Srikar Reddy along with Haj Committee chairman Syed Khaleeluddin Ahmed, Prof SA Shukoor, EO and other members participated in the adalat. The RPO said that 507 passports, exclusively for Haj pilgrims, were issued. The passports were issued for the pilgrims to travel only to Saudi Arabia with a validity of one year. The passports were issued under special category without police verification. The RPO said that some 1,200 passports were issued till date. This year, the Haj Committee had made it mandatory to apply with passports to the Haj Committee. Some 750 passports were issued with 10-year validity after police verification. Reddy said around 20,000 passport applications submitted last year in the old system were pending for various deficiencies. They could submit documents and obtain passports. There would be an adalat on all working days from May 1 to May 31 for applicants who submitted applications in the old system. AGENCY
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
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‘Gold’ rush in the City TREND Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
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kshay tritya is here finally!! Hyderabadis were seen thronging jewellery shops since morning. After suffering huge loss in the 21-day strike against the excise levies, for gold retailers in the City this is the only day where most of the jewellers can recover their losses. Leaving no stone unturned to lure customers to buy gold, many shops offer discounts and various schemes. “We are expecting a good sale today. It’s just one hour since we opened shop and we have already sold jewellery worth `2 lakh. I am sure that by evening it’s going to be three times more. Akshay tritya is an auspicious day and people believe in purchasing gold on this day. Many customers prefer buying diamonds too but demand for gold jewellery is more” said, Ahmed Mokhtiyar, MK Jewellers, Nampally. Many customers were seen purchasing coins from 1 gram to 10 gram. It’s not only the jewellery shops in City but even the post office in Abids and various banks are offering schemes for purchase of coins. “I am a regular customer of Tanishq. So this year too I am going to purchase one necklace set for my daughter. I usually like purchasing diamonds and gems but in my family it’s a tradition to buy only gold on Akshay tritiya. So I make sure every year this day I buy some gold” said, Sunita Singh, a customer at Tanishq
A Himayatnagar branch. “Last year before going to USA I purchased a set from Jos Alukkas, but due to some maintenance problem I had to return them. I got a refund from them 10 days back. I kept that money for today. I am going to buy a new gold set. My mother-in-law says that purchasing gold today doubles your wealth so I don’t want to miss this opportunity,” said, Swati Sagarwaala, a customer at Surajbhan Jewellery, Abids. It’s not just Hyderabadis who believe in purchasing gold on this auspicious day, even the NRIs have faith in it. “My brother had sent me some cash to purchase a gold biscuit as an investment,” said Ankita Chauhan, a customer at MK Jewellers, Nampally. Many jewelers had already
kshaya Tritiya is one of the most significant days, both, according to the Hindu calendar and mythology. Akshaya Tritiya, the third day of the new moon of Vaishakha month (April-May), is considered to be one of the four most auspicious days of the Vedic Calendar. Gold bought and worn on the day is believed to bring never-diminishing good fortune. Another belief is that worship of Goddess Laxmi with gold coins and other items kept in the puja makes the wealth accumulate all through the year.
received pre-bookings for the day “The pre-bookings have been in full force this year. We have recorded an increase of 100 per cent compared to last year’s festive period,” said Rama Rao from Sai Krishna Jewellers, Mangalhat. Jewellery retailers are offering schemes and discounts like a free
ICONIC CITY General Bazar, MG Road SAI RAM REDDY
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gold coin with every purchase. For purchase of diamond jewellery worth `2 lakh and above, customers can get at 10 per cent discount.The jewellery shops expect to record 50 per cent or more sales on Akshaya Tritiya. However, the jewellery associations in City are still not sure about the profit. Wholesalers are still upset as still there is no news on the excise duty. They are sure that the sale may not be like last year but are expecting at least 30 to 40 per cent profit. “The consumer needs to be sensible while purchasing gold and make sure that in the name of discounts they should not be in loss,” said Praveen Kumar, general secretary, Twin City Jewellers Association.
Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We take a look at the various places that make this City so special
Aishwarya Yerra
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t might seem like all the old bazaars of the Twin Cities are situated only in Hyderabad but that is not true, as General Bazaar in Secunderabad is one of the most iconic markets of the City. Women from all generations — grandmothers, mothers and daughters — shop here. People have been coming here for ages and shop at the same stores. It is mainly a market for textiles and clothes but one can also shop for utensils, toys, shoes and apparels. There is a certain charm in this bazaar located in the narrow galli of MG Road. Streetside vendors sell kurtas for as cheap as `120. A quaint store called Button Shop sells thousands of varieties of buttons, borders, ribbons, needles and anything related to embroidery can be found here. Decades-old sari shops sell beautiful wares right from zari to fancy saris. Don’t forget to bargain while shopping here!
Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
MUNICIPAL APPROVAL
FABRICATION
The latest form of altruism TREND Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com
S CERTIFICATION
APTransco chief slams delay
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PTransco chairman and managing director Ajay Jain on Monday expressed his displeasure over the inordinate delay in setting up of 400 KV sub-stations in the State. He also directed the officials to cancel the contracts and blacklist companies which failed to achieve the targets. AGENCY
EDUCATION
emen donation is the latest form of altruism that has proven a boon for childless couples. Heralded as a milestone in the field of medicine, this charitable act, now taken up by millions of people across the globe has fast caught up in the City. Although many consider it unorthodox and unnatural, social awareness and the reliability of this method has helped many couples realise their dreams of parenthood. Vishweshar Rao is a 33year-old who is into the food and nutrition business. He is happily married and has two children. He says, “I was motivated by my friends in Bangalore to contribute to their sperm bank. The first time I did, I was offered `1,200 as compensation. However, I felt it was morally wrong to accept money for a charitable act such as this and it made it seem like a business endeavour. Ever since then I have been helping childless couples and single parents (hetero and homosexual, who later approach surrogate mothers) by donating the sperm.” The internet is flush with advertisements from semen
donors who wish to donate or sell their sperm. Doctors, scientists, musicians, engineers all figure in the list of people who proactively wish to cater to the needs of the childless. Students too, who want to make a fast buck, are a part of this. However, not everybody can donate their sperms. Dr Samit at Kiran IVF clinic says, “A sperm donor has to be healthy with no history of diseases. Childless parents want all the prime qualities of intelligence, good looks and great physique in their child so the standards set are pretty high.” “When a sperm donor approaches a bank, he is che-
cked for infections, congenital diseases, HIV etc. Education, family background, habits and their genes are scrutinised for a period of six months. His sperm count is checked and samples of these are frozen in the bank. After six months, the donor is ready to donate his semen and there are umpteen regulations that monitor this too,” says Dr Samit. A donor cannot have sex three days before donating his sperm. All donations are done under conditions of anonymity. Dr Rama’s Fertility clinic was among the first in the City to offer sperm donation for artificial insemination. Dr Rama says, “In 1991 when we
Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com
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Millennium Dental Clinic, film nagar main road, opp: cafe melange, jubilee hills, HydPh: 040-31000889
first started the clinic, we barely had about 50 people annually approaching us for sperm donors. Now, the numbers have shot up to 60,000 a year thanks to the awareness.” Semen banks cannot function independently like blood banks or organ banks. They have to be monitored and be a part of a fertility clinic. Hyderabad has over 150 fertility clinics with most of them operating their own semen banks. However, doctors at the fertility centres say there is only one issue — there is a lot of demand, but the supply is less. While the idea has certainly not appealed to the conservative and orthodox, some are apprehensive about the procedure as they claim it is “unnatural”. Shamina Ali, a mother of two says, “It is unnatural for a woman to accept semen from strangers. It will only lead to a breakdown of the moral fabric of the family.” Furthermore, the demand for exceptional qualities in sperm donors has caused a huge demand-supply gap in the City. With Bollywood’s latest movie Vicky Donor based on sperm donation, there seems to be a growing awareness. However, it remains to be seen what impact the practice will have on the millions of childless couples who wish for a progeny.
It’s just like home, say City Bengalis COMMUNITIES
HEALTH
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engalis are not new to Hyderabad; the City of Pearls is home to the community members from the time of the Nizams. Many have served them in high capacities such as geologists, accountants, professors in Nizam College and also many in the CID wing of the Nizam’s police force. There are about four lakh Bengalis in Twin Cities. For most youngsters, who have not even visited Bengal, Hyderabad is their home. The old-timers from the community say “We’ve been here for at least six decades and have our business and family here. We celebrate our festivals and traditions here with a Hyderabadi flavour” said, Biswajeet Roy, a resident of Ameerpet. Areas like Sainikpuri, Secunderabad, Ammerpert, Begumpet, Himayat Nagar, Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills have sub-
stantial chunks of Bengal population. Most of them are either into clothing business, making gold jewellery or teaching. Several are prominent scientists, industrialists and bankers. In Hyderabad, the community is very active in social and cultural events. Every year, Durga puja is
conducted in nearly 10 to 12 localities on large scale. The Hyderabad Bengali Samiti, Cyberabad Bengali Association, Bengali Cultural Association, Hyderabad Bengali Welfare Association, Krishti Goshti, Hyderabad Kalibadi and Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha are some of the associations in the City where
Bengalis meet and celebrate their festivals. Uttarayan is the biggest social club of the community and organises Kali Puja and Diwali celebrations. Entertainment programmes are organised to attract both Bengalis and non-Bengalis. “Language is not at all a barrier for us. My kids are more fluent in Telugu and Deccani Hindi than me. We are now citizens of Hyderabad and actively take part in social and political life here. The people of Hyderabad are very hospitable. We love to be called as Hyderabadi Bengali”, said Bimal Roy, member of Bangiya Sanskritik Sangha. He came to Hyderabad 45 years ago and settled here. The community in the City has been in the forefront of national and local causes. The fund that is generated from Durga Puja or any of their cultural events is used for philanthropic activities. The community has contributed to the Kargil relief fund and for disaster relief funds during natural calamities. The members from the various associations also visit the government hospitals and distribute fruits and blankets.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities
Man files RTI on Gandhi’s title RTI
According to him, Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule was officially given the title ‘mahatma’ by the British government but for Gandhi the Sudeshna Koka title of Mahatma or Father of the Sudeshna.k@postnoon.com Nation was never officially conhen a 10-year-old girl ferred on him. “He is a representative of histofrom Lucknow filed an RTI to know how ry in himself. He has sacrificed so M o h a n d a s much for our country and it’s Karamchand Gandhi came to be unfortunate that the government known as the Father of the Nation has no records about him. They do not even have details such it made headlines . as the first FIR and other However, what many of us basic details.” do not know is that earlier, “No information availa man from Hyderabad, able” is the only reply that who is inspired and awed he received from the govby Gandhi, has been filing ernment on this RTI. RTIs to the Prime Disheartened Raju has Minister’s Office in order now decided to approach to find an answer regardthe National Human ing his queries about Raju Rights Commission. Mahatma Gandhi for the Malthumkar Through the NHRC, he last one year. Raju Malthumkar, a butcher by has decide to fight the issue and get profession and a social activist, has Gandhi officially conferred with immense respect for Gandhi and the title Mahatma. Not only this, he has also filed has been filing RTIs to get intricate information on him. He has asked an RTI to seek information about various questions about Gandhi Subhash Chandra Bose. “We celesuch as the number of titles given brate all days but miss out on the to him by the government of India death anniversary of the man who as well as by other countries? When created Indian National Army. and on what grounds was he given Once I receive a reply on this I will take up this issue with the NHRC.” the titles? When most RTI activists in the “I have always been fascinated by Gandhi and his dedication for country are busy fighting to attain the country. While he has done so information on the loopholes of much for us, there is nothing that the present system, this man is the Indian government has done fighting for giving the freedom for him. They have not even offi- fighters, who have been instrucially given him the title of mental in giving India indepenMahatma or Father of the Nation. dence, the respect and recognition that is due to them. It’s very disheartening.” says Raju.
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Lynx adds luster to Zoo
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his beauty was caught by residents of Sastri Nagar on Monday. For the excited people it was fun but the poor animal, now on the endangered list, suffered injuries in the one eye and abdomen. Brought to the Nehru Zoological Park, the new entrant was immediately admitted to the care unit for treating the injuries. As the news of the chase and capture spread, zoo staff and a rescue vehicle were sent to the spot with the required cages. The animal caught by the local people was identified as Jungle Cat. It is responding to treatment well, said a curator at the zoo.
Leaders fear backlash, avoid interactions CIVIC Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com
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arely 10 days after the Praja Patham programme was inaugurated by the State government, it has started to become a cause of concern for many of the public representatives in the State. Leaders across political parties are reluctant to participate in this programme, which is an interaction between the public and their elected representatives. The reason they cite are the numerous public problems that have not yet been solved. “I cannot participate in the Praja Patham programme as I had made a lot of promises to the people but have failed to fulfil many of them. I cannot face the people without solving their problems first,” said Cabinet minister Danam Nagender during a public meeting.
Congress MLA from Jubilee Hills P Vishnuvardhan Reddy went a step ahead and wrote a letter to the chief minister asking him as to why he should partici-
pate in the programme when many of his earlier promises were still pending. “Please let me know why should I attend this programme. Many of the issues
raised by me in the past are yet to be solved,”he wrote. What is holding back these leaders is the fear of public wrath. Many of these public problems
Details of Praja Patham n As a part of Praja Padham,
Mohd Majid Hussain, mayor, GHMC, along with Mohd Virasat Rasool Khan, Nampally MLA and MT Krishna Babu, commissioner GHMC, visited and inspected various areas of Ahmednagar ward, and interacted with the local residents and public representatives and received some of the complaints pertaining to under ground drainage problems and supply of drinking water. The residents have been getting water once in three days which is causing inconvenience and requested them to make the water supply regular .
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The mayor and MLA for Nampally directed officials to supply drinking water regularly and sort out the problems pertaining to under ground drainage on a top priority basis. n The mayor, also pointed out that at the Girls High School at Ahmednagar, railings needed to be raised for safety of students and directed Chandra Kala, the tahsildhar, to look into the matter immediately and to sort out the issue. He also directed the senior officials to put up the proposals for a sub-station and water tank near MLA colony and Syed nagar colony to ease the power and water problem in
these areas . n The mayor, and MLA of
Nampally, suggested that the government building which is coming up beside the Girls High School, to open a Junior college for girls with the funds coming form the MLA in the interest of the girls students of the Ahmednagar, ward area. n R Dhan Singh (ENC),K Shiva Parvathi (ZC ) Central, P Anuradha (AC Parks), N Raghu Prasad (AC UCD), L Vandhan Kumar (AC H&S), Suresh (CE), P Nagaveni (DMC-7), and officials from GHMC and water works department have attended the Praja Patham programme.
include provision of basic facilities like drinking water supply, street lighting system and underground drainage problems. According to the public representatives, the lack of seriousness and ignorance of the officials was resulting in delays and making the representatives appear to be like ‘villains’ in the eyes of the public. MIM MLA from the Malakpet constituency Ahmed Balala also boycotted the Praja Patham programme calling it a complete failure. It may be emphasised here that the district administration made elaborate arrangements for the programme following strict directions from the chief minister to make it a success. He had also made an immediate sanction of `7 crore for smooth organisation of these meetings. But the lack of interest on the part of public representatives in attending the programmes and redressal of issues is putting a spanner in the works.
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ALEAP of faith for newbies Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com
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uilding entrepreneurship and supporting women entrepreneurs is her forte. Kanneganti Ramadevi, has founded Association of lady Entrepreneurs of Andhra Pradesh (ALEAP), which transformed lives of common people to become successful entrepreneurs. Awards, accolades and recognition hasn’t made change her — she welcomes people with a gentle smile. What motivated her to start ALEAP is the common question any one of us may have. “The whole system was not conducive for entrepreneurs in 1980s. It used to take a year for power connection and nine months to get a bank loan. The handwork, commitment and investments of entrepreneur used to go in vain with the external environment not being supportive. The confidence of the entrepreneurs was also getting affected. “I like any other, I was also unable to deliver the orders due to these external factors and was losing the credibility before the client. I thought, ‘It was extremely difficult for me to set up and run an industry even with financial backing from parents and support from husband. What happens to a common woman who wants to set up an industry? I thought, ‘there is a desperate need of a support system which can give a helping hand to the entrepreneurs.’ It was that thought that later gave birth to ALEAP,” says Ramadevi. She says, “Even, the parents and societal obligations do not support entrepreneurship. They discourage men saying, ‘you will not get married’ and for a woman, they say ‘you need take care of
children and husband, why all this to you?’ “There is nothing in this world that you can do without risk. It is the personality and interests that should drive entrepreneurship and not these obligations. “Even if somebody escapes all this and try to get in to venture, there are many bottlenecks in the process from information to marketing. The objective of ALEAP is to remove all these bottlenecks.” Talking about different support systems that ALEAP created to the public, she says “It is divided in to five steps such as counselling,
Facebook pays $550m to Microsoft for AOL patents SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook struck a $550 million deal on Monday to get its hands on hundreds of AOL patents from Microsoft as the social network hardened its defenses before it goes public on the Nasdaq. Facebook will pick up around 650 of the 925 patents Microsoft bought earlier this month in an auction from AOL in a nearly $1.1 billion deal, Facebook and Microsoft said in a statement. Facebook also arranged to license the remaining 275
remaining patents or applications in the portfolio being bought by Microsoft, which gets the right to use the patented technology going to Facebook. AOL’s trove of intellectual property is believed to include technology for messaging, search, imaging, and Internet telephony. The patent deal enhances a longtime relationship between Facebook and Microsoft that has them apparently acting as allies against a common rival — Google. AFP
training, credit support, infrastructure and marketing. The counselling will guide you about different industries that are doing well and the industries that are in red zone. “As we have members for different sectors here, we can easily make out which industry is doing well and which are facing difficulties. There are many entrepreneurs who come to us regularly with different problems. This will also give us the clear idea, and how different sectors are performing,”she says. The second step is the training
to prospective entrepreneurs once the business idea is formed. They get to interact with existing successful entrepreneurs (members of ALEAP). There is also Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) which facilitates this and also conducts regular training programmes on different industries. This training also helps them to remove trial and error methods in the process, she says.] The third is ALEAP Credit Guarantee Association (ACGA) which will give a finance support letter to the banks after scrutinising the business plan and seriousness of the entrepreneur. “At times, we go to an extent of chief general manager to get the loan sanctioned for our members,” Ramadevi adds. Infrastructure wing will also help the entrepreneurs to get the land allotted at a subsidised price for their business and marketing wing will help the entrepreneurs to reach out their clients or customers. All the training facilities are provided at subsidised minimal price. ALEAP work does not end just with setting up of an industry. “We are there all the time as a friend and as a helping hand in running the industry with support letters, information and moral support,” she says. Talking about future plans, she says, “We want to make ALEAP as an international organisation still to be accessed to a common man. ALEAP is been recognised by European commission and also has tie up with international organisations like VDU and INVENT for various programmes.” ALEAP is also spreading across the state by setting up offices in Vishakhapatnam and by setting up industrial estates in Vijayawada in Medak.
Tata Chroma goes online
MUMBAI: Ratan Tata and his successor-in-waiting on Monday launched the Tata group’s consumer electronics retail store
Croma online. The Tata chairman heralded the opening of the subsidiary’s ecommerce operations with a purchase of smartphones and speakers at a press conference also attended by Cyrus Mistry. Mistry, a 43-year-old engineer, is currently deputy chairman but is set to take charge of the $83.3billion revenue group in December this year, when Tata retires. Mistry was announced as Tata’s successor late last year. Neither interacted with the media at Monday’s launch, which was one of the first events where the pair have shared the same stage.
`85.18
POUND TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012 9 NUMEROLOGY
£807
million
is what Spanish-owned airports operator BAA will get from its sale of Edinburgh Airport to US investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners
THUS SPAKE “In distribution, the private sector’s contribution is only 13 percent. Losses suffered by distribution companies are huge. So more private sector participation is needed,” Pramod Rao, CERC chairperson
WAL-MART PROBE Two senior US congressmen launched an investigation into giant retailer Wal-Mart Monday over allegations it paid millions of dollars in bribes to build up its operations in Mexico. Democratic Representatives Henry Waxman and Elijah Cummings said they had requested a meeting with company officials in person this week to discuss allegations of the bribery reported by The New York Times on Saturday. In a letter to WalMart chief executive Michael Duke, Waxman and Cummings said the Times report “raises serious questions about potential violations of United States law, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”
TOUGH GAME The US International Trade Commission on Monday issued a preliminary ruling that Microsoft infringed on Motorola Mobility patents in its hit Xbox 360 videogame consoles. The panel backed four out of five Motorola claims that the company’s intellectual property was usurped in Xbox software for tasks such as efficiently moving video files or connecting wirelessly to the Internet. A final ruling is expected later this year. An ITC ruling against Microsoft would force it to work out a licensing deal with Motorola or face a ban on Xbox sales.
India‑View
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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
India unveiled
Robbed of pleasure for life NEW DELHI: Eleven years ago, Farida Bano was circumcised by an aunt on a bunk bed in her family home at the end of her 10th birthday party. The mutilation occurred not in Africa, where the practice is most prevalent, but in India where a small Muslim sub-sect known as the Dawoodi Bohra continues to believe that the removal of the clitoris is the will of God. “We claim to be modern and different from other Muslim sects. We are different but not modern,” Bano, a 21-year-old law graduate who is angry about what was done to her, told AFP in New Delhi. The Bohra brand of Islam is followed by 1.2 million people worldwide and is a sect of Shia Islam that originated in Yemen. While the sect bars other Muslims from its mosques, it sees itself as more liberal, treating men and women equally in matters of education and marriage. The community’s insistence on Khatna (the excision of the clitoris) also sets it apart from others on the subcontinent. “If other Muslims are not doing it then why are we following it?” Bano says. For generations, few women in the tightly-knit community have spoken out in opposition, fearing that to air their grievances would be seen as an act of revolt frowned upon by their elders. But an online campaign is now encouraging them to join hands to bury the custom. The anti-Khatna movement gained momentum after
Women from the Bohra community in Mumbai. AFP Tasneem, a Bohra woman who goes by one name, posted an online petition at the social action platform Change.org in November last year. She requested their religious leader, the 101-year-old Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, ban female genital mutilation, the consequences of which afflict 140 million women worldwide according to the World Health Organisation. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin is the 52nd Dai-al Mutalaq (absolute missionary) of the community and has sole authority to decide on all spiritual and temporal matters. When contacted by AFP, Burhanuddin’s spokesman ruled out any change and said he had no interest in talking about
the issue. “I have heard about the online campaign but Bohra women should understand that our religion advocates the procedure and they should follow it without any argument,” he said.
A gathering protest But over 1,600 Bohra Muslim women have since signed the online petition. Many describe the pain they experienced after the procedure and urge their leader to impose a ban. “The main motive behind Khatna is that women should never enjoy sexual intercourse. We are supposed to be like dolls for men,” 34-year-old Tabassum Murtaza, who lives in Surat told. The WHO has campaigned
against the practice, saying it exposes millions of girls to dangers ranging from infections, hemorrhaging, complicated child-birth, or hepatitis from unsterilised tools. In the Middle East, it is still practised in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan and Syria. “It is an atrocity committed under the cloak of religion,” says Murtaza, who along with her husband was asked to leave their family home when they refused to get their daughter circumcised. “My mother-in-law said there was no room for religious disobedience and we should move out if we cannot respect the custom,” she explained. “It is better to live on the street than humiliate your daughter’s body.” IANS
The world through silhouettes KOLKATA: Amar Sen knows literally how to create the world with his fingers. With a swish and a flick of his fingers, grains of sand transform into pictures and, in silhouette, his fingers imitate a tiger, a peepul tree, a bird, a house... almost anything. Sen says he introduced sand animation or creating images with bare hands on a sheet of sand in India. He and his partner Sabyasachi Sen are also the only Asian exponents of hand shadowgraphy — that is practised by only around nine artists in the world. ‘Hand shadowgraphy’ or ‘cinema in silhouette’ as coined by the two Sens, is the art of creating shadows using only hands and fingers against a blank screen against a light source. From depicting animals to silhouettes of monuments to personalities including Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela, the two can pro-
Hand shadowgraphy by Amar Sen (L). An example (R). ject anything with their hand movements. Amar has to his credit the very eye-catching Madhya Pradesh tourism campaign ad — MP Ajab hai, sabse Gazab hai — based totally on hand shadowgraphy, as well as another Let Calcutta Surprise You. Both videos have received millions of hits on Youtube. Amar says hand shadowgraphy’s (HSG) uniqueness lies in its purity and minimalism. “No
props are needed besides the essential three — a couple of bare hands, including 10 fingers, a blank white screen and a light source,” Amar told IANS. The duo gets going when an advertiser approaches them with a concept, which is then scripted into a story and then finally the video is shot with ‘bare hands’ and music is added to bring it to life. All these aspects are taken care of by the duo themselves which is a testament to Amar’s gamut of tal-
ents as a magician, musician, designer/painter, actor, and poet. The Sens took to hand shadowgraphy in the 1960s, and after a lengthy self-taught process, conducted their first show at the Outram Club here in 1988. For the first few years, the genre was treated with indifference and ignorance. But now the tables have turned — and he proudly proclaims, “Handshadowgraphy has been successfully resuscitated.” In 1997, the duo performed internationally for the first time in Muscat, Oman, and since then their reach has expanded to Jordan, the US, Germany and other countries. So far it has been a rewarding experience, a token of which is the Governor’s Citation by the Governor of Maryland during their 2004 trip to the US and an invitation to perform at “India’s Got Talent 3” last year. IANS
Mamata plans loos to woo voters KOLKATA: Soon after taking over the reins of West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had referred to the plight of travellers — particularly women — on the highways, which have a negligible number of public toilets. Eleven months into office, her government has embarked on a massive project to ease the problem. As part of the scheme, 65 twostorey motels will be set up 3040km apart within one year on the national highways, state highways and other major roads linking tourist hubs. The two storey motels will basically have four facilities — lavatory, resting rooms, bus shelters and restaurants. The resting room section will have two 12-bed dormitories and four double bed rooms. “The restaurants will serve cold drinks and snacks,” state housing minister Aroop Biswas said.
THE TWO-STOREY MOTELS WILL BASICALLY HAVE FOUR FACILITIES — LAVATORY, RESTING ROOMS, BUS SHELTERS AND RESTAURANTS. THE RESTING ROOM SECTION WILL HAVE TWO 12-BED DORMITORIES AND FOUR DOUBLE BEDROOMS. Spread over 7200-8640 square feet, each of the units will require an expenditure of `30 lakh. For the densely populated metropolis, which records thousands of footfalls daily, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has hit upon the idea of introducing mobile toilets. The mobile toilet vans will be parked at ten important crowded points, including the Mahanayak Uttam Kumar metro station in south Kolkata and Hatibagan Market in the north. But as her government and party-run KMC board gears up to solve a long-standing problem, Banerjee herself continues to court controversies. After facing widespread criticism for banning some newspapers in public libraries, Banerjee on Thursday asked people not to watch two-three news channels “of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M).”“There are two to three television channels of the CPI(M) that you should not watch. Instead listen to songs on other channels,” she said, in the backdrop of the flak that she has drawn over recent developments like the arrest of a professor for circulating a cartoon online which the authorities thought was defamatory for her. IANS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
India unveiled
Norway row: NRI children return home NEW DELHI: Two NRI children, who were kept in foster care by authorities in Norway for nearly a year, today arrived here to a warm welcome after a protracted legal battle and diplomatic pressure by India. The children — Abhigyan and Aishwarya — accompanied by their foster father, were received at the Indira Gandhi International airport by their grandparents and Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur. A Norwegian court yesterday handed over the two NRI children in foster care to their paternal uncle, ending months of custody row that saw India stepping up diplomatic pressure on Norway to send back the children, taken away by authorities their last year. Welcoming the children, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna thanked Norway for their release, saying the children belonged to India. “They belong to India. They are Indian nationals. I am confident that the uncle will take care of them in the environment of their extended family in India,” he said. “I thank the government of Norway and in particular the foreign minister for his constructive approach in resolving this humanitarian issue. I wish to congratulate the judicial system in Norway for taking such an enlightened decision. All is well that ends well,” Krishna said. PTI
15-day deadline set for EVM upgrades NEW DELHI: The Election Commission has directed all states and union territories to introduce the EVM tracking software and enter all data pertaining to electronic voting machines within 15 days. In a letter to Chief Electoral officers of states and union territories in the country, the Commission said that with some states showing more than 100 per cent data pertaining to EVMs and some showing below it in the EVM tracking software, they need to sort out the discrepancies within the next 15 days. The Commission has also directed CEOs not to feed data pertaining to EVMs of 1989-90 models as the poll body has already decided not to use such EVMs in elections. “Entries of 1989-90 model EVMs are to be deleted completely from the software. In some cases, the manufacturing year of post 1989-90 model EVMs is wrongly entered as 1989/1990. In such cases, data shall be suitably edited,” the EC’s letter said. During the CEOs’ conference held here, the EC had expressed its unhappiness that in spite of repeated reminders, the work pertaining to entering all EVM data in the tracking
ducing the area under irrigation, Afghanistan is looking for assistance from India and other “friendly countries” in building its water infrastructure and management, says visiting Energy and Water minister Alhaj M Ismail. Ismail, who met Water Resources minister Pawan Bansal in connection with India Water Week, said Afghanistan wanted India to help it build capacities in the water sector.
AHMEDABAD: As proposed by the National Security Council, 200 women police officers from the North East would serve Gujarat on two years deputation by rotation, state chief minister Narendra Modi said today. “200 women police officers from North Eastern states would, serve Gujarat on two years’ deputation,” he said. software is incomplete. It had emphasised monitoring of all movements, firstlevel checking and randomisation of EVMs shall be done only through EVM tracking software, which can only be done if data of all EVMs (other than 1989-90 model) is entered in the software. The Commission has also asked the CEOs to enter data pertaining to EVMs in possession of State Election Commissioners in the tracking software by May 7 after coordinating with SECs. It has also sought data entry of EVMs with respect to which election petitions are
Richa Sharma
Two Royal Bengal Tigers play in a pond to cool themselves at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati on Monday. PTI According to the NTCA, due to shortage of field staff it was getting difficult to cover the entire 800sqkm of the Corbett area and installation of cameras has brought down the incidence of infiltration in the area drastically. The cost of the project is around `3.5 crore. “It is for the first time in the
NEW DELHI: With years of conflict re-
200 NE women cops to serve Gujarat: Modi
pending in courts and asked CEOs to file applications in this regard with respective courts by April 30. The EC has also directed that the new cycle for physical verification of EVMs has been generated in the EVM tracking software and Chief Electoral Officers of States/UTs may ensure that 100 per cent physical verification of EVMs for the quarters in July will be completed by July 31 in the EVM Tracking Software. The poll body has asked for immediate implementation of its directions and warned any negligence in the matter will be taken seriously. PTI
E-eye to keep tab on Corbett tigers NEW DELHI: With poachers posing a massive threat to tigers in India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched a pilot project in Uttarakhand’s Corbett National Park for round-the-clock surveillance of the park using high definition cameras. The project E-eye (electronic eye) is a software-based system where 10 high resolution thermal and infrared cameras mounted on towers are spread across the 350sqkm area of the park that falls in a highly sensitive zone bordering Uttar Pradesh. The cameras capture image of objects weighing more than 20kg and generate alerts if they are crossing the boundary. The alerts are sent to the control room in the park and the NTCA office in Delhi. All the cameras have been placed in positions from where they cover the entire 350sqkm of the area and can be controlled by NTCA officials sitting in Delhi.
NATION AT A GLANCE Kabul seeks help in water infrastructure
world that a surveillance system of this type is being used in any national park. The project was launched some five-six months back to check poaching of tigers in the park,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Forests and joint director of NTCA, SP Yadav told IANS. The cameras monitor the area 24/7 and send images even during the night.
“It has helped in checking infiltration, poaching and illegal mining in the area. As soon as the control room receives alerts and images of people or vehicles inside the area, an alert team is sent to the location,” he said. Initially, the cameras have been placed on the Uttar Pradesh border as that was the sensitive area where several incidents of infiltration and poaching were reported in the past. The NTCA will monitor the system for a year before replicating the project in other sensitive areas of India’s 41 tiger reserves which houses a total of 1,706 tigers. Yadav says that there have been incidents where people have been arrested for mining illegally in the area and it has instilled fear among the locals and they have stopped venturing into the protected zone. The NTCA was helped in this project by a Pune-based company, Binomial Solutions, set up by a group of engineers and management graduates.
PM Manmohan Singh meets former president of the Republic of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed in New Delhi on Monday. PTI
2 mines in Goa asked to shut down for polluting PANAJI: Goa administration has ordered the shutting down of two mines owned by Sesa Goa and Lithoferro for allegedly polluting a rivulet at Advalpal village, 50km from here. Both the companies had lost the case filed against them by the villagers who have been fighting to save the rivulet from being polluted by these mining firms since the year 2006.
Septuagenarian held for sexual harassment MADURAI: A 76-year-old school secretary has been arrested for allegedly sexually harassing girl students at a school hostel in Viswanathapuram area in the city. Police said the man, who is also the hostel warden, had been arrested on a complaint from eighth and ninth standard students that he was “misbehaving” with them.
Women look at books inside the ‘Library on Wheels’ on Monday in Ahmedabad on World Book Day. AFP/ SAM PANTHAKY
Around the World
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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Beyond Borders
Uganda goes bananas KAMPALA: Bananas are a big deal in Uganda. The average person in this East African nation of 33 million consumes 660 pounds of the fruit annually, the highest rate in the world. The many varieties grown here include tiny sweet dessert bananas, cooking plantains, and Cavendish bananas, the type usually eaten in Europe and North America. Ugandans even brew bananas into beer and gin. But out of the 153 cultivars of bananas in the country, most Ugandans’ favorite is the matooke, a large green cooking banana steamed and made into a bright yellow puree resembling mashed potatoes. Now a government-funded project is aiming to spread Uganda’s national crop around the world. The Presidential Initiative for Banana Industrial Development (PIBID) has developed matooke into a gluten-free flour and is preparing to export it globally. Although Uganda produces 8.45 million tons of bananas annually and is second only to India in terms of production of the fruit worldwide, it is 40th in terms of the amount of bananas exported each year. That’s because of the short shelf life of the fruit, and Uganda’s distance from markets in the developed world, according to local experts. “Tooke flour,” as it has been branded, offers a way to extend the shelf life of bananas and if it takes off, Uganda could soon be exporting much more of the fruit. Made with matooke usually wasted because of lack of storage facilities, tooke flour can be used in recipes in place of wheat or whole wheat flour. The flour is the brainchild of Florence Isabirye Muranga, director of the president’s
An innovation seeks big bucks by serving the gluten-averse
Revenge porn bows to anti-bullying "Revenge porn" website sold over to anti-bullying group
A screenshot of anti-bullying site Bullyville.com, which has replaced IsAnyoneUp.com.
“R
banana initiative and a parttime church minister, who has been researching matooke for 19 years. Living abroad in Germany, Muranga first started wondering about new ways to use the banana after she noticed the number of derivative products produced from European staple crops like potatoes. “I saw that we were sleeping with (the potential of) our food,” Muranga said. “Potato is not only potato it is instant potato; it is soups; it is sauces.” Muranga and researchers spent several years refining the process for making the flour, in which the matooke is first dried in a special steam dryer and then ground into flour using a mill. Using matooke grown by small-scale farmers, the flour could increase the amount growers earn from the crop by up to
eight times, according to the initiative’s projections. The banana development group is currently producing the flour on a small scale, and has taken it to food expos around the world. A factory for large-scale processing of matooke into flour is currently under construction and is set to be completed in October. Already, the group has orders from the United States and Japan. “They are mainly interested in the gluten-free aspect because they are having a lot of problems with people who don’t (digest gluten). So we are looking at positioning this as a product in soups and sauces and as a bakery option for gluten-free confectionaries,” said Muranga. In Uganda, where 2 million children under the age of five are chronically malnourished according to the ministry of agri-
culture, the flour, high in fiber and starch, could also help to fight nutritional deficits. But Jolly Gonahasa, head of the initiative’s product development, admits it might be an acquired taste outside of the country. Many foreigners find the traditional preparation of the crop bland. That’s why the banana development enterprise is trying to show people around the world that matooke flour can be incorporated into their favorite foods. “If you get something familiar and replace it with a new food then it will be accepted,” said Gonahasa. On her desk were brightly colored boxes of tooke flour and a cook book with recipes for matooke ratatouille, muffins and croissants. There was also a package of starshaped cookies made with matooke flour. GLOBALPOST
Bus of love lights hope for Spanish bachelors
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A screenshot of an advertisement for a matchmaking tour on the Caravan of Women website.
anuel Gozalo is trying to save Spanish villages one couple at a time. Good thing, since Jose Miguel has run out of women to date in tiny Candeleda. Single women of the world: Spain is looking for you. The men of Candeleda, a tiny riverside town about halfway between Madrid and the Portuguese border, are looking to the Caravan of Women to bring love to them — literally. The matchmaking tour company specializes in taking busloads of single women to lonely Spanish villages. Candeleda is among the Spanish villages with dwindling populations that Manuel Gozalo is trying to save with his tours. His Caravan of Women this weekend
took 68 single ladies from Madrid to Candeleda to hopefully make a few love connections, the Associated Press said. It’s excellent timing for Jose Miguel, a 67year-old man who told the AP he’s already “checked out” all the single women and widows in town. Gozalo started Caravan of Women in 1985 and has since taken single women from around the world to tiny Spanish villages where they in search of true love. For about $30, women get a round-trip bus ride, a drink, a snack and dinner. Men pay $50. Gozalo says he’s trying to repopulate rural Spain and ease the loneliness of its single male residents. A Hollywood movie sparked the idea, he says on his website. GLOBALPSOT
evenge porn” website IsAnyoneUp.com has been shut down by its owner, who sold his domain to antibullying group Bullyville.com. The website IsAnyoneUp.com encouraged people to send in intimate pictures of their exes for more than a year, reported BBC News. Owner Hunter Moore said he made the decision to shut down his site “to stand up for underage bullying.” The site was also infamous for the specific way it exposed people in the pictures sent in by scorned exes, according to the New York Daily News. It was able to match their faces to their social media accounts, posting their names along with screen grabs of Facebook profiles and links to Twitter accounts. “IsAnyoneUp.com served no public good. That is why it is offline,” said Bullyville.com founder James McGibney to BBC News. “No doubt [Moore] was the No. 1 internet bully out there and we took him down... not a hostile takeover, but in a politically correct way.” But McGibney seems an odd choice to clean up after IsAnyoneUp.com. According to the National Post, he also runs Cheaterville.com, a “cheaters beware” website. Moore earned up to $20,000 each month from IsAnyoneUp.com, which was run by a team of four, reported the Daily Mail. The site attracted more than 3,00,000 hits each day and was popular all over the world. “I am burned out and I honestly can’t take another underage kid getting submitted and having to go through the process of reporting it and dealing with all the legal drama of that situation,” Moore wrote on his website, which now redirects to Bullyville.com, according to the Post. GLOBALPOST
Around the World Over 300K to lose Internet access by July WASHINGTON:
The FBI warned on Monday that more than 3,00,000 Internet users worldwide could lose their Web access starting in July following a multi-million-dollar scam. But users can breathe a sigh of relief as a solution is just a few clicks away at dcwg.org, a website the FBI created so people could check whether they have been infected with malware and remove any malicious software. Six Estonians were arrested on charges of fraud in November after a two-year FBI sting — Operation Ghost Click — into the group’s practice of infecting computers around the world with their DNS Changer malware, which made the machines vulnerable to viruses. A Russian collaborator remains at large. The FBI estimates that up to 5,68,000 computers were infected with the malware, which redirected users to fraudulent websites. Investigators say the alleged swindlers made up to $14 million under the scam that involved online advertising. “We replaced the bad service by a clean service so that way people’s Internet access remained intact,” FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer told AFP. “But there’s still a concern that there could be several hundreds of thousands of people in the US but also in EU and in India whose computer might be relying on the clean service,” which was never intended as a permanent solution, she added. AFP
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TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Beyond Borders
Bloodbath resumes, 28 killed in Hama DAMASCUS: Syrian troops killed 28 civilians in the city of Hama, monitors said, as UN military observers toured protest centres near the capital, and both Brussels and Washington imposed new sanctions. The persistent bloodshed 11 days into a ceasefire sparked growing criticism from opposition activists of the fledgling UN mission, which still numbers just eight observers out of a planned initial deployment of 30. Despite concerns over the mounting violence that the UN says has left over 9,000 people dead in 13 months of fighting, UN leader Ban Ki-moon gave the go-ahead for the deployment of 300 ceasefire monitors to Syria from next week. Ban insisted on Monday that the government President Bashar al-Assad ensure the protection of the unarmed observers and allow them to travel freely throughout the country. His political chief B Lynn Pascoe, however, told the UN Security Council that Assad’s compliance with a ceasefire plan “remains incomplete.” Government troops strafed the Arbaeen neighbourhood of the central city of Hama and its environs on Monday with light and heavy machine guns, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in reporting the
File picture of William Balfour. Jennifer Hudson was the first witness to take the stand on day one of the much-anticipated trial, which opened with Judge Charles Burns sternly advising jurors to reserve judgment until they hear all the evidence. In their opening statements, prosecutors offered a chilling account of the murders,
WASHINGTON: SpaceX said on Monday it is pushing back by a week a bid to become the first private company to attempt to launch a spacecraft to the International Space Station on an unmanned cargo mission. “After reviewing our recent progress, it was clear we needed more time to finish hardware-in-theloop testing and follow up on all data,” said SpaceX spokewoman.
Former guerrilla wins East Timor presidency DILI: Former guerrilla and army chief Taur Matan Ruak has won East Timor’s presidential election. The Supreme Court of Appeals in the statement dated on Monday confirmed preliminary results from the April 16 run-off, saying Ruak had won 61.2 per cent of the votes, beating rival Francisco Guterres “Lu Olo”. An image grab shows smoke rising following bombardment AFP from Syrian security forces in Hama. 28 civilian deaths. Video footage posted online by activists showed mortar rounds hitting the area, with plumes of smoke rising to the sky. The UN observers visited several rebel suburbs near the capital and were met by thousands of protesters demanding the collapse of the regime. Monitors also visited the town of Zabadani, where regime forces and rebel fighters have clashed repeatedly in past months. Activists’ videos showed monitors passing by army
tanks posted in the streets, despite a call within UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s sixpoint peace plan for the withdrawal of armour from residential areas. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad stressed his government’s “total commitment to respecting the Annan plan,” adding that the rebels had not yet accepted it. Two members of the advance team of observers set up base on Sunday in the central city of Homs, scene of some of the fiercest fighting between troops and rebels. AFP
Hudson testifies at family trial CHICAGO: Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson, choking back tears, testified on Monday how no one in her family wanted her sister to marry the man who is accused of murdering her mother, brother and nephew. “We didn’t like the way he treated her, and I didn’t like the way he treated my nephew,” the 30-year-old singer and actress told a Chicago court where William Balfour stands accused of first-degree murder. Balfour, the estranged husband of Julia Hudson, is charged with the October 2008 multiple gunshot killings of Hudson’s mother Darnell Donerson, 57; her brother Jason Hudson, 29; and seven-year-old nephew Julian King. Prosecutors alleged that Balfour, also 30, who pleaded not guilty, acted out of spite after his estranged wife told him she wanted a divorce.
GLOBE AT A GLANCE SpaceX delays 1st pvt space station launch
attempting to paint Balfour as a violent, cold-blooded killer who repeatedly threatened his alleged victims in the months before they died. Defense lawyers were expected to raise questions about the relationship between Balfour and Hudson’s sister Julia. The murders in Chicago’s South Side upended Hudson’s life less than two years after the one-time American Idol contestant collected a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in Dreamgirls. Her testimony on Monday offered little insight into the murders that shocked Chicago and garnered international attention, but they painted a picture of a close-knit family torn apart by a violent crime. Hudson recalled how, after a frantic telephone call from her sister, she flew immediately to Chicago to identify the remains of her mother and brother and
to post a $1,00,000 reward for her then-missing nephew. The youngster was found shot dead and covered with a shower curtain three days later in the back of a stolen vehicle. Hudson is expected to attend the entire trial. She was accompanied to court on Monday by her longtime partner, professional wrestler David Otunga. They sat together in the fourth row of the courtroom after her half-hour on the witness stand. In opening statements earlier on Monday, Balfour’s lawyers criticized law enforcement officials for not looking into the possibility that the killings might be connected to drug dealing on the part of Jason Hudson. Prosecutors led by Cook County assistant state’s attorney Veryl Gambino contend that Balfour stole the murder weapon from Jason Hudson. AFP
Supporters of Colombia’s National Patriotic Council (CPN) gather at Plaza de Bolivar square in Bogota on Monday. AFP
James Murdoch set for Leveson grilling LONDON: Former News International executive chairman James Murdoch will on Tuesday appear before the British inquiry into press standards set up after the tabloid phone-hacking row. News Corp boss Rupert Murdoch, will also appear before the Leveson inquiry on Wednesday and Thursday to answer questions over the operations of his British newspapers.
Strike halts work on mega-dam in Brazil RIO DE JANEIRO: A strike on Monday effectively halted work on Brazil’s giant Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, a controversial project in the heart of Amazonia. Around 80 per cent of the workers are honouring the strike, the construction union said. The strikers also blocked the only access road, preventing non-strikers from reaching the work site.
Today’s Google doodle is dedicated to Gideon Sundback, an electrical engineer credited to invention of the zipper.
Comment
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Fair, free and forthright
Talk back Agriculture’s crucial phase
This is with reference to the story Farm sector seeks reform that was published on April 16. Agriculture is passing through a very crucial phase. We have to face innumerable challenges like, ever increasing population, depleting water resources and arable land, exodus of farm hands from villages to towns, youngsters not keen in farming, adverse impact of climate change on farming and so on. If farm reforms don’t take place, our nation may have to face a grave threat to its food security. We cannot afford to remain complacent any more. VKV Ravichandran By e-mail
Let the ‘snobs’ learn a lesson
With is reference to the story RTE rules will create misfits published on April 17. The lack of good public schools is like the lack of a public transport system. What if... in the absence of good public buses, the government brings in a Right to Transportation Act. According to this Act, all car owners have to transport the public to destinations of their choice. The Supreme Court further rules that car owners cannot perform this service in their free time. Whenever they start their cars, the public will get in, and they have to be transported to their destinations first. This is to promote social integration. Newspapers write “Ha ha ha – it will be great to see posh car owners transporting the public. Serves them right for being snobs.” In return for their service to the public, the government reimburses car owners the price of a bus ticket. Krishna Gitanjali By e-mail
Killing poor creatures This is with reference to the story Zimbabwe’s wildlife on Chinese workers’ menu published on April 16. China and other such countries are really on a way to destroy the wildlife of the world. They have destroyed their own and now are preying upon other continents such as Africa. People in Africa should be made aware about the importance of the valuable gift of wild life given to them by nature. These notorious countries should be totally boycotted. I really request God Almighty to give voice to animals so that they can scream and shout while they are being killed. These people don’t realise how much pain they are causing to innocent animals just to appease their absurd taste buds. Subia Sehar By e-mail
Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222.
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Let’s all say this: My land is my kingdom Hard Talk PK Surendran
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rust our politicians to make a racket of anything; they never fail us. While the deity is corrupt, the chief priest (the bureaucracy) is more corrupt.
Hard talk, yes. But look at the current racket going on all over the country in the nice-sounding name of Special Economic Zone (SEZ). Hundreds of thousands of acres of agricultural land are being wrested away from the poor farming community and rural people holding aloft the placard of “economic development”. While Singur is the most famous, there are several Singurs silently suffering, thanks to the unholy axis of the politics and bureaucracy. The Chinese, who began the SEZ as a measure of economic development, might never have thought that the Indian politicians and bureaucracy would make a scandal out of it. When in March 2000, Murasoli Maran announced the new policy termed tax-free enclaves for business development, the concept of an SEZ and its implementation seemed innocuous. But soon, farmers realised what was going on and that lead to a host of protests. At first, there were some court cases challenging the setting up of SEZs, especially the legitimacy of forceful land acquisition on grounds of “public purpose”. But later, the resistance became truly honest when people and opposition parties took to the streets seeing it for what it really is; a plain land grab. Remember, a similar folly — Urban Land Ceiling Act — had skyrocketed urban land prizes in the ‘70s. Agricultural land in India is a very delicate subject and has been an emotive issue ever since the zamindari days. Land is the livelihood of millions of people. Not only are the immediate owners of the land affected, but also sharecroppers or daily-wage labourers who eke out their living through a scant, but reasonably reliable source of income. Farmers first tried to safeguard their interests through litigations. In November 2006, farmers from the Jamnagar district in Gujarat moved the High Court of Gujarat and later even the Supreme Court to challenge the setting-up of a 10,000-acre SEZ
Editorials
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The current promotion of SEZs is unjust and would act as a trigger for massive social unrest, which may even take the form of armed struggle. Vishwanath Pratap Singh, former PM of India said in 2006 by Reliance Infrastructure. This led the government to “consider” putting a ceiling on the maximum land area that can be acquired for multi-product zones and decide to “go slow.” But how long can this go on? The issue is very acute in Andhra Pradesh. This state has set up or proposes to set up not less than 21 SEZs, which seems the largest by any state. Many SEZs set up are lying unused, giving a clear hint that the land would be traded after a while. What gives the farmers some hope is that the party in the Opposition generally uses this issue to lever its own agenda for political end. In AP, Opposition leader N Chandrababu
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH brutalities of Maoists must end
he recent kidnapping of an MLA and a district collector raises disturbing questions about the security off government servants who are duty-bound to serve in troubled regions. While the top security personnel and political leaders have heavy security cover, there is little for the administrative officials who have to hit the field. When government announces its twin pronged approach of development and confronting the Naxals with force, it is the unprotected officials who bear the brunt of the Maoists’ wrath. Independent reports say that Maoists are returning to areas which the security forces ‘liberated’ after protracted conflict. The brutalities of the Maoists are coming out with former cadre and tribal leaders recounting tales of torture, rape and abuse by the ultras. For long we have desisted from acting against the Naxals with fullscale force but now they have gone beyond all possibilities of reconciliation. When someone wages a war against the country, the country should return the favour in kind.
Naidu has vowed to lead farmers against SEZ lands in the Kakinada SEZ in East Godavari. But unless the political spectrum understands the dangers of this money-making scandal, no lasting solution can be found. Marginal farmers cannot go to court every time the government of the day announces that their land was going to be taken away. Tailend: Once in a while the snake bites its torturer. Some years ago, some crafty politicians and officials thought of making an airport in Mysore. The secret of the SEZ scandal, you must know, is that only the close circle knows where the predators are going to strike next. So, much before the announcement of SEZ and notification, these very schemers buy up all the land of at least five kilometre radius on the strength of power of attorney. Farmers, who too are human, fall for the profit-promise and dream of enjoying the spoils. In Mysore, however, the airport though built did not click because no major airlines were willing to take the route as the distance by road between Bangalore and Mysore is less than three hours. Even after years the lands have not commanded the value the schemers thought they would. A dream has gone sour, and none other than the schemers is sorry. The writer works for Postnoon.
WHY WE LOVE... Google doodles
B
e it the Earth Day doodle, or the National Sovereignty and Children’s day doodle, with dexterous ingenuity Google informs us something interesting about the day we live through. Today’s doodle was to mark the 132nd birth anniversary of Gideon Sundback, the SwedishAmerican inventor of the ubiquitous zipper. What it really does is making and teaching us to be aware of our today.
At the workplace
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
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Don’t use your heart, use your mind No matter how prestigious your job is, you must not forget that work is just a part of life and it isn’t very wise to allocate all your emotional reserves to it Deepak Karamungikar feedback@postnoon.com
T
here is no such thing as a workplace without difference of opinion. Not even in an alternate universe. Human beings are selfish by design and want to get to the top and fast. In this fiercely competitive corporate world where only results matter, there is no place for the heart. Irrespective of your competence and abilities, the single most important factor that dictates your growth or to be conservative, ensures your survival is the way you deal with conflicts. We all have noticed that even the silliest of things like temperature preference for the air-conditioner can cause arguments and altercations leading to heated email
Five tips for success at the workplace
exchanges, leaving behind a bad taste for a while and a grudge for a lifetime. Strained relationships at workplace evidently have an impact on personal lives. And this is where the picture gets dirty. No matter how prestigious your job is, you must not forget that work is just a part of life and it isn’t very wise to allocate all of your emotional reserves to it. Work is worship, they say, but the key to your success at workplace lies in acknowledging the fact that people worship their ego more than anything else. Always remember that a difference of opinion is natural, but a conflict is always optional. It is your choice that makes the difference. All types of urges originate in the heart. Including the one that tempts you into an argument. You end up saying that
Avoid dramatic showdowns
Keeping a check on your temper at the workplace goes a long way in explosive confrontations. Don’t let problems fester and sore. Instead talk them out. Try and be in control of your emotions and responses.
Work is worship, they say, but the key to success at workplace lies in acknowledging the fact that people worship their ego more than anything else. Always remember that a difference of opinion is natural, but a conflict is always optional.
Positive outlook The importance of optimism cannot be overstated. Having a pleasant disposition, a sense of humour, enthusiasm and passion means that you are more likely to get along with your colleagues and bring positive vibes to your workplace.
nasty thing to your colleague or boss just to satiate your ego for few seconds, but then you are digging your grave in terms of long term happiness. It is on occasions like these, that you should bring your mind into play and stop your heart from reacting. Your emotions are valuable and you must learn to use them conservatively, especially at your workplace. Frustration obscures your sense. There are good days and there are bad days at work. It is very easy to get trapped in your emotions and spend unspecified amounts of time in frustration and carry it back home. But if you look closely, by doing so, you are doing a disservice to yourself and your family at home because you are carrying a baggage of sadness and frustration that you brought upon yourself from
Learn from criticism Most people react badly to negative feedback. Instead, learn to think of it as constructive criticism. It might prove to be an area in your job or personality that does needs improvement.
people who don’t care much about you to people who do care about you. It is always a better option to take a deep breath and shrug off the negativity rather than let your heart fool with it. History has it that the most successful people in business are the least emotional. In Indian corporate culture, it is popularly believed that sycophancy will take you to the top rung of the corporate ladder. But only control on emotions can keep you there for long. It is a simple game with simple rules. Never let your heart speak at work. Remember that you were hired by your company for what you have in your mind, and not because what’s in your heart. The writer is a city-based author & a communications consultant
Have fun Most often, it’s personal discontentment that turns into frustration at the workplace. Interact with your colleagues, find common interests and do fun things at the work. It’s a great stress buster.
Separate your work Always remember to keep your personal and work life apart. Having a bad day at work is no reason to lose your cool at home. And vice versa.
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
A clot you could do without Those long distance flights don’t just promise a new destination to explore at the end of it. They also herald swollen legs and at times thromboembolism Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com
T
he summer vacations are here and grand plans are being made for long vacations. While some might opt for those picturesque road trips, others might choose to travel the world. Chic clothes and accessories apart as you pack your medication as well, do remember that long periods of travel can at times lead to complications. Thromboembolism, for instance, is a common issue. It may occur due to long periods of immobility, typical of long flights or road trips. Thromboembolism is said to be a combination of thrombosis and embolism. Dr Arshad Punjani, consultant physician and diabetologist, Apollo Hospital says, “Thrombosis is the formation of a clot in the arteries. When the clot moves and gets lodged within another artery due to blood flow it is known as thromboembolism.” It can be of different types based on where it occurs. Dr VK
Bhargava, senior consultant physician, says, “Thrombosis is most commonly deep vein thrombosis which occurs in the leg veins. In this situation, the clot gets dislodged from the veins of the legs and gets lodged in the blood vessels of the lungs resulting in pulmonary embolism which is life threatening.” He adds that while thrombosis is usual, thromboembolism is more serious.
Cause The most common cause and instance of thromboembolism is due to issues of circulation. Explains Dr Bhargava, “This can occur in a situation where a person is sitting for a long time, prolonged lying on the bed due to illness and also in certain illnesses that cause an increased clotting of blood due to certain disorders.” Dr Arshad adds that the other causes could be obesity and certain genetic deficiencies. Thromboembolism cannot be diagnosed as it does not have any particular symptoms. Dr Arshad says, “There may be certain general symptoms such as breathlessness, chest pain,
increase in heart rate, lowering of blood pressure and even a stroke.” Dr Bhargava mentions that in thrombosis there is a swelling in the legs, it could be more on one side. To diagnose thromboembolism, Dr Bhargava mentions tests include ultrasound of the legs, chest X-ray, spiral CT of the chest and d-dimer test, depending on its location.
In travel Thromboembolism is said to occur when people travel long distances, especially in flights where there is little or no activity for a very long time. Dr Arshad mentions, “Usually the swelling and pain that people experience in long distance flights causes oedema, which is filling of fluid in the legs. Thromboembolism may also occur, although it is not common cause.”
Treatment “Thrombosis treatment is seen more from the angle of precautions such as when you travel, move about and may be advised to take an aspirin. Treatments include blood thin-
ning medicines and also heparin injections which are anticoagulates,” mentions Dr Bhargava. “In case of large clots and very serious conditions a surgery is advised. The process for complete recovery may take six months,” says Dr Arshad. Thromboembolism does not effect everyone. Dr Bhargava says, “Elderly people are more vulnerable as well as those with arthritis. It can also occur in pregnancy due to pressure on the pelvic veins.” Treatment varies depending on location. “It usually depends where the thromboembolism occurs, but usually a cardiologist, physician or a pulmonologist can treat thromboembolism,” says Dr Bhargava. With the development of technology and increase in incidence of ailments such as diabetes and heart problems, thromboembolism has come to the forefront. Although it cannot be prevented, Dr Arshad says that one should try and keep risk facors under control. So the next time you’re on a long flight or on a road trip, take a break and stretch those legs every few hours.
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Nineteenth century therapy may help with Parkinson’s WASHINGTON: Looking back to the 19th century, researchers in the US are replicating the work of celebrated neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot to help patients of Parkinson’s disease. Charcot had developed a “vibration chair” to relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in the 19th century. He reported improvements in his patients, but died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now, a group of neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Centre in the US are replicating his work to see if Charcot’s observations hold true against modern scientific testing. Results indicate that while vibration therapy does significantly improve some symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, the effect is due to placebo or other non-specific factors and not the vibration, the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease reports. “We attempted to mimic Charcot’s protocol with modern equipment in order to confirm or refute an historical observation,” explains lead investigator Christopher G Goetz, director of the Parkinson’s disease and Movement Disorders Centre at Rush. “Both the treated group and the control group improved similarly, suggesting other factors had an effect on Parkinson’s disease motor function,” said Goetz. Charcot’s patients told him that during long carriage rides or train journeys, uncomfortable or painful symptoms of Parkinson’s disease seemed to disappear, and the relief lasted quite some time after the journey. He developed a chair that mimicked the continuous jerking of a carriage or train. Goetz and his colleagues randomly assigned a group of patients to either a vibrating chair or the same chair without vibration. During the treatment sessions, both groups of study participants listened to a relaxation CD of nature sounds. Participants underwent daily treatment for a month. The patients in the vibration treatment group showed significant improvement in motor function after daily 30-minute treatments for four weeks. Although not as high, motor function scores for the no vibration group also improved significantly. Both groups showed similar and significant improvement in depression, anxiety, fatigue, and night-time sleep and both groups reported similar high satisfaction with their treatment. “Our results confirm Charcot’s observation of improvement in Parkinson’s disease symptomology with chronic vibration treatment, but we did not find the effect specific to vibration,” said Goetz. IANS
H‑Factor
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Holistic view of mind, body and soul
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Ageing mums choose daughters over husbands, study suggests A study of texts and telephone calls finds that as women age, their focus shifts from their husband to their daughter
T
he study published in the journal Scientific Reports was based on an analysis of nearly 2 billion cell phone calls and almost half a billion text messages, According to the LA Times, it found that while men tended to maintain their wives as their closest confidant throughout their adult lives, a woman’s urge to ensure the survival of their genes might lead to a shift in her intimate relationships. Physicist Vasyl Palchykov of the Aalto University School of Science in Finland, and colleagues from Oxford University in England and Northeastern University in Boston, found that in early adulthood, men and women tended to focus most of their attention on a member of the opposite sex — presumably their romantic partner. Women focused on significant others at the age of 18, about four years earlier than men, the intensity of the relationship peaked earlier too — at age 27, as opposed to age 32 for men — and lasted for about 14 years, twice as long as for men. “Females invest more heavily in opposite-sex relationships,” Palchykov said.
However, in their 40s, women's most important relationship began to shift away from the same-aged male to a
female about 25 years or so younger — presumably, her adult daughter, the phone records indicated.
The strength of this relationship grew over the next 15 years or so — possibly reflecting the gradual onset of grandchildren
— and peaked about age 60. “No 1 is very easy to distinguish,” Palchykov reportedly said. Men, at least in their cell phone communication, stuck with a female best friend, according to the study, and called their sons and daughters equally. ABC News cited Beverly Hills psychoanalyst Fran Walfish as saying that when the lives of mothers and daughters become too intertwined it could signal trouble in the husband-wife relationship. “I am wondering if the women who were looked at in this study, they turn to their daughter because the relationships and communication with their husbands had decreased and fallen off track as they aged.” According to Toronto.com, Palchykov warned that the research was under the assumption that mobile phone conversations reflected the most important relationships and kinds of relationships between people. “Maybe in this case the daughters need advice from their mothers,” said Palchykov. He said the results speak to the importance of the relationship between the generations. GLOBAL POST
Peg or two lowers risk of liver disease WASHINGTON: People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume a peg or two daily are half as likely to develop hepatitis as non-alcoholics with the same condition, says a new study. NALFD is the most common liver disease in the US, affecting up to a third of American adults. It's characterized by abnormal fat accumulation in the liver. The specific cause or causes is not known, though obesity and diabetes are risk factors. Most patients with NALFD have few or no symptoms, but in its most progressive form, known as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, there is a significantly heightened risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer and liver-related death, the Journal of Hepatology reports. NALFD is also a known risk factor
for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Such patients are approximately two times more likely to die from coronary heart disease than from liver disease. The authors wanted to know if the well-documented heart-healthy benefits of modest alcohol consumption outweighed alcohol’s negative effects, according to a California statement. “We know a 50-year-old patient with NAFLD has a higher risk of CVD,” said Jeffrey Schwimmer, associate professor of clinical paediatrics at University of California and director of the Fatty Liver Clinic at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and senior study author. “Data would suggest modest alcohol consumption would be beneficial (in reducing the patient's CVD risk) if you don’t take liver disease into account. When you do take liver dis-
ease into account, however, the usual medical recommendation is no alcohol whatsoever.” Schwimmer and colleagues discovered that the benefits of modest alcohol consumption were compelling, at least in terms of reducing the odds of patients with NAFLD from developing more severe forms of the disease. Patients with NASH are 10 times more likely to progress to cirrhosis, the final phase of chronic liver disease. Cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. “Our study showed that those people with modest alcohol intake — two drinks or less daily — had half the odds of developing NASH than people who drank no alcohol,”said Schwimmer. IANS
Spotlight
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
20
DEEPAK DESHPANDE
It’s mehendi time Weddings are all about celebrating with friends and family. It’s about strengthening old bonds and making new ones. Shashank Kamineni and Pujitha Reddy’s family hosted their mehendi function at N Grill. If the mehendi was such a grand affair, we can’t wait to see what the wedding is like! Pujitha (R), Smitha & friends
Prasuna Reddy
Rishika, Nitya & Smitha Reddy
Himanshu & Vishpala
The grand opening
Amina
The Ambassador of France H.E. Francois Richier and Zhang Yan, the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China inaugurated the Tre-Forni bar and restaurant and the Oriental Bar and Kitchen at the Park Hyatt Hyderabad on Monday. DEEPAK DESHPANDE
Sangeetha Reddy
T Subbarami Reddy
Tanikelli Bharani
Sandeep Reddy, Dasari Narayana Rao & Zhang Yan
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
Acting in a bilingual film is a big challenge F or a long time, Telugu filmmakers have shied away from exploring new territories especially Tamil Nadu; however, this is expected to change this year. This summer alone, as many as four bilingual films including Eega, Endhukante Premanta, Gundello Godaari and Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara are lined up for release. But there is a catch. Making or acting in a bilingual film is no piece of
Taapsee begins shooting for new film
T
aapsee has begun shooting for Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s upcoming action adventure film. For the second time in her career, she’s teaming up with Gopichand. She’s all praises for Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s style of working. “Love my new team of chandrashekhar yeleti sir’s movie. 2 days to start d movie n d dialogue script of the whole schedule in my hand! Wow! Another unusual character n e1 more unusual way of speaking telugu in this movie! This surely requires practice n homework (sic),” Taapsee posted on Twitter few days ago. Her character in the film is named Srinidhi and this untitled film follows the life of a common man who goes on a treasure hunt. Most part of the film will be shot in Ladakh, Rajasthan, Jordan. BVSN Prasad is producing the film along with Reliance Entertainment. Sri is going to compose the music and Shamdatt is the cinematographer of the film.
21
T-TOWN TWEETIES
@RGVzoomin As per government logic ppl are smart enough to chose which government they want to elect but they are too dumb to know which film to watch.
cake. After SS Rajamouli, Ram has spoken out about the difficulties associated with a bilingual film. "Ok..this is called the peaks of "Dh__la Theering" - dance once for Telugu and Again with Tamil lyrics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #DEAD . There is work...There is hardwork and then there r bi-lingual films! ( #DEAD once in Telugu and again in Tamil) (sic)," Ram said. He’s currently shooting for Endhukante Premanta.
@prakashraaj Crisis in life is a spy who tells you the secret of who stands by you and who doesn’t. I realised. Thank you life. Cheerssss!!!
Tamannaah
is my
inspiration
A
fter Richa Gangopadhyay, Shraddha Das and Madhurima Banerjee, yet another Bengali beauty is going to make her debut in Tollywood. Pallabi Ghosh, who moved to Hyderabad six years ago, has already bagged two Telugu projects. “I have always dreamt of becoming an actress and when I actually got an offer, I took it up immediately,” Pallabi says. She’s currently studying audiology and speech pathology in Hyderabad. After taking part in Lux Dream Girl contest, she went on to star in a Tata DoCoMo ad with Ram Charan and in a TVS bike ad with Dhoni, which opened more doors for her. Someone saw her profile on Facebook which eventually resulted in her first acting offer. “I am part of two productions including Padmini Arts’ Varnam and another untitled film to be produced by 24 crafts production house. I was a little nervous in the beginning but everyone on the set was very supportive,” Pallabi says. So who’s her biggest inspiration? “I love Vidya Balan’s acting and I am a big fan of Aishwarya Rai as well. But my biggest inspiration in Tollywood is Tamannaah. I think she’s just perfect,” she confesses.
@tashu_02 Just a thought: What if your pillow could collect your dreams and when you wake up, you plug it into your computer & watch then over again?
@sundeepkishan Yaayyy I’m officially an uncle now... Bhade bhai @AnandRanga & Sowmya Bhabi had a baby boy this morning... celebration time :) :) :)
@ramsayz There is WORK...There is HARDWORK and then there r BI-LINGUAL FILMS! ( #DEAD — once in Telugu and again in Tamil)
@richyricha Listening 2 old school pop songs takes me back in time... rite now it’s gimme one reason — tracy chapman & for the longest time — Billy Joel.
@shrutihaasan Staying at an insane cleopatra theme room... hmmm trying to sleep.seems impossible with history staring down at me.
@Actor_Siddharth Really enjoyed The Conquest based on Nicholas Sarkozy’s rise to power. Superbly acted by Denis Podalydes. Highly recommended!
Magic Screen
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
PAYAL ROHATGI
B-TOWN TWEETIES
wants money before honey! M
@MadhuriDixit1 Want to thank Lata Mangeshkar and the State of Maharashtra for the tremendous honors they are bestowing on me!
@kjohar25 STUDENT OF THE YEAR will release on the 19th of OCTOBER 2012... it launches 3 newcomers... Sidharth Malhotra.... Varun Dhawan and Alia bhatt!!
odel-actress Payal Rohatgi has dropped a hint about her plans to get married to wrestler-boyfriend Sangram Singh. But she says she wants him to earn a lot of money before they tie the knot. “I want him (Sangram) to earn a lot of money because I don’t know whether I’ll work after marriage or not,” the 32-year-old, who met her beau on reality show Survivor India, said here. “I want to get whatever I put my hand on, so I am pushing Sangram for a lot of things and he has also become a bit scared of my demands,” she added. But Payal is ready to wait as their careers are on top of their priority list for now. “Right now we are concentrating on our careers and we are committed to each other. Of course, when you are in a relationship, marriage happens. But right now we are figuring out our careers because after Survivor we both are in a very good phase, career wise. So, it’s career right now,” she said. IANS
@reddysameera Just reached Sahara Aamby Valley for an event! It’s a really stunning place. quiet and serene! back to mumbai tonight! hectic day!
@NeilNMukesh We often come across people who crave attention but can’t give any in return. Its misleading! plain and simple... keep out !
@imarshadwarsi
No exciting roles on TV: Milind Soman H 1920-Evil Returns will be different A
ctor Aftab Shivdasani says he is happy with his performance in 1920-Evil Returns, a sequel to the 2008 film 1920. The 33-year-old, who will be seen in the horror film for the first time, said he won’t say much about his performance and left the onus completely on the audience. “This was a completely different type of movie from my earlier roles. But I put everything to bring the character to life,” Aftab told reporters. Aftab, who had earlier acted in Bhatt productions like Kasoor and Awara Paagal Deewana, said his character was nicely portrayed by director Bhushan Patel in the movie, which also stars Tia Bajpai. The film is under production and is scheduled to release in June 2012. PTI
22
e was a popular face on Indian television in 90s but model-actor Milind Soman says he is not getting any exciting roles to make a comeback. Soman made his entry into the small screen with adventure series Sea Hawks and later became popular with his titular character on science fiction TV series Captain Vyom. He was last seen in the third season of reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi. “I started my career with television in 90s and did shows like Sea Hawks, Captain Vyom and Mouthful of Sky. I even did a historical series Noor Jehan. Then I participated in a reality show too. Now, I want something which is out of the box but there are no such roles in TV now,” he said. Soman was last seen in Bipasha Basu starrer Jodi Breakers. PTI
Had a superb time today doing a really funny scene with @jackkybhagnani, Arjun Rampal n Kiran Kher who is tooooo cute...
@SrBachchan T 722 — In the late evening heard some rather exciting debates on the Tv... in particular on the banning of Dirty Picture for Tv...
@udaychopra Monday is here...work begins in full force, I’m feeling giddy already. Oh yeah, on another note, it’s vegetarian day, cause of Lord Shiva
@RahulBose1 Enroute to srinagar. Weather report looks wet. Driving through the rains in Kashmir. things could be worse.
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Magic Screen
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
The glamour behind the glitz
25
Russell Crowe comes aboard Noah
R
ussell Crowe has been cast as Noah in director Darren Aronofsky’s feature film of the same name, Paramount Pictures and New Regency announced on Sunday. Paramount plans to release Noah on March 28, 2014. “I’d like to thank Paramount and Regency for backing my team’s work to breathe new life into the biblical epic,” Aronofsky (Black Swan) said in a statement. “I rejoice that Russell Crowe will be by my side on this adventure. It’s his immense talent that helps me to
sleep at night. I look forward to being wowed by him every day.” Aronofsky’s Noah follows the Biblical tale of Noah’s Ark. In a sin-ravaged world, Noah is given a divine mission: to build an Ark to save creation from the coming flood. The screenplay was written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel and revised by John Logan (Gladiator, Hugo). Scott Franklin and Aronofsky of Protozoa Pictures, along with Mary Parent of Disruption Entertainment, will produce the film.
Duff ‘not stressing’ about losing baby weight
N
Zeta-Jones sings at school fundraiser C atherine Zeta-Jones showed off her singing skills on Saturday night at a fundraiser for her children’s school. The Oscar-winning actress stole the show at the benefit, which helped raise money for the prestigious Windward School in White Plains, New York, where her two children Dylan, 11, and Carys, nine, attend. Watched proudly by her hus-
band Michael Douglas, she took to the stage with a group of students at the event, which was held at Manhattan’s Cipriani 42nd Street restaurant. They weren’t the only A-list talent to show their support — singer Sting also paid a visit to the charitable event. Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for her role in the 2002 musical Chicago, and she sings on screen once again in the upcoming Rock of Ages film.
ew mother Hilary Duff has played down reports she is stepping up her exercise regime in a desperate bid to regain her pre-pregnancy figure, insisting she is not “freaked out” about slimming down. The singer/actress gave birth to her first child, a son named Luca, last month, but she wasted no time in getting back to her exercise regime and returned to Pilates classes weeks later. Duff recently admitted she was hurt by a series of cruel jibes about her new curves, telling Parade magazine, “I read comments on my Twitter page about how I’m waddling into Pilates and I go, ‘Wow, that’s a really mean thing to say. I just had a baby three weeks ago!’ There is a little bit of pressure but most of it comes from me.” The Cheaper By The Dozen star has since enrolled in the popular and intense SoulCycle biking sessions to help shift the extra weight, but insists she is in no rush to squeeze back into her pre-baby wardrobe.
Chai Time
KAKURO
How to play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.
SCRIBBLING PAD
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa
26
QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Shortest-named continent 5 Missile with a feathery flight 9 Viola's staff leader 14 Dynasty of Confucius 15 Cookie many take apart 16 Scarlett's surname 17 Three black things 20 Tip for test takers? 21 Anonymous plaintiff 22 Words of comprehension 23 Place for a Barcalounger, perhaps 24 Vacation at Vail 26 Leave speechless 28 High-hat 30 Not take ‘no’ for an answer 34 Patriot's end? 37 Ending for ‘psych’ 39 ‘Divine Comedy’ poet 40 Three black things 44 Marquetry feature 45 Cast aspersions on 46 Hold the deed to 47 Flower's pollen producer 49 Class ring inscription 51 Forehead 53 Casino cube 54 ___ Lanka 57 Boyfriend 60 That woman 62 Hunting dog 64 Four black things 67 Some high school math calculations 68 Describe in drawing or words 69 Present-day Persia 70 They may be refried 71 Kin of 28-Across 72 ___ terrier (Scottish breed) DOWN 1 Yearned 2 Portion 3 Corn Belt denizen 4 Birds that look a bit like penguins
5 Necessity for an opening act? 6 Triceps locale 7 Bassoon or clarinet 8 Hullabaloos 9 It comes after ‘dot’ 10 Lumberjack's tool 11 Doesn't keep pace 12 Buffalo's waterfront 13 Confront 18 Word with ‘pool’ or ‘pit’ 19 Abominable snowman 25 Very small amounts 27 Put back the way it was 29 Type of goat 31 ‘China’ intro 32 Meat-and-vegetable entree 33 Fork-tailed shore bird 34 Wader with a curved bill 35 Text message status 36 ___ fide (in bad faith)
38 Like crossword puzzles 41 Malayan tree bearing red fruit 42 Miss Clairol user 43 It's done a lot in church 48 Overly curious 50 Fishing-rod attachment 52 Young dog or wolf 54 Proverbial baby deliverer 55 Race with a baton 56 ‘Fame’ singer Cara 57 Let the cat out of the bag 58 Blarney Stone land 59 Sailing the ocean
SUDOKU
61 Eastern potentate 63 That counterpart? 65 Letter on Superman's chest 66 Start of Cain's famous question
PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER
THOUGHT OF THE DAY Let us realise that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. – David O McKay
Chai Time STAR POWER
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR
As per Hindu panchang
FOR 25-4-2012
thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118
TAURUS
GEMINI
Marriage talks will go smoothly and end favourably. Financial assistance expected from bank will get sanctioned. Work load will increase and tensions too. Avoid anger, emotional outbursts.
Politicians need to avoid unwanted dis‑ cussions. Women will get support from parents and achieve whatever they wan‑ ted to. Administrative abilities improve. A marriage will take place in the family.
Your value and respect are set to incre‑ ase. Blood relatives will extend support. Help through other region people likely. Businessmen will win over traitors and succeed. You will surprise superiors.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Businessmen will improve and ensure growth by using their own experience. New contracts will be signed and they will march ahead with determination. Employees to work hard to earn more.
Politicians will be taken into confidence by high command. Employees will have a co‑operative atmosphere in the office both from colleagues and superiors. Businessmen will get increased gains.
Tensions likely because of blood rela‑ tives. You might face a delay in selling old property and there are chances that the deal may not be attractive. Help from expected source will come.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Income will increase. Chances of mak‑ ing friendship with political VIPs. Speculative transactions will yield decent gains. Chances of spouseʼs health getting affected; take good care.
Influx of relatives and friends will make family members cheerful. Some have bright chances to buy a vehicle. Power‑ ful posts for some VIPs likely. You may face criticism at workplace; never mind.
Recently married will be blessed with offspring. Some will complete construc‑ tion of their own house and shift to the same soon. Support from paternal rela‑ tives increases, and your influence too.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Delayed work and obstructions faced will disappear. Benefits through friends and relatives likely. Be careful while dri‑ ving as minor accidents likely. Chances of rift likely through blood relatives.
Politicians will be in the limelight. Housing plan will get approved. To your surprise written‑off loans will come. You will clear an old‑age problem with a shrewd decision and calculated moves.
Financially, a strongest position likely. You will complete most of the works at a good speed. Minor clashes with spouse and health problems likely. Employees do even tough jobs well.
SUMAA TEKUR
FOR 25-4-2012
tarotreadhyd@gmail.com
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Six of Swords – Spen‑ ding excess amounts of time on the inter‑ net may not be such a bad thing for you, after all. It may be gi‑ ving you fresh ideas to tackle a problem.
Two of Pentacles – The commute from home to office and back is taking up a lot of your precious time and you need to learn to make better use of this time.
The Magician – Take care of your health. The summer heat is especially getting to you. Stay hydrated all the time and drink lots of fresh juices and water.
CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Ace of Wands – Are you being too posses‑ sive about someone in a relationship? Learn to make room for yourself and a loved one or you risk losing your partner.
Three of Cups – The quality of your work has improved treme‑ ndously in the last few weeks and boss‑ es are noticing your talent. When you let loose, ideas flow.
Ace of Cups – Good time to plan a vaca‑ tion and take time off with your family. Switch off the phone. Better still, leave it at home and enjoy the personal time.
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
The Emperor – Fina‑ nces need attention. Plan this financial year and make sure youʼre investing in the right places. Pay an advisor instead of doing it yourself.
Ten of Cups – A fami‑ ly member needs per‑ sonal care and atten‑ tion. It could be an elder person who ne‑ eds medical help or a youngster who needs emotional support.
Nine of Swords – The budget is tight and all your luxury shopping needs may not fit in that budget. Planning is key. Cut corners and understand what you can do without.
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Four of Swords – Tho‑ ugh you love stability, there are many possi‑ bilities for you to ex‑ plore career options. You donʼt have to be stuck in a place, altho‑ ugh you love your job.
Ace of Pentacles – Yo‑ ur strength lies in mas‑ tering the routine. In this, you may be miss‑ ing out on that excite‑ ment and surge in energy when you find something you love.
Six of Wands – Some‑ thingʼs brewing that may not be to your advantage. Your past is catching up and y‑ ou need to figure ho‑ w to manage people to get what you want.
For Better or for Worse Stone soup
SOLUTIONS
Boggle BAY SEA POND GULF LAKE LAGOON
Number game
Suduko
Scrabble
Ink pen
COMICS
Fred Basset
ARIES
TAROT READ
27
Vol: 1, No 282 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
92 DAYS TO GO
28
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
‘WADA ban too soft, BOA ban too harsh’ LONDON: Triple jump great Jonathan Edwards has entered the dispute between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the British Olympic Association (BOA), saying both organisations have got it wrong when it comes to the length of drug bans. The BOA have, in briefings to the national press, appeared to concede defeat in their battle with WADA to retain a by-law which has allowed them to ban any drug cheats from competing at an Olympic Games for life since 1992. WADA insist the ruling is “non-compliant” with their global charter on anti-doping, which states an athlete found guilty of taking a prohibited substance should be given a twoyear ban. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which is adjudicating between the two bodies, said Monday they intended to publish their decision next week. Should the BOA lose the case,
both sprinter Dwain Chambers (left) and cyclist David Millar (below) are likely to be part of the British team at this year’s London Olympics, despite a doping history which has seen them banned from previous Games. But Edwards, who won triple jump gold for Great Britain at the 2000 Sydney Olympics said a lifetime ban was too long and two years too short. Instead he wants an athlete to miss the Olympic Games subsequent to any doping ban. “Athletes should get a second chance. I wouldn’t personally support a lifetime ban,” Edwards said. “The reason the BOA brought their by-law is that because four-year bans for a serious drug offence turned into two. Two years is simply not enough. It’s too lenient. It sends out the wrong kind of message. “What the world needs to do is to unite and introduce fouryear bans. Then we would be in a
Jonathan Edwards
much stronger position.” Looking ahead to London, Edwards said he could not foresee a problem if Chambers and Millar were selected as their British team-mates were used to competing alongside them at other international events. “I think it’s really a bit of a non-issue because Dwain Chambers has been competing for UK Athletics for the last five years and David Millar has been competing with British Cycling for a large number of years. AFP
Games special: Romeo and Juliet retold weaving in the conflict and suffering with which Iraqis have had to live for the past nine years and more. One of the final scenes combines the general horror of suicide bombings in Iraq with a reference to a specific attack on October 31, 2010, in which militants killed 44 worshippers and two priests in Our Lady of Salvation church in Baghdad. Romeo flees to the church after killing the hot-headed Tybalt, and is later joined there by Juliet. In the play’s biggest departure from Shakespeare’s original story, Juliet’s spurned suitor
PARIS: Drug cheats were warned on Monday that they are running an increasing risk of being found out, as the World Anti-Doping Agency gave its approval to a new laboratory to test athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics. WADA president John Fahey said the London 2012 Anti-Doping Laboratory “will operate to the highest standards of sample analysis” during the Games, which start in the British capital from July 27. “Doping athletes must know that there is a very good chance they will be tested this summer and that everything scientifically possible — and with the assistance of growing intelligence — will be done to make sure that their efforts to cheat are detected by the experts at the laboratory,” he added in a statement. The testing facility, based in Harlow, nearly 20 miles (30 kilometres) north of the Olympic Park, will operate 24 hours a day during the Games.
Ariane prepares to shame cyber-stalker
An athlete should miss one Olympic cycle if they test positive for drugs. Athletes should get a second chance. I wouldn’t personally support a lifetime ban.
BAGHDAD: Romeo is Shiite, Juliet Sunni, and they must contend not only with warring families but a country torn by conflict and sectarian strife: this is the story of “Romeo and Juliet in Baghdad”. Pistols have replaced swords and some characters wear traditional dishdashas, abayas and keffiyah scarves, but the changes go far beyond props and costumes. The play is a distinctly Iraqi take on William Shakespeare’s 16th-century classic — it is in the Iraqi dialect of Arabic, with an Iraqi cast and an Iraqi director who also adapted the play,
GAMES AT A GLANCE WADA gives sharp warning to drug cheats
Paris enters the church wearing a belt of explosives and blows himself up, killing Romeo and Juliet. Monadhil Daood, 52, who adapted and directed the play, said that Paris is a member of Al-Qaeda and is not an Iraqi — a reference to foreign fighters who came to Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion. The reality of Iraq, and especially the sectarian violence here, ultimately provides a more tragic setting for the story of the two star-crossed lovers than Verona, Italy, where the original “Romeo and Juliet” was set.
In 2006, militants bombed the Shiite Al-Askari shrine in Samarra, unleashing a sectarian war of bombings and death squad murders that killed tens of thousands of Iraqis and forced many more from their homes. The play, which opened to a packed house at Iraq’s National Theatre on April 16, was commissioned for the World Shakespeare Festival, part of the cultural programme for the London 2012 Olympics. It will show in Stratfordupon-Avon from April 26 to May 5, and in London from June 28 to 30.
BERLIN: Top German high-jumper Ariane Friedrich has posted the details of an alleged cyber-stalker on her Facebook page, claiming that she wanted to name and shame the individual for sending her explicit pictures of himself. “I’ve been offended in the past, sexually harassed and I’ve had a stalker before,” she wrote, after posting the name and email address of a man who allegedly sent her a photo of his genitals in an email. “It’s time to act, it’s time to defend myself. And that’s what I’m doing.”
First black coach of US Olympic team dies COLORADO SPRINGS: Dr. LeRoy Walker, the first black coach of a US Olympic athletics team and the first black president of the US Olympic Committee, died on Monday. He was 93. US Olympic Committee chief executive Scott Blackmun, in announcing Walker’s passing, recalled the long-time track and field coach’s groundbreaking accomplishments. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. LeRoy Walker and we join the entire Olympic family in remembering and appreciating the vast contributions he made to the worldwide Olympic movement throughout his 93 years,” Blackmun said. “He devoted himself to the betterment of sport and we were fortunate to have called him our president. Dr. Walker’s significant impact will resonate for generations to come.” Walker became the first black coach for a US Olympic athletics squad when he guided the Americans at the 1976 Montreal Games.”
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TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012
METRE
No, I think it's a myth, we all are aware of the facts. If you go by the facts, there is 56 per cent increase in internet viewership.
6S 286
19 4S702
CH Gayle RCB
Ajinkya Rahane (RR)
44
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une Warriors India and Delhi Daredevils take on each other for the second time in a span of four days. While they earlier clashed at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, today they meet at the Subrata Roy Stadium in Pune. The Warriors drew first blood in the previous match when these two sides met their batsmen made little work of the DD bowlers hammering them all over the field to post a massive 192. The bowlers then came to the party restricting the Daredevils to 172 from their quota of 20 overs. Pune Warriors who began this tournament as an underdog team, have certainly done
M Morkel (DD) 15 wickets
atting icon Sachin Tendulkar turned 39 today and will celebrate the occasion with a simple cake cutting function with his family and Mumbai Indians teammates later in the evening at the team hotel here. Even though Tendulkar has no special plans up his sleeve for his birthday, his Mumbai Indians teammates have planned a cake cutting ceremony in the evening after returning to the hotel from the practice session at the PCA stadium in Mohali ahead of their IPL match against Kings XI Punjab tomorrow. Tendulkar, his wife Anjali along with Mumbai Indians team members reached here yesterday by an afternoon flight from Mumbai.
5-16
Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE V RAJASTHAN ROYALS Rahane RC Bangalore innings (20 overs) c sub(LA Pomersbach) b Appanna V Kohli c Hodge b Pankaj Singh 16 TM Dilshan not out 76 MA Agarwal c Hodge b Hogg 15 H Gayle lbw b Hogg 4 AB de Villiers† not out 59 Extras (lb 10, w 7, nb 2) 19 Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 189 Bowling O M R W Econ A Chandila 4 0 29 0 7.25 Pankaj Singh 4 0 32 1 8.00 K Cooper 4 1 35 0 8.75 SK Trivedi 4 0 44 0 11.00 GB Hogg 4 0 39 2 9.75 Rajasthan Royals innings (target: 190 runs from 20 overs) R Dravid* c Dilshan b Appanna
58
13
OA Shah st †de Villiers b Appanna
10
SP Goswami† c Agarwal b Appanna
1
BJ Hodge c Agarwal b Patel
10
STR Binny not out
20
K Cooper c Vettori b Khan
8
GB Hogg c Vinay Kumar b Patel
13
Extras (lb 5, w 5)
10
Total (7 wickets; 20 overs)
143
Bowling
O
M R
W
Econ
Z Khan
4
0 30
1
7.50
R Vinay Kumar 4
0 37
0
9.25
DL Vettori
4
0 20
0
5.00
KP Appanna
4
0 19
4
4.75
HV Patel
4
0 32
2
8.00
pretty well winning four of the seven matches they have played. Jesse Ryder who top scored with a quick-fire 86 will be a key player for PWI. Steven Smith would be another player to watch out for while skipper Sourav Ganguly can again torment the opponents with his all-round skills. Delhi Daredevils on the other hand, is the team with the best performance this season. They have managed to stay at the top of the table for the maximum amount of time when compared to the other teams. Morne Morkel, who currently holds the purple cap having bagged 15 wickets, can be an extremely threatening player on a good day at office while captain Virender Sehwag, would be unstoppable once he settles down.
PW VS DD AT 4PM ON SET MAX
Bulls need to buck up
SCORECARD
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 46 runs
P W L T PT NR DD 6 4 2 0 8 0.681 KKR 7 4 3 0 8 0.432 PW 7 4 3 0 8 0.290 RR 8 4 4 0 8 0.190 CSK 7 4 3 0 8 0.033 RCB 7 4 3 0 8 -0.192 MI 6 3 3 0 6 -0.117 KXIP 7 3 4 0 6 -0.467 DC 5 0 5 0 0 -1.032 P-played; W-win; L-lost; T-tie; NR-net run rate; PT-points
BEST BOWLER
G APARNA SAI
Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 332 runs
B
AM Rahane (RR) KP (DD)
Will Dadagiri reign?
Rajiv Shukla, IPL chairman, on being told that the IPL is “becoming a declining asset”.
Sachin’s B’day bash to be low-key affair
103
HIGHEST SCORE
S
hahrukh Khan’s joys would have known no bounds when his team, Kolkata Knight Riders, defeated Deccan Chargers by five wickets on Monday. Put into bat, Deccan Chargers failed to fire their arsenal. They lost wickets at regular intervals and failed to bounce back, managing to post a paltry 126. The Knights on the other hand huffed and puffed their way to victory. What many assumed would have been a one-sided encounter, turned out to be otherwise. KKR, like their rivals, lost wickets regularly but skipper Gautam Gambhir, Jacques Kallis and Manoj Tiwary held the innings together. This happened to be the Bulls fifth consecutive loss from the five matches they played leaving them at the bottom of the points table. Luck seems to be evading
DC VS KKR AT 8PM ON SET MAX
this team as nothing seems to be able to help them sail safely to the coast. They lost their first match by a massive 74 runs. They certainly improved their performance after that encounter with CSK but even then they went on to lose matches one would have thought the Chargers should have won. The Chargers are presently in an extremely tight spot because if they fail to win any more matches their chances of proceeding to the next round would diminish leaving the former champions not much to cheer about. AS
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
The games people play
Awesome twosome
SAI RAM REDDY
Rahul Ramkrishna feedback@postnoon.com
A
t 14, most children are occupied with cartoon timetables and video games. Or the occasional street marble fancy. At 14, Akula Nihar is busy plotting strategies and sacrifices on a chess board. Nihar is one among many of his kind, a special generation that is obsessed over chess. “It is an obsession. I have been playing chess since childhood and have been learning new things about it everyday.” Nihar is a tenth class student who has consistent academic record of over 93%. About his academics he says, “Playing chess has improved my thought process. I get to analyse things logically. This has helped me in my academics too, where I can focus on a single point and go about achieving it.” For a 14 year old, Nihar sounds wise beyond his years. With a decent international rating of 1480, Nihar wants to pursue math and science as his higher education. “I grew up watching Vishwanathan Anand play. I am a big fan of both his classical and blitz games,” he says. Encouraged and supported by his parents, Nihar participates in tournaments often. Does his passion intrude upon academics? “Never. Infact, it helps me learn better,” Nihar says.
Chaitanya (L) and Akula Nihar Sri Hari Chaitanya is an intermediatte first year student. Vishwanathan Anand, blitz chess and FIDE ratings, all of these make him expansive, ready to talk. “Chess is like maths. After a point, the combinations and
AP’s Bhushan makes Das sweat Top seed needed 50 moves to subdue D Lakshmi Krishna Bhushan
T
wenty nine players shared the lead with 2 points each at the end of the second round of the NMDC All India Fide rated chess tournament, organised by Cyber Chess Academy at Suchithra Academy, here on Monday. Though the local favourite CRG Krishna had some anxious moments against upcoming thirteen year old Prabhat Koutha also of AP, his pawn sacrifice in a rook and pawn ending forced Prabhat to think long forgetting he had crossed the time limit. In a Queen’s gambit declined game, top seed Debashis Das of Orissa needed 50 moves to sub-
due D Lakshmi Krishna Bhushan of AP. IM K Priyadharshan of Tamil Nadu took four moves less to beat Shakeel Ahmed of AP in a Catalan Opening game. P Konguvel of ONGC was the quickest among the international masters to register a win in 21 moves against Aryan from Hyderabad. In a same colour bishop ending, under-25 national champion Rahul Sangma of Railways had no difficulty pocketing a point in a Sicilian defence adopted by VSS Priya. Veteran international master V Koshy of ONGCD needed only 25 moves to outwit Kaanad Aphale of AP.
moves are already in your head. The game helps me crack solutions faster and better, which is something I will need to master for the IIT-JEE,” says Chaitanya, whose international chess rating is 1280. He aims to crack the IIT
after his intermediatte. Who says youth is wasted on the young? These youngsters stand out, for they find relations between maths, chess and the philosophy behind them. Age, perhaps, is a number after all.
How they fared on Day 2 Name State Lakshmi Krishna Bhushan D AP Priyadharshan K TN Aryan BIH Sangma Rahul Rly Prabhat Koutha AP Ravi Teja S AP Aphale Kanaad MAH Praveen Prasad P AP Aneesh R AP Aravindh Chithambaram Vr ONGC 2 Harshita Guddanti AP K Praneeth Surya AP Venkateswara Reddy M AP Deepthamsh Reddy M AP Nishi Mahalaxmi Iyer WB Cholleti Sahajasri AP Praveen Veeramalla AP Dave Kantilal RAJ Potluri Saye Srreezza NMDC 1 Chakravarthi Y V K AP Karthik V Ap AP Aditya S S V AP Srikanth K SSCB Kandula Durga Kaushik AP Krishna Teja N AP Rohith Svs AP Kandi Ravi AP Raja Rithvik R AP Kandasamy K TN Dhanunjaya Rao L SSCB Nihar L Akula AP
lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to beat beat beat beat lost to beat lost to beat lost to lost to beat lost to
Opponent Debashis Das Shakeel Ahmed Konguvel Ponnuswamy Priya Vss Krishna C R G Kishore V Koshy Varugeese Sai Akshay Y Purushothaman T Anigani Kavya Dhar Rajib M Tulasi Ram Kumar Abhilash Reddy M L Gudla Shanth Kumar Trailokya Nanda Naga Shashank D Saranya J Krishna Chaitanya G S Roshan Rangarajan Anudeep V J Akshith Kumar Srija Seshadri Sai Mohit Kumar V Harsha Bharathakoti Viswa Teja G Chakravarthi Reddy M Sri Hari Kausthuba Jayesh M Sai Agni Jeevitesh J Erigaisi Arjun Durga Prasad V
State ORI AP ONGC AP AP TN ONGC AP AP AP ASM AP AP AP ASM AP ONGC AP MAH AP AP TN AP AP AP AP AP TN AP AP AP
30
Dominican Shillingford makes a super debut ROSEAU: Shane Shillingford celebrated becoming the first Dominican to play Test cricket in his home country in style on Monday as the West Indies offspinner took four Australian wickets on the opening day of the third and final Test at Windsor Park. Australia finished the day on 212 for seven, in some trouble after winning the toss. They only need a draw to take the series having won the first Test in Barbados. It was an unforgettable day for 29-year-old Shillingford as, getting bounce out of the pitch, he bowled an uninterrupted spell of twentyfour overs and finished with 4-77. He claimed the scalps of David Warner (50), Ricky Ponting (23), Michael Clarke (24) and Mike Hussey (10). “These guys are guys who once they get in score a lot of runs. Getting these guys out is a real honour for me,” said Shillingford. “I normally get a good amount of bounce but on the second or third day. On the first day, especially with the spin I got, it was a little surprising but (when) I started getting that I started feeling well.” Shillingford could barely believe how the day had gone for him.
IT WAS AN UNFORGETTABLE DAY FOR 29-YEAR-OLD SHILLINGFORD AS, GETTING BOUNCE OUT OF THE PITCH, HE BOWLED AN UNINTERRUPTED SPELL OF TWENTYFOUR OVERS AND FINISHED WITH 4-77. “I started off walking the guys onto the field. The skipper told me to keep my cool, play my normal game and from there I started feeling better and all the excitement came. I’ve never got a five-wicket haul in Test cricket. Coming up against Australia, I have a chance to get one so it’s definitely something I want do, especially playing at home.” The morning session yielded just the one wicket thanks to Ravi Rampaul. On his return to the side after a bout of dengue fever and subsequently a shoulder injury, Rampaul’s second delivery came back into Ed Cowan who didn’t play a shot and the ball struck him on the pad trapping him lbw. Warner and Watson prevented any more wickets falling before lunch but were hindered by an outfield which slowed the ball down.
Playing Field
TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2012
The games people play
31
NATIONAL SPORT Coyotes clinch first playoff Gilbert Brule and Kyle Chipchura each had a goal and an assist as the Phoenix Coyotes clinched their first playoff series since relocating from Winnipeg with a 4-0 victory over Chicago on Monday. Linemates Brule and Chipchura combined to score third period goals and goaltender Mike Smith recorded a shutout for the Coyotes, who captured the opening round National Hockey League playoff series four games to two.
NFL
“
How many goals has he scored this season? He’s scored an incredible amount. He lives for scoring, helping his people. Let him be happy on the pitch. Pep Guardiola about Lionel Messi
Spurs claim top seed
Real set to upset Bayern MADRID: Real Madrid are confident a hostile home support can help them overturn a 2-1 deficit against Bayern Munich on Wednesday in the second-leg of their Champions League semi-final. Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo spoke of the importance of the crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu after edging his side closer to their first Spanish league title in four years on Saturday with the decisive goal in a 2-1 win over Barcelona. “I hope the Bernabeu gets the first goal. The crowd has to be ready from the minute we
go on the pitch because we feel their influence. It’s a big match and if we have the crowd’s support we’ll be full of confidence,” he said. “We know from the first game that Bayern are going to play on the counter-attack and they’ll have a lot of respect for us in our own stadium.” After a tight first leg decided in Bayern’s favour by a Mario Gomez goal in the 90th minute, every little detail is going to count as these two giants — with 13 European Cups between them — go head to head again. Saturday’s victory in the
‘Lay off Messi’ by Rob Woollard
Barcelona BARCELONA: coach Pep Guardiola declared Lionel Messi fit to play in Tuesday’s Champions League showdown with Chelsea and laughed off concerns about the Argentinian’s scoring record. Despite a remarkable year which has left Messi four goals shy of equalling Gerd Muller’s alltime single-season scoring record of 67, questions have been raised about the South American’s failure to find the net in recent matches. Messi drew a blank against Chelsea in last week’s 1-0 first leg defeat at Stamford Bridge and cut a frustrated figure once more at the weekend as the Catalans suffered a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid at Camp Nou. News that Messi had missed
Clasico will lift Madrid as they attempt to reach their first Champions League final since 2002, when they beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 at Hampden to lift a record ninth continental crown. Madrid coach Jose Mourinho kept quiet after the Barcelona match, as is his custom of late in league games, perhaps to consider the important question of whether or not to continue with a winning team. The same eleven that started at the Camp Nou lost in Germany last week, and he has options if he believes three big games in little over a week
are too much for some of his players. Brazilians Kaka and Marcelo and Argentinian striker Gonzalo Higuain could all be used from the start to freshen things up. Bayern accepted defeat in their own domestic battle to catch Borussia Dortmund at the top of the Bundesliga before the first-leg with Madrid. For that reason coach Jupp Heynckes, who led Madrid to their seventh European title in 1997-98, was able to make eight changes to his team for the 2-1 win at Werder Bremen on Saturday. AFP
Basketball The San Antonio Spurs
claimed the top seed in the Western Conference by routing the Portland Trail Blazers 124-89 Monday behind 18 points each from Tim Duncan and Danny Green. Tony Parker finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists for the Spurs who won their eighth consecutive game. A total of 13 different San Antonio players scored points in Monday's contest at the AT&T Center arena.
NMJR
is the score by which Scotland's Stephen Maguire ended record-breaking teenager Luca Brecel's run in his maiden World Championship at Crucible Theatre here on Monday. At 17 years and 45 days, the rising Belgian star became the youngest player in the history of the tournament.