Postnoon E-Paper for 26 April 2012

MAJOR FIRE GUTS ELECTRONICS STORE A major fire broke out in an electronics shop in Uppal early on Thursday.

The store, owned by Manjeet Singh, was gutted and appliances including LCD TVs, refrigerators and computers worth crores of rupees were lost in the fire, said Uppal police inspector K Laxmikanth Reddy.

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The Avengers, the most hotly-anticipated film of the year opens in cinemas across the country tomorrow, but here in the City it has met its match. The NTR-starrer Dhammu is all set to dominate the box office this weekend. Talk about superheroes!

REPORT ON PG 16, 17 & 25

Page Two

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

LONG TRAIN RUNNING

Dramaybaaz Dramaybaaz — a theatre fest for solo performances is being held on April 28 and 29. Dramaybaaz provides an opportunity for those who do not belong to any theatre group to perform.

Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: April 28 and 29, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

SRINIVAS SETTY

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

Street and style A street food special called Khao Galli—Street food night will be held April 25 onwards at Kebab Pavillion, Ella Suites. Head to Ella Hotel for great experience.

Where: Ella Hotel, Gachibowli When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6628 8488

Go Splash Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to unwind. There is also great music, martinis and aperitifs in the evening.

Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Lepakshi Mela AP Handicrafts Development Corporation is hosting a Lepakshi Cotton Mela. 25 weavers and manufacturers will be participating in the event which will feature a variety of handloom materials such as Bengali Cotton, Chanderi etc.

Where: Lepakshi Emporium, Gunfoundry When: Ongoing, 10 am onwards

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

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

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

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

Chirag Ali Lane, Abids When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6712 2000

Shifting terrain

Live music

An abstract painting exhibition by Pandurang Deoghare, is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on till May 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,

CINEMAS

their spirits.

Where: Mocha — Banjara Hills Mocha Express — Inorbit Mall When: Ongoing, 4pm onwards Contact: (040) 23350144

Show and tell Where: Truffles Cafe, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 8am onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0105

Catch Hyderabad’s own band Witness Wide perform live at Inorbit Mall.The band members consists of musicians like; Jasper Paul, Jacinth Paul, Simeon Joseph and Dan Symonds.

Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: April 27, 7.30pm onwards

Anniversary sale

IPL special

Cricket frenzy

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!

If diamonds are a girls best friend, then Orra is the best place for them to hang out. Orra presents it’s anniversary sale with upto 25% discounton diamond lewellery and upto 50% off on gold jewellery.

Where: All Orra stores When: April 6- May6 Mocha and Mocha Express is hosting IPL specials with live screening of the match and various pizzas paying ode to the IPL teams and

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

Yoga Camp The first part of a series of seven days yoga camp will be held by Yoga Healing Foundation.

Where: Bhujana Vijaya Ground, Kukatpally When: April 29 onwards, 5.15 am onwards Contact: 92905 45433

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

2

‘TV causing spurt in crime’

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

I

n a shocking incident, a 15year-old girl was kidnapped and raped by one Ravi, under the Bowenpally police station limits four days ago. According to reports, the girl belonged to the SC community and was a resident of Bapujinagar. The incident took

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

place when she had gone to a nearby grocery store.

According to the victim’s mother’s complaint, her daughter was returning home on April 22 at 7pm from the nearby kirana shop when the 22-yearold Ravi, a resident of Mudfort, kidnapped her and later raped her. He dropped her back at around 1am. The Bowenpally police booked a case of kidnapping and rape against Ravi under the IPC and sections of the SC/ST act. They began

investigations and two special teams were formed in the supervision of ACP Begumpet ITVS Surayanarayana.

While speaking to Postnoon, Suryanarayana said, “These days the youth are heavily influenced by television and this is leading to spurt in rape cases, especially in areas like Secunderabad, Karkhana, Trimulgherry, Begumpet, Bowenpally. They are picking up tips on how to kidnap and rape girls from these shows.”

In a separate incident a class II student was raped by a youth last week at Chinna Kameela.

The 9-year-old girl had gone to run an errand, when the youth raped her. When she went home, her mother noticed that she was crying and bleeding.

Suspecting that she had been raped, she lodged a complaint.

“The influence of these television shows on the youth is obvious from the spurt in crimes. Parents should monitor their children’s TV viewing and avoid shows that have obscene or vulgar content. These shows are one of the reasons why youngsters get involved in criminal activities. They harm the victim and also ruin their own lives,” said Suryanarayana.

3

N SHIVA KUMAR

Hyper Local

Major fire breaks out in electronics shop CRIME Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

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major fire broke out in an electronics shop in Uppal early on Thursday morning. The store owned by Manjeet Singh was gutted and appliances worth crores of rupees like LCD TVs, refrigerators, computers etc were lost in the fire, said Uppal police inspector K Laxmikanth Reddy.

Santosh electronics, which is located behind Rajyalaxmi theatre, had been set up seven years ago. On Wednesday, Manjeet and

his employees shut the shop as usual and headed home.

However, around 4am on Thursday, passers-by noticed smoke billowing out of the shop and informed the police. The fire brigade rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by fifteen firefighting teams after nearly three hours.

“As per our investigations, it appears like the fire broke out due to a short circuit. Most of the appliances have been gutted. We have booked a case,” said Laxmikanth. They are also investigating what the exact cause was and if it was accidental or there was any foul play involved.

Hyper Local

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

CC road to be ‘relocated’ AMENITIES Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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he City traffic police department dashed the GHMC’s hopes, which chalked out grand plans to construct an innovative one km long Cement Concrete (CC) road on one of the busiest stretches — Lakdikapul-AC Guards route. Responding to a letter written by the GHMC to make alternative arrangements for diverting traffic on the busy road, the traffic wing officials rejected the civic body’s request by citing the non availability of alternative routes to divert traffic on the route, which forms part of National Highway (NH-9) and connects various important places of the City like Ameerpet, Kukatpally, Mehdipatnam, Tolichowki, Gachibowli and the International airport.

“We have declined the request of the corporation as we did not have any alternative routes to regulate traffic on the Lakdikapul-AC Guards route. It is impossible for us to make alternative arrangements on this road,” additional commissioner

of police (Traffic) CV Anand told Postnoon.

On the other hand, the traffic wing showed an alternative road which falls between Sultan Bazaar to Kacheguda Police Station for the civic body to undertake its ambitious project.

“This particular route has many alternative roads which can be used for traffic diversion. We

have asked the GHMC officials to go ahead with their project on this road with our support. The officials have also agreed to this,” Anand said.

GHMC engineer in chief R Dhan Singh also confirmed the news and said that they are planning to undertake the novel CC Road project very soon. “The traffic wing told us that they can-

not divert traffic on the Lakdikapul-AC Guards road due to lack of alternative routes.

They also came forward to provide their help on Sultan BazaarKacheguda route. We are preparing an action plan to undertake the project,” he said.

It may be emphasised here that the civic body came up with the idea of constructing CC roads with a view to increase their life span and avoid regular maintenance works, which is the case when it comes to conventional roads.

The officials studied the system of similar roads being implemented in cities like Bangalore and selected cement producer Ultra Tech for this project. The company agreed to build a 1 km stretch on a pilot basis. These roads will have special ducts for the convenience of various service providers like electricity department private cable operators to install cable wires. This will prevent frequent road cutting.

The proposed road will have a life span of nearly 25-30 years and will be easy to maintain even during the monsoons. This 1 km CC road will cost around `6 crore for the corporation for each kilometer.

Prajapatham: State seeks EC reply POLITICS

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he minister for Agriculture Kanna Laxminarayana on Wednesday informed that the State government will bring to the notice of the Election Commission of India (ECI)about the on-going ‘Prajapatham’ aimed at supply of drinking water to the people in summer.

Speaking to the media at the Secretariat, Laxminarayana said that a meeting held by the Chief Minister has reviewed the ongoing Prajapatham, and discussed the measure to be taken for

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2013. Nearly 500 delegates comprising of NGOs, agricultural scientists and agricultural officers would participate in the congress.

The World Agriculture Congress would discuss and deliberate the areas of profitable agriculture with low investment, high production of crop in small fields, modern methods of farming and water management systems.

In addition to this, Biodiversity Conference would be conducted in the City in October 2012 in which delegates from190 countries will participate.

drinking water supply. Steps would be taken up to supply drinking water to the people in remote areas also. In view of the election code, the government was in a dilemma whether to continue Prajapatham. Stating that the supply of drinking water was a routine practice, he stated that government would bring it to the notice of ECI as drinking water supply was a major subject of Prajapatham.

He informed that World Agriculture Congress, which would be conducted once in two years, is going to be organised in the State in November

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4

LRS to bring in `10 crore for HMDA Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

I

n a bid to regularise layouts of engineering colleges in and around the City, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) launched a special drive to collect Layout Regularisation (LRS) fee from these institutes. It may be emphasised here that this move comes in the wake of an extension by the State government to provide an opportunity for those who did not pay their dues.

HMDA incharge commissioner MT Krishna Babu also held a meeting with officials recently and directed them to focus on collecting dues from the engineering colleges managements.

Interestingly, the scheme has recieved a tepid response from managements of engineering and other educational institutions.

Of the 180 colleges within and outside the City limits, only a meagre 40 have applied for Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS). Officials at the HMDA have decided to pursue college managements regarding this issue.

Syed Jhiauddin, chief planning officer of the HMDA said, “Only 40 colleges have applied for LRS so far. The last date for this April 30, and colleges that fail to make the payment by then will be levied a fine of 20 per cent. We plan to persuade college managements to apply for LRS.” Earlier, in a meeting with college managements convened by Krishna Babu, representatives from over 60 colleges explained their woes. According to them, the buildings had been constructed after prior permission was issued to them by the respective local bodies. However, a delay in issuing permissions from the HMDA authorities due to indifferent officials, much of the work has been stalled.

A revenue of about `10 crore is slated to be generated from this scheme.

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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

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

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THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

5

T staff to agitate again?

TELANGANA U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

T

he leader of the Telangana employees Joint Action Committee Swamy Goud said that the employees will meet in two days and chalk out the future course of action against the government.

Talking to Postnoon Goud said that the government has promised something but had implemented something different, which was not in favour of the employees. He explained that the government had converted earned leave in lieu of the strike period. No extra favour or consideration was extended to the employees.

The government allegedly showed indifference while granting special leave to the Telangana employees. “The Chief Minister and the ministers in the guise of the cabinet sub-committee had announced that they would meet certain demands. But

when it came to implementing them, they did so as per their whims and fancies citing court directions,” he said. He charged that the court was used to suppress the demands of the employees.

He threatened that this time the agitation will be held in such a fashion that the Centre and State will have to bend to their demands and declare a separate Telangana state. “It is unfortunate that the Centre and State is coming one step forward and going back 10 steps when it comes to declaring a separate state. This time the employees will go all out this time to achieve Telangana,” he said.

Meanwhile, the T employees are also unhappy that the government was not keeping its word. Narendar one of the leaders of the employees union told Postnoon, that the talks between the employees union were inconclusive and a lot of things have to be sorted out.

“The employees have asked for a 5 day-week as it would help them to relax before the next week,” he said.

AP to host agriculture meet too, but where’s the money?

EVENTS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

C

hief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is planning international events one after the other but there is no clarity as to who would take care of their financing for these events where presidents and prime ministers are expected to participate.

In 2012, the City will host United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) from October 8-19. So far there has been no clarity, from the Centre nor the State, on the event’s funding. The GHMC also clarified that they would not be able to finance the programme.

Even as the uncertainty over CBD funding continues, the CM has announced that the City would host World Agriculture Congress in November 2013. It is for the first time that WAC is going to held in India. This announcement was in response to a proposal from James. B Bolger, former New Zealand PM and chairman of World Agricultural Forum.

Kenneth M Baker, chairman of WAF and Evie, WAF’s board member, who are currently in Hyderabad had discussions with the principal secretary (agriculture) and other officials regarding selection of theme, dates, venue. They had a meeting

with the CM too. IT sector would be the focus point and main theme would be ‘Lab to land’.

The broad theme for the WAC-2013 is ‘Reshaping Agriculture for the benefit of small and marginal farmers’. About 500 to 600 high-profile delegates including government leaders, administrators, eminent academicians, CEOs, farmers, functionaries of development organisation are expected to attend.

The primary objective of WAC is to discuss with all key stakeholders such as farmers’ organisations, industry, government leaders and scientists on how to reshape and re-position small farm-holder in order to make farming economically viable and improve farmers’ income in the era of WTO regime. The Congress is also expected to provide a policy direction to the developing countries on how to reshape agricultural policy in order to make farming viable and attractive profession, based on sharing of inter-country experiences.

The CM said that Prime Minister or President of India could be invited to inaugurate the conference. It is also expected that WAC will bring agriculture and farmers’ issues into main focal point once again to alert the governments to take right measures for making farming viable through reshaping agriculture.

But the cabinet sub-committee did not agree to this demand. A lot of amenities and infrastructure was lacking he said. “Even the assurances made to the Telangana employees union were not fulfilled. A lot of issues like housing and health insurance are yet to be addressed by the government,” he said.

When it comes to the unity among the employees from Telangana and Andhra, there is no difference, he said. The employees are one in the secretariat and they will not go back in achieving their rights, he stated.

The minister for Finance Anam Ram Narayan Reddy said that some of the issues had been solved and some other issues are under consideration. “Employees welfare will always come first. That was the reason the strike period was earlier considered as special leave,” he explained.

The cabinet sub committee was apprised of the matter and after a meeting with the Chief Minister a solution will be arrived at, he stated.

Chugging along

C

hief secretary Pankaj Dwivedi conducted the Special Task Force (STF) meeting on Wednesday and reviewed the progress of the Hyderabad Metro Rail project. Some of the highlights of the meeting were • Formation of a fast track approval committee consisting of top police officials for according stretch-wise permissions for metro rail works on the roads and for coordinated traffic management.

• A sub-committee consisting of top bureaucrats and police officials to identify and coordinate removal of bottlenecks through joint inspections of critical road stretches.

• GHMC to expedite acquisition of 570 properties in the next four months to provide a minimum 18 mtrs right of way in all the three metro rail corridors.

• GHMC to speed up formation of alternate roads and remove bottlenecks to reduce traffic congestion.

• Water Board to shift obstructing water and sewer lines with metro rail funds in tandem with metro rail pier foundation works.

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Hyper Local ‘Will consider request on exams’

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

6

City’s home, but roots in Bihar Many Biharis had migrated for better opportunities to the City they now call home

Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

M

inister for education Parthasarathy said that he would consider the request of parents and also students that the supplementary exam could be considered as an instant exam.

Parents and students who met the minister after staging a dharna told him that the marking of supplementary in memos will make them ineligible for the jobs. Talking to Postnoon, the minister said that his son had also passed the exam last year, so he was aware of the plight of the students and parents.

The minister assured them that the he would also look into the matter and see that there would be no problem for the students when being considered for the Eamcet. He did not agree that the questions were out of the syllabus. He showed them the answers in the text book and also the question paper.

He has called for a meeting to sort out the problems of students who would be attending the exams. He said that if there was no objection, the exams can be converted into instant exam. AGENCY

KK Reddy hints at August co-op elections

T

he minister for cooperation Kasu Krishna Reddy on Wednesday informed that elections to cooperative societies might be conducted in the month of August.

Speaking to the media in the Secretariat here, the minister stated that the by-elections to 18 Assembly constituencies in June may cause delay in conduct of elections to cooperative societies.

He also informed that the cabinet sub-committee setup for revival and strengthening of cooperative societies would submit its report shortly.

The minister also felt that there would be a keen fight between the parties in the byelections to Prathipadu and Macherla constituencies in Guntur district. Stating that there was a strong coordination between the leaders and workers, he pointed out that some people were trying to create a misconception that there was lack of coordination between the leaders in the Congress.

AGENCY

COMMUNITY Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

H

yderabad has many aspects that represent an amalgamation of the north and the south. Literally, north meets south here and the one main reason is that there is no language barrier, say the people from Bihar who have been staying in the City since many years.

There are around four to five lakh people from Bihar residing in the Twin Cities. Most of them live in Mangalhat, Dhoolpet, Gangabowli, Jeedimetla, Balanagar, Alwal, Gowliguda and also in pockets of Old City.

“Hyderabad is home for us but our roots are still in Bihar. We keep visiting our home town which is near Patna at least once a year. Though we stay in Hyderabad, we very much follow the culture of Bihar. Be it the

chhath Puja or typical Bihari Holi we celebrate it the way it is celebrated in Bihar”, said Thakur Jagdev Singh, a resident of West Marredpally.

“My grandsons are more fluent in Telugu and Deccan Hindi as compared to the Bihari languages as they occasionally visit Bihar. Language needs practice.

However, they understand the language well,” he adds.

The people from the community religiously follow all their customs and traditions. Dussera, Naga Panchami, Navaratri, Holi, Diwali, Teej, Makar Sankranti, MahaShivaratri, Sarhul, Soharai, Karma festivals are some of their major festivals celebrated in Hyderabad.

Chhath Puja is the major attraction among their festivals. Every year the puja is observed in Hussain Sagar lake and Alwal Pond.

The members from the community actively take part in charity and donations too. They also participate in several religious activities like donating statues of deities to temples and other

donations. They also play an important role in organising disaster relief in form of funds, supplies etc. All this is done through a common platform or association called the Bihar Association of Hyderabad (BAH).

The association is registered by the Andhra Pradesh government. There are more than 5,000 members in the association. The members actively plan meetings and programmes for the upcoming festivals wherein people from the community can interact and get to know each other under one roof.

They have annual meetings wherein they invite dignitaries and distinguished people from Bihar. The other functions of this association is to share knowledge, information and news which helps male the members of the community aware and also provide a common platform for networking and extending a helping hand as and when it is needed.

Old timers from the City say

ICONIC CITY NTR gardens

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yderabad boasts of a large number of gardens spread well over the City and the area around Hussain Sagar has some spectacular gardens.

Families have always looked forward to visits these gardens for picnics. Parks are also popular among young couples to spend some time together. The NTR Gardens near Prasads is one such place.

Hundreds of Hyderabadis come to NTR Gardens everyday to have a peaceful time with the bountiful flora

Aishwarya Yerra 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

present in the garden.

The sweeping acres of perfectly landscaped lawns and water fountains are a pleasure to watch.

There is joy train ride which is an enjoyable option for kids and adults alike. There is also a canteen which has an interesting seating arrangement which represents a car with a table in it. This gives people a feeling of dining in a car.

The gardens have a memorial dedicated to the erstwhile CM and cinema legend NT Rama Rao.

many people from Bihar migrated to Hyderabad in search of livelihood and earnings.

“Earlier the employment opportunities in Bihar were less as compared to other states in India. However it’s not same now as there are lot of opportunities in Bihar now, but we don't want to go back as Hyderabad is home for us now. We have settled here and are not interested to relocate” said, Mahendra Pratap, a resident of Mangalhat and member of BAH .

Profession Youngsters from the community are in big posts here. Many of them are work with the Municipal Corporation, Collectors Office and Tourism Department, banks, and in the corporate sector.

However, not all are affluent.

The less educated lot from the community opt to work as construction labourers in the City.

Others are into real estate, goldsmiths or wholesale dealers of imitation jewellery and clothing.

Hyper Local CLASSIFIEDS

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

MUNICIPAL APPROVAL

FABRICATION

Rain may cause price rise RAINS Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

T CERTIFICATION

EDUCATION

Case against film director dismissed

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case of illegal annexation of land against film director Teja was dismissed by a court.

Teja had sold his house to one Chadalavada Srinivasa Rao. However, Srinivasa Rao had not paid the money as agreed because of which Teja occupied the house. On this, Srinivasa Rao has filed a case against Teja for occupying his property. Teja told the court that it was his house and that he had taken it back as Rao had not paid him. The court dismissed the case against the director and restored the house to him. ^dbk`v

7

he mid-summer drizzle and hailstorms may have dropped temperatures and made the heat manageable, but the crops in the State have been badly damaged.

Though this isn’t unusual, denizens are afraid this might spell an increase in the price of fruits and vegetables.

Unseasonal heavy rains lashed the State on several occasions this summer, and in turn damaged thousands of hectares of crop. What is worse is that the due to late flowering, the harvest hasn’t been much either this year.

The worst affected district is Karimnagar with 4,146 hectares affected with under 40 per cent damage and 1,028 hectares of crop damaged over 50 per cent.

Through 18 districts, the damage has been a massive 8,214 hectares with less than 50 per cent damage and 12,218.69 hectares with over 50 per cent damage.

“With the prices of vegetables already soaring, the damage will only force the vendors to up their prices even more to meet with the losses. The consumers will have to pay a heavy price,” said P Parvathi, a housewife from Punjagutta.

“The price of the vegetables will not increase and won’t fluctuate either. It will be stable unless the export of fruits and vegetables to Karnataka, Mumbai or Delhi increases. As compared to last year around the same

Horticulture crops damaged due to hailstorms/ heavy wind gales/ unseasonal rains during March and April, 2012 District

Karimnagar

Crop

Mango Vegetables Watermelon KRKM Total

Area damaged (in hectares) upto 19-04-2012 Below 50%

Above 50%

4,081.40 61 4 4,146.40

990 38 0.00 1,028

Mahboobnagar Mango Vegetables MBNR Total

20 0.00 20

1,739 21.40 2033.07

Rangareddy

55 0.00 314

136.40 27.20 184.6

Vegetables Fruits(Banana) RR Total

time, the incoming fruits are less this season,” consoled Yoginder, assistant director (disaster management), department of horticulture.

However, since this is the season of the king of fruits— mango, the damage has been as high as 20 per cent. Even the mango vendors are concerned about incurring loss-

es due to the unseasonal rainfall in addition to the GO 288 passed on March 19, stating that the mangoes ripened with calcium carbide are banned and only those ripened naturally or with ethylene should be sold.

Obviously, being more expensive, the farmers haven’t welcomed this move.

“We are already incurring losses due to the mid-summer rains, and adding to the new rule of ripening mangoes, it is hard for most of us to sustain. The government doesn’t bail us out financially and neither does it lend us a helping hand. I have lost out on at least `2 lakhs worth of mangoes till now due to the hailstorms,” said Baalachamdram, a mango vendor at the Mango Mela being held in Nampally Exhibition Grounds.

Maalavya, a fruit vendor in Shantinagar, said that he has had to incur about `30,000 worth of loses due to the rains. “I have leased out about 1,500 mango trees in Karimnagar and about 600 of them have been spoilt. I have taken a personal loan and with the stress of paying back, I don’t know what to do.

I am praying that the rain don’t lash the State for another month or two,” he said.

Again, Karimnagar mango crops have been the worst hit with 4,081.4 hectares with under 50 per cent damage and 990 hectares with damage of over 50 per cent. But the highest damage for mango crops over 50 per cent was Warrangal with 4,752.24 hectares.

Not surprisingly, the department of horticulture has done little to help the farmers. Only the crops damaged above 50 per cent have been given a prescribed amount as compensation.

“We have a plan for droughts, but with the rains, we can’t do anything. We only advice farmers to sell their crops immediately as any further delay will make them unusable,” he said.

‘Seeti bajao, chor bhagao,’ say City cops POLICE Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

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

n a bid to curb the growing crime rate in the city, the Cyberabad police force has come up with an innovative community policing formula aptly titled, “Seeti bajao, Chor bhagao.”

As a part of the awareness campaign due to be taken up by May, the police department has shouldered the responsibility of spreading awareness about crime in the City as well as suitable measures to avoid it.

D Tirumala Rao, commissioner of cyberabad division said, “ Most of the cases that we have dealt with point towards a lack of prompt action. For instance, a recent robbery case where a woman's pleas for help fell on deaf ears paved an

easy exit for the robbers. Incidents like these show that the public in general is slow in its reaction time.

We are asking the people to be alert and responsibly help one another in such situations. This will also aid and ease the police investigation.”

“We believe that the crime rate in the City will be drastically reduced if the public were to be alert and spontaneous when dealing with situations involving any crime, robbery, assault, fraudulent activities etc. So we have decided to rake up an awareness among the citizens through suggestions and remedies, to be alert at all times and be proactive in their role towards eliminating crime in the

City, ” he said.

Last year’s crime statistics showed a considerable decline in crime rate in the City but officials at the Cyberabad police division are on their toes. Owing to the rapid mushrooming of housing colonies in and around Cyberabad, a steep growth and influx in the city population, policing has become a difficult job.

A close co-ordination between the cops and the citizens is the motto of the campaign, to collectively reduce the crime rate in the City.

While the civil society may welcome this move, what remains to be seen if these initiatives are as effective as promised.

Hyper Local

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

8

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

A historical market Bhavneet Singh feedback@postnoon.com

L

ocated in the heart of the City, Moazam Jahi market is one of the oldest markets in the City.

Established during the times of the Nizams, this market named after the last Nizam’s son has stood tall for about 70 years now.

The market is not only famous for fruits but also for ice cream. The ice cream parlour called ‘Famous Ice Cream’ has been around for a couple of decades now and sells a variety

of hand-made fruit ice creams at astonishingly cheap rates. The day here starts off at about 9am.

During the day, it’s a fairly busy area. Merchants come to sell their products which mostly consists of raw food material.

The area faces heavy traffic in the evenings.

One thing that stands out in Moazam Jahi market is the beautiful architecture. Unlike other markets in the City, this place promises a very good experience while shopping as it is very neat and gives you the feel of the olden days. Evenings offer a

pleasant sight as the entire place lights up and is flooded with families who are out to have a good time.

During the month of Ramzan, the market lights up like a newlywed bride. It is decorated, and full of people who are there to buy fruits to break their fast. The traders here make maximum profit during that month.

All in all, this market stands as a symbol of the rich architecture and heritage of the time of the Nizams, and is a must visit spot for anyone who is in Hyderabad.

17,125.89 25.57

5,191.05 10.55

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `29,200

GOLD

1kg= `55,600

SILVER

`52.55

DOLLAR

Matters of saving and spending

POUND THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012 9

‘E-retail set for growth’ Abhimanyu Lal, head of category management, eBay India talks about current eCommerce trends and the firm’s business, in an interview with Prudhvi Raju K.

W

hat was eBay Inc’s growth rate in the last fiscal? What is the average growth rate of the company since inception? eBay Inc has recorded a revenue growth of 27 per cent to $11.7 billion as compared to 2010. The company’s Marketplaces business also delivered strong fourth quarter performance.

Marketplaces revenue for the quarter was up 16 per cent year over year.

What are the current challenges faced by the eCommerce industry in the country and also by eBay India in particular?

India has diverse regions; internet and modern retail are still deepening their reach to Tier 2 and 3 cities and rural areas.

Some challenges are lack of awareness leading to low trust levels. Owing to the vast geography of India, it is sometimes challenging to reach remote areas faster. Rising Indian consumption demand, increasing broadband penetration, lower device costs, increased awareness and confidence in online shopping continue to be the key drivers of the industry.

What are you doing to overcome these challenges?

We have introduced two pioneering services — PaisaPay and eBay Guarantee. PaisaPay allows consumers to pay conveniently through credit card, debit card, net banking or EMI. The payment is released to the seller only once the buyer

OPPORTUNITIES AND PROMISES

W

omen are becoming increasingly active in shopping online and this will lead to a change in the product offerings of eCommerce players, which means lifestyle products will take lead.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities are now firmly on the eCommerce map and the key driver is access to products not available in their city or town.

With further increase in internet penetration, they will become large eCommerce hubs.

As an estimated 100 million Indians spend their time online consuming content, communicating and even indulging in commerce, brands are setting up online storefronts to cater to this demand.

From a dedicated storefront on eCommerce websites, to special promotions and standalone eCommerce enabled websites, brands are going to come online in a big way and invest in servicing this distributed but significant customer base.

Another, big impetus to eCommerce in India is mobile commerce. Presently Mobile Assisted Commerce has picked up significantly in India and is expected to grow in the country. Mobile Assisted Commerce enables consumers to check prices online using mobile applications and making purchases after comparing prices.

“The Indian seller is very entrepreneurial and does not just trade with consumers across the country as well as exports a variety of hand crafted goods global buyers across the world. The number of entrepreneurs having the internet as their key driver will grow with growing awareness of the multiple uses of the virtual medium. We definitely see retail exports as a growing trend,”Lal said.

confirms receipt of the item. eBay Guarantee offers all buyers a replacement or refund on all transactions in case they are not 100 per cent satisfied with the

product. The eBay Guarantee is aimed at instilling consumer confidence in online shopping promising a completely secure and satisfaction-guaranteed

Global food prices up, poor at risk: World Bank WASHINGTON: Global food prices again rose in the first quarter on the back of higher oil prices, putting millions of people at risk of not having enough to eat, the World Bank said on Wednesday.

The 8 per cent increase from December 2011 to March 2012 was due to “higher oil prices, adverse weather conditions, and Asia’s strong demand for food imports,” the World Bank said.

The bank’s Global Food Price Index was “only 1 per cent below a year ago and 6 per cent below the February 2011 peak,” it said. “After four months of consecutive price declines, food prices are on the rise again, threatening the food security of millions of people,” said Otaviano Canuto, the bank’s vice president (poverty reduction and economic management.

experience of getting the product they selected and paid for.

There were reports that women are increasingly buying products from eBay. Can you please expand on this?

Thirty per cent of our consumers are women and shop across all categories available on eBay. The lifestyle category is the most popular for women with: n A piece of jewellery selling every 4 minutes n A health or beauty product sells every 4 minutes n A piece of apparel selling every 5 minutes n A watch selling every 7 minutes n A piece of home décor selling every 8 minutes Our women shoppers are primarily between the age of 18 and 40. They are home-makers, professionals, entrepreneurs and working women. Women tend to be social with their shopping habits whether it be sharing details of a product they are looking for and seeking recommendations or sharing what they bought and making recommendations. Their circle of influence is larger and they shop more frequently.

Where do you want to take eBay India in the next two years?

The Indian eCommerce industry is pegged to grow at over 70 per cent and we are growing at twice this rate. We plan to further accelerate this growth by enhancing our services through constant innovation. We plan to focus not only on our buyers but also our sellers who have been vital partners to our success.

Fed optimistic on growth WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday it sees US growth picking up and unemployment falling by the end of the year, as it stuck fast to existing stimulus policies despite some short-term economic headwinds.

Stating “it’s still a little too premature to declare victory,” Fed chairman Ben Bernanke gave a slightly more upbeat view of the economy and rebuffed demands for more stimulus spending. After a two-day meeting, Fed policymakers said they expected to keep interest rates near zero until late 2014, as Bernanke described further spending now to boost the economy as “reckless.”

Bernanke offered stronger-thanexpected 2012 growth and jobs projec-

`84.99

tions as exhibit A in his defense.

The bank predicted unemployment will fall to between 7.8 and 8.0 per cent by the end of the year. Unemployment stands at 8.2 per cent today, the lowest rate in three years, but nearly 13 million American workers are still unemployed, leading some to call for more measures to juice the economy.

The Fed also predicted that growth will reach between 2.4 per cent and 2.9 per cent by year’s end. Against this backdrop, the Fed kept in place its policy of swapping short-term bonds for those with longer-term maturities — a move that should put downward pressure on real interest rates and stimulate investment.

AFP

NUMEROLOGY

`1,320

crore

was borrowed by state-run BSNL from the market to meet capital expenditure during 2011-12.

THUS SPAKE “Softer global conditions, weak investor and business confidence, government paralysis, and tight monetary conditions are all weighing on demand.

Almost all sectors have slowed, with particular weakness in manufacturing and mining, alongside a worrying contraction in private investment,” Moody's Analytics

SWANSONG Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila indicated in an interview on Wednesday that his company was no longer the world’s biggest mobile phone maker after 14 years at the top.

“Nokia was number one for 14 years and still has the chance to be so again,” Ollila told commercial broadcaster MTV3. The former Nokia chief executive will be leaving his position as chairman of the board next week.

BIG BUY US drug maker Watson Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday it will buy Iceland-based Actavis for $5.62 billion, creating the world’s third-largest generic drugs company. Watson, maker of a generic version of Lipitor, Pfizer’s blockbuster anti-cholesterol drug, said the acquisition of the privately held Actavis would greatly expand its global footprint. The Actavis merger was expected to generate revenue of about $8 billion this year, according to Watson. They said that Actavis, as a stand-alone company, was positioned for strong growth, with a commercial presence in more than 40 countries.

India‑View

10

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

India unveiled

Development through destruction The nearly 150 dams planned for the sparsely populated Arunachal Pradesh would together fill India’s current energy gap. But they will also devastate dozens of indigenous tribal people, wipe out thousands of acres of forest and do away with some of the world’s best white-water. Jason Overdorf delves far and deep

PART-1

F

rom the service road above the Lower Subansiri Dam, in Northeast India, the river below looks deep and still, a dark forest green.

On the bank opposite, a mammoth conveyor carries silt and gravel from a quarry half a mile away. Upstream along the Subansiri River, brilliant red cranes tower over the 380-foot wall of concrete and steel — nearly completed — which unless construction can be halted will soon submerge some 8,500 acres of land.

When it’s finished, the 2,000 megawatt (MW) Lower Subansiri project, being built by government-owned NHPC Ltd near the town of North Lakhimpur on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, will be one of India’s Some states and the number of major dams/ reservoirs in them Tamil Nadu 66 Andhra Pradesh 37 Karnataka 33 Kerala 24 Maharashtra 23 Uttar Pradesh 13 Rajasthan 12 West Bengal 1

largest hydroelectric power plants. Including the Lower Subansiri, 150 dams — many of them massive projects of more than 1,000MW of capacity — are planned for the Dibang, Siang, Siyom, and Lohit rivers.

For local residents and environmental activists, the Lower Subansiri is the first beachhead in the struggle against breakneckpace development, which opponents say has been undertaken without full or sincere consideration of its consequences, and could wipe out thousands of acres of breathtaking forest, dozens of fascinating tribal cultures and some of the world’s best whitewater for adventure tourism.

Power hunger runs deep Yes, India needs electricity. The country is the world’s fourthlargest electricity consumer, after the US, China and Russia. Last year, peak power demand topped 122,000MW, resulting in a shortfall of some 12,000MW, or nearly 10 per cent, according to the Central Electricity Authority. Overall demand for energy over the year breached 860,000 gigawatt hours, resulting in a gap of 73,000GWh, or 8.5 per cent.

And the situation promises to get worse, as the Ministry of Power projects a 56 per cent increase in annual demand to 1.4 million GWh by the end of the next five-

year planning period in March 2017 — requiring the addition of another 100,000 megawatts of generation capacity.

Some 300 million people in villages across the country still have no access to electricity at all.

Factories are often forced to generate their own power. Residents of the country’s showpiece

metropolitan cities endure frequent ‘power cuts’. During the long, hot summer, excess demand forces electricity providers to resort to rolling blackouts, sometimes for six hours or longer.

In places like Roing — a small outpost in Arunachal’s Dibang River Basin with the frontier character of a logging town — matters

are even more uncertain. On a recent visit, spring rains knocked out transmission lines running from Assam, and at least one hotel was left without electricity for nearly a week and forced, like millions of businesses across the country, to run a diesel-powered generator from sundown to lights out around 9pm. GLOBALPOST

Talk therapy for India’s depressed Madhulika Sonkar

NEW DELHI: It is early morning, and inside a single-storey building’s basement, a man picks up one of four ringing telephones. He asks the caller in a deep baritone, “But what went wrong?” and steers the person towards an hour-long conversation.

It was a depressed caller, he says later. The man, who uses the pseudonym Zaki Shah, is from the hush-hush world of ‘talk therapy’ where people feeling depressed or suicidal find refuge in the voices of counsellors sitting far away and working at odd hours.

The time this IANS correspondent spent at the headquarters of this 24-hour 14-state helpline, run

by St Stephen’s Hospital and Emmanuel Hospital Association, revealed a world of despair and rescue where identities are withheld as new hopes are born.

The helpline, started last October, has seen an increase in the density of calls from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and even the northeast.

More youths from small towns share their woes on the phone. “In towns, visiting a psychiatrist is not a viable option due to stigma and availability. So they find refuge in helplines,” says Shah.

The busiest months are February and March when calls a day go up to 100. The reasons: exams and stressed students and parents, say the counsellors.

According to a 2009 National Crime Records Bureau report, 15 people committed suicide in the country every hour. The WHO says depression, one of the causes of suicide, will be the secondmost prevalent medical condition in the world by 2020.

The helpline has nine counsellors working in three shifts,

and all they have are computers and telephones. Available on 1860-266-2345, the helpline has received around 2,000 calls so far.

“To maintain confidentiality, we cannot reveal our or the caller’s identity to any other person. In telephonic counselling, it is plain talk therapy working,” a counsellor who uses the pseudonym Vidhi Sharma said.

“I am not even supposed to tell you my name. It is just the caller who should know about me,” she added.

“On telephone, we have to catch the callers’ non-verbal cues also. Unlike face-to-face counselling, we cannot analyse the body language. Only tones and words are available to us,” says Sharma. The counsellors, mostly with a master’s degree in psychology, come trained for the job.

Sharma talks about the “invisible equation” created by

these helplines. Overcoming the fear of being judged is the biggest advantage to the distressed seeking help, she says.

The team of counsellors has mastered the art of pulling back depressed callers into life.

However, the task is tough when they have to deal with violent callers or elderly who have lost hope. “It is a challenge to calm down violent callers who first need medical help. Our first priority is to buy time from people who are on the verge of committing suicide,” says Shah, who is a theatre artiste when not counselling.

“After a detailed analysis of the caller, we assess if the person needs to be referred to a psychiatrist. Certain calls can leave us emotionally drained too,” he says, adding that the callers just want to be heard.

India‑View

11

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

India unveiled

India joins elite club with all-weather eye in space Dennis S Jesudasan

SRIHARIKOTA (AP): Achieving yet another milestone in its space programme, India today successfully launched its first indigenous all-weather radar imaging satellite RISAT-1 that will boost its remote sensing capabilities and facilitate agriculture and disaster management.

The perfect launch of the satellite catapulted India into a select band of countries having indigenous radar imaging technology.

“Only the US, Canada, Japan and the European consortium have the technology so far,” PS Veeraraghavan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram said.

Hailing the launch, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said it was an important milestone in India’s space programme and congratulated the ISRO scientists for displaying mastery of the complex launch vehicle technology.

In a textbook launch, the 1,858kg spacecraft, the country’s first microwave remote sensing satellite, was injected into precise orbit by Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV C-19 about 19 minutes after a perfect lift off at 5.47am at the end of the 71-hour countdown from Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, around

NHRC for change to Act NEW DELHI: Dearth of retired High Court Chief Justices has prompted the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to think about relaxing norms for appointment of chairpersons in its state bodies by amending the existing Act. The NHRC is also mulling the possibility of having a single human rights body for the northeastern states where the problem of getting a retired High Court Chief Justice is more.

NHRC Chairperson Justice KG Balakrishnan said some of the smaller states like in the northeast have a problem with regard to appointing chairpersons as

there are no available retired Chief Justices.

“For these seven north-east states, there is only one High Court. So there are no enough retired Chief Justices. So there should be some relaxation and the Act could be suitably amended.

“Overall, in north-eastern states, there may be one SHRC to cater to all these seven states.

Some such amendments could be made,” Balakrishnan told PTI in an interview. The Commission has already called for suggestion from the existing SHRCs regarding the amendment of ‘The Protection of Human Rights Act’ of 1993.

PTI

90km from Chennai.

PSLV, the workhorse launch vehicle of Indian Space Research Organisation, achieved its 20th consecutive successful flight when it launched RISAT-1, the heaviest satellite ever lifted by it, in a mission described as a “grand success” by the space agency chief K Radhakrishanan.

RISAT-1, culmination of nearly 10 years of effort by SRO, has the capability to take images of Earth during day and night, as well as in cloudy conditions.

Till now, India depended on images from a Canadian satellite as existing domestic remote sensing spacecraft cannot take pictures of Earth during cloud cover.

“The satellite can give valuable data like soil moisture, glacier positions and other details,” the ISRO chairman said.

The satellite has been successfully deployed at an altitude of 480km, Radhakrishnan said, adding it would be raised to its desired altitude of 536km of Polar Sunsynchronous Orbit in the next three days.

The four stages of heavy-duty PSLVXL variant, used for the third time, performed without any glitch and scientists at the mission control centre broke into cheer when the rocket injected the satellite into orbit, marking the first launch this year for ISRO. PTI

Naxals free Odisha legislator Hikaka

RS adjourned over Bofors NEW DELHI: Opposition BJP and AIADMK today stalled proceedings in the Rajya Sabha in the wake of claims made by former Swedish police chief in the alleged payoffs involved in the Bofors gun deal, forcing adjournment of the House for 15 minutes.

As soon as the House met for the day, BJP and AIADMK members were on their feet alleging that the then Prime Minister Rajiv

Gandhi had protected Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, who is alleged to have received payoff in the case.

Chairman Hamid Ansari said the Question Hour will not be suspended and asked members to resume their places.

“Please allow Question Hour to proceed... The Question Hour cannot be suspended,” he said and took up the first listed question of the day.

BHUBANESWAR: Maoists today (Thursday) released Odisha legislator Jhina Hikaka in the state’s Koraput district after holding him captive for more than a month.

Reporters and photographers surrounded a relieved and healthy looking Hikaka as he came with a group of villagers to a mango garden at Balipeta, over 500km from

here, at about 10.30am.

Emotions ran high when the 37-year-old Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislator, wearing a green kurta, hugged his wife Kaushalya and seconds after both broke down in tears.

“We’re glad that he is safe and unharmed,” party colleague Baijayant Panda told reporters.

The leftwing extremists, who kidnapped Hikaka from Laxmipur in Koraput March 24, had on Wednesday announced that a ‘praja’, people’s, court decided to release him after he apologised to the rebels and the local villagers.

A Maoist leader calling herself ‘Aruna’, in an audio message aired by a local television channel here, had said the decision to release him was taken after he promised to resign from the assembly and the primary membership of the ruling BJD. IANS

NATION AT A GLANCE No change in visa policy on Narendra Modi: US WASHINGTON: The US has said there is no change in its visa policy with regard to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. “Our position on the visa issue hasn’t changed at all,” State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters on Wednesday. Nuland was responding to questions by Congressman Joe Walsh to the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, that the US reverse its 2005 decision not to issue US visa to Modi.

Karuna backs Eelam; seeks revival of TESO CHENNAI: Backing a separate Eelam (homeland) for Sri Lankan Tamils, DMK president M Karunanidhi has sought revival of the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO). Addressing a public meeting at Kolathur, the constituency of his son and party treasurer MK Stalin last night, he called for a democratic struggle to achieve this purpose.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar (C) with PA Sangma (L) and Tariq Anwar at the party’s working committee meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday.

PTI

Basu meets PM to clarify his comments NEW DELHI: Amid controversy over his remarks on economic reforms, economic adviser Kaushik Basu today met PM Manmohan Singh. Basu is believed to have given clarification about his comments on economic reforms, which had generated a big debate on the issue. During his visit to the US last week, Basu had said that major economic reforms would hit a roadblock.

6 of marriage party killed in road mishap MUZAFFARPUR: A speeding truck ran over 11 members of a marriage party taking a stroll on the road in Kanhara village in the district, killing six persons. Five of the seriously injured were rushed to Shrikrishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur, police said. The incident took place on the Darbhanga-Muzaffarpur road yesterday. The driver escaped after the incident.

People on Wednesday crowd around the captured tiger, which had entered human habitat in Lucknow.

PTI

Around the World

12

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Beyond Borders

Hangover service, sir!

LAS VEGAS: It’s Sunday lunchtime in Las Vegas and Justin looks like he wants to curl up and die. He has a monster hangover after drinking for two days solid.

But help, he hopes, is at hand.

The 38-year-old from Seattle is among the first customers trying out a new service, “Hangover Heaven”, which promises to “cure” his throbbing head, sweaty pallor and general feeling of death, all within 45 minutes.

Justin was speaking on board the shiny blue-and-white “Hangover Heaven” bus, parked outside the Mandalay Bay casino on the southern end of the infamous Vegas Strip.

From the outside it looks like any other tour bus. Inside, the vehicle is rigged out not unlike an ambulance: IV tubes, pulsometers, attentive nurses, and, if it all gets too much, soothing, darkened bunks.

The new service, which launched on August 14, is the brainchild of doctor Jason Burke.

The trained anesthesiologist — who still works in hospitals locally in his “day job” — came up with the idea while working with patients in recovery rooms, after qualifying in 2001.

“Watching patients in the post-anesthesia care unit, I noticed they had a lot of the same symptoms that people with a hangover have: the nausea, the headache, aches and pains, disoriented feeling.

“And I thought maybe these medications that I’m using to treat them in the recovery room could work for a hangover,” he

In Vegas, a new cure for monster hangovers

Dr Jason Burke poses in his Hangover Heaven bus as it cruises down the Las Vegas Strip.

AFP/ JOHN GURZINSKI said.

Happily for him, he lives in the Nevada gambling capital — internationally renowned as a center for heavy partying and intoxication of all kinds, and, of course, the setting for the first of the blockbuster “Hangover” movies. What’s more, “when people come to Vegas and drink, they’re much more prone to get a hangover because of the time span over which they drink, it’s much longer and they get more dehydrated because they’re in the desert. “So it’s the perfect setup for hangovers,” he said.

The service offers to “cure” shell-shocked morning-after revellers of their hangover using a combination of anti-nausea and rehydrating drugs, as well as vitamins and other medicines.

The bus promises an “ultra-

smooth ride” to spare queasy stomachs, a mid-section with four bunks, a rear lounge, a bathroom and a “private interview room for people who have sensitive medical issues they wish to discuss.”

Debbie Lund, one of his nurses — she is a trained emergency medical technician (EMT) — said the first weekend went well, with over 25 customers in Vegas.

All of this care does not come cheap: there are two basic packages, “Redemption” and “Salvation”, offered at the introductory prices of $90 and $150 respectively.

Both provide drugs by IV, but the premium option includes intravenous hydration, anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory medications, as well as vitamin supplements.

AFP

Battling the KFC bulge TORONTO: In January, as the TV cameras rolled, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford stepped on an industrial scale and tipped the needle to an eye-popping 330 pounds.

Even he seemed taken aback. “It’s the heaviest I’ve ever been,” he said. “I’ve got young children — this is not healthy. You’re running the city, and you can’t be doing all this at 330 pounds.”

Thus began a very public battle to lose weight. Ford launched his “cut the waist challenge,” a public health campaign that invites residents of Canada’s biggest city to slim down. For his part, he vowed to lose 50 pounds by mid-June and to track his success with weekly, public weigh-ins.

It started off great. In the first week, the 5-foot-10-inch Ford lost 10 pounds. He took up jogging and weight lifting and cut back on sweets.

“It’s pretty hard,” he said at his second weigh-in, noting the excruciating temptation every time he spots an ice-cream shop while driving.

Ford is Toronto’s populist, Tea Party-type mayor. He was elected in November 2010 on promises to axe the city’s $9.2 billion operating budget. It hasn’t gone well. Once charged in Florida with drunk driving and possession of marijuana, he has struggled with anger

management issues in office, admitting to swearing at a 911 operator, and accused of flashing the middle finger to a woman while driving.

As his political troubles grew, so did his struggle to lose weight. After managing to lose 22 pounds, he gained four, and canceled two weigh-ins at the last minute, without explanation.

Then, last week, in what appeared to be a moment of weakness, Ford was caught on cell-phone video by a woman laughing at the sight of him entering a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. “He’s supposed to be losing weight,” the woman is heard saying as she films the mayor.

“The guy’s trying his hardest — well, maybe not his hardest, but he’s trying,” Ford’s brother, Doug, a city councilor, also trying to lose weight, said of the video.

GLOBALPOST

Bali’s Willy Wonka Spice-heavy Indonesia to get chocolate factory BALI: Indonesia’s tropical climate might not be the obvious choice for chocolate producers — not to mention the fact that the country’s 240 million citizens have traditionally favoured robust spices and raw chili over delicate sweets.

But it’s here amid the palm trees of this famed resort island that Benjamin Ripple, Frederick Schilling and their Big Tree Farms company have opened up a chocolate factory that even Willy Wonka might envy.

It’s notable for several reasons. First, because it’s housed inside the world’s largest commercial bamboo structure. Next because it’s producing “raw” chocolate, which carries major health benefits and is beloved by fitness gurus.

“It can also make you high,”

petition could be heating up, with a host of international consumer goods companies scrambling to target a substantial and growing middle class.

Ripple says Big Tree Farms is still formulating its marketing strategy for the country. While the raw angle will likely sell well in the United States, the trend of raw foods and “super foods” — or foods, like blueberries and kale, that are naturally calorie sparse and nutrient dense has not yet arrived in Indonesia, he says.

The chocolate trend, however, is settling in.

In Menteng, a posh Jakarta neighbourhood where former President Suharto once lived, glass plates of perfectly arranged pralines sparkle under lights at Dapur Cokelat, which means Chocolate Kitchen in Indonesian.

Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Ripple says as a disclaimer before leading guests on a recent taste test.

What stands out to competitors and consumer analysts, however, is that Big Tree Farms is targeting Indonesians. “We would love to find our primary market in Indonesia,” says Ripple.

Indonesians are starting to refine their taste for quality sweets, he continues. And that means huge potential in a country with a rapidly growing economy and a consumer base not far behind Asia’s biggest markets.

Last year chocolate sales in Indonesia jumped 25 per cent, to $1.1 billion, roughly on par with China but above India’s $744 million in sales, according to market research firm Mintel.

Sales are expected to further increase to $1.2 billion this year as Indonesia continues to see growth averaging more than 6 per cent and as air-conditioned malls flourish, noted Marcia Mogelonsky, a market analyst specializing in confectionery at Mintel.

For now, the majority of sales in Indonesia come from domestic companies, such as Ceres and Monggo, a local chocolate maker based in Central Java. But com-

After school, children pour in to share slices of fudgy cake and wash them down with cold chocolate drinks. The shop has been running since 2001, but changing tastes and fatter incomes have sparked a jump in customers.

Between 2010 and 2011, the number of visitors increased by 35 per cent, says Adithya Pratama, the marketing manager at Dapur Cokelat, a family business started by his parents in 2001. “Years ago chocolate was seen as a luxurious product, something you could only get in a hotel,” says Pratama.

But increasing use of local cacao and a wider range of manufacturers has made it more affordable.

Dapur Cokelat now has 11 stores in three cities. Pratama, who studied to be a pastry chef in Sydney, helps create products that will appeal to the tastes of Indonesia’s middle class.

In addition to standard chocolate cakes and pralines, the shop now sells Ting-Tings, which are ginger candies coated in chocolate, and takes speciality cake orders — a recent one was made to look like a cone of yellow rice traditionally served during birthday celebrations.

GLOBALPOST

Around the World Hosini’s men creep back as ban reversed

13

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Beyond Borders

Convicted Gilani gets only token sentence

AFP PHOTO/AAMIR QURESHI

P File photo of former Egypt PM Ahmad Shafiq.

AFP CAIRO: Egypt’s electoral commission on Wednesday went back on a decision to bar ousted leader Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister from running in the May 23 presidential election.

The election panel on Tuesday had barred him from running to comply with a bill adopted by the Islamistdominated parliament earlier this month banning the candidacies of all senior Mubarak-era officials.

Shafiq, a general and former civil aviation minister, had been named premier in the final days of Mubarak’s three-decade rule last year as he battled an 18-day popular uprising.

According to a BBC report, the front-runners among those left in the race are considered to be former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa, the independent moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh and Mohammed Mursi, the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).

akistan’s prime minister was on Thursday convicted of contempt of court by the country’s highest court but given only a token sentence in a case that could still see him thrown out of office. Gilani had faced a maximum sentence of six months in prison, but the court ordered him to be “imprisoned” until the hearing adjourned and he emerged shortly afterwards smiling and waving to supporters.

The question now is whether he will be disqualified from office, which would add to political instability in a country already troubled by AlQaeda and Taliban violence.

Under Pakistan’s constitution anyone convicted of defaming or ridiculing the judiciary is barred from being an MP, but legal experts say the process to disqualify Gilani could be a lengthy one, involving the parliamentary speaker and the Election Commission.

“For reasons to be recorded later Prime Minister and chief executive Yousuf Raza Gilani is found guilty and convicted for contempt of court,” Justice Nasir ul Mulk, the head of the seven-judge Supreme Court bench, said.

Mulk said the conviction was “likely to entail serious consequences” for Gilani, and this was taken in mitigation with regards to his sentence.

The case has been highly politically charged, with members of the government accusing judges of over-stepping their reach and of trying to bring down the prime minister

0JAKARTA: A South African pilot and his Australian passenger were killed when their Susi Air plane crashed in eastern Indonesia, officials said on Thursday, in the airline’s third fatal accident in a year. They were the only people on board the Pilatus PC-6 aircraft, which was carrying the Australian photographer on a chartered flight, the airline’s operations director Christian Strombeck told AFP.

Obama sets election rallies for early May WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama will hold the first proper political rallies of his reelection bid in early May. He will hold two full-scale political events in the crucial battleground states of Ohio and Virginia. The announcement came a day after Romney finally locked in his party nomination.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani (R) waves upon his arrival at the Supreme Court building in Islamabad. and president, a year before the administration would become the first in Pakistan to complete an elected term.

Earlier, Gilani drove in a small motorcade to the Supreme Court complex, where members of his council of ministers were waiting for him.

The premier then walked towards the building flanked by his son Abdul Qadeer Gilani and interior minister Rehman Malik as his supporters showered rose petals on him.

He stopped at the door of the building and waved to his supporters before going inside.

The proceedings in the packed courtroom began at around 9.30am.

After the judges entered the room, Gilani walked and stood at the rostrum with law minister Farooq Naek and his lawyer

Aitzaz Ahsan. The government put in place strict security arrangements for Gilani’s third appearance in the Supreme Court in the contempt case.

Helicopters mounted aerial surveillance were also put in place while over 2,000 security personnel were deployed in the “Red Zone” where the apex court and parliament is located.

The Supreme Court has been pushing the government to reopen cases of money laundering against President Zardari in Switzerland since December 2009, when it struck down a graft amnesty (National Reconciliation Ordinance) issued by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf.

The government has refused to act, saying the President enjoys immunity in Pakistan and abroad.

Scientists crack quantum code MELBOURNE: Australian scientists along with other international team claim to have designed a tiny crystal, made of just 300 atoms, capable to run a quantum computer so powerful that it would take a computer of the size of the known universe to match it.

According to ABC report, the details of the ion crystal which has been designed by Australia, South Africa and US, have been published in the journal Nature today.

“We’ve surpassed the computational potential of this system relative to classical computers by something like 10 to the [power of] 80, which is 80 orders of magnitude, a really enormous number,” the University of Sydney’s Michael Biercuk said.

Quantum computing is a kind of information science that is based on the notion that if one performs computations in a fundamentally different way than the way your classical desktop computer works, there’s a

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Aussie, S African dead in Indonesia plane crash

huge potential to solve a variety of problems that are very, very hard or near impossible for standard computers, he said.

Biercuk added, “If you wanted to think how big a classical computer would need to be in order to solve this problem of

roughly 300 interacting quantum particles, it turns out that computer would need to be the size of the known universe - which is clearly something that’s not possible to achieve”.

He said that the central element is something like a millimetre in diameter, 300 atoms that are suspended in space.

“But of course everything depends on a huge amount of technical infrastructure around it. So there are vacuum chambers and pumps and lasers, and all of that takes up something like a room.

“The quantum computer will move to a stage where it is so far out in front and performing such complex tasks it will be difficult to check if it is working accurately.

“They’re not easily checked by a classical computer which opens a whole variety of problems,” Biercuk said.

PTI

Protesters opposed to Arizona’s Immigration Law SB 1070 rally for immigrant rights on Wednesday in Phoenix.

AFP

Fallen Chinese leader spied on others: report BEIJING: Disgraced Chinese leader Bo Xilai ran an extensive wire-tapping system that spied on top officials including the president and contributed to his downfall, the NY Times said. Bo tapped the phones of nearly all high-ranking leaders who visited Chongqing, keen to stay apprised of what they were saying about him as he angled for the top leadership it said.

NRI named Unesco goodwill ambassador UNITED NATIONS: Indian-origin entrepreneur and educator Sunny Varkey, founder and chairman of Dubai-based GEMS Education, one of the largest private school operators in the world, has been named as a goodwill ambassador by the United Nations’ educational and cultural agency in recognition of his contribution in the field of education.

People take part in a cycling protest in favour of cycle paths in Caracas on Wednesday.

AFP /JUAN BARRETO

Comment

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

The travails of a dutiful doctor

Talk back Jail Raja forever Come clean, seriously? I mean, give me a break man. You don’t deserve it. A man who sucks on to people’s money like a leech doesn’t deserve to be emancipated.

He should be kept in prison forever. Raja being arrested is the first step that CBI took against corruption. It was the beginning for a revolution that will not end in the near future. It would be a disgrace to our system if such criminals are left free in the society.

Madhusudan T Himayatnagar

Furthering technology The Knowledge Central on the March of technology was very apt. Like it truly stated that most of the gadgets that we use now will not be available to our kids. I myself remember so many things, like the gramophone, the radio, the early television sets and the games we used to play. Even as I write someone somewhere is producing a new gadget somewhere. For example, in two years’ time how many products only the Apple stable has produced; this is proof enough that man hungers to be better and faster every day.

Sheena Majumdar Mangalhat

Congratulations folks First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the marvelous product that you are bringing out each week. I especially like the weekend editions because of the look and layout. Another thing I would like to compliment you on is that I have noticed on a daily basis, leading news dailies have reported something while you have something different. This is a very disturbing find because as readers I don’t know who to trust. Mostly, your news has been correct, so please keep up the good work and make news reading a genuine experience for us.

Kaushal Chatterjee Musheerabad

Improve working area Won’t we ever learn? The poor quality of evaluation that our noble teachers end up doing is not surprising, now that we know the conditions that they are expected to work from. It is a matter of commonsense that the efficiency of a person drops when the work environment is not conducive to work in. Basic comforts have to be ensured by the education department to teachers correcting exam papers of our children. In not doing so, we are putting in jeopardy careers and lives of these students.

Tajuddin Ahmed Ramnagar

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.

Editor: Dean Williams

14

But... Seriously Ajay Hotchandani

W

hen I was growing up, I always imagined being a doctor would be this fast-paced world where every patient that walked in would have a lifethreatening disorder and you had 30 seconds to save their life. I also believed that every doctor knew everything about medicine there was to know (this might have been true in 1895) and that they always had the answer ready to go before you can even finish the question.

It’s 2012 and I am here to tell you that all what I thought it was, it is not. Furthermore, if you run into a doctor that thinks he knows it all, RUN! But not knowing everything does not deter friends, family and Facebook friends from contacting you whenever they feel like with a medical inquiry. I know I took the Hypocratic Oath where I promised to help mankind but nowhere in the oath does it say I have to answer a call at 4am to your question regarding anal leakage.

For all the weird and insanely ridiculous medical questions I’ve been consulted on, there is one thing that stays constant, the “uhmmm” phone call. Let me break it down for you. It’s 5pm and I’m sitting at home trying to figure out what I want to eat and fighting off sleep when the phone rings. “Hello” I say, because I’ve found out that answering the phone with, “This is pimp daddy Rajinder Patel Hotel Motel, how may I help you?” often times ends up with the other party hanging up. On the other end, there is a happy voice of a friend of mine who happens to be a girl.

“Hey how are you?” she asks. “Hungry” I say; you will learn very quickly I am almost always hungry and the only time I’m not hungry is when I’m full. So she makes small chit-chat and we talk for a little. And like an algorithm, her voice gets soft and she says “uhmmm can I ask you a medical question…uhmmm it’s kinda personal” — TRANSLATON “hey doc something is wrong with my vagina/uterus and I don’t know what to do”.

Trying to make it easier for her, I bring it up and say “Is it a gynaecological question?” To

Editorials

P

I KNOW I TOOK THE HYPOCRATIC OATH WHERE I PROMISED TO HELP MANKIND BUT NOWHERE IN THE OATH DOES IT SAY

I HAVE TO ANSWER A CALL AT 4AM TO YOUR QUESTION REGARDING ANAL LEAKAGE. which she says yes and that is followed by the second “uhmmm”. “Uhmmm I don’t know how to say it?” So let me break down the second “uhmmm” for you. Either something is bleeding that shouldn’t be bleeding, something that should be bleeding isn’t bleeding, something that shouldn’t be growing in you is growing in you (this might get your parents upset), it burns when you pee or something funny is there (and when I say funny I don’t mean someone drew a clown down there).

PAKISTAN SUPREME COURT VERDICT IS A symbolic snub for Gilani

akistan’s PM lost his legal battle but managed to walk away with his dignity and post intact. The judges sentenced him to detention till the rising of the court but left immediately after the pronouncement of the verdict — sparing him from actually serving the ‘sentence’. The verdict came after a prolonged legal battle following his refusal to revive graft charges against President Asif Ali Zardari. Though he may have suffered a loss of face in the course of trial, Gilani has come out stronger as he refused to be cowed by the judiciary at a time when the all-powerful army has expressed its unhappiness with his government’s policies. However, he has miles to go before the writ of Islamabad is enforced. The military operates under nominal civilian control; militant organisations like JuD openly rebuke government requests to keep a low-profile; corruption is rampant; and power shortages have crippled the country.

Gilani may have got away with a mere scratch, but he has a war waiting for him.

When the second “uhmmm” is addressed, then comes the third “uhmmm”, “uhmmm” what do you think I should do, to which my standard response is always, “Please bring me some food so we can talk about it”…

I’m kidding, I’ll gladly go pick up the food from you.

For the most part I have an idea how to address the situation, but when I am unsure you get the fourth “uhmmm”, “uhmmm that sounds bad I think you need to go see the doctor right away. Hey, on your way to the hospital can you drop off some food for me, thanks!”

On a final note, if you happen to find yourself at 4am with a bad case (‘cause as far as I know there is no such thing as a ‘good case’) of anal leakage and you are wondering, “Uhmmm, what the hell should I do?” Best thing to do, call a plumber to fix the leak, otherwise you are going to find yourself in front of a doctor that’s saying, “Really, you interrupted me eating for this?”

WHY WE LOVE...

Rupert Murdoch

A

s Rupert Murdoch took the stand at the Levenson inquiry in London yesterday, there was a glimpse of the man that once held the British political world by the short and curlies, in his pomp. Murdoch the Elder was never cowed as the interrogation began, but there was a sense of Canute about his answers. His was a quest for ultimate power, and who can blame him, is that not what most of us yearn for?

Telly Tales

Small screen, big idea

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

15

CRIMINALLY FORMULAIC The Robert De Niro produced NYC 22 would have made for an interesting watch if it was not so much like the countless cop dramas that have preceded it Padmini C padmini.c@postnoon.com

O

n paper, NYC 22 seemed like a show with infinite potential. With screenwriter Richard Price, (best known for Clockers and The Wanderers), Robert De Niro as executive producer and credibly talented cast including names such as Adam Goldberg & Leelee Sobieski, there isn't much more than you can ask for. Save for a little originality, perhaps.

Set in (22nd precinct of)

Harlem, NYC 22 follows six brand new recruits in the local police force as they learn to fight street crime. And, surprise, surprise... each of them has a side story. So let's see. There's Sanchez (Judy Marte), the latino from a broken family out to prove a point; Ray Harper the recovering alcoholic (Adam Goldberg); Jennifer Perry, a former marine from the White House colour guard (Leelee Sobieski); Jayson Toney an African-American ex NBA star (Harold Moore); the racially profiled Afghan (Tom Reed) and of

course Kenny Mc Laren (Stark Sands) who hails from a line of NYPD men.

If they weren't so contrived and blatantly obvious about the imposed diversity, it'd would have been full marks on inclusiveness.

Now to the show. Each episode starts off with a staff detail by the training officer Daniel “Yoda” Dean (Terry Kinney) who by the by is the only character that's not just a collection of tics and feels credible. The rookies are then briefed on the order of the day which could be

anything from a criminal on the run to a bomb threat, a gang bust or a similar variant. And, so our young rookies are out patrolling the streets, defusing crises — everything from domestic squabbles, gang wars, burglaries to unclogging toilets. All with different degrees of success.

With prime-time shows like CSI showing their age, it is understandable that networks would look for suitable replacements in the crime show genre. But with NYC 22, they played safe, a little too safe maybe. Even with a tal-

ented cast ringing in decent performances and well-scripted dialogues (for the most part), it's let down by its plot. Or the lack of it.

To be sure, NYC 22 is not a bad show. Just one, whose over familiarity and predictability is something we'll all seen before.

Unless it gets its act together pretty quickly over the coming season, all chances are, it will get lost amongst the thousands of shows on TV without a trace.

Episodes of NYC 22 are available online.

BUNIYAAD Where are they now?

B

uniyaad, aired in 1986, was one of the most gripping television serials of the time. The plot was based on the life of men and women who struggled to live and love at times when contempt and conflict was at its peak. The television show was one of the first of its kind and got a groundbreaking response from the audience.

After Hum Log it was one of the longest running serials on Indian television.The serial was directed by Ramesh Sippy and written by Manohar Shyam Joshi.

Ahead of its time Alok Nath : Master Haveliram

Dalip Tahil: Kulbhushan

Then: Alok Nath plays the role of Master Haveliram, a teacher whose friendship with his student Lajjo translates into a happy marriage. And after many years their family is forced to relocate because of communal riots.

Now: Alok Nath has till date has acted in many mainstream films playing the supporting role of a humble and soft spoken father or uncle.At present he is playing Dr Mathur in a television serial Kuch toh log kahenge.

Kanwaljit Singh: Satbir Then: Kanwaljit Singh plays the role of Satbir in Buniyaad who is the illegitimate child of Vrushbhaan.

Now: After Buniyaad, he started acting in both Hindi and Punjabi films and still happens to have a lot of work in his hands.

He is often seen playing the role of a father. His latest was Sabki Ladli Bebo, where he played the role of a dad. He also played a character Dilip Dixit in Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011).

Then: Dalip Tahil plays the role of Kulbhushan, the eldest son of Master Haveliram.

Now: After Buniyaad, he started playing various supporting roles in mainstream Hindi movies. He also played a role in the 2011 blockbuster Ra.One. In 2012, he was seen in Zindagi Tere Naam.

Anita Kanwar: Lajjo ji Then: Lajjo ji, the simple wife of Master Haveliram, was his student. This character is remembered because she was one woman who stood up for what she believed.

Now: After Buniyaad she acted in the TV serial Inspector KC. After Inspector KC, she stopped working as an actress and moved to Gurgaon near Delhi.

H‑Factor

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

18

KEEP GINGIVITIS AT BAY Dentists the world over have stressed on the importance of good oral hygiene. Improper oral hygiene can result in gingivitis Anishaa Kumar

Stay calm for better baby health and skin

anishaa.k@postnoon.com

S

ince childhood our family, friends and friendly neighbourhood dentist has stressed on the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene. If you are suffering from bleeding gums it could be a sign of gingivitis.

“Gingivitis is a combination of two word gingiva and itis.

Gingiva stands for gums while itis refers to any kind of inflammation. So any kind of inflammation of the gums is known as gingivitis,” says Dr Tanuja, dental surgeon. “Nearly 99 per cent of Indians suffer from chronic generalised gingivitis.

This occurs when plaque gets deposited to form tartar which is a hard yellow covering over the gums or the teeth. It may occur in the lower teeth or surface of the mouth and also the upper teeth,” adds Dr Tanuja.

Plaque is formed when food gets stuck between the teeth and is not removed. Food which is stuck for a long time may cause an infection that results in a localised form of gingivitis. This plaque formation results in an infection.

While oral hygiene is the most commonest cause. Their could be many more causes.

According Dr Salahuddin, a dentist; the other causes of gingivitis could be hormonal imbalance, drug related gingivitis, hypertension related gingivitis and diabetes related gingivitis. The drugs taken for leprosy and hypertension may also cause gingivitis as they may affect the saliva production or the blood flow in the mouth which ultimately results in gingivitis. Gingivitis can happen at any age although the causes may vary depending on the age.

Symptoms According to Dr Salahuddin, “A person suffering from gingivitis may experience a tingling sensation from deep inside the gums, bleeding or an increased bleeding in the gums. People suffering from gingivitis may also find even simple daily food very spicy and find it difficult to eat.” He adds that bleeding of the gums is a common symptom most people may notice. This is especially noticeable in the mornings.

Dr Divya T Sudarshan

90-99% OF THE INDIAN POPULATION TENDS TO SUFFER FROM GENERALISED GINGIVITIS KNOWN AS CHRONIC GENERALISED GINGIVITIS THAT OCCURS WHEN PLAQUE GETS DEPOSITED NEAR THE ROOT OF THE TOOTH

Treatment The first and most important aspect while treating gingivitis is to identify the cause. When gingivitis occurs in people who are below the age of 25-30 it is a generic form of gingivitis, Dr Salahuddin mentions that if someone is above the age of 35 or 40 factors such as dietaries could be responsible.

“Gingivitis in a mild form usu-

ally reduces after teeth are cleaned by the dentist.

Gingivitis caused due to the formation of plaque can range from mild to severe. On the other hand gingivitis caused to due leprosy drugs can be severe, thus may not recede with the help of cleaning. In such a case a surgery called gingivactomy has to be performed,” says Dr Tanuja.

Another method is called root planning. Explains Dr Salahuddin, “In severe cases root planning may be done in which scaling is done for a crossed tooth area. For other forms of gingivitis such as that caused by dietaries, the patient is first advised to get their dietaries under control then only any other kind of treatment can be undertaken.” Dr Tanuja adds that the treatment and recovery from gingivitis

varies from case to case. In certain cases even laser treatment can be done.

Prevention As they say, it is important to prevent any kind of ailment.

“In order to prevent gingivitis is important that one keeps the teeth healthy, massage your gums and visit your dentist at least once a year,”says Dr Tanuja. “It is important to brush immediately after having spicy food, even if it is with just water. Another effective way to maintain oral hygiene is to gargle with warm salt water before going to bed. Use lukewarm water while brushing teeth as it can penetrate deep into the tissues,” suggests Dr Salahuddin.

It is also advised to avoid using toothpicks to remove food as it may cause an injury in the gums.

I am 4 months pregnant and have dull looking skin. But everybody always talks about the famous pregnancy glow. How come I don’t seem to experience it?

Do you know which is the largest organ affected by pregnancy? It’s not your uterus, but your skin! The changes as pregnancy progresses will show on the skin too; some good and others not so good.

One reason for the glow is that your blood circulation increases by about 50 per cent in the 5th month.

This makes the heart pump harder resulting in a flush. Also you gain weight and this contributes as well.

The “shine” is thanks to the hormones oestrogen, progesterone increase as pregnancy progresses.

These increase oil production which gives you a shiny face (this can later become pregnancy acne in 30 per cent of women).

The reason you don’t feel as bright maybe are the other effects of hormones. Oestrogen effects create the spidery blue network of veins on your chest (to nourish your growing breasts), hence, the mottled blue skin. Oestrogen, along with progesterone and MSH, can cause skin discolourations like the darkening of the nipples. The skin on your forehead, nose and cheeks may start to look particularly tanned, creating the chloasma, or “mask of pregnancy.” It’s a sign that your skin may be more sensitive than usual to sunlight, so take extra care. Staying hydrated and moisturised helps as also staying away from the sun, being calm and relaxed automatically make your body unwind. This reduces stress on organs and results in better skin and baby health.

So the pregnancy glow that we speak of is transient. It’s like a glowing bride, it depends on how happy she is and how good the make up is.

Sometimes you have to take what people say with a pinch of salt!

(The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)

H‑Factor

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

19

Traumatic events can trigger disorders WASHINGTON: Lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, abuse and sexual assault could trigger eating disorders.

Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia, according to researchers from University of Minnesota.

They spoke to a group aged between 17 to 64 years receiving treatment for eating disorders for an average of 20 years, the Journal of Clinical Nursing reported.

“The aim of our study was to find out if there was any link between transitional events in family life and the onset of eating disorders,” said Jerica M Berge, assistant professor of family medicine and community health Minnesota, who led the study.

“Eating disorders are an important public health issue and knowing what causes them can help us to develop more effective treatment and support,” added Berge, according to a university statement.

Some spoke about the problems they had adapted to the more independent world of junior high school and others talked about leaving home to go to college and how they missed friends and family.

Starting college was very hard for one woman.

“Nobody knew who I was ... I was incredibly lonely with no support and I just stopped eating.” Another struggled to cope without regular support. “You don’t receive the daily love that you are used to growing up, you are left to provide that for yourself and I just wasn’t able to do it.”

Breaking up with a partner affected some participants and others talked about their parents splitting up and moving on. When her father got a new girlfriend when she was seven, one woman lost the close relationship they had enjoyed.

“Overnight she became the most important thing in his life... his girlfriend would be really mean to me and my dad wouldn't defend me.”

The death of a family member or close friend often proved traumatic, with people saying that they didn’t not know how to deal with their grief and that they received little support.

One woman’s sister died when she was five, but no-one talked about this “major event” in her life. “I started to eat to compensate for feelings of anxiety.” Another lost her mother to an eating disorder when she was 11. She found herself living in a single-parent household where she was given “so much freedom with not much emotional support... I lost control.”

IANS

Stress could tell harder on women’s hearts

Kate Beckinsale says her father’s death drove her to anorexia when she was in her teens

WASHINGTON: Emotional upheaval is more likely to impose a heavier burden on women’s hearts than men's, says a study.

These findings show that coronary (heart related) blood flow actually increases in men during mental stress, but remains unchanged in women, explaining why they could be more susceptible to adverse cardiac events.

Charity L Sauder, Alison E Thompson, Terrell Myers and Chester A Ray, from Penn State College of Medicine, investigated the effects of mental stress on blood flow through the heart, said a university statement.

They recruited a group of healthy adults, both men and women. Each volunteer had his or her heart rate and blood pressure measured at rest, as well as coronary vascular conductance, a doppler ultrasound measure of blood flow through the heart.

These volunteers then underwent the same tests while participating in three minutes of mental arithmetic, in which the researchers had them sequentially subtract 7 starting with a random number.

To increase the stress load, researchers badgered the vol-

unteers during the task, urging them to hurry up or telling them they were wrong even when they gave the correct number. At the end of the task, they underwent the same three heart function tests again.

Results showed that at rest, men and women showed little differences between the three tests. During the mental arithmetic task, all the volunteers showed an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, regardless of sex.

However, while the men showed an increase in coronary vascular conductance under stress, the women showed no change.

This differing characteristic could potentially predispose women to heart problems while under stress, said study leader Chester Ray. “Stress reduction is important for anyone, regardless of gender,” he explained, “but this study shines a light on how stress differently affects the hearts of women, potentially putting them at greater risk of a coronary event,” added Ray. These findings were presented at Experimental Biology 2012, at the San Diego Convention Centre.

IANS

F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

One colour that universally makes an appearance during the spring-summer season is white. It is often considered a wise choice to wear while in prolonged sunlight.

We look at 12 designers who included this colour in their collection this season

Shades

Rahul Reddy

Namrata Joshipura

ahul Reddy’s Spring Summer 2012 collection was titled ‘school – o – metry’ and perhaps explains why the designer showcased an entire collection of uniform white colour. The collection reflected the school girl look but in a rebellious manner. Simple shirt dresses were deconstructed in geometric patterns to seem unusual and new.

amrata’s sensibility transcends well onto a white garment effortlessly. This look is easy to wear, simple and yet stylish. Something every woman wouldn’t mind wearing just like it is or over a pair of trousers.

The same white colour embroidery on the shirt dress makes it a modern classic piece to add to the wardrobe.

R

James Ferreira

J

ames Ferreira takes great pride in using khaadi, other desi fabrics and embroidery. However his outlook is more global , the cuts and stitches and the fabrics he chooses for women can be used for non-traditional events as well. Here the natural colour suit has a golden detailed slip to make it more glamorous than the usual white kurta.

N

Anita Dongre

S

eems like the instructions given to models before walking for Anita Dongre’s summer show was to smile and have fun.

Shinny, happy models walked on the runway wearing floating summer dresses.

These dresses are great to wear to the beach or to the city paired with heels or flat sandals.

J

Archana Kochhar

ersey material dresses with splashes of bright colours and the use of bold costume jewellery like a brooch. Archana used white mixed with colours like lime green to make the overall colour theme fresh and summery.

A

Atsu

tsu’s springsummer 2012 collection had a crème colour dress with accents of yellow embroidery on the skirt and black ribbon trim to give a cleaner silhouette to the garment. Made in peplum, the skirt gave a peek-a-boo illusion with a see-through pencil skirt layered with a short gathered top in the same colour.

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

of white Bhairavi Jaikishen

The writer is a fashion blogger (www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gap between creator and consumer. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.

Nikasha

N

Morphe by Amit Aggarwal

ikasha’s collection had plenty of option in white chiffon.

Dhoti pants, angrakha styled tops, scarves, parallel pants epitomised the ideal urban Indian woman’s desires. This collection though layered and not fitted to the bodice, will not seem heavy as the fabrics are light and tailored in an intelligent manner by the designer.

U

sually when designers use celebrities to walk for their show, the garment is a safe option which the celebrity would not hesitate to wear. The designer also picks a safe option which they feel will connect with the larger audience more quickly. Same was the case with designer Bhairavi as she chose a white net sari with elaborate floral embroidery for newcomer Amy Jackson.

U

A

mit Aggarwal is a young designer who is not afraid to push boundaries while exploring silhouettes and fabric choices. The current collection had a very memorable sleeveless white dress which was stitched by using many fabric panels. This dress is not for the faint hearted and will definitely hold a special place in anyone’s wardrobe because of its unique style.

Urvashi Kaur

rvashi’s summer collection primarily had white colour dresses with an added hue of neon, orange, pink etc. The designer’s style is reflective of the traditional Indian silhouette like the sari but toned down to be worn with ease by making it into dresses that could easily be slipped into during the hot summer weather.

Rohit Bal

I

t would be a shame to not mention couturier Rohit Bal in an article about white colour fashion. The designer amongst other things is recognised for making beautiful angrakha suits in ivory, white and crème tones. His favourite flower is the lotus and the same simplicity is reflected in his collections which are works of art and give a sense of calmness with the correct choice of fabrics and colours.

P

20&21

Pero by Aneeth Arora

ero is the queen of layering and the matchmaker of different prints and fabrics when putting a look together. Aneeth displayed a couple of looks which could be worn as shown on the runway in the same colour tone running from top to bottom, or separately with an existing wardrobe.

Spotlight

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Dining Dreams Diners feasted on good food and soaked in some elegant ambience at the Food n i restaurants Himanshu & Charu

Piyush

Ashutosh

Laxmikanth & Sunita with their children

Ajay

Abhijit, Neha, Sumeet & Karthik

Mahesh & Malladi

22

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Magic Screen

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

25

Marvelous return to the box office After achieving success with Captain America, Iron Man, Marvel fires their big guns with The Avengers

H

as Marvel’s new helping of power-packed action, The Avengers, quenched the thirst of hordes of superhero hungry fans? Yes. This time fans have got more action to look forward to, with The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) also jumping into the fray and Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury) and Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) getting bigger roles.

Director Joss Whedon does his best as he manages a whole celebrity circus and gives each of the superheroes their due.

The latest attempt deals with the villain Loki bragging to Nick Fury about getting hold of a weapon that possess unlimited sustainable energy.

Brought on board by the S.H.I.E.L.D, the bunch of superheroes begin to get ready for the showdown with Loki and his outer space army.

While they are doing this they also have personal scores to settle with each other. So, we get to see some more wallbreaking, earth-shattering, fist fights between Thor and Hulk and the constant bickering between the irreverent Iron

Man and the patriotic oldschool Captain America. All superheroes are at some point or the other are engaged in fighting some evil or the other.

As far as performance goes, Robert Downey Jr is back in form after the mediocre performance in Iron Man 2, Black Widow too gets to kick some butt apart from looking oh-sosexy in that suit. The welcome appearance of Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) saves the movie from going into a rut and meanwhile it is Hulk who provides more of the biff-bamboom drama.

Whedon and his men have managed to put in all the correct ingredients so that the resulting dish, however familiar, is irresistibly tasty again.

The special-effects work is spectacular, especially during the two set-piece battle sequences. Finally, a quick coda reveals, to well-versed fans at least, who the new adversary in the next installment will be, underlining a reality as absolute as the turning of Earth— Marvel movies will go on and on.

Movie: The Avengers Movie: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L Jackson Director: Joss Whedon

NTR’s starpower pwns The Avengers The Avengers might be the event of the year for millions of movie buffs across the world, but in Andhra Pradesh it’s the NTR-starrer Dhammu which is going to dominate the box office this weekend.

We find out more on this clash of the titans Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

N

TR starrer Dhammu and The Avengers, two of the most awaited films of the year, are set to clash at the box office this weekend. One film has a gamut of superheroes and mind-blowing action sequences and the other is a one-man army whose sheer presence and raw energy is enough to catch the audience’s attention. Traditionally, Hollywood films have never posed a serious threat to big budget Telugu films; however, what seems to have disappointed a lot of English movie buffs is the low number of shows allotted to The Avengers. For instance, Prasads Multiplex has only four shows of The Avengers and not even one of them is in IMAX, whereas Dhammu has been allowed 19 shows in five screens and an additional five shows in IMAX. In Cinemax, The Avengers got four

shows and other multiplexes in the city such as PVR, INOX and BIG Cinemas had not opened the bookings for The Avengers till yesterday.

In Hyderabad alone, Dhammu is releasing in about 69 theatres apart from the multiplexes and it’s all set to take a record opening thanks to the pre-release hype and NTR’s star power. When we asked few people which of the two films are they planning to watch, Dhammu was clearly the favourite for most, although a substantial number of people also chose The Avengers. Sharat Chandra, a CA Student at Sree Medha says, “I would definitely watch Dhammu. I’m a huge fan of NTR , so there’s no doubt that I would watch anything else.” In fact, several people on Twitter and Facebook even mentioned that they were disappointed that Dhammu couldn’t get more shows because The Avengers and Tezz were also slated for release.

On the other hand, a lot of people were surprised that The Avengers hasn’t got more shows.

“At the end of Iron Man 2, Tony Stark opens a document called Avengers Reunion. Since then I’ve been waiting for Avengers, more than any other film. It’s definitely more realistic when compared to Dhammu. It involves both technology and talent.” says Akshay Neelakantam, a student of SVIT. Another engineering student, Prashanth Vajjhala says, “ I’ll watch Avengers before because it’s a hollywood flick and that too with a good star cast. And Telugu movies are all almost the same.

Plus Dhammu’s trailer shows that the movie has too much violence.

There’s not much creativity in these movies.”

For most theatre owners it’s a matter of demand and supply.

There’s definitely a lot of buzz surrounding The Avengers, but it certainly is no match to NTR’s star power this weekend.

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

26

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Tear forcefully 4 Having a heater 9 ‘All in the Family’ spin-off 14 112.5 degrees away from S 15 Bread or cabbage 16 ___ up (confessed) 17 Fun standard 20 Like an off-pitch piano 21 What salmon seek to do 22 Theater ticket holders' entitlements 23 Grasp, as a punch line 24 Original donor 27 Pharmaceutical giant Lilly 28 James Brown had it 30 Diving bird 31 Match audio and video 33 Bethlehem sellout 34 Go unsteadily 35 Heartfelt donation, eg 38 Classic Spacek thriller 41 Charged particle 42 ‘Tat-tat’ preceder 46 Place of sports action 47 Attempt to persuade 48 Bathtub accessory 49 Market section 50 Zoo resident 51 Animated classic of 1942 53 Declares to be true 55 Red gemstones 57 Common Valentine's Day present 60 Open to view 61 Type of 50-Across 62 Wisconsin's ___ Claire 63 Strolls through a stream 64 Brief and to the point 65 Regret DOWN 1 Picture puzzles 2 Foolishly 3 Be relevant (to)

4 Periods of prayer?

5 Thespian's task 6 Type of ring that goes with bell-bottoms 7 Keebler cookie maker 8 Fair one in fairy tales 9 ‘___ Lisa’ 10 More inept 11 Continuing 12 ‘The Partridge Family’ actress Susan 13 Rollins and Harris 18 Nine-to-five drudgery 19 Choose 23 Sound in many a Western flick 25 ‘Fish’ star Vigoda 26 Debussy's ‘La ___’ 28 Building location 29 Lennon's wife 30 White House URL suffix

32 Lion or tiger, eg 34 Ready to serve 36 Org in ‘Burn After Reading’ 37 Timber unit 38 Scoundrel 39 ‘What ___ you afraid of?’

40 At ease 43 Current indicator 44 Dramatic scene 45 Being disputed 47 Final result 50 Curved line 51 Place for stagnant water 52 The Santa

SUDOKU

___ winds 54 Tadpole cousins 55 Surgery leftover 56 Operatic Lily 57 Archer's need 58 Eggs for Lucullus 59 It's of miner concern?

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY Accident is a condition in which presence of mind is good but absence of body better.

– Mark Twain

Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 27-4-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Certain fortunes which you thought you will not get, will come to you and sur‑ prise you; just catch hold of them and enjoy life. You will put more efforts towards improving your knowledge.

You will attract everyone by your sweet talk, itʼs an art for you. However, it is always better to have a thumb rule about where, how and what to talk; so that your image will not get spoiled.

Never loose your self‑confidence level and if it seems reducing, pat yourself on the back and say none is better than you. You are imagining that others are not respecting you; it is a wrong worry.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

All worries and mental tensions will dis‑ appear. Never fight with blood relatives.

Try to correct children by telling them with love; you never know how much fear they have for you in their hearts.

Try to keep a co‑operative atmosphere at home always. You must not become a reason for the troubles at home. Even if you know the person who is responsi‑ ble for such an act, tell them politely.

Your efforts to reduce expenses pay rich dividends and you have started saving too. What a good achievement.

Next one you have to do is to throw out your anger completely.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Suddenly your work load and tensions will reduce and you feel totally relaxed.

Businessmen who had discussions of a foreign contact will get it. Those trying for new job are advised to go slow.

All mental worries you had, will disap‑ pear. Some will romance and enjoy the moments very much. Their responsibili‑ ty and dressing sense will improve. So‑ me have bright chances to buy a house.

All the troubles and worries that existed since long, will be over now. You will feel cheerful, eat and sleep well after a long time. Spouse will take an impor‑ tant decision, which will benefit you.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

You will purchase a vehicle of your own choice. Be careful while driving as there are chances of minor trouble. Children will see good things happen in their life.

Happy events to take place at home.

Don't worry about troubles faced by yo‑ ur children; soon there will be a soluti‑ ons. Your worries about parents and kids are unwarranted. Just keep cool and discharge your responsibilities.

Never plan something which is not your style and get in to trouble. Go in your own style and get things done, though you might face a little delay. Your bold decision will yield you a good result.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 27-4-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Queen of Wands – Your siblings or close relatives may need your help with some‑ thing. Donʼt ignore them. It will determi‑ ne how your relation‑ ship will go in future.

Page of Pentacles – You may be getting mixed up in your he‑ ad about a number of things. Learn to discr‑ iminate between the soul and mind/ body.

Listen to the gut feel.

Two of Cups – Whatʼs on your plate? If the‑ re arenʼt enough veg‑ etables, itʼs possible that youʼre headed to health problems. The first step to avoid that is to eat right.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Seven of Wands – Of‑ fice politics may be at its peak. To get ahead, you may have to but‑ ter up your boss. The‑ se are only options life brings before us.

The choice is yours.

The Star – There ma‑ y be some confusion about the purpose of your job and the thi‑ ngs you do. Take tim‑ e out and clear your head. No point work‑ ing with confusion.

Knight of Cups – Ma‑ terial objects are not giving you the happi‑ ness you expected.

Youʼre feeling empty from within and are hoping to fill that up with shopping, eating.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Knight of Swords – There is increased in‑ teraction with mem‑ bers of the opposite sex. You begin to un‑ derstand them better and therefore alter some stereotypes.

Nine of Wands – Lea‑ rn to balance the var‑ ious aspects of life an‑ d avoid tilting towar‑ ds only one school of thought/ one way of living. Open your min‑ d to new possibilities.

Five of Cups – Perso‑ nal gratification has been the main core of your beliefs. You do everything for your own satisfaction. Why should it bother you what others think?

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Knight of Pentacles – Youʼre ready to go to the next stage of life.

Give up the mundane and daily and think of enhancing the qu‑ ality of life by doing things differently.

Four of Cups – Under‑ stand your potential fully before you launch a project. Know your strengths and limita‑ tions. This knowledge can be turned into your biggest strength.

Six of Cups – Exerci‑ se is a must. You ne‑ ed to give your body as much exercise as your mind. Your bo‑ dy needs to keep up to maintain balance.

Try a combination.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle BOISE AUSTIN BOSTON TOPEKA TRENTON

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

27

Vol: 1, No 284 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

Magic Screen It’s frustrating when your film doesn’t reach audiences: Rajat Kapoor

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

B-TOWN TWEETIES

F

ilmmaker-actor Rajat Kapoor, who had to wait for two years to release his film Fatso, says it’s frustrating when your movie fails to reach the audiences.

“The film has been ready for two years.

Our job is to make a film and deliver it.

After that the producers and the marketing team take the call. They wait for the right time; they wait for the right moment when they feel it will work. I don’t really understand,” Rajat said.

“It is very frustrating that something that you have made is not reaching the audiences and you are dying for it to come out. But it is not in your hands and you accept it and move on,” he added. Fatso is coming out May 4 it stars Ranvir Shorey, Gul Panag, Purab Kohli and Vinay Pathak. IANS

28

@udaychopra Did u know that wine bottles can actually talk. It’s true, only thing is that the wine inside the bottle needs to be inside u first :-P

Vikram Bhatt’s newfound crush!

F

ilmmaker Vikram Bhatt, 43, says he has developed a ‘school boy crush’ on Karisma Kapoor, the leading lady of his film Dangerous Ishq. “Saw the first half of Dangerous Ishq last night and have a confession to make... think I have a school boy crush on Karisma Kapoor,” tweeted Bhatt.

Karisma is making a comeback to showbiz after five years with the movie, which also features Rajniesh Duggal.

IANS

@kjohar25 Last week of possibly the toughest outdoor shoot of my career... complete credit to the entire team and first time actors for their hard work.

@rampalarjun Good morning off to shoot last day of this scheduel for Aajab Gazab Love, its been a fun cameo. Ty the whole team.

@RGVzoomin

Emraan is USP of Jannat 2: Esha Gupta M

odel-turned-actress Esha Gupta, who is set to make her Bollywood debut with Jannat 2, says her co-star Emraan Hashmi is one of the main attractions of the film.

“It’s a Bhatt camp (Mukesh and Mahesh Bhatt) film. You know, the film is going to be amazing because of the music. Thanks to Pritam (Chakraborty), we have got amazing music already and the star already, you know, Emraan Hashmi! What else do you think is the USP of the film,” the 26-year-old said here.

Jannat 2 is a sequel to the 2008-film Jannat and is set to hit theatres on May 4.

According to earlier reports, actress Jacqueline Fernandez was supposed to play the role, which ultimately went to Esha. But the debutante says she is lucky to have bagged the film, directed by Kunal Deshmukh. IANS

Sarkar 3 is being planned...

Amitji nd Abhishek wil feature in it bt contrary 2 reprts Aishwarya won’t be... script is still under progress.

@NeilNMukesh Was tired after a swim but got back and recorded music for three hrs. Wrote for an other and now MOVIE time :D

@SrBachchan T 724 — When praise, acknowledgment and sentiment come from quarters hitherto unknown and unexpected ... a certain sadness descends !

Odd !!

@shahidkapoor 4 injuries while training this week lil finger ankle wrist n bak... But no excuses... Learn to dance in the rain...

@AnupamPkher “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” :)

29

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

METRE

S

6 307

Chris Gayle (RCB)

19 4S751

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

44

HIGHEST SCORE

103*

Ajinkya Rahane (RR), Kevin Pietersen (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

5-16

Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)

Bulls pray for lady luck Fantastic game, mirror image to the one in Mumbai. I think we had enough, anything can happen in T20, and anything did. The penultimate over really turned the tide

G Aparna Sai feedback@postnoon.com

I

David Hussey KXIP (stand-in) Captain

Ajinkya Rahane (RR) 332 runs

Morne Morkel (DD) 16 wickets

Tendulkar all praise for youngsters S

achin Tendulkar acknowledged the brilliant batting effort by the young batsmen of Mumbai Indians as they recorded a stunning four-wicket win over Kings XI Punjab in an IPL match on Wednesday. Tendulkar, who skippered the IPL side in the previous four seasons, praised the trio of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Robin Peterson for not throwing in the towel under pressure.

He though felt, he along with James Franklin could have done better while opening the batting. "(The boys were) fabulous. We sort of made the foundation. But ideally we should have more runs on the board in the first six overs,� he said.

PTI

DD KKR CSK RCB RR PW MI KXIP DC

P 7 8 8 8 8 8 7 8 6

W 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 0

DC VS PWI AT 8 PM ON SET MAX

SCORECARD

UNDER COVER

KINGS XI PUNJAB VS MUMBAI INDIANS Kings XI Punjab innings N Saini†c Patel b McKay Mandeep Singh c Karthik b Singh SE Marsh c Harbhajan b Franklin DJ Hussey not out DA Miller not out Extras (w 9, nb 1) Total (3 wkts; 20 overs; 96 mins) Bowling O M R W RJ Peterson 1 0 3 0 RP Singh 4 0 27 1 CJ McKay 4 0 36 1 MM Patel 4 1 41 0 Harbhajan Singh 3 0 29 0 KA Pollard 3 0 27 0 JEC Franklin 1 0 5 1

17 22 17 68 34 10 168 Econ 3.00 6.75 9.00 10.25 9.66 9.00 5.00

Mumbai Indians innings (target: 169 runs from 20 overs) JEC Franklin c Saini b Azhar Mahmood 22 Tendulkar c Saini b Azhar Mahmood 34 RG Sharma c Azhar Mahmood b Awana 50 Karthik c Azhar Mahmood b Chawla 3 Pollard c Mandeep Singh b Awana 3 AT Rayudu not out 34 Harbhajan c Marsh b Awana 0 RJ Peterson not out 16 Extras (lb 4, w 4, nb 1) 9 Total (6 wkts; 19.5 overs; 104 mins) 171 Bowling O M R W Econ P Kumar 4 0 25 0 6.25 BA Bhatt 4 0 34 0 8.50 P Awana 4 0 39 3 9.75 PP Chawla 4 0 46 1 11.50 Azhar Mahmood 3.5 0 23 2 6.00

Mumbai Indians won by 4 wickets

L N/T PT NRR 2 0 10 0.857 3 1 9 0.432 3 1 9 0.033 3 1 9 -0.192 4 0 8 0.190 4 0 8 0.046 3 0 8 -0.073 5 0 6 -0.436 5 1 1 -1.032

P-played; W-win; L-lost; N/T-no result/tie;NRR-net run rate; PT-points

t is after six matches that Deccan Chargers have finally got something to cheer about.

The Bulls at last have gained a point in their favour when their match against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to torrential downpour.

Having begun the tournament on a dismal note, the Chargers are yet to find their footing. Although having put a decent show yet a win always seemed to be evading them. But for their first clash which they lost by 74 runs, the Bulls have performed fine.

While the batting has hardly disappointed, it is the lack-luster bowling and the sloppy fielding of the Chargers that has let the team down on more occa-

sions than one. While captain Kumar Sangakkara, Shikhar Dhawan and JP Duminy have risen to the occasion most of the time, Dale Steyn has been the only bowler to have done well most of the time.

Today the Bulls take on Pune Warriors India on the latter's home turf. PWI have had a decent running this season having won four of their eight matches.

Although hammered by Delhi Daredevils in their previous tie, yet the Warriors can surely bounce back.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly, can cause trouble with his all-round skills while Jesse Ryder, with his batting skills, can prove to be very dangerous.

It remains to be seen if Pune Warriors too manage to secure a win over the Chargers like many other teams have done this season or will the Chargers change fortunes in their favour and win their first match in this IPL season.

The match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.

A cheerleader covers her head as rain forced the match between Royal Challenger Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings AFP/MANJUNATH KIRAN to be abondaned on Thursday.

90 DAYS TO GO

30

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

l

Letter from London

Olympics? What a yawn!

Michael Goldfarb

LONDON: UK — Excited about the Olympics this summer? For most of my life I have looked forward to Leap Years primarily because Leap Years are Olympic years. But this year is different — because for the first time the Olympics are being held in the city where I live. Not just that, they are being held in the borough of the city where I live. More precisely it is 2.87 miles from my front door to the Olympic Park.

The closer the Games come in time and space the more I am dreading them.

In this respect I am like most Londoners. Last week we passed a significant milestone: 100 days until the opening ceremonies on July 27. The breeze created by the collective shrug of this city’s residents could probably be felt in Paris — the city we beat out to win the honor of hosting the Games. The Olympic organizers have a major branding problem in their host city. Indifference and mild dread are not the soil in which to grow excitement.

For me, the highlight of the pre-Games build-up came when we got a piece of junk mail from a local real-estate agent saying we could get between £4,000 to £6,000 ($6,400 to $10,000) to rent out our two-bedroom flat for the duration of the games. That was back in the autumn. My neighbors decided to do it, and anticipating the windfall, took their kids on the holiday of a lifetime for three mid-winter weeks in Goa. They are still waiting for the realestate agent to actually find someone to rent their place, and the interest is piling up on the credit card they used to pay for

their trip to India.

Anecdotes like this add to the generally negative sentiment when London 2012 becomes the topic of conversation around dinner tables and in pubs. The BBC has tried to analyze it and has come up with ten pretty good reasons why some people are dreading the Olympics.

I agree with some of them: transport chaos, for example.

London can barely cope with getting its regular population of commuters and residents around town but, the Guardian reports that the city’s transport authorities are trying to reduce normal traffic by 50 or 60 percent at key London Underground stations during the 17 days the Olympics is on.

On the busiest days in the schedule there could be up to 3

2 jailed for fraud plot LONDON: A British judge jailed two men on Tuesday for a scheme to defraud the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) of £2.3 million ($3.7 million, 2.8 million euros).

Abayomi Olowo, 48, was jailed for four and a half years after being found guilty of four charges of money laundering and Ayodele Odukoya, 42, was jailed for three years and nine months after he was convicted on three counts.

The pair sent a letter sent to the ODA falsely

claiming to be from Skanska, a contracting firm carrying out work on the Olympic Park in east London, Southwark Crown Court heard.

The letter said the company’s bank details had changed, and in May 2010 the autho-rity paid £2.3 million into a bank account which was held by a third man, Ansu-mara Kamara.

It later managed to recover £2.14 million and contacted the police.

AFP

THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE PREGAMES BUILD-UP CAME WHEN WE GOT A PIECE OF JUNK MAIL FROM A LOCAL REAL-ESTATE AGENT SAYING WE COULD GET BETWEEN £4,000 TO £6,000 ($6,400 TO $10,000) TO RENT OUT OUR FLAT FOR THE DURATION OF THE GAMES

million extra users of public transport. The one major new bit of transport infrastructure is the Javelin train, which will run from King’s Cross/St. Pancras Station to the Olympic Park in Stratford, a distance of 7 densely packed

urban miles in 7 minutes. Cool, right? 25,000 people an hour will be shifted back and forth this way.

Cooler, right?

But King’s Cross/St. Pancras is the busiest station in London.

Imagine an extra 25,000 people an hour trying to get through Times Square or Penn Station in New York — makes you feel a little claustrophobic, right?

But aside from logistics there are deep cultural reasons why the impending Games has not really got Londoners jumping up and down. Mockery is an English trait.

It is in Londoners’ blood to mock this sort of gigantic feel-good event. Indeed, the BBC has been running a mockumentary comedy called “2012” for two years now. It is a close to the bone satire, starring Hugh Bonneville aka Lord Grantham on

Downtown Abbey, about the bureaucrats trying to deliver the games on time. It’s about as far from propaganda as you can get, yet at the same time its mocking tone is a reasonable way of building interest in the event.

Second, crass commercialism is a part of life in this consumerdriven society, but there are areas that are considered off-limits: the monarchy for example. The Olympics in the eyes of many should be less obviously commercial but the only way London could afford to stage the games was to rope in money. People going to Olympic events will get off trains and buses in Stratford, an impoverished neighborhood in the eastern part of the city. They will then have to walk through a brand-new Westfield’s shopping center — 1.88 million square feet of retail opportunities — before getting to the Olympic Park.

Londoners love to shop — but there is a time and a place for everything. Plus the relentless corporate branding goes against the cultural grain. British understatement is a less important part of cultural life here than it once was, but it still exists.

There is one other cultural reason we Londoners are shrugging. London is where we live, but it is also a state of mind. The things that make it a great world city — a place of dreams for people from every corner of the globe — often have little to do with us.

London is the world capital of finance, but most of us don’t work in the financial industry. The veneer of wealth generated by finance is visible, but not tangible to most of us. We live in the theater capital of the world (sorry, New Yorkers, it’s true).

Makau left out of Games team NAIROBI: World marathon record holder Patrick Makau and former London and Boston champions Emmanuel Mutai and Geoffrey Mutai were left out of the Kenya squad named on Wednesday for this summer’s London Olympics.

The Kenyan selectors said they were forced to name the team earlier than expected to end all the speculation regarding which of the athletes in the shortlisted Olympic squad announced in January could make the team. Athletics Kenya chairman Isaiah Kiplagat said Makau, who dropped out at halfway of the London

world and Abel Kirui, who finished sixth in the London marathon on Sunday. There were no surprises in the women’s squad headed by twotime London marathon winner Mary Keitany, alongside Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo, who finished in that order during the women’s race in the British capital last Sunday. marathon last Sunday and the two Mutais would only be considered as reserves if any of the selected athletes drop out due to injury. The men’s squad includes Wilson Kipsang who is also the second fastest runner in

The squad is: Men: Wilson Kipsang, Abel Kirui, Moses Mosop Women: Mary Keitany, Edna Kiplagat, Priscah Jeptoo.

AIK/PI

Playing Field

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

The games people play

Leaderboard remains crowded Ponter, Cowan put Oz in control ROSEAU: Half-centuries from Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting left Australia in control at the end of the third day of the third and final Test against the West Indies here at Windsor Park on Wednesday.

Australia finished the day on 200 for six in their second innings and with a healthy lead of 310 runs in a match that they only need to draw to take the series having won the opening Test.

Cowan believes that Australia should go on to wrap it up in style.

“I think we’re in control, definitely. I think 300 already is a big score.

“Fifty on a wicket like that can be as good as a hundred. Sure the runs don’t show on the scorebook but over 300 to chase is a helluva lot of runs.”

West Indies had looked to have got back into the match having added some important runs in the morning session before being bowled out for 218 and then took two quick wickets with David Warner going just before lunch and the dangerous Shane Watson just after the resumption.

The hosts total owed much as ever to a typically stubborn innings of 68 by veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

West Indies had been 165 for eight overnight with Chanderpaul and Ravi Rampaul having already put on 45 for the ninth wicket.

They took their partnership to 66 before Nathan Lyon broke through. Rampaul came down the wicket but got a thick outside edge and the ball flew up to Warner at point. The visitors took the new ball after 83.1 overs and in the end it was Chanderpaul that fell.

Mitchell Starc was bringing the ball back in off the seam and one finally got past the obstinate West Indian’s bat and trapped him lbw. Chanderpaul’s 68 makes him the highest scorer in a low scoring series with 277 runs at an average of 92.33. It left Australia to face a tricky five overs before lunch and the West Indies got the breakthrough that they would have wanted. Warner had already struck Rampaul for two boundaries. However, in the last over before the interval he drove loosely at a Kemar Roach delivery and edged to the only fielder in the slip cordon, Chanderpaul.

A

ll the five top boards ended without decisive results, making no change in the five players leader board at the end of the fifth round of the NMDC All India Fide rated chess tournament, organised by Cyber Chess Academy at Suchithra Academy, here today. On the top board, IM and top seed Debashis Das of Orissa made a formal 17 move draw with Rahul Sangma of Railways. Second seeded K Priyadharshan of Tamil Nadu accepted the queen’s gambit by the local hope CRG Krishna and the latter had an extra pawn in the end game. But opposite colour bishop ending forced them to settle for a draw,

of English opening. His opponent N Krishna Teja of AP defended correctly to get half a point in 49 moves.

Results Name Debashis Das Krishna C R G Konguvel Ponnuswamy Srikanth K Koshy Varugeese Srija Seshadri K Praneeth Surya Abhilash Reddy M L Chakravarthi Reddy M Trailokya Nanda Sai Akshay Y Saranya J M Tulasi Ram Kumar Roshan Rangarajan J Akshith Kumar Anudeep V Dhar Rajib Jayesh M Mohammad Mudassir

WORLD SPORT Jeremy Lin tests his knee Jeremy Lin tested his surgically repaired left knee with shooting and conditioning drills on Wednesday, but it remained unclear if the Knicks sensation would return if New York go deep in the NBA playoffs. “I asked him yesterday how he felt after getting out running a little bit,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

“He said he felt pretty good. But we’ve got to put him through drills where he’s cutting and things of that nature.”

Basketball

“ after 59 moves.

IM V Koshy of ONGC tried in vain to secure a win with his connected pawns in a rook and pawn ending team ORI AP ONGC SSCB ONGC TN AP AP AP ASM AP ONGC AP MAH AP AP ASM TN AP

drew with drew with drew with drew with drew with beat beat drew with lost to beat lost to drew with lost to beat lost to lost to beat beat lost to

Name Sangma Rahul Priyadharshan K Ravi Teja S Aravindh Chithambaram Vr Krishna Teja N Praveen Prasad P Karthik V Harsha Bharathakoti Deepthamsh Reddy M Aryan Cholleti Sahajasri Prabhat Koutha Dave Kantilal Srikar Yerrabati Chakravarthi Y V K Purushothaman T Rohith Svs Karthik J C Dhanunjaya Rao L

team Rly TN AP ONGC AP AP AP AP AP BIH AP AP RAJ AP AP AP AP AP SSCB

31

He was trying to break my back, break my neck. How long was I supposed to put up with that?

Chad Dawson, about Bernard Hopkins when they met in an earlier their bout

World Peace: I am innocent Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace, suspended seven NBA games for a violent elbow to the head of James Harden, said Wednesday he didn’t mean to hit the Thunder player. In a podcast available on iTunes, the player who legally changed his name from Ron Artest last year indicated he didn’t expect a seven-game ban. “I also didn’t expect James Harden to be right behind me and I hit him with the elbow.”

NBA

VOJUT= is the score by which Bulls Chicago, already assured of the top seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs, beat Indiana.

In New York, the Knicks held off Los Angeles Clippers 99-93, denying them a chance to claim home court advantage over Memphis in the first round of the playoffs.

Playing Field

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2012

The games people play

32

Mourinho backs old love

J

osé Mourinho says he will be supporting his “Chelsea heroes” against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final after he was denied a reunion with his former club by a dramatic penalty shootout defeat in the semifinal second leg, reports the Guardian. The Real Madrid manager also rounded on critics of Chelsea’s tactics, telling them: you know nothing.

“John [Terry] is missing but Chelsea are there [in the final] and that is the most important thing,” he said. “I just hope it is a good final and of course I want the Blues to win, even though I have a lot of respect for the reds. I have a blue rib, still. Inter and Chelsea mean a lot to me.”

“They know nothing about character and personality.

Bayern Munich’s midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (centre) celebrates after scoring the winning penalty during the penalty shoot out at the end of the UEFA Champions League second leg semi-final football match against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.

AFP/CHRISTOF STACHE

Real pay penalty as Bayern enter final MADRID: Manuel Neuer was the hero for Bayern Munich on Wednesday as his side went through to the Champions League final after beating Real Madrid 3-1 on penalties in the Santiago Bernabeu.

They will face Chelsea in their own Allianz Arena in Munich on May 19th after losing their return leg 2-1 after extra-time, to send the tie into penalties with the Germans having won by the same score in the first game.

The keeper stopped Madrid’s two initial spot-kicks from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, and Sergio Ramos blazed one over the bar before Bastian Schweinsteiger held his nerve to put the fourtimes European Champions through to the final.

They last appeared in a final two years ago losing 2-0 on this same stage to Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan.

Earlier Ronaldo had scored twice for Real before Arjen Robben grabbed one back in a frantic first half-hour to level the tie. As the players gradually tired penalties loomed ever larger for only the third time in a semi-final in the Champions League era.

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes was delighted on the final whistle.

“We played a great game against an extraordinary opponent who went 2-0 ahead tonight but we have managed to get a goal back, our goalkeeper has been

great at the end and we’ve had a bit of luck.

“I told them before we may have to play for 120 minutes but I did not expect the penalties. My players are tired, the tension was high, but we’ve achieved our main objective of the season, it was almost an obsession for us to play the final in our stadium,” he said.

Counterpart Mourinho was philosophical about the defeat.

“You have to be level-headed about it when you win and lose, football is like that.

“My team had a huge game in our league (against Barcelona) at the weekend while they were able to rest players and it was noticeable towards the end.

“At 2-1 any mistake would

Manuel Neuer

have lost the game but I’m proud of my players and we have to be strong. If we win our league it’s a big step forward for us and we need six points for that,” he said.

The game started at a furious pace and German international Sami Khedira had the first chance of the game on three minutes for Real forcing a save from Neuer in the Bayern goal.

Two minutes later and Madrid were ahead thanks to Ronaldo from the penalty spot after Angel Di Maria’s shot had fortuitously hit the outstretched arm of David Alaba. Alaba was booked for that and will miss the final - later bookings for Luiz Gustavo and Holger Badstuber means they will also miss the big game.

They know nothing about the effort or what it is to resist physically, emotionally and technically, with 10 men. They know nothing about organisation.”