A BYTE OF LIFE Wednesday, February 18, 2009

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 31

10
SRK’S SHOULDER
King Khan told to keep off strenuous action
scenes for next six months

03
WINDOW SHOPPER
Patio Galerie for your outdoors

Sucker
PUNCH
Boxers in Tamil Nadu complain that
they have been delivered the unkind
cut due to infighting among local
boxing federation officials and a
North-South cultural divide.
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

Ayon Sengupta reports.

» PAGE 08
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Discount Alert
Shoppers Stop has started its end of season sale. It is
offering 51 per cent off on international and Indian
brands for its range for men, women and children. The
offer is on till March 8 at Harrington Road, Chetpet.

When Suriya
I t’s never too late to gift your Valentine,
shook hands,
sang a song and gave roses away
especially if it is a book. In response to the
article ‘Say it with a book this Valentine’,
published on February 13, Chital Mehta has
suggested some more books that are an ideal
pick.

P.S I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
P.S I Love You is a story about a young woman,
Holly, who loses her husband in the early years
of her marriage.
She is unable to come out of the trauma. Fate
smiles upon her when Holly receives a package
from her late husband. He has left her
letters for each month and a task
to be performed. Holly rebuilds
life with some fun, laughter and
tears. It is an emotional book,
yet fun-filled, which exposes
little miracles about life which
are often overlooked.
Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Love is not only about owning but
also letting go. Dear John is a story
about a soldier who falls in love with
Savannah. She brings him to a “better part of
life” but deserts him due to circumstances. The
novel speaks about undying love and
perseverance. A must-read for those who are
in love as well as for those who aren’t in love.
W
e don’t know how special
a Valentine’s Day it was
for actor Suriya and fam-
ily, but for the patients of
Tanker Foundation it was a day to
remember.
A double bonanza awaited all
those at the Tanker Foundation’s
15th anniversary. Everybody was
only expecting Suriya at the
event; instead he dropped in with
wife Jyotika and little Diya. For
the uninitiated, the actor is the
goodwill ambassador of Tanker
Foundation, which helps the un-
derprivileged suffering from kid-
ney ailments by offering them
subsidised dialysis treatment.
The family went around meet-
ing patients, giving roses to each
of them and encouraging them to
motivate new patients on dialysis
treatment. He also praised the
staff for taking care of the many
patients.
The celebrations started with a
prayer song, we shall over come,
sung by Latha A. Kumaraswami,
managing trustee of the founda-
tion, with the staff and Suriya
singing along in chorus.
It was a day when all the pa-
tients looked happy and motivat-
ed. ■

More books from Nicholas Sparks

Message in a Bottle, The Notebook, The Guardian,
A Bend in the Road, The Wedding
(Chital Mehta is an associate software engineer with
Accenture)

Police crack woman’s

murder, 4 arrested
ERGO CORRESPONDENT accused Bhavani (37) had de- (45), the watchman of the store,
feedback@goergo.in ployed Harikrishnan (27), a water and Venkatesan (34) reached the
can supplier from Mylapore, to store, identified Ananthi and

I
n a breakthrough in the mur-
der of a female employee
working in a supermarket in
Royapuram, police on Sunday
arrested the lady owner of the su-
permarket on Tuesday. The ac-
cused woman had allegedly
orchestrated the murder of her
employee after being irked over
the fact that her husband was
having an affair with her.
On Sunday afternoon, Ananthi
(23) was stabbed to death inside
the supermarket by an unidenti-
fied youth.
Royapuram police registered a
case of murder and upon investi-
gation it was discovered that the
commit the murder. Harikrish- stabbed her.
nan was a friend of Bhavani’s Royapuram police arrested
daughter. Bhavani, Harikrishnan, Muthuk-
According to an investigating rishnan and Venkatesan and pro-
officer, Bhavani had convinced duced them at the George Town
Harikrishnan to kill Ananthi by court.
promising him her daughter’s They were later remanded to
hand in marriage. Harikrishnan, custody and sent to Puzhal pris-
with the help of Muthukrishnan on. ■
The accused woman had allegedly orchestrated
the murder of her employee after being irked
over the fact that her husband was having an
affair with the victim
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
L
ooking at the birdbaths, gar-
den chairs and lawn bench-
es, you might think you’re
passing a park. There’re mini
street lamps, too, that remind
you Dickensian London. Only,
Patio Galerie is right on the busy
T.T.K. Road, just next to Music A-
cademy, and is no park, lawn or
garden. The one-year-old store
specialises in outdoor furniture
and accessories and has quite a
motley bunch of interesting piec-
es.
Besides the above-mentioned
birdbaths and garden chairs,
there are gazebos, hammocks,
garden umbrellas, recliners,
swings, table-chair sets, lanterns
and bird feeders, to name some.
The wicker swing with canopy
and metal frame stands out due
Patio has everything that could make your lawn, terrace, garden,
balcony, poolside and veranda look good and better
03
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
to it proportions.
The goods come in metal, cast Address: Patio Galerie
iron, rattan wood and wicker. As No. 164 (308), T.T.K. Road,
Preeth Lakra reveals, a majority Royapettah,
of the pieces are manufactured Chennai – 600 014
by Patio Galerie’s own manufac- Ph: 044 - 28116225
turing unit in Chennai. While Email:
patiogalerie@gmail.com
customers can choose the de-
signs from the store’s catalogue, Store timings: 10 a.m.
specific orders are also underta- to 7 p.m. (Open all days)
ken.
Besides, the store also under-
takes corporate orders, with sev-
eral star hotels in the city and
beyond figuring on its client list.
Ergo picks
We loved the cast iron letter-
box and fireplace. While the for-
mer comes at Rs. 9,450, the latter
costs Rs. 7,500. The letter box
comes complete with lock and
key, while the fireplace weighs 10
times more than what you’d ex-
pect from the puny-looking
thing.
Also, the cast iron lamps
shaped like owls and turtles are
useful and fun. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Roses for a rose

WITH SOME WINE THROWN IN
SO WHAT IF V-DAY IS OVER? GET PAMPERED WITH THE ROSE-WINE FACIAL FROM LIMELITE
Vipasha Sinha

A
bunch of roses with a glass of wine in a cosy
ambience is a perfect idea for Valentine’s
Day. But now that V-Day is gone, there is no
point regretting that you gave her neither a
rose nor a glass of wine. So, treat her to a rose-wine
facial.
Limelite, a popular chain of unisex salons, in-
troduced the rose facial to woo lovebirds, which is
still on offer.
The procedure is more or less like any other fa-
cial, except for the added back massage. It proves to
be of great help as the massage de-stresses the
body. After cleansing and scrubbing, the face pack
is applied.
The rose-wine pack is prepared from rose petals
and red grapes, as rose-wine contains poly phenols
and acts as an effective anti-oxidant. The pack also
contains natural ingredients like oatmeal bran,
sweet almonds, lavender and rose essential oils,
fresh milk and aloe vera.
Experts at Limelite say the penetrating nature of
wine helps the skin absorb vitamins and anti-oxi-
dants easily. It takes three hours for the ingredients
to penetrate.
Avoid using products containing chemical ingre-
dients for 24 hours after the facial. To rinse your
face, use only plain water.
If you want more than a facial, you can get a
rose-wine manicure and pedicure done, too. ■

In the blink of an eye

Company that introduced botox in beauty now
coming up with a drug that might replace mascara
F irst it was frozen foreheads.
Now it’s long eyelashes.
Allergan, the company that
turned an obscure muscle para-
lyser for eyelid spasms, Botox,
into a blockbuster wrinkle
smoother, hopes to perform
cosmetic alchemy yet again.
Last month, the company intro-
duced Latisse, the first prescrip-
tion drug for growing longer,
lusher lashes approved by the
U.S. government.
The product has the same
formula as Allergan’s eye drops
for glaucoma, called Lumigan.
It is one of several drugs in a
category known as prostaglan-
din analogs, which are meant to
reduce dangerous pressure in
the eyeball. But as a side effect,
the treatment tends to make the
eyelashes of many patients
longer and fuller.
Some medical experts say
they worry that cosmetic cus-
tomers may occasionally expe-
rience some of the glaucoma
drug’s other, less desirable side-
effects, which can include red,
itchy eyes and changes in eyelid
pigmentation. Some financial
analysts, meanwhile, wonder
how many people will be willing
to spend $120 for a monthly
dose of lash-lengthening
Latisse.
But other analysts predict
that in a world where people
spend about $5 billion a year on
mascara, Latisse could be the
biggest thing to hit cosmetic
medicine since, well, Botox.
Allergan conducted a clinical
trial among about 280 volun-
teers, half of whom used Latisse
daily for 16 weeks. The study re-
sults were reviewed by the Food
and Drug Administration,
which approved the drug in late
December. In that study, eye-
lashes typically grew 25 percent
longer, 106 percent thicker and
18 percent darker. And while 3.6
percent of patients experienced
eye itching and red eyes, none
had a change of eye colour, ac-
cording to Allergan. ■
NYT News Service
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
India’s snake charmers
BITE BACK
T
he nation’s snake charmers,
whose baskets and flutes have
launched a thousand picture
postcards, rallied in Kolkata on
Tuesday to protest a ban they said
was killing the generations-old pro-
fession.
An estimated 5,000 charmers from
all over West Bengal took to the
streets of the state capital, denounc-
ing wildlife protection laws that pro-
scribe the commercial use of wild
animals, including performances with
live snakes.
Since the laws were fully imple-
mented in the late 1990s, the estimat-
ed 8 lakh snake charmers in India –
one lakh in West Bengal alone – say
they have effectively been deprived of
their livelihood.
“It’s our birth right to charm
snakes. No can deprive us of that,”
said Langra Bede, 35, who has suf-
fered two cobra bites in his charming
career.
“Our forefathers charmed snakes.
We grew up with this. It’s basically all
we know,” he said.
A large number of Indian snake
charmers belong to the nomadic,
Bengali-speaking, Bedia community,
whose members have long made their
living from street performance.
The wildlife legislation has emptied
most large cities of snake charmers,
although a small number can still be
seen around major tourist sites in
places like New Delhi, risking arrest as
05
Take out a rally in Kolkata to
reclaim the right to charm
snakes for a living
they cajole foreign visitors into taking
a snapshot for a small fee.
Tuesday’s protest was organised by
a union set up by the snake charmers
to seek an exemption from the ban
and lobby for state support for re-
training.
They have specifically asked the go-
vernment to set up snake serum
AFP PHOTO/ DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY
farms where members of their com-
munity could be employed extracting
venom.
The union’s leader, Raktim Das,
said thousands of snake charmers
were “on the verge of starvation” hav-
ing been deprived of their sole source
of regular income.
“In fact, the ban has also jeopar-
dised the very existence of the 1,000-
year-old Bedia community, which is
an integral part of the rich heritage of
Bengal,” Das said.
Animal rights groups say snake
charmers are cruel imposters who use
physical abuse to train the reptiles to
move to the sway of their flute-like
“It’s our birth right to charm snakes.
instruments.
The entertainers generally rip out
No can deprive us of that.”
the snakes’ fangs and feed them milk,
meaning the animals are unable to
catch prey and die when returned to
their natural habitat after six months
or so of performance. ■
AFP
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Hong Kong tantrum

A clip of a hysterical woman screaming at staff and
writhing on the floor after missing a flight has
clocked up over 465,000 hits on clip-sharing website
YouTube just a few days after it was posted.

Pope John Paul II faced two

assassination plots
Pope John Paul II, the first non- Italian pontiff since 1520
to rule the Vatican City for almost 27 years till his death
nearly four years back, actually faced “two assassination
plots in his native Poland". According to Father Zdzislaw
Krol, the Chancellor of Warsaw Metropolitan Curia,
before the start of 1987 pilgrimage the Church received
information from a woman of a plan to kill Pope John
Paul II in the town of Czestochowa, a focal point of
Polish catholicism, ’The Daily Telegraph’ reported.
PTI
A computer ‘that will
First solar-powered phone play every video game’
Scientists are on track to develop a new computer which
they claim would be able to play all video games ever
goes on display created. According to them, the state-of-the-art machine
Samsung unveiled the world’s first solar-powered mobile would also ensure that other kinds of files remain
phone at an industry show on Monday. The South Korean accessible long after the demise of the hardware and
manufacturer put its “Blue Earth” phone on display in software for which they were originally intended. In fact,
front of curious crowds at Mobile World Congress, with the European Union-funded project dubbed KEEP involves
industry insiders keen to see the mini solar panels located creating a software package that replicates the
on the back of the phone. “This type of device would be functionality of a previous hardware platform, storage
ideal for developing markets where workers have long medium or operating system, making it possible to use old
hours and don’t have access to electricity,” commented software on modern hardware, the ’New Scientist’
Nick Lane, chief researcher at consultancy Direct2 Mobile. reported.
“It would also interest consumers with an eye on the PTI
‘green’ aspects, or companies and their CSR (corporate
social responsibility) programmes.” The device is to be
launched initially in Europe in the second half of 2009 but
is likely to be out of the price range of a worker in the Call to stop auction of
developing world. A Samsung representative said it would
be a mid to high-end Gandhi’s possessions
handset. A full charge An Indian organisation in Bahrain has expressed displeasure
taking 10-14 hours in the over the news of Mahatma Gandhi’s possessions, including his
sun would offer about four steel-rimmed glasses and leather sandals, going under the
hours of talk time. The hammer in the US next month. The Co-ordination Committee
phone can also be plugged of Indian Associations (CCIA) here issued a call for action to
in to charge, with the solar stop the sale by a private American collector, who currently
panels used to top up the owns all the items. The committee also urged the Indian
battery to extend its government to buy these valuables at any cost and bring them
power. back and keep them at the Gandhi Museum in Rajghat.
AFP PTI

No kissing, please
we’re British
British train station bans passionate goodbyes
I t must have been one of Bri-
tain’s most passionate places
but now the rule in Warrington
Bank Quay’s station is: “No kiss-
ing, we’re British.”
No-kissing signs were put up
at the station’s taxi and drop-off
zone designated for rail travell-
ers, as outbreaks of passion ap-
peared to threaten the
punctuality of traffic at the sta-
tion operated by Virgin Rail.
The company declared on
Monday that the signs were “a
light-hearted way” of encourag-
ing travellers not to clog the of-
ten crowded station, which is
located on the rail lines between
London and Glasgow as well as
Birmingham and Scotland.
However, some commuters
were less than amused at the
idea of cold farewells from their
loved ones.
“It’s ridiculous. I don’t see the
point of having a no-kissing ar-
ea, surely people are entitled to
say their goodbyes,” said Ruth
Sargeant, 38, was quoted as say-
ing by the Daily Telegraph.
Meanwhile, Tom Hall, 25, was
merely wondering: “It’s daft.
What are they going to do if they
catch couples kissing, fine
them?”
DPA
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Websites of the day
This wacky blogspot finds there are friendly faces
everywhere: http://facesinplaces.blogspot.com/
A run-down of retro motor ads through the ages:
http://iiidragons.com/gallery/Van-Advertisements
Laze around and get paid!
More than 18,000 apply for the post of caretaker of Hamilton Island, dubbed the best job in the world
Jacko auctioning 2,000 items
from Neverland ranch
P op singer Michael Jackson is
reportedly auctioning 2,000
items from the Neverland ranch,
which he quit in 2005 after his
acquittal in his infamous child
abuse case. His treasured posses-
sions will descend on the four-
day sale in April.
Meanwhile, reports have sug-
gested that Jackson lived like a
king with crowns, a royal cape, a
Fridge fire
An elderly man in Austria set his
house on fire after he mistook his
refrigerator for his fireplace.
M
ore than 18,000 people
from nearly 200 coun-
tries have applied for the
“best job in the world,”
hoping to earn good money for
lazing around on an Australian is-
land, officials said Tuesday.
The deadline for applications
for the post of “caretaker” of trop-
ical Hamilton Island on the Great
Barrier Reef looms on Sunday –
and the competition is already
tough, the Queensland state go-
vernment warned.
“We’ve been really over-
whelmed by the lengths people
are going to draw attention to
their applications,” Tourism
Queensland spokeswoman Ni-
cole McNaughton told AFP.
“Potential applicants have sent
out press releases, sourced their
own media coverage and estab-
lished websites dedicated to their
applications.”
Candidates are required to cre-
ate a video application in English
of up to one minute explaining
why they are uniquely qualified
for the job.
The job pays 150,000 Australian
dollars (about 100,000 US dollars)
for six months and includes free
Spider-Man
suit of armour, and a throne in
his bedroom. The singer, who is
currently wrestling with huge
debts, once had a fortune worth
more than 500 million pounds.
The Beverly Hills auction will see
furniture, sculptures, items from
Jackson’s art collection, fixtures
and fittings from his mansion,
and his stage costumes go under
the hammer. According to re-
ports, Jackon is even selling the
famous gates and fairground
rides at the 38-acre Neverland
amusement park in California.
“It seems as if everything he
owns is made of bronze, marble
and gold,” the Daily Star quoted
auctioneer Michael Doyle as say-
ing. Items for sale range from a
pair of socks covered in rhine-
stone banding, priced at 575
pounds, to a Rolls Royce custo-
mised with special art, valued at
115,000 pounds.
ANI
07
airfares from the successful can-
didate’s home country to the
white sands and clear waters of
Hamilton Island.
In return, the winner will be ex-
pected to have as much fun as he
or she can – soaking up the sun,
swimming, snorkelling, sailing –
and report to a global audience
via weekly blogs, photo diaries
and video updates.
The successful candidate – who
will stay in a multi-million-dollar
three-bedroom beach home –
must be over 18, a “fantastic and
charismatic” communicator, and
able to speak and write English.
The campaign is a key element
in a drive to promote the north-
eastern Australian state’s 18-bil-
lion-dollar a year tourism
industry during the tough global
economic climate, officials say.
A shortlist of 50 applicants will
be announced on March 2, the
final 11 candidates will be flown
to the island for interviews from
May 3, and the winner will be an-
nounced on May 6, Tourism
Queensland said in a statement.
Job-seekers can apply on
www.islandreefjob.com. ■
AFP
쑸
“French Spider-
Man” Alain Robert
celebrates after
scaling one of
Hong Kong’s
tallest skyscrapers,
the Cheung Kong
Centre
(background) on
Tuesday in what
he said was an
effort to highlight
global warming.
Robert, famous for
climbing the
world’s tallest
buildings without
safety equipment,
was arrested by
police after a 40-
minute ascent of
the 62-storey
Cheung Kong
Centre AFP PHOTO /
MIKE CLARKE
08 SPORT ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Pak clears last six ICL players

A Pakistani court Tuesday lifted domestic bans on the country’s last six active players who joined the
unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL). “Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Humayun Farhat, Riaz Afridi,
Arshad Khan and Taufiq Umar got their bans suspended by the court and are now free to play in
domestic matches,” the players’ lawyer Zahid Fakhruddin said.

Ring of
Legendary trio presented ICC
Hall of Fame caps
West Indies greats Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts and
Michael Holding were today presented the ICC Cricket
Hall of Fame caps to formally induct them into the
exalted honour list of the world governing body. The
former cricketers were presented with their Hall of
Fame caps by West Indies Cricket Board President Dr
Julian Hunte on the field of play during the lunch
disillu
interval on day two of the third Test between the
hosts and England at the Antigua Recreation Ground.
Richards, who made the fastest hundred in Test
history at the venue when he reached the three-figure

mark in just 56 balls against England in 1986, said, “It
is a real pleasure to be recognised as one of the
legends of West Indies cricket and in a group of
players in world cricket. It was special to receive this
honour alongside two players I played a lot of cricket
with,” he added.
Holding, who was also celebrating his 55th birthday,
said, “It is a tremendous honour to become part of
this small group of cricketers. It’s not something you
set out to try and achieve when you start playing
cricket but it is special to be recognised alongside such
greats of the game. It is one of those things that will
endure a long time after people have forgotten the
matches I played in and it makes me proud.”
PTI
Easy win for Sania
Wild card Sania Mirza overcame a sluggish start to
beat Russian Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets and
enter the second round of the USD two million Dubai
Tennis Championships in Dubai. The in-form Indian,
who finished runners-up at last week’s Pattaya Open
in Thailand, defeated Makarova 7-5, 6-2 after
slogging it out for one hour and 27 minutes in the
opening round of the hard court event. Sania will
now be up against 16th seed Spaniard Kaia Kanepi in
the second round. The error-prone Indian lost her
serve twice in the opening set and committed three
double faults but with
Makarova being as rusty,
Sania managed to clinch
it breaking the Russian
thrice in the process.
The Hyderabadi player
was in control in the
second set and broke
Makarova thrice out of
the nine chances she got
to wrap up the match.
In doubles, Sania and
her Italian partner Mara Santangelo would open their
campaign against the Swiss-Polish pair of Stefanie
Voegele and Urszula Radwanska.
PTI
A
bronze medal at the Olympics followed
by a clutch of more at the Boxing World
Cup has failed to lift boxing from the
doldrums in Tamil Nadu. Though the
success of Vijender and Akhil Kumar has in-
spired hope among hundreds of boxers in the
state, the disillusionment is palpable among
the athletes, for whom it appears to be a case
of so near yet so far.
Hard training conditions and less-than-con-
ducive living conditions have added to the
woes, and a cash-strapped state body treated
like a perennial stepchild by the national body
dominated by the North Indians, or more pre-
cisely Punjabis and Haryanvis, can only cry
hoarse.
“We have talented boxers but once they
proceed to the Indian camp, they are inevi-
tably ignored and treated as second-rung citi-
zens,” an official says, on condition of
anonymity. “Politics is everywhere and all the
officials are trying to push their own wards.”
Bronze medallist at the lightweight cate-
gory in the last nationals E. Thulasi is still with-
out a job and is apprehensive about attending
the national camp in April. “I have performed
well at all levels but am yet to receive any help
from anybody. Although other boxers have
made it to government jobs even after failing
at the state level, I am still living on charity,”
she says. Thulasi has thrice pitted her skills
against four-time World Cup winner K.C. Ma-
ry Kom and in their last meeting last year lost
on backward count after their scores were
tied at the end of four rounds.
Nepotism is the buzzword and infighting is
ablaze. G. Senthilnathan, two-time best boxer
at the south zone meet, cries foul and says:
“Things don’t look very bright here. Good
performances don’t assure you a job or even a
call to the national camp. It’s very hard to
keep the motivation going.” Twenty-two-
year-old Senthilnathan, who has attended the
National lightweight bronze medallist E. Thulasi (re
national camp twice and has rubbed shoul-
Nehru Stadium in Chennai. PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
ders with the likes of Vijender, A.L. Lakra and
Akhil Kumar, says that with a little help he
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
09

‘‘
You look at the individual players and some of the world’s best are coming.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virender Sehwag batting on the little grounds in
New Zealand is pretty scary. You balance that with them being notorious for not
touring New Zealand all that well.
Daniel Vettori

First they have to survive the infighting among the officials. And then comes the bigger hurdle of
North-South cultural divide. Boxers in the state are no less talented but are always fighting the odds.

usionment could also make it big in the international

arena. “Technically, the boxers from Bhiwa-
ni are not much superior to us. But they are
better looked after and that makes a differ-
ence.” Tamil Nadu Boxing Association sec-
retary A.N. Karunakaran acknowledges the
problem but sees it more as a cultural di-
vide. “Boxers from the South face a huge
problem in terms of language and food
when they go for the camps that are usually
held in the North. Our wards are generally
shy and can easily be bullied in alien condi-
tions,” he says. “At times they also return
home in the middle of the camp. So you
can’t blame the association always. But
what the national body can do is rotate the
camps all over the country and hold a few
down South so that our boxers find it easier
to amalgamate.”
Speaking about the infighting in the
state association, Karunakaran says: “Four
years ago it was really ugly and the office-
bearers were here only for money. Railway
recruitments have always been farcical for
some unforeseen reasons. We have provid-
ed jobs in Tamil Nadu Police but very few
are ready to take that up. In a way, our
hands are tied.”
Taking a dig at the nexus of clubs and
coaches, Karunakaran says: “The boxers
come from lower-middleclass background
and are mostly uneducated. The coaches,
especially the club coaches, are always tak-
ing them for a ride and stopping them from
participating in state events, bringing down
their chances of getting jobs.”
Thirteen-year-old R. Ravi, gold medallist
at the junior nationals in Assam in the 42 kg
category, and his close friend and silver
medallist A. Silambaram are still quite far
off from these politics and hope hard work
will help them emulate Vijender and Akhil.
“I come from a poor family and live alone
with my mother. I feel boxing is my ticket to
a better livelihood and for that I have to
give my heart and soul,” Ravi says as his
constant companion Silambaram nods his
head in acknowledgment.
While Thulasi and Senthilnathan may be
too viciously tangled in the official fiefdom,
ed head gear) manoeuvres against a fellow boxer at the SDAT School of Boxing at the
one can only hope that the future holds
better for youngsters like Ravi and Silamba-
ram. ■
10 FLICK ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Hottest Sci-Fi Babe Ever

Hollywood actress Megan Fox has been named the
sexiest sci-fi babe of all time in a new poll. The
22-year-old actress landed the top spot for her role as
car-obsessed beauty Mikaela Banes in 2007 hit movie
Transformers, reports Contactmusic.

Back on track,
but with some brakes
While Shah Rukh Khan’s
shoulder surgery on Monday
was successful, doctors have
imposed a six-month no-no
on strenuous action
sequences

N
o heavy-duty action scenes for Shah
Rukh Khan for the next six months, say
doctors who successfully operated
upon him for a nagging pain in the left
shoulder on Monday.
“Shah Rukh’s surgery went off fine and he
should be back home in two days. However, he
will require some good rest for a long period and
has been advised not to do any strenuous work,”
said Sanjay Desai, orthopaedic surgeon at Breach
Candy Hospital in Mumbai.
So, in effect Shah Rukh will be on a forced break for six weeks
to fully recuperate. However, he will host the Filmfare awards on
March 7, which were scheduled for February 28 earlier. The organisers post-
poned the date for Shah Rukh’s sake.
He can take up taxing action scenes only after six months.
“It’s a normal precaution that one has to take. The surgery was long pending
and it is good that he finally took out time for it. Keeping in mind that he would
only become busier in months to come, it made sense that he got himself
operated before it was too late,” Desai said.
His family, friends and fans heaved a sigh of relief when it was announced
that the surgery, which lasted 45 minutes, had been successful. A team of three
doctors performed the surgery.
The last few months have been especially tiring for Shah Rukh as he was
working non-stop on the promotion of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, shooting for My
Name Is Khan and then promoting Billu. In fact, he went on an overdrive for
the promotion of Billu and was attending as many as eight events a day. He
had injured his shoulder a long time ago, but the pain aggravated in Decem-
ber last year.
Farah Khan, who was by his side in the hospital till late Monday evening,
said: “He went to sleep after the surgery. He was in too much pain.”
However, Shah Rukh made sure his producers would not suffer because
of his surgery and forced break.
Currently, Shah Rukh has only two films on the floors – Karan Johar’s My
Name Is Khan and Viveck Vaswani’s Dulha Mil Gaya.
While he has already finished shooting for an extensive part of My
Name Is Khan, in Dulha Mil Gaya he has an extended guest appearance
for which only a qawwali featuring him with Sushmita Sen remains to
be shot. ■
IANS

It’s a normal precaution that one has to take. The

surgery was long pending and it is good that he
finally took out time for it. Keeping in mind that he
would only become busier in months to come, it made
sense that he got himself operated before it was too late
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
11
Too violent for release
Jackie Chan’s Chinese fans will not get to see his new movie, for its
director Derek Yee considers it to be “too violent” to be released in
China. The movie Shinjuku Incident features Chan as a refugee who
escapes to Japan, and gets embroiled in the local gang culture.

Joaquin Phoenix
Walking declares he’ll quit
acting for music.
Cine City
a new line And he insists
he’s serious

A
ctor Joaquin Phoenix has announced
that he will quit acting and pursue his
music career. The Walk The Line star be-
lieves it will be more successful than his
acting career.
Though there are claims that it is all a stunt,
he insists it is real. Contactmusic.com reports
him as saying: “I’ve always loved music and
never really played anything, and, after Walk
The Line, I kind of learned to play guitar and
having that sense of performing; that cer-
tainly opened the door for me for music. I
think, now I would just like the music to
speak for itself. I don’t think we’ll ever get to
the reason, ‘Oh, that’s why he quit and this
is why he’s doing this.’ I don’t fully un-
derstand it myself. I’ve always followed my
heart and felt what was true at the time and
that’s what I’m doing now.”
He added: “I’m not out to sell records.
I’m experiencing something and it’s what I
feel. I feel like everything in my life is lead-
ing up to this and suddenly acting doesn’t
seem like that’s a big part of what was impor- Nandhalala release postponed
tant in my life. I imagine, when I look back on Nandhalala, the much-awaited film of director
my life, acting will be just a very small portion Mysskin that was due to hit screens in February,
of something that I did, and I think music will has been postponed due to non-availability of
be the dominant theme in my life. I didn’t know theatres. The music of the film, composed by
that anyone was gonna care. I felt that it was an Maestro Ilayaraja, is already topping charts. Out
obligation to tell my fans what I was doing, mov- of the six songs, ‘Nenjil Oorndhu’ has emerged
ing in another direction.” ■ the favourite. The film directed by Mysskin also
IANS sees him playing the role of the protagonist.
Snigdha and Master Ashwath Ram also play
prominent roles in the movie.

Salma
Hayek,
Francois-
Henri
Pinault wed Maddy teams up with
P.C. Sreeram
Cinematographer P.C. Sreeram has cranked the

M exican-born actress Salma Hayek and

French entrepreneur Francois-Henri Pi-
nault married on St. Valentine’s Day in Pa-
ris, an official at the town hall of the chic
sixth arrondissement said on Monday. The
official, speaking on condition of anonym-
ity, said the pair had tied the knot on Sat-
urday morning. ■
Reuters
camera for Madhavan’s upcoming flick,
Yavarum Nalam. Apparently, it was Sreeram’s
brilliant cinematography and splendid lighting
effects that gave the apt romantic feel to
Madhavan’s Tamil debut, Alaipayuthey. The
movie Yavarum Nalam is directed by Vikram
Kumar, who earlier directed Silambarasan in
Alai. The music will be composed by Shankar-
Ehsaan-Loy. Bollywood heroine Neetu Chandra
plays the heroine in this film titled 13B in Hindi.
12
Today’s Query:
Can’t imagine your life
without a very special
friend? Thank him/her
during this Friendship
Week...
■ My best friend Sundar who passed
away recently. Thanks to him for
keeping his promise of being my
lifetime friend
Rajarajan, Wipro
■ Can’t imagine a life without the
king of hells Mr.Rilwan 5yr friendship
and 2 be continued till death
Hashim, Allsec
■ The moments you are in my
thoughts are always the best
moments in my life. Thank you
Krithika for being my special friend
Balaji, Wipro
■ Thanks Viswanathan, for the full
support u have given me & still giving
me. Proud to hav u as my frnd
Venkat, Infosys
■ Thanks loosu(nas) for being my
best friend and be forever
Karthik, Aspire
■ Thanks Dummy and Monu I’m here
because of your motivation and
prayer. Always be close to my heart
Anu, Accenture
■ Thanks a lot Sathish, Murugan.S
(HCL-CODC) you are a one of the best
mankind and good personality
Sivaprakasam G, Birlasoft
■ Thanks a lot Rani for your presence
in my life as a friend, sister and well-
wisher. I feel very proud and happy
for u in my life
Prabu, HCL
■ Thank you Uma for being by my
side n understanding me. You are
simply the best. Love U
Rema Varma, Accenture
■ Thank you Shiva for your
involvement and invaluable
contribution in psychological
understandings and development of
my friends. Because it has its own
importance and impact on everybody
R.Nagarajan, InfoView Technologies
■ U r always very special to me u
have been with me besides my ups &
downs thanks a lot for ur kind &
caring support. Thank u my friends
Bhargavi, Shanmugapriya, Senthil
Kannan
Prema Ananthi, TCS
■ My teacher Revathy she has given
hope for me to challenge the world.
I’m very thankful to her
Asif, Ford
■ I don’t want to miss my special
friend Swasthika in my life
Salma, TCS
■ My dad (Mr. P.Gnanam). I can’t
think a life without him
Bavitiraa, Wipro
■ Magi, Prakash, Vijaykumar,
Tamilselvan, Govindaraj,Venky,
Perumal, I very much thank them
and God who gave me the chance
to meet them
P.SathiyaMoorthy, TCS
■ It’s not a friend. Friends for me.
We(10 Friends) rocked in our college
life. Thanks for coming in my life da
Jaganathan, Changepond Technologies
■ I would like to thank her for
being my special friend and I can’t
imagine my life without her. It’s
none other than my mom.
Rajesh Thanthoni RRD, Prasanna
Chakravarthi Wipro
■ I would like to thank each n every
one of 33 batch in Ahamedabad n
my rocking Delhi batchmates for
giving me some of the most
memorable moments of my life,
they are Sriram, Balamani, Sidhu,
Ganesh, Vikki, Alagar, KK, Niranjan,
Shiva, Guru, Sneha, Gowri, Mukund
Sasidharan, TCS
■ I can’t imagine my life without u
my dear kuttiponnu. I luv u
kuttiponnu
Deepa, Wipro
■ I thank Adnan for making my life
colorful with his care n affection.
Miss u pal
Rajesh Kumar Allsec
■ Hi CK, if I had to sum up the
friendship that we have in one
word, it would be comfort. Be my
best buddy forever
Senthil, Wipro
■ Hey Anu I luv you so much n
thank you for all you have been to
me till date
Mahalakshmi, TCS
ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009
■ Hey Kisan. Thanks for the
almighty for introducing you to me
as a friend, well wisher you are so
special to me keep rocking
Robz, Wipro
■ Devi and Bhagya being my friends,
u both added values to friendship,
life without u gals can’t be. I’m sure
we will binded throughout life time
as we r now
Padma, TCS
■ Dear Reeja and Sandy, the value
of ur friendship cannot be measured
but can only be treasured
Brahan, TCS
■ Dear Poorna u made my life very
meaningful when you entered in my
heart as my near and dear friend
Srini, Datamark Prodapt
■ Thank you Pavitra for being in my
life. I could have never asked for a
more wonderful friend as you. I am
lucky to have you around
Chital, Accenture
■ Dear Anas, Santu, Naveen, I’m
proud of our friendship. I can’t
imagine my life without you. Thanks
for everything
Srini.KK,
Cognizant
■ Ramya, u r such a nice friend to
me in all my walks of life thanks for
being so special to me da
Shree, TCS
■ A friend in need is a friend
indeed suits best for my friend
Harsh
Sruthi, Accenture
■ "Enn vaalkai ennum sirupikul
natpu ennum muthai vanthu ennai
alagu paduthaiya enn uyir nanban
Nagavuku!
Sakthi, Sundaram Business Services
■ My friend Boominathan who
saved my life when I was in
footboard
Shiva Perot Systems
■ Dear Archana, Just wanted to
thank u during Friendship week.
When it hurts to look back and you
are scared to look ahead, look
beside you and ur best friend will b
there..!! Thanx for being der always
:)
Love, Deepika
Today’s Query:
Apart from Taj Mahal
what would you like
to choose as a symbol
of love?
 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
SriLakshmi of HCL has been
nominated as Office Angel
by her team mate Mrs.Ma-
nonmani .
She always appears with a
smiling face. She won’t be
having any negative thought
in her mind. She will take
everything in a positive way.
She is very much helpful to
others.That is the specialty of
her.
Art featured in
this column will
receive gift cou-
pons from Fruit
Shop on Greams
Road. Send in
your addresses so
that we can post
the coupons.
Sakthi Vinayagam B. from Changepond
Technologies doodled this.
Man 1: Pongal la ore kal la (stone) iruku.
Man 2: Ama, Pongal la ore kal than.
Rendu kal irundha athu “pongalkal” ayidume.
Meera and Francis
TCS
■ Dear Myna(Meena.L),
We wish u a Very Happy Birthday. And
look forward to a brighter and more
fulfilling future.
With Love, PACE Team, Polaris Software
■ Dear Rohit,
All of us are joining in to say, may the year
which your birthday begins, bring
happiness n all the special things which
mean the most to you!! Happy first
birthday :)
With Love, Deepika, Archana, Sandhya, Bhavna,
Sweety, Abhirami, Lavanya, Deepan. Tata
Consultancy Services
■ Hi Niranjani (JUJU),
Happy birthday!!! Piranda naal
vaazhthukkal! Pirannal aasamsakal! Janam
din diyan wadhayian! Shuvo jonmodin!
Janmadina abhinandan! Janma divas
mubarak! May the coming years bring lots
of happiness and cherish in your life...
Regards, Siva C., TCS e-Serve
■ Dear Prabhuram,
Wish u Many More Happy returns of the
day! May the coming years brings lots of
happiness and cherish in ur life.
Best Wishes, DCMS Team, FSS
■ Hi Mani,
Happy Birthday for a Special Friend, I never
knew what wonders a friend can do. Yes,
surely they can change things around you
into smile, sunshine and happiness. Just the
way you keep on doing always. I wish all
your dreams come true.
Nihar, Infosys Technologies, MCity.
■ Dear Rohit,
It’s your first birthday, baby, one candle on
ur cake; proud parents stare in wonder, at
each new move u make. We join in
celebration, as this special date arrives, for
baby has brought pleasure into all our
lives. We look forward now to seeing how
u progress and grow, frm the cute and tiny
infant u were one year ago. So dig into ur
icing; enjoy ur presents, too. The reason for
this day is a special person-U:-)Love u:-)
With love, DEEPA.P, TCS, siruseri
■ Dear Sanjana,
On your birthday, special one, we wish that
all your dreams come true. May your day
be filled with joy, Wonderful gifts and
goodies, too. We wish you fine and simple
pleasures. We wish you many years of
laughter. We wish you all of life’s best
treasures. We wish you happily ever after!
Happy Birthday!
With loads of love from
Chintu, Prithvi, Mom, Ashok, Pugazh, Thilaga,
Dhana, Srikanth, Prabhu, Vidhya Murali, Antony,
Anusha, TCS
■ Hi Nithiya,
A very Happy Birthday.
With Regards, H.Bathula Banu,
Infosys Technologies Limited.
13
■ Hi Karthick
Wish you many more happy returns of the
day, may all your dreams come true, i wish
you all success in your life, love you so
much.
With love Sri
■ Dear Karthik,
Today is an lovely and extra-special day,
With all our heart we pray that every
dream of urs come true! Be happy and
smile always! Wish u a very very happy
Birthday!!!
With Best Wishes,
IPB Team - Polaris software lab ltd.
■ Dear Prabhu Ram R,
Many more Happy Returns of the day. May
god give all success in your life. Have a
Bright and Flourishing Future.
Best Wishes,
DCMS –Team, Financial Software Systems
Belated wishes
■ Dear Sathya-RAJuu,
Many more Happy Returns of the day. May
god give all success in your life. Have a
Bright and Flourishing Future.
Best Wishes, DCMS –Team, FSS
■ Dear Sathiamoorthy
Wish you Many More Happy Returns of the
day. May this bring you a lot of Happy and
Prosperous Moments In your life.
DCMS Team, FSS
■ Dear Vidhya,
Wish U many more happy returns of the
day. Be blessed with all happiness, wealth
and gud health.
From U r beloved friends,
Deepa, Madhu, Priya, Sasi, Srikanya, Sudha,
iNautix Technologies
■ Dear Irfan,
“You’re more to me than my brother, You
are also my best friend, You’re always
there for me, For an ear or a shoulder to
lend, You’re the first to hear of my joys,
It’s you I go to if I’ve had a bad day, I love
you more than I have words, To express
myself & say Happy Birthday”
Best wishes, Salman, HCL
■ Dear Salman,
"These Birthday greetings are wished,
Most affectionately your way, For someone
who’s very nice, Deserves an extra special
day, So here’s wishing every happiness,
Today, especially for you, With lots of your
favourite things, In the year ahead too"
Happy Birthday!
Nirmalraj and team, HCL
■ Dear Raji
Wish You Many More Happy Returns of
the Day da. May this year be a wonderful
and prosperous one for you. Hope our
dreams would come true this year.
Love You Always, Shina, Cognizant
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Swinging health plan

An elderly man in China is helping pensioners
get fit by follow a gymnastics programme he
created - using only a rope and a tree.

sudoku

Aritra Chatterjee of HP
spotted this wild chameleon
on her trek to Kudremukh,
Agumbe and Sravan Belagola.

Thanks to the stupenduous

response to its promotion,
Kantilal Diamonds has decided
to extend its gift vouchers for
the column for two more
weeks. From now, winners are
requested to collect their gift
vouchers directly from Ergo
office on Sunday afternoons
between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
KAKURO
So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had
the platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space,
with credit. E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

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 Wednesday, February 18, 2009
15
Dead pet whisperer Word’s worth
A psychic from Romania claims to able to speak to “Kebbie” (keb-ee) a staff
dead animals in the beyond, putting grieving with a hooked head, like
owners in touch with their deceased animals. a shepherd’s crook.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You would be completing all routine activities with
ease, be it office or domestic work. On the personal
front, you may remain enthusiastic and in a
cheering mood. Romantic connections may establish
or ongoing relationships may blossom.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You may be pushed to work harder at office today.
This of course may not bother you as you are
practical by nature. Relations with seniors may
require nurturing. Your relationship with your life
partner or beloved one will become even stronger.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You might have to deal with people with various
BORN LOSER traits today. You may use your wit and intelligence
while dealing with others at work. Your attention
towards life partner may increase which may make
him or her feel good.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Today, you might have to deal with critical
situations at work. Ganesha finds your support
system a little weak today hence you are advised to
be little more careful at workplace. You will be
emotionally charged’ today.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ganesha finds you impulsive and active today. You
may have high expectations from your colleagues. It
is a favourable day to propose someone. Ongoing
relationship may take a positive turn. In short, it’s a
comfortable day, more on the positive side.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Today, you may have realisation that it is necessary
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT to work harder to take your career forward form
where you are. At the same time, you may be
concerned about requirements of your beloved one.
You might have to work in fixed schedule.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Ganesha finds you quite eloquent today. You can be
pretty creative today. You will be intuitive and
spontaneous so will be able to handle everything in
time. Smoother sailing is expected on the
relationship front, by the Grace of Ganesha.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Ganesha advises you not to take important
decisions today. At work, your mood will be totally
different than usual. On the personal front, you may
be satisfied with the relationship with opposite sex.
You may be an intense lover today.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
You will be paid good rewards for your hard work
at office. On the personal front, it is encouraging
and positive day. You have scope of receiving gift
from your partner/mate. You may wish to look more
pretty or presentable.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Routine work may be tiring but it may be more like
’intellectual stress’. Decisions that you may take
today will be practical but would be more like ’last
solutions’ to problems. On relationship front you
may have the attitude to ’let go’.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Today you may be quite targeted towards gains that
you presume to achieve. Ganesha finds you taking
ISSUE’S initiative to deal with new things. This will increase
your value at work. Relationship front may require
SOLUTIONS freedom and needs more understanding.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha foresees you thinking very seriously over
the matters related to career. If you are willing to
appear in interview, this is a favourable day. Your
beloved may try to keep you in a good mood by
being very nice and kind to you.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ERGO Wednesday, February 18, 2009