A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, February 20, 2009

08 11
GOLD AND
BEAUTIFUL FEAR FACTOR
Fashion’s new obsession Madhavan on Yaavarum Nalam

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 33

ALL AT SEA
Infuriated by the abject lack of discipline not to have fun at workplace, Ergo Editor Karthik Subramanian
asked his team to go to the sea and take a jump. They did and took him along too. Read on.
» PAGE 04
PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN

Biker
chain
-snatchers
Chain-
snatching
incidents
escalate
in city
» Page 05
02
Namma Chennai
Food
Simply
Kongunadu
Explore the delicacies of Kongunadu
in this food festival that promises to
tickle your taste buds. Pollachi
panagam, poondurai nadu kaikari
perattal, karupatti payasam ...there is
lot to savour.
When: Till February 27
Where: Sabari Nest, No. 105, Dr.
Radhakrishnan Road, Mylapore
The dinner is priced at Rs. 249. For
reservation call 2811 5111 or 2811
1772
Contest
Doodle to
cartoons
To encourage youngsters to take
up cartooning the Indian Institute
of Cartoonists has instituted the
Maya Kamath Memorial Award.
Participants need to be 25 years or
younger. Send in your published/
unpublished entries with cartoons
and caricatures (maximum of six)
along with copies of publications in
which these have appeared (if any).
All entries must be sent on or
before February 28.
For details call 9980091428/ 080 –
25559998/ website:
www.cartoonistsindia.com
Sale
The affordable art
Art is increasingly seen as an investment
and here’s the perfect platform for you
to buy them. The ninth edition of the
‘Affordable Art’ show will be
inaugurated on Saturday, where over
900 paintings of 150 artists will be on
display.
When: Till March 22; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: Vinnyasa Premier Art Gallery,
CIT Colony, Mylapore
For details call 3253 3655
ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009
Discount Alert
Mothercare is offering up to 51 per cent
off as part of their end of season sale.
The offer is on till March 8 at Kuppu
Arcade, T. Nagar. Ph: 42651850-55
Contest
Get ready to
rock
It’s time to wear your dancing
shoes! Renaissance Dance works and
SS Music presents Dancing Doll .
If you are a female dancer of 15
years and above and know to shake
to any free style dance then this is
your chance. The winner will be
crowned as ‘Dancing Doll-2009’.
When: February 22; 10 a.m.
Where: Kalaivanar Arangam (near
Chepauk stadium)
Entry forms and tickets are available
at all Landmark outlets, Renaissance
Dance Studio and Textile India. For
details contact 9003116060/45538482
Television
Millionaire on air
It is one of the most talked about
rags-to-riches story today. Oscar-
nominated Slumdog Millionaire will
be premiered today for Tata Sky
subscribers. To order Slumdog
Millionaire on ‘Showcase’ subscribers
press the ‘showcase’ button on the
remote and follow the instructions.
Or, send an SMS to SC <SPACE>
<EVENT CODE> to 56633.
Workshop
Act 1, Scene 1
Theatre Y is starting a new course
in acting, scriptwriting and voice
training. Actor, writer and director
Yog Japee will be introducing
courses in microphone presentation,
voice one and like. An open house
interactive session will be held to
discuss timings and batches.
When: February 20; 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: studYo, 35 Mandaiveli
Street, Off R.K. Mutt Road,
Mandaiveli.
For details visit
www.theatrey.com
 Friday, February 20, 2009
03
Rajasthani food festival
Take a mystical voyage to Rajasthan, where tradition and culture exist in a time
warp. Taste the authentic preparations like Ker shangiri, Mugar kaju, Dal
Bhatia,Mava Kachori, Tingley ki burjiya & Bhatti shurma from February 20 to
March 8 at Deccan Plaza’s Olives multicuisine restaurant located in Royapettah.
For details call 97910 33884

DVD pick of the week

Max Payne
Those who’ve played the
compelling PC game by the
same name will know that Max
Payne is as film-noir as it gets.
It’s gritty, dark, cinematic and
engaging. The film features a
well cast Mark Wahlberg as
the wronged detective, Max
Payne, who must bust a drug
racket and unearth the conspiracy behind the
murders of his wife and child. Although gamers
may cringe at the inconsistencies, those going in
with no expectations will be rightly entertained.
There’s probably more action than your home
cinema will digest. Watch it for Marky Mark,
guns, and neat effects.
We say great action fare to show off your
spanking new home cinema with.

Music of the week

Soul
As the name suggests, Seal’s latest
album is all about soul music.
There are no original songs in this
album though. Instead, this one is
a tribute and features covers of
classic soul numbers from artistes
like James Brown, Ben E. King, and
Sam Cooke. Overall, Seal’s effort is
quite notable. His voice
confidently cruises through tracks like A Change Is
Gonna Come and I’m Still In Love With You.
Although Seal’s musical background is varied –
ranging from funk and blues to pop, he does a
good job here by adding his own special style to
the music.
Sound advice: There’s more to Seal than what’s
apparent, and Soul’s a great example of just how
diverse his musical skills are.

Game of the week

STREET FIGHTER IV
“HadoOOOuken!” Bless you.
This update of the most
beloved fighting franchise has
kept everything that was good
about the originals. Old hands
will feel right at home
mastering Chun-Li’s kicks and
Ryu’s hadouken, and the
effects of them are even more
satisfying; as you now see your
enemies suffer in much more
precise detail. If you’re not into
fighting games, you won’t understand the fuss,
but the game play here is so perfectly balanced
and satisfying, rewarding practice and skill rather
than button-mashing, it kicks the crap out of its
so-called rivals. It is a great revival of an arcade
classic.
www.streetfighter.com
 04
Big Story
‘‘
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
ALL AT SEA
KARTHIK SUBRAMANIAN
karthik@goergo.in
I
t’s not every day that you set
out to face your worst fears.
Last week was a unique op-
portunity at least for some of
us at Ergo to face the fear of the
open seas. We set alight on a cat-
amaran off Kottivakkam Beach,
travelled some one-and-half kilo-
metres into the sea and simply
dived into the water.
Alright, we were wearing life
vests and the lead was just for ef-
fect. But still …
Hafiz and Ravi, residents of
Kottivakkam off Thiruvanmiyur,
organise team-building exercise
of a different kind for corporates.
In their email to Ergo last week,
they welcomed us to an outing at
the sea off Kottivakkam Beach.
When we reached the beach Fri-
day afternoon, the duo greeted us
along with a team of local fisher-
men. They briefed us on safety
requirements and handed us our
life vests that we fastened on. The
sea was “slightly rough,” we were
told. And as we sat inside the cat-
amaran, the fishermen pushed us
into sea. And as the catamaran
rode the waves, the first bit of
adrenaline started pumping. For
some time more at least, none of
us had any jitters. But as we pro-
ceeded somewhere towards the
mid-sea point, Hafeez asked us to
summon our inner zen. “For a
For a catamaran ride and a plunge in
the middle of the sea, call Ravi at
98408 19458 or Hafiz at 98405 75555.
An invitation to get into the middle of the
sea and jump in, life vests attached of course.
How to turn down an invitation like that?
Team Ergo was all at sea last week. Read on.
moment now, just enjoy the
calmness of the sea. Soak in the
wonders.”
And that was when we were
asked to jump into the sea.
“The first two to three minutes
are like a child’s entry into the
world. And slowly but surely, you
will find your way to float,” Hafiz
continued. That was our cue. If
not for the adventure, there is no
hanging around to listen to more
philosophy.
Our young designer Pratap Ku-
mar was the first to go. And he
took to it like a fish to water,
which is actually not the right
analogy here. Actually it has to be
like a fish to land. But whatever.
Pratap managed to find his fins in
less than 30 seconds, and was
floating like a fish. But appear-
ances are deceptive. Which is
what I found out. Without a
doubt, the one person in the cata-
maran with the ability to displace
maximum water, I dived in. The
next two minutes were undoubt-
edly the longest of my life.
As I plunged in, I sank some
considerable distance into the
sea, swallowing enough salt water
in the process. As I tried to keep
my eyes open, the salt water
washed them, instantly setting
my eyes on fire. A chill went
ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009
‘‘
down my spine as I took what ap-
peared to be minutes but were
mere seconds to reach my face
above the water again. I remem-
bered instantly that the sea is
kind enough to give three chanc-
es. But my immediate impulse
was to get back on the catamaran
asap. For the next few microse-
conds, as I bobbed and tried to
keep afloat, I was wondering just
why I got there in the first place.
“What a fool,” I was screaming in-
side. And then, for the second
time I plunged into the sea.
By this time, I think everybody
else on the catamaran hit panic
stations. My team was kind
enough to throw all the ropes
‘‘
available on the catamaran into
the sea. But the rope, I suspected
was just an allegory. What good
was a tiny rope? There is no way I
was going to get help from it. And
then for the third time, I sank into
the sea.
And then it happened. In a
strange impulse, I decided to loo-
sen myself a bit and tried to bring
my feet to the top of the water.
And there I was, lying on the sea,
as if it were a water bed. I was
floating. Hafiz was right all along.
For the next 25 minutes, I float-
ed on water, just like Pratap, a few
other colleagues, and the fish. It
was the most incredible thing I
have yet attempted. I have struck
one fear off my list. But there are
a few more to go. ■
I’m a hydro-
phobic who’s
never wet more than
her feet in the sea. Still,
the temptation to jump
after everyone else had
and a vague feeling
that I might regret it
later if I didn’t, ensured
that I did jump off the
catamaran. After 10
minutes of hollering in
the water, a frantic
struggle with the ropes
thrown to us and re-
entry into the
catamaran, it was with
a sense of
accomplishment.
Shalini Shah
Our lensman
and I were
having the laugh of our
lives watching each of
our colleagues plunge
into the sea, one after
another, gasping for
breath to eventually
enjoying the ‘flotation’.
One was screeching
‘Somebody help me, I
want to come out’,
another hiding on to
the side of the boat and
showing no signs of
having recovered from
the initial shock. And,
yet another, for whom
we for a moment
thought all was over.
Until, he finally
regained some energy.
We heaved a sigh of
relief for preventing the
many restless journos
from writing another
crime piece – ‘Ergo
Editor drowns in deep
sea’.
Liffy Thomas
The first tow
had already
made their way to the
middle, gobbling down
bucketful of sea water,
and despite trying to
keep a brave face my
heart was already
skipping a few beats.
Eyes closed, hands
clutched, I at last took
the plunge but all
seemed to be lost then.
Where is the sky? I am
going down…
Ayon Sengupta
 Friday, February 20, 2009
05

All the best, ARR

I
t’s A.R. Rahman mania at all
the campuses of Sutherland.
As a run-up to the Oscar Nite,
all the employees of the MNC
are singing paeans and signing
A.R. Rahman’s office,” said an
employee, adding, “We have six
centres in Indian and our Mum-
bai and Kochi offices have al-
ready sent us their vinyl

Biker chain-snatchers
signatures on huge banners, in
the name of the music director
who has three Oscar nomina-
tions.
The signature campaign start-
ed in the first week of February,
where 10 ft banners were put up
packages.”
Apparently, all these will be
woven together and handed.
The huge fan following the
music director has among the
employees as well as the prob-
ability that he is sure to bag the

on the rise in city

in each of the floor and em-
ployees were asked to pen their
wishes for the ‘Mozart of Chen-
nai’. “Some time tomorrow we
will be presenting the banners to
Oscar this time has made the
Employee Welfare Team come
up with such a concept, said the
employee who pleaded anonym-
ity.
Ergo Correspondent

The escalating number of chain-snatching activities

in the city is the result of the emergence of a new
breed of criminals – first-time offenders

T
he criminals that have been
sending city cops on a rol-
lercoaster ride off late are
not gangsters, robbers or
phishers but chain-snatchers on
motorcycles.
The escalating number of
chain-snatching incidents in the
city, especially over the last two
months in areas like Anna Na-
gar, Kilpauk and Adyar, has put
the police on the hot seat. Fol-
lowing this, City Police Commis-
sioner K. Radhakrishnan had
ordered his subordinates in the
respective snatching-prone ar-
eas to crack the whip and bring
the culprits behind bars as soon
as possible.
The truth is that the investi-
gating officers are facing an
uphill task as in most cases it is
not the known offenders who are
committing the crime, but
youngsters who are first-timers.
Police sources say these uniden-
tified men on motorcycles
snatch gold chains from victims,
mainly women walking in isolat-
ed and even crowded areas in
the city.
A few months ago, Teynampet
police arrested two youngsters
on charges on chain-snatching
in and around the Mylapore and
T. Nagar areas. Investigating of-
ficers on the case said the duo
had bought three motorcycles
and boosted the engines for bet-
ter pickup to facilitate the crime.
“They were arrested after one of
them fell down from the motor-
cycle and accidentally dropped
his cellphone during a snatching
attempt,” said an officer.
Using the cellphone as a clue,
police tracked the culprits who,
much to the astonishment of the
police, were college pass-outs
who had taken to chain-snatch-
ing to support their posh lifes-
tyle. There were a few cases of
similar first-time offenders who
fell into the police net on snatch-
ing charges.
Using the cellphone
as a clue, police
tracked the culprits
who, much to the
astonishment of the
police, were college
pass-outs who had
taken to chain-
snatching to support
their posh lifestyle.
However, police haven’t been
able to curb chain-snatching in
the city, which has been escalat-
ing at the rate of a minimum of
two cases a day. The usual mo-
dus operandi is that the helmet-
clad culprits ask vulnerable
women an address and snatch
their gold chains and speed off
on their bike. Off late, even men
are falling prey to chain-snatch-
ing. On Sunday, a bank execu-
tive in Aminjikarai, near
Thiru-vi-ka Park, was relieved of
his gold chain and bracelet,
worth 2,5 sovereigns. Similarly, a
man in Chintadripet was also
robbed of his bracelet.
The rising chain-snatching
cases in the city have driven the
city police to form special teams
to nab the offenders.
Thorough vehicle checks and
regular police patrols in areas,
including places where chain-
snatching incidents have been
rampant, are been intensified.
Moreover, police advice that the
public should be well aware of
such criminals and act
accordingly.
They suggest that people be
wary off strangers, keep off iso-
lated places and avoid untoward
incidents. ■
Ergo Correspondent
06 ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009

Armstrong’s stolen bicycle recovered

Sport
Police said they have recovered a one-of-a-kind bicycle swiped
from Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong at a northern
California racing venue. A person brought the purloined Trek
training bicycle on Wednesday to a police station in the city of
Sacramento, where it was stolen during the weekend.

Hero’s return
Making his first competitive appearance after a
whopping 358 days Croatian Eduardo showed no
signs on jittery nerves as he scored twice to help
Arsenal beat Cardiff City 4-0 in a FA Cup fourth
round replay.
Tough task
The forward had suffered from a fractured ankle
and leg following a tackle from Birmingham Confident India seek rare NZ Test triumph
defender Martin Taylor last season. After a year
long rehab the Croatian showed no signs of rust in
his opening game and many are saying that he will
be Arsene Wenger’s talisman to improve Arsenal’s
disappointing season.
(Each week we feature a
player who has defied all
odds and come out as a
winner during the past
week. If you have a
choice for next week,
write to us at
feedback@goergo.in.)

Indian players at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)

awards function in Mumbai. PHOTO: AFP

M
ahendra Singh Dhoni’s
all-conquering India flew
out to New Zealand on
Thursday with confi-
dence high they can redress a mi-
serable Test record there. Not
only have India had just one Test
series victory in New Zealand –
way back in 1968, under Mansur
Ali Khan Pataudi – they have not
even won a Test match there for
more than 30 years stretching
back to 1976.
But coach Gary Kirsten said the
team, riding high on the back of
home series wins over Australia
and England, were now capable
of dealing with the country’s un-
familiar weather and pitches.
“We have a very balanced team –
in batting, pace and spin bowl-
ing,” said the South Afri-
can. “We are capable of
playing in any condi-
tions. Conditions will
be vastly different
and the weather
would be cold with a
bit of rain. But we have
the players to overcome
these.”
Nightmares
The six-week tour opens
next Wednesday with the first
of two Twenty20 internation-
als. India and New Zealand will
also play five one-dayers and
three Tests. The previous tour in
2002 was a nightmare for India,
who under Sourav Ganguly lost
both Tests in “windy” Wellington
and Hamilton inside three days,
before being thrashed 2-5 in the
One-Day International series.
Seamer-friendly pitches and cold
and windy conditions all made
life difficult for the tourists, with
only Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul
Dravid scoring a half-century
apiece. “It’s going to be a tough
tour,” captain Dhoni said on
Wednesday. “Every place has its
challenges. Foreign players come
to India and struggle against spin
and bounce. We would focus on
planning well and in executing
those plans. The results will
follow.”
Looking into the positives
Kirsten was not worried about
the absence of any practice
match ahead of the Twenty20
opener on February 25, saying
four days of net sessions would
put his team in gear. Only six
players in the current squad –
Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag,
Dravid, V.V.S. Laxman, Zaheer
Khan and Harbhajan Singh –
have played a Test in New Zea-
land before. “Conditions can vary
in New Zealand,” Kirsten said.
“When the Indian team went
there in 2002 the ball was seami-
ng around. But when the West In-
dies played there recently, the
wickets were flat. So we can as-
sess the conditions only when we
get there.” The tourists will draw
inspiration from their recent Test
and One-Day International suc-
cesses under Dhoni and Kirsten.
India beat Ricky Ponting’s Aus-
tralia 2-0 and Kevin Pietersen’s
England 1-0 in home Test series
last year and clinched the One-
Day series in Sri Lanka 4-1 early
this month. Their hopes of end-
ing the New Zealand drought will
depend on their batting line-up,
which is virtually unchanged
since 2002. The only name mis-
sing from the middle order is the
retired Ganguly, who has been re-
placed by Yuvraj Singh.
Sehwag’s opening partner
Gautam Gambhir has cracked
three hundreds and as many half-
centuries in his last eight Test in-
nings. India also have two good
new-ball bowlers in Ishant Shar-
ma and Khan, who played a key
role in the wins over Australia
and England even on slow home
pitches. ■
AFP
 Friday, February 20, 2009
07

‘‘Rooney
I don’t know why he (Mohammad Yousuf ) is running around. He should just
come and talk to me about the issues he has with the ban imposed on him
from playing for Pakistan. But the ICC has made it clear it would leave home boards to
deal with legal issues according to the laws of their countries.
PCB chairman Ejaj Butt

Manchester
United’s Wayne
Rooney
celebrates after
scoring the third

back with
goal during the
English
Premiership
match against
Fulham at Old
Trafford,
Manchester.
PHOTO: AFP

a BANG
R
ooney ended his six-week injury lay-off with a goal as Manchester United moved
five points clear of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over
Fulham at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Rooney, sidelined since straining a hamstring against Wigan on January 14,
scored from South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung’s cross moments after replacing Dimitar
Berbatov to put the seal on United’s latest victory.
Paul Scholes’ opener and a strike from Berbatov had given United a 2-0 half-time lead
against a Fulham side that rarely looked like adding to their three away league goals this
season.
But United were in determined mood and the victory left them in a commanding
position at the top of the league and with dreams of an unprecedented haul of five
trophies in one season looking more realistic by the week.

Unstoppable
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had warned against complacency ahead of the game
by admitting that “this fixture looks a bit too easy”.
But United’s peerless form in recent weeks and Fulham’s winless run away from home
in the league this season suggested that the only likely outcome was a United win.
And although Ferguson had warned his players that the unthinkable could happen,
the prospects of such an unlikely outcome vanished once Scholes had spectacularly
opened the scoring after just 12 minutes. The former England midfielder has been
overshadowed by fellow veteran Ryan Giggs recently, but the 34-year-old cer-
tainly reclaimed the spotlight with a jaw-dropping display against the
London club.
His goal, only his second in the league this season, was as
good as any you are likely to see, even if it was
given a helping hand into the net by Fulham’s
Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
As Michael Carrick stepped up to take a
corner, Park’s decoy run left Scholes un-
marked 25 yards from goal and Carrick
picked him out brilliantly, allowing the mid-
fielder to unleash a right-foot volley.
Schwarzer managed to get his body behind the
shot, but he could not hold the ball and it squirmed
United cement grip
out of his grasp before bouncing over the line and into
the net.
on pole position
Settling the issue
But Scholes is not contended with scoring and he proved that on the half hour mark, when he created
the second goal for Berbatov with another piece of brilliance. This time his deft chip into the penalty area
in the 30th minute allowed John O’Shea to tee up the former Spurs striker, who scored from close range.
Berbatov was denied a second early in the second half when Schwarzer redeemed himself for his
earlier mistake by repelling the United striker with a brilliant save to keep out a powerful snapshot.
But the former Middlesbrough keeper could not continue to stem the tide and Rooney made it 3-0 in
the 63rd minute – less than three minutes after climbing off the bench.
Park’s shot across the face of goal was met by Rooney at the far post and, after springing the offside
trap, the England star slotted in his seventh league goal of the season. ■
AFP
08
Portfolio
Derek Lam
Midas touched the
T
here’s an extra glimmer on
the catwalks. And gold is
the most likely culprit. In
fact, it has been the com-
mon thread between Spring/
Summer 2009 and Fall/Winter
2009-2010. The recent shows
have seen a high dose of me-
tallic and most conspicuous
has been gold in various forms
– from head-to-toe pale gold to
black-and-gold and little bits
in the form of accessories.
Georges Chakra sent mod-
els down the catwalk in gold-
hued gowns. BCBG Max Azria
reworked the now-so-hot
tights and gave spectators
metallic tights
that made
the models
appear
dipped
Christian Lacroix
ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009
Fendi
in gold paint. Oscar de la Renta,
in his collection showcased in
New York Fashion Week, opted
for a black-and-gold palette.
Where the dresses were mono-
chromatic, gold appeared in the
form of accessories like belts,
shoes and clutches. Carolina Her-
rera, the lady of the lovely gowns,
also opted for black-and-gold.
Badgley Mischka, though,
chucked the black from the gold.
Accessory-wise, Fendi and Mi-
chael Kors depended on gold.
While Fendi’s breezy spring/
summer white-centric collection
featured golden totes, the latter’s
models had gold bondage chain
as neckpieces.
Marc Jacobs’ Fall 2009 collec-
tion, chiefly characterised by eye-
squinting neon, featured Midas’
favourite in the form of gold shifts
under oversized jackets. And for
once, gold managed to look more
Goth than royal.
Georges Chakra
BCBG Ma
Diane Von Furstenberg fea-
tured one-shouldered dull gold
gowns, while Nanette Lepore
paired golden shifts with tights.
Derek Lam had golden jersey
dresses.
Christian Lacroix, who mixed
prints, colours stripes and dots in
his Spring/Summer 2009 Haute
Couture collection showcased in
Paris, also had his way with gold.
Dresses that look spray-painted
to stiffness made models look like
gold statuettes than anything
else.
As if to disprove the fact that
women love things gold and
golden, the menswear lines of
Alexandre Herchcovitch and
Thierry Mugler, golden pants, et
al, proved a point. ■
With inputs from agencies
Oscar de la Renta
 Friday, February 20, 2009
09
ax Azria Michael Kors
BULLETIN
Muse’s the word
English model Kate Moss will be taking
part in an exhibition that is exploring the
role the fashion model plays as an
artiste’s muse.

e clothes
The exhibition is taking place this spring
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New
York, and supermodels like Moss, Naomi
Campbell and Twiggy will be a
part of history’s great muses,
reports the Guardian.
Thomas Campbell made the
announcement in front of Peter
Lindberg’s 1990 British Vogue
cover portrait of Campbell, Linda
A look at Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy
Turlington and Cindy Crawford.
Campbell was accompanied Marc
gold’s recent Jacobs, sponsor of the exhibition,
who took to the podium to
quote Yves Saint Laurent: “A good

dominance on model can advance fashion by 10 years.”

Moss has been praised by Jacobs as a
“muse to a generation... she defines a

the ramps time, a feeling, that has become part of

history”.
The exhibition will open on May 6.
ANI

Beyond leggings
Lindsay Lohan is
planning to expand her
fashion portfolio by
launching a full range
of clothes in the next
two years. Last year, the
Mean Girls star released
her own line of
leggings, named 6126,
but she is preparing to
take her ambitions one step further. “In
2011 I’ll be doing more clothing,” the
Daily Express quoted her, as saying.
According to fashion website wwd.com,
Lohan is also working on a self-tanner
and cosmetics line with beauty company
Stay Gold.
ANI

Video kills the

runway star
Video already killed the radio star. Now,
it has also replaced the traditional
runway show at Halston, at least for the
fall season. This fashion week, Halston
went digital with a music video concept
that capitalises on the viral marketing
opportunities many in the fashion world
are still catching up on. The video,
featuring Dree Hemingway
as a modern-day
Halstonette, showcases a
cool, urban woman as she
Thierry Mugler glides from uptown to
downtown, experiencing all
walks of New York City life,
with different vignettes
Marc Jacobs outfitted in Halston’s fall
collection.
“Retailers and press are
looking for more flexibility
when they go and look at a
collection,” Bonnie Takhar,
Halston’s president and chief
executive officer, said before
Diane von Furstenberg the video was released.
NYT News Service
10 ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009

Ash-the most bankable star

Flick
Forbes has listed Aishwarya Rai as India’s most
bankable star in Hollywood, pushing down the
Khans of Bollywood in the ratings of the best bet
for a film’s financial success.

a knee trouble that cropped up

Supermen of
after his stunts in Krrish and
Dhoom 2.
The 35-year-old actor had torn
a ligament in his right knee and
continued working despite the
pain. In December 2007, after
wrapping up Jodhaa Akbar, he
went to Singapore for a six-week

Bollywood
treatment.
After the birth of his second
son in May last year, he went in
for a knee surgery in the US, but
soon after his return Hrithik shot
for the title song of Krazzy 4.
He hurt his knee again while
doing a dangerous car stunt for
Big B, SRK, Hrithik home production Kites in Las Ve-
gas. Though doctors advised him
and Saif - the eight weeks’ rest, the brawny ac-
tor was about and running just
ailing stars who three days after the accident.
Commenting on his knee prob-
let the show go on lem, a source close to Hrithik had
told IANS: “It’s a fact that Hrith-
ik’s knee is a cause for great con-

T
he show must go on - that’s cern for him and his entire
possibly the mantra for Bol- family. The doctors told him that
lywood’s ailing stars like he would never dance again.
Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh “After his second son was born,
Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan and Hrithik went for surgery to the US
Hrithik Roshan who, despite their and spent nearly two months re-
injuries and health problems, covering. He was determined to
continue to spin magic on screen. let it heal properly because Kites
Not once would the audience requires considerable athletic
believe that Shah Rukh was suf- movement. Hrithik didn’t take
fering excruciating pain in his left one wrong step until he left to
shoulder when he would have shoot ’Kites’ in the US and suf-
shot for the song ‘Mar jaani’ in fered another injury.”
recently released Billu, for his Another actor synonymous
moves are so perfect in the song. with multiple hospital visits is
Just two weeks before his ar- Saif Ali Khan, who was last ad-
throscopic shoulder surgery was mitted to hospital towards the
successfully conducted in Mum- end of 2008 following pain in his
bai Monday, Shah Rukh had said abdomen due to a stomach
that the pain is so bad that he infection.
can’t hug anyone “hard enough”. In 2006, Saif had undergone
At that time he was busy promot- surgery in the Malaysian capital
ing Billu, one of the reasons his of Kuala Lumpur. He had com-
surgery was delayed. plained of pain in the abdomen
In the past as well, Shah Rukh then too and doctors had diag-
has had his share of injuries and nosed it as appendicitis. The 38-
accidents. In 2003, he underwent year-old actor had also suffered a
a spinal operation in London mild heart attack in 2007, forcing
and he has also been operated him to change his lifestyle and
upon for his knee. But he quit smoking.
never let these become a While discussing the health of
hindrance in his career. these young actors, one mustn’t
Even Hrithik’s effortless forget megastar Amitabh Bach-
daredevilry in the battle se- chan, who had a near fatal acci-
quences of Ashutosh Go- dent when he was in his prime.
wariker’s period romance The veteran was first injured in
Jodhaa Akbar weren’t in- 1982 while shooting a fight se-
dicative of the pain he quence for his hit film Coolie.
was going After that, the Big B has paid
through, several visits to hospitals - the lat-
thanks est instance being his birthday in
to October last year. He was admit-
ted to the Lilavati Hospital in
Mumbai after he complained of
severe abdominal pain.
Though these stars are bound
by a string of health problems,
the common trait among them is
to work relentlessly. It is their
never-say-die spirit that keeps
them going and thousands of
cine fans entertained year after
year.■
IANS
 Friday, February 20, 2009
‘I dare you to watch the
movie and walk out halfway
to buy popcorn alone’
Dressed
completely in
black, actor
Madhavan looked
right out of
Michael Jackson’s
music video,
‘Thriller’. It might
as well be true as
he was in BIG FM
studios shooting
promos for his
upcoming bilingual
thriller, ‘Yaavarum
Nalam’ a.k.a. ‘13B’
ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY &
MONISHA MOHANDAS
What kind of thriller is
Yaavarum Nalam?
An edge-of-the-seat, nail-bit-
ing one. No one can go to the mo-
vie and come out halfway and
neither will they know what is go-
ing to happen next.
What is the character that
you play?
A middle-class, newly-wed guy
who has moved into a new home.
He tries to settle down when
things go horribly wrong
You seem to play a ‘middle-
aged newly-wed man’ a lot
these days. Any particular
reason?
Apart from me being a middle-
aged man, not really. I look at the
script, not the character. If you’ve
watched my movies, you will see
that all the scripts are different
Bhoomika in Blessy’s flick
Actress Bhoomika is making her debut in Malayalam through director
Blessy’s Bhramaram. She will be pairing up with Mohanlal in this
movie.
and they are subjects that have
not been dealt with before. I look
for brilliant scripts. The character
doesn’t matter.
This is your very first thriller
movie. What homework did
you do?
We did a lot of research on the
impact TV has on the public. All
these reality shows and serials
that show the morbid and nega-
tive side of human nature seem
to be a lot more popular than the
funny, happy ones. For my part, I
observed a lot of people who
watch these shows and analysed
their behaviour.
What are the lessons
Madhavan has taken from
this movie?
It’s pretty tough to act for a
thriller. That’s what I found out.
To channel the fear you want to
express to your audience takes a
lot of practice and time.
It was tough but I think I’ve
11
Cine City
Vishal to romance 3
Actor Vishal will be seen romancing three heroines
in his next film. The movie tentatively titled
Theeraadha Vilayattu Pillai is a romantic flick
directed by Thiru. Apparently, director Thiru has
worked with Vishal in his previous film Sathyam as
associate director. Vishal recently dropped out of a
project to be directed by Selvaraghavan and signed
Thiru’s flick. The new movie will go on floors once
the actor completes the shooting schedule of his
upcoming flick, Thoranai.
done justice to it.
Your take on the chemistry
between you and the leading
lady?
Well, to tell you the truth, the
TV is the leading lady in the film.
Nitu Chandra and I are just char-
acters in the film. The television
plays the most important role in
the film. For the most part, she
was poker-faced.
How different is Yaavarum
Nalam from other thrillers?
I dare you to watch the movie
and walk out halfway to buy pop-
corn alone.
Arjun goes Bollywood
Any more movies coming up Actor Arjun is all set to direct a Bollywood film.
this year? The actor has said that the film will draw
I’m doing a few more. So, I’m inspiration from his movie Vedham, but not an
pretty much packed the entire exact remake. Apart from acting and directing this
year. We’ll see how they turn out. film, Arjun will also produce the venture.
Regarding the lead lady in the film, he said that
Describe the movie in one talks are on with two Bollywood stars.
word.
Brilliant! ■
12 ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009

■ My mom’s photo
Thursday’s Query:
Prasanna, Wipro
What is the one
■ My mobile. I just love it and
superstition or sentimentally I keep my love with me
for 5yrs and still the passion about
sentiment you always my first mobile is going on n on
Arunkumar, TCS
hold on to?
■ During school exams I used to ■ My amma’s favourite do not cut
attempt the last question first and go your nails after 6 pm
backwards. Wonder why! It makes no Dominic, TCS
sense, looking back
Sridhar.R STG ■ If ur nose itches, someone is
thinking about you
■ Knocking on the head thrice on Anulekshmi, Allsec
seeing a full black crow
Senthil, Wipro ■ I write my friend’s name always
before I use a new pen G.Srinath from Amiindia has nominated his friends
■ While starting the work if he or Karthik Infosys as Partners in Crime.
she sneezes, the work will not be
successful ■ I’ll not change my sitting positing
Pandiyan, CSS while watching a cricket match if
India plays well especially when
■ Whenever I move from my house I Sachin is batting
expect my house owner’s baby to Mohan Kumar, Allsec
wish me tata! tata! with her cute
hands ■ I’ll not leave my book open as I
Prakash, Perot Systems believe that I’ll forget whatever I
read
■ When ever I’m going out or Subashini,
coming to my home I will see my Wipro
mother face first
Asif, Ford ■ I believe that my watch is lucky
charm
■ We feel that it’s not auspicious if Parti,
cat or gary (our office cat) crosses the CSS
way
Sadiq, Arun, Sam, Nadeem, Thomas ■ When dogs signal a long bark at
Vakhiyil Allsec, Karthi.VR, CSS night they indicate there would be
some death in the colony
■ I’ll wear a green T-shirt before Nandini,
playing a cricket match Inautix
Vimal Vetriselvan, TCS Ambika Ramamoorthy from CTS has nominated her
■ I’ll start my day only after team as partners in Crime. They clicked the pic at
■ To look at my own face as soon as watching a picture of goddess Vayanad.
I wake up in the morning Saraswathi on my mobile
Pradeepa, TCS Arun,
Hexaware
■ Sentimental pen and dress for
exam. I deeply believe that it’s a ■ Every Wednesday evening I’ll go to
source of confidence for me temple, if I miss I’ll be compensating
Priyang TCS, Sonisha, Wipro on Saturday evening
Mohan Kumar, TCS
■ Sending forwards to my dear ones
in the morning ■ Close my eyes and pray god that
Sathyaraj, Allsec today nothing should happen bad
Anu, Jackson Cognizant
■ Praying god before coming out
from home ■ Asking me where r u going? with
Prabhu, Capgemini their ‘otta vaai’ (bare mouth). It
makes me to change the destination
■ Open two hands in front of eyes Arunee, Infosys
while getting up in the morning
Venkat, SBS Today’s query:
■ Not buying a black clothing for
any good occasion or for a festival
What is your favourite Sridher from Perot Systems has nominated his
friends as Partners in Crime. They clicked the pic at
Shanmuga Priya, CTS horror movie and why? Tada.
 Friday, February 20, 2009
Venkatesh a.k.a Capt. Ragh- ■ Dear Liffy Thomas
avan from Wipro has been On your birthday we wish you much
nominated as our Office An- pleasure and joy; we hope all of your
gel by his team mates. wishes come true.May each hour and
minute be filled with delight,And
Nicknamed Raghavan for your birthday be as perfect as you
his stay in process attitude, are!!!
commitment and versatility. With love
He is a very enthusiastic chap Anusha, Lokpria, Monisha,
and charges up everyone with Nandhini, Vipasha
his speech. He is highly
regarded for his selfless ■ Hi Giri,
attitude towards work, Wish you many more happy returns
proactive nature and high of the day!May the coming years
quality deliverables. He is bring lots of happiness, cherish and
good friend to all of us in his fun in your life. We wish you all
team and a pleasure to work success in your love n life.
with. With love,
ESCS Team - Ramco Systems.
■ Hi Dylan Sanders,
Many more happy returns of the day.
Wherever you go, our wishes to you
follow. Have a fantastic birthday!!!
Regards,
Decode the wish n find the sender
■ Dear Karthi,
Advance happy birthday!!! Wish you
many more happy returns of the day!
May god bless you with happiness,
success and good health. Have a
fantastic future!
Best Wishes,
Shobana, HCL
Art featured in
this column ■ Dear Hema,
will receive gift Advance Birthday Wishes!!! We all
coupons from wish you a tremendous year ahead
Fruit Shop on with loads of happiness and joy
Greams Road. throughout Ur life. And many more
Send in your Birthdays to bring you delight!
addresses so Have a fantastic and lovable
that we can Birthday!
post the cou- From Ur Bunch,
pons. TECH, Ramco Systems.
Christina Sweetline Careshine of
Systems Technology Group has ■ Dear Balki,
doodled this. We wish you another year of
laughter,joy and fun, surprises, love
and happiness from the bottom of
our heart, And may your good times
multiply, till they’re flying off your
chart! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BALKI
!!
With love,
Gaja, Jaffe, Sareen, Prem, Sabari, Saranya,
Swathy ,Arun, Srikanth., TCS.
■ Dear Ramli & Vidhya
Wedding bells have rung. It’s the
time for two hearts to unite. The
years ahead are those of
togetherness, joy , sharing and
understanding. Wish you both good
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from luck for a wonderful married life.
vegetables then what is baby oil made from? We shower upon you our humble
blessings.
If a person suffered from amnesia and then was cured would Regards,
they remember that they forgot? Aviation Team, Ramco Systems
HR-Team. Nittany-Indus
13
■ Dear Amit,
Wishing you a very happy birthday,
Have a great year ahead!! have a
rocking and fun filled birthday!!
With lots of luv
Jemi,Then,Ram,Shiva,
Sathya. Css corp.
■ Dear Bhagya & Mahesh,
It is a special moment in time..
A day to look towards the future and
all it holds. And a day to wish you all
the happiness in the world. Wish you
a happy married life ahead...
With Lots of Love n Prayers,
Gayathri.S., Madhumitha.R.
Wipro Technologies
■ Dear Benji(Benjamin),
Side by side,or miles apart
A Hubby like you, Is always close to
the heart. May you have all the joys
your heart can hold, All the smiles a
day can bring, All the blessings a life
can unfold, May you have God’s best
in everything!! Wishing that you
have a lovely day and a great year
ahead! Happy Birthday Dear Benji!
Lots of Love and regrads,
Lynette
■ My Dearest Papa,
Happy Birthday Papa! I love u so
much
Lots of love and hugs,
Your Loving Little Girl, Becky
■ Dear Prasanna,
Some people, no matter how old
they get, never lose their beauty -
they merely move it from their faces
into their hearts… Happy Birthday to
our Beauty Star Prasanna. May ur
birthday bring you as much
happiness as you give to everyone
who knows you…
Enjoi ur dayJ
Best Wishes, Gany & Team., Infosys.
■ Dear Saleema,
Advanced Birthday Wishes to you!
Hope you have a wonderful year
ahead and many more to come!
Lots of Love, The Girls Gang!
■ Hi Mr.Pune(Balu),
We Wish you Happy Birthday!!!May
you get Pulser by Next Birthday and
will go to PONDY!!!
Regards, MphasiS Friends
■ Hey Goutham,
Heart Most wishes. A gr8 year ahead
Loving Bro, Prathap P.Chandru
■ Dear Raji
Wish you many more happy returns
of the day. Happy Birthday to you.
With Love
Krithika, Priya, Shikha,Bharathi & Madhu
14 ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009

Pick a favourite

Traffic Jam A married Chinese tycoon who could no longer

afford to support his five
mistresses during the economic slowdown held a
contest to decide which one to keep.

sudoku

Navin of CSS Corp

clicked this picture
with his Canon
350D.
Hobbies:
Photography, car
racing

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
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 Friday, February 20, 2009
Where’s Osama?
A Californian geography professor
claims to have pinpointed three houses
in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden
could be hiding.
15
Word’s worth
“Mackabroin” (mak-uh-broin) an obsolete and rare word meaning ‘an old
hag.’ It probably does not come from macabre, whose origin is obscure. The
word did come from French, but whether the French word came from
Maccabeus (as in Judas Maccabeus) or from another name is not known.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You will be dutiful and sincere more than usual
today. It is a favourable day for updating and
posting your résumé to other companies.You may
take your partner to a nice public place like theatre
or a very good restaurant in the evening.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Your mixing nature will help you gather good credit
from others at office. You will get your work done
very tactfully. In personal life, you may be more
possessive about your partner. Ensure that there is
no ’conflict of power’ between you and anyone else.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You may be more compulsive in your behaviour
BORN LOSER with others. Unwillingly you might have to agree
with what others say. In love life, you may try to
attain more clarity about certain matters if there is
some confusion.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
At office, you may experience lot of stress today.
Others may be more demanding and your day may
be spent in meeting their expectations. In
relationships, you could be more forgiving so your
partner may not have any complaints for you.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ganesha finds this to be active day for you. You
may wonder when the day started and when it got
over. You will find the work becoming more
demanding. Lovers may need to show care and
concern towards partner to make feel good.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
It is perfect day to deal with mundane activities like
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT arranging your desk, clearing pending documents
and also for important works like planning the trip
or reshuffling work schedule. You may enjoy nice
recreational activity in the company of your partner.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
While you are at work, domestic responsibilities may
keep drawing your attention. Today you may not be
in a mood to work for long hours, but may wish
rush home to relax as soon as the day is over, says
Ganesha.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Your sincerity at work may speak volumes for you
today. Others may realise your worth and seek your
guidance in important matters. At home, you may
not have any major issue to deal with. You may
have interesting discussions with your family. You
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
may stick to your work and try to meet all your
targets or deadlines, even if you have to stretch
yourself a bit. Towards second half of the day, you
may take more interest in matters related to occult
or philosophy and share your views with partner.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You may feel drained if you work for longer hours,
however, you can be very vigorous in your thoughts
and behaviour. You may want everything to be
done very quickly. In personal life, you may demand
more attention from your partner, feels Ganesha.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS To sort out minor issues, you may need to put in
greater efforts at office. You may feel that ’nothing
ISSUE’S is working in your favour’ but towards end of the
day, stars are turning in your favour hence nothing
SOLUTIONS to worry about it.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha finds you receiving lot of credit and
appreciation for your work. Superiors may remain
happier with you which will make you feel more
secured and happy. Personal relationships may reach
to better level of understanding.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ERGO Friday, February 20, 2009