A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, January 8, 2009

10 08
KANGANA RANAUT VOLVO FOR TENNIS
on films and new love Replaces Mercedes as the official
car of Chennai Open

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 5

FOR THE LOVE

OF THE GAME
Ball boys and line umpires are often the
unsung heroes at any major tennis event.
Ayon Sengupta and Akshay Ramaseshan find
out their side of the story at the Chennai Open.
PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
» PAGE 03
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Exchange your old mobile

UniverCell has introduced the ‘Change X Change mela’, whereby mobile phone
owners can send an SMS to the “instant sms” service and the store will
respond instantly with the exchange value for the phone. SMS UNI brand (first
three letters) model no: to 55050. Example: UNI EXC NOKE90 to 55050.
The mela is on till January 15.

PUT ON YOUR
DANCING SHOES
P ut your dancing shoes on this Saturday
and come to the Alliance Francaise of
Madras. Some of France’s most
traditional folk dances will be presented
through Manja-Pelos.
Nicolas and Mana of Tornamai group
organise French folk dance workshops all
over South West of France with other
musicians, collectively known as Manja-
Pelos Collectif. They specialise in the
dances from the Occitan, especially the
region they come from. Cercle circassien,
chapeloise, bourrée à 3 temps, rigodon,
polka, mazurka, scottish, valse, branlou,
farandole...will be presented.
The dance workshop is free and you
could register by calling 2827 1477.

What, When, Where

What: Learn French folk dance
When: January 10; 6.30 p.m.
Where: Alliance Francaise,
College Road
A voice for the bulls
On January 4, a diverse group of animal rights activists and
humanitarian citizens came together and through a
silent protest lent their voice to the voiceless
SRIYA NARAYANAN There are many myths that sur- courts to ban the practice perma-
pets@goergo.in round jallikattu and Sunday’s pro- nently, this is the first procession (in
test laid out the facts for all of the history of Tamil Nadu) that was

O
n January 3, a man was gored Chennai to see. Banners on display dedicated to animal rights.
to death in Pudukottai and 42 read: “Hundreds of men against one The procession began at Gandhi
others were injured during a animal. Is this bravery?” and “Death Statue in Marina Beach, chosen be-
deadly yearly event that kicks in the name of sport”. Organised by cause the leader is famous for his
off, ironically enough, right before J. Pragadeeswaran (JP) and Prema views on animal rights. There was
Pongal – a day meant to celebrate Veeraraghavan, who have been nothing typical about the group that
cows and bulls as sacred animals. campaigning persistently in the attended the protest – it included
lawyers, college students, members
of ISKCON, members of several ani-
mal rights and humanitarian
groups, a six-year-old girl and even a
J. Pragadeeswaran refers to this file photo when he says:
“At a single point of time: gregarious, black therapy dog, Dr.
• A huge crowd pulls the neck of the bull with a rope towards the front Moose who shuffled along quietly
direction. The sudden pull with huge force cuts the throat of the bull. until the rally halted at Thiruvalluvar
• Its tail is twisted and pulled harshly towards the left direction. statue.
• Both its hind legs are lifted and pulled towards back direction to A senior citizen who participated
immobilise the animal. in the protest said – “There are many
• A group of people jump on its hump. To get a grip on the running people who oppose jallikattu, but in
animal, people use their sharp finger nails to hold the body of the bull a democracy, we must take to the
resulting in bruises all over the animal’s body. streets. Otherwise it is of no use to
• Another group pulls its horn. People attack the animal with non stop have an opinion”.
blows. Can an animal be subjected to more cruelty than this?” If you’d like to join forces with
them, send an email to
reachpraga@yahoo.com.■
Thursday, January 8, 2009
03

For the love of the game

From security volunteers to ball-boys, there are several persons
at the Chennai Open who volunteer for very little or no money
at all, Ayon Sengupta and Akshay Ramaseshan find out

W
hile pint-sized Frankies inside the SDAT Ten- day. Even the local line-umpires are paid only Rs.
nis Stadium come at Rs. 40, ball-boys and line 4,500, much less than in any other ATP or WTA meet
umpires at the Chennai Open get a daily food across the world.
allowance of Rs. 20.
The US$ 450,000 prize money tournament features Student volunteers
60 ball-boys and 50 line-umpires, whose job is to keep Students from various colleges across the city have
the show running. The ball-boys at the tournament, been a regular at the meet working as security volun-
who are mostly club coaches or ground staff at vari- teers, ushers and helping in other sundry jobs. Their
ous clubs affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Tennis Associa- love for the game draws them to the courts at the
tion, are paid a meagre Rs. 1,100 for their nine days of SDAT Tennis Stadium where they are privileged
service. “The pay is bad. But they (the organisers) enough to watch great tennis action from close quar-
have promised to look into it after the end of this ters but keeping that aside they hardly enjoy any other
year’s competition and we hope it will increase by Rs. perks.
500 at least,” a tennis coach from Mogappair, who has “We are not paid because our job is purely volun-
been working as a ball-boy at the Chennai Open since tary and the organisers don’t even provide transporta-
the last five editions, says. tion even if the matches end very late,” a city college
“The biggest problem is food. The organisers don’t student, working as an usher for the past two seasons
provide us any food but only a sum of Rs. 20 as food says. “But I will again come here next year. At least I
allowance daily. It’s difficult to find anything at that can watch the matches; otherwise it’s very difficult for
price near the stadium because most of the stalls up us to get hold of a ticket even for one day.”
their prices expecting more footfalls,” the 26-year-old The organisers provide these 150-odd college stu-
says. “I earn Rs. 6,000 as a tennis coach per month dents two pairs of clothing from the apparel sponsors
and this is just some extra income. We get to learn a and also a sports shoe. “Apart from our dresses the
lot about the game watching these players and that organisers also provide lunch and tiffin and I think
ticks me on. Every year I say I won’t come the next none of us are complaining although at times it gets a
time but inevitably every January I am here.” bit tedious. We come by four in the evening and can
Austrian Daniel Koellerer bumps into a ball-boy while
They work from 4 p.m. till the matches go on and only leave after 11,” another security volunteer says. ■
trying to retrieve a ball during his first round clash
are often standing in for more than three matches a
against Nikolay Davydenko. PHOTOS: S. S. KUMAR
04 VILLAGE ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Morris dancing dilemma

The historic British pastime of Morris dancing could
be ’extinct’ within 20 years because young people
are too embarrasses to take part.

Obamamania Oz pensioner banned from

driving for 1000 years!
scores hit for An octogenarian pensioner has been banned from
driving for the next 1000 years, after constant court
appearances for negligent driving, driving without a

Japanese
licence and failing to give particulars. Luba Relic, 84,
has had 78 court fights with neighbours to her name
and was already banned from driving until 2999. And
now, a Manly Court magistrate has added another

mask-maker year for her latest misdemeanours and extended her

ban till the year 3000. The court was told that the RTA
suspended her licence for ‘medical reasons.’ But in
September, she crashed into a Honda Civic outside a St

F
or those who just can’t get faces of cartoon characters and Vincent De Paul shop in Oxford Rd, Brookvale.
enough of US president- sumo wrestlers as well as the ANI
elect Barack Obama, a Japa- head of a bronze Buddha statue.
nese mask-maker is giving One of its most successful
thousands of people the chance masks was of Japan’s popular for-
to be his spitting image. mer prime minister Junichiro Bruce Lee’s home to turn into
Ogawa Rubber Inc., Japan’s top Koizumi. The company sold 3,500
rubber mask studio, is moving in- masks of the leader. museum
to high gear and is manufacturing But Koizumi’s successor Shin- Action star Bruce Lee’s last home has been given to
more than 300 masks of the next zo Abe was a flop, selling only the Hong Kong government to turn into a museum
US president each day ahead of about 600 masks. Abe quit after and memorial to the kung fu star, a news report said
his inauguration on January 20. one year in office after an election on Wednesday. Philanthropist and property developer
“We sold as many as 2,500 faces rout. Yu Panglin has agreed to donate the property after a
of Obama in a month. It was a The studio did not even bother year of talks over the home worth an estimated $10
great hit for us,” said Takahiro making masks of Abe’s sombre million, the Hong Kong Standard reported. The home
Yagihara, chief creator for the and unpopular successor, Yasuo in Hong Kong’s residential Kowloon Tong district,
mask-maker based in the Tokyo Fukuda. But it has found a hit in which the actor affectionately called Crane’s Nest, is
suburb of Saitama. incumbent Prime Minister Taro now expected to be developed into a major tourist
“I’ve seen a couple of Obama Aso. attraction for the city, possibly including a library.
faces made in the United States, Yagihara, who keeps an eagle DPA
but ours is the best,” he boasted. eye out for new masks, saw dim
“We hope somebody will don our prospects among other Japanese
Obama mask at his inaugura- politicians.
tion.” “I don’t see any face among Ja-
Yagihara’s studio has created a panese politicians that would
variety of rubber masks, not only
those of politicians but also the
match Obama’s,” he said. ■
AFP
Mittal tops Abramovich in world’s
richest footie club owners list
Indian-born steel baron Lakshmi Mittal has pushed
Russo-Latvian billionaire Roman Abramovich down the
rankings in the latest world top 20 rich list of football
club owners. According to The Mirror, Mittal and his
family, which owns the football club QPR, are worth
12.5 billion pounds, as opposed to Abramovich, who
owns Chelsea, and is worth seven billion pounds.
Manchester City football club owner Sheikh Mansour
bin Zayed Al Nahyan with earnings of 15 billion pounds
is the only person ranked above Mittal, says the tabloid.
Abramovich was at the top the football club owners
rich list from 2003 to 2008.
ANI

New species of pink iguana

discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of pink
iguana on Isabela Island in the Galapagos. The black-
striped reptiles, which is at risk of extinction, has rose-
coloured scales and only lives on one volcano in the
Galapagos Islands. It is one of the most studied parts
of the world, and played a major part in shaping
Darwin’s thinking about the origin of species - yet the
islands continue to give more to our understanding of
biology. “Despite the attention given to them, the
Galapagos have not yet finished offering evolutionary
novelties,” said Gabriele Gentile of the University Tor
Vergata in Rome, who led the study.
PTI
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
05
I do, I do, I do This day, that year
A romantic couple from It was on January 7, 1675 that in
Hampshire, England have the United States, the first
renewed their wedding vows corporation was charted: the New
nearly 60 times. York Fishing Company.

Gladiators back to Colosseum

The Roman La Repubblica. As far as Brocco-
li’s plan goes, modern-day gladi-
fighters will return ators will engage in realistically
choreographed mock fights.
to the country’s The new-age gladiators would
wear original costumes and the
most famous fight same combat gear-swords, tri-
dents, nets and daggers- that
arena almost 2,000 were used 2,000 years ago.
Their famous contests will be
years after their re-enacted and staged in the eve-
ning, accompanied by readings
bloody sport last from the works of Latin poets
such as Seneca.
entertained Roman However, the authorities have
not yet disclosed if gladiators
crowds. would fight on a stage over the
arena’s subterranean chambers
and tunnels or on a stage outside

F
ascinated by gladiators? the Colosseum. He claimed that
Well, then here’s your the gladiator fights would not be
chance to get close and per- a Disneyland-like attraction, in-
sonal with the Roman fight- stead it would be more of a seri-
ers, for they are soon going to ous project to bring the sporting
return to Rome’s Colosseum to heroes of antiquity alive.
display their antics, local author- Also, Broccoli dismissed fears
ities have announced. that the combats might appear
The gladiators will return to the too crude.
country’s most famous fight are- “The gladiators themselves
na almost 2,000 years after their were vulgar. They were sweaty,
bloody sport last entertained Ro- cil, said that in 2009, the five mil- and smells” of ancient Rome. spectacular. Museums and mon- they stank and they swore. Why
man crowds. lion people who visit the “We do not need to enshrine uments must speak to the public not show them as they really
Umberto Broccoli, the head of Colosseum each year will get to historical sites and monuments; in a new way,” the Discovery were?” said Broccoli. ■
archaeology at Rome’s city coun- experience “the sights, sounds we need to make them more News quoted Broccoli as telling ANI

Dexterous
iTunes songs could soon be 쑸

used on any MP3 player Performer

"Marawa" from
the theatrical
show in San Francisco by Apple’s phenomenon
senior vice president of market- "La Clique"
ing Phil Schiller. Apple is the big- rehearses her
gest music vendor in the world hoop act at the
and has sold 6 billion songs till Famous
date, reports The Telegraph. Spiegeltent in
However, the change, which will Sydney on
come into effect before the end of Junuary 7, 2009.
the year, will only be applicable La Clique,
to new purchases from the appearing as
iTunes store. Thus, consumers part of the

F rom now on, all songs on Ap-

ple’s iTunes music service
could be played on any MP3
who have previously built up a
library on their computers might
have to pay for upgrading their
Sydney Festival
from January 6
to February 1, is
player, the company has an- music to the new format. But, described as
nounced. there’d still be many music sexy, funny and
The move to lift copy protec- players and mobile phones that dangerous and
tion from tracks bought via won’t be able to play songs in the is a combination
iTunes would bring Apple at par format Apple is using. That’s be- of cabaret, new
with its smaller competitors. Ear- cause the company will continue burlesque, circus
lier, the majority of songs bought to use its proprietary “AAC” files, and
through the iTunes library of 10 instead of switching to the more contemporary
million songs could be exclusive- universal MP3 format. Still, it is vaudeville.
ly played via the programme itself expected that the change may AFP PHOTO /
or on the company’s iPods. spur many hardware manufac- GREG WOOD
The announcement was made turers to update their products. ■
at the Macworld Technology ANI
06 SPORT ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Beckham makes Milan debut

David Beckham failed to make much of an impact on his debut for AC Milan on Wednesday,
exiting at halftime before the Italian powerhouse beat Hamburg 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a
1-1 draw. The former England captain, who is on a three-month loan from the Los Angeles
Galaxy, was greeted by a huge ovation from the crowd ahead of the friendly and displayed a few
good touches with his famous right foot.

Lee blames himself

Injured Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee

L
has blamed himself for the current ionel Messi scored three John Heitinga and 80th minutes. and issued the latter with a yellow
breakdown, saying he ended up goals as Barcelona beat At- Atletico replied through substi- card.
being his own enemy by bowling letico Madrid 3-1 and took a tute Tomas Ujfalusi in the 69th.
long spells despite having no firm step towards securing a Foul tempered
strength to carry on. Lee bowled place in the Cope del Rey quar- Dream run The yellow card was one of four
a massive 4500 deliveries, over terfinals. Messi, watched by his Barcelona’s victory, achieved handed to Atletico during the first
580 overs, in the year gone by. Argentina national coach Diego with first-team players including half as the home team resorted to
The workload not just took a toll Maradona at Atletico’s Vicente striker Samuel Eto’o, midfielder desperate tactics to stem Barcelo-
on his form but also left him Calderon Stadium, received an Xavi Hernandez and goalkeeper na’s superior football. The referee
down with an ankle injury, which ovation from spectators when he Victor Valdes, was its 21st in 26 evidently modified his decision to
required a surgery –fourth of his career. “I’d was substituted moments after games in all competitions this caution Assuncao as the Atletico
be OK in the first spell because the completing his hat trick on Tues- season. The Catalan team was 11 player received a yellow card for a
adrenaline’s going and you’ve got the brand day. points clear in the league and has foul on Alves in the 51st but re-
new ball in your hand, but then I would find The second leg of the fifth- reached the Champions League mained on the field. However, At-
that I just had nothing to give later in the round match will be next knockout stage. Atletico, which letico’s problems soon grew
day,” Lee recalled. “I guess I’ve been behind Wednesday at Camp Nou where crashed 6-1 against Barcelona in when Heitinga was sent off for
the eight-ball since India. I didn’t have the Barcelona will be expected to ad- the Spanish league at Camp Nou tripping Messi in the goalmouth
greatest of preparations there and I’ve vance in a competition it has won in October, lacked top striker Ser- as he ran to meet Alves’ right
probably been chasing my tail ever since. It’s a record 24 times, but not since gio Aguero and left back Antonio cross, with Messi easily convert-
been a difficult year, but maybe it’s a good 1998. Messi scored in the 12th, Lopez, both of whom were run- ing the resulting penalty.
thing to listen to your body when it’s telling 58th from a penalty which led to ning high temperatures. Ujfalusi, who had replaced As-
you to slow down,” he added. “I was blown the dismissal of home defender Barcelona took the lead courte- suncao six minutes earlier, re-
away with the amount of overs I bowled in sy of a combination between duced the deficit when he
2008,” the 32-year-old was quoted saying in Messi and right back Daniel stooped to head home Simao Sa-
The Age on Wednesday. Alves. Messi’s pass was deftly re- brosa’s in-swinging corner. The
PTI turned by his teammate, who goal was the Czech Republic de-
flicked the ball with his heel to fender’s first for Atletico since his
split the Atletico defense and al- move from Fiorentina in the off-
low the Argentina forward to season.
calmly shoot past Atletico goal- Messi then rattled the bar after
Pietersen resigns as keeper Gregory Coupet. Ten min- a spectacular dash past several
utes later, Messi was hacked defenders. After the home team
England captain down by Florent Sinama-Pon- failed to clear the ball, Messi was
Kevin Pietersen has resigned as England golle although referee Eduardo found by Andres Iniesta’s chip
captain after his relationship with team Iturralde Gonzalez appeared to and the forward evaded Coupet
coach Peter Moores broke down, Sky News mistake the Atletico for- before slotting home his third
reported on Wednesday. Sky said Pietersen ward with midfielder goal. ■
had stepped down after losing his power Paulo Assuncao PTI
struggle with Moores, whom Pietersen
believed lacked the tactical and technical
know-how of a top international coach.
South African-born Pietersen gave credence
to longstanding rumours that his
relationship with Moores was in trouble by
telling Sunday’s News of the World
newspaper: “This situation is not healthy,
we have to make sure it is settled as soon
as possible and certainly before we fly off
to the West Indies. Everybody has to have
the same aims and pull in the same
direction for the good of the England
team.”

Barca
There was no immediate reaction from the
England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Pietersen was appointed captain in August
after Michael Vaughan resigned.
AFP

march on
PHOTO: AFP

Messi scores hat-trick

 Thursday, January 8, 2009
07

‘‘
Winning matches and good results isn’t the same thing. To me, a good result
is the reflection of how I feel about my play. It’s the start of a new season
with lots to discover. I just wish to play in the same manner, but with better baseline
strokes.
Nikolay Davydenko

AYON SENGUPTA against the best in the world,”

ayon@goergo.in the player from Assam says.
The Nick Bollitiery trainee and
double NCAA champion feels he

S
omdev Dev Varman has the potential to break into
Somdev Varman, showed no sign of early the top-100 by the end of the
nerves as he dispatched year and knows tournaments
the Indian No. 1, higher-ranked American like the Chennai Open would act
Kevin Kim in his first round en- as stepping stones in realising
aims to break into counter at the US$ 450,000 his dreams. “I have the potential
Chennai Open on Tuesday. The to break into the top 100 league.
the world top 100 Indian No. 1 was a bundle of I have played against some of
confidence as he essayed a num- the top 100 players and I know I
by the year-end ber of booming aces and some belong there. It’s only a matter
deft touches against a helpless of time. But I need to constantly
Kim. upgrade my game to adjust to
Equally confident and com- bigger challenges,” Somdev
posed off-court, the 23-year-old says.
handled the media with aplomb Having already pocketed one
and seemed to be already relish- Challenger title and three Future
ing the challenge of facing sixth events in his first pro-year, he
seed and former World No. 1 knows the onus is on him to con-
Carlos Moya in the next round. tinue the good work and says:
“It was not that easy. I was posi- “My first year in the circuit was
tive and played well and not satisfactory or I can even say
bothered about my rankings. I good. It was a good learning ex-
want to continue in this vein,” perience and I just need to keep
he says. “It’s interesting that I pushing myself for more. I am a
grew up watching Moya in better player now and have im-
these very courts and now I will proved a lot on my fitness and
be facing him. Whoever I play, I overall technique.”
think I need to step up on my The Indian No. 1, who was for-
game and play better.” tunate enough to train with
The centre court crowd at the American Andy Roddick for
SDAT Tennis Stadium will have a three-weeks during the off-sea-
tough time picking their favou- son, feels the stint has helped
rite when the two meet on him immensely. “We were initia-
Thursday. Moya, making an ap- lly supposed to work for ten
pearance for the eighth time, days. But the first week went so
has always been a favourite well that we decided to extend
with the crowds and Somdev al- it to three weeks. I was also re-
so has a connection with the covering from an injury and hav-
city, having trained at the Bri- ing Andy’s coach and trainer
tannia Amritraj Tennis Academy around really helped. I got the
in the city for nine years. best of facilities and my injury
“In 2004 and 2006 I played the was gone in a flash,” he adds.
qualifiers but failed to gain an “We bonded well even off-court
entry. This time I am here and and had a great time hanging
that’s exciting. This is like my out together. He invited me to
home and to play in front of stay over at his Austin home and
them is electrifying. My game I tried to learn his weapons –
has improved over the last one whether it was his big serve, his
year and I feel I can hold myself forehand or his athleticism.” ■

Somdev Devverman in
action against Kevin Kim
during their first round
match of the Chennai
Open at the SDAT
Tennis Stadium.
PHOTO: R. RAGU

Set for the big league

 08 ROADSTER ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Coconut husks car

Researchers at Baylor University in US have developed a new way to
transform coconut husks into automotive interiors. They say that it is possible
to make trunk liners, floorboards and car-door interior covers using fibers
from the outer husks of coconuts, replacing the synthetic polyester fibers.

WOW,
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in

T
he city’s bigg
A fleet of event, Chennai
has kick-started
Volvo XC90 usual grandeur.
mentators, officials, b
SUVs fans are a regular feat
all those Chennai m
replaced the the official car of the t
has always been an

VOLVO!
Mercedes at delight and discussi
week every year, the fl
the Chennai cedes Benz cars zipp
roads has become
Open this behold.
However, Chennaii
year ing to see the Merced
year too received a su
the Volvo chauffeurin
stars and officials
tournament.
PHOTOS: S. S. KUMAR

Indian tennis star Mahesh

Bhupathi signing autographs at
the Volvo stall inside the stadium
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
09
Bumpy ride
Indian tennis player Prakash
Amritraj, arrives at the SDAT Tennis
Stadium in an open auto rickshaw
for the Chennai Open 2009.

Audi awe
After being the official carrier the city soon. “The Chennai Open
since the birth of the Chennai is the second sporting event in
Open in 1997, the magnificent the country which our brand is
gest tennis Merc gave way to the vivacious partnering with after the Volvo
Open 2009, Volvo, which is the official car for Ocean Race 2008-09 held in Ko-
d with its the tournament this year. And the chi in the first week of Decem-
Stars, com- chosen ride is the Volvo XC90, an ber,” adds Narayan.
all boys and SUV. On the other hand, Mer- “I was excited to see the Volvo
ture. But for cedes ended its 12-year associa- at the Open this year after getting
motorheads, tion with the ATP by choosing not used to seeing the Merc all these
tennis fiesta to renew its contract which ran years,” says V.K. Saravanan, a
element of out at the end of 2008. Chennai-based businessman
ion. For a A fleet of 15 Volvo XC90s in var- who visited the Volvo stall at the
fleet of Mer- ious colours including white, sil- SDAT Tennis Stadium, where the
ping on city ver, bluish silver, red, dove blue, Volvo XC90 and S8O are on dis-
a sight to black and steel grey zip around play.
the city these tennis days. Spectators going to watch the
ites expect- Sudeep Narayan, Marketing & matches can get a closer look at
es Benz this PR Manager, Volvo Car India, the XC90 and S80, which are
urprise with says that the Chennai Open is a priced at Rs. 46 lakh and Rs. 38
ng the tennis good platform to introduce Volvo lakh respectively (ex-showroom
s for the to Chennaiites as the brand is price subject to change). ■
planning to invite dealerships in
Audi India launched its new Audi world class showroom
in Mumbai on Wednesday. Benoit Tiers, Managing
Director of Audi India is seen next to an Audi R8 after
unveiling the new showroom. PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWAL

MODERN CAR DESIGNS

OBSTRUCTING VISIBILITY

M
odern aerody-
namic car de-
signs with
wide window
frames are obstructing
visibility, especially to
the rear and when
changing lanes, ac-
cording to a test con-
ducted by Germany’s
ADAC automobile as-
sociation.
Many car makers
have improved the
passenger safety cell
but this has come at
the cost of sacrificing
all-round vision with
wide A, B, and C pillars
that form the window The Citroen C4 received top marks
frames, the ADAC testers
said. The ADAC measured visibility
Surprisingly, the BMW 2002, using a digital camera with a
built in the early 1970s, offers a 360-degree movement at the
virtually panoramic view that height of a driver measuring
few modern cars such as the 1.75 metres.
modern BMW 1-Series can Computer picture software
compete with. was then used to calculate the
It was, however, still possible visibility.
to combine modern aerody- The ADAC called on car mak-
namics and safety aspects such ers to find an improved com-
as those of the Renault Grand promise between a good safety
Espace and Citroen’s C4 Picas- cell, comfortable interior and
so, which received top marks, all-round vision. Headrests
according to the ADAC. could also be designed so that
Poorest marks were given to they do not obstruct the driver’s
the Mitsubishi Colt CZ3 and Hy- vision. ■
undai Santa Fe. DPA
10 FLICK ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Sexiest Celebrity Voices

Sir Sean Connery and TV chef Nigella Lawson have topped
the ’Sexiest Celebrity Voices’ list. According to a poll
headed by mobile phone messaging firm Spinvox, the
veteran actor and the Brit food writer pipped Angelina
Jolie and Johnny Depp to claim the title.

‘Yes, Adhyayan and I

are seeing each other ’
With the kind of roles she chooses to play, Kangana
Ranaut has become the ‘dark heroine’ of Bollywood.
An interview with the 21-year-old actor:
SREYA BASU dialogues and give all the details
about what Amitabh, Shah Rukh,
You have struck another hit at Kareena, Aishwarya and the lot do,
the box office with Fashion. Is wear, eat, etc., as if I am the know-
it sheer luck or something else it-all of Bollywood.
that makes you click every
time? You are working on two big
projects. Raaz 2 is all set to
I don’t believe I am born talented. release. Can you tell us about
But I was moulded the way I am and your character in the film, and
the entire credit goes to Anurag Ba- also something about Kites?
su, the director of my debut film, In Raaz 2 I play a supermodel
Gangster. He groomed me as an ac- again. For the first time I am doing a
tor even without me realising it… I horror film and have Emraan Hash-
just did what he asked me to do on mi and Adhyayan Suman opposite
the sets. Only after seeing the final me. Kites is a love story about how
prints of the film did I realise that two people, who are poles apart
the magic has been done. And now, from each other, fall in love. Anurag
simply the words ‘lights, camera, Basu is directing the film for Rakesh
sound and action’ turn me on. I Roshan’s production house. Here I
have become addicted to acting. play a salsa dancer but I’m not the
protagonist of the film. The story fo-
Do you think the ‘bad girl’ tag cuses on Hrithik, but I have a signif-
worked for you? icant role in the film.
Yes, but that was not a conscious
decision. My characters in Gangster, Your love story with Adhyayan
Woh Lamhe, Metro and Fashion are is the latest buzz of tinsel
not the ones that actors are privi- town. Are you two serious?
leged to play every other day, leave Yes, Adhyayan and I are seeing
alone newcomers like me. So there each other and we are pretty serious
was no scope for saying no to these about it. But, of course, we are not
offers. But on second thoughts, I thinking of marriage right now. All I
think it is my nature that I dare to want to say is Adhyayan is the man
try things that others don’t. of my dreams, he is the one whom I
can depend on for life. I have seen
We hear that you are from a so much sorrow. But Adhyayan’s
conservative family. But you presence has healed the wounds.
have done quite a few bold
things on screen. Doesn’t your Do you share a good
family object to that? relationship with Adhyayan’s
I am from a conservative family in family, including his father
Himachal Pradesh. And it is obvious Shekhar Suman?
that initially there were some ob- I have not been able to spend so
jections. much time with Adhyayan’s family.
But now they understand that if I But as far as I know they have no
am taking drugs, slapping my hero problems with me. And even if they
or sleeping with my boss, it’s be- have, Adhyayan knows to sort
cause my character in the film things out.
needs it. It’s my job to make my
characters realistic. What about your much talked
(Pauses) You know what, you about relationship with actor
should not be asking me about my Aditya Pancholi?
parents but about my relatives in I am at a very comfortable phase
Himachal… it’s their reaction that of life right now and would not like
irritates! They don’t have problem to discuss my past, if you please al-
with my bold scenes or dialogues, low me to do so. ■
but they want me to dance, deliver Trans World Features
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
11
No Hannah Montana for Crawford’s kid
Supermodel Cindy Crawford has banned her 7-year-old daughter from watching Hannah
Montana featuring Miley Cyrus – because it teaches her to be impolite. “I love Hannah
Montana, but she (daughter) learns to be sassy from that show. I’ll say to her, ‘I don’t let
anyone talk to me like that,” Contactmusic quoted Crawford, as saying.
ANI

Dad does the Cine City

BHANGRA
W riter-poet Javed Akhtar, who usually
shies away from breaking into dance
and song, will now be seen doing the
bhangra on the small screen to celebrate
son Farhan’s birthday this Friday.
Javed paid a surprise visit on
Farhan’s show Oye! It’s Friday!
and spoke about his son’s
growing days. He even shared
some secrets about Farhan
before the father-son duo
broke into a ‘bhangra’
Villu to hit screens
jig.
The special epi- on Jan 12
sode, to be aired on The much-awaited movie Villu, starring Vijay
NDTV Imagine Fri- and Nayanthara, would hit the screens on
day, will also have ac- January 12. Directed by actor-choreographer-
tress Deepika director Prabhu Deva, the movie is said to be a
Padukone as a guest. racy entertainer. Sources say that Nayanthara’s
■ comedy scenes with Vadivelu in the first half
IANS will be a laugh riot for about 50 minutes. It is
also said that the movie will have fight
sequences in air, water and/on land, similar to
that of a James Bond flick. Hope the movie
reaps success like the team’s previous flick,
Pokkiri.

‘We did NOT break up’

H ollywood actress Lindsay Lo-
han has said that she and Sa-
mantha Ronson have not called it
quits and are very much together.
To clear it up further, Lindsay
has written on her MySpace web-
site that the duo is very much to-
gether.
“Little piece of TRUE informa-
tion: we did NOT break up!” New-
s.com.au quoted Lohan as stating
on her website.
“Access Hollywood, Extra, etc,
every tabloid, Page Six ... AND ev-
ery GOSSIP website. Get your sto- Mammootty’s blog
ries straight please. It’s really Visit http://iammammootty.blogspot.com/ to
annoying to have all of your read actor Mammootty’s views on political and
friends emailing you saying, I saw, social issues. The blog in Malayalam was
I read, etc ... NOT TRUE,” she stat- started on Januray 1 by the actor. It is said
ed. that Mammootty will share his ideas with his
The split was rumoured after fans through this blog and he is expected to
Lindsay Lohan and Samantha update with a new article every week.
Ronson indulged in many public Mammootty is also planning to start a blog in
spats. ■ English in a few months’ time.
ANI
12 ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

■ A life story about eye thief

Wednesday’s and title is Macro Eye.
Question: Ramesh Rajan,
Wipro
If you were to direct ■ Two brothers get separated in
a movie what would a train. One grows up and
becomes Indian army soldier
be the theme and (Simbu) the other becomes a
terrorist in Kashmir ( Riteesh).
name of your How Simbu nabs Riteesh is the
story. Dialogue: Perarasu. Film
movie? name: Sirippaattam.
A.G. Sivakumar,
■ Movie name ’villithiduu’- Athena PA/S1
which means ’wake up’ in Tamil.
The movie is about how ■ Struggle of aspiring actors and
youngsters can change the directors in software industry.
country if they unite together Title: Artists among Geeks
and act together. AJ, Prakash J from Perot System has nominated his friends as Partners in
Sasikumar K, TCS Crime. This pic was clicked at Wayanad.
Infosys
■ Film-Dustbin. Theme-
■ Movie name "Aruvi’’ and the investigation of blast which was
theme -’Oru Nathiyin happened in that dustbin.
thuvakkam.’ Karthik,
Prabahar Raj P, CTS
Perot Systems
■ Movie name is "Rescue" which
■ "Odum aana Odadhu" because will be an action movie based
ethu nanga edukara padamla. on Mumbai terror attack with
Three Roses, Surya in the lead.
Wipro Jagan,
Wipro
■ "Jillunu kathu Jannala Sathu".
Theme will be romantic thriller. ■ Theme: Life history of a
My friend Joe will appear in a software engineer before and
playboy character. after economic crisis. Movie
Gopz, name: Eppadi irundha na ippadi
Changepond Technologies ayiten.
Elampooranan A,
■ Pakistan sends two dinosaurs HCL
to destroy India, in climax our
captain Vijaykanth fights with ■ Theme will be politics and the Jawahar from Inautix has nominated hs friends as Partners in
the dinosaurs and kills them and story line is- Only well educated Crime. Hope the pic was clicked ‘while rehearsing the Saroja dance
saves our India, movie name people can be in politics. Movie movement’ at Ooty!
King Kanth. name- New Government.
Arunkumar Durai, MJ,
RSystems Accenture

■ Roudra with Kamal Hassan. If ■ The name of the movie is

a dictator leads our country, how Friendship. Theme of the movie
would India be? is " Do not forgot a person in
Varma, your life who is a true friend
HCL and who learns all good
qualities to you"
■ Movie name Karupu Singham Dileep Kumar,
(Vijaykanth) Kaaptriya Mumbai. TCS
Theme will be our recent
Mumbai terror attack.
Arun N,
Today’s Query:
Sutherland What would you gift
■ Theme: Romantic Comedy. Bipasha Basu for
Movie Title: Enna Comedy Sir
Ithu?? her thirtieth
(ECSI) Kalyan V,
Infosys birthday? Shanks from UST Global has nominate his team as Partners in Crime.
This pic was clicked at Top Slip, Valparai.
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
13

Nagarajan of Cognizant has been

nominated as Office Angel by Pri-
January 7 immortal goddess, my soul sings
■ Dear Siva, to you in the nocturne.
yanka and Chitra .
Wish u Happy Birthday. May all ur sensual woman, I desire you
He is a very nice and a jovial
dreamz cum true from dis year. above all things.
person.He is enthusiastic in his
Every time i think abt how richly i Happy birthday to you darling !!!
work. We like his character very
have been blessed, i thank god for With Lots of Love,
much.
giving me a friendship as Sultan
wonderful as ours, i love to be
with u forever as ur friend. ■ Dear Shalu,
Un anbu thozi Wishing you a very Happy
Ramya Murthy, Birthday !!!! Have a bashing day
Perot Systems !!! May God Bless you dear !!!
With Love
■ Dear Vinay (Hero Of The Assets), - your dear husband,
Many more Happy Returns of the Vinodh,V,
day, We wish u all Sucess in Changepond Technologies
Athleticts n Happiness in your life,
a warm wishes fm all of us. ■ Dear Sri,
With Love, This day marks the 2nd
Deepa Mirpuri Anniversary of my discovery of a
great Treasure named Sri Ranjani
■ Dear Naveena, 2 years have gone like few
Wish you a very happy birthday. second….
For the 1st Anniversary we were
With Love, 2, for 2nd we are 3. Lets make it
Swathi B, 4 for our 3rd Anniversary.
TCS Your PK
Murali,
January 8 Infosys

■ Dear Thilaga, ■ Dear Abdul Kareem,

With love this wish is sent your A birthday is just the first day of
way, another 365-day journey around
for a very special kind of day the sun.
Gudala Dharmaja from Tata May this birthday be just the Enjoy the trip!
Consultancy Services beginning of a year filled with A special person like you deserves
doodled this. happy memories, wonderful the best that each day can bring.
moments and shinning dreams. Happy Birthday!
Happy B’day ! Regards,
With loads of love from Bhuvana & Ansar Deen,
Pugazh, Ashok, Anusha, Sanjana, Dhana, TCS
Srikanth, Prabhu, Bala, Antony, Madhu,
Thalir, Sneka, Susi and Sruti ■ Dear Madhu,
San Ni Kuai Lo!
■ Hi Babooji, Otanjou-bi Omedetou
Iniya Piranthanal Gozaimasu!
NalVazhthukkal.Wishing you a very Bonne Fete!
fruitful, prosperous Happy Enna onnum puriyaama
Birthday. muzhikireenga!
With care, OK, Simple ah English la
Asa Menon,Lakshmy & Friends, sollanumna, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
WIPRO Technologies We wish u many more happy
returns of the day!!
■ Dear SFABK, “We turn not older with years
Who could hold a candle to you? but newer every day.”
You, who enchant the stars with With loads of love from,
the laughter from your lips. Iyappan, Raji,
You ,who are a warm fire in a cold Revathy, Krishna,
winter’s night. Kothai, Sreeni
1. Police: Bus eppadi accident aachu?
when fate gifted the world with and Rama,
Bus driver: Athaan sir enakkum theriyala nan nalla thoongittu irunthean
your presence HCL Technologies Ltd.
sir!!!
all the world as made more
2. Conductor: Yov driver, Ennaya naan whisle adichum vandi nikkaama
beautiful due to the sight of you. ■ Hey Shobiraj,
pogudhu
darling lover, precious soul, happy Many more happy returns of the
Driver: Poda punnaku, naan break adichey vandi nikkala!!!!
birthday to you. day.
Devendiran, Caliber Point Business Solutions Ltd
you know I love you, and yet, I Have a fun filled year ahead with
must tell you I love you so; joy and prosperity.
Man: Why are you heating the knife
you know I need you, and yet, I Regards,
Lady: To do suicide.
must repeat how much. Nancy
Man: But why are you heating it?
Lady: To prevent infection
Manikandan N, Wipro
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

UFO invasion
Thousands of callers in Germany swamped a UFO
hotline on New Year’s Eve after mistaking festive
mini hot-air balloons for an alien invasion.

Suchitra Prakash of sudoku

Satyam clicked this
treetop house built with
bamboo in Topslip,
when it was raining
heavily.
Hobbies: Travelling,
photography, watching
the rain
The harvest season is
round the corner and
it’s time we made the
Click Pick column a
little more
interesting.
Photographs of the
harvest festival, rural
India and little-
known rituals will be
given preference this
month. Please send
us fresh photographs,
preferably those
clicked by you on a
recent trip, to
clickpick@goergo.in

All photos selected for clickpick this month KAKURO

will receive a gift voucher worth Rs.1,000, cour-
tesy Kantilal Diamonds (Ph: 2828 1700). Read-
ers are requested to send their addresses with
their entries.

TEAM
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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
15
Word’s worth
“Hatikvah” (huh-teek-vah) the Text scandal
Israeli national anthem. It means A Malaysian man is suing his ex-fiancée after
‘the hope’ in Hebrew. her father broke off their engagement via a
mobile phone text message.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

A mixed day full of surprises. While the first half of
the day seems favourable for important discussions,
the later half might make you feel as if you are
wasting time pursuing needless goals. Ganesha feels
you might end up in arguments with your partner.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Hard work always pays off and you seem to agree
whole heartedly. Ganesha believes it will be a good
day on the career front and you should be open to
receive opportunities. For love, the first half of the
day might seem tricky, please avoid arguments.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Your grey cells might feel very active today due to
BORN LOSER important discussions with colleagues. Ganesha
suggests that if you remain focused during the day.
On the romantic front you might need to clarify
some matters with your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Comfortable balancing of emotions towards the end
of the day will take over a pessimistic beginning of
the day. In love life, you might be more sensitive.
This sensitivity might end up getting you hurt on
petty issues by your beloved. Take a chill pill!
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Tip for the day – be positive and focused. Try to
avoid arguments and do not indulge in discussions.
Do not let negative thoughts creep into the life or it
might create disharmony with colleagues or your
beloved. A ‘handle with care’ day ahead.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
A perfect day for office today. Ganesha feels that
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT you tend to systemize your working pattern today.
On the personal front, you may feel closely attached
to your family members. In matters related to heart,
you will have submissive and compromising attitude.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Late working hours may result into physical and
mental stress. Nevertheless, such dedication to work
and genius brain will be your two key factors for
your profession. Ganesha feels you should apply the
same intelligence on the romance front as well.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
The second half of the day is in your favour, hence
do not get agitated in technical problems. Ganesha
states that your administrative abilities will prove to
be very useful today. You will feel strong urges to
share romantic moments with your beloved today.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
End of the ‘incommunicado’ phase. You will
communicate with important people within or
outside the organisation. The ‘login’ for personal life
remains the same when you might make a trip with
your beloved or spend time with family at home.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
The day today can be bifurcated in two sections;
the earlier part of the day involves technical and
administrative work. Whereas the second part might
leave you brooding over professional and personal
issues. On the love life, you might exchange emails.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Ooh la la! That’s exactly how you will be seen
today. The smooth talker in you takes control as
ISSUE’S you make your way into people’s hearts. You may
end the day in company of a loved one over a
SOLUTIONS dinner table. Don’t forget to pray Ganesha!
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha finds you in a dull mood towards the
beginning of the day, but energy will pump up as
the day progresses. At work you will be noticed for
taking initiatives. On the romantic front, high level
of sensitivity and intensity is expected from you.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Victoria Beckham and her son Cruz

Beckham are seen in the stands before
the start of the football match between
AC Milan and SV Hamburg in Duabi, on
Bollywood actress Tuesday. AFP PHOTO
Raima Sen at the
launch of Nokia 5800
Xpressmusic in
Kolkata on Tueseday.
PTI PHOTO

Swedish comedy magician Carl-Einar

Hackner with a harmonica inside his
mouth rehearses with the theatrical
phenomenon ’La Clique’ at the Famous
Chinese folk artist Hu Shen shows his hand-made ’golden cattle’ for the upcoming Lunar Spiegeltent in Sydney on Wednesday.
New Year of the Ox , in Xian, north China’s Shanxi province on Tuesday. AFP PHOTO AFP PHOTO