A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, April 9, 2009

Viru top of the world

Wisden publication has
named Virender Sehwag
as the Leading Cricketer
in the World for 2008. “He
sought, and often
achieved, mental domina-
tion from the first ball by
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 67 scoring faster than any
other opening batsman
has ever done on a reg-
ular basis in Test cricket,”
it said.
Do you think Sehwag

Kite runners of
really deserves the
Wisden award?
Email your response to
voxpop@goergo.in

CHENNAI
You have seen them dot the sky at the
beach. V.Haripriya follows the story of the
kite sellers on the Marina beach and the
wholesale kite trade on Waltax Road and
Washermanpet, which itself is under threat
following a police ban.

» PAGE 03
PHOTO: S.S.KUMAR
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

Pick of the week

A belated thank you to all the people who wrote to Nithya
Pari of TAGS (featured in these columns on March 18). A
special thanks to her future colleagues from Infosys who gave
her a warm welcome and offered TAGS their support.

Romania on screen
T he Oscar-
nominated
Romanian film The
Rest is Silence will
be screened at the
South Indian Film
Chamber Theatre
on April 13. The
film by renowned
Romanian director,
Nao Caranfil, has
Grigore Ursache
playing the central
character.
Grig is obsessed with making ‘the longest
film ever produced’ and joins a nascent
film academy run by a rich, half-mad
landlord Leon Negrescu. When Leon learns
that a major French company is shooting a
movie about the war with the Turks, he
gets the authorities to confiscate and burn
the footage, on the basis that it is not
accurate.
He then steals the idea and gets royal
backing for the project.
The main theme of
the film is “The
Independence of
Romania” (The War
of Independence), Camels brought from Rajasthan on Puducherry beach. PHOTO:
where it celebrates T. SINGARAVELOU
the 35th anniversary
of the war against
the Ottoman Empire.

No joy in this ride

The film features the
eternal conflict
between business
and art.
The film will be
screened at 6.30 p.m.
For details call 98401
51956.

A camel on a beach is like a fish out of water

SRIYA NARAYANAN vironment that’s destroying
pets@goergo.in their organs.
Many camels give rides to

~ It is illegal to make animals
work when the temperature is
above 37 degrees Celsius
(Draught and Pack Animals
Rules). This means most
summer afternoons. These
animals must be given water
urgently. Heat causes them to
froth at the mouth.
~ An obviously exhausted
animal cannot be forced to
give a ride. Animals may not
be worked for more than five
hours at a stretch or for more
than a total of eight hours a
day.
~ Camels and horses may not
be used on the beach in
Mumbai. Camels are desert
animals, and sea air damages
their lungs (PCA Act, Sec 11).
Source: petaindia.com
T
wo large camels have
become a familiar sight
on Elliot’s Beach in
Namma Chennai and
onlookers may feel that
there’s something wrong
with the picture of camels in
a city like ours.
In Mumbai, the owners
who are using these camels
for ‘joyrides’ would have
broken the law. According
to the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Act (PCA Act),
Section 11 - “camels and
horses may not be used on
the beach in Mumbai. Cam-
els are desert animals, and
sea air damages their lungs”.
Like Mumbai, Chennai is
also a coastal city and the
same logic must apply.
However, they have been
forcibly relocated to an en-
people until old age makes
it difficult.
They are then promptly
shipped off to slaughter
houses where they are re-
paid for a lifetime’s service
with a painful death.
Rule 3 of the Prevention
of Cruelty to Draught and
Pack Animals Rules (1965)
states that these guidelines
(see box) should be followed
in the case of working ani-
mals, keeping in mind their
biological requirements.
However, enforcement of
the law is a challenge.
What members of the
public can do is to refuse to
take ‘joyrides’ on these
magnificent animals and
tell children that they be-
long to rescue centres in de-
serts like Rajasthan. ■
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
It’s vacation time:
Children flying kite
on Marina Beach.
PHOTO: S.S.KUMAR
Kite runners of Chennai
V.Haripriya follows the story of the kite sellers on the Marina beach
and the wholesale kite trade on Waltax Road and Washermanpet
B
each means business for
12-year-old Karthik.
His worn out Pothy’s bag
is filled with multi-col-
oured kites that he hawks in eve-
nings for Rs. 10 a piece. During
the evenings, you can find him
running behind families, espe-
cially the ones that arrive on the
sands with small kids. This has
been his routine for the past three
years. During the day time, you
can find him at class VII of the
Government High School in Ice
House.
“I make around Rs. 100 on
weekdays and around Rs. 300
during weekends and give the
money to my mother,” he says.
When dusk sets in and visitors to
the beach thin down, Karthik and
his sister Shanthi, who owns a
merry-go-round, return to their
slum.
Myriad colours decorate the
skies of Marina around this time
every year.
It’s vacation time, which spells
better business for the kite sell-
ers. There are around 150 of them
on the shores of the beach, and
for majority of them this is a part-
time business.
P.Silambarasan, a house-keep-
ing staff at the Citi Centre on Rad-
hakrishnan Salai, sells kite to
supplement his income. A native
of Kumulur in Tiruchi, he came in
search of a job to Chennai after
he failed in class IX. He started
out as a server in a hotel and fell
in love with a girl whom he mar-
ried after three years. The 21-
year-old says that the Rs.3,000 he
earns from his full-time job is not
enough for him to run his family.
He starts his day at 7 a.m. and
works till 3 p.m. at Citi Centre.
After 4 p.m. he hits the sands of
the Marina.
“I do not stand in one place. I
walk from Light House to Anna
Square in search of customers,”
says Silambarasan who makes
around Rs. 200 a day. “I wonder
why elderly people shy away from
buying kites. If they did, probably
I would earn more. There is no
harm in elders flying kites you
know.”
The kites which Silambarasan
sells are bought from the retailers
on Waltax Road and Zambazaar.
Kites ban
Following a couple of accidents
in 2007, the city police had
banned selling and flying of kites
under Section XIV of the City Po-
lice Act. For the kite vendors and
manufacturers in Waltax Road
and Washermanpet, kites are the
basic means of their income.
“We know that there is a ban.
But we are not using the glass-
coated thread. It’s just the normal
thread which is used to tie flow-
ers and it won’t harm anyone,”
says R.Rajagopal who owns C.K.
Kite shop.
Kite tournament
However, there are occasions
when glass-coated thread is used,
03
but reportedly with prior permis-
sion from police. Every year, dur-
ing the second week of April, a
kite flying tournament is held at
the Thiruporur Murugan temple.
“About 128 teams participate in
the tournament, where contes-
tants from the age group of 10 to
90 years participate. We make our
own kites for the tournament,”
says M.K. Narayanan, a 60-year-
old kite flyer, who has won the
trophy thrice so far.
“The kites sold in shops are for
children. It is available from 50
paise to Rs. 20. We spent more
than Rs. 5,000 every year and cus-
tomise the kite for the competi-
tion,” he adds. Asked about the
glass-coated thread, he main-
tains a long silence.■
04 VILLAGE ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

Bad day at work

A Californian woman left her boss irate after borrowing his top-of-
the-range Ferrari - and then crashing it after taking a bend too fast.
The woman, who walked away unscathed, caused an estimated
$125,000 (GBP85,000) worth of damage to the supercar.

Gemma does an Elizabeth Taylor Motorist survives 3 accidents

Bond Girl Gemma Arterton recreated legendary
actress Elizabeth Taylor’s look when she posed as in an hour
Maggie ’the cat’ Pollitt. A German woman
The 23-year-old actress recreated Taylor’s iconic was involved in three
image from the 1958 classic movie Cat on a Hot Tin car accidents in less
Roof to launch Virgin Media’s new short film than an hour that left
competition. a total of seven
“I’m so excited that I got to recreate the iconic shot vehicles damaged but
that made Elizabeth Taylor a household name,” the she suffered only
Daily Express quoted Arterton as saying. slight injuries from
ANI the series of mishaps,
police said.
The 69-year-old
woman from Berlin
first crashed into
One of world’s rarest sharks caught three cars while
trying to pull out of a
and eaten supermarket car park
A megamouth shark, one of the world’s most elusive on the Baltic resort
species, was caught, carved up and eaten by fishermen island of Usedom.
from a town in the Philippines, the environmental Then, she accidentally
conservation group WWF said on Wednesday. stepped on the
So rare are megamouth shark sightings that each find is accelerator and sped
given a number - this one, caught by fishermen from the across a lawn before
coastal town of Donsol, was only the 41st ever seen or crashing into a nearby house, police said. She was taken to
captured in the world. hospital in an ambulance but that vehicle was then hit by
But Elson Aca, a Donsol WWF representative, said it was a truck.
butchered and its meat sautéed in coconut milk as a local Reuters
delicacy, against the organisation’s advice.
The four-metre, half-tonne megamouth was snared by
fishermen trawling for mackerel off the Bicol peninsula on
Luzon island. Madonna meets Guy Ritchie
The species, Madonna, who returned to London after a judge rejected her
which is named bid to adopt 4-year-old Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James from Malawi,
after its metre- was met by her ex-husband.
wide mouth, is a The 50-year-old met the British director Guy Ritchie, at a
fairly recent London airport, where he took their sons - Rocco, 8, and David
scientific Banda, 3 - so that she could have some space while the court
discovery. The takes action on her appeal, a source told Usmagazine.com.
first specimen was Mercy’s uncle, Peter Baneti, said that he hopes the courts will
caught off Oahu, reconsider the adoption.
Hawaii in 1976, “I’m just very surprised that this has happened,” Baneti told
the WWF said. Us.
AFP ANI

Plane takes off without pilot

A runaway aircraft reportedly took off on its
own when the pilot was not able to get into
the cockpit after swinging the front propeller.
The incident left hundreds of visitors at the
air show horrified, when the classic biplane ran
in circles on the ground at speeds of up to
60mph before taking off and flying on its own
for 200m.
The plane then crashed into trees at the edge
of Goodwood airfield, and it is believed that
had it cleared the trees, it could have flown for
around 150 miles on a full tank of fuel.
The aircraft, a 1940 model built in the style of
a Tiger Moth, had foam sprayed on it by Good-
wood staff to stop it from catching fire after the
crash.
The Stampe was one of a number of aircraft
at the airfield for the Goodwood Breakfast Club,
a monthly event, which displays vintage cars,
motorbikes and aircraft for enthusiasts.
Malcolm Phillips, 67, of Emsworth, Hants,
was at the event and took pictures of the plane
coming down to the ground behind the trees.
“There were hundreds of people there
watching as the plane ran amok, haring round
in circles,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.
“We didn’t know which way it was going to
go and it was worrying that it could head to-
wards the crowd, other planes or the club-
house,” he said.
“Normally the idea is that you swing the pro-
pellers and have the handbrake on and chocks
under the wheels,” he said.
“You also need to make sure the throttle is
only set at low revs.
“Something clearly went wrong and it
jumped over the chocks - I suspect what might
have happened is that the throttle became
loose,” he added. ■
ANI
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
“It was
shameful that
Polls take a toll
the Left joined
the BJP in
attacking the
Prime Minister.
We are
on weddings
S
fortunate to ome weddings in Madhya
Pradesh are going for a
have a PM like toss, thanks to the elec-
Manmohan tions. Government ser-
vants are putting off the
Singh” weddings of their children as
Sonia Gandhi they have to report for poll duty
and cannot go on leave.
“Polling will take place in our
state April 23 and 30, so I am
now looking for some other aus-
35 picious date,” said an employee
of the State irrigation depart-
ment whose elder daughter’s
wedding was to be held April 24.
Rued an official in the State
Secretariat: “Elections are im-
portant but there should be
some relaxation for those who
have social commitments on
hand. My daughter’s marriage
has been fixed for April 28 but I
am not being spared from poll
duty despite repeated requests
to the Collector.
“On the other hand, the
groom’s family is insisting on the
same date. I am in a quandary.”
Many fans, but few cadres
for Azhar
There was a long chain of cars
and motorbikes parked outside a
hall in Moradabad town in Uttar
Pradesh. But unless one peeked
inside, there was nothing to hint
Raman Singh
that the man at the centre of all
this attention was cricketer-
turned-politician Mohammed
Azharuddin!
Azharuddin is the Congress
candidate from Moradabad, but
there were no party banners out-
side the hall. Two cars carried
small party flags. Inside too,
there was just one poster put up
05
by the party workers of Morada-
bad district.
Though the hall was jam-
packed, most of those present
said they had come to have a
glimpse of the former Indian
cricket captain - and were not
really interested in party
deliberations!
A different take on UPA
The UPA stands for United
Progressive Alliance. But with
several allies abandoning the
coalition, Chhattisgarh Chief
Minister Raman Singh has a dif-
ferent take on the abbreviation.
“Ulta Pulta Alliance” is how
Singh is describing it at election
rallies in the State’s interiors.
Singh belongs to the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP), which heads
the rival National Democratic
Alliance. His version of the UPA
is drawing a lot of laughs. ■
IANS
06 SPORT
Symonds gets ODI recall
Troubled all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been
included in Australia’s squad for their ODI series
against Pakistan starting in April.
Australia’s selectors also recalled
injured fast bowler Brett Lee and
all-rounder Shane Watson but
omitted captain Ricky Ponting,
Mike Hussey and Mitchell Johnson
to avoid burning them out ahead
of the Ashes series in England.
Symonds has been receiving
counselling after a series of off-
field incidents resulted in him being ruled out for
selection until his behaviour improved.
“Andrew Symonds has been cleared by Cricket
Australia to resume playing for the Australian
cricket team and he has been included in the
squad,” Australia’s chairman of selectors Andrew
Hilditch said in a statement.
“At his best Andrew is a dynamic one-day player
with an outstanding record for Australia. It will
now be up to him to seize this opportunity.”
Hilditch said Lee’s inclusion was subject to a fitness
test after he recently underwent foot and ankle
surgery while the injury-prone Watson was included
just as a specialist batsman.
Michael Clarke will take over the captaincy of the
14-man squad for the six-match series, involving
five ODIs and a Twenty20 that will be held in the
United Arab Emirates in April and May.
Reuters
FIA pulls up McLaren
Formula One giants McLaren-Mercedes have been
summoned to appear before an extraordinary
meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council in
Paris on April 29 to answer charges over their
behaviour at the opening
Grand Prix of the season.
Lewis Hamilton was
disqualified from third
place in the Australian
Grand Prix last Thursday
over lying to the stewards
at the race that he had
not been instructed to allow Jarno Trulli to pass
him during the race when the safety car was out
on the track.
The incident earned the Italian a 25-second penalty,
which saw him relegated, with Hamilton promoted
onto the podium but at a hearing the FIA ruled
Hamilton and his team lied about the
circumstances.
Trulli was reinstated and Hamilton disqualified,
which led to the Briton apparently being so
distraught that he threatened to leave the sport
entirely but was persuaded by FIA chief Max
Mosley not to.
Now, the FIA want a fuller examination of the facts
surrounding the case and among the answers they
wish to know is why the team persisted even at the
enquiry in Malaysia last Thursday with the line that
they had not instructed Hamilton to allow Trulli to
pass him.
McLaren later on Tuesday issued a statement saying
they would co-operate fully with the FIA.
“McLaren acknowledge receipt of an invitation to
appear at an FIA World Motor Sport Council
(WMSC) meeting in Paris on April 29, received on
Tuesday afternoon,” read the statement.
“We undertake to co-operate fully with all WMSC
processes, and welcome the opportunity to work
with the FIA in the best interests of Formula One.”
AFP
Super Kings leave for S Africa
Gunning for the title that eluded them last year, Chennai Super Kings left for Johannesburg sans
their skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to participate in the second edition of the IPL that kick-starts
in South Africa on April 18. Apart from Dhoni, Lakshmipathy Balaji and opening batsman Murali
Vijay, who will return from New Zealand on Wednesday and some overseas players, including
coach-cum-player Stephen Fleming, Mathew Hayden and George Bailey will join the squad later.
United held to
draw by Porto
The European champions suffered a late setback
M
anchester United are in
danger of losing their
grip on the Champions
League after the holders
were held to a 2-2 draw by Porto
in Tuesday’s quarter-final first
leg.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side looked
to have earned a barely deserved
victory when Carlos Tevez
stabbed United into the lead with
five minutes to play at Old
Trafford.
But Porto substitute Mariano
equalised four minutes later to
give the visitors just reward for an
impressive display and leave
United almost certainly needing
to become the first English side to
win at Porto’s stadium next week.
Jesualdo Ferreira’s side had
gone ahead early in the first half
through Cristian Rodriguez and
could have been further in front
before a calamitous mistake from
Bruno Alves set up Wayne
Rooney’s equaliser.
After staging a dramatic
late fightback to beat As-
ton Villa on Sunday, Fer-
guson had expected the
momentum from Federi-
co Macheda’s winner
to give his players
enough adrena-
line to ignore
Manchester United’s
Wayne Rooney in action
during the UEFA
Champions League
quarterfinal match against
FC Porto at Old Trafford.
AFP PHOTO/ANDREW YATES
ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009
their aching limbs as they re-
turned to action 48 hours later.
He couldn’t have been more
wrong. Although they enjoying a
record-breaking run of clean-
sheets earlier this season, Unit-
ed’s defence has sprung a few
leaks in recent weeks.
They looked no more secure in
the opening minutes here. Lisan-
dro Lopez, Porto’s Argentine
striker, almost took advantage as
he sprinted past Jonny Evans and
forced Edwin van der Sar into a
sprawling save.
Porto attacked United’s soft
centre again in the fourth minute
and this time they were able to
punish another sloppy piece of
defending.
When Cristiano Ronaldo lost
the ball, Lucho Gonzalez crossed
towards Rodriguez, but Evans
should have cleared easily. In-
stead he scuffed only as far as Ro-
driguez, who drove a fine low
strike past van der Sar into
the far corner.
Porto could have had a
second goal if Rodriguez had
steered his close-range header ei-
ther side of van der Sar instead of
straight at the Dutch keeper.
While United laboured, Porto
looked impressive whenever they
went forward and van der Sar was
at full stretch to turn over a long-
range shot from Raul Meireles.
After watching such a lack-
lustre effort from his players, Fer-
guson must have been tempted
to give them the full ’hairdryer’
treatment at half-time.
United responded at last and
Rooney produced a superb chip
from 30 yards that Helton just
managed to tip over. From the re-
sulting corner Vidic headed goal-
wards but Helton made a brilliant
stop to deny the Serbian.
The Portuguese champions
kept their nerve and Lisandro’s
skimming strike needed an alert
stop from van der Sar before Aly
Cissokho tested the United keep-
er from long-range.
This was no way for United to
celebrate their 100th home game
in the European Cup and Fergu-
son made his last two changes,
opting to leave Italian sensation
Marcheda on the bench and send
on Tevez and Gary Neville
instead.
Tevez made an instant impact.
In the 85th minute Rooney
flicked on Neville’s throw and Te-
vez showed great determination
to turn the ball home from
close-range.
But Porto refused to accept de-
feat and staged the kind of dra-
matic finale that United have
made their trademark.
Lisandro swept over an 89th
minute cross that O’Shea could
only help on to Mariano and the
Porto substitute stabbed his shot
over van der Sar. It was no more
than Porto deserved. ■
AFP
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
07

‘‘In the
This team have shown the whole season they are mentally very strong and when they have
their backs to the wall, these young players always find an answer and never give up. I believe
we have created momentum. We are a very young team, but are capable of focussing.
Arsene Wenger, Arsenal manager

big league
Jeev gears up for Augusta Masters

J
eev Milkha Singh already feels like a winner at the Masters, having been paired
alongside 14-time major champion Tiger Woods for the first and second rounds of
the year’s first major.
The reigning Asian Tour number one has already enjoyed prac-
tice rounds with Australian star Greg Norman and Ireland’s
Padraig Harrington and exchanged greetings with Arnold
Palmer this week at Augusta National Golf Club.
Now Singh gets a dream draw with Woods and
US veteran Stewart Cink, even though it will
mean a horde of spectators following the trio
across the course.
“It’s a pleasant surprise,” said Singh, who has
played with Woods previously in Asia.
“I’m excited about that and looking forward
to it. It’ll be great to have the opportunity to play
with Tiger and it’ll be interesting. I’ll be a little nervous
but I’ll try to make the most of it and enjoy it.”
Singh, 37, sees himself belonging among the world’s
elite players after taking his second Asian Order of Merit
title last year and his first top-10 in a major at last year’s
PGA Championship.
“It’s great to come back to the Masters. Every time you are
here, it’s different,” Singh said. “It’s something really special.
I’m playing well and we’ll see what happens.
“My next goal will be to win a major. I think I’ve got the
game to win a major. I feel it all depends on the mind-
set and how you deal with the pressure.
I feel I do have the game and hopefully before
my golfing career is over, I will have a major
under my belt. “One day you never know
what will happen.”
Singh, ranked 31st, has six Asian
Tour wins plus four in Japan and
two triumphs in Europe.
“I’ve worked hard and there
is more trust in my game and
more trust in my golf swing,”
Singh said. “I’m always look-
ing forward to the bigger
events.
That’s why we play golf for, to prove myself at the
highest level.” Practicing with Norman gave Singh a taste
of what he might experience in October as a member of the
Internationals at the Presidents Cup, when Norman will cap-
tain the non-European side against a US squad.
“I’ve always looked up to him and often watched him play,”
Singh said. “I had a good nine holes and we talked about general
stuff but didn’t touch anything about the Presidents Cup. I guess he
wants to get to know the International players and I was fortunate
enough to play with him.” ■
AFP
08 ROADSTER
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in
T
he much-awaited people’s
car, the Tata Nano is finally
here. On display at Tata car
dealer showrooms in Chen-
nai city, the Nano is attracting
festival crowds. Two-wheeler us-
ers who were looking forward to
upgrade to a car see the Nano as
the light at the end of the tun-
nel. Ergo checked out the Nano
LX (hi-end model) on display at
TAFE Reach Ltd on Anna Salai re-
cently. Quite a sleek and stylish
looking car, the Nano is the first
Indian car with a rear engine. So
the front interestingly makes
room for the stepney tyre, tool
box and little luggage room.
Nano has a 624 cc rear engine
boasting 35 bhp with a top
speed of 105 kmph and a mi-
leage claimed to be over 20 kmpl
in city-riding conditions.
C R N Prasad, GM operations of
TAFE, claims the Nano would
revolutionise the Indian car
market. “The Nano is the
most fuel-efficient
car and is easy to
manoeuvre
on city
roads. It
is al-
so
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009
CNG hybrid car
Opel is working on a compressed natural gas (CNG) hybrid
drive system to combine a turbo engine with an electric
motor. A prototype based on an Astra Caravan and
equipped with a start-stop-system achieved a carbon
dioxide emission figure of just 90 grammes per kilometre.
21 percent more spacious for
passengers that any other small
car in the market today and has a
good ground clearance of 180
mm,” he adds.
Sporting a chic dash board and
comfortable seating for four, the
Nano LX comes with an air-con-
ditioner with heater and power
windows only in the front.
“Initially people had doubts
about the car.
After seeing the car on display
many are convinced,” says P.A.
Krishnan, senior manager, TAFE,
accounting for the booking ap-
plications for the car pouring in
at his showroom.
More than a lakh applicants
from across the country will be
lucky enough to be allotted the
car in the month of July, 2009.
The first car is expected
to hit the roads The front area
by Octo- holds the
ber. ■ stepney tyre
and luggage
room as the
Nano has a
624 cc rear
engine.
Booking
R.Ravind
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
09
New Merc
Mercedes Benz launched its limited edition E-Class
cars in India. The luxury car priced at Rs 43.4 lakh
(ex-showroom, Delhi) would include double-spoke
light alloy wheels, LED technology tail lights and six
different colour options.

Tata Nano is available in 3

models
Nano LX
– Fully-loaded version with AC, power windows,
central locking, fog lamps and tubeless tyres.
Available in colours Champagne gold, Lunar silver
and Sunshine yellow.
Nano CX
– AC and tubeless tyres. Available in colours Racing
red, Ivory white, Summer blue, Champagne gold and
Lunar silver.
Nano basic
– Non AC and tubeless tyres. Available in colours
Racing red, Ivory white and Summer blue.
For more details log on to www.tatanano.com

How to own a Nano?

Application form to book a Tata Nano is available
Spacious for Rs. 300 at all Tata Motors showroom and also at
seating which Tata Sky outlets, Titan watch showrooms and
is said to have Westside clothes store.
Chic dash board
21 percent Customers can draw a cheque or DD for an amount
with AC vents, of Rs 3,125 (amount for Nano basic only) from any
more room gear knob and
that any small State Bank of India branch. The challan should be
power window attached along with a filled form and can be
car in the switches submitting at a Nano application counter at any Tata
market. Motors showroom in the city.
The sale of application forms and acceptance of
Nano’s rear booking will start from today and end on April 25th.
engine seen as The lucky draw to pick 1 lakh Nano car winners
a mirror image through out the country will commence on July 25,
The model featured here is a Tata Nano LX 2009.
which is priced Rs. 1,80,248 (ex-showroom)

Nano merchandise
The people’s car has also merchandise like phones,
pen drives, clocks, mugs, key chains, mouse pads,
magnets, pen sets, pencil boxes, water bottles, T-
shirts and caps that are on sale at all Tata Motors
car showrooms and Westside store from today.
Merchandises can also be bought online on
www.tatanano.com

s have opened for the Tata wondercar. Petlee Peter and photojournalist
dran capture the best parts of the vehicle at a showroom in the city
10 FLICK ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

Attention please!
Hollywood studio Warner Bros has warned
Indian movie makers against remake or
adaptation of the Oscar-winning film The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Jackman ‘heartbroken’ over

leaked superhero film
The leaked version of the 20th Century Fox action movie was reportedly
downloaded tens of thousands of times within a day of being posted on
file-sharing websites at the end of March

H
ugh Jackman, who plays month.
superhero Wolverine in He then delighted hundreds of
the new X-Men movie, invited guests and media by
said Wednesday he was swooping down from a cliff top
“heartbroken” that the film was on a cable before unveiling 20
leaked on the Internet a month minutes of completed footage.
before its official release. Jackman said he was heartened
The Australian star of “X-Men by the fact that most people had
Origins: Wolverine” said the US condemned the leak and thought
Federal Bureau of Investigation fans would still go to see it at the
(FBI) was on the case and he be- cinema.
lieved the culprit would be found. The leak has already claimed at
“It’s a serious crime and there’s least one casualty – a US enter-
no doubt its very disappointing – tainment columnist who was
I was heartbroken by it,” Jackman fired for reviewing a stolen copy
told reporters at a promotion for downloaded from the Internet.
the movie in Sydney. Rupert Murdoch’s News Cor-
The leaked version of the 20th poration, which owns both 20th
Century Fox action movie was re- Century Fox Films and Fox News,
portedly downloaded tens of said writer Roger Friedman had
thousands of times within a day been “promptly terminated” after
of being posted on file-sharing posting his column on the Fox
websites at the end of March. News website last week.
“Obviously, people are seeing “We, along with 20th Century
an unfinished film,” Jackman Fox Film Corporation, have been
said. “It’s like a Ferrari without a a consistent leader in the fight
paint job.” against piracy and have zero tol-
The 40-year-old Hollywood erance for any action that en-
heartthrob, named Sexiest Man courages and promotes piracy,”
Alive by People magazine last News Corporation said in an
year, said he was convinced that emailed statement.
whoever had posted the copy “When we advised Fox News of
would be tracked down. the facts they took immediate ac-
“The FBI are on to it and tion, removed the post, and
they’re taking it very, very seri- promptly terminated Mr Fried-
ously,” he said. “Rest assured that man.” The X-Men film, based on
person will be found.” the eponymous comic book char-
Jackman arrived by helicopter acters, was apparently spread
on Cockatoo Island in Sydney with Bit Torrent file-sharing tech-
Harbour, where some of the mo- nology that lets people exchange
vie was filmed, for the first stop of large data files between comput-
a world promotion tour ahead of ers. ■
its official release at the end of the AFP
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
11

Tom Cruise
spends $1 mn on
daughter’s education
H
ollywood actor Tom Cruise wants his two-year-old daughter
Suri to have a well-rounded upbringing. So he is spending $1
million on her education.
Suri will turn three on April 18 and both Tom and his wife
Katie Holmes, who want her to be an all rounder, have made
arrangements not only for her basic education but have also in-
vested in dancing, foreign language and art classes.
“It doesn’t matter what Suri is doing, Tom wants her to be able
to do it better than any other child. All parents think their kids
are special, but Tom and Katie firmly believe that their daughter
is gifted,” chinadaily.com quoted a source as saying.
“Suri has shown interest in dancing, so Tom and Katie are
encouraging her as much as possible. She practices ballet,
tap and modern dance for hours every day. She also has
private gymnastics lessons and is learning soccer,” he added.
Cruise is also planning to send Suri for music classes to
improve her musical aptitude.
“Piano and violin lessons are on the to-do list. Tom and
Katie just have to find time in Suri’s busy schedule,” the
source said.
Holmes also likes Suri to mingle with her friends - Vic-
toria Beckham’s two kids Romeo, six, and Cruz, four -
because she believes that socialising with older kids will
benefit her daughter’s development.
The source said: “Katie likes to have the Beckham boys
around, since they are older. She thinks Suri will emulate
what they do and learn even faster.” ■
IANS

No movies with my dad, Julia Roberts feels for

please: Sonam Kapoor
T hose who want to see Sonam Kapoor
and her dad Anil Kapoor together on
screen will have to wait for a long time.
The Delhi 6 girl thinks Kapoor senior looks
far younger than his age to play a
conventional father in a
Bollywood flick.
The buzz around tinsel town
is that there’s a pivotal role
in Anil’s home production -
of Sonam’s father - that he
was supposed to play. But
Anil is not doing the film
titled Ayesha. Earlier, Anil
had been offered a role in
Rakeysh Omprakash
Mehra’s Delhi 6 with
Sonam, but both father and
daughter decided against it.
In fact, Sonam was more
against the idea of their
coming together than Anil.
IANS
Hollywood’s younger
generation
H ollywood superstar Julia Roberts said on
Tuesday that she feels the starlets of to-
day have a much harder time than she ever
did, with every little detail of their lives
splashed over the front pages.
The 41-year-old Pretty Woman and Not-
ting Hill star told German celebrity maga-
zine Bunte in an interview: “I am often
aware of how much harder it is for young
women in Hollywood today.”
“I am so relieved and feel so privileged
that I am beyond that,” added Roberts, who
hit the big time when she starred opposite
Richard Gere in Pretty Woman at the age of
22. The mother-of-three, who returned to
the screen last month in the espionage cap-
er Duplicity, said her priorities had changed
enormously since having children. “Every
day I have to put on puppet shows and read
endless stories,” she said. ■
AFP
12 ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

Wednesday’s query:
In the year 2024 what Paul Matthew
kind of computer will you from Infosys
has nominated
be using? his team for
the section.
Location
■120 GB ram, 1200 GB hard disk with courtesy:
Google server installed in my system Kodaikanal
Mani, CTS garden

■Cheap and very slim like pen or pencil

model
Zahoor, RRDonnelley

■Finger-top computer
Somasundaram, TCS

■Intel Pentium xxiv 24.66 GHZ with 24 GB

DDR22 ram 240 TB HDD, with blu ray dual
layer disc and touch screen 4 in 1 monitor
Sathish.A, PSBPS

■Pocket size computers

Suman, Perot Systems Chaitanya
Kumar R and
■Mobile computer, it will have all d friends from
features of a computer TCS in
Senthil, Wipro Puducherry
■Lip stick size computer, so that I can
keep it in my hand purse itself
Abhirami, IBM

■Pen computer
Rani, Farah, TCS-eserve

■Virtual computer in air with mind

commands, free from keyboard and
mouse. Operating system needs 2 have
direct interface with human brain
Prem, Arunkumar, Allsec

■DNA computer, if it exists in the market

by that time
Revathi, Inautix

■Note book computer

Priyanga, Technip Selvaganapathy
S is all praise
■A computer fixed to my clothes for the fun and
Suresh.R, TCS relaxed
environment
■Chip-based infra red computer Wipro,
N.Deepan, LTSB, TCS Sholingnallur
has in store for
employees.
Today’s query: That’s why he
sent us this
picture, where
You have just won Rs. 10 members of the
SEARS -DCC
crores. What will you do process team
are on an
for the next 24 hours? outing.
 Thursday, April 9, 2009
13

■ Farewell wishes to Dear Pushpa you for your birthday but nothing
(Kudumba Ishthiri), came to mind. But I know only thing
You have been great PUSH! which make you extremely happy is
Meena Kumari Ja-
We all will miss your PUSH ! that "Suresh giving treat for all of us".
gadeesh from Info-
It was pleasure working with you PUSH Birthdays are good. Statistics say the
sys Technologies
Now that u are leaving, things won’t people who give treat for other’s
has been nominated
be the same again PUSH! birthday live the longest. So Suresh will
as Office Angel by
But we want you to know PUSH, give us a wonderful treat for his long
Saritha Devi.
We will always be wishing the best for life. Wishing you a very happy and
Meet the rock star.
you especially me PUSH joyful birthday Ravi!!!
She is enthusiastic
Wish you achieve whatever you have Best wishes Ramah, Navanee, Suresh, Madhi
and energetic and
set out to do! All the very best PUSH!
participates in all
Good bye and Good luck in all that you ■ Hey Lipensa
cultural activities
do PUSH!!! Happy advance “Easter”.
With Love, Chau,
and comes first in
Wakeel, Ravivarman, Prabhakar, Lukeson, Wipro
competitions.
Deepashankar, Sasikumar, Devikala, singer ■ Dear Gersh,
Geetha, Vidhyalakshmi, Lokesh, Ekambaram, Wish u a many more happy returns of
Rajasekar, Uma, Sakthi, Devarajalu, Shankar the day!!!
(alias Suriya), Daniel, Mythili, Hari, May God bless u with all success in
Murugan, and me Sivanath every aspect of ur lifeJ
With love,
■ Dear Puppy, Jerry and friends
Wish u a very Happy Birthday and
many more happy returns of the day. ■ Dear Rajesh,
We wish you celebrate 100 more Wish u a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
B’Days and we will be there always Have a rocking life and a great year
with u to wish you every year. ahead.
Wish U all success in ur life. With luv,
Art featured in this co-
Regards, Financial Transaction Team
lumn will receive gift
Teddy & Frds.
coupons from Fruit Shop
Team PSI, PEROT SYSTEMS ■ Dear sasikUMAr,
on Greams Road. Send
Wish u many more happy returns of
in your addresses so that
■ Dear Nehru Mama the day
we can post the coupons.
Wishing you all the best in the years to May this day brings happiness to you as
come. May your days be filled with well as AMU.
sunshine and beautiful colours. And Happy birthday SASI
may your nights be filled with Seenivasan S, Cognizant
comforting dreams and wishes to
come. ■ Hai Kundu,
Colleagues from Wipro Technologies Wish u many more happy returns of
Rajalakshmi Subramanian this day, Have a wonderful day:)Love u
from Wipro doodled this. ■ Krish, With care and affection,
Wish You a Many More Happy Returns Terror-Group
of the Day Krish. Un Valkai Nalamaai
Irukka En valthukkal. ■ Dear Fayaz,
Rajesh Wish you a very happy birthday.
Regards,
■ Beloved Viki (Vigneshwar), Healthcare Vertical, Sify Technologies
Many more happy returns of the day in
advance. Have a wonderful and ■ Dear Srividhya,
successful year ahead. Today is a beginning of another
Yours fantabulous year with a perfect blend
Prema, Sethu and anaya of JOY, HARMONY and VICTORIES. Yet
another 52 weeks of happiness to feel
■ Hi Papu (Rajkumar) like listening to spell binding melodies.
Ella Examukku pinnalum Oru pen Undu. Today is you special day This is not an ode but a prayer that all
Adhu Hero Pen, Ball point pen, Ink Pen, Gel Pennagavum that day is your bday your dreams and desires to reach the
Irukkalaam. So it is the perfect time to say pinnacle may come true. May the
Ennathaan Kili "Ki ki" nu Kathinalum You are always thought of in a very almighty bless you with PEACE,
Adhala Oru Locka Kuda open Panna Mudiyathu special way OPULENCE and GOOD HEALTH.
Man 1 - Entha road Enge Poguthu A time to have new hopes and dreams Wishing you a very happy Birthday.
Man2 - Engeyum Pogalai. Naan Poranthila irundu Ingeye And now we would like to take the With Luv,
thaan irukku. time to say Brindly, Ranjeeth, Praveen, Venky,
Man 1 - ??????????????? You are very special in every way Bharath, Pavithra & Mathangi
Ramu - Which animal is the religious animal? So we wish you a very special Bday
Somu - Don’t Know Happy Birthday Papu God bless you ■ Hey Alagu,
Ramu - Elephant With love Vayasu yeruna yenna
Somu - How? Friends.... manasu ilamaya thana irukku....
Ramu - Because “Athukku thaane Matham Pidikkum” ■ Hi Ravi, Our hearty birthday wishes.
Somu - ????????????? We were trying to think of what to get By everlasting friends
Jayaraman V, HCL Technologies, Tidel Park
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

Record broken
A German DJ has smashed the world record for the
longest continuous radio show after broadcasting his
show for 169 consecutive hours - beating the previous
record set by an Indian DJ by one hour.

sudoku

T.C.Vaideky from
R System clicked
this picture on
the backwaters of
Kerala. Her
hobbies include
watching cricket
and movies.

Entries to the column

will get gift vouchers
from Bubbles Spa
worth Rs.1,000.
Winners can come to
Ergo office on
weekends between 3
p.m. and 5 p.m. to
collect the vouchers.
Call 2857 6688.
KAKURO
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 Thursday, April 9, 2009
No laughing matter
A helicopter rescue team was scrambled
after screams were heard in a German
forest - only to find a man laughing
loudly at a new book.
15
Word’s worth
Satanophany (say-tuh-nah-fuh-nee) a visible
manifestation of Satan. From Satan, obviously, and
the same -phany as in epiphany, from a Greek
word meaning ‘manifestation.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Professionally, you are on an all time high. At work,
your Boss will be pleased with your commitment
and may give you additional responsibilities. You are
advised to not appear overconfident. Love life may
take a back seat as work pressure increases.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You will be distracted at work today for some
reason or the other. However, things will start
improving as the day progresses. A no-nonsense
approach at work will benefit you. This approach
might help you at work.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Be wary of people who are jealous of your
BORN LOSER professional achievements. Such people may try to
look for flaws in your expertise. Do not lose your
cool over trivial issues as this will only make
matters worse.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
You will be passionate about commitments at work
as the day progresses. With your emotional
temperament, you should treat everybody with
empathy rather than adopting a practical stand, says
Ganesha.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You will begin the day on an optimistic note.
Ganesha observes you meeting your deadlines. Post
lunch time will prove to be fruitful if used for
important meetings. You may be in a frame of mind
to enjoy some spicy moments with your beloved.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You may come up with a lot of innovative ideas
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT today; however they might not materialise. Ganesha
assures you that you may find some use for them
later so do not discard them. You will focus on
expanding your professional skills today.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Each oral/ written word from your side will carry an
explicit meaning, so be cautious in your
communication. Ganesha sees you concentrating
work related targets. You may feel tired today and
want to rush home to relax.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Your words maybe misinterpreted today. Hence
Ganesha asks you to be vigilant during
communication. Conversely, being too clear-cut may
hinder rather than help your case. Learn to be
diplomatic.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
How you manage your time today will be a crucial
determinant of your overall success. Professional life
will be rewarding today provided you don’t act
overconfident. Ganesha sees you boosting the
morale of your team members.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Review all your back log work today. If you put in
extra efforts, the back log should be dealt with by
evening. A reduced amount of consideration to
personal life may result in unhappiness, warns
Ganesha.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may organise a gathering for some definite
negotiations. Ganesha thinks you will handle work
ISSUE’S related activities without any major obstacles. Job
responsibilities may exhaust you by the end of the
SOLUTIONS day.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Overload of work will be unable to divert your
attention at workplace. You may work extremely
hard for satisfying experience and escalation on the
professional front. Ganesha blesses your hard work
and sees it earning dividends in the long run.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Swarovski employee
displays "The Super
Hello Kitty Jewel
Doll", studded with a
1.027ct diamond on its
ribbon, 403-piece pink
sapphires on its body,
a citrine on its yellow
nose, black spinels on
Paper models of the Nano car with pictures of BJP leaders, to be its eyes and a total
used in election campaigns, at the party headquarters in 1,939-piece white
Ahemedabad on Monday. PTI PHOTO topaz on its head on
the platinum 900
made body in Tokyo
on April 8, 2009.
Swarovski, Japan’s
character giant Sanrio
and Japanese jewelery
maker I.K. unveiled
the 15 million yen
(150,000 USD) hello
Actress and owner of Rajasthan kitty doll, 10.5cm tall
Royals Shilpa Shetty holds the and weighing 569g at
new jersey of the team at a the Baselworld watch
press conference to announce and jewellery show in
the tie-up between Rajasthan Switzerland last
Royals and the Ultratech month to celebrate
Cement in Mumbai on Tuesday. Hello Kitty’s 35th
PTI PHOTO BY SHIRISH SHETE anniversary. AFP PHOTO /
YOSHIKAZU TSUNO

A Russian Soyuz
TMA-13 space capsule
lands near
Dzhezkazgan, in
central Kazakhstan on
April 8, 2009. The
capsule carrying US
astronaut Mike Fincke,
Russian cosmonaut
Yuri Lonchakov and
US billionaire space
tourist Charles
Simonyi returned to
Earth. AFP PHOTO / POOL /
MIKHAIL METZEL