A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, May 18, 2009

03 11
MILLION DOLLAR STORY Review
Suresh Sambandam goes places with Sarvam is so-so
OrangeScape

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 90

Height fi
figght
Farhan Akhtar on his next acting role in ‘Kartik Calling
Kartik’ and height issues with a seemingly taller co-star,
Deepika Padukone
» PAGE 10
02 NAMMA CHENNAI
Philanthropic ways
An actor-politician who tasted success
in the recent Lok Sabha polls is known
for his philanthropic ways. Apparently,
the man frequents a well-known night
club in Nungambakkam and
deliberately leaves behind his mobile
phone and rewards the waiter who
brings it back to him. Recently, he had
attempted the same trick but only to
be irked after one of his men brought
back the phone.
Protective father,
shining daughter
The daughter of a senior
politician in the state is
the primary distribution
agent for a leading soft-
drink brand in the
country. Well-protected
by the father, her
business has flourished in
the last few years. Sources
reveal that she is one of the
seven such agents in the
country who solely deal with the
American brand.
Shuffle in city police?
A big shuffle is likely to take place
among the top police officers in the
city after the recent elections. While
some fear the worst transfers, many in
‘non-lucrative’ posts are hoping for a
shift to greener pastures. A few khakis
have also started pushing their case
strongly with their respective leaders
who stood triumphant.
ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009
All’s fair and square in
love, war and elections
How did some of your
Independent candidates from the
city fare in the General Elections?
LIFFY THOMAS
liffythomas@goergo.in
S
ome of them are humiliated by the verdict, so much
so that they have decided that this is their first and
last candidature in an election. Some others pacify
themselves playing the blame game. And still some
E. Sarath Babu
others are boldly declaring that they are the “new-age poli- Votes: 17,000
ticians” who entered the political race not as a full-time
profession but to give ear to others’ voices.
We are talking of the hundreds of Independent candi-
dates who crop up during the election time and die a slow
death later. Most newspapers and channels have chosen to
ignore them as none of them have emerged victorious, but
they stand winners in their own right.
E. Sarath Babu, the BITS Pilani and IIM-A graduate, has
to be on cloud nine. Though his party did not win the
South Chennai consistency, the Independent candidate
received 17,000 votes. “I was expecting to win, but the
17,000 votes show that this many people have voted for a
change, which is quite an achievement for a first-timer like
me,” he exclaims. To all those who want to know if the
‘Slate’ (his party symbol) is here to stay, here’s assuring
Thomas T. Jacob
words from Sarath. “I promise to fulfil all my election
promises. To start with, we are opening the 24x7 call Votes: 2,560
centre.”
Thomas T. Jacob of Youth and Student Party (remember
the bat symbol you saw on the EVM) is also a delighted
man. His party garnered 2,560 votes from Central Chennai.
“For the 10 days of campaign we got and the Rs. three lakh
we spent as election budget, it has been a fair and square
result,” says the 37-year-old advocate who was expecting
10,000 votes. The YSP came fifth among the 37 candidates
from the consistency, giving more cheer to the young par-
ty.
Jacob and his 12-member core team promise to stay on
in the political fray. To start with, they are going on a drive
to enrol around 25,000 people into their party. Also, make
sure you dial (65556605) if you have any civic grievances in
Central Chennai. That’s something they promise to look N.S. Venkataraman
into!
N.S. Venkataraman, one of the Independents from Votes: 2,000
South Chennai, however, is a disappointed man. He is in a
pensive mood since the results came out. “I am disap-
pointed, ridiculed and humiliated,” says the chemical en-
gineer and trustee of NGO Nandini Voice for the Deprived.
“Money power and muscle power have won in this elec-
tion. I will never ever contest, but I am going to take up a
movement against corruption.”
The 63-year-old was contesting for the first time and got
a little less than 2,000 votes.
On Monday, ‘Traffic’ Ramaswamy will be doing what he
is best known for – filing a case. “I am filing a case against
the Election Commissioner for not disqualifying the 18
people who were elected by the DMK, as they have vio-
lated the model code of conduct,” says 76-year-old activist.
However, Ramaswamy is happy that he did not even ’Traffic’ Ramaswamy
spend even a few thousand rupees towards campaigning.
“If the party compels me, you will see me contest again for Votes: 1,600
the Assembly polls.” ■
 Monday, May 18, 2009
Million dollar story
Suresh Sambandam, CEO of
OrangeScape, shares his successful and
interesting entrepreneurial trail that is
sans any formal technical education
DEEPA VENKATRAMAN
H
e is not a software engineer
and does not have a formal
technical education, but his
passion towards program-
ming and his mastery of the art of
learning made Suresh Sambandam
go places. Sambandam, CEO of Or-
angeScape, is an epitome of some-
one who has succeeded by making
failure his best friend and taking risk
in his stride.
Internal insight
The rebel in him made him decide
against a medical education after
Class XII. Instead, he opted to help
his father’s retail business and went
for a typewriting class. There, in the
early 1990s, he was introduced to
the world of computers. “There was
only one computer at the institute in
Cuddalore and out of much reluc-
tance I learnt the BASIC language.
When I got to know D Base, I got
hooked on to it. That’s when I decid-
ed that software programming is
what I wanted to do my entire life as
a career. I bought the best book in
BASIC, authored by Dr. E. Balaguru-
samy, for Rs. 800.”
Humble beginning
Despite his father’s misgivings,
Suresh started a computer training
institute along with four friends.
“My father was not in favour of my
move, but he gave me Rs. 25,000 and
with each of us pooling in the same
amount we started off with Rs. 1.25
lakh. However, it did not last long
and each of us got back only Rs.
20,000 out of our revenues. We were
unaware of what went wrong then
but now I realise we lacked core
management fundamentals like
scaling, forming balance sheets and
team work.”
But on the bright side, Samban-
dam became an ace in C and C++,
created a new command interpreter
for MS DOS and learnt Java. These
skills helped him get a job in 1996 at
Hewlett-Packard, where he worked
on Java-related projects. By then he
had a degree in Commerce and soon
did a Business Administration
course through distance learning.
Learning curve
It was here where he got his first
exposure to international client pro-
jects. “I got good training and un-
derstood the corporate technical
03
concepts. Since I was working with
the company for almost four years, I
got introduced to a software disci-
pline – business rule engines. In this
phase of work, I decided I would
grow in the business rule engine do-
main and make it my forte.”
In 2000, he joined Selectica, a Sil-
icon Valley-based rule engine com-
pany. In 2002, he became the
director of Product Engineering for
the eInsurance Division.
Right move
Sambandam always had the en-
trepreneurial make-up but had to
wait for the right opportunity. His
team had created a product but
there were some technical prob-
lems. At that time, Accenture bought
out his division. This was a turning
point in his life. Once again, he was
determined to go on his own and he
started a business rule engine prod-
uct company – OrangeScape – in
December 2003 with just four
employees.
“There was a small risk over
whether Accenture would give us
any project but we were confident
that things would work as we knew
our product in and out and had the
expertise to handle the technology.
As we expected, they approached us
after six months and gave a one-year
consulting contract for about Rs. 2
crore as a consequence of the Selec-
tica eInsurance Division buyout. In
addition to angel investors, this
amount was a bonus and helped us
in developing our own product.”
In a span of three years the com-
pany broke even, having 10 clients,
and now the number has grown to
45. They now have a turnover of over
$1 million. “Apart from my entire
team, the credit goes to Mani Do-
raiswamy who was with me from the
start and was instrumental in shap-
ing the company. He has earned his
title of co-founder and CTO of the
company for his dedication and
technical excellence.”
Vision
When it came to funding, they
have stuck to angel investors by fol-
lowing a bootstrap strategy and only
now plan to approach a venture
capitalist. With a vision of taking
rule-based computing to the mass-
es, he sums up, “Our plan is to cre-
ate about three lakh active accounts
in the next three to five years, which
would create a turnover of more Suresh Sambandam, CEO, OrangeScape Technologies Limited. (Below)
than Rs. 400 crore.” ■ Sambandam with his team. PHOTOS: R. SHIVAJI RAO
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

Ask your query

I recently got a call from a bank saying that I have been ap-
proved a loan of Rs. 4 lakh because of my credit card usage
track record. I never applied for a loan, so is it a hoax call? If it
is true, shall I take the loan?
Indu S. V, Texas Instruments
Dear Indu,
What you have received is a pre-approved loan. It surely is
not a hoax call. But, you need to still verify whether the person
who called you belongs to a bank or not.
Do not give out any personal financial documents before you
confirm the antecedents of the person whom you meet or give
your documents. As for whether to take a loan or no, it’s for you
to decide whether you really need the money now. It makes no
point taking a loan without having a requirement.
This could lead to three things: You take the unnecessary
burden of paying an interest for something you don’t need;
Getting easy cash could lead to you spending the money on
things you don’t need and you end up with the liability which
drags you for the term of the loan and your credit worthiness
also goes down as the next time you really need a loan. The
bank looks at the EMI outflow on account of this loan and
reduce your eligibility.
It is better to have a debt-free lifestyle than one riddled with
loans.
(For queries on personal finance, mail them to finergo@goergo.in
with the subject line ‘Doctor’)

Mini Quiz
1: Which company has taken over Satyam?
a) TCS
b) L&T
Making sense
of the Sensex
c) Tech Mahindra
d) Infosys
2: PPF Stands for
a) Postal Provident Fund
b) Private Provident Fund
c) Public Provident Fund
d) Personal Provident Fund SNEHA BAJAJ freely available for transactions in the mar-
Send your answers to finergo@goergo.in or SMS your answers to support@finerva.com ket. Freely available shares are those which
92813 98889. For example if you choose a as the answer to question can be traded with ease; thus it would ex-
1 and b as the answer to question 2 type it as 1a2b and send it.

Winner will be chosen by lucky draw from all correct answers
. growth of over 25 per cent. But during
Answers for last week’s mini-quiz
Foreign Direct Investment
Foreign Institutional Investor
Word in Word
Equity cap on NPS
Although the New Pension Scheme seemed to be a good
opportunity to plan your retirement, there seems to be a small
hitch if you wanted good growth.
The government has put a higher limit of 50 per cent on the
amount of money that you can invest in equities as part of the
NPS scheme. Of the three funds – equity, government bonds,
corporate debt. One can put your 100 per cent investment into
bonds or debt but only 50 per cent in the equity schemes.
T
he Sensex has grown from 9724 in Feb-
ruary 09 to close to 12,272 in May 09 – a
the same period the NAV of your Mu-
tual Fund investment has grown negative.
What is the mystery or is something wrong?
There is absolutely no mystery. There is
this common misconception among most
young investors that if the Sensex is doing
well then their investments too would do
well. Understanding how the Sensex is cal-
culated will help clear the doubts.
The Sensex is an indicator of the perfor-
mance of 30 companies spanning various
sectors, which are representative of the
economy as a whole. The basic premise be-
ing that if the 30 best companies in the
country do well then the economy is also
doing well.
How are the daily numbers calculated?
The Sensex uses something called as the
free-float market capitalisation (FFMC). It is
the current price of each share of the com-
pany multiplied by the number of shares
clude shares with promoters, institutions
etc. which are normally not traded. In sim-
ple terms FFMC means the money that one
would require to buy all the shares of a com-
pany available in the open market.
The sum of the Free Float Market Capital-
isations of all the 30 stocks is then divided
by an “Index Divisor”. It is a constantly up-
dated number which correlates the Index to
its base of 100 (Year 1978) and also imbibes
the various changes in the market place
(Bonus shares, Splits etc.) which would
change the FFMC. The value that is arrived
at is the number which we see splashing on
our news screens and newspapers.
Thus we realise that if the stocks that
make up the portfolio of our investment are
not the same as the 30 stocks that constitute
the Sensex, then there’s absolutely no guar-
antee that our investment will move in the
same direction as the Index. The key learn-
ing here is to invest in Blue Chip funds and
the best way to do that is to ape the constit-
uents of the Index. ■
 Monday, May 18, 2009
05
Teddy troubles
A six-year-old girl from Britain was banned from taking her teddy on an
easyJet flight because it was deemed ’excess baggage’.

Mix bag of
fortune for
ex-cricketers

T
he Lok Sabha results were a
mix bag for former cricket-
ers entering the whirlpool of
political arena as some of
them outperformed seasoned
politicians while others were sim-
ply run out at the hustings.
Former India captain Moham-
mad Azharrudin, hard-hitting
batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu and
all-rounder Kirti Azad came out
victorious in the fight for vote
while former opener Chetan
Chauhan and fast bowler Chetan
Sharma were trounced by their
opponents.
Azharuddin, who was the latest
entrant in the growing list of for-
mer cricketers entering the elec-
toral fray, won from Moradabad
defeating BJP’s Sarvesh Kumar.
Forty-six-year-old Azharuddin
who contested on a Congress
ticket, came out victorious de-

spite opposition parties raising
the match-fixing allegations
against him during the campaign.
Former opener Sidhu, who
contested the election on a BJP
ticket, won from Amritsar defeat-
ing his Congress rival Om
Prakash.
Forty-five-year-old Sidhu, in
fact recorded a hat-trick of wins
from the constituency.
Sidhu had won from the con-
stituency in 2004 and 2007 also.
He had resigned from the Lok
Sabha two years later following
conviction in a road rage case.
But the Supreme Court had
stayed the conviction of Punjab
and Haryana High Court en-
abling him to contest the by-elec-
tion in 2007.
Sidhu emerged as winner from
the same seat in the by-poll. Kirti
Azad, who was a member of the
1983 World Cup winning Indian
cricket team, won from Bihar’s
Darbhanga constituency.
Azad, son of former Bihar Chief
Minister Bhagwat Jha Azad, de-
feated his RJD rival Ali Ashraf Fat-
mi by a margin of 46,440 votes.
Chetan Chauhan, a Test open-
er alongside Sunil Gavaskar in the
1980s, was defeated by Congress’
Sandeep Dikshit in East Delhi by
a margin of 2.40 lakh votes.
Chauhan had contested the
elections in 2004 from Amroha
constituency in Uttar Pradesh but
lost.
Chetan Sharma, who was hit
for a match-winning last ball six
by Pakistan’s Javed Miandad in a
ODI final in 1986, also faced de-
feat in the election.
Sharma, a BSP candidate, was
defeated convincingly by Con-
gress’ Avtar Singh Bhadana from
Faridabad parliamentary
constituency.
The former fast bowler came
third after the BJP candidate. ■
PTI
06 VILLAGE ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

Run, fat boy, run

A five-year-old boy in England has been dubbed too fat by medics -
because he is one pound over his ideal weight.

Aguilera sparkles in new ad ‘Tall people

Christina Aguilera looked chic as she faced the camera to
promote designer Stephen Webster’s latest jewellery collection earn more’
in a new ad. The taller you are, the
The Beautiful hitmaker appears to have ditched her raunchy more you earn, but
image after welcoming son Max Liron last year. being fat doesn’t
The 28-year-old sported futuristic style baubles while posing for affect your pay,
the campaign. Australian researchers
“Stephen and I have been friends for many years,” the Sun said on Sunday.
quoted her as saying. Being 5 centimetres
“I’ve truly enjoyed bringing his new vision to life and couldn’t above average can
be more pleased to be a part of his continued success.” increase a worker’s pay
ANI by an average of 1.5
per cent, Andrew
Leigh from the
Australian National
Dating site in trouble for using University and Michael Kortt from Sydney University
found.
Obama’s name “We see this effect both for men and women, but it’s
All’s fair in love and war. But, not with the US President, it strongest for men,” Leigh said. There was no obvious
seems, for a British dating site has landed into trouble for explanation for the effect of height on earnings, they said
trading on Barack Obama’s name and posting a snap of of the study that found no correlation between weight
America’s first couple on its portal. and wages.
According to Daily Star, the website is facing an “This is in contrast with previous studies that used older
investigation for using Obama’s name on their portal and data from the United States and Germany and found that
posting an album of the US first couple, including a photo people with higher BMI (body mass index) scores earned
with the Queen snapped in London earlier this year, lower wages,” Leigh said.
without any permission DPA
from the White House.
“This is unbelievably
audacious,” a White
House insider said. And
the Oval Office insider Rooney to take baldie cure
has also vowed to pass After years of slaphead jibes from teammates, England star Wayne
the information on to the Rooney has decided to cure his baldness with the help of a
appropriate authorities if controversial drug.
the website doesn’t stop The Man United striker is set to gulp down a tablet of Finasteride
using Obama’s name and plus use scalp lotion to block hormones causing his hair to fall out.
withdraw the snaps of In sports, until this year, the drug was banned as it could mask
the US first couple - steroids.
taken at his inauguration Now it’s legal and Rooney, 23, has already had a consultation,
ball in January - from reports the News of the World.
their title page, the A pal said: “Wayne’s wanted this so long. It won’t suddenly give
report said. him a head of hair but will stop the rot.”
PTI ANI

Women buy small dresses

to lose weight
M
illions of British women
splurge on too-small
clothes as an incentive to
help them shed flab, a
new research has revealed.
According to the research,
nearly a third of women deliber-
ately buy dresses which are too
small for them as they are deter-
mined to slim down enough to fit
in to them one day, the British
media reported.
The research, based on a sur-
vey of people across Britain, has
also found that on average these
women confessed to buying three
under-size items of clothing
each. This means about 24 mil-
lion dresses, skirts, blouses and
trousers hanging idly in the war-
drobes as their owners battle to
fit into them.
What’s more interesting is that
the survey has uncovered Scots as
the biggest purchases women
make, with one in six claiming to
own ten or more items they have
bought knowing they are too
small.
“If slipping into a little black
dress or a smaller jean size is so-
mething someone finds motivat-
ing, then buying an under-size
garment could be a very sensible
investment.”
“Many people, women espe-
cially, have a daily reminder of
their size in the form of an item of
clothing they want to fit into one
day. Deliberately buying these
clothes could be an effective
strategy.”
“Taking control of weight loss
is all about setting realistic goals
and then taking action to achieve
them,” said Christine Evans of
Lloyds Pharmacy’s weight man-
agement specialist, which com-
missioned the survey. ■
PTI
 Monday, May 18, 2009
07
Leopard lover
An Oregon woman was sentenced to
two years probation and 250 hours
of community service for illegally
importing leopard skins from Africa.

The value is
computed
using the ‘Lev
& Schwartz’
model

E
ach employee at IT bell-
wether Infosys Technolo-
gies is worth as much as Rs.
97 lakh, mainly based on
Each Infosys employee worth Rs. 97
the potential value of his/her fu-
ture earnings.
The IT major’s total value of
human resources, which includes
lakh
both software professionals and
support staff, is pegged at Rs.
1,02,133 crore for the fiscal ended
March 2009.
According to the company’s
annual report, the human re-
sources’ value of Rs. 1, 02133
crore during fiscal 2009 was for
1,04,850 employees during the
same period.
On average, the same trans-
lates into a value of about Rs. 97
lakh for each employee.
The value of human resources while the total work force of the efits earned both in India and bility development, training and handas Pai had said while releas-
is evaluated and based on the company stood at 91,187. overseas and the incremental certification would make us more ing the FY 209 earnings figures.
present value of future earnings In FY 2009 the number of soft- earnings based on group or age competitive.” “We continue to invest in our
of employees and few other fac- ware professionals and support are among the assumptions take “We have tightened our perfor- employees through training and
tors, the company said. staff stood at 97,349 and 7,501 re- into account, it added. mance management system to building their skills across vari-
For the fiscal year ended March spectively, the report said. “The year ahead would be chal- create a more focused work- ous technologies and domains,”
31, 2008, the value of human re- Employee compensation in- lenging on the people front. Our force,” Infosys Head-HRD and the company had said. ■
sources stood at Rs. 98,821 crore cludes all direct and indirect ben- continuous investment in capa- Education & Research TV Mo- PTI

Stolen kiss not sackable offence Lightning speed

A Turkish court has ordered
an employer to reinstate a
woman who was fired after
she kissed her boyfriend at
work, ruling it was just a
stolen kiss and that no cus-
tomers saw it, state-run
Anatolian said.
The woman was con-
fronted by her boss after
she was caught kissing on
tape on the business’s
closed circuit TV, Anatolian
said. The business in the capital
was not identified.
“When you take into consider-
ation that the kissing was mo-
mentary and that there were no
customers present and that no
other workers saw it, is a grave
decision to say the action
breached the order of the work-
place,” the appeals court said,
annulling a decision by a lower
court to uphold the firing. ■
Reuters

쒀 Lashawn Merritt of the US competes to win the men’s 200m during the Adidas
Track Classic meeting in Carson, California. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS
08 SPORT
Chowrasia slips
Shiv Kapur and SSP Chowrasia struggled in the blustery conditions at County Louth Golf Club and turned in over-par
cards to slip to the tied 35th and tied 69th position respectively after the penultimate round of the 3 Irish Open
golf tournament. While Kapur returned a four-over 76 to total three-under 213 after three rounds, Chowrasia
stuttered to a seven-over 79 to be three-over overall.
‘I don’t
fear any
bowler’
Suranjoy bags gold
Suranjoy Singh clinched the lone gold as
Indian boxers rounded off their
campaign at the European Grand Prix
event in Usti Nad Labem, Czech Republic
with four medals. Suranjoy bagged the
fly weight gold after beating Armenia’s
H Danielyan 4-1 on Saturday night. Earlier, Beijing Olympics
bronze medallist Vijender Singh (75kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg)
and Jai Bhagwan (60kg) ended with bronze after losing in
the semi-finals.
The tournament was the first event in which Vijender
competed since the Beijing triumph. India had sent a six-
member team for the event, which is into its 40th edition
this year. P Narjeet Singh (54kg), Olympian A.L. Lakra (57kg)
will return without medals after losing in the first round
itself.
PTI
ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009
H
e is not intimidated
by any of the world-
class bowlers in ac-
tion at the Indian
Premier League as Rajasthan Royals’ swash-
buckling all-rounder Yusuf Pathan feels any
fear of the opposition will adversely affect his
aggressive style of batting.
“I love challenges and facing world class attacks is a
huge challenge for all of us. We have to be on our toes to
get the better of the bowlers. After all, we are the defending
champions here. If I had feared them, I would not have played
the game,” Yusuf said. “It is not like if I stop playing my strokes I
will start scoring in every game. I will get out eventually. So what
is the point in changing your natural game? I just enjoy going there
and playing my strokes fearlessly,” he added.
Yusuf has played a crucial role in Rajasthan’s every success,
amassing 233 runs at a strike rate of over 140 and taking seven
wickets so far. Yusuf says he is thankful to skipper Shane Warne for
having faith in him – something that has helped him do well in
crunch situations. “He is one of the all-time greats. He has played a
lot of cricket for Australia. I think my total match appearance even in
domestic cricket is less than his wickets tally. Warne has been a great help.
He has taught me how to judge the pitch and the technique of batsmen,”
Yusuf said.
“I get the same feeling for Sachin-paaji (Tendulkar). It feels great when
they speak about me. To get a mention in their interviews is a great
achievement for me,” Yusuf added.
The all-rounder said Rajasthan teammate Graeme Smith has also
helped him improve as a player. “He is a great team man. He captains
his national side and brings that experience to our team. He has been
very helpful especially for the youngsters to adapt to the conditions
here. He is very easy going and always generates positive vibes. Playing
with him has been a great experience. One can learn a lot while watch-
ing him prepare for a match. He takes his cricket seriously and is hard
working,” he said.
Asked if he wants to change anything in his playing style, Yusuf said
he is happy with how things have gone for him so far but there are
targets he still has to achieve. “I will continue to play my natural
game. For me, it’s important to remain confident and my body
language should be positive even under pressure. We all know it just
takes few good overs or a few good minutes on the field
to win a game. It is impor- tant to take some risks;
stay mentally strong
and believe I can do
it,” he said. ■
PTI
Phelps tastes first defeat
Michael Phelps was jolted by a rare defeat and reminded of the work that lies ahead
after he finished second to Aaron Peirsol in the 100 metres backstroke at the Charlotte
Grand Prix on Saturday. Phelps, on only his second day of competition since his record
eight gold medal haul at the Beijing Olympics, was well beaten to the wall, his time of
53.79 a far cry from Peirsol’s 53.32.
The loss was the 23-year-old American’s first in a final in almost
exactly a year, and his conqueror the same man. It was compatriot
Peirsol who beat Phelps in the 200m backstroke at the Santa Carla
Grand Prix on May 17. “I don’t like to lose and Aaron has the upper
hand in our races right now,” Phelps said. After sweeping the 200m
freestyle and 100m butterfly on Friday – events he won in Beijing –
Phelps stepped out of his comfort zone to take on world record
holder Peirsol in the backstroke. The result was a spanking defeat,
and a sobering reminder of the challenge the American faces to
topple the two-time Olympic champion at the 2012 London Games.
Reuters
 Monday, May 18, 2009
09

‘‘
I think individuals should be a little careful with some of the things they say. I believe Chris
(Gayle) still loves Test match cricket, and maybe he wouldn’t have made these comments if he
had been thinking clearly. I honestly feel that this is not what he genuinely believes, and if it is, it is a
total betrayal of the game that raised him.
Sir Viv Richards reacting to Windies skipper Chris Gayle’s comment regarding the death of Test cricket

Beautiful game prevails

B
arcelona blew away the cobwebs of the
Frank Rijkaard era to lift their first title in
two years, triumphing with a swagger and
some eye-catching football that left their
fans and neutrals purring. Real Madrid were
dreaming of a third successive league title but
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola defied his inexpe-
rience using the attacking talents of Lionel Messi,
Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto’o to perfection as they
gunned down their rivals and helped win a 19th
league title.
Barca led for most of the season and their at-
tacking style drew comparisons with Johan
Cruyff’s “Dream Team”, in which Guardiola
played a part. The inexperienced Guardiola, a for-
mer Barcelona midfielder promoted from youth
team coach, replaced Rijkaard at the young age
of 37 and was pitted against Real’s far more expe-
rienced coach Bernd Schuster. Real had failed in
their bid to lure Valencia’s David Villa and Man-
chester United’s Ronaldo and had an early set-
back when Brazilian Robinho jumped ship to
in sty le
w i n t i t l e
B arca
Manchester City on Septem-
ber 1.
Barcelona signed Dani Alves for 30 million
euros from Sevilla and his capture, along with
Gerard Pique’s from Manchester United, proved
pivotal to their title success. Both rivals began
by losing their opening matches, with promot-
ed Numancia defeating Barca 1-0 while Real
lost 2-1 at bogey side Deportivo La Coruna.
Guardiola was left waiting for his first win as
Barca drew 1-1 with Racing Santander and one
point from a possible six represented their
worst start since the 1973/74 campaign. Real
defeated Numancia 4-3 to get an early edge in
the title race but from there on in it would be
Barca who set the pace winning nine games in a
row. A rejuvenated Eto’o scored four goals in
the first half during a 6-0 thrashing of Vallado-
lid in early November. With 12 games gone Real
trailed Barca by three points and hit a rocky
patch at the end of November losing 3-1 against
derby rivals Getafe followed by a 4-3 home loss
against Sevilla.
In contrast Barca cruised past Sevilla (3-0) and
Valencia (4-0) to open up a nine-point gap
ahead of ’El Clasico’ at Camp Nou in mid-Decem-
ber. Schuster, complaining about referees and
injuries, tempted fate by saying Real had no
chance of beating Barcelona. Real lost, and
Schuster was sacked. Juande Ramos, a free
agent after being sacked by Tottenham Hot-
spur, was handed a six-month contract at Real
and had a baptism of fire with his first league
match against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Eto’o
and Messi fired a goal apiece in the final seven
minutes to seal a 2-0 win as Barca opened up a
12-point gap at the top in mid-December. At the
halfway stage Barca set a new record of 50
points, beating the previous best of 47 points
set by Real last season. ■
AFP

FC Barcelona’s supporters celebrate at Canaletas Source at

Ramblas in Barcelona following their team’s victory in the
Spanish league title. PHOTO: AFP
10 FLICK ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

Jacko denies skin cancer report

Michael Jackson’s spokesperson has dismissed reports
claiming that the singer has skin cancer. “He is great,”
Dr. Tohme Tohme told the New York Daily News. “He’s
in perfect health... he doesn’t have any diseases
whatsoever,” Tohme added.

My earlier films

‘I’m actually taller were somehow

connected with
the entertainment
industry and
therefore they had

than Deepika’
SUBHASH K. JHA
a direct or indirect
bearing on my
life. But in Kartik
Calling Kartik I’m
totally out of
character

B
ollywood actors aren’t normally comfortable pairing up with tall ac-
tresses, but director-turned-actor Farhan Akhtar had no problems work-
ing with Deepika Padukone in Kartik Calling Kartik and says she isn’t
taller than him as believed by many.
The fun element spilt over on the sets of Kartik Calling Kartik when Deepika
decided to end the controversy about how tall she is.
“So far I presumed she was taller. I had even measured her height on my talk
show Oye! It’s Friday and I was okay with the fact that she looked taller than
me. I’ve absolutely no problem being shorter than my heroine,” Farhan says.
“She made me stand next to her. And to my surprise she turned out to be no
taller. In fact, maybe I’m a half inch taller than her. Deepika says she isn’t as
tall as she looks. It comes from having long legs I guess,” he added.
Farhan, who debuted as an actor with Rock On!! last year, admits he is
having a ball shooting for director Vijay Lalvani’s Kartik Calling Kartik.
“My earlier films were somehow connected with the entertainment indus-
try and therefore they had a direct or indirect bearing on my life. But in Kartik
Calling Kartik I’m totally out of character. Also, in all my films so far I play a
troubled introvert. In Kartik... I start off as an introvert and then become a
totally flamboyant guy. It’s fun,” he says.
But at the same time he is itching to get back to direction.
“Given a chance I’d like to direct a film this year. Unfortunately Voice From
The Sky didn’t work out and I start Don 2 next year,” says Farhan, who has
directed films like Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Lakshya (2004) and Don - The Chase
Begins Again (2006).
While Farhan’s father Javed Akhtar scripted his version of Don, a remake of
the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan-starrer of the same name, the sequel is Farhan’s
idea.
“When I opted for an open ending in Don I wasn’t leaving room for a sequel.
I just wanted to show that the protagonist is cleverer than everyone else. But
now that ending comes in handy to carry the story forward into a sequel,” he
says.
Farhan confirms that the film will star Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Cho-
pra. “But there are lots of supporting cast that will change.” ■
IANS

Sean Penn is a Kung Fu Panda to be

friend and colleague
A ctor Natalie Portman has
broken her silence on her
reported romantic alliance with
Sean Penn and clarified that she
is not dating him.
The actress insists the romance
story is “completely untrue” and
she’s appalled that the media has
linked her to Penn, who recently
split from wife Robin Wright,
reports imdb.com.
In a statement to US news
show Extra, she said: “Sean Penn
is a friend and colleague. The
reports that we are romantically
involved are completely untrue. I
normally do not respond to
rumours about my private life.
However, this repeatedly
fabricated story has forced me to
do so.” ■
IANS
adapted into TV series
H it animated movie Kung Fu Panda
is set to come to the small screen
in the form of an adapted TV series.
The 2008 comedy blockbuster,
which held the vocals of Jack Black
and Angelina Jolie, had courted
success with 400 million pounds
worldwide.
The film, directed by John
Stevenson and Mark Osborne, had
also bagged a nomination for an
Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards,
reports the Daily Express.
And now, a 26-episode series of
Kung Fu Panda is being produced for
popular cable kids’ network
Nickelodeon.
The show is slated to air in 2010,
though whether any of the stars will
reprise their roles or not remains to
be revealed. ■
ANI
 Monday, May 18, 2009

Veteran filmmaker Prakash Mehra dead

11
Veteran Bollywood filmmaker Prakash Mehra died in Mumbai on Sunday morning after a prolonged
illness. He was 69. Mehra died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai
Ambani Hospital, said family sources. Mehra catapulted to fame with Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Zanjeer
(1973), which also gave Bollywood its ‘angry young man’. He also gave hits like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,
Sharabi, Laawaris and Namak Halal. Zanjeer (1973)
IANS

Hollywood biggies for

S E N D I N G IN Rajinikanth’s
T O R Y T R ACK E O F ‘Endhiran’
G E N T S R E M I S
TWO DIVE
R SIC P
A clutch of Hollywood biggies are

M T H E B A T A I N I N G , coming on board for Rajinikanth’s

I M AX FO R I S ENTE R upcoming film, Endhiran.

O N E C L ONE H A L F Budgeted at $24 million, the film is

’ . W H I L E LE
being touted as one of the most

‘SARVAM TURNS PREDICTAB

expensive movies
ever shot in India
– and its credits
R
THE OTHE
include some of
Hollywood’s major
woo the names, reports
is sure to
sha , h e neat per- contactmusic.com.
eside Tri another she has
track. B dience. It is yet r, To name a few,
u a docto
female a from Trisha. As Special mention the Stan Winston
a n c e e s t.
form the b e design
er. special effects
RIYA part to e costum scenes in the
V. HARIP ergo.in e rs o n s d one her h a n , th l house is creating a
@go nt p Vard
s for Anu r, too many hos ave been avoid-
pita
haripriya o differe robot that will be
re a c ti on of tw loved ones form s H o w e ve ie c o u ld h set in a replica of
h e se their tional’ the mo v movie is

T
th e y lo In te rn a t h a lf o f o f th e Mun-
when g a ra n a in fi rs d p a rt s ts o f Rajinikanth.
e c ru x of Ayn a a n d Trish d . T h e secon d a rk , w ild fore a thrill- Other Hollywood
ry - e , f
th
. S tarring A ctor Vishnuvard n a r. T he cold p p e a rance o tor
Sarv a m dire hly Mu n vie th e a port. Ac big names to join
le s , S a rvam is
ry a a ft e r the hig t- nar give the mo play plays spoils used bet- the project are
lead ro with A nd Pa screen been
ird film malum a but the uld have logues
han’s th Arindhum Ariya wood thrillers, er Chakravarthy co enacing, his dia ighly costume designer Mary E. Vogt, who
im e d H o ll y - J. D . o k s m b e h created the costumes in Batman
accla le of te sto he lo ut to
y a l. S e t in the sty with two separa busy ter. Though rful and turn o Returns and Men in Black, fight-
ti ovie ), a e
is one m hik (Arya not pow Indrajith
Sarvam rst involves Kart lls in love with are titive. a a n is cute. iraj,
scene designer Woo-Ping Yuen,
ries. The
fi who fa sec- re p e an as Im r Prithv whose credits include Kill Bill and
it e c t in Chennai, ediatrician. The ar- M a ster Roh rother of acto arvam. As The Matrix, and an unnamed
arch a pa akrav , b ith S
(Trisha), (J.D. Ch kumaran Tamil w quate.
Sandhya is about Eshwar enge by killing Su es his debut in ohan, he is ade hia- Hollywood make-up artiste assigned
s to ry a c t re v (I n - m a k a s te r R a p s yc to co-star and lead actress Aishwarya
ond to ex of Naush
ad of M eo as
o wants e father kes a cam r Raja, though
thy), wh ster Rohan), son identally killed th Poth a n m a
anka
Rai.
a
Imaan (M umaran), who a
cc Prathap uvan Sh sung the The movie is currently in its fourth
u k is t. M u sic by Y d. Ilaiyaraja has van has
S r
drajith d son. whethe tr his best, is goo hile Yu month of production and will take
s wife an ad pair, t movie, w
Eshwar’ ppens to the le nds of Eshwar no ning song of the another year to complete.
What ha es from the ha inate in one ope , while
a p lm g tw o n umbers. am is enjoyable IANS
s c u n rv
Imaan e stories c rvam. Though su e first part of Sa hly predictable. tog-
the two of Sa Th hig a
and how re s t ir e d b y p a rt is nt cinem
a x fo rms th e
a id to be ins p
a 2 1 th e secon d
m fo r it s excelle rse, for Arya
cli m e s ram arv a co u
ie can b inated d Watch S av Shah and, of emistry is su-
the mov emy Award-nom py of the film. y b y N ir c re e n ch
d o h n s
2003 Aca is not an exact
c
t in C h ennai, rap risha, whose o
, se dT
Grams, it half of the story anks to Nirav an . ■
The first and vibrant, th her. Arya is perb
rful grap
is colou film’s cinemato of the voluble
e n e
Shah, th and reminds o
c io u s g a m . The
viva M o una Ra
in rt
Karthik to cou
e tries
ways h ds fun to the
d
Trisha a does not have
th at
mo v ie omedy
p a rate c
a se

Jeeva in Bala’s
next?
We hear that actor Jeeva is
discussing his next project with
director Bala. Sources say that
Jeeva’s brother Ramesh might
also play an important role in the
film, if everything goes well.
Jeeva will be seen in dual role in
Singam Puli, to be directed by Sai
Ramani. He will also be seen in
Kutchery, directed by
Thiraivannan.
12 ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

Friday’s Query:
One compelling reason why you should be
given the ‘Best Employer’ award
■ To show my physics lecturer that I’m also worth since she used to scold
me as u r fit for nothing.
Saranya.M, Cognizant
■ Positive attitude leads to good performance results in great productivity.
Karthikeyan.C, Servion
■ Regular attendance and scheduled check out.
Yuva, CSS
■ I give my team mates ample of opportunities to prosper by sacrificing
my work to them and sitting idle.
Lachi, TCS
■ I don’t harass my PL asking for favours. I approach him once in 6 months
for my rating.
Lakshman, TCS
■ I’m the only one in my team who doesn’t put kadalai.
Conan, Accenture
■ Appraisal/promotion will not be given at this recession period. To make Ragav from TCS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This
the employees cool, they should be given award at least. picture was clicked at Mysore Palace.
Ramya Jayaseelan, Cognizant
■ All my team mates have at least one award each. Their hands are full.
So obvious choice is me.
Raju, TCS

Today’s Query:
Your expectations from the new government

A man joined a new job. First day he worked till late evening on the computer.
Boss was happy and asked him what he did till evening
Man: Keyboard alphabets were not in order so I made it alright.
Fameeda, IGT
Gurunathan J. from FL Smidth Ltd. has nominated his friends as
Partners in Crime. This photo was clicked in front of the Silver
Cascade Falls during their Kodaikanal trip.

Senthil
Arjunan of
Calsoft
Ltd.
doodled
this.

Balaji Padmanabhan from Wipro has nominated his friends as

Partners in Crime. This picture was clicked during their Ooty trip at
Botanical Garden.
 Monday, May 18, 2009
■ Dear Kousalya (from sify Ltd),
Once a year I get the chance to wish
you birthday cheer. It pleases me no
end to say, I wish you another great
year. So happy birthday to you
Kousalya, From the bottom of my
heart. And may your good times
multiply, Till they’re flying off the
chart!
Jayaraman
■ Dear Ratheesh (Aspire Systems) &
Chandralekha (HP)
Your anniversary marks the day
When you both said "I do." The two
of you became as one, A marriage
bright and new. Now time has
passed; your love is strong;
You passed the early test.
Your tender bond grows with passing
time; Your marriage is the kind that’s
best! Wishing you both a very special
1st wedding anniversary.
Enjoy the special day :)
With tons of love & Wishes
Heera
■ Dear Suganya (Sugan Kanya)
Some things are left undone, some
words are left unsaid, some feelings
are left unexpressed, but someone as
nice as you could never be left
unwished. May you grow to be
toothless!! ;-)
Happy Birthday!
Trizetto Product Support Team,
Infosys Technologies Ltd, Sholinganallur
■ Hi Ameer (The mokkai King),
We all wish you a very very happy
birthday :-) We wish every new
steppings for you will give success
and happiness throughout the life :-)
Have a great day and wonderful life
ahead :-)
Cheers,
Customer World Lab
■ Dear (Maami) Kala,
You know you are getting old, when
the candles cost more than the cake,
but you pretend you don’t know.
That’s why we pretended that we
forgot your birthday. The secret of
staying young is to live honestly, eat
slowly, and lie about your age and
that’s what you were doing all these
days. We wanna say "May God Bless
You". But "Vazhtha Vayadhillai
Adhanal Vanagugirom!!" Jokes
Apart!! May you acquire all that you
desire and each passing years be
filled with joy. Belated Birthday
Wishes!!
Lokesh, Naresh, Rajan, Gokul, Venmathi,
Deepa, Savi and DN029 folks CTS
■ Dear Beaconian,
You always do such thoughtful
things. That have your special touch.
It certainly was nice of you all,
Thanks very, very much!
U always make my day special!
With love, Aswini. Team Beacon.
HCL Technologies Ltd.
■ Dear Anitha…
On this your birthday, I wish YOU a
life of blessedness. May all your
fondest dreams come true,
That with every candle on your
birthday cake,
a lovely surprise await you. My wish
for you -that whatsoever
you want most in life-come your way,
just the way you imagined it or
maybe better. I hope YOU treasure
this friendship and nothing can
succedaneum this, as much I do.
Look forward, for many more happy
birthdays to follow, in friendship
with YOU, Here is a wish coming in
this wonderful occasion for you from
your friends…
Happy Birthday dear friend.
Ur ever dear frenz,
Vaishu, Sowdha, Chitra, Jsree, Vino,
Saranya, Priyaa, Nithya, Revathi, Usha,
Devi. HCL Technologies Ltd.
■ Dear kuchi (Sathish kumar),
Nee paakuradhukku dhan Fire Sticku,
Aana engalukku theriyum nee oru
Joy Stick nu, Nee irukuradhu olli, Nee
adippa Solli. This msg has No Fat. No
cholesterol and No Addictive. This is
all natural except, with a lot of
sugar. But it can never be as sweet as
the one reading it. Happy Birthday.
Oru treatku evlo vilambaram panna
vendi irukku ...
With love and wished from,
Cognizant-eBay eTesting team.
■ Dear Sudhir,
The stars wishes U,The brightness of
moon wishes U, The sunshine wishes
U,The waves wishes U,The flowers
wishes U, The morning wishes U,
The wish wishes U, The last but not
the least a heartless wishes U "happy
birthday" on today.
With Cheers
FBSC WO-NA Team.
■ Dear Nirmal,
Team DTCC Wishes you many more
happy returns of the day. Have a
great day and wonderful year ahead.
Cheers from Team DTCC
■ Hi Deepa,
Many more happy returns of the
day.. May you have all the joy your
heart can hold, All the smiles a day
can bring, All the blessings a life can
unfold, May you have Gods best in
everything. Wishing u a Happy
Birthday :-)
Regards, Yogesh, Wipro Technologies.
Belated Wishes
■ Hi Meenu jiii ,
Many many happy returns of the day.
Vish u a very happy bthday !!!
may u achieve all ur targets in life.
Happy birthday once again !!!
Frm, MSRDS
■ Dear olli kuchhhu vodambu karee
(Yathu Krishna)
May this birthday be just the
beginning of a year filled with happy
memories, wonderful moments and
shining dreams. A year not just older,
but newer and better. Belated
Piranda naal vaazhthukkal! Okay!
Now! Let’s get straight to the point
... Where is the PARTY tonight?
Cheerz,
Brindha, Rakhee, Gaya3, Tharani
■ Dear Swami,
Belated birthday wishes to you!!
May God’s blessings be with you all
through you life!! Wishing you all
fun and happiness!!!
Friends,
New Age Software and Solutions.
Ashok Nagar.
■ Hi Valar,
Wish You a Many More Happy
Returns of the Day Valar Mathi.
Wish you a very happy year. Wish all
a very success Akka
Best Wishes & Regards from,
Your Friends & AU members.
■ Dear Ramesh,
Wish you Many more happy return of
the day, May your Birthday bring you
as much Joy, happiness and Success.
when treat?
Best Wishes from MacLellan Team –
Chennai
■ Hi Ramya,
Wishing you a Happy Birthday and
many more to come.
We hope all your birthday dreams
and wishes come true.
Not just a year older, but a year
better.
Here’s to another year of experience.
A simple celebration, a gathering of
friends; here is wishing you great
happiness, a joy that never ends.
A birthday is just the first day of
another 365-day journey around the
sun. Enjoy the trip.
With Love & Care, Wipro Friends
■ Dear Ravi Daddy,
Wish you belated birthday wishes
and wish you all success.
By, R5 team, HCL Tech
■ Dear Beaku - End Ganapathi,
Andaavil Paal kudithu Tea Masterai
vazha vaikkum NALLAVANAE
13
Muchanthiyil amarndhu kondu office
velayai thavira matra anaithu
velaykalaium parthukondu irrukum
VITHAGANAE
Adikadi Thotrathai mattri, PENGAL
manathil edam pidikka ninaikkum
KALVANAE
Officil angum ingum nagar valam
vanthukondu irrukum PITHANAE
Tamizh pughazhai parappa ninaithu
tamil kalacharathai
MARANTHAVANAE
Peruketrathai pola nadanthae
ulagathai sutrum NAYAGANAE
Ketkamalae (ONLY Advice) alli
kodukkum kodai VALLALAE
Oyvu arayil projectai kalainthayum
kadamai unnarchi ULLAVANAE
Pala mozhigalai pesi asatha ninaithu
mathravaragali imsai paduthum
THENAVANAE
Iniya Pirantha Naal Vazhthukal
kaanum NANBANAE
Intha Pirantha naal muthal un
Vinayaga THERU - Vilayadal
Nirkattume....
Ur Loveable Good Hearts
Non-Tandem Testing Team, Financial
Software & Systems Pvt Ltd.,
■ Dear Paalgova (Suresh);
Engal F.D avargaluku, Manamarntha
Pirantha Naal Valthukal… Beyond sick
Leave,casual Leave & LOP, U have
introduced a New Concept called
Suresh Leave. Dont competite with
UR FSS Brother for Tomato, Potato,
Onion,etc.. Wish u Many More Happy
Returns Of the Day..
Ur loveable Good Hearts
Non-Tandem Testing Team, Financial
Software & systems
■ Hi Thala,
Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up
enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. So “No
tension, Be happy ya...”
(Actor Vadivelu style). Wishing you a
happy and a great year ahead..
Happy Birthday Revathi ST..
By,
Your Loving 23 and 24 batch friends.
Cognizant Technology Solutions
■ Hi Khumari (ZILL ZILL),
Wishing you all the great things in
life. We hope the rest of the days will
bring u an extra share of all that
makes you happiest. May all ur
dreams comes true.
Wishing you advance happy married
life.
(Print Que) Team
M.Mohammed Sherbudin, M. Prabhu
prakash Team leader, Arul, Hiresh, Jay
Kumar, Abdul Rahman, Bhakyalakshmi,
Bhuvaneswari, Manikam, Thulasi And
Bigten Team, Technosoft Global Services Pvt
Ltd, DLF Chennai
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

Tree frog undergoes surgery

A tree frog ripped apart by a lawnmower
has been stitched back together after
undergoing life-saving surgery in Australia.

sudoku

D. Adhivaragan
from Indus BPO
Services shot this
picture at the
Thiruvanathapuram
zoo using a Canon
digital camera.
Hobbies: chatting
and photography

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.

So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the
KAKURO
platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit.
E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Monday, May 18, 2009
Blind man wins lottery, buys glasses
A legally blind Australian man is celebrating a multi-million
dollar lottery win by buying himself a new pair of glasses.
15
Word’s worth
Undaftiness (un-daf-tee-nuhs) untidiness. The word
associated with the ’tidy’ part is not daft ’silly,’ but the
dialect word deft, meaning ’tidy, pretty.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Sorry, planets aren’t in favour of your giving a
spellbinding performance. And though discussions
carried out in office may lead you nowhere, you will
be armed with information you didn’t no existed till
yesterday.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Your conversational abilities will gain prominence
today. In meetings that you attend, you will be able
to put across your ideas in a way that they are
readily accepted. Since orders you pass will sound
like requests, you’ll get work done in no time.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Your get-up-and-go attitude will see you juggle
BORN LOSER more than one task today. Ganesha advises you do
some research before undertaking a project. In love
life, your expert moves will whip up unbridled
passion in your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Wasting time on insignificant tasks will prove
regressive for your career and may hamper your
path to progress. And it’s obvious that this may
lead to mood swings. But your beloved will handle
you so well that you’ll start feeling better.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ganesha says you may encounter some complex
problems at work today. But don’t throw in the
towel, says Ganesha, not yet. Though you may
emerge a master negotiator in office, at home, it
will be your sweetheart who will rule the roost.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Your motto for the day is, “Work is worship”. The
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT only thoughts that will occupy you is career and
matters related to your career. However, Ganesha
wants you to focus on all issues equally.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

If you think a raise is long overdue, then today’s
the day to ask your boss for an increment. If not a
pay hike, then a sense of satisfaction arising from a
secure job will keep you smiling. You may plan to
have a sumptuous meal with your sweetheart.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
The going may not be too good in office today.
Don’t let delays in some projects exasperate you.
Remember, says Ganesha, patience is virtue. In love,
you may decide to give a whole new meaning to
your relationship.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Today’s quite a challenge for you. A hectic schedule
awaits you, but already, you’re feeling drowsy and
lethargic. So, what to do? Here’s what Ganesha
says you shouldn’t do: don’t start anything new in
office today. Postpone fresh projects
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
There’ll be a race in office today to be in the boss’
good books. So gear up for cut-throat competition
at the workplace. Though things may seem normal,
Ganesha advises you to be wary of what’s
happening around you.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS A tight rein on your mood swings will help you live
this day more joyously. A cool-headed approach to
ISSUE’S work is the only way to handle multiple tasks
tactfully. However, this seemingly tough day will
SOLUTIONS certainly end on a positive note.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha advises you to draw a line between
personal and professional life so that neither is
affected by the other. You’ll be neck-deep in work,
and so won’t get any breaks today.

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 ! ERGO Monday, May 18, 2009

US actor Emile Hirsch and his girlfriend Brianna

Domont arrive for the movie Taking Woodstock
in competition at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.
AFP PHOTO / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
The roofs of many houses barely emerge from the flooded streets in
Trizidela do Vale, a small town on the banks of the Mearin river,
northern Brazil. AFP PHOTO / ANTONIO SCORZA

Rafael Nadal celebrates with his nephew after

winning the semi-final against Serbian Novak Characters Dug (L) and Russell (R) and actor Bob Peterson arrive for the
Djokovic at the ATP Madrid Open tennis premiere of Disney Pixar’s Up at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
tournament. AFP PHOTO / JAVIER SORIANO AFP PHOTO / VALERIE MACON