A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, December 29, 2008

05 09
FIRST INNINGS HIGHS AND LOWS
Now, process your loan application of 2008 cricket season
online at BankBazaar.com

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 247

Saaral started
as an Orkut
MY 2009
community of
five members.
MY RESOLUTION
It is now an
NGO with 5,000
people working
for the
underprivileged.
» PAGE 03

Many drops in New Year’s approaching and you’re probably

thinking how you’ll make next year different and
better than the year that went by. You’re likely to
have a New Year resolution, too. Tell us about it.
Besides “I’ll quit smoking” or “I’ll visit the gym

Saaral’s ocean
more often”, what else can you think of? Get
innovative. Tell us about your resolution in 200
words and send it to us at feedback@goergo.in
with the subject line ‘RESOLUTION’ before Tuesday
noon.
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

Friends circle
Vodafone Essar has introduced the ‘Friends Circle’ offer, where Vodadone
customers can make calls to their friends at 20 paise/minute. A maximum
of five local numbers can be added by both the post-paid and pre-paid
customer. To activate this service send sms to FRIENDS to 144 (toll free).

We won it
Team Kamikaze comprising Abi, Zayd,
CHENNAI TO TRIVANDRUM
Anish and Sandeep won the ‘Call of Duty
4’ tournament at Blur, Sathyam Cinemas.
The competition saw a total of 24 teams
that registered, bringing close to a
hundred participants last week to the
event.
The winners walked away with prizes
CYCLING
totalling Rs. 75, 000. Usual Suspects
They come from a
(Navin, Rahul, Faraz and Abhimanyu)
came second and bagged prizes worth Rs. country where the bi-
35, 000. cycle is used exten-
sively as the best
mode of transport.
But, when the two
came to Chennai on
an expedition they
made at least a few
heads turn. Couple
Roel Vermeulen and
Wieteke Willemen
are from the Nether-
land, and have come
to carry out a cycle
expedition in India.
Their expedition
started on the Thiru-
vanmiyur beach in
Chennai on Sunday
and will conclude in
Trivandrum. What al-
so makes their trip in-
teresting is that they
will not be using any
other mode of trans-
port. They will be
touching Puducherry
and Madurai before
reaching Kerala. The
trip is being orga-
nised by TI Cycles. Roel Vermeulen and Wieteke
Willemen on East Coast Road,
Thiruvanmiyur. PHOTO: N. SRIDHARAN

dence. After one dials the

Drug trade behind
bars
A gangster based in central
Chennai, who recently made hea-
dlines for frequent paroles from
Puzhal Prison, is well-known as
the ‘drug don’ among inmates.
The reason – the gangster and his
aides, who are in prison for drug-
dealing, run a monopolised drug
trade inside the prison with the
blessings of some corrupt jail
cops.
The cupid-struck
are cupid struck teens who elope
with their respective boyfriends.
The couple return home after a
while and parents withdrawing
the ‘missing’ complaint have be-
come increasingly common in
the suburbs, reliable police
sources reveal.
number, a woman usually picks
up the phone only to reply ‘wrong
number’ in an angry tone to the
caller. Little does the woman or
the callers on the other end know
that a change in number for the
station hasn’t been recorded yet
with the police phone number
database.
For son’s sake
A senior khaki attached to the
traffic police in the city is running
pillar to post to revoke a probable
transfer that can arrive any day

Suburban police are in a fix

over the escalating number of
teenage girl missing cases there.
The fact is that almost all of them
aren’t abducted for ransom but
Wrong number
The telephone number of No-
lambur police station available
listed on the police phone direc-
tory is actually that of a resi-
on his table. The officer, who has
earned a clean chit in service,
prefers to be in the city only be-
cause of his son who is in class XII
and will be writing his Board ex-
ams in April.
 Monday, December 29, 2008
In the spirit of Christmas
The Yellow Bus, a play home with a difference for children between two and four years, celebrated Christmas on
its premises in Besant Nagar. Suri Srinivasan, GM, HR HCL Technologies was the chief guest.
The Bus members celebrated the festivities by participating with underprivileged children attending a pre-school
run by an NGO Mangaiyarkarasi Mahalir Mandram in Shastri Nagar, Adyar.
Raindrops
on roses
From a humble start with five members, today
Alekhya Banerjee has 5,000 people to help her
carry out different volunteering roles
ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY
S
ometimes simple gestures
make the biggest difference.
‘Saaral’ (Tamil for ‘drizzle’),
an NGO, is an apt example.
It began as a community on Or-
kut that had five members who
wanted to lend a hand to the un-
derprivileged and has now grown
into a registered NGO of more
than 100 active members in
Chennai alone. What’s more,
they’re planning to open up
branches in three other cities.
Alekhya Banerjee (24) has al-
ways been part of the social ser-
vice scene. Right from childhood,
she has been helping orphanages
during birthdays and special oc-
casions by donating clothes, gifts
and whatever she could. In 2005,
she started Saaral on Orkut to
make it a medium where those
who wanted to help the poor
could contact her and they pool
in things to give in.
“When I was young my dad
used to take me along to orphan-
ages during my birthday and oth-
er occasions. When Orkut came
around, a lot of people were start-
ing communities on every little
thing and I wanted to be different
and it clicked. No one in my ini-
tial team was related to me in
anyway. We would post threads
on events or things we could pos-
sibly do and carry it out together.
We help only those orphanages
that are not so well-known and
are genuinely in need of provi-
sions,” Alekhya explains.
Small steps
The Saaral team’s first orphan-
age visit was in 2006 where they
donated medicines, clothes, paid
fees for over 100 children and
helped in construction work. This
was the start of many more such
events, on a bi-monthly basis,
which eventually led to the com-
munity’s membership increasing
from the initial five to its current
strength of 5,000, a majority of
them being techies.
Finally, in August this year, the
community became a registered
NGO with a team of 16 members
who arrange for activities and
pool in provisions to distribute to
various orphanages, old-age
homes and homes for the under-
(Clockwise) Saaral’s
team gathers for a
photo shoot at a
home; gifting and
sharing; and
Alekhya Banerjee,
who spearheaded
it all
03
privileged.
Tech-savvy
“The purpose of registering
ourselves as an NGO was to instil
confidence in people about our
genuineness. People are more ac-
tive in contributing when it is a
registered NGO rather then a
community. Following this, Saa-
ral’s growth has been tremen-
dous and I attribute its success to
the many people who were with
me from the very beginning. Ma-
nivendan, our coordinator, has
been a very important person in
the group. Anitha, vice-president,
actively involves herself in all ac-
tivities. Krishna is our website
and documentary designer and
editor. He’s done a fabulous job
so far.”
A tech-savvy NGO, the team
not only communicates online
and has documentaries of its var-
ious activities but has also
formed an active SMS group that
updates members about future
events.
This Christmas, the team left
‘wish’ boxes at different orphan-
ages so that kids could drop in
their wishes. They are in the
process of making those wishes
come true and are also planning
to spend New Year with those
kids.
“Every time you spend a day
with them you cannot leave with-
out getting emotional. The chil-
dren never want to let you go
because they become so at-
tached. We want to keep them
happy and we’re trying our best. I
give you my word that Saaral will
definitely go places,” exclaims its
proud founder. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
WHITEWORD
Crossword without the black spots!
Daily Investment Systematic
Investment Plan
Bharti Axa Investment Managers has come
out with what is probably the first Daily
Investment Systematic Investment Plan.
The idea is to reduce your average
purchase cost by entering the markets
everyday, with a small investment amount
starting right from Rs 300. This could be a
good instrument for salaried employees
who have income flow through out the
month.
People like sales professionals who get
reimbursements every week could use this
instrument to get into the habit of
compulsive saving.
For more details check
www.bhartiaxa-im.com
Previously, we looked at the basics of tax and why the
government gives you tax benefits. Let us look at
various parts of income tax calculation
TAXABLE INCOME = SUM OF ALL
INCOMES – EXEMPTED INCOME –
DEDUCTIONS – DEDUCTIONS
UPON REIMBURSEMENT
In simpler terms
The income on which the govern-
ment charges income tax is called as
Taxable Income. This is different
from your actual earnings. Although
you earn X amount of rupees Go-
vernment will only charge you on a
portion of it and give you “discount”
based on your contributions to na-
tion building activities directly or in-
directly.
Sum of all incomes
It is the total of all the kinds of
inflows into your kitty. This would
include- Your salary, Rent from your
property, Profit/loss from any busi-
ness you are involved in, Capital
gains (profit from any investment)
and all other types of incomes.
ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008
Tax planning
demystified
Exempted Income
These are those earnings which
will be subtracted from your total in-
come. This will include- Earnings
from Agriculture, Pension received
(provided your age is >45 years and
the pension is less than a third of
your total income), Insurance
claims, House rent allowance (40%
of your basic or actual received whi-
chever is lower), Upto Rs 800 as con-
veyance, Profits from long term
investments (>3 years) in Shares/Eq-
uity based mutual funds.
Deductions
These are the amounts subtracted
from your salary provided you have
spent money on them.
These include – EPF, PPF, Chil-
dren’s Fees, NSC, Principal compo-
nent of housing loan, Insurance
premium, Pension plan premium,
ELSS Mutual funds, Bank deposits
with >5 years lock in. You will get
benefit only on the amount actually
spent up to a maximum of Rs 1 lakh.
Apart from the above we get addi-
tional savings by spending on – med-
ical insurance premium(<15k),
Interest on housing loan (Upto 1.5
lakh), donations to registered char-
ity, Persons with physical disability
get a further deduction of Rs 50,000
to 75,000 based on severity.
Reimbursement based deductions
Only applicable if you show bills
and get reimbursement. This in-
cludes medical bills (upto 15K), LTA
(twice in four years), Food coupons,
Actual expenses on higher
education.
Bottomline
We need to try to make sure that
our taxable income is as low as pos-
sible by using all the above “dis-
counts” given by our Government.
Next week we will look at how best to
do it. ■
 Monday, December 29, 2008
05
Business plan competition
The IFIM Business School, Bangalore invites entries for the business plan competition they are
conducting as part of Panorama-09. The competition is being conducted as part of the National
Entrepreneurship Week, scheduled between February 9 and 14, 2009. Log on to www.ifimbschool.com/
about_ethon.html. Contact professor Shinu Abhi 99729 16030 for further details.

Bank on us: The BankBazaar team at their office. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

DON’T MOAN
ABOUT LOANS
Bankbazaar claims to give info on the best loan
deals and process your loan application online
offers free financial services to friend, ‘Go back to the US. See if
customers, be it helping you Deloitte will take you back. This
compare the best loan or even will not work,’” recalls Arjun. Or,
process your application online. to hear the COO of a bank tell the
It was started by three US-re- team, “I see this bunch of you
turned professionals – Adhil people, all under-30…, but you
Shetty, Arjun Shetty and Rati Raj- really need to convince me why
Thanks to Rati’s dad, they start-
ed functioning from the small cu-
bicle they got in the Velvette
Building on Dr. Ambedkar Road.
“Until we started stepping on
each other we worked from the
small space,” Arjun laughs. They
have risked their well-paying jobs
to join the start-up.
Funding? “Each of us brought
out our personal savings,” says
Rati. This apart, they had their
former bosses and colleagues
helping them during their second

D
o you hate going to one of
those banks? You are com-
pletely lost filling details
on that pink chalan or lis-
tening to the smart executive tell
you about the reduced interest
rate on loans. In the end, nothing
tangible enters your head. Well,
this “neutral” online marketplace
could be your stop for the ump-
teen queries you have on the best
rate of interest, credit cards and
insurance products financial in-
stitutions have in store.
Bankbazaar.com is one among
the youngest entrants to tap the
growling online market, where it
kumar – who promise to be a
company that is here to grow and
stay.
The current economic scenario
is at least not conducive for take-
off, we remark. “Google started
during the dotcom bust. It is
tough times, but you need to be
tougher and better,” says Arjun,
formerly with Amazon in Seattle.
The core team – all hailing from
Chennai – are unfazed by what
critics have to say since they
launched 10 months ago(the site
went live in September).
“My parents were freaked out
when they heard from a common
you have to work with me.” eventually hired a little more round of funding.
space until they got the whole So far Bankbazaar has signed
Starting small floor for the 20-strong team who nine contracts, which includes
most of the private sector banks
like HDFC, ABN-Amro, Citi Fi-
IN A Minute nancial, Deutsche Bank, ING
Vyasa Bank, etc. “We are next
Company: Bank Bazaar tapping the public sector banks,”
Started: 2008 says Adhil. “We are seeing a
Founders” Arjun Shetty, Adhil Shetty, Rati Rajkumar healthy growth rate.” ■
Team: 20 (This column celebrates the spirit
Funding: Series A of entrepreneurship. If you are an
Focus Areas: Find your personal and home loans instantly, and entrepreneur with a successful
credit cards business model or know one, write
Website: www.bankbazaar.com to us at firstinnings@goergo.in)
Contact us: 4265 5251
06 VILLAGE
The top ten
political scoops
of 2008 revealed
F
rom Sarah Palin’s shopping
bills to John Edwards’ ‘ex-
tra-marital’ affair, the 2008
US presidential campaign
was full of political scoops.
And now, Politico.com has re-
leased its list of the top ten politi-
cal scoops of 2008, which is:
1. Couric and Palin: CBS an-
chor Katie Couric’s interview
with Sarah Palin turned out to be
quite tough for the now-defeated
vice presidential candidate, who
couldn’t answer simple questions
as to what newspapers she reg-
ularly read.
2. McCain’s houses: In an in-
terview with Politico’s Mike Allen
and Jonathan Martin in August,
John McCain failed to answer
how many houses he owned.
3. Obama on ‘bitter’ small-
town Americans (Huffington
Post): Obama’s worst verbal mis-
step was caught by citizen jour-
nalist Mayhill Fowler-At a San
Francisco fundraiser, Obama
talked about small-town voters
who “get bitter” and “cling to
guns or religion.”
4. Palin’s shopping spree (Poli-
tico): Palin’s image was ques-
tioned when Politico’s Jeanne
Cummings reported that the Re-
publican National Committee
had shelled out US$ 150,000 for
her family’s wardrobe.
5. Clinton camp turmoil
(Washington Post and The Atlan-
tic): Within just two of Hillary
Clinton chalking up wins in Ohio
and Texas, Washington Post’s Pe-
ter Baker and Anne Kornblut re-
vealed bitter squabbling among
her top advisers, including Ha-
rold Ickes and Mark Penn.
6. Jeremiah Wright tapes (ABC
News): The fiery sermons by Oba-
ma’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah
Wright, first aired by ABC’s Brian
Ross, became YouTube staples,
including his “God Damn Amer-
ica!” outbursts and his post-9/11
comments.
7. Network TV’s military analy-
sts (NYT): David Barstow from
NYT exhaustively reported on lu-
crative ties between TV’s military
analysts, the Pentagon and lob-
bying firms.
8 McCain’s inner circle (NYT
Magazine): In “The Making (and
Remaking) of John McCain,” Ro-
bert Draper used his extraordin-
ary access to provide both a
tick-tock of events and overall
portrait of a campaign struggling
relentlessly to craft an effective
message against Obama.
9) Edwards’ extramarital affair :
Although National
Enquirer’s reports on
John Edwards’ affair
were initially ig-
nored, the constant
digging by tabloids
succeeded in a July
stakeout of the Be-
verly Hilton Hotel in
Los Angeles - where
Edwards met with
the woman - and Ed-
wards’ subsequent
admission of an af-
fair in an interview
with ABC’s Bob Woo-
druff.
10) Powell’s en-
dorsement (NBC):
With the campaign
winding down, for-
mer Secretary of
State Colin Powell,
whose support
would benefit either
candidate, told that
was he was bucking
the Republican Party
and backing Obama.
■
ANI
ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008
Dog’s nose
A dog’s nose has over
200 scent-receiving
cells.
Chinese cyclist killed after suicidal
man jumps from 35th floor
A cyclist in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen died
after he was hit by an apparently suicidal man who
jumped from the 35th floor of a nearby building, state
media said on Sunday. The 52-year-old cyclist, surnamed
Li, was making deliveries from his fast-food restaurant
when the jumper landed on him Thursday afternoon, the
official China Daily said. The younger man, surnamed Liu,
was allegedly a drug addict who had moved to Shenzhen
from the north-eastern province of Heilongjiang, the
newspaper quoted local media as saying.
DPA
Couples pucker up in Times Square
for kissing seminar
Fifty couples locked lips in the northern triangle of Times
Square in New York City during a pre-New Year’s kissing
seminar. The seminar, promoting global skin- and body-care
brand Nivea, had been a prelude to the big kiss at the
stroke of midnight on New Year’s. The couples, which had
been handed out free lip-gloss, made contact after the
count down “5-4-3-2-1 Happy New Year,” reports the New
York Daily News. Kissing expert Andrea Demirjian had
graced the venue and advised the crowd on lip-locking
techniques to mark the special moment bringing in the year
2009. She said: “Abstaining is a good way to make the kiss
more special. To know you can’t kiss someone makes you
anticipate it, for both new and old couples.”
ANI
China sets up fund for victims
of tainted milk powder
China’s dairy producers have set up a fund to
compensate victims of melamine-tainted milk powder,
which apparently led to the death of at least six infants
and may have sickened tens of thousands of others,
state media said on Sunday. The China Dairy Industry
Association said it set up the fund from 22 dairy
producers implicated in the scandal, who “hope to earn
understanding and forgiveness of the families of the
sickened children” through the move. All victims will
get a one-time cash payment, the association said
without specifying the amount or other details of the
compensation.
DPA
Royal displeasure to bankers
The British Queen has backed moves to scrap leading
bankers and financiers from her New Year’s honours list
because they helped cause the current global economic
crisis, a newspaper reported on Sunday.
The traditional honours list, to be unveiled this week,
contains “few, if any” high-ranking awards for
financiers, the Mail on Sunday reported, citing the
omission as a case of “royal displeasure” on the part of
Queen Elizabeth II. Traditionally, the list honours
prominent City figures in recognition of their role in
making London the centre of the global economy and
for supporting charities. But the paper quoted an
unnamed source as saying such a move would be
inappropriate in the current climate.
IANS
Monday, December 29, 2008
07
08 SPORT ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

Goodbye
India’s most hard-working soldier over the past decade retired from
international cricket during the Delhi Test with Australia. Kumble has
been India’s chief wicket-taker home and abroad since the 90s and it will
be difficult to replace him. Other stalwarts who bid adieu to the game in
2008 were Bengal Tiger Sourav Ganguly and Australian Adam Gilchrist.

New Wo
AKSHAY R. India and Australia, the top
two teams in terms of TRPs,
layed or cancelled their new
releases, one of them, the

T
he tag ‘World Champion’
is not a tie or a badge
that can be removed and
worn at will. The two
champions who will vouch for
that in 2008 are Roger Federer
and the Australian cricket
team.
For a team that really wore
the tag with relative ease over
the last 12 years, 2008 proved
to be a reality check. Winning
was no more a certainty that
used to be. Not that they lost
many a battle, if you go by the
numbers, but definitely, the
tag is eastward bound. India,
with an impressive record all
through the last 12 months,
has signalled its arrival to take
the top spot, under, arguably’
it’s most composed and cool-
like-a-cucumber leader. South
Africa’s steady run, too, has
proved its competence.
Farcical Start
The 2008 season of the gen-
tleman’s game triggered off
to a farcical start at the Sydney
Cricket Ground, and present-
ed its worst-ever testimonial.
played in this match that was
dominated by umpiring and
behavioural inconsistencies.
Australia was gifted victory in
the end by the crooked fin-
gers of Steve Bucknor and
Harper, and for the first time
in history, umpires were re-
placed for the following
games on players’ request.
Glamour in Cricket
The year also saw the game
being taken to its entertain-
ing best – Indian Premier
League – the brain-child of
the BCCI (ATM of world crick-
et). India and the world for
the first time saw players be-
ing auctioned to various fran-
chise owners, with Dhoni
getting the highest pay-pack-
et. The mood of the cricket-
crazy nation was at its hysteric
best during the summer, with
non-stop, blink-and-you-miss
action for 45 consecutive days.
Twenty 20, cricket’s answer
to crisp entertainment, took
centre stage and is likely to
continue to do so. While all
the Khans of Bollywood de-
King, made sure he was pre-
sent where the action is.
Women across the country,
too, flocked to the arenas, to
further endorse the being of
capsule-sized cricket, thereby
impacting the sitcoms. The al-
ready cash-rich BCCI laughed
all the way to the bank and
Lalit Modi became a subject of
dinner-table conversations
overnight. Rajasthan Royals,
led by Shane Warne, managed
a last-ball finish over Dhoni’s
Chennai Super Kings to take
the cup at the inaugural
edition.
The entire nation watched
IPL and the audience was im-
mediate to spot the hidden
talent who would play for the
country in the future. And the
selectors nodded in agree-
ment. This has been IPL’s best
contribution to the develop-
ment of cricket.
World Champions, who?
Australia, the most dom-
inating team for the last dec-
ade, steadily slipped in its
quality, following the exit of
 Monday, December 29, 2008
‘‘
I am bound to feel bad. I had to fight with my heart. If there is a gun to
your head all the time, how long can you bear this? After all, I have played
400 matches for India. I have played badly in only one series. Yet every Tom, Dick
and Harry is playing in the team.
orld Order
their match-winners for the
last decade. Ricky “Punter”
Ponting probably got his
moves wrong, during what
has been a litmus test year for
the team. Losing a Test match
at Perth to India; losing two
back-to-back finals in the tri-
angular CB series, again to In-
dia; then the mother of all – a
2-0 drubbing in the Test series
in India, their first series de-
feat without a single win in
many years; losing again at
Perth to South Africa in the
second biggest final innings
chase ever.
The exit of world-beating
players in Glenn McGrath,
Shane Warne and Adam Gil-
christ, Ponting’s own lack of
form and insipid captaincy,
personal issues with Andrew
Symonds and Brett Lee, and
an inexperienced current
bowling attack, collectively
contributed to Australia’s
woes.
India, on the other hand,
led by Captain Courageous
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a for-
midable opening pair in
Gambhir and Sehwag, the
evergreen Tendulkar, the clas-
sy VVS Laxman and the most
impressive of all, the Sultans
of Reverse Swing, Zaheer
Khan and Ishant Sharma, be-
lieved in winning and did so
all through the year. The only
blip in the radar: the Sri Lan-
kan tour.
Records and Performances
Sachin Tendulkar became
the highest run-getter in the
history of Test Cricket when
he crossed Brian Lara’s run tal-
ly at Mohali against Australia.
He now owns most of the bat-
ting records in both forms of
the game. For a man into his
09
Sourav Ganguly about India’s selection procedure
20th year of international Crick-
et, Sachin played with boyish
charm and energy, the reason
Australia’s melting prowess, India and
South Africa’s solid march to the top,
for his longevity, and contribut-
ed as both an inspiration and in-
structor to the younger crop.
IPL and a plethora of records and
Nine batsmen – four Indians, milestones are the nominations in this
four South Africans and one En-
glishman – managed to amass year’s cricket calendar
over 1,000 Test runs in the calen-
dar year. This strengthens the ar-
gument that India and South
Africa have been the pick among
all teams, albeit, two Proteas
managed a quarter of their runs
scored against a weak Bangla-
deshi attack. Gautham Gambhir,
the third Indian to have a 1,000
run double (Tests and ODIs) in a
calendar year, batted with un-di-
minishing hunger for runs.
Virender Sehwag bettered his
personal best with a 319 at Che-
pauk. Sachin Tendulkar, too, for
the fifth time in his career,
crossed the landmark, and looks
well-oiled for more. VVS Lax-
man, Graeme Smith, Hashim Am-
la, A B De Villiers, Neil Mckenzie
and Kevin Pietersen complete
the list.
Among the bowlers South
African Dale Steyn leads the
pack and Harbhajan Singh comes
a close second with 63 wickets. ■
10 FLICK ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

Good, if not better

ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in

W
hile expectations from
Ghajini were high, so
was the scepticism.
The problem that
most Bollywood versions of
Southern movies face has been
that of dialogue translation
and story context. To a fair ex-
tent, both have been dealt with
here, barring, perhaps, Asin’s
role. Except the last one hour
of the movie (where it turns
out to be a small yawn), the
makers have been true to the
original. (We will not reveal
what happens in that hour –
not because of some highly ex-
citing twist in the tale but be-
cause we would like you to
believe there COULD be a sur-
prise). Aamir, both as the an-
gry young tattooed man
dealing with vengeance and as
his shy former self, Sanjay
Singhania, adds an intensity
that keeps you gripped. Be-
sides the performance, the ef-
fort he has put in towards his
physique also shows. He looks
menacing and plays the part,
too. Asin, however, gets a little
irritating after a point and the
Film: Ghajini (Hindi)
Director: A.R. Murugadoss
Cast: Aamir Khan, Asin,
Pradeep Rawat, Jiah Khan
over-talkative Good Samaritan
could have done with a little
toning down. Jiah Khan, how-
ever, who plays the role of the
curious medical student that
Nayanthara played in the Ta-
mil version, lends more likea-
bility to her role. One
improvement on the Tamil
Ghajini here.
Pradeep Rawat, as the villain
Ghajini, keeps the association
with the original alive and
though you see a little less of
him (we won’t tell you how)
there is a strong sense of déjà
vu. A few ridiculous elements
of the Tamil Ghajini’s script
have been removed, while a lit-
tle more added. Keeping all
things constant, watch Ghajini
again for Aamir Khan. ■

Beyonce on top Shahid’s new moves

S inger-actress Beyonce
Knowles has bagged the No.
1 spot on two of Billboard’s
A udiences appreciated Shahid Kapoor’s
dancing prowess in Ishq Vishk, 36
China Town and Jab We Met. The actor
song charts. is now taking a step forward by learning
Knowles hit ‘Single Ladies’ a new dance style called Krumping.
outshone the competition on The actor is learning the dance form
both the Billboard Hot 100 and for Ken Ghosh’s film, tentatively titled
Hot R+B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Yahoo.
in its third and sixth week “Shahid has left no stone unturned to
respectively, contactmusic.com learn this form of dance. He appreciates
reported. the artistic and cultural nuances of the
Rapper T.I. held his spot on form and is doing pretty well,” said a
the Hot 100 at number two source.
with his track ‘Live Your Life’, “In fact, everyone on the set, including
featuring Rihanna, while Lady Marty, who has choreographed songs for
GaGa’s ‘Just Dance’ remains at the likes of Justin Timberlake, Janet
number three. Jackson and Jennifer Aniston, is
Rounding out the top five is impressed,” he added.
Britney Spears, who continues Krumping is a relatively new, urban
her comeback with street dance form that began in South
‘Womanizer’, rising from Central Los Angeles and is characterised
number six to the fifth spot this by free, expressive and highly energetic
week. ■ moves involving the arms and chest. ■
IANS IANS
 Monday, December 29, 2008
Lennon in TV ad 28 years after his death
Imagine, John Lennon makes a television commercial for charity – 28 years after
his death. Through the use of digital technology, the former Beatle urges people
across the United States to support a campaign by ‘One Laptop per Child’ to
deliver tough, solar-powered XO laptop computers to the world’s poorest
children.
S
alman Khan and Sanjay
Dutt, who were not on talk-
ing terms for quite some-
time, met up on the sets of
Veer and poured their hearts out
to each other.
A few days earlier when Salman
heard Sanjay was shooting on an
adjoining set at Film City, he de-
cided to pay his estranged friend
a visit.
“It’s true Salman came all the
way to Sanju’s set. But when he
realised Sanjay was shooting for
Bunty Walia he quickly beat a re-
treat,” said a source.
Walia, it must be remembered,
was a Salman groupie until a few
years ago when things soured be-
tween them. And now Salman
doesn’t want to see Bunty’s
face.
So he (Salman) turned
back from his meeting
with Sanjay. When
Sanjay heard about
this, he took
charge of the sit-
uation. On Thurs-
day afternoon, he Friends
again?
walked up to Salman’s set and
spent a good 45 minutes with his
old friend.
“The ice between them broke
the minute they hugged each oth-
er. They spoke about everything
under the sun, except films,” the
source said.
At the end of the reunion, San-
jay and Salman, who teamed up
in hit movie Sajan, decided to do
a film together. The two will be
coming together in a film to be
produced by Sanjay.
So what had gone wrong be-
tween Salman and his erstwhile
mentor and role model?
The two were thick as thieves
until a world tour where Salman
apparently
cut his
hand
to
11
Reuters
Cine City
impress Sanjay, but it didn’t go
down well with the senior actor.
Soon after this incident in the
US, Sanjay had said: “I wish he
would model himself on my bet-
ter qualities. I do have many good
qualities. Salman should keep a
low profile and work hard and get
serious in life. All the playing
around isn’t finally worth it. Ulti-
mately all of us want to be re-
membered as good hardworking
human beings. The hit-and-run
incident wouldn’t have made
such a media splash if it wasn’t
Salman Khan. But because he has
been constantly in the news he
went to jail and had to suffer. Be-
ing rash and brash in life is finally
self-defeating.”
Having come to terms with his
own rashness and brashness Sal-
man seems to be mending the
bridges with old friends. Sanjay
was on top of his list.
“They met like nothing had
gone wrong between them and
have promised to meet up reg-
ularly,” the source said. ■
IANS
Kamal, Mammootty to team up
If Internet buzz is to be believed, Kamal Hassan and
Mammootty would be teaming up for a movie.
Actor Kamal Hassan is trying to buy the rights of
the Hindi movie, A Wednesday, and to remake it in
Tamil and Malayalam. It is also said that plans are
on to rope in Mammootty to do the role of the
police officer that Anupam Kher did in the original.
Kamal will play the role that Naseerudeen Shah
essayed.
Meera Jasmine to act with
Prashanth
Actor Prashanth is back to cinema in full form. He
is all set to resume his career that was left hanging
for a while. Prashanth will be playing the lead role
in the remake of his father Thyagarajan’s mega hit
movie Malayoor Mammattiyan. The remake will
feature Meera Jasmine as the leading lady. She will
don the role enacted by Saritha in the original.
Prakash Raj and Vadivelu, among others, will be in
the cast. The movie, to be produced and directed
by Thyagarajan himself, would start soon.
12 ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

Friday’s Query:
If your blind date
turned out to be the
person with whom you
just broke up with,
what would you do?
■ I would tell him that I met with an
accident and don’t remember the past
and end the date.
Meenakshi Mohan
TCS

■ Oh god! It is a follow on! And in

such a situation, I won’t mind scoring
a pair. Indhumathi S from TCS has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Coorg.
Sree Hari,
TCS

■ Vaanga pazhagalaam vanga

pazhagalaam. Pidichirutha vechikonga
pidikalena friendsaavae irupoom.
Vinesh Kumar Damodaran,
Accenture

■ Have dinner with him in a five star

hotel, make him pay the bill, spit on
his face and go home happily.
Vinitha,
HCL

■ I’ll apologise for what happened

earlier saying past is past and start a
new relationship with her.
Minu S,
Sutherland

Today’s Query:
Shanmuga Sundaram from TCS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was
What’s your word of clicked at Scotland.

the year 2008 and

why?
(Ergo, in association with Radio One,
welcomes you to nominate your word of the
year 2008. Send us the reason why you are
nominating it, along with your contact
details. If we find your entry interesting, we
will welcome you to go on air on December
31.)

Balagei G N from Infosys has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at
Yelagiri.
 Monday, December 29, 2008
Shanthi from Sagitec
has been nominated as
Office Angel by Sujatha
Sampathkumar.
“Politeness is the
mantra she follows. She
does everything with a
smile! ”
Ramesh Kumar R
from TCS has
doodled this.
Lady 1: Indha bus conductor idhukku munnadi nagai kadai-la vaelai
partharunnu yeppadi kandupudicha?Lady 2: Yella ponnaiyum orasi
orasi ticket kodukkaradha vachudhan....
Mohamed Yusufdeen J,
HCL
Ennathan oruthan gunda irunthalum avanai thuppakikulla poda
mudiuma? Kolamaavil kolam podalam aana kadalai maavil kadalai
poda mudiuma?
Rajee Anand,
Coastal Training Technologies
13
Bday :-)
December 26 Wish U all Success and happiness
■ Dear MATHAN RAJ (Mr. from this moment
Criminology), Let the coming Year be as bright as
You Grace us with your presence ever.
When you entered into this world Have a great Day!!!
And like a burning candle With Lots of Care & Luv,
You truly glisten in the night Praveena, Manchu, Padmini, Preetha,
With the warmest of wishes Krishna, Lakshmy, Nigina,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Nivedhan , Saravana , Jayakrishnan ,
We Simply wish Shahul , Arvind , Rakesh , Pranab .
The very best for you. Wipro Technologies.
Hearty wishes from,
HAFIZ KHAN.
VETRI.
December 29
HCL Technologies Ltd. ■ Dear Ramakrishnan,
■ Hi Venki (Bajji), Wish you many more happy returns
Iniya Piranthanal valthukkal. Have a of the Day. May God shower you
great Life ahead... Keep sleeping, with happiness and success.
Keep Sleeping... Keep on Sleeping... Rouse Ramki this is your last Bachelor
Wish you many more returns of the B̀day. We hope you will give a big
day.... treat for usJ
Ippadiku Hearty wishes from,
Muthu, Laavanyaaaaaa, Saravanan, Klarity Defect Team, HCLT
Madhu, Sindil, SIva, RJPal, Laks, Gopi,
Anne, Patti, JP, Karthi(Lite House), Target, ■ Hi Deepa,
Ramya^2, Lavnaya, Varalakshmi, Deepti, May this birthday be just the
Anbil, Vinoth^2, Gayathri, Beulah beginning of a year filled with happy
Wipro Technologies" memories, wonderful moments and
■ Dear Arthy Narayanan, shinning dreams..
You are specially dear, Best Wishes from
And its a joy to wish you a wonderful R4 Rascals
b’day! Cognizant Technology Solutions
May all you cherished dreams come
true ■ Hi PV,
in the near future Engal Iniya Pirandha Naal Nal
Have a blast on this day Vaazhthukkal (snake babu siringa
Your dearest friends, plz)
The Chennai Future bright Team, ( Don’t forget to give us treat in Taj
Wipro Technologies Coromandel)
With Love,
December 27 Raji, Bhu, Suvi, Gay, Gowri, Gaja, Jesi,
Sumathi, Prem, Saravanan, Prosper, Paul,
Hi Karthik, Ravi, Srini, Sadha, Karthik, Nazir, Raj and
Belated Happy Birthday to you (ayyo Senthil
sirippa paru)... May all your dreams
come true ... ■ Dear MATHAN RAJ (Mr.
All the very best for the next step in Criminology),
a career ... You Grace us with your presence
Don’t forget to give us treat … When you entered into this world
With Love, And like a burning candle
Raji, Bhu, Suvi, Gowri, Gay, Gaja, Sumathi, You truly glisten in the night
Jesi, PV, Prem, Saravanan, With the warmest of wishes
Prosper, Paul, Ravi, Nazir, Srini, Sadha, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Raj, Senthil We Simply wish
The very best for you.
December 28 Hearty wishes from,
HAFIZ KHAN.
■ Dear Ara Anna, VETRI.
Let this special day brings you HCL Technologies Ltd.
all the joy and success,as you ever
asked for... ■ Dear Gurpreet,
Wishing you a Belated Happy A many more happy returns of the
Birthday!!! day! You have been an angel in all
Let your B’day lights up with smiles & our lives who helped us through all
glows with all love and care... the hard times. May all your wishes
Cheers, and dreams come true and please
Mams. stop being Ekta Kapoors walking
inspiration! Happy birthday!
■ Dear RIZ Love,
We all wish U a Blessed and Bright Nidhi and Devil
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

Snow joke
A hitchhiker was arrested in the U.S.
for throwing snowballs at passing cars
because they failed to stop and give
him a lift.

sudoku

S. Manivannan
of eNoah
iSolution India
Pvt. Ltd. clicked
this sand
sculpture
during his
morning walk
on Marina
Beach. The
sculptures were
made in
memory of
tsunami victims
who died four
years ago.

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

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the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Monday, December 29, 2008
Knut-ter in bear enclosure
Police in Germany say a lonely man jumped into the
Berlin zoo enclosure of famed polar bear Knut to try
and make friends with the enormous predator.
15
Word’s worth
"Aginate" (adj-uh-nate) to sell small things. The noun
aginator would be a nice term for an online auction
seller. "Oh, I’m an aginator on eBay, you know." The
citation in the OED gives the gloss "He which retaileth,"
from 1626. From a Latin word for a part of a scale.

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.
Ganesha sees you enjoying yourself. 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. 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 but may cause
some turbulence in your love life.

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. Ganesha envisions that you
will find peace in the arms of your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
You will be passionate about commitments at work.
With your emotional temperament, you are should
treat everybody with empathy. On the other hand,
spending emotional moments with your beloved will
earn you brownie points, notes 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. You may enjoy
some spicy moments with your beloved but later
realise that what you crave is emotional bonding.
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. In the second half of the day, you will focus
on expanding your professional skills.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Each oral/ written word from your side will carry an
explicit meaning, so be cautious in communication.
Ganesha sees you concentrating on work-related
targets. You may feel tired today. The best way of
unwinding is to stay indoors or talk to your beloved.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Your words maybe misinterpreted today. Be vigilant
during communication. Conversely, being too
clear-cut may hinder rather than help your case.
Unloading your feelings regarding professional
incidents to your beloved will help you relax.
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. Ganesha sees you boosting
the morale of your team members. You will spend a
romantic evening with your love.
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. Ganesha wants you to function with strong
purpose. A reduced amount of consideration to
personal life may result in unhappiness.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Ganesha thinks you will be handle work related
activities without any major obstacles. Job may
ISSUE’S exhaust you by the end of the day. Your loved one
might feel uncared. Ganesha suggests you to strike
SOLUTIONS a balance between personal and professional life.
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. Intimate moments are on the
cards for lovers, notes Ganesha.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Monday, December 29, 2008

One look is all it takes

NEWS AND NEWSMAKERS IN PICTURES

British singer Katherine

Jenkins holds a Westie dog
during the Harrods
department store winter
sale opening in central
London. AFP PHOTO

Bollywood Actor Saif Ali Khan talks to the

media after he was discharged from Lilavati
Hospital in Mumbai on Saturday. PTI PHOTO

A foreign tourist kisses a poster of

Salman Khan on the actor’s 43rd
birthday, at a hotel in Bikaner on
Saturday. PTI PHOTO