A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, January 8, 2009

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

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 5

FOR THE LOVE

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

Exchange your old mobile

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

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

What, When, Where

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

O
n January 3, a man was gored Chennai to see. Banners on display dedicated to animal rights.
to death in Pudukottai and 42 read: “Hundreds of men against one The procession began at Gandhi
others were injured during a animal. Is this bravery?” and “Death Statue in Marina Beach, chosen be-
deadly yearly event that kicks in the name of sport”. Organised by cause the leader is famous for his
off, ironically enough, right before J. Pragadeeswaran (JP) and Prema views on animal rights. There was
Pongal – a day meant to celebrate Veeraraghavan, who have been nothing typical about the group that
cows and bulls as sacred animals. campaigning persistently in the attended the protest – it included
lawyers, college students, members
of ISKCON, members of several ani-
mal rights and humanitarian
groups, a six-year-old girl and even a
J. Pragadeeswaran refers to this file photo when he says:
“At a single point of time: gregarious, black therapy dog, Dr.
• A huge crowd pulls the neck of the bull with a rope towards the front Moose who shuffled along quietly
direction. The sudden pull with huge force cuts the throat of the bull. until the rally halted at Thiruvalluvar
• Its tail is twisted and pulled harshly towards the left direction. statue.
• Both its hind legs are lifted and pulled towards back direction to A senior citizen who participated
immobilise the animal. in the protest said – “There are many
• A group of people jump on its hump. To get a grip on the running people who oppose jallikattu, but in
animal, people use their sharp finger nails to hold the body of the bull a democracy, we must take to the
resulting in bruises all over the animal’s body. streets. Otherwise it is of no use to
• Another group pulls its horn. People attack the animal with non stop have an opinion”.
blows. Can an animal be subjected to more cruelty than this?” If you’d like to join forces with
them, send an email to
reachpraga@yahoo.com.■
Thursday, January 8, 2009
For the love of the game
From security volunteers to ball-boys, there are several persons
at the Chennai Open who volunteer for very little or no money
at all, Ayon Sengupta and Akshay Ramaseshan find out
W
hile pint-sized Frankies inside the SDAT Ten-
nis Stadium come at Rs. 40, ball-boys and line
umpires at the Chennai Open get a daily food
allowance of Rs. 20.
The US$ 450,000 prize money tournament features
60 ball-boys and 50 line-umpires, whose job is to keep
the show running. The ball-boys at the tournament,
who are mostly club coaches or ground staff at vari-
ous clubs affiliated to the Tamil Nadu Tennis Associa-
tion, are paid a meagre Rs. 1,100 for their nine days of
service. “The pay is bad. But they (the organisers)
have promised to look into it after the end of this
year’s competition and we hope it will increase by Rs.
500 at least,” a tennis coach from Mogappair, who has
been working as a ball-boy at the Chennai Open since
the last five editions, says.
“The biggest problem is food. The organisers don’t
provide us any food but only a sum of Rs. 20 as food
allowance daily. It’s difficult to find anything at that
price near the stadium because most of the stalls up
their prices expecting more footfalls,” the 26-year-old
says. “I earn Rs. 6,000 as a tennis coach per month
and this is just some extra income. We get to learn a
lot about the game watching these players and that
ticks me on. Every year I say I won’t come the next
time but inevitably every January I am here.”
They work from 4 p.m. till the matches go on and
are often standing in for more than three matches a
03
day. Even the local line-umpires are paid only Rs.
4,500, much less than in any other ATP or WTA meet
across the world.
Student volunteers
Students from various colleges across the city have
been a regular at the meet working as security volun-
teers, ushers and helping in other sundry jobs. Their
love for the game draws them to the courts at the
SDAT Tennis Stadium where they are privileged
enough to watch great tennis action from close quar-
ters but keeping that aside they hardly enjoy any other
perks.
“We are not paid because our job is purely volun-
tary and the organisers don’t even provide transporta-
tion even if the matches end very late,” a city college
student, working as an usher for the past two seasons
says. “But I will again come here next year. At least I
can watch the matches; otherwise it’s very difficult for
us to get hold of a ticket even for one day.”
The organisers provide these 150-odd college stu-
dents two pairs of clothing from the apparel sponsors
and also a sports shoe. “Apart from our dresses the
organisers also provide lunch and tiffin and I think
none of us are complaining although at times it gets a
bit tedious. We come by four in the evening and can
Austrian Daniel Koellerer bumps into a ball-boy while
only leave after 11,” another security volunteer says. ■
trying to retrieve a ball during his first round clash
against Nikolay Davydenko. PHOTOS: S. S. KUMAR
04 VILLAGE
Obamamania
scores hit for
Japanese
mask-maker
F
or those who just can’t get
enough of US president-
elect Barack Obama, a Japa-
nese mask-maker is giving
thousands of people the chance
to be his spitting image.
Ogawa Rubber Inc., Japan’s top
rubber mask studio, is moving in-
to high gear and is manufacturing
more than 300 masks of the next
US president each day ahead of
his inauguration on January 20.
“We sold as many as 2,500 faces
of Obama in a month. It was a
great hit for us,” said Takahiro
Yagihara, chief creator for the
mask-maker based in the Tokyo
suburb of Saitama.
“I’ve seen a couple of Obama
faces made in the United States,
but ours is the best,” he boasted.
“We hope somebody will don our
Obama mask at his inaugura-
tion.”
Yagihara’s studio has created a
variety of rubber masks, not only
those of politicians but also the
ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009
Morris dancing dilemma
The historic British pastime of Morris dancing could
be ’extinct’ within 20 years because young people
are too embarrasses to take part.
Oz pensioner banned from
driving for 1000 years!
An octogenarian pensioner has been banned from
driving for the next 1000 years, after constant court
appearances for negligent driving, driving without a
licence and failing to give particulars. Luba Relic, 84,
has had 78 court fights with neighbours to her name
and was already banned from driving until 2999. And
now, a Manly Court magistrate has added another
year for her latest misdemeanours and extended her
ban till the year 3000. The court was told that the RTA
suspended her licence for ‘medical reasons.’ But in
September, she crashed into a Honda Civic outside a St
faces of cartoon characters and Vincent De Paul shop in Oxford Rd, Brookvale.
sumo wrestlers as well as the ANI
head of a bronze Buddha statue.
One of its most successful
masks was of Japan’s popular for-
mer prime minister Junichiro Bruce Lee’s home to turn into
Koizumi. The company sold 3,500
masks of the leader. museum
But Koizumi’s successor Shin- Action star Bruce Lee’s last home has been given to
zo Abe was a flop, selling only the Hong Kong government to turn into a museum
about 600 masks. Abe quit after and memorial to the kung fu star, a news report said
one year in office after an election on Wednesday. Philanthropist and property developer
rout. Yu Panglin has agreed to donate the property after a
The studio did not even bother year of talks over the home worth an estimated $10
making masks of Abe’s sombre million, the Hong Kong Standard reported. The home
and unpopular successor, Yasuo in Hong Kong’s residential Kowloon Tong district,
Fukuda. But it has found a hit in which the actor affectionately called Crane’s Nest, is
incumbent Prime Minister Taro now expected to be developed into a major tourist
Aso. attraction for the city, possibly including a library.
Yagihara, who keeps an eagle DPA
eye out for new masks, saw dim
prospects among other Japanese
politicians.
“I don’t see any face among Ja-
panese politicians that would
match Obama’s,” he said. ■
AFP
Mittal tops Abramovich in world’s
richest footie club owners list
Indian-born steel baron Lakshmi Mittal has pushed
Russo-Latvian billionaire Roman Abramovich down the
rankings in the latest world top 20 rich list of football
club owners. According to The Mirror, Mittal and his
family, which owns the football club QPR, are worth
12.5 billion pounds, as opposed to Abramovich, who
owns Chelsea, and is worth seven billion pounds.
Manchester City football club owner Sheikh Mansour
bin Zayed Al Nahyan with earnings of 15 billion pounds
is the only person ranked above Mittal, says the tabloid.
Abramovich was at the top the football club owners
rich list from 2003 to 2008.
ANI
New species of pink iguana
discovered
Scientists have discovered a new species of pink
iguana on Isabela Island in the Galapagos. The black-
striped reptiles, which is at risk of extinction, has rose-
coloured scales and only lives on one volcano in the
Galapagos Islands. It is one of the most studied parts
of the world, and played a major part in shaping
Darwin’s thinking about the origin of species - yet the
islands continue to give more to our understanding of
biology. “Despite the attention given to them, the
Galapagos have not yet finished offering evolutionary
novelties,” said Gabriele Gentile of the University Tor
Vergata in Rome, who led the study.
PTI
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
Gladiators back to Colosseum
The Roman
fighters will return
to the country’s
most famous fight
arena almost 2,000
years after their
bloody sport last
entertained Roman
crowds.
F
ascinated by gladiators?
Well, then here’s your
chance to get close and per-
sonal with the Roman fight-
ers, for they are soon going to
return to Rome’s Colosseum to
display their antics, local author-
ities have announced.
The gladiators will return to the
country’s most famous fight are-
na almost 2,000 years after their
bloody sport last entertained Ro-
man crowds.
Umberto Broccoli, the head of
archaeology at Rome’s city coun-
iTunes songs could soon be
used on any MP3 player
F rom now on, all songs on Ap-
ple’s iTunes music service
could be played on any MP3
player, the company has an-
nounced.
The move to lift copy protec-
tion from tracks bought via
iTunes would bring Apple at par
with its smaller competitors. Ear-
lier, the majority of songs bought
through the iTunes library of 10
million songs could be exclusive-
ly played via the programme itself
or on the company’s iPods.
The announcement was made
at the Macworld Technology
I do, I do, I do
A romantic couple from
Hampshire, England have
renewed their wedding vows
nearly 60 times.
cil, said that in 2009, the five mil-
lion people who visit the
Colosseum each year will get to
experience “the sights, sounds
show in San Francisco by Apple’s
senior vice president of market-
ing Phil Schiller. Apple is the big-
gest music vendor in the world
and has sold 6 billion songs till
date, reports The Telegraph.
However, the change, which will
come into effect before the end of
the year, will only be applicable
to new purchases from the
iTunes store. Thus, consumers
who have previously built up a
library on their computers might
have to pay for upgrading their
music to the new format. But,
there’d still be many music
players and mobile phones that
won’t be able to play songs in the
format Apple is using. That’s be-
cause the company will continue
to use its proprietary “AAC” files,
instead of switching to the more
universal MP3 format. Still, it is
expected that the change may
spur many hardware manufac-
turers to update their products. ■
ANI
and smells” of ancient Rome.
“We do not need to enshrine
historical sites and monuments;
we need to make them more
Dexterous
05
This day, that year
It was on January 7, 1675 that in
the United States, the first
corporation was charted: the New
York Fishing Company.
La Repubblica. As far as Brocco-
li’s plan goes, modern-day gladi-
ators will engage in realistically
choreographed mock fights.
The new-age gladiators would
wear original costumes and the
same combat gear-swords, tri-
dents, nets and daggers- that
were used 2,000 years ago.
Their famous contests will be
re-enacted and staged in the eve-
ning, accompanied by readings
from the works of Latin poets
such as Seneca.
However, the authorities have
not yet disclosed if gladiators
would fight on a stage over the
arena’s subterranean chambers
and tunnels or on a stage outside
the Colosseum. He claimed that
the gladiator fights would not be
a Disneyland-like attraction, in-
stead it would be more of a seri-
ous project to bring the sporting
heroes of antiquity alive.
Also, Broccoli dismissed fears
that the combats might appear
too crude.
“The gladiators themselves
were vulgar. They were sweaty,
spectacular. Museums and mon- they stank and they swore. Why
uments must speak to the public not show them as they really
in a new way,” the Discovery were?” said Broccoli. ■
News quoted Broccoli as telling ANI
쑸
Performer
"Marawa" from
the theatrical
phenomenon
"La Clique"
rehearses her
hoop act at the
Famous
Spiegeltent in
Sydney on
Junuary 7, 2009.
La Clique,
appearing as
part of the
Sydney Festival
from January 6
to February 1, is
described as
sexy, funny and
dangerous and
is a combination
of cabaret, new
burlesque, circus
and
contemporary
vaudeville.
AFP PHOTO /
GREG WOOD
06 SPORT ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Beckham makes Milan debut

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

Lee blames himself

Injured Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee

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

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

march on
PHOTO: AFP

Messi scores hat-trick

 Thursday, January 8, 2009
‘‘
Winning matches and good results isn’t the same thing. To me, a good result
is the reflection of how I feel about my play. It’s the start of a new season
with lots to discover. I just wish to play in the same manner, but with better baseline
strokes.
Nikolay Davydenko
AYON SENGUPTA
ayon@goergo.in
S
omdev Dev Varman
Somdev Varman, showed no sign of early
nerves as he dispatched
the Indian No. 1, higher-ranked American
Kevin Kim in his first round en-
aims to break into counter at the US$ 450,000
Chennai Open on Tuesday. The
the world top 100 Indian No. 1 was a bundle of
confidence as he essayed a num-
by the year-end ber of booming aces and some
deft touches against a helpless
Kim.
Equally confident and com-
posed off-court, the 23-year-old
handled the media with aplomb
and seemed to be already relish-
ing the challenge of facing sixth
seed and former World No. 1
Carlos Moya in the next round.
“It was not that easy. I was posi-
tive and played well and not
bothered about my rankings. I
want to continue in this vein,”
he says. “It’s interesting that I
grew up watching Moya in
these very courts and now I will
be facing him. Whoever I play, I
think I need to step up on my
game and play better.”
The centre court crowd at the
SDAT Tennis Stadium will have a
tough time picking their favou-
rite when the two meet on
Thursday. Moya, making an ap-
pearance for the eighth time,
has always been a favourite
with the crowds and Somdev al-
so has a connection with the
city, having trained at the Bri-
tannia Amritraj Tennis Academy
in the city for nine years.
“In 2004 and 2006 I played the
qualifiers but failed to gain an
entry. This time I am here and
that’s exciting. This is like my
home and to play in front of
them is electrifying. My game
has improved over the last one
year and I feel I can hold myself
Somdev Devverman in
action against Kevin Kim
during their first round
match of the Chennai
Open at the SDAT
Tennis Stadium.
PHOTO: R. RAGU
Set for the big league
07
against the best in the world,”
the player from Assam says.
The Nick Bollitiery trainee and
double NCAA champion feels he
has the potential to break into
the top-100 by the end of the
year and knows tournaments
like the Chennai Open would act
as stepping stones in realising
his dreams. “I have the potential
to break into the top 100 league.
I have played against some of
the top 100 players and I know I
belong there. It’s only a matter
of time. But I need to constantly
upgrade my game to adjust to
bigger challenges,” Somdev
says.
Having already pocketed one
Challenger title and three Future
events in his first pro-year, he
knows the onus is on him to con-
tinue the good work and says:
“My first year in the circuit was
satisfactory or I can even say
good. It was a good learning ex-
perience and I just need to keep
pushing myself for more. I am a
better player now and have im-
proved a lot on my fitness and
overall technique.”
The Indian No. 1, who was for-
tunate enough to train with
American Andy Roddick for
three-weeks during the off-sea-
son, feels the stint has helped
him immensely. “We were initia-
lly supposed to work for ten
days. But the first week went so
well that we decided to extend
it to three weeks. I was also re-
covering from an injury and hav-
ing Andy’s coach and trainer
around really helped. I got the
best of facilities and my injury
was gone in a flash,” he adds.
“We bonded well even off-court
and had a great time hanging
out together. He invited me to
stay over at his Austin home and
I tried to learn his weapons –
whether it was his big serve, his
forehand or his athleticism.” ■
 08 ROADSTER ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009

Coconut husks car

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

WOW,
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in

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

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

Indian tennis star Mahesh

Bhupathi signing autographs at
the Volvo stall inside the stadium
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
After being the official carrier
since the birth of the Chennai
Open in 1997, the magnificent
gest tennis Merc gave way to the vivacious
Open 2009, Volvo, which is the official car for
d with its the tournament this year. And the
Stars, com- chosen ride is the Volvo XC90, an
all boys and SUV. On the other hand, Mer-
ture. But for cedes ended its 12-year associa-
motorheads, tion with the ATP by choosing not
tennis fiesta to renew its contract which ran
element of out at the end of 2008.
ion. For a A fleet of 15 Volvo XC90s in var-
fleet of Mer- ious colours including white, sil-
ping on city ver, bluish silver, red, dove blue,
a sight to black and steel grey zip around
the city these tennis days.
ites expect- Sudeep Narayan, Marketing &
es Benz this PR Manager, Volvo Car India,
urprise with says that the Chennai Open is a
ng the tennis good platform to introduce Volvo
s for the to Chennaiites as the brand is
planning to invite dealerships in
09
Bumpy ride
Indian tennis player Prakash
Amritraj, arrives at the SDAT Tennis
Stadium in an open auto rickshaw
for the Chennai Open 2009.
Audi awe
the city soon. “The Chennai Open
is the second sporting event in
the country which our brand is
partnering with after the Volvo
Ocean Race 2008-09 held in Ko-
chi in the first week of Decem-
ber,” adds Narayan.
“I was excited to see the Volvo
at the Open this year after getting
used to seeing the Merc all these
years,” says V.K. Saravanan, a
Chennai-based businessman
who visited the Volvo stall at the
SDAT Tennis Stadium, where the
Volvo XC90 and S8O are on dis-
play.
Spectators going to watch the
matches can get a closer look at
the XC90 and S80, which are
priced at Rs. 46 lakh and Rs. 38
lakh respectively (ex-showroom
price subject to change). ■
Audi India launched its new Audi world class showroom
in Mumbai on Wednesday. Benoit Tiers, Managing
Director of Audi India is seen next to an Audi R8 after
unveiling the new showroom. PHOTO: SHASHI ASHIWAL
MODERN CAR DESIGNS
OBSTRUCTING VISIBILITY
M
odern aerody-
namic car de-
signs with
wide window
frames are obstructing
visibility, especially to
the rear and when
changing lanes, ac-
cording to a test con-
ducted by Germany’s
ADAC automobile as-
sociation.
Many car makers
have improved the
passenger safety cell
but this has come at
the cost of sacrificing
all-round vision with
wide A, B, and C pillars
that form the window The Citroen C4 received top marks
frames, the ADAC testers
said. The ADAC measured visibility
Surprisingly, the BMW 2002, using a digital camera with a
built in the early 1970s, offers a 360-degree movement at the
virtually panoramic view that height of a driver measuring
few modern cars such as the 1.75 metres.
modern BMW 1-Series can Computer picture software
compete with. was then used to calculate the
It was, however, still possible visibility.
to combine modern aerody- The ADAC called on car mak-
namics and safety aspects such ers to find an improved com-
as those of the Renault Grand promise between a good safety
Espace and Citroen’s C4 Picas- cell, comfortable interior and
so, which received top marks, all-round vision. Headrests
according to the ADAC. could also be designed so that
Poorest marks were given to they do not obstruct the driver’s
the Mitsubishi Colt CZ3 and Hy- vision. ■
undai Santa Fe. DPA
10 FLICK
‘Yes, Adhyayan and I
are seeing each other ’
With the kind of roles she chooses to play, Kangana
Ranaut has become the ‘dark heroine’ of Bollywood.
An interview with the 21-year-old actor:
SREYA BASU
You have struck another hit at
the box office with Fashion. Is
it sheer luck or something else
that makes you click every
time?
I don’t believe I am born talented.
But I was moulded the way I am and
the entire credit goes to Anurag Ba-
su, the director of my debut film,
Gangster. He groomed me as an ac-
tor even without me realising it… I
just did what he asked me to do on
the sets. Only after seeing the final
prints of the film did I realise that
the magic has been done. And now,
simply the words ‘lights, camera,
sound and action’ turn me on. I
have become addicted to acting.
Do you think the ‘bad girl’ tag
worked for you?
Yes, but that was not a conscious
decision. My characters in Gangster,
Woh Lamhe, Metro and Fashion are
not the ones that actors are privi-
leged to play every other day, leave
alone newcomers like me. So there
was no scope for saying no to these
offers. But on second thoughts, I
think it is my nature that I dare to
try things that others don’t.
We hear that you are from a
conservative family. But you
have done quite a few bold
things on screen. Doesn’t your
family object to that?
I am from a conservative family in
Himachal Pradesh. And it is obvious
that initially there were some ob-
jections.
But now they understand that if I
am taking drugs, slapping my hero
or sleeping with my boss, it’s be-
cause my character in the film
needs it. It’s my job to make my
characters realistic.
(Pauses) You know what, you
should not be asking me about my
parents but about my relatives in
Himachal… it’s their reaction that
irritates! They don’t have problem
with my bold scenes or dialogues,
but they want me to dance, deliver
ERGO Thursday, January 8, 2009
Sexiest Celebrity Voices
Sir Sean Connery and TV chef Nigella Lawson have topped
the ’Sexiest Celebrity Voices’ list. According to a poll
headed by mobile phone messaging firm Spinvox, the
veteran actor and the Brit food writer pipped Angelina
Jolie and Johnny Depp to claim the title.
dialogues and give all the details
about what Amitabh, Shah Rukh,
Kareena, Aishwarya and the lot do,
wear, eat, etc., as if I am the know-
it-all of Bollywood.
You are working on two big
projects. Raaz 2 is all set to
release. Can you tell us about
your character in the film, and
also something about Kites?
In Raaz 2 I play a supermodel
again. For the first time I am doing a
horror film and have Emraan Hash-
mi and Adhyayan Suman opposite
me. Kites is a love story about how
two people, who are poles apart
from each other, fall in love. Anurag
Basu is directing the film for Rakesh
Roshan’s production house. Here I
play a salsa dancer but I’m not the
protagonist of the film. The story fo-
cuses on Hrithik, but I have a signif-
icant role in the film.
Your love story with Adhyayan
is the latest buzz of tinsel
town. Are you two serious?
Yes, Adhyayan and I are seeing
each other and we are pretty serious
about it. But, of course, we are not
thinking of marriage right now. All I
want to say is Adhyayan is the man
of my dreams, he is the one whom I
can depend on for life. I have seen
so much sorrow. But Adhyayan’s
presence has healed the wounds.
Do you share a good
relationship with Adhyayan’s
family, including his father
Shekhar Suman?
I have not been able to spend so
much time with Adhyayan’s family.
But as far as I know they have no
problems with me. And even if they
have, Adhyayan knows to sort
things out.
What about your much talked
about relationship with actor
Aditya Pancholi?
I am at a very comfortable phase
of life right now and would not like
to discuss my past, if you please al-
low me to do so. ■
Trans World Features
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
11
No Hannah Montana for Crawford’s kid
Supermodel Cindy Crawford has banned her 7-year-old daughter from watching Hannah
Montana featuring Miley Cyrus – because it teaches her to be impolite. “I love Hannah
Montana, but she (daughter) learns to be sassy from that show. I’ll say to her, ‘I don’t let
anyone talk to me like that,” Contactmusic quoted Crawford, as saying.
ANI

Dad does the Cine City

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

‘We did NOT break up’

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

■ A life story about eye thief

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

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

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

Nagarajan of Cognizant has been

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

■ Dear Thilaga, ■ Dear Abdul Kareem,

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

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

Suchitra Prakash of sudoku

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

All photos selected for clickpick this month KAKURO

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

TEAM
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Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, January 8, 2009
15
Word’s worth
“Hatikvah” (huh-teek-vah) the Text scandal
Israeli national anthem. It means A Malaysian man is suing his ex-fiancée after
‘the hope’ in Hebrew. her father broke off their engagement via a
mobile phone text message.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

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

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

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

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

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

Victoria Beckham and her son Cruz

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

Swedish comedy magician Carl-Einar

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