A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, November 14, 2008

18
OK TO BE GAY
On screen, says Abhishek

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 217

’Prank’ly
speaking
Been victim of mischief lately? Or did
you find a scapegoat? Here’s to pranks
and pranksters

» PAGES 04 & 05

Moya for Chennai Open

T he darling of the Chennai crowd, Carlos Moya
has confirmed his participation for the Chen-
nai Open 2009 to be held at the SDAT Stadium in
Nungambakkam from 5-11 January.
World No. 42 Moya will be making an appear-
ance for the seventh time in eight years and most
definitely be one of the favourites to capture the
singles crown. The 32-year-old Spaniard has al-
ready won the title twice in 2004, 2005 and had
also reached the final in 2006.
Confirming his participation, Carlos Moya
said: “I love Chennai and the crowd always sup-
ports me. I just want to come and give my best
and enjoy being part of this popular tourna-
ment.”
Earlier World No. 1 doubles pairing of Mike
and Bob Bryan had also confirmed their partici-
pation in the US$ 450,000 event.
Ergo Correspondent
02
Namma Chennai
Food
Go Thai
Benjarong is hosting the Loy Karthong Thai
food festival. Loy Krathong is held on the full
moon of the 12th month in the traditional
Thai Lunar calendar.
When: Till November 16; Open for lunch and
dinner
Where: TTK Road, Alwarpet
For reservations call 2432 2640
Unconference
Fail Camp
Have a failure story to share? Or, do you want to hear success stories
of some failed entrepreneurs. The Knowledge Foundation is playing
host to the Failcamp, where people
will come share and learn from
failures.
When: November 16; 9 a.m. to 5
p.m.
Where: Tenth Planet Technologies
Pvt., Ltd., #807, P.T.Lee Building,
6th Floor, Anna Salai, (Opposite LIC
building)
For queries call Kiruba Shankar at
98415 97744
Seminar
Liveable cities
Goethe-Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan in association with Indian
Institute of Technology, Madras is hosting a conference about
creating utopias and liveable cities. A
distinguished list of speaker will talk
on the occasion.
When: November 14 and 15; 9.30 a.m.
to 5.30 p.m.
Where: Biotech seminar hall, IIT
Madras
For details call 2833 2343/ 1314
Music
Golden melodies
The November Fest is here. Singers Srinivas,
Anuradha Sriram, Chinmayi and Naresh Iyer
will take you on a melodious journey with
their Hindi retro.
When: November 16; 7.15 p.m.
Where: The Music Academy.
Tickets for the show are priced at Rs. 150, Rs.
300 and Rs. 500. For details call 98419 62820
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
Read on
Thespian En will present a reading
from ‘Hamlet – The Prince of Denmark’
on November 16 at Anokhi, 85
Chamiers Road, 7 p.m.
Music
We will, we will rock you
Six of Chennai’s rock band -- Blind
Image, Armour of God, Blood
Covenant, Battalions, Carnage and
TWKC – will rock the crowd with
heavy metal, progressive and other
genres of music.
When: November 15; 5 p.m.
Where: Alliance Francaise, College
Road
For details call 2827 9803/ 2827 1477
Food
Wine and dine
Fort St George Bar has a new guest. Resident
musician Inakshi Singh is here to give the perfect
note to your evenings. Inakshi is a commercial
singer trained in western, English pop, jazz and
Hini pop. Also adding tone to the warm interiors
is bartender Richard who has come in from Goa.
When: 8 p.m. onwards
Where: Taj Coromandel
For details call 6600 2827
Music
That 60s show
Relive the music from the
60s with the show
‘Pocketfull of Memories – 2’.
The Live Martini will rock to
western music from the 60s,
70s and 80s.
When: November 15; 7 p.m.
Where: Museum Theatre
Tickets are priced at Rs. 200
and Rs. 300. For details call
98844 25405
Workshop
Money, money, money
It probably is the best time to buy shares, as some would say. IBut, if you
are worried how to make money in the current scenario, here’s a
workshop that could help you. The free one-
hour stock market seminar promises to teach
you the skills and knowledge required to make
a killing in stock market.
When: November 16; 5 p.m.
Where: Thiyagaraya Nagar Social Club (T.
Nagar Club), Venkat Narayana Road, Behind
Woodland Hotel, Near
Panagal Park
Call 98414 38486 to confirm your participation
 Friday, November 14, 2008
Harris Jayaraj,Gautham Menon
HEAD TO SPLITSVILLE
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in
“I
have good respect for Gauth-
am Menon and in return he has
reciprocated the same. But
now, things have gone sour
that it’s better for us to part ways as
good friends.”
The contents of the email from the
ace music director, distributed to
media organisations on Thursday
through a leading film PRO, could well
be the anti-climax no one expected
ahead of Suriya-starrer ‘Vaaranam Aay-
iram’.
The songs have been setting the
charts on fire for some time now, and
the audiences have been waiting for
some time now to catch up just how
well the songs have been choreo-
graphed on screen.
Gautham Menon and Harris Jayaraj
pairing goes back to the year 2001,
when both of them started their careers
with the smash hit ‘Minnale’. In all fair-
ness, it was not Gautham’s best work in
terms of script or screenplay. It was
Harris’s music, Madhavan’s chocolate
boy antics and Vivek’s comedy that
made the movie a box-office hit. The
movie also introduced Thamarai as a
lyricist.
Minnale firmly established the duo
as a force to reckon with.
Spin a magic
03
Today is Children’s Day and Odyssey should be a good place to treat your
children. The store will play host to ‘Magic of Stories’ contest where children
will be required to paint a story competition – draw or paint on the topic and
write a story to substantiate the painting. Drop in at Odyssey, Gandhi Nagar,
Adyar at 6 p.m. For details call 2440 2264/ 65.
The pair invariably re-ignited the
blockbuster with every subsequent out-
In his email, Harris writes: “… things have gone
ing – ‘Rehana Hai Tere Dil Mein’ (‘Min-
sour that it’s better for us to part ways as good
nale’ remake), ‘Kaakha Kaakha’,
‘Gharshana’ (‘Kaakha Kaakha’ remake
in Telugu), ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’ and
friends leaving behind some beautiful memories.”
‘Pachaikili Muthucharam’. While all
was going well with the pair, Gautham
had chosen A.R. Rahman as his com-
poser for ‘Chennaiil Oru Mazhai Kaa-
lam.’
When Ergo spoke to Ram, manager of
Harris Jayaraj, he said that he did not
know the details of the spilt and that it
was Harris’s personal decision. Without
divulging the exact reasons for the split,
in his mail Harris had just said: “To cre-
ate soul stirring music, the bond be-
tween a music composer and the
director is vital. Once it’s lost its diffi-
cult to get back.”
He has also thanked Gautham for in-
troducing him into the industry and
giving him good projects. “Gautham’s
films have played a vital role in my life.
The films have helped to explore my
versatility and showcase my talent to
the world and kept me where I am to-
day.”
He adds: “I never thought our combi-
nation would create such magic when
we started our career and it still surpris-
es us even after eight years.”
We could not reach Gautham Menon
for his comments. ■
04
Big Story
Prankenstein
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in
T
he Oxford Dictionary de-
fines a prank as ‘a practical
joke or mischievous act’.
The kind of thing the
French-Canadian comedy duo
of Marc-Antoine Audette and
Sebastien Trudel, known as The
Masked Avengers, played on the
favourite dartboard called Sarah
Palin.
Imagine Palin talking on radio
for nearly six minutes thinking
she’s talking to Nicholas Sarko-
zy! “You know, I see you as a
president one day, too,” said the
Avengers. “Maybe in eight
years,” replied Palin. Not so-
mething she’s likely to forget
anytime soon.
Irrespective of whether one’s
sportive enough or not, there’s
no escaping pranks. Either you
pounce on an unsuspecting vic-
tim or someone else rubs his or
her hands in glee while looking
at you.
Pranks are reality television’s
favourite. Read MTV Punk’d
(and its Indian version, Bakra)
or Just for Laughs Gags on PO-
GO. The sight of an unsuspect-
ing person falling prey to a
sadistic prankster, followed by
the delayed dawning of enlight-
enment, always elicits its share
of laughs. Victims of MTV
Punk’d include Justin Timber-
lake, who famously got trapped
by ‘tax officers’ who threatened
to put all his assets under the
hammer, Elijah Wood, who pic-
tured his entire career grounded
before take-off following a run
down with the cops, Lindsay Lo-
han and Usher, to name a few.
Indian viewers remember
with amusement Rahul Dravid
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
turned into a ‘Bakra’ by noto-
rious motor-mouth Cyrus Broa-
cha. The sight of a hassled
Dravid trying to ward off a star-
struck teenager’s wedding pro-
posal, while at the same time
managing to maintain a grip
over his lunch plate, made for a
rather entertaining episode.
Bollywood loves them, too.
Bluffmaster, as the name sug-
gests, began, continued and
ended with pranks.
The conman (Abhishek Bach-
chan) prides himself on his abil-
ity to trick people out of their
money, till one fine day the ta-
bles are turned on him. A tradi-
tion since the days of the 1975
flick Khel Khel Mein, which
starred Rishi Kapoor and Neetu
Singh, where a prank goes hor-
ribly wrong when the person the
college students are trying to
trick, Ghanshyamdas, is killed
by a third party. Akshay Kumar
starrer, Khel, was on similar
lines.
But then, not all pranks need
have such dark endings. On
most occasions, they’re nothing
but a way to have some harm-
less fun at another’s expense,
nothing more. ■
 Friday, November 14, 2008
05

Perfect and Fake To cop it all…

My friend and I were always in love with the idea of
falling in love. We believed all the romantic movies
that we saw. She had a beautiful room with apple
green curtains, where we would discuss “that
someone” who would storm into our boring lives and
take our breath away.
But, in reality, we were 16, gawky with hairy legs and
untrimmed eyebrows. So we didn’t get much attention
from anybody, forget “that special someone”. We had
a dictum, too: “It’s our fate to wait”.
If you had known us then, you would see this scrawled
in our diaries, behind our notebooks and on our desks
at college. So we waited, and days turned to months
and nothing happened. My friend looked disillusioned.
It was then that I got introduced to ‘S’, the hottest
guy in the neighbourhood , who, of course considered
me as a little sister. I asked him a favour, whether he
could woo my friend and pretend to be in love with
her. After much cajoling, he agreed.
It was a rainy day. My friend and I were sharing the
umbrella with her dupatta flying around like a mini
parachute. We took a sharp turn, and almost got hit
by a bike. “Idiot,” my friend screamed. Their eyes met,
‘S’ takes off his helmet and looks deep into her eyes.
“Yeah, but I am your idiot,” he says and
vrooms away. If I didn’t know that this
was orchestrated, I would
have believed it. With a
broken umbrella and a
dead dupatta, my friend
soaked in that perfect
moment, smiling and
blushing.
I wish I could
tell you that
my friend met
“that special
someone”
and they lived happily ever after. She is no more
today, and sometimes I wish I had told her that it was
a prank. It was the only secret I held from her. ■
Namitha Jayanarayanan
Well, this incident was very funny to me but
definitely not so funny for my friend. My friend
from Infosys was the ex-boyfriend of a well-
known TV serial actress two years ago. But soon
they separated and after a year she committed
suicide (for some other reason).
After hearing this news, I called up my friend
and pretended to be the Asst. Commissioner of
Police. I told him that we’ve found out that he
was the boyfriend of the victim and so we
wanted him to identify some photographs and get some more information from him. I then told
him to come to the Adyar police station the next evening.
My friend got really scared. Then I got scared that he might go to the police station the next
morning itself, so I called him up again and asked for his address. I then made another call after
an hour and told him that we were right below his apartment and asked him to come down
immediately.
He got really scared and as he was coming down I revealed my true identity and told him it was
just for fun. He got really angry and didn’t speak to me for a week. However, I somehow
managed to convince him otherwise. I heard from his room-mates that he cried and was really
out of his mind after he got the call.
I later realised it was a bad trick to play on him in that situation. Still, I laugh to myself when I
think about this incident. Dude, I know you’ll fire me if you see this article in Ergo... Anyways,
keep rocking!!!
Vinoth Khanna S.,
Satyam Computer Services
Sundae, fun day
An idle mind is the devil’s workshop and for a teenage boy who
has just finished school and is doing nothing in his holidays, it is
the devil’s workshop working overtime. It was during this time
that I played a prank on my friend, Pradeep (same name).
I called him up from my father’s mobile phone and asked him if
he had written a slogan for a reputed ice-cream brand as part
of a contest. I knew that as part of its promotional drive the
ice-cream brand had distributed contest forms to all students in
our school and everyone had written a slogan. As expected, he
replied in the affirmative. I told him that he had won a sundae
at the nearest ice-cream parlour belonging to that brand. I gave
him a bogus 10-digit number and told him to go and mention
this number and produce his proof of identity at the ice-cream
parlour to get the sundae. He was overjoyed!
All through the conversation, I managed to roll my Rs, flatten
my Ds and talk in what could be called a desi-desperately-
trying-to-be-American accent. Apparently, it worked and he
found himself in the parlour, claiming a sundae which was
never his! That evening, I asked him about the sundae. That was
when he realised who had taken him for a ride. Thankfully, he
is a good sport and took it lightly and spared me any verbal or
physical assault.
Pradeep D.,
Hexaware

Battle for the key up the previous day).

There used to be one crackpot in my cubicle. One
day, I took away her MP3 player and did not give
it back when she asked for it the first time, as I
used to do. She left in a fury.
So, on the second day, she took my mobile
phone, keys and wristwatch and put them in her
locker and locked it.
On the third day, she put her small bag in the
locker with all her belongings, including her
mobile phone which she cannot live without, and
locked it. I somehow got hold of her desk key
and took out all my things (which she had locked
In the evening, while leaving office, she was
puzzled when she did not find her key and
hunted for it for more than half-an-hour,
roaming the entire office. I, being a good guy,
gave her the key and asked her to give my things
back. Now, she got another surprise (as I had
already taken back my belongings, without her
knowledge). After five minutes she was relieved
when I revealed that all my things were with me.
I cannot refrain from laughing when I remember
this incident.
Pradeep
06 VILLAGE ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008

Cremation

Village The Japanese cremate 93 per cent of

their dead, as compared to Great
Britain at 67 per cent and the United
States at just over 12 per cent.

Mukesh Ambani, the richest Indian

R
eliance Industries’ Mukesh
Ambani has overtaken NRI
steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal
as the richest Indian in the
world, with a net worth of US$
20.8 billion, Forbes said in its an-
nual rich list for the country.
Mittal, who has moved to sec-
ond position with a net worth of
US$ 20.5 billion, is followed by
Mukesh’s younger brother Anil
Ambani, whose wealth stood at
US$ 12.5 billion.
Telecom czar Sunil Mittal and
realtor K P Singh are ranked
fourth and fifth with net worth of
US$ 7.9 billion and US$ 7.8 bil-
lion, respectively.
The magazine said that the
combined net worth of India’s 40
richest has declined by 60 per
cent due to weak stock markets
amid depreciating rupee against
the greenback. Their total wealth
is now US$ 139 billion, down
from US$ 351 billion just a year
ago, according to Forbes India
Rich List.
While all 40 tycoons listed last
year were billionaires, only 27
have 10-figure net worths now. A
net worth of 760 million dollar
was needed to make to the list
this year, 840 million dollar less
than last year.
The Ruia brothers were ranked
at sixth position with a net worth
of US$ 7.6 billion, followed by Wi-
pro Chairman Aziz Premji, worth
US$ 7 billion.
The magazine states that the
combined net worth of brothers
Malvinder and Shivinder Singh
increased by US$ 550 million,
thereby grabbing 13th place on
the list.
Their combined net worth
stood at US$ 2.8 billion after they
Mukesh Ambani has overtaken NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal sold their stake in Ranbaxy Lab-
as the richest Indian in the world. oratories to Daiichi Sankyo.
The list says the major loser
was property tycoon Ramesh
Chandra, whose net worth
India’s top 40 richest people dropped by 91 per cent to US$ 1
Mukesh Ambani, Lakshmi Mittal, Anil Ambani, Sunil Mittal, billion.
Kushal Pal Singh, Shashi and Ravi Ruia, Azim Premji, Kumar Among the new entrants in the
Birla, Adi Godrej, Gautam Adani, Dilip Shanghvi, Savitri Jindal, list are retailer Micky Jagtiani at
Malvinder and Shivinder Singh, Anil Agarwal, Shiv Nadar, 16th position with a net worth of
Micky Jagtiani, Indu Jain, Cyrus Poonawalla, Uday Kotak, US$ 2 billion, followed by Divi’s
Chandru Raheja, G M Rao, Vivek Burman, Anurag Dikshit, Laboratories’ founder Murali Divi
Kalanithi Maran, Venugopal Dhoot, Yusuf Hamied, Ramesh at 36th place with a net worth of
Chandra, Subhash Chandra, N R Narayana Murthy, Rajan US$ 870 million. Also Akruti
Raheja, Brijmohan Lall Munjal, Baba Kalyani, Tulsi Tanti, City’s Hemant Shah stood at 37th
Jaiprakash Gaur, Niranjan Hiranandani, Murali Divi, Hemant place with a wealth of US$ 830
Shah, Gracias Saldanha, Anand Jain, Rahul Bajaj million. ■
PTI
Savitri Jindal
Savitri Jindal and
Indu Jain in the list
Two women – Savitri Jindal
and Indu Jain – have made
it to the Forbes list of 40
richest Indians this year.
Savitri Jindal, Chairperson of
O P Jindal Group, is
country’s richest woman
with a net worth of US$ 2.9
billion and is ranked 12th,
according to the latest US
magazine Forbes’ India Rich
list.
Bennett, Coleman & Co’s
Chairperson Indu Jain has
also got a place among the
40 Indians Rich list and is at
17th position with a net
worth of US$ 1.8 billion. ■
PTI

Lindsay Lohan calls Obama ‘coloured’

Rush hour rescheduled
for crucial exams
Rush hour was rescheduled,
aircraft landings were
delayed and even the stock
market opened late as more
than half a million South
Korean children sat a crucial
examination on Thursday.
Parents could be seen
praying outside schools
where their kids were taking
the College Scholastic Ability
Test (CSAT), a decisive factor
in determining future
careers. At Incheon city near
Seoul younger students and
graduates lined up outside a high school, cheering on test
applicants and handing them cups of coffee and tea before
their ordeal. Military training exercises nationwide were
suspended and military aircraft grounded to avoid noise
during audio foreign language tests, a spokesman for the
Joint Chiefs of Staff told AFP.
AFP
Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan used the derogatory word
‘coloured’ while talking about president-elect Barack Obama in
an interview. “It’s an amazing feeling. It’s our first coloured
president, so I’m thrilled to be a part of the country while that’s
going on,” Lohan said in an interview while discussing her
excitement over Obama’s victory
in US presidential elections, the
Mirror reported. The ‘Mean Girls’
star was talking about her role
in ‘Ugly Betty’. Though the 22-
year-old actress has supported
Obama in an election rally but China plans for
she also favoured his rival John
McCain. 9 nuclear plants
PTI China, the world’s second
largest power user, plans
to start building at least
Google to let businesses generate nine nuclear plants in the
next two years, as it aims
more search pages to reduce its dependence
Google Inc said on Thursday it is on power plants fired by
launching a new feature to help dirty coal. China now has
businesses that use its Site Search 11 working reactors with
service to instantly incorporate 9.07 gigawatts of total
and update new Web pages in capacity and wants to raise
the latest phase of its expansion its capacity to 60 GW by
into business services. Although 2020, over 5 per cent of its
Google is best known for its free total installed capacity, or
consumer search, which is enough to power Spain.
supported by advertising Officials said China is
revenue, the company has been developing more services that considering raising the
make money by licensing search technology or services to client already ambitious goal to
websites. 70 GW by 2020.
Reuters Reuters
 Friday, November 14, 2008
07
This day, that year Physicist reproduces Vermeer
It was on November 14, 1963 A University of Montreal researcher has reproduced Johannes
that a new island was created Vermeer’s famed Girl With A Pearl Earring piece within a
off the Icelandic coast by an single drop of liquid vitamin on a microscope’s glass slide. The
undersea volcanic eruption. work is about the width of two human hairs.

Phone that brews coffee

T
he new Pomegranate phone A promotional
plays music, takes photos,
browses the Web, doubles as gimmick to lure
a harmonica and a shaver, entrepreneurs, the
and even brews coffee. Internet
chat rooms and blogs were abuzz
fake phone also
with what is billed as ‘the ultimate provoked online
all-in-one device.’ discussions, with many
But if it sounds too good to be
true, it is. longing for such a
It is actually a promotional device to actually exist
gimmick to lure entrepreneurs to
Nova Scotia, a province on Cana-
da’s Atlantic coast.
It is part of a 3,00,000-dollar Gibb, a spokeswoman for the
marketing campaign launched in campaign, told AFP.
September by the Nova Scotia go- “What they all have in com-
vernment to draw newcomers mon, typically, is an interest in
and businesses to the province. the latest and greatest technolo- The gimmick
As hoped, it has duped tens of gies – iPhones, Blackberries, etc. is part of a
thousands into linking to a web- So, we thought the Pomegranate 300,000-dollar
site promoting Nova Scotia. phone would tweak their interest, marketing
But it has also unwittingly pro- and engage them,” she said. campaign
voked lively online discussions The website received 210,000 launched by the
about the fake phone itself, with hits and most stayed long enough Nova Scotia
many longing for such a device to to learn a bit about opportunities government to
actually exist. in Nova Scotia, she said. draw newcomers
“We wanted to reach out to key But it’s too soon to say if and businesses
influencers, business leaders, ex- anyone infected by the unusual to the province.
patriates, senior government offi- viral marketing campaign is plan- AFP PHOTO
cials who are bombarded with ning to move to Canada’s east-
information, so we needed to ernmost province. ■
stand out in the clutter,” Fiona AFP

End of Iraq war

T
he United States has ended the war in Iraq and Dated July 4, 2009, its front-page motto reads: “All the
indicted President George W. Bush on treason news we hope to print” – a play on the Times’ famous
charges, The New York Times reported on Tuesday. “All the news that’s fit to print.”
OK, well not really. According to gawker.com, The Yes Men arranged a
An elaborate spoof hit the streets of New York on Tues- lightning operation where volunteers distributed the
day: a convincing fake of The New York Times announc- fake Times early Wednesday and also organised so-
ing not just the withdrawal of troops from Iraq but a raft called viral emails to spread the word.
of other US liberal fantasies. In a secret email sent from organisers, volunteers were
Bush is indicted, Secretary of only instructed ahead of time that
State Condoleezza Rice apologises “something cool!” will happen, re-
that the fuss about Iraq’s weapons ported gawker.com.
of mass destruction was invented, “You’ll receive materials and in-
and Americans are finally getting structions when you arrive.
national health insurance. NOTE: YOU DON’T KNOW WHO
And that’s just on the front page. DID THIS. We want to maintain
The only problem? The free, 14- maximum mystery around this,
page ‘special edition’ newspaper – for as long as possible,” the secret
and its equally realistic looking mail read.
New York Times website – are pho- A Times spokeswoman said:
ney. “This is obviously a fake issue. We
Website www.gawker.com has are in the process of finding out
identified the pranksters behind more about it.”
the stunt as The Yes men, a liberal One of the newspaper’s own
group famous for practical jokes. online commentators had a wit-
Bush The newspaper was a vision of tier retort:
indicted what Democratic Americans The New York Times front “Sorry, folks, the paper isn’t
for treason would love to see under Barack page proclaimation free. And the Iraq war isn’t over, at
charges? Obama after he takes power in Ja- least not yet.” ■
nuary. AFP
08
Technorama
Games to buy for
Prepare your thumbs for a pounding: gaming
season is coming. Here are all the titles coming
your way before the New Year chimes in
Shooting Games
Call of duty: World
at war
PC, PS3, Wii, X360
COD has gone back to the
blood-soaked grit of World War II
and is powered by an enhanced
version of the Modern Warfare
engine. Hold on to your metal
hats.
Secret weapon: A darker, more
violent tone than previously
Mercenaries 2:
World in flames
PC, PS2, PS3, X360
Messy, contract destruction in
war-torn Venezuela, all you have
to do is make everything around
you die, so hijack any vehicle, fire
any weapon, and destroy any
tract of land you fancy.
Secret weapon: You can de-
stroy everything apart from the
sky
Fallout III
PC, PS3, X360
It’s 2277 in Washington DC,
and something highly apocalyptic -
even by DC standards – has oc-
curred. You must find your missing
dad, whilst shooting the monsters
who roam the wasteland.
Secret weapon: Hundreds of dif-
ferent endings, depending on your
in-game actions
Legendary
PC, PS3, X360
A clumsy New York thief opens
Pandora’s box - always a danger -
and much nastiness ensues. Fortu-
nately, said clumsy thief becomes
endowed with exactly the powers
needed to defeat said nastiness.
Handy.
Secret weapon: Great, every-man
for-himself brawls
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
Game Obama
Barack Obama has inspired a new free online
video game which sees him running round a
world modelled on Nintendo’s Super Mario
World. It also shows Obama collecting flags
and dodging lipstick-wearing pit bulls,
lobbyists, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
Strategy games
Golden axe: Beast rider
PS3, X360
A revival of the classic button-mashing hack ’n’ slasher of arcade
and Mega Drive infamy. Ride unwieldy beasts, chopping appendages
off of foes as you trot along, in glorious 3D.
Secret weapon: According to Wikipedia, it’ll feature “dismember-
ments and nudity”
Halo Wars
X360
Send a thousand genetically enhanced super soldiers to their grisly
deaths in this wartime tactics game set during the war against the
Covenant. Bloody aliens - always killing our Master Chiefs.
Secret weapon: You can also play as the Covenant. Bloody humans –
always killing our Elites and Brutes
Spore
PC, Mac
A God-sim of massive scope, where you invent single-celled orga-
nisms and evolve them to space-faring galaxy conquerors. Along the
way, you can dress them up however you want, like an all-powerful,
Gok Wan.
Secret weapon: You can upload your favourite creatures’ antics to
YouTube
Infinite undiscovery
X360
Enjoy sword ’n’ sorcery escapades in a constantly changing world.
The developers claim it packs in 10 years worth of ideas and is a “true
evolution” of RPGs, just as Darwin foretold when he discovered Final
Fantasy VII.
Secret weapon: You can interact with the game world to an unprece-
dented degree. It says here
Friday, November 14, 2008

Robo Jules
09
Robotics engineers at the University of Bristol in UK, actually made a
copycat robotic head, called Jules, which can mimic the facial expressions
and lip movements of a human being. The researchers developed their
own software to transfer expressions recorded by the video camera into
commands so that the servos produce similarly realistic facial movements.

the festive season

Sports Games
PES 2009
PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, X360
Following PES3’s lacklustre de-
but, maker Shingo Takatsuka
promises a complete overhaul
and a return to form. And not in a
Gazza post-Euro 96 way.Secret
weapon: It should be back to the
standards we’ve come to expect
The game: TNA
impact!
PS2, PS3 Wii, X360
Total Nonstop Action means
lots of punching, which can only
be a fine thing. Fast-paced, balls-
out scrapping, with none of that
tactical nonsense to bog you
down.Secret weapon: A live match
has been filmed as exclusive game
content
NHL 2K9
PS2, PS3, Wii, X360
You don’t have to be a hockey
nut to play this: it’s pure arcade
fun, with the all important fighting
aspect of the game beefed-up like
Jason from Friday the 13th. Music
is provided by The Ramones, too.
Secret weapon: Lets you use your
Wiimote as a hockey stick

Fighting games Driving Games

Mortal Kombat WWE Smackdown

versus DC universe
PS3, Xbox 360
Batman fights Sub-Zero. Su-
perman fights Scorpion - and
wins, presumably. Either way,
this looks to be a real comeback
for the MK series, which has
spent the last few years residing
in the “where are they now?” file.
Secret weapon: Offers the frankly
implausible chance to rip out Su-
perman’s spine.
VS Raw 2009
DS, PS2, PS3, Wii, X360
This latest dose of leotarded
grunting action offers up a brand
new tag team mode and co-op
storylines. Downloadable extras
then crack you over the back of
the head with a folding seat taken
from ringside.Secret weapon:
Lets you create your own signa-
ture moves - the reverse nelson
sasquatch pile driver, for instance
GTR Evolution
PC
An add-on to Race 07, which is
the official British Touring Car
Championship game. The full
version includes both, with the
main reason to snap up the ex-
pansion pack being a smattering
of new tracks and motor-mobiles.
Secret weapon Fully-modded
tracks ’n’ cars
The wheelman
PC, PS3, X360
Vin Diesel gets digitised for this
tie-in with his latest celluloid
classic. Expect swift motoring an-
tics in a sweaty Barcelona, and
plenty of entertaining nonsense.
Secret weapon Features car chas-
es inspired by Hollywood’s
greatest
10
BackPackers
Blissful Binsar
Calm and peaceful on the laps of
majestic Himalayas, Binsar is the place
to rejuvenate your souls
SHRINIDHI HANDE
B
insar is an enchanting hill
station in the state of Utta-
rakhand (formerly Utta-
ranchal), located visibly
close to the mighty Himalayas.
Snow covered peaks, dense for-
ests, curvy mountains and valleys
coupled with friendly weather
and people make Binsar an ideal
holiday destination far away from
maddening crowd.
Our four days three nights trip
to Binsar was highly memorable
and took us up close with
Himalayas.
The drive through the valley
was a refreshing one, with eye
catching views of the rivers, hills
and nature. We reached Binsar
resort after nearly 24 hours of
travelling-including a break at a
resort in Naukuchiatal (Hindi for:
nine cornered lake), where we
stopped for refreshment and
breakfast. Previous night it took
● About Binsar
Binsar is a well known
forest reserve and bird
sanctuary, Binsar is situated
at an altitude of 2,480m, on
the Jhandi Dhar hills of
Kumaon. Once the capital of
the Chand Raj Dynasty, it is
located at a distance of
26kms from Almora.
● Sightseeing
Binsar wildlife sanctuary
was set up in 1988, and
spreads over an area of
45.59 sq kms. It is home to
a variety of flora and fauna,
and over 200 species of
birds.
Bineshwar Jageshwar
Temple is a famous 16th
century temple, eight km
away with the shrine of
Lord Shiva. Binsar is said to
have been named after this
temple.
Four km from Binsar is the
Golu Devta Temple, with the
deity that is very popular all
over Kumaon.
● Tourism Info
Kumaon Mandal Vikas
Nigam,Golu Deva Holiday
Home.Almora
Phone: 05962- 22180
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
us more than two hours of trav-
elling from airport to the Delhi
railway station, and had it not
been for a sensible localite, who
cared to guide us through a short-
cut, we would have probably mis-
sed our train (Ranikhet Express)
to Kathagodam.
Rock climbing and rappelling
was a new experience for most of
us, which we enjoyed thoroughly,
under the expert guidance of the
resort’s activity staff. Day two
consisted of a mild trek to Mani-
pur villa, a valley view point and
visit to Jageshwar temple, a Siva
temple that is abode of 12 Jyothir-
lingas. The temple complex, con-
sisting of 124 temples and
hundreds of statues or lingas is
surrounded by magnificent deo-
dar trees that are centuries old.
On Day three, we went out to
explore Binsar Bird Sanctuary.
This place is famous for its view-
point from where one would get
magnificent view of the great Hi-
malayan mountain ranges. We
were lucky to reach there just in
time, before clouds could cover
up the peaks. The aerial distance
to the peaks was just 25 km from
the view point, if a local guide
was to be believed.
Later in the day we headed
out for night camping. The
red and green coloured,
ISO certified tents with
comfortable sleeping
bags made us think if
it would be a better
idea to stop paying a
rent of several thou-
sand rupees per
month back home in
Chennai and set up a
tent close to our offices
instead.
Day four, we checked out,
stopped at Almora, a city popular
for sweets. After buying sweets
we left for Nainitaal, enjoyed a
swim in the Kosi River on the
way. Nainital was another won-
derful place to spend time at, but
unfortunately we were short of
time. After having a good look at
the lake we left for Kathagodam
to board Delhi bound Ranikhet
Express, bringing a memorable
end to our Binsar trip. ■
The writer is an avid blogger and
a freelance writer
 Friday, November 14, 2008
11
Children’s Day out
SpiceJet has a special promotion for Children’s Day. Book with the
low-cost airline on November 13 and 14 and fly free with your
children. All children booked should be under 12 years on the date
of travel and be accompanied by an adult. For detailed terms of
the travel, log on to www.spicejet.com.

The new address

in town
LIFFY THOMAS
liffythomas@goergo.in
The Ettumanoor Mahadevar temple is
equally popular among devotees coming from

I
t was one of those cloudy mornings in Kot-
tayam. The South West monsoons had paid
its annual visits to Kerala, but you know the
State just has too many visitors. The North
East monsoon that follows, however, is not ac-
companied by torrential rains and thankfully
you don’t have to be under house-arrest. The
days can be muggy, yet pleasant – but you nev-
er know when the rain gods shower you a sur-
prise.
It was during one of those days that we de-
cided to witness the state’s latest spiritual des-
tinations, which are attracting droves of people
to two different locations in Kottayam district –
Kudamaloor (the birth place of Sister Alphon-
sa) and Bharananganam (the tomb where she
was cremated). For the uninitiated, this little
district was in the news as its daughter of the
soil was canonised as India’s first woman saint.
All roads lead to …
If the backwaters of Allepey, hills of Munnar
and beaches of Trivandrum are what make
Kerala take pride in calling itself God’s Own
Country, then Kottayam is here to give it one
more dimension. Apart from the dime-a-dozen
churches, Kottayam needs no introduction to
hundreds of Ayyappa devotees going to
Sabarimala year after year. It is
either in Kottayam station
or Ettumanoor that a
majority of them
alight before tak-
ing on the yatra
to the rugged
hills.
other states.
Spiritual route
Around 40 km from Kottayam station is St.
Mary’s Forane Church at Bharananganam. Be-
tween the school and the church is the mu-
seum which houses exhibits of the late sister.
But for those who are not very spiritually in-
clined, we suggest the drive from Pala through
Bharananganam under the cloudy sky is a de-
light. The smell of fish fried in coconut oil ac-
companied with fresh coconut toddy, workers
tapping rubber in estates or spices being cul-
tivated in large acres of land, even a walk will
not wear you out.
Collector’s delight
However, if you are more the kind who loves
architecture, relics and all things old, my pick
is Kudamaloor.
Though the century-old house has been ex-
tended and modified, there is so much to ap-
preciate here. A walk inside the lower
middle-class three-roomed home promises to
revitalise you. The low ceiling home is build of
teak wood, with cow dung flooring and tradi-
tional style attic adding to the architecture of
those days, something we don’t get to
see in today’s plush houses. Sur-
rounded by rubber estates
on one side and palm
on the side, the
quaint little village
promises to be a
serene retreat.
■

Fact File
How to get there: The city is well connected both within and
outside the city by buses and trains.
What else to see: Kottayam has been most synonymous with
Kumarokom. There is also Wagamon on the borders of Kot-
Kottayam also beckons tourists for its churches and temples tayam and Idukki.
12 ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
I
f Hercules was a woman who
had to lift the world on her
shoulders, she would have
loved this. From varying hem-
lines to necklines to sleeves and
waists, clothes have seen it all. This
time, though, the focus has gone a
little higher – to the shoulders, that
is.
So far, when it came to dress
shoulders, the closer to the body
the better it was. While some
clothes have dispensed with it, the
new trend is a complete reversal.
While sleeves have gone from ta-
pering to butterfly to puffed, the
silhouettes have kept alternating
between fishtail, A-line, billowing,
bubbles, layers and ruffles. Howev-
er, when it came to shoulders,
there have been no two ways
about it. An accurate fit here
has always been a dress or
jacket’s first sign of a good
fit. This has now changed.
Dramatic, extended
shoulders, sometimes
even extending half a foot away
from the anatomy, are the new
statement.
When Jean Paul Gaultier show-
cased his spring/summer 2009
ready-to-wear collection in Paris,
the focus was on re-inventing the
swimsuit and show how it could
be worn with everything from
suits to cocktail dresses. The
jackets, too, caught our at-
tention.
Stiff, broad-shouldered
to the point of being
masculine, they provide
definition and an illu-
sion of power-dressing to an
Elie Saab (Anti-clockwise from top) Hannah MacGibbon fo
Chernitsov, Frankie Xie for Jefen, and Victoria B
dVb launch
otherwise lean silhouette.
Christian Lacroix incorporated
the same in his spring/summer 2009
ready-to-wear line, this time on the
classic LBD. Shoulders so broad and
stiff, you could balance a tray on it
and walk the ramp. Junko Shimada
had another version of the stiff
wide shoulder, making it an inter-
section of a puffed sleeve and
starched shoulder.
Alexander McQueen’s animal-
themed spring/summer show came
with sharp, geometrical, cuts, the
shoulders jutting out in extreme
angles.
Lebanese designer Elie Saab, the
red-carpet favourite (remember
Halle Berry’s Oscar gown?), though
well-known for the prettiest gowns
ever, isn’t known to experiment
too much with silhouette. This
time, however, there was a depar-
ture, the dramatic extended shoul-
ders ending in some extra-puffy
sleeves.
All eyes were on Hannah
MacGibbon’s debut
show for Chloe. The
show was a success and
spotted were this season’s
weighty shoulders again.
Marc Jacobs’ line for Louis
Vuitton, widely titled ‘Mary
Poppins goes to Dubai’,
perhaps sums it up.
When it comes to carry-
ing it off, Victoria Beck-
ham wins without
objection. At the launch
of her dVb clothing col-
lection in Duesseldorf, Ger-
many, her
broad-shouldered jacket got
as many SLRs clicking as her pixie
crop.
And coming to carrying it off, the
un-ignorable premise is an ex-
tremely tiny waist and hips to
match. We don’t want to look like
American rugby players, do we? ■
 Friday, November 14, 2008
13

Portfolio BULLETIN
Tom Watch
No, former Gucci
designer Tom Ford
will not be
costuming his own
film. Sources say
Arianne Phillips, the
stylist to Madonna
and Oscar nominee
for Walk the Line,
has been enlisted to
design costumes for
A Single Man. The movie, Ford’s directorial
debut, began shooting on November 10 in
Los Angeles.
NYT News Service

Schiffer and Saint Laurent

It seems supermodels haven’t lost their
lustre at Yves Saint Laurent. After Naomi
Campbell featured
in the label’s fall
ads, Stefano Pilati
has tapped
Claudia Schiffer as
the face of the
Shoulders, fashion house for
spring. Schiffer
sometimes said at a British
Vogue and Van
as good as Cleef & Arpels’
party in London
a coffee that YSL is one of
the campaigns she
table, are has shot for the
upcoming season, along with ads for Dolce
the new & Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo. Inez
van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
focus area photographed YSL’s spring campaign in Los
Angeles last month.
NYT News Service

A suit called Obama

Barack Obama’s elegance and fashion sense
has inspired a Bosnian company to name a
new line of men’s business suits after the
US president-elect.
“We chose the name ‘Obama’ for the suits,
which were already selling well in Bosnia
and neighbouring Croatia,” said Ahmet
Curic, a manager at Borac, the company
that produces the outfits.
“It’s a line of top quality business suits, and
naming it Obama was an obvious choice
because the president-elect is clearly a very
elegant man and one of a few who knows
how to wear a
suit,” said.
Based in the
central town
of Travnik,
Borac is
Bosnia’s oldest
clothing
factory. It
cooperates
with several
leading
European
fashion houses
including
or Chloe, Max Hugo Boss.
Beckham at the AFP
14
Wellness
The silent killer
Sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food habits,
the two major risk factors of Type II Diabetes
V.HARIPRIYA
haripriya@goergo.in
W
atch your waist is a good
watch word on the occa-
sion of the World Dia-
betes Day. Those who
are obese are prone to type-II
Diabetes, a condition that could
lead to a considerably difficult lif-
estyle, according to Dr. Vijay Vis-
wanathan of M.V.Hospital for
Diabetes and Diabetes Research
Centre.
Speaking to Ergo ahead of the
World Diabetes Day, which falls
on November 14, the doctor, said
sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy
food habits are the two major risk
factors of type II diabetes and
“the shocking fact is that over 30-
40 percent of professionals in the
age group of 25- 40 are diabetics.”
According to the International
Diabetes Federation (IDF), there
were an estimated 40 million
people with diabetes in India in
2007 and this number is predic-
ted to rise to almost 70 million
people by 2025.
“We, the Asian Indians are ge-
netically prone to diabetes than
the other ethnic groups in the
world. When an obese person
Dr. Vijay Viswanathan
with the family history of dia-
betes, follows an unhealthy food
habit with minimum physical ac-
tivity, he falls under the risk of
developing diabetes,” the doctor
said.
If the waist circumference of a
man and woman reaches 90 cm
and 85 cm respectively, they are
termed as obese. When obesity is
accompanied by mild increase in
blood sugar, blood pressure and
cholesterol, the condition is
termed as metabolic syndrome.
This leads to insulin resistance or
glucose intolerance, where the
body cannot use insulin or blood
sugar properly, the reason for
type-II Diabetes.
“The reason for obesity in IT
professionals is their sleeping
pattern, lack of physical activity,
no exercise/ walking and improp-
er eating habits. When a person
works just opposite to the biolog-
ical clock, like working at night
and sleeping during day, his
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
Insulin
World Diabetes Day is celebrated every
year on 14 November, a date chosen to
mark the birthday of Frederick Banting,
who is widely credited with the
discovery of insulin in 1921.
DIET SIGNAL
Go ahead
Whole grains, steamed
rice, phulka, chapatti,
brown bread, ragi,
popcorn
Variety of sundal prep-
arations, dhal-roti,
sprouted whole grams,
roasted grams, Bengal
garm dhal.
Salads, clear vegetable
soups, steamed
vegetable.
A variety of fruits
Cow’s milk, toned milk,
skimmed milk, curd,
buttermilk.
Fish, chicken, egg
white, boiled/grilled fish,
tandoor chicken.
Sunflower oil, Safflow-
er oil, Groundnut oil, Gin-
gelly oil, Soyabean oil.
Go slow
Maida, vermicelli, white
bread, bakery biscuits, ta-
pioca, idiyappam,
steamed noodles.
Cream soups, vegeta-
ble juices (carrot juice).
Unsweetened fruit juic-
es, fruit salads.
Whole egg, sea-foods
like prawns, shrimps,
crab, oysters.
Coconut chutney, coco-
nut-based preparations.
Avoid
Parota, poori, sweetened
breakfast cereals, butter-
nan, biryani, fried rice,
cakes.
sleeping pattern and food timings Dhals with excess
ghee, deep fried pulses,
are changed. Adding to this, junk
dhal preparations, Dhal
foods and stress spoil health and makhani, vada, bonda,
make one obese” Dr.Vijay said. bajji.
Symptoms Vegetable curries with
The common symptoms of excess oil/coconut milk,
type II diabetes are frequent uri- vegetable pakoras and
nation, thirst, fatigue, excessive koftas.
hunger and sudden loss of Sweetened fruit juices,
weight. fruit shakes, fruit based
desserts.
Who should go for
Whole milk, con-
screening? densed milk, cheese,
According to Dr. Vijay, people sweetened milkshakes,
with family history of diabetes payasam, ice creams.
and obese should go for a dia- Mutton, pork, beef, or-
betes screening. Also women who gan meat(liver, brain),
gave birth to big babies and who fried fish/chicken, butter
had gestational diabetes should chicken
screen for type-II Diabetes. Salted and fried nuts,
dried coconut, coconut
Prevention
oil, ghee, butter, vanas-
Prevention of diabetes is very pathi, margarine
simple. Shed your weight by Sugars,jaggery,
proper exercise or walking. While sweets, confectionaries,
in office avoid lift and opt for chocolates, sweetened
healthy food in canteen. Drink as beverages.
much water as possible. Sleep
well and eat at right time. ■
 Friday, November 14, 2008
15
Size matters
The colour of a chilli is no
indication of its spiciness, but
size usually is - the smaller the
pepper, the hotter it is.

The DPD syndrome

It involves lot of time, patience and
Believe me, only I know
strategy for girls to choose clothes that how much time and
for every date money I splurge on
for the first date” (this may sound
narrowing down on
VIPASHA SINHA
sweet, but it is definitely not). Re- my wardrobe. Not

T
omorrow is my one-month
anniversary with my boy-
friend Rahul and as usual I
don’t know what to wear.
This special day needs some ex-
tra-special dress but I have al-
ready worn all the good ones that
I have and it is out of question
that I repeat them.
Ever since I started dating him,
my ultimate aim has always been
to surprise him with my looks. I
don’t know if I have ever suc-
ceeded in that but his routine
‘You are beautiful’ dialogue is
convincingly satisfying.
Believe me, only I know that
how much time and money I
splurge on narrowing down on
my wardrobe. Not to repeat my
clothes is my biggest concern.
I don’t want Rahul to ask em-
barrassing questions like “Hey, is
this the same shirt you wore to 10
D last time?” or “This was the
jacket you wore when I met you
lationship columns say that guys to repeat my clothes
notice the gals from head to toe,
this is reason enough for us to is my biggest
hunt for new clothes every time. concern.
So, it’s a Dress Per Date (DPD)
syndrome, the more I date, the
more I buy. I don’t blame Prin-
cess Diana for not repeating her
clothes, I can totally understand!
I have tried all the discount
sales, factory-outlets and the
fashion streets around the city
and it is still ‘mission (+ ve ly) im-
possible’ to get that perfect buy
for every perfect date. Tomorrow
on our special date, I have to
dress different, and that ‘differ-
ent’ should be something differ-
ent from what I’ve worn in the
past month.
That is not all. The shoes, the
earrings, the perfume, the pen-
dants, the rings, the belts and the
hairstyle has to be taken care of.
So Rahul better multiply the gifts
and their frequency! ■

Shed tears to stay healthy

Crying is not only a stress-buster, but is good at healing too

A
re you alexithymic or anhe-
donic? You may profit from
therapeutic interventions
to stimulate your lacrimal
apparatus. In other words, if you
can’t feel emotions or are unable
to derive pleasure from good ex-
periences, make yourself weep
with medical help, scientists
across the world advise.
And if you don’t suffer from ei-
ther symptom, carry on weeping
still, for good health, they sug-
gest.
Why we cry and what happens
when we do is still a mystery, but
that hasn’t stopped researchers
from studying its effects. Their
latest research suggests that cry-
ing is not only a stress-buster, but
is good at healing too.
Emotional tears
A clue to the purpose of crying
perhaps lies in the experimental
finding that emotional tears con-
tain different compounds from
regular eye watering, such as that
triggered by chopping onions.
Tears associated with emotion
have higher levels of some pro-
teins, and of manganese and po-
tassium, and hormones,
including prolactin, than mere
eye watering. Manganese is an
essential nutrient. Too little of it
can lead to slowed blood clotting,
skin problems, and lowered cho-
lesterol levels. Potassium is in-
volved in nerve working, muscle
control and blood pressure. Pro-
lactin is a hormone involved in
stress and plays a role in the im-
mune system.
William Frey, professor of
pharmaceutics at the University
of Minnesota, is quoted by The
Independent as saying: “Because
unalleviated stress can increase
our risk for heart attack and dam-
age certain areas of our brain, the
human ability to cry has survival
value.”
Skin sensitivity
New research shows that cry-
ing increases arousal of certain
body functions to ward off some
physiological threats. In support
of this theory, some research
shows that skin sensitivity in-
creases during and after crying,
and that breathing deepens -
both considered healthy signs. “It
is possible that crying is both an
arousing distress signal and a
means to restore psychological
and physiological balance,” say
researchers at the University of
South Florida. ■
IANS
16 ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008

New bat to add to batsmen’s delight

Sport
A new design of cricket bat, likely to find acceptance in Twenty20 format of the game, which will allow batsmen play
shots using both sides of the willow has been developed by bat-makers Gray-Nicolls. Batsmen, including Andrew Symonds,
have been experimenting with using the back of the bat but have been restricted by its angular shape. The new bat,
which will need ICC approval, is expected to open scoring options for the batsmen in the Twenty20 version of cricket with
its smaller and pressed hitting area on the reverse side of the blade.

BCCI
Indian challenge ends at
Tennis Masters Cup
Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner
Mark Knowles crashed out of the season

OFFICIALS IN DOCK
ending Tennis Masters Cup after losing their
virtual quarter-final clash against Luis Horna
and Pablo Cue Vas in
Shanghai on Thursday. The
third seeded Indo-
Bahamaian pair lost their
last round robin match of
the Red Group 7-6 (7-3), 6-7 Another victory for
(4-7), 5-10 to the eighth
seeded Peru-Uruguay resurgent Dalmiya
combination. Both the pairs
had come into the match ERGO CORRESPONDENT
with one defeat and one victory. It was a must feedback@goergo.in
win match for both the team in order to
qualify for the semi-final stage. With this

defeat, Indian challenge ended at the
prestigious USD 4,45,000 event as Leander Paes
and his partner Lukas Dlouhy also failed to
make the semi-final cut. Only the top two
teams of the Red and Gold groups will compete
in the semi-finals. Paes and Dlouhy finished last
in the four-team Gold group.
PTI
Amritraj reaches round two
Prakash Amritraj prevailed over qualifier Izak
Van Der Merwe in a fiercely fought opening
round match to advance to the second round
of the USD 50,000 ATP Challenger series event
in Champaign, USA. The un-seeded Indian
Davis Cupper came from behind to pip his
South African opponent 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
in the opening round of the hard court event.
Prakash will next take on Australian giant
killer Carseten Ball, who stunned top seed and
local favourite Vincent Spadea in his opening
encounter. In the doubles event, Somdev
Devvarman and Izak beat Kiwi-American
combination of Gd Jones and Connor Roth 6-1,
3-6, 10-8 to advance to the second round.
PTI
Mithali, Jhulan cling on
T
he fight for supremacy and
control of the Board of Con-
trol for Cricket in India took
an interesting twist on
Wednesday when the Calcutta
High Court decided to initiate
criminal proceedings against six of
the board’s top officials. If proven
guilty they could face prison sen-
tences ranging from three to seven
years.
Justice Nadira Pathariya passed
the order eight months after the
former BCCI and ICC president,
Jagmohan Dalmiya, moved a case
of perjury against the then BCCI
president Sharad Pawar and other
Board officials for allegedly pro-
ducing false documents in court.
The High Court passed the order
and directed its Registrar to start
criminal proceedings under sec-
tion 195 of CRPC (prosecution for
contempt of lawful authority of
public servants for offences
against public justice and for of-
fences relating to documents giv-
en in evidence) at the Chief
Metropolitan Magistrate’s court,
Kolkata.
An elated Dalmiya camp wel-
comed the move and the man
himself hailed the court’s judge-
ment and said: “At last my stand
PHOTO: AFP

India’s Mithali Raj and captain Jhulan Goswami
hung on to their third position in the batters’
and bowlers’ charts respectively in the ICC
Women’s ODI rankings issued on Thursday.
However, veteran batter Anjum Chopra has
slipped out of the top 20 to be placed at the
21st position. Apart from Jhulan, Rumeli Dhar
(8th) is the other Indian bowler to find a place
in the top 10 chart.
The batting list is being
headed by Claire Taylor of
England with Indian-born
Aussie Lisa Sthalekar in the
second spot. Indian-born
Isha Guha of England
continues to top the
bowlers’ chart followed by
Australian Shelley Nitschke. Meanwhile, no
Indian finds place in the top five all-rounders’
list, which is being headed by Australia’s
Sthalekar and followed by her team-mate
Nitschke. Nicola Brown of New Zealand
occupies the third position.
PTI
has been vindicated. I have full
faith in our judiciary and I know
truth always comes out.”
Since his unceremonious ouster
from the BCCI in December 2006,
Dalmiya has trained his guns
against Pawar and Co. and has ac-
cused them of carrying a “witch-
hunt” against him, to try and
maintain their control over the
cash-rich and powerful cricket
body. The Board had filed a series
of cases against him and had de-
barred him from holding any
posts, accusing him of money
laundering from the 1996 World
Cup accounts. But after earning a
reprieve from the same court ear-
lier in the year, Dalmiya has wrest-
ed power at the Cricket
Association of Bengal and had
even attended the BCCI AGM in
Mumbai in September.
Speaking about the proceed-
ings, Dalmiya said: “After my un-
just expulsion I thought I didn’t
deserve this and decided to chal-
lenge it in court. When I first ap-
proached the High Court, my
lawyers pointed out that the docu-
ments relied upon had a lot of dis-
crepancies. So I filed a case for
criminal prosecution.”
Dalmiya had alleged that the
Board had placed forged docu-
ments before the High Court for
the registration of an amendment
to BCCI’s Clause V of Rule 38,
which relates to disciplinary ac-
tion against a member of the
Board. He said that the BCCI had
wrongly claimed to have received
consent from the Tamil Nadu So-
cieties Registration body to regis-
ter the amendment at a later date
and so his expulsion was void.
The BCCI officials who have got
themselves entangled in this legal
mess are president Sashank Ma-
nohar, former president Pawar
and four top officials Ratnakar
Shetty (chief administrative offi-
cer), Niranjan Shah (former secre-
tary), N. Srinivasan (secretary) and
Chirayu Amin (junior cricket com-
mittee chairman).
When contacted, Shah refused
to comment on the matter, stating
it was sub-judice and that the
BCCI lawyers will deal with it ac-
cordingly. Shetty also decided to
stay mum.
Pawar, the ICC president-elect,
towed the same line. “What we are
confident is that we will be able to
bring the proper facts before the
honourable court.
I think we can only comment af-
ter we have seen the papers and
discussed it with our lawyers,” the
central minister told a news agen-
cy on Wednesday. ■
 Friday, November 14, 2008
‘‘
He (Ponting) is a player who has always put the team first and he has
never measured success by personal statistics. Any suggestion that he
put himself first ahead of the team last week in Nagpur is completely off beam
and can only come from someone who does not know him or understand him.
England faces
tough India
challenge
E
ngland fast
bowler Stuart
Broad reco-
vered from a
sore knee to be named in
the playing eleven for Fri-
day’s opening One-day Inter-
national against India. Broad
had been doubtful of playing
after he pulled out of the tourists
second warm-up match on
Tuesday, boosting England af-
ter left-arm Ryan Sidebottom
was ruled out due to an
Achilles injury. The tourists
also picked pacemen
James Anderson and
Steve Harmison along-
side all rounder An-
drew Flintoff in a
pace-oriented
bowling attack
for the first of
the seven-
match series.
“I think our
bowling has been
pretty special,”
skipper Kevin Pie-
tersen told a news
conference on Thursday. “I
think that’s been our
strength against South Afri-
ca,” he said, referring to the
4-0 series win in September.
Batting blues
Poor batting form remains
England’s big worry after
they suffered a humiliating
Stanford Twenty20 Chal-
lenge defeat in the Caribbean
last month where they were
bowled out for 99. They were al-
so skittled for 98 by a second-
string Mumbai team to lose
their second warm-up game on
Tuesday. “I think the guys will
have a work a little bit harder,”
Pietersen said. “I just think we
17
CA CEO James Sutherland
ENGLAND
PACEMAN
Andrew Flintoff
(right) and Stuart
BROAD
Broad during a
practice session PHOTO:
PTI
DECLARED FIT
FOR FIRST ODI
lack competitive cricket, and
hopefully we’ve learnt enough les-
sons in the last couple of weeks so
that we can come out and fire on all
cylinders.” England won last year’s
home ODI series against India 4-3 af-
ter losing 1-5 in their previous se-
ries in India in 2006.
New ball game
India will look to quickly
adapt after completing a 2-0
Test series victory over Austra-
lia four days ago.
“It’s never easy when you
are playing back to back in-
ternational tournaments,”
skipper Mahendra Singh
Dhoni said. “In three days
time to switch over from the
last Test series and get on
with one-day cricket, it’s
quite tough, but as an in-
ternational cricket team
you will have to do it. Half
the side does not play the
Test game. That’s in a
way good, some of them are
fresh.”
Fast bowler Ishant Sharma
was ruled out of the match
due to an ankle injury while
batsman Sachin Tendulkar
has been rested for the
first three matches.
After the opener in Raj-
kot, the series will con-
tinue on to Indore (Nov.
17), Kanpur (Nov. 20),
Bangalore (Nov. 23),
Cuttack (Nov. 26),
Gauhati (Nov. 29)
and New Delhi
(Dec. 2). The
one-dayers
will be fol-
lowed by
two Tests. ■
Reuters
18
Flick
A
bhishek Bachchan, who pretends to be gay in
Dostana, says the film does not make fun of any
community and adds that he wouldn’t mind do-
ing a film like Brokeback Mountain.
“Actors are required to do many things, not all close
to their personality or orientation. I wouldn’t call Dos-
tana unusual. I’d call it unique. It’s a very funny film,”
Abhishek told IANS in an interview.
Set in Miami, Florida, Dostana is about two friends -
Abhishek and John Abraham, who pretend to be gay
to get an accommodation.
“I don’t think there’s anything objectionable on ho-
mosexuality in Dostana. We aren’t trying to make fun
of anybody. We aren’t making a comment on any
community.It’s not about homosexuality. It’s not a
Brokeback Mountain,” he said.
Would you do a Brokeback Mountain?
Yes, why not? It’d depend entirely on the script.
Last week you gave everyone a scare by falling
ill.
Unfortunately, falling ill is a part of life. I was shoot-
ing in the rain and I got a viral fever. Now I’m back on
my feet working hard.
Now that your Dostana is being released, don’t
you feel left out of the excitement?
I wouldn’t say left out. But, yes, I do feel a bit dis-
connected because I’m shooting for Mani Ratnam’s
film in the jungles of Kerala, two hours’ drive from
Kochi where there’s no network. It’s very tough to
connect with the world.
Is that a blessing or a curse?
Both. A blessing because there’re no distractions
and one can get completely into the world of the film.
Once we wrap up, all of us head for the gym and then
sit on the scenes for the next day. On the deficit side, I
don’t get to connect with my loved ones. God forbid, if
there’s another medical emergency.
How do you feel about the very unusual space
that you’re occupying in Dostana?
Why do you call it unusual?
We’ve never had a comedy where the two
heroes masquerade as gay characters, though
we did have Rishi Kapoor and Paintal in drag
throughout Raffoo Chakkar decades ago.
There you have it. Actors are required to do many
things, not all close to their personality or orientation.
I wouldn’t call Dostana unusual. I’d call it unique. It’s
a very funny film. I haven’t done a comedy in a long
while. The last one was Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. But
Dostana is a full-on comedy. So a first for me!
How do you think the gay community will react
to Dostana?
I don’t think there’s anything objectionable about
homosexuality in Dostana. The film is a love triangle.
John and I tell Priyanka we’re a couple in order to
I won’t mind doing a film
like ‘Brokeback Mountain’:
Abhishek
ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008
Britney’s secret project
American pop princess Britney Spears is
said to be working on a top secret
project with her manager and
choreographer.
become tenants in her house. We aren’t trying to
make fun of anybody. We aren’t making a comment
on any community. I don’t think anyone needs to be
offended. .
Are you as friendly with your Dostana co-star
John off screen as you’re on screen?
In the film, John and I are rivals. Off screen John has
been a dear friend from the time we did Dhoom to-
gether. That was our first hit. So there was a bit of an
emotional connection there. We’ve remained friends
since then. We truly had a blast shooting Dostana.
You must have been extremely disturbed by
your dad’s illness?
Of course! I think any parent’s illness is extremely
disturbing to any child. I’m not an exception. We hope
our parents will never fall ill. But they do.
I love my father immensely. I dealt with his illness as
best as I could. And I hope I’m half as good a son as he
was to his parents.
That’s a hard act to follow
I know. But I don’t compare myself as a son to my
father. I just try to follow in his footsteps. Calling it a
hard act is very cynical. I look at his track record as a
son as very inspiring. ■
IANS
 Friday, November 14, 2008
19
What’s your verdict?
If you are among the first to catch
Varanam Aayiram over the weekend,
send in your verdict on the movie to
feedback@goergo.in with the subject
line: verdict

“New bond films

too violent” Cine City
Roger Moore says that he is disappointed at the level of
brutality featured in modern
day Bond films

F
ormer James Bond Roger
Moore has blasted the latest in-
stalments of the super spy
franchise, insisting that they
are ‘too violent’.
The veteran British actor, who
played 007 in seven films during
the 1970s and 80s, says that he
isn’t a huge fan of new Bond
films as they are too violent.
He is disappointed at the lev-
el of brutality featured in mod-
ern day Bond films.
“I am happy to have done it,
but I’m sad that it has turned so
violent. That’s keeping up with
Ash and paparazzi
the times, it’s what cinema-goers After the leaking of Endhiran photos in internet,
seem to want and it’s proved by the director Maniratham is cautious that the same
box-office figures,” Contactmusic doesn’t happen for Ravan. In order to keep away
quoted him, as saying. from paparazzi, the ace director wraps Abishek
Meanwhile, the latest Bond film Quan- Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with blankets
tum of Solace, which stars Daniel Craig as after they get dressed up in their resort every
the suave secret agent, has so far grossed more morning. They are escorted to the waiting jeep,
than 106 million dollars worldwide. ■ which is again closed with thick bed sheets and are
ANI taken to the shooting spot.

Anil Kapoor
plays autistic
in Yuvvraaj
A fter the success of Taare Zameen Par, now Anil Ka-
poor will be seen as an autistic in his forthcoming
movie Yuvvraaj.
“Anil plays elder brother to Salman and Zayed Khan.
Subhash Ghai had been meaning to incorporate a
physically-psychologically challenged character into
his script for a long time. It was Anil who told Subhash-
ji the story idea for Yuvvraaj,” a source told IANS. If
Cheran teams up with Jeeva
Actor Cheran and Jeeva are joining hands for a
sources are to be believed Anil’s reference point in
movie produced by Super Good Films RB
Yuvvraaj is Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump.
Choudhary soon. Cheran will not be directing the
This isn’t the first time that Anil is playing an autis-
film, but would be playing a prominent role in it.
tic role. In K. Vishwanath’s Eeshwar too he was cast as
The film is directed by Brindha Sarathy, who did
a slow, saintly man who wins over a village widow.
Jeeva’s Thithikudhae. The shooting will commence
Shah Rukh Khan too plays an isolated Muslim suf-
once Cheran completes his works for Pokkisham.
fering from an autistic disorder in Karan Johar’s My
Jeeva also has plans to do a movie alongside
Name Is Khan.
IANS
Srikanth.
20 ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008

Thursday’s Question: overtime I would give him a red card

Satish Kumar, Inautix

If you were a referee at ■ I’ll give red card to the canteen staffs
as they are not customer friendly
your office, for what towards delivering the stuff.
offences would you give Dhananjayan, Scope International

■ Those who are not properly attired

yellow or even red cards? following dress codes should be given
■ Nodding their head for what everyone red cards and people who speak on the
says. mobile phone in work station should be
Nasir Ahmed, TAG, Perot Systems given yellow cards. Sriram , Perot Systems

■ If I found my associates sleeping in the ■ For using company landline numbers

cafe or putting ’kadalai’ in canteen.
Srinivasan (Perot Systems), Ganga (Wipro)
■ I would definitely give a red card to
people who over react, show faces to
junior employees and underestimate
junior talents.
Meenakshi Mohan, TCS
■ A red card for a person who always
take n number of breaks and says... “Less
tension, more work”
Arunkumar Raja, CGSL
■ Work while you work and play while
you play is our team motto.... So its not
necessary for yellow or red cards
Vinoth Kumar, Allsec
■ Red card for finding defects in the
code.
D. Raja, TCS
for talking to girl friends pretending to Shanmugapriya of Anantara Solutions has nominated
be attending business calls. her team members as Partners in Crime. This pic was
Priyaa JS, Sutherland clicked at Green Meadows resort.
■ Speaking very loudly on the phone in
work area.
Jude, Infosys
■ Yellow for early cabs and buses .. Red
for still being early
Aaron, Wipro
■ I will give yellow cards for those who
sleep during office hours and red card
to those who take credit for other’s
work.
Rakshita Sreenivasan, Wipro Technologies
■ A yellow card for not switching off E.Ethies from Calsoft has nominated his team as
the fan, tubelights and monitors before Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Residency
leaving for the day. Towers.
Ashwin Bhargava, Infosys MCity

■ If anyone corrupts the office culture by ■ I would give a red or yellow card if
staying beyond working hours. Dai vituku anybody would ask us to work on
pongada! holidays.
Yacub, Patni Computers Rohit, Bell Canada

■ I would give yellow cards for biased

appraisal, lazy and irresponsible act and
■ If my TL assigns me a work that I’m
suppose to do I would give "red card"
You are invited
red card for eve-teasing, stalkers and
sexual favour for accelerated growth.
Sudhan Wipro

■ Cynicism could merit a yellow card

for some coffee,
biscuits and free-
Rahul Bhatia, TCS
while any kind of personal abuse, a red
■ For persons who often makes the card.
workstation dirty, I would issue red cards.
Kicha, CGSL
Sridhar R, STG

■ I will give yellow card for not even

■ I’ll give yellow card to those who are
working in the morning and red card to
those who are working after lunch. We
are supposed to sleep in office man!
Suju, Ajuba Internationa
■ I would give red card to an employee
who speaks through mobile phone during
meetings.
Vasan, Thinksoft
■ I would give red cards for the girls who
laugh loudly in floor for mokkai jokes.
A.G. Sivakumar, Perot Systems
■ I would give red card for people who
take long coffee breaks.
Sundar Narayan, Polaris
■ Whenever my boss asks me to work
taking the tea break and working
sincerely. And red card for coming to
office without taking any leave and also
working after the shift hour
Bala (PMC), Satish (Ramco System)
■ Yellow card for playing computer
games during office hours. Red card for
loud, annoying cell ring tones. Red card
for sycophantic boss pleasing.
Rajan, AB DRC
Today’s query:
Recall your favourite
fancy dress moment
from school days ...
W e are soon launching our
discussion forum - Chat-
terbox - through which we
want to discuss with you the
issues that affect you the most.
It will be a forum where you
can voice your opinion - quite
literally through the Chatter-
box podcast that would be
hosted on our website
www.goergo.in. Also we will
feature the Chatterboxers in
our tabloid.
The first Chatterbox forum
will be on the topic ’Marriage’.
The chat will be on issues rang-
ing from marriage vs career de-
bate to the arranged marriage
wheeling chatter
vs love marriage argument.
If you want to be among the
first to participate in Chatter-
box, send in your requests to
feedback@goergo.in, with a
brief profile of yourself and
your views on the topic. You
can also call us to register on
phone at 2857 6688 between 11
a.m. to 3 p.m.
We are working out where
the Chatterbox discussion will
happen - most probably in a
cafe. The discussions will hap-
pen on Saturday evenings and
will not last beyond an hour.
We will mail you back on the
specifics.
 Friday, November 14, 2008
■ Dear Suraj Kumar Jana,
Wish you many happy
returns of the day. May God
bless you with all love and
affection. Wish you all
success in you future
endeavours.
Hearty Wishes,
Naseem Ahamed, Navin K,
Wipro
■ Hi Mahalakshmi
Friends are God’s way of
taking care of us.
Thank God I’ve got you. A
very happy birthday to you
my friend.
Wishes from
Gopalan.J, Krishnamurthy,
Rajagopalan, Ganesh,
Shanmugavel, Infosys
■ Hi Senthil alias Marshall,
Wishing u many more
happy returns of the day
with lot of surprises, joy
and happiness in the
coming years da...
Urs loving sister,
Agila.M, Wipro Technologies
■ Hi Vidya,
Kick off ur shoes,take a
break,Crank the
tunes,Dance & Shake,light
the candles,cut the cake.
Make ita a day,that’s simply
Great!!! Hope this day will
bring you an extra share of
all that makes you happiest.
Advance Happy B’Day....!!!
Vigneshwaran,Vignesh Kumar,
Pappy, Vikram, Rathi, Viji,
Vinitha, Infosys Technologies
Ltd., Mcity
■ Dear Charanya,
You are as young as your
faith, as old as your doubt,
as young as your self-
confidence, as old as your
fear, as young as your
hope, as old as your
despair”. Lovely friends
wishing u Many Birthdays
to come
With Blessings from,
Shuttle 1 – “Rocking Stars",
Accenture
■ Hi Padmaramya,
“Many more happy returns
in advance…”
Manager N crew, HCLT,
Vadapalani
■ Dear Abhi (Abhishek),
Wish U a Maaany more
Happppyyy returns of the
day...
Let ur dreams come true... :)
Have a Fun rocking Day
ahead...
Regards,
Bala and Freinds, TCS
■ Dear Deepa & Saravanan,
Your anniversary is a time.
For sharing your affection;
It’s obvious the two of you.
Have quite a deep
connection! We send glad
congratulations. And
heartfelt wishes, too, for
joyful happiness and love In
everything you do. Our
hearty Anniversary wishes
to you on this spl
occasion!!!!
With Luv,
Shanny, Sudhakar, Swamy,
Saravanan, Ramya, Gautham,
Pradeep & FTM team members :)
Wipro Technologies
■ Hi Pushpa,
This is a small prayer that
comes specially on your
way, From our little hearts,
on the occasion of your
birthday… And we shall
pray the Almighty above, to
bless… To keep you always
happy, content and
successful… Not only
today… but this whole life
full……………
Anbudan
Un batch mate, Ramco systems
■ Hi Ajeet (ASCS),
May your birthday be extra
special, may your dreams
and wishes come true..
because no one else in the
whole wide world deserves
it more than you. We wish
you will be a child forever,
with your face always
smiling and your focus
always on your planned
achievements. We wish you
a very Happy Birthday.
With Lots of Love,
Monu,Sree,Jaggu,Poonam,
Nithiya,Hema,Balaji,Arijith,
Susmita, Maheswar,Arul,Preethi,
Prasad ,Mani MDB, TCS
■ Dear Deepa Karthick,
Wish you many more happy
returns of the day (15th
November). Have lots of
fun. Hope all your dreams
come true soon.
With Love,
Karthick C
■ Hey Shoba!
A simple celebration, a
gathering of friends; Here is
wishing you great
happiness, a joy that never
ends.
Happy Birthday! May all
your dreams come true.
Cheers,
Archana, Mahendra, Sunitha
■ Hi Priya (CP the gr8) !!!!
Happy birthday!!! Wish u
many more Bags, Pens,
Watch’s & Mobiles !!!
Lov,
Preethu, Vish, Nalnu , Kads ,
Subbu.
■ Hai Mangaa...Tangoo
(Krishna TCS)
Unakellam oru porantha
nalla da..
Sari Ponna Poguthu "Iniya
pirantha naal vazhthukkal"
Enna Kodumai saar ithu
Ivanukellam Porantha nall
wish ERGOla kodukanuma!
By
Un Treatukaga
kathirukkum........
Chantigadu Local, Kundavai
(Chris friend), Arunachalam
(Anja singam), Sundar(Black
pandi), Thirumoorthy(Gounder),
Ranjith(Silence Boy), Dinesh
(Boongoo Teammember),
Nathan(Onsite king), George
(Monk) (TCS GE- Wind )
■ Dear RaviKanth
“Your birthday is a special
time to celebrate the gift of
’YOU’ to the world.”
Many More Happy Returns
of the Day!!!!!
From
Rockers, Accenture
■ Dear Jingly Chitra,
Wish you many more happy
returns of the day… May
HE bless you with
abundance of love and care
and fulfill all your wishes in
the years ahead.
With Love & prayers,
Team GIT – Cognizant
■ Dear Raddy,
Happy Birthday to you…
Let this fabulous day be the
beginning of another
exciting year in your life…
May almighty bless you
with all delights and wishes
in this Universe…
With love and care,
Madhusudhanan Mohanraj HCL
Technologies
■ Dear Vishnu,
You are as young as your
faith, as old as your doubt,
as young as your self-
confidence, as old as your
fear, as young as your
hope, as old as your
despair”. We lovely sisters
wish u many birthdays to
come
With Care,
Revathy, Saraswathy, Praga,
Accenture
■ Dear Ram
It’s just another day, but
this one is the best of the
year! Happy Birthday
my sweetheart.
With love
Ravi, SNR TCS
■ Dear Shweta Bhatkal
Happy Happy Birthday
Dear...We wish u a very
fabulous future ahead!!
God Bless u! Remember us
always as we do!!!:)
Yours
Gang 17thDecember2008 oracle,
Wipro Technologies,
■ Ramesh, (Maclellan)
Wishing you very happy
Birthday on 16th Nov 2008.
May God Bless you with all
prosperity & bless you with
many more returns of this
day
The Chennai Admin Team(CAT),
Citigroup Global Services Ltd
■ Dear Karthi,
Wish you many more Happy
Return of the Day… May
Life lead you to Great
Happiness & Success. Keep
SMILING Always…
Best Wishes,
ACCC… Accenture
■ Hi Abi Chellam,
Happy B’Day to you dear!!!
Wish you all success in your
future endeavours. May
God’s Grace enrich your LIFE
with joy, peace, happiness,
health on your Special Day
and Always!!!
Have a Wonderful
Birthday!!!!
Hearty Wishes,
From Ur beloved Friendz, TCS.
■ Hey, Muralidhar Reddy (
Honey )
Wish U a very sweet n
warm Birthday, and many
more & more happy returns
of the day!!! You are the
person, so passionate,
supportive, caring and
affectionate that the
conversation with you in my
path is to glory, Honey a
step with you is my
completness my life with
you, It’s full of happiness
the way you love me !.
Thank’s for being my love
in my life. Once again and
again Many more happy
21
returns of the day, have a
very nice & prosperous year
ahead ... , May all the
forthcoming days pour
happiness and joy on you
for your lifetime...
Love you.....
D.Usha Reddy.
■ Dear Chandana (daughter
of my colleague Shankari),
Wishing you in Advance of
your stepping into 366th
day of your life
(1st birthday). May God
bless you with all love and
affection. Have
a fun filled Birthday and let
all your dreams come true.
Hearty Wishes,
Vinothkumar.A,
CTS
■ Hi Raesh Kumar
To our beloved buddy
Rajesh Kumar (allsec
technologies) as the day
begins, here comes your
way best of wishes with lots
of love to adorn your day.
Have a special birthday.
With lots of good wishes from,
Gopal, T.P,Pillai, Joshi and
Santanna warriors.
■ Dear Shameel,
Wishing you a Happy
Birthday and many more to
come.I hope all your
birthday dreams and wishes
come true.A birthday is just
the first day of another
365-day journey around the
sun. Enjoy the trip.
With cheers,
Team,Verizon.
■ Hi Suseela Rao
Wish u many more happy
returns of the day n hop all
ur dreams come
true.Wishing u a bright
future in Praja Rajyam Party
!!! hav a great day ..
Cheers,
TELSTRA Team, Satyam
Computers Ltd.
■ Dear Kiddo,
Happy Childrens Day. Have
Fun!!!
DNA-RIGMOR team
■ Dear Raj,
Advance Birthday Wishes
(16th Nov). You’re older
today than yesterday but
younger than tomorrow,
Happy Birthday! Have a
wonderful day and fabulous
year.
Cheers,
Chalz, Polaris
22 ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008

Traffic Jam
Tequila diamonds
Scientists in Mexico have turned the country’s national
tipple tequila into diamonds. The crystals are too small
to be used in jewellery - but they may be used to detect
radiation or as substitutes for silicon in computer chips.

sudoku

Prasanna
Parthibhendran of
Infosys
Technologies sent
us this picture.
Hobbies:
Travelling and
photography

What strikes you

the most when
we talk about
‘poverty’? Tell us
through one of
your best
photographs that
has moved you,
with details of
the place, person,
etc. Theme
‘Poverty’ will be KAKURO
So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the featured in the
platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit. Click Pick section
E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in till November 15.

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:
V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy
N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

Head of Advertising:
Sriya Narayanan
ads@goergo.in

Head of Circulation:
M.G.M. Sharief
copies@goergo.in

SNAIL MAIL
859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002
mail your feedback to
feedback@goergo.in
FAX 2857 6691

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
Call our
Advertisement Manager
at 99400 13255.
email: ads@goergo.in
Website: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of

KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Friday, November 14, 2008
Welsh council bans British
A Welsh government council has warned its staff not
to use the word ’British’ - in case it upsets people.
Town hall workers in Caerphilly in South Wales say
"many Scots, Welsh and Irish resist being called
British" because it implies a false sense of unity.
23
Word’s worth
"Spanghew" (spang-hyoo) to cause a frog or toad
to fly into the air. (Usually violently, from the end
of a stick, although it seems as though it wouldn’t
ever feel gentle to the poor toad or frog!) Of
obscure origin.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Today you will be very much determined to finish
off work that you have been assigned. You will not
waste a single moment at office. In the evening you
may have very nice conversation with your beloved
or spouse which will add delight to the day.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

This is the best day to start working on new
projects. The day also favours important meetings.
You will be able to decide course of action for the
projects on hand. You will change your stance in
love life and try to woo your partner.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You might waste time behind fruitless pursuits
BORN LOSER today. You may not even realise if you are working
in a wrong direction. Ensure that your hard work
won’t go to ‘recycle bin’. You may refresh yourself
in company of beloved by spending quality time.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Your creative talents may come to the fore today so
you will do some ‘value addition’ to your routine
work. In love life, you may remain deeply involved.
There is also chance of meeting a group of friends
today, indicates Ganesha.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Instead of wasting time, you will focus on work
today. Your career will uplift and some encouraging
move may happen. Lovers may pay due attention to
the relationship but somehow the partner may feel
that you are not devoting time to the love life.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You will be depending a great deal on the ‘luck
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT factor’ today. Others may feel that you are handling
your work very easily but actually you will be
putting in lot of effort. Your goals may be achieved
provided you don’t deviate from the path.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Technical area of work may not interest you. Even if
you are designing a software, you may try to alter
something in a creative way. You may remain very
intense and demanding in love life, feels Ganesha.
Your partner may find you very sensual today.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
At office, you might have to agree to what others
say. Important meetings should go well. You may
need to remain alert and maintain your dignity very
smartly. Love life should go smooth, for you will let
your partner decide anything and everything.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
It may be a busy day at work. Even if others are
enjoying leisure time, you may be slogging far too
much today. You might have to balance between
your personal and professional life, else your partner
may feel that you ’don’t care’ for the relationship!
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Today you may develop new professional skills.
Meetings may be handled judiciously. You may be
inspired to develop a new and ambitious project.
While you are with your beloved, you may wish to
look attractive. Lovers may find the intensity of love.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may be tired of handling ’issues’ related to
your work. Time may be wasted behind ’problem
ISSUE’S shooting’. Your superiors may direct a particular
project and you will just have to follow it. In the
SOLUTIONS evening, you will spend time with family members.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
If you had any confusion regarding your job, it may
be cleared out. You may handle work with
confidence. Ganesha finds you exchanging emails
related to work. You will share some knowledge
with your lover or may have intellectual discussion.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
24 ! ERGO Friday, November 14, 2008

News and
ONE LOOK IS ALL IT TAKES Newsmakers in picture

Valentin Pasquier, a French student of the Audencia Management School of

Nantes, kisses a student on Thursday. Pasquier won the Guiness World record
for the most kisses given in one minute, a total of 94. AFP PHOTO

US Singer Fergie unveils the Swarovski Star, which will adorn the
Rockefeller Christmas tree erected yearly on the Rockefeller Plaza to
mark the end of the year holiday season, in New York, on Thursday.
Fergie unveiled the 550-pound, 9.5-foot star, made of 25,000 crystals
which will be set atop the giant Rockefeller Christmas tree. AFP PHOTO

A rare Bengal white tiger yawns in its enclosure at the Singapore Zoo.
An apparently disturbed zoo worker was mauled to death by three
tigers which pounced on him at the Singapore Zoo on Thursday.
AFP FILE PHOTO