Postnoon E-Paper for 18 may 2012

5-YEAR WANKHEDE BAN FOR KING KHAN Two days after an altercation with Mumbai Cricket Association officials, Shah Rukh Khan has been banned from the Wankhede Staidum for five years, MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh announced on Friday.

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Library summer camp

This — a thought provoking comedy by Sharanya Ramprakash deals with four modern thirty-year-olds.

The play will be staged on May 19.

Where: Nift campus, Madhapur When: May19, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2311 4537

A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards.

The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650.

Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Metamorpherscense A painting exhibition titled Metamorphescense by Pranatu Khanna is being held at Iconart Gallery. The exhibition is on display at Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund till May 19.

Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

The amazing summer shuttle A summer camp for children in the age group of 1-15 and for adults in Thai flowers, stocking flowers and marble painting is being held.

Where: Plot-26, Gunrock Enclave, Secunderabad When: 11am-1pm, 11am-5pm Contact:98498 04416, 93921 05310

Solo exhibition Ramakanth’s Solo Painting Exhibition which deals with loneliness of a long distance runner is being displayed at Muse Art Gallery.

Where: Hyderabad Marriott, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Kanchi Maggaala Vaari We purchase your old Pattu Sarees,old Kanchipattu, Gadwal,Venkatagiri,Pattu Skirts,Teared Pattu Jeri Borders also Where: Kalinga Cultural Trust, Rd No12, Near MLA Colony, Banjara Hills When: May 17-May20 Contact: 98493 54166

Yoga Camp The third part of a series of sevenday yoga camp will be held by Yoga Healing Foundation in Yousufguda. The last part will beheld at Saroornagar from May 20.

Where: Krishnakanth Park, Yousufguda When: May13 onwards, 5.15 am onwards Contact: 98489 92354

Summer contest Head to Inorbit mall for a summer from May 14 to May 27. All through the weeks there will be a variety of contests.

Where: Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4488 0000

Theatre workshop

Blood song Blood Song, a radical adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's "Blood Wedding", directed by the internationally acclaimed David Zinder will be showcased on May 26 and 27 at the Nift auditorium.

Where: Nift auditorium, Madhapur When: May 26 and 27, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 98852 88982

The awakening A painting exhibition titled Buddha — The awakening will be held at Iconart gallery. The exhibition which was inaugurated on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on May 6 will be on display .

Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No12 When: May 7 onwards, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

CINEMAS

Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography.

The first batch is from May 21.The second batch is from May 28 onwards.

Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: May 21 onwards Contact: (040) 4914 1234

Painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Lalu Shaw is being held at Shrishti Art Gallery.

Where: Shrishti Art Gallery,

Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Etching prints A group exhibition of etching prints by various talented artists is being held.

Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

Time to think

Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops.

The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks. The workshops are being held at three different places in the City.

Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: May 14 onwards, Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Food and cricket Great food and a great game of cricket makes for great news. Head to News Cafe to catch the IPL matches with some great IPL isnpired food.

Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 4010 1236

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777; Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

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Carjacker meets a gory death ‘Celebrated’ thief Khaja Nayeemuddin was killed this morning, ending his decades-long criminal career

CRIME Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

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he most ‘celebrated’ thief in the City, Khaja Nayeemuddin alias Maruti Nayeem, who had recently registered a 100th burglary in his name was thrashed to death allegedly by his rival group near Yakutpura SRT early this morning.

The 38-year-old former vehicle mechanic was riding home on a stolen bike when a gang of three stopped him and attacked him with boulders. Unable to get away, he fell down and continued to receive blows till he died, Mirchowk ACP S Kistaiah said.

He was arrested last by the Falaknuma police in February.

Vehicles and property worth lakhs of rupees were seized from his possession. He was released

Khaja Nayeemuddin alias Maruti Nayeem

on bail in April. He was nicknamed Maruti Nayeem because he was fond of spiriting away in Maruti vehicles. People remember him as a swift and intelligent mechanic in his earlier days.

Nayeem of Rein Bazaar area

in the Old City, turned to vehicle lifting after he found his salary from mechanic work was insufficient to run his family and for his lavish lifestyle. After every big feat, it is said, Nayeem used to disappear for a while. “He liked

Fireworks expected at GHMC meeting GHMC Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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he ruling combine — the Congress and MIM — will have a difficult time controlling and convincing the Opposition at the 9th general body meeting (GBM) to be held tomorrow.

The reason is that many development works approved by the general body (during the term of present standing committee) are facing inordinate delays in executing them. The engineering section of the corporation tops the list.

Official tatistics show a total of 214 development works worth about `200 crore were approved by the general body in the last one year. Works of over `150 crore are at different stages. Some are at the tender stage. The works include construction and re-modeling of storm water drains, widening and construction of various roads and road under bridges.

Commenting on the status of development works, the engineer-in-chief of the corporation, R Dhan Singh, said that the delays were being caused for various reasons. “When we undertake a development work, it undergoes a series of processes. All these processes ought to be followed for transparency,” he said.

Opposition parties aghast Opposition parties are eagerly waiting for the meeting to corner the ruling parties. “This is ridiculous. Once a resolution for a development work is approved by the standing committee, action has to be initiated within a month’s period.

This is the responsibility of the officials,” TDP Floor Leader Singireddy Srinivas Reddy said. TDP and its corporators have been at the forefront in highlighting the problems. During the last GBM, the TDP demanded the mayor seek a special grant of `1,000 crore for comprehensive development of 12 erstwhile municipalities which were merged in 2007. The grant was demanded to provide drinking water and sanitation facilities to about 900 colonies falling in corporation limits.

Details of some of the development works Work Widening of Inner Ring Road and RUB’s at Rail Nilayam Construction of swimming Pool

Resolution date July 16, 2011

Cost

Status

`28.23 crores

Govt approval awaited

-do-

`1.25 crore

At estimation stage

good life and comfort after every serious effort,” remarked a policeman who knew Maruti Nayeem for a long time.

Deputy commissioner of police south zone Akun Sabharwal told Postnoon that the attackers have been identified as Tariq Ali alias Babu, Raza and another common friend of them.

He said that Babu was with Nayeem earlier but had fallen

apart on sharing of spoils in the recent past. This grudge had resulted in the attack. Sabarwal said initial probe revealed that the man was not hit by boulders alone but a butcher’s knife was also used. Police have immediately traced out Babu and Raza and taken them into custody.

Police records are full of Nayeem’s feats. Initially, it is recorded, Nayeem was keen on lifting vehicles only, but later graduated to burglary. He was an expert in opening shutters of shops. Police recall how he used to explain with diagram how he broke locks of shutters with ease.

“As soon as police catch up with him, he would say, “maaro math sar, I did it and I will tell you how.” This made policemen abstain from trying third-degree on him.

A police sub inspector recalled how he used to say, aakhri baar (last time) every time he was caught.

NEWS BRIEFS Gold ornaments stolen Harassed by in-laws, from house in SR Nagar woman kills herself

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young wife lost her life in the City.

Shabana Sultana, 22, was married to Mohd Khaleel two years ago. It is said the woman was being tortured regularly for unknown reasons. She is alleged to have committed suicide by hanging herself in her Saleh Nagar home, last night. Golconda police are investigating if it was a murder or a suicide. A case has been registered.

en tolas of gold ornmaments and `25,000 were stolen from a house at Kalyan Nagar under SR Nagar police station limits last night. House owner Madhukar Swamy was away attending a function on Thursday night when burglars broke in and decamped with money and gold. Police say the thieves seemed to have used a ‘master key’ that opens many locks.

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Simultaneous language interpreter tested

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ayor Mohd Majid Hussain and commissioner MT Krishna Babu on Thursday tested the Simultaneous Language Interpretation System (SLIS) on Wednesday. The system will be used during the 9th general body meeting that is scheduled to be held on Saturday. If the trial test for the Simultaneous Language Interpretation System is successful, a full-fledged language conversion system will be in place in a few days time. The total cost of the system the GHMC will be `1.08 crore.

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities M ANIL KUMAR

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Department is astonishingly bad It’s a train wreck which makes some of RGV’s recent disasters seem like masterpieces.

Hemanth Kumar hemanth.k@postnoon.com

T Pedal power is the latest rage on Necklace Road TREND Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

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o take a bicycle ride early in the morning with no scare of motor vehicles ramming into you is an exhilarating experience and a healthy habit. Every morning, about 2,000 people, men, women and children, pedal along the long stretch of the Necklace Road which reserves the road for bicycling from 5am to 7am.

Sponsored by the Hyderabad Bicycling Club in association with GHMC, cycling is growing popular. Nikitha Kothari, a housewife and a regular says, “Bicycling makes you fit. It is probably the first step in instilling discipline in our lifestyle.”

Prabhu Kothari, a business-

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man, loves it. “I come here every week regularly. It’s a very good concept in trying to keep people fit. It also promotes a change in social perceptions, the bicycle is as important as a luxury vehicle.”

The happy fitness enthusiasts of Hyderabad are furthered bolstered by the fact that the club promotes a clean and green environment. Here, at the Hyderabad Bicycling Club, it is not uncommon to find businessmen, students, bachelors and children mingling in their collective cause.

Jayaveer Rao, managing director of Frontline Technologies, is all smiles, “Bicycling brings together people from all walks of life because it instantly hits upon the most common element — a reminder of our childhood. I am most impressed by the enthusiasm and the initiative this club has brought out in the people of

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Hyderabad.” Jayaveer is a volunteer at the club.

The club is free, apart from a minimum collateral security in exchange for the cycle. The club lasts two hours, before the City’s traffic takes over. Anyone can signs up and take part in its many refreshing activities that include cycling trips to the Gandipet lake from Hussain Sagar.

Sreenivas Simhadri, a software executive and the general secretary of the club says, “We are really happy with the response.

Collaborating with the GHMC, we plan to extend the cycling routes and make sure this City is bicycle friendly. We have over a 100 bicycles customised to suit all age groups.”

There is no reason why one should not pick up a bicycle and start doing what these people do, cycle through the City, for personal and public benefit.

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here are few things in life which leave deep scars on your psyche — watching an RGV’s film is one among them. His latest film Department deserves a place in the league of some of his recent films which turned out to be a harrowing experience for the audience.

It’s hard to believe that the ‘genius’ whose forte has always been films based on underworld, mafia and police would go terribly wrong despite boasting of an impressive star cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Abhimanyu Singh and Rana to name a few.

Keeping aside the migraine inducing camera angles, which RGV named ‘rogue methodology’ of filmmaking, and cheesy lines coupled with bad acting, the basic premise of Department is quite interesting.

The police department creates a special task force to fight against organized crime. Shiv Narayan (Rana) is an upright cop who believes in his job and one day he’s asked to join a special ‘department’ headed by Mahadev Bhosale (Sanjay Dutt). Soon, Shiv Narayan

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meets Sarjerao (Amitabh Bachchan), a politician who has an agenda of his own. Things take a different turn when Shiv Narayan has to choose between Sarjerao and Mahadev.

Some of the scenes are so clichéd that you begin to wonder whatever happened to the director who made films like

Movie: Department Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Rana Daggubati Director: Ram Gopal Varma Rating: Satya and Company. RGV desperately needs a good cinematographer and the sooner he realises this, maybe there’s a glimmer of hope for his admirers.

His obsession to experiment in every film is proving to be the most important factor why his recent films have turned out to be atrocious.

Two big thumbs down for Department. Neither the actors nor Nathalia Kaur’s sizzling moves could stop this film from being a total train wreck.

Department is nothing short of an assault on your senses in almost every aspect.

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Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Mantris on poll picnic, gala time for babus POLITICS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

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e know of vacation for students and judicial officials. Ever heard of vacation for ministers? It’s true the ministers in the AP Secretariat seem to be taking the concept of a summer vacation too seriously.

Of the 41 ministers, only one, minister for major industries Geeta Reddy, was present when Postnoon made a reality check yesterday. She was giving interviews to a TV channel.

Orderlies say that some ministers drop in at the Secretariat during the night. All, party leaders say, are ‘busy’ in the byelections.

Interestingly, only one of the 18 Assembly seats going to polls is in Telangana, but a dozen of them are busy campaigning!

The chief minister dropped in at the camp office yesterday to

Geeta Reddy was the only minister present yesterday deal with an important government order (GO) for the CBI in connection with the Jagan Mohan Reddy case. He kept the media guessing about the order.

From the camp office he left for election campaign along with Vaylar Ravi. An officer said in a lighter vein GOs come during midnight these days.

Few visitors were seen sitting in the labour minister Nagendar’s chamber discussing politics and the results of the by-polls.

One consequence of the absence of ministers is the sharp decline in visits by the public to the Secretariat. Surprisingly, most ministers’ chambers were seen locked. The staff were whiling away time downing cups of coffee and reading newspapers. One thing was common. No official or orderly could say if any minister would drop in or if so when.

A visitor to the Chief Minister’s Office, J Rajaiah, who has been coming from Warangal to meet the CM for the past two weeks appeared so dejected that he cursed ministers in general.

“These days the Congress leaders are either in Delhi or on the election campaign.” He came to CMO to seek a job for his physicallychallenged son.

The biggest loser in the whole game seems to be the canteen contractors who have seen a sharp decline in visitors, and a slide in their business.

Vijayashanti woos KCR with salvos at BJP, Kodandaram POLITICS

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Bypoll process begins Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

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he by-poll election process will begin from 11am today. According to CEO Banwarlal, the candidates can file the nominations till May 25 up to 3pm. The scrutiny of nominations will be done on May 26. The withdrawal of nominations will be allowed on May 27, 28. The elections will be held on June 12 and the counting will be on June 15. June 12 will be a holiday in the areas

going for polling.

Election Commissioner of India HS Brahma will have a meeting with the chief electoral officer and director general of police at 2.30 pm.

On Saturday, at 10.30am, Brahma will visit ECIL, Hyderabad to witness the manufacturing process of Mark-II Electronic Voting Machines. He will leave for New Delhi at 7.10pm on the same day.

During his sojourn in the City, he will stay in Lakeview Guest House.

Evict Dharmana, says TDP

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DP general secretary Varla Ramaiah has complained to the chief electoral officer that roads and buildings minister Dharmana Prasada Rao has illegally occupied the Vamsadhara EE Quarters, a government building in Narasannapet Assembly constituency and was using it as Congress party office for electoral activities.

He urged the CEO to immediately have the minister evicted from the premises. Ramaiah has mentioned that TDP leader Chowdary Narayana Murty

made a complaint to the Srikakulam district collector against the illegal acts of the minister and consequently the collector has directed officials of the Vamsadhara Project to take immediate steps to evict the minister from the government building.

He complained that though four days had elapsed since the Collector gave the orders, no action has been so far taken in the matter. He also urged the CEO to ensure that the minister was immediately evicted from the building.

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hy is Medak MP Vijayshanti firing salvo after salvo at the BJP and TJAC chief Kodandaram these days? Those in the know of say she is trying to be in the good books of TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao and make up for the estrangement that has crept in.

Ever since Vijayshanti was not allowed to speak at the Vikarabad meet during the TRS party anniversary, ‘the sister’ of KCR knows that she was being sidelined.

One of the old party functionaries and a close friend of KCR, Rajesham Goud told Postnoon that KCR was heckled by Viajayshanthi when she formed Talli Telangana Party and also during several occasions.

KCR knows where he should keep star-turned-politicians like Vijayshanthi.

She was close to BJP, played holi with Advani at Delhi, but now she is criticising BJP and says that if she opens her mouth the party will be in trouble, he said.

She also demanded that Kodandaram must support the TRS and also blamed him for losing Mahabubnagar in the recent by-polls.

An insider from the BJP, Ch Vidyasagar Rao told Postnoon that Vijayshanthi knows that she could be

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sent out of the TRS in the near future. She also has doubts if she will get a TRS seat to contest in the next elections.

After being in BJP for some time and a vocal critic of KCR, she deserted the saffron party and then joined the TRS. Taking all this into account, especially the way in which she was treated at the TRS anniversary meet, she wants to mend her ties with KCR. As of now, KCR is keeping her at a distance as he cannot forget the words used

by Vijayshanthi earlier.

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Hyper Local Hot spell to continue in City

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ith the day temperature shooting up enormously, the people in various parts of the State were groaning under hot spell and keeping themselves confined in their houses.

The Met officials on Thursday stated that the heat wave will continue to prevail for another two days.

Guntur, West Godavari, Adilabad, Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts were in the grip of heat wave for the past two days. These districts have recorded highest temperature in the current season.

Meanwhile, the State capital recorded 42 degrees celsius on Thursday while districts like Adilabad, Ramagundam and Rentachintala recorded 45 degrees celsius forcing people to stay indoors.

AGENCY

Wine shops to remain closed

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he City police commissionercum-additional district magistrate (executive) Anurag Sharma has ordered closure of wine shops and bars and restaurants from 6am on May 18 to 6am on May 19 on account of observance of fifth anniversary of Mecca Masjid bomb blast on May 18.

In a press note here on Thursday, Anurag Sharma stated that the decision was taken in the interest of public peace and tranquility.

He stated that the order will be in force in Charminar, Mirchowk, Falaknuma and Santoshnagar divisions under the south zone, Malakapet and Sultan Bazaar divisions under east zone and Goshamahal and Asifnagar divisions under west zone.

AGENCY

‘Take action against SKS’

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DP senior leader Motkupalli Narasimhulu has demanded immediate action against the SKS Micro Finance company, which he said, was collecting 60 per cent interest violating RBI guidelines.

He said that this company which plundered the people of the State had extended its organisation to 18 states and still retrenched its employees in AP — 1,200 employees of the company had been retrenched , though it was not in losses, he said.

He questioned how it was justifiable for the company to remove the employees without notice.

He said that the government should order CBI probe into the working of the company. The properties should be attached and employees be provided security of employment.

AGENCY

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

6

‘I walked hand in hand with my husband in Secunderabad’ Living life and enjoying every moment is Jayanthi Jaisimha, wife of late cricketer ML Jaisimha and granddaughter of cricketing legend CK Nayudu. Talking to Sudeshna Koka, she recalls her memories of Secunderabad

I

have been living in Marredpally since 1947. This was at that time when most people knew each other.

Secunderabad was clean and beautiful, but now everything is changing.

Secunderabad has developed but without proper planning. The infrastructure is developing without keeping the population in mind.

I remember days when we could walk in Marredpally, but today there is only traffic and bad roads. It really surprises me how quickly we are progressing without keeping the future in mind. If we look back we have left nothing for the future generations. I would say we need to become more aware and do our best to save Secunderabad from the disorganised development.

We need to consider Secunderabad as a community and not as individuals who want to create change. We should come out of our comfort zone and do something in the area that concerns us and make Secunderabad what it used to be.

Today, Marredpally has high rise buildings and politicians living who are least concerned about the colony. Back then I would walk from clock tower to West Marredpally it was so refreshing but today we just can’t, thanks to the traffic. In fact, I remember walking walk hand in hand with my husband in Secunderabad area and no one would care or be bothered.

The climate was also different then. Those days when it would get too hot it would rain and the whole place would cool down.

But today, nothing like that happens. It's all become a concrete jungle with problems like water and electricity shortage.

There was camaraderie in Secunderabad back then. Most people knew each other, which I miss now. When we were young an incident of robbery took place in Marredpally. In order to protect the colony, we made groups and would stay up all night and patrol the whole colony. That was indeed great fun and it showed the sense of belongingness. There used to be many mango yards in Secunderabad. My brothers would go and steal them, that’s one of my fond memories.

One thing I really miss in Secunderabad are the huge rocks that could be found in Mahendra

Jayanthi Jaisimha (far left) Hills. We would go for picnics and cycling there. Today it's all developed without rocks or greenery.

Nanking, Taj and Garden restaurant were my favourite restaurants. Paradise came later

A view of Maula Ali Hill

on. In fact, till date I go there. Over the years they have evolved and have become smarter without losing their old charm.

The biggest difference between Secunderabad and

Hyderabad is the attitude. It’s like the north and south divide. Guess it’s the cantonment effect we Secunderabadis are more disciplined. There is no violence or any sort of aggression. People are more to themselves.

When one drives down from Hyderabad to Secunderabad we can see a sea of change. Its greener and well maintained. There are open lung spaces in Secunderabad like Parade Grounds and Gymkhana Grounds.

In my 65 years of experience, the good part about Secunderabad is the bond with the area. If one says I am from Marredpally there is an instant connection. Back then not many outsiders had come and settled in Marredpally. The bad thing is polarisation with high rise building and infrastructure development without keeping the population under consideration.

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Pets have their rights too The concept of dog licences is still not popular, nor do authorities insist on it. It’s time that a law to protect animal rights is introduced Sukriti S and Pruthvi R

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FABRICATION

MUNICIPAL APPROVAL

ogs have basic rights to bark.

They as pets have some more rights. Only, the poor mute do not demand them but we must give them. If their barking is a nuisance, so is the crying of a child,” says Abhishek Srinivasan, a dog lover.

In India, only a small per cent of people, in particular the well-heeled and the glitterati, rear pets at home. But others who have dogs do not consider them as pets but as part of a security system of their homes.

The concept of dog

licenses is still not popular, nor do authorities make an effort to insist on it. The states have no special legislation for dogs as yet. This results in municipalities doing what they like with street dogs. And street dogs have absolutely no rights in India.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act enacted in 1960, is the basis of whatever rights animals tend to have today. After the Act the Animal Board of India was formed for promotion of animal welfare. But, decent han-

dling of the mute is still a far cry, say legal experts.

“It is illegal to kill homeless animals. Citizens may only report what they perceive as a nuisance to the municipal authorities,” says Krishna Mohan, a lawyer.

Before getting a dog home, one has to take the permission from the Municipal Corporation.

Usually, pets, especially dogs, are not allowed in apartments. But if one desires to have a dog, must take prior permission .

THE STATES HAVE NO SPECIAL LEGISLATION FOR DOGS AS YET. THIS RESULTS IN MUNICIPALITIES DOING WHAT THEY LIKE WITH STREET DOGS. AND STREET DOGS HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO RIGHTS IN INDIA. There are many NGOs working for animals and pets but not exclusively for a par-

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FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

68 DAYS TO GO

mongst the parks in Hyderabad, one can take the liberty to call KBR Park as the king of parks not only because of it’s sheer size ( 24-acre) but also because of its splendid upkeep and popularity.

Named after the ex CM of Andhra Pradesh, Kasu Brahmananda Reddy, the park is very popular among residents especially people residing in Jubilee Hills and Banjara Hills who come here for their morning and evening walks or jogs. The well

Aishwarya Yerra Hyderabad as a City has a lot to offer in terms of heritage and sights. We look at the various places that make this City so special

maintained track, circling the park is a pleasure to exercise on.

KBR has attained a national park status because of the abundant flora and fauna. It has over 600 species of plant life, 140 species of birds and 30 different varieties of butterflies and reptiles. On some mornings one can see peacocks preening on the park boundaries.

What is interesting is that in the interior area of the park lies Prince Mukarram Jah’s Chiran Palace though it is out of bounds for public.

ticular animal. When questioned, Krishna Mohan said, “The government is taking a step forward to introduce a law for dogs as well, but it will take a few years,” he said.

Despite there being an active campaigning for animals rights still there exists a general apathy or an aversion towards pet animals, besides lacking in adequate legislation for their cause.

Unless these areas are addressed properly, pet lovers cannot make any headway in India.

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Matters of saving and spending

Life insurance simplified Money Matters Nupur Pavan Bang

A

s I walked into the lobby of my apartment block, Mukherjee was waiting for me, sitting on a sofa, with a piece of paper in his hand.

The moment he saw me, he jumped up and extended his hand to greet me.

Me: How are you Mr. Mukherjee?

Mukherjee: I am fine, except that I don’t understand your world.

Me: My world?

Mukherjee: Yes, your world of investments, financial jargons, markets, assets.

Me: Ah! That? What’s troubling you?

Mukherjee: See I want to buy a life insurance. So I contacted an agent. After meeting him, I am totally confused. There are so many different types of policies.

Now which policy should I buy?

Me: That’s it? Let me explain a few basic things about insurance to you. Hopefully, then you will be able to decide about which policy is suitable for you.

Since you have already made up your mind to buy a Life Insurance policy, you probably already know that such an insurance provides the beneficiaries, that is, your family, the financial

Pinterest gets $100 million investment SAN FRANCISCO: Japanese online giant Rakuten announced on Thursday it was leading a $100 million investment in Pinterest, a fast-growing US bulletin-board style social media website.

Rakuten said it was joining with existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, Bessemer Venture Partners, and FirstMark Capital, and “a number of angel investors.”

Pinterest has become the Web’s hottest young website, particularly among women, by giving people virtual bulletin boards that they decorate with pictures showcasing interests in anything from food to sports, fashion or travel. It had more than 11 million unique visitors in surveys earlier this year, but some see a potential for the site to be used for e-commerce.

AFP

protection in case of the death of the insured or in the case of terminal/critical illness of the insured. Most of the policies have exclusion which will not cover you in the event of suicide, war, natural disaster, fraudulent claims etc.

The sum that will be paid to the beneficiaries depends on the sum assured at the time of buying the insurance. The premium that you will pay, will depend on a number of factors, like age, sum assured and the type of policy.

There are basically two types of Life Insurance policies. They can be for a specific number of years; term policies. Or for the entire life of a person; whole life policies.

Term Policies: As the name suggests, term policies are for a spec-

ified period, say 5, 10, 15 years up to a maximum of 35 years. The beneficiaries are paid the assured sum in the event of the death of the insured during this period.

However, no money is paid to either the beneficiaries or the insured, if he or she survives the term of the insurance. These policies are known to have the least premium amongst all types of life insurance policies.

Whole Life Policies: Whole life policies assures the payment of the assured sum to the beneficiaries, irrespective of when the insured passes away. Similarly, the insured needs to pay the premiums throughout his life time.

There can be variants of these policies as well.

For example, you can buy a cash back policy where a certain

amount of cash is returned to you after a few years, and the balance is paid to the beneficiaries after the death of the insured.

Mukherjee: But have a look at this sheet. It says that there are other policies too like the endowment plan and ULIPs. Me: The other types of policies are nothing but additional features added to these two. For example, Endowment plans are term policies with elements of savings attached to them. So you buy a policy which ensures a certain sum to your family in case of your death, during the term of the policy, and in case of survival, you get the sum assured along with a bonus or return.

You might even opt for an annuity plan. Which basically returns you the money in the form of an annuity (divided into equal annual payments over certain number of years), instead of a lump sum, upon survival.

Unit Linked Insurance Policies, popularly known as ULIPs are again like term plans, where a part of the premium that you pay, gets invested in the stock markets.

Mukherjee: So it is not as complicated as it looks in this sheet?

Me: Not at all. Go home, discuss with your wife, and then decide on the policy you want to buy!

The author is a senior researcher at Centre for Investment, ISB

Spain plunges into recession MADRID: Spain tumbled into recession and European stock markets and the euro fell on Thursday as Greece installed a crisis government and the spectre of a run hung over eurozone banks.

However European leaders moved to resolve an emerging split over how to deal with the crisis, agreeing that both growth and cutting budget deficits are needed.

“Markets are worried about eurozone bank deposit runs and an escalating banking crisis,” London-based VTB Capital economist Neil MacKinnon told AFP after heavy withdrawals of deposits have been reported in Greece and Spain.

A caretaker government took office in Athens on Thursday to organise its second election in six weeks after an inconclusive May 6 vote as fears over its possible euro exit rocked Spain and Italy.

The election left Greece in limbo and the new poll on June 17 offers no guarantee of a viable government able to implement

an EU-IMF bailout which has divided the country.

The International Monetary Fund announced Thursday that it would hold off on official contacts with Greece until after the June 17 elections and Fitch rat-

16 Spanish banks downgraded WASHINGTON: Moody’s on Thursday cut the debt ratings of 16 Spanish banks by one to three notches, citing the effects of the ongoing recession and the Spanish government’s own reduced creditworthiness.

The leading bank, Santander, and the number two BBVA, were both hit with three-notch downgrades from Aa3 previously to A3, which for Moody’s is a upper-medium credit grade, with still low credit risk. Two other large banks, Banesto and CaixaBank, were also cut to A3.

ings agency downgraded Greece a notch to CCC “vulnerable to default” rating.

The IMF, which along with the EU is all that stand between Greece and a disorderly default and eurozone exit, have warned that no new funds will be released from the latest 240-billion euro ($305-billion) bailout if progress on pledged reforms and tough austerity measures falters.

The suspension of contacts effectively delays a review due to have begun soon on which the release of $1.6 billion by the IMF from the beginning of June was dependent.

Meanwhile, Europe’s single currency nosedived to a new four-month low at $1.2667 before recovering some ground.

“Confidence in European equities (is) quickly depleting, this time after the European Central Bank admitted it had stopped providing liquidity to some Greek banks,” analyst Craig Erlam at trading group Alpari.

AFP

`86.32

POUND FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 8 NUMEROLOGY

52,600 vehicles in the US have been recalled by Honda Motor over a defect in the vehicles.

The Japanese automaker is recalling Acura TL sedans on concern of a problem with the power steering hose.

THUS SPAKE “The downgrade of Greece’s sovereign ratings reflects the heightened risk that Greece may not be able to sustain its membership of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU),” Fitch Ratings

HP CUTS JOBS Struggling Hewlett-Packard will unveil a vast restructuring plan next week that will include axing about 30,000 jobs, Dow Jones’s AllThingsD reported on Thursday. HP CEO Meg Whitman will discuss the first steps in the restructuring next Wednesday when the company reports its quarterly earnings, AllThingsD said, citing sources familiar with the company’s plans. In February, the Californiabased HP posted a 44 per cent drop in net profit during the first quarter to $1.5 billion from a year ago, and a 7 per cent decline in revenue to $30 billion. Whitman has vowed to turn the company around.

TRADE WAR The US slapped hefty antidumping duties on Chinese solar cell makers on Thursday. The Commerce Department said it had found that Chinese solar cell producers and exporters had been selling solar cells into the US at artificially low prices, meriting anti-dumping duties of between 31 per cent and 250 per cent. It named Suntech Power, the world’s largest maker of solar cells, and another large producer, Trina Solar, as key offenders, but said at least 59 other Chinese companies would also be hit with antidumping charges.

Facebook FROM HARVARD TO WALL STREET 2004 JANUARY: Mark Zuckerberg, a 19year-old Harvard computer whiz, begins working out of his dormitory room on an online network. A month later, he launches “thefacebook” with classmates Chris Hughes, Eduardo Saverin and Dustin Moskovitz.

MAY: Zuckerberg moves to Silicon Valley, decides not to return to Harvard for the fall semester.

JULY: Facebook get $500,000 investment from PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

900 million likes = $104 billion?

FEBRUARY: Viacom offers to buy Facebook for $1.5 billion. Yahoo! also makes an unsuccessful $1 billion bid.

Chris Hughes

2007 OCTOBER: Microsoft invests $240 million in a deal that values Facebook at $15 billion.

Membership tops 50 million.

2008

2010 JULY: Membership hits 500 million, including Lady Gaga and President Barack Obama.

DECEMBER: Time magazine names Zuckerberg ‘Person of the Year’ for “transforming the way we live our lives every day”.

2011 JANUARY: A private share offering raises $1.5 billion, values Facebook at $50 billion.

2012 JANUARY: Facebook files for initial public offering.

MAY: Membership hits 900 million, regulatory filings show. The IPO is priced at $38 per share, giving Facebook a market value of $104 billion and raising at least $16 billion.

Dustin Moskovitz

The Brazilian-born co-founder originally served as Facebook’s CFO. After a dispute with Zuckerberg, his 34.4% stake in Facebook was diluted to 5%. He has given up his US citizenship.

Wealth-X estimates Saverin’s net worth is at least $ 2.7bn

2006

MARCH: Facebook launches the first mobile application.

MAY: Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies invests $200 million.

It is estimated that the founder of Facebook’s net pre-IPO fortune is around $18.95bn. Expect that number to soar today. Some are expecting it to double, catapulting the already wealthy Zuckerberg into the very top tier of the super wealthy.

Eduardo Saverin

APRIL: Facebook gets a second round of funding: $12.7 million from Accel Partners.

AUGUST: Thefacebook.com changes its name to Facebook.

2009

Mark Zuckerberg

Moskovitz co-founded Facebook. He left in 2008 to form software company, Asana, with Justin Rosenstein, an engineering manager at Facebook.

His pre-IPO wealth is pegged at $4.8bn, and he holds a 7.5% stake in Facebook.

2005

FEBRUARY: A $65 million settlement is reached with twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss over allegations that Zuckerberg stole their idea. Facebook launches a Spanish site.

APRIL: Facebook dethrones MySpace as the world’s most popular social network.

AUGUST: Membership hits 100 million.

9

Charlotte Raab

NEW YORK: Facebook is to make the richest-ever share offering for a technology firm, raking in billions of dollars it could wield to dethrone Google as king of the Internet.

Facebook stock priced at $38 per share was to begin trading under the symbol “FB” on the Nasdaq, giving the world’s leading social network a dizzying value of $104 billion at its initial public offering (IPO) of stock.

Facebook reportedly planned to go public hacker style with an all-night software bending bash to culminate with co-founder Mark Zuckerberg remotely ringing the Nasdaq opening bell.

Facebook was on course to raise $16 billion with the IPO, behind only that of financial giant Visa in 2008, according to Renaissance Capital. The addition of a possible stock “over-allotment” could boost the total to some $18.4 billion.

At a market worth of $104 billion, Facebook would be among the most valuable US firms, ahead of sector giants like Amazon ($98 billion) and Cisco ($89 billion), and more than twice the value of Ford ($38 billion). But it remains behind Google ($203 billion) and Apple ($495 billion).

Under the share plan, co-founder Mark Zuckerberg will hold 55.8 per cent of the voting power, and some 18.4 per cent of the value of Facebook. The 28-year-old controls the firm through a dual class stock structure.

London bookmakers anticipated a stampede. At the betting firm Spreadex, clients have been speculating that shares could rise above $56 after their first day. The IPO’s net proceeds to the company were estimated at $6.4 billion. The rest of the cash goes to Facebook insiders and others who made early investments in the social network, and to cover the IPO costs. The Wall Street Journal said 57 per cent of shares will be from insiders, which is an unusually high percentage. Under Wall Street rules, investors have to wait six months to sell any shares not offered at the IPO. AFP

“

We have had some customers holding back based on their belief that Facebook shares may well fall in value after the furore over the initial launch has died down Spreadex spokesman Andy MacKenzie

“

There are extremely high expectations for the company’s prospects and perhaps on that basis it deserves the punchy valuation it has been given Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers

The final co-founder left Facebook in 2007 to work on Barack Obama’s new-media campaign. In March this year Hughes became the owner of The New Republic, the venerable liberal-leaning politics and art magazine.

Sean Parker Parker was still a teenager when he co-founded Napster. He spotted Facebook’s potential early and was a mentor to Zuckerberg, becoming the social network’s founding president. Wealth-X pegs his pre-IPO at $2.5bn, including a 3.9% stake.

Sheryl K Sandberg A powerhouse professional who is increasingly becoming the grown-up face of Facebook.

She is late to the Facebook party, having joined in 2008, but her 0.1% holding in the company already puts her net worth at over $69m.

Peter A Thiel The former CEO and co-founder of PayPal was an early investor in Facebook and currently sits on the company’s board. Thiel is widely seen as one of the smartest men in Silicon Valley.

Wealth-X estimates his wealth at $1.45bn.

Elevation Partners Bono, 52, is a partner in the media and tech investment group that owns 2.2% of Facebook. His PR people went on the offensive before the IPO to point out that the firm invests for other people.

India‑View

10

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

India unveiled

DRUGS RAVAGING PUNJAB Drug-related crimes occur ten times more than the nation’s average in the state, Jason Overdorf finds, and is told by locals that police and politicians are complicit in the narcotics trade NEW DELHI: India’s elections are notorious for bribery. But this year’s state elections in Punjab drew attention to what locals say is an even more insidious problem. Instead of the usual “booze and blankets,” foot-soldiers for various political parties bought votes from the state’s poor by offering free opium, heroin, hashish and pills.

“There was a crackdown and huge qualities of heroin, opium, smack and poppy husk were seized,” chief election commissioner SY Quraishi told a leading daily. “It is an extremely serious matter.”

Few locals were surprised.

Punjab’s border with Pakistan has long made it the primary trafficking route for opium and heroin from Afghanistan. The end of the Khalistan separatist movement — here called simply ‘the Punjab problem’ — in the 1990s left behind an alienated and disillusioned generation. And in recent years, the social fabric of this wealthy, breadbasket state has been further stretched by diminishing agricultural returns, as well as rapid urbanisation that has sent land prices skyrocketing.

Since the green revolution of the late 1960s sparked its tremendous agricultural boom, Punjab has been one of India’s wealthiest states. But the state was also plagued by terrorism and brutal police actions in the 1980s and 90s. Seeking to create a ‘land of the pure’ for their people, militant Sikh separatists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale derailed trains and exploded bombs in crowded markets. Eventually, prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for her decision to send troops into the Golden Temple — Sikhism’s most-revered religious site — to root out armed militants who had taken refuge there.

The reaction was swift, beginning with a massive and indiscriminate pogrom against Sikhs after Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. And it continued with a ruthless and sustained government campaign against the militants. Human rights organisations say that the crackdown included rape, torture and extrajudicial executions that many believe — while it put an end to the terrorist attacks — caused other social problems that linger today. “We are very close to Afghanistan and Pakistan, so being a transit area, the transit point has always been Punjab.

But now the major part of it is being consumed in Punjab itself,” said Dr JPS Bhatia, who runs a

Punjab’s Special Narcotics Cell police officials display 20kg of heroin, two pistols and `12 lakh recovered from alleged smugglers on April 21, 2012.

AFP/ GETTY IMAGES drug rehabilitation centre in Amritsar for the past 20 years.

“All this started after the terrorism problems were over, and there was a lack of rehabilitation for the youth in Punjab. They had nothing else to do and the economy was not doing well at that time. All those youths who were unoccupied, who were not into jobs, and their education was not good, that was the time the addiction problem started in Punjab.”

Now, nobody knows how many of the state’s young people are addicts. But the problem is bad enough that when a series of newspaper articles misquoted a study conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University sociologist Ranvinder

Sandhu that claimed nearly threequarters of Punjab’s 16- to 35-year olds were addicted to drugs, hardly anybody batted an eye.

“As far as the extent of the problem is concerned, no study has been done,” Sandhu said in a telephone interview with GlobalPost. “There are many articles which are misquoting my study, saying that 73.5 per cent of youth is hooked to drugs in Punjab. That is wrong. I studied a sample of 600 addicts, and among them I found that the majority were from 16-35 years of age. That is the 73.5 per cent.”

The statistics that do exist are not encouraging. According to India’s National Crime Records

Bureau, the drug-related crime rate in Punjab is nearly 10 times the nationwide average. The state’s deputy chief minister revealed earlier this year that Punjab accounted for roughly 60 per cent of all the drugs seized in India in 2010-11. During the January state assembly elections alone, the Narcotics Control Bureau and Border Security Force seized nearly 120 pounds of heroin intended for smack-addled voters.

Outreach workers also say that health problems associated with drug addiction are growing increasingly common, and the social impact of the drug trade is becoming more severe as the problem spreads.

Alarming figures n Punjab accounted for roughly 60 per cent of all the drugs seized in India in 2010-11 n In a sample of 600 drug addicts, 73.5 per cent were in the age group of 16-35 years n Drug-related crime rate in Punjab is nearly 10 times the nationwide average

“The HIV rate is very high.

Hepatitis C is very common. We have a lot of cirrhotic liver diseases. And because of the spread of infectious diseases, tuberculosis is getting very common. Apart from that, there is crime and lots of psychological problems like depression, suspiciousness and psychotic behaviour,” said Dr Bhatia.

“What I have seen recently is that as the tenure of the addiction period in Punjab is increasing we have worse cases coming up these days. Worse in the sense that the IV drug users now have infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and they have long crime records. Most of the people who were users in the first stage have become peddlers, and they have taken up a life of crime.

There are a lot of thefts and robberies, so they have a lot of complicated cases against them.”

Health workers, academics and activists said that part of the reason Punjab has failed so miserably to make a dent in the problem is because — the use of free drugs to buy votes in the recent elections suggests — politicians, bureaucrats, police and even Narcotics Control Bureau officials from out of state are allegedly on the take, if not directly involved in the business.

“Everybody knows where drugs are being sold,” said Hemant Goswami, a social activist based in Chandigarh. “Even I have a list of at least 50 places where you can go and buy your dose. I don’t think if you had an honest team and political commitment at the top level it would be difficult to control it. But then it is giving money to everyone. It’s such a big trade. So nobody’s interested in taking any action.”

Punjab may indeed have accounted for 60 per cent of the drugs confiscated in India last year. But Goswami and other activists said that haul reflects the huge size of the local drug trade, rather than a sincere attempt at interdiction. Moreover, Goswami said that despite a spate of highprofile suspensions, drug seizures and arrests, there has been no serious or sustained government crackdown.

In 2008, Goswami petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court to take action against corruption in the Punjab police, arguing that top officials knew of and ignored the involvement of a number of officers in the drug trade. “There was an official admission by the state of Chandigarh that yes, our police officials are involved in the drug mafia,” he said.

GLOBALPOST

India‑View

11

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

India unveiled

India will grow 8-9% for 20 years, predicts Montek NEW YORK: India can grow at between 8 or 9 per cent for the next 20 years with a supportive global environment, its planning commission’s deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has said.

“In the five years prior to the crisis, the Indian economy grew at an average rate of 9 per cent.

Following the crisis, it slowed down to an average of just over per cent,” Ahluwalia said on Thursday during a UN General Assembly debate on “State of the World Economy and Finance in 2012”.

“We believe India has the potential to grow at rates between 8 or 9 per cent for the

CBI raids premises of 15 MLAs RANCHI: The CBI today conducted raids at the premises of 15 Jharkhand MLAs as part of its investigation into the allegations of horse trading that led to countermanding of the March 30 Rajya Sabha polls.

In the early morning raids, 36 teams swooped down upon the residences of MLAs of Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Hazaribagh, Godda, Bihar’s Banka district and Giridih, a CBI official told PTI. The MLAs belong to ruling JMM, Ajsu party and opposition RJD and Congress, he said.

The sleuths are also raiding a place in Kolkata, he said, The team is also raiding the premises of one of the independent candidates who was in the fray in elections to the Upper House.

“Given the much higher growth potential in developing countries, a well functioning financial system should ensure a sufficient flow of long term capital towards them,” he said.

Calling for an early conclusion of the Doha Development Round to “send a major positive signal to the global community, Ahluwalia said, “The economic woes we face today cannot be overcome without the major developed countries taking the lead to stimulate economic growth.”

Steps at the national level must be accompanied by a broader based advance in improving global governance, he said.

IANS

next twenty years and to do so in an inclusive manner.”

Noting that there are many challenges India has to face domestically to achieve this target, Ahluwalia said it “would be greatly helped if the global environment is supportive, and we are willing to work with others to make it so.”

Ahluwalia cited several things that the global community do to restore growth in the developing world. These included an early agreement on the resolution of the sovereign debt problem in the Eurozone and a well functioning international financial system channelling resources efficiently around the world.

On April 21, the CBI had raided the premises of three MLAs, Vishnu Bhaiyya (JMM), KN Tripathy (Congress) and Suresh Paswan (RJD) and independent candidate and industrialist RK Agarwal and his kin.

The sleuths of the investigating agency had also seized the ballot box, which was used in the March 30 countermanded elections to Rajya Sabha as part of their probe, on April 21.

The agency has registered a case under section 171F (undue influence) and 188 of the IPC (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant), days after the police and the IT department seized `2.15 crore from a vehicle allegedly belonging to a relative of an independent candidate.

PTI

Kirti Azad to go on fast against IPL NEW DELHI: Demanding that the IPL be "closed", BJP MP and former cricketer Kirti Azad on Friday said he would go on a fast against it after the slew of controversies. "It (IPL) should be closed...I am sitting on a hunger fast at the Ferozeshah Kotla from May 20. Some other cricketers and civil society members will also join me," Azad said.

Man kills sons, commits suicide BHEEMNAGAR (UP): A man today allegedly committed suicide here after attacking his four children, killing two and injuring the other two, the police said. He later shot himself dead. The injured children were rushed to the hospital where their condition was stable.

27/30: Bihar’s Super 30 shines again in IIT-JEE results PATNA: In another big score, 27 of the 30 students from Bihar’s Super 30, a free coaching centre for underprivileged students, have cracked the competitive Indian Institute of Technology-Joint Entrance Examination this year, its director said today (Friday).

“It is again good news that this year, 27 out of the 30 students made it to the IIT-JEE... it has underlined how with proper opportunity, students from poor families can also reach the prestigious IIT,” Super 30s founderdirector Anand Kumar told IANS. The successful candidates include the wards of a truck mechanic, a farmer, a daily-wage labourer and vendors.

“All of them have managed to

successfully chase their IIT-JEE dreams at Super 30 with their commitment and hard work,” he said. Last year, 24 students of the institute had cleared the IIT-JEE. Super 30, which helps economically backward students crack the IIT-JEE, was selected by Time magazine in the list of The Best of Asia 2010.

Students from poor families have to pass a competitive test to get into Super 30 and then commit themselves to a year of 16-hoursa-day study routine. Coaching, food and accommodation are free for the students. Anand Kumar said the institute is supported by income from his Ramanujam School of Mathematics, which has students who can afford fees.

Dalits turn video journalists to fill gap Rachel O’Brien

Video journalist Amol Lalzare, 27, interviews Sonali More for his news report on ‘eve teasing’.

NATION AT A GLANCE

MUMBAI: One video shows police beating protesters with sticks. Another shows two lifeless, dirty bodies dragged from their workplace in the sewers. In a third, a man explains why his hand was slashed.

The disturbing clips and personal stories have a common thread; all the victims are Dalits, who are at the bottom of India’s rigid Hindu caste hierarchy.

The Dalit with the cut hand says he was harmed for drinking from a pot meant for higher castes, while filthy and dangerous sewer work is a profession reserved for families of the lowest caste.

Such everyday discrimination is nothing new, but it is rarely documented with such intimacy and insider knowledge in India’s mainstream domestic news media.

“The mainstream media just report on the superficial events but they don’t have depth,” said Amol Lalzare, a Dalit and one

of the “community correspondents” working for Video Volunteers, a media and human rights group.

“I stay here, I know what’s going on, and I also want to give solutions through my news clips,” added Lalzare, who makes videos in the Mumbai slums with a camera not much larger than a mobile phone.

The 27-year-old documents a range of issues affecting the poor, from water shortages and poor sanitation to corruption and sexual harassment in the slums, where more than half of the city’s residents live.

In their recently-launched campaign against caste discrimination, including a petition to properly end the illegal practice, Video Volunteers from across India have released footage to show the problem is still entrenched.

They captured Dalit women who take their sandals off to walk past the “big people’s houses”, and a school where Dalit children eat separately.

AFP

A woman rows a boat in the Dal lake, carrying lotus leaves used as cattle feed in Srinagar on Thursday.

AFP

Man kills brother for touching his car NEW DELHI: A 42-year-old man was bludgeoned to death by his younger brother who was infuriated because the former had touched his car, police said on Thursday. Ravinder, 36 murdered his brother Jagminder by repeatedly hitting him with an iron road on May 15 in north Delhi’s Auchandi village near Bawana.

3 rickshaw-pullers injured in mishap NEW DELHI: Three rickshawpullers sleeping on a pavement in east Delhi were injured after a speeding car driven by a woman ran over them, police said Thursday.

The driver has been arrested. The incident took place last Wednesday night in the Laxmi Nagar area. The injured have been hospitalised.

A priest solemnises marriage of two frogs in Seyala village of West Bengal on Thursday.

Villagers here believe it will bring rains.

PTI

Donna Summer Tribute

12

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Donna Summer, the Queen of Disco died of lung cancer: reports LOS ANGELES: Grammywinning disco legend Donna Summer, who topped the charts repeatedly in the 1970s and 80s with raunchy hits like Love to Love You Baby and Hot Stuff, died Thursday aged 63.

Known as the Queen of Disco, the singer whose hits also included I Feel Love and She Works Hard for the Money, died in Florida from lung cancer, the TMZ celebrity news website said.

“Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts,” said a family statement. “While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy.

Tributes poured in within hours of her death, led by President Barack Obama who said: “Donna truly was the ‘Queen of Disco.' Her voice was unforgettable, and the music industry has lost a legend far too soon."

“Truly that will be her legacy, she was the Disco Queen,” soul legend Aretha Franklin told CNN. Barbra Streisand, with whom Summer duetted on 1979's No More Tears (Enough is Enough), said she was “shocked” at the news.

“She was so vital the last time I saw her a few months ago. I loved doing the duet with her. She had an amazing voice and was so talented. .. It’s so sad,” she said in a statement.

In Hollywood, flowers were placed on her sidewalk star on the storied Hollywood Walk of Fame, across the street from the world-famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Summer, who also became something of an icon in the gay community, shot to fame

“

I saw her several months ago at a performance, she looked great, she sang great, her performance was amazing. We got together backstage and had some good laughs and walked down memory lane. I’m just in shock. I had no idea anything was wrong.

Harry Casey, lead singer KC and the Sunshine Band

Michelle and I were saddened to

The best albums

Love to Love You Baby (1975) Bad Girls (1979) The Wanderer (1980) She Works Hard for the Money (1983)

hear about the passing of Donna Summer. Her voice was unforgettable, and the music industry has lost a legend far too soon.

US President Barack Obama

from God, she knew she couldn’t just turn it on..

Producer Pete Waterman, who worked with the singer on tracks including This Time I Know It’s for Real in the 1980s

during the disco era of the 1970s with hits like MacArthur Park, Hot Stuff and Bad Girls.

The orgasmic-sounding Love to Love You Baby, released in 1975, was one of the first disco songs to be released in extended form, giving full vent to Summer’s erotic moans and groans.

In the 1980s her hits included She Works Hard for the Money and State of Independence.

The disco diva was born LaDonna Adrian Gaines into a large devoutly Christian family in Boston and started singing in the local church, before performing in a number of Motown-influenced groups in her teens.

Summer took her stage name after marrying Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer in 1972, anglicising her name after divorcing him. She spoke fluent German and the couple had a daughter, Mimi Sommer.

The singer won five Grammy awards during her spectacular career, including in 1980 for best rock female vocalist for the 1979 Hot Stuff, but also as recently as 1997 for best dance recording for Carry On. She holds the record for most consecutive double albums to top the Billboard charts — three — and first female with four #1 singles in a 12-month period, three solo and one with Barbra Streisand, according to the IMDb website.

Hot Stuff also got a boost from being used in the 1997 hit movie The Full Monty, as the track to which a group of unemployed British steel workers performed a striptease act.

TMZ cited sources as saying Summer believed she developed lung cancer after inhaling toxic particles following the September 11, 2001 Al Qaeda attacks in New York.

That she [Summer] has never been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted Elton John

Donna did things Donna’s way.

One of the first things she said to me was, when you work with me, you work on Donna time…

She wasn’t a diva, she was inspirational. Her talent came

It’s extremely rare that you hear one song that completely changes the way you perceive music. I Feel Love achieved that.

Nick Rhodes, Duran Duran keyboardist

She was the disco queen and will remain so. I knew her and found her to be one of the most likable and fun people ever Dolly Parton

“

Michael Thurston

Around the World

13

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Beyond Borders

Trayvon autopsy finds drug traces Paula Bustamante

Smuggling king Lai gets lifer BEIJING: A Chinese court on Friday handed a sentence of life in jail to the boss of a huge smuggling and bribery scam who was at the centre of a lengthy deportation battle with Canada, state media said.

Lai Changxing, 53, received the sentence at a court in Xiamen, from where he directed his criminal empire before fleeing the country.

The sentence was the maximum available to the Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court after China, in order to secure Lai’s extradition, issued an unusual promise to the Canadian government not to execute him.

At least 14 death sentences were meted out to less important figures when trials were held over a decade ago, bringing down national-level military and police officials and a swarm of local functionaries.

As the case unravelled in the late 1990s, Lai managed to escape to Canada, but was deported back to China in July last year after a 12-year legal battle.

AFP

MIAMI: An autopsy report out Thursday on the unarmed black teenager shot dead by a neighbourhood watch volunteer in Florida revealed traces of marijuana in his body.

Documents released by the office of Florida Special Prosecutor Angela Corey show that the late Trayvon Martin, 17, had THC — an active ingredient in the hallucinogenic drug — in his urine and blood.

Martin was shot dead by neighbourhood watchman George Zimmerman on February 26 as the teenager was returning to his father’s home in the city of Sanford after buying iced tea and candy.

The racially-charged case attracted national attention because Zimmerman — who was later charged with seconddegree murder — claimed that he shot Martin in self-defence and police initially decided not to press charges.

The police report, which was released with the autopsy report, said that the confrontation was “ultimately avoidable” had Zimmerman “remained in his vehicle and awaited the arrival of law enforcement."

“There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter," it read.

Released evidence included

Barack Obama on Thursday eased investment sanctions on Myanmar and named the first US ambassador to the country in 22 years, seeking to reward an easing of “iron fist” rule.

But Obama, seeking maximum leverage on Myanmar’s nominally civilian government and to preserve his options in case of “backsliding," maintained wider US sanctions on Myanmar and figures linked to the former junta.

“As an iron fist has unclenched in Burma, we have extended our hand, and are entering a new phase in our engagement on behalf of a more democratic and prosperous future for the Burmese people," Obama said in a statement.

The US government will now license certain types of investment in financial services

HANOI: Thirty-four people were killed and 20 injured — some seriously — after a bus overturned, ploughed off a bridge and crashed into a river in central Vietnam, traffic police said. The bus was travelling from Buon Ma Thuot city in the central highlands to southern Ho Chi Minh City, a policeman in Krong Pak district where the accident took place late Thursday said on condition of anonymity.

Putin’s popularity rises to 2010 levels: Poll MOSCOW: Electoral ratings of Russian

George Zimmerman pictures that Sanford police officers took of Zimmerman.

In one photo, Zimmerman appeared with a bloody nose that seemed to be broken. The image was taken by officer Michael Wagner on his personal iPhone, which he downloaded to his computer and did not forward to investigators until March 18.

“While I was in such close contact with Zimmerman, I could observe that his back appeared to be wet and was covered in grass, as if he had been laying on his back on the ground. Zimmerman was also bleeding from the nose and back of his head," wrote officer Timothy Smith.

The 183 pages of evidence appeared to support Zimmerman’s claim that he fired in self-defence, which is permissible under Florida law.

Under the “Stand You Ground” law, a person with a permit to carry a weapon can shoot when they feel a reasonable threat to their life or that they risk serious injury.

Martin was shot through the heart, the autopsy report said. Separately, a new legal defence fund for Zimmerman has raised about $1,000 a day so far this month, his lawyer said.

Attorney Mark O’Mara said the fund — collecting donations at gzdefensefund.com — raised $15,425 between May 3 and May 16, with most donations ranging between $25 to $100. Zimmerman had raised more than $200,000 through an earlier fund set up through the online payment system PayPal, but it was shut down in favour of the new account which is maintained by a third party.

AFP

US names envoy to Myanmar WASHINGTON: US President

GLOBE AT A GLANCE 34 killed in Vietnam bus accident

Iran, Myanmar and EU Sanctions on crisis on agenda Taliban WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama and the G-8 leaders, attending the summit meeting at the Camp David, would discuss a wide range of global issues at the top of which would be the Iranian sanctions, Burma crisis and the economic crisis in Europe, a top presidential aide has said.

The two day-summit meeting beginning on Friday evening with a dinner, however, does not includes the new Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ahead of the meeting, Obama would meet the new French President Francois Hollande at the Oval office of the White House. This is for the first time that the G-8 Summit is being held at Camp David.

Besides Iran, Donilon said he expects G-8 leaders to discuss Syria, North Korea, Burma.

WASHINGTON: The United States has imposed sanctions on two individuals linked with the Taliban and the Haqqani network, the US Department of Treasury has said.

Bakht Gul, a Haqqani Network communications official, has been designated for acting for or on behalf of Badruddin Haqqani.

Abdul Baqi Bari, a Taliban financier, is being designated for providing financial support for or financial services to, the Taliban, Adam Szubin, Director of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said yesterday.

and allow US businesses to work in Myanmar, though will ensure that those who abuse human rights and seek to slow progress do not benefit.

“It is a recognition of progress, it is a recognition that opening up greater economic engagement between our two countries is important to support reformers," a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Obama also said however that current sanctions law would stay on the books to encourage further reform and to allow a speedy reimposition of tough measures if needed.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who made a historic trip to Myanmar in December, also pressed the authorities to release more political prisoners, after meeting Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin.

AFP

President Vladimir Putin have grown to 55 per cent returning to 2010 levels, according to a pollster on Thursday. The Public Opinion Foundation said Putin’s ratings hit 56 per cent in the second half of 2010, but dropped to 43 percent in 2011, and gradually rose to 54 per cent.

Gay couples kiss during a demonstration held in Mexico on the International Day Against Homophobia on Thursday.

AFP

Aquino stops protest trip to disputed waters MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino told protesters to abort their plan to sail on Friday to a disputed South China Sea shoal also claimed by China, the leader of the group said. Aquino's last-minute call caused the protesters to call off their trip to Scarborough Shoal, protest leader Nicanor Faeldon told reporters after speaking to the president on his mobile phone.

US senate confirms Obama's Fed nominees WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday confirmed two nominees of President Barack Obama to the Federal Reserve board. The senate voted 74-21 to confirm Jerome Powell, an attorney and former Treasury undersecretary, and 70-24 to confirm Jeremy Stein, a Harvard economist. The board members are the central bank's highest ranking officials.

Romanian window cleaners clean the outside of an office building in Bucharest on Thursday.

AFP

Comment

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Talk back The iconic Paradise Paradise deserves everything that has been written about it and more. Every bit of it is completely true, the food it serves makes your taste buds crave for it, the chicken biryani and the butter chicken is like a delight to the tummy.

It is a must-visit for everyone that comes to Hyderabad. The standard this place has been maintaining over the years is amazing and nothing can ever match up to it. Even the falling standards of ingredients have not affected its quality, I would say.

That is a mark of a quality place.

Shivangini Ravi Bowanpally

A good blend This place is surely a perfect blend of residential complexes and commercial buildings. It is one of the most reasonable areas for a common man to live in the city. But during summers we do face a severe water shortage, while during monsoons we have potholes on the roads and electric wires hanging around. As a reader of Postnoon I would request you to publish this so as to bring to the notice of concerned authorities our difficulties. If a newspaper prints our problems, maybe they will do something about them.

Sarojamma S Safilguda

Students’ blues Being a student, I can completely relate to every word mentioned in the article while everyone is enjoying the summer with mangoes and ice creams we are out on the field to gain some experience in our respective fields. Sometimes it might not be as adventurous as it sounds but it definitely teaches you something and moulds your skills so I guess it is a must-experience for all students.

But after all these sacrifices when the basic hall ticket is denied to you, then is when it gets bugging.

Faham Nida Mallepally

Selfless service Three cheers to Rajesh Kothwal! Now that is what I call living one’s life to the hilt. You come across many people who idolise great personalities in words, but seldom do you come across one who converts these into action. I have decided to go and spend my free time at his ashram and try to help them in whatever way I can. I also request like-thinking people to come there and give a helping hand, which will make our lives worthy.

Eshwar Ravi Anandbagh

Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222.

Editor: Dean Williams

14

Women’s ill-health is cause for big concern The Anonymous Alien

A

friend of mine was having severe pain. She refused to go to the doctor. I couldn’t figure out why, and insisted that she go. She refused. I basically said you are going whether you like it or not, then called around and got a referral to a gynaecologist at a top local hospital in Hyderabad and drove my friend straight there.

Behind (obviously) closed doors, the gynaecologist examined her. After a few minutes, my friend emerged from the exam badly shaken. Once we left the hospital, she confessed that the doctor had been verbally abusive to her, accusing her of sleeping around with lots of men, and that that was why she was having gynaecological problems. My friend assured me this was the last time she would ever see a gynaecologist.

I don’t know what was most troubling for me about this encounter. The doctor’s abusive, judgmental attitude? My friend’s insistence on never getting gynecological care again? Or the fact that, after some questioning, it became clear that my friend hadn’t had a gynaecological exam – no pap smears, no breast exams, no HPV vaccine, no mammogram, no nothing – in over a decade. In fact, she knew practically nothing about these things, and she’s a well-educated woman.

Why such a gap in her care and knowledge? Because the last time she had seen a gynaecologist some ten years earlier, she had been the recipient of similar abuse, and had even then made up her mind to avoid doctors and these health issues altogether.

Now, keep in mind, it is not a trivial decision for a woman to avoid seeing a gynaecologist. A pap smear, for example, can detect early signs of cervical cancer, a fatal disease that is nearly 100 per cent curable if caught early; a breast exam and mammogram can catch breast cancer early and dramatically improve survival rates; and the HPV vaccine can protect against a myriad of venereal diseases and fatal cancers.

Any yet, my friend had had none of this care. And had now made up her mind to get

Editorials

W

none of it in the future.

Was this an isolated case? Or a systemic problem in India? And if so, why? I wanted to find out. I got on the Internet and typed away.

Very little hard evidence on rates of quality gynaecological care for women in India, but from what I could see, it seemed that very few women were getting consistent and quality care. Was it the cost? For some impoverished women, perhaps, but overall, the cost of these tests and vaccines in India is very low, so I doubt that’s it.

The more I dug, and the more I talked to people about it, the more it became clear that there were two issues keeping women from seeking proper gynaecological care; ignorance and abuse from physicians. The former is nearly ubiquitous; there seems to be little education on reproductive health in India, and, in many places, discussions about reproductive health are even taboo. And as to abuse, from my informal survey of female friends, practically all of them had encountered a physician who had abused them at some point over gynaecological issues. For many of them, this abuse had stopped them from seeking additional care.

What’s the solution? Maybe call these dreams, but here are the right steps: First, women who are abused by physicians need to write an appropriate letter to the

SANGMA ADDS TO PROBLEM OF PLENTY in presidential election

ith NCP leader and former Lok Sabha speaker PM Sangma's entry, the race for the post of India's first citizen has become even more complex. BJD leader and Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik and AIADM supremo J Jayalalithaa have thrown their weight behind the soft-spoken leader from Meghalaya. Sangma belongs to the Scheduled Tribes and is Christian and his election to the top office of the country would buttress the secular multiculturalism of Indian polity — or at least that is what his sponsors count on. However, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has been least amused by his party leader's surprise entry to the fray. Media reports say he pulled up Sangma for springing the surprise on him. It is sad the politics of caste and community is gaining the upper hand in the election process. The president should be a person of impeccable standing and merit and the tenure will bring glory to the office and the country — a fact buttressed by APJ Abdul Kalam's term. We can only hope that our leaders will get over their petty squabbles and arrive at such a candidate.

head of the medical facility where they were treated. One letter won’t do much, but if LOTS of women write, things may start to change.

Second, medical leaders need to take the lead on this, and start re-educating doctors about their obligations to patients, about putting patients first, and about dropping their own pre-judgments of women and their sexuality.

Third, reproductive education needs to become a part of the India public school system. I realise there are strong religious and political forces aligned against this, but really, how much weight should we give to the opposition when the lack of reproductive healthcare for women is causing tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of women to die young.

And fourth, and this is my really big dream, wouldn’t it be incredibly if Sonia Gandhi, the president of the reigning political party herself, who just happens to be a woman, came out and got vocal about this issue? If she really challenged the abusive doctors and regressive hospitals and outdated education system on this issue, things could change.

Now I think that would make every woman in the country a little healthier.

A foreigner’s observations on living, working, surviving and thriving in India.

IN THE AGE OF FB, the Pirate is king

A

s Facebook gears up to set the world alight with its IPO, a running battle is taking place in cyberspace, with Anonymous and The Pirate Bay (TPB) on one side, and sanctimonious politicians and corporate fat cats on the other. But the world has changed and TPB and Anonymous have become rallying points for a generation harbouring dreams of digital anarchy.

The sooner governments realise they have lost the power, the better.

Rhythm Nation

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

15

SHISHIR.N.SIRI

Among the most popular folk rock bands in the country, Swarathma talks to us about their latest album, the Restless tour, music and more

Return of the folk heroes Padmini Copparapu padmini.c@postnoon.com

B

ack in 2009, a singingdancing troupe that seemed to have emerged straight from the pages of a oldforgotten story book, from the age of burra kathas and kathputlis burst onto the national scene. With strong vibrant colours, a seamless fusion of folk tones and contemporary sounds, they stood out in stark contrast against the obsidian soundscape of Indian music scene.

If their live performances at college campuses and music festivals were making waves, so were their studio appearances.

Their eponymous debut album, best-known for Pyaasi, became a runway hit. Their stunning performance on The Dewarists subsequently, added further impetus to their rising popularity. Today, they are among the most popular live acts in the country. Meet the folk heroes

from Bangalore — Vasu Dixit (vocals), Pavan Kumar (percussion), Montry Manuel (drums), Varun (lead guitar), Sanjeev Nayak (violin) and Jishnu Dasgupta (bass guitar and backing vocals) — who go by the name of Swarathma .

Fast forward to the present.

“We spend half our lives in airports. But we can hardly complain. This is what we've dreamt of,” laughs bassist Jishnu Dasgupta as he talks to me, just before they gear up to hit the stage at Mumbai's musical paradise, Blue Frog. He refers, of course, to the back-toback gigs on their gruelling tencity “Rest Less” tour, a bid to promote their brand new second album — Topiwalleh. Their next stop is Hard Rock Cafe, Hyderabad.

On Thursday night, there's an unusual scene at HRC. The ubiquitous TV screens tuned to IPL, show to empty benches.

The crowds have all gravitated towards the stage, some despite

iTUNES Top 10

themselves. Bewildered foreigners look on, not quite sure what to make of the costume clad performers but each eventually surrendering to the infectious fun, choosing to simply enjoy instead of understand.

The locals however know exactly what the tracks are about. Each of Swarathma's songs taps into the pulse of the youth, containing a social message that's hard to ignore.

“It's a big part of our identity.

Like most young people in the country, we are unhappy and discontent with the way things are, about where we are headed.

Music is our way of expressing it,” say the band members modestly. Still, their pro bono Action Replay concerts, where they play to disadvantaged sections of the society (blind schools, old age homes and more), tells its own story.

As the band belts out their popular numbers, Aaj ki Taaja Fikar (media hype); Yeshu Allah aur Krishna (communal harmo-

Billboard Top 10

3.We are young

happening. There are a lot of bands making good music these days and the audience is reciprocating by showing interest.”

Wrapping up the gig to groans and requests for encores, the band members stand at the store, signing Topiwalleh CDs. Sadly, popular doesn't directly translate to best-selling.

Swarathma is only too cognizant of the fact. So, they chose to go indie on this one and tied up with Flipkart to market their tracks. Explaining their decision, Jishnu and Vasu say, “The way people consume music has changed. Going forward music is going to become more and more free. As a band, we realise and accept it. Our album is more a portfolio that will help us reach more audiences. Live shows and gigs are the commercial angle.”

If their reception at, an otherwise laid back, Hyderabad is any indication there's little doubt Swarathma has great things in store for us.

Bollywood Top 10

Norah Jones Janelle Monae

Rowdy Rathore

3.Now 42

4.Boyfriend

3.Pareshaan Various Artists

Justin Bieber Florida 6.What makes you beautiful One Direction 7.Dance again Jennifer Lopez 8.Drive by Train 9.Back in time Pitbull 10.Where have you been Rihanna

Ishaqzaade

4.21

4.Tu Hi Mera Adele

5.Wild ones

1.Somebody that I used to know Gotye 2.Call me maybe Carly Rae Jepsen

ny) skillfully interspersing them with the latest from their album, Koorane (on the evils of consumerism), Topiwalleh (on corrupt politicians), all of which the audience laps up with glee.

It's obvious that their new album is a culmination of a lot of time, grit and effort. “In the past few years, we have really grown as people and together as a band. Each of us has found our sound and our space and that reflects in Topiwalleh,” says Vasu, even as Jishnu adds, “It's a snapshot of the band as it is today. Every album is a graduation of sorts. We made it!,” he grins. They sure did.

In fact, with the popularity of acts like The Raghu Dixit Project, shows like Coke Studio and The Dewarists, never perhaps has folk rock/fusion ever enjoyed more popularity than it does today. Swarathma concurs.

“As long as a band stays true to its roots and emotions, it will enjoy success regardless of the kind of music they play. Now its

5.Strange Clouds B.o.B 6.Tuskegee Lionel Richie 7.Blunderbuss Jack White 8. Up all night One Direction 9.Smash 1.Blown away Carrie Underwood 2.Little broken hearts

Soundtrack 10.Born Villain Marilyn Manson

1.Pani Da Rang (male) Vicky Donor 2.Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita

Jannat 2 5.Aa Re Pritam Pyaare Rowdy Rathore 6.Ishaqzaade Ishaqzaade 7.Tera Deedar Hua Jannat 2 8.Tu Hi Rab Tu Hi Dua Dangerous Ishhq 9.Chokra Jawaan Ishaqzaade 10.Aafaton Ke Parinde Ishaqzaade

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Quicsavesklifeaction

CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation is a basic technique that can be useful if someone around you suddenly collapses. It’s time to learn the basics Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

“A

recent case can be seen where a 20year-old man collapsed at the airport, the timely action of the team which performed CPR helped save his life,” narrates Dr Mahesh Joshi, group director, emergency medicine, Apollo Hospital. Time and again we have heard of many cases wherein people have been saved because of timely CPR. CPR stands for cardiopulminory resuscitation. Dr Mahesh explains, “When the heart stops

working, the mechanical action of the heart has to be replicated with the help of CPR. This is the cardiac aspect. The second is the pulmonary aspect. Oxygen is important for the body. Hence artificial breathing has to be done. What one basically does in CPR is restart the heart, maintain even breathing and also ensure that the blood continues to circulate. Constant circulation of blood to the brain is also vital as it could damage the organ.

CPR is also known as cerebral cardiopulminory resuscitation.”

When it is done So, we know that CPR is good but when should it be done is a question that often arises. Dr Mahesh says, “The heart stops

working for many reasons and a layman may not be able to identify the reasons. What they can do instead is that know that the heart has stopped beating. This is known as ‘identifying cardiac arrest’. If a person is unconscious, is not breathing and does not have a pulse then it means that the person is suffering from a heart attack and requires immediate attention.

One must remember to remember to check the pulse at the neck and not wrist. This should be done for 5 seconds. People who suffer from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and smokers are at high risk of this.”

CPR training?

Most people assume that CPR

can only be performed by trained medical professionals and not be the common man.

But this is not true. It is a simple procedure and can be done by anybody who is aware of the procedure.

Dr Mahesh says, “CPR can be done by anybody. There are organisations that train people across age groups like students and professionals on how to perform a CPR in emergency situations. It is true that CPR training has not become a community movement, it has to become a part of the curriculum.”

While CPR is important, one should also be aware about the correct procedure and should first call a doctor before trying to treat the patient on their own.

The basics of CPR Step 1: The first basic step is to try and wake the victim. Check the pulse of the victim on the neck. If the patient does not respond then it is advised that you call an ambulance and a doctor immediately.

Step 2: The second step in CPR is chest compressions. If you find that the patient is not breathing then lay him down and place your hand in the middle of the chest.

Put the other hand on top of it with the fingers interlaced.

Compress the chest for two inches.

Step 3: The third step involves rescue breathing. After 30 com-

Release and then allow the chest to decompress before continuing with the compressions. At least 30 such compressions need to be done. This should be done at the rate of 100 pushes per minute.

pressions, open the airway of the patient by tilting the head and the chin. For this method, clip the victim’s nose (like a pinch) and provide mouth to mouth resuscitation.

For this you need to breathe into the victim’s mouth so that the chest rises. Let the chest fall, then repeat the procedure.

Step 4: Once these steps are completed repeat all the three steps till any help arrives. Keep checking the victims’ breathing.

Stop the CPR once the victim starts breathing.

18

Early clues for diagnosis of pregnancy diseases?

SYDENEY: Doctors will now be able to identify early on whether a mother will develop pre-eclampsia, the most common and severe pregnancy-related disease, a study says.

“It develops in mothers out of the blue, usually in the last three months of pregnancy, causing high blood pressure, kidney and liver damage and severe blood changes,” said Ralph Nanan, professor from the University of Sydney Medical School Nepean, Australia, who coauthored the study with David Eviston, Ann Quinton and colleagues, the Journal of Reproductive Immunology reports.The findings suggest that pre-eclampsia cannot be diagnosed by symptoms before the disease occurs, which may have a lasting impact on a child’s immune system.

“Pre-eclampsia affects an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 women in Australia every year. Delivering the baby as soon as possible is the only way to stop it. In pre-eclampsia the mother’s immune system appears to attack the foetus,” added Nanan, according to a Sydney statement.

“Our study looked at the thymus of the foetus, a structure which sits behind the baby’s breastbone and is known as the ‘cradle’ of an important set of white blood cells called thymus-derived lymphocytes or T cells,” said Nanan. “Surprisingly, we found the thymus of babies whose mother developed pre-eclampsia was significantly smaller than in babies of healthy pregnant women.”

The group is now conducting a study with over 1,200 pregnant women to confirm the findings with the long-term prospect of developing a test for pre-eclampsia.

IANS

H‑Factor

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

19

Decoding diet: Just do it right Gym Diaries Sudeshna Koka

E

COFFEE DRINKERS LIVE LONGER, SAYS STUDY A study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., has found that coffee drinkers live longer than people who avoid coffee.

Samantha Stainburn

C

offee-drinkers had a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, injuries and accidents and infections, but not cancer, Reuters reported.

A study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md, has found that coffee drinkers live longer than people who avoid coffee, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

Coffee-drinkers had a lower risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, injuries and accidents

and infections, but not cancer, Reuters reported.

For most, downing six or more cups a coffee a day lowered the risk even more, the researchers said, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.

The study is the largest to compare the risk of dying for coffee-drinkers and coffeeavoiders, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. The researchers studied 402,260 members of the American Association of Retired Persons, according to Discovery News.

Neal Freedman, the lead study author, said researchers

didn’t know why coffee appears to have longevity benefits, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

One possibility: There are chemicals in coffee that can prevent mutations, Discovery News reported. “Some of the components in coffee are among the strongest and most abundant antioxidants in our diets,” Edward Giovannucci, a nutrition and epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, told Discovery News.

The study is good news for coffee drinkers who can’t shake

the habit. “For those who do drink coffee, there’s no reason to stop,” Dr. Lawrence Krakoff, a cardiologist from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, who wasn’t involved in the new research, told Reuters.

“Periodically someone will say it’s bad, but I think this strengthens the view that it’s not harmful.”

He continued, “Whether it’s beneficial – without knowing the cause, it’s hard to say. I wouldn’t encourage people to suddenly drink large quantities coffee with the expectation of benefit.”

GLOBAL POST

Good cholesterol, not really, says study PARIS: Researchers on Thursday challenged a tenet of modern medicine that higher levels of “good” cholesterol automatically boost cardiovascular health.

In a study published in The Lancet, investigators said they found no evidence to back the belief that higher levels of highdensity lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol routinely reduce the risk of a heart attack.

High concentrations of HDL

are one of the big markers for blood tests.They are monitored as much as low levels of “bad” cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or LDL) as a yardstick of dangerously clogged arteries.

The paper used a method called mendelian randomisation to compare heart-attack risk among people who inherited known genetic variants that gave them higher HDL levels.

According to conventional

wisdom, these individuals would have a lower risk of a coronary.

But the study, which looked at nearly 12,500 people with a history of a heart attack and over 41,000 otherwise healthy counterparts, found this was not always the case.

The results are important because of the use of drugs, sometimes inflicting side effects, which are administered to boost HDL cholesterol levels.

“These results show that some ways of raising HDL cholesterol might not reduce risk of myocardial infarction [heart attack] in human beings,” said Sekar Kathiresan of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

“Therefore, if an intervention such as a drug raises HDL cholesterol, we cannot automatically assume that risk of MI will be reduced.”

IANS

ven before I started working out, my colleague who is also my gym buddy had told me about the various diets that we would have to follow.

So naturally, when I started going to the gym my first question to my instructor was “When will I start my diet?” He would just smile and ask me to be patient.

“Get used to your work out first,” he’d say.

Finally, after three weeks of gymming and anticipating those diets which I believed would be fun, my trainer suggested that I start with the detox diet — eat only fruits and nothing else — for three days. “Detox” I thought, that shouldn’t be much of a problem, after all it was just fruits and not to forget the additional advantage of a glowing skin!

But by afternoon on day one of my diet, I realised it wasn’t so easy.

Suddenly this “cool” diet started to appear so “uncool.” By evening, all that I wanted was some nice spicy food. I’m a South Indian after all and needed my staple diet of pappu chaaru and the likes. This diet was proving to be quite a challenge.

A little of cheating is allowed right? Keeping this in mind, I “successfully” completed my 3-day detox diet and was really looking forward to eating anything I wanted. But my trainer announced that I would now go on the weeklong general motor’s (GM) diet, which involved eating fruits and vegetables in various combinations, with a couple of cups of rice thrown in once in a while.

With a great difficulty I some how managed to do my own version of the diet for a week. This was closely followed by the protein diet, which meant, no rice, chapati or bread at all. While this was slightly better than the earlier two diets, I sorely missed my South Indian delicacies.

As I huffed and puffed at the gym and struggled to reconcile to eating diet food, I realised that this was just a methodical way of training my mind to avoid junk food. Now every time I pick up something at a store I ensure I read the label (sometimes even this may not stop me from eating it). While I’m still not as strict about my diet as I should be, I’m on my way and hopefully, I’ll achieve what I set out to do.

(The writer is determined to fight the flab. Readers can inspire her at sudeshna.k@postnoon.com)

F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

Pale Vintage

D

istressed, vintage, pale, washed denims are the ones which are processed in a manner that make it seem worn out. They are intentionally given a pale shade to seem vintage and as if they were passed on to you like a prized family heirloom.

The denim manufacturers are now selling pairs in this style created using new age treatments. Effects like paint stain; bleach discoloration, burn marks, stone wash, etc are some of the effects that can be seen on these styles of denims.

This look is a high fashion favourite and made popular by brands like Diesel. It is a favourite amongst celebrities who want to exude a ‘cool’ effortless rock and roll attitude.

These denims deliver that outlook very well without really having to try and live the rock star lifestyle.

iT’S IN

As the fashion world gears up to celebrate the anniversary

Denim trousers

C

ut like a pair of trousers but made out of denim material. The denim trousers are the most formal way denim could sit on your hips.

Not to say that denim trousers should only be worn for office or formal events. In fact, the denim trousers add an element of nonchalant easiness to any look.

Pair these with a clean shirt and closed shoes and you can wear it to work. Pair them with a t-shirt and sneakers and it is a perfect weekend look. Or pair them with heels and a light jacket and this could be a great cocktail or evening look as well.

How are denim trousers different from jeans?

The denim wash and pocket styles that are found on jeans are missing from these trousers. Also a lighter fabric from traditional denim is used at times to give the look of light fabric trousers.

O

Denim on denim

ne cannot miss out on a denim-ondenim look while scrolling through any good street-style blog or website today. Denim-ondenim is a style of wearing a denim shirt/top over a pair of denim trousers.

This idea was not something that was always considered fashionable. In fact, even today, it is a tricky look to pull off and there are some unwritten rules to this style that could be followed. For example do not wear the exact same material and wash denim from head to toe. One can wear this in different shades of blue, for example light blue denim shirt worn with dark denim jeans. A good rule of thumb would be that the head to toe look should not look like a one-piece denim suit.

There should be a break between different layers which draws the eye to the details of each denim garment individually.

PHOTOS: BLOG.STYLESIGHT

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

L

20&21

Pastel shades

Last decade we were introduced to the cropped skinny jeans style which was seen in different shades of blue, black and white. Continuing that popular trend, the denim brands have now created a series of pastel shades of skinny jeans in colours like lilac, lime, lavender, seafoam, coral, turquoise, peach, pink, yellow and many more. This style may seem too outrageous to be tried by the classic lovers, but they could easily replace the blue and black styles. The best way to know if you’d look good in one is by trying on a pair.

Wear with a white or navy blue shirt and metallic heels and you will see how seamlessly the pastel shades blends in with your look. Sure the choice of shades will be personal varying from different tastes and skin tones. But the pastel skinnys are definitely a fashion step-up from the last year’s trends.

Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

The writer is a fashion blogger (www.lovestruckcow.blogspot.com) who attempts to bridge the gap between creator and consumer. As a fashion writer, she hopes to promote Indian fashion among Indians and on a global level too.

YOUR JEANS of the birth of the blue jeans on May 20, we look at the different denim styles in vogue right now

T

Denim cut-offs

his style has been brought back from the punk fashion era of the 1980s.

Denim shorts that seem like they were created by cutting off the jeans. The ragged edges of its hem add to the element of rebellion of these denim styles. The cut-offs are the ones made popular by Rihanna in her music video ‘you da one’ and can be seen in her live performance at the Coachella music festival earlier this year. Speaking of music festivals, this style is particularly popular at outdoor summer festivals. The cutoffs reflect a very free- spirited, could-not-careless attitude which people wear to define their non-serious side by putting on a pair of cut-off denims. The shredded denim edges reflect the age of the denims from which the shorts were created and hence add to the value of the garment.

Due to the popularity of this style, many brands have introduced this style so that people do not have to create their own pair by cutting off their pair of jeans. Though this style may not seem as the easiest to pull off, they definitely attract due attention.

PHOTOS: 7 FOR ALL MANKIND

Spotlight

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012 DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Allu Arjun

Navadeep

Sharvanand

Harsha Vardhan

Ram Gopal Varma’s Department has been making news for quite some time and even the city could not resist watching it. Kalamandir on Thursday organised a premiere for the film at IMAX. Seen at the venue were stars from Tollywood who came to support their friends.

Glamour department Subba Raju, Puri Jagannath, Ram Gopal Varma with crew members

Rana

Madhu Shalini

Nikitha Reddy(r) with a friend

Aravind

Nathalia Kaur

22

Magic Screen

D I S P L A YA

D S RATE ` 150 sq. cm

For Further Details Please Contact Abhinay 9989399972 Nandlal 9951467988 Ravi Chander 8106039919

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

23

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

Naomi afraid to play Diana N aomi Watts is “absolutely terrified” about playing Diana, Princess Of Wales in a new movie and she even considered turning down the job. The Britishborn actress, who grew up in Australia, has been cast in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s upcoming drama Caught In Flight, which will tell the story of the last two years of the late royal’s life before she died in a car crash in Paris, France in 1997. However, Watts admits she had reservations about taking on such a high-profile part and nearly refused the offer because of her fears. The King Kong star tells the Press Association, “She is a part of

Jennifer Lopez may quit American Idol J ennifer Lopez may have just been named by Forbes magazine today as the most powerful celebrity, but her reign at American Idol is coming to an end. While JLo has publicly said she has yet to make a decision about her future on Idol, sources exclusively tell me that she she’s planning on calling it quits.

“She’s just too busy,” one source said.

That’s so very true. She’s about to launch a mega concert tour with Enrique Iglesias that kicks off this summer in Latin America and the US She plans to go worldwide in the fall.

Lopez will be on the road, at the very least, through the end of the year.

The next round of Idol auditions will begin while she’s overseas.

Dad duties troubling Chris C

hris Hemsworth is struggling to carry out his promotional duties for his new film as he is juggling work with looking after his baby daughter. The Thor star is currently in Europe promoting his latest picture, Snow White And The Huntsman, and he attended the film’s premiere in London on Monday, just days after the birth of India, his first child with his wife Elsa Pataky. However, the actor admits he is battling through sleepless nights at home but is determined to carry on working.

Hemsworth tells the Press Association, “The last few days has been a bit of press, and then I’m at home with the baby and trying to get some sleep in there, which hasn’t been happening. But it’s fantastic. I’m running on adrenaline at the moment, and it’s all wonderful.”

our history, an incredible woman and fascinating but (suffered) a tragic ending. The filmmakers came to me and it’s a good script and it’s very scary and I kind of wanted to say no but I couldn’t...

“I saw the wedding (Diana’s 1981 wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales) and everything and she is a very inspiring woman and it’s kind of impressive how she sort of changed the whole gearing of the tradition of the royal family and opened it up and brought warmth to it.” Watts is now throwing herself into researching the role for the film, which is due to begin shooting in the UK later this year.

24

Magic Screen

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

M

ultistarrers are here to stay in Tollywood, if the line-up of films in the next few months is anything to go by. Venkatesh, Mahesh Babu starrer Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu is already on floors and Vikram Kumar’s Thrayam starring ANR, Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya is on the cards.Now, movie mogul, D Ramanaidu has announced that he’s going to produce a film with Venkatesh, Rana and Naga Chaitanya in lead roles.”I have asked many writers and my film school students to come up with a suitable script and I have been listening to stories on a regular basis for this project. Once it is finalised, I will definitely make this movie,” Ramanaidu told the media. Meanwhile,Ramanaidu is gearing up to produce his first Punjabi film which will go on floors on June 5 in Canada. With this, he’ll become the first producer in India to make films in 13 languages, which is a new record.

Venkatesh, Rana, Naga Chaitanya

TO TEAM UP?

25

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@Actor_Siddharth It’s now clear that only 1 IPL team owner is allowed to jog along sidelines, bounce around the ground and pretty much do what ‘she’ wants!

@PriyaWajAnand Had a really good time watching ‘Kallakalapu’ Wonder if there will be a Hindi remake!!?!??!!

@tashu_02 Watching the repeat telecast of #satyamevajayate.. Another great episode...!! Opposite of khatra is atra how innocently adorable kids r!

@snehaullalheart A tornado and a volcano shouldn’t mix... However if my family was physically touched I would have reacted the same...

@shrutihaasan Love suzette in bandra but what's with the horrid service ? :/ goodbye white hot chocolate *hmpf*

I am not doing Dirty Picture’s remake : Nayanthara

N

ayanthara has categorically denied rumours that she’s going to star in the remake of Dirty Picture in Telugu and Tamil. For the past few days, rumours were abuzz that Nayanthara was in talks to Ekta Kapoor to reprise Vidya Balan’s role in the remake of Dirty Picture and there was also a rumour that she was being paid a whopping `2 crore for the role.However, Nayanthara has stated that no one has approached her for the role. She also said that although she loved the film in Hindi, she wouldn’t be comfortable in doing the role in South. For now, she’s busy with Krish’s Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum and Bhoopathy Pandian’s upcoming bilingual film. Apart from these two films, she’s also going to star in Vishnuvardhan’s upcoming Tamil film which has Ajith, Aarya and Taapsee in lead roles.

@actor_nithiin Chris gayle!!tk a bow!! He can b a nightmare to ne bowler!!

Fantastic innings tonite!!

Vishnu Manchu at Cannes Film Fest

V

ishnu Manchu is making good use of his time. Few days ago he was spotted at the logo launch of Uu Kodathara Ulikki Padathara and now we hear that he has gone to Cannes Film Festival. “In Cannes, France. For the Film festival. My first visit. Very interesting. Every Film lover must attend this to understand Films in general (sic),” Vishnu Manchu posted on Twitter. His upcoming film Denikaina Ready is in the last stages of filming and the film is being touted as a sort of a sequel to Dhee. G Nageshwara Reddy is directing the film and it stars Hansika in the lead role. Gopimohan, Kona Venkat and BVS Ravi have written the script.The film is expected to hit the screens later this summer.

@purijagan Film lovers should watch dis, rogue methodology rocks. It’s tough to follow rogue methodology coz it comes from madness.

@LakshmiManchu) “@MaheshNBhatt: Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it!” wah wah

Chai Time

KAKURO

How to play Kakuro Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: ‘How do you play kakuro?’, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells — called a run — any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14.

Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two — it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

SCRIBBLING PAD

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

26

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Bread maker's dinero?

6 Lend ___ (pay close attention) 11 Flat-screen ancestor 14 ‘Sesame Street’ regular 15 ‘Band of Gold’ singer Freda 16 ‘Aah!’ accompanier 17 Appraiser's guideline 20 ‘Meet Me ___ Louis’ 21 Did a gardener's job 22 In a strange way 23 It's a matter of pride 24 Part of the Earth 25 Contract-negotiating pro 26 Tightly packed 28 Dyeing tank 29 No, to the Scottish 30 Attends to, in a restaurant 34 Cross character 35 How some like their eggs 37 Logo on a Dodge truck 38 Distant settlement 39 ‘It's Raining ___’ 40 ‘'Tain't’ rebuttal 41 Biblical hymn 45 Good to have around 47 Sailor's salutation 50 Zodiac lion 51 Navigation tool 52 Febreze target 53 Russian gymnast Korbut 54 A way to get attention 57 Paradoxical name for Mr Moore?

58 What an active volcano may do 59 Not chronic, as illness 60 Curvy letter 61 Exams 62 Won at chess DOWN 1 Resisted openly 2 Colour on the Irish flag 3 What some singers sing in

4 Encircled 5 Cloth edging 6 Part of a stage 7 In the buff 8 Gazed upon 9 Doodlebug's prey 10 Rise inopposition 11 Sudden arrival of fall weather 12 Roll of coins 13 ‘And ___ off!’ (racetrack announcer's call) 18 ‘Caught you!’

19 Unproductive bother 24 Slender 25 Positive type of attitude 27 Like the beginning of triathlons 28 Telephone-on-the-web technology

31 How some popcorn is popped 32 1960s sprinter Wyomia 33 Concorde, eg 34 Sounds of disapproval 35 Lucidity 36 Get a glimpse of 37 Does some shoe repair 39 Bodyguards or bouncers, in slang 40 Gunner's enclosure 42 Full-bore 43 Vatican representative 44 Like a castle 46 Flying-safety agcy 47 Clever

SUDOKU

48 Is the emcee 49 Table leftover 52 Cross to bear 53 Cousin of a beluga 55 Valuable rock 56 Cheesego-with PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.

– Ayn Rand

Chai Time STAR POWER

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 19-5-2012

thiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in 040-27177230 / 9177596118

TAURUS

GEMINI

Health problems will disappear. Coup‑ les who had separated due to incom‑ patibility will unite again. Chances of getting an offspring also looks bright.

House construction will resume.

Work burden will increase for employ‑ ees. Don't blindly believe those who became friends with you recently.

While handling valuable objects and money, handle them with care.

You will confidently deal with all issues and successfully complete them.

Speculative deals give moderate gains.

Persons of high esteem will extend support. Family will be happy.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Financial situation will be satisfactory and you will fulfill all basic needs.

Friendship with politicians likely to bring benefits. Some will get powerful positions in society or at workplace.

Your administrative capacities will be sharp and appreciated by all. You will befriend politicians and gain by that.

New positions will come in search of you. Those looking for a job will get one.

All tensions and worries will disap‑ pear. Whatever work you undertook will get completed successfully.

Financially a strong position likely.

Marriage talks will get finalised soon.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Tensions and doubts in the mind will disappear. Jobs that are challenging also are handled by you shrewdly and you will complete them without prob‑ lems. VIPs will extend support.

Blames upon you will be withdrawn.

You will march towards your goals without any obstacles. Pending court issues will be decided in your favour.

Nice events will happen at home.

Your self‑confidence will be at its high so that you achieve success in all your efforts. Even those who opposed you will realise their mistakes and seek par‑ don. Politicians will bask in limelight.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Your mind will become clear and hence you take decisions without hesitation.

Comforts will increase and steps will be taken to improve income. Those married recently will be blessed with a child.

You will be introduced to VIPs which will be beneficial in the future. Execu‑ tion of work will pick up good speed and get completed in the scheduled time. Financial situation looks good.

All new and innovative efforts will be successful. Govt officials will become friends with which you get govt work completed as per expectations. House loan applied will get sanctioned.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 19-5-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

Ten of Swords – You may be a fan of fol‑ lowing the rituals because they gives you a sense of sta‑ bility. But ask your‑ self if these have become outdated.

Nine of Swords – Resist the tempta‑ tion to do the extra‑ ordinary just becau‑ se it will make you look cool. You need to achieve balance – in your thoughts.

Six of Cups – A sur‑ prise is in store. It will force you to see the transience of life and how life is but a fleet‑ ing set of experiences.

You dig into the past to take comfort.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Ace of Swords – Your good cheer and great relationship skills will attract positivity. Peo‑ ple are likely to sur‑ round you to get som‑ e of those happy vib‑ es. Keep your chin up.

Nine of Cups – A huge sigh of relief since you expected the worst and none of that happened. Be grateful for someone who is praying for you at this moment.

Seven of Wands – You want to be able to look into the futu‑ re so you can decide what your best cour‑ se of action should be. There are ways to know possibilities.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

King of Pentacles – You may be the vic‑ tim of some cunning and subtlety. There is little you can do at this stage because your opponents are way ahead of you.

King of Wands – You believe in symbols and omens and you‑ ʼre finding it difficult to interpret one omen.

These are matters of faith. If faith is strong, nothing matters.

The World – Youʼre good at prying out secrets and this talent will come to use today when you will need to take a decision based on something you donʼt fully know.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The High Priestess – There is puzzlement and fear about some‑ thing which youʼre not very familiar with.

Use your instinct to guide you in the right direction.

The High Priest – So‑ meone can insult you only if you see it as an insult. You may get e‑ mbarrassed about bei‑ ng totally out of con‑ trol when you thought you were in control.

Ten of Cups – There are heavy responsi‑ bilities to fulfill and it bothers you that youʼre not even half way down the mark.

Take time out and plan better.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle WOLF WHALE WEASEL WARTHOG

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

27

Vol: 1, No 306 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

Magic Screen

The glamour behind the glitz

I am ready to don a bikini:

Parineeti Chopra

N

ewbie actress Parineeti Chopra, who is basking in the glory of her latest film Ishaqzaade, says she is ready to don a bikini.

Parineeti, 24, started her career with Ladies vs Ricky Bahl in 2011 and said she has set no limitations for herself as an actress and will also do intimate scenes if script demands.

“I have no limitations and that is because I believe in myself. When you finish reading a script and you still remember about that one kissing scene and think that the script is good... But just because it has a kissing scene, hence you will not do it. This means that with what intention the writer must have wrote that scene, you have not understood it,” Parneeti said.

PTI

Tusshar dares to bare

A

Kahaani may be remade in English ujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani is going places. After the confirmation that it would be remade in Tamil and Telugu, here comes the news that the

28

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@GulPanag Super workout! So much prefer the open air( dust not withstanding) to the air conditioned environs of a gym.

@kjohar25 Srk is one of the best fathers i know....and protective about every child...he was being just that....a protective parent!!!

@NeilNMukesh Incredible day @ shoot for #3Gthemovie. @sonalchauhan7 did a brilliant scene. Loving the way the film is shaping up.

@realpreityzinta

ctress Neha Sharma says it will be unusual to see her costar Tusshar Kapoor wearing swimming trunks and coming out of the sea like a beach babe in Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum. “We are shooting in Goa right now for Kyaa Super Kool Hain Hum where Tusshar is showing some skin. He will be seen wearing yellow trunks showing a sneak peak of his bum like John in Dostana,” Neha said.

“One gets to see girls coming out of the sea in bikini but watching a guy coming out of the sea will be different,” she said. Directed by Sachin Yardi, the film also features Riteish Deshmukh and Sarah Jane Dias in key roles.

IANS

S

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

hit Hindi film is likely to have an English version too. Talking about this, Ghosh on Wednesday said: “There are talks. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, it didn’t happen. It’s at a very nascent stage.” He was talking at the DVD release of Kahaani”. The TV production company Endemol India, now set to foray into movie making business, has bought Telugu and Tamil remake rights of Vidya Balan starrer Kahaani. IANS

YEAHH !! Ladies & gentlemen .. Our captain is back :-) Oh how the Red lions roared today ! So proud of the way the #KXIP boyz played today !

@kunalkohli Thanx to the overwhelming response & demand & that's all I really wanna do trending at no.1 worldwide,TeriMeriKahaani music is out on iTunes

@AnupamPkher On my way to Goa for the shoot of Kya Super Cool Hai Hum. Looking forward to the madness in the script and on the sets. :)

@SrBachchan T 747 - Every time Gayle comes in to bat, opposing team gets a crick in their neck .. they follow the ball as it sails into the stadium !!

@FarOutAkhtar Everybody pls put your finger on the Follow button and welcome to twitter, a great girl and my first co-actress @1Prachidesai

29

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

6S 641

METER

Chris Gayle (RCB)

57 4S 1735

Ajinkya Rahane (RR)

70

HIGHEST SCORE

128*

Chris Gayle (RCB)

BEST BOWLER

4-13

Ajit Chandila (RR)

Do or die for Rajasthan The secret behind those sixes was good balance and it helps to have a pitch where the ball comes up to the bat. Hope I continue like this in the tournament.

G Aparna Sai feedback@postnoon.com

R

ajasthan Royals would fight with all they might when they take on Deccan Chargers today on the latter’s home ground. RR drew first blood when the two teams clashed earlier this season.

Taking first strike. the Bulls posted a formidable 196 but they failed to defend this score allowing the Royals clinch victory.

The Bulls have had a dismal season this year; but for their heroics against Pune Warriors India, Deccan Chargers found success against no other team.

They certainly have no chance of making it to the play-offs and the recent spot fixing controversy has only added to their cup of woes.

Meanwhile, the Royals from Rajasthan would have to win this match to keep their play-off hopes alive.

With 14 points from 14 games,

Chris Gayle RCB Player

Chris Gayle (RCB) 706 runs

M Morkel (DD), L Malinga (MI), S Narine (KKR) 21 wickets

Pomersbach arrested for molestation A

nother controversy struck the IPL with a player with RCB being arrested on charges of molesting an Indian American woman and severely attacking her fiancee leaving him in hospital.

Australian player Luke Pomersbach allegedly misbehaved with the woman at the Maurya Sheraton Hotel in Delhi last night and has been arrested.

The woman said the player invited himself for drinks with the couple and some common friends fin their room. She left the men alone and went to her bedroom to sleep but Luke followed her and misbehaved with her, she alleged.

When her fiancee intervened, Luke allegedly beat him up, she said.

PTI

DD KKR MI CSK RCB KXIP RR PWI DC

P 15 15 15 16 15 15 14 15 14

W 10 9 9 8 8 8 7 4 2

L 5 5 6 7 7 7 7 11 11

N/T 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1

PT NRR 20 0.599 19 0.478 18 -0.160 17 0.100 17 0.010 16 -0.172 14 0.335 8 -0.477 5 -0.680

P-played; W-win; L-lost; N/T-no result/tie;NRR-net run rate; PT-points

SCORECARD CHENNAI SUPER KINGS VS KINGS XI PUNJAB Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs) M Vijay c Gilchrist b Kumar 10 M Hussey c Gilchrist b Kumar 7 Raina c Gilchrist b Azhar Mahmood 17 MS Dhoni c Saini b Awana 6 D Bravo c Gilchrist b Harris 48 R Jadeja c Saini b Awana 13 A Morkel c Kumar b Azhar Mahmood 14 S Anirudha not out 1 R Ashwin not out 0 Extras(b 1, lb 2, w 1) 4 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 120 Bowling O M R W Econ P Kumar 4 0 18 2 4.50 R Harris 4 0 24 1 6.00 Azhar Mahmood 4 0 28 2 7.00 P Awana 4 0 12 2 3.00 D Hussey 3 0 23 0 7.66 P Chawla 1 0 12 0 12.00 Kings XI Punjab innings (target: 121 runs from 20 overs) A Gilchrist not out 64 Mandeep Singh b Morkel 24 N Saini c Dhoni b Bravo 1 D Hussey c †Dhoni b Bravo 9 S Chitnis c Dhoni b Hilfenhaus 11 Azhar Mahmood not out 9 Extras (lb 3, w 2) 5 Total (4 wickets; 16.3 overs) 123 Bowling O M R W Econ BW Hilfenhaus 4 0 20 1 5.00 A Morkel 3.3 0 28 1 8.00 R Ashwin 4 0 27 0 6.75 D Bravo 3 0 18 2 6.00 VY Mahesh 2 0 27 0 13.50

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE VS DELHI DAREDEVILS RC Bangalore innings (20 overs) C Gayle not out 128 T Dilshan c Pathan b Aaron 10 V Kohli* not out 73 Extras (w 2, nb 2) 4 Total (1 wicket; 20 overs) 215 Bowling O M R W Econ I Pathan 4 0 44 0 11.00 UT Yadav 4 1 42 0 10.50 V Aaron 4 0 38 1 9.50 A Russell 4 0 41 0 10.25 P Negi 3 0 37 0 12.33 Venugopal Rao1 0 13 0 13.00 Delhi Daredevils innings (target: 216 runs from 20 overs) U Chand c Patel b Vinay Kumar 18 D Warner c Vinay Kumar b Khan 15 Venugopal Rao c Patel b Muralitharan 36 Jayawardene c de Villiers b Parameswaran 9 Taylor c Agarwal b Vinay Kumar 55 N Ojha c Tiwary b Khan 13 Russell c Kohli b Parameswaran 31 I Pathan c Dilshan b Khan 4 P Negi not out 6 Yadav c Tiwary b Parameswaran 0 Extras (lb 3, w 4) 7 Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 194 Bowling O M R W Econ T Dilshan 1 0 11 0 11.00 Z Khan 4 0 38 3 9.50 Vinay Kumar 4 0 35 2 8.75 HV Patel 4 0 33 0 8.25 Muralitharan 4 0 44 1 11.00 Parameswaran3 0 30 3 10.00

Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets

RC Bangalore won by 21 runs

the Royals are currently placed sixth in the standings.

A win in today’s match, would tighten the points table and would only increase the uncertainity about which teams would qualify.

The Rahul Dravid led side, though cautious, are positive about sailing through to the next round.

DC VS RR AT 8 PM ON SET MAX If Shane Watson gets his willow to do the talking, then there is no stopping and this could spell doom for the Chargers who are yet to recover from their previous losses.

Watson, in the company of skipper, Dravid and the side’s leading run scorer, Ajinkya Rahane, could accelerate the Rajasthan innings giving no chance for the opponents to realise what hit them.

While the Royals would look to emerge victorious in this match, the Chargers would hope to salvage their pride atleast on this occasion

HARD HITTER

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Chris Gayle plays a shot during the IPL match against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla AFP/MANAN VATSYAYANA stadium in New Delhi on Thursday.

68 DAYS TO GO

30

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

ONE FLAME, 8,000 TORCHBEARERS

Mary’s dream on hold

C

elebrated Indian boxer M.C. Mary Kom faced a nerve-wracking wait on Thursday after a shock defeat at the women’s world boxing championships left her Olympic bid in doubt.

The five-time world champion champion was stunned 11-13 in the flyweight quarterfinals by Nicola Adams late on Wednesday, meaning she is now relying on other results to gain a shot at Olympic glory.

“What can I say? I gave it my best but I still lost. I don’t know if I have a chance of reaching or not,” said Mary, 29, who was out-punched 11-13 in the fierce encounter with Adams. “I have to rely on luck,

which is not what I wanted. I wanted to win all by myself,” she said. The diminutive Kom, one of India’s brightest Olympic hopes and a mother of twin boys, has been forced to move up a division in a bid to contest the lightest Olympic category, 48-51 kilos.

But now Kom will have to wait until the semis to see if she will be present when women’s boxing makes its full Olympics debut in London.

Indian fans are also biting their nails over the Olympic bid of lightweight L. Sarita Devi, who is also now waiting for other results to determine whether she will travel to London.

AFP

Pent-up emotion reason for record Hannah Cockroft

Torchbearer Dimitrios Chondrokoukis, a Greek high jump athlete, lights a cauldron with the Olympic Flame atop the Acropolis in Athens on Wednesday.

AFP/POOL/ YANNIS BEHRAKIS

T

here is, officials stress repeatedly, only one London 2012 Olympic flame. But when it begins its 70 day, 8,000-mile relay across the UK this weekend, such are the complex logistics that a single flame will, in fact, be in several places at once, reported The Guardian.

The flame was lit last week after an actress dressed as an ancient priestess caught the sun’s rays in a parabolic mirror in Olympia, Greece. This source will in turn ignite every one of the 8,000 three-sided aluminium alloy torches carried by relay bearers between Saturday and 27 July, when an as-yet unnamed final carrier lights the cauldron inside the Olympic stadium.

Throughout the relay only a single flame will be visible to the public at any one time. There will, however, be up to four other “iterations” kept safe inside oilfuelled Davy lamp-type devices.

“We don’t call them ‘spares’,” a London 2012 spokeswoman insisted. “They’re all the same flame.” This is partly for security.

Protesters, some armed with fire extinguishers, repeatedly tried to disrupt the enormously long, multi-continent relay ahead of the 2008 Beijing Games. Should one torch be extinguished another incarnation of the flame will be

travelling in a nearby vehicle, ready to step in. There is a more practical reason. “It does help us deliver some of the more extreme, if you like, parts of the operation,” the spokeswoman said. “For example, we’ll go up Snowdon with the flame while the crew are driving northwards to Bangor. It just means we don’t have to hot-foot it for five hours to catch up with the relay.”

In fact, the flame will spend

THE RELAY WILL ALSO HAVE A 70-MEMBER STRONG CONTINGENT, OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE’S TORCH SECURITY TEAM WHICH INCLUDES 35 RUNNERS WHO WILL TAKE SHIFTS TO JOG ALONGSIDE THE FLAME WHEN IT IS BEING CARRIED ON FOOT. considerably longer in the lamps than the propane-butane fulled torches, which each burn for little more than 10 minutes. It will be transferred to a lamp not just for the flight from Greece to the UK, but also — as happens for the majority of the relay — whenever it is inside a vehicle driven

between venues.

It will also be kept in lamp form overnight in a secret location, guarded by members of the Metropolitan police’s “torch security team”, a specially-trained 70-strong contingent, including 35 runners who will take shifts to jog alongside the flame when it is being carried on foot. Those tempted to disrupt the relay should consider first browsing the official profiles of some of the officers involved and note the preponderance of keen rugby players and boxers.

The 2012 relay is deliberately lower key than the almost absurdly long, 85,000-mile 2008 version, which took the flame across six continents and to the peak of Everest. Aside from a day in Dublin it takes place entirely within the UK, with the most arduous stage probably being up Snowdon. Even that will use the Welsh mountain’s funicular railway. There are, inevitably, some innovations, with plans for the torch to be carried, at various points, on horseback, by boat, in a helium balloon and across the Tyne river by zip wire.

The torch itself, featuring 8,000 laser-cut holes, was unveiled last year to a critical reception considerably warmer than that accorded the muchmocked 2012 logo.

M

y coach and I have this saying: “Hit ‘em like you hate ‘em.” Basically: Hit your wheels like you’re hitting something you hate. Last Tuesday I had plenty of pent-up ammunition, so much so that I ended up with a world record, the first ever set at the Olympic Stadium in London.

The morning of the race was a nightmare. The bus that was supposed to pick us up and take us to the Olympic Stadium never turned up. So loads of taxis were booked to take us. Then, somehow, the taxis got lost. Then they weren’t allowed into the stadium.

My coach called, “Hannah, where are you?” “Trying to get into the stadium, actually!” The security wouldn’t let anyone in without accreditation, which, of course, the taxis didn’t have. I was stressed and was thinking: “I’m not going to make my race.

What is the point?” It was insane.

Anything could have happened. We just ended up shout-

ing. Eventually one of the organisers came and helped us.

So it was 10.30am when we finally got in and my call for the 100m had been at 10.05am. I was getting to the point where I was thinking: “I don’t want do this race any more.” So with all the frustration, I guess my head wasn’t in the game; I wanted to get it out of the way and just concentrate on the 400m. Some of the girls who were miles ahead of me on the Sunday were well behind, so either I was doing well or they were having a bad day.

I had no idea it was worldrecord pace. I didn’t even know what time the test event had started. All I knew was that a lot of people had raced before me.

But then they announced it after the race that and it goes down in history. I didn’t go in expecting to break any records. And celebrations? After the event we had a four-hour drive to Halifax. I was absolutely knackered. It might have been a historic day but I was just happy to go straight to bed.

Playing Field ROME: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer reached the Rome Masters quarter-finals on Thursday, but fourth seed Andy Murray suffered another setback in his French Open plans when he crashed out to Richard Gasquet.

Murray, who lost 6-7 (1/7), 63, 6-2 to the Frenchman, revealed that he has been carrying a back problem since December but declined to go into details on the symptoms or its treatment.

However, he did admit to facing a race against time with the French Open starting in Paris a week on Sunday.

“I’ve felt it for some months, but I haven’t had a chance to take a pause. I’ve tried not to make it any worse, but the muscles get tired from compensating,” said Murray, who skipped last week’s Madrid Masters because of the problem.

“I’ve got a lot of big events coming and there’s not that much time to rest any niggles.

Hopefully when the French comes, the goal is to be in peak condition.”

Top seed Djokovic, the defending champion, staged a 46, 6-2, 6-3 comeback win over Argentine Juan Monaco while second seeded Nadal was ruthless with fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers, winning 6-1, 6-1.

Djokovic will tackle JoWilfried Tsonga, who saw off Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 6-1, for a place in the last four.

“Conditions were very difficult for us. I finally settled into the match,” said Nadal, who will next face Tomas Berdych after last week’s Madrid finalist beat Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.

Federer, the winner of the Madrid Masters, defeated fellow veteran and former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 with a dozen aces and

Spurs extend winning streak SAN

ANTONIO,

TEXAS:

Tony Parker celebrated his 30th birthday by scoring 22 points on Thursday to lead San Antonio over the Los Angeles Clippers 105-88, stretching the Spurs’ win streak to 16 games.

San Antonio took a 2-0 lead over the Clippers in the best-ofseven Western Conference second-round series, which continues with games three and four on Saturday and Sunday in Los Angeles.

The Spurs won their final 10 regular-season games and have opened the playoffs with six triumphs in a row. Parker, doublecovered most, also contributed five rebounds and five assists for the Spurs while Tim Duncan added 18 points and Boris Diaw, contributed 16 points.

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

The games people play

NADAL, DJOKER, FEDEX ADVANCE

Novak Djokovic serves the ball to Juan Monaco at the Italian Open Tennis Tournament (ATP and WTA World Tour), in Rome’s Foro Italico on Thursday.

AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTE four breaks of serve.

The Spaniard took the clash to a third set with a late break before the third-seeded Swiss set-up a last-eight match with Italy’s Andreas Seppi who saved six match points in a 6-7 (1/7), 76 (8/6), 7-6 (8/6) win over Stanislas Wawrinka.

Federer improved to 47-3 since last year’s US Open semifinals, winning seven of his past 10 tournaments and returning to number two in the world.

Spanish sixth seed David Ferrer knocked out French 11th

seed Gilles Simon 6-0, 7-6 (7/5) and will tackle Gasquet.

With gusts of wind making life a challenge in all matches, Djokovic had to smash a racquet to bits to get himself motivated after losing the opening set to Monaco.

The outburst came after the Argentine had finally converted a fifth set point in the blustery conditions.

The Serb went down a break in the second set, but got it back and then broke again to level the match at a set apiece.

It took a break for 5-3 in the final set to put Djokovic into position to close out victory on his second match point.

“It was difficult to play in the wind, but it was the same for both of us,” said Djokovic.

“He was able to deal with the conditions better at the start, but after a set and a half I started to play better and change my strategy. I never expected an easy match against him on his favourite surface. I felt I started hitting the ball better. I found my rhythm,” he added.

AFP

31

Palmer in lead after first round IRVING, TEXAS: American Ryan Palmer fired a bogey-free six-under par 64 on Thursday to seize a one-shot lead over German Alex Cejka and Australian Mark Leishman after round one of the Byron Nelson Championship.

Palmer lost last year’s Nelson title in a playoff to countryman Keegan Bradley. Palmer birdied the last hole to force a playoff but found water on the first extra hole and lost the $6.5 million US PGA event at TPC Four Seasons.

Palmer began off the 10th tee. He birdied the par-4 11th, had back-to-back birdies at the par-4 15th and par-5 16th and hit back-to-back birdies again at the par-3 second and par-4 third. He added another at the par-3 fifth.

“It’s great to be in this spot again,” Palmer said.

“Continuation from last year, that’s what’s cool about the whole thing. I knew everything was going in the right direction.

It was a matter of putting it all together at once.”

Palmer was disappointed at hooked tee shots on his last four holes but salvaged pars on them all.

“That’s what the short game is there for and fortunately it was good,” said Palmer.

Leishman had back-to-back birdies at the par-5 seventh and par-4 eighth but capped the front nine with his lone bogey of the day. His big jump up the leaderboard came on “awesome” eagles at the par-4 11th and par5 16th. “On 11, I was trying to drive it up toward the right bunker, pulled it a little bit, right in front of the green about 10foot off the edge,” he said. AFP

Playing Field

FRIDAY, MAY 18, 2012

The games people play

32

Chelsea, Bayern set for finale Ryland James

B

ayern Munich host Chelsea in Saturday’s Champions League final with both sides looking to erase painful memories of recent defeat at the last hurdle on Europe’s top domestic stage.

The Blues arrived in the Bavarian capital eager to end their long wait to be crowned kings of Europe at Munich’s sold-out Allianz Arena, four years after their misery in Moscow.

The last time Chelsea reached the Champions League final in 2008 they lost on penalties to Manchester United in the Russian capital with striker Didier Drogba dismissed in extra time for a slap on United defender Nemanja Vidic.

Despite an erratic season which saw Chelsea finish sixth in the Premier League, the Blues lifted the FA Cup and beat holders Barcelona on the way to the Champions League final.

After Andre Villa-Boas was sacked as manager in March, new boss Roberto Di Matteo has breathed new life into the team and Drogba says the Blues have earned the right to be here.

“After Moscow, most of us thought we were going to get into the final the next year. But you can see it’s very difficult to reach a final,” said Drogba.

“It shows how much we deserve to be there this time

because it’s been a few years.

“We did a great job to get past Barcelona but we have to do one more. Now it’s one more game to win.”

Likewise, Bayern wing Franck Ribery knows the pain of missing out: in the 2010 campaign, his red card in the semi-final against Olympique Lyon saw him suspended for the final as the Bavarians lost 2-0 in Madrid to Inter Milan.

“It wasn’t a good situation for me two years ago and I felt bad about it,” said the Frenchman.

“I’ve often thought back to 2010. I can make up for the missed final because I have a second chance.

“The final in Munich means I can finally banish the memory of Madrid.”

The Bavarian giants have now reached two of the last three Champions League finals and Ribery is eager to lift the title after missing out two years ago.

“I didn’t think I’d get this second chance so soon,” Franck told magazine Kicker magazine.

“I wanted us to get as far as possible this season, but I never thought we’d really battle through to the final. The final in Munich, it’s unbelievable, but I think we deserve to be there. I hope we all join forces, turn in a great performance against Chelsea, and win the cup. That would be terrific.”

However, Bayern are licking their wounds after being ham-

People walk past an advertisement of the Champions league final match in Munich, Thursday.

Bayern Munich will play Chelsea title match in Munich on Saturday.

AFP/ODD ANDERSEN mered 5-2 by league champions Dortmund in last weekend’s German Cup final and finished second in the Bundesliga.

The Bavarian giants are bidding to become the first team since Inter at San Siro in 1965 to win the European title on home soil.

“I’m already 29, so who knows whether I’ll appear in another

final,” added Ribery, with Bayern aiming to lift their fifth European title overall and second Champions League victory since 2001.

“If we win on Saturday it would be historic, so we have to give everything. We should be exhausted afterwards.”

Both teams upset the odds to take their place in the final with

Chelsea stunning holders Barcelona in the semi-finals while Bayern won a penalty-shoot-out in Spain to beat Real Madrid in the last four.

Bayern will be without suspended defensive trio Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Luiz Gustavo who all picked up yellow cards against Madrid.

Looking for a perfect finish Robben ready despite

Chelsea’s Frank Lampard (R) takes the ball past Juan Mata (L) during a training session on Thursday.

AFP/ADRIAN DENNIS ROB WOOLLARD Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is determined to end a tumultuous year in style on Saturday after a rollercoaster season which has veered from exile

to the brink of Champions League glory.

Three months ago, Lampard’s Chelsea career appeared to be drawing inexorably to a close, with the 33-year-old left on the bench as the Blues crashed to a 3-

1 first leg defeat against Napoli in the last 16.

It followed months of tension with Andre Villas-Boas, the young Portuguese manager who had been saddled with the task of breaking up the Chelsea side that had won three league titles since 2005.

Villas-Boas’s abrupt dismissal in early March however proved to be the catalyst for change in both Lampard and Chelsea’s fortunes.

With Roberto Di Matteo appointed as interim manager, he returned to the starting lineup and scored a nerveless penalty as Chelsea overturned their 3-1 deficit against Napoli with a stunning 4-1 victory.

Although he did not start in the 1-0 first leg quarter-final win over Benfica, he has played in every match since, producing superb displays in both semifinal matches against Barcelona.

In both the games against Barca, Lampard’s vision from midfield helped create crucial goals for Didier Drogba and Ramires.

missing training

MUNICH, GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben says he is ready to face Chelsea in Saturday’s Champions League final despite sitting out training earlier in the week with a cold.

With Bayern to host Chelsea at Munich’s Allianz Arena on Saturday, the 28-year-old was back in training on Thursday after missing two days earlier in the week.

“I just had a bit of a cold, but I just wanted to make sure I didn’t waste my energy,” he said.

On Thursday, Robben took part in a 45-minute training session and said he would have to be bed-bound to miss the final against his former club.

“Only a fever of over 40 degrees would keep me away from the pitch,” said the injuryprone Dutchman.

“I feel good. It’s the biggest game of the season for all of us.

“We’re ready and we’re mentally well-prepared, because

there’s only one more prize up for grabs this season.”

After Bayern were hammered 5-2 by Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund in last Saturday’s German Cup final, Robben issued a rallying cry to his team-mates.

“We need to exude optimism and our body language has to confirm that,” said the Dutchman. “It’s an honour to be part of this. There’s no other topic of conversation in the town.

AFP