Postnoon E-Paper for 22 March 2012

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012 HYDERABAD

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WISHING OUR READERS A HAPPY

UGADI AND GUDI PADUA 2 KILLED IN ACCIDENT

IN SEARCH OF THAT PRECIOUS DROP As throats parch in the summer heat and taps dry up, we take you on a journey around the City to bring your attention to people’s hardships as they trudge on for the life-sustaining elixir — today is World Water Day.

Two youngsters were killed and another sustained serious injuries when their car hit a stationary lorry at the Old Bowenpally check post late last night. P3

FLASH

DL RESIGNS

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State Minister for Health DL Ravindra Reddy resigned today and strangely sent in his notice to AICC President Sonia Gandhi.


Page Two

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Spirit of Twin Cities

AS THE SUN GOES DOWN

Battle of the bands

N SHIVA KUMAR

Battle of the bands reaches its finale. Catch bands like Chokfite and Franks Got The Funk fight it out to the last beat. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banajra Hills, Rd No1 When: March 23, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 4476 7900

Cotton and silk mela Bring out your shopping bags. Lepakshi Cotton and Silk Mela is on at Satya Sai Nigamagamam. Choose from a variety of cotton and silk sarees and dress materials. Where: Satya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony. When: March 18 to March 25 Contact: (040) 2323 5028

Miniature traditions Miniature Traditions-An Artistic Endeavor, will be held at Alankritha Art Gallery.It’s an exhibition of miniature paintings by Mahaveer Swami.. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery, Kavuri Hills, Madhapur When: March 24 - April 4, 11 am onwards Contact: (040) 2311 3709

Handloom expo Gurjari handloom and handicrafts expo features handloom bandhni and patola saris, patchwork, ethnic block printed dress materials and traditional handicrafts like Kutch embroidery, leather puppets, tribal craft, wood carving and furniture. Where: Huda open auditorium When: Ongoing, 10am onwards

Kebab and grill festival Relish a feast of Kebabs and Grills as chefs from the Indian and Continental kitchens take the challenge to serve you a myriad of Indian kebabs and western grills Where: Okra, Marriot Hotel and convention centre, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 7pm Contact: (040) 2752 2568

Unique buffet Yellow Chilli is offering a lunch buffet which is truly different. The Buffet which costs `199 (Monday to-Friday) and `249 (Saturday and Sunday). The dinner buffet costs `299 and `349. Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2338 3838

New works

Dance fest Abhinaya Sudha is being held at Lamakaan from March 21- March 23. It is a festival which highlights the expression aspect of dance which are the basic and subtle aspects of dance that are missing nowadays. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No1 When: March 21-23, 7pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Sale time Good earth plays host to an end of season sale. The sale is on a variety

CINEMAS

of products such as home textiles, crockery, decor, silver plated accessories etc. Where: Good Earth, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: March 21 to 25 Contact: (040) 2333 8000

Lover of art? New works by artists Laxma Goud and Ramesh Gorjala will be displayed at Gallery Space. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

Acting workshop Samahaara — an acting and dancing workshop is being held to help you hone your acting skills. The workshop focusses on a variety of topics such as understanding the basics of stage acting and character

analysis, stage geography etc. Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pm Contact: 98854 04784

Thaali festival Spice Junxion is offering a variety of favourites from different regions such as Rayalseema and Telangana. The unique aspect of the thaali is that it represents the traditional home-style cooking. Where: Spice Junxion,Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Go Splash Splash lounge is the perfect leisure destination for you to unwind. During the evenings, there is also great music, martinis and aperitifs. Where: The Westin, Mindspace, Madhapur When: Monday - Friday, 5pm - 10.30pm Weekends, 8am - 10.30pm Contact: (040) 6767 6828

Tradition and innovation An exhibition showcases 58 designs which are a combination of tradition and innovation. Where: Salarjung Museum,

Afzal Gunj When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 2452 3211

Reflection of women Aiana — Reflection of Women, a painting exhibition is being conducted at Kala Bhavan, Saifabad by Bhavana and Sindoor. Where: Kala Bhavan/ ICCR Art Gallery, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 6398

Asian barbeque The Square, Novotel, Madhapur plays host to an Asian barbeque. Sample grilled specialities from around the world — from lebanese to Japanese. Where: The Square, Novotel, Madhapur When: Every Saturday, 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Wraps and rolls Rolls — boring did you say? Head to Promenade at Ameerpet for a wide variety of rolls for the vegetarians and the non-vegetarians. Where: The Promenade, Ameerpet When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6678 8888

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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APPA! Cry cops in training TRAINING Mohd Subhan mohd.s@postnoon.com

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ome have escaped from the camp, many are in hospital, one died — the balance sheet of the promotional training from assistant sub-inspector to sub-inspector of Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA) makes a grim reading. Most of the trainees aged 45 plus, have variety of health problems from common blood pressure to more serious problems. There were, in all, 365 ASIs undergoing training in APPA since four months. The training will conclude on March 31. But, families of many trainees are getting plaintive cries of suffering policemen who termed the training extra hard against the rules that those above 45 years should not be put to rigorous training like the basic police

training for new-recruits. However, the deputy super intendent of police Shiva Reddy, in-charge of the training, is said to be strict and hard on them. A couple of days ago, one of them ASI G Nagolaiah sought some leave from his officer but it was denied. Following this he developed high blood pressure and was admitted to Apollo Hospital where he died while undergoing treatment. At least six trainees are said to have ran away from the camp, and since mercury began its upward march, many more are falling unconscious under the fierce March sun. They say the training lasts some 12 hours—6 am to 6 pm which in this summer is nothing short of torture. “Discipline in uniform does not allow us to air our problems to anyone, especially the media,” said one trainee to Postnoon requesting anonymity, “but we are suffering, most of us and there seems to be no way but to do or die.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

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2 killed in accident ACCIDENT Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

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wo youngsters were killed and another sustained serious injuries when their car hit a stationary lorry at the old Bowenpally check post late last night. The accident took place around 2.30am. Pawan Kumar, 23, Chikkadpally, Chandrashekhar, 24, of Narsapur, West Godavari district, and K Madhu, a resident of KPHB, were returning after a party when the tragedy occurred. Sub-inspector of police Bowenpally, Mohd Aijazuddin said, Pawan was driving the car. At the check post, instead of slowing, the car seemed to have accelerated and hit a lorry that was parked before the check post for paying toll. Pawan and Chandrasekhar died while Madhu was admitted to a hospital with serious injuries. The deceased were B.Tech graduates and Madhu, worked with a pri-

vate school in Kukatpally. It is said that the lorry was parked without lights and the accident

could be partly because of that. The driver and cleaner bolted from the scene.


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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

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Even God can’t solve these woes

DEEPAK DESHAPANDE

PARKING WOES Osama Salman salman.o@postnoon.com

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ere’s a friendly advice: Next time you go for a darshan to the Sri Kanaka Durgadevi Alayam temple in Ameerpet, hire an autorickshaw or walk up. You can’t find any paid or free parking spot here. Driving to Ameerpet can be a test of patience, not just because the heavy congested traffic, but also because it is the textile capital of Hyderabad and is frequented by thousands of shoppers every day. However, finding a ‘No Parking’ board is far easier than finding a paid parking spot. This small stretch of road has four ‘No Parking’ boards and if you were ever to park your vehicle for a darshan or to shop in the surrounding textile shops, you’d be risking your vehicle getting towed away. “While I know that people come here to shop, many of us also visit the temple too. The closest parking spot is about half a kilometre away and old people can’t walk such a large distance,” pointed out Krishna T, a visiting devotee. The shopkeepers are losing out on dear sales as people are preoccupied with the worry about their vehicles, points out Mohammed Arshad, proprietor, Zam Zam Hosiery. “Earlier when the traffic rules weren’t as strict, a lot of customers used to come to our store. That number has considerably gone down. On regular days, few people come. We only make money during festivals as the rules are a little less stringent.” Arshad says that during peak hours, the police are on the prowl to fine vehicles, especially cars. “Last October, a customer

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was fined `200 for parking before the ‘No Parking’ board. I never saw him after that. We keep losing out on customers. There is GHMC-approved parking space close by, but customers have to cross the road which is a problem” he said. The road is also infested with street-vendors, who block the road even more. Somehow, this has escaped the attention of the GHMC. A few street-vendors also place their carts just behind the ‘No Parking’ sign. About four shops have exclusive parking space for their customers and about 30-odd shops

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don’t. Forced to park their cars on the road itself, police send their traffic recovery vans often, to clear the bottleneck. “We are mostly busy serving the VIPs in the area so we don’t send a van every day. But we do clamp the wheels of about 10 cars and tow away 20 two-wheelers each time. This is only to clear the chock-a-block traffic,” said the station house officer of Punjagutta Traffic Police Station, V Chandra Kumar. The traffic, congestion and unavailability of parking space, make one wonder whether going to Ameerpet is actually worth it!

AIRLINES Airport Director 27903785, 27906001 For Air India Flight Information Toll free (from any network) for IC Flights 18001801407 And for All Flights: 1800227722 Air India has revised its flight timings. For more information call (Toll free) 18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from other lines and mobile Website; www.airindia.in TOURISM OFFICES AP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54 Sec’bad 27893100 Dept of Tourism 23453110 India Tourism 23261360 AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999

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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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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

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Poll results: TDP to rethink T-stance Chandrababu Naidu is the most troubled leader today. The shocking results of the byelections have pushed the party to re-consider their stance on the T-issue or else leaders and cadres alike would desert the party soon

POLITICS Md Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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he bad show of the TDP in the bypolls has raised an alarm among the TDP rank and file and chances of more leaders deserting it in near future have increased. This has begun to trouble the top-rung leader of the TDP. Of the seven assembly constituencies that went to polls, four seats — Nagarkurnool, Adilabad, Kovvur and Kamareddy — were won by the TDP in 2009. While in Telangana TRS decimated the main opposition, in the case of the Assembly seat in Seemandhra region’s Kovvur, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy- led YSR Congress party defeated the Telugu Desam. The plight of the Telugu Desam in Telangana region can be gauged from the fact that it lost deposits in Kamareddy, Adilabad and Nagarkurnool seats. Reacting on the election results, a sombre

Chandrababu Naidu said that the party would do a thorough post mortem of the results and chalk out a strategy to strengthen it in the coming days. “We will do a thorough analysis of the results and discuss threadbare all the issues that contributed to our defeat in all these constituencies. However, I feel that our performance has improved a lot since 2009 General Elections,” Naidu said. He accepted that desertion of MLAs from the party had not only weakened its cadre but also encouraged TRS to improve its strength. “The desertion of our leaders (MLAs) took away our cadres and strengthened TRS, leading to its victory,” Naidu also said that he was surprised to see that the BJP won Mahabubnagar Assembly constituency. “It’s surprising to see BJP winning the seat. It did not have party cadres there (Mahabubnagar), yet won the seat,” he said. However, even after the bypoll results, Naidu could only confine himself by saying that the party’s role on separate

The results have forced us to rethink our strategy. The Telangana TDP Forum is meeting tomorrow to chalk out the next plan of action G Kamalakar, Karimnagar MLA Telangana issue is minimal. In the process, he skipped the demands of T-leaders of the party to make the party’s stand clear on the contentious issue. The T-leaders of TDP like MLA T Hareeswar Reddy, who is already keeping a distance from the party, seems to be next in the line to quit

from the party post and join either the TRS or contest as an independent candidate like his friend Nagam Janardhan Reddy did. The other party MLAs like Tandur MLA, P Mahender Reddy, Jagityal MLA L Ramana, Karimnagar MLA G Kamalakar are facing pressure from their supporters to quit the Telugu Desam and join

TRS since last few months as a protest against the attitude of the party high command on a separate Telangana. However, these leaders had kept themselves low as they did not want to hurt the high command. But the bypoll results have not only reinforced their will but also given them the much needed to boost to put pressure on party superemo Chandrababu Naidu to spell out a clear cut stand on the Telangana issue. “Yes, the bypoll results have forced us to rethink our strategy. The Telangana TDP Forum is meeting here tomorrow to chalk out our next plan of action. The single point agenda of this meeting would be to come up with strategy to put pressure on our party high command to spell out a clear stand on the Telangana issue,” Kamalakar told Postnoon on Wednesday. Another TDP MLA from Choppadandi assembly constituency S Devaiah, a former minister, stressed on the need for the party high command to do away with its existing strategy.

Why this cruel game? BYPOLLS U Srinivas srinivas.u@postnoon.com

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either the TRS nor the electronic media has bathed in glory announcing wrong results about Mahbubnagar constituency on Wednesday when thousands were glued to the TV watching the drama unfolding. All except Saakshi TV channel began beaming the TRS victory even before the counting was over. And, the KCR party had even taken out a victory procession trumpeting the triumph of its candidate Syed Ibrahim. However, the TRS was charitable in admitting that it had just scrapped through on a wafer thin margin of just 200 votes.

Print and online media were the worst sufferers as their efforts to verify the result proved futile. Sadly, the chief election commissioner Banwarlal himself was in the dark! After several repeated attempts, he connected with the district counting centres and he was told that the counting of the last round was still in progress where the BJP was leading by over 1,500 votes. The CEO was told that TRS victory was a deliberate rumour someone spread and the electronic media readily bit the bait. The election officials are not guilty of the crime, they pleaded. It was 12.40 pm and it took another 15-20 minutes to know the fact that the BJP had indeed won by 1,897 votes. Interestingly, the BJP itself thought it lost the constituency. Mahbubnagar results had been fluctuating from the beginning. First it favoured the Congress, then the TRS and finally the BJP. Incidentally, the Mahabubnagar Assembly seat falls under Mahabubnagar Parliament constituency represented by TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao. Minister for information and public relations DK Aruna is the incharge Minister for the district and the election. That is the reason why it was taken as a prestige issue by the Congress and the TRS. But in this process both parties lost the face. The CEO clarified that the election commission was not responsible for rumours. But, one wonders with all the communication and computing facilities given to them, why did they take five hours to declare the results of one Assembly constituency?

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Woman commits suicide

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COMPUTERS

n a suspected case of suicide, Noorjahan, 25, of Gulam Murtuza colony under Falaknuma police station limits is alleged to have set herself ablaze after a quarrel with her husband. She was admitted to the Osmania hospital with severe burns where she was declared dead.

Unidentified man found dead

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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

n unidentified body of a man aged about 35 was found in Jhoongor basti on the Jumerat bazaar footpath this morning. He bore head injuries. He was clad in a pink Teeshirt and blue jeans. Nobody has been booked so far. A case has been booked and the body is kept in the mortuary.

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City all set for Ugadi festivities SRINIVAS SETTY

FESTIVAL Anubha K Singh anubha.k@postnoon.com

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ith just one day left for Ugadi, preparations for the New Year celebrations has kicked off in the City. Ugadi is celebrated as first festival according to the Telugu calendar and the first big festival that comes after Sankranti. The festival also heralds spring and new life. The preparations for the festival kicks off a week before in many houses. Homes are cleaned and painted too. On Ugadi, traditional rangoli is made in front of every house anda garland of marigold flowers and mango leaves is strung up on the main doors. New clothes are also bought for the day. The yearly panchang is released in the evening in many temples and other cultural places in City.

“Ugadi marks the first day as per the Telugu calendar. We wake up early in the morning, infact before dawn to see the sunrise and take an oil massage. neem leaves are added in hot water and after the oil

massage and we take bath with the leaves dipped in the water as it signifies purification of the soul and the body,” said Vandana J, consultant in Deloitte. “The day is followed by

prayers and the new Hindu calendar is opened and read for the first time in the new year. In addition to all these rituals there is one more tradition of eating a traditional dish which is a mixture of six tastes, called Ugadi Pachhadi or Bevu-Bella. It’s a mixture of six different elements with different flavours like neem which stands for the bitterness, jaggery which stands for sweetness, tamarind juice for the sourness, raw mango for the tang and green chilli or red chilli powder for spice”, she adds. As per the elders in the society the day is very auspicious and many believe in starting new ventures on the day. The day concludes in the evening with a cultural programme for the festival. Poetry written for the very day or on any other topic is recited by the known, young and budding poets.

‘Bittersweet’ welcome to the New Year Postnoon News

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here are several ways of commencing a New Year. According to the Christian calendar, January 1 marks the beginning of the year and for Hindus the New Year falls on Chaitra Shukla Pratipada which is known as Gudi Padua in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. To Maharashtrians, the festival is unique and auspicious because it is believed that Lord

Brahma chose this particular day to create the universe. The devotees offer prayers to goddess Kundalini on the day. The important aspect is hoisting gudi in front of the house to invite goddess to their home. “Traditionally a gudi is a bamboo stick on the top of which an inverted pitcher is placed. The pitcher is designed in a particular format which denotes the goddess. Once the pitcher is designed a yellow coloured silk cloth is put on the gudi. A garland of flowers and

twigs of mango tree are also put on the gudi. It is important that the gudi is placed towards the right side of the main entrance of the house as the it is considered as active part of the soul. The important part of placing gudi is the area selected for placing it should be cleaned and it’s must that rangoli in the shape of a swastik should be drawn on the ground,”said, Manisha Salote, a housewife. Many Maharashtrians believe gudi to be a symbol of

victory associated with the conquests of the Maratha forces lead by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and also a belief that the goddess will ward off evil and bring good luck into the house. Delicacies like chana and soonth panak are eaten on this day. A ladoo made of the paste of neem leaves is prepared and mixed with ajwain, gur, tamarind and jaggery. Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the festivities by eating the bittersweet leaves of the neem tree. DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Bellyful of dreams The first ever batch of Intro to Acting for Film, Television and Theater (IAFTT) from ISFM graduated last evening, and this promising bunch of aspiring actors are hoping for a bright future

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wo months ago when International School of Film+Media (ISFM) began its eight week course — ‘Intro to Acting for Film, Television and Theatre (IAFTT)’, it gave a ray of hope for people like Sainath Reddy. “I have always had an ambition to become an actor and IAFTT gave the perfect platform for me to learn the basics and also interact with industry experts about the finer nuances of acting,” Sainath Reddy says. He’s one among the thirteen students who has completed the eight week

intensive training in various aspects of acting in front of camera and on stage, voice training, characterisation and scene analysis under the aegis of Rathnasekhar Reddy, Mahammad Althaf and Ragini Shibu. Another aspiring actor, Rohit avers that the course has given him a lot more confidence. “They taught us a lot about ourselves as people because to become a good actor one must understand his or her limitations and strengths.” Rohit says. The guest lectures by Nagarjuna, Deva Katta, Amala and others were quite

insightful and Sainath Reddy adds, “I still remember Nagarjuna telling us about his experiences as a debutant and how he had to struggle for years.” Some of the students have already got offers from MAA TV, Guru Films, Annapurna Studios and few other productions houses. Popular Telugu film actor Dr

Rajendra Prasad was the guest of honour at the convocation ceremony and after giving the certificates, he interacted with the students and shared his experiences as an actor. “Your journey is going to start from here. You must analyse your strengths and know what your USP is, otherwise things will only get tougher,” Rajendra Prasad said.


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THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

Toddlers’ deaths trigger massive checking drive SAFETY Inkeshaf Ahmed ahmed.m@postnoon.com

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racking their whip on Educational Institutions Buses (EIB) following a tragic school bus accident at Khammam district few days ago, the transport department today, began a massive check of all the vehicles used to convey students across the State. The drive, officials said, would be check the roadworthiness of the vehicles and records. The week-long drive will also examine the licenses of drivers and their capability to handle the vehicles they are assigned to drive. Tax paid papers and pollution certificates would be part of the documents each vehicle should carry . If any of the school bus does not possess these certificates as per Motor Vehicle Act, the officials will not only seize those vehicles but also impose heavy

penalties. The amount of penalties to be levied would range between `1000 and `10,000. Speaking to Postnoon, deputy transport commissioner of Hyderabad G Pandu Ranga Rao said that the drive has been undertaken to check the status of school buses following the Khammam incident and added that the authorities would seize any vehicle found not in condition and without relevant docu-

ments. “There would be no leniency,” Rao warned. Officials say many school vehicles violate the rules and overload the vehicles despite warnings and recurring accidents. This has to stop. The transport officials of Hyderabad have begun their drive from Sujatha High School located on the famous Chapel Road. In Ranga Reddy district, which is part of GHMC limits, the officials have

launched the drive at Medchal, Uppal areas on the first day of the drive. In all these areas scores of Engineering colleges are located. In Hyderabad alone, a total of 25000 educational institutions buses are being operated. Whereas in Ranga Reddy, over 3600 school and college buses are being operated to ferry students from their homes to educational institutions.

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Bypoll win mandate for T stance: BJP S

tate BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Wednesday declared that his party would take the responsibility of achieving separate Telangana state as his party won the by-election in Mahbubnagar. Kishan Reddy said that people of Mahbubnagar strongly believed that the BJP would deliver Telangana in 2014 and voted for his party. He also pointed out that the by-election result revealed that the people of Mahbubnagar rejected the “twoeyed” policy of the TDP. “The people have given a clear verdict in favour of separate state and the electoral victory will lead to a new phase in the Telangana agitation,” he added. He recalled that though his party had secured only 1,600 votes in the 2009 elections in Mahbubnagar, the same people voted for the BJP in the hope that his party would help achieve Telangana State. The victorious candidate Yennam Srinivas Reddy said that the people of the constituency believed that separate Telangana was possible only through a national party. He also said that his party would spare no efforts to strengthen the movement.

Bald is not beautiful — in summer Wig sale is soaring along with mercury. It’s good to have a crown-saver on head these days Sudeshna Koka sudeshna.k@postnoon.com

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he baldies, though relieved of heavy expenses in taking care of the dead tissue called hair, are however, hard hit in summer. The cruel sun beating their pate mercilessly creates great discomfort. Many of them in the City are now taking refuge under wig which serves two purpose — one to hide the pate and the other to save from sun. And, the wig sellers are making a roaring business, reports say. “Some people order wigs to protect their bald pates from the assault of the sun. Some do it to improve their looks but now many treat it as two-in-one where saving from extreme weather and improving the visage prompt them to buy a wig,” says A Subba Rao of Sree Sai wig shop. Wearing wigs, which was once a craze is making a comeback, if sale reports are of any indication. “In the past couple of years, we have seen an unprecedented rise in the number of people, both men and women, approaching us for wigs,” says Rao. He now gets

nearly 30 orders for wigs every month. According to him it is mostly the young men and women suffering from baldness who orders for custom made wigs. Hyderabad has several wig shops but the most popular ones are in areas like Krishnanagar and Indiranagar near Jubilee Hills. One would expect the Tollywood actors as their main customers but that is not the case. It is ordinary citizens who come looking for that perfect wig in a bid to look like their favourite stars. A make-up artist since 1953 and owner of Sri Bhuvaneswari wigs shop, T Mallikarjuna Rao who had worked with the likes of popular actors Sridevi, Balakrishna, Radha, Bhanupriya, Krisham Raju and many others throws light on this trend. “Earlier wigs were extensively used in the film industry. All the veteran actors’ right from NT Rama Rao, A Nageswara Rao and others used to sport different styled wigs for each of their movies and so did the remaining cast of the movies. The wigs gained more prominence espe-

Thing to remember while buying a wig n n n n n

Material used Give correct measurement Used prescribe oil for maintenance Give an old picture to get the exact look Replace a wig once a year.

Most common colours ordered n n n n

A

part from style there is another unfortunate segment who invariably use wigs — cancer patients who have lost hair due to chemotherapy. “Most of our patients are cancer survivors who lost hair due to the harsh treatment. They come with an old picture and we make the wigs exactly like their old hair,” says proudly, A Subba Rao, owner of Sree Sai wig shop

Natural black Grey Brown Golden brown

cially during mythological movies and wig makers were in demand,” he said. Gone are the days when wigs defined the hair dos of the film stars. Today it’s crowning on the heads of ordinary folks. “This is the age where everyone wants to look good. Earlier days, people were comfortable with their baldpates but not anymore. They would rather cover it up,” said Ravi the owner of Ravi wigs.

He had set shop initially to supply to the movies, but now has ordinary customers who are suffering from skin diseases and baldness. It takes them almost a week to get them ready. The wigs price starts around `7,000 and above depending on the type of wigs used and work on it. While most of the wigs are synthetic there are also those who prefer natural hair wig which may cost up to `30,000. “We even have those who want more natural wig and we import for such clients. Our hair comes from Tirupathi “ said Rao Interestingly, many of the clients also include soon to be married grooms who want to look their best before marriage. These shop owners are used to some strange requests from their clients as well. “Some say they want to have a wig which looks like Pavan Kalyan or Mahesh Babu styled. We say it’s not possible” said Ravi of Ravi wigs. “We ask them to get their old snaps and stitch it according to their original design,” he adds.


Hyper Local

Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin Cities

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

8

In search of that precious drop As throats parch in summer heat and taps dry up, we take you on a journey around the City to bring to your attention people’s hardships as they trudge on for the life-sustaining elixir — today is World Water Day. M ANILKUMAR


17,660.80 59.09

5,378.45 13.60

BSE

NSE

Business

10g= `28,200

GOLD

1kg= `57,100

Matters of saving and spending

SILVER

`50.86

DOLLAR

POUND THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012 9

Myntra to add logistics arm DEEPAK.DESHPANDE

Prudhvi Raju K prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

HYDERABAD:

Myntra.com, the largest online fashion store based in Bangalore, aims to cross `500 crore revenues for the financial year 2012-2013. Its current growth rate is about 10-20 per cent per month, with a turnover of `180 crore. The 10 main cities contribute 50 per cent of the sales and the rest are contributed by tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Andhra Pradesh is one of the important pockets of e-commerce industry with high internet penetration and large population of IT/ITeS employees. AP contributes about 10 per cent of the 5,000-6,000 orders the portal receives a day. Tier-2 cities such as Rajahmundry, Tirupathi and centres in Warangal district are substantial contributors to business from the state.

Mukesh Bansal, founder and CEO, Myntra. However, the business with tier-2 cities is hampered by inadequate infrastructure to facilitate logistics. “Courier companies do not have access to some tier-2 cities. We want to concentrate and invest on supply chain management and create our own

logistics in 15 cities across India. These personnel will approach the customer directly and will note down sizes for the clothes that they order,” said Mukesh Bansal, founder and CEO, Myntra. The company has a warehouse in Delhi and Bangalore each and the warehouse in Mumbai will be operational in next five months. It also wants to create warehouses in Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata soon. The online lifestyle market is to be about `400 crore at present. The segment is set to grow 100150 per cent for the next three years. The overall lifestyle market in India is about $45 billion and has a 16 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR). Lifestyle industry will cross $100 billion in 2012 with somewhere between 5-10 per cent of this being online, predicts Mukesh.

Myntra has 600 employees on its rolls and will add another 500 employees with logistics expansion. It has 20,000 different products in the catalogue and 240 brands such as Nike, Reebok, UCB and Polo. The company is also looking for consolidation and planning to expand in to jewellery, cosmetics and perfumes. “We want to position Myntra as a fashion consultant offering guidance on fashion,” says Mukesh. The company emerged as the largest funded e-commerce site in India by raising $40 million. It has been majorly funded by Tiger Global followed by Indo-US and IDG and Accel partners. It raised $ 21 million in the end of 2011 and has sufficient funds for next 18 months. The company may plan for another round of fundraising next year. The firm has 25 per cent margins and aims to break even in a year, he added.

Sony to sell chemical unit to bank

NUMEROLOGY

$287

million

is the government subsidy received by automaker Holden to keep its Australian plants open, avoiding a “knock-out blow” to the manufacturing industry.

THUS SPAKE “As a practising businessman in India, this (government's move to retrospectively amend income-tax laws) will not augur well for foreign direct investment and the country at large,” Analjit Singh, non-executive chairman Vodafone India ZYNGA BUYS STARTUP Social games major Zynga on Wednesday said it has bought the young company behind a playful “Draw Something” application that rocketed in popularity across the world in recent weeks. Zynga did not disclose how much it paid for New York City-based OMGPOP but unofficial estimates valued the deal at approximately $200 million.

TOKYO: Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony said on Thursday it was selling its chemical products division to the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) as part of a massive overhaul of its business. Sony, which has been struggling with huge losses, did not say how much the bank would pay for the chemical division which makes a variety of products, including film used in liquid-crystal display panels. Sony, which said it was aiming to finalise the deal by May and complete the sale in the first quarter of 2013, said the unit no longer fit into its wider restructuring plan. “As a result of such realignment effort, (Sony) believes that this transaction would be the optimum solution for Sony, DBJ and the chemical products businesses themselves,” it said in a statement. Sony added that the bank's “domestic and international networks and other diverse business resources will enable the chemical products businesses to achieve further growth and development in the future.” The unit, which has about 3,000 employees in Japan and at factories in the United States, Europe and China, reported sales of 111 billion yen ($1.33 billion) for the year to March 2011.

`80.72

VIBRATING TATTOOS DK Mehrotra, current in-charge chairman of the LIC, hands over a cheque for `1137,99,41,904 to Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi. DK Mittal, secretary of financial services department and Nilesh Sathe, zonal manager of LIC (North Zone) were also present on the occasion.

Smokers to cough up `170 cr more Postnoon news

H

ike in sales tax on tobacco products including Gutkha, Khara masala, and cigarettes from 14.5 per cent to 20 per cent estimated gain of revenue would be to tune of `170 crore per annum Today, it’s VAT that forced an adjournment of the House. TDP member Ravula Chandrasekhar demanded a discussion on VAT and its effect on textiles. Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy’s refusal to do away with VAT on textiles has aggravated the mood of

the TDP which vociferously demanded a discussion and rushed to the well. Speaker adjourned the House saying it was not possible to maintain decorum of the House amid uproar. Meanwhile, a statement placed in the Assembly today by the CM stated that on account of inclusion of textiles and sugar in schedule IV, liable to tax at 5 per cent, there will be a additional gain of revenue to the extent of `600 crore per annum. On increase of lower slab of VAT from 4 to 5 percent the revenue gain would be

about `1200 crore per annum. Due to reduction of tax on RCC pipes and PCC pipes and cement pipes from 14.5 to 4 percent net revenue loss would be about `4 crore per annum. Likewise, on account of increase of rate of tax on tobacco products including Gutkha, Khara masala, and cigarettes from 14.5 percent to 20 per cent, estimated gain of revenue would be to tune of `170 crore per annum. The AP value added tax amendment bill 2012 after it is passed it will be sent to the Governor for his assent.

Mobile phone maker Nokia is seeking a US patent for tattoos that vibrate to let people know when they have calls on their mobile phones. Technology laid out in a patent application available online on Wednesday would enable tattoos to receive magnetic waves emitted by mobile phones. Waves would trigger tattoos to generate “perceivable stimulus” to alert them to calls, messages, or batteries running low. “The perceivable stimulus may comprise vibration, a vibration on the image on a user's skin, for example,” according to the application filed with the United States Patent Office late last year.


India‑View

10

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

India unveiled

PTI

PC regrets offences against women NEW DELHI: Hoping that attitudes would change with education, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Wednesday that women were being treated as chattels and that was one reason for crimes against women. “I certainly share the view that women are treated as chattels... one reason why crime is committed against women is because they are treated as chattels,” Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. “I hope the attitude will change with education.” The minister was replying to a question on rising crime against women. Asked if New Delhi was the country’s ‘rape capita’, Chidambaram said, “It is wrong to say Delhi is the capital of crime against women, this is not the right picture. “If people feel so, I feel sorry. Crime against women is there all over India and, I regret, it is so in Delhi too,” he said. He added that a detailed advisory had been issued to all states asking them to take adequate measures to protect women. The issue, Chidambaram said, could be taken up at the meeting of chief ministers on April 16. Giving out statistics, the minister said 213,585 cases of crime

against women were reported in the country in 2010 and 22,172 rapes in 2010. A high powered committee under the home secretary was set up to examine a review of rape laws.

The committee has formulated the draft Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2011, after consultation with all stakeholders. A draft cabinet note has been circulated to the concerned ministries, he added.

Refutes Odisha CM’s claim that Centre has not offered help in freeing Italians NEW DELHI: P Chidambaram ON Wednesday rejected Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s charge that the Central government offered no help in getting two Italians freed from Maoists in the state. “If he (Patnaik) has actually said that, I am very disappointed. I don’t think the chief minister should be making these statements without any basis,” Chidambaram told reporters here, a day after Patnaik said the Central government did nothing to end the hostage crisis. The minister said he spoke to Patnaik on Sunday. “I offered him every help. He did not ask me for anything. He said I am just keeping you informed. “No specific request for help has been made until I left my office a few minutes ago,”

Chidambaram said. Patnaik said on Tuesday that the external affairs and home ministries were not “displaying urgency in the hostage crisis issue”. “SM Krishna (the external affairs minister) did not even attend to my call initially when the Italian tourist abduction took place,” Patnaik told CNN-IBN. The Italians — tour operator Paolo Bosusco and tourist Claudio Colangelo — were abducted on March 14 when they were trekking in Kandhamal. Maoists holding them captive have issued a list of 13 demands, including a ban on tourists visiting tribal areas, end to the government’s anti-insurgency operations and the release of jailed rebel leaders. IANS

Will our native horses trot into sunset? Rajat Ghai

NEW DELHI: For millennia, they have shared the world with their human masters. They have carried their owners in the thick of battle, across grasslands, hills, plains and the highest mountains. But there has never been a more trying time for India’s six indigenous breeds of horses than now. The Kathiawari horse, the Marwari horse, the Zanskari pony, the Spiti pony, the Bhotia pony and the Manipuri pony are threatened by the loss of genetic purity, say experts. In January this year, media in Gujarat speculated that there were fewer than 50 purebred Kathiawari horses left. Warns Satyajit Khachar, a Gujaratbased horse breeder, “If they are not saved now, a stage will come when because of declining numbers, the gene pool will get restricted. Then breeders will resort to inbreeding to preserve the breed’s purity.”

Raghuvendra Singh Dunlod, secretary general of the Indigenous Horse Society of India, a Jaipur-based NGO working towards conserving the six breeds, told, “A horse breed is declared threatened when fewer than 50 breeding mares are left, according to the Brussels-based OIE or World Organisation for Animal Health. “By that yardstick, I don’t think that these six breeds are on the verge of extinction. But some of them, if not all, will slide towards that end if something is not done soon.” “Kathiawaris and Marwaris are definitely not threatened. The seminal work done by private societies and NGOs alike in the last 10-15 years has resulted in bringing them back from the brink. Great work is also being done on the Manipuri pony. Both the state government as well as private farms rear them.” However, he feels the other three breeds need active conservation efforts. “Very little work

has been done for the Zanskari, Spiti and Bhotia ponies. The Bhotia pony is the most threatened,” Dunlod believes. What then should the government, private breeders and civil society do? Virendra Kankaria, head of the Ahmedabad-based Equestrian Club of Gujarat, told, “Horse breeding is not an economically positive activity. Hence, sport and passion are the only two drivers for the survival of these breeds. “Breeders have to be very particular about registering their animals with the breed’s registration society. They should breed their horses to only purebred animals and not indulge in indiscriminate crossbreeding. Breeders have to start participating and training their animals for sports,” he feels. Experts are united in the view that the usage of these animals in sports at national and international events will result in better breeding avenues. IANS


India‑View

11

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

India unveiled

Mamata gets Mannan out NEW DELHI: Apparently under pressure from Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee, Congress today asked its candidate Abdul Mannan to withdraw from the Rajya Sabha elections in West Bengal. “I have asked Mannan this morning to withdraw his nomination so as to avoid any adverse impact on the alliance with Trinamool Congress,” senior leader Shakeel Ahmed, who is in-charge of Congress affairs in West Bengal, told PTI. The move comes on the last day of withdrawal of nominations for the Rajya Sabha polls. The Congress move to put up the candidate had led to the Trinamool Congress and West Bengal Chief Minister hinting at her displeasure by noting that the party cannot win without the support of the Left Front. Banerjee had said if there was an “understanding”

between the Congress and the Left in the Rajya Sabha election, then it could happen for “bigger things”, which would “not be a good development”. The Trinammol chief had refused to leave one seat for the Congress.

She has put up Union Minister Mukul Roy and three journalists as her party’s nominees for the four seats it is contesting. The issue become a bone of contention between the two parties after the exit of Dinesh

NATURE’S CANVAS

Trivedi as Railway Minister. Congress had set up a fourmember group including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed last night to take a decision on the issue. Congress has 42 votes and assured support by an independent and needed seven seats more for its candidates to win. Withdrawal of the Congress from the race meant that it did not want the Left parties, which have 10 surplus votes, to back its nominee as it would have antagonised Banerjee. Besides Mamata’s expression of displeasure, the fate of the upcoming Finance Bill and presidential polls could have weighed heavily on the Congress leadership. The Trinamool leadership was also not keen to be seen as working to the defeat of a candidate from the minority community. PTI

Goa inmates knead their way to rehab Government PANAJI: employees and ministers in Goa could soon be able to relish the snacks prepared by inmates of one of the state’s most populated jails, if the ambitious rehabilitation initiative gets approved. The government plans to impart training in making bakery products to the inmates of Sada sub-jail in Vasco, a penitentiary for under trials and convicts serving less than 3 years of imprisonment, IG (Prisons) Mihir Vardhan said. The inmates have already

Kashmiris walk in an orchard in Srinagar on Thursday with almond trees blossoming, on the first day of spring. AFP/ TAUSEEF MUSTAFA

learnt preparing bread and biscuits in the bakery unit set up there, he said. “We have moved a proposal that the products manufactured here can be supplied to state government servants as snacks during evening time,” Vardhan said, adding that even government offices, including secretariat or ministers and the offices can be supplied with these products. The bakery training programme is a part of rehabilitation scheme implemented by the jail authorities. PTI

UP’s first solar power plant starts ALLAHABAD: Amid growing emphasis on adopting alternative and environmental-friendly means to meet energy demands, the first solar power unit of Uttar Pradesh has started functioning on the outskirts of the city. Situated at Naini, about 25km from Allahabad, the 5 MW solar power plant developed by Kolkata-based company, EMC Limited, as part of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Jawharlal Nehru National Solar Mission became operational on March 4. “It took us nearly seven years to complete the project which involved a budget of `80 crore. The cost-effectiveness of

this project can also be gauged from the fact that its maintenance would involve a yearly expenditure of not more than

`70

lakh”, Pankaj Kumar Chhonkar, project manager of the EMC, told PTI. He said electricity is being

generated with the help of “21,300 solar modules which keep functioning efficiently even when the weather is overcast and involve virtually no environmental hazards which have been a major cause of concern with regard to power plants”. “The EMC had been entrusted with this project by the NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, with which the company has signed a power purchase agreement ensuring a sale for the next 25 years”, Chhonkar said, adding that a total of 25 acres of land has been utilised for the purpose. He said as per the agreement, “the Nigam will help EMC recover its costs. PTI

NATION AT A GLANCE

A patient attended by relatives lies on the ground outside the emergency building of the SSKM hospital in Kolkata. A fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday in the Hatibagan market, one of city’s oldest markets. No casualties have been reported. AFP/ DIBYANGSHU SARKAR

Maoists blast rail track, torch mobile towers JAMUI (BIHAR): Maoists triggered a blast at a railway track and set afire two mobile phone towers and a tractor in Bihar’s Jamui district in the early hours of Thursday, police said. A group of heavily armed Naxals triggered blast at the railway track near Narganju rail station, they said. Train services were disrupted due to the incident, police said. In Sanowar area, the rebels set afire two mobile phone towers and a tractor, a senior police official said. A combing operation has been launched to nab the ultras, he said. Meanwhile, the Maoists have given a bandh call in east Bihar and Jharkhand to protest the recent arrest of five top Naxal leaders in the two states.

Bihari student arrested for possessing pistols CHENNAI: A student from Bihar was arrested today after police seized two country made pistols from the rented house he was staying. Student of a private engineering college, he was staying in the house at Neelangarai in the city outskirts, Joint Commissioner (South) K P Shanmuga Rajeswaran said. Some other students from Bihar were also staying with him, police said.

DVAC raids ex-DMK minister’s premises CHENNAI: Vigilance officials today conducted raids at the premises belonging to former DMK minister EV Velu in connection with a disproportionate assets case. The raids were in progress in Chennai and Tiruvannamalai districts, DVAC sources said. Velu, presently legislator elected to the Assembly from Tiruvannamalai, is former food minister during the DMK regime. Several DMK leaders and former Ministers besides MLAs have faced police and DVAC action either on land grab charges or allegations of disproportionate assets after the AIADMK government came to power in May last year.


Around the World Malaysia’s unsatiated thirst for horror films KUALA LUMPUR: Haunted highways, an oil-smeared ghoul prowling villages for virgins, vampiress spirits thirsting for blood: Malaysia has an obsession with the supernatural rooted in age-old legends. Now that obsession is being increasingly projected upon the nation’s cinema screens, as horror movies have quickly emerged as a force in a booming domestic film industry. But it wasn’t always so. Horror films were effectively banned in the Muslim-majority country for three decades for celebrating the other-worldly in violation of Islamic teachings. But since strongman premier Mahathir Mohamad retired in 2003 — and popular culture was allowed to relax a bit — they have risen from the dead.

Three of Malaysia’s six topgrossing films are fright flicks made in the past two years, and the genre made up more than a third of domestic movies in 2011. The number of local films in cinemas grew from just eight in 2000 to 49 in 2011 and ticket sales have quintupled in the last six years. Last year local movies collected more than 100 million ringgit ($32 million) in box office sales. Horror films have struck a chord because they reflect the country’s village culture and the traditional superstitions that trouble Malay hearts, says director Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nazri. “Horror movies are the type that will be close to our culture,” said the director of 2011 box-office hit Ghost Pillion Rider. Malaysia’s highest grossing horror movie ever — and its third biggest overall — “Ghost Pillion Rider” collected 8.53 million ringgit, around 3 million ringgit less than record-setting action film KL Gangster from the same year. AFP

12

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Beyond Borders

Search for 20th century aviation heroine resumes WASHINGTON: The United States vowed on Tuesday to help solve the 75-year-old mystery of aviation legend Amelia Earhart after analysis of a photograph showed that she may have crashed on a remote Pacific island. Earhart set off in 1937 from Papua New Guinea on a mission to circumnavigate the globe over the equator, its longest route. She and her navigator Fred Noonan were never seen again, despite a massive US search in the midst of the Great Depression. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the trailblazing female pilot as a personal and national heroine and offered moral support for an upcoming expedition to find the wreck of Earhart’s Lockheed Electra aircraft. “Amelia Earhart may have been an unlikely heroine for a nation down on its luck, but she embodied the spirit of an America coming of age and increasingly confident, ready to lead in a quite uncertain and dangerous world. She gave people hope and she inspired them to dream bigger and bolder,” Clinton said. “When she took off on that historic journey, she carried the aspirations of our entire country with her.” Aviation enthusiasts from The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery said that they planned an underwater mission in July on the Kiribati archipelago’s remote island of Nikumaroro. Ric Gillespie, the group’s exe-

cutive director, said he came across a photograph of Nikumaroro taken in 1937 by a British expedition that — unlinked to Earhart — was assessing the uninhabited island for potential settlement. Gillespie said he saw what he thought was a simple “blob” on the picture. But after a closer analysis, Gillespie said he believed it showed landing gear from the illfated Electra. He called the evidence “compelling, but circumstantial” and promised to search the entire area around Nikumaroro. “There are some very smart people who think we’re wrong about this, but there are some very smart people who think we’re

right,” Gillespie said. “The only thing we can do is make a best effort to go and search and look and see what we can find.” The next mystery would be whether Earhart and Noonan died quickly or — as generations of history buffs have imagined —they lived as castaways. Clinton and Gillespie spoke at a State Department ceremony with Kiribati’s Foreign Secretary Tessie Lambourne, who hoped that the search would not only find the wreckage but also put the remote nation on the tourist map. “Nikumaroro atoll is a place of which few have heard. However, we are very hopeful that (search)

efforts will change the situation,” she said. But it is hardly the first lead to emerge on Earhart. Gillespie’s group earlier announced what they had found what they thought were bones on Nikumaroro, but laboratory tests could not conclude that they came from humans. Robert Ballard, the oceanographer who discovered the remnants of the Titanic in 1985, offered his support for the mission but said that he had long considered it virtually impossible to find Earhart’s plane. Ballard, who also found the wrecks of the sunken USS Yorktown and Bismarck from World War II, said that the area in which Earhart crashed was far vaster than the regions he had searched before. “If you ever want a case of finding a needle in the haystack, this is the top of the list in deep-sea exploration,” Ballard said. The US government offered assistance in analysing the photographs and negotiating with Kiribati, but the search is funded by private donors, officials said. Kurt Campbell, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs who took interest in the project after a trip to Kiribati, said that the State Department was optimistic but also clear-eyed about the search. The United States is “encouraging, hoping, but frankly we don’t know,” Campbell said. “It’s been one of the great mysteries for 75 years — probably the last great unsolved mystery of the 20th century.” AFP

reactions is transferred to thenartificial muscles of the robot, and reshapes them. This means Robojelly can regenerate fuel from its surroundings rather than running off an external power source or batteries, say the scientists whose study was sponsored by the US Office of

Naval Research. Currently, the jellyfish flexes its eight bell segments at the same time but there are plans to look at how to control each segment individually. This would mean the robot could be closely controlled and move in different directions. PTI

Robojelly to the rescue! WASHINGTON: In a technological innovation, scientists in the US claim to have created a hydrogen-powered robot which can move through water just like a jellyfish. A team at Virginia Tech University says that though the robot, nicknamed Robojelly, is in the early stages, it could eventually be used in underwater rescue operations, the ‘Smart Materials and Structures’ journal reported. Due to its simple swimming action, jellyfish is an ideal model for a vehicle. And, being fuelled by hydrogen means, in theory, the robot will not run out of energy, the team says. Yonas Tadesse, the lead author of the research, was quoted saying, “To our knowledge, this is the first successful powering of

an underwater robot using external hydrogen as a fuel source.” A jellyfish moves using circular muscles in the inside of its umbrella-like bell. As they contract, the bell closes in on itself and ejects water to propel itself forward. When the muscles relax, the bell regains its original shape. To replicate this, the vehicle uses shape memory alloys - materials that “remember” their original shape. These are wrapped in carbon nanotubes - tiny “straws” of pure carbon that are renowned for their electrical properties and coated with a platinum black powder. The robot is powered by heatproducing chemical reactions between the oxygen and hydrogen in water and the platinum on its surface. The heat from the


Around the World Megaupload boss given $49k monthly allowance, car WELLINGTON: A New Zealand court granted Megaupload boss Kim Dotcom NZ$60,000 ($49,000) a month in living expenses on Thursday as he awaits a US bid to extradite him on online piracy charges, reports said. The German national reportedly applied for NZ$220,000 month to cover his costs when he was freed on bail last month, including funds to pay for luxuries such as a butler and nannies. The High Court in Auckland ruled Dotcom, who US authorities allege earned $42 million from his file-sharing websites in 2010 alone, could have NZ$60,000 a month, Fairfax Media reported. It also gave the Internet tycoon, a keen car enthusiast, access to a 2011 Mercedes Benz, the New Zealand Herald reported. The 38-year-old’s assets were frozen after New Zealand police, cooperating with a major US probe, raided his sprawling Auckland mansion on January 20, seizing artworks and luxury cars including a pink Cadillac. The US Justice Department and FBI allege Megaupload and related sites netted more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and cost copyright owners over $500 million by offering pirated copies of movies, TV shows and other content. Megaupload was founded in 2005 but shut down in January after the Auckland raid. AFP

13

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Beyond Borders

Mali up in flames

GLOBE AT A GLANCE Mexico SC rejects French woman release

BAMAKO: Even as the UN Security Council appealed for calm in Mali as the battles in the capital between renegade soldiers and the presidential guard raged on, the rebels said on Thursday they had seized the presidential palace and arrested several ministers after a gunbattle and institutions dissolved, constitution suspended in an apparent coup bid in the west African nation. “We are in control of the presidential palace,” one of

MEXICO CITY: A panel of five judges from Mexico’s top court on Wednesday rejected the release of French woman Florence Cassez, sentenced to 60 years for kidnapping, but decided to further study her appeal. Supreme Court justice Arturo Zaldivar had recommended Cassez’s release due to irregularities in trial proceedings, after a long legal battle which has strained diplomatic relations.

the rebels told AFP on condition of anonymity. Another fighter said foreign minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and interior minister Kafouhouna Kone were among those held by the officers. Meanwhile an independent source said President Amadou Toumani Toure, earlier holed up in the palace as shots were traded outside, had managed to leave the premises. A mutiny over the way

government is handling a Tuareg insurrection in the north began on Wednesday afternoon and turned into an apparent coup attempt as soldiers seized the government broadcaster and attacked the presidential palace. After an hours-long media blackout, a message flashed on television promising “a declaration from soldiers in an instant” from just before midnight while music videos played in the background.

TOULOUSE SIEGE ENTERS SECOND DAY

YANGON: Ten people were killed and six injured after a ferry capsized in Myanmar, state media reported on Thursday. The accident occurred on a ferry running from the port city of Pathein, 130 kilometres west of Yangon, to villages along a river in the flood-prone Irrawaddy Delta region.

Thousands of mourners gather at the remembrance service in Lommel on Wednesday for the victims of last week’s bus crash. AFP

Obama goes to Roswell, stays silent on aliens French police patrol as members of the RAID special police forces unit are still laying siege to the apartment block where Mohamed Merah, the man suspected of a series of deadly shootings, was holed up on Wednesday in Toulouse, France. AFP/LIONEL BONAVENTURE

Oz’s slippery fugitive captured SYDNEY:

Australia’s most wanted fugitive — a survival expert who outwitted police for seven years by living in dense and rugged forest — was finally captured in a remote cabin on Thursday. Malcolm Naden, whose ability to evade police evoked comparisons to famous 19th century Australian outlaw Ned Kelly, had been on the run since disappearing in June 2005 from his grandparents’ home. He went missing days before mother-of-two Kristy Scholes, 24, was found strangled in his bedroom and was also wanted for questioning over the indecent assault of a 15-year-old girl and the disappearance of his 24-year-old cousin. The 38-year-old was arrested just after midnight when officers swooped on a private

Ten die in Myanmar ferry accident

property near Gloucester in the hinterland of the New South Wales state’s north coast following a tip that he was there. He was bitten by a police dog during the operation but did not use any of the weapons he had, including a gun that he allegedly used to shoot and wound a policeman in December.

Since that incident, some 50 officers have been involved in an around-the-clock manhunt Assistant Commissioner Carlene York, the commander of the strike force set up to capture him, said she never doubted the operation would succeed. “Our people were operating in extremely difficult conditions and we had to adapt our strategies along the way,” York said as pictures showed Naden with a wild beard, shackled, handcuffed and covered in mud. “However, we always understood that every day brought us closer and that our tactics would prevail. “This was a game of patience and I am very proud of everyone involved.” Naden previously worked as a shearer, skinner and boner

in an abattoir and has been described as a “master bushman” with an intimate knowledge of the rugged terrain in which he was hiding. According to earlier reports, before he disappeared he lived behind a locked bedroom door where he read the Bible, encyclopaedias and survival manuals. Other reports said he often set up crude but sturdy camps on hilltops, giving him the widest possible field of vision, and survived on whatever the bush provided while breaking into remote homes to steal weapons and supplies. His exploits drew parallels with Kelly, Australia’s most famous bushranger whose life was made into several films. Kelly was seen as a workingclass hero despite murdering three police officers. AFP

MALJAMAR: A lighthearted President Barack Obama on Wednesday joked that although he had landed in Roswell he could not disclose if extra-terrestrials had done the same in a flying saucer in 1947. “I announced to people when I landed that I come in peace,” said Obama, mocking an expression attributed to alien species in numerous works of fiction.

Michael Jackson’s home on sale for $23.9 million LOS ANGELES: The plush Los Angeles mansion where Michael Jackson died is on sale for $23.9 million, and a major celebrity is interested in buying it, according to realtors. The seven-bedroom, 13-bathroom property, described as the centrepiece of an “elegant and sophisticated French chateau estate,” includes its own movie theater, a gym and a pool.

Ecuadorean Amazon natives protest policies by President Rafael Correa they say will result in more mining in the Amazon region. AFP


Comment

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Fair, free and forthright

Editorials A BLOODY FRENCH connection

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atching images of the building in Toulouse where gunman Mohammed Merah, who is suspected of killing four people at a Jewish school last Monday, and three soldiers in two attacks last week, in a standoff with police, one was struck by the fact this was happening in France. France, however, has been no stranger to violence and terrorism from Carlos the Jackal’s vicious attacks on Paris in 1975, to the union battles of the late-’70s and ‘80s. But the fact that Merah is alleged to be a French-Algerian also takes the violence back into the middle of the 19th Century, when the French waged a brutal war in Algeria. Coming on the back of the carnage at Điện Biên Phủ, the Algerian war was waged with exceptional brutality on both sides. France and North Africa have always had a Cane and Abel relationship — cagey, but always on the boil. This tragedy in Toulouse does not signal a boiling over, but it will make the French very nervous. If al-Qaida has infiltrated the North African community in France, then Southern cities like Marseilles and Toulouse are increasingly vulnerable. No country deserves to come under attack from terrorists, but history has a nasty habit of catching up with you.

WHY WE LOVE conspiracy theories

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he Syrian government’s comments that Barcelona was helping the rebels’ strategies through their game formations. Classic!

All because we are intelligent & civilized BUT... SERIOUSLY Ajay Hotchandani

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ivilized is defined as ‘having a high state of culture and development both social and technological as well as showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement’. Intelligent is defined as ‘showing sound judgment and rationality; having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree’. Now why do I bring up these two words? These two words are among few others that we (and by we I mean National Geographic Channel) like to use to describe ourselves, especially when making a comparison to a group of indigenous ‘jungle’ people who have no idea what a TV is, run around wearing nothing more than a stick and still sacrifice animals in hopes that it rains. And there is a rather large sum of people who would agree with the National Geographic people; however, I ask you this. If we are so ‘intelligent and civilized’ then why do some people still burn their toast? Really people, all you have to do is put two slices of bread in, push down on the handle, and wait for it to turn brown before releasing the handle. It is that simple, yet ‘we the civilized and intelligent people of today’ still manage to burn toast! And as simple as it seems, the UN has published its latest reports with some unsettling data, suggesting that 10 per cent of the world’s population are Chronic Toast Burners (CTB), and the condition is growing at a rapid rate as more and more people are being distracted by sending text message. Our technological capabilities have advanced to the point where messages that once took days to reach can be done in an instant, meals can be prepared in minutes rather than hours, instant gratification can be accomplished at the click of a mouse, but yet, we still can’t create a toaster that won’t burn the bread! But, alas, why should it be the toaster’s fault? The toaster does have a setting that allows you to control the time and heat level, however our ‘intelligent’ society still

Threat of bio-piracy

Loss of life disturbing

The story on Brazil patenting the Ongole bull is shocking. Many years ago, the AP Government had gifted a few Ongole bulls to Brazil where they thrived while in our state, the number of these bulls has been declining. However, Brazil's decision to apply for a patent on the bull is very unethical. The concept of Bio-piracy is still new, but we must act soon before other countries lay claim on our flora and fauna. The last thing we need is to pay royalty and taxes on natural resources like neem and haldi, which we have been using for centuries. I wonder if the Government of India and officials in-charge of the Biodiversity board have any plans on how to stop bio-piracy! Rahat Ali

I was deeply saddened with the way things turned out for the poor girl who was killed by a ‘baba’. What is important in all of this is that these people need to be educated constantly. They are illiterate and do not really understand what is supernatural and what needs to be handled with medical precision. I wish someone had intervened to save the poor girl's life. In all of this, why haven’t the police become stricter? If this has happened before, why have there been no precautions taken?

Mehdipatnam

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Madhu S Begumpet

THESE TWO WORDS ARE AMONG FEW OTHERS THAT WE (AND BY WE I MEAN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL) LIKE TO USE TO DESCRIBE OURSELVES, ESPECIALLY WHEN MAKING A COMPARISON TO A GROUP OF INDIGENOUS ‘JUNGLE’ PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT A TV IS, RUN AROUND WEARING NOTHING MORE THAN A STICK AND STILL SACRIFICE ANIMALS IN HOPES THAT IT RAINS. can’t figure out whether #1 means ‘just warm the bread and still keep it white/wheat’ or ‘make the toaster so hot that it instantly converts bread to tar which can be used to fill potholes’ (but who needs that since Belize has no potholes). Rather than having numbers on the side, wouldn’t

TALK BACK 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

it be easier to put two symbols on the side, one being a smiley face ☺, indicating that the person making the toast is happy because his toast wasn’t burnt, and the other symbol being fireman’s helmet, indicating that the use of this setting will result in smoke being produced, a fire being started, and the possibility of civil unrest. Some have attempted to defend themselves by stating that they simply stepped away or turned their back on the toaster for couple of seconds and when they came back it was ruined. To those people I say, “Please don’t drive!” Look around people, the world is facing a medical pandemic, the economy has seen better days, crime is on the rise and why is all of this happening? It’s happening because we still aren’t ‘intelligent and civilized’ enough to make toast! For the record, the last time I burnt a piece of toast was April 15, 2005, and it wasn’t my fault. The toaster was upset at me for paying more attention to the microwave oven.

Delightful puppetry

Parking woes

The feature String Theory really caught my attention, especially since the page was so creatively designed. I also loved the write up as it reminded me of my days spent watching Sesame Street. My favourite characters were Big Bird and the cookie monster. I still love watching them once in a while now. Puppetry on the whole is so popular but I don't see that happening in India anymore. What a shame because it is such an entertainment to watch.

Osama Salman's story on parking woes in the city should come as a wake-up call to the GHMC authorities to provide solutions to vehicle owners. It's a nightmare to search for parking space in crowded areas and there are so many 'no parking' boards all along the road that sometimes driving a vehicle becomes pointless. In some metros, the local administration has begun building multistorey buildings for vehicle parking and it's a viable option for a city like Hyderabad too.

Ria Giri Banjara Hills

Harried citizen Punjagutta


Telly Tales Padmini C padmini.c@postnoon.com

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here has been a lot of noise in the Bible belt about GBC. Understandable, considering that the show was originally titled Good Christian Bitches, (the series is based on Kim Gatlin’s book by the same name) and was later changed to Good Christian Belles before it was finally marketed as GBC. And if the pilot, which premiered earlier this month, is anything to go by, there’s little doubt GBC is going to be a favourite among the Desperate Housewives fans. In the devout church-going

Small screen, big idea

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

SINFULLY WICKED If you have been seeking a suitable replacement for the almost-forgotten Desperate Housewives, check out ABC’s latest offering — GBC community of Dallas, the best of the cardinal sins make an appearance — there’s wrath, greed, pride, lust, envy, gluttony. In other words, there is booze, sex, money, church, cats with claws and everything you need for a great series. GBC begins with the return of Amanda Vaughn, erstwhile bitch extraordinaire, to Highland Park after the death of her ponzischemer husband Bill. A lot has changed in the upscale neighbourhood she left 18 years ago.

Except for her high-school girlgang, all of whom Amanda once scorned in one way or the next. Carlene “Kitten” Cockburn (Kristin Chenoweth), the current queen bee has not forgotten or forgiven. Now, she’s determined to get even. In an absolutely Christian way, of course. And she’s making sure the others — Cricket Caruth-Reilly (Miriam Shor), Heather Cruz (Marisol Nichols) and Sharon Peacham (Jennifer Aspen) — do the same. That fact that Amanda has changed for the better is of little consequence. Especially since all the men in the vicinity, including their own, are

gravitating towards her. Meanwhile, all attempts by Amanda to land a job as an interior designer is thwarted by the gang. Consequently, she ends up waitressing at “Boobylicious” — a Coyote Ugly setup. The true hypocrisy of the Southern stereotypes is on show when Carlene, who is quick to quote Bible verses in between her bouts of bitchiness, tries to humiliate Amanda. And she retaliates, in what is undoubtedly the best moment of the show, saying, “Dallas has more churches per capita than anywhere on earth and Dallas has more strip clubs than anywhere

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on earth. Two plus two equals a double standard.” The pilot gives you a pretty good sense of the lead characters, their significant others, their pastimes, their use of church time and the trajectory of the show. To give it credit, GCB is entertaining as hell and will most surely fill the lacuna left by the soon-to-end Desperate Housewives. On the flip side though, TIME’s James Poniewozik perhaps said it best when he wrote about the show, “The problem for GCB is that it hasn’t yet figured out a way to be a soap that spoofs superficiality without being superficial itself.”

Uttaran takes 18-year leap Uttaran is set to take an 18-year leap, with actress Tina Datta playing a double role as 35-plus Ichcha and her young daughter Meethi

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he show will air on Colors from March 26 and Tina is excited about her double role. “I feel privileged that the show that launched my career is also helping me take it forward in such a spectacular manner. I feel blessed that I not only get to play two different characters, but also get to experiment with my look,” she said. “I am spending as much time as possible working on how I will make Ichcha and Meethi two distinct characters, yet with similar characteristics. It is a challenging job and I am

absolutely excited about working on it.” Actress Sreejita De has been roped in to play Mukta, daughter of Ichcha’s childhood friend Tapasya. They will be supported by Yashdeep Nain and Chaitanya Choudhury. Even as the new characters lead the way, the show’s popular characters Jogi Thakur, Ammo and Naani will continue being a part of it. The show started off with the portrayal of Ichcha and Tapasya building their friendship as kids, their squabbles as adolescents and their love-hate

relationship as adults. The new leap will put focus on their children and life thereon. “Uttaran is a struggle between the haves and the have not’s which has been portrayed through the lives of Ichcha and Tapasya so far,” Prashaant Bhatt, head of fiction, Colors, said in a press statement. “The 18-year leap is a natural progression that will not only continue the portrayal of their lives, but also shift focus to their children. The new characters will infuse the show with a new life thus making it very interesting besides retaining

the core concept of Uttaran’ “While the existing characters will now move on to take on some more interesting shades, like Tina’s mother-daughter avatar, new faces will take on strong characters that take the story forward. “We are sure that Meethi and Mukti will recreate the

amazing chemistry that was shared by Ichcha and Tapasya when they started their journey,” added Bhatt. Uttaran started in December 2008, after which the storyline took a 10-year leap forward in 2009 and actors Tina and Rashmi Desai were introduced. IANS




H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

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Don’t let sun spoil the fun Summer is not just about fun and vacations. It is also about heatstrokes and a host of health problems, especially in the scorching Hyderabadi heat Anishaa Kumar anishaa.k@postnoon.com

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t’s a bright and sunny day, a fun-outing later Riya returned home feeling very exhausted. What followed was dizziness, vomiting and fever. A visit to the doctor revealed it was a heatstroke. Come summers, incidents of people suffering from heat stroke becomes very common. In simple terms, heat stroke refers to a condition in which the body temperature becomes higher than the normal temperature due to expo-

TAME THE SUN sure to high temperatures. “Heatstroke generally occurs due to extreme temperatures. It is very common in summer,” mentions Dr J Anish Anand, a specialist in internal medicine. Dr Pramati Reddy, consultant physician at Apollo Hospital mentions that dehydration can also be a common cause for heatstroke.

Symptoms The common symptoms of heat stroke include dizziness, dry skin, rapid

heartbeat and pulse, rapid breathing, increase in body temperature, muscle cramps, headaches, nausea and confusion. “Symptoms such as high body temperature, low blood pressure, loss in skin elasticity are seen in people suffering from heat stroke. Patients may feel thirsty and tired also,” explains Dr Anish. Apart from these symptoms people may also complain of diarrhoea and high fever, says Dr Pramati. People are treated on the basis of their symptoms. Dr Anand explains, “In case the person is dehydrated, rehydration is done by giving them oral fluids. On the other hand, in case the BP is low we try and increase the BP with the help of IV fluids.” “In order to cool down the body temperature cold sponging is recommended,” adds Dr Pramati. “In case the patient is suffering from low BP and is very weak then usually hospitalisation is advised. On the other hand if the patient is not very weak they are usually advised just oral fluids,” Dr Anish adds. Because of the high temperatures, India sees a number of heatstroke cases. It is believed that in the year 1988, India faced the maximum number of deaths due to heatstroke with figures citing 2,600 deaths in 10 weeks. Heatstroke can be fatal only if not treated on time. According to Dr Anish, “Deaths usually occur in the lower middle class. Deaths may occur due to the

Symptoms of heatstroke n n n n n n n n n

Dizziness Dry skin Rapid heartbeat and pulse Rapid breathing Increase in body temperature Muscle cramps Headaches Nausea Confusion

issue of people not visiting a doctor or not taking enough fluids.” Dr Anish mentions that a heatstroke is more common among elderly people and diabetics and thus they should be more careful in the summer season. Children seem to love the sun and can also be at risk to heatstroke, you can’t stop them from being children who love to play out the whole day long, hence it is important to follow certain precautions. “It is important to educate the children that they need to drink plenty of water and should avoid playing in the heat, especially during the peak hours,” says Dr Anish.

Simple precautions As they say prevention is better than cure. It’s important to follow basic practices to avoid suffering from heatstroke. “Simple measures like drinking water and avoiding the hot sun can help. As it is not possible to avoid going out all together you can do things like carrying an umbrella, travelling in a vehicle as well as use an AC or fan as often as possible,” says Anish. Maintaining your body temperature and keeping it hydrated is important. Don’t let the heat play spoil sport this Summer.

Dribbling urine? Check for a prolapse

Dr Divya T Sudershan

What is a pelvic organ prolapse? How does it happen? In order of frequency, uterine prolapse would be the commonest, followed by bladder, rectum and small intestine. A prolapsed bladder is called cystocele, a prolapse of the rectum is called a rectocle and small intestine is enterocele. Usually there is a combination of genito-urinary prolapse as the pelvic floor supports the uterus and other organs. A cystocele occurs when the supportive tissue between a woman’s bladder and vaginal wall weakens and stretches, allowing the bladder to bulge into the vagina and the symptoms would usually be urgency, or dribbling of urine and stress incontinence. Cystoceles also tend to cause problems after menopause, when oestrogen levels decrease. For a mild or moderate cystocele, nonsurgical treatment is often effective, with muscle tightening exercises, like Kegel’s and medication. In more severe cases of cystocele, surgery may be necessary to keep the vagina and other pelvic organs in their proper positions. An enterocle /rectocele is a sliding down of the back wall of the vagina with the rectum, which may be due to injury/ strain / constipation (the general sensation of a feeling of fullness and difficulty in passing stools). It is common post operatively, after a hysterectomy. Treatment is required only if the patient is uncomfortable or symptomatic. Not in an incidental finding. (This column will continue next week. The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician practising at Happy Women Clinic, Secunderabad. You can write in to her at happywomenclinic@gmail.com)


H‑Factor

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Holistic view of mind, body and soul

Good news about TB? New trial holds promise Rare ‘reason for optimism’ in global fight against tuberculosis John Donnelly

WASHINGTON: The news around tuberculosis in the world generally is awful. There are an estimated 1.4 million deaths and 9 million cases a year, and the number of people with multidrug resistant TB is going up, estimated at 650,000. Dr Anthony S Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, underscored the gloominess at the beginning of a speech yesterday on the “state of TB research,” saying that standard diagnostic tools were “embarrassing,” the understanding of how TB develops in a person is “almost non-existent,” and the drugs used to treat TB are “complex and lengthy.” And yet, Fauci and other experts gathered at an event sponsored by the Critical Path to TB Drug Regimens at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington said they also foresee many positive developments ahead in the efforts to fight TB. One was TB Alliance’s launch Monday of a clinical trial to test two novel drug candidates in combination with a third drug on the market. The results from the Phase 2, eight-week, eightcountry trial won’t be known for a year, but TB Alliance leaders

said an earlier trial that tested drugs in combination showed enough success to warrant this new study. Other areas of promise were the ability to test TB drugs with the extensive HIV/AIDS trial network, which opens the door for new studies, and suddenly crowded pipelines of possible new drugs for TB. Dr Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research for the US Food and Drug Administration, referred to a slide presented by Fauci that showed the last drug developed by TB was 47 years

ago. “It can’t take 40 years to get our next candidates developed,” she said. Dr Mel Spigelman, CEO and president of TB Alliance, said the decade-old group has developed a list of potential drug candidates and is testing novel drugs in combination. It does so in hopes of finding easier-to-take, shorter drug cocktails that will fight strains of TB resistant to many current drugs. The dream, he said, was to develop a combination of drugs that can cure TB in a week to 10 days; now, drug-resistant TB patients can take drugs daily for

30 months or longer. But Spigelman said that that vision of a cure in a week is far from reality. He said finding a new drug regimen that could cure a MDRTB patient in four months, instead of two years, was possible in the years ahead. If the drugs tested in the justlaunched Phase 2 trial were a success, it could result in “shortening therapy by 80 per cent and decreasing cost by 90 per cent,” he said. “TB trials are not cheap,” he said. “There’s a long follow-up, a large number of patients, intensive monitoring. Financially, resources are going to be a problem. You also have to go to parts of the world that do not have great medical care, and the capacity (of health workers) has to be built up.” Moderator Christine Lubinski, vice president for global health at Infectious Diseases Society of America, said it was heartening to hear about the beehive of research around TB following a long period of little activity. Still, she said much more needs to be done. “We’re heard very promising news today,” she said. “The good news is the years of neglect are over. The bad news is we have many challenges ahead.” GLOBAL POST

Sudden BP drop tied to chances of heart failure WASHINGTON: People who suffer from a sudden drop in blood pressure when they stand up from a lying position, may face greater chances of heart failure. The link between this condition, known as orthostatic hypotension, and heart failure was stronger in people aged 45-55 years. High BP, which was present in over half of people who developed heart failure, may be partially responsible for the association, the journal Hypertension reports. “Orthostatic hypotension

appears to be related to the development of heart failure along with other conditions known to cause heart failure,” said Christine DeLong Jones, resident in preventive medicine at the University of North

Carolina, Chapel Hill. “Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease are already known to contribute to a person’s risk of developing heart failure,” said Jones. Over an average 17.5 years of follow-up, researchers looked at the link between orthostatic hypotension and developing heart failure. They defined orthostatic hypotension as a decrease of 20 points or more in the systolic or a decrease of 10 or more points in the diastolic blood pressure measurements. The researchers, who based

the definition of heart failure on either hospital admission or death certificate diagnoses, found: About 11 per cent who developed heart failure had orthostatic hypotension at the start of the study, compared with only four per cent of those who did not develop it. People with orthostatic hypotension had 1.54 times the risk of developing heart failure than those without orthostatic hypotension; however, after excluding those with high blood pressure, the risk fell to 1.34 times. IANS

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MOTHER KNOWS BEST

Home remedies for eye strain

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ong hours in front of the computer, lack of sleep, long hours with our books — eye strain has become a common issue. Pollution is also a major cause for eye strain. Here are some simple and easy home remedies to tackle that eye sprain. n

Wash your eyes regularly

Pollution and dust are major irritants for the eye and can be a cause of infections. Hence it is important to wash your eyes regularly. They not only help keep you fresh. n

Water and baking soda

Mixing a cup of water with baking powder to make a solution to wash your eyes is a good idea. It helps tackle the itching due to eye sprain. You can also use a spoon of boric acid mixed with a cup of lukewarm water to wash the eyes as it is said to help ease the pain and stress in the eye. n

Aroma oils

Aroma oils can be relaxing. Dip a cotton ball in aroma oils and then dab them on your eye lids. This can be very helpful. Oils containing lavender and rose are also said to be helpful. n

Tea

Throwing away used tea bags? Wait! Tea bags placed on your eyelids also help soothe them. Tea bags are useful in providing relief for many eye problems such as strain, red eyes and styes. n

Potatoes

Slice a potato and place it on your eye. This can also be done with cucumber and tomatoes as well. n

Rose petals

Place a few rose petals along with rasberry leaves in a glass of water. Leave them in the water for some time and then wash your eyes with the water. This gives relief to eyes that are strained and tired after a long day. Source: www.ayushveda.com


F‑Folio

Because you are what you wear

Hemant & Nandita

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he designer duo call their collection ‘Happily Unmarried’. Their Spring Summer collection 2012 was titled, “Where the women walked in joyous and cheerful tones of oranges, blues and greys signifying freedom and liberty.” Perhaps the true form of liberty was highlighted in using digital prints on previously seen silhouettes of dresses and jumpsuits. The prints had an Asian influence and had defined form of trees, branches, flowers, etc. The use of digital prints was done on fabrics like crepe, organza, flat chiffon, cotton silk and cotton satin.

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.

Label by Ritu Kumar

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his well known couturier introduced a younger line called ‘Label’ to cater to a more ready-to-wear clothing demand by her customers. The collection from Label is more affordable and easy to pair with daily wear. Keeping the traditional inspiration synonymous in both ‘Label’ and ‘Ritu Kumar’ lines, the designer used Indian patterns on tunics, shift dresses, trousers and maxi dresses. For Spring Summer 2012 collection by Label — Ritu Kumar used an eclectic mix of surfaces and transparencies to show a bold and sensuous side to the modern day woman. Prints in geometric small patterns on flowy fabrics highlight the emphasis on the feminine yet strong theme.


THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

This week we look at Indian designers that incorporated print technique into their garments for their spring-summer collections

20&21

Namrata Joshipura

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amrata Joshipura spends her time between the two main metropolises in the world – New York and New Delhi. It is no wonder then that the designer’s collection is titled ‘Life on a fast lane’. With grey being the predominating colour, the collection has a mix of different textures and prints that help define the theme. The use of prints on sheer fabrics is highlighted with the blend of metallic embroidery on the same fabric. There is even use of floral patterns here but in an angular manner to confirm to us that the woman who wears this collection is practical yet romantic.

péêáåÖ=é~ííÉêåë Surabhi Chauhan feedback@postnoon.com

Péro by Aneeth Arora

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esigner Aneeth Arora is known to juxtapose different prints, fabrics, silhouettes to give a layered look while making it look effortless and season friendly. For the summer collection, Aneeth combines revolting prints and checks. Madras checks of late 1950s, Indian ikat, floral patterns all blend in seamlessly into the collection. The patterns are used in bright colours like red, blue, yellow, white, grey. Baby doll dresses, shirts, jackets, roomy trousers, make for an extremely easyto-wear line. This is after all the designer’s version of the ultimate Indian ‘Hippie Chic’ collection.

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ndian summers see the use of a lot of bright colours like fuchsia, blue, green, yellow, etc. How do designers add another dimension to their summer wear while keeping the heavy embroidery or layering of gar-

ments to minimal? They introduce the fabric to digital prints which are created keeping in mind the theme of the collection. Printing can be done on almost all summer friendly fabrics like cotton, chiffon and linen. The pattern created by

the designer defines the basis of the collection and is a sensible way to introduce design patterns directly onto the garments. Below are five designers who incorporated prints into their Spring Summer 2012 collections:

Atsu

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tsu Sekhose is known to design romantic garments for women that transport them from reality to dream in an instant. For Spring Summer 2012, the designer introduced abstract floral prints in yellow, Prussian blue, black, pink onto blouses and shirts. Besides the embroidery, ruffles, and the draping, the prints gave a more singular definition to the collection. These are without a doubt the apt garments to wear for a summer affair. The bold floral patterns are balanced with the use of graphic prints and tones like black and white, making the florals less feminine. Perhaps that was proved true when during the fashion show the designer introduced a basic men’s line with shirts in same print.


Spotlight

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

3 times the fun

Tollywood turned in up in large numbers to make the audio launch of 3 at Taj Deccan a grand event.The film originally made in Tamil is being dubbed in Telugu. Natti Kumar is producing the Telugu version. D Ramanaidu released the audio CDs. Other prominent guests were Srihari, Disco Shanti, Veeru Shankar and Devi Prasad

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Suneela, Ashu, Bharathi & Kiran Naidu

A time for beauty Guests at the launch of Lucas Saloon and Spa at Jubilee Hills on Wednesday.

Aishwarya and Dhanush

Shruti Haasan

Rana Daggubati & D Ramanaidu

Udaya Bhanu

Kasturi Raja & Vijayalakshmi Kasturi Raja

Anirudh Ravichander & Rajashekhar

Nishanti

Lucas & Yasmin

Vaishnavi & Amulya

Ainla & Anu Priya


Magic Screen

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

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Magic Screen Seann William Scott confirms he's engaged

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hat would Steve Stifler think? After much speculation, Seann William Scott himself has finally confirmed that he is indeed engaged to be married. At the Hollywood premiere for the upcoming comedy American Reunion, the fourth installment in the popular American Pie franchise, the 35-year-old star told E! News exclusively, "I really don’t know how I got her. I'm just really lucky," when the subject of his pending nuptials to former Victoria's Secret model Lindsay Frimodt came up on the red carpet. "She hadn't seen American Pie. Thank god. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be engaged."

Kate Hudson takes baby Bingham on a make-up run!

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t looks like Kate Hudson is having no trouble raising baby Bingham! The mother of two was spotted out shopping for skincare products in London today, her 8-monthold son with Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy tucked snuggly in her arms. And while Bingham is probably carefully considering how to get that eye cream out of the clerk's hand and into his mouth, we wonder if Hudson is still puzzling over why mom Goldie Hawn led some reporters to believe that she and Bellamy had tied the knot in secret! Hawn has tweeted that the media got it wrong when she made a comment to London's Evening Standard about her daughter marrying an English rock star. There is also no record of a marriage license for the two in Los Angeles, where the family also spends time. "Darling once again twisted the truth," Hawn wrote. "They aren't married. Xx."

The glamour behind the glitz

Olivia Wilde to return for House series finale

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livia Wilde is to return to House for its series finale. The Tron: Legacy actress will reprise her role as Dr Remy Hadley—nicknamed Thirteen — as the Hugh Laurie medical drama draws to a close, according to TVLine. Wilde had previously gone on record as saying that she didn't imagine that she would return to the show. She had already reduced her role in the penultimate season of House, in order to devote more time to her film career. Thirteen was last seen in the third episode of the season Charity Case. Former cast members Jennifer Morrison and Lisa Edelstein are

not thought to be returning for the series finale. It has been confirmed that Laurie will direct the 19th episode of House's final season. House airs on Mondays on Fox. The series finale will air on May 21.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

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Magic Screen

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The glamour behind the glitz

All in the name of fun S

iddharth and Samantha seem to be having a rollicking time on the sets of Nandini Reddy’s upcoming romantic entertainer. The film went on floors a week ago and since then both Siddharth and Samantha have been talking about how much fun they have been having on the sets of the film. In fact,

Samantha has been addressing Nandini by her nickname, Panda. “So much positivity on nandinis set...love it... So we’ve already won ai panda (sic),” Samantha posted on Twitter few days ago and recently, Siddharth tweeted, “First schedule with Nandini reddy & Samantha done. Both these women boss me around like i’m a

schoolboy! I’m loving the attention;) ha! (sic)” Thaman is composing the music and Bellamkonda Suresh is producing it. The film’s first schedule has been wrapped up and both Samantha and Siddharth have moved on to their respective projects Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu and Chashme Baddoor.

25

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@shrutihaasan Super day at work! Good to be back in chennai after aages!:) tired unwell and missing some tlc... time to zzzzzz.

@trishtrashers Jus read each n evry post. Thx so much u guys fr d wishes, support n get well soon msgs. BIG HUG.... U people kip it goin fr me... Dil se !

@shraddhadas43 Laughed like there is no tomorrow... the best play iv seen till today, will recommend to everyone! By ‘Ekjute’.

@RanaDaggubati 2 days left for my 3rd telugu film #NaaIshtam. Feel like a bag full of mixed emotions. Hope you guys like the film. 23rd March.

@pnavdeep26 If the password for twelve is six and the pass word for six is three then what is the password for eight? :)

@sneha_ullal Finally my old time 15 year driver is back after 2 months holiday.

Boyapati has redefined NTR’s stamina : Keeravani N

TR’s upcoming film Dhammu has been making waves for the past few days, ever since the first look was unveiled. Sources close to the film boast about the rich production values and NTR’s performance in the film. Now, the film’s music director, MM Keeravani just can’t stop raving about the film. “Just watched Dhammu full movie except climax ... Starting b.g. from tomorrow. Boyapati redefined NTR’s stamina ! (sic)”

Keeravani posted on Twitter yesterday. Boyapati Srinu has directed the film and Alexandar Vallabha is producing it. Trisha and Karthika have played the lead roles and the film is touted to be a mass entertainer. The film’s audio is going to be unveiled on March 29 and if the buzz surrounding the film is anything to go by, it’s just a matter of time before this film breaks several records when it opens in screens in late April.

@LakshmiManchu I can’t articulate what it is that I am feeling working with the god of Indian cinema, Manirathnam.

@actressanjjanaa Its so nice to c my followers cross a 3lak ppl. Support n encourage me d same wayyyy, I lov u al truly.


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

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

26

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Where the Ark parked 7 Sephia automaker 10 Longest possible sentence 14 Open horse-drawn carriages 16 “Don't bet ___!” 17 Inhumanities 18 Weak, as on crime 19 Orlando-to-Miami dir. 20 Timmy's pooch 22 66, famously (Abbr.) 23 Typical driver's ed student 25 Knight with Pips 27 Water-gun stream 30 According to church doctrine 32 “An ___ of prevention ...” 33 One for the book? 34 Fifths of five 36 Possesses 37 Put asphalt on 38 Fabled grasshopper rebuker 39 Grampuses 41 Told tales 42 Lacking luster 44 Three-legged stands 46 Sell off stocks 47 Got close 48 Beach hill 49 You may wrestle with it 50 Includes, as a tip 53 Anaconda's cousin 56 Hospital delivery 58 Figure-eight producers 61 Stare at flirtatiously 62 Canadian rock band with “Silver Side Up” 63 “___ waiting long?” 64 Western-style “Scram!” 65 Words with “a doornail” DOWN 1 Arabian cloaks 2 Monotonous routines 3 Field unit 4 Studio of the original “King Kong” 5 Disney holding

6 ___ water (cologne kin) 7 Singer-actor Kristofferson 8 “Beware the ___ of March” (“Julius Caesar”) 9 Designated 10 ____ Alamos, N.M. 11 Excessive 12 Four bits 13 “Towel” and “kitchen” endings 15 ___ all-time high 21 They did “Do Ya” 23 Personal quirk 24 “... ___ he drove out of sight” 26 It makes a man moan? 27 Area below Greenwich Village 28 Three-month payment 29 Rearrange, as mixed-up letters 30 Bats' hangouts 31 Improved by time

33 Rendered, as a compliment 35 Editor's word in the margins 37 Walking laboriously 40 Polite address for a man 42 Hr. part 43 St. crosser, in New York City 45 Green legume 46 Dipped in coffee, as a doughnut 47 High mucka-muck 48 Tiddlywinks piece 51 602, in Roman numerals 52 Religious offshoot

SUDOKU

53 Bit of perspiration 54 Killer whale movie 55 Expresses curiosity 57 Japanese dollar 59 Pub potation 60 “I'll tell you later,” TV Guide-style PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

THOUGHT OF THE DAY There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. – Ken Olson in 1977


Chai Time STAR POWER

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot THIRUVAIKUMAR

As per Hindu panchang

FOR 23-3-2012

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

TAURUS

GEMINI

Wanderings and struggle will increase. Businessmen might face a dull trend and competition will be cutthroat. Profits to shrink. Pregnant women are advised not to skip regular check ups.

Financial position looks satisfactory. New efforts will yield good results. Cou‑ ples might face health problem; take good care. Govt officials can expect transfer. Businessmen will feel happy.

Businessmen will see a good growth. You will feel cheerful to receive support from friends, relatives and VIPs. Held up events will get performed without difficulties. Kids will attain good status.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Businessmen will face stiff competition as well as a dull trend. Tensions possible in the family, but deal them with patience. Some govt officials might be asked to go on leave. Avoid speculative transactions.

Financial position is set to improve. New efforts will yield better results. Govt offi‑ cials likely to get promotion. Those mar‑ ried recently can get ready to welcome offspring. Businessmen see good times.

Health needs to be taken care of. Fina‑ ncial position might be a constraint. Sudden travel likely. Children might face minor tensions as their expecta‑ tion might not get fulfilled.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Travel will bring benefits. Court issues will see good turning points. Some will have to work hard to achieve their goals. Benefits through blood relatives likely. Kids will tread the path of prosperity.

Some of the software professionals decide to change their job. Financial position will be a cause for concern. Indirect opposition might make you upset. Expenses too will scare you.

Promotion and pay hike on cards for some govt officials. Good improvement likely in the new efforts. Happy events to take place at home. Software profes‑ sionals might face a dull trend.

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

Businessmen might face some setbacks. They need to maintain a low profile. Avoid implementing new efforts. Real‑ tors too will face a dull trend. Extra cau‑ tion advised while driving.

Deficit financial position likely. Some will get a transfer and be forced to stay away from family for sometime. Eye, teeth problems likely; take imm‑ ediate care. Avoid arguments.

Some will start their search for a new job. Indirect opposition likely. A satisfa‑ ctory financial situation is seen. Court verdicts will go in favour. Businessmen might be upset due to labour issues.

SUMAA TEKUR

FOR 23-3-2012

tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

ARIES

TAURUS

GEMINI

The Devil – Youʼre tempted to overeat, to indulge and push your body to do more than it can. Slow down, let the day pass without any excesses.

The Emperor – You‑ ʼre a born leader and your skills will be put to the test today wh‑ en subordinates may question your deci‑ sion. You will handle it with confidence.

CANCER

LEO

VIRGO

Four of Cups – You get another job oppo‑ rtunity just when you were finalising on one. Donʼt be in a rush to decide. Look through all options carefully before choosing.

Queen of Swords – An intellectual time. Youʼve been thinking of creative solutions to a problem. You find the answers wh‑ en you think through on your own.

Strength – You have it in you to face the obstacles and come out a winner. Donʼt give up or give in. Stick to your stand and itʼll fall in place.

LIBRA

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

Four of Wands – You need to consolidate your position and be firm about your deci‑ sions. No harm will come your way if you manage to keep all parties happy.

Knight of Wands – Pay attention to de‑ tails – whether you are cooking some‑ thing new for the first time or dealing with something unfamiliar at work.

Queen of Pentacles – Youʼre searching for a solution that is easy to implement, and that which does not feel like a missing jig‑ saw puzzle piece. You get it!

CAPRICORN

AQUARIUS

PISCES

The Lovers – You will be expected to make an important deci‑ sion today. Weigh all pros and cons well. But you will eventu‑ ally go with your gut feel.

Two of Swords – Your actions are like‑ ly to upset two very important parties. You are unable to choose between the two but will be forced to do so.

Death – Some drastic changes are likely to your living situation. You have to step up to the challenges by making alterations to the way you per‑ ceive the world, too.

Ten of Swords – Thereʼs a dramatic end of a cycle. You are forced to accept change if youʼre unwilling to change on your own. Keep that ego in check.

For Better or for Worse Stone soup

SOLUTIONS

Boggle POLISH FRENCE ENGLISH SPANISH SWEDISH

Number game

Suduko

Scrabble

Ink pen

COMICS

Fred Basset

ARIES

TAROT READ

27

Vol: 1, No 249 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


Chai Time 1400 Naadi Aadajanme 1430 Pavitra 1500 Movie 1800 Kodala Kodala Koduku Pellama 1830 Vasantha Kokila 1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu 1930 Anna Chellelu 2000 Missamma 2030 Edureetha 2100 Challenge 2200 CID 2300 Challenge 0730 Maa Shakti 0800 Ayurvedam 0830 Chaganti Sanatana Dharmam 0900 Money Money 1000 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu

1400 Kannavaari Kalalu 1430 Maavichiguru 1500 Sumangali 1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna 1830 Shraavani Subramaniam 1900 Mandhara 1930 Auto Bharthi 2000 Swathi 2030 Mogali Rekulu 2100 Aparanji 2130 Devatha 2200 Mamathala Kovela 2230 Nippu Special 2300 Gemini Vaarthalu 0800 Gemini Talkies 0830 Movie 1130 Aha Emi Ruchi 1200 Jeevitha Chakram 1230 Maa Inti Aada Paduchu 1300 Chittemmaa 1330 Gorintaku

1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1500 [V] Humse Hai Life 1530 [V] Suvreen Guggal 1600 [V] Trailers 1630 [V] Zabardast Hits 1830 [V] Suvreen Guggal 1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 1930 [V] Humse Hai Life 2000 [V] Suvreen Guggal 2030 [V] Gumrah 2130 [V] Trailers 2200 [V] Vignettes 2230 [V] Humse Hai Life 2300 [V] Suvreen Guggal 2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance 2355 [V] Fresh Songs 0700 [V] Trailers 0730 [V] Zabardast Hits 0800 [V] Mind Blasting Mornings 1100 [V] Fresh Songs 1200 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance

‘[V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance’ at 1900 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]

1300 News Now at 1 1330 News Now 1800 6 PM 1830 Live Report 1900 Primetime 1930 The Game 2000 News Now at 8 2030 Live Report 2100 The Newshour 2200 The Newshour - Plus 2230 E Now 2300 News Now at 11 0800 The Morning News 0900 News Now 1200 Live Report 1230 News Now

‘The Newshour’ at 2100 Hrs only on TIMES NOW

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

Telly sitcoms, news and movie listings

1400 Abhishekam 1430 Aadade Aadharam 1500 Antahpuram 1530 Aakasa Ganga 1600 Prema Mandiram 1630 Jagadeeswari 1700 Genes 1800 Devimahathyam 1830 Puttadi Bomma 1900 Kumkuma Rekha 1930 Manasu Mamata 2000 Chandra Mukhi 2030 Bharyamani 2100 Etv News 2130 Super 2245 Movie 0800 Subhamastu 0830 Jeevanajyothi 0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi 1230 Star Mahila

1400 Nagani 1430 Movie 1800 Meera 1830 Kalavari Kodallu 1900 Chinna Kodalu 1930 Pasupukunkuma 2000 Muddu Bidda 2030 Radha Kalyanam 2100 Kanyadanam 2130 Luckku Kickku 2230 Shree 2300 Bindass 2330 Latest Songs 0800 Subhamastu 0830 Bhakti Samacharam 0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam 0930 Mahadevi 1000 Bindass 1030 Chittam Chittam Prayaschittam 1130 Jeevana Vignanam 1200 Mee Inti Vanta

‘Global Business Report’ at 1900 Hrs only on ET NOW 1400 The F And O Show 1430 Closing Trades 1530 Tomorrow's Trades 1600 Business Day 1730 Markets Tomorrow 1800 Rush Hour 1830 Starting Up 1900 Global Business Report 1930 Business Express 2000 Business First 2030 Markets Tomorrow 2100 Business Tonight 2200 Top 10 At 10 2230 Brand Equity 2300 Investor's Guide 0900 First Trades 1000 Hot Stocks 1100 Buy Now Sell Now - The Stock Game 1130 Buy Now Sell Now 1200 Market Sense 1300 Business Day 1330 Markets Now

‘Breaking Point’ at 2100 Hrs on DISCOVERY CHANNEL 1400 Rampage 1600 Swamp Brothers 1630 Factory Made 1700 Man Vs Wild 1800 Wild Discovery 1900 I Almost Got Away With It? 2000 Nature's Power Revealed 2100 Breaking Point 2200 Dual Survival 2300 Tattoo Hunter 1000 Deception With Keith Barry 1100 How Do They Do It? 1130 Million 2 One 1200 Dual Survival

1440 Whacked Out Sports 1510 The Rachel Zoe Project 1605 Wipeout 1700 Supernatural 1800 Chuck 1900 Most Daring 2000 Supernatural 2100 24 2200 Fear Factor 2330 Most Daring 0700 Infomercial/30 Min 0730 Sky Teleshopping 0830 Infomercial/30 Min 0900 Sky Teleshopping 0930 Whacked Out Sports 1000 The Rachel Zoe Project 1100 Most Daring 1200 Wipeout 1250 The Voice 2

‘Supernatural’ at 2000 Hrs on AXN

‘Haar Jeet’ at 1900 Hrs on IMAGINE 1400 Haar Jeet 1430 Jamuna Paar 1500 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 1600 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1630 Jamuna Paar 1700 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1730 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 1800 Jamuna Paar 1830 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1900 Haar Jeet 1930 Gyaan Guru 2000 Dwarkadheesh - Bhagwan Shri Krishn 2030 Sawaare Sabke Sapne – Preeto 2100 Jamuna Paar 2130 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet 2300 Jamuna Paar 2330 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb

1400 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 1430 Balika Vadhu 1500 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1530 Uttaran 1630 Parichay 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Hawan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Chhal Sheh Aur Maat 2130 Parichay - Nayee Zindagi Kay Sapno Ka 2200 Uttaran 2230 Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha 2300 Na Aana Is Des Laado

‘Veer Shivaji’ at 2030 Hrs on COLORS

‘Hitler Didi’ at 2000 Hrs on ZEE TV 1400 Hitler Didi 1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 1500 Afsar Bitiya 1530 Choti Bahu 1600 Pavitra Rishta 1630 Dance India Dance 1800 Hitler Didi 1830 Punar Vivaah 1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Choti Bahu 2000 Hitler Didi 2030 Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli 2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milaayi Jodi 2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein 2230 Punar Vivaah 2300 Afsar Bitiya 2330 Hitler Didi

1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 1530 Crime Patrol - 2 1700 Crime Patrol - Dastak 1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal 1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak 1930 Shubh Vivah 2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2030 Dekha Ek Khwaab 2100 Saas Bina Sasuraal 2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti Kuchh Meethi 2200 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada 2230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai 2300 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge 2330 Crime Patrol - Dastak 0900 CID 1200 Shubh Vivah 1230 Dekha Ek Khwaab 1300 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada

‘Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada’ at 2200 Hrs on SONY

28

‘Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya’ at 2230 Hrs on STAR PLUS 1400 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1430 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum 1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool 1700 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1800 Navya 1830 Ruk Jana Nahin 1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool 2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behnaa Hai 2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum 2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2200 Sajda Tere Pyaar Mein 2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya 2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?

MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

1330 Jason X 1510 Lethal Weapon 2 1720 The Time Machine 1910 Kangaroo Jack 2100 Deep Blue Sea 2305 Rush Hour 2 0735 Friends 0800 Nikita1 0850 The Devil's Advocate 1130 The Naked Gun - From The Files Of Police Squad! 1305 Get Smart

1520 Crank 2 - High Voltage 1700 Spiders II - Breeding Ground 1900 Accepted 2100 The American 2305 Transporter 3 0835 The American 1035 Supercross 1220 Transporter 3

Saas Bina Sasural

Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai

Storyline - Malti starts puking as she drinks the Kadha prepared by Toasty, Toasty realizes that one of the ingredients in the kadha has given Malti an allergy.

Storyline - The publisher sends a sample copy of Akshara’s published diary for proof reading. How will the Singhanias react?

‘Saas Bina Sasural’ at 2100 Hrs on SONY

‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ at 2130 Hrs on STAR PLUS ‘The American’ at 2100 Hrs on HBO

1400 My Kitchen Rules 1500 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 1530 America's Funniest Home Videos 1600 Cougar Town 1630 My Wife And Kids 1700 Haven 1800 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 1900 Cougar Town 1930 My Wife And Kids 2000 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 2030 America's Funniest Home Videos 2100 My Kitchen Rules 2200 Haven 2300 Cougar Town 2330 My Wife And Kids 0900 America's Funniest Home Videos 1000 Cougar Town 1100 My Kitchen Rules

‘Haven’ at 2200 Hrs on ZEE CAFE

‘Unforgettable’ at 2200 Hrs on STAR WORLD 1400 Supernatural 1500 Missing 1600 Joey 1630 The Simpsons 1700 Castle 1800 Supernatural 1900 Desperate Housewives 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Supernatural 2200 Unforgettable 2300 Joey 2330 Two And A Half Men 0700 Unforgettable 0800 Las Vegas 0900 The River 1000 Unforgettable 1100 Desperate Housewives 1200 Two And A Half Men 1230 The Simpsons 1300 Joey 1330 Friends

1400 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1430 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1500 Lapataganj - Sharad Joshi Ki Kahaniyon Ka Pata 1530 F.I.R 1600 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1630 I Luv My India 1700 Gutur Gu 1730 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1900 Chidiyaghar 1930 Movers And Shakers 2000 I Luv My India 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 2100 Chidiyaghar 2130 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 Movers And Shakers 2300 F.I.R 2330 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah 1030 Gutur Gu 1100 F.I.R 1130 Chidiyaghar

‘R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya’ at 2130 Hrs on SAB

‘Fashion’ at 1230 Hrs on ZOOM

1430 Life On The Line 1500 Deconstructed 1530 Discovery Science Classics 1630 Rising - Rebuilding Ground Zero 1730 Showdown - Aircombat 1930 Paleoworld 2000 Megascience 2030 Heavy Metal Taskforce 2130 Extreme Engineering 2230 Modern Sniper 2330 Industrial Revelations 1030 Rising - Rebuilding Ground Zero 1130 Life On The Line 1200 Deconstructed 1330 Paleoworld

1230 Movie - Fashion 1600 Let'z Go! 1700 Zabar 10 1730 Star Bonanza 1800 Let'z Go! 1900 Planet Bollywood 1930 Link'D 2000 Tentalize 2030 Let'z Go! 2100 Zooming With Omar 2130 Let'z Go! 2200 B - Tonite 2230 Link'D 2300 Bollywood Bonanza 0700 Fresh Mornings 0800 Red Carpet 0805 Fresh Mornings 1100 Your Likes 1200 Planet Bollywood 1230 Movie

‘Extreme Engineering’ at 2130 Hrs on DISCOVERY SCIENCE

‘Entertainment Tonight’ at 2000 Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME 1400 Frasier 1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Big Wheels 1600 Galileo Extreme 1700 Survivor 1800 Entertainment Tonight 1830 Galileo Extreme 1930 Frasier 2000 Entertainment Tonight 2030 Galileo Extreme 2100 Hawaii 5.0 2200 Jerry Springer 2300 Survivor 0700 Big Wheels 0730 Aspire 0800 Galileo Extreme 0900 Survivor 1000 Bellator 1100 Jerry Springer 1200 Big Wheels 1230 Entertainment Tonight 1300 Galileo Extreme


Playing Field

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The games people play

29

Kleybanova back with a bang MIAMI: Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, a former top-

Venus Williams of USA in action against Kimiko Date Krumm during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on Wednesday in Key Biscayne, Florida. AFP/AL BELLO

Venus, Clijsters make steady start MIAMI: Former world number ones Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters made triumphant returns to the WTA after long layoffs with victories on Wednesday at the WTA and ATP Miami hardcourt tournament. Seven-time Grand Slam champion Williams, who has not played a WTA event since pulling out of last year's US Open, defeated Japan's Kimiko Date-Krumm 6-0, 6-3 in 77 minutes. "It was great to be back out there," Williams said. "It was definitely a bit nerve-wracking... but I was able to get a great start and settle in and play well against a really difficult opponent. It was definitely an ideal start." Williams announced at last

year's US Open she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren syndrome, an illness that saps her energy and causes pain in her joints. "Just to be in this tournament is a huge win for me," Williams said. "That's what I told myself going in, that this is a win. I have nothing to lose. I just tried to get in the tournament. There were a lot of tournaments I didn't make." Williams, who did play doubles for the US Fed Cup team last month, pulled out of last year's US Open after a first-round victory. "At this point in time it's important for me to play smart," Williams said. "I'm an attacker. That's what I do best and that's

Belgium’s Kim Clijsters plays against Australia’s Jarmila Gajdosova during the Sony Ericsson Open on Wednesday. AFP/AL BELLO

what I tried to do today. I don't have the time to give any points away. I have to stay really focused on my game plan. "The good thing is I'm playing well. I know how to play, so I haven't lost any steam in that, the fact that I can play tennis. That's comforting for me." Belgium's Clijsters, playing for the first time since her Australian Open semi-final loss to World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, rallied to eliminate Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 4-6, 6-1, 6-0. "It's always tough to get that first match rhythm under your belt," Clijsters said. "When it comes down to my game I felt I wasn't quite going through my shots as I should have. "I was just trying to find that rhythm, but on the other hand maybe forgetting to still play aggressive tennis. But as I started to feel more comfortable with the conditions and being in a match situation again I was hitting better, and that definitely showed in the second and third sets." Clijsters, who won at Miami in 2005 and 2010, skipped last week's Indian Wells tournament to rest her injured ankle, the latest in a list of ailments in the past year that has also included a bad shoulder, wrist and abdomen worries. AFP

20 player who missed the past 10 months battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is making an inspirational return to the WTA Tour this week at Miami. Kleybanova defeated 64th-ranked Johanna Larsson of Sweden 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Tuesday to reach a second-round matchup on Friday against compatriot Maria Kirilenko, the 22nd seed who lost her only career meeting with Kleybanova. “I still feel like I’m building my game, and it’ll take time before I reach my highest level,” Kleybanova said. “I’m just going to try to get better with every match. I hope the good results will come, but I’m not going onto the court just thinking of winning. Who knows what will happen in the next one?” Kleybanova’s comeback on and off the court at the $9.6 million hardcourt event played alongside an ATP event captured the attention of her fellow players, including World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. “Highlight of my day yesterday was seeing Alisa Kleybanova being on the tennis court back winning! so happy for her!” Azarenka said in a message on her Twitter website. Surrendering two service breaks in the first set Kleybanova battled back to advance, breaking in the fourth game of the second set and holding into the third, where she jumped ahead 4-0 to seize command. “For everyone else it’s just the first round but for me it was very emotional,” she said. “I’ll always remember it. It will always be the first match of my comeback,” she said. “I felt I was playing better the more I was on the court. It’s not just about the win though, it’s that I’m back on court,” she added. AFP

Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova in action against Sweden’s Johanna Larsson during the Sony Ericsson Open at Crandon Park Tennis Center on Monday. AFP/MIKE EHRMANN


Playing Field

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The games people play

A day out with dolphins CAPOLIVERI: The son of Jacques Mayol, the French diver who inspired the cult film “The Big Blue”, has turned his father’s Mediterranean island house into a celebration of his ecological vision and passion for nature. Jean-Jacques Mayol has transformed Villa Glaucos, which is perched at the top of a cliff on Elba Island off the coast of Tuscany, into a retreat for free-diving courses aimed at yoga lovers who hope to swim wild with dolphins. “The whole world knew Jacques as a great diving champion, but he dedicated his life to the relationship between man and nature,” said Jean-Jacques, who runs the Team Mayol courses from the “dream house” his father built. “In his relationship with the dolphin world he was searching for similarities between humans and aquatic animals,” said the SwedishAmerican, who follows his father in using meditation and yoga to improve his freediving. Jacques’ passion for the sea led him to explore theories on man’s ties with dolphins and whether humans may have a dormant aquatic organ — ideas he developed in his 1979 book, “The Dolphin Within Man”. AFP

Amare stirs Knicks to victory NEW YORK: Amare

New York Knicks’ Amare Stoudemire celebrates a dunk during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Knicks won 82-79. AFP/DREW HALLOWELL

Lexi gears up for Kia Classic tour CARLSBAD: California, March 21, 2012 (AFP) - Lexi Thompson, the 17-year-old US prodigy who became the youngest winner in LPGA history last September, takes aim at another title starting on Thursday at the $1.7 million LPGA Kia Classic. Thompson won the LPGA Navistar Classic by five strokes and was given a tour membership after becoming the youngest tour champion at 16 years, eight months and eight days. Now she gets to enjoy an official rookie season. “I’m just going to focus on my goals and what I want to improve

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on my game,” Thompson said. “I’m really happy with where my game is at. To get that win gave me a lot more confidence.” “I’ve been working on a lot of short game, putting a lot, doing my putting drills. But the specific thing I’m working on my ball striking is just posture, keeping my posture good and a good set-up.” Scott Thompson, Lexi’s father, served as her caddie last season, but he now carries the clubs for older son Nicholas on the US PGA’s developmental tour, with Lexi’s clubs in the hands of veteran bagman Greg Johnston. “Greg knows pretty much

every golf course and knows it really well,” said Thompson. “He has a lot of experience so hopefully it will help me out in the long run, and hopefully he’ll be on my bag for a while.” Thompson will challenge a field at LaCosta that includes World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who won her second title in four starts this year at last week’s LPGA Founders Cup. Tseng has 14 career LPGA victories and became the fastest LPGA player to win $8 million, doing so in 99 events over four years, one month and two days. AFP

Stoudemire scored 21 points and Jeremy Lin added 18 to power the New York Knicks to their fifth victory in a row, defeating hosts Philadelphia 82-79 in an NBA matchup on Wednesday. The Knicks have not lost since Mike Woodson took over as coach, replacing Mike D’Antoni, who resigned after disagreeing with ownership and players over the direction the team should take. Lin, the AsianAmerican sensation, came off the bench last month to spark New York to seven victories in a row and now the Knicks are catching fire once again as the push to the playoffs begins. At 23-24, the Knicks are eighth in the Eastern Conference. And by beating the 76ers, 26-21, they pulled within three games of Atlantic division leader Philadelphia in the stand-

ings. Jrue Holiday scored 16 points to lead Philadelphia. At Orlando, Dwight Howard scored 28 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to power the host Magic over the Phoenix Suns 103-93. Ryan Anderson scored a game-high 29 points for Orlando. In Toronto, the NBAleading Chicago Bulls had 17 points and 10 rebounds from Britain’s Luol Deng to take the visitors past the Raptors 9482. Chicago rose to an NBA-best 39-10 with a third consecutive triumph. Western Conference leader Oklahoma City trounced Los Angeles Clippers 114-91, with Kevin Durant scoring 32 points and Russell Westbrook finishing with 19 points. Durant also led the Thunder with nine rebounds and five assists as Oklahoma City improved to 35-12. AFP


Playing Field

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The games people play

9-man Real held to draw La Liga top scorers Messi(Barcelona) 34 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) 33 Falcao (Atletico Madrid) 19 Higuain (Real Madrid) 17 Soldado (Valencia) 15 Benzema (Real Madrid), Llorente (Athletic Bilbao) 14 Michu (Rayo Vallecano) 13 Kone (Levante), Xavi (Barcelona) 10 Barral (Sporting Gijon), Fabregas (Barcelona), Ruben Castro (Real Betis) 9 Agirretxe (Real Sociedad), Ruben Suarez (Levante), Sanchez (Barcelona), Tamudo (Rayo allecano) 8 Marco Ruben (Villarreal), Miku (Getafe), Rondon (Malaga), Stuani (Santander), Victor (Mallorca) 7

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (R) vies with Villarreal’s Mario Gaspar during their Spanish league football match on Wednesday at the Madridgal stadium in Villarreal. AFP/PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU MADRID: Nine-man Real Madrid saw their lead in La Liga cut to six points on Wednesday after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal. Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 33rd goal of the season in the 62nd minute, but Marcos Senna equalised with eight minutes remaining for struggling Villarreal. Things got worse for Real as Sergio Ramos, making his 300th appearance, and Mesut Ozil were both red-carded in the closing moments while coach Jose Mourinho and assistant Rui Faria

were sent to the stands. Barcelona had defeated Granada 5-3 on Tuesday to keep their title hopes alive with superstar Lionel Messi taking his career club goals tally to a record 234. Afterwards neither Mourinho nor any of his backroom staff came out to face the press while it was reported that Ronaldo left the pitch repeatedly shouting ‘we’ve been robbed’. “Referees hurt us too much sometimes, but we must hold our heads high and move on. Every team would like to have a six point lead,” said Real’s Brazilian

star Marcelo. “You saw what happened and how many of us were sent off. We must do our job. We took one point and must continue working hard. “There’s no pressure and any team would like to be where we are now. We’re fine. We didn’t win but we’re in good spirits.” Villarreal had a number of chances to take the lead, the most notable when Iker Casillas saved well on 20 minutes after a Sergio Ramos slip allowed Nilmar to bear down on goal. AFP

Spurs slip to 4th spot after Stoke draw LONDON: Tottenham midfielder Rafael van der Vaart rescued a 1-1 draw against Stoke on Wednesday but that wasn’t enough to stop his side slipping out of the top three for the first time in three months. Harry Redknapp’s side trailed to Cameron Jerome’s second half strike until Dutch midfielder van der Vaart headed home deep into stoppage time at White Hart Lane. Ever since Redknapp was linked with the England job,

Spurs’ league season has gone into freefall and it was another dispiriting evening as football returned to White Hart Lane four days after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba’s horrifying collapse. No Spurs player took the option of sitting out the game in the wake of Muamba’s cardiac arrest in Saturday’s FA Cup clash between the sides, while both teams warmed up and entered the field of play sporting T-shirts which read “Get well soon Fabrice”. There was also a minute’s

applause before kick-off, both for Muamba and the medical staff who saved the 23-year-old’s life. Van der Vaart mustered the game’s first shot on target in the 17th minute of what was his first league start since January. The first real chances then arrived, near carbon copy efforts missed by Luka Modric in the 18th and 22nd minutes. Both were supplied by threaded balls from Gareth Bale, but Modric screwed each of his finishes narrowly wide. AFP

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Muamba’s revival took 78 minutes, 15 shocks A

fter the news that Bolton Wanderers’ game against Blackburn this Saturday would go ahead, there was the good news that Bolton’s doctor Jonathan Tobin confirmed Fabrice Muamba had been able to recount the events at White Hart Lane last Saturday, a report in the Guardian said. “I’m glad to say that the early signs of recovery have continued. I went to see Fabrice last night. I went in and he said: ‘Hi, doc.’ I asked him how he was and he said: ‘Fine.’ Tobin said the player had asked him what had happened. “I explained to him what had happened,” he said. “That’s the sort of level of communication I have had with Fabrice.” Tobin said that medics tried unsuccessfully to revive Muamba for 48 minutes before he arrived at the London chest hospital and that it then took another 30 minutes before Muamba’s heart started beating again, having received 15 shocks. It had been stopped for two hours, raising fears of significant brain damage, even if Muamba survived. “In effect, he was dead in that time,” said Tobin. Although the player remains in intensive care, it does appear that scenario has been avoided. And after he told his players of the latest news when they returned to training this morning, Coyle revealed Saturday’s game would go ahead as planned. Dr Andrew Deaner, the cardiologist and Spurs fan who leapt from the stands and rushed on to the pitch to help the player, described Muamba’s recovery as “miraculous”. Dr Deaner went to visit the player after he had woken up and recalled that Muamba was able to make a joke even that early on into his recovery process. “I whispered into his ear: ‘What’s your name?’” he said. The footballer gave his name. Dr Deaner went on: “I said: ‘I understand you’re a very good footballer.’ And he said: ‘I try.’” Dr Deaner said he had had tears in his eyes at witnessing that sign of the player’s sense of humour returning so soon.


Playing Field

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2012

The games people play

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The ‘prodigal son’ makes grand return Carlos Tevez returned from exile to keep Manchester City’s title hopes up as the Argentine substitute played a big role in his team’s 2-1 win over Chelsea.

Manchester City’s Roberto Mancini (R) brings on Carlos Tevez (2nd R) during their match against Chelsea. AFP/ANDREW YATES

I

nspired by Tevez, City scored twice in the final 12 minutes to move to within one point of Premier League leaders Manchester United, having played the same amount of games as their bitter rivals. At Eastlands, Tevez, who had fallen out with City boss Roberto Mancini over his refusal to warmup during a Champions League

tie at Bayern Munich in September, made his first appearance for nearly six months as a 66th minute replacement for Nigel de Jong. Mancini sent the striker on with City trailing 1-0 to Gary Cahill’s deflected 60th minute goal and it proved an inspired move as the hosts levelled in the 78th minute.

Tevez’s compatriot Sergio Aguero stroked home a penalty after Michael Essien was penalised for handball. It was Tevez who played the key role in Samir Nasri’s 85th minute winner as the former Manchester United player slipped a perfectly-weighted pass through for the French midfielder to fire the winner that set a Premier League record for City’s 20th successive home win. That was Chelsea’s first defeat under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo and it left the Blues five points behind Tottenham in the race for fourth place. “I’m happy, because he (Tevez) did well,” Mancini told Sky Sports. “Also he’s not in good form, I don’t think he’s fit 100%, but that’s football.” "I think Carlos needs more time, it's not easy for him but it's important that he is here now,” said Mancini. "Maybe in 10 days, two weeks, he can find good form. I think that will be important for us. Carlos is maybe not 100 per cent but he knows football and he was important because he was incredible for us.” Mancini also insisted that any ill-feeling between he and Tevez has been well and truly eradicated. AFP

QPR leave Reds reeling K

enny Dalglish admits Liverpool must learn from their stunning meltdown against QPR if they are to avoid their Premier League season drifting to a disappointing end. Dalglish’s side threw away a two-goal lead in the final 13 minutes to lose 3-2 to struggling QPR at Loftus Road on Wednesday. And the Reds boss admits he is concerned his side may suffer in the FA Cup semifinal, when they face Everton or Sunderland at Wembley, if they continue to fail to close games out. But Dalglish was puzzled as to how Liverpool managed to go from being in control thanks to goals from Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt, to leaving west London with nothing after Shaun Derry, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie had hit back. Dalglish, who had admitted ahead of the game that his side need to win all 10 of their fix-

Liverpool coach Kenny Dalglish gestures during his team’s match against QPR on Wednesday. AFP tures if they were to hope for a top four spot, said: “I don’t think anybody saw it coming. “We started fantastically, the only thing that was missing was a bit of luck in front of goal. “We could have been three or four-nil up by half time. There is not much more we can say, we

don’t have any answers as to what happened. We have to find them if we are to learn from it. “The main thing we have to learn is that it is not over until it’s over. “There was a fair bit of feeling about how we would approach the game and how the players were feeling after qualifying for the FA Cup semi-final. “Most of the game we were dominant, professional. They did concentrate for most of the game and we were constructive in so many parts of it. But QPR have walked away with three points. “We never got what we deserved, but that is life, I suppose. I can’t explain it.” For QPR, both Mackie and manager Mark Hughes believe the result could be the catalyst for survival. The win was only their second in 17 games and took them out of the bottom three and two points clear of the relegation zone.

Arsenal’s Belgian player Thomas Vermaelen (C) celebrating a goal with his teammates. (File photo) AFP/IAN KINGTON

Vermaelen heads Arsenal to third spot LIVERPOOL: Thomas Vermaelen headed Arsenal into third place in the Premier League for the first time this season after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Everton on Wednesday. Arsenal, who have now won six top-flight games in a row, leapfrogged Tottenham after Belgium defender Vermaelen struck in the eighth minute, while their north London rivals were held to a 1-1 draw by Stoke. It was hardly vintage Arsenal and Everton will be upset Royston Drenthe’s ‘equaliser’ was ruled out by a controversial off-side flag. But having trailed Tottenham for most of the season, Arsene Wenger’s men have opened up a one-point cushion over their neighbours.

Arsenal had come from behind to secure victory in their previous four league outings but they didn’t need to this time after Everton gifted their opponents an early lead. Robin van Persie is used to scoring goals rather than teeing them up, but the Netherlands striker’s corner allowed Vermaelen to power a header beyond United States keeper Tim Howard after outjumping the home defence. Everton, sluggish throughout the first half, could not say they had not been warned. Two minutes earlier van Persie headed into the path of Aaron Ramsey, the 21-year-old Wales midfielder screwing his volley horribly wide from a good position. AFP


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