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A BYTE OF LIFE Tuesday, June 23, 2009

02
MAMMA MIA!
Now in Chennai

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 116

DECIBEL
DEMONS Wimbledon 2009
will see the grunter’s
club in action with
Maria Sharapova
leading the pack. At
101 decibels, Shara-
pova’s grunts can at
times match even
the King of the Jun-
gle. But she is sure to
have some stiff com-
petition this year.
» PAGE 08

Two cases of swine flu


detected in city
The Health Department has confirmed two cases of swine flu virus from
Chennai alone. A couple, said to be of 29 and 25 years of age, were
flying down from North Carolina to the city with symptoms of (A) H1NI
infection.
On June 18, they were admitted to the Communicable Disease Hospital,
Tondiarpet. Later their test reports were sent to National Institute of
Communicable Diseases, New Delhi and National Institute of Virology,
Pune. Two days later the National Institute of Virology confirmed the test
report positive. The couple have been put on Tamiflu.
The health officials seem to have gotten more alert on the swine flu virus.
Of the 13 patients referred to the Communicable Disease Hospital, two
have been tested positive. Also, 61 passengers have been referred by the
aviation authorities on similar grounds. ■
Ergo Correspondent
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Flights of fantasy
Artist Anshu Pancholi’s works are on display till June
30 at Tangerine, 5, Murrays Gate Road, Alwarpet.
Her compositions emanate a visible dichotomy: form
and space, matter and content, technique and idea,
reality and dream. Ph: 24355834/ 42110888.

Chennaiyil Mamma Mia!


Varalaxmi, actor Sarathkumar’s daughter, makes her
stage debut in Mamma Mia!. Jeffery Vardon’s Hot Shoe
Entertainment Company will be staging the play in
Boy falls while flying kite, dies Chennai and other metros
A 15-year-old boy, who fell from a terrace
while flying a kite on Sunday evening,
succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Kodungaiyur police identified the deceased as
R. Santhosh, a Class X student from
Sriperambudur. He was on a visit to his uncle’s
place in Eveready Colony, Kodungaiyur when
the tragedy struck him.
Santhosh was flying a kite from the terrace of
the two-storey house when he suddenly
slipped. The grievously injured boy was rushed
to a nearby hospital by his uncle and
neighbours.
Since Santhosh suffered severe head injuries
he was taken to the Government General
Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds
in the night, police said.
Kodungaiyur police have registered a case and
are investigating.

Body found floating in Cooum


The body of an unidentified boy, believed to ERGO CORRESPONDENT Plans are on to include
be two years of age, was found floating in feedback@goergo.in some numbers of A.R.
the Cooum river in Egmore on Monday
Rahman and maestro

“D
morning. ancing is my passion.
According to Egmore police, around 10.30 Be it Bharatanatyam, Ilaiyaraja at our
a.m. eye-witness spotted the corpse floating jazz or hip-hop. It’s an performances abroad
near Chitra Theatre in Egmore. Police alerted art with no limits,
Fire and Rescue Services personnel who later wherever and whichever form it and spread the fame
fished out the body. An investigation is is in. And I am very excited that I of Indian music
underway on whether the child’s death was a got the opportunity to take the art
case of drowning or murder. in different forms around the
world,” says Varalaxmi, daughter Company since the past eight
of actor R. Sarathkumar. years. “This production is like my
Though her debut movie with baby and I have given it my com-
actor Silambarasan is still under plete time and attention. The au-
production, Varalaxmi is all set to dience can be assured it’s going
make her first stage appearance to be one memorable event,” she
as a dancer in namma Chennai said during the production’s
with Mamma Mia!, the famous launch on Saturday.
Greek fable-based musical, which Timothy Madhukar, who is re-
she is also co-producing with working the music, has main-
choreographer Jeffery Vardon. tained the originality of Abba
On the musical’s 10th anniver- tracks except for a few changes in Tears of pride: Sarathkumar
sary, Jeffery Vardon’s Hot Shoe the tempo. The songs are sung on hugging daughter Varalaxmi
Entertainment Company will be stage by Poppy Murali, Swapna have shared some ideas out of my
staging the musical in Chennai Abraham and Kavitha, among experience in the industry.”
and other metros of India for the others. Mithran Devanesan will The crew will perform two
first time. The dance drama is direct the play. shows in the city on July 4 and 5
based on the musical hits of Jeffery, who is quite excited at Music Academy.
Swedish pop group Abba. In about the show, said, “I am The team is planning to per-
2008, Mamma Mia! was also hooked to Mamma Mia! ever form the same show abroad with
made into a feature film that since I saw it and I must thank the same crew. But they are keen
starred Meryl Streep, Pierce Bros- Sarathkumar who told me I on taking Indian music abroad.
nan, Colin Firth and Amanda should stage the show when he “While performing in Chennai we
Seyfried in lead roles. saw our production Jesus Christ plan to include only jazz and
The storyline of Mamma Mia! Super Star in 2005.” western styles in the composi-
revolves around a daughter who The rehearsals are being held tion. But while performing
goes in search of her father after at O2 Health Studio, abroad we will concentrate on In-
she stumbles upon her mother’s Nungambakkam. dian dance styles. Plans are on to
diary that talks about the three Actor Sarathkumar, who was include some numbers of A.R.
men in her life. one among the audience during Rahman and maestro Ilaiyaraja at
Varalaxmi, who started danc- the launch, said, “As a dad I have our performances abroad and
ing at the age of seven, is working given complete moral support to spread the fame of Indian mu-
with Hot Shoe Entertainment my daughter and as an artiste I sic,” adds Varalaxmi. ■
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
03
Where a million
melodies reside

1979 – Saptaswara was started as a


200 sqft. shop
1996 – Grew into 1500 sqft.
2000 – Saptaswara goes online -
www.saptaswara.in
2006 – The first floor was built

Saptaswara Musicals is the first musical instruments store in Mylapore, the hub of carnatic music in namma
Chennai. Natwar Lal, an avid guitarist himself, stocks more than a 100 different kinds of instruments at the store.
ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY the crowds. Newbies and ama- struments abroad, the store went
anushaparthasarathy@hotmail.com teur musicians frequented the online in 2000. They courier the
place and for a while, due to equipments to overseas clients

C
ulture-rich Mylapore with space constraints they moved to via FedEx.
its plethora of kutcheris ac- a slightly bigger store in Sullivan Natwar Lal, who was constant-
quired its first branded mu- Garden Road. Later in 1996, after ly aware of the space constraints
sical instruments store renovating the original shop again due to the booming busi-
Saptaswara Musical in 1979 when making it bigger, Natwar came ness, renovated the showroom
guitarist Natwar Lal decided to back to the original store. They once more in 2006. The show-
turn his hobby into profession. now sell more than a hundred room now displays Indian instru-
The shop, which was just 200 sq. different kinds of instruments. ments on the ground floor and
ft. back then, selling both western “When the shop was small, we western instruments on the first
and Indian instruments, is today could barely stock a hundred in- floor.
a two-storey 3,000 sq. ft. store struments in all. We sold only In- “More youngsters are getting
that’s a one-stop-shop for all mu- dian brands then. But when we into the music industry now and
sicians, amateurs and profession- renovated and made it a bigger the business is good. We usually
als alike. place to about 1,500 sq. ft., the get good sales during the music
Natwar Lal, whose cousin Hari- variety of instruments we sold season though last year it was a
charan Das runs Musee Musicals, grew. Our western instruments little dull due to the bomb threats
took a leaf out of his book and are all imported and we have the and terrorist attacks. Because
decided to jump into the busi- all the best bands in the market youngsters these days know ex-
ness. He named his shop Saptas- now. Yamaha, Gibson, Fender ... actly what they want, we replen-
wara to blend in with the carnatic you name it, we have it,” says ish our stocks every month to
feel that Mylapore is best known Nikhil Murali, Natwar’s son. keep ourselves updated,” Nikhil
for. Saptaswara musicals was a pio- continues.
“In 1979, it was difficult to neer in marketing electrical mu- Nikhil is an MBA graduate who,
make a business out of selling in- sic instruments like the shruthi like his father, is a musician and
struments. There weren’t too box, tambura and tabla. They al- plays the guitar and the piano. He
many Indian musicians who so introduced the portable now helps his father run the busi-
would buy from a new store and acoustic veena to the city. A few ness. Their immediate future
even fewer western musicians. years back, they also began a plans involve opening a second
But we started it in Mylapore be- western classical music school. branch sometime this year. ■
cause it was thriving with music The Saptaswara Service Centre Made in Chennai is a column
and we felt it had a lot of poten- was then started to help service that showcases the evolution of
tial,” he explains. instruments. Knowing well the home-grown businesses that be- Natwar Lal and his son Nikhil Murali at the Saptaswara Musicals
The store soon began to attract growing demand for Indian in- gan when the city was Madras. store at Royapettah High Road, Mylapore. PHOTO: S.S.KUMAR
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

‘‘
If we could have one do-over I would probably say I would start
sooner on search. Sometimes the error you make is what you don’t
do and don’t see. Our mistake wasn’t that we didn’t see the technology
change coming; we didn’t see the business change coming
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer

Technology snippets
sourced from T3
magazine of
Infomedia18 Group

The
details
PERFORMANCE
THE DETAILS Expect the
18inch woofer
1.Versatile player with 140W
DVDs aside, it can play DivX RMS to pack in
movies directly from an USB enough punch
flash drive and upscale them to and the five
1080p hi-def for home cinemas dinky satellites

A View Point
can dole out
2. Power play 725W of
The four satellites are not engrossing
only small and stylish, but at surround Projectors are more fun than they’re
142W each, they are powerful sound cheap. But ViewSonic is set to ease the
too! pain with this one. At 2.3kg, the new
FEATURES PJD5111 is not only an entrepreneur’s
This upscaling dream beamer with all the goods — a
DVD system native 800x600 SVGA resolution, two RGB
comes with inputs and an RGB output. It also features
HDMI and is direct power off that shuts it down once
capable of unplugged, without the need to wait for
1080p output. the lamp cools down, and an Eco Mode
Portable Audio that ensures up to 4000 hrs of extra lamp
Enhancer, life and reduce noise output. Neat, we say.
Dolby and DTS Rs 37,000, www.viewsonic.com
sound
processing
modes are
built-in, so
there’s no
need of an
external AV
receiver

T
he Sony DAV-DZ290 stuns us. Just take a USB MODE
look at the price! And the whole tech load It also has a
to make it totally Bravia. 850W RMS, Dolby USB port using
and DTS surround modes, and a Portable which DivX
Audio Enhancer for that pure, blissful audio
nirvana. But the coolest is the USB movie
playback, which allows users to insert a USB
movies, MP3s
or JPEGs can
be played
A SPECTACLE
Think lenses are cooler than glasses, think
drive loaded with MP3s, pictures or DivX files to directly on a again. Or rather, look again at Ray Ban’s
play over the home theater system. It even Hi-def telly new collection. Inspired by the club culture
upscales standard-def to 1080p. Perfect to set without the of the ‘50s, these trendy pairs, nicknamed
the tune of need to burn Clubmaster with their electric colours and
having your very own HBO. them to a CD retro-design are all set to redefine fashion
Rs 16,990, www.sony.co.in or DVD that is restrained yet sophisticated.So now
choose your own shade and angles to
match your mood and taste. So what’s the
mood today?
Rs 6,160, www.ray-ban.com/India

Compact sound
If you’re looking to add decent audio to your lounge without
cluttering the place with towering speakers and cables, these
are your answer. Despite measuring 10x10cm, Monitor Audio’s
R45HD speakers feature the same driver as the company’s much
larger efforts, and they come in a snazzy choice of colours.
Rs 13,500 per pair, www.monitoraudio.co.uk
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
05
Humyo’s new service
Humyo is making its online storage capacity available for users of Macs and smartphones. The storage system for
computers using the Mac OS X system remains a test version, reported the operator of the website, www.humyo.de The
new mobile function allows smartphone users to access stored data and account information from anywhere.

Rivals Apple’s iPhone 3G S promises to be the most powerful iPhone to date,


twice as fast as its predecessor and featuring a 3-megapixel camera,
video recording, longer battery life and hands-free voice control

challenge
“S” for speed: Latest Design: New phone
iPhone packs 600MHz slightly heavier,
processor and 256MB uses greener
memory, as opposed materials. Screen
to 412MHz and 128MB has fingerprint-

Apple’s of older model


Camera: Up from 2
to 3 megapixels.
Includes autofocus
resistant coating
New apps
Digital compass.
Voice control for

iPhone and capture / edit of


VGA video at 30
frames per second
Connectivity
making calls and
playing tracks
Battery: 5hrs 3G
talk time, 9hrs WiFi
Supports 7.2Mbps internet use, 10hrs

I
n the roughly two years since sung’s “Galaxy,” that company’s mobile broadband video, 30hrs audio
the launch of the iPhone, Ap- first Android cell.
ple has done a good job of All of the devices are designed
network for faster Software: Over 100
shaking up the mobile phone for direct access to the internet data speeds new features such as
industry. and feature applications from Graphics Cut, Copy and Paste,
While many have tried to im- Google, like Maps and Gmail. Be- Upgraded chip MMS messaging,
itate the now iconic device, none cause Android is an open source
for faster, better- Spotlight Search,
have succeeded yet in seriously operating system, developers can
challenging the iPhone in terms program their own applications looking graphics landscape keyboard
of reputation and lasting popu- for download from the “Android in games and and Find My iPhone
larity. A new spate of serious Market,” akin to the App Store. applications service if phone is lost
challengers has recently entered Canadian hardware maker Cost: $199 (16GB), $299 (32GB). Existing iPhone 3G users
the market, however, meaning BlackBerry boasted a 19.9 per
that the chase is back on. cent market share in a recent re-
Price of old iPhone 3G (8GB) dropped to $99 will pay premium to upgrade
The new Palm Pre from smart- port from Gartner, putting it sig- Source: Apple Inc. © GRAPHIC NEWS
phone specialist Palm is generally nificantly ahead of Apple.
viewed in the industry as a strong The Blackberry started out as a
iPhone competitor. The device tool for power business users
received a good deal of positive who wanted direct access to their
press prior to its recent release in corporate email and demanded a
an exclusive distribution deal classic keyboard.
with cellular service provider The BlackBerry Storm was the
Sprint. manufacturer’s first attempt at a
The Pre offers several benefits device with a virtual keyboard
compared with the iPhone, start- only. The 9500, a successor to the New innovation
ing with its ability to run multiple Storm, is expected in the coming
programs at once. Another major months. With 41.2 per cent of the
selling point: a real hardware key- smartphone market, Finnish
board to accompany the virtual phone maker Nokia is still listed
one. as the overall leader in Gartner’s
However, the Pre did have to rankings.
launch without anywhere near Yet the company has also come
the critical mass of applications under criticism for reacting too
now available through Apple’s slowly to the smartphone trend
App Store. and for losing its role as a trend-
The G1 from HTC hit the mar- setter.
ket some time ago as the first The company hopes to turn it
phone running Google’s Android all around with the Nokia N97,
operating system. Some saw in it featuring a touch screen display
the potential to challenge the and sliding keyboard. Like its
iPhone for its crown. Yet it never competitors, the N97 focuses on
awakened the wave of enthu- mobile Internet use.
siasm that the iPhone did. With updates for Nokia’s N-
The Taiwanese manufacturer is Gage gaming platform, the
now releasing its second Android smartphone also works as a gam-
phone, the HTC Magic, to be fol- ing console. ■
lowed shortly thereafter by Sam- DPA

쒀 A Tomy employee displays 6cm long micro robot pets called "MicroPets-i", shaped
as dogs, cats, bears and pandas, which are equipped with optical and touch
sensors, enabling them to follow an object or move to avoid obstacles, at the
company’s headquarters in Tokyo. PHOTO: AFP
06 VILLAGE ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Free drinks to staff abusers


A bar is Spain is encouraging its customers to insult its
staff - by offering free drinks to the funniest abusers.

Emma Watson turns designer S Korea plans


Harry Potter star Emma Watson is trying her hand
at designing a clothing range. college course
The actress who was unveiled earlier this month as
the new face of British fashion house Burberry, for retirees
after previously modelling for French couture A prestigious university
brand Chanel is now releasing her own designs for in rapidly ageing South
teenagers, reports imdb.com. Korea is preparing to
Watson will also donate her proceeds from the launch courses to help
collections to the children’s charity UNICEF. senior citizens get the
“She’s been getting advice from her fashion most out of
designer pals like Karl Lagerfeld,” said a source. retirement, officials
IANS said on Monday.
The plan was unveiled
by Seoul National University chief Lee Jang-Moon last
week at a meeting with his counterpart from the
Kasab asked to stop laughing or University of Tokyo, school officials said, adding a pilot
programme is due as early as this autumn.
face Dara Singh It will initially be a short-term course but eventually
The lone surviving gunman behind the Mumbai terror develop into an academic degree programme, they said.
attacks, Ajmal Amir Kasab, has been reprimanded by The university currently runs non-degree courses for the
lawyers for laughing during the court proceedings, and general public but not a programme exclusively for
recently a lawyer asked him to be serious or else he would retirees.
call Dara Singh. “It is time to research how to spend a fruitful post-
He has drawn reprimands from the lawyers for laughing, retirement period,” Lee was quoted as saying last week.
although they have also After years of promoting family planning in the crowded
nicknamed him “the nation of 48.6 million, South Korea in recent years has
short one” and become increasingly alarmed at its ageing society.
occasionally joke with AFP
him.
On Thursday, when he
was laughing at their
banter, prosecutor Wills-Kate wedding on the cards
Ujjwal Nikam turned to Prince William is reportedly taking girlfriend Kate Middleton to
him and said: “Don’t meet Queen Elizabeth II, fuelling reports they might tie the knot
laugh. Be serious. soon.
Otherwise I will call Kate has apparently been invited to the Queen’s traditional break
Dara Singh,” a reference in Balmoral and will spend the weekend with her royal beau there.
to the legendary Indian The 27-year-old was said to have first met the Monarch at her
wrestler often invoked grandson Peter Philip’s wedding last May and her invitation to the
by parents to keep their Highland retreat would be seen as significant.
children quiet. Kasab “Kate loves shooting so she will fit in well with the Royal Family.
laughed even more. She will take it in her stride,” News of the World quoted a source
ANI as saying.
ANI

Murray credits girlfriend for his success

Y
oung tennis ace Andy “When we get together her dad (famed tennis coach
Murray has put his suc- we’ve always got something Nigel Sears) is so closely in-
cess down to his gor- to talk about, and the relation- volved with the sport.”
geous girlfriend of four ship always seems a bit fresh- “I’m not much help with her
years Kim Sears. er,” the News of the World English course, though - hav-
Credited with turning the quoted Andy as saying. ing read only a bit of The
petulant teenager into a po- The couple have just moved Rock’s autobiography and a
tential Wimbledon champion, into a 5.45 million pounds couple of Harry Potter books -
21-year-old Sears is regarded mansion in Surrey with their but when she did drama I used
as an essential part of Mur- border terrier Maggie. to help her with her lines.
ray’s life. “I’m lucky. I know Kim isn’t “I had to try and speak a bit
Sears is about to finish an with me because I’m in the of Shakespeare . . . Measure
English literature degree at spotlight. When we met I was for Measure, she said it was . . .
Sussex University and has am- playing qualifiers,” Andy said. but I had no idea what I was
bitions of a career in publish- “She also understands the talking about,” he added. ■
ing. life of a tennis player because ANI
Andy Murray with his girlfriend Kim Sears. PHOTO: AFP
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
07
Word’s worth Ship baby given life travel
Catch up with your favourite TV theme tunes of yesteryear: A baby that was born on a passenger ferry
http://www.tvtunesonline.com/ travelling between Stockholm’s and Tallinn
Get back at your office nemesis: has been granted a lifetime of free travel
http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/eight-rules-for-dealing-with-your- by Estonian shipping line Tallink.
office/20050808 184809990124

And the BBC


show’s mystery
driver is...
Michael Schumacher revealed as ‘Stig’

A
fter years of keeping his identity secret, former Formula
One world champion Michael Schumacher has revealed
he is “The Stig,” the anonymous professional test car
driver from BBC motoring show Top Gear.
Each episode of the cult show, which has been sold to
television channels around the world, sees “The Stig” whizz-
ing around test tracks in powerful cars wearing a white jump-
suit with his features hidden by a white crash helmet.
The original “Stig” was axed from the show after British
racing-car driver Perry McCarthy revealed his identity in an
autobiography in 2002.
Presenter Jeremy Clarkson pretended not to recognise him
at first, asking him what he used to do before he became
famous as the “Stig,” but then excitedly shouted to the studio
audience: “It’s Michael Schumacher!” , Formula One’s most
successful driver and seven-times world champion.
In January, media reports had claimed “Stig” was Ben Col-
lins, who featured as a stuntman in the James Bond film
Quantum of Solace.
The show is shown in more than 100 countries
worldwide. ■
Reuters/AFP

PHOTO: AFP

Woman Aqua guard


gets messages from above
S hari Arison, Israel’s richest
woman and the controlling
shareholder of the country’s sec-
ond-largest bank, said in a tele-
vised interview she receives
messages “from above” and sees
things before they happen.
“For many years I’ve received
messages, you could call them
transmissions or messages. I see
many things before they hap-
pen,” Arison said in an interview
with Israel’s Channel Two.
“Apparently I got this gift to see
ahead of time, not in order to run
and buy and sell to make more
money but to lead the world there would be an economic cri-
elsewhere.” sis and people would go crazy.
“There are many people who But she said she believes the
get messages in this world. With world is moving toward
me it works either through a pic- redemption.
ture, a word or in my sleep, all “How long it will take isn’t
kinds of ways,” she said. clear. Before the big light the
“I receive them directly from great darkness comes, and I think
쒀 A man walks his dog along the flooded banks of a port in Xiamen, southeast
above,” she added, gesturing with we are in the period of darkness,”
China’s Fujian province. PHOTO: AFP
her hands. Arison said that two she said. ■
years ago she got a message that Reuters
08 SPORT ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Armstrong wins in California


Lance Armstrong won the Nevada City Classic on Sunday, holding off
teammate Levi Leipheimer in the challenging one-day race in the Sierra
Nevada foothills. Armstrong finished a repeated 1.1-mile (1.8-kilimeter)
circuit through the historic mining town in 1 hour, 28 minutes and 20
seconds, sprinting away with about six laps to go on the hilly course.

Schumacher revealed Lioness: Sharapova’s grunts


just rank nine decibels less
Formula One legend Michael Schumacher was on Sunday unveiled than the king of the jungle.
as “the Stig”, the mystery man who test drives cars on British cult
motoring show Top Gear.
The identity of the white-clad driver is kept a
closely guarded secret, but Schumacher, who
was Formula One world drivers’ champion
seven times, finally revealed himself in the first
of a new series of the show on Sunday night.
Former Formula One driver Perry McCarthy was
Top Gear’s original Stig, who dressed all in
black during the first two series. The show is
shown in more than 100 countries worldwide.
AFP

Afridi may become Pak’s


next T20 skipper
Flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who after guiding Pakistan
to the Twenty20 World Cup title in Sunday’s final expressed
willingness to lead the national team at least once before calling
it quit. And he may soon get the opportunity. The dream of
Afridi, who cracked an unbeaten 40-ball 54 to help Pakistan beat
Sri Lanka by eight wickets at the Lord’s, may come true after
Younis Khan stepped down as the T20 skipper.
Having regained his sublime touch with the bat and his bowling
already being a potent weapon, Afridi is now most
likely to succeed Younis as the T20 skipper. “For
the time being Shoaib Malik is ruled out of
contention for captaincy at any level and the way
Afridi has performed and handled new found
responsibilities as a senior player, he is certain to
become the Pakistan captain for T20 cricket,” one
Pakistan Cricket Board official said. If Afridi comes
Game, set a
at the helm of country’s T20 squad, his first
assignment will be the one-off match against Sri Lanka on August Wimbledon faces noise pollution
12 during their tour to the island nation.
And indications are that Afridi will also be taking over as
Pakistan’s ODI captain if Younis decides to play the Test matches
only.
PTI

Goodbye T20, welcome WC 2011


Even after becoming the second Pakistani captain to win a World
Cup with the Twenty20 format triumph, Younis Khan is not a
satisfied man and now wants to emulate Imran Khan by winning
the 50-over World title in 2011. Sources close to Younis said that
he decided to quit Twenty20 cricket for star all-rounder Shahid
Afridi to take the skipper’s mantle in the shortest format but he is
not in a mood to stand down from the ODI captaincy.
“Younis is a very straightforward character so he has decided to
quit Twenty20 cricket and leave it to the youngsters with (Shahid)
Afridi in charge. But Younis is dead serious about
captaining the team to take a shot at 2011 World Cup
title,” the source said. According to sources, Younis was
not being able to assert his authority in the beginning
of Twenty20 World Cup because of problems among
senior team members, similar to what happened in
1992 over late inclusion of star batsman Javed
Miandad, which was the reason behind Pakistan losing Heir apparent:
the early matches. It is no secret that when Younis Portuguese
replaced Shoaib Malik as captain in February after Michelle Larcher
Pakistan lost its home one-day series to Sri Lanka, some of the De Brito’ss decibel
leading players were not happy with the change. Younis level is still
reportedly faced problems in getting cooperation from players unconfirmed, but
including Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Salman Butt and even her opponents
wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal. testify her to be
PTI close to the
Queen.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
09

‘‘
I dedicate this victory to Gopi Sir and my parents for their cooperation right
through my career. Winning tournaments at this level is not easy. That is why
I cannot say that I will repeat my performance in the Malaysian Open.
Saina Nehwal

is time for something to be probed about her grunting,


done,” she said at an awards cer- which has been measured at 88.9
emony in Paris earlier this decibels, 10-times grand slam
month. Jimmy Connors grunted champion Williams said it was
his way to eight grand slam victo- “definitely not conscious. Some-
ries in the 1970s and 80s. Ivan times I am so zoned I don’t grunt,
Lendl complained that Andre sometimes I’m so zoned that I do
Agassi’s grunting put him off. To- grunt”.
day female players are under the
spotlight as “decibel demons”. School of grunting?
Larcher de Brito was trained at
Sex appeal the Florida academy of Nick Bol-
A lion’s roar is reckoned to re- lettieri, who nurtured such grand
ach 110 decibels. Former Wim- slam champions as Sharapova,
bledon champion Maria Seles and Agassi. He says his a- Shriek freak:
Sharapova, who says she grunted cademy has never encouraged Monica Seles is
since the age of four and cannot grunting but argues that it does still a close
help it, has been measured at 101. help players to release energy and second to
At her pre-Wimbledon news con- stay focused. This is the perfect Sharapova in
ference on Saturday, the first opportunity for British tabloid ‘grantometer’.
question to Sharapova was about newspapers to plug in their
grunting. She was asked to com- courtside “gruntometers” once
ment on former champion Mi- more and wax lyrical with noise
chael Stich saying that women metaphors about police sirens,
players should not grunt because aircraft taking off and bull ele-
it was not sexy and sex appeal phants bellowing.
was the main attraction of wom- Wimbledon officials, mean-
en’s tennis. while, will be all ears. “We will be
“No, I don’t have an opinion on monitoring the situation. We
that,” she replied crisply. Also work together with the Interna-
tional Tennis Federation and oth-
er grand slams on this issue,” a
tournament spokesman said.

and grunt
Rule book
The rules of the game state: “If
the player is hindered on the
point by a deliberate act of the
opponent, the player shall win
the point”. Wimbledon umpires
will need to decide if the player is
grunting on purpose. The ball is The Grunters
firmly in their court. ■ Lion’s roar 110
Reuters Maria Sharapova 101
Monica Seles 93.2

M
artina Navratilova thinks
it is cheating, Serena Wil-
Serena Williams 88.9
liams does not even Lindsay Davenport 88
know she is doing it and Venus Williams 85
now there is a Portuguese teenag- Victoria Azarenka 83.5
er who appears to cry out in ago- Elena Bovina 81
ny when she hits the ball. Anna Kournikova 78.5
Grunting is back on the tennis Kim Clijsters 75
agenda at the world’s most fa- Elena Dementieva 73
mous tournament, which starts
on Monday, and the big noise at
Wimbledon could be 16-year-old
Michelle Larcher de Brito.
At the French Open, her oppo-
nent Aravane Rezai complained
about the racket across the net,
telling the umpire it was distract-
ing her. Unrepentant as she
heads into Wimbledon’s first
round as a wild card, Larcher de
Brito has said grunting is “just so-
mething I have done always since
I started playing tennis. I am go-
ing to keep on doing it because it
is really part of my game”.

Call for a ban


Nine-times Wimbledon cham-
pion Navratilova, who found the
grunting of Monica Seles off-put- Yell boy: Andre Agassi
ting, feels tennis officials should was one of the few
take a stand. “The grunting has male proponents of
reached an unacceptable level. It the art.
is cheating pure and simple and it
10 FLICK ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Wolverine breaks record


Hugh Jackman starrer X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which released Friday, has
grossed around Rs.75 million ($1.5 million) in its opening weekend in India.
Having already topped the US box office by raking in $160 million in its
first weekend and with collections of almost $350 million worldwide so far,
Wolverine broke the opening record for any Hollywood film in India.

Raveena sees part


of herself in Kareena 1991 movie Patthar Ke Phool, was there are no controversies and
RADHIKA BHIRANI
considered among the most rav- the best part is that only true tal-

S
he is known to be outspo- ishing actresses of her time. But ent carries the show on its shoul-
ken. National Award-win- after tying the knot with distrib- ders,” she says.
ning actress Raveena utor Anil Thadani in 2004, she bid Apart from the show, Raveena
Tandon makes no bones adieu to movies to concentrate will also soon be seen in Revathy
about naming her favourite ac- on her family. Verma’s film Chassni alongside
tress in the new brigade. She came back to limelight last Jaya Bachchan.
“Among the new actresses I see year as a judge on kids’ song and As of now, Raveena is enjoying
not a reflection but a part of me dance TV reality show Chak De her vacation full throttle – not on-
in Kareena. She has a very strong, Bachche and now she is judging ly because she is with her hus-
distinct and vibrant persona. She another kids’ comedy show Mi- band and children but also since
is electric and has an amazing yan - Chapter 2 on Colors. it has helped her lose weight
screen presence unlike most ac- Being a mother of two – four- without making an extra effort.
tresses today,” say Raveena, now year-old Rasha and nearly two- “I love this holiday. My kids
holidaying in Singapore. year-old Ranbir – Raveena says have been just moving around
“A lot of female actors are short she has an instant connect with and Anil and I are just running
nowadays. I like taller girls. Ka- children and that is why she asso- after them. We went to Disney-
reena’s height is good. This is ciates herself with children’s land in Hong Kong recently
what actresses should be like,” shows. where they sat in strollers and
says Raveena, known for films “I do approve of shows which made me move them around. So I
like Mohra and Andaz Apna Ap- deal with kids simply because have happily lost almost two
na. they are very uncomplicated. pounds,” she says excitedly. ■
Raveena, who debuted with the With them, nothing is made up, IANS

Raveena will also soon be seen in Revathy Verma’s


film Chassni alongside Jaya Bachchan.

So you think Katie Angry Kate


can dance drowns
K atie Holmes has donned her dancing shoes
for a cameo on the small-screen for the boyfriend’s
finale of hit US talent show So You Think You
Can Dance. songs
The Dawson’s Creek star has been dogged
with rumours about her involvement with the
series after it emerged she was taking secret
K ate Moss reportedly
hurled her rocker
boyfriend Jamie Hince’s
dance lessons and met with the programme’s laptop, which contained
producer Nigel Lythgoe, and now sources new songs of his band The
have confirmed that she is set to appear on Kills, into the swimming
the show after filming a cameo segment June pool during a spat. Jamie
15, reports imdb.com. ended up having to leap
“It taped last week. It’s going to be on the into the water in a vain
finale. It’s a Broadway does Hollywood attempt to recover his
number. It opens on a Broadway stage and tunes that had no backup.
then she walks into a Hollywood studio,” said “Kate and Jamie were
a source. Holmes also dazzled everyone on having a romantic weekend
the set with her skills. in her countryside pad when things spiralled out of
“She was amazing. She was such a pro. Her control,” the Mirror quoted a source as saying.
legs are in great shape. She’s got a hat and a The source continued: “Jamie was absolutely livid and
cane and she’s wearing a leotard and tights,” kept yelling, ‘Why would you do such a f*****g stupid
the source added. thing?! You’re acting like a fishwife!’”
The season finale airs on August 6. ■ But apparently the pair made up after the row. ■
IANS ANI
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
11
Lindsay gets her sixth tattoo
Singer-actress Lindsay Lohan has a fetish for tattoos and
recently got the sixth one – a quote by Hollywood legend
Marilyn Monroe – inked on her left wrist. It reads
“Everyone’s a star and deserves the right to twinkle”
according to dailymail.co.uk

Cine City

Achchamundu! Achchamundu!
to release on July 10
Finally, the release date of Achchamundu!
Achchamundu! is announced. That is July 10. The
movie starring Prasanna, Sneha and Emmy-award
winner John Shea was under production for the
past one year. Directed by debutant Arun
Vaidyanathan, the film received great reception at
the Shanghai International Film Festival where it
was screened. The crew is also planning to release
the Telugu version of the movie. Achchamundu !
Achchamundu! also gains importance for it is the
first movie in India to be shot on a Red One
camera.

I
f sources are to be believed, Scarlett Johansson is being considered
for the lead role in The Bride of Frankenstein remake.
The project, based on the 1935 horror classic, will be directed by Neil
Burger, reports the China Daily.
And the 24-year-old actress is tipped to portray a sexier version of the
terrifying female monster in the updated version.
“The Bride of Frankenstein will be young this time. They’re looking for a
person with great power and sex appeal. Someone along the lines of
Scarlett Johansson or Anne Hathaway,” a source said.
English actress Elsa Lanchester played the role in the older version. ■ Maestro magic
ANI Remixing old hits is the in-thing in Tamil cinema.
Recently director Sundarapandi had a plan to
remix maestro Ilayaraja’s evergreen song ‘Aayiram
Thamarai’, from the movie Alaigal Oyvadhillai, for
his upcoming flick Vaigai. But the director had to
shelve his plan as none of the musicians were able
to match up to the original soundtrack. Finally the
crew had to carry on with the same track without
any modification. That’s the maestro’s magic!
12 ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Monday’s Query:
Which cine actor would you
like to nominate as Indian
cricket team’s coach for the
next T20 World Cup and
why?
■ Aamir Khan he lead Lagaan team to victory
Pradeep Sankaran, Nasurudeen Allsec,
Subasis Das Sify

■ Captain Vijaykanth. Then only we can


eliminate the current champions Pakistan
Sugan, Ranjith.R Menon, Sharique IBM,
MV.Santhoshkumar, Vandana, Niranjani,
Lakshmi Allsec, V.Valarmathi, Guru, Sara,
Mani Cognizant, Samsudeen, Sureshkumar TCS, Prabhu.M, Team Leader from TechnoSoft Global Services has nominated his friends as Partners
Swathi Infosys, Muthuraman Wipro, in Crime. This picture was clicked at Kodaikanal.
Vignesh RRD, Satheesh.S Trimble Navigation Ltd,
Senthilkumaran Softeon, Oswin, Thiyagu Firstsource

■ Vijay he knows how to take team to final


without winning semi-finals. (Ref-Gilli)
Santhosh Temenos, Sebastin Perotsystems,
N.Shenbagaraja Allsec

■ Bagyaraj he is the one and only drill master


of India
Raghav, TCS

■ Rajinikanth becoz avarthan summa


paranthu paranthu adiparu
Senthilganesh TCS, Pinky IBM

■ Maddy by seeing his wonderful


performance in ’Priyamana Thozhi’ Indian
team will gain energy and beat the
opponents
G.Sudha Cognizant

■ JK.Rithish because namma team mela Dhurai from TCS eServe has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This picture was
kannaum vaiparu gunnaum vaiparu clicked at Ooty during their team outing.
Ponmudi, Gandhi, Baskar.SP TCS,
Anandakrishnan.P Ford,
Naveen Wipro

■ Vadivelu for his role in Kovai Brothers


Rajeshkumar Allsec, Saranya.M Cognizant,
Suganthi RSystems

■ Shahrukh Khan bcoz he will bring unity in


the team like in Chak de India
Aravindkumar Cognizant, Shanthi TCS,
R.Pandian Perot Systems

Today’s Query:
Technology now allows
parents to keep an eye on
their kids’ mobile phones.
One compelling reason why
Subramanian A from Calsoft has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This picture is
you would spy your beloved? clicked in their office campus at Tidal Park.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
13

■ Dear Swapnil,
Wish You Many More
Happy Return of the day.
Udayakumar S. from TCS-eServe May all your dreams come
has been nominated as Office Angel true and this be another
by his team members. fantastic year for you.
With lots of love
Uday is a good-looking guy with MIS TEAM (TCS e-Serve)
extremely good at his work; we always
wonder how he is maintaining his ■ Dear Kuta darling,
Romeo status with his tight work sweet birthday…..Dont
schedule. His good morning message smile,lot of tube light
will really light up our mornings. Keep here..Nee sonna mathuri
it up Uday! ERGO la wish
pannithean,so come soon
and give me treat…ha ha
ha …
welcome to chennai..[try
to reduce ur weight da tpi
pls]
With Tons n Tons of Love,
Blade, Loose, Tube

■ Hi Suresh,
You know you are getting
old when the candles cost
more than the cake. :-)
We all wish you plenty of
joy,
but still we have bought
you a toy! ha ha ha Ok
Ok Suresh, Cool...
We don’t want to tense
you on your birthday.
Aneez Fathima of Wipro We all wish you a very
Technologies doodled this. Happy and Joyful birthday
Hope the days that follow
it
Make up a year that
brings
Everything that you
deserve
A million happy things.
Best wishes from,
Ramah, Navanee, Ravi, Madhi

■ Hi Evangeline
May this special day be
filled with sweet
memories and happy
hours. Wishing you all the
fun and excitement that
only birthdays can bring!
With Cheers,
Human Resources, Coastal
Training Technologies India
(P) Ltd, Chennai

■ Hi Nirmala
Wishing you a very happy
1. Father: Vaathiyar Thirukural Yethaninu keatathukku yennada pathil sonnai? birthday. Let this day
Son: 2000 nnu Sonnean !! brings you lots of
Father: 1330 nnu Solla veandiathu thaane? happiness and success in
Son: Popaa 2000 nuu sonneathuke thittitaaru.. 1330 nnu solli innum kuraichi iruntha adichi iruppaaru.. future. May god keep you
Father: ?? Shocked !! in good health and spirit.
Have a great year ahead.
2) Teacher: Adukku thodarukku oru otharanam solluda. From Your Team
Student: Theriyaathu Theriyaathu Theriyaathu. Gayathri, Ezhil, Surajj,
Teacher: Very good !! Very Good !! Very Good !! Prakash, Jeeva & Dominic
B. Saravanan
Financial Software & Systems (P) Ltd
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Taste as ’regional as dialect’


A new study insists that people’s taste buds
are just as regionally determined as their
accents are across the county’s of the U.K.

sudoku

M. Uma Sankar
from ISOFT
Technologies
shot this
picture at
Munnar using
Canon Power
Shot camera.
Hobbies:
Watching T.V.
and reading

KAKURO
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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
15
Cycling gran catches thief Word’s worth
An 80-year-old German nanny managed to Chaston (chas-tun)
catch a thief who stole her handbag while the part of a ring
cycling past her - by catching up with him that holds a stone
on her own bike and retrieving her property (also called a collet).

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20


Your mood will fluctuate like a character’s in
Shakespeare’s play — sad now and happy the next
minute. But you will soon get a hold on your
emotions and concentrate on your personal and
professional life, says Ganesha.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20


A wonderful day is coming your way, says Ganesha.
You will welcome this break as your daily life has
become rather monotonous. Be more creative while
expressing your feelings to your beloved. After all,
there are hundreds of ways to say ’I love you’.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20


You must add that extra zing to anything you do
BORN LOSER today. Setting your goals in advance will give you
the right direction in life. Ganesha rings wedding
bells for those who are in love. Mind your actions
in this crucial phase of your life, advises Ganesha.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Today, you will graciously accept healthy criticism
and vow to work on areas that need improving.
Though things aren’t really rosy in your love life
right now, Ganesha says the coast is clear in the
future.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You will be caught between your personal and
professional life all through the day. With important
meetings and social activities lined up, you won’t
get a minute’s respite, not even to break for tea,
says Ganesha.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Everyone around you may feel today that you are
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT behaving snootily. The only way to prove them
wrong is by being humble and friendly. With a
rather easy day at work, you will look forward to
being with your loved ones.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
With your willingness to share and care, you will
make many friends today. But be careful, says
Ganesha — helping others is good, but assuming a
high-and-mighty stance isn’t. Love life is free of
trouble, provided you keep it like that!
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Today, you are in the right frame of mind to forge
new partnerships or ink new deals. Rest assured,
these tie-ups will augur well for your future, says
Ganesha. Nothing remarkable will happen on the
love front.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Though you’ll adopt a determined stance in
everything you do today, Ganesha says anything in
excess is bad. Friends and well-wishers will point
out your errors and guide you to the right path. It
will do you a lot of good if you lend them a ear!
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You will be more open to expressing your feelings
with today’s celestial energy, which will make life a
lot easier in terms of your professional and personal
life. In the evening, you will relax in the company of
your love mate.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Be careful in office today, as chances are that you
may have a tiff with your boss. So take any step
ISSUE’S only after thinking things through. Share your
feelings with your partner tonight. Don’t be churlish,
SOLUTIONS advises Ganesha.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Your stunning looks are going to attract people like
bees to honey, says Ganesha. Also, HR tasks that
top priority list will keep you busy. Today, you will
entice your beloved with a surprise dinner, followed
by coffee at his/her place.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The setting sun shines on Jakarta’s landmark Welcome People listen to an orchestra at the Paris Trocadero square
Monument, locally known as the Tugu Selamat Datang. during the annual music event, "La Fete de la Musique".
PHOTO: AFP PHOTO: AFP

Sri Lankan children play cricket on a beach in Colombo. Actor Tom Cruise and son Connor Cruise (L) watch the NASCAR
PHOTO: AFP Sprint Cup Series Toyota/Save Mart 350 at the Infineon Raceway
in Sonoma, California. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

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