A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, July 10, 2009

07
LITTLE MASTER
turns 60
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 129

DR. DOG TO THE RESCUE

Students of Saraswathi regularly interact with a black » PAGE 03
Labrador to help them with their communication skills.
Anusha Parthasarathy reports.

PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

On time
Fastrack is offering 20 per cent off
on all its watches and sunglasses.
Post-discount the watches start from
Rs. 475 and glasses from Rs. 555.

Food

Contest

Play on
The King of Pop is no
more, but his music will
remain immortal. To
bring alive the magic of
Michael Jackson, Desitara
invites you to participate
in the contest “Michael
Jackson is Alive”.
Participants need to
perform their favourite
Michael Jackson song and
upload the video on
Desitara.com. The contest
is on till July 20. Those
who get the maximum
Here’s come chef Cheung
number of votes win Chin Chin at the Residency is playing host to Chef Hardy Cheung,
exciting goodies such as who will delight guests with Chinese food. The main course will have
play stations and iPods. sea food, poultry, lamb, tenderloin, pork and vegetarian cuisines,
showcasing the different cooking styles that China has to offer.
To make your reservations call 98841 39319

Contest
Food
Calling homemakers
Balle, balle Twilite Corpos is back with its yearly event Mrs Homemaker. The
talent hunt taps the forgotten skills of married women. As
If machili Amristari, homemakers have no retirement, there is no age limit for
chooza e bhalle bhalle, participation.
Punjabi pakodi kadi, dal For details call 9884331103/ 65446967. Email:
makhani...and all things mrshomemaker@twilitecorpos.in
Punjabi are sure to
please your taste buds,
Asiana Hotel should be
your stop. The hotel is
hosting ‘Khana be
Bassant’ with Punjabi
cuisines from July 13 to
18 with a lunch buffet.
For reservations call
67411000 extn 7242

Workshop

The TED show

TED (Technology, Education, Design) is an annual conference where
the best speakers share their ideas to the world. These talks are
updated on TED.com. Now, Chennai in a small way is playing host to
these TED videos. The event is open to all.
Drop in at F5IVE Technologies, C-2, Raj Paris Apartments, 82,
Kamaraj Street, Virugambakkam. For details call 9790371573
 Friday, July 10, 2009
03

Doctor Dog
A black Labrador plays the role of a
doctor at Saraswathi Kendra Learning
Centre for Children in Alwarpet

pen describing it and ‘Pet Ther-
apy with Sachin’ written in big
bold letters at the top. “Sachin is
a little Dachshund puppy… He
has a body like a sausage...” it
goes. It was written by an autistic
boy who, after nine years of si-
lence, spoke about Sachin the
first ever time he spoke.
“You can’t have this kind of
success with other animals. But
even with dogs, the best breeds to
work with are Labradors and re-
trievers. They’re naturally friend-
ly dogs. The smaller breeds are
unpredictable and though we did
work with two Dachshunds, labs
are the best,” Dr. Nanditha Krish-
nan, Hon. Director, CPR Founda-
tion, says.
Dr. Dog sessions are two times
a week for about 45 minutes. It is
on a one-on-one basis and the
dog works with three or four kids
every class. During the course the
student works with dogs in a
planned way to increase desir-
able abilities.
Saraswathi Kendra, in associa-
tion with Blue Cross, certifies
these dogs and trains them for
use in other special schools
across the city.
“We encourage volunteers too.
People can bring in their dog to
work with us for the Dr. Dog pro-
gramme. The dog has to be mini-
mum two years old, healthy,
vaccinated and must have basic
obedience skills. A lot of people
have volunteered in the past but
they drop out soon because we
insist that the dogs have to be
sterilised to prevent aggression.
But it’s imperative because one
mistake could cost the dog and
the child their life,” Nanditha
explains.
“There is
something about a
dog that makes the
child talk. No one
knows how or
why. But it just
happens.”
As Dr. Moosa leaves the class,
the kids protest for a few minutes
and then watch as their doctor is
led away by his handler.
“This helps them learn to let
go,” Nanditha concludes, adding,
“But I must tell you that there is
something about a dog that
makes the child talk. No one
knows how or why. But it just
happens.” ■

Students of Saraswathi Kendra Learning Centre during a session

with Dr. Dog. PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY Centre for Children, a part of the through the dog and encourage
anushaparthasarathy@hotmail.com C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Founda- the children to reply. This not on-
tion, is India’s first full-time ly improves their verbal commu-

D
r. Moosa is a regular at Sa-
raswathi Kendra Learning
Centre for Children. As he
enters the class, the chil-
dren crowd around him, excited
and a little scared. He sits down
and waits patiently as they ap-
proach him. “Hi! My name is Ash-
ok,” one of the boys says shyly,
adding “I like dosa. Do you like
dosa?” Moosa holds out a paw
and someone at the back says,
“He likes Dosa too.”
Dr. Moosa is a black Labrador.
Saraswathi Kendra Learning
school for children with autism,
learning disabilities, dyslexia and
behaviour and habit disorders. It
provides a range of innovative
therapies for its 175-odd students
and one of it is animal-assisted
therapy for autistic children. And
what better animal to work with
than man’s best friend?
“Autistic children have an in-
ability to communicate verbally
and concentrate on one particu-
lar thing. Some of them never
talk. But when there is a dog, they
feel a lot more at ease. We talk
nication but they also learn to
concentrate. We have found it to
be more effective than traditional
therapy,” says Marlene J. Kam-
dar, the principal.
Dr. Dog has been around for
13-odd years and remains a high-
ly successful method even today.
Dr. Moosa is the seventh on call.
One among the therapy’s best
success stories hangs in the front
office of the school in the form of
a framed chart with the childish
drawing of a Dachshund, 10
scrawling lines written in sketch
04 ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

Village Witch wanted

A tourist attraction in Somerset, England is offering a $72,500 (GBP50,000) job for
a witch to live in a cave.

A bed in ’Florence’ for PM

Leaders of the world’s wealthiest countries gathered
for the G8-G5 summit may not have the time to go
sightseeing but their hosts have ensured that Italy’s
famous tourist cities are never from their minds.
The buildings where the heads of G8 and G5
governments are staying have been given names like
Venice, Turin and Florence. Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur, two relatives and
senior members of the Prime Minister’s Office are in
the Florence building.
The visiting heads of states and their accompanying
officials have been lodged in 19 buildings that have
been converted into virtual hotels with nearly 1,000
rooms. They are all in the Scuola Sottouficiali campus
of the Guardia da Finanzia, the Italian financial police,
at Coppito near here.
L’Aquila was hit by a major earthquake this April.
Under a contingency plan to evacuate the delegates
in case of another big quake during the summit in
Recession hits Queen hard this tremor-prone area, the complex of a police
The worst economic recession in generations has seen the British institute in Rome, about 100 km away, has been kept
monarch loosing 1.3 billion pounds from the value of her assets in ready.
the property market collapse, according to a news report. IANS
The Crown Estate, which supervises Queen Elizabeth’s land and
property empire, slumped in value from 7.3 billion pounds to 6
billion pounds in the year to March. The 18 per cent decline in its
potential asking price was the first since 1993, the Daily Mail
reported.
The Crown Estate’s annual report showed that the value of its
assets, which excludes Queen Elizabeth’s privately-held royal
palaces, have been hit badly by falling office and retail rents in the
recession.
The British Queen received more than 500,000 euros in European
agricultural subsidies in 2008.
According to figures released by the department of rural affairs
(Defra), the monarch - who is Britain’s 214th richest person
according to the Sunday Times Rich List - received 473,583.31
pounds (about 700,000 dollars, 530,000 euros) for her farm at
Sandringham.
Her eldest son, Prince Charles, received 95,222.56 pounds for his
Duchy of Cornwall, and 86,262.98 for the Duchy’s farm - a total of
181,485.54 pounds.
PTI

Puppy love in the time of networking sites

W
earing a pair of black
shades, Neemo literally
grins through his profile
picture. Looking for a
mate and proudly claiming that it
will be “love at first sight” for
anyone seeing him, Neemo is not
a biped like us but a cocker spa-
niel registered on a pet network-
ing site.
An offshoot of Pawprints, a dog
grooming centre, www.puppylo-
ve.in is a meeting point for dog
lovers eager to share information
and other tit-bits about their
pets. But more importantly it
provides them a platform to find
a suitable mate for their adorable
canines. Geetika Nigam, the
woman behind the initiative, said
the birth of the website - with the
tagline “it’s a dog meet dog
world” - happened after Paw-
prints came into being in 2006.
“In the grooming centre I came
across a lot of dog owners dis-
traught over finding a suitable
mate for their pet. They usually
went through two channels - ei-
ther through their vets who
themselves have a limited circle
of people or newspaper ads
which they didn’t entirely rely
on,” Nigam said.
So while Neemo is a four-year-
old male cocker spaniel from
Gurgaon, “fit banda” Brownie, a
golden retriever, prefers not to
disclose his location. Mumbaikar
Shelly, a Labrador, is looking for a
play mate. So if anyone is inter-
ested, they can add these ca-
nines’ owners to their buddy list
and get in touch.
“Most of my clientele in the
grooming centre are from the ex-
pat community. But puppylove-
.com got some 1,000 users
registered in the first week itself
from amongst a wide range of
people. That egged me to add
more information on the site and
make it more fun,” said Nigam. ■
IANS
 Friday, July 10, 2009
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/AFP
Meet new Nobel Peace Prize candidate
TWITTER
A US official proposes the honour for the micro-blogging site, which is ruling the cyberspace
T
he next time you surf the In-
ternet, you may bump into a
Nobel Peace Prize candi-
date. A US security expert
has proposed the honour for mi-
cro-blogging site Twitter, which
helped protesters in Iran beat
censorship and tell their tale to
the world.
The free social messaging util-
ity uniquely documented and
personalised the story of hope,
heroism and horror in Iran, says
Mark Pfeifle, former deputy na-
tional security adviser for strateg-
ic communications and global
outreach at the US National Se-
curity Council.
“The video gave substance to
what seemed so far away. We saw
the look in her eyes as they went
lifeless. We heard the sounds of
her friends and family as they
begged her to hold on. And she
became the personification of the
struggle for democracy in a coun-
try where voices for freedom are
quelled,” Pfeifle wrote in The
Christian Science Monitor this
week.
“Her name was Neda Agha-Sol-
tan, and without Twitter we
might never have known that she
lived in Iran, that she dreamed of
a free Iran, and that she died in a
divided Iran for her dreams.”
“Neda became the voice of a
movement; Twitter became the
megaphone. Twitter is a free so-
cial messaging utility. It drove
people around the world to pic-
tures, videos, sound bites, and
blogs in a true reality show of life,
dreams, and death. Last month’s
marches for freedom and the vio-
lent crackdowns were not only
documented but personalised in-
to a story of mythic tragedy.”
The article titled “A Nobel
Peace Prize for Twitter?” notes
that when journalists were forced
to leave Iran, Twitter became a
“window for the world to view
hope, heroism, and horror. It be-
came the assignment desk, the
reporter, and the producer. And,
because of this, Twitter and its
creators are worthy of being con-
sidered for the Nobel Peace
Prize.”
Is it a bit of a far-fetched pro-
posal or merely a nice headline?
Well, Pfeifle is fully serious.
“I first mentioned this idea
while being interviewed on a ca-
ble news programme. Many
Mountain lays eggs
Officials in China are hoping to encourage tourists to
visit the Gandeng Mountain by suggesting the natural
wonder “lays eggs.”
scoffed. That’s understandable.
But think about what Twitter has
accomplished: It has empowered
people to attempt to resolve a do-
mestic showdown with interna-
tional implications - and has
enabled the world to stand with
them. It laid the foundation to
pressure the world to denounce
oppression in Iran.”
As many people in Iran came
out on the streets against what
they saw as fraud in the presiden-
tial elections last month, 140
characters were enough “to shine
a light on Iranian oppression and
elevate Twitter to the level of
change agent. Even the govern-
ment of Iran has been forced to
utilise the very tool they attempt-
ed to squelch to try to hold on to
power”.
05
Without Twitter, the article ar-
gues, the world might have
known little more than a losing
candidate accusing the powers
that be of alleged fraud. With
Twitter, “they now shout hope
with a passion and dedication
that resonates not just with those
on their street but with millions
across the globe”.
“Twitter and other social media
outlets have become the soft
weapons of democracy. Twitter
told us the story of Neda’s su-
preme sacrifice.
It is telling the story of the Ira-
nian people yearning to breathe
free.
For those reasons, Twitter de-
serves consideration for the No-
bel Peace Prize.” ■
IANS
06 SPORT ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

Akhtar eyes recall

Controversial Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has declared himself 100 per cent fit, saying
he would soon force his way back into the national squad. He expressed his hope of being
recalled into the national team for the Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka scheduled to
be played on August 12.

Indian pugilists excel

Indians were assured of at least two bronze
medals at Magomed-Salam
Umakhanov Memorial Boxing
Championship after Amandeep
Singh (48kg) and Manpreet
Singh (91kg) advanced to the
India dominate
semi-finals of the event in
Makhachkala, Russia.
Amandeep defeated local
favourite Ginnachmaev V 11-2 in
the quarter-finals. Manpreet
knocked out another Russian,
Abdullaev Rustam, in the round of eight and
South Asian Shooting
booked a place in the semi-finals. Indians
had a reasonably good day in other Win six gold on day four, total tally moves to 20
categories as well with national champion
Jasveer Singh (81kg) defeating Iskanderov
Khatiz of Azerbaijan 8-2 in his opening
bout.
However, Jai Singh Patil (69kg) lost to
Armenian Olympian Ambartzumyn Edurd
2-8. Another national champion Kuldeep
Singh lost a close bout to Russian Yron
Nikolia 9-12.
PTI

Marykom cries for support

Ahead of a crucial International Olympic
Committee meeting next month, four-time
world champion M. C. Marykom has asked
the IOC to give female pugilists a “perfect
answer” by including women’s boxing in
the quadrennial multi-sporting
extravaganza.
IOC Executive Board meets on August 13 to
make a final decision regarding the
inclusion of women’s boxing in the Olympic
Games, and Mary is quite confident that the
world’s top sports administrators will decide
in favour of her sport. “Boxing is my career,
my life. I’m just hopeful that the IOC gives
us female boxers the perfect answer,” she
said. The 25-year-old Manipuri, mother of
two-year-old twins, continues to follow her
dream of achieving ultimate glory in
Olympic Games. Mary has competed in all
five AIBA Women’s World Championships
since its inception in 2001. She has claimed
four gold and a silver medal, making her Ashok Pandit. PHOTO: K. BHAGYA PRAKASH
the most successful women boxer in the
world.

F
Ergo Correspondent avourites India continued
their domination to secure
six of the eight gold on the
fourth day of the South
Asian Shooting championships in
Bangladesh to stay atop the med-
als tally with figures of 20-10-5.
Pakistan stayed in second place
with two gold, five silver and four
bronze medals.
Bangladesh bagged two silver
and three bronze to raise their
medals tally to five silver and as
many bronze while Sri Lanka
earned two silver and four bronze
medals to be in fourth position.
In the women’s 10m air pistol
event, India’s Harveen Srao
bagged gold with a score of 479.5
and compatriot Heena Shidhu
won the bronze. Silver went to
Pakistan’s Mehush Mashud. In-
dia also won the women’s air pis-
tol team event with a score of
1131, Bangladesh won silver with
a score of 1095 while Sri Lanka
took the bronze scoring 1092
points. In the 25m standard pistol
event, veteran Indian Ashok Pan-
dit shot 566 to claim the gold, Vi-
jay Kumar won the silver with a
score of 561 while bronze was
won by Pakistan’s Mustakim
Shah who shot 551. The Indian
men’s team finished top in the
standard pistol team event scor-
ing 1677 points, 39 clear of sec-
ond-placed Pakistan, who earned
1638 points. Bangladesh came
third with 1403 points.
In the men’s 50m rifle three po-
sition event, gold went to India’s
Sanjeev Rajput, who garnered
1165 points while compatriot Im-
ran Hassan Khan shot 1150 to win
the silver and Sri Lanka’s SMS
Samarakun finished third with
1142 points. The Indian men’s
team also bagged gold in the 50m
rifle three position team event
with a score of 3437 while Bangla-
desh finished second with a score
of 3358. Pakistan bagged bronze
with 3348. Mairaj Khan of India
won silver in the men’s skeet
event after shooting a score of
112. Pakistan’s Raja Munir
bagged the gold with a score of
114 while another Pakistan shoo-
ter, Ahmed Usman, won bronze
with a score of 110. Pakistan
bagged gold in the skeet team
event while India and Bangladesh
finished second and third, re-
spectively. ■
PTI
 Friday, July 10, 2009
07

‘‘Little Master
The four Asian representatives gathered in New Delhi to finalise our joint bid for the 2011 World Cup. The last date for the bid was a
few days after our New Delhi meeting. To my horror, the BCCI had not completed its preparation for our joint bid which entailed filling
detailed and copious forms that ICC had sent out to all the countries bidding for the World Cup. There was consternation in ranks when we -- Sri
Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan -- pointed out that our joint bid was bound to hit the rocks because India had not remotely completed the data
required by the ICC.
Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Shaharyar Khan

turns 60 Sachin swaps bat

for pen to mark
the occasion
A
ctor Mithun Chakraborty once played under Sunil Gavas-
kar against the West Indies and got the wicket of Gordon Gree-
nidge. Gavaskar recommended Arjuna Ranatunga’s name for
captaincy to the then Sri Lanka President.
A self-confessed Gavaskar fan, virtuoso singer Manna Dey has dedicated a
song to the batting great.
These are some of the nuggets from Sunil Gavaskar, Cricket’s Little Master, a
book put together by seasoned cricket journalist Debasish Datta to mark
Gavaskar’s 60th birthday on Friday. Former England opener Geoffrey
Boycott has written the foreword of the book, the theme of which is
60 years, 100 tributes. “This book is going to be a treasure-trove
about one of the best batsmen cricket has ever seen,”
Datta said.
West Indian legend Sir Garfield Sobers penned
the first article before others joined in, paying
glowing tributes to Gavaskar. The anthology, to be
published by Niyogi Books, would shed light on
many little known aspects of Gavaskar’s illustri-
ous life, Datta said.
Sachin Tendulkar too swaps the bat for the
pen to elaborate why Gavaskar will always re-
main his hero. In the book, former Pakistan
captain Wasim Akram laments not getting
Gavaskar’s wicket in Test cricket, while West
Indian legend Vivian Richards elaborates on
how the Indian “tortured” the bowlers in the
Caribbean.
Fellow West Indian Andy Roberts claims
it was he who had informed Gavaskar
about the Calypso written on him, while
the actual writer, Lord Relator, also
shares his admiration for the Indian. “I
would rather call it a bouquet, collecting
contributory articles from his family
members, boyhood friends, cricketers
both past and current, celebrities from
other world and renowned cricket
scribes from all over the world,” .
Datta said.
From his family, father Manohar
Gavaskar, mother Meenal, son Ro-
han and brother-in-law Gundappa
Viswanath have contributed to the
book. From other walks of life, singer
Lata Mangeshkar, tennis player Vijay
Amritraj, ace cueist Geet Sethi, for-
mer shuttler Prakash Padukone have
penned articles.
Some of the legends of the game who
paid rich tribute to Gavaskar include David
Lloyd, Ian Chappell, Kapil Dev, Hanif Mo-
hammad, Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad,
Glenn Turner, John Wright, Mike Brear-
ley, Ian Botham, Duleep Mendis and
Dickie Bird.
BCCI President Shashank Manohar,
secretary N Srinivasan and former South
Africa Cricket Board chief Ali Bacher also
share their admiration for the Indian bat-
ting great, first batsman to score 10,000 Test
runs. ■
PTI

PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT

08
While fragrance counters see few customers nowadays, perfume loyalty
has also taken a beating. Are there too many scents to choose from?
A
winning fragrance is magical – so
sensuous, transporting or just
plain special that it’s irresistible.
So irresistible that in recent
years fragrance manufacturers, eager to
sniff out the next classic, have intro-
duced an average of 250 scents annual-
ly – about one for every business day,
industry observers say. And those are
just the fragrances sold at department
stores.
A hit, after all, can mean a huge win.
Sales of Jennifer Lopez Glow, credited
with igniting the mania for celebrity
scents, reached $100 million in 2002,
the year it was introduced, said Carlos
Timiraos, a vice president for market-
ing at Coty which launched the scent.
But these days, the sweet smell of
success is proving elusive as customers
walk away from fragrance counters
empty-handed. While department store
sales of beauty products fell 3 percent
in dollars in 2008 – a drop credited to
the recession – the decline was most
profound in the fragrance industry, ac-
cording to NPD Group, a market re-
search firm. It said $2.68 billion was
spent on fragrance, down 6 percent
from 2007.
The drop is even more notable when
the rise in fragrance prices is taken into
account, said Allan Mottus, an industry
analyst, who estimates that unit sales
dropped 10 percent to 12 percent last
year. It’s like the movie industry, where
a jump in ticket prices obscures a drop
in the number of tickets sold. Among
the losers? Those celebrity scents,
which fell around 20 percent, Mottus
said.
Yet fragrance’s troubles go far deeper
than a recessionary dip. “Fragrance
sales have never rebounded to what we
saw before 9/11,” said Karen Grant, an
analyst with NPD.
Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers
collection. Inventive packaging is
more important than ever as a way to
separate a brand from the pack. TONY
CENICOLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES
Too many smells
All those new fragrances are in part to
blame for the industry’s woes. Fra-
grance today is sold more widely than
ever, especially when specialty-store
scents like Gap Close and niche fra-
grances sold at health food stores, spas
and online sites like Luckyscent.com
are counted, making the number of
newcomers swell to about 1,000 a year.
“There’s way too much stuff out there,”
said Robin Krug, who edits Now Smell
This, a fragrance blog. “I don’t know
how you’re supposed to know about
them all.”
The number of new fragrances at de-
partment stores has, in fact, dropped
this year, by about 50 percent for the
first quarter of 2009, compared with the
same time last year, in part due to the
costs. To create and market a fragrance
made from scratch costs about $20 mil-
lion. Flora by Gucci and Marc Jacobs
Lola are among the year’s few newcom-
ers. But new products are still prolifer-
ating, like limited-edition scents,
including Tommy Girl Summer, or spi-
noffs of established fragrances called
flankers, like Chanel Cristalle Eau Verte.
“Instead of taking 24 months to develop
it, they do it in 8 months, 9 months, 11
months,” said Rochelle Bloom, presi-
dent of the Fragrance Foundation, a
trade group.
Yet the fragrances that consistently
turn up on the best-seller list are at least
To catch a s
five years old. Chanel’s Coco Mademoi-
selle, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue,
Beautiful by Estee Lauder, Donna Ka-
ran Cashmere Mist and that resilient
octogenarian Chanel No. 5 were the top
department-store sellers for this year’s
first quarter, NPD said. In fact, at the
Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday night,
giant replicas of the distinctive Chanel
No. 5 perfume bottles towered over the
runway at Karl Lagerfeld’s haute cou-
ture – a timely reminder of the reliable
revenue for fashion houses from scent,
which Coco Chanel was one of the first
to understand.
Good scents, small sizes
But Grant says women are less in-
terested in fragrance today than a dec-
ade ago when signature scents like
Happy by Clinique and Chance by Cha-
nel reigned. “Fragrance has become
optional,” she said. “The attitude is,
why bother?”
The fragrances themselves may be
partly responsible, she added. Once the
high-octane scents of the ’80s evaporat-
ed, fragrances became lighter, and,
Grant said, “perhaps they trained us
not to smell scent.”
Teenagers and young women seem
particularly indifferent. They may have
snapped up fragrances that come in
clever packages, like Ed Hardy and Ha-
rajuku Lovers, but there’s little loyalty
to a single fragrance. “Fragrance isn’t
part of their lifestyle, so the industry is
ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009
competing with video games and iPods
for their dollars,” Mottus said.
The introduction of smaller bottles
last year with the debuts of Estee Laud-
er’s Sensuous and Harajuku Lovers was
a bright spot, and has been picked up
by many others. The lower price – be-
tween $30 and $50 – made the fragranc-
es attractive to recession-conscious
buyers. On the other end of the spec-
trum, sales of fragrances $100 and up
rose 10 percent in the first quarter of
2009, according to NPD. Included are
small-batch perfumes like Frederic
Malle, Serge Lutens and Heeley, with
cult-like appeal for fragrance fanatics, a
fast-growing contingent thanks to the
rise in fragrance blogs.
A moment in a bottle
Ultimately, the recession is causing
the industry to take stock, and some
believe needed change may occur. “We
have to make sure what we bring to
market is meaningful and relevant,”
said Veronique Gabai-Pinsky, president
of the Aramis and Designer Fragrance
division of Estee Lauder.
Some think this is the perfect time for
the industry to get back to the essence
of fragrance: its emotional wallop.
Marketers should help consumers learn
to connect a fragrance to a special mo-
ment, said Rachel Herz, author of The
Scent of Desire: Discovering our Enig-
matic Sense of Smell. She suggests they
find a way to persuade consumers to
buy a new fragrance to celebrate an im-
portant event. “Every time you put it on
you’ll remember that fantastic honey-
moon in Hawaii,” she said. The
And maybe then the fragrance indus- drop
try can get its magic back. ■ Lola
NYT News Service CENIC
"Fragrance
has become
optional... The
attitude is,
why bother?"
Gian
Lage
Tue
 Friday, July 10, 2009
09
Portfolio
Autumn in Paris
Highlights from the 2009-
2010 Autumn-Winter
Haute Couture shows in
Paris

number of new fragrances at department stores has,

pped this year by 50 percent for the first quarter of 2009.
a by Marc Jacobs is among the year’s few newcomers . TONY
COLA/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Jean Paul Gaultier

scent Christian Lacroix

nt replicas of Chanel No. 5 perfume bottles form the backdrop at Karl

erfeld’s Haute Couture 2009-2010 collection for Chanel in Paris on Christian Dior Giorgio Armani Prive
sday
PHOTOS: AFP
10 FLICK ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

Charlize Theron hospitalised

According to reports, Charlize Theron spent four nights
in a Los Angeles hospital last week after contracting a
painful stomach virus. The Monster star suffered severe
abdominal pains, which she attributed to food
poisoning, reports Contactmusic.

Mariah Carey sings

with Trey Lorenz (not
in frame) at the
memorial service for
music legend Michael
Jackson, at the Staples
Center in Los Angeles,
California on Tuesday.
AFP/POOL/ GABRIEL BOUYS

Harry Potter and the

fit of giggles
Watson, Grint couldn’t stop giggling while shooting
kissing scene
Harry Potter star Emma Watson has revealed that she
and Rupert Grint had a hard time shooting their
onscreen kiss for the new boy wizard movie – because
they couldn’t stop giggling.
Watson and Grint, who play Hermione Granger and
Ron Weasley in the hit franchise, locked lips for the
first time in the latest instalment, Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince.
However, Watson says that during the shoot, the pair
was struck with a fit of the giggles.
“I was quite terrified. We weren’t looking forward to it
really. The thing is, it could potentially sound like we
are putting each other down but we were both in the
same boat. It was a horrible thing to have to do
because we are just like brother and sister, so it’s really
weird,” Contactmusic quoted Watson, as saying.
“He (director David Yates) did spring it on us. We
didn’t really know. We had problems with laughing –
we kept laughing. We would get there, and we just
couldn’t take it seriously. It was awful. But anyway, it’s
done now, and it was good. We have watched the
playback and it’s good,” she added. ■
ANI

Jolie new face of

‘I’m sorry that I wasn’t Armani perfume

A ngelina Jolie has signed with Emporio Armani to
become the face of their new perfume.
The Tomb Raider star is said to be fronting the
advertising campaign for the as-yet-unknown
fragrance, reported femalefirst.co.uk.

able to pull it together’ “For this fragrance, they needed a true A-lister, and
Angelina is the
biggest, most
dynamic female star
in the world,” said
a source.
“She’s giving a lot

M
ariah Carey has admitted that she is dissatisfied with her performance at the Michael of input on that
Jackson public memorial service held at Staples Center on July 7 in Los Angeles. stuff (ad campaign)
She stated on the social network site Twitter that the moment was too emotional for already, picking the
her to be at her best, the New York Daily News reports. photographers and
She said: “Trying to sing today was basically impossible for me, I could barely keep myself from directors. The
crying. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to pull it together and really do it right, but I was literally campaign is going
choked up when I saw him there in front of me.” to be bold,” the
The singer further wrote: “One thing I know is, we will never really have to say goodbye to MJ. source added.
His legacy lives on through his music and the millions of people he inspired with his timeless Other models for
music. He will be forever in our hearts.” Armani are soccer
Carey had performed a cover of The Jackson 5 hit, ‘I’ll Be There’, with Trey Lorenz. ■ star David Beckham
ANI and his wife
Victoria. ■
IANS
 Friday, July 10, 2009
11
Madonna, Guy getting back together?
Madonna and her former husband Guy Ritchie have sparked rumours that they may
be headed for a romantic reconciliation. Madonna’s newly-adopted daughter Mercy
James was previously reported to have rekindled talking terms between the pair,
who fought a bitter divorce battle before officially splitting earlier this year.

Kargil inspired
me to join Army
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who was
inducted in the Indian Army on Thursday as
honorary Lt-Colonel, said the tough life faced by
soldiers in Kargil and other parts of Jammu and
Kashmir inspired him to join the armed forces.
Marc Robinson
Anaida The actor joined the Territorial Army (TA), the
part-time citizen’s force which functions as a
vital adjunct to the regular Army. Mohanlal will
serve the 122 Infantry Battalion (TA) of Madras
Regiment or “Kannur Terriers”. Before donning
the uniform he had visited Kargil a couple of
times.
“I am honoured
to join the Army.
Sweta Tiwari
Kargil and
Kashmir inspired
me to join the
forces and the
tough time faced
Chetan
by the army
Hansraj
personnel is the
main motivation
behind my step,”
he told reporters
here.
After former
cricket captain
Kapil Dev,
Mohan Lal is the
second big

It’s a jungle
celebrity to join
the Territorial
Army.
ANI

out there Big B advised rest

Actor Amitabh Bachchan, who underwent tests
for his stomach ailment, has been advised a few
days of rest and is under medical observation.

A
fter doing soaps and an-
choring shows, popular tel-
evision stars Shweta Tiwari
and Aman Verma will now
be seen struggling to survive in a
jungle in Sony’s new adventure
reality show Iss Jungle Se Mujhe
Bachao, starting July 13.
They are among the 10 partici-
pants who have agreed to be part
of the reality show shot in Malay-
sia’s oldest and largest Taman
Negara tropical rain forest.
Others to join them are televi-
sion actors Aakashh Deep Saigal
and Chetan Hansraj, pop singer
Anaida, model coordinator and
choreographer Marc Robinson,
actress Mona Vasu, ex-MTV Roa-
die Palak and hip hop artist Ishq
Bector.
A lawyer called Fiza, whose ear-
lier name was Anuradha Bali, will
also be in the jungle. She has
been in the news since last year
after marrying then deputy chief
minister of Haryana Chand Mo-
hammed, earlier called Chandra
Mohan.
The show, which is an adapta-
tion of ITV Global Entertainment’s
I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of
Here!, will see the 10 celebrities
swap a life of luxury to survive in
the Malaysian rain forest, in a bid
to be crowned King or Queen of
the Jungle.
“The show has been well-re-
ceived by audiences international-
ly and we are sure that the
innovative concept will entertain
and keep the viewers on the edge
of their seats wondering what
next,” said Gurdip Bhangoo, pro-
gramming head of Sony Entertain-
ment Television.
The show will be aired from
Monday to Thursday at 10 p.m.
Aman Verma and Fridays at 9 p.m. Mini Mathur
and Yudi will host it. ■
IANS
“The tests have been conducted. They do not
show anything alarming, but the symptoms
persist, albeit on a lesser scale than last time,”
Bachchan wrote on his blog on Thursday.
The actor was scheduled to travel to Singapore
to be with his friend and Samajwadi Party
leader Amar Singh, who will undergo a kidney
transplant. His wife Jaya, son Abhishek and
daughter-in-law
Aishwarya are already
in Singapore.
Bachchan was
shooting in London
for Pa and returned
home two days ago.
He is suffering from a
stomach pain similar
to the one he
experienced on his
last birthday, when he
had to be hospitalised
for a week.
PTI
12 ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

Siva Kumar from Cybernet Slash Support has nominated his friends Jasmine from Wipro Technologies has nominated her friends as Partners
Vinay, Rakesh, Devan, Lavanya, Sowsheelya, Usha Sukhanya and Ellamma in Crime. This picture was clicked at Chikmagalur during their team
Devi as Partners in Crime". This picture was taken at Queens Land. outing.

Satheesh from HCL Technologies Ltd has nominated his friends as Joel David Sequeira from Allsec Technologies Limited has nominated his
Partners in Crime. This picture was taken at MGM –Dizzee world. friends as Partners in Crime. This photo was taken during their trip to
Yercaud on USA’s Independence Day.

Subash has nominated his NCHOM Sapphire Team as Partners in Crime. Karthikeya Srinivasan S. from Hexaware Technologies has nominated his
This pic was clicked during a lunch get together at Cognizant, Sriuseri. friends Sravas, Joyce, Rufus, Vijju and Purna as Partners in Crime. This pic
was taken in Kodaikanal.
 Friday, July 10, 2009
Akash from Techno-
crat Automation Lim-
ited has been
nominated Office An-
gel by his team
members.
Akash has an
extraordinary helping
tendency and good
behaviour. He will do
anything for his friends.
He loves roses a lot and
has nearly 50 pots at
home. He cares for them
like anything. He writes
poems (Tamil), which
impresses us all.
Namita Sreekumar from Aspire
Systems doodled this
1. Yennadhan maths pudikaama irundhaalum Two wheeler li-
cence edukkumbodhu 8 pottu thaan aaganum
2.Thozhukku maela valandhaa thozhaannu sollalam,
Aana Thalaikku maela valandhaa thalaivannu solla mudiyu-
maa?
Mohamed Yusufdeen J.
HCL Technologies
13
July 10
■ Hi Uma-TP,
Nothing works better than the gift of laughter. So spread
the joy with these funny birthday quotes. Make your loved
ones’ birthdays memorable. Please Sponsor a treat today @
FOODCOURT Regards,
Vijith, Abdul, Jabarstin, Preetha,
Arul, Uma, Ranjit, & TCS BT TEAM
■ Dear Leena,
Many more happy returns of the day kiddo!!! Keep smiling
and be happy.
with lotsa love, Loganathan
Tata Consultancy Services
■ Dear Sunitha
We wish you Many More Happy Returns of the Day May
this brings you all that things that make you smile ..Happy
Birthday Dear Friend
With Lots of Love
Rajeswari,Manimozhi, Sandhiya,
Jayasudha, Nagarajan and Saravanan.J.P
Sify Technologies Ltd Tidel Park
■ Dear Geetha,
Wish You Many More Happy Return of the day. May all
your dreams come true and this be another fantastic year
for you.
With lots of love
MIS TEAM (TCS e-Serve)
July 11
■ Hi Ganesh, (Mr.White)
Wish u many more Happy returns of the DayJJJ May all ur
dreams come to live in upcoming days… Enjoy ur day with
fun & color And not with black & green Mainframe screen J
May your day packed with ur favorite as follows… Morning
– Ada Dosai with ground nut chutney Lunch - Chicken Soup,
Brain, Chicken LollyPop, Tandoori, Chicken Briyani Eve Chit-
Chat - Pani poori, Sundale Night Dine - Pulicha Keerai
saatham (Bill is urs J) Kavitha.S
Infosys
July 12
■ Dear Murali,
Wish U Many More Happy Returns of the Day.. On your
birthday we wish you much pleasure and joy; we hope all
of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be
filled with delight, And your birthday be perfect for you!
You’re older today than yesterday but younger than
tomorrow, Happy B’day.. God will shower all his blessing on
you. Let this B’day bring you lots of Happiness, Success and
Good Health in your Life. Your are better than the
best..Always be smilely... Once again Manyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Moreeeeeeeeeeeeee Happyyyyyyyyyyyyy Returnsssssssss of
the day.
Best wishes by MCSD & MTMD
Caliberpoint Business Solutions
Belated Wishes
■ Virudhunagar Raamsu,
Unaku illada aarmsu, Nee saapidanum datesu, Apadham
pickup agum girlsu… Iduthan engaloda birthday wishu!!!
From,
eBay Testing team
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009

Passenger fixes plane

Holidaymakers were saved from an eight-hour flight delay
after a fault on their plane was fixed by a passenger -
who happened to be a qualified aircraft engineer.

sudoku

Playmates:
Umamageshwaran
G. of RR Donnelley
shot this in
Kodaikanal

So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the
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 Friday, July 10, 2009
15
Pupils get to phone a friend Scarecrow arrested
Students in Austria are being given an extra chance to A scarecrow dressed as a police officer was arrested
boost their exam results they are now allowed to call by real cops for wielding a speed gun at the
experts for help during the tests. roadside to warn motorists to slow down.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You maywith
dealing be dealing
lots of work
with lot
at office
of workbutatwill
office
be but
rewarded
will be rewarded
with appreciation
with appreciation
too. It’sfrom
best superiors.
day for
redesigning
It’s best daytechnical
for redesigning
work that technical
you have
workdonethatinyou
the past.
have done.Even
Evenwhile
whileyouyouarearewith
withyour
yourbeloved
belovedyou
may may
you be talking
be talking
aboutabout
workworkand related matters.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You may get a stroke of luck today. Expect good
news from distant place
place. or
Exchange
abroad. emails
Exchange
carefully
emails
as there are
carefully as there
chances
are of
chances
some faux
of some
pas faux
in thepas in
communications.
the communications.Ganesha
You may
thinks
need
thattoyou
putmay
in more
need
to put in
efforts to more
woo your
efforts
beloved
to wooone.
your beloved one.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You may remain a bit confused at workplace about
BORN LOSER which task to take up first. Strong determination is
necessary to handle workoffice successfully.
work successfully.
In personal
In
personal
life, generally
life, you
you might
wouldhave
talk more
to listen
buttotoday
your you
belovedhave
might patiently.
to listen to your beloved patiently.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
It is anot
It’s lowa energy
very favourable
day for you.
day You
for you
are hence
advisedyouto
keepadvised
are low profile
to keep
at office.
low profile
If youattryoffice.
to react
If you
to try
someone
to react toaggressively,
someone aggressively,
you might haveyou might
to accept
have to
defeat. defeat.
accept PersonalPersonal
life maylife
help
mayyouhelp
balance
you balance
stress
that you
stress thatmight
you might
have hadhaveduring
had during
the day.the day.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You might have to work harder.harder today.
BeforeBefore
you expect
you
expect to
others others
deliver
to deliver
somethingsomething
very much
veryinmuch
time,inlook
time,
at thelook
situation
at theobjectively
situation objectively
and try to evaluate.
and try toYou
evaluate.
may be least
You concerned
may be least
about
concerned
love life about
today,love
life today,you
although although
carry the
you’heart
carry of
theGold’.
’heart of Gold’.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You may not be interested in handling simple and
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT mundane tasks. You are in a mood to develop
something new which is in line with your work.
job. You
You
may wish to spend more time with your beloved,
for your desire for the companionship is intensified.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Atisworkplace,
It going to beyoua might
stressful
have
daytofordeal
you.with
Relations
with superiors
something thatmay
you also
wouldneed
generally
to be handled
not prefer
with
to
care. In Relations
handle. love life you
withmay
superiors
experience
may undue
also need
stress.
to
Basically,
be handledthewith
daycare.
will taste
In love
your
lifepatience
you maybut if you
act prudently,
experience undue
everything
stress. will be fine.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
It is best day to put new plans on paper. It’s also
favourable day to communicate with important
people. You may try to please your partner but you
may have practical approach towards expenses, so
there are least chances of overspending.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
You will try to be more precise and punctual today.
The pace
Your workofmay
yourslow
workdown
may soslow
youdown
mightsohaveyou to
mightback
stay haveattooffice
stay till
backlate.
at On
office
thetillother
late hand
to finish it.
On themay
family otheralso
hand
demand
familyyour
mayattention,
also demand due your
to
attention,
which you due
maytofeel
which
stressed
you may
out. feel stressed out.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You are filled with zeal and thrill.
thrill today.
You mayYouwish
mayto
wish to too
achieve achieve
muchtoobutmuch
you but
mayyounot may
be able
not be
to be
able
to be patient,
patient, so yousomay
youtake
mayyourself
take yourself
and others
and others
for a
for a Your
ride. ride. beloved
Your beloved
one may
mayfind
findyou
youself-centred,
self-centred,
despite that you may not be able to change.
change it.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Youdeal
to might
give it may
which
withhave
problems
a chance
to dealatwith
be negligible
to try your
work.problems
for best
You willatthink
others.
to sort
work,to
This out.
may Inputlove
ISSUE’S life, off
you youbut
sacrificing
life,
mayyou
you may
have
willa try
far have
way too
strong
your feeling
a strong
best tothat
much.feeling
solveyouit. are
Don’t that
continue
you are
In love
with
SOLUTIONS such a feeling,
sacrificing way too
try to
much.Try
composeto yourself.
compose yourself.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Your decision power may be weak so you are
advised not to take important decisions regarding
work, instead postpone them for three-four days.
You may be able to devote time to your love life,
which will fill your day with joy.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 !
A model presents a creation by French
designer Jean Paul Gaultier during 2009/
2010 Autumn-Winter Haute Couture
collection show in Paris. PHOTO: AFP
Two tigers battle for a piece of meat at the
Serengeti-Park animal park in Hodenhagen,
northern Germany. PHOTO: AFP
ERGO Friday, July 10, 2009
A woman stands next to the 1980 Lotus Turbo
Esprit from the James Bond film For Your Eyes
Only holding a limited edition replica pistol
from The Man with the Golden Gun in central
London. PHOTO: AFP