A BYTE OF LIFE Wednesday, July 15, 2009

05
ONE NIGHT IN EVERY
CALL CENTRE
BPO-Sutra with 150 such stories
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 132

» Page 08

Rinku Singh
and Dinesh
Patel, winners
of the Million
Dollar Arm
contest, have
had a rollicking
start to their
professional
baseball league
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Up to 60 % off
Reliance Footprint has started its end of season
sale, where it is offering up to 60 per cent off on
various brands.
The sale is on till August 23 at its outlet opposite
Breeze Hotel, Poonamalle High Road, Kilpauk.

Game for some Sathish and Sathish

SPORTS The Pupil with run this joint in

Besant Nagar that
has been churning

T
he third edition of the Corporate
out affordable

many followers
Sports Olympiad is back. Conducted for
corporate teams in Chennai, the event
aims to encourage companies to burgers for almost
support employees’ pursuit of a more active
and healthy lifestyle. The sporting action a decade
also aims to bring out the skill set of
employees in various sports.
The olympiad would cover events like
cricket, football, volleyball, basketball,
swimming, track and field, tennis, bowling,
karting, snooker, table tennis, badminton,
carrom, chess and darts. The competitions
are open to both men and women.
In 2008, around 40 corporate houses
participated. This year the competitions will
be spread across two months, starting from
the end of August. Teams need to register
before August 14 and there are no
limitations on the number of teams that
can represent a corporate.
For further details contact 9840220110/
93823 14839/9840273090

Sea, sand and burgers: At Tasty Jones PHOTO : R. RAVINDRAN.

AKSHATA G.J. 2000, which was renamed Pupil

in 2003, considering the large

“I
came to Chennai with
just Rs. 2,000 in hand,”
says Sathish K., one of the
owners of Pupil, a well-
known food joint in Besant Na-
gar. His partner, Sathish J., sits
beside him with a pleasant smile
on his face. Amongst the buzzing
crowd of youngsters, the two
young men can easily pass off as
customers rather than the proud
owners of the place.
With dreams of making it big in
the hotel industry, the 19-year-
old graduates from a catering
school in Trichy moved to Chen-
nai to accomplish their mission.
“We came to Besant Nagar by bi-
cycles in search of a place to start
our food joint. We were shooed
away from the
area when the
owners heard of
our budget. But
within a month,
we somehow
managed to buy
it,” says Sathish
J.
They started
Veroonas in
number of student customers.
They claim to be the ones to in-
troduce sub sandwiches in the
city. Burgers were made available
to customers at affordable rates,
starting from Rs. 35. Pleased with
the overwhelming response from
Chennaiites, they started spread-
ing their wings by opening up a
few more outlets in the city.
“Pupil is one of the best places
for burgers in the city. The burg-
ers here are both lip-smacking
and affordable,” chimes in 18-
year-old Priyanka, hogging on
her burger along with her gang of
friends.
Today, they have five outlets in
the city – Eatalica (R.A. Puram
and Nungambakkam), Tasty
Jones (Besant Nagar, T. Nagar)
and Pupil – which are brimming
with customers. While Tasty
Jones, which started more than a
year ago, serves pastas, sizzlers
and steaks, Eatalica specialises in
a mix of Italian and American cui-
sine.
“We are aiming at opening five
more outlets by 2010. We also
plan to reduce the size of the me-
nu and instead increase the qual-
ity of the food,” say the young
and successful entrepreneurs.
Pupil has a wide range of burg-
ers, priced between Rs. 35 and 80.
Located just a stone’s throw away
from the beach on 4th Main
Road, Besant Nagar, Pupil cer-
tainly captures the attention and
taste of its regulars. ■
(Too Good for Critics is a weekly
column that celebrates Namma
Chennai’s ‘Kaiyendi Bhavans’ and
small eateries. If you can think of a
similar place, mail us at
feedback@goergo.in)
Address: No. 11, 12,
TNHB Complex,
4th Main Road, Elliots
Beach,
Besant Nagar, Chennai –
600 000
Ph: 45587848
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Celebrate Raksha Bandhan

03
TNT India has introduced a special service for Rakhi. The package
comprises of teeka, akshat (holy rice) and a personalised message in a
handmade scroll, all packed in a beautifully handcrafted box. Also, get
50 per cent discount on tariff. The offer is available from July 15 to 27.
For details call 60009999 or toll free no 1800-425-9999.

Elegante Fashion
Boutique
Address: New no 38, (old
Elegante Fashion Boutique has a galore of no 27), A/1, 2nd Main Road,
Kasturba Nagar, Adyar,
affordable designer wear chudidhar suits, Chennai - 600 020
Ph: 9444058836
kurtis and tunics. Store timings: 10.30 a.m.
to 8 pm (Closed on
Tuesdays)
DEEPA VENKATRAMAN The collection is all de- then in that case I give
signer wear sourced special instructions to

I
n the serene bylane from Jaipur and Kolkata.
of Kasturba Nagar in For an evening social
Adayar is Elegante gathering or a corporate
Fashion Boutique meeting, there are some
welcoming one to its ethnic kalamkari cotton
wide range of exclusive and chanderi silk suits
chudidhar suits, kurtis with elegant and classy
and tunics. brochette, brocade and
The place is owned by appliqué work to choose
Suba Selvan, who from. The entrepreneur
opened the boutique who was a fashion con-
this Women’s Day and sultant in a high-end lif-
has her flat and shop estyle store in California
housed in the same says, “Known clients and
apartment complex. The word-of-mouth publici-
inter-lock patterns, ty have kept my business
styles, colour combina- going. Based on the built
tions of the readymade and look of my clients, I
suits, kurtis and tunics do suggest what suits
arranged neatly in the them. Some times they
red-painted wall are request for different col-
unique and a class apart. our combinations, and
my designers. The com-
fortable knee length
multi-cotton kurtas are
the fast-sellers.”
Speaking about the
USP, she says, “The in-
tricate workmanship in
the suits with dupattas
having a blend of two or
more fabrics – chiffon
and net, crochet and
chiffon and so on –
are my specialty. The
designer wear clothes
are pretty affordable.”
Just before Diwali,
Suba plans to get festive
suits and tunics. “Even-
tually, I plan to expand
to a bigger place and also
take my business over-
seas,” Suba signs off. ■

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
F
inns are known to be quiet, re-
served and taciturn but every July
some 100,000 of them unleash their
passion for the tango, singing and
dancing under the Arctic midnight sun.
For four days this past weekend, vis-
itors to the annual Tangomarkkinat - or
Tango Market - listened to old and new
tango singers and strutted their stuff in a
cordoned-off street in Seinaejoki, some
360 kilometres northwest of Helsinki.
“I am here to listen to the music and to
meet people,” Paeivi Kuntsi said, enjoy-
ing the sunshine at the market square.
However the rise of rock ’n’ roll and
pop music in the late 1960s and 1970s
saw the tango’s popularity take a hit.
But tango, which has its roots in Ar-
gentina, made a comeback in the 1980s
with the first Tangomarkkinat being
held in 1985.
Arto Puisto, visiting the festival for the
first time, said: “Tango is the best dance
in the world. It is all about feeling and
(how) you can be close to another
person.”
Baby-faced Amadeus Lundberg, 20,
who won the tango signing contest final,
in which he was pitted against five oth-
ers, said: “All I can say (is) that this must
be a dream. I am pinching myself.”
The contest has provided many a big
break for Finland’s young singers. Not all
the festival-goers have mastered the tan-
go’s tricky and twisting step and prefer
to sing along to the music instead.
Jouko Rauhko, a burly man in his 40s,
sings in Finnish to his wife Nina Glasberg
in one of the event’s many karaoke bars.
“I always choose songs that I know
by heart, otherwise I will just read
out the lyrics and then I cannot put
Dancers performing
during the tango
festival. PHOTO: AFP
Finns find their feet at tango fest
Street View
goes to
Stonehenge
ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009
After World War II, my soul into the song,” Rauhko ex- and over again,” Kukkonen said.
plained after his performance. Many songs use the four seasons as an
tango was the rage in But many young Finns do not share the analogy for life: summer represents hap-
Finland, sung and same burning passion for tango as the piness and youth, which fades as autumn
danced at thousands older generations. and winter sweep in.
“In 20 years tango will be fading away “Finnish tango’s power is that it is mel-
of outdoor dance (in Finland). If there was no Tangomark- ancholic but has hope in it. Summer
halls on the shores of kinat, tango would have faded away comes again every year,” Kukkonen
completely 10 years ago,” said Pekka summed up.
its picturesque lakes, Gronow, an expert in the history of Finn- Despite Gronow’s gloomy forecast
peaking in the 1960s ish popular music. about the future of tango in Finland, the
He said many Tangomarkkinat contest organisers of the event are confident it
winners ditch the tango after just one will still be going strong for years to
album for a more radio-friendly, dance- come. Pekka Leinonen, managing direc-
able brand of pop music. tor of the Tangomarkkinat festival, said
Compared to the Argentinian tango, it successfully overcame the challenge
the Finnish version is much slower and its from disco music in the early 1980s.
lyrics often recount tales of Finland’s “The beginning was difficult, but after
countryside and pristine nature. a couple of years more people started to
According to Pirjo Kukkonen, a re- come to the festival,” she said.
searcher at the University of Helsinki, the Leinonen said Tangomarkkinat would
Finns love for the tango stems from their continue to champion tango music, but
melancholic nature. would try to lure a younger crowd by
“They are fairytales for grown-ups, booking rock and pop bands. ■
who want to hear the same stories over AFP
I
nternet road-mapping service 360-degree images recorded from
Google Street View is now
starting to cover areas like
Stonehenge, which are far
away from driving routes.
eye level.
People in 25 British towns and
cities can access 360-degree
views of roads and homes via this
Rickshaw-style tricycles, carry-
ing 3-D cameras, will be used to
film several popular off-road
spots, including Loch Ness and
application.
Street View also includes pho-
tographs of millions of residential
addresses, people and cars.
the Angel of the North, reports It has been hailed as a helpful
the Telegraph. tool for home hunters and would-
Street View allows web users to be tourists. ■
“walk” along streets, exploring ANI
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
One night in every call centre
Former VP of MphasiS, Sudhindra Mokhasi, chronicles his and many others lives spent
working in India’s BPOs in his debut book
LIFFY THOMAS
liffythomas@goergo.in
H
is intended readers have
given the book a thumbs
up, while a critic tweets
‘Go Read Die Laughing’.
Sudhindra Mokhasi is riding a
wave, a book wave that began
with the launch of his debut ti-
tle, BPO-Sutra, four months back
in Bangalore and then in Mum-
bai. The fact that it is an indus-
try-specific experimental genre
and one of the first book of sto-
ries from India’s BPO and Call
Centres only seems to have got-
ten it more spotlight.
Over 10,000 copies of the book
were sold in the first two months
and it is now on its fifth reprint,
which numbers to another
20,000.
That’s quite a boost for a te-
chie, with bits and pieces of
writing experience confined to
tech articles, travelogues and
management gyan. Sudhindra is
now getting ready to launch the
book in the U.S. and the U.K.
“Any subject which is a matter of
debate…should click and off-
shoring is a topic with a lot of
talk,” says an optimistic Sudhin-
dra, who quit as vice-president
MphasiS to turn entrepreneur as
well as quench his love for writ-
ing.
BPO-Sutra – True Stories from
Inside India’s BPOs and Call
Centres is a celebration of the
BPO life, providing a “360 degree
view of the BPO life, with hilari-
ous, touching, thought provok-
ing and stereotypical scandalous
stories.”
Like, ‘In the void of monotony’
talks about the depressing mo-
notony of a call agent, ‘Living-in
Peril’ narrates the misadventure
of a live-in couple, ‘The moon-
lighter’ is the tale of a student
who moonlights in a BPO to
earn for his sister’s weddin-
g…and another 150 stories, each
promising to make even a non-
reader run through these short
and individual stories.
The writer in me
Incidentally, the writer in Sud-
I went to Rupa & Co
with 30 per cent of my
completed work. That
helped as they had a
concrete idea on the
genre and my style
05
hindra was born long time back.
But his commitments at a senior
management position left him
with little time to pursue his as-
piration. “I quit my job in 2007
for a short break to jump start
the book before I started my
own company, e-Sutra
Chronicles.”
The book has been in the
making for around 30 months
where the writer met up with
Booked!: different people from the indus-
Sudhindra Mokhasi try to recount their stories, and a
large part gathered from his
wide experience in the industry.
So, was it a cakewalk finding a
publisher?
“Kind of! I went to Rupa & Co
with 30 per cent of my complet-
ed work. That helped as they had
a concrete idea on the genre and
my style,” he says how the pub-
lisher reverted in five days time.
Besides his full-time profes-
sion as CEO of e-Sutra, the au-
thor is an avid traveller and
photographer. “It’s necessary to
have a creative passion to de-
stress while writing helps me
maintain good mental health
and equilibrium.” ■
The book is published by Rupa
& Co. and is priced at Rs. 95.
o y o u h a v ea
D
O s t o r y t o
BP
say? l be launching Volume 2 of
The writer wil h e hopes people
d th is ti m e
BPO-Sutra, an
ve
u t to h im a b o u t stories they ha
will reach o
ll . S o , if yo u h a ve an untold
te
been longing to
r
e m to st o ry @ bposutra.com o
story, mail th a.com. This is yo
ur
w w w .b p o su tr
post it on
to d is co ve r th e writer in you!
chance
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Smooth touch
A moisturiser is going down a storm at Belfast Zoo - it’s helping
keeps elephants’ bottoms smooth.

Microsoft touts feedback Now, a novel

on Bing in SMS format
Microsoft praised its freshly-launched Bing Tired of reading
online search engine and said it is taking a content in a book
long-term approach in its quest to break format?
from third place behind Yahoo! and Google. The number of people that used Bing in June for Now, mobile phones
online searches was eight percent higher than the number that used its predecessor, MSN Live, can be an alternative
in the same month last year, according to Microsoft. as a leading publisher
Meanwhile, figures released in recent weeks by industry analytics firms reveal mixed data, has come up with,
leaving it unclear whether Bing is doing much to close the gaps with Yahoo! and Internet what it claims to be
search king Google. the first work of
AFP fiction in the Indian
subcontinent in SMS
format.
According to HarperCollins India, Pinki Virani’s Deaf
Coming soon: Talking cars that Heaven is the first literary cell-novel and an adult audio-
mobile book in the subcontinent.
avoid crashes The literary cell-novel will be made available in 90 SMSes
Talking cars aren’t science fiction anymore - thanks to and the adult audio-mobile book in two short-duration
scientists who have developed a set of algorithms that will downloads by Reliance Mobile.
allow robotic cars of the future to communicate with each “Our cell phone novel will introduce an interesting
other to help avoid collisions. element to how novels are read; readers will get the
An international team, led by Indian-origin scientists Dr entire book condensed into a few SMSes. The concept that
Bhibhya Sharma and Dr Utesh Chand of the University of a novel can also be ‘read’ via SMS and ‘heard’ at any time
the South Pacific, has developed the mathematical via voice portals is itself an unique and innovative idea,”
equations, which would also instruct robotic cars how to says Krishna Durbha, head (VAS) of Reliance
change lanes safely. Communications.
According to Dr Sharma, the series of mathematical PTI
equations would instruct robotic cars when and how to
merge lanes, which could lead to less accidents and ease
traffic congestions.
“Flocking is a Woman escapes wrong turn into croc-filled
biologically inspired
technique and a river
strategy commonly An Australian woman had a lucky escape after making a wrong turn
used in robotics. One into a crocodile-infested river in the country’s remote north, police said.
of the advantages of The woman mistook a boat ramp for a road crossing the East Alligator
flocking is that robots River, about 300 kilometres east of Darwin, police said.
can work together Officers who retrieved the vehicle after the accident found it
and achieve what surrounded by deadly saltwater crocodiles.
would take Police said the woman, from New South Wales state, had to scramble
individuals far through the water as her four-wheel drive sank into the river near the
longer,” he said. world heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.
PTI AFP

Beckham slams rumours of steamy ad with Jolie

F
ootball star David Beckham has slammed ru-
mours that he is set to strip for a raunchy post-
er ad with Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie,
saying he is married and can’t take up such
assignments.
After Beckham unveiled his new steamy adver-
tisement for Emporio Armani, it was rumoured that
officials at the fashion firm wanted him to team up
with Jolie for a traffic-stopping billboard campaign.
The footballer admits he’s a Jolie fan, but insists
the news isn’t true, reported contactmusic.com.
“I definitely don’t think that’s true. She’s an
amazing person and so is Brad Pitt. They’re an in-
credible couple... got an amazing family. You know
she wouldn’t do it and I wouldn’t do it. At the end
of the day, I wouldn’t do it because I’m married,” he
said. ■
IANS

PHOTOS: AFP
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
07
Websites of the day Alternative games
All you ever needed to know about handbags: More than 10,000 competitors have been competing in events from
www.armcandygirl.com watermelon-seed-spitting to armpit-squelching at this year’s Redneck
Enjoy the wisdom of the world’s most famous and least popular Games in Georgia.
pop princess http://www.britneyspears.com

A
British girl who was given
an extra heart as a toddler
has become the world’s
first heart transplant pa-
tient to make a full recovery af-
of the heart muscle, was relative-
ly common in children in the first
year of their life.
Victor Tsang from Great Or-
mond Street Hospital, who was

Girl recovers ter having her donor organ

removed and function restored
to her original heart.
Hannah Clark, now 16, had a
“piggyback” transplant oper-
the other surgery team leader,
said Clarke’s case offered hope
for other patients with heart
failure.
“Hannah’s case highlights that

fully after ation in 1995 aged two, when a

new heart was inserted in paral-
lel to her own failing one.
The donor organ had to be re-
moved 3-1/2 years ago because
in cases of cardiomyopathy such
as hers, it is possible for the pa-
tient’s own heart to make a full
recovery if it is given adequate
support to do so,” Tsang told

donor heart
the immunosuppressant drugs
she was taking to avoid organ
rejection caused cancer - but by
then her own heart had reco-
vered sufficiently to work on its
reporters.
Her case study was reported in
the Lancet medical journal.
Clark, who was forced to take
16 different drugs at one stage

removed
own.
Since the surgery, which took
place in 2006, Clark has made a
full recovery from the cancer and
has a normal cardiac function,
her doctors said.
“Now we are a lot more confi-
dent (about this procedure),”
said Magdi Yacoub from Imperi-
al College London, who co-led
the surgery team.
“The heart muscle itself, which
Couples living in sin was not doing anything at all,
has recovered.”
more likely to split later He added cardiomyopathy, or
the deterioration of the function
to control her illness, burst into
tears when a journalist asked her
to relate how her life has
changed with the surgery.
She said she was cherishing ev-
ery moment and now has a Sat-
urday job working with animals.
“Thanks to this operation, I’ve
now got a normal life just like all
of my friends.”
Her mother Elizabeth Clark
said: “She doesn’t think about
tomorrow, she thinks about to-
day. She wakes up smiling every
day.” ■
Reuters

A British girl who had a donor heart grafted onto

her own after suffering cardiac failure as a baby
has had the transplant removed and is living a
healthy life with her own heart, doctors said. The
case of Hannah Clark is thought to be the only one
in the world where a child’s failing heart recovered
enough for the donor organ to be removed

C
ouples living together be-
fore their engagement are
more likely to split than
those who wait until their
wedding, or at least wait until
they are engaged, according to a
recent study.
Besides, couples who cohabit
before their engagement and
then get married reported a low-
er satisfaction in their marriages.
The research was conducted
by University of Denver (DU) re-
searchers Galena Rhoades, Scott
Stanley and Howard Markman.
“We think that some couples
who move in together without a
clear commitment to marriage
may wind up sliding into mar-
riage partly because they are al-
ready cohabiting,” Rhoades said.
“It seems wise to talk about
commitment and what living to-
gether might mean for the future
of the relationship before mov- Hannah Clark. AFP
ing in together, especially be- PHOTO/SHAUN CURRY
cause cohabiting makes it
harder to break up compared to
dating,” Stanley added.
The three researchers also
found why couples decide to live
together. They want to spend
more time together.
The second most popular rea-
son is convenience, followed by
testing the relationship.
“Cohabiting to test a relation-
ship turns out to be associated
with the most problems in rela-
tionships,” Rhoades said.
These findings appeared in
the Journal of Family Psychology.
■
IANS
08 SPORT ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Grand plans
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold lectures for national players to help them
deal with the constant pressure from media and passionate fans. "We’re planning a series of sessions
on personality development, dealing with pressure and other things, where we’ll bring in experts to
talk to the players and help them," BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said.

Bangladesh celebrate rare

Test victory
Bangladesh savoured only their second victory in 60 Tests
on Tuesday after their team overcame a makeshift West
Indies in the first test in Kingstown, St Vincent. However,
the celebrations were restrained as West Indies were forced
Brothe
in arms
to field seven debutants in a hastily-assembled squad after
a boycott by leading players due to contractual and
payment issues. The only previous win for
Bangladesh, granted test status in 2000,
had come against the visiting Zimbabwe in
2005. Victory was still uncertain when
Bangladesh fans went to bed as the team
had only 80 overs to bowl out West Indies
after setting a fourth-innings target of 277
runs on the final day. Bangladesh wrapped
up a 95-run win, taking the lead in the
two-test series.
In 2003, Bangladesh lost to Pakistan by one
wicket and also had Australia and New Zealand reeling in
2006 and 2008 respectively, only to let them escape and
clinch identical three-wicket wins. Bangladesh spin bowlers
Mohammed Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan shared
eight wickets in the second innings to dismiss West Indies
for 181 runs with just over 40 minutes of play left. Sweets
were distributed at the Bangladesh Cricket Board Rinku Singh a
headquarters and board president Sina Ibn Jamali
congratulated the team. winners of th
Reuters
Arm contest, h
rollicking star
Aiming ahead professional b
Blindness has not been able to diminish his thirst for life
and 15-year-old Ankur Dhama is out to win the world when
he takes part in the IBSA World Youth and Student Dinesh Patel (left) and Rinku Singh (second left), winners
Championships, beginning in Colorado Springs from of a nationwide baseball pitching contest, watch as U.S.
Wednesday. Dhama is the only one who is totally blind in a ambassador to India David C. Mulford (right) speaks after
group of eight visually challenged athletes who will handing them visas in New Delhi. PHOTO: AFP
represent India in the world meet. He clinched gold in both
400 and 800m at the 16th National Sports Meet for the
Blind in Ludhiana that fetched him a spot in the national AYON SENGUPTA der professional coach Tom But they have also made sure
team. ayon@goergo.in House before being signed by that few of their American team
“I had some good practice seasons in Delhi in the lead-up Major League Baseball side Pitts- mates to get a taste of our desi

A
to the tournament. Now I am looking forward to perform farmhand a year back, Rin-
well and make my country proud,” said Dhama, who will ku Singh on Monday tasted
compete in the 400m and 800 metres race. “I will try my his first professional victo-
best to fetch medals in the six-day event although I don’t ry on a baseball field far
want to promise anything right now as I am concentrating away at the Gold Coast in the
on my events starting from July 17,” added the class IX U.S.
student from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. Believed to have a fast throw,
PTI the lad from Uttar Pradesh stuck
down the only batter he faced,
handing his minor league team,
Mixed day for Indians Bradenton Pirates a comfortable
10-5 win over Lakeland Tigers in
Indian recurve archers finished second in the qualification a Gulf Coast League doublehead-
round of the 11th Youth World Championship at Ogden, er. “It’ll still take some time to
Utah, on Monday. Korea and hosts United States took the sink in. But it’s a huge step for-
Day One honours. According to information received, ward. In our first game, I was a
Bengal’s Atanu Das, who is with Tata Archery Academy, bit overawed,” Rinku, who had
stood fifth overall in individual qualification with a total of occasionally dabbled in javelin
1294 points. Pawan Xalxo of Jharkhand was 10th overall throwing back in India, said from
with 1279 while the third Indian, Hemanta Bradenton, Florida. “But now
Basumatary of Assam, was 28th with 1249. everything is good. It’s a very big
The three combined to give India a total of opportunity and we have to make
3822 points that fetched the country a India look better.”
creditable second place behind Korea (4018) Winning an unheard television
in the team qualification. India will take on reality show ‘Million Dollar Arm’
15th ranked Khazakstan in the first round of back in India, Rinku along with
team elimination. It was a disappointing day Gujarat’s Dinesh Patel had trav-
for the junior women trio of Balemai Hansda elled to the U.S. and trained un-
(1224), Seema Verma (1210) and Sumita Kumari (1187) who
ended 38th, 44th and 53rd, respectively.
PTI
burgh Pirates during the yearly
players’ draft. Earlier last week
the pair had each threw an in-
ning in relief in a game against
the Gulf Coast League Yankees.
“It’s very tough and hard. Eve-
rything follows like a clock and
people are very particular. We
wake up at 7 am, stretch and con-
dition. All day long we’re just
working out,” Dinesh said about
their “changed” daily routine.
“Back home we just used to wan-
der around and maybe help my
brothers in the field after
breakfast.”
They are slowly getting im-
bibed to the American way of life
and both Rinku and Dinesh have
their favourites. “Shopping malls.
I like American music too ... Rap,
Eminem,” Dinesh blurts it all out
in one breath. A more sedate Rin-
ku though chooses to be a bit
more diplomatic: “First is base-
ball. I like American music and
American food. I listen to
everything.”
beats. “In their (dorm) room they
play their traditional Indian mu-
sic. It’s catchy,” second baseman
Gift Ngoepe said. “It’s good to
have them around. They are on
either side (of my locker) and are
constantly chattering in Hindi. I
don’t understand a thing but
they are very committed and
dedicated.”
Feeling homesick at times, the
pitchers are in constant touch
with their home and Dinesh
boasts here too. “I talk a lot, four
times a week. One or two hours is
minimum, at times it goes till
four. You can’t live without talk-
ing to friends and family,” he
says. “All of them are excited to
know how things are different
here.”
Both dream of making it to the
highest level – the MLB – and
Rinku says: “Our main focus is
baseball. We are getting nice
training facilities and we need to
make the most of it. Learning En-
glish is also important because
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
09

‘‘
Whisper it...but the injury to Andrew Flintoff is not necessarily bad news for England. That is no longer the kind
of heretical statement that would, once upon a time, have brought upon the perpetrator the Inquisition. There is
now a general realisation that the talismanic all-rounder of four years ago is not as central to England’s success as before.
Like a second-hand car with plenty of miles on the clock, Flintoff’s body has become unreliable. It is a truism that when
you set off on a long journey, you are just not quite sure whether you will reach the destination.
Mike Atherton

ers
s
and Dinesh Patel,
e Million Dollar
have had a
t to their
baseball league

communication is vital in base-

ball. We need to keep on working
hard and hope for the best.”
The more talkative, Dinesh has
already set a timeframe of five
years for the final pitch. “It will
take time. We don’t have experi-
ence. I don’t know the future but
I can make it there in four or five
years maybe.”
Other players too agree. “I do, I
really do, after this year they’ll get
a better feel,” says rehab pitcher
Justin Vaclavik. “They haven’t got
a break from throwing. Being the
first year they’re doing really well
... it will take a couple of years.”
A rank higher, Bradenton Pi-
rates first team pitcher, Brent
Klinger adds: “Right now, no, but
over the period of a few years Rinku Singh pitches during a professional
maybe. They have the potential, baseball game in the Gulf Coast League in
they have to just apply them- Bradenton, Florida. PHOTO: AFP
selves. I’ve been playing since I
was eight, they have just started
playing.”
Meanwhile, the two are mak-
ing the most of the opportunity
and also dream of making it to
the Olympics with the Indian ba-
seball team. ■
10 FLICK
Emma Watson to play princess
After playing a witch in the Harry Potter series, British actress Emma
Watson will be seen as a princess in a musical in which she teams up
with rocker Marilyn Manson.
“I’m blown away
by Shah Rukh”
“H
e had written reams of
notes on how he wanted
to interpret his character
(in My Name Is Khan).
And to him it was no big deal. He’s
ready to direct a film any time. He
will be outstanding at it,” Karan,
whose last directorial venture Kabhi
Alvida Naa Kehna fell flat at the box
office, told.
For My Name Is Khan, Karan is
bringing Shah Rukh and Kajol to-
gether on screen after a long time
and he says they bring out the best in
him.
“I’m blessed to have them in my
film. I don’t know what it is about
them. It’s just magic. They build an
inexplicable energy on screen. When
I direct a scene with Shah Rukh and
Kajol, I know I’m doing my best
work,” he said.
My Name Is Khan is
about a Muslim who suf-
Their last outing together was a damp squib, fers from the Asperger
syndrome, a form of au-
but Karan Johar hasn’t lost his faith in Shah tism that impacts social
interaction abilities, and
Rukh Khan. He has once again teamed up with he is arrested as a sus-
pected terrorist in post-9/
him and Kajol for My Name Is Khan and 11 Los Angeles after au-
thorities mistake his
says the superstar is not only good at emoting disability for suspicious
behaviour.
but is capable of directing a film too. Excerpts from the inter-
view:
My Name Is Khan has
no lip-sync songs?
No, none. The songs are all in the
background. In LA, we had fans com-
ing to us to ask if there was any track
like “Suraj hua madham” in “My
Name Is Khan”. This time there’s no
“It’s the time to disco” and “Where’s
the party tonight”. But there’s guts,
soul and heart in the music. I’ve a
huge comfort zone with my compos-
ers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. That’s the
only way good work can be done.
Apparently, Javed Akhtar
refused to share lyrical credits
with Niranjan Iyer?
Javed-saab is a father figure and
our rapport goes way beyond work.
Niranjan has written the dialogues
and two songs in My Name Is Khan.
Javed-saab was gracious enough to
let Nirajan write the rest of the songs.
And when I insisted, Javed-saab had
to write one song that only he could
and he very kindly agreed. He’s also
ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009
written the lyrics of my production
“Wake Up, Sid”.
How was it directing Shah Rukh
and Kajol again?
I am blessed to have them in my
film. I don’t know what it is about
them. It’s just magic. They build an
inexplicable energy on screen. They
instinctively understand each other’s
acting. When I direct a scene with
Shah Rukh and Kajol, I know I’m do-
ing my best work. These two charac-
ters in My Name Is Khan had to be
Shah Rukh and Kajol.
You almost didn’t get Kajol?
She had to read the script. That
was it. She said yes. I wouldn’t want
any actor to say yes to my film just
because he or she is a friend. I want
my actors to really do the role. I’ve
great friendships, but I don’t want
any actor to compromise on his or
her basic tenets on cinema.
Was Kajol weighed down on
location by her motherly duties?
Not at all. I’ve worked with Kajol in
various stages of her life. I’m working
with her again eight years later. When
we worked the last time, she didn’t
have a daughter. So, of course, she’s a
different person. Today, I find her
calmer more focused on her work
than ever before. Kajol manages to be
fantastic wife-mother and actress.
I find Shah Rukh and Kajol alike in
their attitude to work and family.
They’re both so much into their
spouses and kids. When the shot is
over, they rush to their respective
family. On location in LA between
shots they spoke to each other about
their respective families.
How was Shah Rukh?
Time and again I’m blown away by
Shah Rukh. How can he think of so
many things about his character
when he has so much on his plate?
He has done monumental research
on his autistic character. I was
zapped by how much he knew on the
subject. And he brought all the
knowledge on the sets.
He had written reams of notes on
how he wanted to interpret his char-
acter. And to him it was no big deal.
He’s ready to direct a film any time.
He will be outstanding at it. His un-
derstanding of human nature and
emotions can never be matched by
me. ■
IANS
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
11
Spears under pressure to lose weight
Pop star Britney Spears has gained 14 pounds in just one month following a break
in her world tour and is now under pressure to lose it. “She was in tears saying
they’re calling her fat again,” contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.

MJ’s coffin moved Cine City

To basement of
Forest Lawn
Memorial Park

L
ate Michael Jackson’s coffin has
been secretly moved in Motown
founder Berry Gordy’s private
crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial
Park, according to the sources.
The Jackson family decided to move
the casket after the Thriller hitmaker’s
fans started gathering try and get a
look at the coffin.
“The Jackson family was not pleased
and ordered the casket to be placed in
the basement for security reasons,”
the Sun quoted a source as saying.
The source also revealed that Mi-
chael’s sister LaToya, in charge of her
brother’s body, picked out everything Reshoot
he wore in the viewing casket. There has been delay in the making of Mani
The 50-year-old singer, who appar- Ratnam’s star-studded movie Ravana and the
ently died of the cardiac arrest, was reasons were always kept under the wrap. We now
wearing two black gloves, black trou- hear the movie is almost complete but yet there
sers studded with black beads, a pearl- has been a halt. If the grapevine is to be believed,
beaded white jacket he wore to the Mani seems to be unhappy with the outcome and
Grammys, and an over-sized gold belt has decided to reshoot a few scenes of the film. It
that resembled a championship box- is believed that he has requested the star couple
ing belt. Aishwarya and Abhishek to block some dates for
Michael’s signature white glove has the reshoot. Best of luck Mani Ratnam.
also been placed in the casket. ■
ANI

Fox’s phobia

M
odel-turned-ac-
tress Megan Fox
says that she is
not very fond of
watching herself on
screen.
The Transformers star
avoids checking out her
own performance, report-
ed thesun.co.uk. “I usually
don’t watch myself. I
don’t watch playback. I Prithvi tied up with work
don’t look at still photos. I With a line of projects in Malayalam and Tamil in
have a phobia of it,” she his kitty, actor Prithviraj’s schedule is busy till the
said. end of 2010. Prithvi is also making his foray in
“But I forced myself to Telugu with Police Police. He will be seen in
sit down for Transformers Ninaithale Inikkum and Mani Ratnam’s Ravana this
2,” she added. ■ year. Industry sources say that he is the most
IANS sought after actor in South Indian film industry.
Way to go Prithvi!
12 ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Shiron from Allsec Technologies has nominated his Batch 315 as Partners Mohandass from Technocrat Automation Limited has nominated his
in Crime. This picture was clicked during their VGP trip. team as Partners in Crime. This photo was taken at Siruvani, Coimbatore.

Pallavi K. from Accenture India has nominated her friends Vijji, Ancy, Sunandan K. from HCL Technologies has nominated his team as Partners
Saras and Pallavi as Partners in Crime. This photo taken in Besant Nagar in Crime. This photo was clicked at Manjolai.
Beach.

Venkatesh from Sify Technologies has nominated his friends as Partners Kumar from Cognizant Technology Solution, ASV Sun Tech Park,
in Crime. This picture was clicked at Calicut near Reji’s home. Thoraipakkam has nominated Team GENESIS as Partners in Crime. This
photo was taken during thier Graduation Day 2009.
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Prithvi from Cognizant
Technologies Solutions has
been nominated Office An-
gel by her friends Arthi and
Savitha.
Popularly known as ‘Bells
Prithvi’, is very famous in our
team for dedication and
sincerity. She will make sure
that whatever work she takes
up is perfect and flawless. On
the other side, she is
completely enjoy-every-
moment gal with the friends
around. She is very well
known as a silent person in
the team but she is completely
the other way around.
Mahesh Rajamani of Perot Systems doodled this.
1. Typewriting institute pona ’Typewriting’ varum
Cancer institute pona ’Cancer’ varuma.
2. Oru payyan roadla nadandhu poitay irukkum podhu thum-
bitay poraan... En?
because avan oru podi payyan...
Priyadarshini Gunasekaran
Ford Technology Services India.
■ Hi Vipin,
On ur birthday I wish u much pleasure
and joy; I hope all of ur wishes come
true. May each hour and minute be
filled with delight, and ur birthday be
perfect for u! "May God bless u today
and forever"
with cheerz, Sanju, Prashant, Ram, Jebarson,
Shiv, Mayuri, Shivani, Milee, TCS
■ Hi Akila,
May god smile upon ur face and gift u
with everything that ur heart desires
now and always! Happy Birthday Akila.
By, Your loving friends
BVJ, Janaki, Jeysri and Kosalai.
■ Hi Kavitha,
Many more happy returns of ur sweet
birthday.
Regards Senthilkumar S., TCS
■ Dear Naveen,
Once a year I get the chance to wish u
birthday cheer. It pleases me no end to
say, I wish u another great year. So
happy birthday to u Naveen, from the
bottom of my heart. And may your good
times multiply, till they’re flying off the
chart!
Lakshman, Makesh & Vijay Barclays, Steria
■ Dear P. Minnezhil (AKKA),
On this special day, we wish u many
years of laughter and life’s best
treasures. May this year be filled with
sweet memories and happy hours.
Wishing u all the fun and excitement
that only birthday’s can bring!!! Have a
wonderful and a Blast year ahead...
Regards, dotOPal Team, Scope International
■ Hi Singapore Sarada,
Its a nice feeling when u know that
some one likes u, some one thinks about
u, some one needs u; but it feels much
better when u know that someone never
ever forgets ur birthday. Happy Birthday.
With luv, CODC Bench,
HCL Technologies, ETA1, Navalur.
■ Dear Addy,
On your birthday, special one, We wish
that all ur dreams come true. May ur
day be filled with joy, Wonderful gifts
and goodies, too. On this day we wish
for u Favourite people to embrace,
Loving smiles and caring looks That
earthly gifts cannot replace. We wish u
fine and simple pleasures. We wish u
many years of laughter. We wish u all of
life’s best treasures. We wish u happily
ever after! Happy Birthday!
With loads of love, Asky, Gireesh, Shiva, Vinoth,
Philip, Sabari, Vasanth, Anirudh, Mukilan,
Andy, Anitha, Moksh, Akshay, Pradeep, TCS
■ Dear Pappu, (Pradeep)
I am the happiest person today pappu
cos it is ur birthday I know u were born
for me just for me. Happy birthday my
love. I don’t find words to describe how
much u mean to me .I pray may God
13
shower his blessing on u always & keep
u safe in his hands & till I leave this
world I will u love u madly, deeply, truly
from my bottom of my heart. U make
my life so beautiful with that simple rare
smile of urs.
with love ur fuffy (manu) RR Donnelley
■ Dear Ritu,
Wish you a very happy birthday my dear
friend. May all your wishes come true.
You are among the ones who are sent
to earth to make others smile. May God
continue to give you reasons to smile
forever as you deserve to do so.
Rohit Singh Jadaun, Tata Consultancy Services
■ Hey Sandy,
A smile is a curve that sets everything
straight and wipes wrinkle away hope u
share a lots and receive a lots 4 days 2
come happy birthday...
With Love, Vijaya :)
Belated Wishes
■ Dear Thalai (Rathinavel),
We wish u a wonderful life filed with
luv and happiness. UR birthday makes
the day all the more spl and beautiful.
Happy Birthday
With Best Wishes, CITI-GTS, Polaris
■ Dear Suchitra,
A birthday is just the first day of another
365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy
the journey. A special person like u
deserves the best that each day can
bring. Manymore happy returns of the
day
Regards CITI-GTS, Polaris
■ Hi Murali,
Wish u Happy married life
rgds, Ashok Kumar, Prakash Hexaware, Senthil
Kumar Wipro, Vijai Aand CTS, Ganesan Mettur
■ Dear Yuva,
On this special day, We wish u many
years of laughter and life’s best
treasures. May this year be filled with
sweet memories and happy hours.
Wishing u all the fun and excitement
that only birthday’s can bring!!! Have a
wonderful and a Blast year ahead…
Happy First Birthday Mrs. Yuvarani
Rajaraman!!!
Regards, Route # 4 friends,
Scope International
■ Dear Muthu (Mutta kanna),
Wish you a very Happy Birthday wishes
da. Yes, iniya pirandha naal
vaazhthukkal da. Keep smiling always
like this da but make sure no one sees it.
May all your dreams come true in the
upcoming year. Now coming to the
important section- Alreef/Basera/
residency/Kebab court???!!!
ippadikku anbulla tholarpadai,
Prasad, Venkatesh (^2), Ravi, BowBow, RjPal,
Siva, Laavanyaaaa(DM), Saravanan, Senthil,
Karthi, Kiran, Gayathri, Pradeep, Suresh Wipro.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Swearing reduces pain

Scientists at England’s Keele University say people swear when they hurt
themselves because it actually reduces the pain.

sudoku

Rajesh CP from
HCL Technologies
has shot this
picture in Kerala
using Sony
camera.
Hobbies :
Travelling and
watching movies

KAKURO
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the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Genie in a court room
A family in Saudi Arabia is taking a
genie to court - for throwing stones at
them and stealing their mobile phones.
15
Word’s worth
Winx (wingks) an obsolete word meaning ‘to bray
like an ass.’ If you’d rather sound like the other
laughing animal, the hyena, the word for making
that sound is hau-hau.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

An average day on the professional front, says
Ganesha. Mundane tasks may consume a lot of
time and energy, despite that your concern for
quality work will remain high. Later in the day, you
may be worried about pending work.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

The day will start chaotically. You will have a lot of
work piled up on your desk and you will have to
sweat it out at work, irrespective of the temperature
outside. As the day progresses, you may feel
worked out and tired.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You will get a couple of lessons in doing well in
BORN LOSER the professional world during the first half of the
day. The second half will be about implementing
the lessons learned. The day will demand maximum
use of your brains.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Ganesha predicts you will enjoy your time at work
today. The day at office will be all about you
flaunting your skills. Time is good for working on
new assignments. You may be able to strike a
better level of understanding with your sweetheart.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ceaseless thinking may keep you preoccupied the
entire day. Be it home or office, you will be
contemplating something or the other. All this
thinking will be mostly about matters related to
your personal life, especially your love life.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
In the first half of the day, you will talk more and
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT work less. But things will dramatically turn around
in the latter part of the day. Here you will hardly
have time to talk or even think. A nice romantic
dinner is on the cards, says Ganesha.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
At the beginning of the day, you will focus on
yourself but as the day progresses, you may start
thinking about money matters, job responsibilities
and job security. Your relation with your loved one
may strengthen up because of a positive event.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
The day may not begin with any good news. But
don’t worry. The latter part of the day is entirely in
your favour. You will be duly recognised by your
peers and superiors for your decision-making skills
and ability to read a situation well.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Ganesha predicts that you will be very busy with a
wide range of activities at the office. Your
colleagues will constantly seek your guidance and
suggestions. The latter part of the day is slightly
unfavourable for important professional decisions.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You may be brimming with energy during the first
part of the day but lack of favourable results will
eventually lead to a burnout. You may want to get
a little more organised and disciplined at work.
Your loved one may demand a lot of attention.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You will share your views and plans with your team
members and even your superiors. It might get
ISSUE’S slightly difficult to convince all of them on every
issue, but will eventually succeed if you persevere
SOLUTIONS hard enough.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha confers you as the Sultan of mood swings
today. In the beginning, you will be bored, lax and
lethargic. The work will be routine and boring. But
in second half, you will take up the mantle of
motivating others.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 !
A dancer with the group Pilobolus performs a scene from
"Dog-Id" during a dress rehearsal before the opening night
at the Joyce Theatre in New York. PHOTO: AFP
A bee drinks nectar from a flower in the eastern German
town of Hohen Neuendorf. PHOTO: AFP
ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Nine Alphajets from the French Air Force’s Patrouille de
France, or French Acrobatic Patrol, fly in their arrow
formation over the Arc de Triomphe monument during the
Bastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysees avenue
in Paris. PHOTO: AFP
An athlete is seen in silhouette as she competes in the
women’s triple jump during the IAAF Athens Grand Prix
Tsiklitiria 2009 at the Athens Olympic stadium. PHOTO: AFP