A BYTE OF LIFE Monday, March 30, 2009

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 59

HUGS FOR FREE

A.R. Rahman’s free hugs video inspired
a group of students to initiate the Free
Hugs Campaign in Chennai.
Vipasha Sinha reports
» PAGE 03

SURIYA’S
COUNTDOWN
11
Ayan releases on April 3

FIRST
INNINGS
05
Taking inspiration from books
02 NAMMA CHENNAI
Shirt fad
A leading cinema public relations
executive seems to have developed an
obsession for shirts. At a recent film
launch event, the lead actor came in a
white-and-blue shirt, while the PR man
changed three different shirts in a
matter of 60 minutes.
No comments
Khakis, both senior and junior, are quick
to shy away when the words ‘High Court’
are pronounced. Recently, a top cop was
heard saying “I don’t want to say
anything positive or negative” when
asked about the court issue.
Cold war turns heated
There has always been an ego issue
between the Railway employees and
state police posted in Chennai Central
station. Recently, the cold war turned to
verbal abuse heaped on each other
following the discovery of an
unidentified dead body on a platform.
The fight sparked after there was a delay
by a senior railway official in issuing a
certificate for the state police to clear
the body.
ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009
‘Aavi’
Amudha is back
Not as a ‘medium’ but as Kriya practitioner and
with a new name – ‘Sangamithra’ Amudha
V. HARIPRIYA
haripriya@goergo.in
T
here were days when people
queued up in front of her
house to catch a glimpse of
her. The vernacular press
hailed her. But she decided to call
its quits.
Amudha, or ‘Aavi’ Amudha as
she is popularly known, is no
more a ‘medium’ now. For those
of you who don’t know, a ‘medi-
um’ is a person through whom
the spirits of the dead are sup-
posed to contact the living. And
Amudha was one such medi-
um, which she says was a
God-given gift. “In 1993,
during my high
school, I Kriya calling
be-
PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
came a medium and with that
power I have communicated with
more than 500 spirits. My Guru
(in a metaphysical state) helped
me talk to spirits.”
Issues with the dead
Most of the people who came
to Amudha wanted to settle prop-
erty issues with their dead rela-
tives, she says. “They wanted to
know whether the dead souls
are happy and if they needed
anything for ‘athma shanti’.
There were also cases where
they asked about money or
property matters. So far, the
spirits have not harmed me
and I think it’s because of my
Guru, who is my guiding soul.”
But certain problems could
not be solved, says Amudha, and
that’s when she stopped being a
medium.
“I changed my journey and de-
veloped a passion for under-
standing my own self – me, the
mind and the truth beyond the
mind. These things made people
call me a spiritualist,” says Amud-
ha, who recently released a book
called Ennai Naan Theadugiraen
(In Search of Myself).
Then she chose the path of ‘Kri-
ya’ and changed her prefix to
Sangamithra from Aavi. “‘Aavi’,
meaning ‘spirit’, had negativity
connected to it, so I changed it to
‘Sangamithra’, meaning friend.”
Amudha now runs Sanmarga
Foundation, where she teaches
Kriya techniques to students and
professionals. “Kriya means ac-
tivation of mind. The technique
involves activating the mind to
introspect and identify one’s
goodness while simultaneously
removing negative thoughts.”
The practitioner provides stu-
dents a diary to note down eve-
rything that happens in his or her
life. She also teaches some code
words, so that others will not de-
cipher what one has written.
“When you start writing and in-
trospecting, you can experience a
sea change. I am doing this in
some schools and a few IT com-
panies. On March 30, I am also
starting this mind exercise for the
inmates of Puzhal Prison,” says
Amudha, adding that it was for-
mer President of India A.P.J. Ab-
dul Kalam who asked her to teach
Kriya to children. ■
Monday, March 30, 2009
03
Children’s camp
Super Skills invites children to join in for their summer camp. Kids could
explore their skills through photography, puzzles, games and other
hobby classes. The camp is on from April 15 to 30 at Sishlok. For details
call 9381202785/ 9444200463.

Jaadu ki jhappi
Despite curious onlookers and angry security personnel, the Free
Hugs Campaign succeeded in distributing hugs to anyone who
needed one or could be persuaded to receive one
VIPASHA SINHA

“
What on earth am I standing
here for? What if the cops
catch me? Before I could an-
swer with my ifs and buts, I
felt a kid hugging me tight. It was
then that I knew that our Free
Hugs Campaign had begun,” re-
calls 20-year-old Rohith Nathan, It was A.R. Rahman’s
one of the initiators of the Free
Hugs Campaign in Chennai.
Rohith Nathan, an Engineering
free hugs video that
student, and his IIT buddies Pu-
neeth Raj, Chethan Bikkina and inspired me.
Amit Saxena, were seen anywh-
ere between Citi Centre and I always loved to
Lighthouse station on Valentine’s
Day, inviting (and sometimes
even persuading) strangers
make people smile
around to receive free hugs.
“We met during the Youth Em-
and what better way
powerment and Skill (YES) course
in Chennai. Wavelengths than jaadu ki jhappi!
matched and we decided to do
something different – spread
happiness and have fun at the
same time.
Then one day Rohith comes
shouting ‘Machaan, let’s hug
people!’” says Puneeth.
“I thought it was yet another
attention-seeking idea of Rohith
and discarded it at once but when
he explained the concept we all
just loved it,” continues Amit
“It was A.R. Rahman’s free hugs
video that inspired me. I always
loved to make people smile and
what better way than jaadu ki
jhappi!,” smiles Rohith “When I about the whole thing. They also face the security. “It looked like a their next destination. They
shared my thoughts, my YES had people backing out the last Tom-and-Jerry chase when the hugged people on the platform as
course buddies loved it. Only now minute. security personnel were chasing well as in the trains all through-
I knew that they thought I was “I was videotaping the other us. After warning us thrice, they out the journey. They intention-
joking,” he pats Amit three holding the placards calling forced us out. We knew that our ally avoided hugging women to
for free hugs in Citi Centre. The charts would be torn, so we had avoid trouble on Valentine’s Day.
V-Day first to hug were children. Later, a carried three extra ones. Like we It went on for just two hours,
With zero planning they decid- few others followed. Most of anticipated, we were left with on- but they did end up making a lot
ed to start it on a Saturday, which them found what we did amus- ly one chart.” he says of people smile. “Though not on a
coincidentally happened to be ing, but nothing stopped us,” ex- large scale as in Mumbai, in our
Valentine’s Day. The Free Hugs plains Chetan. Hug hops little ways we did what we aimed
campaigners did invite people, Then came the show-stoppers After being thrown out of Citi to – go mad, make a difference,”
but a majority were sceptical and Punith was the first one to Centre, the EMU local trains were the team echoes. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
Ask your query
During the FY 2007-08 I was deducted extra
tax amount from my employer. I then provid-
ed the investment proof and received
Form-16 with tax refund mentioned. My SA-
RAL with the tax refund Rs. 5876 is filled, but I
am yet to receive my tax returns. How long
does it take to get this amount? In last few
years, I used to get the refund within six
months.
Hemalatha Jayakumar, CTC
There is a lot of delay in the reimbursement.
But the government does pay an interest for
the period. Things can be expedited if the val-
ue of reimbursement is very high, by paying
something extra. Your auditor/ tax filing assis-
tant may help you with this.
For amounts lesser than 10,000, the best
thing to do is wait. So have patience.
(For queries related to personal finance, mail
your queries to finergo@goergo.in, with ‘doctor’ as
the subject line)
Quiz
1: Annuity is paid to the customer in what
intervals
Daily
Monthly
Quarterly
Yearly
2: AUM stands for
Average Unit Margin
Annual Utilization of Money
Assistant Unit Manager
Asset Under Management
(Send your answers to finergo@goergo.in or
SMS to 92813 98889. For example, if you choose
A as the answer to question 1 and B as the
answer to question 2 type it as 1A2B and send it.
Winner will be chosen by lucky draw from all
correct answers and get a free book on mutual
funds)
Answers for last week’s quiz
ADR – American Depository Receipt
ATM – Automated teller machine
Word in Word
HDFC is Most Valued Bank
Private Sector lender HDFC recently over-
took ICICI Bank as the country’s most valued
private sector bank, this was after its shares
surged over six per cent on the Bombay Stock
Exchange.
The market capitalisation of ICICI Bank, the
top private sector lender in terms of asset size,
fell to Rs. 39,516.58 crore against Rs. 40,001
crore of rival HDFC Bank.
Comparing the share price of ICICI with that
of HDFC, the shares of HDFC settled up by
6.31 per cent at Rs. 940.50 on BSE. Whereas
ICICI bank gained 2.44 per cent at Rs. 355.10
and ICICI Bank moved down to 18th position
in terms of market cap, against a place among
the top 10 companies till last year.
ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009
The house at 20%
discount goes to...
Now, get your dream home at a rate lower than the market price
PRADEEP YUVARAJ
pradeep@finerva.com
T
he above reference is the sale
(by means of auction) of a
seized property. By seized we
mean real estate property
which has been taken over by the
bank or a financial institution from
the owner for defaulting on the loan
repayment. Till 2002, when the SAR-
FAESI Act (Securitisation and Recon-
struction of Financial Assets and
Enforcement of Security Interest
Act) was enacted, banks had no ways
to recover value out of NPAs (Non
Performing Assets) or those who take
loans but do not repay.
With SARFAESI banks can recover
these assets without the intervention
of the court. If a person does not pay
back his loan on a housing property,
vehicle or any other mortgaged as-
set, the bank can seize the same and
recover its dues by three means:
Take possession of the security; sale
or lease or assign the right over the
security or manage the same or ap-
point an individual to manage the
same.
More recently many banks have
started seizing houses/commercial
properties and selling them to
buyers by means of auction. If you
could get into one of these auctions
and bid successfully then you could
be the owner of a house at a price
considerably lower than the market
value.
Why this cheap?
This kind of auctions are usually
priced at the distress sale value,
which is 20-30 per cent lesser than
the current market value. During the
auction if the bids are not too ag- Auctions for home should pick up in these current times. PHOTO: AFP
gressive you could get a saving of 15-
20 per cent depending on the bid- stage in India, but with the turmoil tices in the newspapers/bank web-
ders and the property. seen in the economy there will be sites for such auctions. You should
more and more defaulters and lucra- attend a few to get a feel and then if
How do I get involved? tive property could come up for sale. you real find a property, go ahead
The concept is in a very budding Keep your eyes open for bank no- and bid for it. ■
 Monday, March 30, 2009
05
Booked!
Book lovers and bibliophiles rejoice. Pustak.co.in – an online bookstore – was launched
recently by N.R. Narayana Murthy, an avid book lover himself. The Bangalore-based e-
commerce site has a catalogue of 12 million titles and 25 million books. To excite
customers, the company is offering ‘free international shipping’.

The road to inspiration

Who doesn’t like to get hold of a good book? Especially when it talks of an individual’s success story, the highs
and lows he/she went through in building an empire. These three entrepreneurs, whose companies have a global
presence today, don’t necessarily say books have inspired them to take the entrepreneurial path but they have
gained inspiration at some point or the other. Read on for some inspiration:

K. Pandia Rajan,
Ma Foi Management Consultants
My grandfather has been my role model. He himself became an entrepreneur in life late, but I was
greatly inspired by his principles – work with dignity and be on your own.
Later in life Every Street is Paved with Gold, written by a
Japanese author, was a great read. It taught me that opportuni-
ties knock at everyone and it is you who has to make use of
them. The whole question about vision had a very different
meaning in this book. It also motivated me to look at the world
market, where it told me that one doesn’t necessarily need to
have 100 per cent equities to grow as an entrepreneur.
Another inspiring book was Fortune at the Bottom of the
Pyramid. This is a monograph about the 61-year-old entrepre-
neur who started Aravind Eye Hospital, Dr. G. Venkataswamy.
The book spoke about creating an institution and about be-
lieving in the ‘bottom of pyramid’ idea.
(KPR is son of a worker in the match industry in Sivakasi.

M. Mahadevan, Ma Foi is one of the largest HR Service providers in India and it

recently become a part of Randstad, the second largest HR
Services Company in the world)
Oriental
Cuisines
No book as such has inspired my en-
trepreneurial journey, but I taught man-
agement and marketing for three years in
two institutes and Principles of Manage-
ment has motivated me immensely. The
, C a v i n Kare tay Foolish by Rashmi
nathan
book is a Bible for every Management stu-
ngry S M-
dent and I do swear with the author’s
ga g Stay Hu ni from II
C.K. Ran
in lum
notes on co-ordination, co-operation, re- ently read of 25 different a sing the
I am curr th e st ory a rd c h oo growth
sponsibility and dedication as the ingre- is w
urney to s they faced, their d also see
Bansal. It th e ir jo
ad – cup an
dients required in running a business. Ahmadab urial path, the hic ad success stories
Life has been a teacher for me. At 24, I tr e p re n e in g to re
e n re st
. It is inte eir stories. ugh the
was serving coffee in a restaurant and I story, etc th g e n re , I went thro
mine in eurial e a lot.
used to interact with people and take les- shades of , in the entrepren ry also inspired m s of mine
sons observing others at work. I sincerely to th is h e ir st o y p a rt
Prior is. T man do
e Amban there are te me to
follow what I preach and that’s why I be- story of th d stories or books to fire and motiva of them
a el st
lieve that ‘Managers are not born, they are When I re fact, they add fu is to learn that mo e of the
In g siz
made’. in them. t is more inspirin nd, and it is the
a u
I currently have operations in 16 coun- more. Wh a humble backgro ust
tries with 162 partners, so it is very impor- m
come fro at matters. but we m
u r e n v ir onment, b ig a n d
th o k
tant to understand and appreciate each ambition is conditioned by One needs to thin
partner’s thinking process in his/her f u s e m . n .
Each o to overco
me th ambitio lore to
it of that in Cudda
country. Give them a sense of belonging. know how ng desire in pursu s cosmetic business hik shampoo,
ro family’ e it C
Whenever I get time I read Business have a st from his roducts, b places)
d out nd of p now have
gone
Week, Financial Express and Financial (CKR move n his own. His bra i Pickles,
Times. In fact, a recent article in Financial et h in g o R u ch
do som
Times read ‘Measure Twice and Cut Once’
and that’s what we follow.
(Mahadevan has over 20 years experience
in the food business and runs restaurants
like Hot Breads, Benjarong, Wang’s Kitchen,
Noodle House, Zara, French Loaf and Ente
Keralam) As told to
LIFFY THOMAS
06 VILLAGE ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Deathbed confession
A US man who thought he was dying and confessed
to killing a man in 1977 has been charged with
murder after he unexpectedly recovered.

Madonna urged to leave Malawi Taiwan officials

orphan alone find fish
Madonna is facing growing opposition to her plan to adopt another
child from Malawi. Children’s charity Save the Children has urged pedicure fishy
the singer to rethink adoption, media reports said on Sunday. Fish pedicures are
The 50-year-old star has filed papers in Malawi setting out her becoming hot in Taiwan,
intention to adopt an orphan called Mercy James, the Sky News but authorities are
reported. pouring cold water on the
She hopes to take her back to the US if a Malawi court approves the practice by questioning
plan. However, there were reports the family of the toddler is the effect of the
fighting the adoption. treatment, a newspaper
IANS said on Sunday.
Some spa operators in
Taiwan have imported a
special kind of toothless
Slim gets the wax treatment fish to nibble the feet of bathers in their pools, claiming
He owns a diner chain, has Auguste Rodin sculptures lining the fish remove dead skin, give a pedicure and treat
his museum, runs one of the world’s biggest cell phone psoriasis and other ailments.
companies and is rumoured to be courting a queen. So In Ilan County, which is home to many hot springs
what’s left on Carlos Slim’s to-do list? including some pools used by spas for fish pedicure, a
Carlos , this week unveiled his own figure at Mexico City’s health official is openly questioning fish pedicure, which
wax museum, joining an eclectic collection of icons ranging originated from Turkey and became popular in Asia a few
from Mahatma Gandhi to Hogwarts alum Harry Potter. years ago, the Taipei Times reported.
Slim, 69, is the first Liu Yi-lien, director of the county’s health bureau, was
Mexican businessman to quoted as saying “there is no scientific data to
get the wax treatment substantiate the claims of its medical benefits, and in fact
at the museum, located there could be a hygiene problem.”
in a 19th century DPA
mansion near the
capital’s downtown.
Director Maria Emma
Pernas said the museum Rare champagne sets world record at auction
polls visitors to find out A bottle of rare champagne fetched $21,097 at a wine auction
which personalities they here in Hong Kong, setting a new world record for the price of
would like to join the any bottle of champagne sold at an auction.
collection. The auction collected an impressive $4.5 million, with 96 per
Slim’s figure, which took cent of the stocks sold to buyers from Hong Kong, China,
four months to be Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Indonesia, among
sculpted and has natural others.
hair implants, dons a More than 1,000 bottles of rare champagnes from the
dark suit donated by collection of Robert Rosania also attracted enormous interests,
the businessman with a bottle of 1928 Krug collection vintage fetching 164,560
himself. Honk Kong dollars after several rounds of fierce bidding.
Reuters Xinhua

Dog attacks couple to

stop their fight
A
fight between a Canadian
couple upset their faithful
dog so much that he at-
tacked them to end the
fight.
But in the process, the dog
bloodied the husband and his
wife so badly that they had to be
rushed to hospital for multiple
stitches.
The incident happened in Cal-
gary city when a pit bull cross got
angry as it saw his masters fight-
ing. According to Calgary Herald,
the pit bull cross attacked its
owners when the couple began
shouting at each other loudly.
A police spokesman said the at-
tack began just before 9 p.m.
when the argument between the
man and woman became nasty.
The dog first attacked the man
and then the woman.
“The man managed to get the
dog off, but the woman could
not,” said the police spokesman.
“They were both bitten very se-
riously, all over their bodies,
head, face, neck, arms, everywh-
ere,” he added.
The bleeding couple were im-
mediately rushed to hospital
where they received multiple
stitches for bite injuries.
The dog was captured and
handed over to veterinary au-
thorities, police said. ■
IANS
 Monday, March 30, 2009
07

Ready for the slugfest

Azharuddin, 46, who
Azhar’s joined the party last
month amid much fan-
campaign will fare, was initially being
considered from Secun-
be bolstered derabad, then Tonk in Ra-
jasthan and even
by the adjoining Meerut in Uttar
Pradesh before the party
presence of leadership finally settled
on Moradabad.
“To tell you the truth, I
seasoned am confident yet a little
nervous about the elec-
politicians tion. But I have set out to
do something for the peo-
and even ple and I am honest about
that unlike other politic-
star power ians,” he maintained.
The former stylish bat-
smanfelt that education
and health were two areas

H
aving weathered where India would have
the storm on to improve considerably
charges of match- to bring the facilities on
fixing all these par with developed
years and practically countries.
shutting himself from “These youngsters
public eye, former Indian need a good education.
cricket captain Moham- Moradabad needs more
mad Azharuddin is excit- doctors and engineers
ed over his new innings as and I promise to work for
the Congress candidate that when I am elected.
from ‘Brass City’ Morada- Health and basic facilities
bad for the Lok Sabha have to be improved,” ex-
elections. uded Azharuddin, who
“This is a different hinted at several surprises
wicket where one cannot during the campaign.
predict the bounce or “National Conference
turn. Let’s see how it patron Farooq Abdullah
plays out,” Azhar said. take a couple of days off able population and I matter where I stand will campaign and even
To that end, before he to study the demography need to understand their from. I was on cloud 7 Kapil Dev, who stood by
plunges headlong into his of this constituency and pulse,” said an elated Az- when I joined the Con- me through my bad patch
election campaign in this the extent of its youth haruddin after the Con- gress, now I am on cloud when I was banned from
industrial township of population. gress party announced 9,” Azharuddin said as he cricket, will canvass,” Az-
western Uttar Pradesh, “It is very important to his candidature from prepares himself for a haruddin said.
famous for its brassware, know the aspirations of Moradabad. gruelling campaign over ■
Azharuddin is keen to the youth. They are a siz- “For me, it does not the next month. IANS

VOX POP
45
DAYS Last week’s question
The maximum money that a candidate can spend while
Total Lok Sabah seats: 552

Expected expense/candidate: Rs. 10 lakh

TO GO... canvassing for Lok sabha polls, as laid down by the Election
Commission, is Rs. 25 lakh. Do you think the winning
candidates spend only that much?
Cap of Rs.25 Lakh is a rule, which is meant to be broken by
candidates across parties. It would be ideal for EC to exercise
its powers strictly. But that never happens. Winners spend
heavily without any accounting being publicly shared.
Proper and honest audit is required. Election is another
excuse to make our cities untidy, noise pollution, traffic
creation. Imposing enormous fine along with recall power
by public would help in creating a better society.
Manikandan Kannappan
Email: mkannappan@inautix.co.in
Expense by One party: Rs. 55.2 million
Total Expense [if only3 parties]: Rs. 1.66 billion
The population of India: 1.14 billion
Is that money useful for people? Still, we fools vote and
make them win. There should be a provision to “Vote for
none”
Krishna , HCL Tech
Today’s question:
Do Indian voters tend to side with celebrity
candidates?
Send us your views to voxpop@goergo.in.
Please limit your remarks to around 50 words, to enable us to carry
as many views as possible.
08 SPORT ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Bhupathi-Knowles crash out

Mahesh Bhupathi and his Bahamian partner Mark Knowles made a shocking first round exit from the ATP/WTA
Miami Masters after losing to the un-seeded French combine of Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Third
seeded Bhupathi and Knowles squandered a one-set lead to go down 6-3, 5-7, 6-10 in the US$ 4.5 million
hardcourt event. However, the Indian challenge in the event remains alive with Leander Paes and Sania Mirza still
in fray in men’s and women’s doubles respectively. Sania, teaming up with Taipei partner Chia-Jung Chuang and
Paes, with Czech Lukas Dlouhy, are through to the pre-quarters of their respective events.

Disabled player finds hope

in badminton Dream debut for
Brawn
Eight summers ago, on a fateful day in
May, Satyam Janapareddy lost his left hand
but instead of getting bogged down by the
tragedy, he found hope in badminton and
currently stands fourth in the world
rankings for disabled. Currently working as
a coach in the Pullela Gopichand Academy,
Satyam has been selected for the German
Open starting May 20 and the World
Championship in South Africa in September. Button leads Brawn one-two in Australia
“Just two days ago I was selected for the
German Open in a training camp in
Bangalore. I am very happy. I want to win
the tournament,” Satyam said. Born in
Kovvur, a West Godavari district in Andhra
Pradesh, Satyam was always interested in
the sport but the fateful accident in 2001
was when he actually took to the court.
In May 2001, Satyam lost his left hand
while on work and was bed-ridden for six
months. By the time he recovered, he had
put on a lot of weight and started playing
badminton only to regain fitness.
PTI

Maradona’s Argentina
crush Venezuela
Diego Maradona could not have asked for
a better result in his first official match as
Argentina coach, with his team crushing
Venezuela 4-0 in Buenos Aires on Saturday.
Barcelona playmaker Lionel Messi set
Argentina on their way to victory with the
first goal in the 26th minute after a one-
two with Carlos Tevez. He then provided
the cross that led to Manchester United
striker Tevez doubling the advantage two
minutes after the break. Maximiliano Brawn GP driver Jenson Button of Great Britain (left) celebrates with teammate Rubens Barrichello of
Rodriguez and Sergio Aguero, father of Brazil after winning Formula One’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP
Maradona’s grandson, completed the rout
with goals in the 51st and 73rd minutes.

B
ritain’s Jenson Button led
This was Argentina’s 16th win over an astonishing one-two on
Venezuela in as many his Brawn GP team’s racing
meetings, and Maradona debut in the season-open-
described the outcome ing Australian Grand Prix on Sun-
as “better than day. No Formula One team had
expected”. won on their debut since Wolf in
“Reality has overcome 1977 while the last to secure the
fiction,” added the top two places first time out was
Argentine football Mercedes in 1954.
legend who was McLaren’s world champion Le-
adding this to wis Hamilton, who started 18th
friendly wins after a catastrophic gearbox fail-
away to ure in qualifying, showed all of
France and his fighting spirit by clawing his
Scotland. It way back to fourth place. The 29-
pushed year-old Button led from pole to
Argentina chequered flag at Albert Park,
up to taking his first victory since Hun-
second in gary in 2006 and scoring more
the South points in a single afternoon than
America section of he had in the previous two sea-
qualifying for South sons with Honda.
Africa next year,
four points behind Fairytale opening
Paraguay. Brazilian team mate Rubens
AFP Barrichello started and finished
second but only after Red Bull’s
Sebastian Vettel and BMW-Saub-
er’s Robert Kubica collided three
laps from the end while second
and third respectively. That
brought out the safety car for the
closing laps before it came in at
the final corner. Italian Jarno
Trulli, who had started 19th and
in the pit lane for Toyota, took
third place.
Germany’s Timo Glock was
fifth for Toyota ahead of Re-
nault’s Fernando Alonso and Wil-
liams’ Nico Rosberg. Toro
Rosso’s Swiss rookie Sebastien
Buemi became the 58th driver to
score on his debut with eighth
place.
Legends
Button, written off as an over-
paid has-been when Honda de-
cided in December to pull out,
completed an astonishing come-
back that ensured he will never
again be regarded as a one-hit
wonder. “Sensational job. Fan-
tastic. Well done, you deserve it,”
team principal Ross Brawn told
Button over the team radio after
he crossed the line. “Thank you,
you are all legends. It’s going to
be a great year,” replied Button.
The first race of a new-look
Formula One, with radically-re-
vised aerodynamic regulations,
slick tyres and the new KERS
energy recovery systems, turned
the starting grid upside down and
shook up the pecking order as
many had predicted. Neither of
the Ferraris finished, with Felipe
Massa retiring on the 46th lap
and 2007 world champion Kimi
Raikkonen following him out.
Hamilton’s Finnish team mate
Heikki Kovalainen retired after
being caught in a first lap coming
together.
Force India dissapoint
Adrian Sutil of force India fin-
ished tenth 6.3 seconds behind
the winner. Starting at the 16th
slot in the grid, he climbed up the
ladder due to some brilliant driv-
ing. The other driver Giancarlo
Fisichella finished 12. ■
Reuters
 Monday, March 30, 2009
09
Coloured clothing for Test
In a move that has infuriated the purists; the Cricket Board in England is planning to introduce coloured
clothing for the first day-night Test that pits England against Bangladesh next year. According to reports the
match, to be played at Lord’s in May, may have cricketers sporting coloured kits as the administrators have so
far failed to find a suitable replacement for the red ball, which is not visible under floodlights.

G
autam Gambhir ground his way
to his fifth Test century as India
edged closer to saving the sec-
ond Test against New Zealand by
the close of play on the fourth day on
Sunday. The tourists, who won the first
match of the three-Test series in Ha-
milton by 10 wickets, reached 252 for
two at stumps, 62 runs behind New
Zealand’s 619 for nine declared after
being dismissed for 305 in their first
innings and forced to follow on. Gamb-
hir was on 102, while Sachin Tendulkar
was on 58 – his 52nd Test half century –
and with a day still to play he is well
placed to convert that into his 43rd
Test century on the benign McLean
Park wicket on Monday.
Holding on well
“It’s hard to see any wear or tear on it
(the pitch),” New Zealand coach Andy sion replays showed Gambhir had pire Ian Orchard, but the batsman was
Moles told reporters. “You’re looking been comprehensively beaten and the visibly upset with the decision and tel-
for mistakes from the batters rather ball had brushed his back leg. The 27- evision replays showed the ball had
than the ball misbehaving ... and as year-old, who had spent almost an ballooned off his front pad without
we’ve seen in the first innings there’s a hour stuck on 83 after tea finally, touching his bat or gloves. “It was a
bit of tail in this Indian team. brought up his milestone with an ag- tough grinding day for us,” said Dravid.
They’ve got a magnificent front five gressive lofted shot over wide mid-on “We’ve not been put in this position a
or six but as we’ve seen if we bowl well for his 14th boundary. lot over the last year. We found our-
and things go our way we can get quick He had taken 265 balls to achieve the selves with our backs to the wall yester-
wickets.” mark. day and we needed some character, we
Gambhir, who was on 14 when play needed some fight and we showed
began on Sunday, was watchful all day Controversial dismissal that. We could have rolled over but
with few false strokes and only one ner- Rahul Dravid (62) was the only wick- we’ve fought back hard.”
vous moment when a James Franklin et to fall on Sunday after he had shared
out-swinger squared him up while he in a four-hour, 133-run partnership Brief scores
was on 84. Initial reactions from the with Gambhir, though his dismissal New Zealand 619 for nine (J. Ryder
New Zealand fielders were that wicket- was controversial. 201) lead by 62 runs against India 305
keeper Brendon McCullum had Dravid was given out caught in close and 252 for two (G. Gambhir 102 not
dropped a sharp chance, though televi- by Jamie How off Daniel Vettori by um- out, R. Dravid 62, S. Tendulkar 58 not
out). ■
Reuters
Gautam Gambhir receives a rousing reception from teammates as he
walks into the dressing room after taking India to relative safety at the
end of the fourth day of the second Test match against New Zealand
at the McLean Park in Napier on Sunday. PHOTO: AFP

Gambhir,
Tendulkar
grind their
way
10 FLICK ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Scarlett’s plea
Scarlett Johansson is urging husband Ryan Reynolds to
give up his motorcycle hobby, after the actor almost
crashed his bike recently. Reynolds recently dodged
injury when a car performed an illegal turn and ended
up in his path.

e fin i t e l y
e h a v e d r ’
‘W r t h i s y e a
a d a t e f o
s e t hil p a S h e t t y is
ell e r y t
to tie
all set oon Raj
y c
th

e 3
e

3 -
so

nit
I d

e
id

ly s
n
hing lik
e
et

be
wn o

S h
n

il p
o
’t go do hat. But we h Kundra

a
n

his yea
or anyt t a date for t ’s first marria d
e knee to fi-
ave de
r,”

ly m a
her

r r
ge
ie
ith jew ar. Th evious

S
would er.
knot w later this ye ning a tra- said. It ndra was pr ughter with h 7.
u n d r a is p la n t a - h il e K u s a d a ly 2 0 0
K ss n w ha ear
ld actre set a te ita and Kundra in ns a
year-o ing and has , the Daily to Kav me t nair e o w
-
l wedd his yea
r to Shetty ar-old millio trading pre
ditiona in October t uple are yet ir 3 4 - y e in e s s is a l-
te
tive da orted. The c ent about th
o e The bus ndra
based tals. Ku nd
Mail r
ep
o u n c em Dubai- nes and me pa’s career a o
a n n f u s s t o e S h il io n t
make
an s o cio nag ecis
g e . it io n al view ain- o h e lp ing ma ehind her d ue team
marria ve very tra d s b g
parent
sm to be ier Lea in-
“I ha I’ve seen my nd I really be
- is said Indian Prem year’s IPL w
ge. ge a n,” ves t in ls, la s t
marria -year marria ade in heave e in jasthan Roya seven-
in a 3 5 a r e m t h a t t h R a ught a se in
ta ia g e s s a id t ly b o
arr ays to ers. cen ou
lieve m aid. “I’ve alw not it is going d n he couple re on-pound h “I be-
il p a s t h e k o n d e r e T 5 - m il li n d o n .
S h e to t ie en w oom, o
, in L arriage, I’m
I d e c id v e o ft d I ’v e b e d r u r r e y
day
good.
I ha be an ’m ge, S ution o
fm
you se
e
would I eybrid
be for right person me it is Raj. ,” W e in the instit s, and when . It’s a
e r te ev kid uge
who th realise that fo my soul a - li o have , it’s h to
o
come t ely sure he wo-year-old
is re dying t bridge home I can’t wait d
W e y e , s o a h a
t
comple pa about her a.
t the hom Shilp
h il d r io n - g r e a t family ren there,” ■
said S ip with Kun a tradit to p child r interview. PTI
h nning ring u e
lations uple are pla have spoken it b in a n earli
The co in India. “I doing said
w e d d ing a n d we are on’t get
al s d
parent dia you g,
Shilpa’s n way. In In re the weddin
e I n d ia s t b e fo
t h ju
d until
engage
FILE PHOTO: PTI
Monday, March 30, 2009
11
Happy Cindy
Supermodel Cindy Crawford has revealed the secret behind her stunning body –
happiness. The 43-year-old, who has graced the cover of more than 600 magazines,
said, “The secret is: There’s no secret. You have to exercise, eat right. I don’t smoke.
Get enough sleep. I’m not a party girl. And truly the one secret is: be happy. Smile
more,” the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

Royapettah Cine City

to Zanzibar
Actor Suriya gives a peek into Ayan
ERGO CORRESPONDENT Tamil movie heartthrob talking about
feedback@goergo.in Ayan’s storyline. “Every part of the movie
is framed well and connected appro-

A
yan, AVM’s 93rd Tamil film, is all set
to hit cinemas here on April 3. With
Suriya and Tamannah in lead roles,
the movie is about the dramatic
change of events in the life of a city boy.
At a press meet organised at Green Park,
Vadapalani, on Saturday, Ayan’s leading
man Suriya and director K.V. Anand spoke
about their upcoming flick.
Clad in casuals, Suriya, the man in his
12th year in Tamil cinema with 23 movies
to his credit, said Ayan was a memorable
priately to enthral the audience,” he
added.
RJ Jagan, who was the compere for the
evening, mentioned that the title ‘Ayan’
meant ‘outstanding’ in Tamil. Jagan is also
said to be playing a notable role in the
movie.
Speaking on the film, cinematographer-
turned-director K.V. Anand said that the
life of a boy-next-door has been dealt with
through comedy, emotion and action in
the movie.

experience for him as it was shot in exotic
locations in Malaysia and Zanzibar in
Tanzania, Africa.
“It is an intelligent entertainer,” said the
Ayan, which started filming on April 5
last year from Lloyds Colony in Royapet-
tah, has gone through Africa, Malaysia,
Puducherry and Chennai. Brought to
screens by Sun Pictures, Ayan could be a
fun flick not to be missed. ■
Actor Suriya addresses the press on
Saturday. Looking on is director K.V.
Anand. PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI
Kavya’s
treat for Vishu Kani
Actress Kavya Madhavan will be celebrating her
first Vishu Kani after her wedding with her new
release Benaras. The movie, a musical directed by
Nemom Pushparaj, will hit theatres on April 14.
Benaras is an offbeat love story, taken against the
backdrop of Varanasi. The movie has Kavya playing
the role of a classical dancer and actor Vineeth as
a research student of folk arts. The movie is
expected to have some brilliant dance sequences.

Selva’s
sentiment
If Internet buzz is to be believed, actress Reema
Sen’s name in Selvaraghavan’s upcoming flick,
Aayirathil Ooruvan, is Anitha. It may be recalled
that in 7G Rainbow Colony, the character which
Sonia Agarwal played was also called Anitha. Hope
Selva has some sentiment for the name. Aayirathil
Oruvan has Karthi, Reema Sen and Andrea playing
the lead roles.
12 ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Funkey Team
from MphasiS
has nominated
their friends as
Partners in
Crime. This pic
Thanks for the response. These are the captions was clicked at
that we received for the ice skating photo. Parambikulam
Forest Top Slip.
Hereafter, watch out for the Caption Me! co-
lumn every Friday in Ergo.

■ Skate or fall for a date? nalla irukkumanu

What are you doing my teriyalaye pppa.
boy? Arun Kumar, Allsec

Nisha G, TCS ■ I’m the world. If you

■ Life is like ice. Use
confidence as skating to
balance your body which is
nothing but balancing the
life.
Jagadeesh, CSS
■ Learn to fly on your
own, so no waste of
money on flight tickets
during business trips, cost
cutting measure.
Prasad N, HCL
■ Learn to analyse life
from angles, it will reveal
its realism, otherwise it
becomes mere fantasy.
Maheshwaran A, TCS
change your vision I will
stand.
Nanthakumar, Wipro
■ Cool me down! I’ve
Nikhil Baheti
come burnt from my from Infosys has
office. nominated his
Padma Gopal, Cognizant friends as
Partners in Crime.
■ Ena matiri yaravathu
The pic was
pannunga pakkalam. clicked in
Karthikeyan, Perumal Kodaikanal.
Infoview Technology
■ This is how we feel in
this recession environment.
Have the courage but take
proper care in balancing
our career.
Ambika, CTS

■ Keezha viluthalum ■ Airbus in skates. With

meesaile mannu ottale. wings wide open. But
Mohankumar, TCS, where is the tail.
Raj Kabila, CTS Raj, CSS

■ It’s a bird, it’s a man it’s ■ Reminds of monster.com

Superman. ad, a skater trying to
Vaishnavi Narayan, TCS, signal flight which is on Thyagarajan from
Pandiyan, CSS runway. Great job IBM has
opportunity for skaters at nominated his
■ I’m flying like an eagle airports in Greenland. friends as
touching the heights and Soumya, HCL Partners in
gonna land as fast as an Crime.
jet crashes.
Ranjith, HCL

■ I think he fell in love Today’s Query:

and dancing for the song
’kathal sonna ganamea What will you do
katrai parakuthu
manamea’. if the Internet
Prakash, Wipro
stops working
■ Opening ellam nalla
daan irukku aana finishing for a day?
 Monday, March 30, 2009
13

■ Dear Prabu (Mindtree) ■ Dear Sherline,

You have crossed one more year. You are the one close to my heart
Another year added to your history, I thank God for giving you to me
which had given you more Wishing you many more happy
experience, lovely moments and returns of the day!
cherishable memories. We all wish God bless you..
that the coming days and years also Your’s loving,
Binod Bisoyi from HCL
impart you with more lovely and Anline, CTS
has been nominated as
beautiful events in your life. Belated
Office Angel by his friend ■ My Friend
B’day wishes to you Prabu.
Mrs.Manonmani.
Regards, Met you as a stranger, Took you as a
A friendly, easy-going
VVS Team friend, Hope we meet in Heaven
person. And a perfectionist
Ramco Systems where friendship never ends.
when it comes to work.
Regards,
■ Dear Chennai team, Mukul, Sify Technologies limted
I’m shouting
I’m singing
I’m swinging through trees Belated Wishes
I’m winging sky-high ■ Baby
With the buzzing black bees. happy birthday to hope u will always
I’m the sun have a good health,
I’m the moon more career in life..and hope that
I’m the dew on the rose. more birthdays to come..always take
I’m a rabbit care and i love u so much.
Whose habit Best Wishes for Kolantha(thala),
Is twitching his nose. Ippadiku ungal nalam verumbe,
I’m lively
I’m lovely ■ Dear Vivek
I’m kicking my heels. On this special day
I’m crying "Come dance" V wanted to send
To the freshwater eels. A most special greeting
I’m racing through meadows To a most special friend
Without any coat Under d sky so blue,
I’m a gamboling lamb V met sum1 so true.
I’m a light leaping goat Now d world seems sumthing new,
I’m a bud Sum1 vry spcl among a few.
I’m a bloom V r really glad dat god gifted us,
I’m a dove on the wing. A swt frnd like u
I’m running on rooftops V wish you A VERY HAPPY
And welcoming spring! BIRTHDAY.
Regards, Your true friends,
Ponniah Wipro Technologies

■ Hi Navanee, ■ My Dear Sumi (Kuttima)

Sivaranjini R of Birlasoft Wishing you a very Happy and Joyful Many More Happy Returns Of the
(India) has doodled this. birthday!!! Will have a very big treat day. Have great and Lovable years
from Suresh to celebrate your ahead…
birthday joyfully. Always I will be with you
Best wishes from, Regards
Ramah, Ravi, Suresh, Madhi Vignesh.V
HCL Technologies
■ Dear Vyshu Kutti,
Wishing you Millions of greetings! ■ Dear Sang.
Thousands of colors! Hundreds of MAY U B WOT U HOPE TO B,
wishes, Kg’s of sweets! Lots of C ALL U WANT TO C…
Smiles! That is what we ask God 2 DO ALL WOT U WANT TO
give you throughout ur Life! Wishing MAY YR EVERY WISH COMES TRUE…
you a very Happy Birthday Vyshu. Let “A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO U”
this Birthday bring all sorts of joy & Best wishes from
Happiness in your life... Enjoy… ur lovable Friends,
With Luv, Wipro Technologies
1.Man’s Wife: Yethuku adikadi kitchen poitu varinga
Ramah, Uma, Mani, Lotus, RR, Amit,
Man: Doctor thaan adikadi sugar irukaa nu check panna ■ Dear Head,
Manili, Subhatra, Supraja, Karthik, Raghu
sonnar
Wish you a fantastic fun filled
Man’s Wife:??? ■ Dear Vijay, Birthday... Have a blast and enjoy the
Congratulations on winning the Mr. life at most...Its too short to worry
2. Lady: I called you last week for repair work.
Fit title!! Looking forward to see you and waste...Wishing you loads and
Man: I’ve been coming daily since the past four days. I ring the
winning many more!! loads of happiness in your life..
bell but no one answers.
Cheers! Friends Forever,
Lady: I called you to repair the door bell.
ASD-TYCO Team, Monk Fami
Man: ???????
Infosys Shollingnallur. ly, HCL
Saravanan V, HCL
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Twin trainspotters
German twin brothers have spent the
last nine years painstakingly putting
together the world’s biggest train set.

sudoku

They make us laugh!

Suresh R. of Sify
Technologies sent us this
picture. Hobbies: Singing,
photography and cooking

Preference this month is being

given to photographs that talk
about ‘happiness’, which you
need to tell us in a line or two.
Please do not repeat any of
your previous pictures and also
make sure that the photograph
is people-oriented. Happiness is
not always a smile, so put on
your thinking caps and keep
clicking!
Winners can collect their gift
vouchers on Sundays, between
3 p.m. and 5 p.m. at Ergo
office
KAKURO
So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the
platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit.
E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:
V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy
N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:
Contact: 2857 5757
E-mail: ads@goergo.in
Website: www.goergo.in

Head of Circulation:
M.G.M. Sharief
copies@goergo.in

SNAIL MAIL
859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002
mail your feedback to
feedback@goergo.in
FAX 2857 6691

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of

KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Monday, March 30, 2009
Laugh-a-not
A Lincoln couple who went to see a play billed
as capable of making you "laugh until they
throw you out" were thrown out - for laughing
15
Word’s worth
“Leguleian” (leg-yoo-lee-an) an adjective meaning
‘pertaining petty or unimportant questions of law.’
As a noun it means ‘a pettifogging lawyer.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

The day today will make happy additions to your
bank account. However, the ‘additions’ might not
be monetary for the moment, but will be useful
references during your appraisal. On the love front,
you are likely share sweet words with your honey.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Ganesha likes to call this as a ‘power day’ for you
as your basic qualities will be highlighted today.
Your work will be systematic and will meet
deadlines. On the relationship front, Ganesha
advises you to be extremely careful.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

On the relationship front, physical charm will be
BORN LOSER seen working with full zest. You might try to
impress a member of opposite sex, in case you are
single. Beware of colleagues who might try to
tarnish your image today.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
If you want to improve the team work in your
organization, today is the perfect day to organize
meetings or small lectures. Your enthusiasm and
devotion towards work will prove beneficial in the
longer run.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Keeping your shoulder to the wheel might not work
today. Ganesha feels since you are good on the
creative side today; you should try to explore your
imagination today. Relationship with your bosses
may need special care.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Being in a practical mood at work, you will be able
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT to wrap up your work on time today. Ganesha feels
this is a good time to plan a small trip with family
or beloved one. You might not travel very soon, but
planning in advance is always helpful.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Ganesha finds you trying to solve complex work
issues. After experience, it is advisable to learn from
people who are experienced enough. Hence, your
superiors will be very useful today. You will be able
to enjoy high quality private time with your beloved.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Your mood will be little dull today. Even if you push
yourself, you might not be able to work for long
hours at office today. Ganesha feels that you need
to pay more attention to your health. Your partner
will provide ample amount of moral support.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Ganesha predicts that the coming day will be a
complimentary day for you. At office you might be
very active and energetic. However it is advisable
that you take proper rest to remain healthy. Love
life may be smooth.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Your professional life may be flooded with
opportunities today, foresees Ganesha. You will get
good incentives and perks provided you work hard.
Love life too will be on the peak. You are likely to
be creative in impressing your beloved.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Ganesha finds you pondering over some work
related matters today. Anyway it is high time that
ISSUE’S you speculate your shortcomings in office work. On
the personal front, you might reach home early to
SOLUTIONS spend more time with your family.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Change in working style will prove to be very useful
for you and you might also find a considerable
boost in your creative talents. On the love front,
your actions and behaviour might leave your partner
dazed.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Monday, March 30, 2009

Actor-singer Jennifer Lopez poses for

photographers as she appears at an event by
Japanese fashion company Samantha Thavasa
in the young fashion district of Shibuya in
Tokyo on Sunday. AFP PHOTO/TORU YAMANAKA

Ground crew members approach the nose of US space shuttle Discovery after it landed on
Saturday at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, completing its 13-day flight to the International
Space Station. AFP PHOTO/POOL/TERRY RENNA

Hotel room lights and reflected lighting from

the ground are seen on the side of the
darkened Mirage Hotel & Casino on the Las
Vegas Strip as seen from the Voodoo Lounge
at the Rio Hotel & Casino on Saturday in Las
Vegas, Nevada. Hotel-casinos in Las Vegas
turned off marquees and non-essential
exterior lighting to participate in Earth Hour,
a global initiative by the World Wildlife Fund
to focus attention on the threat of climate
change. ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES/AFP