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Wednesday, July 15,2009A BYTE OF LIFE

ONE NIGHT IN EVERY

CALL CENTREBPO-Sutra with 150 such stories

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 132

05

Page 08

Rinku Singhand DineshPatel, winnersof the MillionDollar Armcontest, havehad a rollickingstart to theirprofessionalbaseball league

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009NAMMA CHENNAI02

The third edition of the CorporateSports Olympiad is back. Conducted forcorporate teams in Chennai, the eventaims to encourage companies to

support employees pursuit of a more activeand healthy lifestyle. The sporting actionalso aims to bring out the skill set ofemployees in various sports.The olympiad would cover events likecricket, 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 housesparticipated. This year the competitions willbe spread across two months, starting fromthe end of August. Teams need to registerbefore August 14 and there are nolimitations on the number of teams thatcan represent a corporate.For further details contact 9840220110/93823 14839/9840273090

Icame to Chennai with

just Rs. 2,000 in hand,says Sathish K., one of theowners of Pupil, a well-

known food joint in Besant Na-gar. His partner, Sathish J., sitsbeside him with a pleasant smileon his face. Amongst the buzzingcrowd of youngsters, the two

young men can easily pass off as

customers rather than the proudowners of the place.With dreams of making it big in

the hotel industry, the 19-year-old graduates from a cateringschool in Trichy moved to Chen-nai to accomplish their mission.We came to Besant Nagar by bi-cycles in search of a place to startour food joint. We were shooed

away from thearea when theowners heard ofour budget. But

within a month, we somehowmanaged to buyit, says SathishJ.

They started Veroonas in

2000, which was renamed Pupilin 2003, considering the largenumber of student customers.They claim to be the ones to in-troduce sub sandwiches in thecity. Burgers were made availableto customers at affordable rates,starting from Rs. 35. Pleased withthe overwhelming response fromChennaiites, they started spread-ing their wings by opening up afew more outlets in the city.

Pupil is one of the best placesfor burgers in the city. The burg-ers here are both lip-smackingand affordable, chimes in 18-

year-old Priyanka, hogging onher burger along with her gang offriends.

Today, they have five outlets inthe city Eatalica (R.A. Puramand Nungambakkam), TastyJones (Besant Nagar, T. Nagar)and Pupil which are brimming

with customers. While TastyJones, which started more than a

year ago, serves pastas, sizzlersand steaks, Eatalica specialises ina mix of Italian and American cui-sine.

We are aiming at opening fivemore outlets by 2010. We alsoplan to reduce the size of the me-

nu and instead increase the qity of the food, say the yoand successful entrepreneur

Pupil has a wide range of b

ers, priced between Rs. 35 anLocated just a stones throw afrom the beach on 4th MRoad, Besant Nagar, Pupil tainly captures the attentiontaste of its regulars.

(Too Good for Critics is a w

column that celebrates Na

Chennais Kaiyendi Bhavanssmall eateries. If you can think

similar place, mail

feedback@goerg

Sathish and Sathisrun this joint inBesant Nagar thathas been churningout affordableburgers for almosa decade

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

The Pupil withmany followers

Up to 60 % offReliance Footprint has started its end of seasosale, where it is offering up to 60 per cent offvarious brands.The sale is on till August 23 at its outlet oppoBreeze Hotel, Poonamalle High Road, Kilpauk

Game for some

SPORTS

Address: No. 11, 12,TNHB Complex,4th Main Road, ElliotsBeach,Besant Nagar, Chennai 600 000Ph: 45587848

AKSHATA G.J.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

In the serene bylaneof Kasturba Nagar in

Adayar is EleganteFashion Boutique

welcoming one to its wide range of exclusivechudidhar suits, kurtisand tunics.

The place is owned bySuba Selvan, whoopened the boutiquethis Womens Day andhas her flat and shophoused in the sameapartment complex. Theinter-lock patterns,styles, colour combina-tions of the readymade

suits, kurtis and tunicsarranged neatly in thered-painted wall areunique and a class apart.

The collection is all de-

signer wear sourcedfrom Jaipur and Kolkata.

For an evening socialgathering or a corporatemeeting, there are someethnic kalamkari cottonand chanderi silk suits

with elegant and classybrochette, brocade andappliqu work to choosefrom. The entrepreneur

who was a fashion con-sultant in a high-end lif-estyle store in Californiasays, Known clients and

word-of-mouth publici-ty have kept my businessgoing. Based on the builtand look of my clients, I

do suggest what suitsthem. Some times theyrequest for different col-our combinations, and

then in that case I give

special instructions tomy designers. The com-fortable knee lengthmulti-cotton kurtas arethe fast-sellers.

Speaking about theUSP, she says, The in-tricate workmanship inthe suits with dupattashaving a blend of two ormore fabrics chiffonand net, crochet andchiffon and so on are my specialty. Thedesigner wear clothesare pretty affordable.

Just before Diwali,Suba plans to get festivesuits and tunics. Even-

tually, I plan to expandto a bigger place and alsotake my business over-seas, Suba signs off.

Elegante Fashion Boutique has a galore ofaffordable designer wear chudidhar suits,kurtis and tunics.

DEEPA VENKATRAMAN

Elegante FashionBoutiqueAddress: New no 38, (oldno 27), A/1, 2nd Main Road,Kasturba Nagar, Adyar,Chennai - 600 020Ph: 9444058836Store timings: 10.30 a.m.to 8 pm (Closed onTuesdays)

Celebrate Raksha BandhanTNT India has introduced a special service for Rakhi. The packagecomprises of teeka, akshat(holy rice) and a personalised message inhandmade scroll, all packed in a beautifully handcrafted box. Also, 50 per cent discount on tariff. The offer is available from July 15 toFor details call 60009999 or toll free no 1800-425-9999.

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

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Finns are known to be quiet, re-

served and taciturn but every Julysome 100,000 of them unleash theirpassion for the tango, singing and

dancing under the Arctic midnight sun.For four days this past weekend, vis-

itors to the annual Tangomarkkinat - orTango Market - listened to old and newtango singers and strutted their stuff in acordoned-off street in Seinaejoki, some360 kilometres northwest of Helsinki.

I am here to listen to the music and tomeet people, Paeivi Kuntsi said, enjoy-ing the sunshine at the market square.

However the rise of rock n roll andpop music in the late 1960s and 1970ssaw the tangos popularity take a hit.

But tango, which has its roots in Ar-gentina, made a comeback in the 1980swith the first Tangomarkkinat being

held in 1985.Arto Puisto, visiting the festival for the

first time, said: Tango is the best dancein the world. It is all about feeling and(how) you can be close to anotherperson.

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 mustbe a dream. I am pinching myself.

The contest has provided many a bigbreak for Finlands young singers. Not allthe festival-goers have mastered the tan-gos tricky and twisting step and preferto sing along to the music instead.

Jouko Rauhko, a burly man in his 40s,sings in Finnish to his wife Nina Glasbergin one of the events many karaoke bars.

I always choose songs that I knowby heart, otherwise I will just readout the lyrics and then I cannot put

my soul into the song, Rauhko ex-

plained after his performance.But many young Finns do not share the

same burning passion for tango as theolder generations.

In 20 years tango will be fading away(in Finland). If there was no Tangomark-kinat, tango would have faded awaycompletely 10 years ago, said PekkaGronow, an expert in the history of Finn-ish popular music.

He said many Tangomarkkinat contestwinners ditch the tango after just onealbum for a more radio-friendly, dance-able brand of pop music.

Compared to the Argentinian tango,the Finnish version is much slower and itslyrics often recount tales of Finlandscountryside and pristine nature.

According to Pirjo Kukkonen, a re-

searcher at the University of Helsinki, theFinns love for the tango stems from theirmelancholic nature.

They are fairytales for grown-ups,who want to hear the same stories over

and over again, Kukkonen said.

Many songs use the four seasons as ananalogy for life: summer represents hap-piness and youth, which fades as autumnand winter sweep in.

Finnish tangos power is that it is mel-ancholic but has hope in it. Summercomes again every year, Kukkonensummed up.

Despite Gronows gloomy forecastabout the future of tango in Finland, theorganisers of the event are confident itwill still be going strong for years tocome. Pekka Leinonen, managing direc-tor of the Tangomarkkinat festival, saidit successfully overcame the challengefrom disco music in the early 1980s.

The beginning was difficult, but aftera couple of years more people started tocome to the festival, she said.

Leinonen said Tangomarkkinat wouldcontinue to champion tango music, butwould try to lure a younger crowd bybooking rock and pop bands.

AFP

Dancers performingduring the tangofestival. PHOTO: AFP

After World War II,

tango was the rage in

Finland, sung and

danced at thousands

of outdoor dance

halls on the shores of

its picturesque lakes,

peaking in the 1960s

Finns find their feet at tango fest

ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009KALEIDOSCOPE04

Internet road-mapping serviceGoogle Street View is nowstarting to cover areas likeStonehenge, which are far

away from driving routes.Rickshaw-style tricycles, carry-

ing 3-D cameras, will be used tofilm several popular off-roadspots, including Loch Ness andthe Angel of the North, reportsthe Telegraph.

Street View allows web users towalk along streets, exploring

360-degree images recorded fromeye level.

People in 25 British towns andcities can access 360-degreeviews of roads and homes via thisapplication.

Street View also includes pho-tographs of millions of residentialaddresses, people and cars.

It has been hailed as a helpfultool for home hunters and would-be tourists.

ANI

Street Viewgoes toStonehenge

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

His intended readers havegiven the book a thumbsup, while a critic tweetsGo Read Die Laughing.

Sudhindra Mokhasi is riding awave, a book wave that beganwith the launch of his debut ti-tle, BPO-Sutra, four months backin Bangalore and then in Mum-

bai. The fact that it is an indus-try-specific experimental genreand one of the first book of sto-ries from Indias BPO and CallCentres only seems to have got-ten it more spotlight.

Over 10,000 copies of the bookwere sold in the first two monthsand it is now on its fifth reprint,

which numbers to another20,000.

Thats quite a boost for a te-chie, with bits and pieces ofwriting experience confined to

tech articles, travelogues andmanagement gyan. Sudhindra isnow getting ready to launch thebook in the U.S. and the U.K.Any subject which is a matter of

debateshould click and off-shoring is a topic with a lot oftalk, says an optimistic Sudhin-dra, who quit as vice-presidentMphasiS to turn entrepreneur aswell as quench his love for writ-ing.

BPO-Sutra True Stories fromInside Indias BPOs and CallCentres is a celebration of theBPO life, providing a 360 degreeview of the BPO life, with hilari-ous, touching, thought provok-ing and stereotypical scandalousstories.

Like, In the void of monotonytalks about the depressing mo-notony of a call agent, Living-inPeril narrates the misadventure

of a live-in couple, The moon-lighter is the tale of a studentwho moonlights in a BPO to

earn for his sisters weddin-gand another 150 stories, eachpromising to make even a non-reader run through these shortand individual stories.

The writer in me

Incidentally, the writer in Sud-

hindra was born long time back.But his commitments at a seniormanagement position left him

with little time to pursue his as-piration. I quit my job in 2007for a short break to jump startthe book before I started myown company, e-SutraChronicles.

The book has been in themaking for around 30 months

where the writer met up with

different people from the indus-try to recount their stories, and alarge part gathered from his

wide experience in the industry.So, was it a cakewalk finding apublisher?

Kind of! I went to Rupa & Co with 30 per cent of my complet-ed work. That helped as they hada concrete idea on the genre andmy 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 andphotographer. Its necessary tohave a creative passion to de-stress while writing helps memaintain good mental health

and equilibrium. The book is published by Rupa

& Co. and is priced at Rs. 95.

LIFFY THOMASliffythomas@goergo.in

I went to Rupa & Cowith 30 per cent of mycompleted work. Thathelped as they had aconcrete idea on the

genre and my style

One in every call centrenight

Former VP of MphasiS, Sudhindra Mokhasi, chronicles his and many others lives spentworking in Indias BPOs in his debut book

Doyouhavea

BPOstoryto

say?Thewriterwillbe launching

Volume 2 of

BPO-Sutra, andthistime he h

opes people

willreachouttohimaboutstori

estheyhave

beenlongingtotell.So,ifyouha

veanuntold

story,mailthemto story@bposu

tra.com or

post it onwww.bposutra.com.

This isyour

chanceto discoverthewriter in

you!

Booked!:Sudhindra Mokhasi

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Football 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 cant take up such

assignments.After Beckham unveiled his new steamy adver-

tisement for Emporio Armani, it was rumoured thatofficials at the fashion firm wanted him to team upwith Jolie for a traffic-stopping billboard campaign.

The footballer admits hes a Jolie fan, but insiststhe news isnt true, reported contactmusic.com.

I definitely dont think thats true. Shes anamazing person and so is Brad Pitt. Theyre an in-credible couple... got an amazing family. You knowshe wouldnt do it and I wouldnt do it. At the endof the day, I wouldnt do it because Im married, hesaid.

IANS

PHOTOS: AFP

Beckham slams rumours of steamy ad with Jolie

ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009VILLAGE06

Microsoft touts feedbackon BingMicrosoft praised its freshly-launched Bingonline search engine and said it is taking along-term approach in its quest to break

from third place behind Yahoo! and Google. The number of people that used Bing in June foronline searches was eight percent higher than the number that used its predecessor, MSN Live,in the same month last year, according to Microsoft.Meanwhile, figures released in recent weeks by industry analytics firms reveal mixed data,leaving it unclear whether Bing is doing much to close the gaps with Yahoo! and Internetsearch king Google.

AFP

Coming soon: Talking cars thatavoid crashesTalking cars arent science fiction anymore - thanks toscientists who have developed a set of algorithms that willallow robotic cars of the future to communicate with eachother to help avoid collisions.An international team, led by Indian-origin scientists DrBhibhya Sharma and Dr Utesh Chand of the University ofthe South Pacific, has developed the mathematicalequations, which would also instruct robotic cars how tochange lanes safely.According to Dr Sharma, the series of mathematicalequations would instruct robotic cars when and how tomerge lanes, which could lead to less accidents and ease

traffic congestions.Flocking is abiologically inspiredtechnique and a

strategy commonlyused in robotics. Oneof the advantages offlocking is that robotscan work togetherand achieve whatwould takeindividuals farlonger, he said.

PTI

Now, a novelin SMS formatTired of readingcontent in a bookformat?Now, mobile phonescan be an alternativeas a leading publisherhas come up with,what it claims to bethe first work offiction in the Indiansubcontinent in SMSformat.According to HarperCollins India, Pinki Viranis Deaf

Heaven is the first literary cell-novel and an adult audio-mobile book in the subcontinent.The literary cell-novel will be made available in 90 SMSesand the adult audio-mobile book in two short-durationdownloads by Reliance Mobile.Our cell phone novel will introduce an interestingelement to how novels are read; readers will get theentire book condensed into a few SMSes. The concept thata novel can also be read via SMS and heard at any timevia voice portals is itself an unique and innovative idea,says Krishna Durbha, head (VAS) of RelianceCommunications.

PTI

Woman escapes wrong turn into croc-filledriverAn Australian woman had a lucky escape after making a wrong turninto a crocodile-infested river in the countrys remote north, police said.The woman mistook a boat ramp for a road crossing the East AlligatorRiver, about 300 kilometres east of Darwin, police said.Officers who retrieved the vehicle after the accident found itsurrounded by deadly saltwater crocodiles.Police said the woman, from New South Wales state, had to scramblethrough the water as her four-wheel drive sank into the river near theworld heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.

AFP

Smooth touchA moisturiser is going down a storm at Belfast Zoo - its helpingkeeps elephants bottoms smooth.

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ABritish girl who was given

an extra heart as a toddlerhas become the worldsfirst heart transplant pa-

tient to make a full recovery af-ter having her donor organremoved and function restoredto her original heart.

Hannah Clark, now 16, had apiggyback transplant oper-ation in 1995 aged two, when anew heart was inserted in paral-lel to her own failing one.

The donor organ had to be re-moved 3-1/2 years ago becausethe immunosuppressant drugsshe was taking to avoid organrejection caused cancer - but bythen her own heart had reco-vered sufficiently to work on its

own.Since the surgery, which took

place in 2006, Clark has made afull recovery from the cancer andhas 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-ledthe surgery team.

The heart muscle itself, whichwas not doing anything at all,has recovered.

He added cardiomyopathy, orthe deterioration of the function

of the heart muscle, was relative-

ly common in children in the firstyear of their life.

Victor Tsang from Great Or-mond Street Hospital, who wasthe other surgery team leader,said Clarkes case offered hopefor other patients with heartfailure.

Hannahs case highlights thatin cases of cardiomyopathy suchas hers, it is possible for the pa-tients own heart to make a fullrecovery if it is given adequatesupport to do so, Tsang toldreporters.

Her case study was reported inthe Lancetmedical journal.

Clark, who was forced to take16 different drugs at one stage

to control her illness, burst intotears when a journalist asked herto relate how her life haschanged 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, Ivenow got a normal life just like allof my friends.

Her mother Elizabeth Clarksaid: She doesnt think abouttomorrow, she thinks about to-day. She wakes up smiling everyday.

Reuters

A British girl who had a donor heart grafted onto

her own after suffering cardiac failure as a babyhas had the transplant removed and is living ahealthy life with her own heart, doctors said. Thecase of Hannah Clark is thought to be the only onein the world where a childs failing heart recoveredenough for the donor organ to be removed

Girl recoversfully after

donor heartremoved

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Websites of the dayAll you ever needed to know about handbags:www.armcandygirl.comEnjoy the wisdom of the worlds most famous and least popularpop princess http://www.britneyspears.com

Alternative gamesMore than 10,000 competitors have been competing in events fromwatermelon-seed-spitting to armpit-squelching at this years RedneckGames in Georgia.

Couples living together be-

fore their engagement aremore likely to split thanthose who wait until their

wedding, or at least wait untilthey are engaged, according to arecent study.

Besides, couples who cohabitbefore their engagement andthen get married reported a low-er satisfaction in their marriages.

The research was conductedby University of Denver (DU) re-searchers Galena Rhoades, ScottStanley and Howard Markman.

We think that some coupleswho move in together without aclear commitment to marriagemay 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 futureof the relationship before mov-ing in together, especially be-cause cohabiting makes itharder to break up compared todating, Stanley added.

The three researchers alsofound why couples decide to livetogether. They want to spendmore time together.

The second most popular rea-son is convenience, followed bytesting 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 intheJournal of Family Psychology.

IANS

Couples living in sinmore likely to split later

Hannah Clark. AFPPHOTO/SHAUN CURRY

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009SPORT08

Mixed day for IndiansIndian recurve archers finished second in the qualificationround of the 11th Youth World Championship at Ogden,Utah, on Monday. Korea and hosts United States took theDay One honours. According to information received,Bengals Atanu Das, who is with Tata Archery Academy,stood fifth overall in individual qualification with a total of1294 points. Pawan Xalxo of Jharkhand was 10th overall

with 1279 while the third Indian, HemantaBasumatary of Assam, was 28th with 1249.The three combined to give India a total of3822 points that fetched the country acreditable second place behind Korea (4018)in the team qualification. India will take on15th ranked Khazakstan in the first round ofteam elimination. It was a disappointing dayfor the junior women trio of Balemai Hansda

(1224), Seema Verma (1210) and Sumita Kumari (1187) whoended 38th, 44th and 53rd, respectively.

PTI

Aiming aheadBlindness has not been able to diminish his thirst for lifeand 15-year-old Ankur Dhama is out to win the world whenhe takes part in the IBSA World Youth and Student

Championships, beginning in Colorado Springs fromWednesday. Dhama is the only one who is totally blind in agroup of eight visually challenged athletes who willrepresent India in the world meet. He clinched gold in both400 and 800m at the 16th National Sports Meet for theBlind in Ludhiana that fetched him a spot in the nationalteam.I had some good practice seasons in Delhi in the lead-upto the tournament. Now I am looking forward to performwell and make my country proud, said Dhama, who willcompete in the 400m and 800 metres race. I will try mybest to fetch medals in the six-day event although I dontwant to promise anything right now as I am concentratingon my events starting from July 17, added the class IXstudent from Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.

PTI

Bangladesh celebrate rare Test victoryBangladesh savoured only their second victory in 60 Testson Tuesday after their team overcame a makeshift WestIndies in the first test in Kingstown, St Vincent. However,the celebrations were restrained as West Indies were forcedto field seven debutants in a hastily-assembled squad aftera boycott by leading players due to contractual and

payment issues. The only previous win forBangladesh, granted test status in 2000,had come against the visiting Zimbabwe in2005. Victory was still uncertain whenBangladesh fans went to bed as the teamhad only 80 overs to bowl out West Indiesafter setting a fourth-innings target of 277runs on the final day. Bangladesh wrappedup a 95-run win, taking the lead in the

two-test series.In 2003, Bangladesh lost to Pakistan by onewicket and also had Australia and New Zealand reeling in2006 and 2008 respectively, only to let them escape andclinch identical three-wicket wins. Bangladesh spin bowlersMohammed Mahmudullah and Shakib Al Hasan sharedeight wickets in the second innings to dismiss West Indiesfor 181 runs with just over 40 minutes of play left. Sweetswere distributed at the Bangladesh Cricket Boardheadquarters and board president Sina Ibn Jamalicongratulated the team.

Reuters

Afarmhand a year back, Rin-ku Singh on Monday tastedhis first professional victo-ry on a baseball field far

away at the Gold Coast in theU.S.

Believed to have a fast throw,the lad from Uttar Pradesh stuckdown the only batter he faced,handing his minor league team,Bradenton Pirates a comfortable

10-5 win over Lakeland Tigers ina Gulf Coast League doublehead-er. Itll still take some time tosink in. But its a huge step for-

ward. In our first game, I was abit overawed, Rinku, who hadoccasionally dabbled in javelinthrowing back in India, said fromBradenton, Florida. But noweverything is good. Its a very bigopportunity and we have to makeIndia look better.

Winning an unheard televisionreality show Million Dollar Armback in India, Rinku along withGujarats Dinesh Patel had trav-elled to the U.S. and trained un-

der professional coach TomHouse before being signed byMajor League Baseball side Pitts-burgh Pirates during the yearlyplayers draft. Earlier last weekthe pair had each threw an in-ning in relief in a game againstthe Gulf Coast League Yankees.

Its very tough and hard. Eve-rything follows like a clock andpeople are very particular. We

wake up at 7 am, stretch and con-dition. All day long were just

working out, Dinesh said about

their changed daily routine.Back home we just used to wan-der around and maybe help mybrothers in the field afterbreakfast.

They are slowly getting im-bibed to the American way of lifeand both Rinku and Dinesh havetheir favourites. Shopping malls.I like American music too ... Rap,Eminem, Dinesh blurts it all outin one breath. A more sedate Rin-ku though chooses to be a bitmore diplomatic: First is base-ball. I like American music and

American food. I listen toeverything.

But they have also made that few of their American tmates to get a taste of our beats. In their (dorm) room play their traditional Indian sic. Its catchy, second baseGift Ngoepe said. Its goohave them around. They areither side (of my locker) andconstantly chattering in Hindont understand a thing they are very committed dedicated.

Feeling homesick at times

pitchers are in constant to with their home and Dboasts here too. I talk a lot, times a week. One or two houminimum, at times it goesfour. You cant live without ing to friends and family,says. All of them are exciteknow how things are diffehere.

Both dream of making it tohighest level the MLB Rinku says: Our main focubaseball. We are getting training facilities and we neemake the most of it. Learningglish is also important bec

Rinku Swinner

Arm corollickin

profess

AYON SENGUPTAayon@goergo.in

Dinesh Patel (left) and Rinku Singh (second left), winners

of a nationwide baseball pitching contest, watch as U.S.ambassador to India David C. Mulford (right) speaks afterhanding them visas in New Delhi. PHOTO: AFP

Grand plansThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will hold lectures for national players to help themdeal with the constant pressure from media and passionate fans. "Were planning a series of sesson personality development, dealing with pressure and other things, where well bring in experts talk to the players and help them," BCCI chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty said.

Brothin arm

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communication is vital in base-ball. We need to keep on workinghard and hope for the best.

The more talkative, Dinesh hasalready set a timeframe of fiveyears for the final pitch. It willtake time. We dont have experi-ence. I dont know the future butI can make it there in four or fiveyears maybe.

Other players too agree. I do, Ireally do, after this year theyll geta better feel, says rehab pitcherJustin Vaclavik. They havent got

a break from throwing. Being thefirst year theyre doing really well... it will take a couple of years.

A rank higher, Bradenton Pi-rates first team pitcher, BrentKlinger adds: Right now, no, butover the period of a few yearsmaybe. They have the potential,they have to just apply them-selves. Ive been playing since Iwas eight, they have just startedplaying.

Meanwhile, the two are mak-ing the most of the opportunityand also dream of making it tothe Olympics with the Indian ba-seball team.

Dinesh Patel,illion Dollare had atheirball league

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Whisper it...but the injury to Andrew Flintoff is not necessarily bad news for England. That is no longer the kindof 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 Englands success as beforLike a second-hand car with plenty of miles on the clock, Flintoffs body has become unreliable. It is a truism that whenyou set off on a long journey, you are just not quite sure whether you will reach the destination.

Mike Ath

Rinku Singh pitches during a professionalbaseball game in the Gulf Coast League inBradenton, Florida. PHOTO: AFP

rs

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009FLICK10

H

e had written reams ofnotes on how he wantedto interpret his character(in My Name Is Khan).

And to him it was no big deal. Hesready to direct a film any time. He

will be outstanding at it, Karan, whose last directorial venture KabhiAlvida Naa Kehna fell flat at the boxoffice, told.

For My Name Is Khan, Karan isbringing Shah Rukh and Kajol to-gether on screen after a long timeand he says they bring out the best inhim.

Im blessed to have them in myfilm. I dont know what it is aboutthem. Its just magic. They build aninexplicable energy on screen. WhenI direct a scene with Shah Rukh andKajol, I know Im doing my best

work, he said. My Name Is Khan is

about a Muslim who suf-fers from the Aspergersyndrome, a form of au-tism that impacts socialinteraction abilities, andhe is arrested as a sus-pected terrorist in post-9/11 Los Angeles after au-thorities mistake hisdisability for suspiciousbehaviour.

Excerpts from the inter-view:

My Name Is Khan hasno 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 tracklike Suraj hua madham in My

Name Is Khan. This time theres noIts the time to disco and Wheresthe party tonight. But theres guts,soul and heart in the music. Ive ahuge comfort zone with my compos-ers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Thats theonly way good work can be done.

Apparently, Javed Akhtarrefused to share lyrical creditswith Niranjan Iyer?Javed-saab is a father figure and

our rapport goes way beyond work.Niranjan has written the dialoguesand two songs in My Name Is Khan.Javed-saab was gracious enough tolet Nirajan write the rest of the songs.

And when I insisted, Javed-saab hadto write one song that only he couldand he very kindly agreed. Hes also

written the lyrics of my productioWake Up, Sid.

How was it directing Shah Rukhand Kajol again?

I am blessed to have them in mfilm. I dont know what it is abouthem. Its just magic. They build ainexplicable energy on screen. Theinstinctively understand each otheracting. When I direct a scene withShah Rukh and Kajol, I know Im doing my best work. These two characters in My Name Is Khan had to bShah Rukh and Kajol.

You almost didnt get Kajol?She had to read the script. Tha

was it. She said yes. I wouldnt wanany actor to say yes to my film jusbecause he or she is a friend. I wanmy actors to really do the role. Ivgreat friendships, but I dont wanany actor to compromise on his oher basic tenets on cinema.

Was Kajol weighed down onlocation by her motherly dutiesNot at all. Ive worked with Kajol in

various stages of her life. Im workinwith her again eight years later. When we worked the last time, she didnhave a daughter. So, of course, shes different person. Today, I find hecalmer more focused on her worthan ever before. Kajol manages to bfantastic wife-mother and actress.

I find Shah Rukh and Kajol alike intheir attitude to work and familyTheyre both so much into theispouses and kids. When the shot iover, they rush to their respectivfamily. On location in LA betweeshots they spoke to each other aboutheir respective families.

How was Shah Rukh?Time and again Im blown away bShah Rukh. How can he think of smany things about his characte

when he has so much on his plateHe has done monumental researcon his autistic character. I wazapped by how much he knew on thsubject. And he brought all thknowledge on the sets.

He had written reams of notes onhow he wanted to interpret his character. And to him it was no big deaHes ready to direct a film any timeHe will be outstanding at it. His understanding of human nature anemotions can never be matched bme.

IAN

Im blown awayby Shah Rukh

Their last outing together was a damp squib,but Karan Johar hasnt lost his faith in ShahRukh Khan. He has once again teamed up withhim and Kajol forMy Name Is Khan and

says the superstar is not only good at emotingbut is capable of directing a film too.

Emma Watson to play princessAfter playing a witch in the Harry Potterseries, British actress EmmaWatson will be seen as a princess in a musical in which she teams upwith rocker Marilyn Manson.

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Late Michael Jacksons coffin hasbeen secretly moved in Motownfounder Berry Gordys privatecrypt at Forest Lawn Memorial

Park, according to the sources.

The Jackson family decided to movethe casket after the Thriller hitmakersfans started gathering try and get alook at the coffin.

The Jackson family was not pleasedand ordered the casket to be placed inthe basement for security reasons,the Sun quoted a source as saying.

The source also revealed that Mi-chaels sister LaToya, in charge of herbrothers body, picked out everythinghe wore in the viewing casket.

The 50-year-old singer, who appar-ently died of the cardiac arrest, waswearing two black gloves, black trou-sers studded with black beads, a pearl-beaded white jacket he wore to theGrammys, and an over-sized gold beltthat resembled a championship box-

ing belt.Michaels signature white glove hasalso been placed in the casket.

ANI

MJs coffin moved

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Model-turned-ac-

tress Megan Foxsays that she isnot very fond of

watching herself onscreen.

The Transformers staravoids checking out herown performance, report-ed thesun.co.uk. I usuallydont watch myself. Idont watch playback. Idont look at still photos. Ihave a phobia of it, shesaid.

But I forced myself tosit down for Transformers

2, she added. IANS

ReshootThere has been delay in the making of ManiRatnams star-studded movie Ravana and thereasons were always kept under the wrap. We nowhear the movie is almost complete but yet therehas been a halt. If the grapevine is to be believed,Mani seems to be unhappy with the outcome andhas decided to reshoot a few scenes of the film. Itis believed that he has requested the star couple

Aishwarya and Abhishek to block some dates forthe reshoot. Best of luck Mani Ratnam.

Prithvi tied up with workWith a line of projects in Malayalam and Tamil inhis kitty, actor Prithvirajs schedule is busy till theend of 2010. Prithvi is also making his foray inTelugu with Police Police. He will be seen inNinaithale Inikkum and Mani Ratnams Ravana thisyear. Industry sources say that he is the mostsought after actor in South Indian film industry.Way to go Prithvi!

Spears under pressure to lose weightPop star Britney Spears has gained 14 pounds in just one month following a breakin her world tour and is now under pressure to lose it. She was in tears sayingtheyre calling her fat again, contactmusic.com quoted a source as saying.

Cine CityTo basement of

Forest Lawn

Memorial Park

Foxs phobia

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 200912

Mohandass from Technocrat Automation Limited has nominated histeam as Partners in Crime. This photo was taken at Siruvani, Coimbatore.

Sunandan K. from HCL Technologies has nominated his team as Partnersin Crime. This photo was clicked at Manjolai.

Kumar from Cognizant Technology Solution, ASV Sun Tech Park,Thoraipakkam has nominated Team GENESIS as Partners in Crime. Thisphoto was taken during thier Graduation Day 2009.

Shiron from Allsec Technologies has nominated his Batch 315 as Partnersin Crime. This picture was clicked during their VGP trip.

Venkatesh from Sify Technologies has nominated his friends as Partnersin Crime. This picture was clicked at Calicut near Rejis home.

Pallavi K. from Accenture India has nominated her friends Vijji, Ancy,Saras and Pallavi as Partners in Crime. This photo taken in Besant NagarBeach.

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

1. Typewriting institute pona Typewriting varumCancer institute pona Cancer varuma.2. Oru payyan roadla nadandhu poitay irukkum podhu thum-

bitay poraan... En?because avan oru podi payyan...

Priyadarshini GunasekaranFord Technology Services India.

Hi Vipin,On ur birthday I wish u much pleasureand joy; I hope all of ur wishes cometrue. May each hour and minute befilled with delight, and ur birthday beperfect for u! "May God bless u todayand forever"

with cheerz, Sanju, Prashant, Ram, Jebarson,

Shiv, Mayuri, Shivani, Milee, TCS

Hi Akila,May god smile upon ur face and gift uwith everything that ur heart desiresnow and always! Happy Birthday Akila.

By, Your loving friendsBVJ, Janaki, Jeysri and Kosalai.

Hi Kavitha,Many more happy returns of ur sweetbirthday.

Regards Senthilkumar S., TCS

Dear Naveen,Once a year I get the chance to wish ubirthday cheer. It pleases me no end tosay, I wish u another great year. Sohappy birthday to u Naveen, from thebottom of my heart. And may your goodtimes multiply, till theyre flying off thechart!

Lakshman, Makesh & Vijay Barclays, Steria

Dear P. Minnezhil (AKKA),On this special day, we wish u many

years of laughter and lifes besttreasures. May this year be filled withsweet memories and happy hours.Wishing u all the fun and excitementthat only birthdays can bring!!! Have awonderful and a Blast year ahead...

Regards, dotOPal Team, Scope International

Hi Singapore Sarada,Its a nice feeling when u know thatsome one likes u, some one thinks aboutu, some one needs u; but it feels muchbetter when u know that someone neverever 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 urday be filled with joy, Wonderful giftsand goodies, too. On this day we wishfor u Favourite people to embrace,Loving smiles and caring looks Thatearthly gifts cannot replace. We wish ufine and simple pleasures. We wish umany years of laughter. We wish u all oflifes best treasures. We wish u happilyever 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 pappucos it is ur birthday I know u were bornfor me just for me. Happy birthday mylove. I dont find words to describe how

much u mean to me .I pray may God

shower his blessing on u always & keepu safe in his hands & till I leave thisworld I will u love u madly, deeply, trulyfrom my bottom of my heart. U makemy life so beautiful with that simple raresmile of urs.

with love ur fuffy (manu) RR Donnelley

Dear Ritu,Wish you a very happy birthday my dearfriend. May all your wishes come true.You are among the ones who are sentto earth to make others smile. May Godcontinue to give you reasons to smileforever as you deserve to do so.

Rohit Singh Jadaun, Tata Consultancy Services

Hey Sandy,A smile is a curve that sets everythingstraight and wipes wrinkle away hope ushare a lots and receive a lots 4 days 2come happy birthday...

With Love, Vijaya :)

Belated Wishes Dear Thalai (Rathinavel),We wish u a wonderful life filed withluv and happiness. UR birthday makesthe 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 another365-day journey around the sun. Enjoythe journey. A special person like udeserves the best that each day canbring. Manymore happy returns of theday

Regards CITI-GTS, Polaris

Hi Murali,Wish u Happy married lifergds, Ashok Kumar, Prakash Hexaware, Senthil

Kumar Wipro, Vijai Aand CTS, Ganesan Mettur

Dear Yuva,On this special day, We wish u manyyears of laughter and lifes besttreasures. May this year be filled withsweet memories and happy hours.Wishing u all the fun and excitement

that only birthdays can bring!!! Have awonderful and a Blast year aheadHappy First Birthday Mrs. YuvaraniRajaraman!!!

Regards, Route # 4 friends,

Scope International

Dear Muthu (Mutta kanna),Wish you a very Happy Birthday wishesda. Yes, iniya pirandha naalvaazhthukkal da. Keep smiling alwayslike this da but make sure no one sees it.May all your dreams come true in theupcoming year. Now coming to theimportant 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.

Prithvi from CognizantTechnologies Solutions hasbeen nominated Office An-gel by her friends Arthi andSavitha.

Popularly known as Bells

Prithvi, is very famous in our

team for dedication andsincerity. She will make sure

that whatever work she takes

up is perfect and flawless. Onthe 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 completelythe other way around.

Mahesh Rajamani of Perot Systems doodled this.

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009TRAFFIC JAM14

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf ofKASTURI & 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 underthe PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

TEAMEditor: Karthik Subramaniankarthik@goergo.in

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sudoku

KAKURO

Swearing reduces painScientists at Englands Keele University say people swear when they hurtthemselves because it actually reduces the pain.

Rajesh CP fromHCL Technologieshas shot thispicture in Keralausing Sonycamera.

Hobbies :Travelling andwatching movies

So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had theplatform? Mail us your best work and well publish it in this space, with credit.E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

An average day on the professional front, saysGanesha. Mundane tasks may consume a lot oftime and energy, despite that your concern forquality work will remain high. Later in the day, ymay be worried about pending work.

The day will start chaotically. You will have a lowork piled up on your desk and you will have tosweat it out at work, irrespective of the temperaoutside. As the day progresses, you may feelworked out and tired.

You will get a couple of lessons in doing well in

the professional world during the first half of theday. The second half will be about implementingthe lessons learned. The day will demand maximuse of your brains.

Ganesha predicts you will enjoy your time at wotoday. The day at office will be all about youflaunting your skills. Time is good for working onew assignments. You may be able to strike abetter level of understanding with your sweethea

Ceaseless thinking may keep you preoccupied thentire day. Be it home or office, you will becontemplating something or the other. All thisthinking will be mostly about matters related toyour personal life, especially your love life.

In the first half of the day, you will talk more anwork less. But things will dramatically turn aroun

in the latter part of the day. Here you will hardlhave time to talk or even think. A nice romanticdinner is on the cards, says Ganesha.

At the beginning of the day, you will focus onyourself but as the day progresses, you may startthinking about money matters, job responsibilitieand job security. Your relation with your loved omay strengthen up because of a positive event.

The day may not begin with any good news. Budont worry. The latter part of the day is entirelyyour favour. You will be duly recognised by yourpeers and superiors for your decision-making skiand ability to read a situation well.

Ganesha predicts that you will be very busy withwide range of activities at the office. Yourcolleagues will constantly seek your guidance an

suggestions. The latter part of the day is slightlyunfavourable for important professional decisions

You may be brimming with energy during the firpart of the day but lack of favourable results wileventually lead to a burnout. You may want to a little more organised and disciplined at work.Your loved one may demand a lot of attention.

You will share your views and plans with your temembers and even your superiors. It might getslightly difficult to convince all of them on everyissue, but will eventually succeed if you perseverhard enough.

Ganesha confers you as the Sultan of mood switoday. In the beginning, you will be bored, lax alethargic. The work will be routine and boring. Bin second half, you will take up the mantle ofmotivating others.

Words worthWinx (wingks) an obsolete word meaning to braylike an ass. If youd rather sound like the otherlaughing animal, the hyena, the word for makingthat sound is hau-hau.

Genie in a court roomA family in Saudi Arabia is taking agenie to court - for throwing stones atthem and stealing their mobile phones.

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ERGO Wednesday, July 15, 2009!16

A dancer with the group Pilobolus performs a scene from"Dog-Id" during a dress rehearsal before the opening nightat the Joyce Theatre in New York. PHOTO: AFP

Nine Alphajets from the French Air Forces Patrouille deFrance, or French Acrobatic Patrol, fly in their arrowformation over the Arc de Triomphe monument during theBastille Day military parade on the Champs Elysees avenuein Paris. PHOTO: AFP

A bee drinks nectar from a flower in the eastern Germantown of Hohen Neuendorf. PHOTO: AFP

An athlete is seen in silhouette as she competes in thewomens triple jump during the IAAF Athens Grand PrixTsiklitiria 2009 at the Athens Olympic stadium. PHOTO: AFP