FLAS

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Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

`2MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 HYDERABAD WWW.POSTNOON.COM WEATHER: CLEAR. WINDY AT TIMES; 26°C 32 PAGES

FOUL PLAY ‘NOT SUSPECTED’ IN HOUSTON DEATHAfter a post-mortem examination, the LA coroner said there were no visi-ble signs of trauma and that foul play was "not suspected at this time".

THE PEARL OF ALL COLLEGEEVENTS IS BACK!

Pearl World 1-2 is BITS Pilani Hy derabad’sannual festival, which will take place from the

16th to 19th of this month at the collegecampus. This festival began as a city-wide event

in 2010, went national in 2011, and thisis the third edition.

ZAMBIAN DREAMS COME ALIVE

ADELE, ARTISTREAP BIG HAUL

REPORT ON PG 16&17

P15P32

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770,Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973CINEMAS

NumaishA childhood favourite of everyHyderabadi, The All India IndustrialExhibition is on. Last few days leftfor a fun-filled evening with yourfamily and loved ones..Where: Exhibition Grounds,

Nampally When: Ongoing

Lunch specialsNautanki Galli offers its expansivelunch buffet.Where: Nautanki Galli, Madhapur When: Everyday, 12:30 pm

onwardsContact: 7893010000

Cognac and CigarThe Seasons Bar opens up again asa Cigar and Cognac lounge with awide selection of cognac, rarewhiskies, single malts and cigars.Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara HillsWhen: Ongoing, 7pm

Classic MondaysHead to Sixth Element for ClassicMondays with DJ Neil as he playsthe best in classic rock.Where: Sixth Element

PunjaguttaWhen: February 13, 8pmContact: (040) 66664488

International pizzafestivalPizza lovers this is the news foryou! News Cafe is host to theInternational Pizza Festival. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall,

Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pmContact: (040) 64603341

Group exhibitionMuse Art Gallery will play host to agroup exhibition titled “ An ArtfulArt”. It is a contemporary paintingexhibition by a group of 26 artists. Where: Muse Art Gallery,

Tank BundWhen: Ongong, 11amContact: 9396444424

The Indian MosaicAn exhibition of paintings titled“The Indian Mosaic” will be on dis-play at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart, Banjara HillsWhen: Ongoing, 6.30pmContact: 9849968797

A suitable lunchSyn presents three lunch offersto su it your needs. There is a lunchfor th ose in a hurry, a lunch forthe cal or ie conscious and a lunchfor tho se who are planning areunion with pals.Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills When: Everyday, 12pm onwardsContact: (040) 66663939

Martini ‘n musicEnjoy winter evenings with martinisand crooner Kelly.Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Every EveningContact: (040) 66662323

cheer for children. Where: Aditya Trade Centre,

Ameerpet When: February 13, 12:30 pm Contact: (040) 66788888

Bronze sculpturesRecent bronze sculptures will beon display at Kalakriti art Gallery.The sculptures are by artistTapas Biswas.Where: Kalakriti, Banjara HillsWhen: Ongoing, 12:30 pm Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Grammy nights

Hard Rock Cafe presents you anaw a rd-winning experience.Theevent called Grammy nights, headto HRC to list en to Grammy awardwinning music.Where: Hard Rock Cafe,

Banjara Hills When: February 12Contact: (040) 44767900

Contact: (040) 66662323

Eat in the darkHave you ever wondered how itfeels to eat in the dark? Come andexperience this. Pay `499 to enjoy a4-course meal worth `1,000.Where: Dialogue in the Dark,

Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pmContact: (040) 64603341

Valentine’s grooveA valentines special workshop isbeing held. The workshop on salsaand theme dancing is being held byPromod Sanghi.Where: Park hotel SomajigudaWhen: OngoingContact: (040) 23456789

For better or worseDr Purnima Gupta’s art exhibitiontitled Aashein is on display. Hercollection hopes to spread a

OH DEER

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 2Spirit of Twin CitiesPage Two

PIC: A SUDHEER REDDY

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 3Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin CitiesHyper Local

U Srinivassrinivas.u@postnoon.com

Governor ESL Narasimhan facedembarrassing moments whenopposition members protested,

forcing him to read out the speech in ahurry at the joint session of the legislatureon the opening day of the 45-day-longBudget Session.

Right from the time he entered theAssembly, he faced vociferous protestsfrom members who raised slogans anddisrupted his speech, shredding copies ofbudget speech. As the members threw theprices of his address copy, the Governor’ssecurity prevented the paper missiles fromhitting him. There was a semblance ofpeace only when the national anthem wasrendered.

Initially, members of the TRS rushedinto the well of the House and did notallow him to deliver the address. Theyraised slogans demanding formation of aseparate Telangnana and later walked outalong with the members of the TDP.

The trouble started when memberssaw there was no mention of the

Telangana statehood issue in his address.The House was thrown out of gear withboth TRS members and a section of TDPmembers supporting Telangana cause dis-rupting his address time and again.

The Governor mentioned aboutKrishna-Godavari waters, Hyderabadbeing developed into medical tourismhub, welfare of farmers, Arogyasri, mater-nal and infant mortality, eradication of dis-eases, improvement of power supply, edu-cation, environment, and midday mealscheme. Chief Minister N Kiran KumarReddy was all smiles, while Oppositionlegislators created a ruckus. The Speakersitting by the side of the Governor was alsosmiling from time to time.

Mohd Subhanmohd.s@postnoon.com

Enraged at her brothergetting arrested fortheft, a Congress leader

and a former sarpanch ofPahadi Shareef mandal,Abdulla Bin Awad is allegedto have thrashed his wifeAfsar Begum on Saturday.The humiliated wife tried tocommit suicide by hangingin her home but was savedby neighbours and is now inhospital. Her condition issaid to be stable, sourcessaid.

Inspector Pahadi Shareef,T Govardhan said Afsar’sbrother Shaikh Akbar, 25, isjobless and stays with hersister and brother-in-law.He has lately been indulgingin thefts.

In the latest incident, thepolice investigation teamrecovered two tolas of gold,

four mobile phone sets, andtwo hand-bags from AbdullaBin’s house.

Recently, Akbar was heldfor another theft.

Abdulla was outraged thatstolen goods were recoveredfrom his home and he saw init a threat to his political life.Abdulla is said to have pickedup a quarrel with his wife onthis matter that ended inbreaking furniture and beat-ing up Afsar.

After the violence, he leftwith their four children for hisparents’ home.

Left alone and feeling mis-erable, Afsar tried to commitsuicide.

She was however detectedby neighbours and was savedfrom the noose. Akbar isbeing held under Section 457and 380 of the Indian PenalCode for committing theftsand hiding the booty.

Abdulla, a locally powerfulpolitical leader, is reportedlyvery close to home ministerSabitha Indra Reddy.

POLITICS CRIME

Man beats wife forher brother’s crime

Postnoon News

It was almost like press censorship onthe Assembly premises on the firstday of the Budget session. The media

was restricted with just 30 passes andthe others were not allowed beyond themedia point. The OB vans were allowedonly around 9.25am for the live coverageof the governor.

TDP leader Motkupally Narsimhlusaid that governor’s speech had nothinguseful for the public. He said that it onlyattempted to shield the Kiran kuamarReddy Government. It was like a publicityleaflet of the Government. He questionedwhy Mopidevi Venkataramana Rao,Excise Minister, was not arrested so far.

Another leader Errabelli Dayakar raowanted the Governor to order a probeinto the irregularities of Polavaram pro-ject and liquor syndicates, cases on stu-

dents, and general strike of employees.There was no mention of these issues inthe Governor’s address, he said.

BJP leader G Kishan Reddy said thatthe Governor’s speech was anti-peopleand that there was no mention ofTelangana.

TRS leader Harish Rao said that theSpeaker was acting like a dictator andthere was no democracy in the House.

MLA K Taraka Rama Rao of the TRSalso found fault with the speaker for cre-ating hurdles for the media in dissemi-nation of information. He found faultwith the Governor for not mentioningTelangana and also on the promisesmade to the employees during the gen-eral strike. Communist leaders said thatthe Governor’s speech did not reflect theaspirations of the public. They alsowanted mention on the input subsidy tothe farming community.

A publicity leaflet: TDP

Opposition stallsGovernor speech

`3.5cr ‘house-warming’It will be a house-warming for the State

Assembly building, which has beenspruced up after almost 27 years, on

Tuesday when the members gather forthe Budget Session. The interiors weregiven a new look with new leather seats,touchpads, unbreakable mikes and a lotof sitting ease for members. The House isequipped with new audio systems andacoustics.

The building was inaugurated by theRajiv Gandhi in 1985 when NT Rama Raowas the Chief Minister. The joint sessionof both Houses was held on Monday at

the Old Assembly building. Members are provided with wi-fi-

enabled laptops and plug ‘n’ play facili-ties in the House. The budget speech willbe given in CDs and the members have togo through the same on their laptops andthere will be no hard copy, it is learnt.Some members are already apprehensivethat they could not read the budget com-pletely on the laptop.The renovation wasundertaken at a cost of about `3.5 crore,said speaker Nadendla Manohar. Themembers are already equipped withRFID cards to record their attendance.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 4Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin CitiesHyper Local

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BSNL Complaints 198HMWS & SB Complaints 155313

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HOSPITAL:General Hospital, Sec-bad 27505566Niloufer Hospital, Red Hills 23314095NIMS, Director, Punjagutta 23390933Osmania General Hospital 24600146Railway Hospital, Lalaguda 27001134Apollo, Jubilee Hills 23607777Care Hospital, Banjara Hills 30418888Care Hospital, Nampally 30417777Care Hospitals, Musheerabad 30419000Care Hospital, Sec-bad 30416666Kamineni Hospital,

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AMBULANCESApollo 23548888, 23607777Kamineni 24022222Medwin 23202902, 23204616Smile Line Dental Hospital 23747979Red Cross 27627973Niloufer Hospital 23314095Gandhi 23320332

AIRLINESAirport Director 27903785, 27906001For Air India Flight Information Toll free(from any network) for IC Flights18001801407And for All Flights: 1800227722Air India has revised its flight timings.For more information call (Toll free)18001801407, 1800227722 from BSNL/MTNL 04023430334 from otherlines and mobile Website;www.airindia.in

TOURISM OFFICESAP Tourism, Hyd 23262152/53/54Sec’bad 27893100Dept of Tourism 23453110India Tourism 23261360AP Tourism information Centre (24x7) 23450444, 23455999

UK Visa OfficeVFS India Pvt Ltd Building, 8-2-542/A,Sunil Chamber, Road No. 7Beside Meridian School, Banjara Hills-34. Working hours are from 8 AM to1 PM And 2 PM to 3PM.

MUSEUMSSalar Jung Museum 24523211AP State Museum 232431300/7641Nizams Museum 24521029

Helpline

Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to us

comments, suggestions, viewpointor just about anything to

feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road

No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033

or even by way ofa call on 4067 2222

Support is moreemotional than

physical

Osama Salmansalman.o@postnoon.com

What are the things thatmake up your wish list?A new car, a bungalow

or an iPad 2, perhaps? Not forthose less fortunate — physicallydisabled. All they need is a nor-mal life, something that they canonly dream about. They onlywish that they have arms andlegs or anything to help themfeel ‘normal’.

Answering their prayers, theGHMC and Mission forElimination of Poverty in associ-ation with Bhagwan MahavirVikalang Samiti (BMVS), anNGO, has organised a four-daycamp starting Saturday, provid-ing artificial limbs for free to theorthopaedically handicapped.

The camp was designed insuch a way that any physicallychallenged person could visit thevenue, get a series of tests doneand walk out with new prosthet-ic limbs, tricycles, crutches orwalkers. What was heartening,say organisers, were the brightsmiles on the faces of the peoplewho benefitted from this camp.

C Krishna, a resident ofHayath Nagar, lost his right armdue to a massive electrical shockwhen he was only 8. Life hasnever been the same for himsince. “People used to think I was‘abnormal’ only because I did nothave an arm. I had to face a lot ofhumiliation,” he said. After get-

ting a prosthetic arm, life willnow be better. “Although I can’treally do anything with the artifi-cial hand, at least I can walkfreely in public,” he said, happyto see his ‘new’ arm.

With a prosthetic leg, BobalaSharadha, a resident ofBoduppal who attended thecamp, said now she can doeverything from climbing stairs

to cooking, or anything anotherhomemaker can do. “It has givenme a new lease of life. I lost myleg in an accident when I was 10.I have put the past behind meand can finally move on,” shesaid joyfully.

In a world where most peo-ple are too absorbed in their ownlives, there are still a few whowant to give back to the society. A

volunteer, Krishna Naik, who gotcallipers at the same camp a fewyears ago, came back to helpother needy people. “I feel reallyproud to be able to help othersand brought a lot of people inneed here. I have been volun-teering here for three years and itfeels great,” he said.

Sharing the same sentiment,Fareeda Hussain, secretary,BMVS, said, “We want to see theState free of disability. We haverehabilitated about 35,000 peo-ple since we started in January

2004, absolutely free of charge.We are still trying to reach out toas many people as we can. This isthe first time we handed outprosthetics.”

Fareeda said that if theorganisation wasn’t able to pro-vide prosthetics in the camp,people can go to their office inKing Koti Hospital and registerthemselves for one. This genuineand heartfelt gesture was appre-ciated by everyone who had vis-ited the camp, giving them a rayof hope that there are people inthe world who really care.

OTHER NEWSJr docs strike continues,as patients suffer

Despite reports from across the Statethat more people are dying in govern-

ment hospitals for want of emergencymedicare, junior doctors continued to boy-cott emergency services even on Monday.They claim that the government hadagreed to all their 11 demands, but theyare not satisfied as they want a writtencommitment.

"We want a written assurance fromthe government. Only then, will we call ofthe strike," said Dr Abhilash, junior doc-tors’ spokesperson, Gandhi MedicalCollege. Meanwhile, all student groups inthe hospital have scheduled a meeting atthe IMA in Koti to decide the way forward.

The talks with the government failedlast night, as ministers Kondru Murali andS Sailajanath said that 11 out of 12demands of the junior doctors wereaccepted by the government, but theywere not budging from their stand.

Financier attacked

Aperson running a finance business wasattacked by unidentified people on

Monday morning in Vijayawada. Theassailants stabbed him with a knife andstole his suitcase. The incident occurrednear the Government hospital. He wasrushed to the hospital for treatment andthe police has begun investigations.

Man found dead in carnear airport

Aresident of Gagillapur village ofBejanki Mandal in Karimnagar district,

A Bal Reddy, 27, was found dead in hisIndica car (AP 15AC 6289) within the RajivGandhi International Airport Police Stationlimits on Monday morning.

According to the police officials thedeceased suffered a cardiac arrest anddied on the spot. Speaking to PostnoonAirport police station Sub InspectorJayaram said that the deceased called uphome at 4am today and informed his fami-ly members that he was experiencing painin the chest pain.

He also sought their help but it wastoo late. He further informed that whenthey reached the spot they found theReddy lying dead in his car. According toJayaram, Bal Reddy owned the car.

The police a registered the case (CrimeNo 66/2012) under section 174 of Cr PCand th body has been sent for postmortem.

INITIATIVE

Physically challenged people in the City can now get prosthetics at this camp

If people don’treceive prostheticsat the camp, theycan visit the NGO’soffice in King KotiHospital and regis-ter themselves foran artificial limb

Saye Sekharsaye@postnoon.com

The Telugu Desam Legi -slature Party took out aprotest rally from NTRGhat to the State Legis -

lative Assembly this morning. Former Chief Minister and

TDP president N ChandrababuNaidu said that his party wouldspare no efforts to save the State

from the ‘clutches of corruption’.He strongly condemned the

no mination of ‘just two legisla-tors’ on behalf of his party whichhad over 80 MLAs in the Assembly.“As if he threw alms, the Speakernominated just two of our col-leagues in the House Committeeconstituted to probe into the landallotments. That too, the nomina-tion was aut o cratic. He did notconsult us. I ha ve been in politicsfor the last 32-35 years and neverhave I seen su ch demeaningapproach by anybody towards themain opposition party.”

He said that the Congress gov-ernment was mired in numerousscandals and “swindled publicmoney”. He referred to the Obula -puram Mines and other cases. Na -idu also spoke about how the Lok -ayukta indicted the KarnatakaGov ern ment and even the ChiefMin ister was brought to book th -ere. The TDP would highlight theanti-people and anti-farmerpolici es of the Congress govern-ment, he said.

“It is an utter disgrace to thegovernment, for a minister isnamed in the remand report of aliquor cartel leader. Such a shame-ful thing never happened any-where in the democratic history of

India. The Governor would comeand deliver his customary addressin the Assembly, giving a quiet go-by to this heinous involvement of aminister in a scandal. After all, theGovernor has a responsibility toinitiate action against the minis-ter,” said Naidu.

Meanwhile, the TelanganaRashtra Samithi (TRS) MLAs paidhomage to those who laid downtheir lives for the cause of a sepa-

rate Telangana. Party legislator THarish Rao said that they wouldpress for a resolution by theAssembly for the creation of a sep-arate State for Telanagana. TheMLAs raised slogans against theGovernment.

He said the TRS would intro-duce a private Bill on comingFriday, if the government did notcome forth to do so.

The Communist Party of India

(Marxists) MLA Julakanti RangaReddy also took out protest marchto the Assembly.

The breakaway faction of theCongress legislators, who oweallegiance to YS JaganmohanReddy, wanted that they berecognised a separate group, ifthe Speaker did not want to dis-qualify them. This is causing anembarrassment to the rulingCongress.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 5Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin CitiesHyper Local

POLITICS

As if he threw alms,the Speaker nomi-nated just two of ourcolleagues in theHouse Committeeconstituted to probeinto the land allot-ments. That too, thenomination wasautocratic.

Naidu outlines battle plans at rally

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 6Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin CitiesHyper Local

FABRICATION

CLASSIFIEDS Lonely HeartsClub, don’tdespair

Padmini Cpadmini.c@postnoon.com

It’s that time of the year againwhen the world turns red.Candy boxes in the stores, red

roses on the stands, heart-shapedpillows, specially designed restau-rant meals and of course mushymovies are flying all over theplace. Ladies and Gentlemen,Valentine’s Day fever has caughton. While it’s a day to celebrate incoupledom, the rest of us in sin-gleville are left ignoring pointedquestions and jabs about our dis-mal love lives and feeling lonelyand miserable. We say, time tochange things. This Valentine’sDay, we too will be happy. Followour simple Valentine’s Day sur-vival strategy!

Step 1: Flock together – Gather allyour single friends. The more, the merrier.Step 2: Raison D’etre – Let thecouples go crazy trying to up eachother on who is more romantic.Us? We’ll celebrate our freedom.Step 3: Indulge – Think of it likethis. All the time, effort andresources you would spend other-wise on a valentine, you now getto spend on yourself! Go shop-ping. Go to a spa. Do somethingthat makes you happy.Step 4: Plan B – Still not happy?Go impromptu, what do you haveto lose? Ask out the girl/guyyou’ve been wanting to forever!It’s Valentine’s Day. Chances are,they are waiting for you to.Besides, they won’t have the heartto break your heart tomorrow. Onthe other hand, if you want guar-anteed love, adopt a pup.Step 5: An Anti-V Day Party! –Hows’ that for a theme? Go outand protest the tyranny of couple-dom. Or do a girl’s night out (ifyou are an all-girls party). If youcan’t the stand the MQ outdoors(Mush-quotient,) order in. Whenyou have soul food, comfortingdrinks, great movies and lovelyfriends, who needs a date?

1 DAY TO GO

THE FACES OF HYDERABADDeepak Rathod, 14, Idol-maker

A city is defined bythe people who liveand work in it. Herewe take a look at

the human threadsthat make up our

urban tapestry

PIC: N SHIVA KUMAR

In a land of variouscultures, religionsand festivals, GaneshChaturti leads the

pack. The 11-day festivalis filled with lights, colourand extravagance.Preparing for it can be atedious job, and that’swhy idol-makers start theprocess well in advance.

Deepak Rathod, anidol-maker from Pali dis-trict in Rajasthan, startsmaking the idols inMarch for a festival thatbegins only inSeptember. He is anabsolute expert. Hishands are at ease andmanage to complete an

idol from scratch in threehours. His deftness canbe attributed to the factthat he has been doingthis since the age of 3.

He is a multi-talent-ed, multi-faceted artist —from a sculptor to apainter. The legacy ofidol-makers runs in hisveins. This has been afamily business sincegenerations. But it isn’tjust Ganesh idols,Deepak crafts pieces ofart, right from girls play-ing on the swing to birdssitting on a tree’s branch.

Here’s applauding anartist who brings clay tolife, and how.

Brahmostavamin SrinivasaMangapuram

The brahmotsavamsof Lord

Venkateswara atSrinivasa Mangapuramare being celebratedwith religious fervour.

SrinivasaMangapuram has thetemple downhill ofTirumala and hasVenkateswara as thepresiding deity. Theidols of the Lord weretaken in a processionon all the four streetssurrounding the templeon ‘chinna seshavahanam’.

The occasion saw alarge number of devo-tees thronging the reli-gious destination toparticipate in the pro-cession.

Osama Salman

All you single people,no reason to sit athome and mope. Wepresent a Valentine’sDay survival strategy!

Sudeshna Kokasudeshna.k@postnoon.com

At a time when Nasscom haspredicted a slowdown in theIndian market and compa-nies are shying away from

recruitments, a secure governmentjob is what everyone is looking for.Little wonder then that there was aspurt in the number of candidatesappearing for the Graduate aptitudetest in engineering (GATE) this year.According to data the number hasincreased by more than 20,000 in theState. Another reason for the spurtwas the public sector undertaking(PSU) making GATE mandatory fortechnical jobs.

“After a long time there are severalopenings in central government jobs.Besides, government jobs are secureand a GATE score is mandatory forthese. Hence I wrote the exam,” saidNaresh Reddy, an IT employee.

With more than 1,500 openings incompanies like Indian oil, BHEL and

NTPC most students are trying theirluck in this lucrative sector. Apartfrom these there are several otheropenings through GATE like DRDOand BSNL.

However, the bar was raised thisyear, with candidates claiming theexam was much tougher when com-pared to GATE 2011. However, thequestions were glitch-free.

“The questions were very toughthis year and I found it tough to com-plete my exam on time,” said ShivaShankar, who wrote the exam.

This year, another change madewas that third year B.Tech studentswere not allowed to take the test,making it easier for the fourth yearstudents to crack the exam.

More than 1.6 lakh studentsappeared for the GATE this year.Twenty one papers on differentstreams of engineering were con-ducted, of which students claim thatelectronic and communication (ECE)was the easiest. The results will beannounced on March 15. Around50,000 seats are available for M.Techwhile there are 400 in IIT. Most stu-dents in the City are aiming for IIT.

There was a spurt in the number of candidates for GATE this year

One had to preparevery well for thisexam, not even agood or decentpreparation wouldhelp. The exam wasvery difficult. Guess because of thenew rules for government jobs thebar was raised. Hope we studentsdon’t get affected due to this.

Karthik Arora, MIT final year student

I have been givingthis exam since threeyears to get a seat inIIT but this year I amplanning to apply fora central government

job. Compared to the last threeyears the exam was very difficultthis year.

Sree Lakshmi,IT employee

I am a teacher in UPbut I came toHyderabad to takespecial coaching forGATE. Compared toall other governmentexams this was easy.

Shailendra Kumar, teacher

They have madeGATE scores manda-tory for governmentjobs, so many stu-dents appeared for itthis year. For me it’s

IIT and compared to the last yearthe level was very difficult and tim-ing was also a problem.

Anudeep I, Aurora engineering college.

EDUCATION

GATEway to govt jobsVOICES

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 7Campaigns, hard news and spirit of Twin CitiesHyper Local

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U Srinivassrinivas.u@postnoon.com

The transport departmentis gearing up to call fortenders for the high-secu-rity number plates

following a Supreme Court orderthat the process should be complete before March 2012.

The transport departmentwill be drawing up plans toimplement the project. The issuewas in cold storage for the last sixmonths as it was found to be acostly proposition. While thecourt has set a deadline, the gov-ernment might seek some moretime.

An electronic chip would beinstalled in the number platemade of aluminium and coatedwith chrome.

The chip fixed in the platewould allow the officials to trackthe vehicle. The transport depart-ment will advise the vehicle own-ers to fix the high security num-ber plates at the earliest. Thenumber plate will also haveAshoka Chakra inscribed in themiddle.

The project got delayedbecause of various problems. Itwas supposed to have been doneas early as 2005.

“We have decided to handover the responsibility of manu-facturing and vending the highsecurity number plates toAPSRTC” said transport ministerBotsa Satyanarayana.

The State Road TransportAuthority will assist APSRTC inthis regard, he stated.

Botsa Satyanarayana, at anearlier meeting, said the APSRTCwanted to provide the numberplates at a cost of less than `500each.

The transport departmentwill enforce the new numberplates in the twin cities as a pilotproject.

“The new number plates willdisplay the chassis and enginenumber of the vehicle, apart fromthe registration number,” accord-

ing to officials of RTA inKhairatabad.

“They will have a uniformserial number for the entirecountry and a unique hologramthat cannot be duplicated.” Thepolice and the transport department say that this wouldhelp prevent vehicle thefts andalso enable tracking of stolenvehicles.

In Chandigarh, after the bidswere finalised, it was decided that

the number plate for a four-wheeler could be priced between`400-500 as against `1,000, andthe ones for two-wheelers areexpected to be available ataround `200, as against `300 pro-posed earlier.

Satyanarayana said hisdepartment would issue a notifi-cation calling for fresh tendersfrom suppliers for high-securitynumber plates (HSNP) in two orthree days.

TRANSPORT Vehicles list in the State according to RTA(Official as on 2010)

Another 2 to 3 lakh vehicles would have been added by the end of 2011

CLASS OF VEHICLE Nos.Transport VehiclesAmbulance 5,782Auto Rickshaw 4,55,420Contract Carriage 5,196Education Institution Bus 22,849Three Wheeled Goods 62,880Goods-Heavy 2,08,116Goods-Medium 33,175Goods-Light 1,66,187MAXI CABS 24,408Motor Cabs 86,341

Private Service 5,229Stage Carriages 31,242Tractor & Trailer -Transport 2,42,561Others 47,849Sdon-Transport VehiclesCrane Mounted 11,436Mopeds and Motor Cycles 66,53,076Motor Car 8,67,412Tractor & TrailerNon-Transport 2,93,189Sub-Total: Non-Transport 7,825,113Total Strength 9,222,348

High-security number plates soon

Md Inkeshaf Ahmedahmed.m@postnoon.com

Police Investigation into the firemishap at Hotel Sitara , which islocated behind LB Nagar police

station, revealed some interesting facts. The accident which occurred last

night was due to the negligence of organ-isers of the reception party which wasbeing held on the second floor.

The organisers carelessly burst firecrackers outside and in the process theflames from the crackers spread to thesecond floor and burnt the flexes hangingthere.

LB Nagar Inspector Sridhar Reddy

told Postnoon “The incident took placedue to the negligence of the organisers ofthe party. They did not take proper stepswhile bursting crackers”. They have alsofiled a case against the organisers for negligence.

On the other hand, the FirePrevention department of GHMC hasalso launched a separate inquiry to findout whether the hotel had obtained a NoObjection Certificate (NOC).

Speaking to Postnoon, AdditionalDirector of the fire prevention department, C Laxmi Prasad said,“Wehave launched an inquiry into the incident. We will visit the accident spotsoon to assess the situation. If we findthat the hotel did not have an NOC, thenwe will issue notices to the managementand also initiate other steps.”

Crackers trigger hotel blaze

PICTURE FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY

FIRE

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 8The story behind the newsFocusKeiko FukudaThe renowned pioneer of women’sjudo, 98-year-old Sensei Keiko Fukudahas become the first woman toachieve a tenth-degree black belt, the9th Dan; the highest rank in the mar-tial art and combat sport Judo.Throughout history, only sixteen peo-ple have ever achieved this honour.Fukuda began practising Judo in 1935and is the sole surviving student of itsfounder, Kano Jiguro. She continues toteach Judo three times a week at awoman’s dojo

WOMEN HALLOF FAME

16-year-old Dutch girl, Laura Dekker is the youngest ever to solo circumnavigate the globe. Shehad been at sea on and off for a little more than a year. Like Dekker, there have been some women

who have done things extraordinary and explored arenas that no one ever had. We take a look

Valentina TereshkovaAfter being filtered out of four hun-dred applicants and then finally out offive finalists, Valentina was the firstwoman in space who was launchedaboard Vostok 6 in 1963. During the70.8 hour flight, Vostok 6 made 48orbits of Earth. Upon completion ofher mission, Tereshkova was honouredwith the title Hero of the SovietUnion. She never flew again, but shedid become a spokesperson for theSoviet Union and retired after the col-lapse of the Soviet Union. She stillremains a noted name in Russia.

Amelia EarhartAmelia was the most famous woman

aviator to be awarded the “U.S.Distinguished Flying Cross” for flyingsolo across the Atlantic Ocean. Apartfrom achieving a number of aviation

records, she also authored manybooks based on her flying experiences

which were very instrumental in thestructuring of “The Ninety- Nines”, anorganisation for female pilots. Earhartdisappeared during a flight on July 2;1937 over central Pacific Ocean near

Howland Island; no trace was everfound.

Felicity AstonA 33-year-old explorer from Kent in South-east England, Felicity Aston completed her exhausting jour-ney over Antarctica after 59 days pulling two sledges for 1.084 miles in order to become the firstwoman in the world to cross Antarctica alone, without assistance. Because she had two stops toresupply, Guinness World Records said it could not recognise her achievement as a ‘solo’ mission. Butit confirmed it had no other records of anyone crossing alone without assistance.

Gertrude Ederle“People said women couldn’t swim the Channel but Iproved they could,” said Gertrude Ederle who was mostfamous for being the first woman to swim the EnglishChannel from France to England in 1926, only 19. She beatthe men's world record by one hour and 59 minutes. Afterthe win, she lost her hearing permanently and became aswimming instructor for deaf children. She was inducted inthe International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965 and in theWomen’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.

Junko TabeiJunko Tabei became the first woman in history to climbMt Everest in 1975. Tabei was amongst the 15 womensent to take the challenging task to climb the Mt Everestby a Japanese newspaper and a broadcasting company.After losing other women and the local guides in anavalanche during the expedition, she was dug out by oneof the Sherpa guides and lay unconscious for six minutes.It was twelve days after that fatal incident that Junkoclimbed the peak and set the record

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 9India unveiled India‑View

NEW DELHI: A Delhi Policeconstable was arrested in CentralDelhi on charges of molesting aminor girl in the capital, an officialsaid on Sunday.

Constable Vikash Tomar, 26,posted at Mandir Marg police sta-tion, was arrested on Saturdaywithin hours of molesting the girlclose to a slum area near RidgeRoad.

After committing the crime, hefled from the spot.

“The girl went to her homeand narrated the incident to herparents who approached thepolice,” said a police official.

Tomar, who joined in 2010,was arrested and a case ofmolestation was registered inMandir Marg police station.

“He has also been placedunder suspension and an inquiryhas been initiated against him,”said the official. PTI

KOLKATA: A man who wasmercilessly beaten up for lodginga police complaint against someyouth for allegedly sendingobscene MMS to his daughterdied at a private nursing home.

Gopal Adhikari, a resident ofSalaidanga village in WestBengal’s Malda district, had beencritically injured after the youthattacked his house on Wednesdayand hit him and his wife Kalyani.

The youths had been regular-ly sending MMSs to Adhikari’sdaughter, police said.

After getting to know theidentity of the youths, he filed acomplaint which led to theyouths attacking his house.Kalyani is now back home.Theprime suspect has been arrestedwhile the police are on the look-out for three other culprits .PTI

MATHURA: A five-year-oldboy was strangled to deathallegedly by a ‘tantrik’ toappease the Goddess inBarsana area of the district,police said on Sunday. Thebody of Hemant, a Class II stu-dent, was recovered from a cre-matorium, the police said.

Hemant, son of Girdhari,went missing from his home inGazipur village on Saturday,police said, adding that duringsearch operation his body wasfound buried in the crematori-um tonight.

Some articles related tooccult offering were also recov-ered from the burial site, saidDeshraj Singh, station in-charge of the area. A case ofmurder has been registeredagainst the accused.

Last week has seen severalcases of sorcery and witchcraftreported. A 50-year-oldwoman in Rajasthan’s tribal-dominated Dungarpur districthad complained to police onSaturday that she was brandeda witch, tortured and banishedfrom her village.

On Friday, an elderly tribalwoman was hacked to deathand two were injured inTripura Friday in a suspectedcase of public reaction toalleged black magic andwitchcraft. In a similar inci-dent, a 45-year-old tribalwoman was burnt alive by vil-lagers in northeastern Assam’sSivasagar district on Friday. PTI

NEW DELHI: The Congress onSunday sought to distance itselffrom Law Minister Salman Kh -urshid after the poll panel com-plained to the president abouthis defiance on a quota forMuslims in Uttar Pradesh whilethe BJP sought his sacking forindulging in communal poli-tics.

Prime Minister ManmohanSingh may discuss the issue onMonday, said informed sources.

A day after Chief ElectionCommissioner SY Quraishiwrote to President Pratibha Pa -til saying that the poll panelfound Khurshid’s latest remarks“utt erly contemptuous aboutthe commission’s lawful direc-tion to him”, a cautiousCongress said it expected thelaw minister to follow the law.

“EC is a constitutionalbody... Congress always wantsall the Congressmen to speak asper norms of public life andlaw,” Congress general secre-

tary Janardan Dwivedi said.Communications minister

Kapil Sibal meanwhile urgedthe poll panel to be concernedover things happening in UttarPradesh.”Somebody gave astatement and there must besome thought behind it and Icannot comment more,” hesaid. PTI

Tantrikstrangles5-yr-old

Constable arrestedfor molesting minor

Man complainsagainst lewd

MMS, killed

A PERFECT MATCH

DAREDEVIL RIDER

A Sikh warrior performs during a rural sports festival, also known as “Indian Rural Olympics”, inKila Raipur, near Ludhiana on Saturday. PTI

Under attackKhurshid finds

little support

Two held for ‘Munnabhai’ exam stunt

INDORE: Two persons were onMonday arrested for allegedlyattending the constable recruit-ment exam posing as someoneelse, police said.

The accused Sonu Rawat (21)and Rajendra Singh Meena (28)

were writing the exam for theirrelatives, they said.

The two were exposed whendocuments relating to the exami-nation were examined, policesaid, adding that further investiga-tions are on. PTI

Actor Esha Deol with Bharat Takhtani during theirengagement ceremony at Juhu, Mumbai on Sunday. PTI

NEW DELHI: According toreports, Microsoft’s online storein India (Micorsoftstore.co.in) hasbeen hacked.

The Evil Shadow Team, saidto be based in China, has claimedto tho have stolen login ID’s andpassword of Microsoft cus-tomers. The site is run by QuasarMedia, an Indian company.

The reason for hacking thewebsite is still not known. It isbeing said that the hackershave uploaded a file calledevil.Html. It is also being saidthat the information was easilystolen as it was saved in plaintext format. The site is currentlyoffline.

AGENCIES

Microsoft’s online storehacked, passwords stolen

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201210Around the World Beyond Borders

GLOBE AT A GLANCEPakistan Supreme Courtindicts Premier GilaniISLAMABAD: Adding to the woes ofembattled Prime Minister Yousuf RazaGilani, the apex court has indicted him inthe contempt case regarding his refusal toopen corruption cases against PresidentAsif Ali Zardari. If convicted, Gilani riskslosing his job, disqualification from elec-toral politics and a prison term. Gilani hadon Sunday said he would quit if convicted,but refused to back down from his stand.

Suspected Bali bomberon trial in IndonesiaJAKARTA: A key Muslim militantarrested in the same Pakistani town whereUS commandos later killed Osama binLaden went on trial in Indonesia onMonday on multiple charges including pre-meditated murder for the 2002 Bali bomb-ings.Umar Patek, faces six counts includingpremeditated murder, bomb-making andillegal firearms possession.

Putin aims to increaseRussian population MOSCOW: Russian Prime MinisterVladimir Putin has proposed a set of mea-sures aimed to increase the country’s pop-ulation from 142 million to 154 millionpeople. Putin said creating enough placesin State kindergartens is a top-priority forthe country’s leadership. After the collapseof the Soviet Union the majority of Statekindergardens were closed.

Nasheed not to seekasylum in Sri Lanka

South African President, Governorof the South African Reserve Bankand Finance Minister, show a newbanknote series in Pretoria. AFP

A man waves a Romanian flagduring a protest against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement(ACTA) in Bucharest. AFP

COLOMBO: Former Maldives presidentMohammed Nasheed has said he will notseek asylum in Sri Lanka despite his familybeing here but instead continue to fightfor democracy in his country, a Sri Lankandaily reported. According to HaveeruOnline, Nasheed said that the internationalcommunity must act before it was too late.

CAIRO: The Arab League saidSunday it had agreed to opencontacts with Syria’s oppositionand ask the United Nations toform a joint peacekeeping forceto the nation, moves swiftlydenounced by Syria.

In Lebanon meanwhile, ref -ug ees from the Syrian city ofHoms which is besieged byPresident Bashar al-Assad’stroops, gave graphic accounts ofwhat they had endured.

Arab League diplomats “willopen channels of communica-tion with the Syrian oppositionand offer full political and finan-cial support, urging (the opposi-tion) to unify its ranks,” said aLeague statement. They wouldalso “ask the UN SecurityCouncil to issue a decision onthe formation of a joint UN-Arabpeacekeeping force to overseethe implementation of a cease-fire.”

After marathon talks inCairo, the 22-member blocannounced a formal end of itsown observer mission to Syria,suspended last month becauseof an upsurge in violence.

Only Algeria and Lebanonexpressed reservations about theresolution, an Arab League offi-cial said.

“The Syrian Arab Republiccategorically rejects the deci-

sions of the Arab League,” which"reflects the hysteria of thesegovernments" after failing to getforeign intervention at the UNSecurity Council, Syria’s ambas-sador to Cairo Yusef Ahmed said.

Burhan Ghalioun, leader ofthe opposition umbrella group-ing the Syrian National Council,told Al-Jazeera television he wel-comed the moves as "a first step"towards the fall of the regime.

On the ground, the SyrianObservatory for Human Rightsreported that at least 39 civilianshad been killed on Sunday, many

in a relentless assault byPresident Bashar al-Assad'sforces on the central protest cityof Homs.

Most died in Baba Amr, arebel stronghold armed forceshave targeted for more than aweek, killing at least 500 people.

The Observatory also report-ed fierce clashes on the northernedge of nearby Rastan, where awoman was killed when a rockethit her home.Elsewhere, sniperskilled a child in Daraa, cradle ofthe 11-month uprising againstAssad's regime.

“The population, particular-ly the wounded and sick, arebearing the brunt of the vio-lence,” the ICRC’s MarianneGasser said in a statement. AFP

ATHENS: Greek lawmake -rs approved a new round ofdrastic austerity measureslate on Sunday after a longday of street battles leftdozens injured and build-ings ablaze.

The deputies defi ed the100,000-strong turnout inAthens and Thessalonikiand app roved anotherround of stringent budgetmeasures in return for amulti-billion rescue fund.“Of 278 deputies present,199 voted for, and 74against,” Parlia ment Spe -

aker Ph il ip pos Petsalnikossaid after a tense vote withthousands standing guard.

Rebels from the majori-ty socialist PASOK partyand rightwing New Dem -ocracy who voted againstthe law were immediatelyexpelled from their parties.

Deputies “will assumetheir responsibility” andmake the most importantchoice of "advancing withEurope and the single cur-rency", Greek PrimeMinister Lucas Papademossaid before the vote. AFP

A fire engulfs a store during clashesbetween protesters and riot police inAthens on Sunday. AFP

Venezuela’s opposition haschosen Henrique Capriles

Radonski to stand against Pre -sident Hugo Chavez in Octo -ber's election, say officials.

The election of theMiranda State governor cameafter the opposition held itsfirst ever primary. PresidentChavez has said he is confidentof winning re-election no mat-ter whom he ran against. BBC

LOS ANGELES: WhitneyHouston's daughter BobbiKristina was rushed to hospitalon Sunday suffering from stress,one day after the death of herpop star mother, police and afamily friend said.

The 18-year-old was relea -sed a few hours later from Ced -ars Sinai hospital in Beverly

Hills, according to CBS televi-sion. “She was taken to hospitaland treated for stress,” a friendsaid.

Bobbi Kristina is Houston’sdaughter from her stormy 15-year marriage to singer BobbyBrown. She was taken from theBeverly Hilton hotel, whereHouston was found dead, police

said. “She was having some anx-iety and she was transported toCedars Sinai,” a spokesman forthe Beverly Hills PoliceDepartment said. The newsabout Bobbi Kristina came asHouston's family broke theirsilence , issuing a statement thatthey were devastated by thetragedy of her death. AFP

A Syrian child holds a candle next to a Syrian flag during acandle light vigil in Lebanon. AFP

Arab League agrees to opentalks with Syria’s opposition

Capriles tochallengeChavez

Austerity approved amid riots

Houston’s daughter rushed to hospital

Tunisia leader sees Yemen-style exit

ALGIERS: Tunisian PresidentMoncef Marzouki said on Sundaythat he hoped that the bloodshedin Syria could be stopped under asimilar scenario to the one whichsaw Yemeni President Ali AbdullahSaleh relinquish power.

“I hope we will find a politicalsolution akin to that in Yemen, thedeparture of an unwanted dictatorand a transition,” he said. Aftermonths of bloody clashes between

security forces and pro-democracyprotestors, Saleh signed a deal inSaudi Arabia that effectively endshis reign but protects him fromprosecution.

Thousands of Syrians havebeen protesting against PresidentBashar al-Assad's rule almost everyday for close to a year.The crack-down on protests by the Damascusregime has attracted fierce criticismby rights groups. AFP

Henrique Capriles Radonski

NSE1kg= `57,100

SILVER10g= `28,5005,370.85 10.75

GOLD`77.82

POUNDBSE17,726.02 22.07 `49.28

DOLLARMONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201211Matters of saving and spendingBusiness

Insurance industrysees negative growthPrudhvi Raju Kprudhvi.k@postnoon.com

n How did the policy changeaffect the sales of Unit linkedpolicies (ULIPs) and the busi-nesses?

The policy change in ULIPs is infavour of the customer. Theessence of the policy change is tomake policies fairly priced and

transparent. It has brought downcommissions of intermediaries(agents) to four per cent andbenefited the customers. Theagents, who used to sell thesepolicies for higher commissionsaround 40 per cent earlier, felt itisn’t remunerative and startedselling the traditional plans. As aresult, the business is shiftingfrom ULIPs to traditional poli-cies. It is a worrisome to theindustry.n How much is the difference in

commission of traditionalpolices compared to ULIPs?

There is a huge gap. The com-missions in traditional policiesare as high as 40 per cent and inthe ULIPs, they are as low as 4-5per cent. The regulator has tocheck this and optimise them inthe range of 8-10 per cent tomake it fair to the agent as well

as the customer.n How much did industry

lose in this case?The growth rates have fall-

en drastically and nega-tive in most cases. The

average industry nega-tive growth rate isaround three per

cent. Earlier,the

industry was growing at 15 to 20per cent. This is the most worry-ing growth in last 10 years.n What is the growth rate of

term policies compared toconventional polices?

The term plans are picking up asa trend. More people are buyingterm plans through differentchannels like online and groupinsurance route. The term plansare growing at around 15-20 percent. I guess the growth rate ofterm plans is double that of con-ventional policies.n How do you foresee industry

in these tough times?The long term business opportu-nity is huge for industry. Theinsurable population (middleincome and high income seg-ments) per cent is increasingwith the increase of population.The income and GDP levels ofthe people are growing. The sav-ing habits of the Indians areexceptionally high with 33 percent of GDP gets saved in thecountry. Life time risks of peopleare also increasing because ofchanges happening in life style.These are all will be the drives for

the growth of insur-ance industry.

Priyanka Sahay

NEW DELHI: As the number ofmiddle-income families going ondomestic vacations and businesstravellers on a tight budget keepsrising, international hoteliers arerushing in to capture the mid-market segment bridging the gapbetween luxury and budgethotels in India.

The concept of mid-markethotels is relatively new to India.Industry experts say there exists awhole range of tourists betweenthe budget travellers and the well-heeled.

The bulk of leisure travellersare from the middle class and alarge proportion of corporatetravellers in India is mid-level

executives. They want all the trap-pings of a luxury hotel but at anaffordable price.

“With companies continuingto be more cost-conscious, andleisure travellers looking forvalue-for-money options that do

not compromise on quality, thereis a clear gap in the mid-scalemarket,” said Chris Moloney,chief operating officer, SouthWest Asia, IntercontinentalHotels Group (IHG).

One of the key drivers behind

the booming Indian tourism,Moloney told IANS, was the bur-geoning numbers of middle class“which has incredible headroomfor growth”.

A recent survey by theConfederation of Indian Industryand PricewaterhouseCoopersalso identified the mid-marketand budget segments as growthareas.

IHG has signed a joint venturewith Duet India Hotels Group(DIHL) to develop 19 new HolidayInn Express hotels in more than12 key cities by 2016 to cater tothis segment.

“We have taken 24 percentequity stake, making a multi-yearinvestment of $30 million into thepartnership,” said Moloney. IANS

HCL to powerStatoil’s inframanagementPostnoon News

HYDERABAD: HCL Technologieshas announced that Statoil, an ener-gy company, has selected it forstrategic infrastructure manage-ment services. This deal will expandHCLs IT services market in Nordiccountries.

The company will also open adelivery centre in Stavanger,Norway to service Statoil’s, in linewith its model of global centers ofexcellence. HCL will deliver servicesacross 36 countries handling theend-to-end monitoring and man-agement of Statoil’s entire IT infras-tructure across all global locationsincluding offshore production sites.The engagement includes managingcomputers, storage, database andtelecom (network and security)environments along with desktopsupport.

“This engagement underscoresHCL’s leadership in global IT andInfrastructure management servicesfor global 100 corporations,” saidAnant Gupta, president, infrastruc-ture services and senior corporatevice-president, HCL Technologies.

The Audio People in CityHYDERABAD: The Audio Peo -ple, a Chennai based hi-fi audioand video equipment distributorand retailer, has opened an outletin the City. The store is offering 23renowned international brands ofvideo and audio systems. The4,500 sq ft store has two demorooms for home theatres, oneeach for virtual sports and stereo.It has product price range of`75,000 and Rs1.5 crore. Theaudio people take a holisticapproach in setting up the hometheatre system taking acoustics,power stabilization into consider-ation and customises the soundaccording to the room size andcustomer preferences, said GVNBobby, CEO, The Audio People.

P. Nandagopal,CEO and managingdirector ofIndiaFirst LifeInsurance, isknown for optimaluse of technologyin insurance sellingto enable cus-tomer-friendlyoperations.IndiaFirst LifeInsurance sells apolicy in three minutes on line. He tells Postnoonthe reasons forbusiness shift fromULIPs to traditionalpolices.

Vineet Nayar,CEO, HCL

Intercon coming to India

TALK BACKWeekend look greatI’ve been a regular reader of Postnoon forthe past few months and I can safely saythat I love it! I appreciate the fact thatPostnoon has been giving me a lot of varietyin terms of the news that I get, unlikeother dailies. But what sur-prised me the most was when Iopened my Saturday edition andsaw the new and revamped lookof the paper. It’s design is almoston par with the tabloids I used toread in the US. The content too isof a higher quality that I couldhave hoped for. I appreciate yourteam’s effort to keep the paper abreast withinternational standards. Keep it up.

Rakesh Ramaraju,Banjara Hills

Black magicI picked up Postnoon for the first time onSaturday. Your lead story on black magicwas very interesting. We keep reading aboutcrimes relating to black magic but I, and

many like me, think that they are spo-radic incidents. But to see the actualnumbers and the scope of the prob-lem was very disturbing. These areproblems of real people that weshould first be addressing. Thegovernment should wake up tothe problem and bring in strin-gent laws. Primary education in

villages must be improved so as to elimi-nate superstitions.

Megha Rani,Gachibowli

Watch what you wearGood article! I personally love watches, socould totally relate to this article.And to top it all,there was LDC on thecover page!!! Youhave correctly said thatpeople are yet to wakeup to the power ofaccessories that bolstertheir image. There arealso several instanceswhen we see even celebrities fail to sportthe right kind of accessories to go with theirdesigner dresses. Articles like this definitelyhelp us to be better turned out for events,formal and informal. Good work Postnoon.

Deepthi KaringattilHyderabad

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201212Fair, free and forthrightComment

When I was a chief of news bureauin a national daily, my reportingboss used to ask me: “Anythingmore?” just before hanging up

after the daily review. While I mechanicallyused conclude saying ‘nothing’, always I want-ed to say: “Everything is less, sir, includingsalary.”

Irrespective of the weight of the pay check,repulsion to the income tax deduction amongemployees is nothing but a psychosomaticorder — not disorder. It is natural. Every pay-day reminds the salaried class of the adage of‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’. And never has abudget speech of a finance minister seemedmusic to the ears of salaried class.

Come February, millions of employeesawait a hike in the taxable income limit. TheParliamentary Standing Committee onFinance, headed by former finance ministerYashwant Sinha, is proposing to theGovernment to consider a raise in the person-al income tax limit to `5 lakh from the presentRs1.8 lakh.

In fact, the Direct Taxes Code (DTC),which is under review of the StandingCommittee, has the I-T limit at `2 lakh, whichmeans nothing to the common man.

The committee may tell the governmentto raise the income tax limit to `3 lakh for thisyear and when the DTC is adopted and imple-mented from fiscal 2012-13, it could enhanceit to `5 lakh.

Exemptions actually widen the tax net.They imbibe fiscal discipline among tax pay-ers and plug the leakages. Employees, howev-er, cannot find too many ways to stay out ofthe tax net.

I strongly advocate the proposed recom-mendations of Yashwant Sinha committee. Itis planning to propose four slabs, while rec-ommending that shall there be no tax up toRs5 lakh.

The range of the slabs are: `5 lakh-`10lakh; `10 lakh-`20 lakh; `20 lakh-`30 lakh; andabove `30 lakh.

There cannot be more perfect and prag-

matic approach than this, considering thedouble-digit inflation, spiralling prices ofpetroleum products and monthly grocery.

A person with `10 lakh to `15 lakh annualincome doesn’t reach there overnight. He orshe passes through the rough and tumble ofthe chosen profession and would be usuallyin their middle-age, a family to take care ofand a bulk of their pay going towards debt ser-vicing.

For instance, a person with two childrenand drawing an annual salary of `12 lakh in2011 would have the following commitmentsfrom which he/she cannot escape. A car loanof `8,000 to `15,000 a month, a personal loan(raised to meet some exigency) of `5,000 to`10,000, a household expenditure (includingmilk, newspaper, cable TV/DTH, provisions,vegetables, laundry, petrol, water and elec-tricity, and sundries) of `25,000. More thanhalf the salary has gone here.

What I have not added here is the mostpainful housing loan. Usually middle classemployees raise housing loans to save onincome tax without calculating their monthlycommitments, increase in interest rateswhenever the Reserve Bank slaps a hike in itspolicy rates, skyrocketing commutationcharges between office and home.

When they could get a beautiful accom-modation in an upmarket neighbourhood for`20,000 a month very close to their workplace,they end up paying an equal amount or morein some cases towards monthly instalmentand stay a score of miles away from theirwork, enduring the pain of an emptying pursetowards fuel bill.

Of late, budget speeches are crushing theaspirations of the tax payer under the jack-boots of the finance ministers. And a sulkingindustry too sings paeans for record purposeor resents very subtly, as if it’s just moaning.

Editorials Taxman’s footstepsmake us bleed tears

Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to us

comments, suggestions, view-point or just about anything to

feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa,

Road No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033

or even by way ofa call on 4067 2222

KING KENNY LEAVEShis crown shattered

Liverpool manager KennyDalglish has finallyapologised for his

appalling attitude to questionsregarding Luis Suarez’s refusal

to shake Manchester Unitedcaptain Patrice Evra’s hand

before the match on Saturday.King Kenny is one of the iconsof British football; as a players

he shone and his sportsman-ship was as impeccable. But

after Saturday’s press confer-ence where he lambasted the

media for “picking on Suarez”he left his dignity on the floor.

Dalglish has staked much ondefending a player who has

been convicted of racist abuse,the problem is that Suarezseems blasé in the face of

rightfully-directed criticism andis leaving his supports with lit-tle room to manoeuvre. It was

only after Liverpool’s Americanowners, Fenway Sports, steppedin bristling at the Suarez’s atti-

tude that both Dalglish andSuarez were forced to apolo-gise. Suarez has never apolo-

gised to Evra, and until hedoes, the matter will never be

put to rest. And as long as itkeeps simmering both teams

will get no closure from whathas been an embarrassing

episode.

WHY WE LOVEAdele

While all around hermusic artists get

dolled up andprance around on stage, Adele

remains stoic, relying on theonly thing a singer needs to be

a success...a voice. Adele hassung her way into our hearts.

No meat dresses and embryonicfantasies required for her.

Money TalkA Saye Sekhar

CORRECTIONSCLARIFICATIONS&

There was an accidental ‘moderntouch’ to image of the Michelangelofresco that appeared on our Historypage yesterday. As policy Postnoonsupports free content on the Internetbut this was definitely not one ofthose illustrations. Keeping with ourtradition of receiving bouquets andbrickbats with equal grace, we regretthe complacence and promise to liveup to your expectations in quality ofcontent.

It is Postnoon’s policy to correcterrors swiftly and fairly

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201213Holistic view of mind, body and soulH‑Factor

Avoid ice packson the breast

Dr P Raghu Ram

Myths surrounding breast cancerand breast feeding abound.

Here are some more myths and facts. n A baby who drinks milk from hermother who has had breast cancerwill get breast cancerFact: There is no evidence to suggestthat breast cancer is transmittedthrough the milk of the mother.However, breast feeding is not rec-ommended when the mother isreceiving chemotherapy as the drugscan be secreted in the milk whichcan harm the baby. n Size of the breast has a bearing onthe amount of milk produced dur-ing breast feedingFact: Size of the breast has no bear-ing on the amount of milk produced. n Breast cancer does not occur dur-ing pregnancy and lactationFact: Breast cancer can occur duringpregnancy and lactation. Althoughthe incidence of breast cancer inwomen who breast feed is less thanthose who do not, women must beaware of the changes that pregnancyand lactation have created in thebreasts. A pregnant woman usuallyfinds that her breasts are lumpy andtender and a lactating breast feels fulland lumpy. Although these are nor-mal changes, being ‘breast aware’ isabsolutely important even duringpregnancy and lactation. Shouldthere be any new changes, a special-ist consultation is essential to ruleout any abnormality.n Breast feeding should be stoppedwhen there a breast infectionFact: Breast feeding should not bestopped when there is breast infec-tion (mastitis). In fact, breast feedingkeeps the ducts patent and may helpimprove breast infection. Ice packsshould not be used to treat breastinfection as it can harden the milk.

It is important to see a specialistas soon as there are signs of infec-tion. Antibiotics are used to controlthe infection. If an abscess has devel-oped, an ultrasound guided aspira-tion should be attempted. If all theconservative measures fail, a formalincision and drainage of abscessshould be performed.

(The writer is director and con-sultant oncoplastic breast surgeon atKIMS-Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast

Diseases, Hyderabad)

When 52-year-oldReena Gupta wasdiagnosed with dia-betes she was dev-

astated. You might wonder whyconsidering most of India’s pop-ulation deals with this chronicailment? But for Reena, thismeant rearranging her life exten-sively. Long hours at work, traveland an active social life were thenorm — not to mention a lovefor all things sweet and fried. Atthis juncture of her life when hercareer demanded most of herattention, diabetes was notsomething she was prepared for.Not only did this mean that shenow had to be extremely carefulwith what she ate, she alsocouldn’t handle the stress of ahectic schedule as well as beforethanks to the exhaustion andconstant weakness.

For India, that has the noto-rious tag of being the diabetes

capital of the world, such occur-rences are almost common-place. While diabetes may nothalt life in its tracks it does put aspanner in the works for mostbusy executives who find it hardto adjust to a new life — onefilled with restrictions. This iswhere Laparoscopic IlealInterposition Surgery steps in to offer diabetics a hassle-freelife ahead.

What is it?Developed by Dr Aureo de Paulaof Brazil, this surgery is provingto be very helpful in controllingdiabetes. During the procedure,surgeons move a section of theilium (the last part of the smallintestine) into the upper smallintestinal area where food parti-cles will reach immediately aftera meal. When the food comesinto contact with this it releasesthe hormone GLP-1, which actson the B-cells in the pancreas tosecrete insulin. This in turnhelps control blood sugar.

“During this surgery westimulate the heart of the diges-tive tract — ilium. When you

move the ilium upwards it helpsstimulate hormones that regu-late glucose in the body.Through this surgery we caneffectively control diabetes.Though we can’t say it can curediabetes, it is safe to say the dia-betes can be in remission usingthis procedure,” says Dr Aureo.

Who can get it done?“This surgery is typically con-ducted on people with Type IIdiabetes as there are still someexisting good cells in the pan-creas, so there is scope forimprovement. But in Type I dia-betes this is not possible as thecells in the pancreas are alreadydestroyed,” says Dr SurendraUgale, of Kirloskar Hospital,who conducted this surgery forthe first time in Hyderabad in

2008.While selecting a patient,

doctors check for factors like

the severity of the disease andage of the patient. “Usually thecut off age is 70. Also if the dis-ease is mild or has been mildand stable for a long time wedon’t advise surgery. We usuallyrecommend it to patients whocan’t seem to get their bloodsugar levels under controldespite medication or if the dis-ease has begun affecting otherorgans. The patient’s ability torespond to the treatment is alsoa key factor is deciding eligibili-ty,” says Dr Ugale.

How effective is it?According to experts, a patientcan stop taking medicationwithin six months of undergo-ing the surgery. The success rateof the surgery is said to be near-ly 85 to 90 per cent, with evenpatients with severe diabetesreporting that it has remised tothe mild stage. The effects of thesurgery, says Dr Ugale, is sup-posed to last a lifetime.

Why it is good?“Once a patient gets this surgerydone and their blood sugar lev-

els are under control, it alsosignificantly cuts down the

risk of kidney failure,hypertension and choles-terol, for which diabetes isa risk factor,” explains Dr

Ugale. Since the surgery isdone laparoscopically (key hole

surgery) scarring is minimaland also means the patient canget back to work within a weekor maximum 10 days.

You can control itDIABETIC?

Ranjani Rajendra

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

Diabetes is a disorder that affects the wayyour body uses food for energy.

Normally, the sugar you take in is digested andbroken down to a simple sugar, known as glu-cose. The glucose then circulates in your blood

where it waits to enter cells to be used asfuel. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pan-

creas, helps move the glucose into cells. Ahealthy pancreas adjusts the amount of insulinbased on the level of glucose. But, if you havediabetes, this process breaks down, and blood

sugar levels become too high.

What is diabetes?

Cost of surgery: `4 lakh (approx)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201214Holistic view of mind, body and soulH‑Factor

SYDNEY: Physical activity canhelp offsprings undo the negativemetabolic effects passed on tothem by their obese mothers, astudy reveals.

An overweight mother can pow-erfully impact the next generation,altering central appetite circuits inthe brain and contributing toincreased fat deposits and metabol-ic disease in their children.

However, a new study onrodents, found that exercise wasable to dramatically reverse these

impacts, the effect being most pro-nounced in juveniles who bothexercised and consumed a low-fatdiet, reported the journal Nutrition,Metabolism and CardiovascularDisease.

“Most, if not all, of the negativeconsequences of maternal obesitycan be reversed through voluntaryexercise in the next generation,”said study leader Margaret Morris,professor at the University of NewSouth Wales School of MedicalSciences.

Offspring from obese femalerats were found to be 12 per centheavier three weeks after birth thanthe control offspring, according to auniversity statement.

They also recorded higher fatdeposits, plasma lipids, bloodpressure and induced glucoseintolerance. When the pupsalso ate a high-fat diet theweight gap increased to 37per cent.

However, when thepups born to obesemothers were allowedto exercise, their fatmass, plasmalipids, blood pres-sure and insulinresistance werereduced.

Offspring whoate healthy food aswell as engaged inexercise reachedmetabolic levels sim-ilar to control rats bornto normal weight moth-ers and raised on standardchow. These findings arebased on the doctoral researchof Sultana Rajia.

MATERNAL OBESITY

EXERCISE CANUNDO EFFECTS OF

PREGNANCYSIMPLIFIED

You’ve just learnt thatyou’re pregnant andare thrilled to bits.

You’ve already begun mak-ing elaborate plans for yourbaby and nothing couldseem to dim the joy. Plus,you’ve been expecting toglow like an angel and feelthoroughly pampered.Instead, you find you’redrained out most of the timeand simply can’t seem tohold down anything you eator drink and spend a betterpart of your time staring atthe toilet bowl. Welcome tothe world of morning sick-ness. But it isn’t really as badas they make it seem. With afew tricks up your sleeve youcan effectively manage itand enjoy your gateway tomotherhood. Read on…n No matter how nauseous

you feel or how much thesight or smell of foodrepulses you at this time,try and eat something. Anempty stomach canincrease nausea. So don’tstay hungry.

n Salted crackers are a goodidea. Keep some handy.Having some of them firstthing in the morning canhelp settle your stomach.

n Despite your love for fried,spicy and acidic foods, itmight be wiser to stayaway from these whileyou’re going through theordeal of morning sickness.

n Foods that are high invitamin B can helpdecrease nausea. So loadup on whole grains andgreen leafy vegetables.

n Ginger can help ease nau-sea as well. So try suckingon ginger flavouredlozenges or drinking gin-ger flavoured lemon juice.Or simply use ginger inyour cooking.

n Drink plenty of waterbetween meals. Adding aslice of lemon can help aswell. It’s important to stayhydrated.

n Avoid iron supplements inthe first trimester unlessyou’re anaemic. It can behard on the stomach. Socheck with your doctorbefore you pop any.

The time you’re feelingclose to your normal self is agood time to eat something.Try and eat healthy food anddo squeeze in some exercisetime to help you feel better.

Source: www.ehow.com

Staring at atoilet bowl?

LECTURER SPEAKS

l How long has it been sinceyou began teaching? Haveyou always wanted toteach?

I have been teaching for the lastthree years. I always wanted to bea teacher. In fact, my passiontowards teaching intensified afterseeing great teachers during mymasters, doctoral and post-doctoralresearch period.l Physics is a kind of a sub-

ject that needs to beunderstood. What kind ofan approach do you taketowards teaching this sub-ject?

My approach of teaching physicsstarts with giving the students arough physical picture of the prob-lem followed by a thorough math-ematical analysis. Whenever possi-ble, I try to experimentally demon-strate the concepts in the class-room. l You must be aware of the

new coaching institutionsthat have come up. Do youthink they help in the longrun?

I believe that most of the coachinginstitutions impart good training inbasic science subjects. However,the students MUST make sure that

they get a thorough understandingof the basic concepts along withgetting trained to answer ques-tions swiftly. A good grasp of fun-damentals will help the students todo well in the future. l What kind of a rapport do

you share with your stu-dents?

I try to create an atmosphere suchthat the students do not feel anysort of inhibitions in approachingme to clarify or share their difficul-ties. I do not find a need to supportthem emotionally as our campus isvery vibrant and positive. l What according to you is

your biggest challenge as aprofessor?

The biggest challenge as a profes-sor is to keep up the enthusiasmon a day-to-day basis and there-fore creating an interest amongstudents in the subject beingtaught.l Any message for aspiring

engineering students?We live in a knowledge-basedworld. Therefore, my message toaspiring engineers is to gatherknowledge and create new techni-cal knowledge that will transformour country into a developednation in the near future.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201215Campus

Coolest thingabout college

No attendance!

Fashiontrends in

collegeWell, there’s no

dress code; so youcan find people

attending classes inshorts. But well,

anything goes!

Coolesthangout on

campusStudent Activity

Centre, ConnaughtPlace, and off late acoke happiness sta-

tion that’s right inbetween the two

girls’ hostels!

Coolesthangout

outsidecampus

Bits n Bytes –The coffee shop inAalankrita Resorts.

Songs playingon your iPods

At the moment,Thurisaz! But moregenerally, anything

from Telugu toBollywood toDeath Metal.

Things youwish you

could changeabout your

collegeLesser number

of exams, bettersports facilities and

speeding up theprocess of con-struction of the

auditorium!

STUDENTS SPEAK

Darshani Nenefeedback@postnoon.com

“You have to comebecause we havesomething for every-one! Whether you’re

a techie, an aspiring dancer, anamateur filmmaker, or are justlooking for fun. This is a technical-cum-cultural festival with someamazing pro-shows lined up! If notelsewhere, I think BITS PilaniHyderabad is the place to be thisweekend.” Says Raghuram ReddySalguti, the president of theStudents’ Union, BITS Pilani,Hyderabad campus, when askedabout why students should headto Pearl World 1-2.

Pearl World 1-2 is BITS PilaniHy derabad’s annual festival, whichis going to take place from the 16thto 19th of this month at the collegecampus. This festival began as acity-wide fest in 2010, and wentnational in 2011, and this is thethird edition of the fest.

Armed with a mind bogglingset of competitions like ‘Till deafdo us apart’, a nationwide searchfor India’s best rock band, or‘Glitterati’, a fashion parade atPearl, or even ‘FragLore’, a LANgaming tournament, and perfor-mances by Benny Dayal for the

Bollywood act, Thurisaz for theInternational Rock act, and Davidand Ela Rose for the InternationalDJ act, Pearl ‘12 world 1-2 is set toimpress.

With an expected turn out ofover 8,000 students from all acrossthe country, the organising com-mittee is gathering forces to makesure the event goes off without aglitch. “Preparation for this festbegan last semester itself andalmost every student has beeninvolved in one department or theother. The Students’ Union and theStudent Co-ordinators for variousdepartments of course have had amajor role, but almost every stu-dent has contributed to the organ-ising of the fest. Also, our profes-sors have been very co-operativeand extended a helping handwhenever needed. Now comes theexecuting part of it, for which weexpect about 300 volunteers tohelp us out!” says the team.

For ANY details about this fes-tival, events and registrations,

check out their official websiteand their Facebook page.Concludes Raghuram, “Everyone’sexcited about the fest! We just can’twait for our exams to get over.”

So if the town looks desertedthis weekend, you know where allthe action is happening!

KannanRamaswamy

AsstProfessor,

Physics GroupBITS-PilaniHyderabad

Campus

THE PEARL OF ALLCOLLEGE EVENTS IS BACK!

Isha Mukooisha.m@postnoon.com

While the Northernwinters are still makingpeople snuggle into

thick quilts and making theirteeth chatter, down Souththings are starting to heatup after a pleasant Decemberand January. With the hint ofsummer setting in and thesun beaming in all its glory,one concern that tops everygirl’s summer list — the fair-ness factor and most impor-tantly, how to avoid sweatfrom smearing makeup?

So what’s the chosen shadecard for the scorching sum-mers? Summer months arewhat makes one fret over tan-ning arms and face and worryabout the break outs.International beauty icon,Shireen Khan feels summersshould not restrict you fromgoing bold. “Lots of red, cheerypink and mauvish purples aregoing to be the in thing thisseason. Red family is in, lighterin the day and brighter in the

evenings. Also, if one is goingbright on the lips, eye makeupshould be subtle and mascarasare really in. One can do awaywith eye liners this summerand replace them with niceblue and green eye pencils.”She says, adding, “One can usefoundation powder, which actslike a compact as well and

hides the flaws.” While the ramps are already

witnessing rose-petal blush,matted eyes, beige lips for thesultry season, there are a fewshades other than these mutedtones that might be seen.Hyderabad-based makeupartist Amar Nath Singh workingwith a high-end cosmeticsbrand feels as the season’sdemand, it’s going to be coolcolours and muted tones. “Ofcourse as the Hyderabad sum-mers are scorching, I would saysimple looks with no heavymakeup is better. Cool colourslike blues and greens for lightmakeup will brighten up thedays and nude shades for lip-sticks like beige, light brown,

pink peachy colours and otherpastel shades will do the trick.”he suggests.

The metallic shades, eter-nal smoky effect for the starryevenings with an addedsparkle and a few more classicslike the reds and browns tobrighten the evening couldadorn your makeup pouch.Celebrity makeup artist Sandysays while days are going to belight shades, evenings aregoing to brighten it up equally.“It’s of course the smoky lookfor the evenings and brightshades like red and orangewould be in. Apart from that,for oily skin, one should avoidcreamy foundations, which aregood for dry skin. People with

oily-skin base should stick toliquid foundation and keep itminimal with a hint on the t-zone, around the mouth andunder the eye. The rest of theface can be kept free with justa touch,” he shares, adding,“Also one can opt for gel-basedliners, which don’t smudge andfor lipsticks one should keep itmatted.”

Although, there is a beelineof products to keep you paint-ed, polished and bronzed, acommon tip that all beautyexperts suggest is to use agood sun block and keep your-self hydrated. So while theweather heats up, you can coolyourself with lots of liquidsand cool colours in your kitty.

nA Good sun block not below 50SPF is veryimportant for Indian weather and skin.

nDon’t smother eyes with kohl all around this season. Keep it light.

nDrink lots of water.

EXPERT TIPS

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201218Because you are what you wearF‑Folio

BRIGHTIS RIGHT

Brighten up yourcolour palettethis summerwith quirky, fun colours.Postnoonspeaks to a fewbeauty expertsand checks outwhat’s in

Spotlight

To musicalbeginningsActor Siddharth andGVN Bobby,CEO ofthe Audio Peoplelaunched the AudioPeople Store onSunday at JubileeHills, Road No 36

Newaddress

for gizmosActress Shraddha Das

launched the GreenElectronics Megastorewhich marked the first

foray of the Kerala-based electronics giant

in AP

RHINOS CHARGE FOR THE WIN It was a night of loud cheers and true sportsmanship as celebrities from

Mumbai Heroes and Telugu Warriors took to the stands to cheer for the playersof Chennai Rhinos and Karnataka Bulldozers. It was a close finish as the Rhinos,

for a second time, tasted victory and took away the CCL cup for 2012

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201219

T-TOWN TWEETIES

@me_sushanthDoes this happen to you?‘Charged your phone all night.Realize in the morn that thepower switch wasn’t turnedon’.

@devakattaWhen you make a statement,it’s just “your opinion”...whenu make a believable story withthat opinion it becomes a“public opinion”.

@richyrichaRomba nandri to EdisonAwards and all ‘Yamini’ fansfor honouring me w the BestActress Award 4 MayakkamEnna. Thanx @selvaraghavan nteam!

@themohanbabuA 5th std student in Vidyani -kethan came up to me andshocked me by saying he hasstory for Vishnu and wanted tonarrate it.

@LakshmiManchu#warhorse, what a brilliantfilm. Bow down to StevenSpielberg. Such passion andintensity comes thru in thefilm. In awe.

@sneha_ullalThe most beautiful voice in theworld Whitney Houston...RestIn Peace. Heart breakingnews...

@mamtamohanUsed2b a great fan ofWhitney while growing up.She’ll b missed by fans. Wellhearing about t drug abuse, Ithink she missed herself wayb4. RIP!

@actressanjjanaaI love reading all ur tweets,but honestly if I reply to anysingle individual d others willb upset, I’ll how ever reply tointeresting questions.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 20The glamour behind the glitzMagic Screen

Gautham Menon has confirmedthat his upcoming film starringNani and Samantha has been

titled as Yeto Vellipoyyindhi Manasu. Thetitle is taken from a super-hit song of theNagarjuna-Tabu starrer Ninne Pelladutha.Yeto Vellipoyyindhi Manasu is touted to be an

urban love story and the first look of the filmwill be unveiled on February 14, on the eve of

Valentine’s Day. Maestro Ilayaraja is compos-ing the music. Gautham Menon is makingthis film in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi. Jiiva,Nani and Aditya Roy Kapur are playing thelead roles, while Samantha is the leadheroine in all the three versions. Post thesuccess of Ye Maya Chesave, GauthamMenon has become a brand of his ownin Andhra Pradesh and it’ll be interest-ing to see what he has up his sleevethis time around.

Love is in the

air

After working with NTR in Oosaravelli,Surender Reddy is gearing up for hisnext film. Allu Arjun has agreed to play

the lead role in his untitled film. This is thefirst time both of them are teaming up for afilm and Nallamalupu Bujji is going to pro-duce the film. Buzz is that the film is likely togo on floors in April after Allu Arjun wraps upshooting for Trivikram Srinivas’ film. Apartfrom Surender Reddy’s film, Allu Arjun willsoon be seen in Vasu Verma’s next and he’salso playing a cameo in Vamshi Paidipally’sYevadu. The actor had only one release in2011 but if everything falls in place, Allu Arjunwill have two or three releases in 2012.

Allu Arjun inSurender Reddy’snext

Sukumar-Mahesh Babufilm launched

Sukumar’s next film starring Mahesh Babuin the lead role was launched yesterday

in Ramanaidu Studios. Gopichand, RamAchanta and Anil Sunkara, who recently

scored a hit with Dookudu, are producing thisfilm on the 14 Reels Entertainment banner.

Along with the producers, Sukumar, SSRajamouli, Devi Sri Prasad, Dil Raju,

Burugupalli Shivarama krishna, BVSN Prasadand few others were present to officiallylaunch the film. For the first time in his

career, Devi Sri Prasad is going to composemusic for a film starring Mahesh Babu in lead

role. Ratnavelu, cinematographer of Arya,Jagadam and Robot, is handling the camera. A

new actress is going to be cast in the film.“The film will be a thorough entertainer and

we’ll begin shooting the film in April,”Sukumar told Postnoon.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201221The glamour behind the glitzMagic Screen

I believe there’s space for good films

KiranMeegada

talks aboutwhat madehim quit his

job in the USto make a

film My Heartis Beating

Kiran Meegada has quite afew things in common withSekhar Kammula and Deva

Katta. Both of them quit their jobsin the US to pursue a career infilmmaking and now KiranMeegada is following a similarpath. “Sekhar, Deva Katta andKrish are a big source of inspira-tion for me and I am a big fan ofMajid Majidi,” Kiran says. Ask himwhat drove him to take a sabbati-cal from his job, he replies, “Afterworking for more than twelveyears in the US, life had becomequite comfortable and I felt thatmy creative side was slowly dying.And I desperately wanted to dosomething about it.”

When he was in class 9, hismother took him to an excursionto the Talakona forest. “I endedup spending a whole day on thesets of the Venkatesh-DivyaBharati starrer Bobbili Raja. Iloved the experience of being ona film set,” Kiran reminiscences.But he didn't exactly plunge intofilmmaking right after his gradu-ating from college. “Family comesfirst,” he smiles, adding, “I haveexplored life and I believe that myway of storytelling is way betternow.” Before turning director, formany years, he was the singlepoint of contact for severalTelugu filmmakers who wanted to

shoot films in the US. “I used totake care of the production andin the process I worked on a fewfilms like Swagatham,Chinthakayala Ravi, Sangamamand E Preethi,” he says.

His debut film My Heart isBeating, which he has co-directedalong with his friend Arun Rudra,is a romcom set in the US andnarrates a love story between twopeople who find it difficult toexpress their feelings. “I had metArun though a common friendSrikanth Galla and initially Arunwrote the basic story and laterboth of us worked on fine-tuningthe script. Later, we got in touchwith Siva Somayajula who wrotethe dialogues for the film andthen we pitched the story toRajasekhar who liked it,” Kiraninforms. Incidentally, it's the firstTelugu film to have been madeby a director duo and also thefirst Telugu film to be entirelyshot in the US. Revanth,Rajitha, Srini Kolla and AshwinReddy are part of the cast andKiran is full of praises for histeam. “Sri Atluri introducedme to Revanth and I amsure that he will goplaces in his career. Theothers also have done agood job,” Kiran says.So what's it like to besharing credit withanother director? “Wehave had our creative dif-ferences at time but it wasalways about how we

could improve composing a shot.We were on the same page fromthe beginning,” Kiran replies.

There are plenty of romcomsmade in Telugu every year. We askhim what sets his film apart?“Apart from being a love story setin the US, there's something foreveryone to connect with thestory. There's at least one memberin every family who has been tothe US. Besides, it's an honestfilm. I believe there's space for

good films,” he signs off.

B-TOWN TWEETIES

@imarshadwarsiU want your world to bebeautiful all u have to do isspread love n happiness... Iswear it works...

@rampalarjunOn flight BA on route to NYC,will celebrate valentine daywith wife there. Any nice sug-gestions are always welcome.Bye for now.

@sonakshisinhaI know it makes a goodsensational copy to linkco-stars and makes for grrreatgossip, but I just want toconfirm that I am not datingor in a romantic relationshipwith anyone.

@RiteishdOff to AHMEDABADtom -we start our promotionaltour for TERE NAAL LOVEHO GAYA- looking fwdto it. Majjjjaaaaa.

@kjohar25MNIK is 2 years old 2dayand is still running in a cinemain Honk kong!!! It’s a filmthat is truly special to me...inmany ways...

@deespeakSo often people ask aquestion not because theywant to hear your opinion butbecause they want to give youtheir opinion...

@priyankachopra Ok guys!! Grammy time! Justlanded into LA... options ofgowns... Indian designer orwestern...?Hmmm... I’mbiased towards wearingIndian talent...

@DuttaLara Morning has broken, like the1st morning! (Used 2 luv thatsong in school!).@SrBachchanSpeedy recovery sir! Wishingyou much love and healing.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012 22The glamour behind the glitzMagic Screen

Afamiliar figure strolling alongShimla’s Mall, greeting friends andchatting animatedly in the coffee

house is being missed with the death ofactor Anupam Kher’s father Pushkar NathKher, 84. Nath’s friends and local theatreartistes, who once shared stage with Kher,mourned his demise. Nath, a KashmiriPandit by origin, died in Mumbai after abrief illness on Friday.

“Nath will always be remembered forthe excitement he had wheneverAnupam’s new movie was about torelease,” Shimla-based artiste SanjaySood said. Another theatre personalityParveen Chandala said Nath had notbeen well for more than a month. IANS

Shimla’s coffeehouse will missAnupam Kher’sfather

Entertainment and morals don’tmix: Kalki KoechlinKnown for her unconvention-

al choice of scripts, KalkiKoechlin says it’s time

Bollywood filmmakers sat backand got the idea of commercialcinema right. The actress, who alsosupports bold portrayal of womenon the big screen, says filmmakersshould avoid mixing entertain-ment with a moral story.

“I find that a lot of times what’swrong with commercial cinema isnot the subject, but how when

people are making an action filmthey end up putting ‘gyaan’ in it.It’s not going to work,” Kalki, 28,said.

“A lot of people are still veryconfused when they write a script.They put a very serious subjectand a light subject together. Theytry to put everything into one filmto try to please everyone,” said theactress who picks Dabangg as oneof her favourite masala films.

IANS

Yes there’s

pain, Big B

tweets

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, whounderwent two abdominal surgerieson Saturday, tweeted fans about his

condition as soon as he could from the hos-pital bed and thanked them for their wishes,which he feels never fails.

Big B’s scheduled abdominal surgerywent off smoothly on Saturday morning atthe SevenHills Hospital here. His abdominalpain was due to an injury he suffered duringshooting of Coolie in 1982.

“Took long because 2 surgeries had to bedone on either side..yes there is pain, butnothing good in life ever achieved withoutit!,” Big B tweeted.

“Back ..!! Thank you for your prayers..your love and wishes never fail..indebted forlife, one that I shall never be able to payback,” the 69-year-old wrote.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201223Magic Screen

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201224The glamour behind the glitzMagic Screen

Black Women in Music Gala

honour for Kelly K

elly Rowland was hon-oured for her role in

the music industrythis week.

The X Factor UK judgemade an appearance at

Essence’s 3rd Annual BlackWomen in Music Gala where

she was among other respectedguests in the black entertain-

ment industry.Rowland, who was acknowl-

edged alongside industry exec-utive/former Motown chief

Sylvia Rhone, attended with fel-low Destiny’s Child band mem-

ber Michelle Williams.The TV talent show panelist

and rapper Eve were some ofthe stars to perform

at the event.Essence editor-in-chief

Constance CR White called theartist “remarkable”.

Real Housewives ofBeverly Hills starCamille Gram mer,

who began dating attor-ney Dimitri Char al am -bopoulos late last year,says her relationship isstronger than ever.

“We’re very happyand we’re enjoyingeach other’s company,”Grammer, 43, tellsAndy Cohen on theReal Housewives rau-cous reunion show.

Charalambopoulos,who is eight yearsyounger thanGrammer, is “sweet,”according to her costarLisa Vanderpump.

“He’s quiet and

reserved,” KyleRichards added. “It’svery cute the way hestares at Camille.”

According to Gram -mer, her new guy getsalong with her kids, too.“They like him a lot,”she says. “He spends alot time with them.”

Camille Grammer’sRomance Heats Up

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201225The glamour behind the glitzMagic Screen

Hemanth Kumarhemanth.k@postnoon.com

War Horse is as muchabout survival as it isabout freedom. Ste -ven Spielberg puts a

horse named Joey, which man-ages to survive the war that wreckshavoc in Europe. While there havebeen several films about howhuman beings dealt with war andsuffering, we are never told howanimals like horses react whenthey are put in arduous condi-tions. In all probability they areeither shot dead when theybecome too weak or they die aslow, painful death, unable torecover from the wounds.

Adapted from a 1982 children’snovel of the same name, written byMichael Morpurgo, Spielberg

shows great class in narrating thisheart warming tale. AlbertNarracott (Jeremy Irvine) tr ains ahorse named Joey to plough hisfield in Devon, England; however,his father sells Joey to the army topay his dues to the landlord. A cav-

alry officer named CaptainNicholls, who buys Joey, promisesAlbert that he will take care of thehorse and if possible, he’ll evenreturn it to Albert after the war.However, things go out of controlonce the war starts.

War films usually have anundercurrent of hope despite allthe destruction and loss of livesand War Horse is no different. Theway Joey falls in to the hands ofdifferent people as the war pro-gresses can only be a result ofdivine intervention. One of thebest scenes in the film include twosoldiers from both sides helpingJoey in No Man’s land. It’s amazinghow Spielberg gives a reason tosmile in the middle of a war sceneand there lies his finesse. John Wil -liams’ score is dazzling and so isJanusz Kamiski’s cinematography.

At over two hours, War Horse isdefinitely long and loses steam attimes, but the emotional quotientbehind the film overshadows the -se flaws. It isn’t a typical war filmbut ends up being a heart warm-ing tale of freedom and hope.

Pain. Longing. Freedom. HopeStevenSpielberg’s newwar drama WarHorse might notbe as good asSaving PrivateRyan orSchindler’s List,but it does reinforce hisfinesse in nar-rating a heartwarming tale

Usher’s legal hasslesUsher’s ex-wife has asked for $50,000 to

cover legal fees accrued by the custodybattle for their two children.

Tameka Raymond, whose divorce fromUsher was finalised in November 2009,requested $15,000 for her lawyer’s fees plus$35,000 in other costs, according to a website.

The further costs reportedly are for hiring aprivate investigator, maintenance of expert wit-nesses, obtaining out-of-state testimonies andcancelling her Saks 5th Avenue credit card.

Katy Perry’sstyle

statement

The pop music princesswas a vision in pink atthe MusiCares Person of

the Year tribute to Sir PaulMcCartney.

Perry was one of the lastcelebs to hit the red carpet atthe Los Angeles ConventionCenter in a sleeveless silk andlace pink gown from Frenchdesigner Alexis Mabille.

But it was the TeenageDream singer’s hat thatgrabbed everyone’s attention— think gigantic pink flowerin full bloom. Diamond ear-rings, flawless makeup (va-va-va voom red lipstick!) and apeek of her still-blue haircompleted the look.

Perry remained silentwhile taking pics and declin-ing interviews. She was one ofthe many superstars on thenight’s lineup, giving a soulfulperformance of Hey, Jude. Sheused a pink music stand, aconductor’s baton and a crys-tal-covered microphone.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201226Chai Time

How to Play KakuroKakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is alsosuitably different. The key question: “How do you play Kakuro?”, wellhere are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike insudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells likein a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells willcontain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro,the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in therow or column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells - called a run - any of the numbers 1to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly:In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you

will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. Thismeans that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14.Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on...

So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is donethrough elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work outthe answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid com-binations, and hence the answer for this particular run.

Note the second cell in row two - it contains two numbers, 30 and11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

KAKUROACROSS1 After-shower powder5 Argentine expanse10 Envelope part14 Another word for mar-

garine15 Used as a dining surface16 Pearl Harbor isle17 "Read 'em and ___!"18 Up, as the sun19 Stinker's stench20 Colorful command to a

Shakespeare character?23 "___ & Mrs. Miller"26 ___ serif (font choice)27 Chicken-king link28 "Help ___ the way!"31 Running a little behind

schedule?35 "Bet you can't," e.g.37 How bottles of cola are

priced?39 Stolen goods buyer40 Mid-perm phone call's

result?43 Plant ___ of suspicion44 Blackthorn's fruit45 Dance partner?46 The King shook his48 Dirty Harry's employer,

for short50 Wedding page word51 "... in ___-horse open

sleigh"53 When kids get a break55 London area in need of

a hair detangler?60 Spy Mata61 They dog dogs62 Don't include66 Lhasa ___67 Nickname of jazzman

Earl Hines68 Forbidden perfume?69 Advertiser's gas70 Natural rope fiber71 A joyous noise unto the

Lord

DOWN1 AAA job2 "Andy Capp" quaff3 Stan who created Spider-

Man

4 Coconut meat5 Cheese type6 End in ___ (have no win-

ner)7 "You've Made ___ Very

Happy" (Blood, Sweatand Tears hit)

8 Wordsworth works9 Like some checkups10 The more you take, the

more you leave behind11 Alan of "Shane"12 Nautical "Yo!"13 Uncontaminated21 Kimono tie22 Major glitch23 Wild and crazy24 Article in a contract25 Library area29 Comes to a decision30 "Silent Night" and"Jingle Bells"32 Speak in a singing voice

33 Movie clips34 Bushes between yards,

sometimes36 Height38 Campus VIP41 Dunderhead42 Retaliatory act47 Examines, in a way49 ___ Monte

(cannedfood brand)

52 FormerChinese pre-mier Zhou___

54 It can bebought bythe bolt

55 Genghis orKubla56 Neck back57 "___ itseems"

58 Lead-in for "across,""along," or "around"

59 Tee-hee relative63 Merry month64 Creator of a chesschampion65 Wine cask

SCRI

BBLI

NG P

AD

SUDOKU

Love has the

power of mak-

ing you believe

what you would

normally treat

with the deepest

suspicion.

THOUGHT OFTHE DAY

Take a shot at the brain game while sipping your cuppa

QUICK CROSSWORD

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

– Mirabeau

27Chai TimeC

OM

ICS

Fred

Bas

set

Ston

e so

up

TAROT READ

King of Pentacles –Money is top p r i orityright now. Th e re aretimes wh e n y ou getmixed si g nals from apotential rom anticpartner. Confu sion isnatural at this stage.

The Hermit – Youare going to be on alonely journey in thesearch for somethin ‑g significant. This isirrespective of whe ‑ther you like beingon your own or not.

Five of Pentacles –Th ere is some formof loss indicated. Donot dwell on it be ‑cause you co uld notcontrol the situation.Be aware of your sur‑roundings and act.

ARIES TAURUS GEMINIARIESBe careful while expressing your opin‑ion, as it might land you in trouble. Bu ‑sinessmen will be in growth mode. In ‑come will be more than satisfactory.Affection for family will increase.

CANCER

LIBRAYou look very cheerful and dynamic. Allwork undertaken will end without put ‑ting in much effort. There might bepetty issues with friends but that willbe resolved in no time. You will gain.

CAPRICORNYou will look very brisk and complete w ‑o rk in fast mode with perfection. You wi ‑ll consult well wishers and par t n ers whi ‑le taking important decisions. Thou ghincome is good, avoid fresh investments.

TAURUSYou will help friends and relatives in ti ‑me of need. You will be appreciated andrespected in the society for the goodwork done by you. Opportunities cometo you and work hard to realise them.

LEOFinancially, a strong position is seen. Youwill think of deals, which will yield mindboggling profits and will be successful inexecuting them. You will earn your incomein an easy way without much hurdles.

SCORPIOYou will act smartly according to the prev ‑ailing situation. All work will get comple tedexactly as per expectations you had. Fr i e ‑nds and partners will respect your sugges‑tions. You wil take wise decisions.

AQUARIUSA day of fortune opportunities. Heldup jobs will resume and end success‑fully. Income will be more than expe ‑c tations. Businessmen will face com‑petition wisely and win over.

GEMINIYou will get your work done successfullywith the help of good friends. All work pl ‑anned will be successfully completed. Pa ‑rents will be happy to see your affectionand caring. You will receive a good news.

VIRGOYour efficiency will improve enormously.Mind will be peaceful. Family will be ingood harmony and support you well. Youwill be relieved from long standing diffi‑culties. Plan and implement for future.

SAGITTARIUSReligious thoughts will occupy the mind.Businessmen will see a good income wi ‑th good support of partners. New and t ‑r ustworthy friends will join your list. Br ‑ight chances to buy a house or vehicle.

PISCESYou will complete work boldly and withdetermination. Dull period in businesswill disappear and brisk business willstart with your hard work. You will en ‑courage subordinates and get work done.

For B

ette

r or f

or W

orse

Ink

pen

Three of Cups – Thisis celebration time! Aproject you workedon has brought abouttremendous results.You need to pat your‑self on the back forthe hard work.

Seven of Cups – Ma ‑terial possessions ar eyour focus right n o w.There is also a lot ofconfusion abo ut howyou perceive certainsituations. Do notjump to conclusions.

Nine of Wands –You are reaching theend of a project andyou have just onelast test to get to theend. Donʼt be impa‑tient to finish with it.

CANCER LEO VIRGO

The Hierophant –The answers arewithin you, and prob‑ably in the questionsyouʼre asking. Thereis no need for you tolook elsewhere. Trustyour own instincts.

Knight of Cups – Youare feeling emotionalright now but it doesnot mean that you a ‑re necessarily in tou ‑ch with your emotio ‑ns. Connect with you ‑r self via meditation.

Judgment – Ask your‑self if youʼre jumpingto conclusions aboutsomeone too quickly.Step back and rem ‑ove the baggage ofsocietal expectationsbefore you decide.

LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS

Two of Cups –Partnerships of allkinds are in focus,especially romanticpartnerships. A newrelationship is set tocome into your life. Itwill be a strong bond.

Ten of Cups – This isthe time for familybonding. Spend aweekend away withfamily and do thingsyou enjoy – even if itʼsjust lolling on thebeach.

Four of Cups – A joboffer is coming yourway soon. Be opento options and donot reject anythingon the basis on

“what will peoplethink?”

CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

STAR POWER SUMAA TEKURtarotreadhyd@gmail.com

THIRUVAIKUMARthiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in

040-27177230 / 9177596118

SOLUTIONS

Sudu

ko

Scrabble

Num

ber g

ame

Boggle

ROCKY COBRA RAMBO DAYLIGHT

Businessmen will see a steady growth. Youwill be close with friends and make themhappy. You will understand and fulfill needsof your subordinates and get jobs done per‑fectly. Wisely manage issues home.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2012Your tomorrow today̶Star Power and Tarot

Date 14-2-2012

Vol: 1, No 211 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad–500033 and printed by himat Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad–500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-40672222, Fax: 040-40672211

As per Hindu panchang

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201228Telly sitcoms, news and movie listingsChai Time

1400 Naadi Aadajanme1430 Pavitra1500 Movie1800 Sri Shanidevuni Mahimalu1830 Vasantha Kokila1900 Chinnari Pelli Kuturu1930 Anna Chellelu2000 Missamma 2030 Edureetha2100 Bhale Chancele2200 CID2300 Challenge 0700 Silver Screen0730 Just For Fun0800 Ayurvedam0830 Chaganti Nava Vidha Bhakti0900 Challenge1100 CID

1400 Kannavaari Kalalu1430 Maavichiguru1500 Jeevitha Chakram1530 Movie 1800 Jai Shri Krishna1830 Shraavani Subramaniam1900 Mandhara1930 Auto Bharthi2000 No. 23, Mahalakshmi

Nivasam2030 Mogali Rekulu2100 Aparanji2130 Devatha2200 Mamathala Kovela2230 Anveshana2300 Gemini Vaarthalu0800 Gemini Talkies0830 Movie 1130 Aha Emi Ruchi1200 Jeevitha Chakram1230 Maa Inti Aada Paduchu1300 Chittemmaa 1330 Gorintaku

1400 Abhishekam1430 Aadade Aadharam1500 Antahpuram1530 Aakasa Ganga1600 Prema Mandiram1630 Jagadeeswari1700 Adhire Adurs1800 Devimahathyam1830 Puttadi Bomma1900 Kumkuma Rekha1930 Manasu Mamata2000 Chandra Mukhi2030 Bharyamani2100 Etv News2130 Paduta Teeyaga 2245 Movie 0800 Jeevana Jyothi0830 Tollywood Time0900 Movie 1130 Abhiruchi1230 Star Mahila

1400 Ardhangi 1430 Movie1800 Veera Naari Jhansi Laxmi

Bhai1830 Kalavari Kodallu1900 Chinna Kodalu1930 Pasupukunkuma2000 Muddu Bidda2030 Radha Kalyanam2100 Kanyadanam2130 Chittam Chittam -

Prayaschittam2230 Shree2300 Bindas2330 Latest Superhit Songs0800 Gopuram0830 Bhakti Samacharam0900 Sri Raghavendra Vybhavam0930 Ayurveda Jeevana

Vignanam 1000 Zee 70 Mm A.C

‘Paycheck’ at 1250 Hrs onAXN

1250 Movie - Alive1535 Criss Angel Mindfreak 1605 The Real Housewives Of

New York City 1700 Got To Dance 1800 Guinness World Records

Smashed1900 Wipeout2000 The Challenger Muaythai2200 Fear Factor 2300 Guinness World Records

Smashed0800 Sky Teleshopping0830 Infomercial/30 Min0900 Sky Teleshopping0930 Criss Angel Mindfreak 1000 The Challenger Muaythai1200 Got To Dance 1250 Movie - Paycheck

‘Gyaan Guru’ at 1930 Hrson IMAGINE1400 Haar Jeet 1500 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 1600 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1630 Dwarkadheesh 1700 Sawaare Sabke

Sapne – Preeto1730 Haar Jeet 1800 Beendh Banuga Ghodi

Chadhunga 1830 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 1900 Haar Jeet 1930 Gyaan Guru 2000 Dwarkadheesh 2030 Sawaare Sabke

Sapne – Preeto 2100 Beendh Banuga Ghodi

Chadhunga 2130 Mi Aaji Aur Saheb 2200 Baba Aisa Varr Dhoondo 2230 Haar Jeet 2300 Gyaan Guru

‘Parvarrish’ at 2130 Hrson SONY

1400 Saas Bina Sasuraal1430 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai1500 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge1530 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada1600 CID1800 Saas Bina Sasuraal1830 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai1900 Crime Patrol - Dastak2000 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge2030 Dekha Ek Khwaab2100 Saas Bina Sasuraal2130 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti

Kuchh Meethi2200 Kyaa Hua Tera Vaada2230 Bade Achhe Lagte Hai2300 Kuch Toh Log Kahenge2330 Crime Patrol - Dastak0900 Parvarrish - Kuchh Khatti

Kuchh Meethi0930 Dekha Ek Khwaab1000 CID

‘[V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance’ at1900 Hrs on CHANNEL [V]

1400 [V] Vignettes1430 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance1500 [V] Humse Hai Life1530 [V] Trailers1600 [V] My Big Decision1700 [V] Zabardast Hits1800 [V] Fresh Songs1830 [V] Humse Hai Life1900 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance1930 [V] Humse Hai Life2000 [V] Steal UR Girlfriend2100 [V] Vignettes2130 [V] Trailers2200 [V] My Big Decision2300 [V] Humse Hai Life2330 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance2355 [V] Fresh Songs0700 [V] Trailers0730 [V] Zabardast Hits0800 [V] Mind Blasting

Mornings1100 [V] Fresh Songs1200 [V] D3 Dil Dosti Dance

‘Business Tonight’ at 2100Hrs only on ET NOW

1400 The F And O Show1430 Closing Trades1530 Tomorrow's Trades1600 Business Day1730 Markets Tomorrow1800 Rush Hour1900 Global Business Report1930 Business Express2000 Business First2030 Markets Tomorrow2100 Business Tonight2200 Top 10 At 102230 Investor's Guide2300 Zigwheels 0900 First Trades1000 Hot Stocks1100 Buy Now Sell Now - The

Stock Game1130 Buy Now Sell Now1200 Market Sense1300 Business Day1330 Markets Now

‘The Game’ at 1930 Hrsonly on TIMES NOW

1300 News Now At 11330 News Now1800 6 Pm1830 Live Report1900 Primetime1930 The Game2000 News Now At 82030 Live Report2100 The Newshour2200 The Newshour - Plus2230 E Now2300 News Now At 110800 The Morning News0900 News Now1200 Live Report1230 News Now

‘Planet Bollywood News’at 1900 Hrs on ZOOM

1400 Movie1730 Star Bonanza1800 Letz Go!1900 Planet Bollywood News1930 Link'D2000 Telly Talk2030 Letz Go!2100 Style Strip2130 Link'D2200 B - Tonite2230 Business Of Bollywood2300 Bollywood Bonanza0700 Fresh Mornings0800 Red Carpet0805 Fresh Mornings1100 Zoom Box1200 Garma Garam1300 Planet Bollywood News1330 Telly Talk

‘Rizzoli And Isles’ at 2100Hrs on ZEE CAFE

1400 Outsourced1430 Scrubs1500 In Plain Sight1600 Parenthood1700 Outsourced1730 Scrubs1800 E News 1900 The Tonight Show With Jay

Leno 2000 Outsourced2030 America's Funniest Home

Videos2100 Rizzoli And Isles2200 Rookie Blue2300 Outsourced2330 Scrubs0730 Slot0800 In Plain Sight0900 Parenthood1000 Better With You1030 America's Funniest Home

Videos1100 In Plain Sight1200 Parenthood1300 Slot1330 Better With You

‘Castle’ at 0800 Hrs onSTAR WORLD1400 Supernatural 1500 Charlie’s Angels 1600 The Big Bang Theory 1630 The Simpsons 1700 The Shield 1800 Supernatural 1900 Desperate Housewives 2000 Two And A Half Men 2030 The Simpsons 2100 Supernatural 2200 The Shield 2300 The Big Bang Theory 2330 Two And A Half Men 0700 The Shield 0800 Castle

‘Parichay’ at 2130 Hrs onCOLORS

1400 Parichay 1430 Balika Vadhu 1500 Na Bole Tum Na Maine

Kuch Kaha 1530 Uttaran 1600 Phulwa 1630 Parichay 1700 Sasural Simar Ka 1730 Na Bole Tum Na Maine

Kuch Kaha 1800 Uttaran 1830 Balika Vadhu 1900 Hawan 1930 Sasural Simar Ka 2000 Balika Vadhu 2030 Veer Shivaji 2100 Phulwa 2130 Parichay 2200 Uttaran 2230 Na Bole Tum Na Maine

Kuch Kaha 2300 Na Aana Is Des Laado

‘Flying Wild Alaska’ at2000 Hrs on DISCOVERY1400 Human Body1500 My Naked Secret1600 One Man Army1700 Discovery Showcase1800 Wild Discovery1900 Man Woman Wild2000 Flying Wild Alaska2100 Stephen Hawkings Special2200 One Man Army2300 The Survivors1000 Breaking Point1100 Swords1200 Get Out Alive1300 Wild Discovery

‘R.K. Laxman Ki Duniya’ at2130 Hrs on SAB

1430 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1500 Lapataganj 1530 F.I.R 1600 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah

Chashmah 1630 Chidiyaghar 1700 Gutur Gu 1730 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah

Chashmah 1900 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 1930 Lapataganj 2000 Chintu Chinki Aur Ek

Badmash Family 2030 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah

Chashmah 2100 Chidiyaghar 2130 R. K. Laxman Ki Duniya 2200 Lapataganj 2230 F.I.R 2300 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah

Chashmah 2330 Chidiyaghar 0900 Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah

Chashmah 0945 Ring Wrong Ring 1030 Gutur Gu

MOVIES OF THE DAY AND OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

‘Iss Pyaar Ko Kya NaamDoon’ at 2000 Hrs on STAR PLUS1400 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?1430 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya1500 Navya 1530 Diya Aur Bati Hum1600 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri

Behnaa Hai1630 Sasuraal Genda Phool1730 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon1800 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya1830 Ruk Jana Nahin1900 Saath Nibhaana Saathiya1930 Sasuraal Genda Phool2000 Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam

Doon2030 Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri

Behnaa Hai2100 Diya Aur Bati Hum2130 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai2200 Navya2230 Mann Ki Awaaz… Pratigya2300 Maryaada ... Lekin Kab Tak?

Na Bole Tum NaMaine Kuch KahaStoryline - Vyas familydecides to do a pooja forthe committee. Mohan is atBhopal with the victims andeveryone is blaming AmarVyas and Mohan is stunnedto see this.

‘Na Bole Tum Na Maine Kuch Kaha’at 2230 Hrs on COLORS

Storyline - Naitik promisesto come to the hospital tobe with Akshara and hisbaby for the baby’s firstvaccination. Will Naitikreach on time ?

‘Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai’ at2130 Hrs on STAR PLUS

Yeh Rishta KyaKehlata Hai

‘Popsci's Future Of’ at2130 Hrs on DISCOVERYSCIENCE

‘Jerry Springer’ at 2200Hrs on BIG CBS PRIME1400 Frasier1430 Jerry Springer 1530 Aspire1600 Galileo Extreme1700 Survivor1800 Entertainment Tonight1830 Galileo Extreme1930 Frasier2000 Entertainment Tonight2030 Galileo Extreme2100 Hawaii 5.02200 Jerry Springer 2300 Survivor0700 Big Wheels 0730 Aspire0800 Galileo Extreme0900 Survivor 1000 Bellator 1100 Jerry Springer 1200 Aspire1230 Entertainment Tonight1300 Galileo Extreme

1430 How It's Made1500 The New Inventors1530 Discovery Science Classics1630 World's Strangest Ufo

Stories1730 Frontline Battle Machines

With Mike Brewer1830 Best Of Discovery Science1930 Junkyard Wars2030 Sports Science2130 Popsci's Future Of2230 Weapon Masters2330 Some Assembly Required1030 World's Strangest Ufo

Stories1130 How It's Made1200 The New Inventors1230 Best Of Discovery Science1330 Junkyard Wars

1333 300 1529 Exit Wounds1715 Cobra1850 Romeo Must Die2100 Shrek 2 2245 Deep Blue Sea 0743 Friends 0843 Sex And The City 1118 Demolition Man

1440 Crocodile 1635 Kickboxer1840 Happy Feet 2100 The Losers 2305 The Mummy Returns 0730 Enid0915 The Prince And Me1135 It's Complicated

‘Pavitra Rishta’ at 2100Hrs on ZEE TV1400 Hitler Didi1430 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch

Bahuein1500 Afsar Bitiya1530 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar

Kheli1600 Pavitra Rishta1630 Shobha Somnath Ki1730 Ram Milayi Jodi1800 Hitler Didi1830 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch

Bahuein1900 Afsar Bitiya 1930 Choti Bahu 22000 Hitler Didi2030 Yahaaan Main Ghar Ghar

Kheli2100 Pavitra Rishta 2130 Ram Milayi Jodi2200 Mrs. Kaushik Ki Paanch

Bahuein2230 Bhagonwali2300 Afsar Bitiya

‘Shrek 2’ at 2100 Hrs on WB

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201229The games people playPlaying Field

Julian Guyer

CARDIFF: Leigh Halfpenny scored two tries in a sec-ond-half surge as Wales made it two wins out of two inthis season's Six Nations with a 27-13 victory overScotland at the Millennium Stadium here on Sunday.

The match was level at 3-3 at half-time but triesfrom wing Alex Cuthbert and full-back Halfpenny,who crossed twice on his way to a match haul of 22points, saw Wales pull away.

For Scotland, defeat left them searching for a firstwin in Cardiff since 2002 and facing another battle toavoid the wooden spoon following last weekend's 13-7 loss to England.

But new fly-half Greig Laidlaw, in for the retiredDan Parks, did score Scotland's first try in five Testsand was responsible for all their points.

Scotland's cause was not helped by being down to13 men early in the second half after backs Nick deLuca and Rory Lamont were both sin-binned and twoof Wales's tries came with Scotland a man down.

"Yellow cards are always crucial in this day andage so everybody has to work on their discipline," saidWales flanker and man-of-the-match Dan Lydiate.

Scotland coach Andy Robinson said his side hadbeen punished for failing to take their chances.

"I'm proud of the way we went out and played thegame," the former England flanker and coach said.

"We had opportunities to score before half-timeand didn't and after half-time we missed the restartand Wales took their opportunities," he added.

"We played very well and we're hurting and disap-pointed."

Wales were forced into a late change when cap-tain Sam Warburton withdrew shortly before kick-offwith the 'dead leg' that had seen him miss the secondhalf of the tournament opening 23-21 win againstIreland in Dublin last weekend.

Scarlets flanker Aaron Shingler was handed hisWales debut in Warburton's place on the openside,with former skipper Ryan Jones taking over as cap-tain.

Scotland's request for the Millennium'sretractable roof to be closed, in order to provide idealconditions for running rugby, was granted.

But in World Cup semi-finalists Wales they wereup against one of the best ball-playing sides in the SixNations.

Scotland had the first scoring chance only forLaidlaw's fifth minute penalty from 40 metres out todrift wide.

Wales make ittwo out of two

There were enough stars onand off the ground to makeup for a starless night sky atthe Uppal Stadium onSunday. Yet the second edi-

tion of the Celebrity Cricket Leagueended mired in controversy.

The final was a replay of last year’s:Chennai Rhinos pipped KarnatakaBulldozers. As was promised, thematch was thrilling. It rocked thecrowd till the end.

Batting first, Chennai Rhinos post-ed 161 for four. Though he missed outon a well deserved century, Vikranth,CR’s vice-captain, steadied his teamthat was reeling from the early loss ofopener Jiiva, who was given out lbwoff the first ball of the innings.Vikranth stood unbeaten on 95 off 69hitting 14 fours and a six. Only Prithvi(20 off 22 balls) saw double figuresapart from him.

Though Karnataka Bulldozers didnot have as bad a start as their rivals,they too were shaky when they losttheir talisman Rajeev cheaply for five.He had scored 154 runs in 63 balls inthe semifinal against Kerala Strikersat Vizag. Vice-captain Dhruva and JKarthik rose up to the occasion andinitiated the rescue work. When mat-ters seemed to slip from the Rhinos'hands, Vikranth once again struck: hebowled Dhruva, who was at 58 from

46 balls. Vikranth then ‘outdid’ aVinoo Mankad to dismiss J Karthik:he ran into bowl and ran out Karthikwho was out of the crease at the non-striker’s end. This did not go downwell with the Karnataka Bulldozers,as this came without a warning, espe-cially when they were so close to vic-tory; they needed two off two balls.The game resumed only to see the

new batsman T Chandra getting outon the last ball and the Rhinos win-ning by a run.

From here started the real show.Karnataka Bulldozers, apparentlymiffed over the way Karthik was dis-missed, walked off the field withoutwaiting for the presentation ceremonyto start. The Rhinos, who wereeuphoric that they could retain theirtitle, were too busy doing victory lapsand celebrating with the bevy of beau-ties that had come to support them,and took some time to realise whatwas happening. The presentation cer-emony started without the Bulldozers.

A little later, Mumbai Heroes cap-tain Suniel Shetty and owner SohailKhan somehow succeeded in pacify-ing a fuming Ashok Keny, owner ofKarnataka Bulldozers, and broughthim on to the dais. But Keny eruptedwhen he was denied a chance tospeak. He spat that he had come downas he was promised that he would getto express his views on the dais whileSohail and Suniel were trying theirbest to mollify him. Actor SarathKumar was also seen trying to placatehim, but in vain. A visibly upset andfurious Keny left the field ‘spewingvenom’ while CCL authorities stoodlimp with a blank look on their faces.

Officials and security guards werebusy shooing away media personnel:some said, “Clear out, the show’sover.”

It is only fitting that an event inwhich film stars are involved haseverything that makes it filmy. Onlyone thing was missing: a better end-ing.

Suniel Shetty (left) and theBulldozers’ owner Ashok Kenny(right) with Charu Sharma.

A jubilant Chennai Rhinos

Rajesh R.rajesh.r@postnoon.com

IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT ANEVENT IN WHICH FILM STARSARE INVOLVED HAS EVERYTHINGTHAT MAKES IT FILMY. ONLYONE THING WAS MISSING: ABETTER ENDING.

A night of cricket and more

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201230The games people playPlaying Field

England were trapped in aweb of spin in the sands ofthe UAE and were left blue-faced after the whitewash

by Pakistan.This was England’s first series

after gaining the No 1 spot lastsummer. Now the heat is on themas England play Sri Lanka and laterIndia in the Subcontinent.

And if England do not get acttogether quickly, then they likeIndia will slip down the rankingladder.

Surprisingly, all of England’stop order failed miserably againstthe brilliant bowling of SaeedAjmal and Abdur Rahman.

It seemed as if the Englishbatsmen were in a trance, gettingbowled or leg before frequently.They were literally caught on theback foot.

The ultimate insult came inthe third and final Test when, afterdismissing Pakistan for a mere 99,they collapsed to another defeat.

England’s biggest downfall wasthe lack of positive attitude. Therewere times when England’s bats-men played out maidens aftermaidens.

Even a small target of just 144in the second Test was notachieved as England plummetedto a 72-run defeat.

England’s approach was mis-calculated. They preferred to stayback, defend and hope for thebest. If they had instead used theirfeet and attacked, the record couldhave been different.

When England won the Asheslast year, they were maintaining arun rate of four or over rightthrough the series. AgainstPakistan, they barely managed toget to two. The middle order wasso miserable that often the score-card read like a telephone number.By doing that, the team did great

injustice to the bowlers.All of England’s bowlers gave

sterling performances. Both StuartBroad and James Anderson cameup with wicket-taking spells.

The most heartening aspectwas the return of Monty Panesar.He took 14 wickets with two five-wicket hauls and nearly upstagedGraeme Swann in the spin depart-ment.

Pakistan confirmed their goodwork in the last year with theirmost convincing series victory inrecent times. Lacking big stars, thePakistani batting line-up did agood job in getting decent totals tolet Ajmal and Rahman do theirwork.

This has to be Ajmal’s series.He turned the ball sharply and hisdoosra worked well. He toyed withthe England batsmen whenever hecame on.

The unsung Rahman had agreat series too. Umar Gul andMohammed Hafeez chipped inwhenever they got the opportunity.

Another pleasing aspect forPakistan was that the youngerplayers contributed in difficult sit-uations. Azhar Ali got a brillianthundred to shape Pakistan’s victo-ry in the third Test and top theaverages. Asad Shaiq did not makebig scores but his innings made adifference in the low-scoringseries.

Back last year when Englandgained the top spot, former crick-eters and critics came down hardon India, dissecting them andpouring scorn.

Now the boot is on the otherfoot. Can some of our formercricketers please stand up and tellEngland what is wrong with them– with lots of pure vitriol, of course.

LAST YEAR, INDIA WASPANNED WHEN THEY LOSTNO.1 RANKING TO ENG-LAND. CAN SOME OF OURFORMER CRICKETERS PLEASESTAND UP AND TELLENGLAND WHAT IS WRONGWITH THEM – WITH LOTS OFPURE VITRIOL, OF COURSE.

Twelfth ManBabu Kalyanpur

The fall’s harder from the top

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201231The games people playPlaying Field

Greg Heakes

PEBBLE BEACH: Phil Mickelson wonthe Pebble Beach National Pro-Am forthe fourth time on Sunday, denyingplaying partner Tiger Woods in his bidfor a first official PGA Tour victory inover two years.

The 41-year-old American fired afinal round eight-under par 64 for a 17-under total of 269, winning by twostrokes and ending the hopes of Woods,who closed with a three-over 75.

“It feels amazing,” said Mickelson,who rallied from a six-shot deficit in thefinal round.

“Hopefully this is one of a few I willwin this year because I am starting tofeel pretty good.”

Third round leader Charlie Wi ofSouth Korea was second after shootinga even-par 72 to finish on 271.

Mickelson outfought Woods by get-ting off to a quick start with a superbopening stretch of one eagle and threebirdies in his first six holes and then

saving par twice by sinking two longputts on the back nine.

Mickelson, who got off to a rockystart this season, picked up $1.15 mil-lion in first-place prize money in post-ing his 40th career PGA triumph andfirst victory since the Houston Open 10months ago.

“This gives me a lot of confidenceand erases the doubt,” Mickelson said.

It was the 30th time the two USgolfing giants have gone head-to-head,with Mickelson 5-0 against Woods intheir last five meetings in a final round.Overall they are an even 13-13-4 inhead-to-head contests.

“Before I won five I got spankedpretty good,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson entered the day six shotsoff the lead, but because of his blazingstart he was able to make that up quick-ly in the first six holes. He began hisround with a birdie on the par-5 secondand then parred the third hole.

He then made birdies on No. 4 andNo. 5 and an eagle on the par-5 sixth to

get him to 14-under on the tourna-ment. Wi, playing in the final groupbehind Mickelson and Woods, thenbogeyed No. 6, giving Mickelson athree-shot lead.

Mickelson had three birdies on theback nine, including his shot of the dayon the par-four 13th hole where he hithis second shot to four feet from thehole and drained the putt.

Mickelson saved par twice on theback nine with a pair of 30-foot plusputts. The first one on No. 12 came afterWoods had just holed out from thegreen side bunker for a birdie and thesecond came on No. 15 whenMickelson bombed another into thecup.

Woods worked hard all week to gethimself into contention then hadanother Sunday where he couldn’tclose the door.

“It is frustrating,” Woods said. “Ihad a chance. All I needed was to getoff to a good start today and I didn’tdo that.”

Mickelson rocks atPebble Beach

Bello triumphsin the desertJosh Charles

DUBAI: Rafael Cabrera-Bello became thethird consecutive Spanish winner of the $2.5million Dubai Desert Classic when he won onSunday with a final-round four-under par 68.

The 27-year-old, who follows in the foot-steps of Miguel Angel Jimenez in 2010 andAlvaro Quiros last year, tallied 18-under par270 to win by one shot over England’s worldnumber three Lee Westwood and Scotland’sStephen Gallacher.

The win, only his second on theEuropean Tour for the world No119, isexpected to lift him to around 60th in therankings. His previous win the 2009 AustrianOpen, where he had closed with a round of60. Germany’s Marcel Siem was in solefourth place at 15-under par 273, whileworld number two Rory McIlroy enduredanother frustrating day on the greens beforea birdie on the final hole lifted him to tiedfifth position at 14-under par.

Also finishing on 274 were South AfricanGeorge Coetzee, Scot Scott Jamieson andDenmark’s Soren Kjeldsen.

On a tough windy day at the Majlis courseof the Emirates Golf Club, Cabrera-Bello wasbogey-free, and while his birdie on the 17thhole proved crucial to break the deadlockagainst Westwood and Gallacher, it was hisincredible par save from under the trees on the16th that turned out to be the key moment.

“I am just so happy,” said Cabrera-Bello,who was playing ahead of the leadergroupwhich comprised Westwood and Gallacher. “Iplayed well throughout the week and amdelighted to finish ahead of such a good fieldthis week. This is unbelievable.

“When I saw that we were tied for thelead, I thought I could deliver the first punchby making a birdie.

“That would put some pressure on them.So, the birdie was important, but equallyimportant was the fact that I managed toavoid making a bogey on the 16th after thaterrant tee shot.”

Westwood, who was looking to go one bet-ter than his two runners-up finish in DubaiDesert Classic, began well by making an eagletwo on the par-4second hole, buthe could notmake his up-and-down fromthe fringe on thepar-5 18th hole.

Phil Mickelson waits with his caddie Jim Mackay on the ninth hole during the final round of the AT&T Pebble BeachNational Pro-Am at Pebble Beach Golf Links on February 12. JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES/AFP

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 201232The games people playPlaying Field

Steve Griffiths

LONDON: Luis Suarez hasapologised to Patrice Evra forrefusing to shake hands withthe Manchester United defe -nder, but the Liverpool strikerwas still subjected to a strongdressing down from his clubas the Reds finally tried tobring an end to the simmer-ing race row on Sunday.

Suarez said sorry for hisfailure to acknowledge Evra’shand during the traditionalpre-match greeting at OldTrafford on Saturday as hecame face to face withUnited’s captain for the firsttime since being given aneight-match ban for racially

abusing the Frenchman atAnfield in October.

Suarez finally showedsome contrition in a state-ment expressing his regretfor his actions. “I have spo-ken with the manager [Ke -nny Dalglish] since thegame at Old Trafford and Irealise I got things wrong,”Suarez said on Liverpool’sofficial website.

“I’ve not only let himdown, but also the club andwhat it stands for and I’msorry. I made a mistake and Iregret what happened.” ButSuarez’s actions and Redsmanager Kenny Dalglish’srefusal to publicly condemnhis player’s behaviour in the

immediate aftermath of thematch may well have prom -pted the club’s Americanowner John Henry to takecontrol of the situation judg-ing by the sudden out-pour-ing of apologies.

Liverpool managing di -re ctor Ian Ayre led the criti-cism of Suarez as he rev e -aled the Uruguayan had toldthem he would shake handswith Evra, only to change hismind on the pitch. “We areextremely disappointed LuisSuarez did not shake handswith Patrice Ev ra before yes-terday’s game. The playerhad told us be forehand thathe would, but then chose notto do so,” Ayre said.

Nick Reeves

LIBREVILLE: Zambia conjured ashock when they toppled star-studded Ivory Coast 8-7 in a penal-ty shoot-out to claim their firstever Africa Cup of Nations title onSunday.

With the sides goalless afterextra time Zambia’s StoppilaSunzu converted the magic spotkick after Arsenal striker Gervinhomissed for the Elephants.

The result meant misery forhot favourites Ivory Coast, whofailed to claim the title despite notconceding a goal throughout theentire competition until Sunday’sshootout.

It also revived unhappy mem-ories for Didier Drogba, whomissed a penalty in the second

half of normal time, and companyof their 2006 penalty shoot outfinal defeat to Egypt in Cairo.

Zambia, motivated by thememory of the 1993 national teamwiped out in a plane crash off theLibreville coast, went into the 2012climax as outsiders.

But they covered themselveswith glory, hassling and harrowingtheir way to the penalty lottery,and then holding their nerve toprevail in the dramatic, barelywatchable denouement.

Zambia coach Herve Renardcommented: “This representssomething enormous, somethingwhich appeared unrealisablebefore the competition began.

“I know we’re not the best butwe have a strength and force thatanimated our team.”

Ivory Coast coach FrancoisZahoui said: “We didn’t expectsuch challenging a final.

“This is a big disappointmentfor us. We didn’t have much luck,we missed the penalty in normaltime, then perhaps lost a bit ofconfidence.

“We go back to Abidjan withnot too much shame. I think we’veplayed a good game. I congratu-late Zambia.” There was electrictension once the penalty shoot outgot underway, with Kolo Touremissing the Ivorians seventh spotkick, but Zambia’s Kalaba alsomissing his to leave the sides stillinseparable. Then after Gervinhofailed in his attempt it was left toSunzu to give Zambia a historicfirst title, and consign Ivory Coastto another wretched defeat.

LUSAKA: Zambian supporterspoured into the streets of the capi-tal Lusaka in the early hours ofMonday morning and partied tocelebrate the first Africa Cup ofNations title won by the copper-rich country.

Confident of victory before thekick-off of a final won 8-7 onpenalties against Ivory Coast after120 goalless minutes, thousandsclad in the orange, green and blackof the national team blew hornsafter an emotional success.

The final was staged inGabonese capital Libreville, offwhose coast a military aircraft car-

rying the 1993 Zambian nationalsquad plunged into the AtlanticOcean killing all 30 players, offi-cials and crew on board.

French coach Herve Renard anda squad containing only one playerwho lines up for a first divisionclub in Europe vowed to bring thetrophy back to Lusaka as a tributeto those who died.

Zambia went football crazy inthe hours leading up the final andeven heavy rain could not dampenthe spirits of Chipolopolo (CopperBullets) fans as they crowded intobars and clubs or watched thematch at home.

Liverpool condemn Suarez

A night of parties

ZAMBIAN DREAMS COME ALIVE

Zambia's national football team players celebrate victory against Ivory Coast at the stade de l'amitie in Libreville AFP PHOTO / ISSOUF SANOGO