postnoon e-paper for

Additional commissioner of

police (traffic) CVAnand says he hasnothing to do with thetransfer of AkunSabharwal.

Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

ON SUNDAY

`3

DECEMBER 23, 2012 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: A MIX OF CLOUDY AND CLEAR SKIES; 21°C

32 PAGES

One of the game’sall-time greats,

Sachin Tendulkar,today announced

his retirementfrom one-day

cricket, bringing toan end a glorious

23-year-old careerduring which he

rewrote numerousbatting records.

ANAND DENIESAKUN RIVALRY

PG 3

REPORT ON PG 30 SACHIN RETIRES FROM

ONE-DAY FORMAT

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

AlexanderJaya Prakash Reddy is performing a100 minute solo. He plays a retiredarmy officer who wants to helppeople with their problems by start-ing a helpline. It is scripted by writer Pusala. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Public

Gardens, Nampally,H-01, Abids

When: January 6,7pm to 9pm

Contact: (040) 2324 9045

Christmas Eve buffetTraditional turkey buffet and unliit-ed beverages will be served atDeccan Pavilion. There will also belive entertainment. Where: Deccan Pavilion,

BegumpetWhen: December 24 Contact: (040) 2340 0132

Photo competitionAlliance Francaise, Hyderabad, isconducting a photo competition.The theme is Professions of theworld. The winning entries will besent to Paris.Where: http://hyderabad.

afindia.orgWhen: December 3 to January 6

A-Bong LiveA-Bong is a group of music enthu-siast Bengalis from Hyderabad.

X’mas, New Year treatBarbeque Nation is converted into aChristmas village to resemble thebirthplace of Jesus. An exotic vari-ety of vegetarian and non-vegetari-an dishes will be served. Where: Barbeque Nation,

Banjara Hills & JubileeHills

When: December 21-January 1Contact: (040) 6456 6693

(040) 6429 2237

Christmas brunchThere is a Christmas Day TurkeyBrunch at Marriott Hotel andConvention Center. European-inspired Ginger Bread House startedfrom December 15. Where: Okra, Hyderabad

Marriott Hotel and Convention Center

When: December 25,12.30pm to 4pm

Chai-Pakora RunTo spread the word about IndiaBike Week being held in Goa onFebruary 2-3, 2013, a chai-pakorarun will be organised in Hyderabad. Where: Secunderabad Parade

Ground, War Memorialon Lamba Theatre RoadOpp. cricket ground

When: December 236am onwards

Contact: indiabikeweek.in/calendar

Musical nightA night of ghazals by singerHariharan.Where: Chowmahalla Palace,

Khilwath Road Moti Gali, Charminar

When: December 237pm onwards

Contact: 93965 55888

Pochampally IKAT melaPochampally Handloom Park is or -ganising IKAT Mela, exhibiting ha n -dloom products like hand madebed & home linen, dress materials,home textiles, stoles, scarves, sar -ees, and dupattas. among others. Where: The National Small

Industries Corporation(NSIC) Exhibition CenterRadhika Theater Road,Kamalanagar,Kushaiguda

When: December 21 to 31from 10am to 9:30pm

Contact: 95429 76567

Bulls art exhibitionA group exhibition by Avijit Roy, HRDas, Laxman Aelay, Nagesh Goudand Sreekanth Kurva on the animalbull and its characteristics. The pre-view was on December 22.Where: Aalankritha Art GalleryWhen: Up to January 2

11am to 7pmContact: www.alankritha.in

Contact: (040) 6625 0000

Christmas hampersTaj Krishna is giving out LuxurySanta Hampers and Deluxe SantaHampers, which include RemyMartin Xo, Lagavulin 16, luxuryCanali tie, Rose petal jam with canesugar, Kalmata Olives, assortedChristmas chocolate and plumcakes to name a few. Where: Taj KrishnaWhen: OngoingContact: (040) 6666 2323

Concert for a CauseApna watan, MS Foundation &Hyderapals are presenting Soundsfrom England. The money collectedwill go to the MS school for under-privileged children. The passes areavailable at Goethe-Zentrum.Where: Vidyaranya High SchoolWhen: January 5,

6pm onwardsContact: (040) 2335 0473

Painting exhibitionMemories Of Another Day is anexhibition of paintings by artistKonda Srinivas. He works withacrylic and oils on canvas, specialis-ing in semi-abstract landscapes. Where: Icon Art Gallery,

Banjara HillsWhen: Up to December 25

from 11:30amContact: (040) 3241 1554

Where: La Makaan,Lane Adjacent To C-Bay ,Banjara Hills

When: January 65pm onwards

Contact: 93965 55888

Christmas carolsChristmas carols will be sung byGlobal Edge school till the end ofDecember at The Lobby. Where: Novotel & HICC Complex,

PO Bag No 1101, Cyberabad Post Office, Near Hitec City

When: December 3-31Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Art exhibitionArtist M Narayan’s work is on displ -ay. Narayan graduated from theKen School of Art. He has partici-pated in over 30 solo exhibitionsand is known for his rural depictions. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery,

Road no. 15, Jubilee Hills

When: Up to January 2Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Inertia Photography Photography exhibition on India byLona Lohan.Where: Rajiv Gandhi Airport,

ShamshabadWhen: Up to December 31

11am to 7pm

CITY 2SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

Sunrise one foggy morning at Musi river, Hyderabad, at 6:30am. SRINIVAS SETTY

WINTER HUES


MT Krishna Babu, commissioner,GHMC, said that the govern-

ment has given an opportuni-ty to get the regularisation of BPS andLRS applications by December 31. Allcircle offices of the GHMC will remainopen even on holidays and the appli-

cants can consult and clarify theirdoubts, if any, with the town planning

officials and deputy commissioners.

GHMC offices open on holidays

The Chilkalguda police havearrested three persons — identi-fied as Hari, Sai Goud and

Krishna, all residents of Boudhanagar— who beat up an electricity meterreader, Narsingrao, two days ago. Themeter official had disconnected theirlines for non-payment of bills that led to a fracas and the attack, theChilkalguda police said.

Three held for assault

Two unidentified persons snatcheda gold chain of six tolas from aresident of Samtha colony, N

Suvarna, on Saturday evening. The victim was returning home after purchasing vegetables from the mar-ket. When she reached near a private hospital in Samtha colony, two men ona bike whizzed past her, snatched herchain and sped away.

Woman’s chain snatched

In its ramifications, it may bethe biggest cyber crime origi-nating from the City. In whatappeared at first to be an ordi-

nary violation of illegal call cen-tre operations turned out to be abig racket involving many localplayers in the City and some inDelhi. It all came out with thearrest of three men by CentralCrime Station (CCS) on Friday.

The arrested have been iden-tified as Ahmed, Ateeq urRehman and Daulat Khan. In allprobability, they are only func-tionaries, while the kingpins areyet to come out as they havepolitical connections, CCSinspector Shyam Babu said.

The gang had launchedmany call centres in differentparts of the City three years ago.They hired a property atNalgonda Crossroads and madeit the headquarters of the opera-tions. They established linkswith some hackers in Delhi who

would get them information onUK companies.

The racket runs somethinglike this. The fake call centreguys from Hyderabad use thecontact information they gotfrom the Delhi-based hackers toget in touch with their victims.They ask them to visit quickan-deasyloans.co.uk, which initiatesa Skype call to the call centre.Once the initial link has beenmade, the fake call centre con-tacts them through VoIP and

makes their “business proposi-tion”. The online transfer isdone generally via Ukash orWestern Union.

They would first congratu-late the prospective victims andinform them about the sanction-ing of their loan and then askthem to deposit something like100-200 pounds in the fakeaccount operated by the racke-teers. Flushed with enthusiasm,the loan-seekers would not minda small sum like that.

The initial investigationreveals that the gang would be earning anything between `1-2 lakh a day from differentpeople. This way, they havemade a pile in the past threeyears. This originated in UK a few years ago but it issourced in a city likeHyderabad. Only a comprehen-sive inter-state investigationwill show us the exact magnitude of the crime, the police say.

Mohd SUBHAN

[email protected]

City-based globalcyber fraud busted

If you paid by Ukash, youmay be able to get some-

thing back if you contactUkash quickly, though in allhonesty, it’s unlikely. Thesescammers operate fromIndia (the phone number isrented, and gives theappearance of being a UKnumber. It isn’t). Also, reportto the police, and actionfraud on 0300 123 2040.Sadly, there is little chanceof recovering your money,but by reporting it here andto the authorities, you maysave others from beingripped off.

(With inputs from NTBalanarayan)

Several hundred Britons have been cheated of their cash by a City-based tech gang that worked with hackers in Delhi.

Problematic Ukash

Postnoon [email protected]

Additional commission-er of police (traffic) CVAnand on Sunday said

that he had no clash with theerstwhile DCP (south zone),Dr Akun Sabharwal. Nor didhe have any hand in thetransfer of the officer.

The ACP was respondingto a Postnoon (December 22)report on the ego clash ofthe two officers during thesecurity arrangements atMecca Masjid in the after-math of communal tensionin the Old City last month.Dr Sabharwal had reported-ly expressed his displeasureat Anand’s intervention insecurity arrangements thatreportedly led to muchheart-burn in official circles.

Anand said, “I have noproblem with Akun and I’venever involved myself in histransfer.

“In fact, I only helpedhim with his deputation andI have been his hand-holderfor long in Central Zone andnever involved in his jobbecause I am looking aftertraffic wing and he is over-seeing law and order situa-tion of south zone.

“I was sent to Old City onFriday by the police chief toassist Amit Garg, addl com-missioner of police (law andorder).”

CVAnandreacts

4SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

CITY


At a meeting with the StateRight To Information com-missioner convened by the

United Forum For RTI, problemsand complaints flew thick andfast. Most of the complaintsaddressed to the commissionerwere about the negligent atti-tude and the apathy showntowards RTIs filed on variousproblems. More serious issueslike attacks and murders of RTIapplicants were also addressed,although most of the problemswere only given a cursoryglance by the commissioner,who promised to look intothe matters.

According to TV Bhaskar,RTI activist and editor of a mag-azine based from Guntur, therehave been two alleged murdersof RTI activists who probed intoland dealings in the State. “Oneperson, Sagar, was murderedwhen he filed an RTI about agri-cultural land divided into plotsand sold. When he filed the RTIasking the appellate authorityabout the 10 per cent remunera-tion collected by the gram pan-chayat in the last five years,there was no response to hisRTI. He was then murdered andthe police closed his report say-ing it was a family feud. Anotheractivist, Suryanarayana, fromGuntur was killed in a similar

fashion when he filed an RTIabout land encroachments bysome senior politicians.”

Other complaints, thoughnot of such serious nature, werealso addressed. Dozens of prob-lems relating to the GHMC,water board and APPSC werebrought up. One such complaintabout the water board wasaddressed by S Chadra Reddy, ateacher who was given a rough

treatment by the water boardofficials at Serilingampally.“They dug a ditch in front of myhouse saying that I had twowater connections. When I metthe chief engineer and other offi-cials and asked them to prove it,they replied saying that I was atfault. After I filed an RTI aboutthis matter on October 31, theyvery casually forwarded it to thePIO on December 1. And their

reply too was unsatisfactory.Authorities at the water boardsay that after the RTI Act hasbeen passed, ordinary citizenshave assumed an air of authori-ty over officials.”

The commissioner assuredpeople that all the complaintswould be looked into, althoughmany of the complainantsbelieve nothing will ever becleared. RTI commissioner

Jannat Hussain said, “I assureyou that most of your compla-ints will be looked into. As forthe issue of reducing the replyperiod from six months to threemonths, we are yet to discuss itand amend the rules. Other com-plaints regarding RTIs being dis-posed off quickly without satis-factory replies will also belooked into and I shall see to itthat these issues are addressed.”

The commissioner, however,with all his assurances, couldnot explain why despite fiveyears of the RTI Act, organisa-tions like GHMC and the waterboard were lax and apathetictowards the RTIs applied. Oneactivist alleged that the GHMChad found a new way of answer-ing all the questions with justone answer or that the filed RTIskept running into first appealand second appeal without anyeffect, causing an irreversiblewaste of time. Some activistsfurther accused the commission-er of only making promises inthe air.

“I fail to understand whyfour information commissionersdid not turn up,” said a leadingRTI activist and leader of It’sTime to Make a Difference. “Itwas their bounden duty to inter-act with people. The commissionis unable to take strict actionagainst institutions and officialswho either delay information ordilly-dally with the demand.”

Shops in municipal com-plexes and markets willhave to bear a service taxof 12.25 per cent soon.

With the recent streamlin-ing, the GHMC estates wing isready with new proposalsincluding hike of rents on parwith market rates once the newtenders begin in March 2013.With a prospective rent hike anda new tax, commercial lesseeswill be in a state of daze.

“Allah!” exclaimed KB Iqbal,treasurer and acting president ofMJ Market Association. “Theyalready hiked the rents to almost1,000 per cent recently. I do notunderstand why again. I shall betaking up the matter of servicetax, which was never heard ofbefore.”

There are over 699 units in 17

complexes spread across fourcircles — Kapra, Uppal, Circle 8and Secunderabad — and 2,277units in 25 markets spreadacross seven circles, includingCircle 4, Circle 11(Serilingampally[S]) and Circle13 (Patancheru andRamachandrapuram).

Putli Bowli Complex, AbidsComplex and Sultan BazaarComplex, with 128, 85 and 84units respectively, are complexeshaving the largest number of

units in the highly commercialareas. Hissam Gunj, MondaMarket, Nalagandla Market andMahboob Chowk Market, with381, 259 and 210 units respective-

ly, are the three markets withmaximum number of unitsunder GHMC. But for most ofthese units, the rents continue tobe in two and three digit num-

bers. Even though the GHMChad hiked the rents for its prop-erties a year ago, the revenuegenerated continues to be mea-ger as compared to private prop-erties in the same location.Therefore, it is contented thatthe lessees can afford to givesame values as private propertyfrom March this year.

But what further flummoxedthe commercial tenants is theproposal to charge service tax.Though it is a directive from thegovernment, the GHMC ought togo slow on a simultaneous bur-den on lessees, complain ten-ants.

“Do they want to kill us?”asked Jairaj Gupta, a lessee.

What more, there will be achange in the mechanism of col-lection. Following large scaleallegations of rent inspectorscolluding with tenants, collec-tion will henceforth be assignedto bill collectors and tax inspec-tors. “It won’t be a burden onthese officials, as they are goodat doing this job,” said an estateofficial.

GHMC lands double blow

Md NIZAMUDDIN

[email protected]

New Year starts with a big bang for lessees of municipal properties in the City. The cash-starvedcorporation, under the prodding of the Lokayukta, is not only going to charge market rent on

them, but is about to slap over 12 per cent service tax on them.

Activists demand stricter RTI rules

EVEN THOUGH THEGHMC HAD HIKEDTHE RENTS FOR ITSPROPERTIES A YEARAGO, THE REVENUEGENERATED CONTINUESTO BE MEAGER ASCOMPARED TO PRIVATEPROPERTIES IN THESAME LOCATION.

N SHIVA KUMAR


After giving his opinionon Telangana to theCentral leaders, ChiefMinister N Kiran

Kumar Reddy and the partymachinery are getting busy toenthuse grassroots workers witha series of Hyderabad-like‘brainstorming’ sessions acrossthe State.

Party circles call it a ‘warm-ing-up’ for the GeneralElections. Simultaneously, theCM and PCCI chief would be dis-tributing spoils of office for

nominated positions to preventthe outflow of leaders to YSRC.

The party conventions wouldalso be taking stock of the stateof affairs in the TDP, YSRC and

TRS, it is said. “Yes, we havedecided to hold regional conven-tions across the State. Theseconventions would promote thegovernments’ programmes and

also act as a platform to gear upfor the next Assembly elec-tions,” Congress senior leaderand MLC R Padma Raju toldPostnoon.

The decision to hold conven-tions came after the AICC AP in-charge, Ghulam Nabi Azad,asked the party leaders to holdsimilar programmes across theState. He also asked the Stateleaders to get party workersgeared up for the elections byinstilling confidence in them.

VIJAYAWADA TO BETHE FIRST VENUE? The Pradesh Congress Party isplanning to hold the firstregional convention inVijayawada of Krishna districtor in Prakasam district. Most ofthe party leaders are inclined tohold the initial regional meet-ing in Vijayawada, owing to itsimportance in the State’s politi-cal scene. PCC president BotsaSatyanarayana also visitedVijayawada three days ago andheld discussions with partyleaders on the issue of holdingthe convention. An officialannouncement by the PCC pres-ident will be made after gettingAICC leaders’ approval on thevenue of the meeting.

The Congress leaders areplanning to hold the meeting inthe first week of January.

Anubha K [email protected]

This year is being celebratedas National MathematicsYear in honour of

renowned mathematicianSrinivasa Ramanujam Iyengar,as it marks his 125th birthanniversary.

To commemorate the occa-sion, the Nischal Math GeniusAwards 2012 was held in the City.The award function was held byNischal’s Smart LearningSolutions Pvt Ltd (NSLS), anorganisation mentored by 17-year-old child prodigy and dou-ble Guinness World Record hold-er Nischal Narayanam.

The awards were held as partof a competition where theorganisation conducted freemath tests in many schools inthe twin cities. The final roundof the competition was hostedby Nischal himself.

The aptitude tests werespread across two months andnearly one lakh students partici-pated in the tests. A total of 1,200students selected through thisprocess vied for the awards inthe final round of the NMGA-2012 exam, held at RavindraBharathi auditorium onDecember 22.

Speaking on the occasion,Nischal said, “My aim is to con-vert math fear into math joy.This aptitude test was a step to

achieve that aim. Though theentire exercise was mammoth,it turned out to be a true delightto unearth great math talentand potential in our schoolchil-

dren. I have published severalbooks for easy understanding ofmathematical concepts andhave also established math labsto develop problem-solving

skills in students.” K Rosaiah, Governor of

Tamil Nadu, presented the pres-tigious awards to the 10 winnersof the competition from differ-

ent schools in the City. S JaipalReddy, Union Cabinet minister ofearth sciences and technology; KParthasarathy, minister of sec-ondary education, PadmaVibhushan Professor Emeritusand advisor, CR Rao, AIMSCS;RV Ramana Murthy, chairman,AP State Cultural council;Chukka Ramaiah, IITian; Prof VKishan Rao, registrar ofOsmania University; Prof PPurushotham Rao, chairman,board of studies in commerce,Osmania University; Prof KYadagiri, director, TeluguAcademy; Prof V Kanna, formerpro-vice chancellor, HU; Prof PVArunachalam, former vice-chan-cellor, Dravidian University,Kuppam; Prof SudhakarAgarkar from Homi BabhaCentre for Science Educationand Prof HO Gupta, former headof workshop dept, NCERT werethe other dignitaries present atthe event.

Warming up for the fight

INKESHAF AHMED

[email protected]

In its bid to enthuse grassroots party workers before the 2014 elections, the Congress plans tohold a series of regional conventions across the State.

THESE CONVENTIONSWOULD PROMOTE THEGOVERNMENTS’ PROGRAMMES AND ALSOACT AS A PLATFORM TOGEAR UP FOR THE NEXTASSEMBLY ELECTIONS.

City math whiz kids honouredStudents from schools across the twin cities participated

in the competition to test their mathematical skills.N SHIVA KUMAR

FILE PHOTO


SHIMLA: Virbhadra Singh is likely to take oath asthe next CM of Himachal Pradesh on December25, a senior party leader said here. He said, beforetaking the oath, Virbhadra would visit Delhi tomeet senior Congress leaders, including partypresident Sonia Gandhi, to discuss the formationof the new government. Virbhadra was formallyelected as the leader of the Congress LegislatureParty on Saturday night and his name for the CM'spost was subsequently cleared by the leadership.

Virbhadra may take oath on Dec 25NEW DELHI: Flight operations at the IGI airport here remained suspend-ed for over an hour after the city witnessed the first dense fog of this winter today. Around 20 flights were delayed while two were cancelledas the fog enveloped the airport sud-denly around 7am. The situation hadstarted to improve after 8.30am, saidofficials.

Flights at IGI suspendedNEW DELHI: Faced with a deficit ofover `20,000 crore in the passengersegment, the railways is keen on rais-ing passenger fares between 5-10paise per km to generate about `4,000crore revenue. The hike could comeclose on the heels of railways finalisingthe broader contours of the proposedRail Tariff Authority, which would beplaced before Cabinet in January.

Railways to seek fare hike

NATION

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New Delhi Policetoday evacuated anumber of

protesters from RaisinaHill and outside Congresschief Sonia Gandhi's resi-dence where they hadstayed put since lastnight to protest againstthe gang-rape of a 23-year-old woman.

The protesters, mostof them students whospent a chilly night in theopen after they foughtpitched battles withpolice throughout the dayyesterday at Raisina Hill,were taken into a bus bypolice in an early morn-ing operation.

Around 6.30am, police

suddenly moved busesinto the area, madeannouncements aboutclamping Section 144 ofCrPC prohibiting assem-bly of more than fourpersons in the area andherded the protesters intothe buses.

Most of the around 50protesters at Raisina Hillcould not do much asdense fog had hamperedvisibility. Protestersshouted slogans insidethe bus. Outside Gandhi’sresidence also, protesterswere taken into a bus.

Police have beendeployed in abundance inRaisina Hill and IndiaGate anticipating

protests throughout theday, today being a Sunday.

In a surprise movelate last night, Gandhihad come out of her resi-dence and met protesters.

According to aprotester, Gandhi toldthem, “I am with you. Ican’t tell when the justicewill be delivered, butsurely it will be. We willdo something.”

When the protestersasked for a deadline, shesaid, “I can’t give you adeadline but action willbe taken.” The detentionscame as part of a policeplan to contain protestsnear Raisina Hill, theseat of power.

Police evacuateprotesters

Mobile app to helpwomen in distress

NEW DELHI: Women inthe country can now lookforward to alerting theirfriends and family throughthe push of a button onsensing danger using amobile application called'Fight Back'.

Developed by mobilevalue-added servicesprovider CanvasM, theapplication tracks a user’slocation and sends SOSmessages to selected con-tacts in case of an emer-gency.

The company is also inthe process of integratingthe solution with Delhi

Police’s back-end IT infras-tructure.

While the applicationis free for consumers inthe Delhi-NCR region,other users will need to

pay a subscription fee of`100 per annum.

Fight Back is availablefor smartphones runningon Android, Blackberryand Symbian operatingsystems.

The company saidit will soon come up witha similar SMS-basedapplication so that thebenefits can be extendedto non-smartphoneusers as well.

While the applicationhas been available for some time now, it has seen about 3,000-4,000downloads. PTI

Sonia Gandhi had come out of her residence andmet protesters. She told them, “I can’t tell when justice will be delivered, but surely it will be.”

Police clamp prohibitory orders

Clamping down prohibitory orders inNew Delhi district, police today

asked youths protesting against thegang-rape of a young woman to stagedemonstrations either at Jantar Mantar

or Ramlila Maidan. Prohibitory orders under Section

144 of CrPC have been issued in NewDelhi area except Jantar Mantar. The

police move came a day after thou-sands of youth clashed with police.

Seven Metro stations closed

Anticipating more protests on thegang-rape of a young woman,

seven Delhi Metro stations near RaisinaHill and India Gate were today closedfor public. Last night it was decided toclose four stations — Patel Chowk,Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan andRace Course — but this morning, itwas extended to three more —Barakhamba, Mandi House and Khan Market.

THE APP TRACKS AUSER'S LOCATIONAND SENDS SOSMESSAGES TOSELECTED CONTACTSIN CASE OF ANEMERGENCY.


YAN’AN:Three people were killed and20 others injured after a fire engulfed a

commercial building in NorthwestChina's Shaanxi province on Saturday

morning, local authorities said.As of 9pm, two bodies had been

retrieved by firefighters but the vic-tims' identities were yet to be ascer-

tained, according to the press office ofthe Yan'an municipal government.

2 die in China fire mishapMOSCOW: Chemical weapons in Syriaare under the control of the govern-ment, which has consolidated them inone or two locations, Russian ForeignMinister Sergei Lavrov said. "As of rightnow, the (Syrian) government is doingall it can to safeguard those weapons,"he said. "We are following all leads con-cerning chemical weapons," Lavrovsaid.

‘Syria chem weapons safe’LONDON: The British cabinet ministerforced to quit over claims he calledDowning Street police officers "plebs"claimed Sunday he had been "stitchedup" in his first full account of thefurore. Andrew Mitchell said abusivephrases attributed to him were "hunground my neck in a concerted effort totoxify the Conservative Party anddestroy my political career".

Plebgate victim ‘opens up’

WORLD

WASHINGTON: Acting CIA director Michael Morellsaid that Zero Dark Thirty, the Hollywood take on thehunt for Osama bin Laden, exaggerates the importanceof information obtained by harsh interrogations. Themovie by Academy Award-winning director KathrynBigelow tells the story of the decade-long search afterSeptember 11, 2001 that climaxed in the raid in May onthe Al-Qaeda terror leader's hideout in Abbottabad,Pakistan. Morell's message states that "multiplestreams of intelligence" led CIA analysts to concludethat bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad. He acknowl-edged that "some" of the information "came fromdetainees subjected to enhanced techniques. But therewere many other sources as well."

US condemns Kenyanattack that killed 45WASHINGTON: The White House condemned Sunday"in the strongest terms" a tribal attack in southeasternKenya that left 45 dead, amid fears of growing tensionsbetween rival communities. Villagers were hacked todeath and their homes were torched in Friday's attack onthe village of Kipao in the Tana delta region, an areawhere deadly tribal violence killed another 100 peopleearlier this year. The victims included women and chil-dren. "The United States condemns in the strongest termsthe renewed violence in Kenya's Tana River region,"White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "This latest incident represents a disturbing escalation ofthe tragic violence witnessed by these communities inAugust and September."

CARACAS: With President Hugo Chavez recoveringfrom cancer surgery in Cuba, his designated heirNicolas Maduro is spotlighting his own leadership incase of an early presidential vote, experts say. "Today,Maduro is completely different from when he was justthe foreign minister: he is the vice president but healso is the handpicked successor (of Chavez) and thede facto acting president," said Luis Vicente Leon, wholeads the Datanalisis pollster. Since Chavez headed toCuba on December 10 for a fourth round of cancersurgery since he was diagnosed in 2011, Maduro hasworked on honing his skills as a higher-profile leaderin his own right in this OPEC member sitting atop theworld's largest proven oil reserves.

Maduro preparesfor the big post

‘Only some infocame via torture’

SEOUL: NorthKorea's recent rocketlaunch amounted tothe test of a ballisticmissile capable of car-rying a half-tonne pay-load over 10,000 kilo-metres, the SouthKorean defence min-istry said Sunday.

North Korealaunched its three-stage Unha-3 rocket on

December 12, insistingit was a purely scien-tific mission aimed atputting a polar-orbit-ing satellite in space.

Sunday's estimatewas based on analysisof an oxidizer contain-er — recovered fromthe rocket's first-stagesplashdown site —which stored red fum-ing nitric acid to fuel

the first-stage propel-lant.

"Based on ouranalysis and simula-tion, the missile iscapable of flying morethan 10,000 kilometreswith a warhead of 500-600 kilograms," adefence ministry offi-cial told reporters.

Without anydebris from the second

and third stages toanalyse, the officialsaid it could not bedetermined if therocket had re-entrycapability — a key ele-ment of inter-conti-nental ballistic missile(ICBM) technology.

Most of the worldsaw the North's rocketlaunch as a disguisedballistic missile test.

‘N Korea missile can do 10,000km’

CAIRO: A majority of Egyptianvoters have backed a controver-sial charter in a two-round refer-endum that deeply polarised thecountry, ruling Islamists andofficial media said on Sunday.

The Muslim Brotherhood,which President MohamedMorsi hails from, and the officialAl-Ahram newspaper reportedthat about 64 per cent voted forthe charter, according to prelimi-nary results.

Turnout over both roundswas roughly 32 per cent, accord-ing to Muslim Brotherhood fig-ures posted on its Twitteraccount.

The results are based onreports from returning officialsfrom the vast majority of sta-tions over the two rounds, whichwere held a week apart. The

election committee willannounce the final results with-in two days.

On the eve of Saturday'spolling, clashes in Egypt's sec-ond city Alexandria left 62 peo-ple injured as stone-throwingmobs torched vehicles, underlin-ing the turmoil gripping theArab world's most populousnation.

Eight people were killed andhundreds more injured in clash-es between rival demonstratorson December 5 outside Morsi'spresidential palace in Cairo.

Some 250,000 police and sol-diers were deployed to providesecurity during the referendum.The army has also positionedtanks around the presidentialpalace since early this month.

AFP

Egypt ‘okays’Morsi charterThe Muslim Brotherhood, whichPresident Mohamed Morsi hails from, andthe official Al-Ahram newspaper reportedthat about 64% voted for the charter.

View of the Copahue volcano spewing ashes from Caviahue, Neuquen province, Argentina, some 1500 kmsouthwest of Buenos Aires on Saturday. The authorities of Chile and Argentina issued yellow alerts due tothe eruption of the Copahue volcano, placed in the border between both countries.

AFP/ANTONIO HUGLICH

ASH N’ FLAMES

Readers’ viewsWe invite you to write to us comments, sugges-tions, viewpoint or just about any-thing to [email protected] #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa,Road No 62, Jubilee Hills,Hyderabad – 500 033 oreven by way of a call on040-4067 2222.

COMMENT 8SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

Why has not the Prime Ministernot spoken yet about the hor-rific incident in Delhi? Is he

still in shock or is he in search of theright words for the perfect reactionthat will bring succour to the victim,God this nation is in shambles!

Venugopal Gvia email

Where’s the PM?

I am so glad the Delhi rape case vic-tim is showing signs of recuperation.But the government’s treating of the

whole episode is proof that they con-sider incidents like these as common-place. They will understand only whenthey go through something similar.

Rama Devivia email

A pathetic government Shinde must quit

EDITORIALS

EDITORIALS

THIS IS THE UGLYtruth about India

Nine years ago SonaliMukherjee’s life changed forever

when three fellow studentsdecided to teach her a lesson for

spurning their advances. Whilethe girl lay asleep in her hostel

room, the three broke in andpoured acid, Tezaab, something

that is used to clean rustingtools, on her face. Sonali is 27now and even after 22 subse-

quent surgical procedures, sheremains blind and partially deaf.Those demonic dastardly boys,

who after being jailed in remand,roam free on bail, while the caseis mired in the juggernaut that is

the Indian judicial system. Godknows if she will get justice in

the near future, perhaps ever, forit’s been nine years since the

tragedy happened. But amid allthis, Sonali shows that those das-

tards could only mar her face,but could not break her spirit.

While there are many cases likehers where victims choose to

stay in the dark, away from theeyes that stare, Sonali contested

in KBC and won. She was quiteunabashed and unconcerned

while her story drove millions ofviewers to tears. As Big B said,she is the epitome of courage.

She is courage, for we know howhard it is for women who may

have suffered like her to endureliving in a society like ours. And

the scariest of all is that, accord-ing to the London-based charity

Acid Survivors TrustInternational, about 1,500 acid

attacks are reported globallyeach year. But many more vic-

tims do not report their injuriesto the authorities and instead

suffer in silence. And what didthe government do in her case?

They have shown nothing butabject apathy. In one if the manyletters she wrote she would pre-

fer to commit suicide rather thanlive in continuous pain. This is

the ugly truth about our nationwhere “women are deemed

goddesses”.

The Union home minister’sresponse to the protest over theDelhi rape case is utterly apathet-

ic. Instead of apologising to the wholenation for failing to do his duty, he isbeing headstrong and unreasonable. Ifyou have any shame left, quit.

Suma Rajanvia email

History, they say, repeatsitself ! All schoolchil-dren grow up to beadults and all theseadults… well… those

who were fortunate to attendschool grew up on adages as this.Yet, does anyone learn anythingfrom them? Proverbs and com-mon sense adages are supposedto have come up out of years ofcollective wisdom and seldomproved wrong. The old wiseheads that coined them mayhave lost themselves in collectiveanonymity but the truth of whatthey said can never be lost, notamong the crowds, not amongthe slipping moments of time.

It is over 48 hours since Del -hi has been pouring out in angerand anguish at the dastardlyrape of a young girl on its roads.Repeatedly, Delhi has seen therape and dishonour of its wom -en in moving vehicles and thistime its citizenry is roaring inrage. They have had it enough.The frustration and anger ispouring out in a tumult acrossthe streets of the capital. Angerwrit large on their faces, the oldand the young, men and women,all of Delhi actually, marchtowards the powers that are,braving Delhi’s withering cold.

It’s a spontaneous outburstand noteworthy that the leader-less mass of humanity can movein such purposefulness towardsthe Parliament, seeking answers,demanding reassurance fromthose that they had housed inthe portals of power. The timefor reckoning is here. They areasking their representatives inwhom they vested their ownpower as to what these represen-tatives are doing to give themtheir basic right, the right to asafe and secure life.

Delhi is the most unsafe cityin the country for women to livein. In this year alone, 661 cases ofrape have been registered inDelhi. Is it not a shame! Was itnot enough for the Delhi police

to see the writing on the wall?That this state of complacencycould not continue for long? Thekeepers of law and order madethis another crime statistic.

A moronic insensitive policefailed to see the ruin, the utterbetrayal of a woman behind thenumbers. No attempt to find outthe cause of the nightmare onthe roads of Delhi was made, norany attempt to prevent suchcrimes. Had the police top brasslooked into these figures andmade an attempt to analysethese, even had a heart toempathise with the victims ofthese crimes, they would havecome out with preventive solu-tions.

It needed the murderousrape and the anger of an entirecity for the police to sit up ontheir lard-filled bottoms, to

realise that things had badlyskewed out of control. And to topthe cake they congratulate oneanother on a job well done. Ah!Marie Antoinette! Does your soulcontinue to linger here onEarth?

A big 80 per cent of thepolice administration is engagedin VIP bandobust; most of this isto pander to the outgrown mon-strous egos of the political elite;leaving only 20 per cent of thepolice force to do its primary job;add to this an overworked,understaffed force that just pre-tends policing and the result isthere for all to see.

Two days of protests, andwhy is the government reluctantto reassure its citizens that it isthere for them, that it will act tosecure the lives and honour ofthe women of not only Delhi but

that of all in the country? Whyare they cowering behind thebarricades of police shields andlathis and refusing to talk to thecommon man on the streets? Hasthe government become sobankrupt of courage andresources to drum up succour toprotect lives of the commonman? Or do they just not care?

It is strange to see the wall ofsilence broken by a few plati-tudes by the Union home minis-ter. It needs great courage andeven greater honour to stand upbefore the citizens and admitthat they have failed them abso-lutely. They know that to admitsuch failures will have the oppo-sition on their heads, like vul-tures for their carrion on theelection battle ground.

And courage, alas, is severelywanting in our politicians!

From the hipSYED SHOAIB

Nero continues to fiddlewhile Rome burns

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

Furniture retailer IKEA hasapproached FIPB again

seeking a review of itsapplication so that it is allowed to

open a cafeteria at its proposed singlebrand retail stores. The Foreign

Investment Promotion Board (FIPB)approved IKEA’s proposal to invest

`10,500 crore to open retail stores, butpruned the list of items it wants to sell.

IKEA seeks application review

Advance tax collection registered amarginal increase of 7.5 per centin the third quarter to `78,000

crore, reflecting the impact of slowingeconomy. ”Advance corporate tax col-lection have shown seven per centgrowth, while advance tax collectionsfrom individuals and firms have shown12 per cent growth during the period,”a senior finance ministry official said.

Advance tax up by 7.5 per cent

Job seekers can look forward to aprosperous new year with morethan 10 lakh new jobs expected

across various sectors, includingFMCG and retail, says a survey. Theprojected number of new jobs in 2013is way higher than the estimated sevenlakh employment opportunities creat-ed this year, according to theMyHiringClub.com survey.

10 lakh new jobs in 2013

BUSINESS 9

Satya [email protected]

Teja is a senior bankemployee working with areputed multi-nationalbank in India. She rose

through the corporate ladder ofone of the biggest financial insti-tutions with her stupendous self-discipline.

She keeps everything organ-ised and plans everything inadvance. Her financial disciplinemade her a go-to place for all herfriends and relatives to take longterm financial decisions.

However, since the last fewdays she is worried about the

changes which are taking placein India with regard to creditinformation laws, where organi-zations like Credit InformationBureau of India (“CIBIL”) areplaying a significant role in rat-ing the financial conduct of anindividual.

The reason for this concernwas a recent incident. She hadapplied for a credit card with abank and obtained a lower limit,which made her confused abouther past credit history and howthe same was reported by herlenders to CIBIL.

As a bank employee andbeing a favorite among friendsfor giving financial advice shedid some research to learn whatare the rights available to a cus-tomers against the credit report-ing done by his/her own lendingbanker!

Reserve Bank of India, inassociation with ministry offinance, carefully regulates the

Credit Information laws in Indiain the form of Act, regulationsand rules framed there under.

Teja came to know recentlythat the following are the mostimportant rights available to aconsumer in safeguarding one’sown credit profile from unfair credit reporting practices:

RIGHT TO REQUESTDISCLOSUREEvery bank or financial institu-tion who is a member of CIBIL,denies credit or any other ser-vice to a borrower on the basisof his credit information report(CIBIL report) shall within 30days of its decision, send a writ-

ten intimation about the rejec-tion including reasons.

Also the concerned bank orfinancial institution shall for-ward a copy of the CIBIL reportrelied upon for such decision.The consumer has a right torequest disclosure of reasons forrejection of his loan applicationand provide a copy of the credit

report (CIBIL report) used inarriving such decision.

This right gives the con-sumer to understand the exactreasons behind rejecting hisapplication and have an ade-quate opportunity to resolve thesame.

RIGHT TO DISPUTEUNFAIR REPORTINGEvery Credit Information com-pany like CIBIL, shall providean opportunity to the consumerto dispute unfair reporting inhis credit report. Also, any bankor financial institution shouldtake necessary steps to updatethe inaccurate or erroneous datain credit reporting, upon requestfrom a borrower.

Every lending institutionhas a binding obligation toupdate accurate credit informa-tion on a periodical basis to acredit information company likeCIBIL.

This right gives a consumeradequate opportunity to ensureright reporting is done on hiscredit profile.

RIGHT TO PRIVACY OFINFORMATIONAny Credit information compa-ny like CIBIL shall take all suchnecessary precautions that thecredit information received frommember banks and financialinstitutions is properly andaccurately recorded and pro-cessed to generate a creditreport without errors.

Also, it should ensure thatthe personal and financial infor-mation of a consumer is protect-ed against loss, unauthorisedaccess or modification.

This right gives the con-sumer, his ability to demandaccurate credit reporting anddata security.

The author is an employee ofiCrediZen Inc., a company pro-

viding solutions for CIBIL issuesand Credit card problems.

Know consumer creditrights to protect ratings

Any bank or financial institution should take necessary steps to update theinaccurate or erroneous data in credit reporting, upon request from a borrower.

EVERY LENDING INSTITU-TION HAS A BINDINGOBLIGATION TO UPDATEACCURATE CREDITINFORMATION ON APERIODICAL BASIS TO ANINFORMATION COMPANY.

10INTERVIEW

In a conversation withPostnoon, K Basi Reddy talksmore about his experience as afilm producer and the future of

digital technology in Telugu filmindustry.

You have been a flag bearer ofdigital technology in Telugu cin-ema for almost 10 years. Areyou facilitating this change sothat more filmmakers will jumponto the digital bandwagon?

Digital technology in films has beenthere for almost 10 years now and Iam happy that I started this fire.Technology is less expensive nowto show your creative capabilities tothe audience. My aim is to makethis technology economically viableand also make films which will beaccepted across the world ratherthan catering to the audience in aparticular state. I believe we havethe right talent here in terms of cre-ating high standard VFX, but theproblem lies in the creative aspectof the films we make. We don'thave enough educational institu-

tions which can train the existingpeople to be more qualified.Digital technology is not just aboutmaking films. In this domain, thefuture is going to be all about gam-ing, animation and VFX. It is yetanother Y2K opportunity for theIndians.

You seem to have struggled a lotto release your film 7 Days inSlow Motion.

Well, for starters, we produced 7Da ys in Slow Motion which was di r e -cted by Umakanth Thumrugoti. It’s asimple film about a young boy wh o’spassionate about films, but hismother forces him to spend al mostall his time studying. One day, hefinds a camera and decides to makea film within seven days. It’s an inter-esting insight into how ad ultsbehave from the point of view of theyoung boy. We have scree n ed 7Days in Slow Motion in several inter-national film festivals and it wasreceived extremely well. Ironic a lly, Istruggled for more than a year tofind distributors for this film ba ckhere in Andhra Pradesh, beca usethey did not think it would run. Ouraudiences are mostly star-centricand if your film doesn't have a star,they'll not come forward so ea sily tobuy tickets. But there have been fewfilms in recent few years which didn'thave stars, yet they we nt on tobecome good hits, such as AlaModalaindi, Ee Rojullo, OkaRomantic Crime Katha. What I say is

that the audience is there, but weare afraid to take that brave step topush a film which doesn’t have stars.

One of the biggest complaintsagainst low budget films is thequality of production. Is thatsomething which bothers you?

The visual quality of Oka RomanticCrime Katha wasn’t great, but peo-ple didn’t care about it. The centreof focus should be content and itsproper execution. ParanormalActivity was shot with a handycamwithin a budget of $15,000 and it

made about $150 million. Did any-one talk about the quality of thatfilm? The most important thing isthat people need to be captivatedby the product.

Most low budget films find itdifficult to get a good release.Everyone keeps cribbing howtheir films couldn’t get goodnumber of theatres to screentheir films…It's not lack of theatres. A lot ofsmall time producers don't investadditional money to screen the filmin prime theatres, most of which

have not been converted to digital.If you want to screen your filmthere, you need to spend at least`10 lakh which is a huge sum for asmall film producer. Any exhibitorwould want to screen a star drivenfilm because that would pull theaudience to the theatres. Morethan lack of theatres, the biggestchallenge is to get the people tothe theatres.

According to a FICCI report,there are close to 10,000 the-atres in the country. Fifteenyears ago, Andhra Pradesh had

nearly 2,500 theatres and thatnumber has now come down toaround 1,800. Isn’t there a needto build more theatres in thestate since we have a huge popu-lation which is always growing?

Theatre experience is unparalleled,but building more big theatres isperhaps not the best thing to do.There's a huge chunk of peoplewho want to watch the film in thecomforts of their home on theirhuge TV sets. As the middle classgrows and the screen size of TVgrows in their homes, such peoplewill come less to the theatres. It’sbetter to make films available forhome viewing soon before the filmis pirated on a mass scale. Anotherthing which we can look into is gen-erating revenue through DTH, pay-per-view model, because peoplewho are more comfortable withwatching a film in their home willnot come to the theatres anyway.Another thing that I foresee hap-pening is the emergence of what Icall as 'Aam Aadmi' theatres whichhave a seating capacity of 50-100. Ifyou can price the tickets at `10-20and offer them a better sound sys-tem and bigger screen size whichthey can’t have at their home, peo-ple will come to watch then. Tocater to the people properly,we have to segment them

methodically.

You are not in favour of buildingmore theatres?No. I would love to have an IMAXin every B class centre, but onlyone, so that everyone has theopportunity to witness the event onthe big screen. Today, only theaffluent of Hyderabad come to thetheatre. At the same time, I want tosee less seating capacity theatresbecause when the real estate pricebecomes big, then their ROI is notas much as it should be, especiallywhen you drop the prices of tickets.So that they don't buy pirated con-tent. If someone wants to watch afilm on DTH, I'll be more than gladbecause I have a gut feeling that hewouldn't have come to the theatresanyway to watch that film.

Future plans?I want to create an environment tomake meaningful, sensible andcommercial films.

Can they co-exist in harmony?I have a proven example.I havedone it four times and this is thefifth time.

How would you define commer-cial cinema?A film, which people appreciate,and the producer makes his moneyplus 20% profits. You don't have tomake 100% profit all the time.

The quest for adigital future

K Basi Reddy, the Chairman of Digiquest India Pvt. Ltd,has been a pioneer in his own right. From backing niche

films like Sonthaooru, Oka Romantic Crime Katha and 7 Daysin Slow Motion, to running one of the leading art studios in

the country, Basi Reddy has come a long way.

HEMANTH KUMAR

[email protected]


We can look intogenerating revenuethrough DTH, pay-per-view model, becausepeople who are morecomfortable withwatching a film in theirhome will not come tothe theatres anyway.

Basi Reddy

Ironically, I struggledfor more than a year tofind distributors forthis film back here inAndhra Pradesh,because they did notthink it would run.

Basi Reddy

SRIN

IVA

S SE

TTY

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 201211WELLNESS

BE THE LEAN, MEAN MACHINEWant to get fit army style? Then bootcamps are for you. For the uninitiat-

ed, boot camp is a type of groupphysical training programme con-ducted by gyms, personal trainers,

and former military personnel. Bootcamp training often commences withdynamic stretching and running, fol-

lowed by a wide variety of intervaltraining, including lifting

weights/objects, pulling rubberTRX straps, pushups/situps, plyo-

metrics, and various types ofintense, explosive routines.

Well, if you have a phobia of thepossibilities of a barbell landingon your chest while doing abench press, or dropping adumbbell on your girlfriend’sfoot, then get back to thebasics. Body weight may notappear fancy, but it works and

how! Push-ups, sit-ups, dips, andchin-ups are anywhere, anytime

exercises. If you want proof,check out Robert Di Nero in

Cape Fear. He was forty-sixwhen he starred in the movie

and see what great shape Di Neroachieved without hitting the gym.

PUSH-UP! CHIN-UP! PULL-UP!

EAT, WORK, PLAY!Worksite health promotion is an evolvingtrend to improve the fitness of workers tobenefit the organization at large. Theseprogrammes target long-term physicaland mental health benefits of employees.Various activities with specific goals,including medicinal and nutritional coun-selling, are incorporated. A healthy workenvironment is established within theorganization.

VHAVE FUN AND STAY FITDon’t want to stick to regimens of rigid move-ments yet want to lose fat and have some fun?Try Zumba. This consists of a combination of

Latin American dances, hip-hop, belly dancingand other dance styles. Zumba claims to burn

anything from 300 to 600 calories depending onthe intensity of your workout. If not anything,

you will learn some steps of Salsa, Mamba,Flamenco, and have fun till the session ends.

THE EVERYDAY EXERCISE!Functional fitness training includes a com-

bination of exercises that help improveyour body balance, stamina and power.

According to WebMed, functional train-ing prepares your body to deal with

real-life situations, teaches differentmuscles of your body to work with

each other, and trains you to supportyour own body weight.

SO, WHERE’SYOUR GROUP?Training with like-minded people canhelp boost yourmorale and reachyour fitness goalsfaster. Three or fourpeople who want tomeet the same goalsform a group andhave a personal train-er. This will alsoreduce the cost oftraining per person.Exercises are oftenset to music.

FIT FORIf getting into shape is one of your New Year resolutions,

check out our top fitness trends to look forward to in 2013.

2013?2013?

Though he's preparing toshift his paintings fromhis gallery to Muse ArtGallery, where an exhi-bition of his works will

be held, artist JJ Reddy gra-ciously agrees to speak to meabout his creative journey.Excerpts from the interview.

How did you get into art?I used to sketch caricatures of myteachers when I was in Class III!Even when I was doing my B.Com(Hons), that craving, that passionfor art was always there. When Iwas studying at the Indian Instituteof Management and Commerce, Iheld my first art exhibition in 1978.I've worked continuously in creative

fields since then. My first job was asan illustrator in Mumbai. I laterworked as a cartoonist and my workwas published in Newstime andVipula. I moved to corporate pho-tography, then to computer graph-ics, then to digital film-making.

And now you've returned topainting.As I like to say, life has turned fullcircle. Earlier, I used to concentrateon being the first in everything. Iwas the partner and creative direc-tor for the first graphic work stationin the State. I was the producer anddirector of the first digital movie inAndhra Pradesh. Ours would havebeen the first in India, but the cen-sor board took some time in givingus the certificate. For the past threeyears, I have been working on mypaintings seriously.

What were your creative influ-ences growing up?I grew up reading a lot of comics.

(Laughs). Among Indian painters,there was Raja Ravi Verma. I wasalso influenced by Rembrandt andother European masters.

What next?I began painting on canvas serious-ly three years ago. Now, it's a life-long plan. That is, both paintingand digital movie production. Indigital art, you can go to a micro-scopic level and make alterations. Ihope to have an exhibition where Ishow both my analog and digitalwork some time in the future.

This is your first art exhibitionin a long time. What's goingthrough your mind now?I'm feeling wonderful. When KaaliSudheer, the curator of the show,said at a press conference that thiswould be the biggest and mostwonderful art exhibition, I wasecstatic. But I want people to comesee the paintings and judge forthemselves.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 201212ART AND CULTURE

Master of many

Cartoonist, photographer, graphic designer, movie producer, painter... there's lit-tle that JJ Reddy has not done in the creativearts. Postnoon speaks with the artist about his

vibrant journey before the opening of hispainting exhibition at Muse Art Gallery.

“I hope to have anexhibition where I canshow both my analogand digital work sometime in the future.”

JJ Reddy

S BALAKRISHNA

Ceremonial fires burned and conchessounded off as dawn broke overthe steps of the main pyramid at

the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza on Friday, mak-ing what many believe is the conclusion of a vast,

5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar. Somehave interpreted the prophetic moment as the

end of the world. The hundreds gathered in theancient Mayan city, however, said they believed it

marked the birth of a new and better age.

Ceremony at the Mayan ruins

On January 30, Christie’s New Yorkwill present Renaissan ce, a saledevoted to the artistic traditions

that flourished in Europe from 1300 to1600. A highlight of Old Masters Week inRockefeller Plaza, the sale will celebratethe golden age that produced some ofthe most extraordinary innovations inpoetry, music and literature, painting,sculpture, and architecture.

Renaissance traditions

Ayear ago, Akram Khan was toldhis dance career was over. Now,with the Olympics ceremony

under his belt, two films on the boiland three shows on tour, Britain's best-known choreographer could hardly bebusier. The 38-year-old ball of energy isin Paris with his most personal work todate, DESH, a full-length solo explor-ing his family roots in Bangladesh.

Akram back on his toes

The City in pictures

Novotel Hyderabad Airportis proud to play host to

the exhibition of pho-tographs ‘Inertia’ by Lona Logan.

Lona has been a resident inHyderabad for the last seven

years. Originally from Australia,her professional background is in

the field of welfare studies andbusiness. She has always had a

love for photography, but theexperience of living life in

Hyderabad and India in general,has awakened her senses to a new

approach. This is what she cap-tures in her images.

n Where: Novotel HyderabadAirport, Shamshabad

n When: Upto December 31

Breaking the mould

Kids love butterflies, flow-ers and art. Now whatbetter combination to

look out for than this one.Come on over and be a part ofthe Creative Art Week andhave fun creating a collagewith flowers and butterfliesand also paint away to yourheart’s content.The agegroup is 2-5 years. The regis-tration fee will come upto`400.n Where: Treasure HouseSaptaparni Building, Plot No

21 Raod No. 8 , Banjara Hills n When: December 24-25, 11

am - noon

Art Fantasia: An Exhibition of Paintings by

JJ Reddy

Where: Muse Art Gallery, Marriott

Hotel, Tank Bund

When: On till December 28.

[email protected] NAMBIAR


A study at Penn State found that when tall goldenrod plants sense

the sex attractant released by malefruit flies, they produce their own

chemical defenses. Those defensesmake the plants less appealing

to female fruit flies. The attack isn’tdeadly, but plants serving as fruit fly

nurseries tend to produce fewer andsmaller seeds.

Plants can smell tooAn insect-trapping pitcher plant inVenezuela uses its downward pointinghairs to create a ‘water slide’ on whichinsects slip to their death, newresearch reveals. The research waspublished on December 19, in thejournal Proceedings of the RoyalSociety B. Hairs on plants, called trichomes, are typically used to repelwater.

Killer plant speciesAccording to a study in the journalInvasive Plant Science andManagement, when invasive plantsspread, they can leave behind a “lega-cy” of alteration in the native soil.Even after an invading species hasbeen controlled, its effects can inhibitthe regrowth of native plant species.Researchers tested soil conditions forchanges in composition.

Long-term effects

ENVIRONMENT


Between November andMarch, several species ofsea turtle, including theOlive Ridley, travel thou-

sands of miles to nest on thesandy shores of Sundarbans, theworld’s largest mangrove forest.

“Just a few have so farbeen spotted. The long, widebeaches of the Bay of Bengal inthe Sundarbans look empty,”Pradip Vyas, director of theIndian government’sSundarbans Biosphere project,told AFP on Thursday.

“We are monitoring the sixislands where sea turtles laytheir eggs but we fear they arenot coming in large numbersdue to degradation of the sea,pollution and climate change.”

Straddling Bangladesh andIndia, the 10,000 square kilome-tre (3,900 square mile)Sundarbans is famous for being

the largest wildlife home forendangered Bengal tigers, but itis also a habitat for many raremarine species.

In Bangladesh, which ishome to 60 per cent of the forest,wildlife experts said the numberof turtles arriving on the pris-tine coastline dropped by at least50 per cent in the past 10 years.

“It’s a very grim picture,”said SM Rashid, head of theDhaka-based Centre forAdvanced Research in NaturalResources and Management.

“In the 1990s, we could spot50-60 turtles nesting in ourbeaches in a night.

“But now the number hascome down to a maximum 10,”said Rashid, whose team in Junesuccessfully bred a criticallyendangered turtle using an arti-ficial beach habitat.

Environmentalists blame aspike in fishing and climatechange causing sea levels to riseand more cyclones for the alarm-ing drop in turtle population, andthey say that humans stealingeggs is another major problem.

“Overfishing has emerged asa threat to sea turtles coming tobeaches of the Sundarbans,”said Subrata Mukherjee, India'ssenior Sundarbans official,adding that up to 1,500 boats nowcatch fish along the coast.

“A large number of sea tur-tles die after they are caught infishing nets,” Mukherjee said.

In the last five years, theSundarbans were hit by two dev-astating cyclones, killing morethan 5,000 people living in thevillages along the forest.

“The nesting grounds of themarine turtle are beingdestroyed due to erosion anddeposition of fresh sands. Thisis happening largely because ofclimate change,” said AnuragDanda, an Indian WWF wildlifeexpert. “Sea turtles are alsoavoiding the Sundarbansbecause of fierce winds duringcyclones,” he added. AFP

Saving the turtle’s nestConservationists have expressed alarm over

the low number of turtles arriving on the coast of east India and Bangladesh for the nesting

season, blaming overfishing and climate changefor the decline.

Gahirmatha in Orissaused to be one of the

largest arribada nestingsites in the world. An arrib-ada nesting site is whenthousands of females comeashore to nest in the samearea. Over the past fiveyears at Gahirmatha, therehas been an arribada nest-ing event in only two ofthose five years.Additionally, between 1996and 2002, the average sizeof nesting females declinedat that site, indicative ofa declining population.Declines in solitary nestingof Olive Ridleys havebeen recorded inBangladesh, Myanmar,Malaysia, and Pakistan.

Throughout theIndian Ocean, nesting pop-ulations of Olive Ridleyshave declined due toboth killing of nestingfemales at solitary nestingbeaches and a directed fish-ery for the species concen-trated at the major arriba-da nesting beach in Orissaduring the 1970s.

Expansion of theshrimp trawling fishery inthe eastern Indian Oceanin the mid-1970s has alsoresulted in numerous OliveRidley deaths.

Source:http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov

Endangered in India

AFP

4. Celebrate in style

Relish a four course menu for lunch and dinner specially pre-pared at the Tre-Forni Restaurant and Bar— Park Hyatt for

this special occasion. Enjoy a four course lunch and dinnerwith wine and champagne. Where: Tre-Forni Restaurant and Bar —Park Hyatt,

Banjara HillsTime: December 24, 25, Noon onwardsPrice: `2,500 + Taxes (per person)


FOOD

ALL YOU WANT You have posted the cards, hung up the decorations and sent out the gifts, so it’s time for some pampering. Gift yourself and your family a wonderful

1. In the midst of music

At the Water Side cafe tuckinto a Christmas Eve din-

ner full with carol singers toregale you as you eat. Theinvite also includes unlimitedbeverages and wine-basedcocktails. Eighty covers areavailable. Where: Water Side Cafe, TajBanjaraTime: December 24, 7pm,onwardsPrice: `1,500+ taxes (`1,800AlI-inclusive).

2. Taste the turkeyOn Christmas day celebrate withfriends and family while indulging in anunforgettable feast that has been laidout at the Okra. Presenting thedelectable Christmas day TurkeyBrunch with traditional delights such asTurkey, Mince Pie, Christmas puddingand mulled wine.Where: Okra, Hyderabad MarriottHotel and Convention CenterTime: December 25, 12pm-4pm Price: `2,000 and `2,200

5. Jolly good meal

It’s time to be merry in Hard Rock style! Join them for a deli-cious three course Christmas meal, drinks and loads of fun at

Hard Rock Cafe. Vegetarian menu includes three bean saladwith olive and parmesan in light citrus dressing, vegetarian plat-ter, Christmas plum cake with vanilla ice-cream and the Non-vegetarian menu includes three bean salad with olive andparmesan in light citrus dressing, Turkey platter, Christmas plumcake with vanilla ice-cream. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, BanjaraHillsTime: December 24to Sunday,December 30Noon – 3pmVegetarian:`1,300* Non-vege-tarian:`1,300*

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3. Bubbilicious brunch

The bubbilicious brunch gets a Christmas special twist with yummy festivecuisine to gorge on.A Christmas special traditional meal will be available

for all those who want to indulge in the spirit of the festival. Prego also offers aChristmas special menu that has a variety of dishes to choose from.Where: Prego, Westin Mindspace ConventionTime: December 25, 12pm-4pm Price: `1,999 + taxes

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FOR CHRISTMASChristmas meal or ring in 2013 with a glass of wine. We present the

ultimate food guide for Christmas and New Year’s in the City.

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1. The taste of Hyderabad

Savour the taste of Hyderabad with Master chefJahangir and listen to some melodious singing by

Mohammed Moinuddin who will be presenting thebest of ghazals.Where: Firdaus, Taj KrishnaTime: December 31, 9pm onwardsPrice: `3,000( + taxes) per person.

2. A royal feast

Ahearty meal withan elaborate

multi-cuisine buffetwith live interactivecounters awaits youhere. Also enjoy thetraditional SufiQawalli to soul stir-ring Jazz to highenergy DJ music toa medley of perfor-mances from DJRohit and KellyJohnson to name afew and finally wel-come the New Yearwith extravagantfireworks. Where: MograCourtyard, TajFalaknumaTime: All dayPrice: `10,000, perperson.

3. Food station

An extensive buffet meticulously puttogether to cover popular global

cuisines. The food selection revolvesaround a concept of a thriving marketplacewith myriad stations and counters of eata-bles. Enjoy the live cooking theatres, anexquisite individual dessert buffet and amade to order ice cream counter. Guestswill also be treated to a live performanceby DJ Stan.Where: Collage, Ista, GachibowliTime: 7.30pm - 11pmPrice per couple: `6,900 + taxes (AI) Additional person: `3,450 + taxes (AI)(Ladies only)

4. A lavish buffet

Verandah, at the Park will be holding a deli-cious buffet, welcome cocktail/mocktail along

with a special offer for kids between the ages of5-12. Kids also will get to enjoy a special 50% offon their bill. Make this a perfect family night. Where: Verandah, The ParkTime: December 31, 8:30pm to MidnightPrice per person: `2,000.

5. Pamper your senses

Awaiting guests at ViaMilano is a four course din-

ner by their award-winningchef, open bar and a live DJ.Prepare to feast on some gor-geous gourmet delights. Thereis nothing better than the feel-ing of being pampered onNew Year’s eve. Where: Via Milano, Jubilee HillsTime: December 31, 7pmonwards Price: `3,500 for couples

Note: Please make prior reservations at the restaurants listed. There areearly bird discounts as well in some places.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 201218HISTORY

1979: The Soviet Union invadesAfghanistan, under the pretextof upholding the Soviet-AfghanFriendship Treaty of 1978. Withina few days, the Soviets hadsecured Kabul, deploying a spe-cial assault unit against TajbergPalace.

1865: In Tennessee, a group ofConfederate veterans convenedto form a secret society the "KuKlux Klan." The KKK engaged in

terrorist raids against AfricanAmericans and whiteRepublicans at night.

Dec 24

Dec 24

1914: German troops engagedin World War I cease firing theirguns and commence to singChristmas carols. The Allied sol-diers feared it was a trick, butseeing the Germans unarmed,they shook hands with them.

1831: British naturalist CharlesDarwin sets out from Plymouth,

England, aboard the HMSBeagle on a five-year surveying

expedition of the southernAtlantic and Pacific oceans. Theinformation proved valuable in

developing the evolution theory.

Dec 25

Dec 27

2007: Benazir Bhutto, a formerPakistani prime minister andthe first democratically electedfemale leader of a Muslimcountry, is assassinated at age54 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

1895: The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying

audience at the Grand Cafe inBoulevard des Capucines,

marking the debut of the cinema.

Dec 27

Dec 28

1170: Archbishop ThomasBecket is brutally murdered inCanterbury Cathedral by fourknights of King Henry II ofEngland. Henry was forced todo penance at theArchbishop’s tomb.

1922: The Union of SovietSocialist Republics (USSR) is

established, comprising a con-federation of Russia,

Belorussia, Ukraine, and theTranscaucasian Federation. It

was the first country in theworld to be based on Marxist

socialism.

Dec 29

Dec 30

Dec 26 2004: A powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, sets off a tsunami that wreaks devastation across the Indian Ocean coastline. The quake wasthe second strongest ever recorded and left an estimated 2,30,000 dead.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 201219SPOTLIGHT

SellingdreamsDestination CyberabadProperty Show which fea-tures exclusive propertiesfrom locations in andaround is being held fromDecember 22- 23, atWestin, Mindspace RahejaIT Park. An additional facili-ty for spot home loans willalso be provided by banks.

ALL EYES ON THE

RAMP

BlendersPride Hyderabad

International Fashion Week2012 is being held at Vivanta by Taj,

Begumpet. The four-day event will witness 15 acclaimed Indian designers

coming together to set new fashion trends.

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Nithin & Nithya Menen Rina

Radhika, Jaideep Veena, Jyothi

Manchu Lakshmi Anjana Sukhani

Moon Moon

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CINEMA 20

Prabhas’ upcom-ing film Mirchi

has wrappedup its shooting and

it’s gearing up forrelease in the first

week of February. Fora long time, there was

confusion over when exactly thefilm might release. Initially, therewas buzz that the film would lock

horns with Naayak and SeethammaVaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu in January;

however, it’s now confirmed thatMirchi has dropped out of the box

office race during Sankranthi.Koratala Shiva is making his

debut as a director with this filmwhich has Prabhas, Anushka and

Richa Gangopadhyay in lead roles.Pramod Uppalapati and VamshiKrishna are producing the film

under UV Creations banner.Talking about the film, the pro-

ducers said, “We recentlywrapped up the film’s shootingin Bangkok and currently, thefilm is in post-production. The

audio will be launched in thefirst week of January.”

Devi Sri Prasad has composedthe music.

starrerMirchi to

release inFebruary

PRABHAS


Charmee shakes aleg with Ram Charan

After hogging the limelight with her jig in theitem number Sakkubhai in Damarukam,Charmee is all set to shake a leg with RamCharan. She recently shot for an item num-ber titled Nellore in Ram Charan’s

upcoming film Naayak. “Ful nite shoot for#NAYAK ... Having fun shaking legs vitRam charan ... Hope u guys makedis song too a hit .. Wait tilSankranti to watch (sic),” Charmiposted on Twitter and even gavea glimpse of her look from thesong. Naayak stars RamCharan, Kajal Aggarwal andAmala Paul in lead roles. VVVinayak has directed the filmand DVV Danayya has pro-duced it. The music, composedby Thaman, has been receivedwell and the buzz is that RamCharan has done a stunningjob with his dances in severalsongs. The film is going to hitthe screens on January 9.

Iddarammayilatho’s cast lands in Bangkok

The principal shooting of Puri Jaga -n nadh’s upcoming film Iddaram -mayilatho has finally begun in

Bangkok. The film stars Allu Arjun,Amala Paul and Catherine Tresa in leadroles and most part of the film will beshot in Bangkok and New Zealand.“Bangkok welcomes me! ! #Iddaram -ayilatho to start rolling from trow :-) ♥Young and energetic team. . High spirits!! Wish us luck tweeps:-) (sic),” Amala

Paul posted on Twitter yesterday.Producer Bandla Ganesh has alreadyspent a bomb on Allu Arjun’s costumesin the film and recently, a photoshoot wasdone with Allu Arjun in 60 different cos-tumes. This is the first film which PuriJagannadh is directing after CameramanGanga Tho Rambabu. Devi Sri Prasad iscomposing the music and Amol Rathodis the cinematographer. The film mightrelease in mid-2013.


CINEMA 21

OUT OF OSCAR RACE BARFI!

Director Anurag Basu’sBarfi! has failed toqualify for the best

foreign language film cate-gory for the 85th AcademyAwards, according to thelatest Oscar shortlist.The film, featuring Ranbir

Kapoor as a deaf and muteboy and Priyanka Chopraas an autistic girl, earnedrave reviews and enjoyedbox office success.Of the 71 films that quali-fied for the Oscars fromacross the world, nine have

been shortlisted, which will further compete tomake it to the final fivenominations.The nine selected films areAmour (Austria), WarWitch, (Canada), No (Chile),A Royal Affair (Denmark),

The Intouchables (France),The Deep (Iceland), Kon-Tiki (Norway), Beyond theHills (Romania) and Sister(Switzerland).The final list will beannounced on January 10.

IANS

Yamla PaglaDeewana 2 tobe out in JuneYamla Pagla Deewana 2, star-

ring Dharmendra, SunnyDeol and Bobby Deol, will hit thescreens on June 7 next year.The romantic comedy, a sequelto the 2011 film Yamla PaglaDeewana, has been directed bySangeeth Sivan. It also featuresAnupam Kher and Johnny Leverin supporting roles, with NehaSharma and debutant KristinaAkheeva as the female leads.Yamla Pagla Deewana 2 had along shooting schedule inLondon, which ended earlyDecember. IANS

Sonam Kapoorto take tipsfrom Rekha

Actress Sonam Kapoor hasbeen roped in to play the

female lead in the remake of the1980 hit Khubsoorat. Beforestarting the shoot, the youngactress reportedly wants to taketips from Rekha, who played achirpy and fun-loving girl in theoriginal.

“She wants to understandthe character well and takeRekha’s advice how to go aboutit,” a source said.The original classic comedywas directed by HrishikeshMukherjee. Shashanka Ghoshis expected to helm the newversion, which will be producedby Sonam’s father Anil andsister Rhea. IANS


THE LAST-MINUTE GIFT GUIDE

Well, it’s Christmas and you must pamper your mothers today too. After all, she’s been doing that eversince you were born.

MOMMY TIME

n Spa vouchers: A relaxing body massage isthe ideal gift for your stressed-out mother.

All you need to do is head to the OpiumSpa and pay for a voucher of your choice,

the spa will then email your mother thevoucher for her use.

Massages start at `2,000

n Bag ‘em: Now is thetime to pamper yourmum with some deli-cious lookingHidesign bags. Theirnew range is as fol-lows:Acropolice 01(the mustard bag):`4,395Estelle small(Sridevi’s bag inEnglish Vinglish):`2,595Ganga 01 (green bag)`8,695Ganga 02(turquoise green)`6,495

THE SOSGUIDE

Nidhi [email protected]

DADDY’S COOL

n Dinner set: Colourful dinner setsis the way to go. You can easily

buy the set and make your mum aspecial meal on Christmas Eve.Can you imagine her surprise?

You can even indulge in somehome shopping for your mother,

she’d love it.Cost: `3,840 for 31 pieces

n Saris: This is the easiest gift togive your mother. You can be sureshe’ll love it.Price range at Fabindia:

`890 – `8,000

n Digital photo frame: Spend some time tofetch out some special photographs of thefamily and upload them in this photo frame.Decorate the frame with a red ribbon andkeep it on your mum’s bedside at night.Waking up to family moments is one of thebest gifts she can get, think about it.Transcend 8” with 4GB memory; cost: `6,999

n Pens: Whether a Shaeffer ora Mont Blanc, pens forfathers will never go out ofvogue. They love them andthe best part is that theyactually use them too. So,why not make their daywith some ink?Cost: At Sailor – `8,000 –`15,000;At Mont Blanc: `25,000 –`55,000

n Bar set: Though this is not avail-able as one unit, you can alwaysput it together, wrap it nicely andgift it. It’s worth the trouble. Cost: `3,500 approximately

n iPad mini:Anything gadgety gener-ally works formen, so thiswould be one ofthe safest giftsto give. It isavailable in alltechnologyshowrooms.Cost: Starts at`21,900

n Kindle: If yourdad enjoys his

books, this isthe gift to give.

Easily avail-able in all tech-

nology show-rooms, Kindle

is somethingworth spending

for.Cost: `6,999

approximately

Selecting a gift for your dad can bedifficult most times. One, they wouldgive you what’s-the-need lecture andtwo, there is hardly anything he doesn’thave already. Here’s a list that mightmake him happy anyway.

n Watches: Asmart watch isnever a badoption, espe-cially forfathers. And,the time isright to investin one as mostwatch brandshave intro-duced a rangeof yummy-looking watch-es to choosefrom. We’veselected threefrom theTommyHilfiger collec-tion that youmight want toindulge in.Metal strap:`12,495Leather strap(orange):

`10,995Leather strap(blue): `8,995

22&23It’s that time of the year again — people aremore selfless, much nicer, and certainly jollier.That’s what the Christmas spirit is all about —making someone’s day, telling your near anddear ones how much you love them and mostof all showering them with special gifts.If you haven’t already done your Christmasshopping, don’t worry, it’s not too late. Postnoongives you a last-minute gift guide.

TIME FOR FRIENDSIsn’t it ironic that even though you are aware of whatyour friends like and dislike, it’s the hardest to gift themsomething. Well, let’s try anyway, here’s the list:

Christmas is just another excuse to pamper youralready pampered children. But then again, how canyou leave them out of this special holiday. So, go onand spoil them silly.

PAMPERING YOUR KIDS

n Video games: Most children today prefer a PS3 to acricket bat. That’s okay, let’s make our peace withthe reality. There are a number of games, unlikeour regular hopscotch andhide and seek, that wouldmake your child feel over themoon. You can even pamperyour child with Kinect thatcosts `11,000. Angry Birds (PC version): `499for basic and `599 for the Rioversion.Angry Birds for PS3: `3,500Book of Spells for PS3: `2,500

n Stuffed toys: Easily avail-able and quite reasonable

on your pocket, stuffedtoys make all children

happy and excited. And,you can get a substantialvariety at Inorbit mall in

the City.

n Barbie: Little girls would never stop lov-ing these perfect-figured dolls, so whynot interest them with a few thisChristmas?Holiday Barbie: `2,100Shopping Barbie: `1,299Wedding Barbie: `1,699

n Funky speakers:You can evenindulge in somecute angry birdsspeakers availableat Origin Games. Single speaker(pink): `2,300Big speaker thatcan be connectedto your computer,iPod, etc: `5,500

n Books: ThisChristmas youcan also give yourchild a few booksfrom theAmarchitraKatha series.Books are pricedat `50 each.

n Cosmetics: Pamperingyour friend with a giftfrom Lush and Mac isthe best idea thisChristmas. With theirfestival hampers, youcan certainly makeyour friend’s day veryspecial.Lush Christmashamper cost:`750 –`2,700Mac festival hampercost: starts at `2,500

n Calvin and Hobbes 3-book series:One can safely say that this is oneveryone’s wish list. A big pluswould also be that you can borrowthe books from your friend whenev-er you’re in the mood to read them,wink wink. Cost: `5,999

n Board games: Friends love it.There’s a reason why gameslike Monopoly, Pictionary, Lifeand Scrabble are still the high-est selling.Monopoly costs: `450 for Indiaedition, `725 for property trad-ing edition and `1,499 for elec-tronic banking edition.Cluedo cost: `399Guess Who cost: `399

n Jacket and accessories: Thecolour red is in and here tostay. Priced at `2,299, the redovercoat available at Lifestylein Inorbit Mall is worth theeffort. Also, you can pick upsome stuff from Accessorizewhere the costliest item – bags– will only make you `4,470poorer. They’ve got some greatChristmas gifts to give.

n Fish Pedicure: This is one gift you cangive to your male and female friends.It’s different and according to us, a bit

unnerving. You cansurprise yourfriends with thisunique pedicureavailable in InorbitMall.Cost: starts at `275

n Little Black Tee Jewellery organiser: Allof us have that psycho Monica-like friendwho’s extremely organised about her things.This is the ideal gift to give to someone likethat. Looks like a corset, the organiser hasseveral pockets that one can use to storetrinkets, the best part, you can hang it inyour cupboard with clothes.Cost: `1,799

n Noise-cancelling headphones: All ofus also have that one gamer friend whowould spend a good 12 hours in front ofthe TV while you party around him.How he’d wish for something like this!So, be his Secret Santa and make hisday.Cost: `6,999 for Siberia V/2 steel series,100% noise cancellation.


CINEMA 24


CINEMA 25

CHAI TIME 26SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

ACROSS1 Dirty streak5 ‘Phantom of the —’10 Bring about16 Sudden shocks21 Former Italian currency22 Ponytail sites23 Kind of energy24 Trailer rental (hyph)25 Hot — — oven26 Web-footed birds27 Turndown28 Not skimpy29 Means of escape31 Primate33 Shower feature35 Family man36 Rains ice37 Tingle40 Go to bat for41 Birdcall42 FDR - DDE link45 Chromosome46 Buckeyes’ sch48 Ms Shriver50 Displaced person52 Safety feature (2 wds)54 Finance degs55 Ancient Roman poet57 Wk day58 Growl59 Pete Seeger’s music60 — Little of ‘The Wire’62 Shore fliers66 Crowning point67 Just about69 Where les enfants learn71 Bell tower sound72 Like a snake74 Trotted76 Weighs, as evidence78 Painter — Angelico79 Skip over80 Buddha’s name83 Private retreat85 Pop singer — Marie88 Honshu volcano89 Camel stops90 Wretchedly bad93 Major-domos95 Beauty parlor special97 Sweater sz98 Rock formed from clay100 Building wing101 Morning necessity106 Novelist — Ambler108 Candle holder110 Rigorous112 Overdue113 Stand in good —115 Exercise system116 Greer and Roach117 Wharf locales118 Greet the moon120 Tailless cat122 ‘Uh-oh!’123 Barbie maker124 Self-defense art128 Bagel companion129 Rapper Dr —130 Pen brand131 Mexican Mrs

132 ‘— — Called Horse’133 Clairvoyance135 Onetime Montreal

player137 — up (confessed)139 Merchandise ID140 Backspace on a PC142 El Dorado loot144 Infuriated148 Popular running shoes150 Helium and methane153 Mortgages155 Starlet’s aspiration156 Helen of radio soaps157 Galahad’s mother158 Kelp159 ‘Garfield’ pooch160 Papyrus is one161 Looked happy162 Thanksgiving dinner163 Lawman Wyatt —

DOWN1 Butcher block2 Japanese soup3 Europe-Asia range4 Extra inning5 Continuing6 Saffron dish7 ‘En garde’ weapons8 Lo- — graphics9 On the water10 Officer wannabe11 AAA suggestion12 Many millennia13 Surrounded by14 Pageant wear15 Cream puff16 San — Capistrano17 Resistance unit18 Shih Tzu, eg (2 wds)19 New Orleans school20 Big hammer

30 Pertaining to oceantrenches

32 World War II pope34 The same, legally38 Navy noncom39 It’s wreaked41 Dawn42 Helga’s husband43 ‘— when?’44 Chaplin persona46 Rectangular47 — Fifth Avenue49 Brunch libation51 Low-lying clouds53 Normans’ neighbours54 NYC art gallery56 Surrealist Salvador59 Move like a butterfly61 Sports ‘zebras’63 Boxing jabs64 Western star Lash —65 Bangs67 Ms MacGraw68 Board member69 Glossy paints70 Depot (abbr)73 Mosque officials75 — — costs77 Night racket

81 Track meet org82 Damage the finish84 Legendary kingdom85 Befriends a lion86 Thumbs-up critic

87 Vocalist — Gorme91 Contented murmurs92 Frilly93 Type of tiger94 Abrasion95 Promoted GIs96 Newt99 Weaver’s frame102 Rembrandt paintings103 Fragments104 Riverbank dweller105 Physicist Nikola —107 Home in the woods109 Portable boat111 Norse god of thunder114 Not ‘dis,’ in Brooklyn117 Measured off119 Belgian river121 Tic-tac-toe win122 Scent123 Attitude124 Pleasure trips125 Ballpark official126 Raised, as prices127 Practices130 Safari bosses134 Choir selection136 Modeled137 Rolex rival138 ‘Robinson Crusoe’

author140 Noble Italian family141 Mr Morales143 Patron saint of Norway145 Zilch146 Sheik colleague147 Fathomless149 High school subj151 — vous plait152 WSW opposite154 Land in ‘la mer’

SUNDAY CROSSWORDPlay & Win

voucher from VENKEY’S VEGRestaurant, Nampally

Please send in your filled-in entries toPostnoon, #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62,

Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033. The winners will beannounced on this page in Sunday’s edition.

Play & Win

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Winners! FOLOWING ARE THE VOUCHER LUCKY WINNERS FOR THIS WEEK: 1. Jesica P 2. Rohit N 3. Jeevprakash 4. Masood M 5. Sneha S

CHAI TIME 27SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2012

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TAROT READ

Justice – There’s con-fusion about what’sright and wrong. Yourbeliefs and percep-tions of morality willundergo major chan -ges in the near futurewith new experiences.

The High Priestess –You discover some-thing new about theoccult and are keento go down that ro -ad. You realise thereare many peoplewho’re just like you.

Strength – No mat-ter how difficult thecircumstances, youcome up trumps.You feel good aboutyour ability to fightodds and emergetriumphant.

ARIESSatisfactory and expected results likelyin your plans, thoughts and ideas. Blo -od relatives will help you. New debt,medical expenses and competition lik -e ly. Act wisely to come out of these.

CANCER

LIBRAYou might face a lot of hurdles andevents which will test your patience.However, businessmen will overcomeall hurdles and succeed. Believe thatthe situation will soon change.

CAPRICORNYour comforts are set to increase. Busi -nessmen will prosper in a big way. Gro -wth that will cheer you is certain. Somehave a bright chance to buy a vehicle.Real-estate deals will bring you gains.

TAURUSYou might be worried about spouse orchildren. Chances that you will face pr -oblems related to property, land andvehicle. Minor tensions likely in thefamily and also in financial matters.

LEOYour talk might face opposition but atthe end you will win over enemies. Te n -sion in the family will go. Expected du -es will come and surprise you. Misund -er standing with spouse likely.

SCORPIOYou have mixed effects of good andbad. However, no major problem isseen. You might have unwanted appre-hensions and fear. Try to come out bythinking positively or practice yoga.

AQUARIUSAll hurdles, delay and tension will dis-appear. Unknown persons will help youin a big way. Debt problems will beunder control. Businessmen’s profits in -crease. Social status is set to improve.

GEMINIYour social status and influence is setto rise. You work hard and sincerely tocomplete all duties. You will meetchildhood friends unexpectedly andcheer yourselves in their company.

VIRGOYou need to understand your strengthsand weakness. With your strength youwill achieve many things but keep awayfrom work that might fail due to weak-ness. Businessmen will prosper.

SAGITTARIUSHurdles and interferences will increasewhile executing work. Employeesmight not get proper recognitioneven though they struggle hard andwork sincerely, which will upset them.

PISCESYou have to march ahead relentlesslydespite hurdles and delays. You fulfillall wishes of your family. You performevents at home in a grand manner.Good financial inflow is likely.

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Ace of Swords – Th -e re are clouds ofco n fusion. Still, yo -u’re able to displayclarity of th ought.You’re clear of whatyou need and whereyou’re headed.

The Chariot –Overseas travel to anexotic location isindicated. Thoughit’s work related, youend up having quitea good time duringyour free hours.

Four of Wands –Good fortunestrikes and youdeserve it. You’vebeen working veryhard of lately andlady luck has beeneluding you.

Nine of Wands –Success is imminent.You’ve worked for itand are almost there.Just one last testremains and you geteverything you’veever wished for.

Six of Swords – Over -seas contacts giveyo u something to thi -nk about. It changesperception of wherethe world is headedand how economiesare changing.

Two of Pentacles –You’ll be forced todo the balancing act.You must admit thatyou actually quiteenjoy it even. Workand family lives areintersecting.

Two of Cups – Listenup, singles. You meetsomeone from theopposite sex and thechemistry is immedi-ate. You might deep-en your commitmentto engagement.

The Wheel ofFortune – Times arenot going to be thesame all the time. Ifthey’re bad now,things will look up.This card urges youto keep your chin up.

The Emperor – Loveis in the air. You dis-cover a new love foryour partner and thiskeeps you going inthe marriage. Dosomething nice likethrowing a surprise.

STAR POWER SUMAA TEKURtarotreadhyd@gmail. com

THIRUVAIKUMARthiruvaikumar@yahoo. co. in

040-27177230 / 9949870449

You will march forward with a determi-nation in all actions. Success will beyours because of plan. Though theremight be minor obstacles in certainevents, they will get solved in no time.

Date 24-12-2012 Date 24-12-2012

A magician was working on acruise ship in the Caribbean.The audience would be differ-ent each week, so the magicianallowed himself to do thesame tricks over and overagain.There was only one problem:The captain's parrot saw theshows every week and beganto understand what the magi-cian did in every trick. Once heunderstood that, he startedshouting in the middle of theshow."Look, it's not the same hat!""Look, he's hiding the flowersunder the table!" "Hey, why are

all the cards the Ace ofSpades?"The magician was furious butcouldn't do anything, it was thecaptain's parrot after all.One day the ship had an acci-dent and sank. The magicianfound himself on a piece ofwood, in the middle of theocean, and of course the parrotwas by his side.They stared at each other withhate, but did not utter a word.This went on for several days.

After a week the parrot finallysaid, "Okay, I give up.What'd you do with the boat?"

The magician

Vol: 2, No 157 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

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As per Hindu panchang

CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

SAGITTARIUSSCORPIOLIBRA

CANCER

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI

LEO VIRGO


CINEMA 28

FILES FOR DIVORCE FROM DEMI MOORE

Ashton Kutcher has officially filedfor divorce from Demi Moore,more than a year after the couplecalled it quits. The Two and aHalf Men star filed his petition

Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, cit-ing irreconcilable differences as the reasonfor the former lovebirds’ split, E! News hasconfirmed.

He filed for the divorce from Demiunder the name “Christopher Kutcher.”The separation date and property rights ofeach were listed as “to be determined.”Kutcher requested that each party pay theirown legal fees.

The actor has moved on, canoodlingaround the globe with former That ‘70sShow costar Mila Kunis. Moore had beenlinked to Vito Schnabel earlier this monthbut both have since denied any relation-ship. Kutcher and Moore tied the knot inSeptember 2005. It was her third marriage,his first.

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Emma Roberts: Jennifer Anistonis a great poledancer

Emma Roberts has revealedthat her co-star JenniferAniston is an “amaz-ing” pole dancer.

The actress starsopposite Aniston andJason Sudeikis in theupcoming comedy We’rethe Millers, about a mari-juana dealer who createsa fake family in order tosmuggle drugs into theUS. Roberts recentlyexplained to E! thatAniston, who plays a stripper inthe movie, impressed her fellow castmembers in the role.

“She’s really good,” Roberts said. “Isaw bits and pieces of it and she isamazing. It was unreal! She looks real-ly hot.”

When asked what she would rateAniston’s pole dancing skills out of 10,Roberts replied: “[She’s] like a 20!”

Jennifer Aniston was recentlynamed the dream apocalypse compan-ion in a public poll.

Ben Affleck considering a

Senate run?

Ben Affleck has officially enteredAlec Baldwin and George

Clooney territory—he, too, isbeing asked if he has consid-

ered running for public office!In Washington, D.C,. to testify

before Congress about the humanitari-an crisis in the Congo, the Argo star

and director sat down to talk politicswith Bob Schieffer in an interview air-

ing Sunday on Face the Nation.And, like Clooney and Baldwin,

Affleck appears quite comfortableplaying the role of Hollywood-

star-and-activist, no officialtitle necessary.

“For one thing, thestate of Massachusetts

currently has twoextraordinary sena-

tors, so there is novacancy,” Affleck

replied when Schiefferasked if he had thought

about running for an emptyseat in his home state if

Sen. John Kerry was pickedto be Hillary Clinton’s replace-

ment as Secretary of State.


ENTERTAINMENT 29

3 Sevens has been around fora while, isn’t it?3 Sevens has been my ongoingsolo project for a long time. Itwas somewhere in 2002 when Istarted doing stuff on my own.Around that time that I played atthe Freedom Jam and thingsbegan to happen slowly.

I grew up with music in theNortheast of India. When I was10, the guitar was the most com-mon instrument that everybodyplayed, so music was part ofeverything. When we got a drumkit in Church it was like a bigthing. Then, I went to school inKotagiri, Tamil Nadu where ourprincipal and her husbandencouraged music a lot. I thinkthey were part of the MadrasChristian College Choir.

What happened to LoungePiranha? How is makingmusic now different for you?Actually LP went on hibernationwhich became prolonged andnow it seems difficult for it tocome back. In fact when Rohanleft [ex-bassist, LP] things hadstarted going downhill. Nowit doesn’t seem possible, we needbass to play the awesome tophits. We had Shalini [Mohan] fora bit then we tried playing athree piece set, punk noise sortof a thing, but it frizzled out.

Personally, for me it’s nice.This is how I was always doingthings. Being solo, musically Ihave ideas, and things I want todo and it’s easier to do them.There are fewer issues to dealwith, I do what I am comfortablewith. There’s less strain and Ican move at my own pace.

There are spiritual themes inyour music with references toangels (destiny) and the Bible(rotting lilies)?

Well, there is some conflictinside. I’ve studied theology and

did study the Bible, so maybe itjust came naturally. But there’snothing I am trying to teach orpreach and few people who payattention perhaps ask me aboutit, others don’t. But the conflictisn’t just spiritual it’s witheverything even with how musi-cians are treated by organisers

and whether or not one needs to react to it and get stuckwith the label of being not easyto work with. For example if Ihave to pay to take my motherfor a gig I am playing at, it’s aconflict too.There are more live gigs nowthan perhaps there ever

were? Do you think times arereally good for musicianstoday?Music is a big fat business. Inmy opinion only the crumbsreach musicians. If you are wellnetworked and make friendsthen perhaps you can exploit allof these opportunities and try

making a living. But yes, manymore listeners have exposure tomusic. So maybe everyone getssomething. There are bands left,right and centre, but it is onlythe ones who know how to pack-age themselves well that make akilling out of it.

Tell us about your recentwork in your project 3Sevens?

Most tracks have been around.The new song online is aninstrumental — Leibak Harubawhich means harvest festival,Leibak is mud soil or ground inManipuri. Then there is RussianRoulette Gandhi; both are com-pletely different from each other.In a couple of days, I mightcome out with Silent Night...justto wish everyoneMerry Christmas! An album willbe out early next year. I don’tlike sticking to one thing. I playit by the ear, if I don’t like thetuning I change it, foolaround. Also of late, I have beenconsidering using Manipuridrums. I don’t like sticking toformulas.

Why three sevens?Well it is sort of a spiritualthing. Number 7 denotes a sortof completion in many faiths,like 7 pheras, 7 dips in theriver Jordan in the Bible and soon.

Any Indie bands that you cur-rently follow?I’ve noticed some good metal

acts from Mumbai and Delhi inthe recent past. I also likeSulkstation. I saw BhayankMaut at the recent National LawSchool Fest and like their newsound, it’s very cool.

Kamal Singh Laisram is aBangalore-based singer and song-writer. He’s also responsible forHynoowl, a range of trippyclothes and accessories.

You can hear 3 Sevens here: https://soundcloud.com/3sev-ens

Kamal Singh performed atthe recent Bacardi NH7 Festivallast week.

GOING SOMEWHERE

[email protected]

ELIZABETH SOUMYA

Where is Lounge Piranha? And what does 3 Sevens mean anyway? We take time off to trouble singer/songwriter Kamal Singh, who answers patiently...

Hathaway cried watching herself in ‘LesMiserables’

Actress AnneHathaway saysshe broke intotears after watch-

ing herself on big screenin Les Miserables.In the film, Hathawayplays the role of Fantine,an ill-fated prostitutedying of tuberculosis. Andshe admits she was intears when she saw herselfin the epic musical drama,reports usmagazine.com.“I cry, but I think it’sbecause I’m still connectedto the experience of mak-

ing it, the process. For me,when I see it, I actuallyhave to be aware when I’mdoing press, because itbrings me a lot closer toFantine,” she told MTVNews.

“She’s so broken that Iactually have to protectmyself a little bit. Sowhen I saw it, I did cry,but not because of what Iwas doing (on screen). Itwas because I was back inthe process of making it,”she added.

IANS

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SPORTS 30

MUMBAI: One of the game's all-time greats, Sachin Tendulkar,today announced his retirementfrom one-day cricket, bringing toan end a glorious 23-year-oldcareer in the format duringwhich he rewrote numerous bat-ting records.

"I have decided to retire fromthe One-Day format of the game.I feel blessed to have fulfilled thedream of being part of a WorldCup wining Indian team. Thepreparatory process to defendthe World Cup in 2015 shouldbegin early and in right earnest,"the 39-year-old said in a state-ment released by the BCCI today.

"I would like to wish the teamall the very best for the future. Iam eternally grateful to all mywell wishers for their uncondi-tional support and love over theyears," he added.

Tendulkar, considered themost complete batsman in mod-ern cricket and one who was con-sidered next only to the leg-

endary Sir Donald Bradman,retires from the ODI format atthe top of the run-getters' list.

Tendulkar goes out afteramassing 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83.The diminutive right-hander hasan astonishing 49 hundreds inthe format, including a doublehundred -- the first in this formof the game. Tendulkar made hisODI debut against Pakistan wayback in 1989 and interestingly heis quitting the scene just ahead ofanother series against the arch-rivals.

The Mumbaikar, who madehimself unavailable forTwenty20 after playing justone game in 2006, will nowremain active in only theTest arena. The brightestmoment of his ODI careercame last year when hefinally became part of aWorld Cup winning Indianteam after five previousappearances. PTI

TENDULKARRETIREMENT

announces one-day ‘I feel blessed to have fulfilled the dream of beingpart of a World Cup wining Indian team,’ he said.

BANGALORE: Heavy securityhas turned the Chinnaswamystadium here into a fortress forthe first of the T20 matchesbetween arch rivals India andPakistan Dec 25.

With the Karnataka StateCricket Association (KSCA)handing over the stadium to thecity police Saturday for sanitis-ing and securing it from anypotential trouble, hundreds ofpolice personnel moved in andaround the venue.

About 5,000 police personnelwill be deployed from Sunday inand around the stadium, alongthe 1 km route from the starhotel where the two teams willstay and the city centre wherethe venue is located.

"As maintaining law and

order and providing security areour primary duty, we will takestern action against anyone try-ing to disrupt the match," cityPolice CommissionerJyotiprakash Mirji saidSaturday.

Asserting that there wouldbe no compromise on the securi-ty of players and spectators, thepolice chief told reporters thatno protests or demonstrationswould be allowed in and aroundthe stadium from Sunday toTuesday. "As the governments ofboth the countries have agreedto hold the bilateral series, noorganisation will be allowed todisrupt the match," Mirji said.

The police chief made theobservations in light of recentstatements by the right-wingHindu organisations like ShivSena and Sri Ram Sene threaten-ing to disrupt the series betweenthe two neighbouring countries.

In addition to heavy deploy-ment, there will be round-the-clock surveillance from Sundayto Tuesday, with closed circuittelevisions (CCTV) sets installedin and around the stadium, theplayers' bus route and the hotelthey stay.

"Vehicular traffic will be

restricted and parking banned 1km in and around the stadiumon the match day from 11am tomidnight. A bomb squad and adog squad will be engaged toprevent any untoward incident,"Mirji said. To prevent disruptionand unruly behaviour in the sta-

dium during the match, fans willnot be allowed to take articleslike bags, food items and evenwater bottles.

"Fans will be frisked morethis time at the entrance toensure they do not carry anyharmful object into the stands."

The stringent security mea-sures are being taken in thebackdrop of two low-intensityblasts outside the stadium April17, 2010 before IPL T20 league tiebetween Royal ChallengersBangalore (RCB) and MumbaiIndians (MI) began.

Though there was no death,eight people, including threepolicemen were injured in theincident.

Pakistan is playing in Indiafor the first time post-26/11Mumbai terror attacks.

Last time Pakistan played inBangalore was Dec 8-12, 2007when the Third Test was drawn.

The previous occasion thetwo teams met was in the ICCT20 World Cup Sept 30, 2012 inColombo when India won byeight wickets.

Earlier this year, India beatPakistan at Mirpur inBangladesh March 18, 2012 bysix wickets in Asia Cup.

Last time India and Pakistanplayed an ODI in Bangalore wasApril 4, 1999 when India lost by123 runs.

In an ICC ODI World Cup,played in Bangalore March 9,1996, India beat Pakistan by 39runs. IANS

Bangalore stadium turnsfortress for India-Pakistan T20

With the Taliban, like the Ram Sena, promising to disrupt the match, organisers are taking no chances.

ABOUT 5,000 POLICEPERSONNEL WILL BE DE -PLOYED IN AND AROUNDTHE STADIUM AND ALONGTHE 1KM ROUTE FROMTHE STAR HOTEL WHERETHE TEAMS WILL STAY.


SPORTS 31

MUMBAI: England defeatedIndia in the second and finalTwenty20 match here on Satur -day to the square the series 1-1.

Chasing 177 for victory,England reached the targetwhen skipper Eoin Morgan (left)smashed a six of the last ball ofthe match. England started offon a splendid note racing to 50 injust 5.1 overs. Openers, MichaelLumb and Alex Hales tormentedthe Indian bowlers and fielders,smashing the ball all over theground.

But this did not last long asLumb, who reached his half-cen-tury off just 30 balls, could notget beyond that score and wasstumped by Dhoni off YuvrajSingh’s (below) bowling. Yuvrajsoon dismissed Luke Wright andAlex Hales to reduce England to123 for three in 14.4 overs. ButMorgan played a captain’s knockleading from the front with aquick-fire 49 from 26 balls. Hewas well supported by JosButtler who scored a patient 15.

India failed to make animpact on the field as they onceagain proved to be sloppy.Dropped catches and missedfielding chances along with lack-luster bowling seemed to be themain reasons for India’s loss.

“We did not bowl well in theinitial overs. The way we startedour bowling was not a greatstart. Our fielding was also a let-down,” Mahendra Singh Dhonisaid.

Earlier, India posted a mas-sive 177 for the loss of eightwickets.

Having won the toss,England decided to field hopingto restrict India to a paltry scorebut India’s Mahendra SinghDhoni played a captain’s knockscoring 38 from just 18 balls. Hewas supported well by Rainawho played a patient inningsand remained unbeaten on 35from 24 balls.

India began their innings ona disappointing note. AjinkyaRahane was the first to go hav-ing top-edged a ball from JadeDernbach straight to third man.

Virat Kohli who replacedRahane steadied India’s inningsscoring 38 off 20 balls. But hewas soon sent back to the pavil-ion being trapped in front of thewickets by Stuart Meaker. Afterwhich wickets kept tumbling.

Though India maintained ahealthy run rate throughouttheir innings, the fall of wicketsat regular intervals undid theirearlier good work. While Dhonibelieved that his side had theopportunity to score at least 10more runs, England’s accuratefielding ensured that India didnot race to a score closer to 200.

India:Gambhir c Bresnan b Wright 17Ajinkya Rahane c Root b Dernbach 3Virat Kohli lbw b Meaker 38Yuvraj Singh c Root b Wright 4Rohit Sharma b Tredwell 24Suresh Raina not out 3MS Dhoni c Patel b Bresnan 38Ashwin c Lumb b Dernbach 1Chawla run out (Root/Buttler) 0Extras: (b 2, lb 4, w 9, nb 2) 17Total: (for eight wickets) 177Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-64, 3-71, 4-88,5-108, 6-168, 7-171, 8-177BowlingTim Bresnan 4-0-27-1Jade Dernbach 4-0-37-2Stuart Meaker 4-0-42-1Luke Wright 4-0-38-2James Tredwell 4-0-27-1EnglandM Lumb st Dhoni b Yuvraj Singh 50Alex Hales c Dinda b Yuvraj Singh 42Luke Wright lbw b Yuvraj Singh 5Eoin Morgan not out 49Samit Patel c Gambhir b Dinda 9Jos Buttler not out 12Extras (b 1, lb 8, w 2) 10Total: (for four wickets) 181Fall of wickets: 1-80, 2-94, 3-123, 4-149BowlingAshok Dinda 4-0-44-1Parvinder Awana 4-0-42-0Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-38-0Piyush Chawla 4-0-31-0Yuvraj Singh 4-0-17-3

SCOREBOARD

Fitness battle on for Clarke Robert Smith

MELBOURNE: SkipperMichael Clarke (right) is rac-ing the clock to be fit for theBoxing Day Test against SriLanka as selectors mullwhether Mitchell Johnson orJackson Bird will beAustralia’s third pace bowler.

Clarke has been treating aright hamstring strain suf-fered in Australia’s 137-runwin over the tourists in lastweek’s first Test at Hobart,while Johnson and Bird wereadded to the squad for theinjured Ben Hilfenhaus.

Selectors have placed

Usman Khawaja on standbyfor Clarke, with vice-captainShane Watson expected tolead the Australians if theskipper fails in his fitnessbid.

Clarke, who hasreclaimed the top spot in thelatest ICC Test batsman rank-ings, said last week his scanswere “positive” and he wasconfident of playing.

He has been having anextraordinary season, scoring1,489 runs at 106.35 and is just55 runs adrift of RickyPonting’s Australian recordof 1,544 in a calendar yearwith a potential two innings

left in Wednesday’sMelbourne Test.

Opinion is divided overthe merits of left-armerJohnson and newcomer Birdfor the third pace spot along-side Peter Siddle and MitchellStarc.

Australia’s greatest Testwicket-taker Shane Warnehas plumped for Bird, whohas excelled in the last twoSheffield Shield seasonsand is ideally suited tothe Melbourne CricketGround.

“I think (Bird) will openthe bowling on Boxing Day,”Warne said.

Hyderabad scored 247 for 6on Day 1 of their matchagainst Railways on Satur -day. Breif scores: Sumanth45, B Sandeep 68, A AshishReddy 60 batting, MuraliKarthik 2 for 60, KV Sharma2 for 85Cooch Behar Trophy Hyderabad Vs Karnataka atGymkhanaKarnataka 268 for 3 in 92overs (Rohan Kadam 106,Nischal D 89, AbhinavManohar 45 batting,Bharath KN 21 batting)A 11 One Day LeagueChampionship Royal CC 59 (T MadhuBabu 5 for 9) Lost to Starlets 60 for 1

Ranji Trophy

KARACHI: Bangladesh willwait for security clearancefrom the InternationalCricket Council (ICC) beforeconfirming they will tourPakistan next month for atwo-match series, their topofficial said Saturday.

Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) chairman ZakaAshraf had said that theBangladesh Cricket Board(BCB) had announced theirintention to tour, makingthem the first team to visitthe country since a terroristattack on the Sri Lankansquad in 2009.

“We were in constanttouch with the BCB officialsand they have conveyed tous that the tour is con-firmed,” Ashraf told AFP.

“They have also gotapproval from their boardmembers and we are intouch for the schedule.”

However, NazmulHassan (above), the BCBpresident, said laterSaturday that the decision isstill “two to four days” awayas they await a securityassessment by the ICC.

“In my opinion, we canreach a final decision in thenext two to four days,”Hassan told the BBC BanglaService.

“We will ask the ICC tocomplete their securityassessment for match offi-cials and then give our con-firmation,” he said. AFP

Banglawait onPak

APARNA G SAI

In Mumbai

India lose second T20

Dermot Ledwith

MADRID: Xavi Hernandez,Lionel Messi (right) andCristian Tello steered La Ligaleaders Barcelona to a 3-1 win atValladolid on Saturday givingstricken coach Tito Vilanova atimely boost in his battle againstcancer.

Vilanova left hospital earlier in the day, 48 hours after undergoing surgery toremove a tumour in his salivagland.

Jordi Roura took charge ofBarca in the absence of the 44-year-old Vilanova who will beout of the game for a number ofmonths to undergo radiotherapy

and chemotherapy.The win allowed Barcelona

to finish 2012 with a nine-pointadvantage over second-placedAtletico Madrid with 16 wins in17 games, the 2-2 home drawwith Real Madrid being the onlygame in which Barca havedropped points.

“The result could not bemore satisfying. We have endedthe year very well in a sportingsense and if we add to this thegood news about Tito, we can bevery happy”, said Roura.

“The only way we had tohelp him was winning the gameand, once again, the team’s atti-tude has been remarkable.”

Alexis Sanchez should have

opened the scoring as early asthe fifth minute, but after run-ning onto a Dani Alves pass, hesomehow shot wide with thegoal at his mercy.

Valladolid goalkeeper DaniHernandez was called intoaction on 11 minutes to stop ashot from Messi and Xavi wentclose with a curling free-kickafter 26 minutes that zipped justpast his post.

Messi hit a free-kick againstthe post on 35 minutes after centre-half Henrique Sereno had blocked Thiago Alcantaraon the edge of the area, but itlooked as if the home side wouldsurvive to the interval fairlycomfortably.

Malaga send Real crashing to defeat MADRID: Real Madrid coachJose Mourinho was underrenewed pressure onSaturday after his team lost 3-2 at Malaga, a defeat whichleft the champions 16 pointsbehind leaders Barcelona.

The disappointment ofthe defeat was compoundedby Mourinho’s controversialdecision to drop goalkeeperand captain Iker Casillas fromthe starting line-up.


SPORTS 32

Steve Griffiths

LONDON: Manchester Cityclosed the gap on PremierLeague leaders ManchesterUnited in dramatic fashion asGareth Barry’s stoppage-timewinner clinched a crucial 1-0victory over Reading onSaturday.

After labouring to breakdown struggling Reading forlong periods, the championsbroke the deadlock whenEngland midfielder Barry head-ed home from a David Silvacross.

That was enough to moveCity within three points ofUnited and keep their title chal-lenge alive heading into the

busy Christmas programme,while Reading stay bottom aftertheir 11th defeat of the season.

“We had lots of possessionbut if you don’t score early it isvery difficult,” Mancini said.

“You need to score quicklyin these games and sometimesyou have to take a risk to score,but I think we deserved towin.”

Reading boss BrianMcDermott added: “That goalat the end is just wrong. He(Barry) is on Nicky Shorey’sback and it is an absolutely cer-tain foul.”

Arsenal climbed to thirdplace, nine points behind City,as Mikel Arteta’s second halfpenalty sealed a 1-0 win over

Wigan at the DW Stadium.The only goal of a scrappy

encounter arrived in the 60thminute when Spanish midfield-er Arteta fired home from thespot after Jonathan Moss gave apenalty for Jean Beausejour’sclip on Theo Walcott.

For all the talk of a crisisenveloping Arsene Wenger’sside after their humiliatingLeague Cup defeat at LeagueTwo minnows Bradford, theGunners have now won theirlast three league matches andare back in the race to secure aChampions League place.

“It was very importantbecause we beat West Brom athome and now we have twoaway wins,” Wenger said.

City closes gap on Utd With United not in action until Sunday’s trip to Swansea, Roberto

Mancini’s team desperately needed to put pressure on their bitter rivals.

LIVERPOOL, UK: Liverpoolwinger Stewart Downing (above)finally ended his Premier Leaguegoal drought as the Reds swept toa 4-0 victory over Fulham atAnfield on Saturday.

Downing had gone 44 leaguematches without a goal sincejoining from Aston Villa in a £20million deal in 2011 that hasbeen widely ridiculed as a majormistake by then Liverpool bossKenny Dalglish.

Brendan Rodgers, whoreplaced Dalglish at Anfield inthe close-season, had fared nobetter with the under-achievingEngland international andDowning last week revealed hehas been told he can leave theclub.

But the 28-year-old startedagainst Fulham and seized thechance to put himself in theshop window.

After Martin Skrtel lashedin Liverpool’s opener early inthe first half, Downing set upEngland captain Steven Gerrardfor the second goal with a finepass and then bagged the thirdhimself after the break.

It was just his fifth goal forLiverpool, the others coming inthe FA Cup and Europa League,and his first in the top-flightsince he scored for Villa againsthis current club in May 2011.

“I’m just trying to enjoy it,do the best I can,” he said.

Downingends

drought

Manchester City’s English midfielder Gareth Barry (2nd L) climbs above Reading defenders to score his injury timewinning goal during their match at The Etihad stadium in Manchester, England on Saturday. AFP/ ADRIAN DENNIS

Barça give Vilanova timely boost Barcelona were quick out of the blocks on Saturday to romp home 3-1 against Valladolid.

Pienaar winner helpsEverton go fourthLONDON: South Africa mid-fielder Steven Pienaar liftedEverton into fourth place inthe Premier League as histeam came from behind towin 2-1 at West Ham onSaturday.

David Moyes' sideclimbed above Chelsea andTottenham into the finalChampions League berththanks to Pienaar's secondhalf winner after VictorAnichebe had cancelled outCarlton Cole's early openerfor the Hammers.

Everton enjoyed a sliceof good fortune as WestHam had Cole controversial-ly sent off soon afterAnichebe's equaliser.

Referee Anthony Tayloralso dismissed Everton mid-fielder Darron Gibson instoppage-time.

English Premier League results

EPL results on Saturday

Liverpool 4 Vs Fulham 0

Manchester City 1 Vs Reading 0

Newcastle 1 Vs QPR 0

Southampton 0 Vs Sunderland 1

Tottenham 0 Vs Stoke 0

West Bromwich 2 Vs NorwichCity 1

West Ham 1 Vs Everton 2

Wigan 0 Vs Arsenal 1

Today’s fixtures:

Swansea v Manchester Utd(1330 GMT), Chelsea v Aston

Villa (1600 GMT)

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