CMYK

The ex factor:Leto is Diaz’smost unwanted Page 7

On sound ground:Radio Mirchi spellshot for the stars...Page 2

THE TIMES OF INDIASunday,

May 4, 2003

T H A N K G O D S U N D A YI T ’ SOF INDIA

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/01/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/01/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/01/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/01/C/1

TO D AY S LUCKYAll the fours844Two fat ladies888Heer Ranjha released870

Four score880

TO D AY S LUCKY

How was it likeshooting for yo-ur latest relea-se, The Hero:The Love storyOf A Spy?Well, at 11,000 fe-et above sea levelon the Jungfraumountains of

Switzerland, I just couldn’t help wond-ering whether this was one big mista-ke! ‘‘There was little oxygen there andall I could see was a whole range of cr-evices below. I had a daredevil jump tomake and thought to myself: ‘If thiscable snaps, I will be gone forever.’ But

then, I did that jump thrice!The last time you played a spy, thefilm bombed at the box-office.Himmat was a bad film. In my view,the best spy film Bollywood has evermade is Aankhen. James Bond films,

in turn, are full of senseless action.The only one in the series which hasan emotional element is The Spy WhoLoved Me.But aren’t you more comfortableplaying the angry young man thanthe romantic?Frankly, I don’t get angry unless some-body rubs me the wrong way for no rh-yme or reason. Yes, I have got into fig-hts, beaten up people and got beatenup myself. But the fact is that anger isnot so much about brute strength, butemotional intensity. However, I guessthere is a bit of me in all the charact-ers I portray.How are you in real life?

In reality, I am a shy guy who is unco-mfortable in a crowd of strangers. Myfear is about how people are going tobehave. Once I see warmth around me,I relax. But people often ask me how Iact when I am so shy. The point is, acti-ng is my profession!What next after The Hero?Dance choreographer Ahmed is maki-ng a film based on the character of Ar-jun Malvankar —the character I play-ed in Arjun, one of the first hits of mycareer. It is the story of the grown-upArjun, who is still the same in manyways. All in all, I have much to look fo-rward to.

SURESH NAIR

SUNNY DEOLActrorOn the manbehind themovies

‘There is a bit of me in all the roles I essay’

Now,Lara s themehas a new Andaaz

VINOD NAIRTimes News Network

A new innings, a new avatar. But so-me things haven’t changed. The vo-ice is as well-modulated as ever, the

charm as effusive. Former Femina Miss In-dia-Universe Lara Dutta might be on thethreshold of being a Bollywood star, withher maiden movie hitting the silver screen,but she hasn’t lost the Andaaz which ma-kes her a winner.

This, when Andaaz wasn’t supposed tobe her launching pad in tinsel town! ‘‘Callit coincidence or what you will, but whatwas supposed to be my first film also hadAskshay Kumar as my he-ro!’’ says Lara, ‘‘For somereason, however, this filmnever took off. In the meantime, I was feat-ured on the cover of a film magazine andSunil Darshan, the producer of Andaaz,happened to see this photograph. When hecalled up Akshay to find out about me, Ak-shay suggested that he speak with me dire-ctly. Soon enough, I got a call from Sunil,who called me over to Mumbai to read thescript. I was selected and, barely four dayslater, was facing the camera!’’ Whew!

The ramp to reel story might be predict-able enough, but Lara’s Andaaz connecti-on seems to have been fashioned as muchby destiny as design. Not that Lara is comp-laining —the lady’s role in the film, afterall, is one that is close to her heart. ‘‘Andaz,though it is a triangular love story, is diffe-

rent in a whole lot of ways. For starters, Iplay a girl who is somewhat of a dada inher mohalla. The character I portray goesthrough various emotions after falling inlove —I would rather essay a role of thisnature than put on a glamorous act.’’

Lara, of course, is all set to play a lengthyinnings in Bollywood. Following Andaaz tothe big screen is Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Do-st, in which Abhishek Bachchan and Chu-nkey Pandey are her co-stars. ‘‘I must saythat life is very hectic!’’ says Lara, ‘‘My for-thcoming films include Madhur Bhandar-kar’s Aan, E Nivas’ Bardaasht with BobbyDeol; and Vikram Bhatt’s Jurm.’’

While she is being extremely choosyabout the projects she tak-es up, if Lara were to cho-ose a role it would be that

of — yes — the leading lady in a 007 film.‘‘Well, I don’t want to say anything aboutthis because there have been times when Ihave spoken about things which have fail-ed to materialise. All I will say is that it wo-uld be great to be a Bond girl,’ she says. We-ll, in the event of Lara being granted herwish, who would she want to see as 007?‘‘Well, most girls fall for Pierce Brosnan,don’t they? I don’t mind him myself !’’ Agiggle completes the sentence.

There’s something about Lara Dutta. So-mething which makes one feel that one isbonding with the best. It’s called universalappeal. A man called 007 has it too. And forhim, like her, the world is not enough.

vinodnair@indiatimes.com

I grew up in the lap of natu-re: My earliest memories are ofour weekly family picnics, duri-ng which my three sisters —Netra, Medha, Anupama —and I fed the swans and fish atthe lake near our home. I wasborn to Prabhakar Soman, a sc-ientist, and Usha, a biochemist,on November 4, 1965, in Scotla-nd, from where the family mo-ved to a place near London.My first crush was crushed!The first time I fell in love, I wasall of six! Ann was a Scottishand we were in the same class.Once, a friend remarked that ifwe ever get married and hadbabies, they would be half-blackand half-white! My romance en-ded even before it had begun!We returned to India: In 1972,we moved to Dadar in Mumbai,and I secured admission in class III at Antonio De Silva School. Wildlife fascinatedme and my pets included snakes, lizards, cats, dogs, rats, rabbits and a pigeon! Idon’t remember too much about my school days as swimming was my focus.My love proved futile: At the age of 12, I fell in love with a girl who, I was sure,hated me. She was a swimmer too and I dreamt about her for five years before shefinally said she liked me! We saw each other for three years, but the relationshipnever matured to the next stage. Today, she is happily married and has kids.My family has never interfered in my life:Nobody forced me to con-centrate on studies rather than swimming, which is surprising si-nce mine is an academically-inclined background. All four ofmy grandparents were doctors. Then, my father, was a scien-tist with BARC. But he kept to himself and I was closer to mymother, who taught biochemistry at Wilson College.Studies never interested me: After school, I enrolled forthe electrical engineering course at Saboo Sidique College.It was an all-boy college so I didn’t exactly have scores ofgirlfriends! I would do the barest minimum to get throughexams and was mostly in the swimming pool! Not sur-prisingly, most of my friends were sportspersons.I became financially-independent: During my swim-ming days, I started an event management company,‘Lotus and Bee’, with Neerja Shah. We handled culturalevents. Guzishta, a multimedia show scripted by Gulzarwhich featured Jagjit Singh, Bismillah Khan, Amjad AliKhan, Birju Maharaj and Zakir Hussain, was one ofmy major events. It was during this time that I met Su-bodh Maskara, who is one of my closest friends now.I was rejected as a model: I won a national swimm-ing title in 1984 and was a champion for four years ina row. Then, I lost the competitive urge and startedlooking for options. I even contemplated going abr-oad to pursue marine engineering. During this ti-me, my model friend Bijoy Jain sent me for one of his ca-mpaigns. It was for a suitings company but, after I had tr-ied on the suits, I was rejected as I looked too young! Modelling was primitive back then:Even while I was be-ing rejected, I met Ratna Behl who, realising that I was inte-rested in modelling, called me up later. Back then, thefashion industry didn’t have the glamour it has now.Ratna asked me to change different shirts and get cli-cked. For this, she was ready to pay Rs 50,000 — an un-imaginable sum even in today’s context! So, I startedmy modelling career with Thakersay Fabrics in 1989, atime when Indian fashion was at a nascent stage.

I was labelled a supermodel:Designers found my thin anddark look to be different fromthe stereotype. Photographersand designers started promot-ing me and I was soon labelledIndia’s first supermodel. But Ishouldn’t take credit for thistag because there were few mo-dels around. I am an old-timer;in fact, I have been a judge onthe panels of pageants whichhave catapulted the careers ofBipasha, John and Dino.The West is way ahead of us:In 1993, an international agen-cy signed on Madhu Sapre, Me-hr Jesia and me. Madhu and Iwere in London and Paris for acouple of years and did showstogether. While working there, Irealised the West is years aheadof India, technology-wise.

Madhu was and is special to me: Madhu is a special person in my life and shewill always be that. She is the only woman to whom I have proposed, the only wo-man I have wanted to marry. After we broke up, I have never felt like marrying.When we were together, there was a special bond between us. Unfortunately, beca-use of certain faults of mine, our relationship never became long-term.Society is hypocrital: The Tuff Shoes ad had me and Madhu intertwined with asnake. The ad received a positive response from most people, but certain sections

objected to it. But I don’t think music videos or ads can ever influence the publ-ic to do something which is wrong. Moreover, it is strange that the samepeople who raise a hue and cry about a low-cut dress don’t object to nu-

merous everyday things which are illegal.Mom doesn’t find me good-looking:My family is surprised th-at I am a success. My mother keeps telling me that she doesn’t kn-

ow what is so interesting about me. For her, I will always beordinary. My father passed away in 1996 and never saw

my success. Still, he was happy when I was happy.TV gave me the chance to branch out: After being

a model for six years, I started looking for other avenu-es. Amol Palekar offered me a role in Dayra. I alm-ost accepted the film when I was offered A Mouth-

ful Of Sky, the first English soap in India. This was 1996and I made my debut as an actor. Subsequently, along wi-th Parvati Balagopalan, a dear friend, I started my ownproduction company and produced serials such as Mar-garita and Hubahu. TV gave me scope to experiment.

Tanha, an Indo-Pak venture, is one of my favourite seri-als, besides Captain Vyom and Noor Jahan.I finally entered films: After seeing Tanha, Ismail Shroff

offered me Tarkieb, a murder mystery released in 1999. Sub-sequently, Agnivarsha didn’t do well, but 16 December was ahit. Though I prefer to act in off-beat films which excite me,critics insist that my Bollywood career hasn’t been succes-sful. I will say that I am just three movies old and have start-

ed out. Personally, I don’t care about what people thi-nk if I am convinced about what I am doing.

I create my own space: In June, my first film as a prod-ucer, Rules Pyar Ka Superhit Formula, will hit theatres. I willcontinue to accept acting roles which excite me. I love open sp-aces and would like to settle outside the city with lots of greene-

ry around. When will I get married? Maybe in 2006, as I have alw-ays wanted to get married by the time I was 41! On a serious note,I take a step at a time and have not charted my future. This is how

I have lived my life; this is how I will always live it.aparna1210@indiatimes.com

LIFE, THE MILIND SOMAN WAYSPECIALSUNDAY

MOVIEMAIDEN

Dad’s the way he likes it!AFSANA AHMED

Times News Network

There’s something special ab-out the excitement surroun-

ding the arrival of that little bun-dle of joy. Once the stork arrives,parents are at their proudest best.Not convinced?Ask brand newdaddy Ajay Dev-gan about whatthe elevation tofatherhood mea-ns to him.

‘‘My daughterNyasa is the joyof my life,’’ gush-es Ajay, ‘‘My wo-rk brings me gre-at joy, but nothi-ng can compare with the happin-ess Nysa has given me. I have nev-er felt so satisfied.’’

While Ajay insists that it is stilltoo early for him to say who Nya-sa resembles, he is clear that hersis the most beautiful face on earthfor him and Kajol. ‘‘This is whywe have named her Nysa, after aGreek goddess,’’ says Ajay, whopresented Kajol with a Mercedes

when the stork arrived.‘‘This was just a token of my

feelings for her,’’ reveals Ajay, ‘‘St-ill, expensive gifts can never be ameasure of my feelings for her.My family and Kajol have givenme irreplaceable happiness whi-ch I want to treasure forever. I ne-

ver knew that alook at my littledaughter wouldhelp me forgetmy sorrows.’’

Meanwhile,the actor in Ajayis looking forwa-rd to Gangajal,Bhoot and Qaya-mat, in which hesports a differentlook. Other films

in the pipeline are LoC and a filmwith Raj Kumar Santoshi. So farunsuccessful as a producer, Ajayhas now tied up with Sanjay Duttand Nitin Manmohan to producea new film. ‘‘I will make somethi-ng different. As of now, I am bask-ing in my new-found status as afather.’’ For Ajay Devgan, life hasnever been more beautiful.

delhitimes@indiatimes.com

This is not about India’s firstsupermodel, for whom the rampwas his world and the world washis ramp. This is about a boy whoswum against the tide to become

a national champion; an actorwho has graduated from rejectionto recognition; an eternal romantic

who has overcome the ordealof love’s labour lost; and, most

importantly, a free spirit who daresto be different. This man of many

avatars has never lost the wanderlustto explore the possibilities of whatcan be — as opposed to what was.

APARNA GUPTA discovers thatMilind Soman doesn’t live life aftera fashion —he fashions his own life

MANOJ KESHARWANIPhotos: RONJOY GOGOI

THESISPARENT

Baby daughter Nysa is the joy of Ajay Devgan’s life

PILLOW AND BEHOLD! With Andaaz hitting the silver screen, Lara Dutta showsDelhi Times the smile which launches a box-office hit, at the Maurya Sheraton

(To send this photograph to a friend, log on to www.timescity.com/delhi/)

AJIT NINAN

CMYK

D E L H I I S T A L K I N G A B O U T DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA2 SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003

SMS joke of the day

Samsung presents Leg-ends of India — a per-formance by BegumParveen Sultana and DrL Subramaniam.

Stein Auditorium,India Habitat Centre

7.30 pm

Krishna’s Collection ArtGallery presents an exhi-bition entitled Warwhich features works byselect artists. The showwill be curated by Pras-anta Kalita.D-47, Defence Colony

On till May 15

Nitu Yadav presents Re-flection — an exhibition-cum-sale of paintings byvarious upcoming artistswhich will be inaugurat-ed today by Kiran Chaud-hary, MLA and deputyspeaker of the VidhanSabha.

Habiart Gallery5 pm On till May 8 (11

am to 7 pm daily)

Ssteel the bar at HotelAshok is recreating thespirit and mood of theblues. The blues was es-sentially an era aboutpeople, their love, theirtears and their hard-ships. Guests will get torevive the passionatemusic of the era and toenjoy snacks and cock-tails like Cocobana, BlueHawain, Blue shots, BlueLagoon etc.

Ssteel, Hotel AshokOn till May 15

12 noon to 10 pm

An exhibition of recentworks by 35 eminentartists will be on till May 15.

30 B, Hauz Khas Village

11 am to 7 pm

WHAT’S HOT ’N’HAPPENING?

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/02/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/02/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/02/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/02/C/1

It’s notjust whatDelhi is tun-

ing in to. Already air,there, everywhere inthe city, Radio Mirchi 98.3FM has, literally, reached thestars! Over to Mandira Bedi,who was recently on the airwaves of the hottest andmost happening radio sta-tion in town.

After scoring a six on TVduring the World Cup, thislocal girl is back in the citywhere she grew up. ‘‘Delhialways feels good. It’s myjaan because my parentslive here. I stayed here as akid in Vasant Vihar.’’

Now, for the hot stuff. ‘‘MyMirchi outfit is the saree;nothing is more appealing orsexier,’’ says Mandira. HerMirchi food? ‘‘Schezwannoodles, hot and spicy Chi-nese food!’’ Her Mirchi vaca-tion? ‘‘Cape Town.’’ AndMirchi leisure? ‘‘Workingout!’’ That’s hot! But thehottest part is Mandira’s

favouritesongs. There’s ‘‘Lagaan’sChale Chalo’’ and — yes —Mohabbat Hai Mirchi andHai Hai Mirchi!’’

If Mandira is hot proper-ty, so is a certain Mr MilindSoman, who touched downin the Capital recently andvisited theRadio Mirchistudio. Whatmakes Mili-nd Mirchi,you ask? ‘‘Mybody temper-ature — 98.3!Touch metouch me!’’Right ontrack — afterall, RadioMirchi is on98.3 FM!

When as-ked how hemanages tolook hotand staycool at thesame time,M i l i n ds a y s ,‘ ‘Lookinghot is easy Iwas bornthat wayand stayingcool is diffi-cult because they won’t letme.’’ Milind’s first Mirchimoment? ‘‘When I first fellin love — I was all of 6...she was 6 too. Her name isAnna.’’

Milind’s most Mirchi co-star? ‘‘Tabu.’’ Mirchimovie? ‘‘Lagaan.’’ And hisMirchi shooting experi-ence? ‘‘For Rules — PyaarKa Superhit Formula, wewere looking for snow andwe drove for four days!’’For this model-turned-ac-tor-turned-producer, hisnext turn might just be ‘‘aradio jockey in Delhi!’’

Back To Mandira. Whileon air, this Amitabh

Bachchanfan put in a re-

quest for quite a few BigB numbers, apart fromsongs composed by RD Bur-man and rendered by Kish-ore Kumar. Some of thesongs held sentimental val-ue. ‘‘My husband would singthem to me when he wascourting me.’’

As for Milind, here’s a tip.When asked what a womanshould do to win the hunk’sheart, he says, ‘‘Give me amassage!’’ While on air,Milind also announced thewinners of the Paanch Tad-ka Laga Ke Contest. Yes, it’salways a win-win situationwith Radio Mirchi. Staytuned!

You can catch Milind So-man’s interview on MirchiMorning, to be aired on Ra-dio Mirchi 98.3 FM at 9 amtoday.

You can tune in to Mandi-ra Bedi’s interview on Lal-lan Bhaiyye on Radio Mirchi98.3 FM at 1 pm today.

Girlfriends are appetiz-ers. Taste good at anytime. Mistresses arepizzas. Hot & spicy.Eaten frequently.Wives are curdrice. Eaten whenthere’s nothing.

They’re as hot as...

MANOJ KESHARWANI & RONJOY GOGOI

CMYK

SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003 3DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA D E L H I I S T A L K I N G A B O U T

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/03/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/03/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/03/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/03/C/1

Aglittering eveningwhen Bollywoodglamour and politi-

cal powers joined hands tocelebrate.... The occasionwas the Maharashtra Daycelebrations organised atthe Parliament House An-nexe Auditorium on Fridayevening.

Organised by Shiv SenaMP Rajkumar Dhoot, theguests included deputy PML K Advani, finance minis-ter Jaswant Singh, LokSabha speaker ManoharJoshi and a number of MPsand bureaucrats.

The evening saw variouseminent Maharashtriansbeing felicitated for theirwork. There was formercricket stalwart SunilGavaskar looking dapper in a creamsilk kurta-pyjama outfit. While he wasthe lone ranger from the field ofsports, Bollywood was suitably repre-

sented. Prettyladies UrmilaM a t o n d k a rand SonaliBendre, bothdressed in for-mal sareeswere theregiving compa-ny to film-di-rector Mahesh

M a n -

jrekar sporting a French beard andactor Ashok Saraf. Dena Bank’sMD and chairman AG Joshi, Sym-biosis’ Dr Majumdar and eminentsurgeon Dr Nitu Mandke werealso felicitated that evening.

Despite this scintillating gath-ering, the show-stealers weretiny tots who presented a skit onRamayana. With their innocentand refreshing performance ofthe age-old epic, they got astanding ovation from thehouse. Cultural events over, itwas time to sample the elabo-rate Maharashtrian spreadthat completed the experience.Others present at the do were

deputy chairman Rajya Sab-ha Najma Heptullah, MPs ShabanaAzmi and Subbarami Reddy and Son-ali’s husband Goldie Behl.

Colours of India. Thelaunch do of the Lon-don Metropolitan Un-

iversity saw all this and moreat the Shahjahan Hall of theTaj Palace Hotel on Thurs-day evening.

Formed bythe merging ofthe two of UK’smost-reputed in-stitutions — theUniversity ofNorth Londonand London Gu-ildhall Universi-ty, the occasionsaw the entry ofeminent educa-tionists, espe-cially from In-dia, UK and Pak-

istan.With the lighting of the

lamp and tikkas placed onthe forehead, the get-togetherwas indeed a reflection of theIndian culture and heritage.

Said director of the Uni-versity’s Indian Liaison of-fice in Delhi, Raman Shar-

ma, ‘‘The evening is an at-tempt to widen the sub-

ject range, enhanceflexibility and provi-de increased opport-unities for the staffand students. Also,it will make place-ment easier.’’

Set amidst thebackground ofthe University-scorporate colo-ur, violet, the st-

age indeed a sliceout of a fairy-tale. Host-

ed by Geetika Ganju, thedo also saw performancesby Drums of India featu-ring nine different percu-ssion instruments fromacross the country. Also,the firework display wasa delight.

Those present on theoccasion were Britishdeputy high co-mmissioner Mark

Runacres, Jacque Allan fromthe British Council, head ofAsian Development Adrienne

Clarke, marketing communi-cations manager RobertHawker, among others.

(With contributions from Allen O’Brien and Jyoti Sharma)

Lacoste, the premiumbrand of leisure-we-ar, has launched its

exciting new Spring Sum-mer Collection 2003. Call-ed Atlantique, this newcollection blends comfortand style with distinctiveauthenticity, ingenuity,brilliance and elegancethat have been the hall-mark of Lacoste since1933.

The new range was un-veiled recently at the ‘Pas-sion 4 Colour’ show or-ganised by The Times ofIndia at Tivoli Garden inthe Capital.

Speaking on the occasi-on, Vikas Gupta, presi-dent and CEO, Lacoste In-dia said, ‘‘Lacoste isknown the world over forcreating a casual-urbanstyle that has the rightmix of both professionalas well as leisure-wear.The new Atlantiquerange goes a step furtherin combining a relaxed,cool attitude with sleekdesign and discreet ele-gance. It’s been designedto fulfil the needs of the

new generationwho want to sporttheir sartorial lookbased on individuallifestyles. It is likelyto be preferred byall who choose theirclothes with careand have a taste forfine materials, so-phisticated fabricand attention to de-tail.’’

Designed by Chr-istopher Lemaire,the range has beeninspired by the colo-urs of the Atlantic.In fact, Lemaire hassought to capturethe myriad moodsof the ocean — theAtlantic at hightide, full moon, ear-ly morning, thecolours at its deep-est point, near thecoastline and at thehorizon!

Coming in the fa-mous Lacostepique, jersey andpure cottons in a va-riety of textures,Atlantique skilfullyblends the tradi-tional with modernelements. There arealso combinationsof elegantly-placedstripes in shades ofcool blues with adash of imperialred, peach andparchment to addrhythm. It createsthe perfect style anddynamism to thiscollection. The At-lantique range fromLacoste consists ofShirts, Trousers, T-shirts, Singlets,Jeans and ClothingAccessories forLadies, Men and Ju-niors.

Medianet

Delhi designs with the Atlantic touch

Urmila Matondkar and Sunil Gavaskar S B Majumdar, Nitu Mandke and A G Joshi

LONDON SE AAYE MERE DOST!

Linda Oosteurijk and Robert Hawken

Rita and S Bakshi with F Hasan

Geetika Ganju

Raman Sharma with Jacque Alen

Adrienne Clarke and Pragyat Singh Sandeep and Shweta Joshi with Susie Joseph

And the award goes to...

Raman Sharma with Jacque Alen

Chanderkant Kher with Rajkumar Dhoot

Mahesh Manjrekar

Nivedita and Ashok Saraf

Sonali Bendre

Photos: NITIN MALIK

Pho

tos:

SAT

ISH

JA

ISW

AL

CMYK

D E L H I4 SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA New Delhi, May 4, 2003

REMEMBRANCE

�œ�ND�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

SUND40503/CR1/04/K/1

�œ�ND�‰�‰��†�‰������

SUND40503/CR1/04/Y/1

�œ�ND�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

SUND40503/CR1/04/M/1

�œ�ND�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

SUND40503/CR1/04/C/1

BANGKOK/TOKYO:Thai Air 0010 (TG-316), A-I 0050 (IC-855) FRANKFURT: Lufthansa0305 (LH-761) AMSTERDAM: North-west 0140 (NW-037) LONDON: British Air0210 (BA-142) PARIS: Air France 0040(AF-147), A-I 0735 (AI-141) SINGAPORE: Sin’poreAirlines 2315 (SQ-407), I-A 0500 (IC-855) ROME/GENEVA: A-I0350 (AI-171) HONG KONG/OSAKA:A-I 2320 (AI-318)

MUMBAI: 0520 (AI 136), 2145 (AI 309),2205 (AI 311), 2330 (AI 112)

WEATHERRain or thundershowers likely at a few places inArunachal Pradesh,Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland -Manipur - Mizoram - Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Ben-gal and Sikkim, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, J&K

and Lakshadweep and at isolated places in Andaman and NicobarIslands, Gangetic West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana,Punjab, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, interior Karnataka and Kerala.Mainly dry weather will prevail over the rest of the country.

Max Min

INDIA

Guwahati 28 22 Dehradun 34 19 Hyd’bad 40 27 Indore 42 23 Jaipur 40 28 Lucknow 39 26 Patna 33 23 Rajkot 42 25 Shimla 25 15 Srinagar 15 07

FLIGHTS OUTOF DELHI

Mumbai: I-A 0700,0800, 0900, 1200, 1300,1700, 1800, 1900, 2000,2300 Jet Air 0650,0800, 0935, 1400, 1725,1935, 2030, 2200,Sahara 1700, 0935,1520, 1800, 2025KOLKATA: I-A 0700,1600★★ ,1700,1945Jet Air 0600, 1720,Sahara 0620,1915CHENNAI: I-A0640,0955★★★1645,1900 Jet Air0645,1900BANGALORE:I-A 0650, 1645, 1900Jet Air 0635,1715,Sahara 0725, 1745HY’BAD:I-A 0630, 1745GOA: I-A 1200,Sahara 1200 KULU: Jagson 0630,0650, 1215 ★AHMEDABAD:I-A 0600,1700★★ 1845,Jet Air 0610 GUWAHATI—BAGDOGRA:I-A 0555★★ , 1010•★ Jet Air 1010

NATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL

AIR INDIA

Ph: I-A:140,142. ★ Mon, Wed,Fri, ★★ Tue, Thu, Sat, ★★★Mon-Fri, Sun, Jet Air: (City)6853700, (Airport) 25665404Sahara: (City) 2335901-9,(Airport) 25675234/875, (Tele-Checkin) 25662600. • Mon, Fri.

A-I: (City)23736446 /47/48(Air.)25652050, British Air:(Air.) 25652908, Lufthansa:23323310, Singapore Airlines23356286, Thai Air: 3323638

TRAIN RESERVATIONS

No. of passengers dealt on 02.05.2003 (Delhi Area): 69,168 (N. Rly. Area)2,61,259. It does not necessarily mean that reservation is available on allsubsequent dates. For further information regarding reservation: Ph: 131 forcomputerised PNR, for status enquiry contact 1330, 1335, 1345.

(Information supplied by Indian Railways)

Earliest date on which berth / seats were available at 2000 hrs. on03.05.2003 in important trains leaving various Delhi stations.

Train No. Train / Exp / Mail 1 ac 2 ac Ac 3t SlNORTH4033 Jammu Mail 06.05 17.05 25.05 19.054645 Shalimar Exp — 29.05 03.06 07.052403 Jammu Exp 11.05 22.05 27.05 27.05EAST2302 Kolkata Rajdhani 04.05 14.05 04.06 —2304 Poorva Exp 07.05 08.05 21.05 29.052382 Poorva Exp 05.05 13.05 26.05 02.062312 Kalka Mail N.A. 06.05 18.06 19.062392 Magadh Exp N.A. 19.05 20.05 22.052402 Shramjeevi Exp — 08.05 20.05 23.052418 Prayag Raj Exp 07.05 07.05 12.05 17.054056 Brahmputra Mail — N.A. 15.06 31.055622 North East Exp — 03.06 16.06 31.052554 Vaishali Exp 06.05 21.05 28.05 09.062816 Puri Exp — 21.05 05.06 29.052802 Purshottam Exp — 29.05 29.05 26.058476 Neelanchal Exp — 10.06 15.06 20.054230 Lucknow Mail 08.05 12.05 16.05 21.05WEST2904 Golden Temple Mail 05.05 28.05 11.06 13.062926 Paschim Exp 06.05 13.06 16.06 16.062952 Mumbai Rajdhani 05.05 08.06 10.06 —2954 AG Kranti Rajdhani 13.05 03.06 09.06 —2474 Sarvodaya Exp — 05.06 12.06 22.051078 Jhelum Exp — 11.06 29.05 09.062916 Ashram Exp 05.05 05.06 11.06 21.05SOUTH2616 G T Exp 15.05 03.06 10.06 30.052622 Tamil Nadu Exp 15.05 05.06 11.06 02.062432 Trivandrum Raj 24.06 29.06 29.06 —2626 Kerala Exp — 17.06 13.06 04.062618 Mangala Exp — 17.06 18.06 29.052628 Karnataka Exp — 05.06 08.06 31.052724 A P Exp 11.05 12.06 11.06 21.052430 Banglore Rajdhani 30.05 23.06 23.06 —7022 Dakshin Express — 02.06 — 05.05

Max MinDelhi 41 29 Mumbai 33 26 Chennai 36 28 Kolkata 34 28 B’lore 34 23 Ahm’bad 43 26 T’puram 34 25 Bhopal 43 25 B’eshwar 39 28 Pune 39 23

WORLDMax Min

Amsterdam 19 08 Bahrain 33 17 Bangkok 33 27 Beijing 29 18 Chicago 12 05 Geneva 18 08 Hong Kong 28 23 London 17 09 Los Angeles 20 12 Moscow 21 09

SARS rumours sendhospital staff running

By Lalit KumarTIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ghaziabad: There was panicin a Ghaziabad hospital afterrumours spread that a pa-tient was showing symptomsof severe acute respiratorysyndrome (SARS).

It was only after a lot ofpersuasion that doctors wereable to bring back the pa-tients, their attendants, para-medical and other staff to thehospital. The patient, Usman(32), rumoured to be infectedwith SARS was actually suf-fering from hepatitis-B andjaundice. A hospital officialsaid: ‘‘The doctors had mere-ly told the patient’s relativesto wash themselves aftermeeting this patient.’’

The hospital authoritiesdenied having talked of anySARS case in the

hospital.‘‘This is purely a ru-mour,’’ he said. But the dis-trict medical authorities de-nied having any knowledgeof panic over SARS.

But Usman said he was ad-mitted to the hospital withsymptoms of nausea, feverand restlessness. There wasno respiratory distress or ir-ritation. ‘‘On Thursdayevening two men came to myroom and talked of SARS. Ididn’t know who they were.But I got the impression I hadcontracted the killer disease.Soon there was some commo-tion in the hospital,’’ he said.

Sources said Usman’s fam-ily members and attendantsof other patients left the hos-pital immediately. Even thehospital staff left the premis-es. It took hours for the hos-pital management to con-vince them to return.

New transformer for S DelhiTIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: Delhi state chiefminister Sheila Dikshit andstate power minister AjayMaken inaugurated a 100MVA transformer at the 220kV grid sub-station in Okhlain south Delhi.

Maken said the new trans-former constructed at a costof Rs 3.5 crore will meet thegrowing power demand insouth Delhi. It will providethe required reliability in thesystem besides meeting thegrowing power requirementin Okhla, Masjid Moth,Malviya Nagar, Alaknanda,

Nehru Place, East of Kailash,Greater Kailash, Kalkaji andsurrounding areas.

Speaking on the existingpower situation, Dikshit saidthere was an urgent need tobring about efficient demandside management as the de-mand has been increasing ata rate of 12 per cent annually.

Maken said more trans-formers are going to be in-stalled in Subzi Mandi, Pat-parganj and Pappankala.‘‘With the completion ofBamnauli-Ballabhgarh grid,an additional 400 MW wouldbe available,’’ he added.

Crores spentto make Delhicyber city by year-endNew Delhi: The governmentis all set to make Delhi a full-fledged cyber city by the endof 2003 and has earmarkedRs 25 crore for the same.

Government has spent Rs18 crore on computerisationduring 2002 and another Rs25 crore was allocated forbuying hardware, Delhi prin-cipal secretary for informa-tion technology S Reghu-nathan said while inaugurat-ing Infotech Forum 2003.

Government departments,including education, landand building records, hospi-tals, transport and servicecentres, will be computerisedand linked by Internet.

Reghunathan said morethan 100 government schoolsin the city will have full-fledged computer laborato-ries by the end of September2003 and all major govern-ment hospitals will be linkedthrough internet and willshare patient data.

About 12 computerisedservice centers would pro-vide their public services in-cluding lodging of com-plaints, employment andland records.PTI

City caught in a haze mazeTIMES NEWS NETWORK

& AGENCIES

New Delhi: Alka Singhwoke up rather startled onSaturday, wondering whathad swept through herroom. Her east Delhi resi-dence was covered with athick layer of dust, herwhite mosquito net hadturned light brown and feltgrainy. A peep outside andher car looked like it hadnot been touched in years.‘‘I picked up the broom andstarted with the bedroom. Itwas one long morning,’’ shesaid.

As the day rolled, Alkaknew she was not alone. Herrelatives in Uttar Pradeshcalled to say they were notsetting out for Delhi. A dusthaze accompanying high-velocity winds had sweptthrough northwest andparts of central India, dis-rupting vehicular move-ment, obstructing visionand forcing pedestrians to

cover up. Congress presi-dent Sonia Gandhi, too, hadto cancel her visit to Jammuwhere she was scheduled toaddress a rally.

‘‘In India, the dust hazehas swept through Ra-jasthan right up to Bareilyin western Uttar Pradesh,’’a Delhi meteorological de-partment official said. Visi-bility reduced to five kms atUdhampur, Jammu, Amrit-sar, Pathankot, Adampur,Bathinda, Ludhiana, Ja-landhar, Halwara, Ambala,Sirsa, Sirsawa and Surat-garh. Many parts of Punjaband Haryana experiencedwinds at 74 kmph, affectingpower and water supply.

And with the dust thatthe strong winds blew up,came talks of the environ-ment disaster that the warin Iraq had caused. Howev-er, the weatherman said thedust had nothing to do withthe war. ‘‘A dust haze insummer is not unusual,’’said S K Subramaniyam,

deputy director (cyclonewarning), Northern Hemi-sphere Analysis Centre(NHAC). ‘‘We expect aboutfour a month. Usually, adust haze is immediatelyfollowed by precipitation, orrain, helping the haze to set-tle down. So we don’t feelthe haze. But this westerndisturbance over the Pun-jab region, is not a weather-producing system. That is,it is not producing any rain-fall, except a bit in the west-ern Himalayan region. Thewinds are dry and the dustremains suspended in theair,’’ he said.

But what causes a dusthaze? ‘‘A strong pressuregradient causes strong sur-face winds to blow, usuallyat 30-40 km per hour. Thesewinds have the capacity tolift dust from the surfaceand distribute it in neigh-bouring areas. On the way,they pick up a lot of dust, es-pecially from the desert re-gion,’’ Subramaniyam said.

The result? Day tempera-tures dip and the night getswarmer. ‘‘The haze hindersdirect sunlight from reach-ing the earth. So, day tem-peratures will fall. Con-versely, the same hazeblocks radiation from theearth, so nights will bewarmer,’’ he said. Sureenough, the mercury dippedto 37.5 degrees Celsius inthe city on Friday, two de-grees below normal, whilethe minimum shot by fivedegrees above normal to 29.

In Rajasthan, too, mercu-ry dropped by four degreesat most places with the max-imum temperature rangingbetween 39 to 43 degreesCelsius.

According to the Met de-partment, the situation islikely to improve by lateSunday. ‘‘The western dis-turbance in moving east-ward and is likely to clearup in another day,’’ said H RHatwar, deputy DG (meteor-ology), NHAC.

Sanjay Sekhri

A dust haze enveloped northwest and central India forcing people to cancel outdoor plans on Saturday.

READER’S GRIEVANCES

Callous attitudeI experienced unendurableagony on a trip in the Ker-ala Express recently.Though the reservationmade almost a month in ad-vance, the ticket was in theWL-33.

On the date of journey,the number lowered only upto WL-8.

Hence, the entire 45 hourjourney was totally uncom-fortable.

I spent the day-and-nightnear by toilet. Though I re-quested the train superin-tendent and TTEs to treatmy case a little bit sympa-thetically to accommo-date/adjust due to disabili-ty, they left me stranded.

On inquiring with theRailway authorities aboutthe provisions/quota oftrain reservations for thedisabled people, I was in-formed that all these cate-gorised reservations aremade available only upto

some particular stage andthereafter no priority willbe entertained.

The concerned min-istry/authorities arehumbly requested to makesufficient quota/ provisionsto issue only confirmedticket to such physicallychallenged people.

The authorities’ step canensure that the trauma theyare suffering, especially,while travelling in publictransport, can be mitigatedto a great extent. — Guru-vayurappan G, B-7, HouseNo. 48A, Mayur Vihar-3

Park neglectI had complained to theMCD authorities on Febru-ary 23, 2003, about the poormaintenance and upkeep ofthe central park in GreenPark.

The residents of thecolony are using it to dumpgarbage in the non-bio-degradable plastic bags andthe visitors, particularly

those working in call cen-tres and other commercialestablishments, as a publicurinal.

I followed it up a monthlater by lodging my com-plaint on the Delhi GovtWebsite (Complaint No.CMO/PGC/2 002/502038).Till date no action has beentaken on my complaint.

Unless notice boards areput up in the park threaten-ing stringent penaltiesagainst those urinating/throwing garbage in publicplaces.

And unless these are fol-lowed up by actually catch-ing those violating the lawand fining them heavily. Idon’t see how we can makeDelhi a cleaner city.

It is, for example, thefear of paying heavy fineswhich has forced theDelhi motorist to wear seatbelts.

I wish to bring to the no-tice of the MCD authoritiesthe sorry plight of our chil-

dren wanting to play in theopen in Green Park. — KNandakumar, F-64, GreenPark Main

Bond bungleI purchased an IDBI bond ofRs 10,000 under folio No.81FB0573766 and certificateNo. 005096864 three yearsback and it’s maturity is al-ready expired on March 27, 2003.

But even after a month Ihave not received payment,along with interest therein .

But received an e-mail af-ter many correspondencethat they had re-deemedand switched over to Suvid-ha FDR.

I would like to ask theauthorities concerned asto how they had re-deemedin Suvidha FDR withoutmy knowledge or consent.

I need my entire paymentof Bond due in my favouragainst above case. — DeviDutt Sharma, B-137, Sector33, Noida, UP

Readers should send their contributions addressed to Readers’ Grievances c/o Metro Editor, The Times of India, 7, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002.

CMYK

SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003 R E L A T I O N S H I P S 5DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/05/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/05/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/05/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/05/C/1

I am a 29-year-old woman ma-rried for the la-st 2 years. Ourswas an arrang-ed marriage.The initial fewmonths werespent at our in-laws home andwere quitegood. Then we

shifted to Delhi and that’s where myproblems started. My husband started toignore me. He blamed me for everythingthat went wrong with him. Verbal fightsbecame a regular feature and he has nowstarted to insist that I leave him. Oursexual relationship has also deteriorat-ed. Recently, I had a baby whom he saysthat he wants to keep and wants me togo. My in-laws have asked me to staywith them which I do not want to do.And I still do not know why this hasstarted. Do you think that I should leavehim? Please help.

DDLife is so constructed that it does not, can-

not and will not match the expectations thatwe have from it. There is no greater re-minder of this simple fact than the institu-tion of marriage. Why a relationship startsgoing sour, why two people cant and don’t

get along with each other, how it started areall ponderables. However, what is more im-portant for me is the way out of such a quag-mire. Personally and professionally speak-ing, I don’t think that finding the cause is toorelevant. The initial cause is buried deep un-der several layers of things, events and emo-tions. There is no cause and effect relation-ship to be found for any of these. What is im-perative at this stage is to see what both peo-ple can do to reverse the ongoing patterns,both behavioural and emotional, within therelationship. The onus has to be on self, noton the other person, to change. However, it isstill easier said than done for if only one per-son recognises this and the other is not awilling participant in the process of change,motivation is going to fly out of the window.In your case, I would want you to go andmeet a counsellor and discuss options, waysand means. It would be wonderful if youcould get hubby dear to also get involved inthe exercise. Otherwise, life can keep goingfrom bad to worse, which I would not rec-ommend that you sentence yourself to.

Sanjay Chugh, MBBS, MD (Psychiatry) is a practising psychi-atrist. Readers should send their queries to Heart & Soul, c/oEditor, Delhi Times, The Times of India, 7, Bahadurshah ZafarMarg, New Delhi-110 002. Or chat with him live every Friday

5 to 6 pm (IST) about any of their interpersonal problemsconcerning love, marriage and friendships. To participate go

to www.indiatimes.com and click chat

& SO

ULHE

ART

Sanjay Chugh

T ired of her? Need abreak? Don’t have theheart to tell her off ?

Help is at hand! Read on...■ Tell her she is good for no-thing: She can’t do a singlething right. Find fault witheverything she does, frommorning till night. ‘‘Howlousy can you be.’’■ Compare her to your moth-er or sister: ‘‘Mom makes th-is so much more tastier,’’ or,‘‘Why don’t you take tips fr-om my Sis?’’■ Berate her and her roots:Show her how you belong toa superior family, and youare actually doing her afavour by staying with her.Criticise her parents atevery chance.■ Tell her she has atrocioustaste: She should shop onlywith you and wear only whatyou approve of.

■ Don’t ever introduce her toyour friends: Go out withthem whenever you havetime; eat out when you knowshe’ll be waiting for you. Lether sulk alone at home. Dis-approve of her friends. Tellher they are good for noth-ing, and she should havenothing to do with them.

■ Treat her like your ser-vant: Order her about, andjust don’t take any explana-tions. ‘‘Women are inferiorto men!’’

Throw tantrums whenev-er possible: Let your tempersoar. Show her your ‘Mad asHell’ face. Beat her up toshow who’s the boss.■ Never trust her: Spy onher. Nag her every time sheeven smiles at a man. Tellher she is a liar and a cheat.Check her cell phone andhandbag every day for tell-tale signs. Keep a tight reinon her money.■ Pay extra attention to herfriends: Ignore her while youflirt with her friend.■ Never be honest with her:Throw lies at her at everychance. If she catches you,be very nonchalant about it.Have an affair, and let herknow it. If possible, with herbest friend!

CAN’T HURRY LOVE...

Is she acting toopushy? Comingon too strong?SangeetaManocha sharesten sureshotways to loseyour girl

Recently Iwas with

a Vasant Kunjfamily whentheir son,around 14,said he wasgoing to the

park. ‘‘Go,’’ the father said,but when his younger 12-year-old sister said she want-ed to go too, the father, ‘‘No,don’t go. A lot of boys comethere.’’ Tragic though it is, apeculiar north Indian cultureprompts parentsto be so over-pro-tective of theirdaughters thatthe daughtersend up livinglike prisoners inthe home. I havecome across arich business-man of Shali-mar Bagh withtwo-pretty col-l e g e - g o i n gdaughters whodoesn’t step outof home onValentine’s Day.He spies on themto make surethey aren’t talk-ing to boy-friends. When Itold the fatherthat he was be-having like achowkidar, heagreed and saidhe was paranoid about boysphansaaoing his daughters.

What does vaastu have todo with freedom to daugh-ters? My answer is, plenty.Vaastu shastra isn’t aboutnorth, south, east, or west.It’s about humans living in

tune with nature. And a girlwho is stopped from goingout by ultra-conservativeparents is taken away fromnature and thereby enfee-bled. Because she cannotplay or chat with kids her agein a near-by park. Where isher self-confidence going tocome from? I’ve come acrossgirls in small towns who say

they’ve never gone out ofhome without being escortedby a brother or the father. Iknow homes where a girl is-n’t allowed to visit a girl-friend if the girl-friend has abrother. Parents think thebrother will phansaao her.

Incidentally, this imprison-ment of daughters beginsfrom an early age, sometimesfrom around 10-years on-wards. A little boy can sit inany position. But parentskeep saying, ‘‘Theek sebaitho’’ to their little daugh-ters, meaning they shoulddraw their legs together. Andright from the beginning, alittle girl will be told to wear achunni. In Rajasthan, girlsare so much home-bound thata new daughter-in-law will

play children’sgames in her in-laws’ home withtheir equally de-prived nanads,or sisters-in-law.

When a littlegirl is discour-aged from goingout, she doesn’tget benefits fromnature that herbrother does. Wemay not realiseit but when westep out of homeand feel the sun,the breeze, thesky, and themovement ofpeople, we arestrengthened inways we can’teven imagine.Imagine deny-ing these bene-fits to our owndaughters. Par-

ents who do this have no clueto the damage they wreak.And many of them arewealthy people with poorjudgment.

(Vaastu queries may be addressedto Jugal Kishor, c/o Delhi Times, the Times

of India, 7 BSZ Marg, New Delhi - 110 002)

For yourlife to wo-

rk well, it isvital to havea good flow ofclear, vibrantenergy in yo-ur home and

workplace. Feng shui is abeautifully organised systemof knowledge that teaches ushow to enhance this energyflow by improving buildingdesign, furniture placement,colour schemes, and so on.

Space clearing is a spe-cialised branch of feng shuithat works at even deeperlevels to cleanse and purifythe atmospheres ofa building and thusenhance the qualityand nature of ener-gy in the space. Fengshui always worksbetter and fasterwhen done in con-junction with spaceclearing.

Many peoplenow choose tomake space clear-ing part of theirregular buildingmaintenance pro-gramme so thattheir space is ener-

getically as well as physical-ly clean and clear.

Space clearing can be usedto improve your health, rela-

tionships, prosperi-ty, and any aspectsof your life that feelstuck. It also en-hances traditionalfeng shui arts by in-corporating spaceclearing purifica-tion techniques us-ing sound, especial-ly bells and clap-ping; and purifica-tion through the ele-ments of earth, air,fire and water.

Who needs tolearn space clearingand clutter clear-

ing? Just about everyone. Nomatter how much or how lit-tle clutter you have, there arealways more levels to clutterclearing than you realise,and it is an ongoing processthat will continue for the restof your life. It will inspireyou to new levels of lettinggo, to create more joy, confi-dence, clarity and ease inyour life. It is an essentialpractice for anyone on a spir-itual path. Also, there arevery few buildings in theworld that are so well de-signed they don’t need regu-lar space clearing, and eventhe most excellent feng shuihas been found to work bet-ter and faster when com-bined with space clearing.

CMYK

SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003h t t p : / / a s t r o s p e a k . i n d i a t i m e s . c o m6 DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/06/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/06/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/06/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/06/C/1

VAASTU SHASTRAJugal Kishor

Aries(Mar 20 - Apr 18)

Ganesha saysthis week makesyou fired up withgusto and enthu-

siasm, full of life andverve. It’s an exciting timefor you socially — lots ofaction in connection withloans, legal matters andinheritance. Your naturalebullience makes you awinner with children andat social gatherings andparties.

Taurus(Apr 19 - May 19)

The week devel-ops further thetrends of the lastweek. You will

achieve much more bystressing, teamwork andbuilding up understand-ing with others — both atwork and at play. Failureto co-operate can lead todisappointing your mateor partner. It’s not good tobe inconsiderate to peoplein your own pursuit ofachievement. Taureansare, as a rule, strongly intoachieving.

Gemini(May 20 - Jun 20)

In all that you do,you perceive andimpart a sense ofbeauty and won-

der to even most utilitari-an things and mundanetasks. Never, have youbeen more creative thanyou are this week. It’s aunique week in that re-spect and what’s more,you enjoy it. But don’t beinconsiderate to people,riding roughshod overother’s feelings. It will pre-vent you from making themaximum use of every-thing around you.

Cancer(Jun 21 - Jul 21)

The week favo-urs travel andgrowth — themain trend for

May. Growth can implyone or all of several thingslike education,higher studies,extra courses inrelated fields, tiesand bonds forgedafresh, spiritualand religious pur-suits and prac-tices, even confer-ences and gatherings. A lot seem to behappening. Ganesha reassures you thatyou will cope beautifully and emerge thebetter for it.

Leo (Jul 22 - Aug 21)

The travel trend of last weekfirms up. The fact is that astrol-ogy, which reflects life, is a con-tinuous and continuing, process

and no week stands in isolation, just as‘‘no man is an island’’. You will have visi-tors from abroad and also foreign connec-tions, collaborations, tie-ups in one formor another.

Virgo (Aug 22 - Sep 20)

The week will prove excellentfor travel, which will be success-ful and pleasurable for the mostpart. Partnerships, even mar-

riage, success at interviews and partici-pation in ceremonies of a religious na-ture are likely, and will be source of joy.You will experience a willingness to help

and serve and also stepyour own efficiency.

Libra(Sep 21 - Oct 22)

In the reachingout of themethere may be thethree C’s — con-

tacts, contracts and com-munications — all presentbut in different propor-tions. Deeds and docu-ments will hold your at-tention but do find time torelax, accept invitations,live a little, give a lot. Theright guy or gal may justturn up, says Ganesha.

Scorpio(Oct 23 - Nov 21)

Love and ro-mance is in theair, and there maybe even be the

peal of wedding bells inthe not-too-distant future.For those already in thestate of matrimony, andeven for those who are not,the monthly trend will be astrenuous blend of workand housekeeping whichwill tax and tire you. How-ever, you will have the re-sources to splurge on ashopping binge.

Sagittarius(Nov 22 - Dec 22)

The strongest in-dication is ofp a r t n e r s h i p swhich will al-

most materialise in yourwork sector, and get a fil-lip. Contacts are impor-tant and will lead to pro-fessional boosts, a strongdesire for action and theexpansion of the sphere ofyour own personal andprofessional interests. Ex-tremes of emotion arebest avoided.

Capricorn(Dec 23 - Jan 19)

The week givesyou a tremendousego trip. Projectsand ventures will

take off smoothly, andprove lucky, too. You willbe determined to overcomeall obstacles, sail past all

hurdles and takeon all comers.Even materialharmony andfamily relation-ships are tackledin a spirit of get-ting results, buttry to win the co-

operation of others in all that you attempt.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18)

The home and family once againtake centre stage this week.Loved ones, partners, elders andin-laws need your time and at-

tention. You will need to lead and initiatedialogues, which will go to building uphappy, supportive relationships. Withthem, grooming, beauty makeovers andnew clothes alter and recreate your lookand personal.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 19)

Professional, business and otherassociations will be the theme ofthe month of May. Love willblossom as part of the theme of

associations and bindings and so will ro-mance, but you will also be waist-deepinto accounts, insurance, joint-financesand mutual funds. In short, a tie betweenfinance and romance. Travel and ties arelikely says Ganesha.

BIRTHDAY FORECASTS

GANESHA SAYSBejan Daruwalla

For Janampatri and personalised predictions log on to

http: // ast rospeak.indiatimes.com

May 4Ganesha says you’ll bebringing an importantbusiness matter to com-pletion now. It’s a greatyear for self-promotionand dealings with educa-tional, legal or publish-ing concerns.

May 5It’s a busy and successfulyear for you on the job.An unexpected opportu-nity may come from out-of-the-blue. More thanone iron in the fire willget hot now.

May 6You’ll attract more honeywith flies than vinegarnow. It’s not a good yearto force issues with high-er-ups, but charm andfriendliness will opendoors for you.

May 7A helpful business sug-gestion comes from anunexpected party. A mon-ey concern could also beon your mind. Good forpersonal relationship.

May 8This is a good time tomake plans to visit afriend who lives at a dis-tance. However, you’llneed patience with an-other acquaintance whomay be moody or overlysensitive.

May 9You’ll get new insightsabout a career concernnow, but the year’s majoremphasis will be on spir-itual and philosophicalconcerns. Accent posi-tive thinking.

May 10This is a wonderful yearto shop for luxury itemsand matters of personaladorment. You’ll findsomething that looks likeit was especially de-signed with you in mind.

Discrimination isn’t kidstuff

Gita KapoorFENG SHUI & YOU

UD

AY S

HA

NK

AR

UDAY SHANKAR

CREATE YOUR OWN SPACE

CMYK

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/07/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/07/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/07/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/07/C/1

Forget Venus or Sere-na. The next Wimble-don powerhouse cur-tsying in Centre Cou-

rt will be none other than...Kirsten Dunst?

The actress, otherwise kn-own as Peter Parker’s love in-terest Mary Jane Watson inlast summer’s blockbusterSpiderman, is volleying forher next big-screen adventu-re, a romantic comedy titledWimbledon.

Dunst will play an up-and-coming American tennis acenamed Lizzie who ends upfalling in love with Peter(played by Paul Bettany fromA Beautiful Mind). Pete’s aBritish player beset by an em-barrassingly low ranking onthe pro-tour who scores a wi-ld card invitation to play atWimbledon, the tennis worl-d’s most famous tournamentheld each in Great Britain.

The film will be helmed byRichard Loncraine, whose cr-edits include Richard III andThe Gathering Storm, andproduced by Working TitleFilms, the company that bro-ught us such Brit hit come-

dies as Four Weddings and aFuneral, Notting Hill, BillyElliot, About a Boy andBridget Jones’s Diary.

As a warm up for herromantic role (the te-rm ‘love’ definitely wo-n’t be equated with ‘ze-ro’ on this one), Dunstreportedly attended la-st year’s Wimbledon to-urney and took in someCentre Court matches fr-om the Royal Box.

But before she can ta-ke to the baseline, how-ever, the thesp — whoturns 21 on April 30—mustfinish shooting on TheAmazing Spiderman, SonyStudio’s highly anticipat-ed sequel.

The second instalmentre-teams her with star Tob-ey Maguire — the fearlessweb-slinger who saves theworld from the clutches ofhis arch-nemesis, freaky fo-ur-tentacled evil scientist, Ot-to Octavius, aka Doctor Oct-opus, or Doc Ock as MarvelComic devotees lovingly ca-ll him.

Dunst’s commitment to

filming Wimbledon, whichstarts shooting this summer,

nearly put a kink in the pro-duction schedule for the

Spidey sequel.Initially, director Sam

Raimi and his crew we-re delayed from laun-

ching principal pho-tography in Janu-

ary to accommo-date Maguire,who had yet towrap Seabiscuit,in which he pla-

ys jockey Red Pol-lard.The horse-racing

drama finally wrapp-ed in February, but Ma-

guire’s bad back proble-ms, worsened during Seab-

iscuit’s production, added an-other hiccup to the radio-

active superhero flick’s startdate. In addition, the delaysthreatened to derail Dunst’sparticipation, since filmingon The Amazing Spidermanthreatened to run up againstproduction on Wimbledon.

Production on Wimbledongets underway in June, andthanks to a deal Working Ti-tle has worked out with Wim-bledon organisers, the film-makers will be allowed to sh-oot some scenes simultaneou-sly with this year’s tournam-ent, which runs June 23 thro-ugh July 6. The majority ofthe flick will shoot atWimbledon afterthe tourney, aswell as at Shepp-arton Film Stud-ios and localesaround London.

SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003 E N T E R T A I N M E N T 7DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

Charlie’s Angels bea-uty Cameron Diaz

had an uncomfortablemoment at a musicfestival over theweekend —becauseher ex-boyfriendJared Leto wasalso there. The re-cently-separatedscreen stars were at

the Coachella MusicFestival in Indio,

California, which ledto a lot ofc l e v e rmanoeu-vring to

avoid ashowdown.

An onlookersays, ‘‘Theyboth knewthe other wasthere, and its e e m e dCameron wasmore inter-ested in avoid-ing him thanvice versa.’’But, adds an-other source,‘ ‘ T h e ybriefly raninto eachother once.She took itin herstride.’’

Hollywood ac-tress Winona

Ryder has reported-ly been romantical-ly snubbed by up-and-coming actorSam Rockwell.The attractivepair were spottedin New Yorkhotspot Tai whe-re they dancedtogether to StevieWonder’s hit YouAre The Sunshine OfMy Life. It was reportedthat Winona asked theConfessions Of ADangerous Mind star toescort her home, but hepolitely declined re-marking, ‘‘But all myfriends are here!’’Ryder is still reported-ly stepping out withBright Eyes star ConorOberst.

For Shweta Menon, Mahesh Manjarekar’s next filmPran Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye is quite a drift from the

characters she has played in the past. A complete con-trast to her glam image, Menon is quite excited aboutthis film because it allowed her to showcase her act-ing skills. ‘‘You aren’t going to see me in too manyglamourous roles right now. I enjoyed it for a longtime, but you have to be more than just glam-ourous sometimes.’’

While the film was introduced to Shwetarather casually at the airport, successive me-etings with director Mahesh Manjarekarsolidified the remaining plans for thefilm. ‘‘The conviction that the directorhad, made me want to do the film evenmore. I truly respect the fact that what-ever we shot, is what came out in the fi-nal product. There is no tamperingthere,’’ she explains.

Her acting career has struck abalance between the glamour andthe hardcore acting roles. Whileaudiences will still see her ‘‘inItem numbers as they are called,’’Shweta laughs, there are some oth-er sequences that help her play theintense drama that she fancies.

‘‘People are now saying, besidesdancing I can act too. That’s a wonder-ful feeling,’’ she shares. Her future proj-ects include Market, directed by JayPrakash with co-star Manisha Koirala.

Changing lanes in style

Actor Himanshu Malik is very excited about hislatest film Khwahish and from the looks of it, he

has every reason to be Himanshu Malik’s latest film,Khwahish, directed by Govind Menon, is an absolute-ly ‘wild film’. With scenes all set to give the orthodox aculture shock, the film boasts of a good blend of sex,comedy and a good plot. Malik realised a few years ago

that in order to pursue a career in acting, he had togive up modelling. They were absolutely im-

possible to continue simultaneously.Even as his bank balance camecrashing down, the passion foracting remains unharmed.After a significantly long breakfrom modelling, this filmcomes with a good amount ofenthusiasm. With over seven-teen scenes that are set to ig-nite passion on the Indianmovie screens. Himanshu’smajor concerns as they shotthe film was ‘‘the directorwould yell cut,’’ he says. ‘‘Iregret the fact that mostscenes were not preceded by

rehearsals, and although Iwasn’t particularly nervous

doing any of these scenes, memo-ries from my teenage years did flashin every once in a while to just heatup some moments in the film,’’ heshares. Himanshu Malik did learnthe intricacies of the scenes as di-rector Govind chartered out the‘kind of kiss’ he looked for in eachshot. ‘‘Each time we had a smoochto shoot, the entire crew knewabout it right in the morning.There was quite a buzz about it all

the time, I guess we all know why.’’

Himanshu strikes back

Winona snubbed

Hollywood actor HarveyKeitel has been slamm-

ed by a judge after failing toshow up for a child supporthearing. The Pulp Fiction starwas due at Manhattan FamilyCourt for the hearing to de-cide how much money he hasto pay Lisa Karmazin - themother of his 19 month oldson Hudson. The actor’s law-yer William Beslow earlierthis month sent a letter ex-plaining the actor would betied up filming in Madrid.According to the New YorkDaily News, Kirshblum saidhe found it ‘disconcerting’that he had set aside two af-ternoons for Keitel to testify,but had still failed to get theactor back to court.

KEITEL GOESMISSING...

RAP

WOR

LD

Avoiding a showdown

Game, Set andMatch for Dunst

CMYK

Vol. 03 No. 123RNI Registration No. DELENG/2001/5765.

Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. by Balraj Arora at TimesHouse, 7 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi — 110 002 and printed by him at Timesof India Press 7, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg,New Delhi — 110 002 and 13 & 15/1, Site IV Industrial Area, Sahibabad (U.P.). Regd. Office: Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Road, Mumbai —400 001. Editor (Delhi Market): Sabina SehgalSaikia, responsible for selection of news under PRB Act. © All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Circulated with The Times of Indiain Delhi & adjoining areas.

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��K���

DLTD40503/LR1/08/K/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰������

DLTD40503/LR1/08/Y/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��M���

DLTD40503/LR1/08/M/1

�DL�D�‰�‰��†�‰��C���

DLTD40503/LR1/08/C/1

SUNDAY 4 MAY 2003B A C K B E A T8 DELHI TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

Bhoot goes to Cannes

Ram Gopal Verma’sBhooth is all set to re-

lease on May 17. The filmwill be premiered at theCannes Film Festival to beheld this year. Catering tothe horror genre of cine-ma, we wonder if this onewill be as successful as theothers like Raaz, Makdeethat reigned the Box Of-fice. Anyways, Ramu isconvinced about this one.

He played the lead rolein the film Yeh Kya Ho

Raha Hai, along with Pay-al Rahtogi. But nothingmuch happened to AamirAli in terms of his career.But when he chased the

cheetaah in a recent ad,people actually sat up andtook notice of him. Todayhe has a couple of goodfilms in hand, amongstwhich is Hansal Mehta’sHamrahi.

In a space of just two years, HrithikRoshan moved from being a superstar to

an actor waiting for a second lease of life.Industrywallas insist that 2003 is his

year. With two very interestingprojects, Sooraj Barjatya’s Main

Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and therehashed ET flick, Koi MilGaya, Roshan Jr is expectedto bounce back into star-dom. In MPKDH Roshanwould be seen doing allthe cool things (ride ahorse, go snorkelling, singsongs with the pretty as apicture Kareena). Whilethe promos of this filmare already on air, hishome production KoiMil Gaya is still shroud-

ed in secrecy. Imaginethat! It’s almost now or nev-

er for the KNPH star whoneeds a hit like never before.

Make or break for Hrithik Sohail Khan’s debut film with

Sameera Reddy didn’t quiet dowell, but the director-actor has quiet afew good films lined up. It may sound alittle strange but Ektaa Kapoor andShobha Kapoor doesn’t only be-lieve in promoting TussharKapoor. That’s why their nexthome production, untitled asyet, will now have Sohail Khanand the Ishq Samunder girl,Ishaa Khopikaar in the leadrole. The film is progressing at abreak neck speed. It has beenshot in Mumbai and manyother different locations.

Sohail Khan’s act two

Getting noticed

A‘power’ful roleShabana Azmi takes up

the most interestingroles. When she took up therole of a witch in the chil-dren’s film Makdee, no one

was surprised. That was typ-ically Shabanaesque. Nowthe latest is that the actresswill be portraying UP CMMayawati in her next film.She’s acquiring quite aknack for politics on screen,eh? Remember Godmother?