Hyderabad’s first compact afternoon newspaper

ON SUNDAY

`2

APRIL 1, 2012 HYDERABAD

WWW.POSTNOON.COM

WEATHER: CLEAR WITH CLOUDY SPELLS; 31°C

32 PAGES

REPORT ON PG 3

A highly educated,husband-wife

team went aboutconning hundredsin the City. It tookfour years for the‘long arm’ of thelaw to catch up

with them.

Shri &Shrimati

420DUMPYARDOF THE CITYJawaharnagar hasactive volcanoeswhich spew no lava,but billow a killersmoke that has beenpoisoning the vil-lage’s air, water andland for a decade.

PG 13

CAMBODIA’SJEWEL

PG 12

HISTORY, AS THEYOUTH KNOW IT

Here’s history rewritten fromanswer sheets submitted by

American students. Be afraid!Be very afraid!

PG 16&17

EMERGENCY!A Hyderabad-boundSpiceJet aircraft made anemergency landing inVijayawada this morning.Oil leakage caused theforced landing, authoritiessaid.

FLASHBLACK BOUNTY

A news channel hasreported that the govern-

ment has recovered awhopping `1,412 lakh

crore from off-shore taxhavens — almost 70 times

more than estimates.

FLASH

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet: 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills: 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally: 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills: 44767777,Prasads, Tank Bund Rd: 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta: 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur: 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad: 27844973CINEMAS

When: April 1, 12 pm onwardsContact: (040) 6666 3939

New conceptualistCatch an exhibition of paintings bySujatha Basu at Muse Art Gallery.Where: Muse Art Gallery,

Tank BundWhen: Ongoing, 11am onwardsContact: (040) 2752 2999

Asian barbequeThe Square, Novotel, Madhapurplays host to an Asian barbeque.Sample grilled specialities fromaround the world — from Lebaneseto Japanese.Where: The Square, Novotel,

MadhapurWhen: Every Saturday,

7pm onwardsContact: (040) 6682 4422

Unique buffetYellow Chilli is offering a lunch buf-fet which is truly different. TheBuffet which costs `199 (Mondayto-Friday) and `249 (Saturday andSunday). The dinner buffet costs`299 and `349.Where: Yellow Chilli, Banjara

Hills, Rd No 12When: OngoingContact: (040) 2338 3838

Spanish food festivalThe Square plays host to a

Playing foolDramanon presents Fools at Nift.The play directed by RK Shenoyrevolves around a young school-master — Leon Tolchinsky. Where: Nift, MadhapurWhen: April 1,

8pm onwardsContact: (040) 23114537

Malgudi DazeWeMove Theatre presents MalgudiDaze, an adaptation of RKNarayan’s Malgudi days. The playaims to bring out interesting factsabout the play, educate people andalso add humour to the story.Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills,

Rd No 1When: April 1,

7pm onwardsContact: 964273 1329

Sunday brunchTo enjoy those lazy Sundays headto Aqua for a spread of world cui-sine. Take a dip in the pool or enjoya variety of foods from the variousfood stations.Where: Aqua, SomajigudaWhen: April 1,

12.30pm - 4pmContact: (040) 2345 6789

Senior citizens exhibitionThe Siri Institute of Painting is host-ing a painting exhibition for seniorcitizens. 50 per cent of the amountcollected from the exhibition will bedonated to the poor and old hand-loom museums.Where: Hotel Marriott,

Tank BundWhen: March 31- April 4,

10am to 8pm

Parenting workshopMount Litera Zee School is hostinga parent orientation workshop onApril 1Where: Mount Litera Zee School,

ManikondaWhen: April 1, 5pm to 7pmContact: 77991 11166

La Cantina brunchSunday is the best time to relax,meet-up with friends and familyand some great food. La Cantinaoffers a Sunday brunch with a fivecourse menu that includes a livetaco bar, a chocolate buffet andvarious beverages.Where: La Cantina, Hitech CityWhen: April 1, 12pmContact: (040) 6682 4422

Fusion SundayFusion 9 presents a special SundayBrunch. Sample an internationalspread including pastas, salads anddesserts.Where: Fusion 9, Banjara Hills,

Rd No1

Where: Westin, RahejaMindspace, Madhapur

When: Ongoing, 12pm onwardsContact: (040) 3051 2844

Go SplashSplash lounge is the perfectleisure destination for you tounwind. There is also great music,martinis and aperitifs.Where: The Westin, Mindspace,

MadhapurWhen: Monday - Friday,

5pm - 10.30pmWeekends,8am - 10.30pm

Contact: (040) 6767 6828

History is servedTruffle Cafe presents History isserved a special themed weekendmenu.Where: Truffles Cafe,

Jubilee Hills, Rd No 10When: Ongoing, 8am -11pmContact: (040) 23550105

Miniature traditionsMiniature Traditions — An ArtisticEndeavor, will be held at AlankrithaArt Gallery. Where: Alankritha Art Gallery,

Kavuri Hills, MadhapurWhen: March 24 - April 4,

11 am onwardsContact: (040) 2311 3709

Spanish food festival. Taste a varietyof delicacies such as tapas, chorizosand tortillas. The event is on tillApril 1.Where: The Square, Novotel,

MadhapurWhen: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: (040) 6682 4422

Acting workshopSamahaara — an acting and danc-ing workshop is being held to helpyou hone your acting skills. Theworkshop focusses on theatre relat-ed topics.Where: The Actor’s studio,

MadhapurWhen: Ongoing, 7pm to 9pmContact: 98854 04784

Wraps and rollsRolls — boring did you say?Head to Promenade at Ameerpetfor a wide variety of rolls that willsuit everyone’s taste.Where: The Promenade,

AmeerpetWhen: OngoingContact: (040) 6678 8888

Korean food festivalWant to sample some interestingKorean cuisine? Head to Westin atRaheja Mindspace, Madhapur as itis hosting a Korean food festival.The event is on till April 1.

CITY 2SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

YOU’RE IN THE QUEUE

N S

HIV

A K

UM

AR

CITY 3SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

Mohd Jahangir,30, an employee ofa private company was waylaid

and attacked by an yet unidenti-fied gang with lethal weapons on

Attapur Ring Road last night. He wasriding back to home when the gang

stopped his vehicle and attacked. Hehas been admitted to Osmania Hospital

with severe injuries. Rajendra Nagarpolice are investigating.

Youth waylaidWater Board bill up by `5 Cr

Awalk was held to commemoratethe ‘’World Autism Day’ onNecklace Road on Sunday morn-

ing. Children suffering from autism dis-ease, psychologists and activists partici-pated in the walk. Autism, said medicalexperts on the occasion, can be cured ifthe treatment is given at the initialstage. The walk was organised by Care4Autism Centre.

Autism Day walk

1 Year` 349/-

6 Months` 199/-

SubscriptionOffer

Hyderabad’s first afternoon newspaper

Subscribe Today!

040 - 4067 2222subscription@postnoon.com

The Jubilee Hillspolice arrested awoman MBA grad-uate on charge of

duping several hundredpeople, promising themjobs or flats. Police sayher husband, the co-con-spirator, has escaped.

G Pawani, 32, is aMBA grad who married GVamsidhar four yearsago. Both are said to beaverse to toiling 10 hoursfor a pittance. After mar-riage they took up resi-dence at Flat no 30-b inBanjara Hills Road No 12.Vamsidhar, also said to bean engineering graduate,began real estate busi-ness with his friendVamshikrishna.

In 2008 Pawani startedMedia Point, a privateagency, at Flat no 163,Prashasan Nagar, RoadNo 72 in Jubilee Hills. Itwas purported to be amanpower recruitmentagency.

It promised quick andwell-paid jobs to the qual-ified. The catch was thatthe candidates mustundergo work-experiencetraining for a few monthsbefore appointing them invarious companies,explained Saidulu, sub-inspector, Jubilee Hillspolice station.

Saidulu found outthat she had given adver-tisements in local Englishand Telugu newspapersabout the venture.Hundreds of joblessapplied and she promptly

collected `1 lakh fromeach. Thus, Pawani coollycollected some `80 lakh —most of it from M.techand B.tech graduateseager to begin theircareer.

Meanwhile, her‘enterprising’ husbandwas not idle.

Vamsidhar and hisfriend Vamshikrishnastarted a venture in theMuncharla village ofKandukur, in the out-skirts of the City.“Sahasara Real EstateAgency, it was named.They promised the publicthat they will providegood flats on easy install-ments with no hassles asone faces when one seeksa bank loan. Many whohate procedural demandsflocked. Some 70-75 camein and paid `20 lakh.Soon the agency van-ished, lock, stock, andbarrel.

In the last four years,the Jubilee Hills policehave registered fourcheating cases againsther, Vamsidhar and hisfriend but no action fol-lowed. Finally, the policestepped in and raidedtheir Banjara Hills flat.

Pawani’s game wasknown to the police forlong and until pressurecame from some influen-tial quarters, things didnot move.

And, even now thepolice could not seize anycash from them.

“I have mortgaged myflat to get money for thejob,” a victim, toldPostnoon. Police did notdo anything till now,why? He wanted to know.

Only a thoroughprobe will reveal whereall the money have goneand whose backingenabled the couple tooperate with impunity.

The Friday’s hike in electricity charges bythe state regulatory commission will addan additional burden of `5 crore on

Hyderabad Metro Water Supply andSewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which is strug-gling to find cash for daily needs. The Boardis currently paying `25 crore to Central PowerDistribution Company a month. With thehike, the monthly bill will now be `30 crore,taking the annual burden to `60 crore.

Shri & Shrimati 420Man and wifedupe hundreds

mohd.s@postnoon.com

MOHD SUBHAN

Here’s the incredible story of a techie woman andher husband who jointly relieved several hundred

credulous public on varied counts

Impressive inventory

Computers with Net connections 49CPUs 45Chairs and tables 40Ad bills, posters, brochures many Cash 0

Ram Navami kicksoff with grandeur

Team Postnoonfeedback@postnoon.com

The grand Ram Navami festival beganthroughout the State this morningwith the ‘ritualistic’ wedding cere-

mony of Lord Ram and Sita conducted atRam Temple of Bhadrachalam whereChief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy andhis wife attended.

Nearly 10,000 devotees converged atGangabowli in Dhoolpet in the morning.The procession began around noon. At thevanguard was the 12-foot idol which drewall the attention.

Women in large number joined the‘Shobhayatra’ which observers say are farmore than last year. Hundreds ofmakeshift water stalls were set up alongthe route. The procession wended its way

through Mangalhat, Siddiamber bazaar,Gowliguda, Hanuman Tekri. The crowd onboth sides lustily cheered the shobhayatrachanting, “Jai Shri Ram.”

Police had mobilised a massive ban-dobast to prevent untoward incidents.Organisers say the procession will gatheraround one lakh people by the time itwound up. Besides, local police, RAF, 20platoons of APSP had been deployed. Citypolice commissioner AK Khan hadordered deployment of scores of plain-clothes men to ensure that the shobhayatrapassed off peacefully. This was in view ofthe threat by a Delhi-based right-wingorganisation that planned to march toHyderabad.

(With inputs from Anubha Singh,Inkeshaf Ahmed, Rahul Ramakrishna)

4SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CITY

With all the com-forts right at ourfeet we oftencomplain about

the harsh summer heat. Weoften fail to look at the traf-fic police officers who standthe blazing sun with verylittle protective gear.Whether it is 42ºC or 18ºC,the traffic police look afterthe roads and regulate traf-fic which takes a toll ontheir health.

The passing vehiclesemit pollution, the sunbakes the roads, and thetemperatures soar. Yet, inthese harsh conditions, theyhave to do their duty everyday.

In the health camp con-ducted last year by theHyderabad Traffic Police, itwas found that 45 per cent ofthe Force suffered from lungproblems, 10 per cent hadeye problems and another 10per cent suffered from hear-ing problems.

The annual health campthis year is yet to be con-ducted and it is predictedthat the problems may have

increased. With two shifts that

make the traffic policemenwork in the sun, morningshift that extends from 8amto 2pm and the evening shiftfrom 2pm to 10pm. “It is noeasy feat. When I was firstassigned the duty, I feltuneasy with the pollution,noise, and heat. We are nowused to the conditions now,”said constable K Shankar atJubilee Hills Check Post.

The head constable, SKanakaiah, said that theyhave to stand in the heatwhen the electricity goes offfor two hours. “Sharp atnoon, with the signals notworking, we have to directand regulate traffic.Standing in the sun isn’t aneasy task as we all know,”he said.

Additional commission-er of police (traffic), CVAnand, said that they areproviding the force UV-pro-tective goggles, disposableface masks, a water bottlewhich can keep the watercool for about three hours,reflector jacket, glucosepackets, and a kit bag tostore these items.

Additionally, the forcegets a small summerallowance for two months.During the monsoons, theyare provided raincoats andboots. “Our duty is not to

provide and leave to the dis-cretion of the Force to usethese facilities. I instructmy men to use these to pro-tect themselves. It is manda-tory for them,” said Anand.

DOC ADVISESDr Rajkumar Songa, consul-tant physician at KamineniHospitals, who spoke to theHyderabad Traffic Police atNizam College grounds onthe issues that surround theforce during summer, said,“The men are prone to losewater and salt, and can dam-age their eyes with the raysespecially as they stand inthe sun for hours. Some ofthem might even tan andbecome photo allergic to thelight. They tend to becomeweak in these months.Usually people lose about800ml of water in the sum-mers, but the force losesmore because they stand inthe sun.”

Dr Songa advised thetraffic policemen to replen-ish with water and isotonic.

“They should drink atleast 3 litres of water inaddition to a drink mixedwith salt, even if they arehypertension patients orhave kidney infections.They must use UV-protectedeyewear as well as lose fit-ting headgear, sunscreen,and prickly-heat powder.

Anubha K. Singhanubha.k@postnoon.com

No longer are they placesfor children to play inthe swings, women to gofor walks, men to medi-

tate and grandparents tosocialise. They have becomeplaces where couples, desperate-ly in love, spend an eveningcausing much discomfort to thefamilies around. The City parkshave increasingly become lovers’points.

Parks used to be for familiesto meet up and kids to splash inthe open fresh air. But theyouth’s need to spend timetogether has taken precedenceover the families, a peek into theCity parks reveal.

Indira Park. The wide vistasof trees have become a favouritehaunt for couples who hidebehind the trees or sit on thebench or lie down on the lawnswith little care in the world.Families shy away from thescenes and what is left is sun-baked open.

Many seniors (who ironical-ly forget they crossed the stage)insist the parks are meant forfamilies and not for lovers.“There is no place left for thefamilies in City to go for an out-ing. Step into any park and you

can see young couples all aroundin close embrace. With largeestablishments eating up thespace open places are few andparks are the only alternativefor our kids so that they canspend some quality time and

have fun with their friends.Unfortunately, these parks areno more decent,” said RanjeetSethi, resident of Banjara Hills.

Name any park, JVR,Sanjeevaiah Park, Lumbini Parkor even the Necklace Road

stretch, they are not comfortablefor children or family, people say.They are also not good for thosewho want to commune withnature. The worst thing is thereis no moral understanding aboutthe parks’ purpose.

“A joggers' park for the eliteby morning turns into a datingplace by evening. This park hasnow become an eyesore. You cansee couples necking and kissingin the backdrop of the park'slush greenery.

I used to visit any of theseparks with my family memberson any weekend but with theseparks now occupied by couples,we are left with only restaurantsin the city” opines KN Kaur, aretired army person, who takeshis granddaughter to JVR Parkin evening so that she can spendtime with her friends.

However, director urbanForestry, Venkat Rao is unawareabout the issue. “I never got acomplaint regarding this. If anycomplaints comes to us we willlook into the matter.” he says uninterested.

Lovers elbow out families from parks

salman.o@postnoon.comOSAMA SALMAN

‘Cop’ing withrain or shine

FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSE DEEPAK DESHPANDE

SRINIVAS SETTY

FOCUS 5SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

Filmmakers often hit aroadblock while trying totransform their visioninto reality. Getting thefunds to make a film

which a filmmaker believes incan be an uphill task if the con-tent doesn’t guarantee success.Not that every other film goes onto become a hit, but finding aproducer for a film like I Am orFiraaq might have been quite anarduous task for the respectivefilmmakers. Onir, who directed IAm, came up with an idea to

raise funds for his project —crowd funding. Since he hadalready made films like MyBrother Nikhil and Sorry Bhai,he could reach out to peoplethrough Facebook and Twitter.More than 400 people fromacross 45 cities across the worldhelped Onir and his team raisefunds for the film. This was thefirst time in the history of Hindicinema, that a filmmaker suc-cessfully raised funds throughcrowd funding.

Before the film industrycould consider the notion ofcrowd funding, the music indus-try had already made the firstmove. Back in 1997, a Britishrock band named Marillionraised more than $60,000 to fundtheir US tour.

Thanks to the success of theirinitiative, the band was able tomarket its subsequent albumsAnoraknophobia and Marbles ina much better way. In film indus-try, two French producersBenjamin Pommeraud andGuillaume Colboc started anInternet campaign in 2004 tofund their project Demain laVeille and the duo managed toraise nearly $50,000 in threeweeks. But the biggest successstory of crowd funding was Ageof Stupid, a documentary on cli-mate change. Spanner Films,which produced the film, raisedabout $900,000 over a period offive years for this project and allthis was possible because peoplehad faith in the project.Moreover, if the contribution isabove a certain limit, the con-

tributor even gets a credit as aco-producer and also a share inthe profits, if there are any.

Taking a cue from Onir andmakers of Age of Stupid, aTelugu filmmaker DakshinSrinivas, who had earlier madeAa Okkadu, is planning to raise`50 lakh through crowd fundingfor his upcoming film. “A lot ofpeople liked my debut film,although it wasn’t a commercialsuccess. I got a lot of messagesfrom people who wanted to bepart of my next project which iswhy I have decided to raisefunds through crowd funding,”Dakshin Srinivas says. He hasalready sent thefilm’s script toBusan FilmFestival andRotterdam

Film Festival and if the organis-ers find the script impressive,not only will they fund the filmbut the film will be screened atthe respective international filmfestivals. “Apart from these ini-tiatives, I am also planning toraise funds from websites likeIndiegogo.com. We are going tolaunch a huge campaign to cre-ate awareness about the projectwithin a week. It’ll be a dreamcome true, if I can pull this off,”Dakshin Srinivas says.

There’s no denying thatcrowd funding is a good alterna-tive for indie filmmakers,although it may not completelyreplace the traditional ways offilm financing. All you need is a

great idea.

In search of an alternativeFilmmakers are always at the mercy of producers while trying to fund their projects,

but of late, some filmmakers have been trying to find alternatives. Crowd funding is oneamong them. Let’s find out more

The band ‘Marrilion’ whichpioneered the concept ofcrowd funding

hemanth.k@postnoon.comHEMANTH KUMAR

NATION 6SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

NEW DELHI: CBI issues restraintorder to prevent NRI businessmanRavi Rishi, an accused in the Tatratruck deal case, from leaving thecountry. CBI is investigating Armychief Gen VK Singh's allegationthat he was offered bribe to clearTatra truck contracts, over whichDefence Minister AK Antony isalso in the dock.

CBI restraints RaviCHENNAI: In a dramatic twist tothe political opera that has beenunfolding over the last 5 months,AIADMK supremo and Tamil Na -du Chief Minister J Jayalali thaahas ‘pardoned’ her long-timeconfidante VK Sasikala and re -voked the disciplinary action thatsaw her expelled from the partyin the first week of December.

Jaya pardons Sasikala

FABRICATION

CLASSIFIEDS

NEW DELHI: TheDepartment of Post(DoP) is planning toset up 1,000 automat-ed teller machines(ATMs) across sixstates — Assam,Uttar Pradesh,Rajasthan,Maharashtra,Karnataka and TamilNadu — under itsongoing modernisa-tion plan, accordingto a top official. "Wewill start execution ofour modern technolo-gy programme acrosssix circles by the endof this year. This willhelp in people gettingcore banking facilityetc. We plan to have1,000 ATMs in aphased manner. Theprocess for this willstart by the year-end," Secretary(Posts) ManjulaParasher said.

DoP has selectedfive major technologycompanies for five ofits technologyadvancement pro-jects. It has issuedLetter of Intent toInfosys for two pro-jects which are RuralSystem and FinancialServices Integration,Tata ConsultancyServices for ChangeManagement, Sify forNetwork Integrationand RelianceCommunicationsInfrastructure forData Centre.

The Departmentplans to start execu-tion of some of theseprojects by end ofthis year. PTI

Department ofPost to set up1,000 ATMsacross sixstates

Manish Chand

NEW DELHI: Amid differing per-ceptions, India played a crucialrole in shaping the collectivestance of the BRICS countries onthe need for dialogue to resolve thefestering crisis in West Asia and topush continued regional and inter-national cooperation in stabilisingAfghanistan.

The Delhi Declaration at theend of the fourth BRICS summit ofBrazil, Russia, India, China andSouth Africa on Thursday support-ed moderation and dialogue inresolving the Iranian nuclearstandoff and the Syrian crisis amidthreats and sharp rhetoric emanat-ing from Western capitals.

Although there are scepticswho say the political content ofBRICS remains thin, the New Delhisummit is by far the most ambi-tious one as it seeks to reinforcethe economic heft of the emergingeconomies with calls for greaterdiplomatic clout in setting theinternational agenda.

Well-informed sources saidwhile each country has its owninterests to safeguard, India isbroadly satisfied with attempts atinjecting political content on issuesof immediate concern to its securi-ty and economic wellbeing. Forexample, there was no mention ofAfghanistan in the earlier BRICSdeclarations and limited referenceto West Asia in the 2011 Sanya dec-laration.

On Iran, the BRICS countriescollectively warned against allow-

ing the situation to escalate intoconflict — a veiled reference to thespeculated plan by the US-Israel totarget Iranian nuclear facilities.

In the restricted discussionsbetween the leaders that precededthe plenary session, which wasopen to the media, there wereintense discussions among the del-egations of the five countries onthese sensitive issues, informedsources said. There were differ-ences of perception as well as con-

vergence as none of the BRICScountries wanted to openly defythe West by taking a confrontation-al stance.

However, India took the lead inthe discussions, with Russia andChina agreeing that any escalationof the already tense situation inIran will have corroding spillovereffects on the global economy trig-gered by the rise in oil prices.

The position on Iran is signifi-cant as it also calls for roping in

Tehran as a responsible member ofthe international community. Thisis bound to upset the US which hasbeen trying to isolate the Iranianregime, Lalit Mansingh, a formerforeign secretary and envoy to theUS, told IANS.

The escalation of the Iraniansituation is bound to impact India,Russia and China in differentways. India gets nearly 10-12 percent of its oil imports from Iran.China imports around 20 per centof its oil requirements from Iran.Both China and Russia have exten-sive business interests in Iran.

On Syria, India feels that thelarger logic behind its vote on theUN resolution has been vindicatedby the BRICS resolution whichcalls for “a Syria-backed democrat-ic transition” in that country.

Any flare-up in the Middle Eastwill have additional complicationsfor India as the region is home toover six million Indians whoaccount for a bulk of $58 billion inremittances sent by overseasIndians. These concerns werereflected in the BRICS position onnot letting transformation in theMiddle East and North Africa as “apretext to delay resolution of last-ing conflicts but rather as an incen-tive to settle them, in particular theArab-Israeli conflict".

India played a proactive role ingetting other BRICS leaders toadvocate continued internationalengagement in Afghanis tan againstthe backdrop of the phased pull-down of coalition tro ops in the vio-lence-torn country. IANS

BRICS position shaped onWest Asia, Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: A top UN officialcalled on India on Friday to investi-gate allegations of rampant extra-judicial killings and abolish asweeping law that allows securityforces to shoot on sight.

Christof Heyns, a UN SpecialRapporteur, issued the call aftertravelling for 12 days throughinsurgency-hit Jammu andKashmir and the northeast, as wellas Kerala, Gujarat and WestBengal.

Heyns, the UN expert on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary exe-cutions, urged the Indian govern-ment to set up a commission of

inquiry into widespread allega-tions of what he dubbed “so-calledfake encounters".

“Despite constitutional guaran-tees and a robust human rights

jurisprudence, extrajudicialkillings are a matter of seriousconcern in India," Heyns said.

In a statement he described“fake encounters” as: “A scene of ashootout is created in which peoplewho have been targeted are project-ed as the aggressors who shot atthe police and were then killed inself-defence."

India must tackle a culture ofimpunity that protects troops,police and public officials fromprosecution over illegal killings,custodial deaths and detentions, aswell as improve rights for womenand children, he added.

Heyns also urged the Indiangovernment to repeal the harshArmed Forces Special Powers Act,which gives authority to the armyand paramilitary forces to kill sus-pected rebels, arrest people anddestroy property.

“In the northeastern states andJammu and Kashmir, the armedforces have wide powers to employlethal force," Heyns said, referringto the legislation. Such a law “hasno role to play in a democracy andshould be scrapped", he said. “Ithas become a symbol of excessivestate power” and “clearly violatesinternational law". AFP

AFP/HO/PIB

File photo of President of People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao (L) and PM Man -mohan Singh as they shake hands after lighting the traditional lamp to launch theIndia-China year of friendship on the sidelines of BRICS Summit in New Delhi. PTI

Rapped for ‘extrajudicial killings’

PATIALA: Devotees wait inqueues to sacrifice wine, chickenand goats at the Mata Kali Tem -ple in Patiala on Satur day on the

occasion of Durga Ashtami. Anannual festival to worship god-

dess Durga, it is celebrated as amemory of the day when Durga

came out victorious over thedemon buffalo, Mahishasura.

Sacrifice for a goddess

7SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

KAWHMU: Voters in Myanmar flockedto the polls on Sunday for elections

expected to sweep opposition leaderAung San Suu Kyi into parliament for

the first time as part of dramatic politi-cal reforms. A victory for Suu Kyi would

cap a remarkable transformation forthe icon, who spent most of the past22 years locked up by the junta as a

prisoner in her own home.

Suu Kyi set to make historyISTANBUL: Dozens of representa-tives from Western and Arab countrieswere gathering for talks on Sunday inIstanbul aimed at pressuringDamascus to implement a peace planby Kofi Annan to stop bloodshed inSyria. “We expect him to implementthis plan immediately,” a spokesmanfor Annan, the author of the six-pointpeace plan, said on Friday.

‘Friends of Syria’ in talksCARACAS: Venezuelan PresidentHugo Chavez left for Cuba late onSaturday to undergo a second roundof radiation therapy as part of hisback-and-forth cancer treatment inHavana. State-controlled televisionshowed the president boarding aplane at Maiquetia Airport accompa-nied by his daughter Maria Virginiaand one of his grandchildren.

More radiation for Chavez

WORLD

The search is on in the US for the winners of theworld’s biggest ever lottery jackpot — $640m

(£400m). Three tickets have now been announced assharing the massive prize, with the winners in thestates of Maryland, Kansas and Illinois. Americansspent an estimated $1.5bn to enter the draw for thejackpot, which had reached the record levelbecause no-one had matched the winning numberssince the end of January. Forty-two states took partin the draw. The numbers drawn on Friday nightwere 2, 4, 23, 38, 46, and the Mega Ball was 23. MikeLang, a spokesman for the Illinois Lottery, said hisstate’s ticket was sold in the town of Red Bud, nearSt Louis.

Mali junta stops fighting in key town BAMAKO: Mali junta head Captain Amadou Sanogohas ordered the army “not to prolong” fighting in a keynorthern town as rampant Toureg rebels tighten theirgrip over swathes of the north. “Given the situation ofthe populations” near the battle zone “the Mali forceshave decided not to prolong the fighting,” Sanogo saidlate on Saturday. Just minutes earlier the leader of lastweek’s coup had said, in a statement read by a journaliston state ORTM television, that the Malian army hadfought off the Tuareg rebel assault. Sources close to thejunta recognised that the order to stop fighting was infact a decision to pull the government forces out of thearea, following similar withdrawals form other parts ofthe region in recent days. AFP

MOMBASA: At least one person was killed and 14others were wounded in attacks on a restaurant inthe Kenyan city of Mombasa and a church gather-ing in the nearby town of Mtwapa, police said. InMtwapa “what appears to be a grenade” wasthrown at a Christian religious gathering injuring12 people, Coast province police chief AggreyAdoli told AFP. A second police source, who askednot to be named, said one of the 12 died from hisinjuries on his way to or on arrival at hospital.Adoli said that a second grenade was “hurled at arestaurant in Mombasa” and that three people,including one police officer, sustained minorinjuries. AFP

One dead inKenya attacks

YALA: A series of car bombskilled 13 people and injured morethan 500 in the deadliest attacksto hit the insurgency-torn farsouth of Thailand in recentyears, officials said on Sunday.

In an apparent escalation oftheir tactics, suspected militantson Saturday attacked a hotel inHat Yai, the largest city in south-ern Thailand and a popular desti-nation for tourists from neigh-bouring Malaysia and Singapore.

A car bomb in the basementtriggered a fire which spread to ashopping mall within the LeeGardens Plaza Hotel and killedthree people, including aMalaysian tourist, according tothe police.

Songkhla provincial governorGrisada Boorach said 416 peoplewere injured, mostly sufferingfrom smoke inhalation, and 140were still in hospital on Sunday.

Until now Hat Yai andSongkhla province have been rel-atively untouched by the shad-owy insurgency that has claimedthousands of lives in the neigh-bouring Muslim-dominatedprovinces of Yala, Pattani andNarathiwat since 2004.

“There is no hint why theydid this at this time,” Hat Yaipolice chief Colonel KhomgritSrisong told AFP by telephone.“We’re questioning witnesses andthe injured for more informa-tion.”

The hotel bombing cameabout an hour after two carbombs minutes apart hit the townof Yala around midday as peoplewere out shopping.

Those blasts killed 10 peopleand wounded 117 others, 29 ofwhom were still in hospital, saidColonel Pramote Promin,spokesman for the southernarmy region.

National police chief GeneralPriewpan Damapong said thehotel bombing was linked to the

Yala attack.“It was a car bomb and it’s

related to the incident in Yalaand I believe that it was the workof the same group,” he said intelevised remarks.

Colonel Pramote also said theattacks seemed similar.

“The incident in Yala and Hat

Yai are similar in term of thetype of operation and the periodof time,” he said on TNN24 tele-vision. “In the south there are notmany insurgent groups who oper-ate like this.”

A complex insurgency, with-out clearly stated aims, hasplagued Thailand’s far south near

the border with Malaysia since2004, claiming thousands of lives,both Buddhist and Muslim, withnear-daily bomb or gun attacks.

However, they are rarely asdeadly as Saturday’s explosions.

A string of shootings in Yalaprovince left 10 people dead inAugust 2007, while nine peoplewere killed by a bomb in a villagein January last year, also in Yala.

The insurgents are notthought to be part of a globaljihad movement but are insteadrebelling against a long history ofperceived discrimination againstethnic-Malay Muslims by succes-sive Thai governments.

Struggling to quell the unrest,authorities have imposed emer-gency rule in the region, whichrights campaigners say effective-ly gives the army legal immunity.

The military has admittedthat troops shot dead fourMuslim villagers on their way toa funeral due to a “misunder-standing” in late January afterapparently fearing they wereunder attack from militants.

One of the region’s deadliestincidents occurred on October 25,2004, when seven people wereshot dead as security forces brokeup a protest in the town of TakBai, and 78 more suffocated orwere crushed to death in truckswhile being transported to adetention centre.

Rights groups have said thefailure of Thai authorities tohold security forces to accountover the deaths has fuelled fur-ther violence and alienation inthe southern region. AFP

Deadly car bombs kill 13 andinjure 500 in Thailand

Search on forjackpot winners

1. Thai firemen carry an injured man after a fire at the Lee Gardens Hotel in downtown Hat Yai. 2. Thai firemen standoutside the Lee Gardens Hotel and spray water to extinguish the fire. 3. Bomb squad members inspect the wreckage ofa car at the scene of a car bomb blast. AFP/MERIKING TUAN DANIYA

1 2

3

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

COMMENT 8SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

Iam glad that Fabrice Muamba ismaking good recovery. It has been ashocking week for the football world.

I remember reading in the papers thata player in Bangalore collapsed anddied on the field, as there was nomedical facility on the ground. Thisdoes not happen in cricket.

Palani VenkateshYousufguda

Why this bias?

Ilike your paper and I enjoy most ofthe articles that come in it. But I havea serious issue with the taking of

stills from Hollywood movies for illus-trative purposes along with stories thatdiscuss topics about India. Why a pic-ture from Monster-in-law with story onmums-in-law in India?

Franklin XavierSecunderabad

Images must match stories Remakes hamper image

EDITORIALS

EDITORIALS

EARTH HOURtokenism not enough

Not to be left behind in theglobal green campaign, Indian

urban centres too have pitchedin by organising programmes for

the Earth Hour — a step in theright direction. However, we are

stuck at the single step forabout a decade now as govern-

ment and private pursuit ofprogress continues to wreak

havoc on the environment. TheCentral and state governments

continue to block high-profileprojects in full media glare, onlyto backtrack later via some legal

loophole in a low-profile man-ner. More greenery goes under

the axe to make space fordevelopment, little is done to

replenish it; let alone attempt tobring about accountability.

Concrete jungles keep expand-ing; earthmovers rape the earth

for minerals; industries spewtoxins into the air and poison

the waters; trawlers scrape theocean beds dry. And for their

part, the civil society keepsorganising seminars and confer-

ences, and of course, ‘greenruns’. A post-event visit to any of

these ‘run’ venues will startleyou with the amount of plastic

waste strewn around in the formof water bottles and campaign

materials. We still keep litteringour roads with wrappers and

continue to waste preciouswater even in the heights of

drought. The massive waste ofelectricity on billboards and all-

night neon sign boards in ourcities is nothing short of mind-less arrogance. Can’t help but

quote Gandhi — “Be thechange you want to see.”

WHY WE LOVE...Mario Balotelli

There’s no one in football atthe moment who can pick a

fight with his own teammate andthen minutes later lash in a

curler that defies belief. The badboy of English football is a cures

and blessing... all in one.

Iwonder about Telugu filmdom'sobsession with remakes. Now there'sGabbar Singh, Dabangg's remake. Is

it not a blatant admission that, “Yes,we devoid of imagination. We can'tthink on our own and therefore weneed stories from other film indus-tries”? What a shame!

Megha MishraBanjara Hills

Of the world’slibraries, the mostfamous is perhapsthe Library ofAlexandria. It had

the world’s knowledge under itsroof in all possible languages inwhich written material wasavailable during those times. Itceased to be in an ‘accidental’fire. The librarians went tobook fairs as far as Rome andRhodes to rebuild the collectionof books. Obviously these bookscould not have been in hiero-glyphs, yet they were highlyvalued in the library ofAlexandria. And this was in the3rd century BC. It is ratherstrange that in 2012 newspapers

are banned from publiclibraries because they are writ-ten in a particular language inWest Bengal.

Despite the growingreliance on IT for getting infor-mation in today’s world, for avast majority of India’s popula-tion the daily newspaper is stillthe only window to the world. Itis also the reader’s prerogativeto choose the language in whichhe/she wishes to get news from.

It is incidental that Englishcame to Indian shores and it isa piece of luck for us that todayit has become the predominantlanguage of communication inthe world. It also is a fact thatEnglish did not leave the coun-try with the British and contin-ued to thrive here because itwas so placed to fulfil a direneed to have a common accept-able language to communicateamong peoples in a land whereflourish hundreds of languagesand dialects. English has

become a second tongue to mostIndians and an acceptable lin-gua franca.

It is perhaps the discomfortof the existence side by side ofa language that one does notknow and is mostly associatedwith the educated urban elitethat causes this mistrust of thelanguage and the clamour forbanning it. English newspaperbanning is symbolic of thisunrest. Mamata Didi is playing

to the gallery by stoking insecu-rities and using them to takecentre stage. It would have beento her credit had she madeefforts to bring up the schoolsand fostered the study of theEnglish language in them to alevel where the mistrust of thelanguage would be banned.

Today it is English newspa-pers in public libraries; tomor-row it could be books in the lan-guage. Are we planning to takeour people backward in time?The growth in knowledge is sofast and furious that by the timeit is translated into the locallanguage, it would have becomeoutdated. Pretending to dislikeEnglish and prevent its flour-ishing is more of a whim, a pop-ulist ploy bordering on eccen-tricity.

And this is happening in theland of Rabindranath Tagore.

The writer works forPostnoon.

Pragmatism mustpower progress

IRISHGIR

Where the mind iswithout fear and thehead is held highWhere knowledge isfree... Into that heavenof freedom, my Father,let my country awake.

Rabindranath Tagore

From the HipSYED SHOAIB

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

NoIn a big boost to its precariousfinancial position, Air India'sFinancial Restructuring Plan

(FRP) has been approved by a consor-tium of banks, which may enable the

ailing carrier save several hundredcrore in the first year itself. As part ofthe FRP, Air India signed four agree-

ments with the SBI-led consortium latelast evening.

Banks approve AI proposal

Ranbaxy Laboratories today said ithas received approval from theHealth Canada to manufacture

and market its generic RAN-Rosuvastatin tablets used for loweringcholesterol in the Canadian market.RAN-Rosuvastatin tablets are genericversion of Astra Zeneca's Crestortablets.

Canada clears Ranbaxy pill

In a move that will impact Indian autoexporters to the island nation, SriLanka on Saturday raised tariffs on

vehicle imports to curb high importexpenditure and the fuel bill. The newmanufacturing levy will come intoforce from today and affect Indianbrands of motor vehicles which domi-nate the island.

Lanka tax to hit Indian cos

BUSINESS 9

Who doesn’t love toshop, especially whenproducts are up forgrabs at discounted

rates? But considering the heavyfootfalls at most malls todayleading to serpentine queues atbilling counters and heavy traf-fic, stepping out for some retailtherapy can be nightmarish.What if you could have a pick ofsome of your favourite productsat the click of a button, minusall the hassle of fighting througha sea of people? Or for that mat-ter sell an old gadget withouthaving to call a dozen friends orputting out a classified for it?This is where e-commerce stepsin as your saviour.

Internet penetration in thecountry is around 10 per cent,compared to 81 per cent in theUS and 36 per cent in China.While India accounts for a whop-ping 17 per cent of the worldpopulation, merely 4 per cent ofInternet users in the world arefrom the country. There is a lotof potential for the growth ofinternet usage and also e-com-merce. It is this that has madeIndia the fastest growing e-com-merce market in the world.

To tap the growing market,many national and internationalplayers are launching at leastfour e-commerce sites of differ-ent types every week. The mar-ket includes different sites likegeneral sites (Futurebazaar), dis-count site (Snapdeal) or a verti-cal specific site (Myntra).

This staggering growth (35per cent CAGR) also broke astereotype that Indians do notbuy anything without actuallyexperiencing the product. Manycritics said Indians treat shop-ping as an experience and asentertainment with the spread ofthe mall culture.

“Digital commerce also pro-vides a shopping experience,though different from the mall.Customers can compare pricesacross stores; get richer knowl-

edge about products with cus-tomer reviews, user ratings andthe high-adrenaline experienceof real-time deals. This experi-ence can spread across varioussegments,” said KashyapDeorah, president,FutureBazaar.com.

There were various reportsthat people go to a website toresearch online rather than buy-ing there. “However, with manydiscounted sites, there is a grow-ing reverse trend as well of look-offline-buy-online, especially incategories where the customerperceives online prices arelower,” he said.

The introduction of Cash onDelivery (COD) has played a cru-cial role in the growth of e-com-merce. It has become a solutionfor the people who do not havecredit/debit cards and some whohave security concerns givingtheir details online.

“A lot of people earn theirmoney in cash and want tospend in cash. Around 65 percent of our sales are driven byCOD and the rest is evenly splitin card payments and net-bank-ing. Only 10 per cent of the cus-tomers who order through CODreturn their products. The costsincurred are ignorable, com-pared to the sales generated bythis payment mode,” saidMukesh Bansal, founder andCEO, Myntra.com.

Many of the e-commercecompanies are also offering 30-

day return policies, enablingcustomers to return the productif it is not to their liking. “Webelieve COD will continue totake a major part of onlinetransactions and we are tryingour best to make it as efficient aspossible,” Mukesh added.

Unlike traditional channels,sale in e-commerce is not thelast step of the supply chain butindeed one of the first steps. Thewhole process of supply beginsfrom the moment a customerorders the product online.

Major e-commerce compa-nies are trying to build theirown warehouses in major cities

to stock the products for fasterdelivery. They are also trying tobuild their own delivery net-works for cost efficient distribu-tion.

However, there are concernsthat e-commerce would take apie of offline stores. “It is prema-ture to say that online shoppingis snatching the brick-and-mor-tar pie. Travel and books are theonly two categories where a denthas been made in the brick-and-mortar pie. In other categories,it is addressing new consump-tion. Offline shops selling media(books, music, movies) will beaffected because of low cost of

fulfilment and better price elas-ticity,” said Kashyap.

“The e-commerce playersare offering discounts at theirown peril in mobiles and elec-tronics for better sales. Unlesse-commerce provides a value-added service and makes theindustry distribution cost moreefficient, selling electronics isnot sustainable with discounts,”he said.

Stating that online shoppingportals will take a share offoffline sales is not true however.“Some websites like Snapdealare promoting offline sales fromonline. Snapdeal has become anadditional channel of saleswhere the offline stores can pro-mote and sell the merchandise tomillions of online customersthat is otherwise not accessibleto them,” said Kunal Bahl,founder and CEO, snapdeal.com.

Online shopping portals likee-bay and Junglee by Amazonare some of the internationalplayers trying to make it big inthe Indian market. This itself isproof of the success of e-com-merce in the country. Accordingto industry estimates the e-com-merce market is likely to touch$24 billion mark (more than dou-ble) in the next three years.

Drivers ofe-commerceWHATHome, Electronics, Jewellery,Apparels, Books, Fashion, Kidsand GiftsWHICHDelhi NCR, Greater Mumbai,Bangalore-Hyderabad-Chennaitriangle, and Kolkata

Tier-2 cities in Gujarat andMaharashtraWHOYoung professionals, 25-35earning Indians

Migrants are more open toit than locals

Number of Internet users150 million

Number of e-commerce usersAround 10 million

Current e-commercemarket size$10 billion

Market to reachin next 2-3 years

$24 billion

Market by 2024-25$125 billion

$260 billion

Current growth rate35% CAGR

Projected growth rate in nextthree years60% CAGR

prudhvi.k@postnoon.comPRUDHVI RAJU K

Shopping made easyWith the Internet penetration in the country at around 10 per cent, there is tremendous potential

for the growth of e-commerce that can facilitate selling merchandise and services

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201210KIDS

She emerged victoriousAthena was a harmonius blend power and wisdom. There are

a lot of lessons we can learn from her storyBy Mini Singh

WHOAthena

WHATGoddess of Wisdom

BORN TOZeus and Metis

SYMBOLOwl and Aegis

UNIQUE FEATURESn Athena was born as an adult,

completely dressed as well aswearing an armour.

n She is Zeus’s favourite daughter.

n The city Athens is namedafter her.

n Athena invented the horse-bit, enabling people to tameand use horses for the firsttime.

n Athena is rational, intelli-gent, and a powerful defenderin war; but is also a potentpeacemaker. She is also theprotectress of civilised lifeand agriculture. One couldalso say she is the goddess ofthe creative arts.

STORIESBirth of Athena: Do youremember the stories of howinsecure Uranus and Cronuswere about losing their power asrulers of the universe? Well, it’snot just people who get inse-cure; but also the gods — espe-cially when they have grabbedthat power from someone else,probably their dad! (We’re all

nice to our dads, aren’t we?)They feel they have to constant-

ly look over their shoulder incase there is someone else wait-ing to just snatch away theirsupremacy.

Well, the strange story ofAthena’s birth has to do withher dad Zeus’s fear about losing

his authority over the universe.Metis was the Titan goddess ofWisdom, who had given Zeus aspecial wine that he served tohis father Cronus, which result-ed in Cronus vomiting out all ofZeus’s older siblings. Later,when Zeus realised that Metiswas going to have his baby, heworried about Gaia’s prophecythat any son born to him fromMetis would be more powerfulthan him and would overthrowhis rule. Gaia had made thisprophecy because she wasunhappy about Zeus’s heavy-handed rule.

Well, following the exampleof his dad, he did what any inse-cure god would do — he wentright ahead and swallowed Metisalong with her unborn child.(Talk about like father like son!)Not to be intimidated by hisactions, Metis went right ahead

and busied herself with fashion-ing a shield and an armour forher child. (That’s one helluvapositive attitude!) Later, after areally, really long time; whenZeus was not even thinkingabout the people he had swal-lowed, he got a splittingheadache. Eventually, when hecouldn’t take it any longer; heasked Hermes, the messenger ofgods, for help. Hermes very help-fully split open Zeus’s foreheadopen with a golden axe. And sur-prise, surprise! From Zeus’s fore-head emerged the bright-eyed,fully-grown beauty Athena, com-plete with armour and shield.

Athena was a strong goddesswho Zeus grew to trust deeply.Eventually, Athena wouldbecome Zeus’s most trusted advi-sor.

LESSONS: Don’t let circumstances defeat you: Metis did not wantto be with Zeus in the first place,but relented later. Then, aftershe was pregnant and needed alot of kindness, Zeus just swal-lowed her up. Metis had everyright to cry and be angry andbitter. But what did she do? Shejust got herself busy in gettingthings ready for her daughter.Metis did not feel sorry for her-self, and chose to make the bestof the worst circumstances,instead. We all have a choice todecide how we will behave whenthings get difficult. Metis, inGreek mythology means wis-

dom, skill and craft — qualitiesthat her daughter also imbibed.

Sometimes our fears areunfounded, and make us dodumb things: As it turns out,Zeus needn’t have worried somuch about Metis’s child takingaway his power. So all the swal-lowing and headaches were pret-ty pointless. He could haveavoided all of that and beenhappy if he hadn’t been soscared. Not to mention that hemissed watching his daughtergrow up to be a wise and lovelygoddess!

ROS

KAREN

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201211CITY IN PICTURES

EARTH HOUR

2012City youngsters participated heartily in theworld’s single largest campaign for the planetRahul Ramakrishna &Sudeshna Kokafeedback@postnoon.com

As the clock struck8.30pm last eveningthe usually bright

Necklace slipped into semidarkness with all electriclamps winking out to jointhe rest of the worldobserving the Earth Hour— a bid to highlight envi-ronment issues andincreasing carbon foot-print in atmosphere.

Thousands participat-ed in the Earth Hour andpledged at various venuesacross the City to helpreduce carbon emission. Alarge number of youthflocked to Necklace Road,where a number of candleswere lit and oaths taken tosave the environment.

“We want to sustainour future. By participat-ing in Earth Hour we have

started to do our bit andwe have a long way to go,”said Megha G, fromISAAC. Families and chil-dren also participated inthe event. “This is thattime of year when wereflect upon the new reso-lutions we make to protectthe environment. I wantmy children to become sen-sitive towards the issuehence I bought them here,”says Sridhar K, a market-ing executive.

Elsewhere, people wereseen actively participatingin a play staged at theMarriott Hotel highlight-ing the importance andimpact of Earth Hour.People from all walks oflife were in attendance atthe play presented byOctopus Productions.Siddharth Ranjan, directorof an ad-agency said,“what we need to learnfrom the Earth Hour is not

just to switch off lights fora certain period of time.We need to be responsibleabout our power consump-tion and the effects it hason the planet.”

“Aptly titled, ‘I will ifyou will’, is the kind ofattitude we have towardsany little thing we do forthe environment. I thinkfollowing the Earth Houris a great initiative takenup by the people of ourcity. The need for aware-ness on issues like carbongas emissions, globalwarming, and the effect wehave over the planet isvery important,” saidRajeev K, a banker.

All in all, it was a welcome effort taken byHyderabadis to spreadawareness and follow whatlittle resolutions they havemade to collectively contribute for a better environment.

N SHIVA KUMAR

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201212ART AND CULTURE

Featuring works by AlokBal, Avijit Dutta, BinoyVerghese, Birendra Pani,Chandra Bhattacharya,Dileep Sharma, George

Martin PJ, Pratul Dash, RBalasubramaniam,SudhanshuSutar, Swaroop Mukherji. Theexhibition titled Angkor Wat: AnIndian Perspective will begin on

April 4. The exhibition consistsof paintings by 11 young artistsinspired by the Angkor Wat tem-ple in Cambodia. The travellingshow, which is going to be exhib-ited pan India under the aegis ofWelcome Art has already trav-elled through Kolkata, Chennaiand Jaipur. The show was envis-aged by eminent painters,

Swaroop Mukherji and AvijitDutta. The emphasis was torevive the dying ‘guru – shishya’mode of learning while seekingresonances between Cambodiaand Indian Art and Cultures.Under the tutelage of ‘Guru’Prabhakar Kolte — eminentpainter and art historian, sup-ported by Aditya Bajoria, these

11 artists had travelled toCambodia to study the Angkortemples and record their experi-ences on canvas. This thoughtand the experiences constitutingthis tremendous artistic questhave been documented in a booktitled Angkor Wat: An IndianPerspective, which was releasedat the first exhibition in Kolkata.

Cambodia’s jewel

NEW DELHI: Galleries in India are mov-ing beyond mere selling of art. They

are now integrated spaces whichteach art, conduct residencies for

artists, sell handicrafts and even offera quick bite to the tired soul.

Their number is steadily rising in the capital and around the country,

with both private and public support.

360 degree art spacesNEW DELHI: Progressive artists andmembers of the intelligentsia have

expressed outrage over the forcibleclosure earlier this week of an exhibi-

tion of gay photographs by notedlensman Sunil Gupta at the Alliance

Francaise in the capital as part of theFrancophonie Week. The show whichopened March 23 was inaugurated by

activist Aruna Roy.

Show closure angers artistsCALGARY: A forum in Calgary putthe spotlight on arts and culture

platforms during this provincial election. ArtsVote Calgary believes art is an integral part of life in the city, but while many candidates touted promises ofincreases in arts funding, somebelieve arts in this province arealready thriving.

Calgary forum discusses art

Opening Preview: Monday,April 2 at 7pm

Place: Hyder Mahal, ITC GrandKakatiya, Begumpet

Show continues at Kalakriti Art Gallery

When : April 4 – April 23at 11am – 7pm

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201213ENVIRONMENT

Giant cacti seem to reach for thestars in a newly released long-

exposure picture taken fromIsla de Pescado, an “island” within the

Bolivian salt flats of Salar de Uyuni. Thesalar is the world’s largest expanse of

salt flats, covering roughly 3,100 squaremiles of the high Andean plateau

called the Altiplano, more than 11,800feet (3,600 meters) above sea level.

Reaching for the stars CALIFORNIA: Researchers using NASA’sStratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) have captured an infrared image of the last exhalations of a dyingsun like star. The object observed

by SOFIA, planetary nebula Minkowski 2-9, or M2-9 for short, isseen in a three colour compositeimage.

A dying star

For the first time, heads of environ-mental, biodiversity and naturalresources agencies from across

the world have met with heads of lawenforcement agencies to craft a globalcompliance and enforcement strategyfor environmental security. The Inter -national Chiefs of EnvironmentalCompliance and Enforcement Summitwas held in Lyon, France this week.

For the environment

There’s a perpetual smogin Jawaharnagar, particu-larly in places near thedumpyard where waste

from the capital city is broughtand disposed of. In the morningsit’s so worse in this village inRanga Reddy district that youcannot clearly see a person twofeet before you. You can sensethe smog even in the night, for itbears an acrid, unbearablestench.

At the dumpyard you will

find garbage piles as tall ashillocks from which billowsmoke caused by the rotting ofthe biodegradable waste. It’s likeactive volcanoes that roll upsmoke and lava that keep peopleliving nearby on their toes. Herethe difference is that there’s nolava, but there’s smoke that hasbeen poisoning Jawaharnagar’sair, water and land for a decade.

The dumpyard is operatedby the Ramky Group, whichis in-ch a rge of the waste man-agement here since 2009.However, no was te managementhas been happening here for thepast two years.

Officials have explanationsabout what’s causing the smog,but there’s no solution to end thesuffering of the people living

here breathing this toxic air.Several residents here have

relocated, but those who do nothave the means to do that stickon, fully aware that they arerisking their health and lives.

B Santa Bai, a resident here,says, “Our children have devel-oped rashes and boils on theirskin. It is not safe for babies orpregnant women to live in this

area and there are no hospitalsin the immediate vicinity.”

And some have lost theirloved ones. One among them isKhuteja Begum whose six-year-old son Muzzamir died due tohealth complications caused bythe pollution.

“People do not go out in themorning scared of that fog,” shesays. “Many here suffer frombreathing problems and asthma.We have complained so manytimes but to no avail.”

Yet, the suffering of the peo-ple and the deaths seem to haveno effect upon the authorities.

There’s an even more shock-ing sight: like monks atop hills,ragpickers sitting atop stinkingpiles of garbage setting an earlydate with death. It’s very sad, for

these people wear no protection,even that of a flimsy surgicalma sk; and have no representa-tion.

“We are not consideredla bourers,” says Bheemalin ga -ppa, a ragpicker for 13 years.“We earn from what we get fromthe gar bage. We do not ask forcompensation, we only ask for alittle la nd before we are evictedto some other part of the city’soutskirts.”

People who have beenliving here for long rememberJawa ha rnagar as a village oflakes and wells. Now, some ofthese waterbodies have dried up,while some have become toxicblack pools. Living here is agamble which the residents arebound to lose.

RAHUL RAMAKRISHNA

rahul.r@postnoon.com

Jawaharnagar has active volcanoes which spew no lava, but billow a killer smoke thathas been poisioning the village’s air, water and land for a decade

Dumpyard of the city

N SHIVA KUMAR

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201214FOOD

BEIJING: Sky people Fruit Juice Inc isplanning to introduce price cuts for someof its fruit juice beverages after recordinga sharp decline in yearly profits The com-

pany, which produces and processesapple, kiwi and pear juice concentrates,saw net income fall 38% to $13.2 millionin 2011 (2010: $21.2 million), hurt by rawmaterial costs and unexpected weather

conditions during the harvest season.

Cutting cost for profitLONDON: New UK start-up business,Mojo Smoothies, has launched a rangeof small batch gourmet smoothiesunder the same name. The companyhas introduced three flavours in March,with three more to follow in May.These include pineapple/ banana/coconut, strawberry/ cranberry/goldenkiwi and mandarin/guava and aremade from 100% juices and purees.

Mojo smoothies in UK

While European frozen raspberry prices remain

depressed, those for Chileanproduct have taken an upturn offthe back of lower production thisyear. Felipe Rosas of R Consultingtold Foodnews that productionwas down 15 on last year’s estiper cent estimated at 55 000-58000 tonnes.

Raspberries price rise

Many people are bewildered

or even laugh at thesilly sounding lingo that

wine experts use todescribe a wine. Experts

who have a very developed a keen senseof smell and taste are often able to pick

up hints and nuances in a wine thatmost of us may not be able to. And of

course, their extreme love and passionfor wine makes their language evenmore eloquent while talking about a

wine. I always try and use slightly easi-er terms while talking to people about

wine, most of them are used to describefood. After all wine does comprise morethan 200 chemical compounds, many of

which are identical or similar tothose found in fruits, vegetables,

spices, herbs, etc. For examplemolecules that give bananas or choco-lates their taste, are there in wine too.

So nothing extra or artificial is everadded to a wine. These descriptions areof molecules that naturally show up in

a wine and keep developing flavoursthroughout its life, right from the vine-

yard to the bottle.So now that food flavour descrip-

tions have been explained, there arestill a few more wine terms that needexplaining. Here you go, these terms

are not all that confusing after all. Butbehind all this wine talk is just a bottleof wine, waiting to be cooled down andcracked open with friends who want to

chat and be happy.

Let’s talk wineSHAMITA SINGHA

feedback@postnoon.com

n Acidity- Is that mouthwater-ing, citrus feeling in the wine

n Aroma- Smell of the wine

n Barrel fermented- Thesewines are fermented in oakbarrels instead of stainlesssteel tanks, thus giving thewine a more oaky flavour.

n Body- The weight of thewine or the heaviness of iton your palate — whichranges from light, mediumto full.

n Bouquet:- Compilation ofsmells in a wine that are

derived from wine makingtechniques, barrel aging andbottle aging.

n Character- Pertains to theattribute of the grape varietyused in the wine. For eg:The characteristics of achardonnay are distinctly dif-ferent from a riesling grapevariety.

n Complex- Complimentaryterm used for a wine thatdisplays layered aromas,flavours and textures.

n Cooked- A wine that hasbeen stored in extreme

temperatures spoils. So then it’s a cooked wine.

n Corked- A wine that is offtasting and has been ruinedby mouldy smells from aninfected cork.

n Dry- Is the opposite ofsweet. A dry wine has nolevel of sweetness in it.

n Finish or length- The aftertaste of a wine. The linger-ing flavour of a wine on your tongue after it hasbeen swallowed. It canbe a short finish or long finish.

n Legs- The long, thin lines ofclear liquid visible inside theglass as it coats the wineglass and drips down afteryou have swirled the wine inthe glass.

n Méthode champenoise-French term for the tradi-tional method of makingFrench champagne.

n Tannins- Found only in redwine. Is more something youfeel in your mouth ratherthan taste. It’s a puckeringfeeling on the sides or backof your mouth. Same feeling

when you drink strong tea.

n Terroir- French term for com-bination of climatic and soilconditions for grape growing.

n Vintage- The year on thebottle, which denotes theyear in which the grapeswere harvested.

n Viticulture- The study, sci-ence and practice of grapegrowing.

There is food talk and cheese talk so why not wine talk? Here’s alist of terms you will often hear a wine connoisseur use

Shamita Singha is a wineenthusiast-turned-wine taster

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201215FOOD

INGREDIENTSl 300 gms of chicken

breastsl Salt and freshly ground

pepper to tastel ½ cup finely diced celeryl 3 tablespoon(s) finely

diced red onionl 4 tablespoon(s) finely

chopped flat-leaf pars-ley

l 1 cup(s) walnuts, toastedand chopped

l 1/3 cup(s) mayonnaisel 1 tablespoon(s) fresh

lemon juicel 3 tablespoon(s) of

mango-ginger chutneyl 16 slice(s) very thin

white breadl 4 tablespoon(s) butter

DIRECTIONSl In a large pot of boiling salted water, sim-

mer chicken 15 to 20 minutes, or just untilcooked through. Drain and transfer to aplate to cool for 10 minutes.

l Thinly slice chicken into strips, then finelychop it. Season with salt and pepper.

l Toss chicken with celery, onion, parsley,and walnuts. In another bowl, stir togeth-er mayonnaise, lemon juice, and chutney.Add to chicken mixture and blend well.

Place approximately 1/2 cup chickensalad on each slice of bread. Butter theremaining slices and place on top of chick-en salad. Trim crusts to make even squares.Slice sandwiches in half to form 16 trian-gles.

(Sandwiches may be made to this pointup to an hour ahead. Cover with damppaper towels and wrap tightly with plasticwrap. Refrigerate until ready to serve.)

Finger foods should be something that your guests can enjoy but at the sametime, it shouldn't become too messy to hold and eat as they talk

Finger lickin' good!Ingredients1. Chicken cut - 500 gms2. Hung curd - 2 tbsp3. Kothmeer - 2 big bunches4. Garlic - One whole 5. Green chillies - 4 to 66. Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp7. Lemon Juice - half tsp8. Turmeric powder - half tsp9. Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp10.Kothmeer and green chillies (sepa-

rate) - for garnishing 11 Phool chakri ( Star Anise )12.Salt - to taste.

Procedure1. Clean, dry and deep fry the koth-

meer leaves, green chillies, garlicand grind them into a fine paste.

2. Clean and marinate the chickenpieces with the masala paste,lemon juice turmeric (haldi) pow-der, hung curd and salt for at least1 to 2 hours.

3. Heat oil in a thick bottomed panand switch off the gas add one staranise (phool chakri), red chilli flakesto it, and immediately mix the mari-nated chicken in it.

4. Switch on the gas, cook on slowfire till chicken is soft and tender.

5. Garnish it with kothmeer and slitgreen chillies and serve hot.

Noor’s KitchenNOOR JAFRI

TeekhaMurghMasalaHot and spicy chickenpreparation

Chef’s note: It is a light dish, sim-ple to prepare, lessoil but hot and spicypreparation. Low oncalorie count.

Contactn Noor Kitchen

n Mobile:- 91-9441282318

n Residence:- 91-40-23356947

Sala

d T

ea,

Sandw

iches

SPA

NA

KO

PIT

A T

RIA

NG

LES

Baco

n W

rapped J

ala

peno P

oppers

Roast

Beef

Canapes

INGREDIENTSl ½ cup of vegetable

oil

l 2 large onionschopped

l 1 kg of choppedspinach, thawed,drained andsqueezed dry

l 2 tbsp chopped freshdill

l 2 tbsp all-purposeflour

l 110 gms of fetacheese, crumbled

l 4 eggs, lightly beaten

l salt and pepper

l Pastry strips

l 1.5 kg butter

Chutney Chicken

INGREDIENTSl 30cm-long baguette bread

l olive oil cooking spray

l 200g sliced rare roast beef, cutinto strips

l 200g roasted red capsicum,thinly sliced

DIRECTIONSl Preheat oven to 180°C. Trim

ends from bread. Cut into 24,5mm-thick slices. Place breadslices, in a single layer, on 2oven trays. Spray with oil. Bakefor 8 to 10 minutes, swappingtrays over halfway throughcooking, or until light golden.Remove to a wire rack to coolcompletely.

l Top each bread slice with roastbeef. Dollop with horseradishmayonnaise and top with cap-sicum. Season with pepper.Serve immediately.

COMPILED BY SANA MIRZA

DIRECTIONSl Preheat oven to

175 degrees C.

l Heat vegetable oilin a large saucepanover medium heat.

l Slowly cook andstir onions untilsoftened.

l Mix in spinach, dilland flour.

l Cook approximate-ly 10 minutes, oruntil most of themoisture has beenabsorbed.

l Remove from heat.

l Mix in feta cheese,eggs, salt and pep-per.

l Lay the pastrystrips flat andbrush with butter.

l Place a smallamount of spinachmixture onto eachpiece of dough.

l Fold the pastrystrips into trianglesaround the mix-ture.

l Brush with butter.

l Place the filledpastry triangles ona large bakingsheet.

l Bake in the pre-heated oven 45minutes to 1 hour,or until goldenbrown.

INGREDIENTSl 25 fresh jalapeno peppers

l 5 gms of cream cheese

l 2 cups shredded cheddarcheese

l 1 kg bacon

DIRECTIONSl Cut stems off peppers and

cut them all in half-long-ways.

l Remove seeds from pep-pers.

l Fill each pepper with cre amcheese and sprinkle ched-dar cheese on top.

l Wrap ½ slice of baconaround each pepper half.

l Place on baking sheets andplace in 450 degree ovenfor 10 to 15 minutes or untilbacon is fully cooked.

l Remove and serve whencooled.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201218HISTORY

March 311993 - Brandon Lee was killed accidentally while filming a movie.

April 11778 - Oliver Pollock, a NewOrleans businessman, created the“$” symbol.

April 11872 - The first edition of TheStandard was published.

April 21902 - The first motion picture theatre opened in Los Angeles withthe name Electric Theatre.

April 51614 - American Indian Pocahontasmarried English colonist John Rolfein Virginia.

April 41949 - Twelve nations signed atreaty to create The North AtlanticTreaty Organization (NATO).

April 41887 - Susanna M Salter becamemayor of Argonia, KS, making herthe first woman mayor in the US.

April 31969 - Jim Morrison was arrestedby the FBI for interstate flight,which stemmed from obscenitycharges after a Miami concert.

April 21990 - Iraqi PresidentSaddam Hussein threatened to incinerate half of Israelwith chemical weaponsif Israel joined a conspiracy against Iraq.

April 31968 - Martin LutherKing Jr delivered his“mountaintop” speechjust 24 hours before hewas assassinated.

1889 - In Paris, the Eiffel Tower officially opened. March 31

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201219SPOTLIGHT

Dj Jay, Sushma, Violaja & Abhay

Nindi Priya Unnati & Abhishek Swancy Paulina

Alina & Afreen

Whether it’s LadiesNight or Pub

Night at Kismet,it’s always buzzing

with life. Lastnight, party-goers

spent the nighttoasting to good

music

Bharat with friends Neha & Subit

Pub Hoppin’

A grand exhibitActress Reshma launched the Prayas

Expo 2012. The exhibition put on displayarts, crafts, apparel and jewellery from

around India

Under the spellKaavya Muralidhar from the Chirec PublicSchool wins Hyderabad city finale of theHDFC Life Spell Bee, India Spells 2012.

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 20 T-TOWN TWEETIES

@ssrajamouliReleasing naan-Ee audio inchennai at 9:30 in Sathyamcinemas today. To be graceby Directors Bala and Ling -usamy Very happy that surya

@prakashraajNobody understands U .

People just try to sell theirperception of u to U. Be

careful. Cheersss. !!!

@tashu_02Hey guys sorry...was stuckwid lot of work today, so wasunable to tweet earlier...

@shraddhadas43Just gobbled up an entire

five star chocolate!!feelsgooood! Aah I feel great,the

diet can go to hell today..

@themohanbabuComing to think of it, we inAP have earth hour every-day. Thanks to the powercuts across our belovedstate.

@urstrulyMaheshWishing Rajamouli and rama

garu all d best for eega....

@Alwayscharanim back in hyderabad.rachacompletes shoot this morn-ing.i enjoyed working on ch -e rry cherry song the most th -ough dilaka is my fav to hear.

@ActressanjjanaaI have voted for "Sanjjanaa"

as the Best Actressin a Negative Role 2011

- Kannada onhttp://t.co/XdjiloqG

New babe on the block

After Mumaith Khan andShweta Bhardwaj, PuriJagannadh is all set tointroduce a Brazilianmodel in an item number

in his upcoming film DevuduChesina Manushulu. Her name isGabriela Bertante and she was oneof the contestants in the KingfisherCalendar Hunt a couple of years ago.Of late, she has been anchoring apopular show for MTV. The item

number is now being shot inBangkok. Co-incidentally, RGV hadroped in another Brazilian modelNathalia Kaur for an item number inDepartment and now Jagannadhseems to be following a similar path.Devudu Chesina Manushulu has RaviTeja and Ileana in lead roles. BVSNPrasad is producing the film, whileRaghu Kunche is composing themusic. The film is expected to hit thescreens in June this year.

EndhukantePremanta set torelease in MayRam, Tamannaah starrer

Endhukante Premanta is all set tohit the screens on May 31. The film

is being directed by A Karunakaran andSravanthi Ravikishore is producing thefilm. It’s touted to be the most expensivefilm in Ram’s career. Most part of thefilm was shot in France, Switzerlandand recently the film unit wrapped up amajor schedule in Vizag. EndhukantePremanta is a bilingual film and theTamil version has been titled as YenEndraal Kadhal Enben. “There’s a lot ofdifference between these 2 films...thedialogues r Not just literal translations& a cpl of scenes hv been shot different-ly. I’m guessing this is one of the mostGenuine Attempts in recent times tomake it a proper Telugu & Tamil bi-lin-gual film on a Lavish scale!(sic)”Ram posted on Twitter. GV Prakash hascomposed the music and the audio isexpected to hit the stands in the firsthalf of May. Kona Venkat has writtenthe film’s script and he’s also playing arole in the film.

Eega’s audiolaunched

The audio launch of SS Rajamouli’supcoming film Eega was a star-studded ceremony with several

top actors from Telugu film fraternitygracing the event. Nagarjuna,

Venkatesh, NTR, Prabhas, Ravi Teja,Sunil, Rana, Dasari Narayana Rao,Gunnam Gangaraju, Allu Aravind.

BVSN Prasad and Shyam Prasad Reddywere some of the guests present at the

audio launch along with the entire castand crew of the film. Rajamouli

thanked the crowd for attending theevent and promised that he would

reveal more about the film closer to itsrelease date. The audio launch was

replete with interesting comedy skitswhich were modelled around the film’s

theme. Nani, Samantha and Sudeephave played the lead roles in this filmand MM Keeravani has composed the

music.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 21 B-TOWN TWEETIES

@NeilNMukeshMy director susi has beenkind to me. Has given metime to rest finally !

@RGVzoominInspite of me being on earth

I still love the sun becos itsbrighter nd hotter

@sonamakapoorMy masi turns sixty today!She was ms.india in 1969!http://yfrog.com/oc4szmdj

@SrBachchanT 699 - Interesting day at

Soccer .. ups and downs andedge of seat tension as the

teams come up from behindto win .. Phew !!

@AnupamPkherAnother batch of actorsgraduate today from ouracting school @actorpre-pares. May they all becomestars of Tomorrow.:)

@reddysameeraLast night we had a

Fabulous music release ofTEZZ in Delhi! With @ajay-

devgn anil Kapoor &Kangana!

@TheShilpaShettyStarted Lamaze classes withDr Rita Shah.A must do,veryinsightful.Fun to work outwith pregnant women all ar o und.quite a cute site! ha!

@DuttaLaraHmmm. Last day b4 I flip the

page on my fav shot on theDabboo Ratnani 2012 calen-

der! @Riteishd lookinSMOKIN HOT!!! :-)

Parineeti Chopra noweyeing IIFA award

Director Sajid Khan,whose third directori-al venture Housefull 2

is ready to hit the screens,says he is confident the filmwill be a blockbuster as hemakes films by placing him-self in the audience’s seat.

“Only a good film willwork. If my film is not goodthen it will not work beyond

Monday. But I can say itwith a lot of confidence thatthis film is a blockbuster. Iam not saying this becausethis is my film but because Ihave made this film accord-ing to the audience. Everyfilm I make, I make it as anaudience,” the 40-year-oldsaid here at a promotionalevent for Housefull 2. IANS

John Abraham has donea promotional video ti tl -ed Rum Whisky for his

fi rst production venture Vic -ky Donor, and describes hi -m self as an “item produc-er”. “I did the song for fun.In this song I am not onlythe item boy, but I am theproducer also. It’s importantto understand that I am thedriver of this film in a way,”the 39-year-old said.Releasing April 20, VickyDonor stars veejay-turned-actor Ayushman Khuranaand TV actor Yami Gautam

in the lead roles. John says he chose to

stay out of the cast of thefilm about sperm donorsbecause he wanted to testhimself as a producer.

“I am taking thisrole very seriously becauseyou must have seen thatactors usually star in theirown films and then they pro-duce it. It is my first filmand I am not starring in it. Ihave cast newcomersbecause I wanted to see howeffective I am as a produc-er,” said John. IANS

Actress PriyankaChopra’s younger sisterParineeti Chopra, whobagged 10 best debu-tante actress awards for

her role in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, islooking forward to winning anIIFA award too. The 13thInternational Indian FilmAcademy (IIFA) awards celebra-tion has started with the film fra-ternity voting for the winners.

“Like you all know, this is myfirst IIFA. Till now every year Iused to hear my sister (actressPriyanka Chopra) saying that Iam going here and I am goingthere. This year I am getting a

chance to go somewhere, I amvery, very excited,” the 23-year-oldsaid at the IIFA Voting Weekend.

“No one is telling me whereare we going, but I know I amgoing somewhere. Till now I havegot all the awards and I am nowwaiting for the IIFA. I hope I getthat as well and then I’ll throw ahuge party,” she added.

The actor is so happy to havewon so many awards that shecounts them everyday.

“Daily I count all of them toensure that they are still there.Till now I have 10 and I am hopingthat I also get IIFA,” saidParineeti.

Parineeti played Delhi girlDimple in Ladies vs Ricky Bahland feesl happy when people iden-tify her by her character name.

“Today less people know me asParineeti and more call meDimple, which I think is a goodthing. When you remember thename of the character and don’tremember the real name of theactor, it is a good thing. You don’tsay Shah Rukh - Kajol, you sayRaj-Simran. So I am very happy,”said the actor.

Parineeti’s next is Yash Raj’sIshaqzaade, in which she is pairedwith Boney Kapoor’s son Arjun.

IANS

John calls himself‘item producer’

Confident Housefull 2will be a hit: Sajid

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 22

Sujoy Ghosh elated

No stopping for

KAHANIA

ctor Vidya Balan’sKahaani has set anew record by attractingcrowds in its

fourth week and directorSujoy Ghosh thanks every-one for appreciating thisdark thriller about awoman’s hunt for her miss-

ing husband.The film has reportedly

reached the `50 crore-marksince its release March 9.

Made at a small budgetof `8 crore, the film’s col-lections show that it’s abumper hit of the firstquarter of the year. Despiteno skin show and no glam-

our, the film has rocked thebox office.

“Thank you again forloving Kahaani as we enter4th week. Thanx for yourblessings and for every-thing good you wished forour film. We are in yourdebt,” tweeted Ghosh.

IANS

Shilpa Shettyenjoying herpregnancy

Kishoreda’s songsevergreen, Jhumroowill work: ShwetaT

V actor Shweta Gulati isa die-hard KishoreKumar fan and says hissongs have such flavour

that they are not time-bound.She is confident that her musi-cal comedy Jhumroo, based onthe legend’s work, will strike achord with the audiences.

“I love Kishoreda’s music. Ido not think there is anyone inthe country who does not lovehis songs. We all grew up lis-tening to his songs and genera-tions to come will listen tothem as well. His songs areevergreen,” Shweta said.

The actor is currently busyrehearsing for the musicalcomedy Jhumroo that cele-brates the spirit of KishoreKumar’s songs.

“Jhumroo is a completefamily entertainer. I play thelead, Meena, opposite actorGaurav Gera. The story isabout Bhola, a Kishore Kumarfan who is madly in love withMeena. Both of them are col-leagues. She does not like himmuch but eventually falls inlove with him once she comesto know he is an amazing per-son,” said the actor.

“With a well-written script,Kishoreda’s music, lot of spe-cial effects, I am sure the audi-ence will like it and they willcome out with a smile on theirfaces after watching it,” addedthe 32-year-old, who left her

hometown Mumbai and shift-ed to Gurgaon to work in themusical.

Jhumroo is the secondBollywood live musical afterZangoora - The Gypsy Princeand it will be launched at theKingdom of Dreams, GurgaonApril 4.

IANS

Actor Shilpa Shetty isenjoying every phaseof being pregnantand loves being pam-

pered by all.The actor, who married

London-based Raj Kundra in2009, announced her pregnan-cy on Twitter in December2011, calling it the “mostbeautiful phase” of her life.

“Thank you all so muchfor all the love and good wish-es. Gods grace, all going verywell. The best part of preg-nancy is that everyone is sonice to u! So much love andpampering all around. Badpart everyone feeds u somuch,” tweeted the actresswho is expecting her firstbaby in May. IANS

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 23

` 150 sq. cm

For Further DetailsPlease

Contact

Abhinay 9989399972

Nandlal 9951467988

Ravi Chander8106039919

DISPLAYA

DS

RATE

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 24

Mel B has hit back at claims that her husband isa bully. The former Spice Girl, who marriedmovie producer Stephen Belafonte in 2007,

addressed recent reports that she has fallen out withmum Andrea and sister Danielle over her relationshipwith him.

Earlier this month, Danielle said: “[We] had con-cerns about her husband Stephen. Ever since we ex -pressed those concerns, we’ve not heard anythingfrom her. I just hope I will speak to Melanie again be -cause she’s my only sister. “I miss her and my niecesridiculously. It hurts... I don’t have her number, I don’tknow where she lives — I wouldn’t know how to get intouch with her.” Mel B told Fabulous Magazine: “Ilove my family — simple as that —but my ownfamily comes first, completely.Stephen comes first with mykids, completely. “Peopleare always going to judgewhat they don’t under-stand or know about,and I think [my sis-ter and mother]are obviouslyvery unhappyand I feelsorry for[them].”

Mel B hits back

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CINEMA 25

Rapper Nicki Minaj has beenfocusing on her forthcomingBritish tour but now she has abigger job on her hands,

teaching actor Stephen Fry to rap.The Rapper has offered to give

the British actor and presenterpointers after he posted a link to hisversion of her hit single Super Basson Twitter.

“Nicki listened to it after he pub-lished it and, although she was pret-ty impressed with what she heard,she thinks he coulddo with a fewtips,” the-

sun.co.uk quoted a source as saying.“She’s more than happy for

Stephen to go along to one of herLondon shows to go through afew rhymes with him,”she added. IANS

Nicki Minaj teachesrap to Stephen

Rapper Drake has revealed he wants to be respected asan icon by the present generation and be

remembered through his songs in years to come.The 25-year-old singer said his main career ambition

is for his music to stand the test of time and still beremembered.

“I’m a descendent of either Marley (BobMarley) or Hendrix (Jimi Hendrix). I haven’t

figured it out cause my story is far from fin-ished,” he explained while discussing the

lyrics of his track Lord Knows. “I didn’t really say I was the rap

Hendrix or Marley, I said I was the descen-dant. Because I feel like that’s what I

want to be for this generation: iconic. “That’s the purpose I want to serve

on this earth. I want my words to beremembered in 10, 15 years,” contactmu-

sic.com quoted the singer as saying. IANS

Drake wantsto be a music

iconBrand does not holdonto negativity

Russell Brand is returning to hisroots: bachelorhood and standup

comedy. “I’m doing well,” Brand,whose marriage to Katy Perry endedin December, after 14 months, tellsPeople. Waxing philosophical aboutlife, the British comedian, 36, suggeststhere was no reason he shouldn’t bewell. “You don’t need to brush it off ifyou don’t get it on you in the firstplace,” he says, not specifically defin-ing what “it” is. But, he insists, “Idon’t have to let anything go. I don’thold on to anything negative. It’s thesame as zero-ness.” Asked if that’spart of his yoga philosophy, Brandreplies, “I like Kundalini yoga” –which heavily relies on physical andspiritual intuition.

CHAI TIME 26SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

ACROSS1 Beau6 Competing11 Zoologist’s study16 Valerie Harper TV role21 Rash, as a decision22 Old Greek colony23 Daisy Mae’s man24 Loosened25 Sidestep26 Paid for27 Terra —28 Heard too often29 Moon buggy30 Ball-gown fabric32 Mecca resident34 Carnival worker36 Toga party site38 Looks curiously40 Built for speed42 Plow manufacturer43 Make corrections45 Catcalls47 Desert wanderer49 Determined52 Wise in the ways of

the world53 Noah’s measure54 A feast — — famine57 Chapeau securer58 Fix software59 Senior Hatch of Utah60 Like cotton candy61 Rocker — John62 Fall plantings63 Piano exercise64 Hot pepper65 Battery size66 Smoothly68 Like taffy or caramel69 Deep-red gem70 Grime72 Sandwich cookie73 Trustworthy74 Cote d’Azur75 Jockey’s need77 Warning device78 Internet hookup79 Lack82 Gold digger?83 Wind-driven spray84 Cram88 Hair goo89 Shoe parts90 Quail families92 Wahine’s welcome93 Cattle movers94 Women with nieces95 Livy’s language96 Kind of basin98 Table quartet99 Like a punk hairdo100 Squander101 It has a canopy102 Fabric measurement103 Goose-down gar-

ments 104 Like a he-man105 Gomer Pyle’s group106 Confused fight107 Uptight108 Ceremonies109 Dramatist’s division111 Superdome player113 Hit some ice115 Take advice119 Priest’s domain121 Clutch

123 Yawning gulf125 Embroider, maybe126 Tennis great — Hart127 Of the hipbone129 ‘La Dolce Vita’

actress131 Rolex rival133 Pipe unclogger134 Rockhound’s find135 Major petroleum

exporter136 Sheet of plywood137 Wyoming range138 Washed down139 Cheapskate140 Buckle down

DOWN1 Closet nicety2 Vacillate3 Fujiyama neighbour4 — be an honour!5 Boris’ refusal6 Raging, as a storm7 Caterwauled8 — tube9 Never, to Wolfgang10 Is on the go11 Talent or gift12 Habitations13 Pull strings?

14 After taxes15 Sheik, usually16 Hideaway17 Listened18 Basket willow19 Raison —20 Lime cooler31 Philadelphia sch33 For — — (cheap)35 — asst (office aide)37 Rhythm39 Threadbare41 Gnarled44 Bangor locale46 Heavy burden48 Stage award49 Down the road50 The One-L Lama51 Flower oil52 Orchestral instrument53 Swimming stroke54 Put one’s two cents in55 Desk-drawer item56 Santa — racetrack58 View from an oasis59 Globe feature60 Tempura morsel62 European capital63 More timid64 Limestone formation67 Bass or alto

68 Hearts69 Lightheaded71 Radial features73 Shopper’s dread74 Normandy city76 Terminates77 Full of sediment78 Fleetwood Mac

vocalist79 Seek employment80 Drilled a hole81 Hazy conditions82 Cell habitants83 — voce (softly)85 Colonial suitor86 — and desist87 Bagpipers’ garb89 Hotel offerings90 Redeems, with ‘in’91 Boutique94 Nave neighbor95 Resinous deposits97 South Bend team99 Capriati foe100 Has a yen for101 Clotho and her

sisters103 Hunter’s freezerful104 Threatened105 Kind of exam106 Soft wool

107 Heated discourse108 Steak cut (2 words)109 Mold source110 Weight unit for gems112 Money-exchange

premiums114 Gentle people116 Ms Verdugo117 Trevanian’s ‘The —

Sanction’

118 Bought and sold120 Shrill122 Coconut bearer124 Dips in gravy126 Banned bug spray128 August sign130 A crowd, for Caesar?132 Gym pad

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

SUNDAY CROSSWORD

CHAI TIME 27SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

CO

MIC

SFr

ed B

asse

tSt

one

soup

TAROT READ

Five of Cups – The -re’s much confusionand you need spaceand time to allow itall to settle down.You don’t have thefull info, so don’tjump to conclusions.

The Magician – Yourintuition is taking yo -u places. You don’tknow how, but theideas are just pop-ping up and you’redoing a swell job.

The World – Youneed to conqueryour fear and theworld will be at yourfeet. Your own appre-hensions are stoppi -ng you from going a -head with confidence.

ARIESConfusions will disappear and a clearvision will be in front of you. Obsta c l esin the way of growth will be blown over.Misunderstanding with blood relativeslikely; they will not support you.

CANCER

LIBRAUnexpected financial fortune likely. Yo -unger blood relatives will be of greathelp. Because of new friends, your atti-tude will change for the best. Post -pone plans to buy new house or land.

CAPRICORNFinancial constraints likely which willupset you. Chances of dispute andminor tensions likely in the family. Dealwith the situation with patience andavoid mishandling anything.

TAURUSEnemies might gain upper hand; becareful and alert. Businessmen need toanalyse, consult and then to take deci-sion regarding fresh investment, ex -pan sion etc. Be careful while driving.

LEOYou will achieve success on your own.A very good day indeed. Though theremight be financial constraints, help willcome from expected sources as requir -ed. Couples need to be cordial.

SCORPIOBenefits likely through paternal rela-tives. Your harsh talk might create ene-mies. You will struggle very hard to ful-fill commitments. Businessmen mightnot get support from staff and partners.

AQUARIUSYour self-confidence level will be at itshigh and you will implement bold deci-sions due to that. Financial flow will begood and a happy atmosphere willprevail. Pilgrimage chances for some.

GEMINIUnexpected changes will take place inyour life. Long-pending plans will besuccessfully implemented. Take care ofmother’s health. Blood relatives willextend support. Tensions possible.

VIRGOConsult elders and well-wishers beforetaking decisions. Independent decisionswill bring loss and troubles. Children’saction might spell trouble. Egoisticclashes likely between couples.

SAGITTARIUSYou will march ahead on the path ofgrowth. There might be minor hurdlesin getting money, but they will resolvesoon and comfortable position willreturn. Debts and enemies will go.

PISCESFinancial position will be comfortablewhich will make you happy. Your appro -ach makes all the difference and bringgood results. Couples might face minortensions but resolve them soon.

For B

ette

r or f

or W

orse

Ink

pen

Justice – Blame noone if you’re feel-ing left out and wi -sh you could sharemore – wi th col-leagues or fr i ends.You’re not the bestat group work.

Judgement – You’reat a crossroads anddecisions need to bemade. Consider thelong-term impact ofseemingly minor mo -v es at this point. Se -n iors are watching.

Nine of Pentacles –You’ve created a co -m fort zone for your-self with the thingsthat matter most toyou. You’re unwillingto trade-off this co -m fort for anything.

Three of Pentacles –Your skill and trainingare important and wi -ll determine qualityof your work and alsothe kind of job offersyou get – even withinthe same company.

Seven of Swords –You’re feeling tiredand need to getaway. It’s like you’reon the treadmill non-stop. Put off the Bla -ckBerry and go awayfor the weekend.

Queen of Pentacles– Whether at homeor at work, those ar -o und you are seekin -g advice on the bestcourse of action. Yo -u’re not impulsive a -n d that’s appreciated.

The Moon – Logicand reason may notwork as well as intu-ition and insight.Trust your gut feel;live in the moment,and believe it’ll allbe fine.

The Chariot – Ifyou’ve been feelingstuck in a situation itwon’t be so for long.Things are about tomove forward in apositive way andbring many changes.

Six of Cups – You’remissing home (th ingsthat remind you ofchildhood or best).You get nostalgic andwa nt to get out ofthis situation.

STAR POWER SUMAA TEKURtarotreadhyd@gmail.com

THIRUVAIKUMARthiruvaikumar@yahoo.co.in

040-27177230 / 9949870449

You will act with a clear action plan andself-confidence to complete all worksuccessfully. Control your anger andharsh talk which hurts others. Expensesfor blood relatives likely.

Date 2-4-2012 Date 2-4-2012

1.You see a gorgeous girl ata party. You go up to her

and say, “I am very rich. Marryme!” – That’s Direct Marketing.2. You’re at a party with abunch of friends and see a gor-geous girl. One of your friendsgoes up to her and pointing atyou says, “He’s very rich. Marryhim.” – That’s Advertising.3. You see a gorgeous girl at aparty. You go up to her and gether telephone number. Thenext day, you call and say, “Hi,I’m very rich. Marry me.” –That’s Telemarketing.4. You’re at a party and see gor-geous girl. You get up and

straighten your tie, you walk upto her and pour her a drink, youopen the door for her, pick upher bag after she drops it, offerher ride and then say, “By theway, I’m rich. Will you marryme?” – that’s Public Relations.5. You’re at a party and see gor-geous girl. She walks up to youand says, You are very rich! Canyou marry! me?” – That’s BrandRecognition.6. You see a gorgeous girl at aparty. You go up to her and say,“I am very rich. Marry me!” Shegives you a nice hard slap onyour face. – That’s CustomerFeedback.

IIM professor’s lecture on marketing

Vol: 1, No 259 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by himat Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

As per Hindu panchang

CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES

SAGITTARIUSSCORPIOLIBRA

CANCER

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI

LEO VIRGO

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 201228WACKY WORLD

It might look like the set of a new low-budget Transformers movie, but Mr

Iron Robot is actually a newly-inaugu-rated Transformers-themed park in

Jiaxing City, China. Zhu Kefeng and histeam have spent the last 10 years

building giant metal robots from recy-cled iron and steel parts. He startedout by making a realistic model of a

car and then opened his own studio.

Transformers theme-park

Anger Room is a place where it’sabsolutely okay to be angry and

break things. They even give you thetools and set it up so that you can ventout all the anger from years and yearsof holding it all in. The founder of theroom Donna Alexander says the smashsessions at the Anger Room can lastupto 5, 15 or 25 minutes and the placecan be set up according to your liking.

Let it out in the Anger Room

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of avillage-owned business in

Changjiang in China, the village hasgiven every one of its 3,000 residents100-gram bars of gold and silver. Thislittle settlement happens to own theJiangsu Xin Chang Jiang Group, one ofthe top 20 private enterprises in China.Following a promise made back in 2009the village head distributed the bars.

Valuable promise

Woman has 35carrot tattoos

Carrot-obsessedZizi Howell has35 carrot tat-

toos in all, includinga 24-carrot arm band(no, it’s not made ofgold), four on herother arm, six on herback and a huge oneon her stomach. Heronly mission in life isto have “the mostcarrots in the world.”But it’s not just thetattoos, carrots floodalmost every part ofher life. Every itemin the Californianwoman’s house ismodelled after theroot vegetable.Fridge magnets, tea-pots, storage boxes,dressers, soft toys,they’re all themedafter carrots.

Dad calls off skydivewith his toddler

ANew Zealand man has called off a plan to take histwo-year-old son tandem skydiving because of"media hype". Aaron Marriott, who owns a skydiv-

ing business in Auckland, planned to jump out of aplane from 2,500 metres with his son Elijah. Aaron'sbrother Kobe skydived with his dad last year, aged threeand is said to have loved it. But following national mediacoverage of his plans Marriott said he had decided tocall the jump off.

India introducesstilettos for men

According toreports, stilet-tos for men

have recently beenintroduced in fash-ion circles aroundIndia. Believe it ornot, heels areindeed becomingthe latest fad inmen’s fashion. As allother fashion state-ments, the ‘heels formen’ are aimed atthe elite class, goingby the price range –anywhere between$500 to $5,000 a pair– way out of the reg-ular man’s budget.Opinions amongIndian designersand celebritiesabout the fad arepretty much divided.

MARY’S LIL’ LAMB

A lamb sleeps on a meadow near the river Rhine in Duesseldorf, western Germany. Spring brought sunshine and temperatures up to 19 degrees Celsius to the region. AFP/ JULIAN STRATESCHULTE

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

SPORTS 29

Michael Phelps roared to victory inthe 200m medley in 1min 56.32secat the Indianapolis Grand Prix on

Saturday, almost two seconds faster thanthe Olympic season’s previous top time.Phelps broke his own meet record andcrushed Joseph Roebuck’s previous 2012world-leading time of 1:58.16 set at theBritish Olympic Trials.South African DarianTownsend was second in 1:59.28 — eighth-fastest in the world this year.

Phelps delivers blistering win

Former Olympic 400m champion JeremyWariner has his sights set on theLondon Games after recovering from a

toe ligament injury that forced him out oflast year’s World Championships. Warineranchored his Central Texas All Stars squadto victory in the 4x400m relay at the TexasRelays meeting Saturday in 3min 1.54sec,and said afterwards that his left foot wasfeeling fine. Wariner already has threeOlympic golds.

Wariner targets London

Sri Lanka hope to celebrate 30 years inTest cricket by toppling England fromthe number one ranking when the sec-

ond and final Test starts in Colombo onTuesday. Sri Lanka, who won the first Test inGalle by 75 runs, are determined to scalpthe tourists again at the P. Sara Oval andclinch their first series victory since 2009when they beat New Zealand 2-0 at home.England will slip to number two if they loseor draw this Test match.

SL hope to topple England

The University of Kansasmen’s basketball teamsqueaked by Ohio Statelate Saturday night, set-ting up an an NCAA

tournament championshipshowdown with top-seededKentucky.

Hours earlier, Kentuckydefeated Louisville in its ownsemifinal. The Wildcats and theJayhawks will play Mondaynight for the title at theMercedes-Benz Superdome inNew Orleans. Both teamssquared off earlier in the yearwith Kentucky pulling off a 75-65 win.

Under coach John Calipari,Kentucky posted a 32-2 recordover the course of this season —with its only losses coming atthe hands of Indiana andVanderbilt, the latter coming inthe Southeastern Conferencetourney.

It entered the 68-team NCAAtournament as the No. 1 seed inthe South bracket, and thefavorite to win it all in the eyesof many pundits. The team wasled by Anthony Davis, a fresh-man who was recently namedthe Associated Press college bas-ketball player of the year.

But a win in Saturday’s con-test against Kentucky’s in-staterival, Louisville, was hardly agiven. The Cardinals, for one,had a head coach with a nationaltitle to his credits — Rick Pitino,who ironically won that distinc-tion in 1996 as head coach at

Kentucky.Louisville entered the

NCAAs with momentum afterwinning the Big EastTournament. The Cardinals bat-tled the Wildcats tough through-out Saturday’s game, tying thescore, 49-49, at one point early inthe second half.

But the Wildcats eventuallypulled away, winning by a 69-61margin.

Ohio State and Kansasentered the night’s second tilt asNo. 2 seeds, having both defeatedthe top seeds in their brackets —Syracuse and North Carolina,respectively — in the Elite Eight.

The Jayhawks were paced byforward Thomas Robinson, thisseason’s lone unanimous AP All-American pick. On the otherside of the court was theBuckeyes’ Jared Sullinger, whohimself earned first-team hon-ors for the second straight year.

On Saturday night, OhioState jumped ahead early, carry-ing a 34-25 advantage into thehalf. But Kansas stormed backafter the intermission, notchingthe game up at 38-38 with 14 min-utes left in the game.

The rest of the game wasnip-and-tuck, with rarely morethan a few points separating thetwo teams and several leadchanges in the final minutes.

Kansas edged ahead withjust over a minute to go and heldon, thanks to some pivotal freethrows and an Ohio State laneviolation call, for a 64-62 victory.

Kansas rallies past Ohio

William Buford (44) of the Ohio State Buckeyes dunks the ball in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks duringthe National Semifinal game of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship at the Mercedes-BenzSuperdome on Saturday in New Orleans, Louisiana. AFP/CHRIS GRAYTHEN

DUBAI: Monterosso led home aGodolphin one-two in the DubaiWorld Cup over 2000 metres atMeydan racecourse on Saturdaywhen he swept past his stable-mate, Capponi, to win theworld’s richest race.

The five-year-old, ridden byMickael Barzalona, advancedfrom a prominent position towin a race in which he finishedthird last year.

The contested early pacehelped to bring Monterosso’sstamina into play as Capponifinally gave way after challeng-ing for the lead throughout. Thefirst two home are trained forSheikh Mohammed’s Godolphinstable by Mahmood Al-Zarooni.

“Monterosso needs a fastpace and Capponi did the jobwell,” Al Zarooni said.

“It is a great feeling to win it.Sometimes I imagined to myselfthat I had won the race and nowit has happened.”

It was the perfect end to thenine-race, $27.25 million extrava-ganza for the Ruler of Dubaiwho owns both Monterosso andCapponi. The outcome broughtsome consolation to the sheikh,whose Fox Hunt had to be hum -anely destroyed after breaking aleg in a race three hours earlier.It was his sixth victory in 17renewals of the $10 million race.

For Barzalona, meanwhile, itwas the perfect start to his new

position as Frankie Dettori’sunderstudy at Godolphin.Dettori himself finished downthe field aboard Prince Bishop.

“This is a dream,” Barzalonasaid after celebrating from thesaddle every bit as extravagantas he had in winning the Derbyat Epsom in June.

“I just had to (do that). It wasnatural. I couldn’t believe itwhen no-one came after me(down the straight).”

Monterosso banked the win-ner’s purse of $6 million. Hewon by three lengths fromCapponi after a brief tusslehalfway down the home straightwith Planteur a half-length backin third.

Jockey Mikael Barzalona after riding Monterosso to victory. AFP/KARIM SAHIB

Monterosso victorious

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

SPORTS 30

The glitz and glamour ofIndia’s premierTwenty20 tournamentwill once again be ondisplay staring April 4.

A total of 76 matches willcomprise the Indian PremierLeague’s fifth edition. And thecheer leaders, Bollywood bigwigsand names that matter will bethere to egg the players on.

The big question is – willIPL5 continue the success of theearlier editions? There are a fewissues which seem worrying.

Of primary concern will bedisillusionment of the Indiancricket fan over the country’sdismal displays over the pastyear. The run of bad perfor-mances just does not seem toend.

India have also played toomany matches in all formats andthe memories of those horridmoments still remain.

The poor bowling effort inthe rain-hit one-off matchagainst South Africa will nothelp matters.

IPL4 had already seemedlong-drawn and the fans seemedto tire with the sheer amount ofmatches being played. The gapsin the stands were being seenfrom midway through the event.

IPL pioneer Lalit Modi isalso shooting off his mouth inevery direction. His allegationagainst former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns hasalready earned him a huge fine.

Now his blabbering about for-mer England star AndrewFlintoff ’s auction is adding moreto fuel to the fire.

All this is giving the tourna-ment a bad name. So now it is upto the cricketers to up the anteand provide many thrillingmoments to make this IPL a suc-cess.

But one can never write offthe IPL. It provides an arena forsome of the best cricketers in theworld to showcase their powers.

It is an attractive propositionfor the players too. Even a playerlike Australian skipper MichaelClarke is playing it after shun-ning it earlier.

The IPL always throws upsurprises. Players come fromnowhere to take centre stage.Paul Valthaty of Kings XI Punjabplayed some stunning inningswhich brought him into the lime-light.

The best thing about the IPLis that it gives budding Indiantalent the chance to competewith the best. It has helped play-ers like Umesh Yadav and VarunAaron to move on to higherthings.

It has also helped steady bats-men like SubramaniamBadrinath and Ambati Rayuduto learn new facets about theirown game.

The standout player last yearwas Chris Gayle. He hit someblistering strokes and got histeam Royal ChallengersBangalore into the final.

There will some players towatch out for this time too.Richard Levi of South Africa sin-gle-handedly demolished NewZealand recently with a greatcentury. He should be watchedout for.

And Gayle is back again,hoping that the West Indieswon’t pick him for the Testsagainst Australia.

Furthermore it will not mat-ter if the Indian Test stars getinjured this time as the nextinternational is far off.

The organisers will also behoping that the TV ratings forthe IPL will go up this time.

The ball will be on the play-ers’ court. They will have tomake sure that they dish up

better stuff than mother-in-laws battling each other withdrawn swords on prime time TV.

Twelfth ManBABU KALYANPUR

Will IPL 5 be anothersuccess story?

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

SPORTS 31

Arsenal’s French manager Arsene Wenger.

The result — the first timea team has taken a leaguepoint at Eastlands in 14months — leaves

Mancini’s team two pointsbehind leaders ManchesterUnited who play their game inhand at Blackburn on Monday.

Balotelli scored twice, thefirst a disputed penalty and thesecond in the 85th minute, beforeAleksandar Kolarov salvaged apoint with the equaliser fourminutes from time on Saturday.

But Balotelli attracted farmuch than just his goals as heargued with officials, opponentsand even had a furious con-frontation with team-mateKolarov as they disputed whoshould take a free-kick.

With City — now with justone win from their last fourleague matches — already show-ing signs of cracking under thepressure of fighting United forthe title, the last thing Mancinineeds is more distractions fromBalotelli. “I only had CarlosTevez on the bench but I thoughtabout subbing Mario after fiveminutes,” Mancini said.

“He didn’t play well. In agame like this, your strikersneed to do something different,not just play for the last two orthree minutes - but in the end hescored two goals.

“He and Edin Dezko shouldbe scoring two or three goals ina game like this.

“They know that at the free-

kick it should be Aleksandarand Mario on the ball, after thatthey decide who shoots. This canhappen at times like this but thisis the last time.”

Mancini’s problems in attackare not aided by the bizarreinjury currently suffered byArgentine forward Sergio

Aguero, absent from the gameafter suffering an allergic reac-tion to a spray put on his ankleduring the week.

“If we had had Aguero, wewould have won today, 100 percent,” said Mancini who hadrefused to confirm the nature ofAguero’s injury in the build-up

to the game.“I hope we can have him

back for the next game.“It was a spray (that caused

the injury) but it was not hisfault. It is finished, we can donothing.”

The game marked the sixthmatch in succession in which

City had conceded a goal firstand Mancini’s men are clearlystruggling to match United’sconsistency.

Mancini has proven himselfwilling to engage in “mindgames” with his rival Sir AlexFerguson and he attempted to doso again as he looked ahead toUnited’s visit to Blackburn.

“I think after this maybe(City’s) confidence will go down,but only for this afternoon,” headded. “United will probablydraw on Monday, I don’t knowwhy but they will, then we areonly three points behind.

“It is hard but after Monday,we have another seven games.Like we have, we need United tomake some mistakes in thoselast games. Maybe United willhave difficult moments.

“It’s important we’re there.We have the derby and it’simportant before then we arewithin a point or two.”

Sunderland led throughSebastian Larsson and NicolasBendtner’s header restored theirlead following Balotelli’s penalty,harshly awarded for a trip onDzeko by Craig Gardner.

Larsson made it 3-1 early inthe second half, but managerMartin O’Neill felt Sunderlandpaid the price for the controver-sial spot-kick and some latetiredness. O’Neill said: “InitiallyI thought the referee was goingto book their player for diving,but I should have known better.”

Balotelli’s antics giveMancini a headache

Roberto Mancini was again forced to answer questions about the erratic behaviour of his forward MarioBalotelli as Manchester City surrendered the initiative in the title race in a 3-3 draw with Sunderland.

Manchester City’s Italian striker Mario Balotelli (L) argues with his team-mates over taking a free kick and is then spo-ken to by captain Manchester City’s Belgian midfielder Vincent Kompany (2nd L) during the English Premier Leaguefootball match between Manchester City and Sunderland at The Etihad stadium in Manchester, north-west England onSaturday. AFP/PAUL ELLIS

Wenger’s up in armsArsene Wenger accused his Arsenal players of a lack of commitment

Wenger’s side came into thegame on the back of a run ofseven successive Premier

League victories and had a chance toconsolidate their position in thirdplace.

Instead, the loss meant they failedto extend their three-point lead overfourth-placed Tottenham, who have agame in hand against Swansea onSunday, while Chelsea’s victory at

Aston Villa reduced the gap betweenthird and fifth spot to five points.

“Of course, it was a shock for ustoday and I felt sub-consciously some-thing was missing,” Gunners bossWenger said.

“And in the Premier League if youmiss something on the commitmentfront then you are beaten and thatwas the result of the game.”

Third-bottom QPR remain locked

in a relegation battle and Wengeradmitted his side had been out-foughtwhile also lacking the creativity totake advantage of their territorialdominance.

“It is very frustrating becausethey left us the ball and waited for ourmistakes,” Wenger said. “And we tookthe ball, didn’t do a lot with it andmade the mistakes. And at the end ofthe day that makes the result.

SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012

SPORTS 32

Cristiano Ronaldotook his tally to 37league goals witha brace as Real

Madrid romped to a 5-1victory over Osasunawhich gave them a nine-point lead over Barcelonaon Saturday.

Ronaldo, who struckin either half, now has 47goals in all competitionsthis season as Realswitched the title pres-sure back on to Barcelonawho entertain AthleticBilbao later Saturday.

Karim Benzemastruck a delightful volley

after just six minuteswhich put Real on course.

Ronaldo added to thelead and then GonzaloHiguain, who also got adouble, hit his first beforehalf-time, the Argentine’s100th career goal for Real.

While Osasuna threat-ened a brief comebackafter the break through aJuan Francisco ‘Nino’header, Ronaldo struckagain after 69 minutesand Higuain wrapped upthe scoring.

A minute from theend, Osasuna substituteRoland Lamah was dis-

missed for a second yel-low card as his team’s six-match unbeaten run cameto an end on the day thatcoach Jose LuisMendilibar had extendedhis contract for anotheryear.

Real coach JoseMourinho chose RaulAlbiol to partner SergioRamos in the heart of theReal defence with Pepesuspended, and picked anattacking formation withboth Benzema andHiguain starting whileKaka was on the bench.

His bold approach

paid off almost immedi-ately when Real wentahead in the seventhminute.

Ronaldo crossed fromthe left and Benzema fin-ished with a perfectly-timed volley at the farpost, the fifth goal fromthree games for the in-form Frenchman.

Billed as the first of anumber of tough upcom-ing games, which includeEl Clasico withBarcelona, Real weremaking light work ofOsasuna whose defencewas being stretched.

Bolton pip WanderersResurgent Bolton Wanderers battled back from a goal

down to win 3-2 at bottom club WolverhamptonWanderers on Saturday and keep their heads above

the relegation zone.Michael Kightly gave Wolves the lead early in the

second half but Martin Petrov drew the visitors levelfrom the penalty spot before Spanish left-back MarcosAlonso and substitute Kevin Davies gave Owen Coyle'sside the three points.

Cristiano Ronaldo took his tally to 37 league goals with a brace as RealMadrid romped to a 5-1 victory over Osasuna

Real thump Osasuna

Real Madrid’s French forward Karim Benzema (2nd R) celebrates with Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (2nd L)after scoring during the Spanish league football match Osasuna vs Real Madrid, at the Reyno de Navarra stadium in Pamplona, onSaturday. AFP/RAFA RIVAS

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi (R) celebrates with teammate Andres Iniesta after scoring a penal-ty during their Spanish league football match against Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. Barca beat

Bilbao 2-0 thanks to another goal by Iniesta. AFP/JOSEP LAGO

STARS OF THE NIGHT