A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, June 20, 2008

12
WET WEATHER
and fashion ideas

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 120

Who’s next?
World Cup finalists France and defending champions
Greece are out of contention for Euro 2008. Will this
year’s competition throw more surprises? Express your
opinion at http//goergo.ning.com/group/euro2008

Incidents of gang violence in Chennai have increased over the

past year, according to authorities. One way of curbing this
violence may be to make it harder for thugs to gain access to
special, custom-made weapons. Petlee Peter finds out where
the city’s hooligans go, to order their weapon of choice.

» PAGE 05
02 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008
 in g
m o r n
AI
Friday, June 20, 2008
03
Go
od
N N Bosskey, RJ
E
CH
I like Chennai, especially from my place in Mylapore. The milk man, the flower lady
and paper boy’s call in the mornings are characteristic of any Mylapore colony.
In fact, I hate when it is silent. The sound of the crow crowing, especially after a
downpour, is amazing.
As told to Nandhini Ramkumar

Korean, Thai, Chinese – your pick

Head over to Courtyard Marriot for a taste of Asian street food
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in

Mangalou
I
f the thought of pineapple
fried rice excites you, then
head over to Courtyard

JUNE
Marriot for their Asian
Street Fare showcasing food
from the bustling streets of
Thailand, China, Singapore,
Hong Kong and Malaysia.
The festival has been put to- Ecstasy at Sathyam Cine-
gether by the collective exper- mas introduces its special
tise of Chef Seher Muniyandy When, where, dessert for the month of
and Chef Yogeswaran Latcha- what? June – Mangalou.
manan from Renaissance Mal- Timings: 7.30 pm Vanilla custard with
laka, Chef Kripa Ram Oli from onwards, till July 6 chopped walnuts enrobed
Goa Marriott and Chef Ashok Venue: ‘Paprika’, in Jivara milk chocolate,
Nautial from Renaissance. This Courtyard Marriot, covered with a thin layer
tribute to authentic street food 564, Anna Salai, of Madeleine biscuit,
from Asia is on till the 6th of Teynampet topped with fresh Al-
July, 2008 at the Paprika. Contact: 6676 4498 phonso mango slices in a
From tasty traditional Chi- short-crust casing makes
nese dishes to the aromatic up Mangalou.
and sublime Thai and Malay While the Mangalou
cuisine, "Truly Asia" promises and milk shake combo is
to provide a delightful assault priced at Rs. 190, Manga-
on the taste buds. The rotating lou is also available sep-
menu has been compiled by arately at Rs. 120 and will
the chefs, keeping in mind re- be served with ice-cream.
gional delicacies from the
streets of Asia ■

Vive la musique!
Rock, funk and blues bands to perform on June 21
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in When, where, what?
Timings: 11 am to 11 pm, June 21
Fête de la Musique is consi- Venue: Alliance Francaise
dered a major musical event Contact: 9841186951
in France, where amateur mu- (Eddie Prithviraj)
sicians are given a pedestal to
perform. Falling on June 21,
The Fête de la Musique is cele-
brated yearly and has crossed
geographical boundaries by
exploding in- to 110
countries
on five conti-
nents. And now in
accordance with this
date, Alliance Francaise in as-
sociation with The Exodus is
organising the French music
festival in namma Chennai,
which will feature young and
upcoming rock, funk and
blues bands from the city.
Some of the names to look
AFP
out for are Grey Shack, Adam
and the Fish-eyed Poets,
Rampazze, Pushing Tin, LBG,
Panatella and much more.
Some of the invited bands
are from other cities such as
Delhi (Rampazze) and Banga-
lore (Pushing Tin amongst
others). In fact, 20 bands will
be performing at Alliance
Francaise from 11 am to 11
pm.
Regarding timings, Eddie
Prithviraj of The Exodus says
that normally in France on
June 21st, there is no restric-
tion decibel levels. “Here we
haven’t had to consider that
because of the rains! Which
is why we decided on an in-
door venue.”
There is no entry fee for
the event, and the hall only
has a capacity of 200 heads.
So, hurry while you can!
04
Big Story
A cut above the rest
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in
F
or gangsters, hit
men and robbers,
their weapon – the
sickle or dagger – is
usually the extension of
the hand. These men in-
timidate and at times at-
tack with what is called,
the “porrul”. These
weapons aren’t like your
mom’s kitchen knife or
the butcher’s blade. They
are custom-made dag-
gers and sickles, crafted
to hack a human being.
Ergo investigates the un-
derground local weapon
scene in the city and how
they are crafted and sold.
Made for
manslaughter
Ezhaki Muthu, a for-
mer gangster from North
Chennai says, “A weapon
is a man’s pride. An ex-
pert weapon-user usual-
ly stays ahead in the race
from the rest in the gang
war.” Daggers and sick-
les exclusively for man-
slaughter are made from
bumpers of lorries, tem-
pos and jeeps. The solid
iron from these vehicles
is beaten, shaped and
sharpened to the taste of
the user by skilled
blacksmiths.
I met a 73-year-old
blacksmith from the
mint area who agreed to
speak to me on the con-
dition of anonymity. The
man is regarded as a gift-
ed blacksmith, a special-
ist porrul-maker. “I
usually make the weap-
ons in a secluded area in
my shed. In some cases
the client invites me to
their place to get the job
done for which I’m
handsomely rewarded,’’
says the blacksmith, who
claims to have crafted
weapons for a few noto-
rious city gangsters,
since felled by police
bullets.
To my friend Jeyanth (ATAL
ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008
Coach Karur)
and
Hi da machan, have a great day
a fabulous yea r ahe ad.
Best wishes from Prakash.
A weapon is a
man’s pride. An
expert weapon-user
usually stays ahead
in the race from
the rest in the
gang war
Expecting innovation
The elder man charges
between Rs 500 to Rs
5000 for his work, de-
pending on the need and
tastes of his client. Cli-
ents expect innovation,
the blacksmith asserts.
The weapons are crafted
out of iron and also steel
– the shine makes the
weapon more menacing
in the light.
Weapons are made in
blacksmith sheds, locally
known as a pattarai. A
pattarai near the Moor
Market area is particular-
ly well known; despite
police raids the pattarai
is still up and running.
Goons also buy porrul
from Guruvayoor in
Kerala.
Exotic weaponry
“Expert blacksmiths in
Guruvayoor make some
of the best sickles and
daggers. A piece is ex-
pensive but worth every
paisa. Just one cut and
your target is history,”
chuckles 25-year-old Ba-
laji of Chetpet, who is
just out of prison after
serving a sentence for
armed robbery. “A drug
dealer in Chetpet had a
custom-made sickle,
crafted completely out of
silver, which he used to
flaunt quite often. It was
the talk of our locality.
Now he is in prison on
drug charges. I don’t
know what happened to
Sharp edge: A knife is one of the tool used as a weapon. FILE PHOTO: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM it.” ■
 Friday, June 20, 2008
If you want to surprise your frien
send us your message to
Movie time
Our last set of winners:
Ramakrishnan N, Mahendran P, Ram
Venkatesh Mohanraj, Thilak Gopalakrishna,
Sweta R, Jaya Lakshmi S, VeRajendran,
Jayanthi T, Balaji Sampath, Vivek D.
Dear winners,
Congrats! You get two tickets for
the exclusive show of 21 on June 22
(Sunday) at Four Frames, No-30, 5th
Cross Street, Lake Area, Nungambak-
kam, Chennai 600 034 (Landmark Val-
luvar Kottam, Near Tennis Stadium)
The show starts at 11 a.m. sharp.
Make sure you carry the email you re-
ceived from Sony along with valid ID
proof.
Happy movie time!
Dear Rajan,
Advance birthday wishes to you
dreams and wishes come true . May
. May all your
God bless you.
05
Wishes from HCL coll eag ues.
Ltd
Siva Kumar A, HCL Technologies
d with a birthday greeting,
Kuselan
AUDIO SET FOR JUNE 30
Director P.Vasu says the Superstar will have a
substantial role that is sure to cheer his fans
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in
G
ood news for Rajini fans. Kuselan
audios will hit the stacks on June
30.
At a press conference held on
Wednesday, P.Vasu, the director of the
movie, hinted that the film will be re-
leased in the last week of July and the
exact date will be announced on June
30, the day of audio release. The high-
light of the movie will be the Cinema
Cinema song penned by lyricist Vaali
and sung by Shankar Mahadevan. The
songs are composed by G.V Prakash
Kumar.
Director Vasu said that he was always
particular about having a song about
labour like “Devuda devuda” in Chan-
dramukhi and “Uzhaippali illaatha” in
Uzhaippali in all his movies. Similar-
ly in this movie, the Cinema Cine-
ma song will list the main events
of 75 years of cinema. “Lyricist
Vaali thanked me for giving
him an opportunity to write a
song about cinema,” P.Vasu
said.
Kuselan is the remake of Ma-
layalm flick Katha Parayumbol.
The movie revolves around a bar-
ber and his childhood friend, who be-
comes an actor. Rajinikanth dons the
role of actor and Pasupathi plays the
barber. Meena appears as Pasupathi’s Fans of
wife.
Kuselan is jointly produced by Push-
Rajinikanth
pa Kandasamy of Kavithalya and Vi- will not be
jayakumar of Seven Arts. disappointed.
The movie will be released in Tamil
and Telugu simultaneously. It set a rec- You will get
ord of sorts when it got insured for Rs. to see your
70 crore.
The cast include Nayanthara, Pasu-
Superstar
pathi and Meena. Prabhu plays a prom- more in the
inent role in the movie. film, unlike
Speaking on the part played by Raji-
nikanth, P.Vasu said “Fans of Rajini- the Malayalam
kanth will not be disappointed. You will version
get to see your Superstar more in the
film, unlike the Malayalam version
wherein Mammooty appears only in
few scenes.” ■
06 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Websites of the day

Village
Find out where Hollywood is making movies:
http://www.theyfilmhere.com/
America’s QuizLaw Partnership’s vision to provide the
general public with a free and easy to use resource for
finding understandable legal information without all the
"legalese":http://www.quizlaw.com

Bill passed against sexually Couple on marriage spree

Having a perfect
explicit e-mails wedding day is a
As a part of the biggest overhaul of sex dream that everyone
offences in Scotland, a new bill has been has but chances are
unveiled that states that people who send that a Brit couple will
sexually explicit e-mails at work can be accused have at least one good
of being sex offenders. The new statutory marriage - after all
offence of ‘communicating indecently’ will they are planning five
criminalise those who send malicious and this year. Simonne and
unwanted sexually offensive e-mails and texts, husband Ryan wanted
as well as other verbal and written messages. a big bash with their
ANI nearest and dearest
but there was one
problem - they were
scattered across three
Youth give up protest against ‘sexy’ continents. So the
couple decided that, if
dancers their families could not
The youth wing of Malaysia’s opposition Islamic party said come to the wedding,
on Thursday it will not hold a protest against two women the wedding would
who were to sing at a football match after a local leader come to them. The pair married in a Las Vegas chapel and
criticised their plan. The PAS youth wing in central confirmed it with an elaborate wedding in Turkey. The
Selangor state had objected to the women singing at the third wedding will be in their hometown of Milton
July 6 match, saying they wore sexy attire and performed Keynes, Bucks, then the Florida and Australia. "My mum is
erotic dance moves that were inappropriate since many in Melbourne, my dad’s in Florida and Ryan’s mum lives in
youth would be in the audience. The group had Turkey. All our friends are in Milton Keynes," The Sun
threatened to protest at the stadium hosting the match quoted Simonne, as saying.
between Selangor and Singapore. However the Sultan of ANI
Selangor, Sharafuddin Idris Shah, said he would cancel the
entire football
tournament after
learning of the group’s Shopper tries on jewelry, bolts
plan, a report said on
Wednesday. with bling
The Sultan said the Memo to jewelry store clerks: it is best to let a customer
protest over the two try on just one item at a time. A Canadian sales
women – rock singer attendant learned the lesson the hard way this week
Ella and Mas Idayu, when a man strolled into an Edmonton, Alberta, jeweler
who performs the and asked to see several rings and necklaces, one after
hip-swivelling another. Once he had loaded himself up with thousands
"dangdut" dance – of dollars worth of trinkets, he made for the door. Police
was "hypocritical" and said the man was last spotted by store and mall security
"trivial." staff grabbing a taxi.
AFP Reuters

Man shot dead, hostage rescued

He held hostage the woman seated in front of him in a bus
with a 30-cm-long knife
P olice in southwest China said
early on Thursday they had
shot dead a man who held a
6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, the
city police said at a news brief-
ing early on Thursday.
seemed to lose patience and be-
came agitated.
Police saw him injure the
woman passenger hostage at The driver and passengers im- woman’s neck with the knife
knifepoint on a bus and asked mediately alerted police, who and shot him at 8:42 p.m. and
for guns, ammunition and mon- tried to persuade the man to let rescued the hostage, said the
ey. the woman go, but failed. The spokesman.
A man with a 30-centimeter- man demanded two guns, 500 The man was sent to hospital
long knife grabbed the woman bullets and one million yuan for emergency treatment, but
seated in front of him on the No. (145,000 U.S. dollars), said a po- died despite doctors’ efforts.
20 bus in Guiyang City, capital lice spokesman. The woman was also sent to a
of Guizhou Province, around At around 8 p.m., the suspect hospital for observation.
The identity of the man re-
The man demanded two guns, 500 bullets mains unknown. Police are still The man holding the girl hostage with a knife before he was
and one million yuan (145,000 U.S. dollars) investigating the incident. ■ shot dead by the police in in Guiyang, southwest China’s
Xinhua Guizhou province on Wednesday. AFP PHOTO
 Friday, June 20, 2008
560 ads
An average American sees or hears
560 advertisements a day.
Acrobat
쒀 Acrobat Paul O’Keefe balances on the end of a
chair as Circus Oz, the Australian cultural icon,
launches a new season to celebrate its 30th
birthday this year. An extra special 30th Birthday
Bashä season was held at Birrarung Marr, in
Melbourne on Thursday. AFP PHOTO
Crikey! Swearing TV
celebrity chef upsets
Australians
I t’s enough to rip an oath of sur-
prise from the most genteel of
throats – tough-talking Australia
is complaining about the foul
language of a British celebrity
chef. A Senate committee look-
ing into swearing on television,
prompted by objections to chef
Gordon Ramsay’s expletive-la-
den Kitchen Nightmares show,
recommended changes on
Liberal Party Senator
Cory Bernardi said one
episode had contained
‘the F-word’ 80 times
in its 40 minutes
Thursday to broadcasting stan-
dards.
Liberal Party Senator Cory Ber-
nardi said one episode had con-
tained ‘the F-word’ 80 times in
its 40 minutes. The senate rec-
ommended parental lock-out
systems should be made an in-
dustry standard for all digital tel-
evisions sold in Australia.
The complaints turn the tables
on British advertising authorities
who sparked outrage here in
2006 for banning an Australian
tourism ad that ended with a bi-
kini-clad model saying, “So
where the bloody hell are you?”
■ views. ■
AFP
07
This day, that year
It was in June 20, 1997 that Russia
pledged to stop targeting Japan with
nuclear missiles— in a major step to
repair uneasy relations with Tokyo.
Pink or blue?
Couples opting for in Vitro Fertilisation treatment can
choose the sex of their babies
C
ouples opting for IVF (in Vit-
ro Fertilisation) treatment
should be able to choose the
sex of their babies, New
Zealand’s advisory Bioethics
Council told the government in a
report released on Thursday.
Sex selection is currently illegal
in New Zealand, where it can be
punished with a five-year prison
sentence, and in Britain, Austra-
lia, India and a number of other
countries.
But it is allowed in the United
States. The government is cur-
rently working on guidelines to
govern testing of embryos creat-
ed outside the womb, known as
pre-implementation genetic di-
agnosis (PGD).
The report, entitled “Who Gets
Born?” said there was not enough
Sex selection is
currently illegal in
India, New Zealand,
Britain and Australia
reason to prohibit the use of pre-
implantation testing of embryos
for sex selection. The Bioethics
Council chairman, associate pro-
fessor Martin Wilkinson, said that
most people thought of IVF as
simply enabling couples with fer-
tility problems to have a child.
But access to PGD meant people
who did not have fertility prob-
lems could decide to use IVF for
different reasons, he said.
“Considerations in pre-birth
testing are not only medical. They
touch on cultural, spiritual and
ethical issues.” Wilkinson told
Radio New Zealand that people
who already had a number of
boys and wanted a girl should be
able to select a female embryo.
Or couples who had a son or
daughter that was killed might
want another child of the same
sex. “Now these aren’t weird
fashion-driven decisions,” he
said. “These seem like sensible
reasons. “The decisions about
whether to have tests, what to do
with the information, whether to
continue with the pregnancy or
not, these decisions ultimately
should rest with the parents.”
The council’s recommenda-
tions are based on a year’s re-
search in which 700 interested
people were questioned on their
DPA Baby girl or baby boy?
08 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Lovely patent

Technorama
Alexander Graham Bell
applied for his patent on the
telephone, an “Improvement
in Telegraphy”, on
Valentine’s Day, 1876.

Internet addiction
becoming a ‘clinical disorder’
Victims are flocking to hospitals to curb the time they spend on the web

I
nternet addiction is turning
into a clinical disorder, with
more and more people visit-
ing hospitals to curb the time
they spend on the web, according
to a leading psychiatrist.
About five to 10 per cent of on-
line users have been dubbed as
‘Internet addicts’ by psychia-
trists.
Pervious studies have shown
the highly educated and socially
awkward as the most likely suf-
ferers, however, now increasing
number of middle-aged women
are getting addicted to the Inter-
net.
While writing the editorial in
American Journal of Psychiatry,
Dr Jerald Block, of the Oregon
Health and Science University in
Portland said web users have
been spending unhealthy
amounts of time playing online
games, viewing pornography or
emailing.
The victims forget to eat and
sleep, have more arguments and
start feeling isolated from the so-
ciety.
They need more advanced
technology and spend more
hours online as they develop “re-
sistance” to the pleasure given by
their current system.
Moreover, Internet addicts ex-
perience fatigue and are more
likely to get lower marks in tests.
Dr Block said some sufferers
were so addicted to the Internet
that they required medication or
even hospital treatment to curb
the time they spent on the web.
“The relationship is with the
computer. It becomes a signifi-
cant other to them. They exhaust
emotions that they could experi-
ence in the real world on the
computer through any number of
mechanisms: emailing, gaming,
porn,” Telegraph quoted Block,
as saying.
“It’s much more acceptable for
kids to talk about game use, whe-
reas adults keep it a secret. Rather
than having sex, or arguing with
their wife or husband, or feeding
their children, these adults are
playing games,” he added. ■
ANI

The victims forget to eat and sleep, have more

arguments and start feeling isolated from the society

Oldest computer ‘U.K. lacks qualified

recording found
A scratchy recording of ‘Baa
Baa Black Sheep’ and a truncat-
ed version of ‘In theMood’ are
thought to be the oldest known
recordings of computer gener-
ated music. The songs were
captured by the BBC in the au-
tumn of 1951 during a visit to
the University of Manchester.
The recording has been un-
veiled as part of the 60thAnni-
versary of “Baby,” the
forerunner of all modern com-
puters.
game developers’
The games industry says British
universities are failing to equip
graduates with the skills it needs.
The warning comes from the in-
dustry campaign group “Games
Up?” which says games developers
in Britain are facing a serious skill
shortage. The lobby group says
there are now 81 video games de-
gree courses in British universities.
But only four are accredited by
Skillset, the government body
which monitors such courses.
WENN
 Friday, June 20, 2008
09
Sprint prices iPhone rival Instinct at $130
The Instinct, Sprint Nextel Corp’s answer to the iPhone, will sell for $130 after rebate,
Sprint said. Sprint, which has been suffering from steep customer losses, said it will
spend more than $100 million to market the touch-screen Instinct, made by Samsung
Electronics, in hopes the cellphone can help turn around its fortunes.
Reuters

Yahoo! adds
Create your 2 new domains
Y ahoo said it has tripled the size of its globally-
popular free online email service by adding

own creature
two new domains as options to ‘@yahoo.com’
addresses.
The introduction of ‘@ymail.com’ and
‘@rocketmail.com’ as Yahoo email address op-
tions comes as the pioneering Internet firm
strives to convince investors it is on a path to
reclaim faded glory and eroded revenues.
www.spore.com introduces software to let people create Yahoo Mail is the most popular web-based
email in the world. Its profitable ad-supported
aliens for its computer game ser- vice has approximately
266 million users, accord-

A
lien beings destined to in- ing to industry statistics.
habit the ‘Spore’ computer Adding new domains
game after its launch later is intended to let users
this year came to virtual life who have outgrown or
on Wednesday with the debut of never really liked their
a free “creature creator.” yahoo.com email ad-
Electronic Arts-owned Maxis dresses to have chances
has the software available at at better choices. ■
www.spore.com to let people AFP
make inhabitants for an eagerly-
anticipated computer game that
is the brainchild of ‘Sims’ creator
Will Wright.
‘Spore’, to be released in Sep-
tember, will let people dictate the
genetic development of animated
characters in a mock universe.
“You are given this God-like
power,” Wright said in a recent
interview at his Maxis office in
Emeryville, California.
“You can create ecosystems,
biospheres ... We try to make it A scene from the new Electronic Arts Inc. computer game
real science. You can turn a beau- Spore. (Below) Will Wright, creator of computer game hits such
tiful world into a hell-hole, but as SimCity and The Sims, and the highly anticipated ’Spore,’ at
you are trying to do the oppo- the Electronic Arts office in Emeryville, California. AFP PHOTO
site.” Players start as microscopic
life forms competing for survival 쒀
in primordial ooze and work their A promoter demonstrates how to play a
way onto land, where they evolve Chokkan game controlled by tilting and waving
into creatures that build civiliza- using the Do Co Mo i-mode mobile phone
tions and rocket into space. connected to the LCD screen at the
Creatures can be made to have CommunicAsia 2008 exhibition in Singapore on
scales, fins, wings, claws, extra Thursday. Over 2,300 exhibiting companies from
appendages, additional eyes, or 61 countries and regions are showcasing their
body parts in unexpected places. latest technologies and it is the largest
The online game’s program- inforcomm event in Asia. AFP PHOTO
ming gives characters artificial
intelligence and figures out how
they should walk, laugh, dance,
fight or do other things based on
what they look like.
Creatures pass on virtual genes
to their progeny and build civi-
lizations with cities, governments
and economies. ■
AFP

You can create

ecosystems, 쒀
biospheres ... Japan’s toy giant Tomy employee Chie Yamada
We try to make displays an infrared controlled toy vehicle ’Aero
Spider’ which vacuums air from the under floor
it real science of the car and enables it to run on the wall or
ceiling during the annual Tokyo Toy Show on
Thursday. AFP PHOTO
 10 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Opera House

Backpackers
The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site
on June 28, 2007. Based on the competition winning entry by
Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of
the world’s most distinctive 20th century buildings.

GOLDEN HOLIDAY
Discover the land Burleigh Heads Beach is big with surf-
down under ers.
The water there sparkles like dia-
monds! If you like water sport, this is the
place to be.
Another place to visit is Sunshine
Coast (this encompasses the coastline
from Caloundra to Rainbow Beach) on
the coast of south-eastern Queensland.

Shop till you drop

Shopping? I had to buy a suitcase to fit
Gold Coast City in the things I bought and even give away
is renowned what I already owned. Sales were on dur-
PHOTOS BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

ing my visit.
for its sunny There’s everything – from designer la-
subtropical bels like GAP and Zara to local stuff. The
climate, popular flip-flops here are the best in the world
and it’s a good place for beautiful beach
surfing beaches, wear. Harbour Town is any shopper’s
expansive waterway, paradise.
The midnight-market there is a place
canal system and to visit if you’re looking for hand-made
active nightlife souvenirs and articles for your home.
Hard Rock Café is well-known for the
food.
If you like R&B and hip-hop, Club

O
ne of the four winners of the first
Channel [V] Get Gorgeous, VJ Ar-
chana has also hosted shows like
Spotlight, Heroes, First Day First
Show and more. Archana shares with Er-
go her experiences from a recent trip to
Gold Coast, Australia.
“We were shooting for [V] Internation-
al and Warner Brothers in Gold Coast
with four presenters from India, Malay-
sia and Singapore. It was a shoot for a
game show and we ended up having a
fun time in the bargain.
For all ages
Gold Coast is for people of all ages.
There’s beach life, there’s surfing. Even I
got on the surfboard (I managed to stay
on it for five seconds, by the way, which
is quite an achievement).
A family place because there are a lot
of theme parks, be it Sea World or Movie
World. Snorkelling with baby sharks is
my memorable adventure.
Quest is a good place to visit, while Mel-
ba’s has really good food and wine and a
two-floor discotheque.
One can also try one’s luck at Jupiter’s
Casino. Whether you win or lose will, ob-
viously, determine how you spend the
rest of the evening.” ■
As told to Shalini Shah

Kerala to woo
Dream Season tourists for the monsoons

C ome monsoon and the God’s own country is blessed

with nature’s bounty. Tourist arrivals during this beau-
tiful season, however, dwindle. Kerala has now redrawn
till September, he said.
The main thrust of the campaign is to position the state
as a value for money destination. “During this time there
its strategies and has begun promoting the rainy season will be intense competition from other destinations. We
as “Dream season”. want the industry to offer better deals to the tourists and
In an innovative way to promote the state as all season sweeten the proposal with many offers.” Dr Venu said the
destination, the “Dream season” campaign was drawn main aim of the campaign was to dispel the notion that
up, says Tourism secretary, Dr V Venu. The state is target- Kerala was an expensive destination.
ing a 10 per cent increase in tourist arrivals this season The industry has offered great deals, he said. Great val-
compared to last year. ue packages ranging from Backwater houseboat cruises to
The unique programme, kicked off last year was well Hill station holidays, Ayurvedic Rejuvenation packages to
received. “We are evolving as we go,” Dr Venu said. This is monsoon Honeymoon trips are being offered by the ho-
a tactical campaign during off-season combining mon- tels, resorts and tour operators in the state. ■
soon and the lean period which begins in May and lasts PTI

Kerala is first mentioned (as

Keralaputra) in a 3rd-
century-B.C. rock inscription
left by the Mauryan
emperor Asoka. Over time
this region became famous
among the Greeks and
Romans for its spices
(especially pepper)
 Friday, June 20, 2008
11
Bengal tiger
Royal Bengal tigers usually measure 275–310 cm with their
tail. The tail of a large male is usually 85–95 cm long. Their
weight ranges from 180 to 270 kilograms (400-594 pounds).

Eco-tourism in
SUNDERBANS
You can explore unknown wildlife of Sunderbans that
is home to jungle cats, fishing cats, Axis deer, wild
boar, Rhesus monkeys, mongooses, the largest
estuarine crocodiles in the world and the Royal Bengal
tiger

PHOTOS: SUSHANTA PATRONOBISH

L
ooking beyond tourist spots
of Darjeeling hills and
Dooars area in North Bengal,
the West Bengal government
plans to develop the Sunderbans,
famous for its Royal Bengal tigers,
and beaches on the Bay of Bengal
to attract tourists.
The state government has
drawn up plans to develop several
beaches lining the Bay of Bengal
and also the Sunderbans, a UN-
ESCO heritage site. Plans were
afoot to introduce river cruises in
the Sunderbans, the largest man-
grove forest in the world with in-
numerable rivers crisscrossing it.
State Tourism Minister Manab
Mukherjee said that more than
100 luxury launches (mechanised
boats) could be introduced for
cruises into the heart of Sunder-
bans from the metropolis.
At Jharkhali, the gateway to the
Sunderbans and about 120 km
from the metropolis, four to six
world class resorts were also com-
ing up, he said.
State tourism’s Sajnekhali tour-
ist lodge, which at present is in a
very bad shape, was being devel-
oped into a three-star category fa-
cility, he said.
Mukherjee said that
though Sunderbans
has immense possibil-
ities to attract domes-
tic and foreign
tourists, the impact on
the environment has
to be kept in mind as the already the most attractive destination
fragile ecological balance of the for foreign tourists coming to our
area had to be maintained. country, he said.” ■
“Definitely, Sunderbans can be PTI

and the mariner’s compass has been succeeded by modern devices

Finding your direction
A compass is the best possible navigational
instrument for finding directions while travelling.
Consisting of a magnetised pointer free to align itself
accurately with the Earth’s magnetic field, the face of the
compass generally highlights the cardinal points of north, south, east and
west.
The earliest form of the compass (a magnetised needle floating in water)
was invented in China sometime around 1044. The mariner’s compass was
invented in Europe around 1300 and was supplanted in the 20th century
by the liquid-filled magnetic compass. Many additions have been made
such as the gyrocompass and the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Make your own
A basic rudimentary compass can be very easily constructed. You
need a magnetic rod, which can be created by aligning an iron or
steel rod with Earth’s magnetic field and then tempering or striking
it. A magnetised rod can also be created by repeatedly rubbing an
iron rod with a magnetic lodestone. This magnetised rod can then be
placed on a low friction surface to allow it to freely pivot to align
itself with the magnetic field. Then it can be labelled so the user can
distinguish the north-pointing from the south-pointing end. ■
12 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Portfolio

Capris are good during rains

Crocs are waterproof, odour-

proof and perforated

Substitute kajal with eye

pencil
Friday, June 20, 2008
The Ergo guide for rainy weather
SHALINI SHAH
shalinishah@goergo.in
T
he odd shower is
showing itself with
increasing frequen-
cy. In other parts of
the country, rains are al-
ready here. From limp
hair to smelly shoes to
runny makeup, who says
monsoon woes are just about flooded
streets, bad traffic and overpriced auto
rides!
Here’s Ergo to your aid, with the mon-
soon beauty guide:
Shoe rack
How do you waddle past every puddle
and still manage to end up with feet that
wouldn’t chase a skunk away? Yes, open
footwear, but not everything in the cate-
gory will do. Your pretty beaded flip-flops
and Osho chappals might have been a good
bet during drier days but not one pair will
last past one shower. Try plastic or rubber
pairs. Those ‘ugly’ Crocs are your best bet
(they’re odour-proof, waterproof, and per-
forated). Also, good old Bata has some cool,
budget options in its Sundrops range. To
save pocket money, go to T. Nagar and get
one use-and-throw pair. Increase the fre-
quency of pedicures and use a foot deodor-
ant in extreme cases (try Dr. Scholl’s).
Tress management
Monsoon is the season of bad-hair days.
Excessive frizz, limpness and oiliness are
common complaints.
According to Najeeb-ur-Rehman, cre-
ative head, Schwarzkopf Professional In-
dia, one should go for products like
mousse, etc., which have a slightly drying
effect on the hair, hence neutralising the
presence of an oily scalp or hair.
Anti-frizz serum goes a long way towards
lending manageability to hair. “One can al-
so use tongs to create waves. Just apply a
little mousse before that,” he advises. Com-
ing to conditioners, water-based, as op-
posed to cream-based ones, work well.
Hair styles continue to be layered and
disconnected edges still rule. Medium to
long-length hair works due to the options it
13
PRICETAG
Intense by Issey Miyake
leaves a powerful, lasting
and potent signature on
the skin.
Intensely citrusy: L’Eau
d’Issey pour Homme
Intense adopts mandarin
orange zest as its fresh
central theme. The citrus
note is enhanced with
bergamot, yuzu and sweet
orange.
Intensely spiced: Astringent, with a soupcon
of camphor and a peppery nuance, the
cardamom note is enhanced with the help
of Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg and the
mineral-like shine of saffron. Add to this
blue water lily.
Intensely woody: Deep within the rich
balsam of benzoin note that cools its
ardour, papyrus wood essence provides all
the virtues of the noblest woods such as
presents for styling. sandalwood, vetiver and patchouli. Black
Ergo pick: Loreal Elvive incense is blended with ambergris.
Anti-Frizz shampoo and The polished glass bottle adopts all the
serum. range’s classic design features and is topped
with a smooth, matte, anthracite Surlyn cap
Clothes chaos that appears almost black. But when the
White clothes and rains bottle is tipped on its side, a beam of light
go well only in Bolly- appears as the opaque cap is sliced through
wood. You don’t want to with a transparent ray – a singular detail
ruin the former forever. that highlights the unique elegance of this
Capris are fun and practi- new fragrance.
cal for monsoons. Darker, brighter colours Price: Rs. 3,400 for 125 ml.
are fun and conceal mud stains till the time
you get home. If you think raincoats make
you look dowdy, hunt for transparent ones.
Those synthetic clothes that you locked up BULLETIN
in summer can be brought out again (they 1. Manolo Blahnik will be receiving the
take less time to dry and the weather is Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award in LA this
anyways cooler now). Avoid hand-dyed September. Previous recipients include
fabrics in clothes and accessories as the Giorgio Armani, Salvatore
colour tends to bleed. Ferregamo, Gianni and
Get a nice umbrella. There are budget Donatella Versace and Tom
buys as well as stuff from UCB, Espirit and Ford.
GAP. If you have friends in UK, ask them to 2. The Sao Paulo
send you one of those Lulu Guiness-de- Fashion Week
signed Fulton umbrellas from the Knights- kick-started in
bridge Lulu Guinness boutique. Prices start Brazil this Tuesday. Supermodels
from 25 pounds onwards. Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bundchen
and Raquel Zimmerman will walk
On your face the ramp.
Make-up is tricky. While kohl is an indis- 3. Louis Vuitton’s flagship store in
pensable part of any Indian lady’s makeup Hangzhou, China, was closed down
schedule to the point of not being consi- due to lack of material samples on
dered makeup at all, avoid kajal. Most ka- them. According to local media,
jals are oil-based and tend to smudge even Chinese officials were disputing product
in normal weather, forget rainy. Patches of quality and decided to confiscate the
kajal on your lower eyelid look ugly, not majority of the store’s
gothic. merchandise.
Eye-pencil is a relatively smudge-proof 4. David Beckham
option. Available in shades like ivory, char- unveiled the new
coal, midnight blue and brown, to name a Emporio Armani
few, most brands like Lakme, Chambor, underwear campaign,
Maybelline and Loreal have waterproof which features him for a
and smudge-proof options. If you have to second time. The
use mascara, try the Clarins Fix Mascara, or campaign was unveiled
Maxfactor Masterpiece mascara. Instead of at the US departmental
lipstick, use tinted lip gloss if you may. Skin store Macy’s, in the
care become crucial as excessive humidity presence
may lead to imperfections in the form of of hordes
excessive sebum secretion, blocked pores of
and zits. Keep skin clean and toned. A light screaming
day lotion can be used. Ergo pick: Lakme female
Pure Defense Day Lotion, Clarins Hydra- fans.
Matte Day Lotion. ■
14
Wellness
Manage your tension
SADHGURU JAGGI VASUDEV
T
oday in the world, people
are going through various
kinds of stress and tension.
It is a new name that we
have given, what we call as stress
and tension, in ancient times
they used to call this ignorance.
Today we call it stress, today
we call it tension and there is a lot
of talk about managing your
stress, managing your tension.
Why would you want to manage
your stress? I can understand you
want to manage your property,
business, family but why would
you want to manage your stress?
Stress is happening to you not be-
cause of the work that you are do-
ing.
Stress is happening to you be-
cause of your inability to manage
your own systems properly. Your
work is not tension, your work is
not stressed; it is your inability to
keep your system, your body,
mind, your energy and your emo-
tions in a certain way. Your in-
ability to keep yourself in a
certain level of comfort and well-
being: your inability to manage
your own energies and your che-
mistry which is causing stress.
So what we are referring to as
meditation is not only a remedy
Don’t take dark
circles lightly
Long-lasting shadows under the eyes and tear ducts are
possible signs of serious illness
T
he consequences of a night
of drinking often show the
next day around the eyes.
They can be bloodshot and
shadows can appear on the skin
around the eye sockets.
Drinking and a lack of sleep are
not the only causes of these con-
ditions. It also depends on lifes-
tyle. Healthy eating, exercise and
as little stress as possible can help
prevent redness and shadows
around the eyes. But sometimes
genetics is to blame.
People who are predisposed to
shadows can’t do much about it.
There are solutions for all other
cases, but people should also be
aware that long-lasting shadows
or ‘bags’ under the eyes and tear
ducts are possible signs of a seri-
Presidents and glasses
All US Presidents have worn glasses.
Some just didn’t like being seen
wearing them in public.
for this, it is also an opportunity
for a person to move into a di-
mension where there is no such
thing as stress within you. As I
said, this stress is something that
we used to call as ignorance so-
metime ago. If one is in a certain
state of clarity within himself, the
question of stress does not arise.
So what we are calling as med-
itation is not something that you
do. What you call as meditation is
something that you become. It is
not an act, it is a certain quality. If
you cultivate your body, your
ous illness.
Kidney or thyroid illness
“When the eyelids are swollen,
but not red, it often indicates a
kidney or thyroid illness,” said
Professor Christiane Bayerl of an
association for dermatology and
cosmetology in Munich.
If the eyes are frequently in-
flamed, pigment cells can devel-
op, making the skin around the
eyes darker. The affected areas
lighten after a few months. “Rings
around the eyes caused by the
build up of pigment could result
from spending too much time in
the sun or the solarium,” said Ha-
rald Bresser, a dermatologist in
Munich.
As the skin under the eyes is
ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008
mind, your energies and your
emotions to a certain level of ma-
turity, meditation will naturally
happen. It is just like if you keep
the soil fertile, if you give it the
necessary manure and water and
if the right kind of seed is there it
will grow and bloom into flowers
and fruits. Flowers and fruits will
come out of a plant, not because
you want it, simply because you
created the necessary conducive
atmosphere. Similarly if you cre-
ate the necessary atmosphere
within yourself, on all the four di-
mensions of who you are, in
terms of your physical body, your
mind, your energy and your emo-
tion, then meditation will natu-
rally flower within you. It’s a
certain fragrance that one can en-
joy within himself. ■
To learn more about Sadhguru
Jaggi Vasudev and the Isha Yoga
Foundation, visit
www.ishafoundation.org. To find
out about Isha Yoga programmes in
Chennai, call 2433 3185
very thin, circles appear even
more intense there. “When the
blood vessels are poorly supplied,
the blood flowing through con-
tains less oxygen and appears
darker,” said Bayerl.
Poor oxygen supply
People, who sit at a computer
for long periods of time without
any fresh air or activity, often
have a poor oxygen supply. In ad-
dition, many people in this cate-
gory also have poor nutrition. To
help alleviate the problem, those
affected should ensure that they
take enough iron, which is im-
portant for blood synthesis.
Liquid intake - two to three
litres a day - is important. ■
DPA
 Friday, June 20, 2008
15
Hear this
The temporal lobe is
Thumbs down the area of the brain
The thumbnail grows that allows humans to
the slowest; the middle hear and understand
nail grows the fastest. people speaking.

Stress, a real killer

It is a proven fact that high levels of stress will knock one’s sex drive
DR AMUDHA HARI we will face the ‘fight or flight’
situation and the body releases

A
young couple came to my
clinic two months back for
a consultation. The couple
married for four years were
employed and well settled, but
had no kids. They underwent an
infertility test and were found
normal. I suggested them to take
a break from office and de-stress
themselves. The very next month
the woman conceived.
Yes, stress is bad for sexual
health. It is a proven fact that
high levels of stress will knock
your sex drive, in the process
adding to your reasons for feeling
stressed. In most of the cases
stress leads to male infertility.
Similarly in the case of women,
the fertile period is just 48 hours
in a month. If the couple are
stressed during this period, then
there is no chance of conceiving.
Stress can be triggered by offi-
cial or personal issues. Our body
is not designed to cope with
stress for long-term. . The human
body’s response to danger works
well when we spot something big
and scary coming our way. Then
adrenaline, the stress hormone.
Because we are alert to face the
situation, our body fatigues and
gets psycho-somatic illness like
headache, G I disturbances,
wheezing and other physical ail-
ments. All these factors develop
an aversion towards sex.
So a relaxed mind is necessary
for a good sexual relationship. Be
aware that you are stressed and
try to de-stress yourself by having
a positive attitude or developing
a hobby or atleast try to spend
time with your pets. Do exercise
regularly.
Don’t bring office work to
home. For an intimate relation-
ship, better understanding and
good communication is neces-
sary. Spend quality time with
your spouse and enjoy a healthy
life. ■
Dr Amudha Hari is a leading
gynaecologist and founder of
Mithras foundation. E-mail your
queries to
mithrasfoundation@yahoo.co.in.
Taboo is a weekly column on
sexual health.

Is she cheating on you?

DIVYA M. CHANDRAMOULI Clothes maketh a woman hiding something. An extramar-
divya.c@goergo.in ital affair can turn costly and a
She’s gone all out and bought steep increase in credit figures

F or a while now, it seemed like

men held the exclusive rights
to cheat. But, as with the reversal
herself a spanking new wardrobe.
Nothing new for the average
woman, but, if you see obvious
should have you on high alert.

Home and away

of other roles, what if the woman
in a relationship is looking out-
side it? Here are five tell-tale signs
to know when a woman is in-
volved with another man.
signs such as the hem lines going
up and necklines getting lower,
she might be dressing for another
man’s attention.
Knocking some off
The girl is sparing no effort to
lose the flab. A new diet, a new
exercise programme, all at once!
No harm in wanting to stay fit,
you say. We concur. But do watch
for alarming trends – a knockout
figure and new wardrobe she isn’t
showing off to you is not good
news.
Bills, bills, bills
They’re not uncommon in any
household but if your better half
is making an effort to keep her
bills stashed away, she might be
She’s always finding an excuse
to step out of home and stay out
for longer periods.
Ignore the sudden change in
her business trip or extended gro-
cery store visits at your own peril.
The new friend
If your wife or girlfriend is mak-
ing new friends, it’s a wonderful
opportunity for your social life to
become more exciting. But, if she
constantly speaks of a particular
guy friend that you never seem to
meet, there might be more to it
than meets the eye.
It’s even worse if she stops
speaking of him all together; it
could mean one of two things, a
falling out or the start of an illicit
affair. ■
16
Sport
Unchanged squad
National coach Bob Houghton has picked up
a tried and tested lot of players for the AFC
Challenge Cup to be played in Hyderabad in
August.
The All-India Football
Federation (AIFF)
released the list of 31
footballers called for the
national camp beginning
in Goa from June 24.
Sandeep Nandy,
Surkumar Singh, Clifford
Miranda, K Ajayan and
Baldeep Singh, who were
injured before the SAFF
Cup have also been
asked to join the camp.
The team will leave for
Portugal on a preparatory tour in July.
Probables List: Goalkeepers: Subrata Pal,
Sandeep Nandy, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury
and Arindam Bhattacharya. Defenders: Dipak
Mondal, Mahesh Gawli, Gourmangi Singh,
Anwar Ali, Samir Naik, Surkumar Singh, NS
Manju, Syed Rahim Nabi, Rakesh Masih,
Denzil Franco and Govin
Mojranginem.Midfielders: Steven Dias,
Climax Lawrence, NP Pradeep, Renedy Singh,
Bungo Singh, Mehrajuddin Wadoo,
Kuttamani, K Ajayan, Clifford Miranda and
Baldeep Singh (Jr). Forwards: Bhaichung
Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri, Manjit Singh, Abhishek
Yadav, Sushil Singh and Tarif Ahmed.
Ergo Correspondent
Lee, Hesh advance
India’s Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi,
playing together on the tour for the first
time in four years, reached the semi-finals
of the ATP grasscourt event in
S’Hertogenbosch on Wednesday.
The duo, who has agreed to bury their
widely-publicised differences in an effort to
clinch Olympic gold in Beijing, saw off
Spain’s David Ferrer and Marcel Granollers
6-2, 6-1 in just 49 minutes.
Paes, who turned 35 on Tuesday, is a two-
time former champion here, winning in
1999 (with Jan Siemerink) and 2006 (with
Martin Damm), while the 34-year-old
Bhupathi is making his debut this week.
The Indian duo, who won three Grand Slam
titles together before a series of bitter fall-
outs, now have a 216-77 career record since
their first Davis Cup match against Croatia
in September 1995.
Paes and Bhupathi will face
Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro
and Guillermo Canas on Thursday for
a spot in the final at this Wimbledon
warm-up tournament. Del Potro and
Canas saw off Frenchmen Arnaud
Clement and Florent Serra 6-0, 6-2.
Despite their run to the semi-final,
they will not extend their partnership
into Wimbledon next week. Bhupathi is
playing with Mark Knowles and is seeded
fourth while Paes is teamed with Lukas
Dlouhy of the Czech Republic and is seeded
ninth.
AFP
Out of action
Tiger Woods’s epic US Open triumph may have exacted a costly price as
golf’s undisputed superstar announced Wednesday he needed season-ending
knee surgery. Woods, 32, will undergo reconstructive surgery on his left
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), and also needs time off to allow two stress
fractures in his left tibia to heal.
MEETING EXPECTATIONS
AFP
Ponting & Co
to boycott Champions Trophy
C ricket Australia is heading to-
wards a major crisis with its
leading cricketers set to boycott
the Champions Trophy in Pakis-
tan owing to security apprehen-
sions, according to a media report
in Melbourne on Thursday. The
Sydney Morning Herald claimed
most of the leading Australian
cricketers would pull out of the
event if the International Cricket
Council is adamant to host the
elite tournament, second only to
World Cup in stature, in the trou-
ble-torn country.
“It is going to come down to the
individual’s decision,’’ an anony-
ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008
W
hen 17-year-old Maria Sharapova
became the third youngest Wim-
bledon women’s champion in
2004, she famously tried – and
failed – to call her mother from Centre
Court. Four years later, Sharapova,
not to mention mobile phone tech-
nology, has undergone a revolution-
ary change. Not only is the Russian a
three-time Grand Slam title winner
on the court, she is also a global
brand off it, raking in an estimated
25 million dollars. Her name recog-
nition is so powerful that an inter-
net search brings up over seven
million results. Not bad for a 21-
year-old.
Coming of age
“When you are 16 or 17, things
take you by surprise. The things I
experienced the morning after I won
Wimbledon, you just wake up and
you feel it,” Sharapova says. “You go
out your door and a van is following
you. Was I ready for that? It teaches
you. That’s not something you
learn.”
In the four years since that famous
73-minute demolition of Serena Wil-
liams on Wimbledon Centre Court,
Sharapova believes she has had to
grow up faster and develop a thicker
skin than other girls her age. Despite
her roots, she has endured thinly dis-
guised barbs from some of her compa-
triots on tour who point to her American
accent, and ignore her fluent Russian, as
evidence of an alleged lack of patriotism.
Their suspicions were only made dee-
pened by Sharapova’s long-delayed Fed
Cup debut, in which taking part is a pre-
requisite of competing in the Beijing Olym-
pics. “It was like if you won a Grand Slam at
17, all of a sudden everyone thought I should
be winning a Grand Slam every single year,”
Sharapova says. “That was absurd. Now I deal
with expectations fine. I don’t care about them.
I have confidence in my own self to know what
I do well. I know my faults. I’m not scared of
them.” ■
AFP
mous member of the Australian
team, currently touring West In-
dies, told the daily. “We have
players’ mood, the board would
prefer its player to play in Cham-
pions Trophy even though it looks
talked about it, and there are a distant possibility now. Inciden-
some guys who will go if security tally, players from New Zealand,
advice says it’s OK. But there are England and South Africa too are
others who have said they won’t apprehensive about touring Pa-
go, regardless. At this stage, we are kistan. Though the ICC and the
waiting to hear more,” he added. Pakistan Cricket Board have been
Earlier this year, all-rounder An- asserting that security would not
drew Symonds did not hide his re- be an issue for the players, the
luctance to tour Pakistan and Federation of International Crick-
Australia had no other option but eters’ Associations (FICA) is not
to defer the full series to 2009-10 convinced yet and would conduct
after consultation with the De- a recce of its own before giving
partment of Foreign Affairs and thumbs-up to the event. ■
Trade. Though CA is aware of the PTI
 Friday, June 20, 2008
Goalless draw
Arch-rivals Brazil and Argentina drew 0-0 in a World Cup qualifier on
Wednesday but moved closer to leaders Paraguay who lost 4-2 in Bolivia.
Ecuador and Colombia also played out a goalless draw in Quito, leaving
the Colombians as the only unbeaten team after six matches in the 10-
team group.
Russians cruise to last eight
G Hiddink gets
uus Hiddink’s reputation as a
miracle worker was given fur-
ther credence on Wednesday as
a young Russian side overcame
a vastly more experienced Swedish
one 2-0 in their Euro 2008 Group D
clash to progress to the last eight at
the expense of the Swedes.
The 61-year-old Dutchman –
whose side will face his compatriots
in the last eight on Saturday – looked
on with a broad smile on his face as
goals by Roman Pavlyuchenko in the
24th minute, for his second of the
tournament, and Russian player of
the year Andrei Arshavin in the 50th
minute sealed a deserved victory.
First step
Russia progress to their first ever
knockout stages of a major tourna-
ment since the break up of the Soviet
Union in 1991, and their meeting with
the Dutch will be a repeat to a certain
extent of the 1988 final when present
Dutch coach Marco van Basten
scored in the 2-0 victory over the
Soviets.
Hiddink, who took Holland to the
1998 World Cup semi-finals where
they lost on penalties to Brazil and
then South Korea to the 2002 World
Cup semi-finals, said that his young
bunch – who have the youngest aver-
age age of all the sides at Euro - had
recorded a famous win over the side
with the oldest average age.
“This is a huge win for a side still
under construction, with lots of
young players and some experi-
enced players,” said Hiddink.
Russia produced their usual
flowing football in the early stag-
es with playmaker Arshavin –
AFP
coming back after a two match sus-
pension - pulling the strings, and the
unimaginative Swedes, who did start
with star striker Zlatan Irahimovic de-
spite his knee problem, content to sit
back on the whole. It was the Rus-
sians who went closest to opening the
scoring in the 20th minute as Yuri
Zhirkov unleashed a fierce volley
from the left side of the penalty box
which just crept past the far post of
17
Leicester in India
Leicester City Football Club will play a few matches in Goa this
October as part of their Leicester India Football Initiative. The
club has selected a team of young Asian players in Britain will
play in India to develop friendly relations between the two
countries.
The Swedes hit back almost imme-
diately as veteran striker Henrik Lars-
Russia to their son got on the end of a long ball and
his header clipped the bar much to
first knockout the relief of Russian goalkeeper Igor
Akinfeev.
phase for 20 The Russians were just playing the
most delightful football, some of the
years best of the tournament, and in the
36th minute they went desperately
close to doubling their lead as the re-
doubtable Pavlyuchenko was fed in-
side the box and his chip beat
the Swedes, Arshavin having pro- Isaakson only to clip the post.
voked the corner with a cheeky chip The Russians at last made their
which forced Andreas Isaakson into a overwhelming superiority tell in the
tip over. 50th minute as Arshavin scored their
However, they got a deserved lead second, the ’little jewel’ as he is fondly
in the 24th minute as Pavlyuchenko called, sliding the ball home after an-
tucked away a finely made goal for his other glorious team move with the
second of the tournament, having Zenit St Petersburg star at the end of
been set up by Zenit St-Petersburg’s Zhirkov’s pass.
rampaging fullback Alexander
Anyukov. Perfect record
Spain equalled their record of nine
straight wins with a 2-1 defeat of
Greece that confined the reigning
champions to their third defeat of the
tournament. Andreas Charisteas
opened the scoring for Greece before
Ruben De la Red equalised and Da-
niel Guiza struck an 88th minute
winner.
Spanish coach Luis Aragones im-
mediately turned his thoughts to
Sunday’s quarter-final with Ita-
ly, for decades Spain’s bogey
side. “Now we are going to fo-
cus on the quarter-final with
Italy. It will be complicated
and we will have to be at 110
percent,” said Aragones. ■
AFP
18 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Flick
‘‘
I’m impressed with the people
from Chicago. Hollywood is hype,
New York is talk, Chicago is work.”
Michael Douglas

‘I was lifted in the air with cranes’

R
ani Mukherji might have had two flops in Saawariya and ent. At times the films have not worked also but the audiences have
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag but she is confident about the always appreciated my effort. And that is what matters a lot to me.
success of her forthcoming film, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. My next film opposite Shahid Kapur is an equally exciting film
Set to win the hearts as an angel in the film, she speaks to Okay…okay… what do you play?
Trans World Features correspondent at length A woman cricketer.
This is a new year and your first release this year. A woman cricketer?
I am all excited about my next film. I hope the audience like it. Yes, it is directed by debutant Anurag Singh and I am right now
It’s a different kind of film. learning the game. I believe in 100 per cent commitment.
So are you nervous? Trans World Features (TWF)
Come on…no way. I am rather all excited and confident. It has
been a great experience working in a film. This type of a film has
never been tried earlier in India.
Tell me what attracted you so much that you chose to play an
angel in the film… "I DO FILMS BASED
Of course the story line and my role. I have always tried to do ON THE ROLES I GET.
something new for the audience… give them something new. This BE IT BLACK, VEER
time too it wasn’t different. I play an angel, which no other actress ZAARA OR THODA
has played earlier in Indian films.
PYAAR THODA
Does that mean you like experimenting?
I have always liked that and done that with my roles. I would MAGIC ALL THE
rather say that I have been lucky. My directors have always come to ROLES HAVE BEEN
me and offered me roles where I have got the chance to experi- DIFFERENT."
ment.
So how did you go about playing an angel? Experimented a
lot…
It was mainly improvisation as there was no set pattern. No one
has seen an angel, so we don’t know how they talk or walk. So it was
completely imagination and improvisation.
And you enjoyed a lot doing that…
Oh yes… that was an experience (laughs). I did all the stunts
myself. In fact you won’t believe the stuntman got crazy. They
generally get more to work with the heroes but this time it was only
me who did the stunts. He hardly got a chance to work with Saif…
Okay.. Coming to Saif, you team up with Kunal and Saif once
again after Hum Tum and Tara Rum Pum…
That is when your job becomes easy. Kunal is extremely suppor-
tive. We all know each other well. Since there wasn’t much I could
prepare myself for the role of an angel it was Kunal who used to
guide me but at the same time he also gave me the room. There
were times when I completely surprised him by doing something
on my own. It always helps when you work with friends.
And what about Saif?
Oh! He is a great person and actor but more than that is that we
are good friends. We have seen each other evolve as actors since
the days of Hum Tum and that’s why we also inspire one another as
actors. (smiles)
So you mean playing an angel was all about fun…
For me it was… (pauses) there were hard times but that got lost
in the fun. I play a role where I am not supposed to cry because I
have come to the world to spread love. This angel doesn’t have a
tear gland. Controlling one’s emotion is a tough job. And then there
were times when I was tied hard in the stomach with a harness, to
give that particular look. It was very painful…
Painful??
Yes but the best part was then I was lifted in the air with cranes
and it was real fun. That took away all the pain.
That means it was challenging?
It has to be challenging. I have always liked doing such roles.
Maybe it might not have been as challenging as the one I played in
Black but it was definitely challenging.
Tell me something… When do we see you in a non-Yash Raj
film?
Well…well my last film Saawariya wasn’t a Yash Raj film.
But your next one is also a Yash Raj Film?
See I do films based on the roles I get. I told you. Be it Black, Veer
Zaara or Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic all the roles have been differ-
 Friday, June 20, 2008
£19000 for a smooch
Actors Daniel Craig, Hugh Grant and Robbie Coltrane
raised 19,000 pounds for The National Film and
Television School by auctioning a kiss that was
bought by Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.
SHALINI SHAH
shalinishah@goergo.in
G
et Smart was a television se-
ries that aired on NBS and
then CBS during the 1960s
and became a Bible of sorts
for the secret agent genre spoof.
The injury-prone detective Max-
well Smart aka Agent 86 inspired
countless other tales of bungling
cops.
Now, the movie version of the se-
ries attempts to bring back Smart
and his smarter partner Agent 99.
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell) is a
desk-bound analyst with a US go-
vernment secret service agency
called CONTROL. When most of
the agency’s field operators are ex-
posed and eliminated, Smart is as-
signed the task of tracking the
disappearance of a large quantity
of uranium from different parts of
the country. KAOS, a rogue orga-
nisation, is the target. A reluctant
Agent 99 (Anne Hathway) is
Smart’s field partner.
Things, obviously, don’t happen
as planned and a series of misad-
Film: Get Smart
Director: Peter Segal
Cast: Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart), Anne Hathaway (Agent 99),
Dwayne Johnson (Agent 23), Alan Arkin (Chief)
19
Brangelina to adopt again?
If reports are to be believed, Agelina Jolie
and Brad Pitt’s family will not be growing
by two but three kids, as they are also
planning to adopt an Ethiopian baby boy.
ANI ANI
ventures leads to a very predictable
outcome.
The original Get Smart led to doz-
ens of films and series based on
bungling cops, their pretty partners,
good-looking traitors, James Bon-
disque gadgets, lucky escapes, vile
villains and the big, bad wolf called
Russia. The fact that it was the prec-
edent-setter was its biggest draw.
For someone who is introduced
to Smart through the 2008 movie
version, Get Smart is yet another
Jacques Clouseau meets Johnny En-
glish. You cannot fault the casting.
Steve Carell does hold your atten-
tion and if there are some laughs the
credit goes to him. Unimaginative
situations make up for his presence
Cine City
though. A man showing his rear to a
packed auditorium during his final
moment of glory, and the US presi-
dent finding it hilarious, is as ‘fun-
ny’ as it can get. There’s also a
Pavarotti look-alike who plays vil-
lain Seigfried’s (Terence Stamp) si-
Robot to
dekick. Anne Hathaway plays her
role with zeal and good looks, but
begin in
there’s only how much you can do
when there’s little back-up.
August
The mega budget
flick Robot produced
by Ayangaran Films
and Eros
International will
have its shooting
hitting the floors by
the month of
August. Superstar Rajnikanth has completed his works with
Kuselan and now is gearing up Director Shankar for
discussion. Meanwhile, Director Shankar along with his
cinematographer Rathnavelu has been fleeting to various
parts of the globe in fixing locations. Till now, they have
opted for some of the locations at Australia’s capital Vienna,
Brazil and Rajnikanth wanted Shankar to set up a location at
Vietnam.
Marudhanayagam
soon: Kamal
Haasan
Heaped with laurels for his
magnum opus Dasavatharam,
Kamal Haasan made his visit
to Hyderabad to promote the
film. However, he was more
enthralled with the fact that the film has witnessed a grand
opening. Speaking on the occasion, he said that his next
project Marmayogi will be grander than this one. Also when
asked about his dream project Marudhanayagam, Padmashri
uttered that success of Dasavatharam has really encouraged
him and soon after completing Marmayogi, his ultimate
project would be Marudhanayagam.
www.cinesnacks.com
20 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Evolution of Terminator

Scan
According to IMDB, Cameron got the
idea for ‘The Terminator’ while shooting
another film in Europe. His vision was of
a metal endoskeleton emerging from
flames and most of the script was written
backwards from there.

PICK OF THE DAY - Friday

Zee Studio Star Movies Zee Café Channel V

Inspector Gadget – 8-45 pm
It’s the comedy with a thousand
moving parts, the story of the crazy,
crackpot crime fighter who’s not so
much a detective. Then one day he
gets involved in a top secret project
with a leading robotics scientist,
and becomes a man of many parts -
all of them moving!
My Super Ex Girlfriend
– 7 pm
The shy and lonely project manager
Matt meets Jenny in the subway, he
invites her to date and have dinner
with him. Jenny immediately falls in
love for him and she discloses her
true identity that she is the
superhero G-Girl.
The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno – 11 pm
The late night entertainment show
with music, comedy, celebrity guests
and plenty of satire. from a long
line of popular hosts. The Tonight
Show brings to you comic
monologues, spoofs, exposes,
celebrity guests and loads of stuff
Eat This – 11-10 pm
Cyrus is taking his gang to one of
the most famous eatery in Mumbai
- Noormohammadi. He’s there to
give them a taste of the most
popular dish which bollywood star
Sanjay Dutt had come up with -
popularly known as Sanju Baba
Chicken.

PICK OF THE DAY - Saturday

VH1 Discovery Travel and Living Star Vijay HBO

Vh1 Top Ten – 8 pm
Based on International charts,
Indian Sales & Vh1 airplay Vh1
delivers all the global chart toppers
with Vh1 Top Ten. Every week we
will showcase the top 10 videos that
are blazing the charts across the
world and india.
Samantha Brown’s First
Cruise – 9 pm
Samantha Brown takes a 12-day
Mediterranean cruise aboard Royal
Caribbean’s "Brilliance of the Seas."
The itinerary includes Nice, Florence,
Naples, Venice and Corfu.
Koffee With Anu – 9-30 pm
Hosted by the witty and charming
host, Anu Hasan every week, she
chats up with not just one but two
celebrities and their close associates
it could be their life partner, family
member, mentor, best buddy, just
anyone. Watch them as they warm
up and spill the beans.
True Lies – 10-45 pm
Secret agent Harry is a very busy
man. Harry and his partner work to
stop a gang of international
terrorists from getting their hands
on missing nuclear weapons,

PICK OF THE DAY - Sunday

Sony Zee Trendz Filmy AXN

Heyy Babyy – 8 pm
Aly, Aroush and Tanmay are three
swinging bachelors who have a way
with the ladies. Everything’s perfect
- until a basket is left on their
doorstep with an abandoned infant
inside.
The Gold Collection
– 10-30 pm
Make way for The Gold Collection!
We feature the best of the best in
entertainment. In our A-Z style, The
Gold Collection showcases
celebrities who are worth their
weight in gold.
Bruce Almighty – 10 pm
A TV reporter blames God for the
worst day of his life, not expecting
Him to then bestow his divine
powers upon him to see if he could
do a better job.
The Bourne Identity – 8 pm
Pulled half-dead from the
Mediterranean, amnesiac Jason
Bourne slowly pieces together the
fragments of his life. He’s American,
highly skilled in combat and lots of
people want to kill him. Polished
adaptation of the Robert Ludlum
spy thriller.
 Friday, June 20, 2008
Las Vegas Casino
The Las Vegas MGM Grand’s 170,000-square-
foot casino is larger than the playing field at
Yankee Stadium. It contains more than 3,000
gaming machines.
Fete de la Musique
TOP 5 SILLY THINGS TO
DO ON A FRIDAY NIGHT
1 Have your pet monkey give
you a long, relaxing massage.
Go around from bar to bar,
2
having nothing to drink,
simply stating "I’m sure glad
it’s Friday."
Lobby for all other days of the
3 week to be removed so that
every day is Friday.
Work yet again on your plans
4 for total world domination.
5
Do all your homework.
21
UK’s young drinkers
More young people in Wales have
been drunk at least twice by the age
of 13 than anywhere else in the
western world, a survey has found.
It’s the time to sing and dance. The
‘Young Bands’ are going to rock the
stage with rock, funk, blues and jazz
concerts. Enjoy your weekend at Al-
liance Francaise.
Where:
Alliance Francaise of Madras
College Road, Nungambakkam
When:
June 21st, 11.00 a.m. – 11.00 p.m.
Dora – The Explorer Kids are going to enjoy their
weekend. Landmark, India’s
leading book and music store
along with Nick presents meet
and greet with kids’ favourite
character DORA - THE EX-
PLORER. So don’t miss it!
Where:
Landmark,
Citi Center
Triplicane
When:
June 21st, 5.00 p.m.
Contact: 2847 7777
The Vagri People
Art lovers can have a wonderful
time at the Goethe-Institut. A
photo exhibition by Barbara
Bechtloff is organised on the top-
ic, The Vagri People – a tribe in
South India.
Where:
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller
Bhavan,
Rutland Gate,
Nungambakkam
When:
June 20th, 6.30 p.m.
22 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

Traffic Jam
Python threat
Police in the U.S. say they arrested a
man after he ordered his pet to attack
two officers. Luckily for them, 9-foot-
long pythons are not very obedient.

sudoku

Deepak Holla
an hardware
engineer from
Data Patterns
(India) Pvt Ltd
clicked this
picture at
Madikeri. His
hobbies
include
listening to
music and
watching
movies.
Email:
deepak.holla@
gmail.com

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

TEAM
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karthik@goergo.in

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vijay@goergo.in

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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act).
 Friday, June 20, 2008
Determined duck
A mallard duck mounted an epic rescue
mission to recover her six chicks when
they were washed down a storm drain.
23
Word’s worth
“Fescennine” (fes-suh-neen) an obscene
or insulting song or verses. From a Latin
term for Fescennia in Etruria, which was
famous for insulting verses.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

It’s going to be a busy day. You may be dealing
with lot of hard work at office but will be rewarded
with appreciation. Best day to redesign technical
work that you have done in the past. You may be
talking about work related matters to your spouse.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

You may get a stroke of luck today by the Grace of
Ganesha. Expect good news from distant place.
Exchange emails carefully as there are chances of
some faux pas. Ganesha thinks that you may need
to put in more efforts to woo your beloved one.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You may remain a bit confused at workplace about
BORN LOSER which task to take up first. Strong determination is
necessary to handle office work successfully.
Generally you would talk and partner may listen but
today you might have to listen to your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
It’s a low energy day for you, as per Ganesha’s
view. Keep low profile at office as it is not a very
favourable day for you. If you try to react to
someone aggressively, you might have to accept
defeat. Personal life may help you balance stress.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You might have to work harder today. If you don’t
try to put yourself in other people’s shoes, you may
not understand their problems, so before you expect
others to deliver somethingvery much in time, take
the situation objectively and try to evaluate. .
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Ganesha finds you doing lot of R & D today. You
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT may not be interested in handling simple tasks. You
are in a mood to develop something new. You may
wish to spend time with your beloved, for your
desire for the companionship is intensified today.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
It is going to be a stressful day for you. Relations
with superiors may also need to be handled with
care. In love life you may experience undue stress.
Basically, the day will test your patience but if you
act prudently, everything will be fine.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
It is best day to put new plans on paper. It’s also
favourable day to communicate with important
people. You may try to please your partner by
taking him or her to an entertainment programme
but have a practical approach towards expenses.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
You will try to be precise and punctual today. To
achieve precision you might have to work hard and
the pace of your work may slow down so you might
have to stay back at office. On the other hand
family may also demand your attention.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You are filled with zeal at the beginning of the day.
You may wish to achieve too much but you may
not be able to be patient for achievements. Your
life partner may find you self-centred, despite that
you may not be able to change your attitude.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You might have to deal with bigger problems. This
may put you off but you will then think to give it a
ISSUE’S chance. In love life, you may have a feeling that
you are sacrificing too much for beloved. Ganesha
SOLUTIONS advises you not to continue with such a feeling.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha finds you getting carried away by others
today. Your decision power may be weak so you
are advised not to take important decisions
regarding work. You may be able to devote time to
your love life, which will fill your day with joy.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
24 ERGO Friday, June 20, 2008

!
Quake stripper uproar
A teenage girl is causing uproar in China by posting
scantily-clad pictures of herself to raise money for the
earthquake appeal.

Food for the soul!

At the Korean food fest, each ingredient has been imported
RINI MUKKATH
rinimukkath@goergo.in

A
uthentic Korean food at-
tuned to the Indian palette

TRY IT
is what the team behind
the food festival at Hip
Asia, Taj Connemara is trying to
achieve. The food festival is an at-
tempt by the Taj Group to pro-
mote Korean cuisine in the city.
“The city does not easily accept
new cuisines and what we are

YOURSELF
hoping to change that” says Sa-
mir Mulaokar, Executive Chef,
Taj Connemara.
Chef YoungRan Baek and NoS-
ik Seo from the renowned Shilla
Hotel in Korea collaborated with
Spicy Seafood and Soybean the team here and worked out a
menu that would appeal to the Chefs YoungRan Baek and NoSik Seo.
Sprout Stew Chennai food lovers. Traditional
PHOTO : R.RAVINDRAN

methods choose from a variety of rice noo- and it’s an honour for us to have
● Ingredients
dles, grilled meat or vegetables Chef YoungRan Baek training
Squid 200g,Shrimp 50g,Mussel At Hip Asia, the chef’s stress on and for the dessert you can enjoy us,” says Samir Mulaokar. Chef
50g,Scallop 50g,Soybean sprouts following traditional methods of the mysterious Chef’s special that YoungRan Baek has over 24 years
100g,Dropwort 50g,Spring onion eating and all the dishes you eat is sure to delight you. of experience and has served
30g,Green chilli 20g,Red chilli will have to compulsorily face some very important dignitaries
20g,Seafood stew sauce 200 cc, Stock you. The ingredients have all Language no bar like US President, George Bush. A
300 cc,Vegetable oil 100 cc ,Light soy been brought from Korea to re- The two Korean chefs have smiling Chef YoungRan Baek,
sauce 400 cc, MSG 15 cc tain the Korean taste – from the helped train the staff here and managed to say, “We are very
spices to fish. The menu also has have succeeded in doing so in happy to be here.” Talks are also
Sugar 400 cc ,Garlic 300 cc, Crushed
a wide selection of Kimchi which spite of the language barrier. As I on to conduct an Indian food fes-
sesame 100 cc ,Sesame oil 100 cc is the name given to any one of walked into the bustling kitchen I tival in Shilla Hotel and send two
,Coarse chilli powder 500 cc the hundreds of spicy pickles watched all the cooks following chefs from the Taj Group India to
common to Korea. It is a part of hand instructions and doing ex- Korea.
● Method
nearly every meal, and its pro- actly what the Korean Chefs re- The festival is on till the 25th of
Clean and cut the seafood and duction is an ancient and revered quired of them. “It has been a June. For reservations call 6600
soybean sprout and then cut art. For the main course you can learning experience for all of us 0000. ■
dropwort 5cm long. Slice red chilli,
green chilli, spring onion into thick
parallelograms. In a pot, place
soybean sprout and stock, cover,
bring to boil. Add chilli powder,
garlic, salt, sugar, MSG, and so on.
After that, add prepared seafood and
keep cooking. When it is almost
cooked, add dropwort, spring onion,
red and green chilli and stir around.
Splash sesame oil at the last moment.
Adjust consistency with starch if
desired.