A BYTE OF LIFE Wednesday, November 26, 2008

KARAN’S
10 08
CALL
Three-film contract GOING FOR THE KILL
for his directors India look for a series whitewash
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 225

A number of crimes on the East Coast Road go unreported. Petlee Peter investigates
» PAGE 03

PHOTO: N. SRIDHARAN

Angry in the movie

Has your movie-going experience ever been ruined by that late-comer who insists on
being told what happened so far? Or that irritating toe-stamping bulldozer who left you
clutching your foot whole day. Or the couple who proved a more entertaining watch
than the movie. Tell us about one such irritating incident you experienced inside a
movie hall. Mail it to us in less than 150 words with the subject line ‘MOVIES’, if possible
with your photograph (at least 1 MB), to feedback@goergo.in before Thursday noon.
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving at Asiana
Asiana Hotel is hosting a Thanksgiving Special on
Thursday at Wild Fire. Enjoy a four course sumptuous
meal for Rs. 1050 including a glass of wine. For details
and reservations call 6741 1000.

Thank God it’s Thursday

N o buzzing phone calls and no annoying
clients keeping the other person on hold for
hours together. This Thursday, office cubicles
will be calm and relaxed. A day when one will
gleefully sift through emails reading
appreciation and thanks for the services
Plateful of pakoras
rendered, quite different from the regular Amrin Biriyani in Triplicane has people
weekend holiday.
November 27 or the fourth Thursday of standing in queue for its crispies
November is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. – a
traditional harvest festival where everybody ERGO CORRESPONDENT
takes rest from work and makes it a point to feedback@goergo.in
strengthen existing relationships, sometimes by
just a ‘Thank You’ note. Though Thanksgiving

G
reasy, crispy chicken
Day is a very western tradition, it is an occasion pakoras might not be
– irrespective of geographical borders – to the most hygienic
thank the person who is remotely handling food you find on the
services he/she has benefited from. street side, but few foodies
can resist the enticing smell
Party time of the goodies. This deep-
Increasingly, in India, for many teams working fried marinated chicken
on outsourcing projects, it is another occasion delicacy will always find a
to celebrate. way to you irrespective of
Pratheesh John, senior analyst, HCL how often your folks have
Technologies, Perungudi, has been in the U.S. tried to convince you to
process for the last one year. His team of 10 give it up or even if your
handles 10 to 15 calls a day, offering solutions mom’s a great cook and can
to the umpteen queries clients have on conjure something as tasty
computer servers. Apart from it being declared at home.
a company holiday, John is planning a surprise. If you are living close or
“It is rest from work and I have decided to know M. Luqman Ali’s Am-
take my team out on a treat to PizzaHut or rin Biriyani on Triplicane
some other restaurant.” High Road, your addiction
A sweet little “thank you” note in the inbox will probably in-
from the client is the most popular surprise crease manifold
that makes the day for most professionals. and all those pa-
It is an extended weekend for many teams at rental advice long
Perot Systems. “In fact, Wednesday will also be forgotten as you
a lean day. Our clients will be in holiday mode make a trip to the
and ‘thank you’ notes start pouring from the shop almost every
night itself,” says K. Sridher, web design afternoon. Affor-
specialist. dable and cooked
Meanwhile, many other teams have chalked in the most hy-
out programmes to Ooty, Kodaikanal or their gienic way possi-
home town for the four-day weekend. ble, Luqman sells a
It is not difficult to say thank you! ■ staggering 30 kg of the del-
Ergo Correspondent icacy everyday. “Some-
times, during the evenings,
I just can’t keep pace as
more and more customers
come. I have a regular cli- PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
entele who are even ready
to wait for half and hour for
their share, but not all are
that patient,” Luqman says.
But sparing a thought for
his customers, you can say
it takes a Herculean effort
from even the most patient
fellow to wait and not drool
when yummy pakoras are
being gorged by everyone
around you. So reach early
and make sure you get your
share of the spoils because
pakoras run out fast. Apart
from pakoras, Luqman also
specialises in biriyani and
undertakes party orders. ■

Amrin Biriyani
Old No. 136, New No.
214, Triplicane High
Road.
Chennai - 600005.
Mobile: 9884382635
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Crime rate on the ECR is far higher than what the records might show
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in
A
number of crimes on the
East Coast Road in recent
months have gone unre-
ported, according to relia-
ble sources.
While some incidents of crime
on the stretch get reported, espe-
cially on the beach stretch and
adjoining areas, a number of seri-
ous offences are covered up by
the police – a move reportedly to
give a clean chit and portray the
ECR as crime-free zone. Appar-
ently, only 25 percent of the of-
fences come to light and the rest
are ingeniously buried.
03
Chinese in Chennai
China Town is organising a Chinese festival
‘Chinese Winter Festival’ till November 30.
The food festival is open for lunch and dinner.
China Town is at 3rd Floor, #76 Cathedral Road,
Chennai 600 086. Phone: 2811 2246
Sample some of the crimes that Thailand. Cops are still clueless. staying. where a girl was raped by a group
were reported: on November 19, But at least a couple more The list of offences, mainly un- of fishermen after her companion
a cabbie from Mylapore was crimes were hushed up: a ne- reported ones, goes on and on. was tied up.
found dead in an open field be- phew of an actor-politician and Apart from these, a number of “Initially, the girl came forward
hind the Mayajaal complex with his friends were robbed of their cases of couples being harassed to lodge a complaint but soon de-
his throat slit and a stab wound laptops and other belongings. A and women molested on the cided not to and the case was
on his chest. There are still no newly-wed couple was robbed of sands of the ECR go unreported. closed,” says the officer. He also
leads in the case. A Tamil actor’s everything valuable, including And, in some incidences, even if says that a minimum of five in-
house on ECR was broken into a the thali, after they took a stroll the victims approach the cops cidences of crime, both big and
few months when he and his on the beach, a little away from they back off following hostile small, happen on the ECR stretch
family had gone on a holiday to the beach resort where they were treatment by latter. every week.
Taunted with questions like: “Many people, mainly couples,
“What is your business on ECR” don’t realise the danger that may
Taunted with questions like: “What is your or “What is your connection with await them on the ECR following
business on ECR” or “What is your connection this girl,” the victims are literally their quest for isolated locations
being shooed away by the cops. to spend some leisure time,” the
with this girl,” the victims are literally being A former Assistant Commis- officer added, admitting that a lot
shooed away by the cops. sioner of Thoraipakkam reminis- of cases go unreported and are
ces about a case sometime ago also hidden by the khakis. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
A model showcases the creation ‘Aroosah’ by
Malaysian designer Dezzaine during the Islamic
Fashion Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
AFP PHOTO
The new ball to be used during the FIFA
Confederations Cup is presented at a ceremony in
Johannesburg, South Africa. AFP PHOTO
ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Pigs
Almost half the pigs in
the world are kept by
farmers in China.
The chocolate affair
The chocolate
pedicure at METRO SEXUAL
Bubbles Spa
makes for a
pair of yummy-
feeling feet
V. LOKPRIA
F
ancy smothering your-
self with chocolate? Per-
haps, we all have
thought about it some
time or the other. And now,
you don’t have to go to Willy
Wonka’s factory to do it!
This week, Sheela from
unisex salon Bubbles Spa in
Alwarpet tells us about the
chocolate pedicure. Everybo-
dy loves chocolate. Now take
that chocoholic status one
step further – the chocolate
pedicure. Chocolate has an-
tioxidants and its anti-ageing
properties will keep your feet
smooth and young. Not only
is the pedicure relaxing, the
antioxidants found naturally
in chocolate help protect the
skin from free-radicals, pol-
lution and sun damage.
In this therapy, chocolate
powder is heated and when
warm applied to the feet. Fif-
teen minutes later, after it
dries, it is peeled off like a
mask. This therapy removes PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
dead cells and helps in tight-
ening the skin. The chocolate
ritual is done after a normal
pedicure as an add-on pack
to keep the feet baby smooth.
At Bubbles Spa, they use
the Shahnaz Hussain choco-
late powder for the therapy.
Cocoa is the main ingredient
used in this process. If done
regularly, one can get fantas-
tic results.
The striking aspect of this
therapy is that it’s most bene-
ficial for dry skin and helps in
closing the pores. Moreover,
as chocolate is a natural
product it is relatively safe to
use on most skin types.
To get one chocolate ped-
icure for yourself, you will
have to pay Rs. 450. Bubbles
Spa can be contacted at 044 -
4217 2040.■
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Stuck to the sticker
That dot on the forehead occupies pride of the place at Sri Binddi in Fountain Plaza
T
he walls almost look like
they’ve been plastered with
some kind of wallpaper –
some pretty, stone-studded
variety at that. It doesn’t take
long to realise you’re surrounded
by bindis – bindis on the walls,
bindis on the shelves, bindis on
the counters, bindis in the show-
case. Popularly known as just
Bindi Shop, Sri Binddi has stuck
quite faithfully to what it started
with 15 years ago. (The double ‘D’
because owner Vassant B. Modi is
a firm believer in vaastu, the mini
pyramids that you see on the ceil-
ing and counters being further
testimony.)
Instead of bowing to the pop-
ular trend of everything-under-
one-roof, Sri Binddi has nothing
but bindis – of all shapes, sizes
and varieties. “I wanted to hold
on to only one thing,” says Modi.
Address:
Sri Binddi
131, Pantheon Road,
Fountain Plaza,
Chennai – 600 008
Ph: 044 - 6519 8904
Store timings: 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. (Closed on Sundays)
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
05
Priced between Rs. 3 and Rs.
600, choice, clearly, is a tough
task. The bindis come with Swa-
rovski, stones and kundan work
and could range from tiny ones as
big as a dot to the more elaborate
ones that are an accessory on
their own.
“We source the bindis from all
over the country, chiefly Mum-
bai, Delhi and Kolkata. Nothing
from Chennai though, as only the
plain latex ones are available
here,” says Modi. Besides, the
store also makes it own bindis.
“We can even make bindis in five
minutes, right in front of the cus-
tomer’s eyes,” he adds.
Celebrity clients include actors
Radhika Sarath Kumar, Sanghavi,
Sridevi Vijaykumar and
Poornima.
The wedding season is the
busiest time, and the store’s sa-
lespersons, Shireen and Jeeva,
are on their toes throughout. Ac-
cording to Modi, the two have
been with the store since ever
and are probably another reason
why customers keep coming
back. ■
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Eye-blowing
A Chinese man has been showing off
his talent for blowing up balloons
using only his eyes.

Britain starts issuing ID cards China warns toy makers on

to foreigners quality before Christmas
As part of measures to crackdown on illegal Chinese toy makers
workers, the UK on Tuesday started issuing identity must make sure they
cards to foreigners, incorporating their facial image do not accept orders
and fingerprints to securely lock them to one based on unsafe
identity. For the start ID cards are being issued to foreign designs, the
people making applications to remain in the UK as Foreign Ministry said
a student or based on marriage. This will be on Tuesday, as the
followed by identity cards for British workers in country seeks to assure
sensitive roles and locations in 2009 and to young quality ahead of
people in 2010. Christmas. Millions of
PTI Chinese-made toys
were recalled last year
due to excessive levels
Japan hopes to get N Korea of lead in paint and
other safety concerns,
nuke talks on paper the latest in the strong
Japan on Tuesday welcomed plans to hold the next round of scandals over the
of six-party denuclearisation talks from December 8 and made-in-China brand, which has also included tainted pet
reiterated its hopes to put in writing a verbal agreement food, milk and medicine. “The Chinese government pays
on verification methods, including the collection of great attention to toy quality and demands toy makers
samples, reached between Washington and Pyongyang. keep the bar high for quality too,” Chinese Foreign
“Since we have heard that the United States and North Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a news conference.
Korea have agreed on the collection of samples and other “Related Chinese quality departments continue to increase
verification details, we quality checks on toys, especially those which are
hope those would be exported.”
firmly put in writing,” Reuters
Japanese Foreign
Minister Hirofumi
Nakasone told reporters.
US Secretary of State Israel again seals off Gaza
Condoleezza Rice said Israel again sealed off the Gaza Strip on Tuesday in
the next round of six- response to rocket fire, one day after humanitarian
way nuclear talks will be supplies were allowed in for the second time since a
held December 8 in November 4 surge in violence. “After rockets were
China. The talks among fired at the Israeli territory, Defence Minister Ehud
North and South Korea, Barak decided, following consultations with security
China, Japan, Russia and services officials, that the crossing points will be
the United States have closed on Tuesday,” the defence ministry said.
been stalled since the Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket
chief envoys last met in at southern Israel on Monday, causing no casualties
Beijing in July. or damage, a military spokesman said.
PTI AFP

Japanese try their luck in lottery

A chance to beat the recession with a top prize of 200 million yen ($2
million) lured thousands from the suburbs to stand in line for hours

I
ts boutiques may be starved
of customers but the side-
walks of Tokyo’s Ginza shop-
ping district were crowded on
Tuesday as people eager for a
chance to become rich overnight
lined up for ‘Jumbo’ lottery tick-
ets.
A chance to beat the recession
with a top prize of 200 million
yen ($2 million) lured thousands
from the suburbs to stand in line
for hours, despite consumer con-
fidence hitting an all-time low in
October and falling household
spending.
The mostly elderly hopefuls
were set on buying tickets at
booth No.1 on a Ginza street-cor-
ner, as they believe it is partic-
ularly lucky. A neighbouring
lottery ticket booth did not have
a single customer.
“The recession makes me want
to win even more,” said Megumi
Mizuno, a 53-year-old who said
she was not working, as she ap-
proached the ticket booth.
Blue-clad security guards orga-
nised the crowds into orderly
queues, while women holding
placards and microphones reeled
off statistics about the number of
lucky winners.
Many said they planned to buy
dozens of the 300 yen ($3) tick-
ets.
“I live on a pension, but I do it
because it’s fun,” said 70-year-
old Takayasu Oki, who said he
was going to buy 100 tickets. “I
don’t fritter away money on any-
thing else.”
A Buddhist monk stood chant-
ing quietly nearby with a bowl
held out in front of him seeking
offerings. ■
Reuters
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
ONE LOOK IS ALL IT TAKES
News and newsmakers in picture
Boris Becker poses with two
dancers on the red carpet of the
Laureus Media Awards ceremony
on November 24, 2008 in the
southern German city of Munich.
AFP PHOTO
US actress Kelly Rutherford
arrives at The 36th
International Emmy Awards
on Monday in New York. AFP
PHOTO
07
US actress Andrea Roth arrives
at The 36th International
Emmy Awards on Monday in
New York. AFP PHOTO
Kate Moss attends the switching
on of the Christmas lights at
the Stella McCartney Store on
Monday in London, England.
GETTY IMAGES
08 SPORT ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Spreading awareness
India and England cricketers will meet HIV affected youngsters on December
World AIDS Day - as part of the ICC activities to celebrate five years of raising
awareness about the dreaded disease. “Players taking part in major
international matches will wear red ribbons, as a global show of support for
people living with HIV, while the India and England teams will meet young
people affected by HIV ahead of the seventh ODI in Delhi,” an ICC release sai

Eyeing the
Thangaraj passes away
India’s legendary goalkeeper Peter Thangaraj
passed away in Bokaro Monday night following a
heart-attack. He was 74. Thangaraj, nicknamed
“lamp post” during his playing
days, is survived by his wife, a

No. 2 slot
son and three daughters.
He belonged to the golden era
of India football and was part
of the team that won gold in
the 1962 Asian Games in
Jakarta and finished runners-
up in the 1964 Asia Cup in Tel
Aviv. Thangaraj also played in
the 1956 Melbourne and 1960 Rome Olympics. India look to sweep England one-day series
India finished fourth in Melbourne, which
remained its best performance in the mega event.

I
ndia will approach Wednes- Virat Kohli, left-arm spinner Pra- December 11. “We have got three
IANS day’s fifth One-Day Interna- gyan Ojha and recalled all-roun- games left in this series and we
tional against England as the der Irfan Pathan could make their are going to have to get someth-
start of a new series after first appearances in the series on ing out of them,” the Lancashire
SA want Australia to rotate clinching a decisive 4-0 lead, with
the tourists out to salvage some
Wednesday. There could be a fur-
ther reshuffle for the last two
star said. “We can’t win the se-
ries, so it’s down to our own per-
Boxing Day Test pride. A 7-0 whitewash will cata-
pult India to the second spot in
matches, in Guwahati on Satur-
day and New Delhi on December
sonal pride and also trying to gain
some momentum going into the
South Africa Cricket officials on Monday said they
ICC’s ODI team rankings. Indian 2. Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda and Test series.”
will not tour Australia during Christmas holidays
vice-captain Virender Sehwag prolific middle-order batsman
in future if Australia do not agree to visit their
said coach Gary Kirsten wants the Cheteshwar Pujara may get a look Gearing up for the Test
country for the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests.
hosts to play with the same in- in along with a few others prom- series
CSA chief executive Gerald Majola was miffed at
tensity even though the seven- ising youngsters. Flintoff, however, warned
Australia’s refusal to rotate the two big Tests
match series had been comforta- teammates not to think of the
every four years.
bly won already. Testing times Test matches just yet. “I think it
“We would like to tour there any
“Gary said we should see the England, meanwhile, will use would be dangerous to think
time, including Boxing Day,
remaining matches as a three- the remaining games to get used about anything other than these
provided they are prepared to
match series and try to win them to the fervent atmosphere in one-day matches because we
come to us one Boxing Day as
all,” Sehwag said ahead of the South Asian cricket ahead of the could get found out even more,”
well. We have no issues coming
day-night match at the Barabati World Cup, and save themselves he said. “The way India have
to Australia on Boxing Day. The
stadium in this coastal eastern from further criticism at home. played, they’ve been ruthless.
problem is, Australia do not want
town. India are expected to throw “Some of the lads have not played They have outplayed us in every
to leave Australia on Boxing Day,
in new faces for the rest of the a great deal in India, played in department. They are very well
which in our country is also our
series as the selectors attempt to front of these type of crowds with drilled and have learnt a lot of
peak period. In fact, we would choose to play
build a strong base for the 2011 the attention on cricket you get new skills with bat and ball, and
them Boxing Day and (then) alternate, that’s the
World Cup, to be hosted in South over here,” said all-rounder An- we have been found wanting a lit-
first choice. They are not prepared to do that,”
Asia. National under-19 captain drew Flintoff. “The World Cup is tle bit.” ■
Majola was quoted as saying by Herald Sun.
PTI
and top-order batsman over here in a few years’ time, so AFP
the more opportunities to play
out here and develop your skills
on these type of wickets, the
Flintoff bats for IPL more it will be beneficial to
Andrew Flintoff has blamed England’s dismal this group of lads.” Flintoff
show in the ongoing one-day series squarely on said a good display in the re-
their non-participation in the Indian Premier maining one-dayers will help
League, which he believes has helped Indian England gather momentum
players develop their game by leaps and bounds. for the two-Test series
“I think through playing the shorter form of the starting in Ah-
game they (India) have developed new skills with medabad
both bat and ball, and we on
have been found wanting a
little bit,” Flintoff said. “Their
game has developed through
playing Twenty20 cricket, you
just have to look at the way
the guys hit the ball and the
positions they get into. You
also look at the bowling skills
that Zaheer Khan and Ishant
Sharma have too. They are developing slower
balls and yorkers.”
The England all-rounder also sought to clarify
that the reason for his teamamtes’ keenness to
play in the IPL was not just the big bucks they
could earn through it. “A few of our players are
keen to go to the IPL. The thing that most people
write about when they mention the IPL is the
financial rewards, but it should also be looked at
as something that helps with a player’s
development,” Flintoff told Independent.
PTI PHOTO: AFP
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
‘‘
1- I think Dhoni had the right to be annoyed and I think he has put for-
g ward his views fairly clearly. The nation has understood that Dhoni was
annoyed because there was a leak not because ’A’ player was selected and ’B’
wasn’t,
d.
A
s the 2008 tennis season ended
in this unlikely city with Fer-
nando Verdasco buried under a
pile of delirious teammates, the
inescapable conclusion was that it
had been a great year for Spaniards
on the road. Rafael Nadal left the is-
land comforts of Majorca and hustled
to his fourth straight French Open ti-
tle, his first Wimbledon title and his
first Olympic gold medal.
Although the Davis Cup no longer
carries the same weight in the United
States, La Copa Davis still means
plenty in other parts of the world, in-
cluding Argentina, where it shared
the front pages with Diego Marado-
na’s debut as the coach of the Argen-
tine national soccer team. But in the
end, David Nalbandian and the Ar-
gentines did not receive the kind of
attention they were counting on as
their bid to win tennis’ premier team
title unravelled once more.
Fractured Argentina
Instead of dissecting a historic
Matadors dominate
DAVIS CUP VICTORY CAPS GREAT YEAR FOR SPANIARDS
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
sports triumph, their chroniclers
were left to dissect fractured team
unity, Nalbandian’s prickly personal-
ity and the decision of the team cap-
tain, Alberto Mancini, to resign and
let someone else attempt to inspire
Argentina to its first Davis Cup. “I
think for all of us to pull in the same
direction requires an effort; it hap-
pens, but it demands a lot,” Mancini
said in a news conference at which
the questions and answers were full
of emotion. “I’m not just talking
about tennis players. I’m talking
about the country as a whole.”
Spanish success
Spanish teams, for the moment, do
not have such problems after a year in
which the men’s soccer team won the
European championships and the
men’s basketball team gave the
American “Redeem Team” a scare in
the Olympic final. Now, Spain’s Davis
Cup squad has managed to win de-
spite the absence of Nadal. “I’m really
proud to share this prize with these
09
players,” the departing Spanish cap-
tain, Emilio Sanchez Vicario, said.
“For me, it’s the biggest prize of my
life.” Spain has won its three cups in
2000, 2004 and 2008, all Olympic
years, which is probably no coinci-
dence considering that overstuffed
Olympic years put a major strain on
tennis stars and inevitably favour the
nations with the biggest reserves of
able and willing talent. Spain is not as
deep as it was several seasons ago,
but it still had much better backups in
Feliciano Lopez and Verdasco than
Argentina could muster when its new
star, Juan Martmn Del Potro, pulled
up lame during his opening-day loss Spanish
to Lopez. It is hardly a surprise that players
health problems were a major factor celebrate their
in men’s tennis this year. Nadal bare- Davis cup
ly played after September. Roger Fe- triumph at
derer, whose intelligent scheduling Islas Malvinas
and attention to detail had kept him stadium in
relatively injury free for years, la- Mar del Plata,
boured through a challenging season. Argentina.
■ PHOTO: AFP
NYT News Service
10 FLICK ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008

I am unlucky in love
Former Miss India and Bollywood
actress Celina Jaitley, who turned 27
recently, says she has been unlucky in
love but hopes god will bless her with
more romance in life.

Signed, sealed,
delivered
Karan Johar on future films from Dharma
Productions and the three-movie contract to
prevent runaway directors

SUBHASH K. JHA it is important to be professional

with people at work.

A
fter being let down by di-
rectors whom his produc-
tion house, Dharma
Productions, nurtured to
directorial success, Karan Johar
has now made it mandatory for
all filmmakers working for his
banner to sign a three-movie
contract each.
This includes Kajol’s cousin
Ayan Mukherjee, who has just
started directing Wake Up, Sid
with Ranbir Kapoor and Kon-
kona Sen Sharma for Karan’s
banner. “Barring Rensil D’Sil-
va, who comes from an es-
tablished ad world and we
have decided to keep him
bound for only one project,
all the other directors are
bound by a three-film con-
tract,” Johar, whose latest
home production Dostana
is spinning gold at the box
office, says.
“I’ve my own little
Whistling Woods (Sub-
hash Ghai’s film school)
in my production
house. My endeavour is
to establish an academy
of directors who won’t
just make one movie for
us and move on. I hope
they’ll stay with us and
make more movies.”
“I want to encourage
new-age cinema. I’m
really happy to cultivate
all this talent. I’ve had
first-time directors start-
ing with Nikhil Advani in
Kal Ho Naa Ho and So-
ham Shah in Kaal to Tarun
Mansukhani in Dostana
and Ayaan Mukherjee in
Wake Up, Sid and we’ve just
signed Siddharth Malhotra,” he
adds. Johar, who has directed hits
like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, says
“One must be professional
about work. Yes, they’re contrac-
tually bound to make three films
with us. But there’s an inherent
loyalty to the banner in them.
And I’ve complete faith that these
new directors won’t move on
from our banner.”
But didn’t he feel the same way
about Nikhil Advani and Soham
Shah before they moved on?
“Shall we move on? Johar re-
torts. “Why can’t we enjoy the
positivity? I’m very excited about
Ranbir and Konkona as a pair in
Ayan’s film. They’ve an inherent-
ly unusual on-screen chemistry.
And now my latest director is
Siddharth Malhotra, who is de-
veloping a screenplay for us.”
“Siddharth is late Premnath’s
grandson and Prem Kishen’s son.
I’m very friendly to that family.
Our families go back a long way. I
don’t have a biological child. But
all the directors who are making
films for me are like my children.
I give them full freedom to make
films the way they want. When
they go on the sets, they take their
own energy there. I want direc-
tors who have their own voice,”
says the filmmaker.
Dino Morea’s brother Santino
is also working with Johar.
“He (Santino) is my assistant
on My Name Is Khan. Boney Ka-
poor’s son assisted us on Kal Ho
Naa Ho. And now David Dha-
wan’s son, Varun, is also working
with me. These industry boys are
very hardworking. They’ve seen
both the ups and downs in the
entertainment industry, so they
value the opportunities they get.”
“If any of my children want to
leave ‘home’, I’ll tear up the con-
tract. But the legalities are impor-
tant in the current corporate
climate,” Johar says. ■
IANS
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
11
Kajol to be honoured SRK to be Datuk on Dec 6
Kajol will be honoured by iCONGO, a Shah Rukh Khan is set to be conferred the
confederation of NGOs and Khemka Malaysian title of Datuk, akin to the British
Foundation, for helping educate knighthood, on December 6 and he is
underprivileged children. expected to receive the honour in traditional
Malaysian attire.

That couch-
Cine City

jumping day Sathyaraj to play

youngster

T
om Cruise earned flak years ago when he If Internet buzz is to be believed, actor
enthusiastically declared his love for Ka- Sathyaraj will be seen playing a 25-
tie Holmes on The Oprah Winfrey Show, year-old in the film Sangamithra. The
but now the actor is more reflective and film is about a 16-year-old
says he could have handled things better. boy who ruins the life
Mirror.co.uk reports him saying: “There of a girl. The boy
are things that I could have done better. I then grows up,
could have handled things better. I was realises his mistake
surprised at the criticism, but it brought and devotes his life
everyone closer together – Katie’s entire to her. Sathyaraj is
family and my family. slated to play four
Going through that stuff is not pleas- stages in this film,
ant and I think it hit an extreme, but falling in the age
Kate’s a very sure and confident and group of 25 to 65
strong woman. She gets it, you know. years.
She is incredibly wise and very, very
strong and confident, even though she is a
very gracious and elegant person,” he said.
“As a father and husband you want to pro-
tect your family and tell them not to worry
because it is all going to be okay. You just learn
from it and move on and I know that. I have a
blessed life because I have a happy family and
children that I adore and everyone knows how
I feel about Kate. It just brought us even closer
together,” he added. ■
IANS

Washington,
Kunis in action thriller
D enzel Washington has picked Mila Kunis to co- star
with him in a disturbing action thriller in which
they team up to save humanity in a near-future Amer-
ica faced with catastrophe.
Kunis is a veteran of hit TV series That ’70s Show
and made her feature film debut in Forgetting Sarah
Marshall. Kunis most
recently starred oppo- Six-pack season
site Mark Wahlberg in After Dhanush, Vishal and Suriya, it’s now
Max Payne. In the new the turn of actor Shaam to flaunt a six-
movie, The Book of Eli pack. We hear that the actor, who made
Washington, she will his debut in the film 12B, is working hard
portray a character for his own six-pack abs. He is currently
who first tries to stop working on two projects – Anthony Yaar
Washington’s charac- and Agam Puram. It is also said that actor
ter from saving hu- Prithviraj has worked out a six-pack for his
manity but ultimately upcoming flick, Ravaana.
joins him in his quest.
■
DPA
12
Tuesday’s Question:
Which is the best way to
tackle and control
Chennais’ traffic
problems?
■ Yellarayum vanathula vandi otta
sollalam.
Nirmala,
Perot Systems
■ Work from home options for most of
IT employees.
Vimal Prashanth(Patni Computers), Krish
(Wipro), Senthil Raghu(HCL)
■ We can increase the petrol price to
which will reduce usage of vehicles.
Yacub(Patni Computers), Srinivasan D
(Verizon)
■ We can bring traffic police from
other countries, so that they do the
traffic regulation well or our traffic
regulators should strictly follow the
rules to clear traffic.
Murugan,
RSI
■ Vettiya ooru suthravanga ellam
veetla irunthavae half traffic control
aagum.
Shanu Samrat,
TCS
■ Use two-wheelers instead of cars. Use
cars for long travels.
Ganesh,
CGSL
■ Place road thorns before the
pedestrian crossing. It activates as and
when the orange light is signalled. So
that people who even try running after
red signal gets his tyres punctured. At
emergencies like ambulance to be
allowed, a manual/automatic trigger
could be provided to traffic police
Suseel,
CTS
■ Metro Rail from Redhills, Avadi,
Manali to Mahabalipuram (via OMR) &
SV Chataram
Magesh,
Polaris
■ Bring in more satellite towns.
Balaji Jegannathan,
Infosys
■ Better to become Spiderman and fly
wherever you want.
Radhika,
Polaris
■ An electronic debit card should be
placed in each vehicle. A machine to
read the same should be placed at
ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008
main junctions in Chennai. Each time a
vehicle passes through those junctions,
that card should be debited for an
amount more than average public
transport cost. This is very successful in
Singapore
Jai, CGSL
■ Construct more bridges & complete
the work as soon as they can.
Shakeeb Aadil(HCL), Bala, Arunkumar Raja
(CGSL), A.Arunkumar (Sify), Rakshita
Sreenivasan, R Balasubramanian (Wipro),
Sasi (VDSI), Satish (Ramco Systems), Kailash
U (Optimus)
■ Strictly implement separate lane
system on all main roads
Lane 1: 2-wheelers & auto
Lane 2: Cars and LMV
Lane 3: Bus & HMV
Santhosh Kumar
Syed from Systems Technology Group has nominated
■ To make use Public Transportation his colleagues as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked
will reduce traffic drastically, provided at a Farm house in OMR.
frequent, comfortable public
transportations are to be increased still
across all busy routes.
Ramesh N (R Systems International Ltd),
Mushtaq Ahmed (Perot Systems), Siva(HCL)
■ Stop all the vehicles and go by
nataraja service or cycle service....
Muthu Velayutham(Wipro), M.Aravind
(Capgemini), Kannan (Sify), Dominic Xavier
(CGSL), Gowrisankar(Ramco Systems),
M.Saravanan, D.Siva(PMC), Manikandan
N(Wipro)
■ Camera’s in signals needs to be
increased to monitor the traffic
violators. (Warning / punishments
needs to be sent to the vehicle owners
in regards with contact address
available in RTO office).
Saminath. G,
Sify Technologies Ltd Lakshmi Narayana from Satyam computers has
nominated his team mates as Partners in Crime. The
■ Office timings can be changed for photo was taken at Aliyar dam.
Private and Government firms; so that
everyone will be able access the banks,
TNEB office, telephone office etc in
the early hours.
Sanjay G, Tata Consultancy Services
■ Avoid digging roads. Start early to
office to avoid traffic jams. Don’t
complain things.
Gayathri Bheemannan,
Infosys Technologies Ltd.
Today’s Query:
If Nayanthara were your
boss, how would you
impress her?
Please send SMSes with your names, for the
purpose of cross-verification. To feature your Reddi from Hexaware Technologies has nominated his
query, email it to feedback@goergo.in with Ampere team as Partners in Crime. The pic was clicked
the subject line ’Mobile Query’. at Kodaikanal.
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Elayarani T of HCL Tech-
nologies has been nominat-
ed as Office Angel by her
friends.
She is a jovial and cool
person. Never gets tempered in
any situation and keeps on
going fine with everybody.
Very enthusiastic and energetic
that makes her take part in
all the events. She is dedicated
towards work. Cracks jokes
then and there to get away
from tensions.
Kanchana Dhandapani of
Satyam doodled this.
Nee evalau gundaa irudhaalum unnai thuppaakki le podamudiy-
uma???
Kavya Sadasivan
Tata Consultancy Services
1) Teacher: Nee yenda Nan varum pothu mattum kannadi
podura?
Student: Doctor than solli irukkaru "Thala vali" varum pothu
mattum kannadi podunnu.
2) What is the difference between "Ethanol" and "Methanol" ?
Ethanol kudicha naama 4 peru munnadi aadalam...
Methanol kudicha nammakku munnadi 4 Peru aaduvanga..
Rajapandi.R
HCL Tech ltd
■ Dear Seetha,
Wishing you a blessed birthday!!
May all your wishes come true .
With love,
ADB .
■ Dear Prabakar(PEROT SYSTEMS),
Warm wishes for your married life..
Wish you a wonderful future with
happy times, good health
with love,
Venkatesh, Wipro
■ Hi P.S.Praveen (EDS)
Wishing you all the great things in life,
hope this day will bring you an extra
share of all that makes you happy. May
your nights be filled with comforting
dreams. Days have passed into years,
you have become better with time.You
have continued to become better and
better with each birthday. Keep it up!!!
Best Wishes!
Raja Deepak (iGate)
Sundararajan (Infosys)
And the rest of the RG Gang!
■ Dear Shiv,
A Love Filled Birthday Wishes.
Your Dream. My Good luck... Your Hard
Work.My Prayers. They all will definitely
blend giving you the strength to reach
greater heights.
Ever Yours, Shija
■ Hi Varsha,
Wishing you many more happy returns
of the day ! May god bless you forever.
:)
Cheers,
Sify (friends)
Ganesh
■ Dear Vinoth,
A heartfelt birthday wishes to you my
dear. May this birthday brings you all
the good in the earth.
Expecting you to spend the dinner with
me on your birthday(26.Nov.2008).
With Love,
Lakshmi
■ Hi Mani (SP)"
A birthday, and now a day that rose
With much of hope, with meaning
rife--A thoughtful day from dawn to
close:The middle day of human life".
says Jean Ingelow. Wish you advance
happy birthday to you. May this
birthday brings all sorts of happiness in
your life. Happy birthday to u. With
warm wishes from your everlasting
friends...TCS
■ Hi Govindh…
Wish you many more happy returns of
the day. Let all your dreams come true.
By,
Wave12
■ Dear Janani,
On your birthday, we wish that all your
dreams come true.
We wish for you favorite people to
embrace,loving smiles and caring looks
that earthly gifts cannot replace.
Happy Birthday Janani!! JJJ
With Lots of Luv,
Brindha, Daisy, Deepa, Furzana, Kavin,
Meena, Narmadha, Vennila
13
■ Dearest Ucha,
Haaaaappppy B’day!! J J J
Wish you the very BEST that life can
offer you. Have a wonderful day and a
gr8 year ahead! May all your dreams
come true, dear Doop Dopa!
Love you loads,
Miss you more,
Dope Dochi
■ Dear Pratheepa,
Maturity has more to do with what
types of experiences u’ve had, and what
u’ve learned from them. Hope your
Birthday gently breezes into your life all
the choicest of things and all that your
heart holds dear Have A Fun- Filled Day
my Dear!!!!
With Love, urs,
Raghu, CTS
■ Dear Manivannan,
Wish you a many more happy returns of
the day. May God bless your future with
lots of surprises. Keep Rocking!!
With Love, Karthika, Krithika, Luxmi,
Manikandan, Merlin, Rajesh, Rekha, Rohini,
Samundeeswari, Sankar, Sathish, Sudha,
Suganthi, Vidhya, Vijay Balusamy and Vimal
Team TCS
■ Dear Evangelinannaberyl,
Happy b’day 2 u happy b’day 2 u happy
b’day 2 u my dear. Happy b’day 2 u
hope this day become the most
memorable day of ur life and ur all
wishes comes true. Very happy birthday
to you.
Hearty wishes fromFriends,
Kumaran Systems.
■ Dear Sekar,
Some people give the gift of peace and
tranquility to every life they touch.They
are always who they really are.They are
blessedly reliable,dependably
good,predictably pleasant,loved and
treasuredby all who know them.U are
one of those people.HappyBirthday!
With lotz of Luv,Mamtha,
TCS
■ Dear Fiaz Zeeshan,
We all Wish you a Happiest Birthday:)
God bless you and Happy to share this
wonderful moment with U.
" A birthday is just the first day of
another 365-day journey around. Enjoy!
By
Prem, Dinesh, Nehru, Sheik,
Bindu and Colleagues
■ Dear Sonia,
“ Wishing u a day soft as silk, white as
milk, sweet as honey & full of money.
may all ur dreams come true.
HAPPY B’ Day 2 u.
With lots of care & affection,
VIBGYOR friends, Hexaware Technologies
■ Dear Bro,
Happiness is to have someone special
and lovable in our life and I am really
lucky to have you as my sweet brother.
May God bless u with all happiness and
wealth. Many more happy returns of the
day Ammu...
Cheers,
Ezhil
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Internet street’s netless

A Polish man who bought a house on
Internet Street is selling it - because he
can’t get a broadband connection.

sudoku

Ezhilkumaran
Gurusami of
CSS Corp
clicked this
picture in
Kodaikanal.
Hobbies:
Watching
movies and
travelling

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
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:
V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy
N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:
Contact: 2857 5757
E-mail: ads@goergo.in
Website: www.goergo.in

Head of Circulation:
M.G.M. Sharief
copies@goergo.in

SNAIL MAIL
859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002
mail your feedback to
feedback@goergo.in
FAX 2857 6691

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of

KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Terminal lover
A Japanese tourist liked Mexico City
airport so much when he arrived that
he’s still there - after three months.
15
Word’s worth
"Hagioscope" (hag-ee-uh-skohp) an opening cut in
the wall of a church to let worshippers in a side aisle
or chapel see the elevation of the host during the
service. This is also called, less graciously, a squint.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Career growth will flourish today. Responsibilities
may increase. You will have a great time though.
However it will be advisable if you don’t act
overconfident. You may have to ignore love life for
a day as work pressure may be immense.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Something or the other might keep distracting you
at work today. However, you may regain your
balance later. You will adapt a practical approach at
work. This may be good professionally, but you may
cause some disturbances on the love front.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You will have to extra cautious from people who
BORN LOSER are jealous of your professional expertise. They may
try to find faults with your work. However Ganesha
assures that you will find the desired peace and
comfort in the arms of your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
You will feel enthusiastic about your work. Keeping
in mind your emotional nature, it would be
advisable if you treat everyone with compassion.
However, being emotional with your beloved will
definitely win you good times in return.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You may begin work with your battery completely
charged up. You will be able to meet deadlines. The
day can be used for important meetings. You may
be in a mood to make merry with beloved but what
you need is an emotional bonding.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You may experience a gush of creative ideas in your
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT head today; however they might not materialise.
Ganesha assures you that they might be useful later
on. In the second part, you may want to focus on
developing you professional skills.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Every word you use today will carry a specific
meaning. Ganesha foresees you focusing on targets
related to work. The day may drain you out and
you may want to rush home to relax. In any case,
the best modes to relax are to stay indoors.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Miscommunication might happen today. Ganesha
wants you to be careful with words. Nevertheless,
being straightforward might not help as well. The
best way is to learn diplomacy. You may share
incidents about professional life to your beloved.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Today it may be very crucial for you to manage time
so that you are able to finish everything you take
on hand. Professional life is great today. Ganesha
feels you may get in the mood of motivating
colleagues. Get ready for a romantic evening.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You may review all your pending work today. If you
work with added efforts, all the pending work will
get done by the end of the day. However, work
with strong determination. Less attention to love life
may result into discontentment, warns Ganesha.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may feel the need to arrange a meeting for
some specific discussionsHowever you might feel
ISSUE’S drained out by the end of the day. In addition to
this, your beloved might feel ignored. Balance
SOLUTIONS personal and professional life.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Excess work load will not be able to alter your
attention at work. You may work aggressively for a
better working experience and growth on the
professional front. Ganesha thinks you hard work
will pay good rewards, gradually.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 !
Surfing Labrador
A
Brit Labrador possessing a
unique surfing talent is mak-
ing waves, and has become
an attraction of sorts by rid-
ing waves on its local Tynemouth
beach.
Harvey, 3, has become a regular
sight on Tynemouth beach near
Newcastle-upon-Tyne with his
owners.
It was this summer that owner
Scott Pearson, 43, and his son
James discovered Harvey’s extraor-
dinary talent while they paddled
out to sea and Harvey attempted to
join in.
After a few failed attempts, Har-
vey somehow learned to balance on
the slippery board and now enjoys
squatting on it and riding to shore.
Impressed by his ’rare’ talent’ a
local surfing company donated a
sponge board for Harvey, which is
more buoyant and therefore easier
to use.
Harvey has now become a firm
favourite with passers-by.
He added: “He’s the coolest, most
ERGO Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Mobile lifesaver
An American claims that a mobile
phone in his chest pocket saved his life,
after it stopped a bullet.
exceptional dog I’ve ever come
across. He was only about six
months old when he started going
into the water but he never showed
any signs of wanting to jump on a
board. He has always loved being in
the water and has no fear of the sea.
“He’s a real natural and now eve-
rytime he is out on his board people
stop and watch in amazement.”
James, a resident of nearby Gos-
forth, is currently trying out for the
British surfing team. ■
ANI