Ergo January 16

8/14/2019 Ergo January 16

1/16

Friday, January16,2009A BYTE OF LIFE

DEEPIKA SECOND BESTthanks to that wily fox Akshay Kumar

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 9

The Angel of GodHR professional releases her fourth bookin the city today

0310

take a

Ergos pick oflesser-knownweekenddestinations.

PAGES 4 & 5

HIKE

PHOTO: PRABHAKARAN SAMBANDAM


2/16

ERGO Friday, January 16, 2009

Namma Chennai

02

Lights onNow, say goodbye to power cuts. BPL inassociation with Sankara Netralaya has launcherechargeable study lamps called StudyLite. Thbuilt-in rechargeable back-up promises to provlight for up to six hours without the main pow

Where are yougoing, youmonkey?Blaft Publications will play host tothe launch of the book, Where areyou going, you monkey? by KiRajanarayanan. The book hasfolktales from Tamil Nadu, and willbe launched today at the ChennaiBook Fair Grounds, St. GeorgesAnglo-Indian Hr. Sec. School, Opp.Pachayappas College at 4 p.m.

Book launch

Being earnestIts theatre time, folks. Evam presents The Importance of beingEarnest, which it terms trivial comedy for serious people. The playswill be staged at Chinmaya Heritage Centre on January 16 (7.30 p.m.)and January 17 (3.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m.). For tickets call 98402 22363/99404 38669.

Theatre

AbracadabraMagic is up their sleeve. In thecity are two groups promisingto entertain you. JadukarKaran and the P.C. Sorcarmagic show are being held atKalaivanar Arangam and RaniSeethai Hall respectively. Fordetails call 98841 52200/ 9941018686.

Entertainment

Talent scoutThe Channel V Launch Pad 111is back looking for the hottestsound of 2009 in a nationwidesearch. Bands with distinctpersonality, diverse language oreven a new sound can battle itout on the all new season. Thecompetition begins in the end ofJanuary, wherein 20 short-listedbands will perform every weeklive at Blue Frog, Mumbai.Rush in your enteries tov.bigadda.com

Music

Just chillGRT Temple Bay has an exclusive winter package, where one could stayfor three days and two nights by paying Rs. 22, 222. A chalet room ontwin sharing basis with buffet breakfast, plenty of activity cum healthclub voucher... there is lot more. The offer is valid till March 31.For reservations call 2744 3636.

Getaway

For the girlin youTanishq has unveiled their new

line of gold jewellerycollection Blush for the girl inyou. This light-weight goldcollection is designed foryoung working women andcomes in attractive shapes anddesigns. These are priced fromRs. 5,000 and available at allTanishq stores.

Sale


3/16

Friday, January 16, 2009

A

jet-setting life first as adutiful wife and mother,then as senior vice-presi-

dent of HR shared servicescentre of Scope International,where she heads a team of around360 people. A well-maintainedblog, www.jyothimenon.in, with

writings on 17 categories. Plus,three books to her credit ThePower of Human Relations, BrandWise and Me! A Winner.

It is amazing how some findtime to delve into ones passionamidst the many responsibilities.This evening will go as anotherspecial day in Jyothi Menons ca-reer as writer. Her fourth book(and first work of fiction), The An-

gel of God, will be released in thecity. But, thats just the beginningfor this HR professional. Three

more titles from her stable will beout on stands this year.Ergo caught up with Jyothi Me-

non, or Jyo as she is popularlycalled, for a friendly tte--tte tolisten to her talk about jugglingroles.

The writer in me: Writing hasalways been part of me. My dadsglobe-trotting profession took meto six different schools and places,and Bengali was my first language all this has widened my hori-zons. It was the same love to work

with people that made me switchfrom an Engineering backgroundto human relations. Post-mar-riage, getting Bobby Menon aspartner was like the man behind

the woman. He encouraged mto paint my canvas. And today it ithe same love to work with different people that has made me geinto fiction writing too.

About Angel of God: There armany books on leadership in thmarket and nobody will read onmore authored by Jyothi Menon

WritingThe Angel of Godwas likpainting a canvas. Every time

wrote a chapter, I wanted to adsomething more, edit some lines.It took us seven years to completthe book, more because of thmany breaks we had to take from

work. But it is special as Bobband I wrote it together. It has incidents brought together by thtwo of us. We take readers on tour around multiple geographie Mumbai, Kerala, Libya and thMiddle East.

My mummy strongest: Writina book is like giving birth to child. There it is nine monthshere it took me seven years because of the gaps I took. I managmy time well. Pooja (my daughteris off to sleep by 10 p.m. and it

when I open my canvas. Pooloves to paint, so these days I havstarted dabbling with colours, too

Three more to go: My next woris based around a gold fish. It is bed-time book. Also, there will btwo more books on self-development, which will be released i2009. Later this year, The Angel oGodwill travel to the London BooFair.

(The book will be released toda

at GRT Convention Centre at 7 p.m

With four booksalready in JyothiMenons kittyand three moregetting ready for

release this year,a full-time careerin writing isnot far in

sight for thisHR professional

LIFFY THOMAS

[email protected]

Writers stockWriters stock

Theme nightsPaprika, the all-day diner at Courtyard by Marriott, hasintroduced delectable food-based theme nights. Enticing Tueswith Italian food, seafood Wednesday, Just for Women onThursday, regional specialities on Friday, each promise to be aculinary treat. The buffet is open from 7.30 p.m.

PHOTO:R.

RAVIND

RAN


4/16


Big Story04

Its another extended weekend next week and if you are bored staying indoors or visiting the same old places, heresErgos pick of lesser-known weekend getaways. Go there, come back and tell us if theyre worth the recommendation

The roads less travelled

Place: Alamparai Fort

How to get there: It lies near Kadapakkam,a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on theland overlooking the Bay of Bengal. The fortcan be reached by driving down the EastCoast Road, about 100 kms from Chennaiand 50 kms from Puducherry. Start early inthe morning as it is a pleasant drive along theECR.

Why the place holds good: If you wish tohave a scenic view of the sea and backwatersfrom the great heights and enjoy an adven-turous trek, the Alamparai Fort is the place tovisit.

The Alamparai Fort, also called Alampara,was constructed during the Mughal era andit had a 100-metre-long dockyard stretchinginto the sea. It was destroyed by the British in1760 and further got damaged following the2004 tsunami. Local fishermen assist tourists

in a pleasurable boating experience aroundthe fort.

Best time to get there: October to Decem-ber

What you can do: Boating and trekking

Place: Amrithi ForestHow to get there: This is 25 km from Vellore. It

should take you around three hours to reach thereby road. You need to take left from the Golden

Temple.Why the place holds good: Some places main-tain their charm as they are not frequented bymany. Amrithi Forest is blessed with a tribal land-scape, sandalwood forest, small zoo... making it amust-visit place for the adventure seekers. Be-sides, the forest is rich with flora and fauna. The

Amirthi Zoological Park is located below the Java-du Hills, where you can do animal and bird spot-ting.

What you can do: Its picturesque locationmakes it a perfect place for trekking. You couldcheck up with the Forest Department as they con-duct treks. There is a tractor ride organised some-times. For those seeking some spiritual bliss, thefamous Padavedu temple is close by.

Check http:ecologin.ning.com for some morepictures.

VIEW FROM THE TOP

TREKKERS ZONE


5/16

Place: Pulicat LakeHow to get there: This lake flows along the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border, along the Coromandel

Coast. On the National Highway 5 from Chennai, drive northward toward Nellore, then turn right after thetoll gate on Thatchoor Kootu Road to Ponneri village. The straight drive takes you to Pulicat village.

Why the place holds good: Pulicat Lake, which is the countrys second largest brackish water lagoon, ispreserved as a wildlife sanctuary and is paradise for bird lovers.

Its history dates back to the 13th century when the Arabs were the first to land here and then followedby the Portuguese and Dutch. The Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary boasts of various species of birds.

One can explore the Dutch cemetery, which has 76 tombs, mausoleums; visit the dilapidated masonryhouses once occupied by ethnic Arabian Muslims and also trek to the ruined Dutch fort. But when itcomes to food, one has to carry their own provisions as there are hardly any restaurants or resorts around.

Best time to get there: October and March. Thousands of birds migrate to the lake at this time of theyear.

What you can do: Fishing, boat riding, bird watching, trekking to the ruined Dutch Fort and shoppingfor handicrafts made of Palmyra leaves in the local market.

Place: TranquebarHow to get there: This getaway is 35 km north of Nagapattinam on the Pondicherry-Chidambaram

highway, which has frequent bus services. Buses to Chidambaram from Chennai also go throughTranquebar.

Why the place holds good: Three years after the formation of the Danish East India Company in 1616,the first Danish ship reached the southern coast of India. After some initial skirmishes with the French,Portuguese, and Ceylonese navies, the Danes signed a treaty with the nayak of Tanjore in November 1620,ceding to them the village of Tarangambadi, which they re-dubbed as Tranquebar.

The place remained an important Danish trading centre and outpost before it was sold off to the Britishin 1845 for 10,000. Indias first printing press was also set up here in 1712 and the first-ever Tamiltranslation work was published from this press in 1715.

Where to stay: The Neemrana Group has converted the old Danish Governor Bungalow into aneight-room hotel. The Bungalow on the Beach, as the name suggests, offers a panoramic view of theunruly waves of the Bay of Bengal and is a stones throw away from the now restored Danish Fort built in1620. The rooms have an antique look. A must-see is the two-faced Love Chair.

What to do: For a lazy traveller, Tranquebar is the place to be. The unspoiled beach is a perfect place togo for a swim or just sun bathe. It is reported that Tranquebar has the thickest ozone layer in India. FortDansborg, now under the control of Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department, is the most importantlandmark and houses a museum. Other places of interest are the Zions Church built in 1701, the TownGateway (1792) and also the Masilamani Nathar Temple.

For bookings email [email protected] or call 04364-288065. A standard doubleroom costs Rs. 3,500. The hotel also offers a 14-bed dormitory facility at Rs. 150 per bed.


BackpackDuring ancient times, the backpackwas used as a means to carry thehunters larger game and other typesof prey as a way of easier transport.

quite literally

SAY CHEERS

ALL IN ONE

The Dutch Cemetery. PHOTO: DEEPAK GUPTA


6/16


Sport06

Size matters for Indian

soccerTall, strong and physically imposing thats thenew mantra for talent scouts in Indian soccer.Skill-wise, India is on a par with other nationsbut the team lacks physique, All India FootballFederations technical director Colin Joseph Toalsaid this week at an under-13 soccer festival inthe eastern Indian city of Jamshedpur. Hence,we are focusing on talented footballers withgood height and strong physique, the UK-basedToal said.India is ranked 20th in Asia after clinching theAFC Challenge Cup last August, a victory that

secured them an Asian Cup berth. The nationalteam has shown improved results in the last twoyears under British coach Bob Houghton but arestill ranked 142nd in the world. On Wednesdaythey lost 1-2 in a friendly to Hong Kong.

Reuters

Indian-Kiwis add an

extra TestNew Zealand has agreed to add a third Test andan extra Twenty20 match to Indias tour starting

next month. India askedearlier this month to play anextra Test during the tour tohelp offset losses after thecancellation of matchesagainst England and Pakistan.The Board of Control forCricket in India (BCCI) andNew Zealand Cricketannounced the extendedschedule Thursday after the

host country had worked to reschedule othermatches. India will arrive in New Zealand on

February 20, eight days earlier than originallyscheduled, with the first tour match being anadditional Twenty20 match in Christchurch onFebruary 25. An extra Test will be played inNapier on top of the originally scheduled twoTests in Hamilton and Wellington. India isprobably the most exciting side in the world atpresent, packed full of superstar players, and thechance to see six more days of high qualityinternational competition will be welcomed byall New Zealand cricket fans, New ZealandCricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said. BCCIsecretary N. Srinivasan said he was grateful thetwo cricket authorities had been able to worktogether to extend the tour. To have such astrong mix of Tests, one-day internationals andTwenty20s will be good for both teams, and forcricket followers in India and New Zealand, hesaid.

AFP

Wayne Rooney is facing three weeks outof Manchester Uniteds title charge af-ter scoring the winner and then beingstruck down by a hamstring injury as

the champions sealed a narrow 1-0 win againstWigan Athletic at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Rooney, 22, lasted just seven minutes of Unit-eds win, which takes them to within two pointsof leaders Liverpool with a game in hand,before limping out of the action. Unit-ed can claim top spot in the PremierLeague for the first time this seasonif they defeat Bolton at the Reebokon Saturday, but Rooney will beforced to watch from the sidelinesafter suffering his injury blow.

Pressing for a speedyrecovery

United manager Sir Alex Fergu-son said that he hoped Rooney

would not be out for longer.Wayne has done his hamstring,said Ferguson. Its one of thosethings, but its a three-week jobIm afraid. Hopefully it

wont be any longer thanthat, but he gave us agreat start with a greatfinish from Ronaldoscross. We were carry-ing injuries throughoutthe game and that saysa lot for the characterof the team. Carlos Te-vez limped through-out the second-half,Jonny Evans, Paul

Scholes, Ronaldo.They all seemedto be limpingabout theplace.

Tough gameFerguson had

warned his playersahead of the game that Wigan,guided to six wins in seven leaguegames prior to this clash by bossSteve Bruce, would prove a sterntest at Old Trafford. And the man-agers words were proved accurateas the visitors threatened to de-railUniteds charge to the title. Fergusonsaid: Wigan are the best team wehave played here this season by far. It

was an outstanding performance bythem and they really made us work. We should have had the game put tobed by half-time with the penetration

we had and the chances we created, butWigan are a very good side, so its a bigresult for us.

Victory at Bolton will ensure top spotbefore Liverpool return to action at home toEverton and Ferguson admits that beingtop is a prize worth chasing at this stageof this season. He said: You dont mind

when you are top, but in my experi-ence, being top is where you want tobe, there is no question about that.So hopefully we can be top by Sat-urday night.

AFP

United inches neartable-toppersLiverpool but face

losing Rooney forthree weeks

ManUclose in

PHOTOS

Dementieva crushes SerenaElena Dementieva overpowered a weary Serena Williams 6-3, 6-1 at tSydney International on Thursday to set up an all-Russian final againDinara Safina. Dementieva cruised to victory against the American, wran out of steam after a gruelling run to the last four in which she hsaved seven match points in her earlier rounds.


7/16


Of course there is going to be a certain amount of expectation andpressure as the Grand Slam champion but I will try to use it in my

favour and look at it as a positive challenge.Defending Australian Open champion and world number three Novak Djokovic

When Fred Perry steppedoff court in 1936 after hisUS Open win over DonBudge, most Britons

would have assumed the nationstennis future was secure. After all,Perry was world number one witheight Grand Slam titles to hisname, and Britain could count it-self as a sporting force in all fourcorners of the empire. Seventy-three years and countless disap-pointments later, with both Perry

and the empire long consigned tohistory, the country is still waitingfor its next Grand Slam cham-pion. So its not surprising thatthe emergence of Andy Murrayhas been greeted with consider-able fanfare in Britain.

Bookies favour himWith Murray now the bookies

favourite for the Australian Open,excitement is at fever pitch. Mur-ray, 21, has transformed himselffrom a gangly, fragile youth with

a petulant streak into a genuineforce in world tennis, highlightedby his displays over the past sixmonths. After reaching his firstGrand Slam final in New York,Murray sealed his second consec-utive Masters series win beforereaching the Masters Cup semison debut and reaching a career-high fourth ranking. So far this

year Murray has been the toursbest player, beating both first andsecond-ranked Rafael Nadal andRoger Federer at an exhibitionevent before besting Federeragain as he successfully defendedhis Qatar Open title.

Sometimes you just have togive credit. He played great. He isprobably in the best form of any-body in the world right now,said American Andy Roddick af-ter the Doha final. With formergreats and experts queuing up to

tip Murray for Grand Slam glory,expectations are high that the tal-ented Scot will end the Britishdrought here.

But with eight matches neededfor victory, together with the Aus-tralian summers searing heat,its far from a foregone conclu-sion.

More to doAndys shown for a year thats

hes knocking on the door, saidFederer. Hes playing with goodconfidence. But winning a slam isdifferent animal, not many guyshave been able to do it. Murrayhas always had the game to beatthe best but credits intensive fit-ness and strengthening work

with giving him the extra powerand stamina to survive at the top.The six foot three (1.90 metre)Murray controversially split withcoach Brad Gilbert, hired at greatexpense by Britains Lawn Tennis

Association, in late 2007 and nowtravels with two fitness trainers as

well as coach Miles Maclagan.

Results came quickly as he com-piled his best season to date in2008, becoming the first Briton to

win five titles in one year in theOpen era.

Famously reticent in front ofthe TV cameras, Murray has beenslow to win over a British public

which retains fond memories ofthe popular, albeit less success-ful, Tim Henman. His career be-gan aged three when, encouragedby his mother Judy, a formerScottish national coach, he start-ed playing in his home town ofDunblane.

Shooting tragedyTragedy struck when scout

master Thomas Hamilton wenton a killing spree at the eight- year-old Murrays school, mur-dering 16 young children in oneof Britains worst massacres.Murray largely avoided the sub-

ject until last year, when he de-tailed in his autobiography howhe knew Hamilton from a youthgroup and hid under a desk toescape the gunman. I couldhave been one of those children,he said. Murray won his first Fu-tures tournament in 2003, leaptinto the top 100 in 2005 and wonhis first ATP title in 2006. He wontwo out of four finals in 2007 andbroke into the top 10 but was alsoout for nearly four months withback and wrist injuries.

AFP

Murray eager to break British drought

Shooting star

Tennis messiahAn unheralded wild card entrant took everybody by stormat the recently concluded Chennai Open. Double NCAAchampion Somdev Dev Varman on his first year in theprofessional circuit reached the final of the US$ 450,000ATP meet, claiming some big scalps on his way.A counter-puncher and a solid base-liner, Somdev is amodern and more powerful version of former FrenchOpen champion Michael Chang and pundits are alreadyout, predicting a bright future for him. A quick learnerand with a never say die attitude, one hopes Somdev livesup to the reputation that he has earned over the pastweek.(We feature a player every Friday who has defied odds and come ou

as a winner during the past week. For this week, we pick tenni

young-gun Somdev Dev Varman. You can send in your choice fonext week at [email protected]


8/16


Remember the blue-eyed,long-eyelashed, pink-cheeked doll in bows, frillyorganza, matching hair-

band and stockings you so en-joyed playing with? As much asyou loved dressing it up, youwouldnt have imagined your-self in similar attire. (Barbie, bythe way, doesnt fit that descrip-tion. The makers have ensuredthat she becomes every littlegirls idea of perfectionpersonified.)

Baby doll dresses, however,

are called cool now, thanks toGwen Stefani and her Harajukugirls, the stage backgrounddancers named after HarajukuStation in Tokyo, who touredwith her to promote her Haraju-ku Lovers album. The recently-launched Harajuku Lovers fra-grances, Love, Lil Angel, Music,Baby and G (for Gwen), are justnew additions to the HarajukuLovers line that she had intro-duced way back in 2005 underher fashion label L.A.M.B.

The short and long of it is thatthe baby doll dress is a type of

mini dress (at least 6 inchesabove the knee), just a littlemore frilly, lacy, ruffled and em-bellished with bows and rib-bons. Moreover, it was firstintended to be worn as negli-gee, not the outerwear it hasnow become (a la bikini top?).

The origins remain unclear.We dont know if the 1956 mo-vie Baby Doll, which got its 20-year-old actress Carroll Baker anAcademy Award nomination,has anything to do with the no-menclature. Many credit the filmfor popularising the baby dolldress, till then chiefly a garmentfor children and their playth-ings, among women.

Even now, despite its frequentsightings, the baby doll dressisnt quite likely to get you onmany Best Dressed lists. Thefact that it looks more like anattention-seeking high schoolprom dress narrows down thenumber of people who can carryit off. Also, a baby doll dress isthe kind of outfit youd mostlikely imagine Paris Hilton in.Fashion-wise, you wouldntwant to be spoken of in thesame breath.

The baby doll dress is not forbabies and dolls now, but itsnot the best thing around either

(Left) An outfit by Agatha Ruiz de laPrada and (right) by Elie Saab


9/16

PO

RTFOLIO


At the recent GoldenGlobes, strapless

gowns, chandelierearrings, bold colors

and black emerged thetop choices.Black and dark bluewere popular withsome brightexceptions. GoldenGlobe nominees KateWinslet, Amy Adams,Sally Hawkins andViola Davis wereamong the manyactresses who choseblack dresses for theevening event inBeverly Hills, CaliforniaIt made me feel alittle bit sexy, and Ineeded to feel a littlebit sexy tonight,

Davis, nominated forbest supporting actressfor Doubt, said aboutchoosing her MaxAzria plunging V-neckgown.Evan Rachel Wood ofThe Wrestleralsosported a black gownwith a plunging V-neck. People keepasking me how Ipicked it, but I think itpicked me, she said ofthe sequined andbeaded gown by ElieSaab.

Anne Hathaway, Maggie Gyllenhaal, DrewBarrymore, Debra Messing and Sigourney Weaver

were all in blue.Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire said she wastaken with her mustardy gold gown by ChristianLacroix.When you wear one dress you feel absolutelywow about, you have to wear it. And this onewas it, Pinto said.Angelina Jolie was a notable standout in a shinybut simple silver-beaded dress by Versace. JenniferLopez also went metallic in a gold dress.

Reuter

Globe-trotting

Viola Davis (left) in Max Azria and Freida Pinto in

Christian Lacroix

Angelina Jolie in aVersace

Gwen Stefani and her HarajukuGirls and (top) Paris Hilton


10/16

Action hero Akshay Kumar

says he helped co-star Dee-pika Padukone match hisaction skills in their forth-

coming film Chandni Chowk ToChina but made sure she camesecond best to him.

She (Deepika) once said shewants to be the female Akshay. Ihope she doesnt beat me. Shehas done a good job in the filmand I helped her here and there.That way I made sure she alwayscame out second best to me,Akshay said. Though Akshay wasslightly apprehensive in helpingDeepika considering how goodwomen are at picking up skills,he was quite sure he wouldnt beoutshone by his leading lady.

Chandni Chowk To China, slat-ed to release Friday, features thetwo actors in a story of an Indiancook, Sidhu, played by Akshay,who goes to China and is mistak-en for a martial arts expert.

The film is apparently basedpartly on Akshays own life as hewas also born in Chandni Chowkin Delhi and grew up to go toBangkok to work as a chef.

About his character in the film,he said: I love my character. Itsso much like me. Come to thinkof it, Sidhu is a man I was once in

Bangkok. Though the purpose of

the journey is different but thedrama is definitely the same. Ihave fought as many villains inthis movie as I have in my ca-reer.

Chandni Chowk To China isbeing talked about for its aggres-sive promotional activities as wellas for the association of interna-tional names like renowned Chi-nese actor Gordon Liu and actionchoreographer Dee Dee Ku.

For Akshay, training under Ku,who has worked for films like KillBill, Crouching Tiger, HiddenDragon and Matrix among oth-ers, was like squeezing bloodfrom a stone.

He is super quick. Whenever

he would have crazy stunt ideas,one couldnt figure if he was seri-ous or joking. He is incredible inhis field. And I trusted him withmy life.

If I would have met him be-fore, my life would have been dif-ferent. He has only worked withthe best. So pleasing him was likesqueezing blood from a stone.

When he used to say Akshay thetake is okay, that used to be ahuge compliment coming fromhim, he said.

Sharing screen space with Gor-

don Liu was like a childhood

dream come true for the actor.You know how fans react

when they see Aamir Khan andhow they run behind him. Thatshow I see Gordon Liu. I have ad-mired him and his martial artssince the beginning. It was su-perb working with him, said

Akshay.Chandni Chowk... also holds

the credit of being the first Indianfilm to be shot at the Great Wall ofChina.

We had a fabulous experienceshooting at the legendary monu-ment of the world - the Great Wallof China. It was spirituallybreathtaking and probably thehighlight of our shoot, he

shared. A part of the film has alsobeen shot in Chandni Chowk. Akshay has a lot of fond memo-ries of the popular market place.

Shooting in Chandni Chowk was a unique experience. I wasborn there. I thought it was sheermadness to shoot there in thenarrow lanes but people there

were overwhelming. I am an ex-pert regarding the food availablethere so I used to treat the unit ofthe film to the best delicaciesthere, he said.

IANS

I hopeDeepika

does notbeat me

She has done a good job in thefilm and I helped her here and

there. But I made sure she al-ways came out second best tome: Akshay


Flick

10

Jackie Chan to star in The Karate Kid remakeHollywood actor Jackie Chan is in final talks to star in the remake of The KaraKid. The film is the starring vehicle for Will Smiths son Jaden.


11/16

Bipasha Basu, who abruptly leftthe shooting schedule of Lam-haa in Kashmir last year, saysshe left in a huff because a cer-

tain security she had been promisedwasnt provided at the location.

Too much was made out of the whole thing. Lamhaa is a difficultfilm. There was bound to be ups anddowns. The producer and directorknew why I left. A certain amount ofsecurity was promised. The first sev-en days were absolute chaos - noth-

ing was organised and there was alack of security.

Yes, my work is my life. But thenIve a life beyond work. Im not goingto risk my life unnecessarily for anyfilm. Who comes to hold your hand

when youre in pain? Lets be opti-mistic, Bipasha told IANS.

Bipasha has now returned to Kash-mir to shoot forLamhaa, with the as-surance from the producer Bunty

Walia and director Rahul Dholakia ofbeefed-up security.

After last years incident, Bipashassecurity is of special concern and herco-star Sanjay Dutt, in fact, proceed-ed to Kashmir a day ahead of her toensure the atmosphere is conducivefor the actress to resume shooting.

IANS

Im not going to riskmy life for any film

GETTYIMAGES


The 39-year-old pet lover, who shares thescreen with a golden retriever in her new mo-vie Marley and Me, said that her first dog hated

her, reports the China Daily.She said: My first pet was Demetri, a white poodle.But he did not like me much because I would alwayspull on its tail. But I was three; I thought he was a toy.

However, now the former Friendsstar is much nicer to hercurrent furry friend, corgi-terrier cross-breed Norman.

She said: Theres no dog like him. Hes just a person in a furryoutfit. I dont even know how to describe him.

Hes a wise old man who could, with a look, with one stare,could crush me. Hes a laser light beaming into my soul.

ANI

GETTY

IMAGES

Jennifer Anistons firstpet pooch hated her!

I will never do item numbersActress Divya who recently played a prominent rolein Gowtham Menons Varanam Aayiram wasapproached to do an item number in actor VijaysVillu. But the actress had denied the offer sayingthat she will never do an item number as its herpolicy. Stating that she would be happy to sharethe screen with Vijay as his ladylove, the actress haadded that she is a great fan of Vijay. Divya is atpresent busy shooting for Kadhal to Kalyanam,opposite actor Aryas Younger brother Sathya.

Priyan busy in BollywoodDirector Priyadharshan who enthralled everyonewith his parallel cinema Kanchivaram has no plansto continue with serious cinemas it seems, as he isbusy with lot of commercial flicks. The immediateone to get into theatres is Shah Rukh Khans BillooBarbera remake of Malayalam hit KathaParayumpol. Next film to reach theatres in Aprilwill be Bhum Bhum Bole, a remake of Iranianmasterpiece Children of Heaven, where in DarsheeSafari of Taare Zameen Parfame will don the leadrole. Other movies are Pirate featuring KunalKhemu, Deepika Padukone, Rajpal Yadav andParesh Rawal, De Dhana Dhan starring AkshayKumar, Sunil Shetty, Sameera Reddy and PareshRawal.

Penelope Cruz treasures Woody Allens glassesHollywood actress Penelope Cruz has taken home a special souvenir from the sets ofher latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona - a pair of director Woody Allens trademarkspectacles. The Spanish beauty admits she was taken aback when Allen presented herwith the gift, because it was so personal.

Cine City


12/16


Tuesdays Query:

Your message to A.R.Rahman for winning theGolden Globe award? AR Rahman is now Allah RewardedRahman for his simplicity, dedication,nobility, his hunger to fly Indias flaghigh and his belief in god.

Thouhid, Cognizant

AR Rahman is the lord of musicaccording to me. Not only the GoldenGlobe award, the genius wouldcertainly get to win an Oscar.

Amritha Sridharan,G. Saravanakumar, TCS, Guna Sekar, PMC,

Chris Ganes, Perot systems,

Janakipriya R, Congruent Solutions,Shaik Dawood CSS, S Dheepa, Infosys,

Sathyanarayanan FSS, Mali, Birlasoft,

Sivasundaram, RR Donnelley,Minu, Sutherland

AR Rahman scale more heights withyour music.

S.Ramesh, Wipro

Bring home the Oscar, the Mozart ofnamma Chennai.

Karthick, FSS

Congrats, He is legend and Improud to be an Indian because he isthe only Indian to have achieved thisfeat, we pray for him.

Gopinath R, Kalaivani R, Kumari R, Sarah Joyce D, Gomathi. P, Manimala V,

Durga.S, Vanarani.N, Senthil K, PMC

Dear Rahman uncle... Oscar is notvery far... Stay in US, grab it and thencome to India... Its for you only.

Robin M, Wipro

Gr8 work A.R.Rahman sir. Hoping formore such gr8 BGMs in your Tamilfilms too. Your songs are alwaysultimate.

LM Kaushik, Infosys

Great music maestro, a living legend.God showers his blessings always onyou. Long live Rahman Ji.

Ruba, Wipro

He deserves more than all awards.Usually people will be waiting forawards. But Awards are waiting forhim.

Arun Kumar C, Congruent Solutions

Hearty congratulations you deserveit. Keep rocking like this.

Srinivasan, Lakshmi, RC, CTS,

Jarks, Ramco Systems

Hi Rahman, Idha nan solliyeaaganum. Hollywoodla ivlo nalla music

yarum... ivlo nalla music kaetrukamaatanunga and Im simply mad aboutyou.

Mukund SCB, Scope International

Ithu chumma trailer thaan...pinadivarum parunga main picture.

Nivedhan, Infoview Technologies.

Two hands on keys have mademillions of heads proud. Great work.

Balaji Sundar, Wipro

Rahman made India proud, we allhad goose bumps while seeing Rahmanreceive the Golden Globe. He deservesthis award. U rock Rahman. KeepGoing! Jai hind.

Angelin Golda, Arti, Abi,

Glory, Gowri Shankar, RBS

A.R again you have proved that youare the student of Ilayaraja. I proudlywant to say to all world music lover

Summa Athirudhula..........Senthilkumar, Perot Systems

I thank God because he gave me achance to hear good music throughyou. Proud to be an Indian. Jai Hind.

Manikandan, Heartland Info Centre

The Man. The Music. The Mozart.With an Indian base, Western influenceand Global Appeal, kicking off fromRoja jaaneman to Jai ho, Rahman jiyour compositions have beenphenomenal. You have made us allproud by winning the Golden Globe. Asense of spiritual fulfilment is whatone gets after listening to most of yourmelodies. We are sure you will make itin the Oscars too. Rahman.. RaheMahaan. Love you Guru. Best wishesfrom all of us.

Ramya, Akhila, Divya, Varshini, TCS

Isai puyalukku innoru viruthu...isai virunthukkae isai virutha!viruthaal unnakku yenna perumaiunnal antha viruthukkae perumaiintha indhiya mannukkum perumai!aduthathu Oscara?...agila ulagamae un isaikku adimaiun kai meetum yethuvum isaiagairathu un yennam thaedumyevaiyum isai agiarthu nee vidummoochu kaatrru kuda

isai aga maarukirathae!yengu katrai intha vithaiyai!isaikku nee oru agarathiisaikku nee oru munnodiisaikku neeyae aathichudi! petru viduantha Oscaraiyum, irunthu vittupogattum varalatril oru tamilanaalOscarukku perumai yendru!

Geetha B, Sangeetha N,

Jeyanthi B, Srimathi Y TCS.

This is great achievement for thismusical wizard. He has been composingbeautiful lyrics for long time but nowthis award will catapult him intointernational arena.A perfect exampleof natural genius, salute to him.

Prince

(TCS Client Delivery - US)

Todays Query:Taare Zameen Par missed out onOscar nomination, which Indian filmwould you nominate for Oscar 2009

12


13/16


1. Cyclela poana cycling,Trainla poana training-aa?2. Cream biscuitla cream irukkum,

Ana naai biscuitla naai irukkumaa?Regards

Saravanan V,

HCL

Dear Ergo,U r always thought of in a veryspecial way. Wish you a happypongal.

Regards

Saravanan V,

HCL

Hi Meera,Advance happy birthday to uand have a splendid yearahead!!May God bless U withHappiness,peace. Let thisbirthday make ur life brighterthan ever and let all ur dreamscome true.

Regards,

CASL Team.AIG-TCS.

Dear Mamtha, (Belatedwishes)We all wish you a very HappyBirthday!May God be with you & all yourdreams come true!!!

with love,Bhuvana, Raju, Sakthi,

Viji, Kavitha, Tapas

Dearest Nightingale RenuJoyous BDay Wishes to youdarling.This year is gonna be reallyrocking for you. New projectcareer in your life and wish youwin the Airtel Super Singertitle too.

Loads of love,Chris,

Wipro Technologies

Dear Karthikeyan Rajan(RIDER),How much you meanAlthough you surely must knowThat without a doubtTheres no-one nicer than youOr anyone dearerTo wish Happy Birthday toMany More Happy Return Of the

DAY.-Hearty wishes from all

Nokia COACH Team,

Tata Consultancy Services.

Dear Friends.Wish you Happy Pongal to THD-Chennai

NON-PROD Team.

Hey Tamil (Dumil),Wish You Many More happyreturns of the day!!! Haveanother exciting year ahead..

With Best Wishes,

Rosco Team,

Excelacom Technologies

.

Hi My One and Only Suresh,

Let this special day brings you allthe joy and success, wish you agreat birthday wish from thedeepest part of your belovedMinus heart. Love u dear morethan ever before. Treat enga?

Minu

Sutherland

Dear Saravana (THALA),Wish you a many more happyreturns of that dayWe wish u a day brings the bestin life for u.May life lead u to greathappiness and success.Hope lovely surprises ,Arecoming your way,To make yourBirthday a Wonderful dayHappy birthday THALA..

Hearty Wishes

From Your Dear Colleagues

UST-Global,ASV Sun Tech Park

Dear Anusha,Wishing you a wonderful lifetogether,May there be no hill too steep,And the ground forever rise tomeet your feet.For the bride and groom,May your tomorrows be evermore jubilant and beautiful?Best wishes on your weddingday,To a wonderful beginning,And a rewarding lifetimetogether.

With Best WishesSrividya, Subhalakshmi, Vaishnav

Dear Subhu,A smile is a curve that setseverything straight and wipeswrinkle away hope u share a lotsand receive a lots 4 days 2 come.Your birth day is the perfect dayto say I care,because you will remember me

when u certainly make it a bigaffair,and when you do hold a party...I bet you willbe the one who would care tomake ur special day a costlyaffair!!!!

With lots of loveGayathri, Karthika, Ila

Dear Senthil Kumar,Wish you many more happyreturns of the day,May god bless you and may youhave a great year ahead.

Best Wishes

Gayathri, Wipro

Thiagarajan Boopathi,Process Associate of CGSLhas been nominated Office

Angel by his team matesThilagavathi, Pavani, Ven-kat, Vignesh, Saleem, Ma-nonmani, Sonalisa, Preetam

He is always young at heart,

energetic, enthusiastic and anever-smiling person. He is very

polite, humble, friendly, easy-

going and accessible by oneand all. When it comes to

work he is very dedicated andsincere. His sense of humor,timing and the limitless spirit

makes him very endearing to

all of us in office.

Namrata Bhure from TataConsultancy Services doodledthis.


14/16

sudoku


Traffic Jam

14

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf ofKASTURI & 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 underthe PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

TEAMEditor: Karthik [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem KumarDy Chief Designer: R. Ravi KannanIllustrator: R. Venugopal

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

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:Contact: 2857 5757

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.goergo.in

Head of Circulation:M.G.M. [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL

859/860, Anna Salai,Chennai - 600 002mail your feedback [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691

KAKURO

Coffee visionsA new study suggests that drinking too much coffeedramatically increases the risk of hallucinating. Younmen and women who had more than seven cups ofinstant coffee a day were three times more likely tohear or see things that were not there.

At Muthu Valliappansvillage in Arimalam ofPudukkottai district.

Vallippan works with Wipro Technologies.

All photos selected for clickpick this monthwill receive a gift voucher worth Rs.1,000, cour-tesy Kantilal Diamonds (Ph: 2828 1700). Read-ers are requested to send their addresses withtheir entries.

The harvest season isround the corner andits time we made theClick Pick column alittle moreinteresting.Photographs of theharvest festival, ruralIndia and little-

known rituals will begiven preference thismonth. Please sendus fresh photographs,preferably thoseclicked by you on arecent trip, [email protected]


15/16


B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

Ganesha finds you at low energy level today. Yomight have to put in more effort to find solutionsimplest issues at work. You may be emotionallattached with the job responsibility. In loverelationships, you may learn to let go and adju

Today you may be in front of your computer or ayour desk at least, dealing with various activitiesYou may finish all work attentively as you may bin a mood to rush home. Ganesha finds youspending a wonderful evening with your beloved

Today, you will be inspired by someone. You ma

try to improve your basic skills. In relationshipmatters you may be very considerate and may tryour beloved in the best way possible. In return,you will receive lots of love from the counterpart

You may not be in a very good mood to deal wyour routine work, but ensure that you dont spetime behind loitering around. On the other handwork pressure may be there. In the evening, youmay entertain your beloved and have a good tim

It may be a stressful yet encouraging day. You mbe in a mood to finish off your work. Your logicaabilities are at best, which may help you a greatdeal today. In relationships, sweet communicatiopossible. In a nutshell, its a wonderful day.

You could be dealing with some technical hassletoday, but you may be able to find root cause o

the glitch and fix it soon. If you wish to placedemand to HR, this is the right day. Lovers mayneed to guard against argumentative nature.

You may handle work diligently. Ganesha foreseyou developing better professional relations. Thoin public relations may perform well. You may stperfect balance between practical life and emotiorealm. Your beloved will find this impressive.

You may need to be careful in routine work, elsyou may miss out on some important point. Thodealing with coding may find something fishy whmay leave you perplexed. On the personal front,may remain passionate and romantic, feels Gane

Ganesha finds you guiding others on someimportant technicalities related to work.Alternatively, you may do some value addition to

programme. Your beloved may be in a very goodmood which may add charm to the day.

The day favours important meetings. Ganesha finyou pretty busy with work today. You may use ypower discreetly and remain the best at work. Tmay be slight conflict with the beloved. You mayremain concerned about domestic and romantic

Ganesha finds you highly concerned aboutperformance at work today. Luck favours for thegroundwork or beginning of new projects. In thesecond part, you may chill out with friends. You remain in joyful mood throughout the day.

You may remain defensive in some particularsituations at work today. You may need to handresponsibilities with utmost care. You may feelmentally stressed till evening. You will remainemotionally attached to those whom you love.

Words worth"Maisterel" (mays-ter-ell) a rareand obsolete term for an imp orfamiliar. Perhaps from MiddleFrench maistral, meaning servant.

Prison boss costume rowA prison boss is under investigation after he recruited riot wardens toescort him to a fancy dress party - in a bid to make his costume lookmore authentic. He wore a striped convict uniform under arrest fortrying to steal the bride.


16/16


!

16

RojaAR Rahmans first soundtrack Roja waslisted in TIMEs Top 10 MovieSoundtracks of All Time in 2005.

M

usic maestro A R Rahman after receiving the covetedGolden Globe Award for the Best Original Music Score forSlumdog Millionaire returned home in the early hours on

Thursday to a rousing welcome of his fans and wellwishers.Avid fans thronged the airport to receive their hero even as

traditional musicians playing the Nadaswaram and other folkartistes performances were in place to receive the musician.

Rahman, whose fans followed him all the way till his house,said he was sharing the award with all Indians and Tamils.Slumdog Millionaire reflected India and its subject and contentencouraged one to come to the limelight despite being from ahumble background, he said.

It was the story of a small time slum resident striking it richafter winning a jackpot in a quiz show, on the lines of KaunBanega Crorepati and is directed by British filmmaker DannyBoyle.

PTI

AR Rahman in Chennai after receiving the Golden Globe Award inBest Music category for film Slumdog Millionaire on Wednesday.PHOTO: R RAVINDRAN

Rahman returns hometo a rousing welcome

Documents

Ergo January 16