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FRONTLINE
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The ‘Fence’
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6
MI gaining from Ponting’s
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PM reaches out
to opposition
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& Priya
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NATIONAL DAILY
VOL. XXXIII NO. 133
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H CHENNAI H MONDAY 20.4.2015 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS TUESDAY 21.4.2015 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H
Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82
A
Positive intent
s the second part of Budget session got underway
today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated
the cooperation of all parties in the first half and hoped
that the same would continue.
‘The first part of the Budget session witnessed unprecedented outcomes. Even in terms of productivity, it was successful after many years because of the
cooperation of all parties. I thank all parties for that,’
he told reporters outside Parliament.
Earlier this morning, the Prime Minister had tweeted
that he looked forward to a ‘productive session, filled
with constructive debates on several issues.’
The controversial land bill issue is expected to generate much heat in Lok Sabha with the government
deciding to table the new land ordinance on the very
first day of the second half of Budget session.
Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh government today
submitted before the Hyderabad High Court the first
postmortem report of 20 people, who were killed in
police firing in Seshachalam forests of Chittoor district
on 7 April.
The High Court was also informed that the ‘repostmortem’ of six of the victims was also conducted in Tamilnadu. However, reports of the same
were awaited.
The High Court had last week ordered fresh autopsies
of six victims of the police firing in Seshachalam forests.
Gold rush
starts in city
NEW SUV ON TRIAL
q Tight security at T Nagar, Purasawalkam for Akshaya Tritiya
The SUV we have mentioned here refers to Siva Utility Vehicle, as the car of Thanjavur big temple was
taken on a trial run today after 100 years.
Encounter: AP govt submits
postmortem report to HC
KISHORE S
Chennai, Apr 20:
It’s that time of the year. With just
hours left for Akshaya Tritiya, to say
all roads to T Nagar will be no exaggeration, as the shopping hub of the
city is gearing up to cater to crowds
which will throng the many jewellery
shops here to buy gold on the ‘auspicious day’.
It is not just the jewellers who are
getting ready for the D-day of gold
trade, but also the police. For, elaborate security arrangements have
been made to prevent any untoward
incident.
According to sources, the police,
along with the jewellery shops, have
planned for special security arrangements on the day, especially along
T Nagar and Purasaiwalkam areas,
by augmenting the police strength
near jewellery outlets, bus stops and
crowded spots.
T Nagar Deputy Commissioner of
Police Saravanan had recently called
for a meeting with the jewellery associations in the city, to focus on the
essential security arrangements and
co-operation needed from the outlets.
Police said that pick-pocketing and
bag-lifting will be the main crimes to
look for, and have advised the public
to prioritise their safety first. They
said there will be a constant patrolling
around the market zones, and critical
spots and parking areas will be monitored by policemen in plain clothes.
Also, many outlets have been advised to install additional CCTV cameras around their premises and along
the parking lots, where the chances
of theft appear high. Extra security
personnels have been employed by
the shops to regulate the crowd and
reduce mishaps.
According to jewellery retailers, the
continued weakness in gold prices is
likely to push up jewellery sales by up
to 25 per cent this Akshaya Tritiya.
‘The prices have been stable for quite
some time, which we expect will be
a boost for jewellery sales during this
Akshaya Tritiya’, says a jeweller.
Many outlets in the city, especially
NO HIDDEN CHARGES
Police personnel installing CCTV camera beneath a flyover in T Nagar,
as part of enhanced security measures for Akshaya Tritiya.
Photo: B ANAND
in T Nagar, have planned to open the
shops early in the morning tomorrow.
Regional chairman of All India
Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation, N Ananthapadmanabhan, said
that several showrooms have employed 25 per cent additional staff
to cater to the rush of customers.
Also jewellers have come up with
attractive offers and schemes like
Land Ordinance Bill
tabled amid protests
free silver equal to the weight of gold
purchased.
‘This has been a practice in our family for many years, buying at least a
single gram of gold on this occasion,
regardless of our prevailing financial
situation, as my parents used to say
that it would bring prosperity and
wellness’, says A Venkatakrishnan,
a software engineer from Velacheri.
Relief for
Shruthi Haasan
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Hyderabad, Apr 20 (PTI):
Picture House Media, a production
The Andhra Pradesh government
house has withdrawn its case against
today submitted before the Hyderaactress Shruti Hassan after Tamil Film
bad High Court the first postmortem
Producers Council and South Indian
report of 20 people, who were killed
New Delhi, Apr 20:
Film Artists Association intervened.
in police firing in Seshachalam forests
The Centre today tabled the
According to a press release from
of Chittoor district on 7 April.
contentious land ordinance in the
Picture House Media,
The High Court was also informed
Lok Sabha amid loud protests and
‘the heads of the Tamil
that the ‘re-postmortem’ of six of
slogan-shouting by the Opposition
Film Producers Counthe victims was also conducted in
on the first day of the second part
cil and South Indian
Tamilnadu.
of the Budget session.
Film Artistes AssociaHowever, reports of the same were
tion held discussions
The session promises to be a
awaited.
with us and suggested
political scorcher. The government
A division bench of Chief Justice
a way forward to settle
is determined to push as much legKalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice
the contentious issue’.
islative business as it can, including
P V Sanjay Kumar directed the Reg- Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee
the land bill.
‘As a responsible member of the
The Budget session will conclude on
istrar General to instruct Osmania (APCLC) which alleges that those
film fraternity, Picture House Media
In the House
General Hospital to submit their killed in the firing were poor labourers
heeded the advice of these industry
The Land Bill was tabled by Union
8 May. The Rajya Sabha is having a
report (second postmortem) before
bodies and decided to withdraw its
Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy amidsat
from Tamilnadu.
new session from 23 April that will
it by 22 April.
case against Shruti Hassan.
protests
by
opposition.
Congress
In her complaint with Chandragiri
The High Court had last week police in Chittoor, Muniyammal al‘We have decided to put various
end on 13 May
leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that
ordered fresh autopsies of six leged that ‘it was not an encounter
issues behind and decided to go
his party will participate in a debate
victims of the police firing in Ses- death (as claimed by the police) but
forward keeping in mind the cordial
on the agrarian crisis in the country second session the nature of talks tions of Indian and foreign nations
hachalam forests.
relations in the industry and to ensure
in the Parliament. But, he said, the will be positive.’ In an early morning from strife-torn Yemen. she said,
was a well-planned and organised
Twenty people were gunned down in crime, committed by the STF (special
that the clout of council and associaparty will oppose tooth and nail the tweet earlier, he had also said that he ‘We evacuated not just Indians
Seshachalam hill ranges of Chit- task force of police).’
tion is respected’.
land bill which will be brought to looked forward to a ‘productive ses- b u t a l s o f o r e i g n e r s . W e a r e
toor district in Andhra Pradesh on
ratify the ordinance. Amidst uproar, sion, filled with constructive debates keeping close watch on Yemen’s
Meanwhile, the Producers Council
Subsequently, based on her com7 April in an operation by the police.
the House was adjourned till noon. on several issues.’
and Nadigar Sangam have reiterated
situation’..
plaint, AP police registered an FIR
The High Court had on 13 April under Sections 302 (murder) and
their stand that artistes should adhere
’Need support’
All rescued
The Budget session will conclude
made Muniyammal, the wife of one 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order
to the agreements that they enter
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi
As soon as the House was re- on May 8. The Rajya Sabha is havof the victims
Kumar,
a co- of toNews
into and Producers
should not
suffer
today Road
appealed
forRoad),
the support
of Chennai
ing a newPrinters
session Private
from 23Ltd.,
April M-7,
that Thiru-Vi-Ka
convened,
External
Affair Sushma
murder)
against
STF85, Mount
Published
by K. Sashi
Balakumar
on behalf
Today
Media‘unknown’
(P) Ltd., from
(GST
Guindy,
600 032
and printed
by him at Frontline
Industrial Estate,
Guindy,
petitioner
in
the
case
fi
led
by
Andhra
losses
due
to
their
irresponsible
acts.
all
political
parties
so
that
in
the
will
end
on
13
May.
Swaraj
made
a
on
the
recent
evacuapersonnel.
Chennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K.
Balakumar. Phone: Editorial/Admn /Advt: 22504000, Fax: 2250 1800 (Editorial)/2250 1200/2250 0101 (Advt/Admn). e-mail: [email protected], Circulation: 4202 1111. Fax: 4212 0000.
City
2 MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
Centre
CHENNAI
Action & reaction
SAVINGS
SCHEME
Officials in Ambattur fence transformer
A vendor is
spotted selling
artistically created
piggy banks which
are popular among
children for saving
money. A scene at
Padi.
Photo:
M SRINIVASAN
Not a good sign
Land near Villivakkam Railway station neglected
T
A fenced transformer at Pallam Street.
During last monsoon, wires were
hanging precariously from the
transformer
T
ransformers, junction boxes
and electric posts in and
around the neighbourhood have
been targeted as a convenient
location for urination and garbage
disposal.
Pedestrians and commuters
are misusing these spots without
realising the fact that they are not
only putting their lives at risk but
also the entire neighbourhood.
To put an end to this,
transformer and electric
posts present at
the entry of Pallam Street near
Ambattur OT
were fenced. And officials say they would
continue with their
action across the neighbourhood.
This move by officials has
brought the much needed respite
among residents in the locality.
According to Prashanthi, a resident of Pallam Street, ‘this was a
good move by the authorities so
that one can avoid any untoward
incidents. Polluting public spots
are a common
sight in many
streets,
hence all
R
TTU
AMBA
transformers present in the
neighbourhood need to be
fenced in order to prevent littering’.
Meanwhile, though the fence
has been put up at Pallam Street,
people still continue to misuse
the space especially at dark
hours, say many.
‘During last monsoon, wires
were hanging precariously
from the transformer which
wasn’t fenced then. People
were warned about the situation.
Some listened while others were
least bothered. This shows lack
of civic sense among public’,
says another resident.
‘Walking down the street was
almost impossible as bad odour
emanating from the spot creates
a sense of nausea for passersby
and also pose a threat to health.
After fencing, things are better
than they used to be’, she adds.
- NT Bureau
here are vast tracts of
empty land adjacent to Villivakkam Railway Station which
residents of the locality want to
be put to good use at the earliest.
‘We have been trying to remind the (Railway) authorities
for a long time that the land could
be put to better use,’ said Muralidharan, a resident of Kolathur.
He said that there were reports
that Indian Railways was in need
of cash and lands owned by it
could be put to commercial use
as this could generate additional
revenue which it can make use for
its purposes.
Agreeing with him is K Ramaswamy of GKM Colony. The
area situated near the Railway
station on the northern
side is an example, he
pointed out. It is a spot
that is more or less not
well-maintained.
A few other people residing
close to the station said some
space behind the ticket counter
too needs attention, as it is full of
bushes. As a result, it is easy for
anti-social elements to have a free
IN THEATRES
SONY PIX
06:05 PM Octopussy
09:00 PM Six Days Seven Nights
11:21 PM The Spy Next Door
Kamala Theatre, Udhayam Theatre, PVR Cinemas,
AGS Cinemas, INOX National, Abirami Mega Mall,
Woodlands Multiplex, Mayajaal Cinema, Sangam
Theatre
HBO
06:14 PM Sex and the City
09:00 PM Pacific Rim
11:30 PM Hansel & Gretel: Witch
Hunters
OK KANMANI
PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National, Hall, Rakki
07:30 PM Phone Booth
09:00 PM The Amazing Spider-Man
11:30 PM The Purge
Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala
Theatre, PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National,
Abirami Theatres,
TV TODAY
JAYA TV
04:30 PM
05:00 PM
05:30 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 PM
08:30 PM
09:00 PM
09:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
10:45 PM
11:00 PM
Kollywood Gallery
New Songs
Makkalin Mudhalvar
Arusuvai Ithu Thani Suvai
Galatta Comedy
Ramayanam
News
Hits
New Songs
Priyamana Thozhi
Poomagal
Kavidhaiyae Theriyuma
English News
Tamil News
Thenkinnam
SUN TV
03:00 PM
03:30 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
Valli
Movie
Keladi Kanmani
Pasamalar
News
Nadhaswaram
MOVIES NOW
06:30 PM Rush
09:00 PM Speed 2: Cruise Control
11:30 PM Death Race 3: Inferno
09:00 PM
09:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:02 PM
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
Odi Vilayadu Pappa
Madippakkam Madhavan
News Headlines
Kaliyugam
Sirippu Varudhu
Telebuy
STAR VIJAY
08:00 PM
08:30 PM
09:00 PM
09:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
Deiva Magal
Vamsam
Priyamanaval
Vani Rani
Aathira
Azhagi
Movie
KALAIGNAR TV
04:00 PM
04:30 PM
05:00 PM
05:30 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 PM
08:30 PM
Pudhu Paadal
Sirippu Varudhu
Endrum Super
Kalai Koil
Utchakattam
Idhu Pudhusu
News
Mohini
Bhavani
Romapuri Paandiyan
03:00 PM
03:30 PM
04:00 PM
04:30 PM
05:30 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 PM
08:30 PM
09:00 PM
09:30 PM
10:30 PM
11:00 PM
11:30 PM
Saravanan Meenatchi
Deivam Thandha Veedu
Aandaal Azhagar
Super Singer T20
Uravugal Thodar Kadhai
En Kanavan En Thozhan
Puthu Kavithai
Kalyanam Mudhal Kaadhal
Varai
Aandaal Azhagar
Deivam Thandha Veedu
Saravanan Meenatchi
Mahabharatham
Super Singer T20
Office
Kalyanam Mudhal Kaadhal
Varai
Time Pass
6
4
8
1
4
1
9
7
9
8
1
8
4
6
3056
STAR MOVIES
Multiplex, Abirami Theatres,
S
U
D
O
K
U
If one can take efforts, there can
be a reservation counter or even a
food court in the place. The station
caters to around 12 lakh persons
who come not only from Villivakkam
but also Kolathur and Padi. Facilities like that can prove useful to
them, and, generate income for the
Railways, said Ganesh, a resident
from Villivakkam.
The land can be used as a bus
terminus or shopping complex too.
The total land near the station is
estimated to be around 25 acres,
if put to use, there could be a lot of
benefits, he added.
- NT Bureau
8
2
6
8
9
7
9
3
8
9
Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre,
C
CHENNAI UNGALAI
NGALAI ANBUDAN
VARAVERKIRADHU
run while chain-snatching is rampant on the stretch.
Many fear that there may snakes
inside the bushes, said Suresh
Rajan of Jayaram Nagar. Agreeing
with him is
Kolappan, a
mobile vendor near
AM the station.
K
K
A
VILLIV
It is not
the land alone even the
pedestrian pathway that leads to a
narrow road located parallel to the
Railway tracks too is far from neat.
Mounds of household garbage, construction debris is strewn around.
IN
KANCHANA 2
Multiplex, Sri Ganga Cinema, Raj Theatre, Maharani
Railway land near Villivakkam Railway Station can be
put to better use.
The object is
to insert the
numbers in
the boxes to
satisfy only
one condition:
each row,
column and
3x3 box must
contain the
digits
1 through 9
exactly once:
Easy nah?
ANSWER TO
SUDOKU 3055
(19.4.2015)
RAJ TV
05:00 PM
05:30 PM
06:00 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 PM
08:30 PM
09:00 PM
09:30 PM
10:00 PM
10:30 PM
S K Shoppe
Vellithira
Raj News
Thirai Vaanil
Sindhu Bhairavi
Mann Vasanai
Karuthamma
Alaipayuthey
En Iniya Thozhiye
Gouravam
Koppium-Crime Time
Ennai Thalatta Varuvala
POLIMER TV
04:20 PM
05:35 PM
06:05 PM
06:30 PM
07:00 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 PM
08:30PM
09:00PM
09:30PM
10:00PM
Comedy Express
Nenjam Pesuthey
Saami Potta Mudichu
Madhubala
Ullam Kollai Pogudhada
Sakthi Pole Yaarumillae
Madhubala
Saami Potta Mudichu
Nenjam Pesuthey
Moondru Muduchi
Ullam Kollai Pogudhada
6
2
1
5
8
9
1
5
6
3
4
2
7
6
3
8
7
4
5
9
1
2
3
7
9
1
8
6
2
5
4
4
5
7
8
3
1
5
7
2
9
6
3
8
4
9
2
1
6
6
2
9
4
1
8
5
3
7
7
9
8
1
6
5
2
4
3
2
1
5
9
3
4
6
7
8
3
4
6
2
8
7
1
5
9
STAR SPORTS 1
TEN SPORTS
04:00 PM Cricket Legends
04:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Pakistan vs.
West Indies
05:00 PM Cricket Legends
05:30 PM Match Point : Twenty 20
06:00 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : South Africa
vs. West Indies
06:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : South Africa
vs. India
07:00 PM Match Point : Twenty 20
07:30 PM Cricket Legends
08:00 PM Close Encounters
08:30 PM Pro Kabaddi Superhits
09:00 PM Cricket Legends
09:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : Australia vs.
Sri Lanka
10:00 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : The Countdown Show
10:30 PM Cricket Legends
11:00 PM ICC Cricket World Cup
2015 H/ls : South Africa
vs. West Indies
11:30 PM Pro Kabaddi Superhits
03:30 PM WWE Raw Sunday Dhamaal
05:00 PM WWE Smackdown
06:00 PM Moto GP 2015: Race : Gran
Premio Red Bull De La
Republica Argentina
07:00 PM England Tour of West Indies
2015 H/ls : 1st Test
09:00 PM Football League Show
09:30 PM Sports Week
10:00 PM WWE Smackdown
11:00 PM ATP 1000 Masters 2015
H/ls : Monte-Carlo Rolex
Masters
TEN CRICKET
04:00 PM England Tour of Sri Lanka
2014 H/ls : 7th ODI
05:00 PM Australia Tour of South
Africa 2014 H/ls : 3rd T20
06:00 PM England Tour of West Indies
2015 H/ls : 1st Test
08:00 PM Best of the Tests : 1st Test:
South Africa vs. Australia
2011
09:00 PM Best of the Tests : India vs.
South Africa Durban Test
2010
10:00 PM New Zealand Tour of Paki-
Region
CHENNAI
The ‘FENCE’
of good hope
q Authorities take steps to
protect Sembakkam lake
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
The Sembakkam Lake has seen
it all, so to speak. The water body,
which extends till Chitlapakkam,
used to spead over some 150
acres or so till a decade back.
However, continuous garbage
dumping and sewage disposal
from nearby areas has reduced it
to half its size.
Repeated pleas from residents nearby to the authorities
concerned seems to had some
effect. According to sources,
the authorities have started
constructing fences around it in
an attempt to keep encroachers
from usurping dried-up portions
of Sembakkam lake bed.
The fence, officials said
would also deter people from
dumping garbage on the lake’s
western fringes.
The decision to fence the lake is
part of steps to revive measures to
protect the waterbody, located near
Tambaram, said sources.
Originally spread over 150 acres,
the lake’s expanse is now less than
100 acres, due to unchecked construction of unauthorised structures,
according to sources.
It is alleged that the encroachments,
in addition to those inside the original
water spread area, had assumed
enormous proportions now.
Earlier, the lake served as a source
of drinking water for residents of
surrounding areas, including Chitlapakkam and Sembakkam.
Recently, Pallavaram Municipality
rejuvenated a well inside the lake,
thanks to the quick recharge of water.
‘The front portion of the lake was
cleaned, before the fence was created and we consider this the first
step towards saving the eco-system,’
said M Ravi, secretary of Sri Sarvamangala Nagar Residents Welfare
Association.
He said an amount of Rs 22 lakh
he
had been allotted for cleaning the
lake, but work was yet to begin.
ed
Meanwhile, officials were reported
as saying that the problem is not
restricted to Sembakkam alone, but
cal
persists in other rural and urban local
bodies in the suburbs.
It is alleged that rejuvenation
work on Adambakkam Lake could
not be carried out due to various
reasons.
Residents of Sembakkam said
they were disappointed because
st
the lake had deteriorated in the past
rs
few years. They said till some years
ere
ago the area was clean and there
were no problems at all.
nd
‘Initially nobody really cared and
ut
continued dirtying the lake but
se
as environmental concerns rose
and people conceived the fear of
contracting diseases, now most
of us are working towards saving the lake,’ said Raja, a local
resident.
n
The lake could have been an
important source of groundwater
in the area, but illegal dumping of
waste ruined it, said Sudhakar, a
resident of Rajakilpakkam.
A few others said the toxic fumes
ng
from the burning waste were causing
a host of respiratory disorders among
residents.
Though Municipality officials are
keen to take steps to rejuvenate
the lake, efforts are coming unstuck
due to various reasons. They felt that
putting up a fence around Sembakkam
lake was a huge step forward and public
also needed to extend cooperation by
not dumping waste into the water
body, which is an important (water)) source for several localities
in the neighbourhood.
MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
Originally spread over
150 acres, the lake’s
expanse is now less
than 100 acres, due to
unchecked construction of
unauthorised structures
Residents have welcomed
the authorities’ effort to put up a
fence around the Sembakkam lake
‘Owners must teach lorry
drivers safety norms’
Director Vijayapadma and a host of celebrities at the launch of the ad film
to create awareness on breast cancer - ‘Chennai Turns Pink’ in the city.
Pitching in with ‘pink’
q Film to create awareness
on breast cancer released
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Speakers at the launch of an ad film
to create awareness on breast cancer
urged women to go in for regular
medical check-ups and help early
detection and prevention.
The film Chennai Turns Pink directed by Vijayapadma G, who made
the award-winning film Narthaki was
launched at a function held here.
Manish Murthy, who handled the
cinematography for Karthi-starrer
Madras went behind the lens for the
film, while Sneha Acharya who is personal choreographer of actors Hritik
Roshan and Govinda lent a helping
hand for this venture.
Founder-president of ‘Chennai
Turns Pink’ Anandakumar said the
film is planned to be screened in all
theatres and on various television
channels to raise awareness levels
on breast cancer.
Actress Shreya Reddy said it is time
all focus on breast cancer prevention
through regular medical checkups.
‘Hope the film would help spread
that awareness among the masses.’
She said she was proud to be associated with the cause like this, as a
celebrity must strive to do something
for society by associating with noble
causes.
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Governor K Rosaiah hailed the
good work of lorry owners, drivers
and loadmen and said, ‘in this competitive world, it is imperative that the
goods purchased or sold or manufactured should reach the concerned
in a timely and safe manner and lorry
owners, drivers and load men have
been doing a remarkable service in
handling and transporting goods.’
He also said the onus on teaching
drivers safety measures lay with lorry
owners keeping in mind the increase
in number of mishaps. He was speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations
of the Chennai Local Lorry Owners’
Association and presented cheques
to the kin of the deceased lorry owners and best drivers.
He said roads connecting major
ports, large industrial establishments and State capitals were great
contributors in expansion and promotion of business and trade and
added ‘Tamilnadu is a front ranking
State with good infrastructure facility, conducive environment and is a
destination for investors.’
‘We see an increase in industries
and business establishments and
Tamilnadu is today buzzing with
economic activities.’
There is an increase in the road vehicular traffic in Tamilnadu, especially
in Chennai. It is worrying to note that
it is among the States with the highest
number of road accidents, Rosaiah
said and added that lorry owners have
an onerous responsibility to educate
their drivers on safety measures.
P Kannan, secretary, Chennai Local
Lorry owners Association, was also
present.
IIT-M honours
Indo-US MIM founder
Yoga
camp for
children
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Sri Sai Darshan Charitable Trust
will be conducting summer courses a
special yoga camp for children from
1 to 8 May.
The classes will be conducted at
Sri Sai Darshan Charitable Trust, AF
2/98, Fourth Street, 11th Main road,
Anna Nagar.
For information, call 9940048366.
Distribution of medicines
Sneham Charitable Trust will provide free medicines on 22 April
between 9 and 11 am. For more
details contact: 4 Anjaneyar Koil
Street, Porur.
The telephone numbers are
32211941, 9884240679.
3
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Chairman and founder of Indo-US
MIM Tec, Dr Krishna Chivukula,
received the distinguished alumnus
Award, 2015 from IIT Madras, in recognition of his entrepreneurial skills
and philanthropic activities.
Seventeen years ago. Krishna
started Indo MIM, and it has since
been ranked World number one in
the field of Metal Injection Moulding
(MIM), said a press release.
IT WORKS
As an entrepreneur, Krishna believes the future of the job industry
lies in innovation and new beginnings. ‘Institutes like IIT believe in
nurturing the spirit of enquiry. When
you ask why, you want to know why
not. That is how you come across
new developments and new ways
of doing things. This is the start of
innovation. Combine this innovation
with perseverance and you find yourself at the position of world number
one’, he said.
Spoken English
classes
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
Senior Citizens Group of Besant
Nagar (SCGOBN) will conduct
coaching classes in spoken English, public speaking and communication skills for school and
college students. Each batch is
limited to 10 students.
A press note said the group will
also be distributing free textbooks
to college students from 3 May.
The books will be distributed
every Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm.
The classes will be held at B
12/4, 25th Cross, Besant Nagar.
For details contact: 9884224480.
qqq
Personality
development
programme
Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama,
3, Maharajapuram Santhanam
Salai, T Nagar, will organise a
three-week ‘Personality Development’ programme for students of
classes seven to 12 from 3 May
at its premises.
A press release said the course
will contain yogasanas, meditation, chanting of veda, Bhagawad gita, Vishnu Sahasranama,
creative English, classes on
Indian culture, values and great
leaders and total personality
development.
The classes will be held between
8.30 am and Noon from Monday to
Friday and the last for submission
of application is 1 May.
For details, call 2814 2014.
qqq
Music
competitions
Sri Suprabatha Sabha, Baroda
Second Street, T Nagar, will conduct annual open music competiGovernor K Rosaiah releasing the souvenir at the golden jubilee
tions on 28 June.
celebrations of Andhra Kala Samithi, Avadi, Chennai yesterday.
A press release said six comDirector of Combat Vehicles Research & Development Establishment
petitions for seniors (16 and 22
Dr P Sivakumar and HVF general manager Hari Mohan are among
years), three each for juniors (12
those present.
and 15) and sub-juniors (8 and
11) will be held.
The syllabus for the competition include Thyagaraja kritis,
dikshita kritis, sampradaya kritis,
devotional songs. The sabha
will also conduct competitions
for group bhajans, quiz, oratorical, sloka and anthaksharai and
chanting of Bhagawad gita for
school children. Registration for
NT Bureau
tional institutes are killing the bright
Council, a registered non-governparticipation will be open from
prospects of students instead of
mental organisation S Amar Prasad
Chennai, Apr 20:
25 May to 15 June.
instilling some skills in them,’ he said.
Reddy said this led to questions over
Former Madras High Court judge
For details and participation,
the
‘employability’
of
graduating
stuThe
‘National
Recruitment
Plan’
Justice T N Vallinayagam has said
contact 2480 0440, 94441 83090.
dents, as they are very often said to
aims to connect the unemployed
students must inculcate three qualiFor the service-minded
be lacking in the required skills.’The
persons with the international recruitties -- industry or the ability to work
Sevas, an NGO, will send volunensuing situation results in the problem
ment advisory bodies to have better
hard, involvement and innovation
teers for a week’s service at the
of unemployment. We hope to intervene
understanding of global recruitment
while stating that they would get jobs
temple town of Tirumala.
in this issue by establishing a direct
opportunities in order to produce the
if their skills are improved. He was
connection with companies, including
A press release said the volunteers
quality and employable youth.
speaking during the launch of the Namedium and small sector industries.’
will be provided with accommodational Recruitment Plan - 2016 here.
Stating that there is no proper
tion, breakfast and dinner at Tirumala
He said the council will organise a
channel of communication between
Founder-director of Indian Institute
during the period of service.
two-day national summit at SRM Unirecruiting companies and colleges
of Logistics V J Pushpakumar said
The presence of a board from the civic body, urging public
versity in the month of July to arrive
For information, call 78455
in terms of the kind of student profile
companies today do not want to
not to dump garbage, is having the desired impact. A scene at
a better
understanding
of Guindy,
global Chennai
58334, 94449
01138.
the Today
companies
founderspend money
time for on
training
Published
by K.and
Balakumar
behalf ofthat
News
Mediawant,
(P) Ltd.,
from 85,atMount
Road
(GST Road),
600 032 and printed by him at Frontline Printers Private Ltd., M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka
Industrial
Estate, Guindy,
Moulivakkam.
recruiting
requirements.
member
of
Recruitment
Analysis
fresh
recruits.
‘It
is
a
pity
that
educaChennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K. Balakumar. Phone: Editorial/Admn /Advt: 22504000, Fax: 2250 1800 (Editorial)/2250 1200/2250 0101 (Advt/Admn). e-mail: [email protected], Circulation: 4202 1111. Fax: 4212 0000.
Update skills, ex-HC
judge to students
Blend
4 MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
Tale of tourists
WHAT
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PRINTS
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Lame & Tame
e came, he saw, but failed to conquer. The much-ballyhooed
return of Rahul Gandhi from a so-called two-month-long
sabbatical failed to enthuse Congressmen, or, for that matter, the
country at large. Failing to find any newness in the old Rahul Gandhi,
his party men could be excused for wondering whether it was all a
ruse for him to finish some unfinished business during his absence
from the country, including the period when the crucial budget
session of parliament was on.
Further confirmation of the futility of his taking time off from
politics for introspection would come in the coming days and weeks,
especially during the second part of the budget session beginning
today. Indications available from the comeback rally organised to
re-launch the `new’ Rahul Gandhi at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground on
Sunday suggest that the Congress’s Chosen One has learnt nothing
and unlearnt nothing during the 58 days he bunked politics in search
of enlightenment at some undisclosed location outside the country.
Why he could not have sought enlightenment at some secluded
place in a remote part of India remains unclear. Admittedly, the
non-disclosure of his whereabouts during the 58 days he chose to
stay away created more buzz than anything substantive he said or
did, or did not say or did not do, upon his return.
The Ramlila show was watched for two specific reasons. One, the
size of the crowd. And, two, the content of his speech. Regretfully,
on both counts the faithful have reason to be disappointed. Despite
the party throwing its all into gathering a decent crowd, assigning
each sitting and former legislator quotas to fill the vast ground,
they could not even muster one lakh of people to hear the newly
enlightened Congress vice-president. As for the content of the
speech, there was the usual rhetoric centering around the proposed
changes in the land acquisition Bill the Modi Government was keen
to legislate into law. The same old charge, totally unfounded, that
the changes were anti-poor and anti-farmer was regurgitated at the
rally by the mother and son duo. The attempt was to paint Modi
as an ally of the moneybags whom he was keen to reward for the
generous contributions they had allegedly made towards the BJP’s
electoral war chest.
Having recklessly acquired lakhs of hectares of farmers’ lands
without as much as by your leave, and having parceled out a vast
portion of the same to its corporate friends for illicit consideration,
the Congress leadership was now out to spread the canard that
it was a friend of the farmers. The truth is that the old law was
sought to be replaced by a new land acquisition law which would
prove most time-consuming even in those cases where the land
was urgently required for vital infrastructural purposes. The Modi
Government may have erred in not fully explaining the proposed
changes before undertaking to amend the 2013 law, but there was
no merit whatsoever in the charge that these were pro-business or
anti-farmer. This was a canard spread by the Congress leaders to
try and regain relevance.
Anupam Kher @AnupamPkher
‘A man who prides himself on his
ancestry is like the potato plant, the
best part of which is underground.’:)
‘People hav a completely messed up
idea of what freedom is.Giving in to
your compulsions is not freedom’
Kiran Bedi @thekiranbedi
Maple syrup to fight
bacterial infections: Study
OTTAWA: (they occur in many other foods too).
Scientists are constantly on the lookAs published in the academic jourout for new antibiotics, and for ways to nal Applied and Environmental Micromake existing antibiotics work better, biology, the researchers found that an
especially now that the spread
extract prepared from
of stronger germs is a thing we
maple syrup fought the
have to worry about. They may
bacteria responsible
have just lucked out, because
for urinary tract infecHEALTH
of all the substances out there,
tions to some extent
it turns out that maple syrup
by itself (as did an anmakes antibiotics more effective.
tibiotic), but that the
Maybe maple syrup is about to become combination of maple syrup extract
the newest superfood on the block!
plus the antibiotic worked much betResearchers at McGill University ter than either alone. Great news,
in Montreal, Canada conducted an especially for anyone familiar with the
experiment with maple syrup and excruciating pain of a UTI.
antibiotics to determine whether there
Basically the maple syrup extract
might be any interaction. Why were helps to make bacteria more porous
they interested in maple syrup in the to antibiotics flooding into their cells,
first place? This plant juice contains and less effective at fighting off the
phenols, compounds known to have antibiotic once it’s inside (both physiantiseptic and antioxidant properties cally and epigenetically).
Today
VOICE MAIL
CHENNAI
S
o you are planning a holiday trip
with family?
In our experience vacations can turn
out to be the pleasant experience
they are deemed to be provided you
holiday in your own home after dispatching your family members to some
distant place. This is a strategy that is
increasingly finding favour among experienced holidayers who have seen
it all and done it all.
This is from their typical diary:
Day of Departure: Handle comes
off the suitcase. Probably due to the
weight of the unpeeled airline tags you
retain to showoff that you are a frequent flier. Make urgent and ungainly
repairs to the handle.
Cab arrives late. Driver in a permanent state of surly moroseness. Space
for the bags is inadequate (First rule
of travel: Luggage space is never
adequate).
Son throws a tantrum over something.
Forget the emergency medical kit
at home.
Fret over whether you closed the
main door of the house properly.
1st Day: Need a painkiller to subside
the splitting headache due to the jerky
journey. But no emergency medicine
at hand. (Second rule of travel: The
first and the foremost thing you need
on a vacation trip is the one you forgot
to bring along).
Hotel room rent is exorbitant. Apparently they charge for the weather
outside too.
Now, it is the turn of the daughter to
throw a tantrum.
Driver acts funny and mutters many
incomprehensible words.
Oldest human
tools discovered
NEW YORK:
Researchers claim to have discovered the oldest human tools
in Africa, dating back 3.3 million
years - several hundred thousand
years before our genus Homo hit
the scene.
The stone flakes found are
700,000 years older than the oldest-known tools to date, researchers said. Until now, the earliest
known stone tools had been found
at the site of Gona in Ethiopia and
were dated to 2.6 million years ago.
In 2010, researchers working at
the site of Dikika in Ethiopia reported cut marks on animal bones
dated to 3.4 million years ago;
they argued that tool-using human
ancestors made the linear marks,
‘Science Magazine’ reported.
However, the claim was immediately controversial and some argued
that what seemed to be cut marks
might have been the result of trampling by humans or other animals.
At the annual meeting of the
Paleoanthropology Society San
Francisco, California, archaeologist Sonia Harmand of Stony Brook
University in New York described
the discovery of numerous tools at
the site of Lomekwi 3, just west of
Lake Turkana in Kenya.
In 2011, Harmand’s team stumbled upon an area, called Lomekwi,
near where a controversial human
relative called Kenyanthropus
platyops had been found.
The researchers spotted what
Harmand called unmistakable
stone tools on the surface of the
sandy landscape and immediately
launched a small excavation. More
tools were discovered under the
ground, including so-called cores
from which human ancestors struck
off sharp flakes.
Researchers have now uncovered nearly 20 well-preserved
flakes, cores, and anvils apparently used to hold the cores as the
flakes were struck off, all sealed in
sediments that provided a secure
context for dating.
UP IN ARMS
You wax eloquent over the mist
engulfing the hotel room. Missus
disabuses you of your imagination
and points to the billowing mosquito
repellant that had caused all the
smoky halo.
Head to the nearest tourist spot.
Find roughly one lakh fellow holidayers seeking the same view
and experience. Take a few snaps
with the camera. Its battery runs
out. (Third rule of travel: You need
roughly 43,267 batteries to last a
single vacation trip).
K BALAKUMAR
Son wants to go boating. Daughter
wants to trek. But it begins to rain.
Come back to hotel. Watch TV in the
room. Criticise all the programmes to
be trashy. Go to sleep with the promise
to wake up early and catch in all the
fun of the place.
2nd Day: Wake up late. Feel groggy.
Order coffee on room service. Feel
bad even more. (Fourth rule of travel:
Holiday-spot hotels provide the worst
coffee in the entire world).
Children wake up throwing tantrums.
The hotel has no wi-fi.
Driver throws a tantrum after enduring a cold night in the vehicle.
Join the crores of revellers at the
botanical garden. There are as many
visitors as there are as many blades
of grass. Every one thinks that he or
she is having fun while others are just
going through the routine. Every one
takes photograph of everything and
everyone.
Daughter wants to eat the dubiouslooking baked corn and groundnut.
This was the girl that refused to touch
the milk and cereals at the breakfast
table. Reason? The tablecloth was
stained.
Buy yourself a monkey cap. Look
positively stupid.
Son forgets the Rayban coolers you
gave him to pose for a photograph.
Search frantically for it. Miss the next
leg of the scheduled programme.
@#§Fy##%%: Your state of mind.
(Fifth rule of travel: You will lose at
least one of your favourite and costly
possessions on every holiday trip).
Come back to hotel. Watch TV.
Children fight over which channel to
watch. Promise yourself to enjoy better the next day.
3rd Day: Wake up late. Find out
missus had ordered coffee as she was
nursing a headache. After the coffee,
you also have a headache and you
make a nice pair.
No hot water on tap. (Sixth rule of
travel: Hot water will play truant at
least for a day when you are in a hill
station. Corollary: The AC will conk off
if you are in a seaside resort).
Driver looks waspish.
Go to rose garden. Roses there are
named on the indubitable botanical
principle that common people know
nothing about botany and anything
can pass muster with them. ‘Schwap’
is one of the rose varieties. Make
what you can out of that.
Slipper gives way. Or your pant gets
torn. Or something similar happens
so that you never get to enjoy the
promised fun.
Son and daughter throw a tantrum
perhaps for nothing better to do.
Get fleeced by all the local vendors.
(Seventh rule of travel: All the most
cheating and shady traders are headquartered in the holiday spot you are
vacationing).
Eat at a trashy hotel that charges a
premium for trashiness. You understand that the wise men were right
when they said: Travel broadens the
wallet.
Cash runs out. The ATMs nearby
are out of service. They inevitably are.
They have a whacky sense of humour.
Or perhaps, they are all throwing a
tantrum, as tantrums are known to be
the most infectious things on earth.
Kids are bored throwing tantrums.
They are sulking.
Driver is fuming.
Return to hotel. Room service takes
roughly 1256 hours to deliver the
humble curd rice you ordered. You
puke after dinner. Missus has run
out of patience and perseverance.
Sleep is the sole need of the hour.
But son and daughter are all radiant
and want to play cards. (Eighth rule
of travel: Nothing works according
to plan. Especially if you are the one
doing the planning).
4th Day: Coffee-tantrums-batteriesmore tantrums-fleecing-poor foodcrowds-headache-exchange of words
with driver over fare-broken handle of
suitcase.
It all passes in a blur. Nothing really
matters. You are ready to kiss the
doormat in relief on your arrival back
home.
e-mail the writer at
[email protected]
(Courtesy: Talk Media)
The Chinese connect
Xi Jinping set to unveil $46bn deal in Pakistan
BEIJING:
China’s President Xi Jinping is due
in Pakistan, where he is expected
to announce $46bn (£30.7bn) of
investment. The focus of the spending is on building a China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), running
from Gwadar in Pakistan’s Balochistan province to China’s western
Xinjiang region.
Pakistan hopes the investment will
boost its struggling economy and help
end chronic power shortages.
Leaders are also expected to discuss co-operation on security.
Xi will spend two days holding talks
with his counterpart Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
and other ministers. He will address
parliament on Tuesday.
Deals worth some $28bn are ready
to be signed during the visit, with the
rest to follow. The sum significantly
outweighs American investment in
Pakistan.
Under the CPEC plan, China’s gov-
Xi will hold talks with Pakistan’s President and Prime Minister.
ernment and banks will lend to Chinese companies, so they can invest
in projects as commercial ventures.
A network of roads, railways and
energy developments will eventually
stretch some 3,000km (1,865 miles).
Some $15.5bn worth of coal, wind,
solar and hydro energy projects will
come online by 2017 and add 10,400
megawatts of energy to Pakistan’s
national grid, according to officials.
Xiaomi hints at a
high-resolution smartphone
NEW DELHI:
Xiaomi is gearing up for an event
named ‘Global Mi phone premiere’
which will take place in New Delhi on
23 April, wherein the company is likely
to launch the all new Mi 4i.
Citing a Chinese source, Android
Headlines has now reportedly got
its hands on the image of the new
device, purportedly the Mi 4i.
The design, in general, resembles
the Mi 4, but it still comes with a lot
cosmetic changes. The leaked image
gives a peek into the left side of the
handset with front camera and shows
the Mi logo on top. Compared to the
Mi 4, it has slimmer bezels (almost
invisble) and sensors are embedded
in different positions at the front.
Xiaomi has been teasing ‘i is coming’ for sometime, and its most recent
post on Facebook now hints at a
C
superior display.
The company has posted two
identical images, but one of them is
blurred/pixelated, while the other is
quite clear.
The image has some text that reads,
‘Looks the same?’ and ‘i Disagree’.
The post also mentions, ‘Are all
screens of the same size the same?’
followed by
hashtags for i
Disagree and
Mi Launch
2015. All hinting at the launch of the
Mi 4i with a high-resolution display.
Though there is no word on the
exact specs of the Mi 4i, it is rumoured to come with a 1.65GHz
Snapdragon 615 octa-core 64-bit
processor paired with 2GB RAM and
will run on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
out-of-the-box.
A $44m optical fibre cable between
the two countries is also due to be
built.
The projects will give China direct
access to the Indian Ocean and
beyond, marking a major advance
in its plans to boost its economic
influence in central and south Asia.
Pakistan, meanwhile, hopes the investment will enable it to transform
itself into a regional economic hub.
Another Hindu
temple vandalised in US
HOUSTON:
A Hindu temple in the US state of
Texas has been vandalised with offensive images spray-painted on its
walls, the third such incident in the
country this year.
The number ‘666’ and an upside
down cross was spray-painted on the
door of the temple in Old Lake Highlands, north Texas. Krishna Singh,
who is on the temple’s board, said they
discovered the graffiti last Monday.
‘That was a big shock, really...The
whole thing has been very disturbing
to the community,’ Singh said.
Dallas police sent out detectives
with the gang unit who are still searching for suspects. Now devotees will
build a fence around the entire property to keep vandals out. Neighbours
are upset too and both Hindus and
non-Hindus have offered to help the
temple clean the damage.
L ICK
PIC
Pollution due to painting work
Sir,
My house in Thiruvengadam Street, Mylapore has been totally doused
with paint particles from two neighbouring houses where wall scraping is
being carried out using high speed roller scraper.
My house’s terrace, plants, open area, internal and external fittings are
full of dust. My wife who has wheezing problems has been highly affected.
Proper tarpaulin or old methods of scaffolding covers should be put up to
prevent these things.
R RAMAN, Mylapore
ADDRESS YOUR LETTERS TO :
Filipino activists hold slogans during a rally in front of the US embassy in Manila, Philippines. In the other photograph, riot police officers spray
The Editor, News Today, 85, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032.
disperse
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the first
of the
SewolPrivate
ferry sinking
in Seoul,
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Korea. Estate, Guindy,
or e-mail
/ [email protected]
Published
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Enterprise
CHENNAI
M&A deals: SEBI
mulls ‘bright line’ rules
Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI):
In a major step towards bringing
greater regulatory clarity for M&A
deals, SEBI plans to put in place
new guidelines to define ‘bright lines’
identifying the change of control in
such transactions.
Under SEBI’s Takeover Regulations, the definition of ‘control’ is
based on certain defined principles
rather than on rules and there have
been cases when multitude of opinion
gives rise to different assessments
SEBI has also received representations from various investor groups
and other entities, seeking some kind
of guidance with a view to provide
more clarity on the definition of control
and to define bright lines on the same,
the official said.
In view of the same, he said, SEBI
is attempting to provide more clarity
on the principle-based approach for
the term ‘control’.
The fair trade regulator CCI had first
pointed out in its order on Jet-Etihad
A bright-line rule or a bright-line
test generally refers to a simple
and basic standard that can be
applied to remove ambiguity and
resolve contentious issues
of ‘control’ over a listed company, a
senior official said.
To deal with such cases, the regulator has decided to define certain
‘bright lines’ for identifying the control,
he added.
A bright-line rule or a bright-line
test generally refers to a simple and
basic standard that can be applied
to remove ambiguity and resolve
contentious issues.
In cases of merger and acquisitions,
an acquirer or any other entity would
be considered to be gaining control
of the target company, if it fulfills the
‘bright line’ tests with regard to acquisition of voting rights, control over
operations and influence in board
decisions.
There have been many cases,
including in the much-talked about
Jet-Etihad deal, when the issue of
‘control’ was debated a lot and it was
felt that SEBI needs to put in place
specific guidelines defining ‘bright
lines’ to determine the control.
deal that the various pacts between
the two companies indicated Etihad’s
joint control over Jet.
Following CCI’s observations, SEBI
began looking into the matter to determine whether the deal was leading
to joint control over Jet by its existing
promoters and Etihad, which could
have triggered a mandatory open offer for minority shareholders.
SEBI, however, eventually ruled
that the deal did not attract provisions
of the Takeover Code, as it found a
lack of substantial controlling powers
with Etihad.
It was said that Etihad had right
to nominate only 2 out 12 directors,
while promoters had powers to nominate the chairman of the board of Jet
with, who will have a casting vote.
Besides, Etihad did not have any
quorum rights at the board or general
meeting, there was lack of any veto or
affirmative voting rights with Etihad,
among others.
there, the official noted. On whether
the regulator will be immediately
looking at having independent
women directors,
the official said
the focus is now
on having more women on the
boards of listed companies.
Earlier this month,
Sebi announced a
four-stage penalty
structure wherein
fines will increase
with the passage
of time. The market
watchdog has asked
the stock exchanges
to levy the fines as the
violation relates to the
Listing Agreement.
Firms will have to pay only the
monetary fine and can escape
further regulatory action if they
comply within next six months, that
Quickie to make
quick video calls
Washington, Apr 20:
Apple iPhone users who detested
the idea of long phone calls that
dragged on endlessly and rarely used
FaceTime can now turn to Quickie, a
nifty little iOS app that allows users to make video
calls that end after a few
seconds automatically.
According to TechCrunch,
the app is like a hybrid between
Yo and Snapchat. On opening the
app, you see a list of all your friends.
In order to make a call, you can tap
on a friend’s name and select the
length of the call. Your friend will
then receive a notification and decide
whether to act on it. In case they are
busy, the notification will be like a
ping, like receiving a Yo.
However, if you accept
the Quickie, you will get a
full-screen video call and
see a countdown timer at
the bottom. Quickie calls
can last 60 seconds, at
most. Therefore, you just spend a
few seconds talking to your friend,
laughing. And then the call ends, your
friend is gone.
5
RBI, the billion rider
Apex bank bought $49.2 bn, highest in seven years
Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI):
Aiming to reduce rupee volatility on account of higher inflows and
increase foreign exchange (forex)
reserves to cushion any external
shock, the Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) bought the highest amount of
dollars after a gap of seven years at
$49.2 billion in April-February of the
past fiscal year.
The RBI net purchased the currency from the
spot market in
April 2014-February 2015, according to the central
bank data, which
comes with a lag
Raghuram Rajan
of two months.
The central bank had bought $115.9
billion from the market during the
period while it sold $66.7 billion, RBI
data showed.
The period also saw the forex re-
LIC buys Rs 300
crore Infosys shares
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI):
State-owned life insurer LIC has
shored up its stake in Infosys to 4.81
per cent, purchasing shares worth
over Rs 300 crore in the JanuaryMarch quarter.
This is the fourth consecutive quarter of share purchase by LIC in the
software services firm.
LIC held 4.69 per cent stake in Infosys during the October-December
quarter and increased that to 4.81
per cent as of 31 March, 2015, as
per latest data available with the
stock exchanges. Taking into account
the current market value of Infosys
shares, the 0.12 percentage point
hike in LIC’s holding in the company
would be worth about Rs 317 crore.
Infosys shares closed at Rs 2,182
on Friday.
Woman director norms
are for ‘gender diversity’
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI):
With many listed companies failing to appoint at least one woman
director on their boards, Sebi says
the regulations are aimed at ensuring ‘gender diversity’.
Listed companies which did not
comply with the directive of appointing at least one woman director
by March 31 have been
penalised.
A minimum of Rs 50,000
fine will be levied from the
non-compliant companies
and more action will follow
if things stay that way after
six months.
A senior Sebi official said
the requirement of appointing women directors on the boards
of companies is seen as a ‘gender
issue’.
The idea is about diversity on the
boards of companies and ensure
that more women directors are
MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
is till 30 September. The listed comp a n i e s complying between 1
April and 30 June
will have to pay
only Rs 50,000.
Those complying
between 1 July and 30
September this year
will need to pay Rs 50,000 and
an additional Rs 1,000 per day till
compliance.
The listed companies complying
on or after 1 October, 2015 would
have to pay Rs 1.42 lakh, plus
Rs 5,000 per day till the date of
compliance.
‘For any non-compliance beyond
September 30, 2015, Sebi may
take any other action, against the
non-compliant entities, their promoters and/or directors or issue
such directions in accordance with
law, as considered appropriate’, the
regulator said in a circular earlier
this month.
‘India’s investment
climate better
than other BRICS’
New Delhi, Apr 20:
Though India has a better investment climate among BRICS nations,
its regulatory and tax systemrelated challenges are impacting
immediate investment plans, over
90 corporate leaders of German
high-tech companies have said in
a survey.
The survey, conducted by global
accounting consultancy firm EY
and research agency Delphi, timed
with the recently concluded Hanover
Messe 2015 industrial fair where
India was partner country.
Paper microphone may help
charge your phone
POINTS TO PONDER
RBI purchased currency from spot market in April
2014-February 2015
Central bank bought $115.9 billion from market during the
period while it sold $66.7 billion
Forex reserves touched a record $338 billion to the week
ended 27 February
Rupee depreciated by around 4 per cent in the financial
year gone by
serves touching a record $338 billion
to the week ended 27 February.
‘With the country’s macro fundamentals improving, we have seen
robust capital flows’, Yes Bank chief
economist Shubhada Rao said.
‘Simultaneously, we have also
seen RBI intervening in the market to
cushion volatility, but more implicitly
allowing the nominal exchange rate
to adjust closer to its fair value, which
at present is 64-65 to the dollar after
adjusting for inflation and productivity differentials. This has resulted in
an improvement in forex reserves’,
Shubhada said.
‘When inflows are more, the supply of dollar increases and it results
in rupee appreciation, which is not
good for exports. The RBI buys these
excess dollar supply and add to their
reserves. This is a way to maintain
orderly movement of the rupee’, said
a senior dealer with a public sector
bank.
The rupee had depreciated by
around 4 per cent in the financial
year gone by, against a whopping
around 20 per cent appreciation in
the previous fiscal year, making it
the best performing emerging market
currency.
Experts say that with higher purchases of dollars, the Reserve Bank
of India is also trying to create buffer
against any volatility.
‘There is an expectation that the
interest rates in the US is likely to go
up. The RBI is buying dollars to equip
itself with enough reserves to avoid
volatility’, said a senior bank official
with a state-owned bank.
The RBI has always maintained that
its intervention in the currency market
is to curb volatility and not to achieve
any particular level.
‘Our intervention in exchange market has historically been to reduce
exchange rate volatility and that’s
not just the volatility today but also
anticipated volatility’, RBI Governor
Raghuram Rajan had said at the
policy review on 7 April.
Indian economy on
recovery path: Jaitley
Washington, Apr 20 (PTI):
Indian economy is now clearly
on a recovery path with a 7.4
per cent growth in the first three
quarters and the new government
is committed to maintain overall
macroeconomic conditions on a
sustained basis, Finance Minister
Arun Jaitley has said.
‘We are committed to maintain
overall macroeconomic conditions
on a sustained basis so that the
Indian economy is able to achieve
and sustain growth of 8 per cent
and above’, Jaitley said in his address to the International Monetary
and Financial Committee.
‘The Indian economy is now
clearly on a recovery path’, he
said, adding India’s growth recovered to 7.4 per cent in the first
three quarters (April-December)
of 2014-15 as compared with 7.0
per cent during the same period
of 2013-14.
Advance estimates have also
placed the GDP growth for the full
year of 2014-15 at 7.4 per cent.
Medium-term growth prospects
have also improved following
recent policy initiatives towards
unlocking coal and other mining
activity, liberalisation of FDI limits
and a renewed thrust on public
investment in infrastructure, which
would help to improve the investment climate.
Inflation, which was a major concern for India during 2010-13, has
moderated significantly, he said.
CPI inflation, which is now used
as the main measure of headline
inflation by the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI), declined to 5.2 per
cent in March 2015 from 11.2 per
cent in November 2013, he said.
In terms of the flexible inflation
targeting framework adopted recently, going forward, the RBI will
seek to bring the inflation rate to
the mid-point of the band of 4 +/- 2
per cent, i.E., to 4 per cent by the
Arun Jaitley
the continued accommodative
global monetary conditions, India
has received large portfolio flows
in the recent period - much higher
than the current account deficit.
This has enabled the RBI to build
up its foreign exchange reserves,
which are now at $343 billion (as
of 3 April, 2015), up by $67 billion
We are committed to maintain
overall macroeconomic conditions
on a sustained basis so that the
Indian economy is able to achieve
and sustain growth of 8 per cent
and above’, Jaitley said
end of a two year period starting fiscal year 2016-17,
Jaitley told the world
body. Noting that
India has continued
on the path of fiscal
consolidation, he said
the GFD of the central
government, which
was 5.7 per cent of
GDP in 2011-12, declined to 4.1 per cent in
2014-15 and is budgeted
to decline further to 3.9
per cent in 2015-16.
India’s current account deficit
(CAD) declined sharply from 4.8
per cent of GDP in 2012-13 to
1.7 per cent in 2013-14 and is
expected to decline further to 1.3
per cent in 2014-15.
Reflecting the improved domestic
macroeconomic situation as also
from the level at end-August
2013. ‘As such, India is
now better prepared to
deal with global financial market volatility that
could arise in the context of US monetary
policy normalisation’,
Jaitley said.Stating that
India has been placing
a special emphasis on financial inclusion, he said
in a short span of about
eight months, a record
number of 147 million bank
accounts have been opened under
a new scheme (Pradhan Mantri
Jan Dhan Yojana). ‘The opening
of a large number of accounts
should also facilitate direct benefit
transfers to the beneficiaries and
improve public expenditure management’, he said.
Who will be next tech wiz
preserved in wax?
New Delhi, Apr 20:
Madame Tussauds- a
place where the statues of
legends are immortalized
in wax, is seeking to add to
its collection another techie
after Apple founder Steve
Jobs and Facebook CEO
Mark Zuckerberg.
In order to zero in on
whom to wax-up next in its
tech leaders’ collection, the
museum authorities have
asked the general public to
help by choosing their favourites from a list of nomiPUBLIC NOTICE
It is hereby informed that my
client Mrs. M. VANAJA, W/o.
D. Muralidharan, residing at Plot
No. 23, 15th Street, Ram Nagar
Extension, Thirur, Pin 602 025, had
lost her original Parent Documents
Reg. Sale Deed Doct. No. 2364 of
1987 dated 04.11.1987, Reg. Sale
Deed Doct. No. 2584 of 1991 dated
07.10.1991 and Reg. General Power
of Attorney Doct. No.34 of 2003 dated
17.03.2003 of the S.R.O. Manavala
Nagar for the property purchased
by My client by way of Reg. Sale
Deed Doct. No. 5562 of 2006 dated
23.11.2006 in the S.R.O. Manavala
Nagar, Thiruvallur for the property
situated at Thiruvallur District,
Thiruvallur Taluk, Thirur Village, Ram
Nagar Extension, Approval No. M-87
255 & L.P. No. 191 dated 23.07.1987,
comprised in Survey No.145/5
bearing Plot No. 23, measuring to an
extent of 1800 Sq.ft. while she was
making Xerox Copy on 07.04.2015
at 10.00 a.m. near Avadi Bus Stand.
If any one finds the said documents
may kindly hand over the same to
me. It is also hereby informed that
anyone dealing with the said property
without my client's knowledge and
consent is doing so at their own risk
and cost.
nees. The tech personalities who are in the running
include: Elon Musk, CEO,
SpaceX; Sheryl Sandberg,
COO, Facebook; Marc
Benioff, CEO, Salesforce.
com; Jane Metcalfe, Cofounder, Wired Ventures
and Ed Catmull, President,
Pixar Animation Studios
and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The winner
with the highest number of
votes will be announced on
26 May.
NAME CHANGE
I, IQBAL MOHAMMED
WASEETHUN NAHREER, Son
of L. Mohamed Iqbal, born on
27/10/1989 (native district:
Vellore), residing at No.393A,
Sirajjudeen Street, 35 Kanathur
Reddy Kuppam, Kanchipuram
Dist - 603112, Tamil Nadu,
shall henceforth be known as
IQBAL MOHAMMED ILYAS.
IQBAL MOHAMMED
WASEETHUN NAHREER
NAME CHANGE
My son, R.RAHUL, born
Washington, Apr 20 (PTI): laid it on top of a thin sheet of Teflon, as a way to recycle sound energy
on 16th August 1999 (native
from the environment, getting free
Running out of battery? Yell at your joining the two sheets at one edge.
district: Villupuram), residing
Sound waves vibrate the two sheets electricity from the ‘waste’ sounds all
phone to charge it! Scientists have
at No.3/6-A, Kamadenu
developed a postage stamp—sized in different ways, causing them to around us. The charge can also be
Nagar, 3rd Street, Porur,
microphone out of paper that could come in and out of contact, ‘New converted into a range of sound freChennai-600 116, shall
quencies, allowing the initial sounds
boost your phone’s battery using Scientist’ reported.
henceforth be known as
sound.
This generates an electric charge, to be amplified.
RAAHULRAMAKRISHNAN.
M.R. SURYA KUMAR, M.A. M.L.,
The amount of power the microResearchers at the Georgia Institute similar to the one made when a perB.RAMAKRISHNAN
Advocate & Notary Public
phone
provides
on its Guindy,
size,
rubs aToday
balloon
with (P)
hair,Ltd.,
which
of Published
Technology
a laser to zap
a son
No.46, M.T.H.
byused
K. Balakumar
on behalf
of News
Media
from 85,
Mount
Roaddepends
(GST Road),
Chennai
600Road,
032Check
andPost,
printed by him at Frontline
Printers Private Ltd., M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy,
(Father)
Avadi, Chennai-600 054.
it is22504000,
around 121
grid
of microscopic
in the1111.
paper,Editor:
canK.charge
a phone
slowly.
Chennai
600 032.holes
Ph: 4202
Balakumar.
Phone:
Editorial/Admnbut
/Advt:
Fax:milliwatts
2250 1800per
(Editorial)/2250
1200/2250
0101 (Advt/Admn). e-mail: [email protected], Circulation: 4202 1111. Fax: 4212 0000.
Cell: 9841237007
Ch
i 26th F b
2009
Sports
6 MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
CHENNAI
MI gaining from Ponting’s
positive attitude: Bhajji
‘Presence of legends helping youngsters’
Bengaluru, Apr 20 (PTI):
Relieved after ending a four-match
losing streak, Mumbai Indians’ spin
spearhead Harbhajan Singh said
head coach Ricky Ponting’s positive
attitude and calm demeanour
played a huge part
i
n
keeping the
team together in
tough situations.
‘He (Ponting) is
a very positive guy.
The way he played
cricket throughout
his career. He has
b e e n
very positive about things whether
you win or lose. He always says give
your 100 per cent and that’s what the
boys are looking to do,’ he said after
the 18-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore here. ‘The boys had
lost four games and yet he stayed
calm and composed. He has been
fantastic with the team. Moreover,
under Ponting’s guidance, many
youngsters like Unmukt Chand would
help themselves to become a better
cricketer, especially in the backdrop
of his achievements of winning three
World Cups for Australia.
‘I hope under his
guidance lot of
youngsters will
know how to
bat in different
situations, which
will help them to
become better cricketers,’ he added.
Apart from Ponting, Mumbai Indians
also have Anil Kumble and Sachin
Tendulkar in the dressing room as
mentors which motivates players,
Harbhajan said.
‘We also have Anil Kumble, Sachin
Tendulkar, lot of wealth we have in
the dressing room, which obviously
helps each and everyone of us to go
out there and do something for the
team,’ he said. Asked to rate yesterday’s performance, Harbhajan said
he is happy about his performance
with both bat and ball since the last
We were 20 runs
short: Fleming
RR outplayed CSK
in all departments of
the game and also
expressed concern
about his team’s performance in fielding.
‘Today’s match was
pretty one sided. We
were outplayed by
RR in every departRR skipper Shane Watson and Ajinkya Rahane put
ment. We need to
on a big partnership to dash CSK’s hopes.
improve a lot in fieldAhmedabad, Apr 20:
ing department, as
After his side were outplayed by we have not concentrated much on
Rajasthan Royals in their IPL cricket it. I can say that we were around 20
match here yesterday, Chennai Su- run short due to some hiccups in
per Kings coach Stephen Fleming the beginning. We are surely pretty
said that his team was 20 runs short disappointed,’ Fleming said after his
while batting.
side lost by eight wickets.
Fleming said that the total of 156 his
Even as the mercury hovered at
team scored was not good enough 43 degrees Celsius when the CSK
against a confident team like Ra- came out to bat, Fleming said that
jasthan Royals. He also said that heat conditions were not responsible
for their defeat, as they have played
in such conditions earlier.
‘We have played in such conditions
in Mumbai and Chennai, so heat
doesn’t have to do anything. We
did what we can do, but, it’s just the
nature of IPL cricket where players
sometimes may not perform well due
to the mental and physical strain they
take,’ said the former New Zealand
skipper at the post-match press
conference.
On his side’s bowling performance,
Fleming said, ‘Rajasthan created
pressure on us when they were bowling. Unfortunately, we could not do
the same when we came to bowl.’
RR is the clear leader at the moment. It is always tough to beat them
when they are full of confidence. In
addition, they were playing in their
home ground, which is already
known to them,’ he added.
No mercy for PSG,
TDCA office-bearers
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
The new office-bearers of
Tiruvallur District Chess Association were elected during the general body meeting
held yesterday.
Former Chairman of Avadi
Municipality Victory M Mohan was unanimously elected as president for the seventh term in succession. The
other unanimously elected
office bearers for the term
2015-2018
are as
follows: VicePresidents:
S Narayanaswamy, V
Venugopalan, M Nagasubramanian, V
Ilankumar and K
Balaskandan. Secretary: S Balaraman.
Joint Secretaries: G Ravi,
K Sirajudeen, R Srivatsan,
A L Muthu and P Balaji.
Treasurer: K Gunasekaran.
Assistant Treasurer: R K
Chopon Babu.
Besant Nagar ‘A’ on top
Besant Nagar ‘A’ retained
the title in the Sanmar-TNTA
veterans league championship beating Madras Gymkhana Club 3-0.
Results: Besant Nagar
‘A’ bt Madras Gymkhana
Club 3-0 (Nirmal Kumar
& Ramprasad Reddy bt S
B P Anand Mohan & A G
Krishnan 6-1, 6-1; Karthik
Kailash & S Krishna Kumar
bt S Ravi & Niranjan Kumar
6-2, 6-4; C Rameez Samad
& Sivakumar Palani bt M P
Shankar & Murali Padmanabhan 6-3, 7-5).
Sachin sizzles
Sachin Sudhakaran (six
for 24) helped Aththis CC
register an 88-run win over
Thiruthani CC in TNCA-Tiruvallur DCA league second
division match here.
Scores: I division: Pattabiram 192 in 39.3 overs
(S Premnath 52, S
Gokul 6 for 75)
lost to Ebenezer 196 for 8
in 40.3 overs
(S Gokul 59
n.o, B Haresh
4 for 37); Korattur
158 in 36.1 overs
(K Natarajan 40, R
Jesuraj 5 for 57) lost to
Fine Star 159 for 8 in 37.5
overs (K Vijayan 5 for 65).
II division: Sundar 79 in
27.2 overs lost to Classic 82
for 1 in 14.2 overs (S Nawaz
Khan 35 n.o); Aththis 137 in
28 overs (R Manikandan 4
for 33, M Lingan 3 for 30)
beat Thiruthani 49 in 24.1
overs (Sachin Sudhakaran 6
for 24, B Venkatesh 3 for 24);
Parthasarathy 125 for 9 in 30
overs (D Prashanth Prabhu
40, S Raghunath 3 for 32)
lost to Tiruvallur 129 for 7 in
30 overs (G Saravanan 34, S
Raghunath 30 n.o, N Harrish
3 for 26).
says Barca’s Alves
Barcelona, Apr 20 (AFP):
Barcelona defender Dani Alves has
warned his side against complacency
when they host a Paris Saint-Germain
(PSG) side bolstered by the return of
key personnel through suspension to
the Camp Nou tomorrow.
Two goals from Luis Suarez took
Barca to the brink of a seventh
Champions League semi-final in eight
seasons as they romped to a 3-1 win
in the first-leg of the quarter-final tie
in Paris last week.
However, a late own goal from
Jeremy Mathieu offered the French
champions a glimmer of hope as
they welcome back top-scorer Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and midfield maestro
Marco Verratti.
two IPL seasons and hopes to make
a comeback to the Indian team with
consistent performances. ‘I am happy
that I am among wickets this IPL.
Even the previous and before that I
did well in the IPL. I was the highest
wicket-taking spinner. I am happy
the way I am going. I will continue to
work hard in the nets. If I continue to
bat and bowl well, I am hopeful, I will
get a chance to play for India again,’
he said.
English batsman
slams 350 in ODI
Liam Livingstone’s
stunning innings
(350 off 138 balls,
including 34 fours
and 27 sixes) was
the centrepiece of
Nantwich’s mammoth 579 for seven
in just 45 overs
during their National Club Championship clash
at home to fellow
north-west side
Caldy.
Liam Livingstone
London, Apr 20:
A 21-year-old English batsman on
Lancashire’s books made history on
Sunday by scoring 350 in a club
match.
Liam Livingstone’s stunning
innings was the centrepiece of
Nantwich’s mammoth 579 for
seven in just 45 overs during
their National Club Championship clash at home to fellow
north-west side Caldy.
Livingstone’s runs came
from just 138 balls, including 34 fours
and 27 sixes.
‘Had worse days!
Thanks for all the
messages,’ Livingstone
said on Twitter. His astonishing assault is believed to be the the
highest recorded individual in any
form of one-day match, surpassing
the 334 not out made by the then
15-year-old Nikhilesh Surendran
in an Indian school fixture in Hyderabad in 2008.Three of Caldy’s
bowlers, who play in the
Liverpool and District competition, long regarded as
one of England’s leading
club leagues, conceded
in excess of 100 runs.
Overwhelmed by what
had happened to them in
the field, Caldy collapsed to
79 all out as Nantwich won
by a scarcely credible
500 runs. Livingstone,
yet to make his firstclass debut, endeared
himself to Lancashire
fans by finishing last season with
204 in the Roses 2nd XI clash against
arch-rivals Yorkshire.
Spinner
defends Pollard
Defending Kieron Pollard for
plastering his mouth after being
told to be quiet by the umpire,
Mumbai Indians’ senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh the bizarre
gesture was unique but not in
bad taste.
‘The umpire told him to stay
quiet, so he wanted to make sure
to put the tape on his mouth and
be quiet, but he is a bit of character. He likes doing things like
that. IPL brings the best flavours
of the West Indies boys and there
was something very different and
unique which was in a good taste,’
he told reporters here.
Pollard was warned by one of
the on-field umpires to stay away
from any banter after he was seen
trying to unsettle RCB opener
Chris Gayle’s rhythm by hurling
a few words at him.
However, the tall West Indian
responded hilariously by plastering his mouth with a tape which
amused the spectators, Gayle
and Mumbai Indians players
including Ricky Ponting and Anil
Kumble sitting in the dugout.
Asked about his unique on-field
behaviour, Pollard said it was just
for fun.
Speedy Hamilton pulls
away from challengers
Manama, Apr 20:
Formula One world champion Lewis
Hamilton won the Bahrain Grand
Prix for the second year in a row on
Sunday with Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen
back on the podium to deny Mercedes another one-two finish under
the floodlights.
The Briton’s flying pole-to-flag victory at the desert track
was his
third win in four
races
this season and
36th
of his career.
T
h
e
30-yearold increased
his lead over
Rosberg in
the standings
to 27
points, with the Briton now having
93 points to the German’s 66 as the
championship heads back to start the
European season.
‘I am gunning for it,’ Hamilton told
triple world champion Jackie Stewart,
doing the podium interviews, when
reminded that he could also be a
three-times champion by the end of
the season.
‘The Ferraris gave us a real good
run for our money, and out there it
was really difficult to look after the
tyres in these conditions,’ he added
after spraying the fizzy rose water
that replaces champagne in Bahrain.
He did so with less reckless abandon than in China last weekend, when
photographs of him aiming a jet of fizz
in the face of a hostess triggered a
controversy and accusations of sexist bullying.
‘Fortunately I was able to keep the
car together, keep the tyres as healthy
as possible and got it through... I think
we showed that Mercedes are still the
best,’ said Hamilton.
Unlike last year, when he beat team
mate Nico Rosberg from second
place on the grid in a wheel-to-wheel
battle, Hamilton was untroubled by
the German who finished third after
fighting the Ferraris.
Djokovic cool about hot streak
when I won over 40 matches in a row. which is equally as important as the
Monte Carlo, Apr 20:
Novak Djokovic
‘I got that question asked basically work I do on the court.’
On-form Novak Djokovic knows betThe Serb is due for at least a week
after every match: How long it’s going
ter than to try and predict how long
off before returning to the courts for
to go, how long it’s going to go?
he can keep up what seems to be
a super-human effort on court after
‘I really don’t know, it’s something I the Madrid Masters in early May,
where he will try to extend his run
winning the Monte Carlo Masters.
can’t influence and predict.
o f imperious form.
The top seed had to survive a
‘What I can do and influence right
Djokovic said that he somecomeback as well as a 70-minute
now is rest, recover, because I
how feels better on court
rain interruption on Sunday before
need at least a week of good
than he did four years ago
running out 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 winner over
rest. It’s been a long couple
during that record winning
Tomas Berdych.
months for me.’
run.
Djokovic’s victory was his 17th
Djokovic now owns 52 ca‘2011 results-wise was the best
straight win of the season and also
reer titles and 23 at the elite
season
I had so far in my career.
marked a fourth straight Masters
Masters level.
But
somehow
I do feel better
1000 title after winning at Paris
He stands 19-2 over Bernow
than
I
did
in 2011.
Bercy last November before adding
dych and 30-2 this season.
‘I do enjoy tennis, but I ena Miami-Indian Wells double earlier
‘I cannot complain. But I
joy being a (new) father and
this year. The world number one
played a lot of matches, travelled a lot
knows he is riding a wave and is not
with Davis Cup, Dubai, Indian Wells, kind of combining it all together. It
complaining after winning his 30th
Miami, coming here, not having too gives me a great fulfilment, satisfacmatch and fourth title of 2015. ‘Honmuch time, already getting into clay tion and joy to keep on going.
estly I’m not thinking about how long
‘Everything has more sense. I have
that is a totally different surface. ‘I’m
I can keep it or how long the streak
healthy, obviously very confident. a greater purpose, I would say, of
will go,’ he said. ‘Fortunately I had a
Everything is going in the right direc- playing tennis than it was the case
similar situation in my career, in 2011,
tion. I just need to take some time off, in 2011.’
Published by K. Balakumar on behalf of News Today Media (P) Ltd., from 85, Mount Road (GST Road), Guindy, Chennai 600 032 and printed by him at Frontline Printers Private Ltd., M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy,
Chennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K. Balakumar. Phone: Editorial/Admn /Advt: 22504000, Fax: 2250 1800 (Editorial)/2250 1200/2250 0101 (Advt/Admn). e-mail: [email protected], Circulation: 4202 1111. Fax: 4212 0000.
Mixed Bag
CHENNAI
MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
7
PM reaches out
to opposition
Modi hopes for ‘productive session with constructive debates on issues’
Veteran film director S P Muthuraman with members of the Tamil
Film PROs Union at the inauguration of a new building for the
association in Chennai today.
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI):
As the second part of Budget session got underway, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi today appreciated the
cooperation of all parties in the first
half and hoped that the same would
continue.
‘The first part of the Budget session
witnessed unprecedented outcomes.
Even in terms of productivity, it was
successful after many years because
of the cooperation of all parties. I
thank all parties for that,’ he told reporters outside Parliament.
‘I am confident that in the second
part also the level of discussions will
keep rising. There would be discussion as per the hopes and expectations of the common people and
with the cooperation of parties good
decisions would be taken and we
will take steps towards meeting the
expectations of the people,’ he said.
Aussie PM downs
beer in seconds
Mullaiperiyar:
Kerala to up
security
Remains of two huts that were destroyed in a fire accident early this
morning at Appaswamy Street in Chetpet. No casualties have been
reported, as a family of four had a narrow escape.
Sydney, Apr 20:
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott was caught on video downing a
beer in a few seconds at a Sydney
pub, prompting comparisons to another drink-chugging former leader
and sparking a debate on social
media.
The video, reportedly recorded last
night, showed the leader knocking
back a glass of Australia’s Victoria
Bitter in about six seconds as a large
crowd surrounding him yelled ‘scull’
repeatedly.
‘Scull’ is a slang term for drinking a
glass of beer in one go.
Abbott was ‘proud as punch’ when
he grabbed a beer and ‘drank from
head-to-toe the entire schooner
(glass), dribbling little bits on his shirt,’
Simon Carrodus, an Australian Football Rules coach for the University of
Technology, Sydney told the Australian Women’s Weekly magazine.
Carrodus said his university’s football club was holding an event at an
eastern Sydney pub when they spotted the Prime Minister.
‘I walked over to Tony and said ‘will
you come over and have a beer with
the best players as part of the (club’s)
presentation’, he said.
‘He said ‘absolutely no problem’.
Abbott drew parallels with Bob
Hawke, who was Prime Minister from
1983 to 1991 and was reputedly a
world champion for drinking a yardglass of beer, about three pints or 1.7
litres, in a record time of 11 seconds.
Now in his eighties, Hawke has
stunned and delighted Australian
cricket fans by sculling beers at several matches in recent years.
Abbott’s glass was a schooner,
which in New South Wales State
where Sydney is located can hold
425 millilitres of liquid.
New Delhi, Apr 20:
The Kerala government today informed the Supreme
Court that the security of the
Mullaiperiyar dam would be
strengthened. As part of that,
more security forces must be
stationed near the dam, it said.
Kerala was replying to Tamilnadu’s petition seeking CISF
personnel at the dam. At
present, the security of the
Mullaiperiyar dam is entrusted
with Kerala.
Tamilnadu had filed a plea in
the Supreme Court stating that
the security provided by Kerala
is inadequate. Kerala feels that
the present situation does not
warrant a central security force
near the dam. The detailed
hearing will be conducted in the
last week of July, the Supreme
Court said.
Mob attacks hospital
after 5 die in accident
Siwan, Apr 20 (PTI):
Five persons were killed and eight
injured when an autorickshaw carrying students and a pick-up van
collided in Bihar’s Siwan district, triggering violence in the area with locals
ransacking a hospital and torching
vehicles.
Peeved over lack of medical facilities, locals attacked a government
hospital where the injured were
rushed and indulged in arson.
Altogether nine vehicles including
an ambulance, two cars belonging
to doctors and government vehicles
were burnt by the mob, Siwan Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP)
Ashok Sinha said.
Giving details of the accident, the
ASP said ‘The auto-rickshaw was
mainly carrying school students from
Barharia to Siwan town, while the
pickup van was coming from Siwan.
Both the vehicles collided at high
speed. Two persons were killed on
the spot, while the rest died on their
way to Patna after being referred
there for better medical
treatment.’
The accident happened near Shahbazchak village.
A mob gathered at Siwan Sadar
Hospital as the injured persons including students were being brought
there for treatment. They got angry
after noticing that a few doctors were
absent from duty, and the medical
facilities were not up to mark, the
ASP said.
Sensing the gravity of the situation,
the lone doctor on duty there tried to
admit the injured in private hospitals
there, but they refused. The seriously
injured persons were then referred to
Bengal cricketer dies
after on-field injury
Patna Medical College and Hospital
(PMCH).
‘Angry over the scenario, the mob
went on a rampage and torched beds,
furniture, vehicles inside the Sadar
Hospital premises. They also broke
the doors and windows of the buildings. Our forces rushed there and
controlled the situation,’ Sinha added.
Fire tenders were rushed to the
spot to douse the flames. Senior
administrative officials are camping
at the hospital.
The ASP said that four accident victims have been identified as Shailesh
Kumar Gupta, Manu Gupta, Pappu
Khan and Sajid Ali. The deceased
belong to Rampur and Murgi Tola
villages under Barharia police station.
Among the eight injured, most of
them are stated to be in serious condition, he said.
With Parliament set to witness a
stormy session over a host of issues,
including the land bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah
Naidu has asked BJP MPs to be
present in their House throughout
Earlier this morning, the Prime
Minister had tweeted that he looked
forward to a ‘productive session, filled
with constructive debates on several
issues’.
The controversial land bill issue is
expected to generate much heat in
Lok Sabha with the government deciding to table the new land ordinance
on the very first day of the second half
of Budget session.
According to the schedule of business, Minister of State for Parliamen-
tary Affairs Rajiv Pratap Rudy will lay
on the table a copy of the Right to Fair
Compensation and Transparency in
Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (Amendment) Ordinance, promulgated by the President
on April 3 under Article 123(2)(a) of
Constitution.
External Affairs Minister Sushma
Swaraj will also make a statement
regarding the ‘Recent Developments
in the Republic of Yemen and efforts
made for safe evacuation of Indian
nationals from there’. The Budget
session will conclude on May 8. The
Rajya Sabha is having a new session
from April 23 that will end on May 13.
On the eve of resumption of Budget
Session, Modi had yesterday voiced
hope that it would be full of ‘outcomes’, noting that the productivity of
Parliament has ‘reached 125 per cent’
since his government came to power.
With Parliament set to witness a
stormy session over a host of issues,
including the land bill, Parliamentary
Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu has
asked BJP MPs to be present in their
House throughout.
The land acquisition ordinance,
which the government could not get
converted into a legislation in the
first half of the budget session in
Parliament due to stiff opposition in
Rajya Sabha, was re-promulgated on
3 April, a day before it was to lapse.
Giriraj regrets
remarks against Sonia
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI):
The Congress today raked up the
issue of Union Minister Giriraj Singh’s
remarks against party president Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, forcing
the senior BJP leader to regret his
statement.
As soon as the House met for
the day, Congress members raked
up Singh’s remarks against Sonia
Gandhi, terming it as an attack on
womanhood.
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha
Mallikarjun Kharge said BJP MPs
and ministers have continuously been
making unwarranted and irresponsible statements. Such remarks create
fissures in the society and hurt the
harmony, he said.
At one point of time, Kharge got offended when his mike was switched
off. ‘Whenever I speak, the mike is
switched off...I have to protest,’ he
said.
Jyotiradiya Scindia (Cong) said
such remarks make people hang their
heads in shame. ‘It is an insult to the
Nigerians also...the Nigerian High
Commissioner has also protested.’
He said Prime Minister Narendra
Modi should apologise and this time,
the Minister should not apologise but
tender his resignation.
While rejecting a variety of adjournment motions moved by Congress,
AIADMK and Left members, Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan allowed Scindia
to raise the issue of Giriraj Singh’s
remarks.
She said she was also hurt by the
remarks and such statements should
not be made.
Remembering the
Mahatma in SA
Johannesburg, Apr 20 (PTI):
Over 3,000 people from all walks of
life participated in an annual charity
walk here to honour Mahatma Gandhi
who proposed his philosophy of
Satyagraha while
living in South Africa.
Ministers, beauty
queens and media personalities
joined families in
the 30th anniversary celebrations
of the Gandhi Walk
hosted yesterday in the sprawling
Indian township of Lenasia, south
of here.
The walk was led by two Gandhi
lookalikes dressed in the traditional
dhoti worn by the iconic Indian leader.
Looking the perfect picture of the
aged Gandhi, 80-year-old Thakor
Ramjee travelled 600 kms to join
the event.
Organisers said the latest edition of
the walk was a double celebration as
this year marked the 30th anniversary
of the walk as well as the centenary
of Gandhi’s return to India from South
Africa.
Two trees were planted on the
premises of the Gandhi Hall in Lenasia to mark the milestone events.
The walk was originally started as a
fundraiser to complete the community
hall named after the iconic leader.
After the completion of the project,
the event continued to raise funds
for a variety of charitable and welfare
organisations.
The walk was followed by an all-day
entertainment ‘Mela’ of Indian and
South African dance and songs.
Mayor of Johannesburg, Parks
Tau, and Indian High Commissioner
Ruchi Ghanashyam also attended
the event.
RR goes for ‘super six’
vs erratic Kings XI
Both Sonia and Giriraj Singh were
present in the House.
Parliamentary Afairs Minister M
Venkaiah Naidu said government and
BJP did not aprove of such remarks
but there was no need to bring the
Prime Minister in the picture.
Kharge said the PM was in picture
as the remarks have been made by
a minister which makes it a collective responsibility of the Council of
Ministers. ‘PM is the Leader of the
House...,’ he said.
As Speaker took up the Question
Hour, Congress members trooped
into the Well raising slogans. The
House was then adjourned for 20
minutes. Congress Vice President
Rahul Gandhi entered the House just
as it was adjourned.
Gang kills
PMK man
NT Bureau
Chennai, Apr 20:
A functionary of the Pattali Makkal
Katchi (PMK) was hacked to death by
a four-member gang at Idaikadambur
village in Ariyalur district of Tamilnadu
late last night.
Police sources said that political
enmity was said to be the reason
behind the killing.
The PMK man Rajasekar, was
proceeding to his house in a twowheeler, when the gang, waylaid him
and attacked him with sickles and
other lethal weapons.
He died on the spot. His body was
moved to the Government hospital
for post mortem. Tension prevailed
in the area following the incident and
police pickets were posted to prevent
any untoward incident.
Four special teams have been
formed to nab the assailants, who
were suspected to be the members
of the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi
founded by former PMK MLA T Velmurugan.
Gold seized from
woman passenger
NT Bureau,
Customs officials today seized
about 1.5 kg of gold bars from a passenger who arrived at the airport here
from Singapore.
Airport sources said the value of the
gold bars was estimated to be Rs 50
lakh. The passenger Aamina Beevi,
hailing from Trichy, was detained for
questioning.
Kolkata, Apr 20 (PTI):
In what can be considered a cruel
In another tragic on-field incident twist of fate, Keshri was not a part
after Phillip Hughes’ death last No- of the playing XI and was the 12th
Ahmedabad, Apr 20:
vember, a promising Bengal bats- man of the side in the fateful match.
An upbeat Rajasthan Royals will
man Ankit Keshri today passed He came to replace Railways Ranji
look to win its sixth straight game
away owing to an injury sustained all-rounder Arnab Nandi, who had
when it hosts the struggling Kings XI
during a Cricket Association of taken a break.
Punjab (KXIP) here tomorrow.
Bengal’s Senior one-day knock-out
The incident happened at the
The Royals have won five games
match on 17 April.
Salt Lake ground during a one day
in as many matches and have been
Keshri was in hospital for the match between local giants East
impressive in all departments of the
past three days and was showing Bengal and Bhowanipore club.
game. They are coming off a superb
signs of recovery till yesterday
‘Fielding at sweeper cover, Keshri
win against Chennai Suevening when he was given oral rushed to take the high catch as
per Kings (CSK) at their
NT Bureau
food. However, in the early hours left-arm pacer Sourav
home ground. First the
Chennai, Apr 20:
of this morning, Keshri suffered a Mondal too ran on his
bowlers stepped
A man filed a complaint with police
massive cardiac arrest and was follow through. It was
up to restrict a
that his car has been destroyed in a
put on ventilator before he was as freak an accident
powerful CSK
fire at Peravalur yesterday night.
declared dead.
as possible,’ Benline-up to a score
According to police sources, SundaThe 20-year-old, a talented right- gal A coach Jaideep
of just 156. Chris
ram a resident of Periyar Nagar, who
hander, had captained the Bengal Mukherjee, who was present
Morris was particu- history of IPL. They were severe on been the main batsmen for them at
runs a driving school, alleged that his
U-19 team in Cooch Behar Trophy at the ground, told PTI.
larly impressive as he the Chennai bowlers and cantered the top, and with Watson coming and
car went up in flames. His neighbours,
and was in the 30-member India
After colliding with Mondal,
bowled with good pace to a eight-wicket victory. They will firing, it only adds to their strength.
police said alerted him about the fire.
U-19 probables list for the 2014 blood spurted out of his mouth
and got good carry from the surface. hope to continue the form ahead in Deepak Hooda in the middle order
The vehicle was severely damaged
Colts World Cup in the United Arab as he fell unconscious. Former
Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson the tournament. Watson coming for has been the surprising package for
before they could put out the fire.
Emirates. He was also playing for Bengal spinner Shivsagar Singh
opening the batting for them, reg- Tim Southee was superb both with them with the bat. They have been
Police said that the source of the fire
Bengal A (U-23 side) in CK Nayudu and batsman Anustup Majumdar
theirRoad
eight(GST
100-run
opening
is yet to beIndustrial
confirmed.
Published by K. Balakumar on behalf of News Today Media (P) Ltd., from istered
85, Mount
Road),
Guindy, the
Chennai
600
at Frontline
Printers
Private
Ltd.,like
M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka
Estate, Guindy,
dominant
and are
looking
bat and
the032
ball.and printed by him very
national Championship.
rushed to attend him.
most forFax:
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Chennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K. Balakumar. Phone: Editorial/Admnstand;
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Rahane and
Steven0101
Smith
have the
Car goes up in
flames at
Peravallur
8MONDAY
20 APRIL 2015
, CHENNAI
Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17
WHERE THEY STAND
TEAMS
BENGALURU:
As he made his way towards the
press conference room post-match,
the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy
Stadium roared, ‘David, David, David’.
He looked and waved at them, almost
embarrassed. When teased that he
is already a hero in the eyes of the
Bengaluru crowd, there was nothing
that could hide his blush.
Only a match old in the IPL,
David Wiese is Bangalore’s latest
heartthrob.
A strapping all-rounder from South
Africa, Wiese introduced himself
to the IPL with four wickets and a
sterling show with the bat that almost
took RCB over the rope chasing MI’s
209. He went in to bat at 7 when AB
de Viliers was wielding his magic,
stayed on even as de Villiers got out
and carried forward RCB’s fight. In
the end, Wiese walked back to the
dugout with 47 runs off 25 balls. RCB
fell short of the target by 18 runs.
Wiese’s display of guts and gumption gave IPL a new star.
He spoke to iplt20.com at the end of
the match, about his first taste of the
IPL and batting with de Villiers, who
ignited hope into RCB’s chase with a
whirlwind 41 off 11 balls.
Q: That was one hell of an IPL
debut for you!
A: Oh, I will take that for my first
time out there. It was quite exciting
and I am happy to be on my way. It
was fortunate that we had a big total
like this to chase because we had
no place to get an inch and had to
go from ball-one. We had to swing
at everything and do our best at it. It
worked for me tonight.
Q: Has this whole IPL environment been
overwhelming?
A: I have been fortunate to have played the
Champions League T20 before. So I was kind
of used to the idea of large crowds. But the sup-e
port that RCB have here is unlike anything I have
o
ever seen in the world. It’s just unbelievable to
have the backing of such a massive crowd and
a real pleasure to play for them.
Q: How is it batting with AB de Villiers?
A: It makes you feel a little bit inadequate as a
y
batsman at times, the way he plays. He is a truly
ght
unbelievable player and the best in the world right
now. It was an incredible experience batting with
tretch
him. When I got there, it was getting a bit of a stretch
nd keep
at that stage. He told me, ‘just do what you do and
believing that you can win it because you never know. At
this ground you can chase down 200. Just keep the belief’.
Q: Did you always believe that you can do it?
s and they
A: We did. I was speaking to some of the guys
vers here.
said you can easily score 70-80 in the last five overs
e which
And we had some big hitters in the end there
meant anything was possible. It is always a bitit of the
batter’s game in the end, so you never know. We got
close but unfortunately not close enough.
wlers had
Q: Before de Villiers went in to bat, the MI bowlers
a tight leash on the RCB batsmen. Even Gayle struggled
to put bat on ball. But AB changed the whole scenario
from the first ball he faced. Did it set the tone forr you and
the other guys coming in?
N/R
PTS
Rajasthan Royals
5
5
0
0
0
10
Chennai Super Kings
4
3
1
0
0
6
Kolkata Knight Riders
3
2
1
0
0
4
Delhi Daredevils
4
2
2
0
0
4
Sunrisers Hyderabad
4
1
3
0
0
2
Kings XI Punjab
4
1
3
0
0
2
RCB
3
1
2
0
0
2
Mumbai Indians
5
1
4
0
0
2
A: Oh, definitely. AB just shifted
the momentum tota
totally towards
us. It is a lot easier to go in to
bow
bat when the bowlers
are on
the backfoot. I th
thought they
u until then
bowled nicely up
David Wiese
and their plans were quite
good. AB ju
just walked
in and turne
turned it around
completely. To see him
do that, yyou realise
that it ca
can be done
and th
that you too
a
are capable
o
of doing it.
That is a
n
nice feeling.
Kieron Pollard
NEW DELHI:
Upbeat after getting over the line
in their previous two humdingers,
Delhi Daredevils coach Gary Kirsten
believes the team can surely take
the momentum forward in the four
straight home IPL games at the Feroz
Shah Kotla starting tomorrow against
Kolkata Knight Riders.
‘It’s good to get the wins and I think it
was important for us to get the winning
feeling going and the winning habit.
So I was pleased from that perspective,’ Kirsten said on Sunday on the
eve of their fifth match here.
‘I think creating some momentum,
that’s the key. Just keep the momentum going and maintain that.
We have had two nice little injections
of confidence now, so we need to
maintain that form and stay confident,’ he added.
Unlucky to lose two close games
first up, the Jean-Paul Duminy-led
side bounced back in the next two to
rise up the ranks. After chasing down
166 with a ball to spare against Kings
XI Punjab, DD stopped SunRisers
Hyderabad from getting 10 runs of the
final six deliveries. Kirsten was happy
with the way the team has responded
under pressure.
‘Pretty happy with the way the guys
responded in pressure situations. We
had four really tough games and came
through in two of them. So I think
we are comfortable and on the right
track. We have come to understand
whatever we need to do in our combinations and so I am happy,’ said the
former South African batsman.
‘I have been close to having a heart
attack. But good to have those, to
kind of get used to them. So this was
something that we needed to do and
to be able to pull through in two of
them has been fantastic,’ he added.
Young openers Mayank Agarwal
and Shreyas Iyer have also performed
well for the team and Kirsten said the
team has always backed its youngsters. ‘We have backed them all along
(younger lot). We are happy with that,’
he said.
The tournament’s biggest buy, Yuvraj SIngh, who was bagged by DD
for a record Rs 16 crore, also came to
the party with a well-made 54 against
King XI. Kirsten, who saw the veteran
left-hander get the man of the series
award in India’s 2011 World Cup
triumph when the South African was
the national coach, is delighted with
Yuvraj’s effort.
‘He is a quality player. We know that
we can get performances out of him
and he is keen to do well, so we can’t
ask for more,’ he said.
Leg-spinner Imran Tahir, 9 scalps
in 4 matches, and Amit Mishra have
also made it count in key situations.
Kirsten not only rates them as key
players but also lauds the team’s
bowling department.
Pollard’s
‘silent’
protest
BENGALURU:
Kieron Pollard responded to an
umpire’s request to quell his on-field
chatter by covering his own mouth
with strapping tape in a game between Mumbai Indian and Royal
Challengers Bangalore here on
Sunday.
Pollard drew the ire of umpire Richard Illingsworth after an extended
exchange with Royal Challengers
Bangalore batsman and fellow West
Indian Chris Gayle.
Gayle had started slowly in Bangalore’s chase of an imposing 210 for
victory and Pollard was no doubt reminding the powerful left-hander that
the required run rate was increasing
with every dot ball.
Pollard’s decision to engage his
former international teammate came
as Gayle played out a maiden over
from Indians bowler Lasith Malinga.
He was eventually dismissed for 10
off 24 balls. Illingsworth had words
with Pollard after the incident, which
didn’t seem to please the West Indian, and a few overs later the player
was spotted in the infield with tape
plastered over his mouth.
It drew cheers and laughter from
the crowd at the M Chinnaswamy
Stadium and a few wry smiles from
those on the Mumbai bench, including
coach Ricky Ponting.
The big-screen attendant at the
ground even flashed a ‘Quiet Please’
message on the screen, much to the
delight of the crowd.
With tape still in place, Pollard then
had a conversation with Illingsworth’s
partner Vineet Kulkarni.
Pollard was dismissed for 5 off 3
balls and bowled one wicketless over
in Mumbai’s 18-run victory, their first
of the tournament.
Kangaroo
from 24 April
P
is eagerly waiting for the release of Vai Raja Vai, directed
by Aishwarya R Dhanush.
She acts opposite Gautham
Karthik.
In a freewheeling chat
with News Today,
she talks about
Aishwarya, her
co-stars and her
future aspirations.
EXCERPTS
OF THE INTERVIEW
Rani,
Raja &
Priya
Priya Anand, Gautham Karthik
in Vai Raja Vai
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai
has been censored with U/A certificate. Buzz is that movie would be out
on 15 May. Directed by SP Jananathan of E and Peranmai fame, the film
has an ensemble of star cast including
Shaam, Arya, Vijay Sethupathi and
Karthika Nair.
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai
is said to be an action adventure film
— NT Bureau
Tied
Incredible to bat
with AB: Wiese
riya Anand is a bubbly young actress with
loads of energy. A
popular name in Bollywood
too with films like Fukrey and
English Vinglish, she has
established a place
for herself in Tamil
cinema with movies like Ethir
Neechal, Vanakkam Chennai
and Irumbu
Kuthirai.
Priya Anand
Purampokku
gets U
Lost
Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI at Ahmedabad (8 p.m IST)
Coach Kirsten believes team has the momentum
Arya, Vijay Sethupathi in
Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai
Won
TOMORROW’S MATCH
‘Nice injection of
confidence for DD’
Jean-Paul Duminy
Mat
Priya Anand
Q: Tell us about Vai Raja Vai?
A: It is an entertaining multi-starrer.
All the characters have a say in the
film. To act with seasoned professionals like Vivek, Gayathri Raghuram, Vasanth, Manobala and of
course Dhanush was a delight. We
had real fun shooting for it. I play a
plant pathologist in the movie.
Yuvanshankar Raja has come up
with splendid tunes.
Q:About Aishwarya Dhanush?
A: She is a taskmaster. She always wants perfection on screen.
Aishwarya has a nose for details. It
was a Herculean task to manage
the ensemble of cast and their busy
schedule. She would shoot nonstop and never takes rest.
Q: What kind of films you want
to do?
A: When it comes to signing
projects, I prefer quality over quantity. My forthcoming film would be
opposite Vikram, to be directed
by Arima Nambi fame Aravind
Shankar.
Q: On your co-stars?
A: Sivakarthikeyan was all fun
and would be nice to work with.
Atharva is my best buddie while
Gautham Karthik is a bundle of
energy.
Q: Will you direct movies in
future?
A: I have worked with three
female directors - Gauri Shinde
(English Vinglish), Krithika Udhay
(Vanakkam Chennai) and Aishwarya (Vai Raja Vai). I know the
travails and preparation one needs
to direct a movie. I love to do what
I know the best.
— M BHARAT KUMAR
Controversial director Samy’s Kamgaroo will hit th screens on 24 April.
He has apparently turned over a new
leaf and has come up with a familyfriendly film, which talks about the
importance of relationships.
The director says that it is a dedication to mothers.
The movie has been censored and
given U certificate.
Says Samy, ‘My aged mother was
responsible for me making the film.
She wanted me to do a feel-good film
for family audiences. Kangaroo talks
about the love and bonding between
an older brother and younger sister.
There may have been many films
highlighting brother-sister love, but
my screenplay is unique’
Starring Arjuna and Priyanka in
led roles, the movie is produced by
Suresh Kamakshi of V House Productions.
— NT Bureau
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