A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, July 17, 2009

04
BRUNI AND A
SONG
For Mandela
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 134

PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO

l close its print edition

Dear readers,
There is no better wa y to bre ak a har d new s than upfront: Ergo wil
tabloid.
When the world listened to him
the last print run of the Seventeen-year-old Samuel Venkatesan from Krishnagiri district makes
mo nth -en d. The issu e dated July 31 will be a point talking on child rights at the Junior 8 summit held in Rome.
this l 10 editions.
n has begun to the fina the print run, we are
In effect, the countdow n ma kes it tough for us to sustain » Page 03
nom ic slo wd ow go.in. It
And while the curren t eco eye open on www.goer
ain Erg o as an onl ine publication. So keep an con ten t made
already gearing up to ret des ign but also in terms of
compulsive online
jus t in ter ms of
will soon be bolstered not
t – if not
for that medium. was. It is one of the firs
a pio nee ring exp erim ent and in many ways it l cer tainly be
Ergo was meant to be of repute. And it wil
lies in the cou ntr y to be backed by a publication p at its core.
the very first – free dai ‘targeted’ readershi
t pub lica tion in the country to have had a aid ed by some
remembered as the firs but effective team of young
professionals,
irel y by a sm all loid as mu ch fun
It was managed ent in making the tab
ers . Ou r ent hus iasm did not wane even once
proactive student rep ort
out.
ourselves in bringing it we welcome from you
ideas
to read as we have had o into a completely online entity,
the tra nsi tion of Erg rem ain ing issu es
And as a run up to on online’ over the
imp act onl ine . We wil l feature ‘10 ways to live ine -on ly run .
on how to make an in our onl
se will be implemented
and our own ideas. The ow us on twitter
–
based on your feedback also foll
as to fee dba ck@ goergo.in. You can
Mail your ide
go.
www.twitter.com/goer
continued association.
Looking forward our to
Thanks for your time
S.Karthik
Editor
02 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Learn about blood donation

Namma Chennai
Do you and your colleagues want to donate blood? But, you do not
know how to go about it. Or, are looking if someone can conduct a
camp in your campus? K.R. Ramesh, who is the district chairperson for
Lions District (324A6) for blood donation camps, is ready to offer you
any assistance. Do call him at 98415 85865 to know more.

Food

Movies

Sizzling delights
Society, the casual dining restaurant at The Ambassador Pallava, is
hosting a Sizzler Fest. The fest offers a variety of hot and
scrumptious sizzlers. The festival is open for dinner (7.30 pm
onwards) from July 18 to 26.
For reservations please call 2855 4476.

Launch
Make a difference
Quiz bytes

?
Four films on climate change and environment made under the
U.K. Environment Film Fellowship 2009 will be screened on July 18, The Indian Quizzing League has come out
in association with Discovery Channel. with ‘KnowBytes’. The online quiz-letter
The films are: Don’t Rubbish it by Chandrasekhar Reddy; The will be delivered every weekend and
Change-makers by Gurmeet Sapal; India’s Climate Fever by Arjun comes with facts, titbits and the latest
Pandey and The Final Tide by Vikram Mishra and Praveen Singh. from across the globe. The letter is
The screening starts at 6.30 p.m., followed by a discussion with customised to the needs of quiz
filmmakers. enthusiasts and is for all age groups. To
get your copy email iqlteam@gmail.com or
visit http://iquiz.wordpress.com
For details call Karthik (9962070090)/
Sale Ananthashankar (9176287344).

Spring/ Theatre

summer Want to
Krishna Mehta’s
elegant spring/summer
2009 collection is on
display at Amethyst.
act?
Theatre group Evam
Extrovert creations, invites you to join in
mono-design shapes their theatre class,
with gay colours, where various
woven silk ikats, aspects of the art
luminous chiffons and including acting,
georgettes, sequins body language,
and woven gota voice, creativity and
embroidery … there is storytelling will be
lot to choose from. taught. The
Shop between 11.30 workshop will be
a.m. and 6 p.m. at held on July 18 and
Amethyst, 14 / 30, 19.
Padmavathi Road, For details call
Jeypore Colony, 9940438669/
Gopalapuram 9840281513
 Friday, July 17, 2009
The “rockstar”
of J8 summit V.HARIPRIYA
haripriya@goergo.in
“The condition of young girls in
Shoolagiri is pitiable. They have
to do household chores before
rushing to school. With only two
buses plying in the village, chil-
dren are bound to miss the class
and hence fail in their examina-
tions. Once out of school, they are
married off, then they are ha-
rassed for dowry and later they
commit suicide… .”
S
amuel Venkatesan summed
up the life of an average vil-
lage girl in Tamil Nadu –
from birth to death – for the
next 10 minutes. Listening to the
17-year-old’s talk in chaste Tamil
All smiles: Samuel Venkatesan was an august audience repre-
PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO
senting the G8 summit in Rome.
On Thursday, Samuel recount-
ed all his J8 experiences at a press
conference.
Samuel
Venkatesan, a
chirpy Plus One
student of
Government
Higher
Secondary
School in
Shoolagiri, was
the favourite of
the delegates
at the J8
summit held
recently
in Rome
Watch for a cause
Chennai Social Service, an NGO, is selling tickets for Harry Potter and the
Half-Blood Prince for the 8.30 a.m. show on July 19 at Sathyam Cinemas.
The tickets are priced at Rs.150 for premium class. The proceeds will go
towards charity. For booking and more details contact,
Balaji - 9884734284 or Venkat - 9841550476
He is among the three Indian
students who represented the
country in the Junior 8 (J8) sum-
mit. Sanjukta Pangi from Orissa
and Narendra Kumar from Uttar
Pradesh, his counterparts, spoke
on equal rights for the girl child,
school transport and quality edu-
cation.
Chatterbox
Two years ago, Nalanda Way
was in Krishnagiri to select stu-
dents for training in filmmaking,
an initiative they did jointly with
the UNICEF. “For the audition I
was asked to speak on any topic
of interest for a few minutes. I am
a chatterbox and I spoke as
usual,” recalls Samuel, who is the
first person from his village in
Krishnagiri district to complete
secondary education.
Thanks to the training given by
the NGO, Samuel already has two
short films – Accham Thavir and
Nipped in the bud – to his credit.
His other credential: Samuel is a
student reporter and writes for
Vaandu Soundu, a newsletter cir-
culated in schools, Collectorate
and other government organisa-
tions in the district.
Call for J8
While J8 and his meeting with
other delegates will remain a his-
tory, Samuel cannot forget re-
counting his first flight journey.
“When I told my mom she was
worried,” he says about his moth-
er who is a domestic helper in
Bangalore. “Plane la pogaatha..
adhu thannikulla vizhundirum..
(Do not travel by flight. It will fall
into water),” were Shanta’s initial
reactions when Samuel said he
has to fly to Rome. It is his ma-
ternal uncle, Ramamurthy, a lorry
driver, who supports his educa-
tion. He gave him confidence to
carry on.
03
“Rome was very beautiful and
the Italian Parliament was huge. I
also met Italian Youth Minister.
She was always smiling and I
liked her. My first dinner there
was fun. I was waiting to have a
grand feast, but they gave me so-
mething like our snacks in small
portions. With that they said the
dinner was over,” Samuel jabbers
away innocently.
Ladies first
But Samuel also has an unful-
filled wish, that he missed the
chance to meet Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh. “My counter-
parts knew Hindi and they were
at ease, but everything was Greek
and Latin for me. They showed
me a piece of paper and told me
to sign on it. Only later I realised
Sanjukta Pangi was the person
selected to meet him,” he smiles.
However, he pacified himself
saying, “It’s always ladies first in
our country.” One thing was for
sure, Samuel was everyone’s fa-
vourite— drawing attention for
his sign language but still min-
gling with the guests. For in-
stance, Samuel spoke for close to
an hour to an Italian Chef, says
Satish of NalandaWay, who ac-
companied him to the Summit.
To the point
So, what was Samuel’s learning
experiences. “Many. We shared a
lot, I actually learnt about child
right in Rome,” he says. The stu-
dent of vocational training, how-
ever, is sad that he and many
others like him in Indian villages
cannot speak English. “When the
children of developed countries
demand right to watch movies,
we from the developing countries
ask for basic education,” he con-
cludes, saying he will implement
the action plan of the J8 in his
village. ■
Samuel shakes hands with
Italian Youth Minister
Giorgia Meloni. PHOTO: PTI
04 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Village
Cops arrest opium-laced hat maker A Swiss
Thai police have arrested a Hmong hill tribe woman on
charges of embroidering opium into handicrafts for export chocolate that
to the US, according to a media report.
Police arrested Payia Saesong, 46, who was caught in the doesn’t melt
act of embroidering 710 grams of opium into six tribal A Swiss company has
hats in her home in Nan province, 300 kilometres north- claimed to have
west of Bangkok, The Nation reported. developed a new
Payia, a member of the Hmong ethnic minority group, chocolate that won’t
told police it was the first time she had sewed opium into melt in hands or room
the handicrafts on the instructions of her husband temperature, and it
Tongpor, who was at large. eyes India and China as
DPA potential markets for
the new product,
according to a media
report.
Man tries to fix airbed, The chocolate “Volcano” produced by Barry Callebaut
company will only melt when the temperature crosses 55
blows up apartment degrees Celsius, RIA Novosti news agency reported quoting
A German who tried to fix his leaky air mattress blew up Germany’s Die Spiegel newspaper.
his apartment instead, the fire brigade in the western city “This is an impressive idea!” said Daniel Burki, a financial
of Duesseldorf said. analyst from Switzerland’s Zurcher Kantonalbank,
The 45-year-old man used tyre repair solvent to plug a hole commenting on the sales prospects for the new chocolate.
in his airbed and left it overnight. The company believes Volcano will become a hit in such
But it blew up when he went to inflate it the next day. “A countries like India and China where chocolate melts on
spark from the electric air pump ignited it,” a fire brigade shop shelves, and where owners do not have enough
spokesman said. money to buy expensive refrigerators, the report said.
The blast pushed his living room wall into the building’s IANS
stairwell and caused
extensive damage to
walls, windows and
furniture.
Fire fighters evacuated Beckham gets new tattoo
the 12-apartment David Beckham is so fascinated with tattoos that he ignored his
building and a wife Victoria’s pleas to avoid another one and went ahead and
neighbouring housing inked his body again - this time with a ring of roses on his left arm.
block while they Beckham is said to be planning a pair of ’tattoo sleeves’ covering
checked for structural his right and left arms. In December last year, he is said to have
damage. angered his wife by adding a biblical proverb to his arm, reported
The man suffered burns dailymail.co.uk.
on his arms, while a “Victoria doesn’t think David should have any more tattoos and
three-year-old girl tried to stop him having another. She likes them but wants a bit of
suffered first degree his skin to be left, but David went ahead with it anyway,” said a
burns. source close to the couple.
Reuters IANS

C BRUNI
arla Bruni-Sarokzy will lead
a glittering line-up of stars
at a concert to mark Nelson
Mandela’s birthday, in what
will be her first public show since
becoming France’s First Lady.
Bruni-Sarkozy, a model-
turned-musician, will perform for
the first time in public since mar-
rying French President Nicolas
Sarkozy at the concert at Radio
TO SING FOR
MANDELA
City Music Hall in Madison
Square Garden.
The event, which also stars Ste-
vie Wonder and soul queen
Aretha Franklin, ends a week of
celebrations for the 91st birthday
of the former South African Presi-
dent.
“Mr Mandela is an iconic sta-
tesman whose sacrifice and lea- Mandela’s former prisoner num- Other stars to take part on Sat-
dership has had an enormous ber when he was jailed for 27 urday will include Hollywood
impact on humanity,” the orga- years under the South African stars Forest Whitaker, Susan Sa-
nisers said in a statement. apartheid regime before becom- randon and Matt Damon, the or-
The concert aims to raise funds ing the country’s first black Presi- ganisers said. ■
for Campaign 46664, named after dent in 1994. AFP
 Friday, July 17, 2009
05

Bollywood tweets
BLOGS FOR THE FANS
Celebrities are now
keeping followers up
to date via the web

T
aking a lead from their Hollywood counterparts, Bollywood stars
are getting online, using the Internet to get closer to their fans.
Actresses from Shilpa Shetty and Celina Jaitley to actors Aamir
Khan, Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan are posting photos,
videos and their thoughts on films and life on personal websites.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut are also a preferred
medium to keep fans up to date with new releases and events.
And although no Bollywood star has yet to surpass US actor Ashton
Kutcher’s massive 2.75 million followers on Twitter, Bollywood is also
taking to the micro-blogging site to interact with fans without tradi-
tional media filters.
Leading star Priyanka Chopra says writing is therapeutic and that
she is now hooked on Twitter.
“It started as a lark, a quest of discovery, and now I find my fingers
twitching for my Nokia or my laptop wherever something interesting
happens,” she told The Hindustan Times.
“I have great fun interacting with my ‘Tweeps’. At least they believe
it’s the real me, unlike some of you guys, who still aren’t sure that it’s
me reading your mails.”
Chopra’s Twitter feed - www.twitter.com/priyankachopra - reveals
her recent thoughts on everything from Michael Jackson’s death to
updates about her shooting schedule and even the monsoon rains.
Sonam Kapoor follows a similar line, “tweeting” on the banal, like
her favourite television shows, to her next film project, Aisha, based on
English author Jane Austen’s 1815 novel Emma.
Mayank Shekhar, national cultural editor at The Hindustan Times,
said the switch to technology - despite the low Internet penetration in
India - makes perfect sense given the growing hunger for Bollywood
news.
“There’s been an increase in the number of newspapers and televi-
sion stations that are after the same five people. Most newspapers
have five to 10 pages (on Bollywood) every day,” he said.
Bachchan, for example, updates his blog bigb.bigadda.com daily,
musing at length on life and responding personally to his many fans’
comments. He also picks apart every news item written about him,
giving his own response.
Most recently, the 66-year-old has been giving updates on his health
after a recurring stomach complaint.
“Reporters got the entire story from his blog. All the information was
in his post that day. It was as good as the reporter having spoken to
him,” said Shekhar.
Actor Aamir Khan also flew into a storm after writing on his website
www.aamirkhan.com that he had named one of his dogs “Shah Rukh”,
fuelling the rivalry between him and his namesake Shah Rukh Khan.
But mostly, new technology is used to maintain a strong fan base.
“People find it awesome that a movie star writes to them,” said
Shekhar. ■
AFP

Check Shilpa’s posts on www.shilpashettylive.com.

For latest info on Celina visit www.
mycelinajaitley.com.
Follow Priyanka on www.twitter.com/priyankachopra.
Aaamir blogs on www.aamirkhan.com.
Read Big B’s musings on www.
bigb.bigadda.com.
Find out more about Sonam on www.sonam-kapoor.net.
Salman blogs at www.salmankhan.net.
PHOTOS: S. SUBRAMANIUM, RAJEEV BHATT, AFP, PTI
06 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Sport
Toro Rosso fire Bourdais
France’s Sebastien Bourdais has been fired by Toro Rosso team, the Formula
One outfit announced on Thursday. The Frenchman fell out of favour following
lacklustre performances in this year’s Formula One campaign and will not race
for the team at the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26.

Honour for
DADA
Lancashire University confers honorary
fellowship to Ganguly

F
ormer India cricket captain
Sourav Ganguly added an-
other feather to his cap
when he was awarded an
honorary fellowship by the Uni-
versity of Central Lancashire.
Ganguly, who retired from inter-
national cricket late last year after
playing 113 Tests and 311 ODIs,
was conferred the fellowship for
his “unparalleled determination
coupled with grit and talent”.
“It is a huge honour. When I
came to know about this a few
months ago, I felt proud and I’m
happy to be here,” Ganguly said
after personally receiving the fel-
lowship from Dharma Kovvuri,
acting dean of UCLAN manage-
ment faculty, Wednesday at Lan-
cashire. “I have a long-term
association with Lancashire – I
had my first One-day Interna-
tional (after comeback) at Old
Trafford 13 years ago and had a
stint with Lancashire County
Cricket Club,” the 37-year-old
cricketer said. “The best thing I
remember about Lancashire was
in April 2000 when I turned up at
10 degree temperature. I was
standing in the slips and couldn’t
take my hands out of my pockets
as it was so cold. Luckily, Michael
Atherton asked me to go at mid-
on where I put some hand warm-
ers in my pockets and kept myself
warm,” he added.
Ganguly said he would set up
his own institution for children
from pre-school to college age in
Kolkata and build links with
UCLan. Praising Ganguly for his
contribution in cricket, Dharma
Kovvuri said, “It’s a great honour
for the university that we have
been able to nominate Sourav
and it’s great he has accepted. He
(Ganguly) has been a great am-
bassador for Indian cricket and as
we all know, he has been the
most successful Indian cricket
captain and for him to accept the
award from the university is a
great honour for us.” ■
PTI

Love all TT squad announced

Barely a few days after her
engagement, tennis ace Sania Mirza
has returned to the courts, but this
time in the company of her fiancée
Sohrab Mirza. Sania for the first time
turned out for practice at the L B
Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday
along with her childhood friend
Sohrab with whom she got engaged
on July 10. She is expected to depart
for the US on Thursday night. “We
have tried to spend as much time as
possible. This is where (stadium) I am
most of the time, so he (Sohrab Mirza)
decided to join me and he is also
getting interested in tennis,” Sania
said. “He can also enjoy watching me
practice and enjoy watching me play.
He is a lot into other kind of sports but
he follows my career whenever I am
playing,” she added.
Promising paddler Soumyajit Ghosh and G Sathiyan have been
included in the 16-member Indian squad for the 15th Asian Junior
Table Tennis Championship to be held in Jaipur from July 22. Both
Soumyajit and Sathiyan will be competing alongside Raj Mondal and
Harmeet Desai in junior (U-18) boys’ category, while Ankita Das,
Mallika Bhandarkar, Shreya Ghosh and Charvi Kavle will be vying for
top honours in the junior girls’ section. In cadet (U-15) boys’
category, India will be represented by Sandipan Dey, Rajeeb Sarkar,
Abhishek Yadav and Utkarsh Gupta. Mallika Bhandarkar, T R Rishiya,
Camila Sil and Monika Batra will lead the hosts’ challenge in the
cadet girls’ section. Sunil Babras, V K Agrawal and Mantu Ghosh will
accompany the team as coaches for the five-day tournament to be
held at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Teams
Junior boys: Soumyajit Ghosh, G Sathiyan, Raj Mondal, Harmeet
Desai; girls: Ankita Das, Mallika Bhandarkar, Shreya Ghosh, Charvi
Kavle. Cadet boys: Rajeeb Sarkar, Abhishek Yadav, Sandipan Dey,
Utkarsh Gupta; girls: Mallika Bhandarkar, Monika Batra, Camila Sil, T
R Rishiya.
PTI
 Friday, July 17, 2009
07

‘‘
If he plays to the end of the series, whether Andrew (Flintoff) wanted it that way or not, I’ve been
in teams where it’s happened in Australia, and it can be distracting. Knowing the stature he has in
the game in England, I can see it turning into a farewell tour. The know this is his last chance to play here
and then at Edgbaston and Headingley and so on I’m sure there will be a bit of a circus around him.
Ricky Ponting

Europe
CALLING
Beckham eyes another
half-year loan in Europe

D
avid Beckham says he expects
to find another half-year loan
deal ahead of the World Cup
next year to keep himself in En-
gland manager Fabio Capello’s plans
for the tournament in South Africa.
Beckham spent the Major League
Soccer (MLS) off-season – and the
first part of this current season – on
loan at AC Milan in Italy and said he
hoped to find a similar arrangement
next year.
“Leading up to the World Cup, the
England manager has made it very
clear to me that I need to be playing at
a European level,” Beckham said
ahead of his return match for LA Gal-
axy against rivals New York Red Bulls.
“So I will do everything possible... I’ll
always regret it if I didn’t do everyth-
ing and to give myself a chance to be
involved in that. At the moment my
priority is the rest of the season and
also playing and keeping in every
squad for England and representing
my country... Going forward of course
I want to be involved in the World
Cup, I’ve not hidden that fact.”
Beckham’s extended loan with Mi-
lan upset many at the Galaxy, with
resentment spilling over into a public
spat with team-mate Landon Dono-
van who questioned his commitment
to the team. The pair have said their
differences are water under the
bridge, but the prospect of Beckham
not starting next season with the
team he is contracted to is unlikely to
win over sceptical fans.
Coach unconcerned
Galaxy coach Bruce Arena, howev-
er, said he was unconcerned about
any disruption that might be caused
by Beckham’s movements. “I think
having David Beckham on our team is
just a fabulous asset. It was a little bit
awkward, the loan process, but fully
within the conditions of his contract.
And we were fully in agreement with
it and signed off on it. We knew the
pros and cons attributed with David
leaving on loan,” he said. “I’ve had a
great 30 years coach-
ing. This is a high point.
Not a low point. It’s
fabulous to have a
player of this calibre
on our squad. I look
forward to working
with David the re-
mainder of the season.”
Beckham, who previous-
ly stated he would like another stint
with Milan, said re-joining the Serie A
club would by no means lead to a
place in the World Cup squad, were
England to qualify. “At the moment
all I’m concentrating on is being part
of this team (L.A) and being success-
ful with this team. Once the season is
over, then I will decide and decide
what I do from then on.”
Aiming for South Africa
Beckham said a six-month deal was
necessary to be in top shape for selec-
tion, rather than a shorter January-to-
March deal that would fit in the MLS
off-season. “I think it would have to
be (six months), obviously, leading up
to the World Cup. But with the last
loan, it worked out pretty
well,” he said. “I’m not going
to sit here and say it was ide-
al and it was perfect, be-
cause at the end of the day
it was great for myself.” ■
Reuters
08
An invitation
Portfolio Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake, who survived the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima, has urged the U.S. President Barack Obama
to visit the city on the anniversary of the attack as part of his drive
to rid the world of nuclear arms.
On their own,
and making it work
The story of fashion designers Prabal Gurung and Joseph Altuzarra
E
ver since Prabal Gurung left
his employer in the gar-
ment district, last winter,
and sank his savings into
his own label, at the worst pos-
sible time, he has been more
aware of the silly and duplicitous
nature of fashion. It may just be
him, or the economy, but he
doesn’t think so.
Gurung learned to make beau-
tiful clothes at Bill Blass. There
was really no reason for a young
man to work at a dusty firm like
Blass except to learn things that
only old tailors knew. He stayed
five years. But when friends in
the industry heard of his plans to
start a line, they seemed to for-
get about tailoring and craft.
They told him he should make
clothes like Balmain.
Gurung wanted to laugh. Bal-
main was hot, but he couldn’t
see how it benefited anyone to
have another designer do torn
jeans and $12,000 beaded mini-
dresses.
“It’s not my voice,” he said.
Before the recession hit, the
sophisticated voice was someth-
ing that American buyers and
editors said they wanted to see.
It was as though the system, at
least in New York, had become
awash in brand-spouting hip-
sters, trust-fund kids with hand-
bag lines and ‘Project Runway’
rejects. Where were the smart
grown-ups?
Gurung, a calm, observant 30-
year-old who grew up in Kat-
mandu, in Nepal, impressed peo-
ple at his debut in February. His
Prabal Gurung with clothes had conspicuous polish,
one of his works (right) both in sensibility and cut. No-
body uses the word chic much to-
day, but that’s what they were.
His lanky cashmere jackets, mas-
culine trousers in wool or leath-
er, and splashes of feathers
recalled Saint Laurent. The pro-
portions were modern.
Women’s Wear Daily put his
one-shoulder red silk faille dress
on its cover. Four stores bought
the line, including Blooming-
ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009
dale’s and DNA, a boutique in Ri-
yadh, Saudi Arabia, owned by
Princess Deena Abdulaziz, whose
advance payment helped Gu-
rung pay some bills.
Young and going
Although sexier, the clothes of
Joseph Altuzarra, another new
designer (he spent two years at
Givenchy), have also shown un-
usual finesse. Altuzarra, 25, who
designs and produces his clothes
in Europe but lives in a small
one-bedroom apartment on Lex-
ington Avenue, admits he is
pushed by the creativity of Euro-
pean stars like Nicolas Ghes-
quiere of Balenciaga. Yet the
designer he probably admires
most is Tom Ford, the former
Gucci creative director, because
“he knew what women wanted
at a certain moment.”
Altuzarra’s draped dresses in
ivory or lilac georgette dresses
with ruched details express that
balance between extreme mo-
dernity and feminine practicali-
ty. In business for two seasons,
he picked up half a dozen new
stores for fall, including Holt
Renfrew and Colette in Paris, in
addition to Barneys and Ikram in
Chicago (the pipeline retailer to
Michelle Obama).
Despite the terrifying econom-
ic news of last winter and then
the broad reappraisal of luxury
spending, Gurung and Altuzarra,
whose prices are $1,500 to
$2,500, have done pretty well for
themselves.
Yet it is clear from talking to
them that their main struggle
has been with the expectations
of an industry that has enjoyed
too much money and celebrity, is
prone to mystification and is fast
losing the ability to recognize
what makes a design original or
modern _ and not.
“I’ve certainly been told who I
need to be hanging out with,”
Gurung said one afternoon in his
tiny studio apartment on East
Fourth Street. Although the
 Friday, July 17, 2009
Chinese touch
German designer Michael Michalsky is to design clothing for a Chinese fashion brand, daily
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.
Little
wonder
Joseph Altuzarra
Madame Carven, petite women’s
favourite designer, turns 100
“C
outure brought me
happiness, they
were the best years
of my life,” Madame
Carven recalls with a smile at
a celebration to mark her ap-
proaching 100th birthday.
Only a diminutive 1 metre
55 (five foot one) in her stock-
ing feet, for half a century she
was the favourite designer of
petite women.
In recognition of her contri-
bution to fashion and immi-
place was clean and neat, with nent birthday on August 31,
room for a bed, a bookcase, a the French Federation of Cou-
table and an area for fittings, he ture threw a party for her in
typically shows his clothes to the gardens of the Musee Gal-
buyers in an apartment that be- liera at the end of the haute-
longs to a rich friend. couture shows for next winter.
Five or six years ago buyers ex- “I know this place very well.
pected to find a young designer This is where I always showed
sleeping in a hole next to his fab- my collections,” she told AFP.
rics. That’s where they found Mi- Frustrated by the lack of
guel Adrover. He had even clothes suitable for small
stopped paying the rent, he was women like herself, Carmen
so down and out. Now, though, de Tommaso dropped plans
they expect to see a designer in a to become an architect or in-
luxury apartment he can’t pos- terior designer and took the
sibly afford. remedy into her own hands.
So Gurung obliges. That’s the In 1945, she opened her own
game. house under the name Car-
“I like being frugal,” he said. ven. Her fresh and carefree
“It limits you; it makes you style was an immediate hit
think.” Because of the recession with actresses like Leslie Ca-
he has been able to get deals on ron and Martine Carol and
fabrics. And because of his back- young girls around the world,
ground on Seventh Avenue, he including the future wife of
has been able to negotiate with President Valery Giscard d’Es-
local factories eager for extra taing, whose wedding dress
sewing to keep their workers bu- she designed.
sy. “You have to go to Nepal to “Couture brought me great
understand what real difficulty happiness, the joy of creating.
is,” he said. “The East Village – I did everything I could to
it’s not that bad.” make women beautiful,” she
Both Gurung and Altuzarra says, still immaculate herself
said they had received good ad- in an elegant green suit, her
vice from retailers. Altuzarra, favourite colour, with a pearl
who started his business with necklace.
money from his father, an invest- “I started out without
ment banker, and recently need- anyone. Now you need a
ed a new injection to cover
production costs – said buyers
wanted to see more variety in his
line. They said American women
Couture brought me great happiness, the
wouldn’t wear dresses without a joy of creating. I did everything I could to
bra. ■ make women beautiful
NYT News Service
09
sponsor, everything is very ex-
pensive, very difficult.”
Culture Minister Frederic
Mitterrand, nephew of the
late Socialist President, paid
tribute to her as “one of the
most eminent creative forces
in French and international
fashion.”
On a more personal note,
he recalled that his mother
“was always dressed by Mad-
ame Carven” and that for him
she felt like “part of the
family.”
For all ages
“I sold Carven Junior dress-
es and took the Carven Junior
collection to the United States
in 1964,” he admitted. In the
immediate post-war years,
marked by the return to
prominence of male designers
like Christian Dior and Jac-
ques Fath, Madame Carven
“was something of an excep-
tion,” according to Florence
Miller, who teaches at the
French Fashion Institute.
“She had the intuition to
appeal to young girls at a time
when the couturiers mostly
dressed older women.”
Her style was practical, flat-
tering, very feminine, very
close to what women actually
wanted, she explained. “She
wasn’t into building a spec-
tacular image for her label,
like Dior, for example.”
Madame Carven only final-
ly gave up designing in 1993,
in her 84th year, to concen-
trate on her passion for old
furniture and antiques. Today
her house is owned by the Pa-
ris group SCM and has aban-
doned hautecouture to focus
on ready-to-wear. ■
AFP
10 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Flick
MJ danced for hours to beat insomnia
A friend of Michael Jackson has revealed that the late King of Pop tried to beat his
insomnia by dancing for hours. Publicist Rob Goldstone has revealed that during his
Bad tour in the late 80s, Jackson used to have a dance floor installed in hotel rooms.

Extreme City, another film on

Mumbai slums Hollywood’s Paul Schrader to make the film

Y
et another foreign director ducer does sound strange,
has set his sights on Mum- doesn’t it?”
bai’s slums. After Danny “He didn’t give an immediate
Boyle’s dark and passion- answer. But at the Toronto Film
ate look at the city in Slumdog Festival in October 2008 he fi-
Millionaire, it is American di- nally agreed. He’s writing and
rector Paul Schrader’s turn to directing a drama-thriller tenta-
make a film in Mumbai. tively titled Extreme City for me.
Schrader is set to direct Ex- We’ve otherwise been interact-
treme City, a Mumbai-based un- ing for two years,” said Sinha,
derworld drama. Produced by who has directed films like Cash
Anubhav Sinha, the film will be (2007) Dus (2005) Tum Bin
shot in and around the slums of (2001).
Dharavi and will star both Hol- Schrader’s scriptural collabo-
lywood and Bollywood stars. rations with Martin Scorsese for
“I can’t deny there’s tremen- movies like Taxi Driver and
dous interest in another Mum- Raging Bull and his hugely in-
bai slum saga after Slumdog fluential directorial projects like
Millionaire. But our project was American Gigolo, Cat People,
firmed in much before Danny’s Mishima and Hardcore have
film released,” said Sinha, who made an impact on several film-
had a hush-hush meeting with makers.
the director-producer. Extreme City will be shot lar-
Mumbai, already under much gely in Mumbai and Schrader
global scrutiny after Slumdog will soon finalise his script for
Millionaire, is expected to get the film.
more tourist boost with Schrad- “Paul has started work on the
er’s film. script. It’ll be an English-lan-
“To have Schrader agree to guage film. But the Indian char-
make a film for me is a dream acters will speak their natural
come true. Paul came down to language. The Mumbai under-
India first in July. When I sug- world is familiar to Hindi film-
gested he make a film for me, he goers but not to a global au-
was surprised. Paul Schrader dience,” said Sinha. ■
making a film for an Indian pro- IANS

Robert Redford ties

the knot with long-
time girlfriend
Hollywood actor Robert
Redford has married his long
time girlfriend Sibylle Szaggars.
The wedding ceremony visited
by around 30 guests took place
in Hamburg, Germany.
The pastor revealed that the
ceremony was carried out in the
local language, as the actor
understood German.
According to the Hamburger
Abendblatt daily the couple now
plan to celebrate in an “official”
wedding party in Mexico in
September.
The pair had been seeing each
other since 1996.
ANI
Shakira sheds clothes
in new video
After pop star Britney Spears
stripped for her song Toxic, now
singer Shakira does the same for
her new track She wolf. The
Colombian singer will be seen
dancing provocatively in a cage for
the video. Flicking her blonde
locks around, she hangs upside
down as she warbles along in her
trademark sound, reported
thesun.co.uk.
She Wolf is the first single taken
from Shakira’s forthcoming English
language album of the same
name.
IANS
 Friday, July 17, 2009
11
Anne Hathaway’s pizza treat
Diaz owes it Anne Hathaway has apparently shown how much she cares about her fans, for she
treated people waiting in line to see her final performance in Shakespeare play
‘Twelfth Night’ with pizza. According to reports, fans had to wait overnight for
tickets to see Hathaway close her run in New York’s annual Shakespeare in the Park

to her parents
event last week, as the tickets were available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cine City
H
ollywood actress Ca-
meron Diaz credits her
parents’ 39-year mar-
riage for her success in
Hollywood. The 36-year-old
star, who lost her father to
pneumonia last year, still be-
lieves that the long-lasting
love her parents shared is one
of the key contributors to her
sterling on-screen success to-
day.
“It’s a bond that is so true,
so pure, and so powerful, it is
the most beautiful and inspir-
ing thing that I have ever wit-
nessed – the eternal love that
my mom and dad shared,”
Fox News quoted Diaz as say-
ing.
“It was what has given me
the strength and courage to
live this extraordinary life and
it is what powers the light
that burns inside of me,” she
added.
Meanwhile, Diaz is report-
edly in talks to star in comic
book movie Green Hornet.
According to EW.com, the
Charlie’s Angels star has been Keen to work with Kareena,
offered to play the lead, op-
posite Canadian actor Seth not Ash
Rogen. Imran Khan says he would rather share screen
The film to be directed by space with Kareena Kapoor than Aishwarya Rai.
Michel Gondry is set to go be- “I am most keen to work with Kareena. Both of
fore cameras later this sum- us shot for a chat show last week and I had
mer. great fun,” Imran told reporters. Imran was at
ANI his wittiest and generous best at an event to
AFP celebrate the success of FM Radio Mirchi’s show
“18 Hamesha” along with RJ Stutee.
IANS

Amy Katrina concerned

Winehouse about global warming
Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif, who is riding

divorces high on the success of her recent hit New York,

may not be worried about her career graph, but
is sure concerned
about global

T roubled British singer Amy Winehouse di-

vorced from her estranged husband, Blake
Fielder-Civil, in London on Thursday after two
warming. “Global
warming is
becoming a very
years of marriage, her spokesman said. serious issue. It is
The 25-year-old won five Grammy awards off crippling the
the back of her debut album Back to Black and world and as
the hit single Rehab, but has since been en- individuals it is
gaged in a well-documented struggle with our responsibility
drugs. that we make a
Fielder-Civil’s spokesman said in January conscious effort
that the 27-year-old had begun divorce pro- to deal with it in
ceedings against Winehouse “on the grounds of our own little
Amy’s adultery.” way and make
The couple married in Miami in May 2007, the world a
but have had a tempestuous relationship, while better place to
Fielder-Civil spent much of last year behind live,” Katrina
bars for a vicious attack on a pub landlord and a said in a
subsequent attempt to cover it up. statement. -
AFP IANS
12 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Sakthivel S. from Mindtree Ltd has nominated his friends as Partners in Atul Kumar form Verizon Data Service India Limited has nominated his
Crime. This picture was taken at the Paranur Railway Station. team as Partners in Crime. This picture was cliccked during their team
lunch at Rain Tree, Chennai.

Stanley Davidson from Hexaware Technologies has nominated his team Alston Daril Alex from Wipro has nominated his friends for Partners in
as Partners in crime. This pic was clicked at Bala Gurukulam orphanage. Crime. This picture was taken at Mayajaal.

M. Ramachandran from TCS E-Serve Ltd has nominated his friends Vignesh Dhakshinamoorthy from HCL Technologies has nominated his
as Partners in Crime. This picture was clicked at Valparai. friends as Partners in Crime. The picture was taken at Queensland.
 Friday, July 17, 2009
July 17
■ Dear Nithyalakshmi,
Gokulnath of First- Advance Happy Birthday I’m wishing
source Solutions you another year Of laughter, joy
has been nominated and fun, Surprises, love and
as Office Angel by happiness, And when your birthday’s
Harinder done,
Chaitanyaas. Regards, Scope Friends,
Scope International Ltd
Gokul is a guy with
friendly approach. He ■ Dear Ranjani,
is very jovial with Wish You Many More Happy Returns
everyone. He would of the Day ! Wishing you a lot of
make the entire happiness and good health in the
atmosphere with fun year ahead !! Keep smiling :)
and creativity and he Lots of Luv ,
is also very hard Revathy.G, Sowmya, Srividya,
workering. Samata, Reva, Wipro
■ Hi Lavanya,
May god smile upon your face and
gift you with everything that your
heart desires now and always! HAPPY
BIRTHDAY LAVANYA.
By, Your loving KURTLS.
■ Hi Lavy,
Wish U many many more Happy
returns of the Day.... May God bless u
with all His Grace throughout ur
life... Wish U a Happy and Prosperous
Life ahead... Enjoy the Day... and
Keep smiling.. Hope U will get a new
mob from ur dad atleast for this
birthday...:-)
Regards, Testing-29 Batch mates, Cognizant
■ Dear Kokki Kumar,
We wish you another year Of
laughter, joy and fun, Surprises, love
and happiness, And when your
birthday’s done, We hope you feel
deep in your heart, As your birthdays
come and go, How very much you
mean to us, More than you can
know. Wish You Many More Happy
Akshita Jain of Returns of the Day… May God Bless
HCL Technologies you so that you receive all you
Ltd. doodle this wish… Have a Delightful day…
Endrum natpudan, Madhuram , Shalini,
Hema, Sathish, Karthik, Madhu, Jegadeesh
Matrum NT-Nalam virumbigal
Cognizant Techonology Solutions.
■ Dear Malathy,
May you have all the joy your heart
can hold, All the smiles a day can
bring, All the blessings a life can
unfold, May you have Gods best in
everything. Wish you many more
happy returns of the day
Best wishes, Shanthini, CTS
1. Man 1: Unnoda sondha ooru edhu?
Man 2 : Sondha ooru vangura alavukku enkitta vasadhi illinga, ■ Dear Sowmiya,
sondha veedu thaan irukku Wish you a happy birthday .May you
2. Student : Teacher en thalai-la erumbu erudhu paarunga be gifted with lots of
Teacher : Adha yenda enkitta solra? happiness,health,love and joys to last
Student : neenga thaane sonninga en thalai-la edhuvume erra- all year through.May you have all the
mattengudunnu. joy your heart can hold.All the smiles
Bharani Kumar.S (RMT Server Team) a day can bring.All the blessings a
TATA Conslutancy Services Limited
13
life can unhold……..Stay happy &
stay young!!!!!.
With tons of love,
Maria Vinita, Rashma, Infosys.
■ Dear Princy
Wish you a happy and joyful birthday
.your all wishes be granted by god in
the upcoming years and may you
have a bright .successful future
ahead.wish you fantastic birthday.
cheers! god bless you...
By Vinoop, Sanumon, Gladson,
Sruthi, Sinuver, Riya .
■ Hi Prasanna,
Wish you many more happy returns
of the day!!!
Special wishes from: Sangeetha, Chintu,
Sathya and Dhivya, Infosys
■ Hi WINGS (sivagami),
ADVANCE many more happy &
prosperous returns of the day. I
should definitely say this, we accept a
person as a friend when he/she good
to us, but sivagami is an exception
because she is too good to all. Have
a long life darling.
Saranya Mahadevan, HCL TECHNOLOGIES
■ Dear Suganya Sekar,
This special Birthday greeting is being
sent your way, With may happy
wishes For a truly perfect day. Here’s
hoping that Your birthday Will bring,
All you really do deserve – The best
of everything. Happy Birthday Sugan!
Ammu, Dhiv, Nivi, Sasi, Suji, Sumi, Wipro
Technologies, Chennai.
July 18
■ Dear Sathya,
I’m so glad you were born, because
you brighten my life and fill it with
joy. Wish you a advance happy
Bday!!!
With Love, Dhivya
Infosys Technologies Ltd
■ Hi Saravanan
May this special day be filled with
sweet memories and happy hours.
Wishing you all the fun and
excitement that only birthdays can
bring!
With Cheers, Human Resources, Coastal
Training Technologies
India (P) Ltd, Chennai
July 19
■ Hi Thanga Anna,
On your birthday I wish you much
pleasure and joy; I hope all of your
wishes come true. May each hour
and minute be filled with happiness
And your birthday be perfect for
you!
Regards, Shanmugam B HCL Technologies
14 ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Traffic Jam
Dog’s fork brain
A Chihuahua managed to survive after getting a
barbeque fork stuck in his brain in Kentucky,
U.S., and went on the run for two days.

sudoku

Gopi
Valliyappan
from HCL
Technologies
shot this photo
at
Southampton,
UK using DSC-
W55 camera.
Hobbies:
Playing shuttle,
music, net
surfing

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

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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Friday, July 17, 2009
Cocaine golfer arrested
A woman who tried to smuggle cocaine in golf
clubs through Manchester airport was caught
by security staff when she didn’t understand
any golfing terms.
15
Word’s worth
Bezoar (bee-zor) a small hard mass that sometimes forms in the stomachs of certain animals,
especially ones that chew the cud, such as goats or sheep. In former times, these lumps were
believed to be an antidote for various ailments or conditions; they were either swallowed or rubbed
on the affected part of the body. The term comes from a Persian word meaning ‘antidote.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Your mood may play tricks on you. Try to remain
focused, all will be fine. Ganesha feels that the day
ahead may be dull with not much excitement. You
will be occupied with work. On the love front, a
day to solve some old issues with your partner.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Your confidence and decision taking ability will rock
today. Ganesha feels that you will be able to
correctly judge things long before they happen. This
will be helpful not only on the professional front but
it may also help your relationship with your beloved.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Today you may have to prioritize out of the three
BORN LOSER most important things; work, home and friends. The
positive part is, you will feel wanted and this may
boost your spirits. Thanks to your good mood today,
your efficiency at work may double!
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
There is no end to learning, but you seem to be in
a mood to overdo it. Make sure it is ‘one thing at a
time’, advises Ganesha. Also, do not forget to note
down all the important information you may come
across. The day will end on a happy note.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You may need to be vocal about everything today,
be it at office or at home. So stretch your vocal
chords a little. However, don’t let your words hurt
anyone, warns Ganesha. The easiest bet would be
to choose the right words.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
You need to schedule your timetable accurately
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT today. Ganesha predicts a busy day for you, on the
professional as well as domestic front. Do not let
this busy day affect your relationship with close
friends. Haste makes waste, advises Ganesha.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Investments if made for a long term may prove
profitable, feels Ganesha. Other than that, the day
may be spent discussing money matters with
experts, friends or colleagues. You may find it
difficult to solve issues associated with domestic life.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Everyone has to face rivals in life, in one form or
the other. Ganesha warns you against rivals in
disguise, some of your colleagues. The only mantra
to lead the ‘rat race’ is to work with honesty and
devotion. Hard work pays, says Ganesha.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
A pretty dull and vapid day, feels Ganesha. You can
spice it up with some fun filled activities with
family, friends or better yet, your beloved. At office
nothing special is expected to happen, so it is the
perfect time to wrap up any pending work.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Be prepared for surprises as luck maybe on your
side today. Ganesha feels it is the day to take over
new responsibilities. You may spend a lot of time in
meetings and discussions for the betterment of your
company today.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Your health may be at its best, but Ganesha warns
you against health problems of a family member.
ISSUE’S However, there are very little chances of anything
major. At office, domestic issues may rule your
SOLUTIONS mind. If the need be, take an off.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Let the mind take over all matter. Simple meditation
exercises may help you fight stress effectively,
suggests Ganesha. Your being emotional or
sentimental might not help today. On the brighter
side, you may get a lot of support from friends.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Friday, July 17, 2009

Snapshots from the

premiere of Harry
Potter and the Half-
Blood Prince held at
Sathyam Cinemas on
Wednesday night

Cool and Cosy: Dhanush and Aishwarya

Back from
Mumbai:Trisha.
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Charlie Angels: Akshara, Subbulakshmi and Gowthami

Pep-talk: Parthiban and Silambarasan All alone: Vivek