Malisse takes a joyride
December 31, 2007
Xavier Malisse walked to his hotel with a perfect year end gift, downing Gilles Muller of Luxembourg at the first round of the Chennai Open at the Nugambakkam Stadium on Monday.
The 27-year-old Belgian grabbed two early titles in 2007, in Chennai and Delray Beach, before a wrist injury sidelined him for six months and he dropped out of the top 100.
On Monday he showed his class against the error-prone Muller in the first-round clash between unseeded rivals lasting just over one hour.
“It’s a nice way to end the year. Now I can go back to my room, catch some sleep and then call up (people) to wish them a happy new year. And then probably catch a movie and enjoy a small bottle of champagne that I am carrying,” the 6-4, 6-3 winner said.
What a helluva way to spend the last hours of 2007… Err… maybe the first few hours of 2008.
The day started off in a blistering pace for this 27 year old jet-skiing enthusiast. A ride round the stadium in our very own Auto Rickshaw as thousands cheered.
“The whole experience is very different and nice. None of the tournaments do this. And with the entire crowd it makes the occasion very special,” Malisse added.
Ranked only three places below the Belgium, Muller hardly showed any intent on the court. And though his booming serves fetched him a few points, he had no answers to Malisse’s cleverly disguised drop shots and perfect topspins.
But world number 2 Rafael Nadal made a losing start to his new season when he and his partner Bartolome Salva-Vidal went down in their opening doubles match.
The French Open champion dropped serve once in each set as the 2007 finalists went down 6-4, 6-4 against the first-time pairing of Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis , the singles second seed, and Marc Gicquel of France.
Sixth seed Jurgen Melzer of Austria defeated Paul Capdeville of Chile 6-2, 6-4 while Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin thrashed Indian national grass-court champion Vishnu Vardan 6-1, 6-2.
A Touch of Tennis
December 30, 2007
Top seed Rafael Nadal will be happy with the draw for the 13th edition of the Chennai Open.
The clay court specialist will take on Mathieu Montcourt of France in the first round of the $436,000 ATP meet starting at the Nugambakkam Stadium from Monday. Montcourt is ranked 123rd in the world and his resume is unlikely to bother Rafa much.
The World No. 2, looking for answers to end Roger Federer’s dominance, has his mentor and third seed Carlos Moya, a winner at Chennai in 2004 and 2005 along with seventh seed Werner Eschauer (Austria) and eight seed Marc Gicquel (France), in his half of the draw.
Everyone expects a decent run for Nadal up to the quarter-finals in this 32-player draw; the only potential hazard for the Spaniard could be 33-year old Eschauer, who attained a career-high ranking of 52 this year before finishing the season at 66. A possible semi-final encounter between Nadal and Moya is sure to generate some excitement. Moya is experiencing a late resurgence in his career, and will be backed by a strong Chennai crowd.
Hard-luck cafe
Defending champion Xavier Malisse is unseeded after a bad run during the second half of 2007. He is in the bottom half of the draw along with second seed Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus), fourth seed and Mikhail Youzhny (Russia).
After a below par 2007, Baghdatis ranked 16th will be looking to improve his world rankings this year. And what better way to start than nabbing the Chennai Open. “My target for this year will be to get into the top 10 and stay there. I had a very disappointing 2007. I lost my confidence and went down. But I have fought my way back and am fit and prepared for the year,” he said.
Deep draw
“It is a very well spread out, heavy and deep draw. You cannot say a particular player has an easy run and I feel the tournament is very open this time,” said Vijay Amritraj, whose son Prakash is one of the three wild card entrants in the tournament.
“There are quite a few players in the draw who are capable of causing a few upsets. There are Malisse and Youzhny besides the eternal favourite Moya who will be vying for honours along with Nadal and Baghdatis,” Amritraj added.
The junior Amritraj will have a relatively easy first round facing a qualifier but if things go right, he will run into Moya. Prakash’s game is founded on serve-and-volley but his big serve is often let down by wayward groundstrokes.
“I would keep an eye on the likes of fifth-seeded Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, Giles Muller (Luxembourg, unseeded) and promising Croat Marin Cilic (Croatia), all of whom are capable of pulling off surprise wins. So, I find the draw very competitive and we should see some high quality tennis through the week,” his dad, Vijay opined.
The odd tough contest might be good, but too many upsets might cause troubles at the tournament. To steal from W.G. Grace, the crowds will come to watch Nadal, not his opponent.
Photo credit: PTI
No gender blenders for India
December 30, 2007
The Supreme Court may have allowed women for bartending but the bars in the capital are yet to hear footfall of female professionals. The fear of social stigma is seemingly preventing girls from getting into this area though several are showing interest.
Definite taboo
“The impact is not so good. It is a very different profession even for the males. It will take some time for females to take it as their career,” says Nischal Gurung, Director, Cocktails and Dreams School of Bar and Beverage Management. He feels that since bartending is still considered taboo, it requires a lot of awareness. A handful of women, who have dared to flick the peg so far, are also still to shed the fear of social rejection. “I am always chased for comments. I am fed up with this. Even my parents have started restricting me now,” says a girl bartender, who wishes complete anonymity.
Housewives behind bars?
Some of the bartending training institutes have been getting queries from the fair sex, including the housewives, but hardly any joins the course. “Definitely, it’s good for the industry. Now we have been getting queries even from housewives who want to spare some time for bartending to earn money. But the law has just come. We can expect substantial proportion of female professionals in the next couple of years,” says Rahul Jelkie, Director, Institute of Bar Operation and Management.
Bar owners, who have been expecting to prosper with more number of visitors since the abolition of legal restrictions, think female bartenders would always have an edge against their male counterparts. “Ladies would have much edge as compared to male bartenders because we have a majority of male visitors who generally overlook mistakes made by female hosts,” says Dhananjay Kumar, Director, Food and Beverage at Claridges Hotel. Yet the training schools have been facing a tough time to fulfil the increasing demand of female bartenders. “Lots of bars call up asking for female professionals. Suddenly, the demand has increased but we have a very smallpercentage of female students,” says Rahul Jelkie who currently has three batches of 35 students at his institute.
Safe enough
Security is also considered another restricting factor for women, though the bar owners claim to have foolproof measures. “Apart from short-circuit cameras which are already installed in almost every corner, all hotels and bars hire bouncers and security guards only to ensure that the customers must not misbehave. Besides, the profile of the visitors is totally different,” Dhananjay adds.
Author: PTI. Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
Starbucks products enter India
December 30, 2007
World’s leading coffee chain Starbucks has finally seen the light of the day in India through a distribution tie-up with the country’s leading multiplex operator PVR Ltd for its select products. PVR has started retailing Starbucks products at its select multiplexes in Mumbai and Delhi and plans to extend the arrangement to as many as 25 movie theatres across major metros.
“The retailing of Starbucks products has already started on an experimental basis at three multiplexes in Mumbai and Delhi.The arrangement is for sourcing the Starbucks products directly from the US, but does not include brewing of coffee,” PVR Ltd’s Marketing and Sales General Manager Ranjan Singh said.
PVR is sourcing products with longer shelf-life, including cold coffee and mineral water, from Starbucks and in future it might look at brewing the flagship hot coffee as well as and when the US firm gets the regulatory approval for full-fledged operations here. Earlier in July, Starbucks had withdrawn its application to operate single-brand retail stores in India after failing to get clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board. Previously, it had announced plans to open its first store in India in New Delhi or Mumbai by the end of 2007.
Author: PTI
Autoholics Unlimited
December 30, 2007
It is mid-afternoon heat on Sunday when the participants arrive at the IRT grounds, Taramani. Nobody in their right senses would be outdoors. But then, nobody in their right senses would want to travel the state in an autorickshaw!
Ceat Classic Autorickshaw Challenge is not about what is right or wrong. It is about the pure joy of autorickshaw riding – sadly something that is lost to city residents themselves with all the haggling and all. But that is another story. This is about a group of foreigners, who have travelled from far to participate in the unique road-trip that is fast becoming a calendar event for Namma Chennai.
On Sunday afternoon, their raucous cheers (at the sight of their rides for the next week) preceded the rumbling MTC bus that dropped them off at the grounds. Eye-popping blues, greens, cherry-reds, blacks, violent-pinks, purple, you name a colour and there is an auto in that shade.
Comic book characters
The autos looked straight out of a comic book, some even from Alice’s Wonderland. There was an auto on fire. Fiery red and orange streaks artistically leap off its yellow surface. A zebra would be put to shame when it sees its auto counterpart. Especially if the auto has loudspeakers in place of zebra ears. Another exotic auto is the velveteen rabbit. It a deep colour of melting chocolate and its supposedly short stout tail sticks out a mile.
There are folks from Hungary, Bosnia, Croatia, Ireland, UK, USA and India riding the autos on this trip. And the Canandians would be left out if we don’t mention them. There are represented in large numbers and in high decibels too. This is not just a fun-fun trip. The participants have been doing charity work and collecting money to give books and materials to schools along the way. Each team is also assigned a village which they will visit along the way and provide food, medical supplies and other necessary supplies. These folks are also going to plant around 6000 trees as a kind of exchange for the emission the rally will produce. You can watch out for the progress of the rally on TV and radio. SS music’s Gibran is going along for the ride and going to do everyday updates. Hello FM is also going to give regular updates. The rally is being flagged off at Besant Nagar beach at 10 am on New Year’s Eve.
Second time around
Marika Mutalieva, a Russian turned Budapestian, is here as an organiser. “I came last year and got hooked. So I asked to work in organising the trip this time.”
Exploring home territory
Young NRIs Amit and Neil, from Madrid and Tokyo respectively, are gung-ho about the upcoming trip. “Am gonna make my auto go up to 60 at least,” Neil says, though the autos have been made deliberately slow to avoid accidents. Aravind Kumar, the guy behind organising this gargantuan rally, assures us that the maximum the autos can do is 40-50 kmph. They are refurbished two-stroke engine autos.
Nat Geo
National Geographic has sent an entire team to cover the trip from flag off till the rally reaches its destination, Kanyakumari. Kristina Molnar is going to drive their photographer and writer, Bela Szaandelszky and Akos Sipos. Akos did the trip last year, and now is here to properly document it.
Design and bonding
Meghan, a student from LA was taken with the Bunny rabbit. “I now regret not asking for a custom design,” she laments. Penny Hancock, an Art teacher from Ireland is here with her daughter. “This is our first mother-daughter trip after 7 years. And traveling together through South India will be awesome.”
Photo Credit: S.S. Kumar
2007
December 30, 2007
The year has been a mixed bag. While the 70s got its most adorable tribute in the form of Om Shanti Om, Ram Gopal Verma Ki Aag didn’t really achieve what it wanted to. It’s also been a year of threequels - Shrek 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Spider-Man 3, Rush Hour 3. Kollywood has largely been the Year of the Superstar. While Sivaji lead to queues never seen before, Billa, the slick new version of the Rajni-starrer, has set new standards of cinematographic chic. We track the hits and damp squibs.
OM SHANTI OM: Dard-e-Disco clicked. The 70s-inspired extravaganza also got the whole of Bollywood together in one frame
SIVAJI: Rajinikanth, Shankar, AR Rahman, Manish Malhotra. Need we say more?
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX: Kids and adults alike flocked to theatres to see what they already know. Plus Potter got his first onscreen kiss
PARUTHIVEERAN: The film ensured that Karthi needn’t struggle hard to get out of a popular brother’s shadow
CHENNAI 600 028: A bunch of newcomers and gully cricket gave us one of the best surprises of the year
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END: Jack Sparrow returned. The madness quotient got bigger, so did the cast and SFX
RGV KI Aag: Ram Gopal Verma admitted the film was a mistake. We nodded in agreement
CHAK DE INDIA: The film that got Yashraj Films out of a string of flops. Shah Rukh didn’t become larger than the film and ‘Chak De’ became the cry for anything patriotic
THE NAMESAKE: Power-packed performances from Tabu, Irfan Khan and Kal Penn
SAAWARIYA: The hype of OSO vs Saawariya fell flat, with the latter losing hands down. Ranbir was the saving grace
SPIDER-MAN 3: The adventures of Sandman and the Dancing Spidey made for a hotch-potch
NISHABD: No comments
JAB WE MET: The Kareena-Shahid Kapur chemistry clicked at the BO for the first time, ironically after rumours of their real-life break-up
SALAAM–E-ISHQ: Better things were expected from the director of Kal Ho Naa Ho
Obit
December 27, 2007
Born in Sindh province on June 21, 1953, and educated in Harvard and Oxford, Benazir walked into politics at the age of 31, albeit a bit reluctantly, in the footsteps of her father and gained credibility from his high profile.
Reflecting a young and glamourous face in a conservative and male-dominated Pakistani society, Benazir represented a refreshing contrast to an array of military rulers who threw all norms of democracy and the rule of law to the wind. Almost right from the start, Benazir displayed a resilience and determination to take on the military rulers despite heavy odds when she was imprisoned just before her father’s death and spent most of her five-year jail term in solitary confinement.
It was during one of her stints outside the prison for medical treatment that she set up the Pakistan People’s Party in London and began a campaign against the then Pakistani ruler Gen Zia-ul Haq. After Zia died in an air crash in 1988, Benazir became one of the first democratically elected woman Prime Ministers in an Islamic country.
Author: PTI. Photo Credit: PTI
Bhutto beauty personified, media darling of west
December 27, 2007
Charismatic Benazir Bhutto was beauty personified and the Oxford and Harvard educated former Pakistan premier was once on People magazine’s “50 most beautiful people list”.
Bhutto’s glamourous looks and her dress sense, including her trademark white scarf, had made her a media darling in the West.
Bhutto was featured in the People Magazine in 1988 when at the age of 35 she became the youngest person - and the first woman–to head the government of a Muslim-majority state in modern times.
Jemima Khan, former wife of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who has launched the ‘Free Pakistan Movement’ in London,had written a long piece in a British newspaper calling Bhutto, who was “A Kleptocrat in a Hermes scarf”.
“She’s back. Hurrah! She’s a woman. And she’s not bad looking either. Benazir may speak the language of liberalism and look good on Larry King’s sofa, but both her terms in office were marked by incompetence. Make no mistake, Benazir may look the part, but she’s as ruthless and conniving as they come - a kleptocrat in a Hermes headscarf.” Pop diva Madonna is famous for flaunting her Hermes scarves along with several other fashion divas. Bhutto’s “diamond studded designer fashion glasses”, have also become the cynosure of all eyes.
Former Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had even taken a dig at her designer glasses at a press conference recently. A senior journalist had once written about her designer glasses: “With her designer glasses and bright lipstick she looks like a young version of Greek singer Nana Mouskouri.”
Another news agency had this to say about the former premier. “Bhutto’s pale skin, designer clothes and degrees from Harvard and Oxford seem to contradict her self-appointed role as saviour of Pakistan’s poor and illiterate - particularly in Karachi’s slums.”
Author: PTI. Photo credit: PTI
One too many?
December 27, 2007
Believe it or not, corporate Mumbai loses a staggering Rs 524 crores per annum due to hangovers. Bangalore loses close to Rs 47 crores due to loss in productivity caused by too much indulgence. Changing lifestyles and attitudinal shifts have made social drinking much more acceptable in India, but that is certainly taking its toll on productivity in organisations.
Over-indulgence
The results of the Mumbai survey were calibrated by Maven Market Research and Consulting (P) Ltd, a market information company, for an Ayurvedic hangover preventive pill from the Himalaya Group. The survey, conducted across a varied group of professionals from IT, ITes, finance and manufacturing sectors, showed that 85 per cent suffer from hangovers the morning after; 23 per cent respondents admitted that hangovers affected their productivity at work, on an average, 40 per cent were forced to leave for work two hours late the day after a party, 41 per cent skipped half the day and 17 per cent took the day off.
The best cure!
When it comes to the best hangover cure, everyone’s got their own. Not many consult a physician for a hangover and neither are doctors aware of hangover pills sold on the counter. B-complex group of Vitamins and lots of fluids are the best cure for hangover, doctors say.
Ajit Shetty, director of FitnessOne, Chennai, says that gyms witness a drop in attendance of over 40 per cent during Christmas and New Year as people want to catch up on the party season. “Electrolytes are probably one of the best bets which party goers consume to regain the hydrated energy after a hangover,” says Shetty.
Life in the metros
While hangovers as a problem are not generally addressed in offices, organisations need to be sensitised about formulating appropriate policies at the work place.
“Except for a few BPO and call-centre firms who allowed us to sample and address their staff, sadly Indian firms are yet to address the issue head-on, of hangovers affecting productivity at the workplace. Our suggestions to these companies to increase productivity and minimise the cost of hangovers are to educate employees on responsible partying,” says Humayun Farid, VP, PartySmart.
Photo credit: Stock Photos
Prem needs a li’l lovin’
December 27, 2007
Salman Khan, aka Sallu, aka the Bad Boy of Bollywood, celebrated his 42nd birthday on Thursday. The year 2007 wasn’t very remarkable in terms of films.
Marigold: An Adventure in India came and went without a murmur, while too many cooks spoilt the broth in Salaam-e-Ishq. Partner, surprisingly, did well, though it will be remembered more as Govinda’s comeback vehicle than a Salman starrer. The cameo in Saawariya was, perhaps, a ‘Thank You’ to the director who gave him Khamoshi and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. From a career spanning almost two decades, Ergo picks the Salman Khan Top 5.
Maine Pyar Kiya (1989): This was the film where Prem was born, a character that accompanied Sallu in dozens of films to come. The film also marked the emergence of the production house of big screen weddings, glittering sarees and joint families - the Barjatyas. Not to forget the ‘Friend’ caps and patchworked leather jackets.
Hum Aapke Hain Kaun (1994): The biggest of them all. The film became the fourth biggest grosser of all time in the Hindi film industry and Salman’s Prem act got him the Filmfare, again.
Judwaa (1997): David Dhawan broke up with Govinda and partnered with Salman, casting him in a double role. The result was a slapstick laugh riot that established Salman’s funny bone.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999): This is one film that the actor will remember for more reasons than one. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, after a once-upon-a-time Khamoshi, came back to bring Ash and Salman together. The affair continued long after the film went off. Between critically acclaimed performances by Ajay Devgan and Aishwarya Rai, “Sameer, hawa ka jhonkha” didn’t go unappreciated either.
Tere Naam (2003): The love story didn’t get its happy ending, in real life and reel. Tear-jerker Tere Naam brought in the fans and appeased the critics at a time when everyone had almost written Salman off. And every small-town saloon started specialising in the Radhe Mohan haircut.
Photo credit: Rajeev Bhatt
Featured Video
Advertisement
U-TURN
| 
