Idol smuggling kingpin surrenders

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Getting strays
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Time for
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Rly clears air on
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Chennai’s No 1 English evening daily since 1982
www.newstodaynet.com
NATIONAL DAILY
VOL. XXXIV NO. 179
8
Hammers nail on
male arrogance
FOUNDER EDITOR: T.R.R
H CHENNAI H
SATURDAY 4.6.2016 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS SUNDAY 5.6.2016 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82
Boxing's 'Greatest'
showman timed out
q Muhammad Ali succumbs
to respiratory problems
Phoenix, June 4:
Heavyweight boxing legend Muhammad Ali, an icon of the 20th
century whose fame transcended
the sport during a remarkable career that spanned three decades,
died at a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he had been admitted
earlier this week for respiratory
problems.
The 74-year-old boxer, who had
been battling Parkinson’s disease
for decades, had limited his public
appearances in the recent past.
‘After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali
has passed away at the age of 74,’
Muhammad Ali
pneumonia and again in 2015 for a
urinary tract infection.
His Parkinson’s, thought to be
linked to the thousands of punches
he took during a brutal career
WHEN ALI WAS THE
TALK OF CHENNAI
The legendary pugilist Muhammad Ali wowed Chennai during a twoday visit in 1980 for an exhibition bout against a fellow heavy weight
champ Jimmy Ellis at the Nehru stadium.
That is not all, matinee idol and former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran was at hand to witness the match and held hands on the stage.
According to reports, crowds thronged the stadium to catch the
boxing legend in action in an event, organised by Tamilnadu State
Amateur Boxing Association and Apeejay.
The arrival of Ali triggered a frenzy among boxing fans and there
was a rush to catch a glimpse of one of the greatest of all time.
The American, who refused to fight in Vietnam and earned the wrath
of the establishment, later became a hero for taking the stand as
public sentiment grew against the US administration, received grand
welcomes wherever he went in India.
It was no different in Chennai as there was a mad rush for the bout
against Ellis. He didn’t disappoint fans and showed them a glimpse
of his famed skills.
spokesman Bob Gunnell said.
Funeral arrangements for Ali
would be announced today, he
added. Concern for Ali had grown
throughout Friday, and tributes immediately poured in for ‘The Greatest,’ who was known globally not
only for his storied ring career but
also for his humanitarian activism.
Ali had been hospitalised multiple
times in recent years.
He spent time in hospital in
2014 after suffering a mild case of
studded by bruising battles inside
the ropes, had limited his public
speaking. But he continued to make
appearances and offer opinions
through his family members and
spokespeople. In April, he attended a Celebrity Fight Night Dinner
in Phoenix that raised funds for
treatment of Parkinson’s.
In December, he issued a statement
rebuking US presidential hopeful
Donald Trump’s call for a ban on
Muslims entering the United States.
Fishermen row: Jaya seeks
immediate action from Modi
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today
urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi
to take urgent action to secure the
release of 11 fishermen and 90 fishing boats from Sri Lanka.
In a letter to Modi, a copy of which
was released to the press here, she
said, ‘I write to you once again to
bring to your notice yet another incident of apprehension of four Indian
fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy in
the early hours of 2 June. It has been
reported that four Tamilnadu fishermen along with their mechanised
fishing boat from Kottaipattinam
fishing base of Pudukottai district
have been apprehended by the Sri
Lankan Navy on 2 June and taken
to Kankesanthurai, Sri Lanka.’
Stating that the government of
Tamilnadu reiterates its stand that
the government of India should
not treat the International Maritime
Boundary Line (IMBL) with Sri Lanka
as a settled question as the constitutionality of the 1974 and 1976
agreements have been challenged
on extremely valid and legal grounds
in the Supreme Court of India, she
said the government of Tamilnadu
has also been subsequently impleaded in this case.
‘I have repeatedly brought to
your kind attention, the Sri Lankan
partially damaged. It was not known
why the private lorry, which was parked
near the river bank, was targeted. Police suspect that some unidentified
persons must have thrown the ‘tiffin
bomb’ at the lorry or placed it under
the vehicle. In the last ten years, police have recovered five ‘tiffin bombs’
in Madurai city and rural areas.
governments inhumane and cruel
strategy of delaying the release of
the boats and fishing gear of our
fishermen which is causing great
loss of livelihood to our fishermen
and their families. I am constrained
to point out that despite my repeated
requests, the seized boats and gear
belonging to the fishermen of Tamilnadu have not been released by the
Sri Lankan authorities so far. I once
again request that the fishing boats
and gear of our fishermen should immediately be released and restored
to them in a refurbished condition as
long periods of disuse would have
caused severe damage to them,’
she said.
She also recalled various steps
taken by her government towards
diversification of fishing activities in
Palk Bay so as to ensure better and
alternative livelihood opportunities to
the fishermen by providing subsidy
assistance for purchasing deep sea
tuna long liners etc.
‘I request you to immediately direct the officials concerned in the
Ministry of External Affairs to take
urgent action to secure the release
of 11 fishermen and 90 fishing boats
including the four fishermen and
their mechanised fishing boat apprehended on 2 June without any
delay. May I request your immediate
intervention in this matter?’
Idol smuggling
kingpin surrenders
q Special team from Delhi to reach city to probe him
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
The most-wanted kingpin of the
sensational antique smuggling case
that has rocked the city, Deenadayalan, surrendered to the Idol Wing
police Friday night. The octogenarian
smuggler who is the prime accused
in the case, has been transferred to
the judicial custody of the Madras
High Court, even as a special team
of officials from Delhi is set to reach
the city to probe him.
According to A G Pon Manickavel,
Inspector General of Police, ‘As of
now, 115 idols have been seized by
the police. These have been handed
over to the Icon Centre in Tiruvottriyur that is managed by the HR &
CE department. Officials from the
achaeological department in Delhi
will come to the city on Monday to
examine and identify the age and
value of the idols’.
‘As we have received reports that
idols have been missing from two
prominent temples, the process of
identifying whether these are among
the recovered idols, is underway’,
he added.
Meanwhile, a group of persons
including Durairaj, Murugesan, Siva
Kumar and two others from Poondi village near Chinna Salem, have arrived
in Chennai to inquire about the missing idols from their Natarajar Bajanai
Madam. These are said to include two
statues of Lord Nataraja, an one-andhalf feet Goddess Durga idol, and two
Nataraja photos, it is learnt.
According to sources in the Idol
Wing, a petition is likely to be filed in
the Madras High court on Monday by
the Idol Wing, seeking police custody
of Deenadayalan, to get more details
about the smuggling racket.
Pon Manickavel said, ‘Deenadayalan allegedly had smuggled the
idols to Mumbai. The gang is also
suspected to have had links with
the infamous idol smuggler Subash
Kapoor. We will soon unearth all the
details after a thorough investigation’.
Further, investigations have revealed that among the arrested
men, Maan Singh was an employee
and caretaker of the house that was
shielding Deenadayalan, while Kumar prepared false bills to make it
appear as if the idols were sculpted
recently so that they could be shipped
without any problem. Rajamani had
helped in packing the antiques.
In one of the biggest seizures in
recent times, over a hundred ancient
idols were recovered from a house
at Murrays Gate Road in Alwarpet
on Tuesday.
According to sources, the police received a tip-off that idols were being
packed to be smuggled to Mumbai
and other foreign countries.
Following this, a team led by Pon
Manickavel, raided the house and
seized the idols. Police said, the
antiques, that were reportedly stolen from various temples across the
State, are said to be more than 100
years old and worth between Rs 1040 crore rupees.
Made of stone and iron, these were
being packed in cardboard boxes
using haystack, when officials raided
the house.
Maharashtra Minister
Eknath Khadse resigns
DESTINATION DELHI
‘Tiffin bomb’ explodes
setting afire lorry
Madurai, June 4 (PTI):
An Improvised Explosive Device,
packed in a tiffin box, exploded on
Vaigai river bank here setting ablaze
a stationary lorry, police said today.
The IED, which exploded last night
at around 10 pm, was not a powerful
one and no one was injured in the
incident, they said. The vehicle was
ith an aim to bolster ties, Prime Minister Narendra
Modi today embarked on a five-nation visit to
Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico
focus of which will be to enhance India’s engagement
in areas of trade, energy and security, besides pushing for its membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group
(NSG). Modi is likely to seek support of Switzerland and
Mexico for India’s membership of the 48-member NSG
as both these countries are key members of the elite
group. The issue is likely to figure during Modi’s meeting
with Obama in Washington. India has formally applied
for membership of the NSG on 12 May.
During his talks with the leadership of Switzerland, the
Prime Minister is also likely to raise the issue of black
money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.
Meanwhile, with a wall’s worth of academic degrees
from top universities and a new wife in his chosen
country, Mainak Sarkar entered mid-life with a foundation of success.
Then his life began to unravel. This week he snapped
and, for reasons that investigators are still trying to
understand, gunned down those he once held close.
Authorities say Sarkar killed his estranged wife in a
Minneapolis suburb then drove across half the country
to Los Angeles and fatally shot the UCLA professor who
had helped him earn an engineering Ph.D.
Newly elected Rajya Sabha MPs, R Vaithilingam, A Navaneethakrishnan,
A Vijayakumar and S R Balasubramanian called on Chief Minister
J Jayalalithaa in Chennai today and sought her wishes.
Mumbai, June 4:
Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse, who has
been under the attack for alleged dubious land deal and
suspected underworld links,
today tendered his resignation
to state Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis.
Earlier today, Khadse visited
Chief Minister at his Varsha bungalow in Mumbai and held serious
discussion with him amid specula-
tion of losing his ministerial
birth over twin charges of
wrongdoing in a land deal
and links with Dawood.
Reportedly, Khadse was
asked to quit from his post
by BJP high command.
As per the reports, the party also
indicated that the row over allegations
that he received phone calls from
underworld don Dawood Ibrahim
too was not handled responsibly.
(Contd. on Page 7)
Students hit by affiliation issue with reputed varsity
C P BALASUBRAMANYAM
Chennai, June 4:
On 16 May last year, Saradha
(name changed), who completed
her Plus-Two, took up an entrance
examination to study undergraduation
course in Frontier Mediville, a group
of Frontier Lifeline Hospitals and Dr
Cherian Heart Foundation, Chennai.
She applied for Cardiac Care Technology (CCT), a course affiliated to
Dr MGR University.
However, after the test, she received an offer letter saying, ‘We are
pleased to inform you that you have
been offered a seat for the course
Cardiac Vascular Technology (CVT)
under B.Sc Allied Health Science
program affiliated to Hindustan University for September 2015 intake.’
Though she was clueless why she
was offered a course she had not
applied for, ‘I compared the subjects
in CCT and CVT. There was not
much difference. Since CVT course
was affiliated to reputed Hindustan
University, I was okay settling for it,’
said Saradha.
She paid the annual fees of Rs 1
lakh, thinking she would be able to
redeem it through an educational
loan. But, she received a shock when
she approached the principal for an
affiliation certificate, which is required
to get the loan. ‘The principal said
we do not have an affiliation but a
tie-up,’ said Saradha. Nevertheless,
her identity card, offer letter and even
the prospectus said the course was
affiliated to Hindustan University.
She was not the only to be shaken
up by the fact; another student approached the director (who is also
the principal) asking for a refund of
course fee as the bank refused her
a loan. ‘The director advised me to
According to UGC rules,
a private university can
provide degrees only if
the courses are conducted
on its main campus and
on a regular basis
learn to deal with such situations and
even asked me what I would you do if
my husband died in future. All I could
do was cry,’ said the student, seeking
anonymity.
When News Today contacted
Sandhya Cherian, director, Frontier
Lifeline Hospital and vice-president
of Frontier Mediville, she said, ‘We
have just signed a memorandum
of understanding with Hindustan
University. According to that understanding, we are conducting the
courses. Probably, it is a mistake of
the proof-reader who handled the
prospectus, s/he might have thought
it is affiliated.’
The MoU was signed on 9 March
2015 between Hindustan University
and Frontier Lifeline Hospital in the
presence of Sandhya Cherian and
Ashok Verghese, director of Hindustan University, says their website.
After news about the non-affiliation
spread, academic in-charge of the
hospital assured them orally that
course certificate and provisional
certificate would be given by the hospital, and the degrees by Hindustan
University.
‘We do not know where we belong.
We have a student ID from Hindustan
University and also another card from
Frontier Lifeline,’ said a student.
Dr S Ramachandran, Vice-Chancellor, Hindustan University, told News
Today, ‘We cannot affiliate anyone.
We have a knowledge partnership
with Frontier Lifeline. Basically,
the students who come under this
understanding are our students:
we admit them and send them to
Frontier Lifeline. We will also issue
the certificates.’ When asked about
the process of admission of these
students, Ramachandran said, ‘You
cannot question me on these things,’
and cut the call.
According to UGC rules, a private
university can provide degrees only
if the courses are conducted on its
main campus and on a regular basis.
‘A deemed university like Hindustan
University cannot affiliate any educational institution. They cannot even
provide certificates if the students are
not studying on the main campus on a
regular basis,’ a UGC official clarified.
According to the students, most of
their classes are conducted in a training
centre in Thirumangalam (near Mugappair) - they are taken to Hindustan
University campus only for computer
classes once or twice a month.
‘We are left with few choices. We
have to discontinue without a refund
or continue the course with just a
verbal promise given from Frontier
Lifeline authorities,’ said a student.
The hospital offers various courses
affiliated to Dr MGR Medical University and Madras University also.
Bits
2 SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
& pieces
CHENNAI
QUOTES OF THE DAY
Doggy dog world
Our country witnessed positive
changes in important spheres like
external affairs, social security,
health, economy and employment
generation
- Jagat Prakash Nadda,
Union Health Minister
A man was taking his dog for a walk
at Tower Park Road in Anna Nagar,
when the animal relieved itself on
a car parked nearby. To the dog
owner’s shock, the driver stepped
out of the vehicle and gave him a
nasty snare.
The dog owner readied himself for
the wrath waiting to be thrown at
him by the car driver. Surprisingly
the driver just gave a smile and
pointed at the front seat of the
car. The owner saw a pair of
beagles playing inside.
The relaxed dog owner,
said that people can share
a common bond when it
comes to animals.
The government’s aim is to start
anti-rabies vaccine within next three
years. It also has an ambitious plan
to produce anti-rabies vaccine at
the Biological Institute and Rabies
Vaccine at nearby Palode
- K Raju,
Kerala Minister for Forest
and Animal Husbandry
As we navigate this complex world,
America cannot shirk the mantle of
leadership. We can’t be isolationists.
It’s not possible in this globalised,
interconnected world.
- Barack Obama, US President
Map please
Good show
Almost all parents were concerned how their wards would manage to attend school in this scorching heat. On the reopening day, anxious parents
made a beeline to a school located on Perambur High Road. They were
in for a surprise as the road was stagnated with water. Students had to
wade through water to reach the institution.
It was later learnt that the water stagnation was a result of the cleaning
of the school premises under the directions of the State government. The
parents were happy as they felt this was an welcome measure that the
institution has taken.
The heat story became long forgotten.
Hare Oh Sambar
In the recently held election, it was
not the political parties who were
tensed, the real worry was seen
among several migrant contract
labourers, who have made Chennai
their home.
A group of labourers was eating at
a Corporation run tiffin centre in T
Nagar. One of them after tasting the
sambar rice said, ‘ever since I came
to the city, I have become addict to
the sambar rice. It fills my stomach
and taste buds, plus it is economical.
To this, the other replied, ‘I was
nervous about the outcome of the
election results. If the government
changed then these tiffin centres
might have been closed. Thank God
it did not happen that way’
Son rise
At a busy bylane in Anna
Nagar, party flags fluttered
throughout the stretch. Omnipresent posters with smiling face of a newly-elected
MLA’s son grabbed the attention of the passersby.
One of the walkers inquired about it and was
told that it was the boy’s
birthday.
Shocked at it, the walker told another, ‘After a win in the assembly elections, it is not just MLAs
who gain prominence, but their family
members too.’
A man was traveling on Anna
Salai to meet his friend. The latter was directing him over phone.
At first he told him to reach LIC
building. When the person who
was traveling reached the spot,
other one told him to ask for the
Darga.
Clueless about where it is, the
man asked an auto driver for
directions. He was told to take
left at the fourth signal. After hovering around unable to find the
location, the rider had to call his
friend again, who helped him on.
On reaching the destination, the
irritated friend suggested that the
rider should start using some
map so that he does not get lost
in future.
Contributions from G Srinivasan, C P Balasubramanyam, V Chitralekha, Ben Raja and Abinesh H
RAJ TV
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IN HOME
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S
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SUDOKU 3408
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IRAIVI
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Liverpool vs. Sevilla
IN THEATRES
7
1
The object is to insert
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boxes to satisfy only one
condition: each row,
column and 3x3 box
must contain the digits
1 through 9 exactly once:
Easy nah?
2012
Knight and Day
Oblivion
8
5
3409
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Unstoppable
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Rise of the Silver Surfer
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The Uninvited
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
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Shadows
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6 8 7 2 3 5 1 4 9
Mayajaal, Devi Cineplex, Kamala
Theatre, PVR Cinemas, Sangam,
AGS, Abirami Theatres,
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Cinema, Raj Theatre, INOX
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Maharani Theatre
IDHU NAMMA AALU
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Kamala Theatre, Udhayam
Theatre, PVR Cinemas, AGS
Cinemas, Abirami Mega Mall,
Woodlands Multiplex, Sangam
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Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre, PVR
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Around Town
CHENNAI
Jaya condoles death
of actor-director
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
AIADMK supremo and Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday condoled
the death of Tamil actor and director
Balu Anand, who died following a
massive heart attack in house at
Coimbatore. He was 62.
Stating that Anand was ‘loyal to
the party and a good orator’, Jayalalithaa in a party release said the
actor used to explain the AIADMK’s
achievements and the false propaganda made by opposition parties in
simple language helping people to
understand easily.
‘I express my deep condolences to
the family,’ she said in the statement.
Jayalalithaa also expressed her
3
Getting strays
‘BOWL’ed
over
q Blue Cross water containers quench thirst of birds, animals
q People outside Chennai also follow suit
condolences to the family members
of party functonaries in Dharmapuri,
Tiruppur, Ooty, Gudalur, Virudhunagar and Sivaganga districts, who
died recently.
Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry president and Le
Royal Méridien Chennai chairman Palani G Periasamy was presented
Life Time Achievement Award by Tamilnadu Foundation at its concluding
session of national convention held at Washington DC recently. The award
was given to Periasamy for his relentless contribution to the State on
educational and industrial fronts through his own ventures.
Diploma course in
baking & patisserie
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
Chennai-based Food Consulate
has launched diploma course in
Baking & Patisserie, recognised by
City & Guilds International, UK here
on Thursday.
The course has been designed
after rigorous research over the
last few years. The duration of
SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
the course is 480 hours and is
scheduled from June - November /
December-May. Students above 16
years can apply.
Scholarships are available for
students with prior knowledge or
exposure to Baking & Patisserie.
For details, Contact: +91-4442630001or Email: info@foodconsulate.com
NIVEDHIKA KRISHNAN
Chennai, June 4:
If floods witnessed a wave of
humanity, then the summer again
brought another flood of humaneness in the form of ‘water bowl’,
initiated by the Blue Cross of India.
Later, animal welfare organisations
like People for Cattle in India and
Hotel for Dogs pitched in to help the
animals from the searing heat.
The initiative asks like-minded
individuals to place a bowl of water,
accessible to stray animals, during
the dog days.
Arun Prasana, founder of People
for Cattle in India, says, ‘Compared
to the previous years, we received
good response this summer. Around
600 water
bowls were
distributed in
the city alone.’
He continues,
‘We ran a campaign - starting
this March - for
Arun Prasana
three months
to spread the message of protecting domesticated animals from the
scorching heat. Simultaneously, we
organised a photo contest where
people could post the photos of
dogs or cattle drinking from the water
bowl that they placed inside their
premises.’
‘In 2014, we distributed 200 bowls,
and in the following year, we managed to give away 400 bowls,’ adds
Arun.
He confides that PFCI managed to
attract numbers via social media and
the articles published in newspapers.
Emphasising the importance of hydrating dogs during summer, he says,
‘We are basically a rescue team and
have seen many instances of street
dogs suffering a slow and painful
death because of dehydration. The
campaign
has touched
only the
tip of the iceberg and we would
have saved only 2-3
per cent of their population. Many are left
to fend for themselves.’
People on the outskirts performed well
over city folks, says
Karthick Dhandapani,
senior volunteer with
Blue Cross India. ‘Ambattur, Avadi and OMR evinced
more interest than the rest of
the city,’ he adds.
He says,
‘We have
given away
1,200 water
bowls so
for. We are
expecting to
give away
another 100odd bowls in Karthick Dhandapani
the next two weeks. Each bowl was
priced at Rs 200, in which Rs 50
was forked out take care of Blue
Cross’ medical expenses. This year,
we started to reach people outside
Chennai. For example, a person
from Kodaikanal, who was inspired
by the idea, took away over 50 bowls
from us, saying she would spread
the word in her town.’
‘People have started perceiving
the initiative differently. They have
started to think that owning a water
bowl in their homes is a matter of
pride. This triggered many to come
SINGULAR
ENJOYMENT
AYSHVARYA NARAYANAN
Q: Interesting incidents from your trips?
Chennai, June 4:
A: It was during a Good Friday holiday that I booked tickets to Delhi. I took a bike on rent and rode to Chandigarh,
Have you ever thought of travelling alone? Sleeping
which is 280 km away. Following a sign board, I spent a
in a snow-covered mountain? Trekking the Himalayan
night at Shimla. The desire to see snow made me drive 70
ranges or sleeping in railway platforms? Meet Nagul
km more to a snow-clad mountain. You won’t believe me,
Ram, a person fi lled with wanderlust and who has
I slept on top of a snow-covered mountain. Sometimes I
done all this.
think I am really crazy (laughs). Once I even slept in the
Nagul, a HR specialist at Microsoft, and an alumnus
of Madras Christian College, is an easygoing guy who Jaipur railway platform when my friend and I went on a
trip covering five states. In fact, I did plan to sleep on the
loves to travel and meet new people.
platform when I visited Goa.
He told News Today about his trips to exotic places
Q: What is you favourite trip and is there a dream
how he made strangers become his friends. Excerpts
place to travel to?
from the interview:
A: Chitrakote waterfalls is my favourite. To stand alone
Q: How did you start off with traveling alone? Tell
in front of the huge waterfalls is a thrilling experience.
us about the places you have visited.
Iceland is my dream destinaA: One reason is that we
tion. I read a blog written by a
always make group plans
family about the place who took
and they never work out.
a road trip and the pictures were
Then, I thought why should
so lively.
I depend on someone
Q: What does it take to travel
when I want to explore? So,
alone?
in 2011, I booked tickets
to Delhi and went trekking
A: Confidence. Most people
in the Himalayas, where I
say they don’t know the lanspent three days and met
guage, which is understandmany people. Then, in
able. The rest expect someone
2014, I went on a solo trip
to accompany them or they
to Chitrakote falls in Chhatare not comfortable travelling
tisgarh. I have covered so
alone. Also, I am lucky to have
many places in India it
a supportive family which lets
would be easy to list states
me travel alone.
I haven’t seen.
Q: How do people react
Nagul, a HR specialist
This January, I had a long
when you say you’re on a
at Microsoft, and an
holiday and went on a trip
lone trip?
alumnus of Madras
to Gujarat and Madhya
A: People will ask me two
Pradesh. It was the longthings - if I am trying to get
Christian College, is
est trip I have taken so far.
over a love failure or if I don’t
an easygoing guy who
I love water. At least once
have a girl friend. Some advise
loves to travel and meet
a month I visit the Nagala
me to take a car or call me
waterfalls, which is like a
mad. But, most of them say
new people
second home. I haven’t
that they have always dreamt
gone very far in the past
of doing this at least once in
two months owing to the heat. This has got to me and
their lifetime. I am so glad that I am living the dreams
made me tense; I get irritated for silly reasons.
of many and I am brave enough to do it. I speak good
Q: Is travelling alone better than travelling in groups?
Hindi and talk easily to locals.
A: I was curious and excited about solo trips and I knew
Q: What are you taking away from travelling alone?
that I should do everything on my own. I have travelled
A: I have started taking good selfies (laughs). To be
with strangers and enjoyed it but in group trips you prob- honest, I was not mad about India. But, if someone now
ably have more fun.
asks me about India, I can explain to them the whole
I enjoy my freedom and feel comfortable being alone. map. Sometimes, I get philosophical thoughts like ‘no
The best thing is I can change plans any moment. Travel- great endings had an easy beginning’. I am happy with
what I am doing.
ling alone becomes an addiction over time.
ÿƒ.\.ÿ>V.÷. / 808 / kÁ´ÔÁÈ / 2011
q Youngster enjoys going on tours alone
q Covers various parts of India
forward and be part of the project.
Fortunately, many were selfdriven and they started involving
themselves actively,’ explains
Karthick.
‘The only hurdle we faced
throughout the initiative was
the bowls getting stolen
from the premises. So,
this year
we made bowls with
cement, to keep
away miscreants,’
he rues.
The animal activists - Arun and
Karthick - believe that
the initiative has to be
continued throughout
the year as the city
climate goes like this:
hot, hotter and hottest.
On this, Karthick says
enthusiastically, ‘Nothing like doing it for
365 days. It would be
great if people can do
it voluntarily and save
the animals.’
People on the
outskirts performed
well over city folks,
says Karthick
Dhandapani, senior
volunteer with Blue
Cross India
Blend
4 SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
WHAT
WH
AT NEWS
N
NEW
EWS
EW
S TODAY
TODA
TO
DAY
DA
Y PR
PRIN
PRINTS
INTS
IN
TS IS
IS NE
NEWS
WS THA
TTHAT
HAT
HA
T CO
COUN
COUNTS
UNTS
UN
TS
Finally, some closure
T
hursdays court order convicting a few persons for the
horrendous outbreak of violence following the burning of the
Godhra train in Gujarat is a small step towards the enforcement of
justice. The cause of justice is advanced whenever perpetrators of
violence regardless of their religious faith are brought to book. The
special court in Ahmedabad convicted 24 persons, including eleven
for murder, for their role in the Gulbarg Society killings. Thirtysix people were acquitted. No prominent person figured in the list
of those convicted or acquitted, underlining the truth that it is the
anonymous mobs who take to the streets when aroused emotionally
following a particularly heinous incident. It is undeniable that it was
the sheer enormity of the horrendous crime of burning alive more
than fifty pilgrims returning from Ayodhya at the Godhra station
that flared up emotions all around among the majority community.
Once the spark was lit, it became hard for the local administration
to control the angry mobs until the army enforced curfew and the
shoot-at-sight orders. Unfortunately, public discourse was sought
to be perverted by a handful of agenda-driven critics who held the
then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi personally guilty for
the tragic events. In the unrelenting fusillade of abuse and diatribe
directed at Modi it was forgotten that the riots were not exactly
one-sided, that of the 1000-odd people killed, nearly three hundred
were Hindus.
Despite attempts to drag Modi personally, the Supreme
Court-appointed Special Investigation Team had found nothing
incriminating against the then Gujarat Chief Minister. Indeed, the
Special Court in its order on Thursday rejected the charge that there
was a pre-planned conspiracy behind the riots. In fact, the court
acquitted a few persons whom SIT had found involved in the riots,
on the ground that there was insufficient evidence against them.
For fourteen years, a vicious narrative was sought to be built
around the lie that Modi personally hatched the conspiracy to
perpetrate anti-Muslim violence so that he could firm up his grip on
the voters. He was only a few months into his job as chief minister
when the Godhra train burning incident happened. It may be that
his inexperience was a factor in the initial failure of the district
administration to control the mobs but it was commendable that in
the face of such a huge provocation the situation was brought under
control within three days.
An equally inexperienced Rajiv Gandhi as prime minister in 1984
had seen more than four thousand Sikhs and only Sikhs, none else
killed under his watch in the capital alone. The point is that mob fury
everywhere is hard to contain. (Not-so-infrequent rioting by angry
blacks in the US being a case in point) Yet, politics of extremism
is an avoidable contributory factor in mob flare-ups, be they castelinked or religion-linked. The conviction of a few persons in the
Gulbarg Society case is a good sign that rioters cannot always go
unpunished. It is important for a society based on law and justice
that no law-breaker escapes. To the extent a number of perpetrators
have been found guilty, there will be some closure for the victims
of the Gujarat riots.
One is saddened to
hear of the passing of
Muhammad Ali. One final
knockout even the great man
can’t overcome #RipAl
HRH Prince Philip @
HRH_PrincePhil
Each one of you is a
spark,a power, a change,a
leader.This mustn’t be
confined to yourself,use it fr
d world @NAFSA
Last week I went for an eye checkup. I get this annual eye test done
every four or five years.
Left to myself, I will have this annual test once a decade or some such.
For, I hate this drops-administered
dilation of pupils after which for the
rest of that night everything looks
bright at the edges and splotchy
in the middle, as if cranked out
by cameraman Babu for the drugaddled Kamal Haasan character in
Thoongadhe Thambi Thoongadhe.
But I either lose my existing spectacles or it gets broken, and I have
to necessarily go for a new pair,
and before getting which I generally
submit myself to an eye doctor, who
after examining me usually says
‘everything is okay, but...’
The doctor needn’t finish the
sentence. You veteran middle-age
people will know what this usage of
‘but’ generally entails: It means the
eye doctor, or for that matter any
other doctor you may have gone to,
is going to schedule you for a few
tests that will, in most cases, lead
to the finding that your health insurance covers every medical condition
in the world except the one that you
are being investigated for.
‘... we may need to a have couple
of precautionary tests done. This is
just to rule out a few possibilities that
117 bodies
found off
Libyan coast
TRIPOLI:
More than 110 bodies have been
pulled from the sea off Libya’s shores
after a smuggling boat carrying
mainly African migrants sank into
the Mediterranean, while a separate
search-and-rescue operation in the
open sea saved 340 people and
recovered another nine bodies.
The two sinkings were the latest
deadly disasters for refugees and
migrants hoping to find better lives in
Europe, and came in addition to the
over 1000 people who have drowned
since 25 May while attempting the
perilous, lengthy journey across the
sea from North Africa to Europe’s
southern shores.
As traffickers take advantage of
the improving weather, officials
say it is impossible to know how
many unseaworthy boats are being
launching daily from Libya to Europe
- and how many never reach their
target.
A host of naval operations in the
southern Mediterranean, coordinated
by Italy, have been stretched just
responding to the disasters they do
hear about.
BATTLE READY
CHENNAI
In the Doc!
can be... well, we will not get into it doctor will imperceptibly switch
now,’ the doctor will say in a Man- over to terms that you will not find
mohan Singh-like tone sucked out of in any household dictionary. This
any emotion. ‘But why have doubts technique they have learned from
we will get it cleared now itself. It is the judicial community.
‘Tell me in layman terms, what do
better to be safe than be sorry,’ the
you suspect, docdoc will add. Speaking
tor?’ you will ask in
in totally vague, generhelpless exasperaalistic terms is the fi rst
tion.
lesson they teach at the
K BALAKUMAR
‘Well, since you
medical school.
‘But why do we have to do this test, ask, and I can’t say this with any
amount of certainty, and I still say
doctor?’ you may probably ask.
The doctor, with an audible sigh, this is just a precautionary test and
will reach for your X-ray report, hold everything can turn out to be a false
it against the light, and say ‘do you alarm...’ doctors can prolong the
see there...’ pointing to something suspense more laboriously than
on the report that will look nothing your weekly soap.
And finally, the doctor, still lookout of ordinary to you, but you will
still nod your head as if you under- ing at the report ‘those spots could
stand what he is saying. ‘Those two be tumourous/cancerous/anything
spots that you see there is what wor- similarly dangerous...’ after that
ries me’, the doctor will draw your whatever the doctor says may not
attention to the spot that you had all reach your ears as you may be lookalong been thinking to be some kind ing around for a spot to faint.
But you will somehow get up, walk
of printer’s smudge.
‘What are those spots?’ you will yourself out and reach home, eveninnocently ask. ‘That is what we tually schedule the suggested test
have to ascertain now,’ the doctor (most importantly, as laid down by
will answer cryptically. ‘I mean what the stringent MCI rules, at the sugcould those spots be, doctor?’ you gested scan centre) and get back
will persist. ‘It could be anything. to the doctor with the reports after a
It could be just an inflammation. It few days. But you would have died a
could be be a simple tumescence. few thousand deaths in that period.
The doctor will, poker-faced, run
It could be an ordinary edema,’ the
his eyes across the sheaf of papers
specked with dubious dark pics of
some part of you and then will turn to
you, ‘well, it is clear. There is nothing
to worry. Those spots just turned out
to be images of two bugs in the X-ray
machine’. Okay, the last sentence is
an exaggeration. But only just.
Doctors always love playing these
tricks. The time I went to an ophthalmologist for a routine checkup a few
years ago, he said that I needed to
get my brain scanned because ‘your
optic nerve is abnormally thick which
could be a symptom of...well, I don’t
want to scare you, just get me the
scan report’ and when I did get back
to him with the report, he said, and I
quote, ‘abnormal optic nerve is not
exactly uncommon and your case is
just that. You are in the clear now’.
At that moment, I clearly wished that
India had a liberal gun policy.
Anyway, last week when I presented myself before a (different)
ophthalmologist, the first thing I told
him was: ‘Doctor, I have come for a
regular checkup. But I have to tell
you this. My optic nerve is abnormal.
But it is normal with me. I already
have a scan report to prove it’.
It was uneventful after that.
e-mail the writer at
balakumarkb@gmail.com
(Courtesy: Talk Media)
US warns Beijing
of ‘self-isolation’
Says it is risking alienation from neighbours
over South China Sea
Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire
South China Sea has angered Southeast
Asian neighbours and pitted it against
the United States, which has conducted
patrols near Chinese-held islands to
press for freedom of navigation
SINGAPORE:
China risks further alienating regional neighbours and building a
‘Great Wall of self-isolation’ as it
pursues its military expansion across
the South China Sea, US Defense
Secretary Ashton Carter warned
Saturday.
Speaking at a security summit in
Singapore, Carter said countries
across the Asia-Pacific region continue to fret over China’s sweeping
claims of sovereignty in the South
China Sea, and its attempts to bolster these by creating military bases
on reclaimed islets and increasing
maritime patrols.
‘China’s actions in the South China
Sea are isolating it, at a time when the
entire region is coming together and
C
networking,’ Carter said in a speech
at an annual forum known as the
Shangri-La Dialogue.
‘Unfortunately, if these actions continue, China could end up erecting a
Great Wall of self-isolation.’
Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire
South China Sea has angered
Southeast Asian neighbours and
pitted it against the United States,
which has conducted patrols near
Chinese-held islands to press for
freedom of navigation. The contested waters encompass key global
shipping lanes.
The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia
and Vietnam have competing claims
in the area, which is believed to have
significant oil and gas deposits.
The Philippines has filed a case
against China before the Permanent
Court of Arbitration in The Hague and
a decision is expected in the coming
weeks but China has said it will not
recognise any ruling.
‘The United States views the upcoming ruling … as an opportunity
for China and the rest of the region
to recommit to a principled future, to
renewed diplomacy, and to lowering
tensions, rather than raising them,’
Carter said.
The key to regional security, Carter
said, was enhanced military cooperation across the region and the
observance of ‘core principles’ such
as the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means and the
development of a ‘principled security
network.’
L ICK
Kailash Satyarthi @
k_satyarthi
PIC
Shrimp inspires next-gen,
ultra-strong materials
WASHINGTON:
The fist-like appendage of mantis shrimp - a small, multicoloured
marine organism - consists of a
unique herringbone structure, that
may be used to design super strong
composite materials for variety of applications, including aerospace and
armour, scientists say.
The mantis shrimp
crushes the shells of its
prey using a fist-like appendage called a dactyl
club. Researchers at the
University of California,
Riverside and Purdue
University in the US describe for the first time
the unique herringbone
structure, not previously reported
in nature, within the appendage’s
outer layer.
It is this tough herringbone structure
that not only protects the club during
impact, but also enables the mantis
shrimp to inflict incredible damage
to its prey.
The dactyl club can reach
an acceleration of 10,000g,
unleashing a barrage of impacts
with the speed of a .22 caliber bullet. In previous work, researchers
identified several different regions of
the dactyl club, including an interior
region - called the periodic region -
with an energy-absorbent structure
that also filters out damaging shear
waves, which travel through objects
when they are under stress.
The current research describes for
the first time a unique herringbone
structure within the dactyl club’s outer
layer, called the impact region.
The impact region is a
crack-resistant layer that
shields the club as the
mantis shrimp pummels
its prey. It consists of
crystalline calcium phosphate (the same mineral
found in human bone)
surrounding the organic
chitin fibres.
Researchers found that
these heavily mineralised fibres were
compacted to form a ‘herringbone
structure’ that is significantly stiffer
than the periodic region.
This unique herringbone structure
not
only protects the club from
failure, but also enables the
mantis shrimp to inflict incredible damage to its prey
by transferring more momentum
upon impact.
Researchers performed finite element analyses to understand the role
of these structures. They also fabricated the herringbone structure using
synthetic materials and a 3D printer.
Army personnel corden off the spot after a BSF convoy was attacked by militants at Goriwan area of Bijbehara in south Kashmir. In the other
photograph, police use teargas shell in Mahidpur town of Ujjain district after a crowd pelted stones and ransacked over a dozen shops.
Japanese man becomes
world’s oldest graduate
TOKYO:
A 96-year-old Japanese man is
potty at the prospect of breaking
more records after being recognised
as the world’s oldest university
graduate with his degree in ceramic
arts.
Spritely senior Shigemi Hirata
received his Guinness World Records
certificate after earning a Bachelor of
Arts degree from Kyoto University of
Art and Design earlier this year, local
media reported today.
Born on a Hiroshima farm in 1919
- the year the Allies and Germany
signed the Treaty of Versailles Hirata is something of a celebrity on
campus.
‘Students whose name I don’t even
set eye-popping records as the silverknow call out to greet me,’ he told
haired generation enjoy longer and
Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper.
healthier lives. Last year,
‘That gives me a lot of energy.’
ER 1 0 0 - y e a r - o l d M i e k o
K
S MAay
Hirata, who took 11 years
Nagaoka became the
EWthe d
to complete his ceramic N of
world’s first centenarian
arts course after taking up
to complete a 1,500-metre freestyle
pottery as a pensioner, insisted he
swim, 20 years after she took up the
was not done setting records.
sport.
‘My goal is to live until I’m 100,’
Many elderly Japanese remain
he said. ‘If I’m fit enough it might be
physically active long after other
rather fun to go to graduate school.’
people have given up the ghost.
Hirata, who served in the navy
Twinkle-toed sprinter Hidekichi
during World War II and has four
Miyazaki, dubbed ‘Golden Bolt’
great-grandchildren, added: ‘I’m so
after Jamaican superstar Usain
happy. At my age it’s fun to be able
Bolt, also set a world record last
to learn new things.’
year, clocking 42.22 seconds for
Japan’s perky pensioners regularly
the 100 metres in the over-105
Shigemi Hirata
category a day after reaching the
milestone age.
There were nearly 59,000
centenarians in Japan in 2015,
according to government fi gures
- which means 46 out of every
100,000 people is 100 or over.
Enterprise
CHENNAI
SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
5
‘Proceed with
talks BIT-by-BIT’
US trade body calls for re-launch of negotiations with India
Washington, June 4 (PTI):
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit here, a top US business advocacy group has asked the
Obama administration to re-launch
bilateral investment treaty (BIT)
negotiations with India as soon as
possible and support its membership
in the APEC grouping.
The US India Business Council
(USIBC) – which represents
about 350 American companies having footprint in India – said this
in a joint letter to Secretary of State
John Kerry, Commerce Secretary
Penny Pritzker and US Trade Representatives Mike Froman. The letter
dated 25 Mayy was p
posted on USIBC
blog this week.
‘The US Government should consider formally re-launching our bilateral
investment treaty (BIT) negotiations
with the Government of India as
soon as possible’, said the USIBC
president Mukesh Aghi in his letter.
‘While both governments took a
g
break from the negotiations
on ac-
count of revising the model BITs, it is
important for us to come back to the
negotiating table to develop a wayforward on concluding a high-quality
BIT’, it said. USIBC in its letter urged
the US Government to support India’s
entry in the 21-member Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC).
‘USIBC recognises that participation
in APEC is a two-way street, and we
similarly have been encouraging the
Government of India to participate
in APEC discussion groups of their
choice as an observer to better understand the requirements of membership’, the letter said.
‘While USIBC appreciates that the
US Government mayy have other trad-
Set timeline for food
security: India to WTO
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
India has asked WTO members to complete discussions on issues related
to the Doha Round before taking up new issues and also set timelines for
working out the permanent solution for food security purposes.
WALK THE TALK
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during an informal
meeting of about 25 WTO members in Paris also emphasised on working on
trade facilitation in services including Mode 4 (movement of professionals).
About 25 key trade ministers have met on the sidelines of an Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Ministerial Council
Meeting in Paris.
‘AGRI’ ON AGENDA
The minister ‘reiterated taking up of remaining DDA (Doha Development Agenda)
issues including agriculture before taking up of new issues at the WTO’. The new
issues which are being pushed by developed world include investments, competition,
labour, government procurement, environment and global value chains.
WHAT WE WANT
India ‘emphasised on setting
timelines for working on SSM
(special safeguard mechanism) and
permanent solution on public stock
holding of food grains’, Sitharaman
said in series of tweets.
India is pitching for SSM, which
aims at protecting poor and marginal farmers from any surge in
imports or steep decline in prices.
She has also emphasised on
working on a trade facilitation in
services including Mode 4, a proposal which was welcomed by WTO
Director General Roberto Azevedo.
UNANIMOUS MOVE
‘Most member countries agreed with (Sitharaman’s) view of maintaining the centrality of development dimension in WTO. For achieving convergence, Sitharaman suggested special and
differential carve outs for developing countries be allowed’, the tweets said. She said that these
issues could lay the foundation for the outcomes of 11th WTO Ministerial Conference.
LONG TERM BENEFITS
JOIN THE PARTY
For a permanent solution, India had proposed
either amending the formula to calculate the food
subsidy cap of 10 per cent, which is based on the
reference price of 1986-88, or allowing such schemes
outside the purview of subsidy caps.
The Doha Round of negotiations launched in 2001
has remained stalled since July 2008 due to differences between the rich and the developing nations,
mainly over the subsidies given to farmers.
Meanwhile in a statement, the WTO chief has
asked the key trade ministers including from India
to involve directly and meet regularly to reach the
agreements agreed upon by the member countries.
‘Ministers need to be involved directly or agreements will not be reached. You need to meet often,
be engaged and be active’, he has said.
ing partners that it also would like to
nominate for membership into APEC,
we believe that the US Government
could nominate India for APEC membership without slighting other trade
partners. This is especially true give
the size and importance of India’s
economy’, USIBC said.
Recommending that the US Government develop a longer-term
strategic trade goal with India, its
eventual membership into the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) and or a
bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
– USUBC recognised that
much work remains on both sides
before such a trade deal would be
politically feasible.
NHPCs net profit
jumps 15%
overall performance of
PSBs during the financial
year 2015-16 as well as
with regard to the flow
of credit to agriculture,
insurance and MSE sectors among others’, the
Finance Ministry said in a
statement.
Jaitley will also review
the progress and perform-
ance of the new initiatives
of the present government
including Stand Up India,
MUDRA, Pradhan Mantri
Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana
(PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri
Surkasha Bima Yojana
(PMSBY) and Atal Pension
Yojana among others, it
added.
The meeting will also take
Activities galore at
Hyundai Motor Co
Hyundai Motor India Limited MD Y K
Koo and top management executives
along with school children during the
inauguration of the renovated government school at Kancheepuram.
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
Hyundai Motor conducted its 2016 Global Customer Satisfaction Seminar earlier
this week at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in
Seoul, Korea, with 60 service representa-
tives from 42 countries in attendance.
A press release said, the training event
was defined by the four main keywords
of Green, Connected, Interactive, and
Unique, reflecting the most important
trends in the global automotive industry.
During the seminar, delegates participated in various programs dealing with innovative customer satisfaction strategies
for all areas of the business, including the
eco-friendly car market, future automotive
market trends and connected car service
strategies.
Vice president Kang-Rae Lee said, ‘We
will continue to deliver both qualitative
and quantitative initiatives through digital
services, enhanced facilities at customer
touch points, Digital Before Service and
home-to-home services that provide support beyond our customers expectations’.
Meanwhile, the Hyundai Motor India
Foundation (HMIF), the CSR arm of
Hyundai Motor India Limited, dedicated the various public infrastructure facilities as part of their second
‘Dream Village’ project in Vallakottai,
Kancheepuram district. The renovated
VAO office, Panchayat Building, health
centre, sanitary complex, PDS shop and
the village pond were re-dedicated by
managing director Y K Koo.
stock of the performance
of PSBs with regard to the
new projects and proposals, stalled projects and
possible remedial measures among others.
Besides, it said, issues
relating to housing loan,
medium and small enterprises credit, financial
inclusion and literacy are
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ASSOCHAM to set up
mfg cluster near city
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry)
hosted an interactive session on
‘Defence Manufacturing in Tamilnadu: Emerging Opportunities
For the MSMEs through the DPP’,
recently in the city.
Tamil Chamber of Commerce president Chozha Naachiyar Rajasekar
welcomed the participants, while cochairman, ASSOCHAM southern region, Vinod Surana, said that its vision
was to create the first Indian defence
manufacturing cluster in Tamilnadu.
Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce,
Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Ambuj Sharma, delivered
the chief guest address and said
that our industry needed to be more
competitive by quickly responding to
the developments across the world.
He welcomed the emphasis of the
government on achieving enhanced
self-reliance in weapon manufacturing and said that the government
was keen to leverage this advantage to promote investments in the
sector. He further added that the
MSME sector which had emerged
as a highly vibrant and dynamic
sector of the Indian economy over
the last five decades, needed to
integrate themselves into the supply
chains of national and international
defence majors, in order to reduce
dependence on foreign supplies
and also to gain a foothold in the
international aerospace and defence market. He also promised all
assistance from the government of
Tamilnadu for the establishment of
a defence manufacturing cluster in
the State.
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
NHPC Limited reported a 15 per
cent growth in the standalone net
profit at Rs 2440 crore in the FY 201516. According to a press release, this
is in comparison to Rs 2124 crore for
the corresponding period in the last
fiscal year. Sales for the FY 2015-16
also rose by nine per cent to Rs 7347
crore compared to Rs 6737 crore for
the corresponding period in the last
fiscal year.
The total cumulative power generation of all NHPC power stations
for FY 2015-16 has been 23683
MU against the ‘Excellent Target’ of
22000 MU. This is the highest ever
London, June 4 (PTI):
generation by NHPC. It has also
Tata Steel is believed to be close to striking a deal with the UK government
achieved 81.6 per cent actual Plant
Availability Factor (PAF) against to keep its British steelworks rather than sell it off, which would secure the
Excellent MOU PAF target of 76.8 future of 11,000 workers, UK media reports said on Friday.
The Indian conglomerate is in talks to clinch a loan worth nearly one
per cent.
billion
pounds and a restructuring of the BritNHPC has crossed 5000 MW caPASSPORT MISSING
pacity at standalone and currently ish Pension Scheme after no potential bidder
has 6587 MW on consolidated basis could guarantee keeping the plants running for I, V. Selvaraj S/O Veilumuthu
residing at No.20 MGR Nagar, 6th
with a total of 20 operating power more than three years.
cross street, Velachery Chennai
‘They have never stopped negotiating about
stations and 2 units of TLDP-IV
600 042 that I lost my Passport No.
staying.
If
everything
works
out
they
will
stay’,
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Project. 18 power stations are
operated by NHPC while two are a source close to the company said. UK busi- on 2nd December 2015 and it was
realised only on 13-May-2016. If
operated by NHDC a subsidiary ness secretary Sajid Javid, who is leading UK
( )*+
government
efforts
to
rescue
thousands
of
company. Apart from this, the comat the above mentioned residing
steel jobs in the country, has previously said address or following permanent
pany has a total of five projects
the government is willing to offer hundreds of address to which the passport was
under construction with 4 hydromillions of pounds to a buyer of Tata Steel UK issued. # 54 Narasimma Nagar 1st
power projects with total installed
and restructure the pension scheme, which has street Pulianthope Chennai - 12.
V. Selvaraj
capacity 3290 MW which includes
liabilities of almost 15 billion pounds.
Mobile 80560 92982
Teesta Low Dam Stage-IV (160
MW), Kishanganga (330
PUBLIC NOTICE
MW), Parbati-II (800 MW)
My client Mrs. M. Raji D/o.
&amp; Subansiri Lower
N. Muthuramalingam, at 245
(2000 MW) and a wind
PUBLIC NOTICE
Maxworth Nagar, S.Kolathur,
project (50 MW) in Jais- My wife Smt. A.Savitha left
Kovilambakkam, Chennai on
almer, Rajasthan which is matrimonial home 4 month ago
29.05.2016 while walking near
without my knowledge. Thereafter
nearing completion.
Parry’s Corner, George Town had
Tata Steel close to deal
to keep UK biz: Report
FM to hold performance review of PSBs
New Delhi, June 4 (PTI):
Against the backdrop of
mounting bad loans and
record losses of public
sector banks, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will hold
a quarterly performance
review on Monday with the
heads of PSBs and Financial Institutions.
He would ‘review the
Industries Commissioner and Director of Industries and Commerce, Ambuj Sharma with ASSOCHAM co-chairman (southern
region) Vinod Surana, Tamil Chamber president Chozha Naachiar
Rajasekhar and L&T Shipbuilding MD B Kannan, at the release of
a report on MSMEs in Chennai recently.
also likely to be discussed.
The meeting assumes significance as several PSBs
have posted record losses
in the fourth quarter of the
2015-16. Gross NPAs or
bad loans of PSBs rose
from Rs 2,67,065 lakh
crore in March 2015 to
Rs 3,61,731 lakh crore in
December.
her whereabouts are not known.
She is making a alinate the
properties Urapakkam at Udaya
Suriyan Nagar in 2440 Sq.ft
Survey No.170/1, 170/3, Patta No.
2714 described her under which
was purchased in Document
self, my sisters, my father. She is
having no mannor of rights to deal
with the programme in any manner.
So she alinetion that will be made
by her will not bind on me.
V. ANANDAKUMAR
Cell: 9841511770, 9551651770
lost her handbag with Original
Passport No.G 9112901,valid up
15.06.2018, issued on 16.06.2008
Chennai. Any person who holds or
traces the original passport shall
intimate the undersigned. Else,
anybody having a claim or interest
in the document or objection
is hereby required to make the
same known with proof to the
undersigned within 10 days.
A. THAYAPRAN, Advocate
MK & RK Law Firm
2-C, No.10, Cenotaph Road,
Teynampet, Chennai - 600 018.
Sports
6 SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
CHENNAI
Paes’ tryst with history
Indian ace completes career mixed doubles Slam
Tendulkar, Bindra
back Nita Ambani
as IOC member
New Delhi, June 4 (PTI):
The sporting fraternity, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Olympic champion
Abhinav Bindra, welcomed Nita
Ambani’s nomination to the International Olympic Committee
and looked forward to ‘betterment and development’ of sport
in India.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s
wife Nita has been nominated for
membership in the International
Olympic Committee and will
become the first Indian woman
to be on the apex sporting body
if she gets elected at the IOC
Session scheduled from 2 to 4
August.
The Switzerland-based IOC
is the supreme authority of
the Olympic Movement and is
responsible for holding of the
summer and winter Olympics
and Paralympics.
Beijing Games gold medallist
Bindra was quick to welcome
the development.
‘Congratulations to Nita Ambani for her nomination to the
IOC In ‘recognition of passionate
work in education and sports’.
Paris, June 4:
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis
wrote their names into the record
books with victory in the RolandGarros mixed doubles final, beating
Ivan Dodig and Sania Mirza 4-6, 6-4,
10-8 to complete their career mixed
doubles slams.
The Indian-Swiss duo, now winners of four of the last six mixed
doubles titles, were pushed all the
way in an entertaining contest against
Croatian Dodig and Sania, who could
end up playing with Paes at the Olympic Games in Rio.
‘You guys are phenomenal champions,’ Paes, who played his only
other mixed doubles final in Paris
back in 2005, said during the trophy
ceremony. ‘The way you carry yourselves is unbelievable.’
Paes, now with 10 mixed doubles
titles, joins Australian duo Mark
Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge
as the only men in the Open era to
complete both the career doubles
and mixed doubles slams.
‘This career Grand Slam goes
out to one person, my father,’ the
42-year-old said. ‘I love you and
thank you for everything.’
He then paid tribute to five-time
mixed doubles champion Hingis, adding: ‘I love you like crazy. It’s a real
pleasure to share this court with you.’
Hingis is now closer than any other
active player to the fabled ‘boxed
set’ of Grand Slam titles. Of the 12
singles, doubles and mixed doubles
trophies she has played for, only the
Leander Paes won his 18th career Slam by lifting the mixed doubles
trophy at the French Open on Friday.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS:
Career titles - Doubles: 55
Mixed doubles: 10
Grand Slam titles: 18 (doubles: 8; mixed doubles: 10)
Roland-Garros women’s singles title
is missing from her collection.
Hingis spared a thought for regular
doubles partner Sania, with whom
ing to hold all four
she had been bidding
es titles with before
Grand Slam doubles
at in the third round
their surprise defeat
to eventual semi-fifinalists Katerina
bora Krejcikova.
Siniakova and Barbora
o play each other,’
‘It’s never easy to
ia.
Hingis said of Sania.
he tournament we
‘At the start of the
always say if we have to play each
other it should be in the final. I am
e but I am sure we
really sorry this time
re matches.’
will play many more
ns?
Lopezs or Bryans?
e new
There may be
ampimen’s doubles champiros
ons at Roland-Garros
2016... or there will
ar
be a very familiar
pairing on the tro-h
phy. The Spanish
duo of Feliciano
Lopez and Marco Lopez - also
known as the
‘Lopez twins’,
as they have
become known,
with intended inaccuracy - saw off
defending champions Ivan Dodig and
Marcel Melo 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Right after that, the 16-time Grand
Slam champions Bob and Mike
Bryan underlined their surge
back to
form with a
comprehensive
7 - 5 ,
6 - 1
d e -
feat of Lukasz Kubot and Alexander
Peya, winning seven successive
games from 5-5 in the first set.
It will be a final both of contrasts
and similarities. Lopez and Lopez are
a new pairing, neither of whom has
ever lifted a Slam trophy, although
Marc was runner-up here in 2014
and at the US Open in the same
year when he was playing with
Marcel Granollers.
Meanwhile, it will
be hard for any tennis partnership to
outlast the Bryans’, given that
theirs began nine
months before
their birth and is
now in its 39th
post-natal
year; nor,
most
Nole ready to go to war
with Murray again
likely, to exceed their great stack
of Slams and assorted other prizes.
But the similarities are that each
duo features a lefty - Feliciano and
Bob - and that both pairs have won
titles in 2016. (Lopez and Lopez in
Doha, and the Bryans in Houston,
Barcelona and Rome.)
‘We have the X-factor back in
o game after the heartbreak of
our
1 months ago,’ said Bob Bryan,
12
re
referring
to their loss at the decidin stage of Roland-Garros 2015
ing
to Dodig and Melo. ‘We had a real
g
good
talk after Houston (in April),
g a lot of stuff sorted out and I’m
got
p
proud
of our last 20 matches since
th
then.’
The Bryans lifted the trophy here
in 2003 and 2013, although this is
th Slam they find the most difficult
the
to win, and they have been runnersu four times. Bob Bryan has celup
e
ebrated
their current run of form
a Roland-Garros by declining to
at
s
shave
since the start of the tournam
ment,
meaning they can - for now,
a least - be distinguished by more
at
t
than
the fact that Mike is righth
handed
and Bob is a southpaw.
Meanwhile, they are of course
f
focused
on the final here.
But even more than the trophy
alone is on the line. Bob Bryan will
regain the No.1 spot in the doubles rankings with a title in Paris.
O
Otherwise
Nicolas Mahut will take
o
over
top place, despite falling with
P
Pierre-Hugues
Herbert in the third
ro
round
here to Lopez and Lopez.
Bhakti, Sethuraman
crowned Asian
champs
Milestones on the line as World No.1 targets career Slam
Akram
says life
‘exemplary’ at 50
Karachi, June 4 (AFP):
Legendary Pakistan paceman
Wasim Akram marked his 50th
birthday on Friday, saying life is
‘exemplary’ and that his Australian wife told him the
half-century ‘is the new 40.’
Regarded as one of the best
left-arm pacemen ever to grace
the game, Wasim -- who celebrated with family and friends
-- said cricket had brought him
great fame, adding: ‘1.5 billion
people across the subcontinent
and beyond love me.’
‘My wife told me 50 is the
new 40,’ he told AFP. ‘So it’s
enjoyable.’
Wasim, popularly dubbed
the ‘sultan of swing’, lives in
Karachi with his second wife,
Shaniera, and is a renowned
cricket expert on various television channels.
He said cricket had transformed his life.
‘Cricket is a great leveller. It
transformed my life from an
ordinary boy to one who is
loved in Pakistan and India by
over 1.5 billion people and it’s
incredible.’
Bolt may lose relay
gold after team-mate
tests positive
Los Angeles, June 4 (AFP):
Usain Bolt’s 2008 Olympics
4x100 metres relay gold medal
could be in jeopardy after teammate Nesta Carter was identified as one of 32 athletes who
failed a retrospective drugs test,
the Jamaica Gleaner reported
yesterday.
The Gleaner said a re-test of
Carter’s ‘A’ sample from the
Beijing Games had found traces
of the banned stimulant Methylexaneamine.
The result of re-tests of Carter’s ‘B’ sample was not yet
known, the Gleaner said citing
‘well-placed sources.’
Carter, 30, ran the first leg for
Jamaica’s 4x100m relay team
in Beijing, which also included
Michael Frater, Asafa Powell
and superstar Bolt.
The team took gold in what
was then a new world record of
37.10 seconds, ahead of Trinidad and Tobago and Japan.
Paris, June 4:
An 18-year rivalry will play out
its next gripping chapter at Roland
Garros as Andy Murray and Novak
Djokovic eye up a French Open final
in which milestones galore will be on
the line.
Will Murray become the first British
man to lift the French Open trophy
in more than eight decades? Or will
Djokovic have enough energy left in
the tank after playing four days in succession at the rain-ravaged claycourt
grand slam to become the first man
in almost 50 years to hold all four
majors at once?
What is certain though, is that the
Musketeers’ Cup will have a new
name engraved on it come Sunday -- weather permitting -- after
Djokovic pulled rank on a player
he described as ‘a leader of a new
generation’ to reach his fourth Paris
final in five years.
The world number one’s 6-2, 6-1,
6-4 win over Austrian tyro Dominic
Thiem on Friday had to be staged on
the secondary Court Suzanne Lenglen after a week of rain derailed the
tournament’s usual schedule.
That left Murray and
defending champion
Wawrinka to grab
Centre Court billing
and while the Swiss
conjured some blazing
backhands to whip
the noisy crowd
into a frenzy, the
winners were rare
as he surrendered
his Roland Garros
crown with a 6-4, 6-2,
4-6, 6-2 defeat by the
British second seed.
‘ I knew today
if I
wanted
to win I was going to have to play one
of my best claycourt matches. Stan
was playing better every match,’ an
emotional Murray, who became the
first British man to reach the Paris
showpiece since Bunny Austin in
1937, told the crowd with a quivering voice.
Narine, Pollard
sink Proteas
Providence, June 4 (AFP):
Sunil Narine snared career-best
figures of six for 27 on his return to
West Indies colours as the hosts defeated South Africa by four wickets in
the opening match of the Tri-Nation
One-Day International series at the
Guyana National Stadium.
Forced to remodel his action after
it was deemed illegal during the
Caribbean side’s last ODI campaign in Sri Lanka last November,
the 28-year-old mystery spinner
was at his mesmerising best on
a turgid surface where the South
Africans were dismissed for 188 off
46.5 overs. They found it difficult
to establish any sort of momentum
despite two useful
partnerships at the top of the order.
Narine’s returns were not only
a personal milestone but also the
best-ever by any opponents in oneday cricket against South Africa.
‘I’ve had to change my bowling action almost 80 per cent and it’s great
to see how it has worked out,’ said
Man of the Match Narine.
‘I really hope I can keep on playing for the West Indies for the rest
of my career.’
Kieron Pollard, back in the good
graces of West Indies selectors after
20 months in the ODI wilderness
extrem
‘I am extremely
proud. I never
re
expected to reach
the final here, I
woman who beat her at Roland Garros -- Spanish fourth seed Garbine
Djokovic praise for Thiem
D
After being previously tipped as a future French Open champion
Afte
by cla
claycourt master Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem has been branded
the ‘leader
of a new generation’ by world number one Novak Djokovic.
‘lea
22-yea
The 22-year-old
Austrian, who will break into the top 10 of the world rankw
ings next week,
was crushed by Djokovic in the semi-finals at Roland
Garros on Friday.
pe
‘Best performance
of the tournament,’ the Serb told reporters of his
own display
before heaping praise on his 13th- seeded opponent.
disp
Bulgaria Grigor Dimitrov, Latvia’s Ernests Gulbis and Pole Jerzy
Bulgarian
Janowicz
Janowic have also been hailed recently as the next big thing in tennis but
bu they failed to live up to the tag.
a
always
struggled on
the clay. I played one
of my best claycourt
matches today... I
hope I can put on a
good match on Sunday.’
Serena eyes history
Before that final takes place,
Serena Williams will be gunning
for grand slam title number 22 on
Saturday when she takes on the last
Muguruza.
Day 13 of the championships is traditionally men’s semi-final day but after one of the wettest weeks on record
in Paris, the women were forced to
contest their last-four clashes a day
later than expected.
Serena seemed listless, bored and
completely out of sorts as she finally
clipped the wings of flying Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 7-6(7) 6-4 to
reach her 27th grand slam final.
Tashkent, June 4 (PTI):
Woman Grandmaster Bhakti Kulkarni and Grandmaster S P Sethuraman
made history, winning the gold medal
in the Asian Continental Women’s
and open chess championship that
concluded here.
Playing in top form right through the
tournament, Bhakti sealed the top
slot playing out a draw with Hoang
Thi Bao Tram of Vietnam while
Sethuraman came up with an inspired
performance to beat Wei Yi of China
in a fantastic effort with black pieces.
For the record, Bhakti ended with
seven points in all, a half point ahead
of DInara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan and fellow Indian Soumya
Swaminathan.
In addition to the title, Bhakti also
qualified to the next Women’s world
championship to be held later this
year.
Sethuraman, who also ended on
seven points, will get an entry to the
next World Chess Cup to be held in
Batumi, Georgia, in 2017.
City Sports
Time for all-woman races
TVS Racing to partner Alisha Abdullah Academy
following the shock abandonment of
the tour of India in October of 2014,
then lifted his team to the target with
a robust unbeaten 67 that included
six sixes.
‘I had my plans going out to bat
and it came off tonight,’ he said. ‘I
really missed being part of that successful World T20 squad but I have
recovered from injury faster than I
thought and it’s great to be back in
the West Indies team.’
It was the first time in 15 years that
the Caribbean side had defeated
the South Africans in a one-dayer
on home soil.
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
In a move which would cheer
female racers, TVS Racing announced a collaboration with Alisha Abdullah Racing Academy for
Women, which will enable conduct
of exclusive races for women.
TVS Racing will support the
academy with bikes and technical expertise. The academy has
shortlisted 18 women riders who
will race for TVS Racing Team.
The (18) riders were shortlisted
from 80 entries after clearing rigorous tests. These riders are now
being trained to improve physical
fitness and hone their racing skills.
‘We are proud to be associated
with TVS Racing as it is India’s
most professional two-wheeler
racing team with the best motorbikes and trainers. This association will help the academy develop
the best talent among women racers as they get exclusive access
to best in class machines, racers
and technology,’ Alisha Abdullah,
founder of the academy said.
Racer Alisha Abdullah and TVS Racing Head, Arvind Pangaonkar with
the shortlisted women riders from Alisha Abdulla Racing Academy for
Women.
Arvind Pangaonkar, Head - TVS
Racing Team said, ‘TVS Racing
is strongly committed to promote
two-wheeler racing in India and
generate interest and improve support for the sport in India.
We make continuous efforts to
take the sport to as many sections of the society as possible
and create the ultimate machine
and promote the riders for these
machines.’
Mixed Bag
CHENNAI
SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
PM embarks on
five-nation tour
Thundershowers
to cool Chennai
from tomorrow
q To seek support for India’s
membership in NSG
q Modi to meet Obama 7 June
New Delhi, June 4 (PTI):
With an aim to bolster ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked
on a five-nation visit to Afghanistan,
Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico
focus of which will be to enhance India’s engagement in areas of trade,
energy and security, besides pushing
for its membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Modi is likely to seek support of Switzerland and Mexico for India’s membership of the 48-member NSG as both
these countries are key members of
the elite group. The issue
is likely to figure during Modi’s meeting with
Obama in Washington.
India has formally applied for membership of
the NSG on 12 May.
During his talks with the
leadership of Switzerland,
the Prime Minister is also
likely to raise the issue
of black money stashed by Indians in
Swiss banks.
The Prime Minister’s first destination
is Afghanistan where he will inaugurate the Afghan-India Friendship Dam,
earlier known as Salma Dam, in Herat
province today, along with Afghan
President Ashraf Ghani.
From Afghanistan, Modi will travel to
energy-rich Qatar tomorrow itself and
from there he will leave for a two-day
visit to Switzerland on Sunday.
From Switzerland, the Prime Minister travels to Washington on 6 June
where he will have a packed schedule
including an address to a joint session of the US Congress.
Modi will begin his US visit on
6 June by paying tributes at the
Arlington National Cemetery. On 7
June, the Prime Minister will hold
wide-ranging talks with President
Barack Obama on the entire gamut
of bilateral ties. The meeting will be
followed by a lunch to be hosted by
Obama for Modi.
In the afternoon, Modi will meet
business leaders and address the
US-India Business Council during
which he is expected to highlight
measures taken by his government
to ensure ease of doing business.
On 8 June, Modi will address a
joint meeting of the US
Congress which will be
followed by a lunch to be
hosted by the Speaker.
In Qatar, the Prime Minister will hold talks with his
counterpart Abdullah bin
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani
and Emir Sheikh Tamim
bin Hamad Al-Thani on a
host of issues which may
include trade and security.
During his visit to Switzerland, the
Prime Minister will hold talks with
President of the Swiss Confederation Johann Schneider-Ammann on
bilateral, regional and multilateral
issues of mutual interest.
Switzerland is India’s fifth largest
trading partner of India. The European country is also the 11th largest
foreign investor in India.
The Prime Minister will arrive in
Maxico from the US on 8 June.
He will have extensive talks with
Mexican President Enrique Peña
Nieto on key bilateral issues including India’s membership bid at the
NSG. The Prime Minister will leave
for India on the evening of 8 June.
Governor K Rosaiah and his wife K Sivalakshmi, visited TTD Temple at T Nagar in Chennai today on their
wedding anniversary and offered prayers.
Rly clears air on
WhatsApp message
q Circular has points that are not new
q Some scheme have already been implemented
S VISHNU SHARMAA
Chennai, June 4:
With people frantically circulating
a railway circular on WhatsApp,
department sources debunked the
message and said some schemes
mentioned in it are already under
implementation and the rest are not
yet confirmed.
Therefore, Railway sources point
out, such circulars normally lack
credibility. They advised the public
not to get carried away by them.
Instead, they insist, go to railway
website www.indianrailways.gov.in
for valid information.
For example, another senior
Railway official pointed to the accident of Navjivan Express which
took place some four years ago.
However, photos and materials got
circulated in WhatsApp two months
ago as if the accident was a recent
VIT inks pact with
Guntur University
q To set up Chinese Language Centre
NT Bureau
Vellore, June 4:
VIT University has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the
Acharya Nagarjuna University (ANU),
Guntur, for the establishment of a
Chinese Language Centre.
VIT University Chancellor G Viswanathan and ANU Vice-Chancellor
Rajendra Prasad signed the MoU
recently. The Chinese Language
Centre would start functioning in ANU
from 1 July.
According to a VIT release, Hanban,
the Chinese Language and Cultural
Development Centre, and Zhengzhou
University, China jointly established
the Chinese Language Centre in the
VIT, Vellore campus in 2007. The
Centre is currently imparting shortterm Chinese language training to the
VIT students, facilitating the latter to
get employment in industries in China
as well as the industries set up by
China in India.
A similar Chinese Language
Centre was established in the VIT
Chennai campus in 2011. This
centre, which was initially imparting training to VIT students, has
extended the training facilities to
industry representatives. More
VIT University Chancellor G Viswanathan and ANU Vice-Chancellor
Rajendra Prasad after signing the MoU recently.
than 1,000 students have learnt
the Chinese language, while more
than 1,200 students participated in
the Chinese Language examinations. While Chinese Language
examination centres have been set
up in Vellore, Bengaluru, Mumbai
and Pune, it has been decided to
set up examination centres in other
cities throughout India.
The VIT University which has been
authorised by the Chinese govern-
Maharashtra...
(contd. from Page 1)
Meanwhile, National Congress Party has demanded
a ‘free and fair’ probe into the matter.
On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Fadnavis
had met BJP president Amit Shah and submitted a
report on the twin charges against Khadse of an illicit
land deal and alleged connection with underworld don
Dawood Ibrahim. ‘I have submitted a factual report
on recent developments to Amit Shahji and also held
discussions over the issue. Now, the party will direct us
on further steps that need to be taken,’ Fadanvis had
quoted then. Reports also stated that Fadnavis would
also be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the
‘Khadse’ issue. Sources in the BJP said that the Prime
Minister will take a final decision over the matter after
consultation with Shah and senior cabinet colleagues.
Khadse, one of the most senior Ministers in Maharashtra government, was mired in a fresh controversy
this week as a Pune-based businessman accused
him, his wife and son-in-law of various irregularities
in the purchase of a piece of land.
Khadse is also facing allegations that mafia don
Dawood Ibrahim had made multiple calls to him from
his landline number in Karachi, where he is believed
to be living as a fugitive.
The BJP’s ally Shiv Sena and social worker Anna
Hazare have been mounting pressure for Khadse’s
resignation.
7
ment to conduct Chinese Language
Training programmes in India would
be establishing Chinese Language
Training Centres in higher education
institutions and also conduct examinations for them if they approach the
VIT.
The MoU signed between the VIT
and the ANU was in pursuance to the
request of the Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, when
Viswanathan called him recently.
one. ‘We had to issue a circular that
there was no truth in that message,’
reminded the official.
Another senior Railway official
pointed out that schemes like getting a wake-up call shortly before
reaching the destination - so that
the passenger does not miss his/
her station - is already under implementation. The passenger has
to send his PNR number, destination and starting stations and
mobile number as SMS to 139 for
getting a wake up call, said Railway sources.
Similarly, the paperless ticket
system is already under implementation in many places. However,
information like providing 50 per
cent refund on cancellation of
Tatkal tickets, increasing number
of coaches in Shatabdi and Rajdhani trains has no validity.
The general public are requested
to log on to official website of the
Railways for more information,
said the railway source.
Mathura row: Actress
hits out at Akhilesh
q ‘UP govt needs to look into l&O situation’
q I rushed to the spot, says Hema Malini
Mathura, June 4 (PTI):
Actress and BJP MP Hema Malini,
who is facing flak for sharing pictures
of her film shoot as violence erupted
in her constituency, today sought to
blame the Akhilesh Yadav government for the incident, saying it needs
to look into the law and order situation.
The BJP leader
stressed that she rushed
to Mathura immediately
after getting the news
of the violence and had
cancelled all her film
shoots.
‘I was shooting for a film
so I said it. After that this
incident happened. Last
night I reached here. I
cancelled all my shootings and came
here. I will come when my presence
is required. I have other work also. I
was here for the last 10 days. I just
went and the next day this happened,’
the actress said trying to downplay
her gaffe of tweeting pictures of her
film shoot.
The BJP MP blamed the situation
in Mathura on the approach of the
UP government. ‘UP government
really needs to look into the law and
order situation in which they had
given some liberties. In the past two
years all this has been happening. I
have got to hear so. But, whenever I
have come here in the past two years,
people have been talking to me only
about development. So what I have
to do I have been doing,’ she told
reporters.
Malini said police wanted
to remove encroachments
but were not getting orders
from the state government
to do so. ‘They wanted to
do it but they were not getting orders from the state
government to remove
this. This is state govt’s
issue. Why they are after
me? It is very funny. And
you ask
the people of Mathura. They will tell
you what I am doing here. How much
work I am doing. I don’t have to prove
to you people’.
‘The people of Mathura will tell you
what I am doing here and how much
I am doing. Within a year you will
be able to see everything because
it takes time because nothing was
being done in the last two years
which I am trying to do my best very
genuinely, very seriously’.
It Paes to keep trying
q Indian doubles ace proves age is just a number
C SHYAM SUNDAR
Chennai, June 4:
Leander Paes may be two
weeks shy of his 43rd birthday but continues to blaze a
trail in the international tennis
circuit. On a rather chilly day
in Paris, he rocketed into the
record books, by winning the
mixed doubles title and earning a career Slam in the paired
event too.
A desire to figure in a record
seventh Olympics at Rio later
this year keeps the veteran Indian going and he showed that
he hadn’t lost any of his skills in
winning yet another title. And,
in the company of ‘Swiss Miss’
Martina Hingis, Paes has found
a partner, who understands
the intricacies of the game
and complements him wonderfully well. They were in red-hot
form in 2015 and won three
of the four Majors. T h e
failure to go all
the way at the
Australian Open
earlier this year
may
seem a blip as they returned to
winning ways at Roland Garros.
In a keenly-contested finale,
Paes and Hingis denied the
favourites - Ivan Dodig and
Sania Mirza despite losing the
opening set. As the match got
tighter, Paes showed experience mattered and his expertise at the net came to the fore.
Renowned mental conditioning coach Badri Narayanan,
was all praise for the Kolkata
star and said he expected
him to win more titles in future
and added that age was just a
number.
He told News Today, ‘I have always said that in
sport age is just a
number and it comes down to
the mind, heart and soul that a
player brings to his sport and
Leander has proven it time and
again.’
‘I wish him all the best. He truly
has inspired millions in the world
of tennis that if you believe you
can and are willing to put in the
hard yards you can achieve
whatever you set your mind too.’
To watch him continue to compete against the very best is
an inspiration to many up-andcoming Indians and Paes has
not showed signs of slowing
down yet.
In the days to come, there will
be a lot of debate as to whether
he gets to partner Sania Mirza at
the Olympics and if he plays the
men’s doubles. However, Paes’
resolve to participate in the
Games for a seventh time would
remain unchanged and would
probably keep him going too.
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
It is that time of the year when people keep looking expectantly at the
sky, waiting and wondering when it
will open up to provide relief from the
sweltering heat.
The wait seems to be over with
meteorological sources here stating
that some parts of Chennai will receive thundershowers in the evening
or night. In the next 24 hours, mild
showers are expected in parts of
Tamilnadu and Puducherry, they said.
In the wake of the dry weather,
temperatures have been settling
slightly above normal for the past 10
days. However, the city is all set to
witness rain once again. Speaking to
News Today, a Met official said, ‘The
temperatures will decrease when the
rains hit Chennai. Currently, thundershowers are predicted over Chennai.’
Many parts of interior Tamilnadu
have also been recording rain on
and off. A monsoon surge is expected to increase over peninsular
India. With this, most of Kerala and
Tamilnadu will start seeing frequent
rainfall activities, said the official.
Rain and thundershowers are
likely to pick up pace over Chennai
and the adjoining northern districts
of Tamilnadu from tomorrow.
Till then, no major change is likely
in the temperature profile and hot
and humid weather conditions
will prevail. Thereafter, with the
increase in cloud cover and rain
activity, temperatures will also go
down bringing relief from the hot
weather.
‘Though ‘Kathiri’ period is over, the
heat continues to torment us. Rains
are badly needed to get a bit of
respite from this hot weather. While
travelling by a motorcycle, we can
feel the heat bearing down on us
now though the rains a few weeks
back brought down the temperature
making the climate very pleasant
then,’ said Raju H, a bike-rider.
Madhan was seen
leaving hotel in
Varanasi: Police
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
Producer and managing partner
of Vendhar Movies, Madhan, who
went missing since Sunday, was last
seen leaving his room from a hotel in
Varanasi on Monday and he did not
return, say sources in the city police.
A special police team from Virugambakkam station has been conducting
enquiries in Varanasi.
A letter, purportedly written by Madhan on Sunday, was circulated in the
media which stated that he was going
to Kasi to attain ‘samadhi’.
The reason for this extreme step
seems to be issues that cropped
up between him and Paarivendhar, founder of India Jananayaka
Katchi (IJK) and the SRM group.
Paarivendhar has apparently not
spoken to him for nearly six months
and not included him in the election
campaign.
Madhan had written in the letter
that he had worked hard to make
SRM a top name in the education
sector.
In a press release, Chancellor of
SRM varsity Paarivendhar today reiterated that Madhan had no role in
the admission process in the SRM
Group of Institutions.
He said he was neither ‘a member
of my party’ nor had a part in the
educational institutions. Paarivendhar urged the police to trace out
Madhan as only an enquiry with him
will clear all issues.
‘New govt in
Pondy, in a
couple of days’
NT Bureau
Chennai, June 4:
Senior Congress leader and
former Puducheri Chief Minister V
Vaithilingam today informed that
the new government headed by V
Narayanasamy in the Union Territory will be formed on 6 or 8 June.
Speaking to reporters at Chennai
airport, he said the swearing-in ceremony was delayed due to administration reasons. ‘Since Congress
president Sonia Gandhi was on tour
to her constituency, the list of new
Ministers were not approved and it
is expected to be announced later in
the day,’ he said.
In the 16 May Assembly elections,
the Congress won 15 seats and
its ally DMK bagged two in the 30
member house.
Meanwhile, supporters of Vaithilingam today staged a protest in front
of Narayanasamy's house expressing their dispointment at latter being
appointed as Chief Minister.
8 SATURDAY
4 JUNE 2016
, CHENNAI
Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17
Hammers nail on male arrogance
W
hat if Tarantino does a K Balachanderisque movie? This is what
Karthik Subbaraj attempts in
Iraivi. And add to it his inspiration from
Maniratnam. If powerful portrayal of human
emotions and wonderful all-round performances driven by good writing are the keys
for a good film, all finds a place in Iraivi.
Karthik Subbaraj had introduced the dark
comedy genre through his earlier two outings (Pizza and Jigarthanda). Here he takes
a conventional path but with an updated
theme, content, style and visual elements
that leave you wondering, when you walk
out of theatre.
It is a narration of women’s sufferings and trauma both physically and
emotionally from a men’s world and the
director eventually hammers a nail on
male arrogance, without being preachy.
The storyline is simple, which glorifies
women as God and a supreme being in
handling emotions and relationships. The
treatment is special. He goes the KB route
in introducing the characters one after
another as the drama begins. And here
comes his admiration for Maniratnam as
he handles the sub-plots with touch of
modernity in such an emotional drama.
Here is a young filmmaker who doesn’t stay
away from discussing sexual exploitation,
deceit, anger and agony of women. He
explores the rollercoaster ride that life puts
them through in an engaging manner. For
every wrong act of a man, it is a woman
who suffers.
There are references of Thala-Thalapathy,
Rajinikanth and some lilting melodies
of Ilayaraja in Iraivi. And at one place, a
struggling filmmaker played by S J Suryah
shouts at the top of his voice that a director
should not speak and should let his film to
do it. Remember there were in-jokes on
industry in his earlier films too.
The movie is about three men and the
women in their lives. Arul (S J Suryah),
Michael (Vijay Sethupathi), and Jagan
(Bobby Simha) are in trouble always for
their acts, which at most times are selfinflicted.
Frequently the trouble involves women,
whether estranged wives or love interests.
The story follows this trio as they attempt
to free themselves from various travails
and the mess they make of their lives in
the process.
What elevates the
movie from becoming a melodrama is
the shrewd screenplay by Karthik Subbaraj. He
infuses life in the form of sub-plots.
Picking S J Suryah to play Arul, a once
popular director running from pillar to post
to release his last film and the failure makes
him find solace in booze is a tricky decision.
The Suryah we know hitherto was far from
being called an actor. But with Iraivi, Suryah
has proved everyone wrong. He displays
subtle emotions and never goes overboard.
His make-believe performance infuses
momentum in the movie. Vijay Sethupathi
and Bobby Simha are obedient buddies of
Karthik Subbaraj and it is evident from their
performance. They just do what the doctor
ordered. Matching the trio on screen are
Kamalinee playing a working woman with
big dreams and tall ambitions, who is forced
to endure the alcoholic rambling of a man
with a broken spirit.
Anjali plays Ponni (Vijay Sethupathi’s
wife), who has to live with the fact that her
husband is in love with another woman. And
Malarvizhi (Pooja Devariya) is a widow, who
is unapologetic about wanting a physical
relationship with Michael.
Known for throwing surprises in the form of
his castings, the director opts for Seenu Mohan (the famous ‘Seenu’ of Crazy Mohan
dramas ) and Radharavi for character roles.
Santosh Narayanan as usual gives his
best in a Karthik Subbaraj movie. The
background score at places adds up to
the emotion.
The sub-plots that provide interest in the
script, spoil the show at some points. Too
much detailing away from the story at few
places make it little tedious.
All said, Iraivi is a bitter-pill to male chauvinism and Karthik has laced it with commercial elements and make-believe events.
Well-etched characters and the director’s
desire to be different make watching the
movie a good experience.
-M BHARAT KUMAR
Sundar C to direct
a mega movie
Sundar C will be wielding the megaphone for a period flick, for the first
time. The movie will be on the lines
of Magadheera and Baahubali. Further, the film is going to be made at
a mammoth budget of more than Rs
250 crores. Sri Thenanadal Films is
bankrolling the project. It is 100th
movie by the production house.
Murali Ramanarayanan of Thenandal, says, ‘We have almost locked
in on the accredited technicians for
the movie. While talks are on with
cinematographer Tirru, Sabu Cyril
for production design, and Kamala
Kannan, who did VFX for Baahubali,
we are yet to decide on the music
composer’.
-NT Bureau
What is Atharvaa’s next?
Atharvaa Murali, who rose to fame
with Baana Kaathadi will work in
director Ajay Gnanamuthu’s next.
After making an impressive debut with the horror flick, Demonte
Colony, the director is all set to film
on his next, a romantic thriller.
Sources says that the film was actually supposed to be Ajay’s debut film
as he had first approached Atharvaa
with this romantic script - much
before Demonte Colony. But at that
time, Atharvaa could not give dates
and now with ample time to spare,
the two have got together.
The shoot for this untitled project
is expected to start from mid-week
of July. It will be filmed in Chennai,
Bangalore, and some places in
north India.
Meanwhile, Atharvaa has a few
projects in hand including Rukkumani Vandi Varudhu, Semma Botha
Aagatha and an untitled movie with
Bala.
-NT Bureau
Censors should
not murder a
film: Kashyap
right from his unreleased directorial
debut film Paanch to Black Friday
and Ugly.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap says
even the slightest of alteration by
the Censor Board for any film is
no less than killing the creativity of
the movie.
Kashyap’s troubles with the censor are well-known. The Bombay
Velvet director has often been at
loggerheads with the censor board
Recently, there have been reports
that his upcoming co-production
Udta Punjab, which is based on
the issue of substance abuse in
Punjab, has failed to get censor
board’s approval due to expletives
and drug use.
-PTI
(Iraivi)
Quote Hanger
Here are some of Muhammad
Ali’s famous quotes:
Ali’s sting will
hurt no more
‘The Greatest’ boxer, who
spurned ‘white America’
‘Float like a butterfly, Sting like
a bee, your hands can’t hit, what
your eyes can’t see.’
‘If my mind can conceive it, and
my heart can believe it then I can
achieve it.’
‘It’s hard to be humble, when
you’re as great as I am.’
‘Only a man who knows what it
is like to be defeated can reach
down to the bottom of his soul
and come up with the extra ounce
of power it takes to win when the
match is even.’
‘I am the greatest, I’m the greatest
that ever lived. I don’t have a mark
on my face.’
H
e was fast of fist and foot
-- lip, too -- a heavyweight
champion who promised to shock
the world and did. He floated. He
stung. Mostly he thrilled, even after
the punches had taken their toll and
his voice barely rose above a whisper. He was The Greatest.
Muhammad Ali died Friday at age
74, according to a statement from
the family. He was hospitalised in
the Phoenix area with respiratory
problems earlier this week, and his
children gathered around him.
With a wit as sharp as the punches
he used to ‘whup’ opponents, Ali
dominated sports for two decades
before time and Parkinson’s Syndrome, triggered by thousands of
blows to the head, ravaged his
magnificent body, muted his majestic voice and ended his storied
career in 1981.
He won and defended the heavyweight championship in epic fights
in exotic locations, spoke loudly
on behalf of blacks, and famously
refused to be drafted into the Army
during the Vietnam War because of
his Muslim beliefs.
Despite his debilitating illness,
he traveled the world to rapturous
receptions even after his oncebellowing voice was quieted and
he was left to communicate
with a wink or a
weak smile.
Revered
by millions
worldwide
and reviled
by millions
more, Ali
cut quite a
figure, 6 feet
3 and 210
pounds in his
prime. ‘Float like
a
butterfly, sting like a bee,’ his cornermen exhorted, and he did just
that in a way no
heavyweight had ever fought
His biggest fights
• vs Joe Frazier The Thrilla in Manila, 1 October, 1975
The final instalment of the finest heavyweight trilogy saw Ali and Joe Frazier
push each other to the brink and back again.
• vs George Foreman - The Rumble in the Jungle: 29 October, 1974, Kinshasa, Zaire: In the sweltering heat of Kinshasa, Ali faced the seemingly
indomitable Foreman for his first title fight since first meeting Frazier.
• vs Henry Cooper, 18 June, 1963, Wembley Stadium - ‘It ain’t no jive, Henry
Cooper will go in five!’, was the bold prediction. That’s the long and short
of it, but it wasn’t that easy for the Louisville Lip.
• vs vs Zbigniew Pietrzykowski, 5 September, 1960, Rome
Cassius Marcellus Clay took some convincing to travel to Rome due to a
fear of flying, but there was little doubt that the 18-year-old was destined
for fame following his gold medal. A record of 100 wins in 108 fights going
into the Games meant many predicted Clay would win the light-heavyweight
title. So it proved.
• vs Sonny Liston, 25 February, 1964, Convention Centre, Miami Beach
Few gave the 22-year-old challenger a chance. Sonny Liston was the
silent type, preferring to let his fearsome fists do the talking.
• vs Cleveland Williams November 14, 1966, Houston
Astrodome
With a bullet lodged in his abdomen after being mistakenly shot by a police officer in 1964, Cleveland
Williams was cheered on by a raucous crowd at the
state-of-the-art Houston Astrodome.
But they hadn’t reckoned on witnessing seven minutes
of boxing perfection. Seemingly floating like a butterfly
and stinging like a bee, Ali dismantled the slugger.
• vs Joe Frazier, 8 March, 1971, Madison Square Garden,
New York City
Four years after being stripped of his title, the undefeated Ali
met the unblemished champion Frazier at a celebrity-laden New
York. Frank Sinatra took photographs for Life Magazine while
Burt Lancaster was colour commentator.
Ali nicked the first three rounds but the bullish Frazier fought
back. Absorbing Ali’s early jabs, the relentless Frazier
continually came forward, ignoring damage to his head
all the while attacking the body. His assault culminated
in a breathtaking left hook which floored Ali in
the 15th, to inflcit the first defeat of his career.
He whipped the fearsome Sonny
Liston twice, toppled the mighty
George Foreman with the rope-adope in Zaire, and nearly fought
to the death with Joe Frazier in
the Philippines. Through it all, he
was trailed by a colorful entourage
who merely added to his growing
legend.
‘Rumble, young man, rumble,’
cornerman Bundini Brown would
yell to him.
And rumble Ali did. He fought
anyone who meant anything and
made millions of dollars with his
lightning-quick jab. His fights were
so memorable that they had names
‘Rumble in the Jungle’ and ‘Thrilla
in Manila.’
But it was as much his antics -- and
his mouth -- outside the ring that
transformed the man born Cassius
Clay into a household name as
Muhammad Ali.
‘I am the greatest,’ Ali thundered again and again. Few
would disagree.
Ali spurned white America
when he joined the Black
Muslims and changed his
name.
before.
He fought in three different decades, finished with a record of 56-5
with 37 knockouts and was the first
man to win heavyweight titles three
times.
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